Ring Around the Rosie, Chapter 11/?
Title: Ring Around the Rosie
Author: onabearskinrug
Character/Pairing: Ten/Rose with Jack, Mickey, Jake, Pete, Jackie, and others
Rating: Teen this chapter
Summary: The Doctor and Jack are stranded in London when the TARDIS malfunctions and, based on the Doctor's alien gifts, open a psychic detective agency. When an old serial killer comes out to play, it's up to our heroes and DI Rose Tyler to play his deadly game before any more lives are lost.
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or the amazingly brilliant Psych.
A/N: I've been watching too much Psych lately, and this little bunny popped into my head. Mega thanks to the gorgeous and amazing timelord1, kelkat9, and who_in_whoville for encouraging me to wander a bit out of my comfort zone, and ultra-mega thanks to who_in_whoville for coming up with the awesome title! Oh, and fannishliss for inspiring the awesome puzzle ring angle and helping me with all my metalworking issues! We're winding down on this fic, so I'm probably going to be updating it more frequently. Many, MANY thanks to six for my glorious and amazing banner :-D Enjoy!!
Catch up here!
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 |
The next couple of days passed by in a blur of exhaustion for Rose. She had lost track of how many hours it had been since she’d last slept, showered, or changed clothes. There was too much to do, too many questions to answer for her to even begin thinking about taking a break.
They had notified and interviewed the family of the latest victim, a young administrator named Diane Preston. As usual, she was blonde, had stayed late at work to help her boss put the finishing touches on a merger proposal, and was walking home when she was attacked. The ring was acquired quickly, but it turned out that trying decode the message was more difficult than they anticipated.
Janice had come to one of their meetings, explaining why the killer had decided to change the rules on them. “It’s a control thing,” she’d said, her hair already back to its normal dark tone. “He wants to remind you who is in charge. Maybe he thought you were getting too close, maybe he’s just following a whim. Whatever it is, he did this with the first set of victims as well. The change isn’t impossible to figure out, in fact it will probably be rather simple. It’s more symbolic…a reminder that he can make you dance.”
The Doctor had gone stonily silent at this, his face cold, and he had redoubled his efforts with a vengeance. Rose had buried herself in research. She knew there had to be a link between the victims. Finding the commonality would bring them straight to the killer. She just had to find it. As soon as the words stopped blurring on the pages, and as soon as her eyelids stopped drifting shut of their own accord, she’d be able to figure it out…
******
It was nearing two in the morning, and though the Doctor didn’t generally need sleep, he certainly felt weary. Here he was, an alien genius, fluent in over five billion languages, and he couldn’t figure out this stupid code. A dull ache was building in his temples, and he knew he needed a break before he ended up regenerating from frustration.
He had a feeling Rose was still somewhere in the station, as she almost always said goodbye to him or sent a text to let him know where she’d be. He hadn’t heard from her in hours. The itch under his skin, born from a lack of contact with her, had started becoming more pronounced as of late, and he decided that a trip by her desk would be a far better respite than anything else he could think of.
He walked through the nearly empty station, and nearly had a panic attack at the sight of a familiar blonde head face down on her desk. He immediately pulled out his sonic and jogged over, scanning Rose frantically and breathing a sigh of relief when the results came back that she was simply sleeping.
As his hearts resumed their normal pace, he took in the sight before him. He’d never seen Rose asleep. She looked so utterly peaceful and relaxed, such a difference from the past few long, tedious days of hard investigating. He was fairly certain Rose hadn’t slept more than a few hours since they’d brought Mitchell in for questioning, over forty eight hours prior.
He knew Rose would never go home voluntarily when there was so much to do in the station, but her exhaustion wouldn’t do anyone a bit of good. Feeling incredibly guilty for interrupting her brief respite, he gently brushed a lock of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. Her lovely brown eye fluttered open and she gave him a sweet, sleepy smile, whispering his name and bringing a hand to his cheek.
His hearts swelled with affection for her. “Hey, sweetheart,” he murmured, stroking her hair gently. “You’ll get a crick in your neck if you sleep at your desk.
“What?” she muttered, head popping up. “Oh, bollocks, I can’t believe I fell asleep! I have so much to do…”
“Rose,” he interrupted gently. “You running yourself into the ground isn’t going to do anyone any good. I’ll take you home, you can sleep for a few hours, and then you can come back as soon as you’re ready.”
Rose shook her head, still trying to blink the sleep out of her eyes. “No, I can’t…let me just get some coffee…”
The Doctor slid his hand over hers and squeezed. “I promise, this will all still be here in the morning.”
She met his gaze, her sleepy brown eyes having trouble focusing. She yawned hugely, then seemed surprised that she was capable of such a noise. He couldn’t help but grin at her.
He could tell the moment she gave in. Her shoulders slumped and she rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. “All right,” she conceded, allowing the Doctor to pull her up from her chair. “Four hours, not a minute more, do you understand? I’m back here at seven thirty tomorrow. Don’t you dare try to stop me.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he replied, giving her a grin. “C’mon, I’ve got the Echo in the garage.
