Veni, Vidi, Vici (4/6)
Title: Veni, Vidi, Vici (4/6)
Author: soniced_up
Pairing: Nine/Rose
Rating: PG for this part. Rating will go up.
Word Count: 5233
Written for the time_and_chips Anywhere but Cardiff Ficathon
Prompt: Rome - Caesar’s era.
Spoilers: Unquiet Dead, End of the World. Nothing major though
Betas: The lovely angel932 and the incomparable brilliantomega. You’ve done an amazing job and I thank you.
Disclaimer: BBC owns Rose, the Doctor, the TARDIS and the concept…the OC’s are MINE! MUAHAHAHA..erm.
Previous chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3
A/N: Sorry about the wait. This chapter was really kickin my arse but the end result I’m really quite pleased with and that’s hugely do to brilliantomega. There might be a bit of a wait for chapter 5 as well. I haven’t even started writing it. But I do know where I want it to go. So you never know.
I want to thank jennsthedevil for all her support and help through this ordeal. But will someone please tell that girl that there is more to life than just smut. Not much, I admit, but still…
Chapter 4
“I am coming with you Miss Rose.”
Rose looked up as Lucia re-entered the garden carrying a small bundle in her arms. She had dressed and was throwing on a dark cloak that was miles too big for her.
“You can’t Lucia. It’s too dangerous.” After Rose had woken Lucia, she had lead her out to the garden so as not to wake her sleeping sisters. Once there, Rose had told her what she had overheard between the Praetor and her father. She had tried to be considerate by only telling Lucia half-truths, but Lucia would not have it, and persistently asked the right questions, thereby forcing Rose to reveal everything.
Lucia had naturally been upset and angry by the situation that her father had been coerced into but she had surprised Rose, by both staying calm and keeping a level head throughout the conversation. And because of that Rose’s respect for her grew.
“Too dangerous for me, but not for you?” Lucia asked with her jaw set in a stubborn line.
Rose smiled sadly at the young girl. “You don’t understand. I’ve done this kind of thing before. The Doctor gets into trouble, I save him. I get into trouble, he saves me. It’s what we do. It’s what the Doctor does. He makes things better. He travels around and he rights wrongs, and I help him when I can. It’s hard to explain…”
“Because you think I am beneath you?”
“No, that’s not what I mean at all. It’s hard to explain because…because I don’t even understand it half the time.” She turned away as tears of frustration filled her eyes at both not being able to adequately explain herself and for the lack of the Doctor’s guidance. Truthfully, she didn’t have a clue as to how she was going to rescue him. The Doctor was locked in a prison. There had to be guards. Even with the sonic screwdriver she would need to get close to him for it to be of any use.
To compound things, something just felt… off. Something was wrong and she had no idea what it was. The nagging feeling had been prickling at the back of her mind since she had overheard the Praetor’s plot to kill Caesar. However, when it had been revealed that the Doctor was to be killed as well, the nagging sensation had been pushed away, replaced by her fear.
Now the nagging sensation was back . It was like recognizing someone’s face in a crowd but having no idea what their name was or where you knew them from.
Angrily brushing at the tears that had escaped to trail down her face, she turned back to Lucia with pleading eyes. Her voice cracked as she spoke. “All I know is that your father has been ordered to kill him at dawn, and I can’t let that happen.”
Lucia’s eyes softened and she stepped forward to pull Rose into a comforting embrace. “You will not be able to do this alone, Miss Rose,” she said softly. “There are guards you’ll have to get by. I can help you with that. Let me help you.” After a moment she pulled back and looked at Rose with a combination of fear and hope. “You said your Doctor rights wrongs. Can he help my father?
“I don’t know, Lucia,” she answered truthfully. “But I can tell you this, if your father can be helped, the Doctor will help him.”
Lucia accepted that with the same calm dignity Rose was starting to expect from her. “Then let’s go rescue the man you love so he can rescue my father.”
Rose only hesitated a moment, looking at the young girl she had come to respect and admire. Then she smiled broadly and grabbed Lucia’s hand. “Fantastic!”
XxXxXxXx
The two girls snuck out of the garden and into the dark street. Rose and Lucia scampered from building to building concealing themselves behind trees, wagons, and stacks of crates. They came across guards as they traveled, but Lucia had known exactly where they would be each time and had motioned for them to stay hidden until the guards had passed. Rose smirked as she realized that this wasn’t the first time Lucia had crept through these streets at night, probably sneaking off to meet her Marcus.
It took them about half an hour of skulking through the city, having to backtrack twice to remain unseen by the patrolling guards, before they finally reached their destination. They had their back pressed flat against a building and Lucia indicated another building across the street and around the corner, before dashing out and hiding behind a wooden trough. “This is it,” she whispered, when Rose had joined her. “This is where your husband is being kept.”
Rose looked at the building in front of her. It was built like most of the surrounding buildings, all columns and arches, only this one had no windows. There was only a large wooden door and Rose felt her stomach drop when she noticed the guard standing beside it.
“Usually there are two guards.” Lucia spoke softly but with an excitement in her voice that made Rose smile despite the guard’s presence. “The Gods must be smiling down on us. There’s only one. Most of the legions and even the Auxillia have been called in to help with the preparations for Caesar’s birthday celebration. This guard, I happen to know very well.” With a wide smile, Lucia leapt up and dashed across the street.
“Lucia!, no!” Rose hissed, gasping when she saw the guard tense and reach for his sword. But he quickly relaxed when he recognized his ‘attacker’. He caught Lucia in his arms, and swung her around once before setting her back on her feet.
Marcus. Of course, it must be Marcus. Rose thought with a sigh of relief. She watched, smiling sweetly, as Marcus swooped down to steal a kiss from his beloved. Lucia’s giggles carried across the street and Rose scanned the darkness ready to call a warning if someone came to investigate the sound. She returned her attention to Lucia noticing that things had grown serious between the two lovers. She couldn’t hear what they were saying but it did not look like this discussion was going in their favour. Marcus was shaking his head vehemently and looking around as if he expected someone to show up at any minute.
Rose frowned and sat on the ground with her back to the young couple and leaned against the trough. Her eyes automatically went back to scanning for trouble. She reached into the folds of her stola and pulled out the sonic screwdriver and started to play with the settings. Not for the first time, she wished that it had a stun setting.
