Chapter 4

Rose sat down to tea with her mum and Tony. Jackie had given the cook the week off so she could travel home to see her grown children, so they shared simple fare at the kitchen table, seeing no need for the formal dining room just for the three of them.

Jackie was going on about some minor drama with a congressman's wife in excruciating detail to which Rose was paying absolutely no attention besides reminding herself to nod and make affirmative noises occasionally. She was playing over the conversation she and Erisa had intercepted.

Monday had resulted in no further clarity. They'd collected no other information and Rose felt blind. She'd spent the early afternoon sweeping the property with every detection device U.N.I.T. had been able to spare. With Erisa's help, she had arranged for a number of tactical squad members to be present as servers at the party the next evening.

They had a credible threat, a likely setting, and an event granting wide open access to the Tyler family which couldn't be cancelled lest they give a bright, flashing sign the treacherous elements within Torchwood that U.N.I.T. was onto them. Her family was bait, she knew it, and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Where's Pete?" Rose asked when her mother – finally – paused for breath.

Jackie sipped her tea and crooked her lips pensively. "Could be home anytime. He's been at the office all hours this week. Something to do with that ambassador or something."

"The excursionary force. I'm working on it too. How's Pritchard?"

"How should I know? He's your dad's employee, I don't keep up on their goings on."

"Yes you do, mum. The world would end if you didn't know every bit of drama going on in that tower," Rose laughed.

"Well I never," Jackie huffed in mock annoyance before continuing at the rapid clip she often used whilst gossiping. "But anyway, Marcus won't be at the party, poor dear. Broke something important, Pete said. Weeks to heal."

"Serves the idiot right."

"That's rude," Tony piped up, looking up from the handheld video game that had been occupying his attention and casting Rose a disapproving look. "He was just doing his job."

"Poorly, and he could of got himself an' me killed because he didn't do his job right, Tony."

"Enough of that sort of talk, Rose. It's Christmas." Jackie looked over at Tony. "Did you tell Rose what you want Santa Claus to bring you?"

"I'm too old for that nonsense, mum," the boy groaned with all the world weariness a nine year old could muster. "But I did tell dad I want a modular computing kit. There's a shop online that has kits with a thousand components so I can build computers and robots and 3D printers so that I can make my own iterating robots that build more printers to build more robots so that I can have all the robots I want."

Smiling at his enthusiasm, Rose reached over to ruffle his pale locks, much to Tony's annoyance. "Well, can't say you ask for much."

"It's only one thing," he challenged. "Just one kit. And about five hundred pounds for materials for my robot army."

Jackie and Rose both winced at that. It only took a moment for Tony, who was born after the Cyber War, to catch on. "Robot army might not be the best choice of words." Shooting the women an apologetic look, he took a biscuit from the plate on the table and scampered off with his game.

Rose swallowed the last bite of her sandwich, enjoying the balance of flavours that only her mum could manage perfectly.

"Not that I mind, but why are you really here, Rose?" Jackie asked with her usual pointedness. Rose should have known her mum would pick up on something,

She took a sip of her tea before replying. "I really do want to see you guys. 'M working over Christmas so this was my only change."

"But…" Jackie prompted.

"Can't talk about it." Rose shrugged. Jackie huffed.

"That's all I ever get from you and Pete. It's enough to drive me barmy!"

The younger woman smiled apologetically at her mum. "I know, I'm sorry. Nothin' I can do about it, though. Can't tell you what I can't tell you. But really, I'm here early just to see you and Tony."

Patting her daughter's hand, Jackie sighed a bit. "I wish you and Pete would try harder to get on. You don't know what it's like for me and Tony with the two of you treating each other like this."

"It's between me an' him. That's all I'm going to say about it," Rose countered. She'd learned to set boundaries with her mum in recent years, thanks to John, and it had made her life so much more peaceful.

"All I'm saying is you should try," Jackie added, unable to let her daughter have the last word. "Now, I think I heard you mention presents to Tony…"

Rose returned empty teacup to her saucer, her expression serious. "I know what you're thinking. 'M saving it for his birthday. John didn't want him to have it until he's ten. Hard to believe that's just a few months away, though."