******
“You don’t have to walk me up,” Rose grumbled sleepily as they climbed the flight of stairs to her flat. “I’m perfectly capable, thanks.”
“You fell asleep in the car,” the Doctor replied, steadying her with a hand against the small of her back. “You’re in heels and live on the second floor. I don’t want to take any chances.”
“I know how to climb stairs.”
“Blimey, you’re cranky.”
“Someone woke me up!”
The Doctor sighed as they reached her door. She slid her key in the lock and let them in, immediately tossing her bag onto the entryway table, slipping off her shoes, and plopping onto the large, plush black sofa.
“Love your flat,” the Doctor murmured, taking a seat next to her and trying not to hyperventilate at the way she instantly curled into him. “Very nice. You have excellent taste in…seating.”
Rose sputtered out a laugh, pulling her feet up and resting her head against his chest. His arm automatically came around her shoulders, his cheek resting against the top of her head. “I should go,” he murmured.
“Don’t,” Rose replied, curling tighter against him. “Just…stay for a bit? Talk to me. Tell me about your favorite place in the universe.”
Right here comes to mind, threatened to slip out of his mouth. Instead, he swallowed the words and pulled her tighter into his side. “Well, did I tell you about the time Jack and I ended up in 1869 instead of 1969? Met Queen Victoria and a werewolf all in the same day!”
******
The next thing the Doctor knew he was blinking awake to sunlight streaming through Rose’s vertical blinds. He pulled his head away from the back of the sofa, the hand that had been resting in Rose’s hair immediately coming up to rub at the crick in his neck. His time sense informed him that it was nearing six-thirty in the morning, and he couldn’t believe that he’d managed to sleep soundly, sitting straight up, for four solid hours when he normally had to make a real, conscious decision to sleep at all.
Rose’s head was resting in his lap, her breathing slow and even. He hated to wake her, but he knew she’d want to be at the station as early as possible. He stroked her hair and whispered her name. She opened her eyes and looked confused for a moment before glancing up at the Doctor and smiling sleepily.
“Did you fall asleep?” she murmured, her voice low and raspy.
The Doctor’s hearts clenched as he looked at her, cheeks flushed and hair mussed. She was rumpled and adorable, and looking at him with so much affection that his breath caught.
“Yeah,” he managed to croak out, still stroking her hair. “Do…you want me to wait for you? We could go into the station together?”
Rose smiled at him brilliantly. “Yeah, that sounds…great. Give me half an hour, I’ll be ready to go. Make yourself at home. There’s tea? Infusion of free radicals and tannins?”
He grinned at her affectionately. “I’ll put on the kettle.”
She placed a gentle kiss on his cheek and rose, stretching her limbs and shutting herself in the bathroom. The Doctor was suddenly struck dizzy at the sense that, very soon, something similar to this horribly domestic scene could become a new norm for him.
Surprisingly enough, that thought did not terrify him as much as it should have.
******
They walked through the station doors at seven-thirty on the nose, Rose clutching a tray of coffee. Their first stop was her dad’s office to check in and drop off his large bold roast, already doctored with Splenda and skim. He wasn’t in, so they left the paper cup on his desk and immediately headed towards hers, Mickey’s, and Jake’s workstations. Computers were on and papers were scattered all over the surfaces, but her partners were nowhere in sight. She looked at the Doctor and shrugged.
“Must be in the conference room,” she muttered, turning on her heel and immediately headed towards the room they’d claimed as their own early on in the investigation. When they came through the door, Rose’s jaw dropped at the sight before her.
Jake, Mickey, Jack and her father were all in the room, talking jovially with the last person she’d expected to see in the world . Her mother was standing there like she owned the place, dishing out great heaping spoonfuls of eggs, pancakes, and bacon from large silver containers. She handed a plate off to Jack with a wink and a flirty smile.
He gave Jackie his own movie-star grin in return. “You ever get tired of this old fool, you come looking for me, darling, you hear?”
“Oh, stop,” Jackie swatted at him playfully before looking towards the doorway and finally noticing her daughter and the Doctor. “Rose! Hello, love! Fancy breakfast?”
Rose glanced nervously at the Doctor, who raised an eyebrow in return. “Mum, what are you doing here?”
The Doctor’s eyes widened in understanding and, Rose couldn’t be certain, but it seemed a bit of color drained from his face. Jackie came over to wrap Rose in a hug. “You poor dears have been living off takeaway for weeks now. I just thought you’d appreciate a home-cooked meal is all.” She turned to the Doctor and gave him a suspicious look. “And who’s this?”
“Oh, right, this is Dr. John Smith,” Rose introduced. “Jack’s partner. One of the consultants on the case. Doctor, this is my mum, Jackie Tyler.”