In her time with the Doctor, they had gotten into - and out of - a lot of scrapes. Some of them were horrible and terrifying, and some of them, in hindsight were rather amusing. Seriously, the Slytheen? But no matter what the circumstances, when they faced them together she always knew they would be fine. even if they weren’t they’d always go down fighting together, hand in hand. - “I’m so glad I met you” - She was fine with that. It was when they were separated, like now, that fear would sneak into her heart. She didn’t know if he had a plan, if he was hurt, or if her stupid little human brain would be clever enough to save him.
Rose looked up at the sky and noticed with alarm that it had turned a dark purple. The sun was coming up and the Doctor was set to be executed at dawn. She didn’t have much time. If Lucia couldn’t convince Marcus to let them into the prison, then she’d have to fight her way in. She knew she wouldn’t stand a chance against an armed soldier. But if she was caught and thrown into jail with the Doctor then maybe she could get the Sonic to him and he could escape. Easy. Right?
Taking a deep breath, she once again tucked away the sonic screwdriver and picked up the bundle Lucia has left behind before getting to her feet. She made her way across the street as quickly and quietly as she could. She saw Marcus once again tense and reach for his sword, but Lucia spoke a word and he instantly relaxed.
“Miss Rose.” Lucia reached out and grabbed Rose’s hand. “I was telling Marcus that you just wanted the chance to say your final goodbyes to your husband.”
At her words Rose instantly jumped into character, screwed up her face in feigned grief. She bowed her head respectfully “Yes Sir, please. I just want to say goodbye. I’ll be in and out before you know it. Please Sir, I beg you to let me see him.” He was silent for a moment and Rose held her breath, keeping her eyes lowered awaiting his answer.
“Fine,” he said, moving to open the door. “But you only have a minute. The prisoner is to be executed within the hour.”
Rose let out a relieved breath. “Thank you so much Sir. You are most kind.” She went to enter the building but let out a small squeak when Marcus’ arm came up to block her way.
“What is that you have in you hand?” he asked, eyeing the bundle suspiciously.
“This?” Rose gaped, holding up the object in question. “It’s…ahh well it’s…
“For the baby,” Lucia provided.
“The what!?” Rose asked incredulously.
“Oh you poor lady. So overcome with grief. She’s making a gown for the baby she is carrying,” she said, turning back to Marcus. “She hasn’t told him yet that she is with child and she wanted to show him.”
“Yes right, the baby. I just wanted to show him what I made for his child.” Rose hoped she didn’t sound as unconvincing as she felt..
Marcus looked at her for a moment longer, and then grunting, turned and led them into the prison.
Rose followed, shooting Lucia a grateful smile. ‘Now for the easy part’, she thought sarcastically, pressing her hand to the spot where she had hidden the sonic screwdriver.
XxXxXxXx
The Doctor sat with his back to the wall, his legs spread out in front of him. His eyes were closed, his face was slack, and his breathing was slow and regular. Anyone who saw him would think he was in a deep sleep. However, the truth of the matter was that he was very much awake and aware.
He could hear the fly buzzing around the ceiling, bouncing stupidly off the walls and the spider as it darted out to kill prey caught in its web. He could hear the soft hiss and the flicker of the flames from torches outside his cell. The air was a cool 63.54 degrees Fahrenheit. Oddly cool for the middle of summer, leading him to deduce that his cell was most likely underground. All this registered and was quickly ignored for more important matters.
Time flowed through the Doctor as he struggled to control it. It had been a long time since he had done this so deliberately, and never in this regeneration. Frustrated that he wasn’t very skilled at it this time around, he redoubled his efforts. Apparently his Ninth self was more into the ‘blow things up and hope it all works out’ approach. He would still master it. It would just take a little more concentration…a little more effort…and…ah…there it was.
Colourful swirls of mist parted before him as the delicate tendrils of time revealed themselves. All that is, all that was, all that ever could be lay spread out before him much like the spider’s web. And somewhere a fly was thrashing about, tangling and tearing the delicate threads causing ripples to weave their way down each silken strand.
The Doctor focused his mind on the ripples, following them back to their source. It was extremely tempting to veer off and poke through Rose’s possible time threads when he noticed them flashing at him like a bright pink neon sign. One year? Ten years? Fifty years down the road? How long would she travel with him? Would she grow old? Would she die before he gathered the courage to tell her he loved her? Would she ever love him?
That way led to madness, because he could see it all, every possibility. He could see her die at the age of 19 and at the same time he could see her die peacefully in her sleep at the ripe old age of 113. He could see her eternal love mixed with her blistering hate. He could see their legs tangled beneath cool, crisp sheets and he could see her turning from him and to another in passion. Yes, madness.
With great effort he pulled himself away from Rose’s timelines and back to the matter at hand. Something was altering this timeline. There was an alien presence here and whatever it was, it was mutating this timeline. Just slightly, but it didn’t take much for him to notice or cause catastrophic consequences. Of course, it was left to him to put matters to rights before history became irrevocably changed. There weren’t any Time Lords left to fix it if that happened. He was it and that fact filled him with a cold, familiar dread. So much responsibility for just one. Too much.
His concentration was suddenly interrupted by the sound of someone approaching the door. The Doctor scrambled to his feet and moved, plastering himself to the wall behind the door. Maybe, he could overpower the guard, and escape. Then he could use the TARDIS to help him find the disruption in time. Not to mention his clothes. He was not leaving without his jacket.
“Doctor?” a soft, hesitant voice called out to him
Wait, that didn’t sound like Ali. “Rose?” he asked, confusion and hope colouring his tone.
“Doctor!” she cried.
“Rose?” he asked again, his voice raising an octave in his excitement.
“Marco?” came her sardonic reply, and in his minds eye he could see her, hand on hip, rolling her eyes.
He peeked out the little window in the door and there she was beaming up at him smugly, tongue in its usual spot, peeking out between her teeth. “Polo!” he chirped before grinning madly at her. “How’d you get in here?” he asked, growing serious.
“With the help of some friends” she answered cryptically. She reached into the folds of her stola and pulled out the sonic screwdriver. “Lose something?” she asked, arching a dark eyebrow at him.
“My screwdriver!” the Doctor cried happily, taking his precious tool when she poked it through the barred window.
