FIC: Flipped, Book 1 (3/8)
Title: Flipped, Book 1
Rating: heavy T, for author's paranoia and uncertainty about rating rules
Author: tkel_paris
Summary: The Ninth Doctor saves two people at Henrick's. One is Rose Tyler. The other is a man who will change the Doctor's life forever. Written for tardis_mole's birthday.
Required Disclaimer: The summary should be enough to tell you I own nothing.
Dedications: My good friend tardis_mole, for helping me discover my talent at editing and for being an inspiration. You've challenged me to go beyond what I previously thought I would like, and so this is the farthest I've gone from my comfort zone so far. Who knows where I'll go next? ;D
And another important shout-out: sykira, whose LJ post about John Barrowman's comments about how Doctor Who could eventually go was the ultimate spark for this idea. Thank you, you treasure! :D
So I suppose that means the ultimate blame for this lies with the Barrowman. I can only imagine what he would think, although I suspect he would heartily approve. :P
Author's Note: Originally spawned from a different idea that split into three, this is a new version of one of those ideas revived as a birthday present. And it's spawned a significantly AU version for what I hope will be a Christmas present. If my NaNo story doesn't sap my writing energy for the rest of the month.
The original prompt from TM boiled down to this: “The Doctor and Donna in a situation that's never been done before.” Ask and ye shall receive, my friend. :D Happy birthday! :DDD I still remain nervous about what you'll find that needs correcting, but I'll post anyway. :)
Special, Critical Disclaimer: I refuse to be held responsible for any $2000/₤2000 lattes, spit-takes, fainting spells, workplace/school gaffes, falling against/from things, or any other distracted spazzing off that might happen if you're not careful while reading this story. Especially in certain chapters. Read at your own risk. (I put this in because I was warned by one of my betas, cassikat, that my emails should come with a spit-take warning. So I'm looking out for y'all. ;D)
FYI (mostly for American readers): At the time this story starts, March 2004, the age of consent in Britain was apparently sixteen. That's been since changed to eighteen everywhere because of medical information on unintentional sexual injuries. And there are multiple opinions on what happened between Rose Tyler and Jimmy Stone, the person she left school because of. Here I decided to go with cassikat's idea, which you'll see in this chapter. :)
Chapter 1 / Chapter 2
CHAPTER THREE: INFORMATION HUNTING AND PLASTICS
The morning after Henrick's exploded, Jackie Tyler found Rose exactly where she was when she left the room to get ready for her day. She groaned. “God, love, you have to go find work! This is just like after Jimmy Stone was arrested! You barely got the rest of your school finished!”
Rose grimaced. “I got it done!”
“Only after I nagged you and you realised that no one would hire you if your didn't,” Jackie snapped, pouring herself some more coffee. “And you still don't have your A levels! You can't go waiting around for a man to come along and make things better. You got to do at least some of it yourself.”
The younger blonde rolled her eyes. Jimmy Stone had proved to be a criminal in the end, but he'd taken good care of her - paid her meals, given her a place to stay away from her mum, and showered her with gifts. All she had to do was warm his bed and flatter him. Not that her mum had been impressed. Especially once he was caught selling drugs. Rose had lost faith in him only when she discovered that he had other girls on the side. “Come on, Mum! Men are unreliable, but if you can catch one you've got it made.”
“Jimmy Stone only picked you because he knew you were easy pickings! Eager for an excuse to quit school, not wanting to work, and looking for anyone who'd be a meal ticket!”
Rose groaned and got up. “I'm going to Mickey's.” This was not helping her forget that she'd been rejected twice by hot men last night. Three if she counted Mickey. Well, at least she did have someone she could call boyfriend. If only he'd provide some action every now and then, she thought listlessly. She might have to go looking for a man who'd put out.
Jackie scowled. “You know, you'd better be treating Mickey better since you're not likely to do better than him, he's going places and you want to be there with him.”
Jacket tossed on, Rose grabbed her keys. “At least I don't go bringing men into my own bed!” She fled the flat.
