Chapter 1:
After what felt like an eternity of trying clothes on, I had finally found the perfect outfit. A nice top that gave a fun, but not too revealing, party vibe in pink and a denim skirt. I looked at my watch, recently recalibrated for London local time: 6:43 pm.
The night is still young, I thought to myself as I twirled a few more times in the mirror, Over an hour before I have to meet the girls and Mickey. Plenty of time.
Or so I had thought. That was until I started to float about.
Apparently, as I later learned, during the time between my disappearance to get ready and finally finding an outfit that I could wear the Doctor had managed to solder a wrong wire underneath the console and thus tripped a sensor. Normally, not too bad. Typically just a quick fix, but no. Not this time.
This time he had tripped the sensor that regulated the gravity. Without the gravity, other sensors began to trip. Sensors that now no longer registered the appropriate amount of breathable oxygen caused the vents to all go off at once and flood the rooms with all new oxygen. Doesn't sound to bad, but when you have multiple vents in the room it tends to get loud and very windy. Still doesn't sound too bad, but when you are floating and are hit with that kind of force, you turn into a sort of human pin-wheel, knocking about the room; bonking into practically everything. Due to how fast the existing oxygen was pushed out of the rooms the sensors for the fire sprinklers kicked into gear. Due to the Fire Sprinklers getting everything wet and the fear of fire the archival matrix began to try and 'save' as much 'inventory' as possible, which meant me.
Other sensors had tripped as well, but from my point of view, I couldn't have cared less stuck in an archived room, hair half windswept and half clinging to my face at odd angles. Makeup ruined and runny. My clothes were patched with water.
Well at least this couldn't get any worse", I had thought right before the small archived room became a walk-in blow dryer from all directions.
Nearly hour later the Doctor had opened the door. He had looked as if the fear of God, or another Tyler slap, had been beaten into him. He had been lucky, if he had opened the door with any sort of quip I may have just delivered a Tyler special right then and there.
I'd made sure that he was alright; he was. He'd apologized, of course, and explained what had happened. I could tell that he, himself, had to deal with quite a bit more than I did so I let the debacle go.
After making him promise that there would be no more tinkering with the Tardis until I returned home, I went to my room to fix my appearance.
Twenty minutes later and 5 minutes late, I emerged into the console room. The Doctor was reading some sort of text book on some sort of high level whozits-whatzits and chuckling to himself.
"Listen to the start of this chapter Rose, 'Einstein developed a theory about space. And, boy, it was about time'. Isn't that just the perfect way to start a chapter dedicated to good old Albert? A dad joke! He would get a kick out of that", He said finally looking back at me.
"I think that he would have commended the author for his wit and raised him, 'I'm glad you've met me now. I had heard you'd thought I was just a theoretical physicist!", I laughed, "He would have been rolling after that".
The Doctor threw his head back and let another laugh before standing and embracing me.
I buried my head into the crook of his neck and inhaled. It was so hard to walk the fine line of platonic partnership, especially since I knew that I was in love with the Doctor. I was determined to stay with him for as long as I could; the full duration of my feeble human life. Hell, give my life in exchange for his, if that is it took to keep him safe. With as much pain as staying and balancing on that line was, I wouldn't jeopardize what we already had. If the Doctor wanted more all he had to do was make the first move.
After a few content moments, I released my grasp and stepped back.
"I'll be back later, promise", I said.
"I promise I'll still be here", he said with a smile.
"Are you sure you don't want to come?", I asked for the third time that day.
"Maybe next time", he said sitting down and grabbing the textbook again, "Have fun. Tell Mr. Mickey I said hi".
I feigned a salute that brought a small chuckle as he playfully smirked. I turned to leave. As I got to the doors I called back to him, "See ya later". He responded in turn as I shut the doors behind me.
Leaning on a rubbish bin, Mickey cat called me in a joking tone with a big goofy smile on his face.
I rolled my eyes and knocked him over playfully.
"Hey Babe, for a time machine, it'd take a miracle to get you to be on time", he jested as he put his arm around me.
"I've missed you Mickey", I said smiling up at him as we walked.
"Yeah I know, I know. You get tired of that high and mighty Timelord ego. Time so see what kind of fun we can get up to", he said kissing my temple.
"Mr. high and mighty timelord says hi by the way", I said as we came up to the small group of girls that were waiting just inside of the complex doors.
"At least this one has some sort of decency", he quipped back with a smirk.
"A right riot, you are", I said as the ladies looked out the window.
Upon seeing me they all migrated outside, "Rose!", they collectively called out.
"Shareen, Keisha!" I called out, ecstatic to see my other two best mates, then acknowledged the rest, "Tonya, Debs, Trisha!"
"Girl, where have you been?", Tonya asked then gestured towards Shareen and Keisha, "They said you were off travelling again with some new bloke. Said he is a Doctor like the last one too".
I just laughed and shook my head in agreement.
"Told you", said Keisha, then in honest jest, "Rose has a way of getting them rich men to do her bidding. Watch out, next time she might show up in a Rolls-Royce with a diamond bigger than your head."
She then began to falsely whisper, leaning in, "They say she gets them when they're sleeping and that one bite binds them to her forever."