“Why’d you give it to me anyway?” Rose asked. She could hear him on the other side of the door, moving through the settings and flicking the switch, trying to find the right one to open the door. “If you’d just kept it you’d have been able to escape on your own.”
“Give me some credit. I knew they’d probably take my clothes, which they did. So my best chance was to give it to you and wait for you to come and rescue me.” He looked at her through the small window and beamed, his eyes shining with pride. “Which you did! I knew I kept you around for a reason, Rose Tyler.”
Rose’s smile got even bigger and a light flush reached her cheeks at his rare praise. That is, until it dawned on her exactly what he’d said. “Wait. What? They took your clothes? You mean you’re naked?” she asked with a snicker. She went up on her tiptoes and tried to peer through the small window into the darkened cell.
“Oi! The cheek!” he exclaimed, glaring at her. After a moment, he lowered his eyes sheepishly. “I’m not naked. “I’mwearingaloincloth.”
“I’m sorry, what was that? Didn’t quite hear you.”
The strangled quality of her voice told him that she had heard him just fine. His mind was filled with the vision of her smiling face stained red from the strain of not laughing out loud and her tongue sliding out to play with her teeth. “I said I’m wearing a loin cloth. Ok? Happy now?” he asked, feeling his own cheeks heating with embarrassment. Rose’s high pitched giggles, told him that she was indeed very happy. “That’s right. Laugh it up. The next time we get taken prisoner by some aliens, I’ll make sure to convince them that you dangerous unless naked. See how you like it.” This only seemed to make her laugh even harder.
With a huff, the Doctor gave a final furious twist of the dial and found the correct setting on the sonic screwdriver. He unlocked the door but didn’t open it. “Um, Rose?”
“Yes Doctor?” Her voice was breathless as she tried to control her laughter.
“You might want to turn around or, I dunno, close your eyes or something?”
This set of another peel of giggles. “Fine, on your head then,” he grumbled as he opened the door and stepped out into the torch lit hallway.
Rose’s laughter stopped abruptly as she caught sight of him. The soft light of the torches kissed across his body, accentuating all his angles and planes and…nakedness. His shoulders were broad, framing a lean, lightly muscled torso. His limbs were long and wiry giving him an almost lanky appearance. There was a smattering of hair on his chest between small, pebbled nipples. His stomach was flat and hard leading to…
“Rose?” he asked softly almost breathlessly. He was entranced with the way her eyes caressed his body and he could feel his hearts beating hard and furiously in his chest.
Her startled eyes jumped up to meet his. In the dim light, his eyes looked almost black, with just a rim of blue that seemed to glow with an eerie radiance. They were filled with amusement, and the same tenderness that they had held when he barely begun to kiss her in the market place.
“Now who’s staring?” he asked, his voice slightly husky. He walked toward her slowly, reaching out to brush a hand down her arm then twine his fingers with hers. “A bloke might think you actually like what you see.” With his other hand he gently brushed a loose curl from where it had fallen over her cheek trailing the pad of his thumb across her soft skin.
Rose was unable to do anything but gaze up at him, eyes wide and shining in the ambient light. The Doctor’s attention was once again drawn to her magical mouth when her tongue darted out to moisten red lips. Part of him was telling him that this was a really bad idea. They should be running, escaping. Another part, the part that had somehow, beyond all reason, had become the dominant force in his mind, was telling him that there was no where else he’d rather be. He watched, mesmerized, as her free hand slowly reached up and cupped the back of his head. A shudder ran through his body at the feel of her fingers toying with the short hairs at the nape of his neck. He watched as her mouth formed his name, the sound barely more than sigh, as the pressure on the back of his head increased and she gently encouraged him down.
“Miss Rose!” Lucia came running toward them. “My father and the Praetor. They are here. You must run!”
With a frustrated growl the Doctor pulled away from Rose, effectively putting some space between them. You bloody idiot. Kissing Rose is a bad idea. I thought we’d already established that. “What’s going on?” he asked, more sharply than he intended. His glare softened as he watched the young girl who had interrupted them, cringe and step closer to Rose. He scrubbed a hand through his hair and looking between Rose and the girl. “Who’s your friend then? And what does her father have to do with anything?” he asked with forced lightness.
“This is Lucia and her father is here to execute you,” Rose explained as she grabbed the bundle off the floor and tore it open.
“Execute me? Why would they want to execute me?” the Doctor asked, incredulous.
“I don’t know why, and I don’t have time to explain but that’s why I’m here.” She turned back to Lucia, who had picked up the roll of cloth, from the floor where Rose had dropped it.
She held it out to Rose, her eyes flicking briefly to the Doctor’s almost naked frame, before bowing her head shyly. “Maybe your husband should cover himself so as not to draw attention,” she said softly.
Rose’s eyes went wide with embarrassment as she looked at the Doctor. Between the second almost-kiss, and the adrenaline pumping through her in her need to escape, she had forgotten about the Doctor’s state of dress, or rather undress. From the way he shifted and self-consciously crossed his arms over his chest, he had forgotten as well. “Right, yes. Of course,” she muttered, tearing open the bundle. “Put this on,” she ordered, with a slight smirk, throwing what looked like a white sheet at him. “Where is Marcus?” she asked, turning her attention back to Lucia.
“He went to delay them as long as he could. I told him everything. I had to. He is loyal to Caesar and would protect him with his life. But Miss Rose when they find out he let your husband escape…and my father.” Fear for the two men in her life filled her eyes and twin tears escaped to trail down her milky skin. “You said you could help them.”
“Rose, what the hell is going on?”
Rose ignored him and drew her friend into a fierce hug. “The Doctor and I will do everything in our power to help them, Lucia, I promise. But right now you have to come with us. We have to escape.”
“No.” Lucia pulled away from Rose and shook her head, having regained control over herself. “I can hide. Do not worry about me. I will be fine. If you go down the hall that way,” she pointed in the opposite direction from where Rose had entered the jail, “Marcus says you will come to a ladder that leads out to the street behind the building. From there you can escape. There are not any guards back there. But you must hurry. The alarm will be sounded as soon as they discover him missing.”
“Right, thank you Lucia. Doctor are you rea…” She stopped and gawked at the Doctor who stood there in a puddle of white fabric, with a very distressed look on his face.
“How does this work?” he asked, eyes pleading with Rose to help him.