Her mother stood frozen to the spot, tears in her eyes. How could she explain to her daughter how much she still missed her father, how she didn't know how to let anyone else in and yet couldn't bear the loneliness?
Mickey was relieved when he heard someone knock - his homework was starting to make him think in circles, and he needed a break. He opened the door and grinned. “There she is! Feel better this morning?” He motioned her inside.
She managed a smile, although she half wished he'd give some impression of really wanting to fool around. Jimmy had taught her that she really liked sex, and now that she was legal she wanted to have more fun. Mickey seemed to like her, but this whole wanting to wait thing was getting on her nerves. Especially after the refusal she got last night - twice over! And then he'd just come to check on her, and only wanted to buy her a drink. She was sure he did forget there was a match on, but his insisting that she was too distraught to consider sex hurt. Should she give up on getting any from him? “Can I use your computer?” Maybe she could find that Doctor, or better yet David.
Mickey looked at her. She was behaving oddly even accounting for being in a snit. She seemed a bit frustrated, and he suspected that his words last night were - in her mind - part of the reason. Like it was a bad thing to want to wait. “Looking for a job or for information about who to talk to about the fire?” Anything would be better than her still focusing on Jimmy Stone.
Oi, how stupid did he think she was? She scoffed, not wanting to disclose her motives. “Something like that.”
“Want some coffee or tea?”
“Yes, but only if you wash the mug.”
“Oi!” he interrupted, not liking her implications or the memories of how he used to be. “I'm washing them! You can see for yourself! I've been learning about making a good impression.”
Rose's sceptical eyes went over the room and spied several books on computers and programming. She didn't remember any of that. “What are those?”
“My university books.”
She picked up one and noted the bookshop label. Her mouth fell open. “When did you get into the Open University?! I didn't know you're going there. How can you afford it?”
“Actually, I'm guessing you don't know know how it works. The Open University sends your books as part of each course you sign up for. And the courses to qualify me for enrolment were free since I wasn't even 19 at the time.”
Rose blinked. “But... how did you get in? Can you afford it?”
Mickey's proud grin grew. “Well, I was heading to there about three years ago, trying to practice how I might handle the interview, when I saw this bloke having car trouble. I stopped to help him out - it was going to need a shop visit, but I could tell him exactly what was wrong and what needed doing. But it needed a lot, and given how much he should expect to pay for it I suggested he might want to buy a newer one. He was impressed, and it turned out he knew the bloke I was going to see. So he walked with me since he had to wait for a tow anyway. An extra person around should've made me more nervous, but I felt calm in his presence and I impressed the other bloke! Of course when it came down to figuring out the money, I wasn't sure I could manage it - I wasn't confident I could get the loans I needed since I'd run into a lot of biased attitudes, even though I knew I could work the hours to pay them off. But my new friend surprised me. He told me that if I kept my scores up and helped a bit with his business, he'd help me.”
Rose's eyes widened. “Wait, he's helping you pay for university?”
Mickey nodded, a bit awkward about it but still pleased. “I hesitated, but he called it an investment in my future. Said he had a feeling that I would do great things with an education, and it'd be an honour to help me reach my potential sooner. Since then, I've designed some programmes for him, and learned a bit about business. So I'm debt-free and on my way to the rest of my life!”
She stared at him uncertainly, trembling inside. What did that mean? Was he going to leave her?!
He hated it when she looked all panicked over a change. “You know, I bet he could help you, Rose. If you ever decide to take those A levels, I bet we could ask him how you could find a job you'd like.”
Work never appealed to Rose, so she shrugged. “Computer's in your room, right?”
Mickey frowned. Why couldn't she be more focused on bettering herself? Sighing over his inability to get through to her yet, he nodded. “Just don't read my email,” he chided her.
Moments later, Rose sat leaning back in his chair, her jacket over it. Staring at the search page, she wondered how she could find information on the Doctor. Typing that one word got so many results she couldn't sift through them. Sighing as she realised just how common the word 'doctor' was, she tried again - adding 'living plastic' as a term. Still too many things and nothing looked right.