Jackie’s eyes widened in recognition. The Doctor visibly gulped before putting on a smile and grasping Jackie’s hand. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Tyler. Thanks for all this, it smells delicious, absolutely incredible-”
“Did you two arrive together, then?” she interrupted, crossing her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow.
“Mum!” Rose hissed, grabbing Jackie by the elbow and steering her back towards the food. “We’ll talk later. This looks amazing. Mind making me a plate?”
Jackie nodded, giving her daughter a small smile and heaping food onto a paper plate for her. “’Course, sweetheart. Blimey, you look like you could use a good meal…you’ve easily dropped five pounds since I saw you last.”
“I told her the same thing just the other day!” the Doctor sidled up next to Rose, nudging her playfully. “I said, ‘Rose, would you eat a bloody chip once in a while?’ She’s like skin and bones, look at her!”
Jackie laughed and immediately began filling a plate for the Doctor. Rose grinned as she spooned on an extra few slices of bacon and gave him the nicest pancakes in the batch. “Doctor, I think you and I are going to get along just fine.”
******
Despite the rather excellent start to the day, it passed in much the same manner as its predecessors. In fact, Rose did nothing but run background checks and fumble through research for the duration of the day. She’d consulted crime scene photos, read through a million interviews, and skipped lunch to spread out on the break room sofa to try and nap. Nothing was coming together to form a viable theory in her brain, and it was incredibly frustrating.
It was nearing midnight, and practically everyone working the case was still in the station. Rose sighed and rubbed her eyes, deciding that a break for reasonably good coffee was in order, and she made her way into the conference room to see if the Doctor wanted to join her.
He was working on the code once again, looking at the little baggie that held the latest ring with barely-veiled contempt. His brow was furrowed, he was surrounded by pieces of crumpled up paper, and Rose’s heart clenched at the obvious frustration on his face.
"Hey, you," she greeted with as much cheer as she could muster. She perched on the corner of the table closet to him. “You look like you could strangle something right about now.”
The Doctor sighed heavily and ran his hands through his hair. "I can't figure out how he's doing this. Everything I try comes out complete jibberish. It doesn't make any sense."
Rose rubbed his shoulder. “You'll get it, don't worry.” She chuckled a bit. “You know, this reminds me of something my dad used to say. When I was a kid, I always wanted to get to the prize at the bottom of the cereal box right away, and Mum wouldn't let me. She always told me to be patient, and we had to eat the whole box first. I hated the waiting. Then one day, my dad pulled me aside, turned the box upside down and said, ‘Sometimes you just need to turn something on its side, and then you get the prize.’ It was brilliant! I never forgot that. Maybe that’s what’s wrong…you need to look at it from a different direction is all. What do you think?”
The Doctor stared at her for a moment and her breath caught. Once in a while, he gave her these looks of barely-concealed wonder, like her entire existence was just completely baffling and unfathomable to him. Then, slowly, a grin began to spread across his face, lighting up his weary features and making him look practically jubilant.
He stood up and, without warning, wrapped Rose in his arms and twirled her around, laughing joyously. "Rose Tyler!" he exclaimed, pressing chaste kisses all over her face between each word. "You. Are. BRILLIANT!"
Rose started giggling, but was cut short when he abruptly pressed his lips to hers.
The bolt that shot through her whole body at the contact took her by surprise, and she froze. In that second, the Doctor had managed to cup her cheek and let out a delightful, needy whimper as he took her bottom lip between both of his.
Instantly, the floodgates opened and Rose moaned almost embarrassingly loudly into his mouth, working her fingers into his hair and pulling his face closer. His grip on her waist tightened and he pressed their bodies flush against one another. Rose was lost. She completely surrendered to the feel of his lips on hers, his tongue dipping expertly into her mouth as her hands settled around his neck.
The passage of time meant nothing to her. They could have been kissing for seconds or hours, she had no idea. When they finally broke apart, the Doctor's eyes blinking open slowly and his mouth curving into a grin as he whispered her name, Rose's knees wobbled dangerously. The Doctor had to press her tighter against him, attempting to look concerned but really only accomplishing looking smug.
"Did I make you weak in the knees, Inspector Tyler?" he murmured, dipping back for another gentle press of lips.
Rose giggled. "Might have done. Might just be I need a coffee fix..."
The Doctor growled playfully, silencing her laughter with more light, gentle kisses. "I can't believe we finally did this. I've wanted to for..."
"Forever," Rose murmured, pressing her forehead against his and playing with the short hairs on the back of his neck. "Feels like I've wanted to forever."
"So what's stopping you?" he murmured, closing his eyes against her touch.
"Hmmm...wasn't there something..." she whispered as she closed the distance between them once more.
The continued their slow, leisurely exploration of one another, gradually growing bolder as their kisses grew deeper and more heated. The Doctor was soon backing her up against the table, and Rose let out a breathy moan as she felt the evidence of his desire against her. She was ready, she wanted this more than anything. Nothing was going to stop them now.