“You know, if we weren’t in such a hurry,” Rose said, grabbing the toga and quickly wrapping it around him, “I’d totally be making fun of you right now.” She finished draping him in the 9 yards or so of fabric and threw the excess bit over his shoulder. It wasn’t great but at least it wouldn’t slip down his legs and trip him up as they ran.
With a final thank you to Lucia and a promise to be back Rose grabbed the Doctor’s hand and took off down the hall.
XxXxXxXx
The ladder was exactly where Lucia said it would be and Rose and the Doctor were able to make it out to the city street without being seen. Morning had well and truly dawned as they made their way through the city back to the TARDIS. They reached the market place at the opposite end from where they had entered the day before. People were already milling about setting up their booths and stands preparing to sell their wares. There was a sense of muted excitement in the air as today was to be a day of festivities and the entire city had been ordered to celebrate.
The Doctor held Rose’s hand as he led her down the street, walking quickly but confidently; no one paying them the slightest attention. They were about half way there when he heard a commotion behind them. Looking over his shoulder he noticed three soldiers marching quickly in their direction. They hadn’t been spotted yet, so instead of running the Doctor dragged Rose into a nearby alley pinning her to the wall with his body. He placed a finger over her lips when she opened her mouth to say something. They stayed that way, silently watching, pressed against each other, as the soldiers marched past their hiding spot. After a few more minutes the Doctor decided it was safe. He gently tugged on Rose’s arm to lead her back out to the street, but she wouldn’t budge.
“Something’s not right here,” she blurted out in frustration.
The Doctor cocked an eyebrow at her curiously and waited for her to elaborate.
“I’ve been trying to work it out since we escaped the jail. Well, since last night actually, but rescuing you was a bit more of a priority. So I tried to ignore it.”
She was pacing now and it was a good thing she wasn’t looking at him, as he was having trouble keeping the smile off his face as he watched her. She was right of course, something was very wrong here, but he wanted to know why she thought so. He loved watching her work things out in her clever little brain. Although he would never admit it she was quite often able to see things that he couldn’t and always seemed to know just the right thing to say to help him see the solution to a problem. They were quite a team, Rose Tyler and him. “What is it Rose? What’s not right,” he gently encouraged.
“I dunno,” she hissed, stamping her foot in frustration and turning to look at him, her arms gesturing wildly above her head as she spoke. “It’s like I’m forgetting something. It’s like forgetting my mum’s birthday, but not knowing I forgot it, but knowing all day that I was forgetting something. It’s driving me mental.”
The Doctor reached out and clasped her flailing hands in his own, giving them a reassuring squeeze. “Why don’t you start from the beginning?” he suggested. “Talk your way through it slowly. Then maybe you’ll remember what you’re forgetting to remember.” He grinned down at her, a teasing light in his eye.
She chuckled softly, and shook her head. “Sorry, I know I’m not making much sense.”
“You’re making perfect sense.” He smiled down at her before turning his expression to one of concern. “Wait a minute. Rose Tyler, making sense. Something wrong with this picture.”
“Ha ha very funny,” she said, giving his arm a playful slap. An arm, which she could not help but to notice, was bare, solid, and cool under her fingertips.
The Doctor noticed the contact too, but chose to ignore the warm hand that continued to rest on his bicep, instead ducking his head to catch her eye. “So why don’t you tell me what happened after I got hauled off to prison.”
“Right, yeah ok…so there I was, standing there, not knowing what to do. I’d just made up my mind to go back to the TARDIS when Lucia came up and spoke to me. I guess she’d seen the whole thing and had heard us saying we weren’t from around here, so she offered me a room for the night, which I accepted. Turned out her father was a soldier, in fact he was the soldier ordered to execute you.” She closed her eyes as the fear came flooding back and her breath caught in her throat.
The Doctor stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. “It’s ok Rose. I’m here. I’m safe. You saved me.” Like you always save me.
Rose’s arms slid around his waist and squeezed him tight, holding him against her. She rested her ear against the cool cotton covering his chest and let the dual beat of his hearts calm her. After a minute she continued, still holding onto him. “I couldn’t sleep. I was so worried about you. I was standing at the window looking at the garden, wracking my brain for a way to rescue you, when I heard voices. I opened my door and eavesdropped on the conversation. It was the Praetor, the one who arrested you, and he was ordering Lucia’s father to do something he didn’t want to do. That’s how I found out you were to be executed. You were to be practice for…”
Rose stiffened in the Doctor’s arms and pulled back to look up at him with wide eyes. He could see her brain working furiously behind those eyes, to fit the last few pieces of the puzzle. He smiled at her. He knew she would do it.
“It’s Caesar’s birthday.” She’d pulled away from him completely and started pacing again. “What date is it?”
“July 13th,” he answered automatically.
“And Caesar was killed on the Ides of March. That’s March 15 yeah?”
“That’s right.” The Doctor’s eyes brightened with excitement and an enormous grin lit his face as he felt the mystery unravelling before him. His gut told him that the alien presence he’d felt, and the point Rose was slowly making were somehow connected. He patiently waited for the payoff.
“Were there ever any other attempts on his life?”
“Well, he was a military man and at times, not the most popular. It’s possible, I suppose…” he let his words trail off, unsure.
“At his birthday celebration. Was there ever any attempt on his life on his birthday? This is important Doctor.”
He could see she was serious so he took a moment to file through his considerable knowledge of human history before finding his answer. “No. Never on his birthday. Why?”
Rose was bouncing now, her excitement flowing off her in waves. “That’s what I overheard. The Praetor was ordering Lucia’s father to kill Caesar at ‘the height of festivities’. For some reason the Consul wanted you executed first. Lucia’s father was ordered to kill you first as practice.” She stopped bouncing and looked at the Doctor, confusion filling her face. “But that doesn’t make sense. How could there be a plot to assassinate Caesar when you say there never was one. That’s not possible, is it?”
Of course it was possible, and he knew exactly how it was possible. He flashed her a manic grin and swept her up in his arms, lifting her feet off the ground and swinging her from side to side. He laughed excitedly when she wrapped her arms around his neck and squealed with delight.
“Rose Tyler! You clever, clever little human! You’re fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.” He let out a shout of laughter before setting her gently on her feet. He held her face between his large hands and kissed her forehead with a resounding smack. “Come on. Back to the TARDIS. We have an assassination to thwart.” Grabbing her hand he set of at a jog, leading a dazed but happy Rose behind him.