"Don't I know it. The things that child comes up with. Proper genius that one - I don't understand half of what comes out of his mouth, but it's pulling teeth to get him to put his socks in the hamper." Jackie shook her head in loving exasperation.

Rose laughed, remembering John's own tendency to leave things all over the flat. She sobered as the reality of his passing made her heart clench at the memory of him. Her mum reached across the table and covered Rose's hand with her own. "I know it's hard, sweetheart. The first Christmas after your dad died, I was in a right state. It will get easier, I promise."

She didn't want it to get easier. It would never be okay that he had died, that he had been taken from her so soon after they'd found their happiness.

"Where is Pete, anyway?"

"Said he'd be back before tea, but you know how things are. He's late as often as not." She glanced out the window, as if to look for his car coming up the drive. "He's not working from tomorrow until Boxing day, though, so at least he'll be here for the party. Oh! You haven't shown me your dress! Come on, let's go make sure it'll suit. And what about your hair?"

They made their way to Rose's room, opposite Tony's. Jackie exclaimed over Rose's scarlet dress and the gold-tone shoes she'd selected to go with it. While Jackie flipped through a magazine in search of a hairstyle she thought would work for Rose, Tony came running in. He closed the door to Rose's room and locked it from the inside. Jackie and Rose looked at the boy in alarm.

He panted, his eyes wide. "There's people here and I don't think they're friendly."

"What people, Tony?" Rose asked.

"They're wearing grey camouflage uniforms with the Torchwood symbol but I don't know them."

Across town, at Torchwood Tower, Pete Tyler was having a very bad day.

Gina Johns sat in his chair, her long legs crossed and resting on the corner of his desk. "You've been holding out on us, Pete." Filing a nail casually, she looked across the wide expanse of the desk at the man seated across from her.

Pete could feel blood dripping down his hands. The twisting of his wrists against the restraints had failed to find any weakness and had only caused the plastic to bite into his skin more deeply. His head ached, but he summoned all the loathing he could and glared at Johns. Blood dripped from the skin around his swollen right eye and fell on his once pristine white shirt. He sneered and spat towards her.

The tall, elegant woman waved towards one of her combats-clad guards. He took two steps towards the bound man and jammed the butt of his rifle against his abdomen.

"Now that was rude, Pete. Nothing you do is going to change what is going to happen. Only reason you're still alive is I haven't got clearance to kill you yet."

"Still someone's lapdog then, Johns?" he sneered at the woman who had been dragging Torchwood down a more militaristic path for the better part of a decade. Oh how he loathed her.

She smiled at him, perfect teeth shining in the low light of the office. "You can try all you like to rile me up, but I'm not the one tied to a chair with a gun to my head."

"Mum, Tony, get in the closet." Rose slipped her feet into her trainers and laced them quickly. She reached into her blue bag and pulled out her U.N.I.T.-issued pistol. Unlocking the door, she peeked out into the hall. A black-bereted soldier looked back at her and raised a rifle in her direction. She quickly drew her head back into her room and locked the door before he could pull the trigger. She ran for the closet, reaching into her ever-present blue bag.

"Put these on," she said forcefully, shoving silvery bracelets at her mum and Tony.

"What's going on Rose?" Jackie asked, confused but complying.

Rose took a deep breath and opened her mouth to reply, but her bedroom door blew open before she could speak. She twisted a control in her hand and saw her mum and Tony vanish in a flash of blue. Just as she donned her own transporter, one of the soldiers ripped open her closet door. She saw him raise his rifle to fire just as the world dissolved around her.

"ROSE!" her mum cried, throwing her arms around her daughter. Rose shook her off and dropped to her knees in front of Tony and pulled him to her. Her hands were shaking as she murmured praise to the boy who had saved all three of them.

They took a few minutes to collect themselves. Rose noted that Tony was wearing trainers, unlaced as he must have pulled them from his closet, but her mother wore only house slippers. The cool December air blew through her thin jumper, and Tony was starting to shiver. Rose reached into the knapsack and pulled out a soft hoodie which she pulled over Tony's head.

