Defenders of the Earth, Chapter 1
Title: Defenders of the Earth
Author: onabearskinrug
Character/Pairing: Ten/Rose, with Jackie, Pete, Jake, Mickey, and others
Rating: Teen, for now
Summary: AU "Doomsday." Trapped in Pete's World, Rose and the Doctor attempt to find their way back to the TARDIS while navigating Torchwood, meddling family members, and (as per usual) threats to humanity.
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who. Any recognizable characters belong to the BBC.
Author's Notes: First attempt at long fiction in a WHILE. I hope I can do the show and characters justice. Thank you to stillbrainfried for the Beta help! She spotted the "Men In Black" reference...can you? :-)
The Doctor tumbled out of his rescuer’s arms onto solid ground, relatively certain that this was not, in fact, the Void. He noted the breathable atmosphere, linoleum floor, several human hearts beating at various rates, and a unique, beloved scent that, for a brief period, he had been convinced he would never experience again.
“Rose!” he cried, pushing himself off the ground and searching frantically about the room for a familiar flash of blonde hair.
“I’m here!”
The Doctor could have wept at the sound. Immediately crossing the room, he pulled her into a crushing embrace, relief flooding his whole being at her warmth pressed against him. He brushed kisses anywhere he could reach, murmuring her name between each.
“’S alright, Doctor,” she soothed. She framed his face in her hands and pressed their foreheads together. “’S okay, we’re okay. I’m here, I’m not leaving you.”
The Doctor took a deep, shuddering breath in an attempt to calm his frantic hearts. She was alive, here, in his arms, and he wasn’t sure he would ever be able to let her go again.
He could hear Jackie, Mickey, and Pete close by, trying to engage one another in conversation about the weather (of all things!) in order to give him and Rose a moment. However, he knew they had a Situation-with-a-capital-S that he needed to sort. Tearing himself away from Rose with some difficulty, he surveyed the room around him. The machinery and blank, white wall nearby told him exactly where he and Rose had ended up.
The Parallel Torchwood. The Parallel Universe.
And the TARDIS was on the other side.
The Doctor turned towards the wall, where he was closest to the spatial disturbance that had started this whole mess. He pressed his hand and cheek against the plaster, straining for any signs that he could still connect with the TARDIS despite being a universe apart.
“Can you feel her?” Rose asked. She placed her hand over his on the wall and mirrored his stance.
The Doctor took a deep breath, closed his eyes and reached out, stretching his mind further than he ever had to before. There, faintly, in the back of his mind, he could still hear his TARDIS singing a quiet song in an attempt to soothe his frazzled consciousness through the Void.
He was relieved, though apprehensive at the same time. Was there still a gap between worlds somewhere? If so, it may not be large enough to travel through. If he was very, very lucky, he might be able to send someone a message. But who? UNIT? The Brigadier would be likely to help, at least to transport the TARDIS somewhere safe.
He sighed, opened his eyes and locked them with Rose‘s. “She’s there, I can feel her, only just though. There may still be a small tear between universes, or it may simply be that we can still connect through the Void. I just don’t know at this point…” He turned back to Pete, who was still holding his Dimension Hopper. “Pete? That thing still work?”
Pete tossed the hopper over to the Doctor. Placing an arm around Rose’s waist, he pressed the big yellow button.
“Dead,” he announced. “Not surprised, really. Means it worked. The walls are sealed.”
“Will she be okay?” Rose asked. “The TARDIS? I mean, is she safe there? At Torchwood Tower?”
The Doctor felt a wave of gratitude pass through him so strong that he had to pull Rose into his arms yet again. Here they were, trapped in a parallel world, separated from everything Rose had ever known, and she was worried about his ship. Once again, a lovely pink-and-yellow human managed to keep him grounded.
"You, Rose Tyler, are amazing,” he whispered, breaking their embrace and giving her a weak smile. “I’ve no doubt that the TARDIS will be fine. Remember, assembled hords of Genghis Khan? No one will be able to harm her.”
“And what about you?” Rose asked, cupping his cheek. “The TARDIS is all you have left. Can we even get back to her?”
The Doctor leaned slightly into her touch. He wasn’t entirely sure they would ever be able to return to the TARDIS. Travel between parallel worlds was supposed to be impossible. Sure, they had managed it a few times. So had the parallel Torchwood. Still, the dimension hoppers had stopped working. With enough time and the right equipment, he was certain he could modify the technology to send them back. However, said technology was not supposed to exist in the 21st Century, despite whatever Torchwood had been dabbling in.
With a confidence he didn’t entirely feel, he finally responded to Rose‘s queries with somewhat false enthusiasm. “No idea. Half the fun though, right? Hmm? New adventure? We’ll figure it out, Rose. Got the best team on the job, eh?” He tweaked her chin affectionately, and was rewarded with a brilliant smile.
“Shiver and Shake?”
“Oh, yes.” He grinned, somewhat goofily at his companion, immensely grateful that, no matter what, they were in this together.