TBC
Author: soniced_up
Pairing: Nine/Rose
Rating: PG for this part. Rating will go up.
Word Count: 5233
Written for the time_and_chips Anywhere but Cardiff Ficathon
Prompt: Rome - Caesar’s era.
Spoilers: Unquiet Dead, End of the World. Nothing major though
Betas: The lovely angel932 and the incomparable brilliantomega. You’ve done an amazing job and I thank you.
Disclaimer: BBC owns Rose, the Doctor, the TARDIS and the concept…the OC’s are MINE! MUAHAHAHA..erm.
Previous chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3
A/N: Sorry about the wait. This chapter was really kickin my arse but the end result I’m really quite pleased with and that’s hugely do to brilliantomega. There might be a bit of a wait for chapter 5 as well. I haven’t even started writing it. But I do know where I want it to go. So you never know.
I want to thank jennsthedevil for all her support and help through this ordeal. But will someone please tell that girl that there is more to life than just smut. Not much, I admit, but still…
Chapter 4
“I am coming with you Miss Rose.”
Rose looked up as Lucia re-entered the garden carrying a small bundle in her arms. She had dressed and was throwing on a dark cloak that was miles too big for her.
“You can’t Lucia. It’s too dangerous.” After Rose had woken Lucia, she had lead her out to the garden so as not to wake her sleeping sisters. Once there, Rose had told her what she had overheard between the Praetor and her father. She had tried to be considerate by only telling Lucia half-truths, but Lucia would not have it, and persistently asked the right questions, thereby forcing Rose to reveal everything.
Lucia had naturally been upset and angry by the situation that her father had been coerced into but she had surprised Rose, by both staying calm and keeping a level head throughout the conversation. And because of that Rose’s respect for her grew.
“Too dangerous for me, but not for you?” Lucia asked with her jaw set in a stubborn line.
Rose smiled sadly at the young girl. “You don’t understand. I’ve done this kind of thing before. The Doctor gets into trouble, I save him. I get into trouble, he saves me. It’s what we do. It’s what the Doctor does. He makes things better. He travels around and he rights wrongs, and I help him when I can. It’s hard to explain…”
“Because you think I am beneath you?”
“No, that’s not what I mean at all. It’s hard to explain because…because I don’t even understand it half the time.” She turned away as tears of frustration filled her eyes at both not being able to adequately explain herself and for the lack of the Doctor’s guidance. Truthfully, she didn’t have a clue as to how she was going to rescue him. The Doctor was locked in a prison. There had to be guards. Even with the sonic screwdriver she would need to get close to him for it to be of any use.
To compound things, something just felt… off. Something was wrong and she had no idea what it was. The nagging feeling had been prickling at the back of her mind since she had overheard the Praetor’s plot to kill Caesar. However, when it had been revealed that the Doctor was to be killed as well, the nagging sensation had been pushed away, replaced by her fear.
Now the nagging sensation was back . It was like recognizing someone’s face in a crowd but having no idea what their name was or where you knew them from.
Angrily brushing at the tears that had escaped to trail down her face, she turned back to Lucia with pleading eyes. Her voice cracked as she spoke. “All I know is that your father has been ordered to kill him at dawn, and I can’t let that happen.”
Lucia’s eyes softened and she stepped forward to pull Rose into a comforting embrace. “You will not be able to do this alone, Miss Rose,” she said softly. “There are guards you’ll have to get by. I can help you with that. Let me help you.” After a moment she pulled back and looked at Rose with a combination of fear and hope. “You said your Doctor rights wrongs. Can he help my father?
“I don’t know, Lucia,” she answered truthfully. “But I can tell you this, if your father can be helped, the Doctor will help him.”
Lucia accepted that with the same calm dignity Rose was starting to expect from her. “Then let’s go rescue the man you love so he can rescue my father.”
Rose only hesitated a moment, looking at the young girl she had come to respect and admire. Then she smiled broadly and grabbed Lucia’s hand. “Fantastic!”
XxXxXxXx
The two girls snuck out of the garden and into the dark street. Rose and Lucia scampered from building to building concealing themselves behind trees, wagons, and stacks of crates. They came across guards as they traveled, but Lucia had known exactly where they would be each time and had motioned for them to stay hidden until the guards had passed. Rose smirked as she realized that this wasn’t the first time Lucia had crept through these streets at night, probably sneaking off to meet her Marcus.
It took them about half an hour of skulking through the city, having to backtrack twice to remain unseen by the patrolling guards, before they finally reached their destination. They had their back pressed flat against a building and Lucia indicated another building across the street and around the corner, before dashing out and hiding behind a wooden trough. “This is it,” she whispered, when Rose had joined her. “This is where your husband is being kept.”
Rose looked at the building in front of her. It was built like most of the surrounding buildings, all columns and arches, only this one had no windows. There was only a large wooden door and Rose felt her stomach drop when she noticed the guard standing beside it.
“Usually there are two guards.” Lucia spoke softly but with an excitement in her voice that made Rose smile despite the guard’s presence. “The Gods must be smiling down on us. There’s only one. Most of the legions and even the Auxillia have been called in to help with the preparations for Caesar’s birthday celebration. This guard, I happen to know very well.” With a wide smile, Lucia leapt up and dashed across the street.
“Lucia!, no!” Rose hissed, gasping when she saw the guard tense and reach for his sword. But he quickly relaxed when he recognized his ‘attacker’. He caught Lucia in his arms, and swung her around once before setting her back on her feet.
Marcus. Of course, it must be Marcus. Rose thought with a sigh of relief. She watched, smiling sweetly, as Marcus swooped down to steal a kiss from his beloved. Lucia’s giggles carried across the street and Rose scanned the darkness ready to call a warning if someone came to investigate the sound. She returned her attention to Lucia noticing that things had grown serious between the two lovers. She couldn’t hear what they were saying but it did not look like this discussion was going in their favour. Marcus was shaking his head vehemently and looking around as if he expected someone to show up at any minute.
Rose frowned and sat on the ground with her back to the young couple and leaned against the trough. Her eyes automatically went back to scanning for trouble. She reached into the folds of her stola and pulled out the sonic screwdriver and started to play with the settings. Not for the first time, she wished that it had a stun setting.