"YES! WHOO HOO! IN YOUR FACE!"
Reality broke into their lust-fogged world at the sound of Jack's voice outside the room. They both turned just in time to see him moonwalk across the floor, catching small snippets of a little "Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah!" song he seemed to be making up as he went along.
Rose turned to the Doctor, grinning at him, her face hot. "Oh, right...work."
He grinned back, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips before moving a few steps away. His smile turned heated as Rose smoothed down her hair and adjusted her clothes.
"Keep looking at me like that and we're gonna christen this room in front of everyone."
"You say that like it's a problem."
Rose grinned. "I'm going to go get coffee. Keep working here. The faster we finish this the faster we can focus on...other things."
The Doctor's gaze darkened, and Rose felt a thrill run through her. "I'll hold you to that, Inspector."
Rose grinned and pressed one last kiss to his lips. "Let me know when you have something, yeah? I'll be back in a bit."
"Yes, ma'am."
******
The Doctor turned back to the conference room, unable to wipe the ridiculous grin off his face. He was exceedingly grateful for his massive brain, allowing him to focus on several subjects at once. The code was reversed, flipped upside down. Instead of the number of words from the top of the page, it was from the bottom of the page. He was able to mentally flip through the current edition of the OED, translate the code in his head, and still remember the exact feel of Rose’s lips on his.
However, an odd sense of foreboding was washing through him with every line he decoded. He gradually turned his full focus on the words in front of him and nearly keeled over when they lay fully-translated on the page:
The once was a man of cunning and wit,
Who challenged the mystic who emerged from the mist,
When a maiden he found,
Who would not be bound,
Upon his rose, death placed his kiss
Three Days…
The Doctor immediately paled. He read the verse again, the idea slowly sinking in that the mystic was indeed himself and his Rose was…well…his Rose.
And only three days this time. The Doctor swore colorfully in his native tongue and checked his watch. It was after midnight already, the third day after they’d found the last victim. The bastard was still trying to show them who was in charge by changing the rules, keeping them on their toes. His hearts began speeding up in panic as a million worst-case scenarios ran through his head…
Very suddenly, he was accosted with one so vivid he nearly cried out in agony at the sight of it.
Rose was lying in an alley, leg contorted unnaturally…her eyes were closed, her body still…a shadowy figure bent over her unmoving form and slipped a thin band onto her left middle finger…
As soon as the vision cut off, the Doctor was on his feet and headed towards the lounge. He had to warn Rose not to go out alone. As long as she stayed in the station or was out in a group, she would be fine. The idea of something happening to her…he had to stop and steady himself against the wall as a wave of emotion threatened to overtake him.
Breathing deeply, he found his way to the lounge, thundering in with a warning already on his lips. He felt his hearts sink as he scanned the room and found no sign of her. No coffee was brewing, she wasn’t curled up on the sofa, her shoes weren’t even haphazardly tossed in a corner somewhere, as she was wont do to.
He fought down the panic that was rising in his chest. He left the room, passing by her desk on the way over and not seeing her anywhere. He spotted Mickey and Jake talking with one of the PC’s on night duty, and he jogged over as fast as he dared.
“Have you seen Rose?” he asked without preamble. “She said she was grabbing a coffee…”
“Yeah, she headed out about ten minutes ago,” Mickey answered nonchalantly. “She knows this all-night café that brews the good stuff…”
“WHAT?! And you LET HER??” the Doctor practically roared, pushing past him and pulling out his mobile, frantically dialing Rose’s number and swearing once more when it rolled over to voicemail.
“Come on…come on…” he muttered, dialing once again and practically throwing the offending device against the wall when her bright voice instructed him to leave a message.
“Why shouldn’t we have let her?” Jake asked. “Doctor, what’s going on?”
“The ring…” he told them, dialing Jack. “Jack, get over here…we have to find Rose…I translated the ring and as soon as I did, I got a glimpse of a possible future…”
Jake and Mickey both paled as the implications of what he was saying washed over them. “Okay, we have to move,” Mickey began. “Anyone know where this café is?”
“There’s no time,” the Doctor thundered, pulling on his coat as Jack came into view and stared at him questioningly. “We’ll go ahead. I’ll try to…connect…something…I don’t know! Just…get out here as soon as you can! Jack, come on!”
******
He grinned as she came into his line of sight. She was even prettier than he remembered, all dressed up in her nice little suit and heels. He felt a thrill run through him as he considered what he was about to do. She would be his ultimate conquest. He would cripple the establishment with a single blow.
Well…multiple blows… he thought, grin widening at his own cleverness.
He would render both the Chief and the psychic completely useless, paralyzed with grief. He would beat them…again.
She certainly was lovely, this Rose, especially with that dreamy little smile permanently stuck on her face. She was walking as if she barely felt her feet touch the ground. Floating on air…like a woman in love. As she walked under a street light, the beams reflected like a halo on her head, turning her locks practically golden.