"Mum, do you have your mobile?" Jackie pulled it out from where she'd tucked it into the side of her bra earlier. Any other time, Rose would have found it funny, but for the moment, she could only be thankful for her mother's industrious use of undergarments. "Keep your transporters on, both of you," Rose ordered.

She dialed Pete's mobile number. It rang through to his voicemail. She tried his personal assistant. She didn't pick up. Rose ripped open the back of the mobile and pulled out the battery and network card to prevent them being tracked after their next jump. Returning the disassembled phone to her bag, she pulled out her own and sent a text to her last Torchwood contact.

Caesar?

A minute later, the reply came.

March 15. Get out.

"We have to go."

"Go? Go where? Rose, what is going on? Where are we?" Jackie's voice was panicked. Her hands were resting on Tony's shoulders, her knuckles were white and Rose could see that she was trying not to shake.

"We're going somewhere safe and warmer, then we're being picked up. There's more going on here than you understand."

"Rose I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what is going on!"

"My god you stubborn woman!" Even she realized how much she sounded like John. "Shut up and let me save your bleedin' lives and then there will be time for questions later!" She twisted the control again, and the three of them lurched into interspace, materializing a moment later in a dark flat.

Rose reached into her blue bag and withdrew a holster which she wrapped around her waist. She holstered her pistol and pulled her small, silver mobile from her pocket. Dialing a number, she waited while the call connected. She typed in a code with the keypad and then closed the phone and repeated her earlier procedure to remove the battery and card.

"They can trace my transporter, it won't take them long to find us. We have to go."

"What about Pete?" Jackie asked. "We can't leave Pete. What the hell is going on, Rose?"

She looked around desperately. "They're coming for us and we have to get off this planet before they find us. One of my contacts is coming, they'll be here in a few minutes. We need to be outside when they get here." She made for the front door of the flat, but felt Tony's hand on her arm.

"Is dad dead?" Tony asked quietly, shaking off the stupor that had claimed him for the last several minutes. "He's dead, isn't he. Torchwood wouldn't be coming after us unless dad wasn't there anymore."

Rose hugged him tightly, unwilling to lie, but not wishing to break his heart. "I'm sorry, Tony." She saw his face crumple as tears pooled in his eyes and started running down his cheeks.

Jackie, overhearing, collapsed to the floor. "No," she gasped. "No he's not. He's at work."

"Mum, he's gone. My contact just confirmed it. They've turned on him and they are coming for us. We have to go and we have to go now or we're all dead. The Judoon won't wait."

Instructing Tony to keep close, she strode out of the flat and made for the stairs. Listening carefully, she waved Tony and Jackie onward. They made it to the street without incident.

"They'll find us here, it won't be long." As she spoke, the rumble of an approaching ship set off the alarms of cars along the road. A shadow fell over the street, blocking out the last of the December daylight.

"Both of you, shift!" They made their way onto the street, weaving between the stopped cars.

Rose dodged a fleeing pedestrian, keeping her firm grip on Tony's small hand. She looked behind her, and spotted Jackie sprinting to keep up.

She heard the clomping of combat boots on the asphalt before she caught sight of the soldier. She broke into a run, urging Tony onward. Panic rose in her throat at the realization that her sidearm was gone and Jackie was no longer behind her.

Rose whirled around, holding Tony tightly to her side. She caught sight of Jackie twenty feet away, who was holding Rose's pistol aimed at a man in the patchy, grey-white-and-black camouflage whose rifle was trained on Rose. The electric-shock feel of the Judoon transporter danced over her skin.

"MUM!" she screamed. "Come on!" Jackie turned, her focus on the soldier momentarily broken.

As the world turned grey around her, she heard a bang and saw Jackie crumple to the ground.

A moment later, she was in the painfully white transport room of the Judoon ship, the arm of a tall, rhino-headed soldier reached out to steady her.

"MaHo, Captain AoRoHo," she said in gratitude. "My mum?"

Her shook his large head sombrely and spoke in unaccented English. "We were too late."