In her time with the Doctor, they had gotten into - and out of - a lot of scrapes. Some of them were horrible and terrifying, and some of them, in hindsight were rather amusing. Seriously, the Slytheen? But no matter what the circumstances, when they faced them together she always knew they would be fine. even if they weren’t they’d always go down fighting together, hand in hand. - “I’m so glad I met you” - She was fine with that. It was when they were separated, like now, that fear would sneak into her heart. She didn’t know if he had a plan, if he was hurt, or if her stupid little human brain would be clever enough to save him.
Rose looked up at the sky and noticed with alarm that it had turned a dark purple. The sun was coming up and the Doctor was set to be executed at dawn. She didn’t have much time. If Lucia couldn’t convince Marcus to let them into the prison, then she’d have to fight her way in. She knew she wouldn’t stand a chance against an armed soldier. But if she was caught and thrown into jail with the Doctor then maybe she could get the Sonic to him and he could escape. Easy. Right?
Taking a deep breath, she once again tucked away the sonic screwdriver and picked up the bundle Lucia has left behind before getting to her feet. She made her way across the street as quickly and quietly as she could. She saw Marcus once again tense and reach for his sword, but Lucia spoke a word and he instantly relaxed.
“Miss Rose.” Lucia reached out and grabbed Rose’s hand. “I was telling Marcus that you just wanted the chance to say your final goodbyes to your husband.”
At her words Rose instantly jumped into character, screwed up her face in feigned grief. She bowed her head respectfully “Yes Sir, please. I just want to say goodbye. I’ll be in and out before you know it. Please Sir, I beg you to let me see him.” He was silent for a moment and Rose held her breath, keeping her eyes lowered awaiting his answer.
“Fine,” he said, moving to open the door. “But you only have a minute. The prisoner is to be executed within the hour.”
Rose let out a relieved breath. “Thank you so much Sir. You are most kind.” She went to enter the building but let out a small squeak when Marcus’ arm came up to block her way.
“What is that you have in you hand?” he asked, eyeing the bundle suspiciously.
“This?” Rose gaped, holding up the object in question. “It’s…ahh well it’s…
“For the baby,” Lucia provided.
“The what!?” Rose asked incredulously.
“Oh you poor lady. So overcome with grief. She’s making a gown for the baby she is carrying,” she said, turning back to Marcus. “She hasn’t told him yet that she is with child and she wanted to show him.”
“Yes right, the baby. I just wanted to show him what I made for his child.” Rose hoped she didn’t sound as unconvincing as she felt..
Marcus looked at her for a moment longer, and then grunting, turned and led them into the prison.
Rose followed, shooting Lucia a grateful smile. ‘Now for the easy part’, she thought sarcastically, pressing her hand to the spot where she had hidden the sonic screwdriver.
XxXxXxXx
The Doctor sat with his back to the wall, his legs spread out in front of him. His eyes were closed, his face was slack, and his breathing was slow and regular. Anyone who saw him would think he was in a deep sleep. However, the truth of the matter was that he was very much awake and aware.
He could hear the fly buzzing around the ceiling, bouncing stupidly off the walls and the spider as it darted out to kill prey caught in its web. He could hear the soft hiss and the flicker of the flames from torches outside his cell. The air was a cool 63.54 degrees Fahrenheit. Oddly cool for the middle of summer, leading him to deduce that his cell was most likely underground. All this registered and was quickly ignored for more important matters.
Time flowed through the Doctor as he struggled to control it. It had been a long time since he had done this so deliberately, and never in this regeneration. Frustrated that he wasn’t very skilled at it this time around, he redoubled his efforts. Apparently his Ninth self was more into the ‘blow things up and hope it all works out’ approach. He would still master it. It would just take a little more concentration…a little more effort…and…ah…there it was.
Colourful swirls of mist parted before him as the delicate tendrils of time revealed themselves. All that is, all that was, all that ever could be lay spread out before him much like the spider’s web. And somewhere a fly was thrashing about, tangling and tearing the delicate threads causing ripples to weave their way down each silken strand.
The Doctor focused his mind on the ripples, following them back to their source. It was extremely tempting to veer off and poke through Rose’s possible time threads when he noticed them flashing at him like a bright pink neon sign. One year? Ten years? Fifty years down the road? How long would she travel with him? Would she grow old? Would she die before he gathered the courage to tell her he loved her? Would she ever love him?
That way led to madness, because he could see it all, every possibility. He could see her die at the age of 19 and at the same time he could see her die peacefully in her sleep at the ripe old age of 113. He could see her eternal love mixed with her blistering hate. He could see their legs tangled beneath cool, crisp sheets and he could see her turning from him and to another in passion. Yes, madness.
With great effort he pulled himself away from Rose’s timelines and back to the matter at hand. Something was altering this timeline. There was an alien presence here and whatever it was, it was mutating this timeline. Just slightly, but it didn’t take much for him to notice or cause catastrophic consequences. Of course, it was left to him to put matters to rights before history became irrevocably changed. There weren’t any Time Lords left to fix it if that happened. He was it and that fact filled him with a cold, familiar dread. So much responsibility for just one. Too much.
His concentration was suddenly interrupted by the sound of someone approaching the door. The Doctor scrambled to his feet and moved, plastering himself to the wall behind the door. Maybe, he could overpower the guard, and escape. Then he could use the TARDIS to help him find the disruption in time. Not to mention his clothes. He was not leaving without his jacket.
“Doctor?” a soft, hesitant voice called out to him
Wait, that didn’t sound like Ali. “Rose?” he asked, confusion and hope colouring his tone.
“Doctor!” she cried.
“Rose?” he asked again, his voice raising an octave in his excitement.
“Marco?” came her sardonic reply, and in his minds eye he could see her, hand on hip, rolling her eyes.
He peeked out the little window in the door and there she was beaming up at him smugly, tongue in its usual spot, peeking out between her teeth. “Polo!” he chirped before grinning madly at her. “How’d you get in here?” he asked, growing serious.
“With the help of some friends” she answered cryptically. She reached into the folds of her stola and pulled out the sonic screwdriver. “Lose something?” she asked, arching a dark eyebrow at him.
“My screwdriver!” the Doctor cried happily, taking his precious tool when she poked it through the barred window.
“Why’d you give it to me anyway?” Rose asked. She could hear him on the other side of the door, moving through the settings and flicking the switch, trying to find the right one to open the door. “If you’d just kept it you’d have been able to escape on your own.”