She then stood up and threw her head back in laughter, "All except Mickey. He is the exception! Right, Trisha?"
Trisha threw me a sideways glance which I waved off and said, "I bit, but he saw right though me. Takes a better woman than me to catch good old Mickey Smith."
Mickey laughed as a van pulled up.
"That'd be our ride. Let's get this train wreck on the road!", Debs said.
We all piled into the back of the van and off we went. It wasn't far, but far enough that a van was a nicety.
As we pulled down the street towards our destination, the street lights seemed to flicker on one side of the road. It wasn't an uncommon sight in council estates and their surrounding areas. The Council put its budget to 'better' use in areas that were better off and more readily seen by the tourists. The estates didn't see much money for improvements or upkeep.
A few minutes later, the equivalent of a 20 minute walk, we pulled over and got out.
Live music drifted into the street from the club entrance.
I stood there in a haze for a moment as all the others seemed to pass by. The music was so familiar, but I couldn't place where I had heard it before. After everyone else had shown their IDs, Mickey called out to me breaking me from my thoughts.
I shook my head and stepped up to the entrance digging in my bag for my ID card. I handed the card to the square jawed bouncer as the live music began to fade and a programmed track began to play. Satisfied with my credentials the bouncer let me pass into the club.
Realizing I needed the loo, I gestured to Mickey then walked over.
It was a stereotypical bathroom with a few stalls and sinks. There was one group of girls hovering around a toilet stall as their charge contributed the contents of her stomach to the porcelain. One of the hovering girls was rubbing circles on the sick girls back in comfort.
I found a stall that had just opened up and took care of my business.
When I went to wash up the younger girl, bless, was looking better. She was blonde and thin with freckles and heavy makeup. I thought back to my younger days and realized how I must have looked very much the same. I shot the younger girl a sympathetic smile in the mirror as I finished washing up.
It only took me a few minutes to find the group as they had chosen a booth on the second floor overlooking the dance floor. In front of everyone was a drink each. As I sat down Shareen passed me a cocktail that she had ordered for me; which I thanked her for. I didn't drink much, but I had grown accustomed to a cocktail or two when we went clubbing.
I watched my friends as I took a long sip of the fruity beverage. Apart from Mickey, no one here knew of the wonders and terrors that existed beyond their little patch of Earth. I watched them as they laughed and talked with each other.
After a few minutes a group of guys came up. I'd seen them around the estate in passing, but didn't know them well enough to call them acquaintances, except for Robby and Trent, Shareen and Keisha's long term boyfriends. Tonya and Debs in turn introduced me to their love interests Darren and Tommy. Trisha 'caught' Mickey so everyone had a guy to pair up with except for me. I wasn't jealous per say, but I was slightly envious of their ability to have relationships in any sort of romantic way.
Seeing how the pairs interacted and reacted together made me miss the Doctor. I realized after my second drink that I wasn't having fun like I normally would; should be. I decided to get some air and try to clear my mind of that oh so familiar sting of longing I felt.
I nodded to mickey and swung my head indicating that I was going to go walk around. He nodded back and tucked Trisha further under his arm as he returned to the conversation at hand.
I headed towards the stairs and ascended to the rooftop. The music up top was vastly different from the ground floor. This music was soft and covered the voices of others nearby, but not so loud as to prevent you from talking with those at your own table or area. A few couples lingered closer to the bar, but I found my air at the railing opposite. I looked down as I gazed across the city. It was beautiful, not the outdoors in nature beautiful that I had grown accustomed to with the Doctor, but the type of beauty you can only find from your sentiments.
I peered up and looked to the sky as if asking for an answer: Why did it hurt so much to love him?
Eventually after giving up on getting an answer I returned to the booth. When I didn't see Mickey or Trisha, I asked Shareen where they had gone.
"Trisha's mum called, her grand-mum had a fall", she said then rush, "She's fine, but her mum needed her help. Mickey went to help as well".
I nodded with a smile, "Good old Mickey Smith".
"You know, she'd been holding off on going after Mickey because she didn't want to hurt you. I think that you finally gave her the confidence to press forward tonight with what you said earlier. I wouldn't be surprised if they are official in the morning", Shareen said.
"Well I'll be sure to let her know that he is all hers, but I appreciate that she was trying to keep my feelings in mind", I replied, "She's a good one. I meant it earlier, it really will take a better woman than I to catch Mickey".
Robby came back to the table with another round and placed a drink in front of me as well himself and Shareen.
"Thank Robby", I said and took a handful of notes out and passed them to the couple that had put my drinks on their tab, "I'm closing my tab".
"That's my Rose, ever responsible", said Keisha as she and Trent came up.
"What you call responsible, I call knowing my limit", I countered in a playful tone.
After another hour of watching the couples and dance floor, I decided it was time for me to go home.
I said my goodbyes and stepped out of the club. I was met with the cool, if not a bit chilly, air. It was refreshing compared to the hot atmosphere of the club.
For a few minutes I waited for a cabbie to drive past, but nothing was empty. Eventually I decided to walk until I could spot one that was empty. Unfortunately for me, there wasn't an opportunity the had arisen before I reached the edge of the estate and the chances of catching one now were slim to nothing. Cabbies avoided the area if they could; too many automotive thefts in the past.