What a shame it would be to get so much blood in that pretty blonde hair…
Next Chapter
Author: onabearskinrug
Character/Pairing: Ten/Rose with Jack, Mickey, Jake, Pete, Jackie, and others
Rating: Teen this chapter
Summary: The Doctor and Jack are stranded in London when the TARDIS malfunctions and, based on the Doctor's alien gifts, open a psychic detective agency. When an old serial killer comes out to play, it's up to our heroes and DI Rose Tyler to play his deadly game before any more lives are lost.
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or the amazingly brilliant Psych.
A/N: I've been watching too much Psych lately, and this little bunny popped into my head. Mega thanks to the gorgeous and amazing timelord1, kelkat9, and who_in_whoville for encouraging me to wander a bit out of my comfort zone, and ultra-mega thanks to who_in_whoville for coming up with the awesome title! Oh, and fannishliss for inspiring the awesome puzzle ring angle and helping me with all my metalworking issues! We're winding down on this fic, so I'm probably going to be updating it more frequently. Many, MANY thanks to six for my glorious and amazing banner :-D Enjoy!!
Catch up here!
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 |
The next couple of days passed by in a blur of exhaustion for Rose. She had lost track of how many hours it had been since she’d last slept, showered, or changed clothes. There was too much to do, too many questions to answer for her to even begin thinking about taking a break.
They had notified and interviewed the family of the latest victim, a young administrator named Diane Preston. As usual, she was blonde, had stayed late at work to help her boss put the finishing touches on a merger proposal, and was walking home when she was attacked. The ring was acquired quickly, but it turned out that trying decode the message was more difficult than they anticipated.
Janice had come to one of their meetings, explaining why the killer had decided to change the rules on them. “It’s a control thing,” she’d said, her hair already back to its normal dark tone. “He wants to remind you who is in charge. Maybe he thought you were getting too close, maybe he’s just following a whim. Whatever it is, he did this with the first set of victims as well. The change isn’t impossible to figure out, in fact it will probably be rather simple. It’s more symbolic…a reminder that he can make you dance.”
The Doctor had gone stonily silent at this, his face cold, and he had redoubled his efforts with a vengeance. Rose had buried herself in research. She knew there had to be a link between the victims. Finding the commonality would bring them straight to the killer. She just had to find it. As soon as the words stopped blurring on the pages, and as soon as her eyelids stopped drifting shut of their own accord, she’d be able to figure it out…
******
It was nearing two in the morning, and though the Doctor didn’t generally need sleep, he certainly felt weary. Here he was, an alien genius, fluent in over five billion languages, and he couldn’t figure out this stupid code. A dull ache was building in his temples, and he knew he needed a break before he ended up regenerating from frustration.
He had a feeling Rose was still somewhere in the station, as she almost always said goodbye to him or sent a text to let him know where she’d be. He hadn’t heard from her in hours. The itch under his skin, born from a lack of contact with her, had started becoming more pronounced as of late, and he decided that a trip by her desk would be a far better respite than anything else he could think of.
He walked through the nearly empty station, and nearly had a panic attack at the sight of a familiar blonde head face down on her desk. He immediately pulled out his sonic and jogged over, scanning Rose frantically and breathing a sigh of relief when the results came back that she was simply sleeping.
As his hearts resumed their normal pace, he took in the sight before him. He’d never seen Rose asleep. She looked so utterly peaceful and relaxed, such a difference from the past few long, tedious days of hard investigating. He was fairly certain Rose hadn’t slept more than a few hours since they’d brought Mitchell in for questioning, over forty eight hours prior.
He knew Rose would never go home voluntarily when there was so much to do in the station, but her exhaustion wouldn’t do anyone a bit of good. Feeling incredibly guilty for interrupting her brief respite, he gently brushed a lock of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. Her lovely brown eye fluttered open and she gave him a sweet, sleepy smile, whispering his name and bringing a hand to his cheek.
His hearts swelled with affection for her. “Hey, sweetheart,” he murmured, stroking her hair gently. “You’ll get a crick in your neck if you sleep at your desk.
“What?” she muttered, head popping up. “Oh, bollocks, I can’t believe I fell asleep! I have so much to do…”
“Rose,” he interrupted gently. “You running yourself into the ground isn’t going to do anyone any good. I’ll take you home, you can sleep for a few hours, and then you can come back as soon as you’re ready.”
Rose shook her head, still trying to blink the sleep out of her eyes. “No, I can’t…let me just get some coffee…”
The Doctor slid his hand over hers and squeezed. “I promise, this will all still be here in the morning.”
She met his gaze, her sleepy brown eyes having trouble focusing. She yawned hugely, then seemed surprised that she was capable of such a noise. He couldn’t help but grin at her.
He could tell the moment she gave in. Her shoulders slumped and she rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. “All right,” she conceded, allowing the Doctor to pull her up from her chair. “Four hours, not a minute more, do you understand? I’m back here at seven thirty tomorrow. Don’t you dare try to stop me.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he replied, giving her a grin. “C’mon, I’ve got the Echo in the garage.