“Give me some credit. I knew they’d probably take my clothes, which they did. So my best chance was to give it to you and wait for you to come and rescue me.” He looked at her through the small window and beamed, his eyes shining with pride. “Which you did! I knew I kept you around for a reason, Rose Tyler.”
Rose’s smile got even bigger and a light flush reached her cheeks at his rare praise. That is, until it dawned on her exactly what he’d said. “Wait. What? They took your clothes? You mean you’re naked?” she asked with a snicker. She went up on her tiptoes and tried to peer through the small window into the darkened cell.
“Oi! The cheek!” he exclaimed, glaring at her. After a moment, he lowered his eyes sheepishly. “I’m not naked. “I’mwearingaloincloth.”
“I’m sorry, what was that? Didn’t quite hear you.”
The strangled quality of her voice told him that she had heard him just fine. His mind was filled with the vision of her smiling face stained red from the strain of not laughing out loud and her tongue sliding out to play with her teeth. “I said I’m wearing a loin cloth. Ok? Happy now?” he asked, feeling his own cheeks heating with embarrassment. Rose’s high pitched giggles, told him that she was indeed very happy. “That’s right. Laugh it up. The next time we get taken prisoner by some aliens, I’ll make sure to convince them that you dangerous unless naked. See how you like it.” This only seemed to make her laugh even harder.
With a huff, the Doctor gave a final furious twist of the dial and found the correct setting on the sonic screwdriver. He unlocked the door but didn’t open it. “Um, Rose?”
“Yes Doctor?” Her voice was breathless as she tried to control her laughter.
“You might want to turn around or, I dunno, close your eyes or something?”
This set of another peel of giggles. “Fine, on your head then,” he grumbled as he opened the door and stepped out into the torch lit hallway.
Rose’s laughter stopped abruptly as she caught sight of him. The soft light of the torches kissed across his body, accentuating all his angles and planes and…nakedness. His shoulders were broad, framing a lean, lightly muscled torso. His limbs were long and wiry giving him an almost lanky appearance. There was a smattering of hair on his chest between small, pebbled nipples. His stomach was flat and hard leading to…
“Rose?” he asked softly almost breathlessly. He was entranced with the way her eyes caressed his body and he could feel his hearts beating hard and furiously in his chest.
Her startled eyes jumped up to meet his. In the dim light, his eyes looked almost black, with just a rim of blue that seemed to glow with an eerie radiance. They were filled with amusement, and the same tenderness that they had held when he barely begun to kiss her in the market place.
“Now who’s staring?” he asked, his voice slightly husky. He walked toward her slowly, reaching out to brush a hand down her arm then twine his fingers with hers. “A bloke might think you actually like what you see.” With his other hand he gently brushed a loose curl from where it had fallen over her cheek trailing the pad of his thumb across her soft skin.
Rose was unable to do anything but gaze up at him, eyes wide and shining in the ambient light. The Doctor’s attention was once again drawn to her magical mouth when her tongue darted out to moisten red lips. Part of him was telling him that this was a really bad idea. They should be running, escaping. Another part, the part that had somehow, beyond all reason, had become the dominant force in his mind, was telling him that there was no where else he’d rather be. He watched, mesmerized, as her free hand slowly reached up and cupped the back of his head. A shudder ran through his body at the feel of her fingers toying with the short hairs at the nape of his neck. He watched as her mouth formed his name, the sound barely more than sigh, as the pressure on the back of his head increased and she gently encouraged him down.
“Miss Rose!” Lucia came running toward them. “My father and the Praetor. They are here. You must run!”
With a frustrated growl the Doctor pulled away from Rose, effectively putting some space between them. You bloody idiot. Kissing Rose is a bad idea. I thought we’d already established that. “What’s going on?” he asked, more sharply than he intended. His glare softened as he watched the young girl who had interrupted them, cringe and step closer to Rose. He scrubbed a hand through his hair and looking between Rose and the girl. “Who’s your friend then? And what does her father have to do with anything?” he asked with forced lightness.
“This is Lucia and her father is here to execute you,” Rose explained as she grabbed the bundle off the floor and tore it open.
“Execute me? Why would they want to execute me?” the Doctor asked, incredulous.
“I don’t know why, and I don’t have time to explain but that’s why I’m here.” She turned back to Lucia, who had picked up the roll of cloth, from the floor where Rose had dropped it.
She held it out to Rose, her eyes flicking briefly to the Doctor’s almost naked frame, before bowing her head shyly. “Maybe your husband should cover himself so as not to draw attention,” she said softly.
Rose’s eyes went wide with embarrassment as she looked at the Doctor. Between the second almost-kiss, and the adrenaline pumping through her in her need to escape, she had forgotten about the Doctor’s state of dress, or rather undress. From the way he shifted and self-consciously crossed his arms over his chest, he had forgotten as well. “Right, yes. Of course,” she muttered, tearing open the bundle. “Put this on,” she ordered, with a slight smirk, throwing what looked like a white sheet at him. “Where is Marcus?” she asked, turning her attention back to Lucia.
“He went to delay them as long as he could. I told him everything. I had to. He is loyal to Caesar and would protect him with his life. But Miss Rose when they find out he let your husband escape…and my father.” Fear for the two men in her life filled her eyes and twin tears escaped to trail down her milky skin. “You said you could help them.”
“Rose, what the hell is going on?”
Rose ignored him and drew her friend into a fierce hug. “The Doctor and I will do everything in our power to help them, Lucia, I promise. But right now you have to come with us. We have to escape.”
“No.” Lucia pulled away from Rose and shook her head, having regained control over herself. “I can hide. Do not worry about me. I will be fine. If you go down the hall that way,” she pointed in the opposite direction from where Rose had entered the jail, “Marcus says you will come to a ladder that leads out to the street behind the building. From there you can escape. There are not any guards back there. But you must hurry. The alarm will be sounded as soon as they discover him missing.”
“Right, thank you Lucia. Doctor are you rea…” She stopped and gawked at the Doctor who stood there in a puddle of white fabric, with a very distressed look on his face.
“How does this work?” he asked, eyes pleading with Rose to help him.