What else could she type? What was distinct about the Doctor? Then she remembered his weird thing that he used like a tool. A pen-like device, she thought. So she tried 'doctor' and 'pen-like device'. At first she thought she saw too many results again - although far fewer than before. But near the bottom of the page, she noticed one website: Doctor Who? Have You Seen This Man? Contact Clive.
Clicking on the link, she knew as soon as it loaded that she'd stumbled on to the right track. She hoped she could get Mickey to drive her if she heard back from this man soon enough.
Clive had mentioned that he had another visitor coming to speak with him about the Doctor, so she was prepared to have to speak in very general terms. She was not expecting to find it was David, writing things down and collecting things in a folder resting on the bag from the night before. She was thrilled to see him again, and thought the casual look was even more appealing than the suit.
But she couldn't ignore the fact that he seemed dismayed to see her. And what did he mean in telling Clive, “Remember what I said,” before the man went into his explanation?
Some explanation! It all seemed like nutter talk! So why was David acting like there was important stuff in there, giving it his complete attention and ignoring her once again?
She waited until, after Clive declared that he believed the Doctor was an immortal alien, David decided he had to go. He suggested she stay and ask more questions, but she was done. Clive had to be insane to believe in aliens and the like. Getting another chance to charm David was far more important - even if Mickey might witness some of it.
If nothing else, Mickey might decide he had to give her some action to keep her. Which she'd take - for now.
Waiting until Clive closed the door after them, she hurried to catch up to David as he jogged to his car. “Wait! We met up again! It's a sign! We should go for coffee!”
He groaned loudly, but didn't answer. He just reached his car and unlocked it remotely, as he did last night.
Rose sprinted. “Oi! Why can't you spare me a moment?!”
David tossed his bag in and glared at her. “Because you act like you're younger than you claim! You're a flipping teenager, but you act like you're a spoiled little toddler! You want what you want when you want and don't care about what it costs others.”
She stopped right next to his door, stunned. “You won't even give me a chance!”
“Are you deaf or what?” He stepped into the car. “Leave me alone!” He hurried inside and slammed the door.
Rose had to try one more time. “But-!”
He cut her off through the window by silently raising his hand, forming a fist with his thumb out, and jerking it in short, sharp motions as he refused to meet her eyes.
She squawked, offended. And stomped off.
Silently telling her to piss off was perhaps rude, but David wasn't willing to endure Rose Tyler for another moment. He sank into his seat as the girl stormed away like a child throwing a temper tantrum as she was sent to her room. He looked heaven-ward. “That girl's mother is either a push-over or a saint. Bet there's no father in the picture, else he's an utter berk.”
Shaking off the disgusted feelings, he pulled the folder back out. He hadn't let on what all Clive had told him about before Rose arrived. Inside the folder were copies of pictures of nine different men who had all used the title 'the Doctor'. There was no way to tell the order:
One curly-haired with huge eyes and a bigger grin - and the wildest hair a pale-skinned person could have. An old, white-haired one with a cane and a slowly-wearing-out late 18th Century suit. One whose clothing looked like a cartoon character's with all the question marks on them. A cricket fan who liked wearing celery. Yet another white-haired one, this time with a cape. One whose clothing violated the eyes just by existing. A dark-haired one who might have been a relative of one of the Three Stooges. Another dressed like a regency gentleman. And the leather jacket-wearing man David had met.
Clive truly did believe the immortal bit, and the alien bit. David was positive of that. The Doctor confirmed the latter, but how to explain all these men who used that title and appeared under strange circumstances?
He heard a car pulling away and glanced up. Rose hadn't seemed old enough to drive, so who took her? His eyebrows shot up when he recognised Mickey's yellow Beetle. Wait, that was the girlfriend Mickey was trying to help improve her own life?! He obviously had no idea what she was up to.