******
“You don’t have to walk me up,” Rose grumbled sleepily as they climbed the flight of stairs to her flat. “I’m perfectly capable, thanks.”
“You fell asleep in the car,” the Doctor replied, steadying her with a hand against the small of her back. “You’re in heels and live on the second floor. I don’t want to take any chances.”
“I know how to climb stairs.”
“Blimey, you’re cranky.”
“Someone woke me up!”
The Doctor sighed as they reached her door. She slid her key in the lock and let them in, immediately tossing her bag onto the entryway table, slipping off her shoes, and plopping onto the large, plush black sofa.
“Love your flat,” the Doctor murmured, taking a seat next to her and trying not to hyperventilate at the way she instantly curled into him. “Very nice. You have excellent taste in…seating.”
Rose sputtered out a laugh, pulling her feet up and resting her head against his chest. His arm automatically came around her shoulders, his cheek resting against the top of her head. “I should go,” he murmured.
“Don’t,” Rose replied, curling tighter against him. “Just…stay for a bit? Talk to me. Tell me about your favorite place in the universe.”
Right here comes to mind, threatened to slip out of his mouth. Instead, he swallowed the words and pulled her tighter into his side. “Well, did I tell you about the time Jack and I ended up in 1869 instead of 1969? Met Queen Victoria and a werewolf all in the same day!”
******
The next thing the Doctor knew he was blinking awake to sunlight streaming through Rose’s vertical blinds. He pulled his head away from the back of the sofa, the hand that had been resting in Rose’s hair immediately coming up to rub at the crick in his neck. His time sense informed him that it was nearing six-thirty in the morning, and he couldn’t believe that he’d managed to sleep soundly, sitting straight up, for four solid hours when he normally had to make a real, conscious decision to sleep at all.
Rose’s head was resting in his lap, her breathing slow and even. He hated to wake her, but he knew she’d want to be at the station as early as possible. He stroked her hair and whispered her name. She opened her eyes and looked confused for a moment before glancing up at the Doctor and smiling sleepily.
“Did you fall asleep?” she murmured, her voice low and raspy.
The Doctor’s hearts clenched as he looked at her, cheeks flushed and hair mussed. She was rumpled and adorable, and looking at him with so much affection that his breath caught.
“Yeah,” he managed to croak out, still stroking her hair. “Do…you want me to wait for you? We could go into the station together?”
Rose smiled at him brilliantly. “Yeah, that sounds…great. Give me half an hour, I’ll be ready to go. Make yourself at home. There’s tea? Infusion of free radicals and tannins?”
He grinned at her affectionately. “I’ll put on the kettle.”
She placed a gentle kiss on his cheek and rose, stretching her limbs and shutting herself in the bathroom. The Doctor was suddenly struck dizzy at the sense that, very soon, something similar to this horribly domestic scene could become a new norm for him.
Surprisingly enough, that thought did not terrify him as much as it should have.
******
They walked through the station doors at seven-thirty on the nose, Rose clutching a tray of coffee. Their first stop was her dad’s office to check in and drop off his large bold roast, already doctored with Splenda and skim. He wasn’t in, so they left the paper cup on his desk and immediately headed towards hers, Mickey’s, and Jake’s workstations. Computers were on and papers were scattered all over the surfaces, but her partners were nowhere in sight. She looked at the Doctor and shrugged.
“Must be in the conference room,” she muttered, turning on her heel and immediately headed towards the room they’d claimed as their own early on in the investigation. When they came through the door, Rose’s jaw dropped at the sight before her.
Jake, Mickey, Jack and her father were all in the room, talking jovially with the last person she’d expected to see in the world . Her mother was standing there like she owned the place, dishing out great heaping spoonfuls of eggs, pancakes, and bacon from large silver containers. She handed a plate off to Jack with a wink and a flirty smile.
He gave Jackie his own movie-star grin in return. “You ever get tired of this old fool, you come looking for me, darling, you hear?”
“Oh, stop,” Jackie swatted at him playfully before looking towards the doorway and finally noticing her daughter and the Doctor. “Rose! Hello, love! Fancy breakfast?”
Rose glanced nervously at the Doctor, who raised an eyebrow in return. “Mum, what are you doing here?”
The Doctor’s eyes widened in understanding and, Rose couldn’t be certain, but it seemed a bit of color drained from his face. Jackie came over to wrap Rose in a hug. “You poor dears have been living off takeaway for weeks now. I just thought you’d appreciate a home-cooked meal is all.” She turned to the Doctor and gave him a suspicious look. “And who’s this?”
“Oh, right, this is Dr. John Smith,” Rose introduced. “Jack’s partner. One of the consultants on the case. Doctor, this is my mum, Jackie Tyler.”