“You know, if we weren’t in such a hurry,” Rose said, grabbing the toga and quickly wrapping it around him, “I’d totally be making fun of you right now.” She finished draping him in the 9 yards or so of fabric and threw the excess bit over his shoulder. It wasn’t great but at least it wouldn’t slip down his legs and trip him up as they ran.
With a final thank you to Lucia and a promise to be back Rose grabbed the Doctor’s hand and took off down the hall.
XxXxXxXx
The ladder was exactly where Lucia said it would be and Rose and the Doctor were able to make it out to the city street without being seen. Morning had well and truly dawned as they made their way through the city back to the TARDIS. They reached the market place at the opposite end from where they had entered the day before. People were already milling about setting up their booths and stands preparing to sell their wares. There was a sense of muted excitement in the air as today was to be a day of festivities and the entire city had been ordered to celebrate.
The Doctor held Rose’s hand as he led her down the street, walking quickly but confidently; no one paying them the slightest attention. They were about half way there when he heard a commotion behind them. Looking over his shoulder he noticed three soldiers marching quickly in their direction. They hadn’t been spotted yet, so instead of running the Doctor dragged Rose into a nearby alley pinning her to the wall with his body. He placed a finger over her lips when she opened her mouth to say something. They stayed that way, silently watching, pressed against each other, as the soldiers marched past their hiding spot. After a few more minutes the Doctor decided it was safe. He gently tugged on Rose’s arm to lead her back out to the street, but she wouldn’t budge.
“Something’s not right here,” she blurted out in frustration.
The Doctor cocked an eyebrow at her curiously and waited for her to elaborate.
“I’ve been trying to work it out since we escaped the jail. Well, since last night actually, but rescuing you was a bit more of a priority. So I tried to ignore it.”
She was pacing now and it was a good thing she wasn’t looking at him, as he was having trouble keeping the smile off his face as he watched her. She was right of course, something was very wrong here, but he wanted to know why she thought so. He loved watching her work things out in her clever little brain. Although he would never admit it she was quite often able to see things that he couldn’t and always seemed to know just the right thing to say to help him see the solution to a problem. They were quite a team, Rose Tyler and him. “What is it Rose? What’s not right,” he gently encouraged.
“I dunno,” she hissed, stamping her foot in frustration and turning to look at him, her arms gesturing wildly above her head as she spoke. “It’s like I’m forgetting something. It’s like forgetting my mum’s birthday, but not knowing I forgot it, but knowing all day that I was forgetting something. It’s driving me mental.”
The Doctor reached out and clasped her flailing hands in his own, giving them a reassuring squeeze. “Why don’t you start from the beginning?” he suggested. “Talk your way through it slowly. Then maybe you’ll remember what you’re forgetting to remember.” He grinned down at her, a teasing light in his eye.
She chuckled softly, and shook her head. “Sorry, I know I’m not making much sense.”
“You’re making perfect sense.” He smiled down at her before turning his expression to one of concern. “Wait a minute. Rose Tyler, making sense. Something wrong with this picture.”
“Ha ha very funny,” she said, giving his arm a playful slap. An arm, which she could not help but to notice, was bare, solid, and cool under her fingertips.
The Doctor noticed the contact too, but chose to ignore the warm hand that continued to rest on his bicep, instead ducking his head to catch her eye. “So why don’t you tell me what happened after I got hauled off to prison.”
“Right, yeah ok…so there I was, standing there, not knowing what to do. I’d just made up my mind to go back to the TARDIS when Lucia came up and spoke to me. I guess she’d seen the whole thing and had heard us saying we weren’t from around here, so she offered me a room for the night, which I accepted. Turned out her father was a soldier, in fact he was the soldier ordered to execute you.” She closed her eyes as the fear came flooding back and her breath caught in her throat.
The Doctor stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. “It’s ok Rose. I’m here. I’m safe. You saved me.” Like you always save me.
Rose’s arms slid around his waist and squeezed him tight, holding him against her. She rested her ear against the cool cotton covering his chest and let the dual beat of his hearts calm her. After a minute she continued, still holding onto him. “I couldn’t sleep. I was so worried about you. I was standing at the window looking at the garden, wracking my brain for a way to rescue you, when I heard voices. I opened my door and eavesdropped on the conversation. It was the Praetor, the one who arrested you, and he was ordering Lucia’s father to do something he didn’t want to do. That’s how I found out you were to be executed. You were to be practice for…”
Rose stiffened in the Doctor’s arms and pulled back to look up at him with wide eyes. He could see her brain working furiously behind those eyes, to fit the last few pieces of the puzzle. He smiled at her. He knew she would do it.
“It’s Caesar’s birthday.” She’d pulled away from him completely and started pacing again. “What date is it?”
“July 13th,” he answered automatically.
“And Caesar was killed on the Ides of March. That’s March 15 yeah?”
“That’s right.” The Doctor’s eyes brightened with excitement and an enormous grin lit his face as he felt the mystery unravelling before him. His gut told him that the alien presence he’d felt, and the point Rose was slowly making were somehow connected. He patiently waited for the payoff.
“Were there ever any other attempts on his life?”
“Well, he was a military man and at times, not the most popular. It’s possible, I suppose…” he let his words trail off, unsure.
“At his birthday celebration. Was there ever any attempt on his life on his birthday? This is important Doctor.”
He could see she was serious so he took a moment to file through his considerable knowledge of human history before finding his answer. “No. Never on his birthday. Why?”
Rose was bouncing now, her excitement flowing off her in waves. “That’s what I overheard. The Praetor was ordering Lucia’s father to kill Caesar at ‘the height of festivities’. For some reason the Consul wanted you executed first. Lucia’s father was ordered to kill you first as practice.” She stopped bouncing and looked at the Doctor, confusion filling her face. “But that doesn’t make sense. How could there be a plot to assassinate Caesar when you say there never was one. That’s not possible, is it?”
Of course it was possible, and he knew exactly how it was possible. He flashed her a manic grin and swept her up in his arms, lifting her feet off the ground and swinging her from side to side. He laughed excitedly when she wrapped her arms around his neck and squealed with delight.
“Rose Tyler! You clever, clever little human! You’re fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.” He let out a shout of laughter before setting her gently on her feet. He held her face between his large hands and kissed her forehead with a resounding smack. “Come on. Back to the TARDIS. We have an assassination to thwart.” Grabbing her hand he set of at a jog, leading a dazed but happy Rose behind him.
TBC