But there was a bigger reason to be worried. The car was driving erratically. Mickey was a careful driver even when he pushed the speed limits. What the hell?! As the car swerved along the street and passed him, David caught a glimpse inside the car. Rose was sitting in the front passenger seat, staring out absently ahead of her - and thankfully not noticing him. But Mickey? Where the driver was, he at first looked like Mickey. But he was grinning too much, didn't notice him at all - which was a shock in and of itself, as Mickey had personally worked on his car several times - and looked awfully shiny.
Eyes wide, David tossed his folder back in his bag and hurriedly started his car. He had to follow, to make sure Mickey was okay. After all, if the Doctor's presence meant something bad was happening, what could that mean for his young friend?!
David lost track of the car thanks to a red light. He prayed to anyone who might be listening to help him locate the Beetle, and he did - in a pizza parlour parking lot. He pulled in nearby, and quickly got out - having already hidden his bag under the seat. He remotely locked it and set the alarm, and hurried to check Mickey's car.
Didn't look worse for the wear, he noticed. And nothing seemed out of the ordinary with it. But with plastic coming alive... what did that mean?
Frowning, he went inside. He whispered to the seater than he was looking for someone and could he look around a moment for them? His air of authority, plus a kind smile (that seemed to get him through a lot of annoying situations with a bit of flirting tacked on), coaxed the girl (who was probably a college student earning extra maintenance money) into leaving him be for the moment.
He spotted Rose sitting at a table for two, staring at the utensils and napkins. Her back was toward David. “I could do A levels.” She was hardly looking at the person in front of her, sighing after she spoke. “I dunno. It's all Jimmy Stone's fault.”
But then David noticed something at he stared at the table, making his eyes turn into saucers. Mickey wasn't Mickey.
“I only left school because of him, and look where he ended up.” There was a tightness in Rose's voice, that hinted that Jimmy - or whatever happened between them - was a very bad memory for her. “What do you think?”
“So, where did you meet this Doctor?” asked the plastic being that vaguely resembled Mickey.
Rose didn't even seem phased as she looked at the thing she thought was her boyfriend. “I'm sorry, wasn't I talking about me for a second?”
Before David could drop his jaw over the sheet obliviousness of the girl, Plastic Mickey continued, “Because I reckon it started back at the shop, am I right? Is he something to do with that?”
As Plastic Mickey spoke, David rushed forward, stopping right next to Rose. “Who are you and what have you done with Mickey Smith?!”
Rose looked up in shock, a smile starting to appear. “You followed-”
“Rose, look at him!” he hissed. “It's not Mickey!”
“I just wanna help you, babe,” Plastic Mickey said to Rose, ignoring the interruption.
Rose looked harder. “What are you talking about?”
David al-but growled in frustration. “His forehead is too shiny and those hands aren't real! He's been replaced by living plastic!”
“I just wanna know what the Doctor's planning,” Plastic Mickey said. “Do you know?”
“Well, then!”
David turned at the voice by his shoulder. The Doctor was standing there, shaking a bottle of what looked like asti spumante with a grin. The kind that could be passed off as champagne to someone who didn't know better. “Oh, don't mind me. I'm just toasting the happy couple. On the house!” He aimed it and blew the cork at Plastic Mickey's forehead.
David watched in shock as the plastic forehead absorbed the cork, distorting it until it started chewing, spitting it out a moment later. Plastic Mickey grinned. “Anyway.” His hands transformed suddenly into clubs and smashed the table. David's instincts drove him to drag Rose away from the table a bit. But the Doctor quickly grabbed Plastic Mickey, fighting with it until he ripped its head off - falling against a table from the momentum. The couple there screamed.
Plastic Mickey's eyes opened. “Don't think that's going to stop me.” The body began smashing tables again, trying to move toward the Doctor - who just smiled like he knew something others didn't.
David broke the fire alarm. “Run!” he shouted over the noise. “Get out!”
No one needed to be told twice.
The Doctor grabbed David's arm. “Come on!” He pushed him off in front of him before tugging Rose along with him.