Jackie’s eyes widened in recognition. The Doctor visibly gulped before putting on a smile and grasping Jackie’s hand. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Tyler. Thanks for all this, it smells delicious, absolutely incredible-”
“Did you two arrive together, then?” she interrupted, crossing her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow.
“Mum!” Rose hissed, grabbing Jackie by the elbow and steering her back towards the food. “We’ll talk later. This looks amazing. Mind making me a plate?”
Jackie nodded, giving her daughter a small smile and heaping food onto a paper plate for her. “’Course, sweetheart. Blimey, you look like you could use a good meal…you’ve easily dropped five pounds since I saw you last.”
“I told her the same thing just the other day!” the Doctor sidled up next to Rose, nudging her playfully. “I said, ‘Rose, would you eat a bloody chip once in a while?’ She’s like skin and bones, look at her!”
Jackie laughed and immediately began filling a plate for the Doctor. Rose grinned as she spooned on an extra few slices of bacon and gave him the nicest pancakes in the batch. “Doctor, I think you and I are going to get along just fine.”
******
Despite the rather excellent start to the day, it passed in much the same manner as its predecessors. In fact, Rose did nothing but run background checks and fumble through research for the duration of the day. She’d consulted crime scene photos, read through a million interviews, and skipped lunch to spread out on the break room sofa to try and nap. Nothing was coming together to form a viable theory in her brain, and it was incredibly frustrating.
It was nearing midnight, and practically everyone working the case was still in the station. Rose sighed and rubbed her eyes, deciding that a break for reasonably good coffee was in order, and she made her way into the conference room to see if the Doctor wanted to join her.
He was working on the code once again, looking at the little baggie that held the latest ring with barely-veiled contempt. His brow was furrowed, he was surrounded by pieces of crumpled up paper, and Rose’s heart clenched at the obvious frustration on his face.
"Hey, you," she greeted with as much cheer as she could muster. She perched on the corner of the table closet to him. “You look like you could strangle something right about now.”
The Doctor sighed heavily and ran his hands through his hair. "I can't figure out how he's doing this. Everything I try comes out complete jibberish. It doesn't make any sense."
Rose rubbed his shoulder. “You'll get it, don't worry.” She chuckled a bit. “You know, this reminds me of something my dad used to say. When I was a kid, I always wanted to get to the prize at the bottom of the cereal box right away, and Mum wouldn't let me. She always told me to be patient, and we had to eat the whole box first. I hated the waiting. Then one day, my dad pulled me aside, turned the box upside down and said, ‘Sometimes you just need to turn something on its side, and then you get the prize.’ It was brilliant! I never forgot that. Maybe that’s what’s wrong…you need to look at it from a different direction is all. What do you think?”
The Doctor stared at her for a moment and her breath caught. Once in a while, he gave her these looks of barely-concealed wonder, like her entire existence was just completely baffling and unfathomable to him. Then, slowly, a grin began to spread across his face, lighting up his weary features and making him look practically jubilant.
He stood up and, without warning, wrapped Rose in his arms and twirled her around, laughing joyously. "Rose Tyler!" he exclaimed, pressing chaste kisses all over her face between each word. "You. Are. BRILLIANT!"
Rose started giggling, but was cut short when he abruptly pressed his lips to hers.
The bolt that shot through her whole body at the contact took her by surprise, and she froze. In that second, the Doctor had managed to cup her cheek and let out a delightful, needy whimper as he took her bottom lip between both of his.
Instantly, the floodgates opened and Rose moaned almost embarrassingly loudly into his mouth, working her fingers into his hair and pulling his face closer. His grip on her waist tightened and he pressed their bodies flush against one another. Rose was lost. She completely surrendered to the feel of his lips on hers, his tongue dipping expertly into her mouth as her hands settled around his neck.
The passage of time meant nothing to her. They could have been kissing for seconds or hours, she had no idea. When they finally broke apart, the Doctor's eyes blinking open slowly and his mouth curving into a grin as he whispered her name, Rose's knees wobbled dangerously. The Doctor had to press her tighter against him, attempting to look concerned but really only accomplishing looking smug.
"Did I make you weak in the knees, Inspector Tyler?" he murmured, dipping back for another gentle press of lips.
Rose giggled. "Might have done. Might just be I need a coffee fix..."
The Doctor growled playfully, silencing her laughter with more light, gentle kisses. "I can't believe we finally did this. I've wanted to for..."
"Forever," Rose murmured, pressing her forehead against his and playing with the short hairs on the back of his neck. "Feels like I've wanted to forever."
"So what's stopping you?" he murmured, closing his eyes against her touch.
"Hmmm...wasn't there something..." she whispered as she closed the distance between them once more.
The continued their slow, leisurely exploration of one another, gradually growing bolder as their kisses grew deeper and more heated. The Doctor was soon backing her up against the table, and Rose let out a breathy moan as she felt the evidence of his desire against her. She was ready, she wanted this more than anything. Nothing was going to stop them now.
"YES! WHOO HOO! IN YOUR FACE!"