As I came around the corner I could see the Tardis and began to get excited. Every step forward I moved took me closer to the Doctor. Closer to home.
In my excitement I had lost awareness of my surroundings and as I passed a large dumpster a hand closed tightly around my mouth and I was dragged up against the wall roughly, shielded from view of the Tardis by the dumpster. I began to try to yell out and struggle when a cool blade pressed against my throat and a horrifyingly familiar voice whispered in my ear.
"Hiya Rose Tyler", Jimmy Stone said.
I realized where I had hear the music from before: Jimmy.
My heart had stopped several times over. I was still as a statue, knowing that Jimmy wouldn't think twice about cutting my throat. I tried to come up with a plan but my mind wasn't giving me anything to work with doused with as much fear as it was.
"I saw you at the club", he breathed in my face, his breath reeking of alcohol, "Saw you go up to the roof. Pity you chose the roof over the street. I probably wouldn't have seen you out there, but here we are. I finally found you again. To think you were right under my nose all this time".
I silently cursed at myself and at any other thing I could knowing that there was only one reason Jimmy had found me and it was because of my inability to watch my friends happily in their relationships as I pined after the Doctor.
Jimmy leaned in closer. I could feel his breath hot against my chilled cheeks. His face triumphant as if he had finally tracked down an exotic quarry.
Knowing how close the Doctor was and being unable to call out to him was terrifying. I hadn't felt this powerlessness in all my life. With Jimmy before I had felt powerless and at the time I hadn't known on some of the bad nights if I was going to wake up in the morning or not. Since knowing the Doctor, I knew that I'd always be protected and cared for and had hoped loved. I hated knowing that if I could just get a signal or something to the Doctor that this all would be like a bad dream within a few minutes of being tucked safely into the Tardis, and then not being able to ripped at my soul. Whatever Jimmy wanted would come at a price and that price would always be too steep.
After he celebrated in his few triumphant moments his face changed as he instead began to leer at me in a way that made me nearly squirm, "I've heard tale of your new fuck-boy; they call 'em the Doctor. As if you could get anyone better than a mechanic these days. They paint him as a pretty as you are stupid. Also heard your old lady is still kicking around. That true?".
I bucked against him for threatening the Doctor and Mum, "You leave them out of -".
He slammed me against the brick wall again as he sneered, rotating the blade towards my neck further, "I told you that if I'd find you I would break you. Now, I could go after your bitch of a mum or your new bastard, but I've thought of a much better way to break you. I'm going to give you a gift: the one thing that will cut you deeper and defile your every waking thought and make you forever mine. Now you aren't going to yell, or scream, or fight or run. If you do", he drew blood, "I will kill you"
"Now be a good girl and get on the ground", he held the knife back a small amount.
I complied; not knowing what I could do in that moment to fight in a way that wouldn't get me killed.
As Jimmy reached for the button of his trousers my eyes went wide as I realized his intentions.
I tried to stand back up, but he placed the blade firmly against my throat again, "ah ah ah. No running or fighting".
My eyes began to tear as his trousers and pants fell to his knees.
"Now you're getting it", he said darkly before thrusting his cock into my mouth and down my throat.
My throat burned as tears ran down my face.
"Now suck", he commanded in a husky voice as he continued to thrust harder into the back of my throat.
Knife held to my throat, I complied.
After a minute or two he came in my mouth, I gagged as he released the blade for a moment as I coughed up cum, blood and bile. As I began to regain my breath he pushed me down to the ground and pulled my denim skirt up and ripped my pants open.
I fought like hell as he got on top of me and shoved his cock into me. I went still as I realized what had just happened, then continued to fight with even more fury than before.
I couldn't yell; he'd held me by the throat and was pressing down. I could barely breathe. He ground into me roughly and without reprieve. He kept saying over and over, "I love you" and "Rose Tyler". Tears were running down my face as I struggled to breath and to fight.
After a few minutes of vain attempts to stop him he came inside of me and tighten his grip on my neck.
The edges of my vision began to dull to gray then black as I began to loose consciousness, but not before hearing Jimmy's voice, "Now that I've given you what you deserve, what will your Doctor think of you? You are forever mine Rose Tyler".
Hours later I awoke behind the dumpster, defiled and ready for death.
I cried behind that dumpster terrified that Jimmy would be back to carry on or to kill me. I cried until there wasn't tears. Eventually, as if on autopilot, I got up and quietly entered the Tardis, keeping to the shadows.
Aware of every sound around me, but unable to fully comprehend. I headed down the corridor until I ran into a door in my path. I opened it and found myself in the Med bay. On the table lay a printed guide, but I paid it no heed. Going off of nothing more than trust in the Tardis, I walked into a chamber I'd never seen before and closed my eyes as the gentle hum of reassurance she gave commanded.
I felt a prick and the next thing I knew I was awake in a new baggy, sweatshirt and pants set. I stepped out of the capsule and went to the door nearest me. On the other side I found my room. I sent a silent thank you to the Tardis and another when I heard several new locks clicking on my door.