They raced through the kitchen, hearing the headless body coming after them rather well for not being able to see. David's rapidly working brain briefly wondered if the body had some echolocation working for it. Still, he was glad to see the outside. He noticed the Doctor using his... what had he called it? Oh, sonic screwdriver. He used it to lock the door.
Rose raced to a gate. “Open the gate! Use that tube thing, come on!”
“This?” the Doctor asked, holding it up. “Sonic screwdriver.”
David couldn't believe the alien ignored the banging against the door. He couldn't imagine that door holding out for long.
“Use it!” screamed Rose.
“Nah,” the Doctor said. “Tell ya what, let's go in here.”
Then David noticed the blue box from yesterday. He blinked as the Doctor unlocked the door. As the Doctor stepped inside, David briskly walked around the box, inspecting its exterior with his eyes and hands. He was hoping to make sense of the thing before he even considered taking what was probably his only escape - stepping inside.
“We can't hide inside a wooden box!” Rose shouted, running closer for a moment before rushing back to the gate. She sounded like she thought it was a port-a-loo.
“You don't know what this box might be capable of,” David muttered, not caring whether she heard. He couldn't see anything that could explain what he saw the day before.
“It's gonna get us!” Rose screamed.
Another loud bang against the door, and David sprinted inside. And froze once he was past the ramp.
He heard Rose follow. “Doctor!” she cried, freezing in her steps. Then she rushed back out to make sense of what she saw.
Not that David noticed. He was too busy cataloguing the strange pillars and the central area of the room. Not to mention the humming and other weird sounds that surrounded him. He glanced at the Doctor, who was grabbing things with one hand and holding the head in his other.
It was a disturbing sight. All the science fiction he watched growing up with his granddad didn't prepare him for this moment.
Rose rushed back inside, slamming the doors shut behind her. “It's gonna follow us!”
“The assembled hordes of Genghis Khan couldn't break through that door, and believe me, they've tried.” The Doctor didn't even look at her. Just continued his actions. “Now kindly shut up, I'm doing delicate work.”
David was glad that Rose was silent. It enabled him to walk around for closer looks at all sorts of things. He had never seen such a collection of odd things combined to make something that apparently functioned for travelling. He now knew the Doctor had to be a time traveller, but how could the machine work? He had all sorts of questions running through his head, but he waited for a cue that the Doctor was ready to answer them.
“You see,” the Doctor remarked as he worked, “the arm is too simple, but the head's perfect.”
“Perfect?!” exclaimed David, distracting the Doctor. “Perfect?! It's bloody obvious that wasn't Mickey! The hair's like a mannequin's, the face was smiling too much, and the forehead was obviously fake!” He glared at Rose. “It took me two hours to find you two once I noticed the erratic driving, and you didn't once think something might be wrong with your boyfriend?! What the hell's wrong with you?!”
She shook under the combined weight of the shock of her surroundings and the tirade. “How do you know him?” she whimpered.
He ignored the Doctor finishing his work - putting his hands in his pockets as he did - to look up at them both, watching the exchange. “He helped me with my car, and I've been helping him with his education and future.”
Rose's eyes widened. “Then... you're the bloke he mentioned! But he said you had car troubles.”
David rolled his eyes. “Oh, give the girl ten for ten - for once! Yes, I'm the one helping Mickey. I was driving an old Volvo until then. Got the car you were drooling over after that.” He took a few measured steps closer, stopping a few feet away from the Doctor. “So have you figured out yet that this place - which somehow I think is alive - is alien, and so is the Doctor?”
Speechless, Rose stared at the Doctor questioningly, and he nodded. “Yes,” he answered. “It's called the TARDIS. That's 'Time And Relative Dimensions In Space.' She's a living ship.”
Rose began crying from shock, covering her mouth with one hand.
“Culture shock,” the Doctor commented. “Happens to the best of us.”
David scowled at him. “Okay, explain how those things took Mickey! More importantly, where is he?!”
The Doctor paled. “Oh. I didn't think of that.”
“He's my boyfriend!” Rose exclaimed.