Reality broke into their lust-fogged world at the sound of Jack's voice outside the room. They both turned just in time to see him moonwalk across the floor, catching small snippets of a little "Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah!" song he seemed to be making up as he went along.
Rose turned to the Doctor, grinning at him, her face hot. "Oh, right...work."
He grinned back, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips before moving a few steps away. His smile turned heated as Rose smoothed down her hair and adjusted her clothes.
"Keep looking at me like that and we're gonna christen this room in front of everyone."
"You say that like it's a problem."
Rose grinned. "I'm going to go get coffee. Keep working here. The faster we finish this the faster we can focus on...other things."
The Doctor's gaze darkened, and Rose felt a thrill run through her. "I'll hold you to that, Inspector."
Rose grinned and pressed one last kiss to his lips. "Let me know when you have something, yeah? I'll be back in a bit."
"Yes, ma'am."
******
The Doctor turned back to the conference room, unable to wipe the ridiculous grin off his face. He was exceedingly grateful for his massive brain, allowing him to focus on several subjects at once. The code was reversed, flipped upside down. Instead of the number of words from the top of the page, it was from the bottom of the page. He was able to mentally flip through the current edition of the OED, translate the code in his head, and still remember the exact feel of Rose’s lips on his.
However, an odd sense of foreboding was washing through him with every line he decoded. He gradually turned his full focus on the words in front of him and nearly keeled over when they lay fully-translated on the page:
The once was a man of cunning and wit,
Who challenged the mystic who emerged from the mist,
When a maiden he found,
Who would not be bound,
Upon his rose, death placed his kiss
Three Days…
The Doctor immediately paled. He read the verse again, the idea slowly sinking in that the mystic was indeed himself and his Rose was…well…his Rose.
And only three days this time. The Doctor swore colorfully in his native tongue and checked his watch. It was after midnight already, the third day after they’d found the last victim. The bastard was still trying to show them who was in charge by changing the rules, keeping them on their toes. His hearts began speeding up in panic as a million worst-case scenarios ran through his head…
Very suddenly, he was accosted with one so vivid he nearly cried out in agony at the sight of it.
Rose was lying in an alley, leg contorted unnaturally…her eyes were closed, her body still…a shadowy figure bent over her unmoving form and slipped a thin band onto her left middle finger…
As soon as the vision cut off, the Doctor was on his feet and headed towards the lounge. He had to warn Rose not to go out alone. As long as she stayed in the station or was out in a group, she would be fine. The idea of something happening to her…he had to stop and steady himself against the wall as a wave of emotion threatened to overtake him.
Breathing deeply, he found his way to the lounge, thundering in with a warning already on his lips. He felt his hearts sink as he scanned the room and found no sign of her. No coffee was brewing, she wasn’t curled up on the sofa, her shoes weren’t even haphazardly tossed in a corner somewhere, as she was wont do to.
He fought down the panic that was rising in his chest. He left the room, passing by her desk on the way over and not seeing her anywhere. He spotted Mickey and Jake talking with one of the PC’s on night duty, and he jogged over as fast as he dared.
“Have you seen Rose?” he asked without preamble. “She said she was grabbing a coffee…”
“Yeah, she headed out about ten minutes ago,” Mickey answered nonchalantly. “She knows this all-night café that brews the good stuff…”
“WHAT?! And you LET HER??” the Doctor practically roared, pushing past him and pulling out his mobile, frantically dialing Rose’s number and swearing once more when it rolled over to voicemail.
“Come on…come on…” he muttered, dialing once again and practically throwing the offending device against the wall when her bright voice instructed him to leave a message.
“Why shouldn’t we have let her?” Jake asked. “Doctor, what’s going on?”
“The ring…” he told them, dialing Jack. “Jack, get over here…we have to find Rose…I translated the ring and as soon as I did, I got a glimpse of a possible future…”
Jake and Mickey both paled as the implications of what he was saying washed over them. “Okay, we have to move,” Mickey began. “Anyone know where this café is?”
“There’s no time,” the Doctor thundered, pulling on his coat as Jack came into view and stared at him questioningly. “We’ll go ahead. I’ll try to…connect…something…I don’t know! Just…get out here as soon as you can! Jack, come on!”
******
He grinned as she came into his line of sight. She was even prettier than he remembered, all dressed up in her nice little suit and heels. He felt a thrill run through him as he considered what he was about to do. She would be his ultimate conquest. He would cripple the establishment with a single blow.
Well…multiple blows… he thought, grin widening at his own cleverness.
He would render both the Chief and the psychic completely useless, paralyzed with grief. He would beat them…again.
She certainly was lovely, this Rose, especially with that dreamy little smile permanently stuck on her face. She was walking as if she barely felt her feet touch the ground. Floating on air…like a woman in love. As she walked under a street light, the beams reflected like a halo on her head, turning her locks practically golden.
What a shame it would be to get so much blood in that pretty blonde hair…
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