“Ooh!” David's outburst was mocking. “You sure didn't act like you had one last night or earlier today, the way you were flirting with me! And now-!” He cut himself off when his eyes drifted to the console.
Rose saw it too. “You're just going to let him melt?!”
The Doctor turned. “No, no, no, no, no!” He frantically worked the controls, continuing his refrain as the ship started making sounds.
“What're you doing?!” Rose shouted.
“Reviving the signal, it's fading! Wait, I've got it...”
David and Rose each braced themselves when the ship rocked slightly. The sounds David heard the day before were now all around him. As the Doctor continued speaking about tracking a signal, David realised that he was about to learn something new about the universe. At least about this ship and what it could do. He came out of his thoughts when the ship landed and the Doctor exclaimed something before rushing outside. David followed, willing to bet it was safer than before.
Rose tried to stop him. “You can't go out there, it's not safe!”
Neither male paid her heed.
Following the Doctor, David slowed his steps as he took in his new surroundings.
“I lost the signal,” the Doctor groused. “I got so close.”
Rose rushed out, stopping in her tracks. “We've moved.”
David had noted that in less than a second. “Near the Thames. Across from the Eye.”
“So it flies?” Rose asked.
“Disappears there, reappears here, you wouldn't understand.” The Doctor was leaning against a railing, grimacing.
“But,” Rose protested, “if we're somewhere else, what about that headless thing? It's still on the loose.”
“It melted with the head,” the Doctor retorted, pushing off and heading back toward them. “Are you going to witter on all night?”
David grabbed the Doctor's arm, stopping him. “My friend is missing. Can you give me a straight answer about his fate or have you forgotten about him already?!”
“Look, if I've forgotten about your friend, it's because I'm trying to save the lives of every stupid ape on this planet!”
David didn't even think. He just punched the Doctor.
Rose was speechless again, having never seen one man actually punch another.
The Doctor stumbled back to upright. “Oi! I didn't take you for a violent type!”
“Are you enjoying this danger my planet and people are in or something?!”
That got the Doctor's attention. He sighed. “I don't mean any offence to you. It's not my fault that the Nestene Consciousness finds all the dioxins, toxins, smoke, and oil a tasty dinner. I'm trying to keep this planet and its people on track for their future.”
Rose blinked. “What are you talking about?”
David ignored her. “So how are you and this ship that looks like one of the old temporary holding cells going to stop it?”
The Doctor grinned. “Anti-plastic!” he exclaimed gleefully, showing off a vial of blue liquid.
“Anti-plastic?” It came almost at the same time from David and Rose. Except David grabbed it and stared at it dubiously. “This little thing?”
“Anti-plastic,” the Doctor repeated, reaching for it.
Only David stepped back, trying to study it a moment. “What are you going to do? Pour this over something?”
Sighing, the alien decided to let him for the moment. “No, just toss it on top. Glass will break on contact. But first I've got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?”
David frowned, not used to thinking of London as small. “What, you mean whatever the Consciousness is using to project life into inanimate plastic?”
The Doctor nodded as he walked a bit away. “Yes, the transmitter. It boosts the signal.”
Rose was practically forgotten as David followed, asking more questions. “Any particular shape or size it needs to be?”
“Round and massive, smack bang in the middle of London. See anything that looks like a big dish anywhere around here? We have to be close to it.”
Rose hurried to get around the monument the males had passed, and noticed that David's eyes were looking across the Thames. She turned hers in that direction as David asked, pointing, “Would a large, circular London landmark like the Eye do?”
The Doctor looked right at the object that - unknown to him - had been haloing his head, staring for a long moment. Then he turned to beam at David. “Fantastic! Come on!” Then he took off.
“Oi!” David shouted, rushing after him.
“Wait!” Rose cried, bolting as hard as she could to catch up.
David was less than thrilled to have to slow down for her yet again, although the Doctor did as well. But did the alien have to take Rose's hand while they ran? Did the Doctor know so little about human teenagers that he had no idea that it might that give her the wrong idea?
Chapter 4: Lives Turned Upside Down