******
They agreed that the assembled party would retire to Pete’s home in an attempt to relax and regroup so work could begin on returning to their proper universe first thing in the morning. Pete had offered any and all of Torchwood’s resources to the Doctor, for which he felt exceptionally grateful. They spoke a bit on the ride back about modifying the Dimension Hoppers for safer travel, and the Doctor discovered that they lacked the technology to actually punch holes in the walls between universes. Certainly they could travel between once the walls were open, but he was not too keen on waiting around for someone with the capability. Generally, someone with that technology in this time period would be up to no good, and that was an understatement.
He didn’t want to think of any ne‘er-do-wells threatening them without the protection of the TARDIS. He had no failsafe anymore, nowhere he absolutely trusted he could put Rose in the event of a proper end-of-the-universe scenario. Not that he would ever consider sending Rose away again. She certainly showed him what good that would do. He wasn’t sure he could to it again, to be honest. Or that he would want to. The knowledge of just how much he needed Rose Tyler threatened once again to take his breath away.
The object of his musings was, currently, staring at her mum and sort-of dad with an expression of gentle happiness on her face. Jackie and Pete were sitting in the front seat of the Jeep, conversing in soft tones about their current situation. Despite the strange way in which they found one another, their hands were linked between the seats and an overall feeling of serenity seemed to surround them.
“What d’you think then?” the Doctor nudged Rose with an elbow and grinned. “Don’t make a half-bad matchmaker, do I?”
Rose glanced at him and smiled back, her tongue caught between her teeth in an alarmingly attractive manner. “I reckon a change in profession might be in order. The Doctor’s Trans-Dimensional Dating Service.”
“The perfect someone is out there, just maybe not in this universe!” he joked back, their banter placing him somewhat at ease. Despite their current situation, he found Rose’s proximity to be a huge comfort. Suddenly, the prospect of being stuck on a parallel Earth sans TARDIS seemed infinitely more manageable.
He pulled Rose to him and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She rested her head against his chest and the pair settled in comfortably for the rest of the trip.
******
After establishing that he, Rose, and Jackie would be staying for the foreseeable future, Pete made arrangements with his personal shopper to outfit the trio with various necessities. At Jackie’s and Rose’s protests, he had simply flashed a black charge card and a winning grin, replying that it was on Torchwood.
“For research purposes, you understand,” he teased gently as he gave his shopper their various sizes and rang off.
Jackie proposed a cup of tea, and shared a brief argument with Pete about who would prepare it. Ultimately, it proved far more complicated than originally anticipated and involved a hasty dismissal of the kitchen staff with orders to take a few days of paid time off. Jackie made herself right at home in the enormous, gleaming gourmet kitchen and set about her favorite task. Pete directed her to the various items she needed, and Rose once again marveled at how seamlessly the pair worked together and how naturally they had taken to one another.
A short while later, all with steaming cups in front of them, the foursome (Mickey having departed the mansion upon arrival, citing tea with his Gran) sat around the small wooden kitchen table. They doctored their cups, waiting for someone to start the inevitable “What now?” conversation.
“We are at a slight disadvantage,” Pete began slowly. “The press will be watching Torchwood, and therefore me, more closely now that the walls have sealed and any environmental issues clear up. Jackie is supposed to be dead, and then she turns up with a grown daughter? I’m not sure anyone will believe that.”
“One of the most amazing things about you humans,” the Doctor responded, “is your ability to turn a blind eye to anything remotely extraordinary. Spaceship crashing into Big Ben? Alien hoax. Sycorax hijacking a satellite? Students. Giant cockroach crash lands his ship on a backwater farm and steals your husband‘s skin? Swamp gas from a weather balloon was trapped in a thermal pocket and reflected the light from Venus. A wife back from the dead and mysterious daughter? Well…you get the idea.”
“Not sure whether to agree or feel insulted,” Pete murmured from across the table.
Rose smiled at him. “You’ll get used to it.”
The Doctor could have sworn she mumbled something along the lines of, “Beautiful for a human,” before Pete began speaking again. “I think the easiest course as of right now would be to get all of your paperwork in order. If you’ll be spending as much time as you imply at Torchwood, we should bring you on. You’ll need identification, though. We’re too involved with the People’s Republic to keep several new employees under their radar.”
The Doctor froze, cup of tea halfway to his lips. Employee? Torchwood? Going to work every day with Jackie Tyler?!
“Oi!” Jackie interjected. “If you think I’m stepping one toe in that place then you’d best be prepared for a sectioning! I'll be sticking to what I’m good at, thank you very much.”
The Doctor practically sagged in relief. Unable to resist the opportunity, he interjected, “Screeching and slapping a spectator sport in this universe, Pete?”
Before Jackie could work up to said slapping, Pete placed a gentle hand over hers and smiled indulgently. “You can do anything you want, Jacks.”
Rose cast a sidelong glance at the Doctor. He seemed…okay. He was engaging in their usual banter, criticizing her species, and insulting her mother. Practically normal for the pair of them. If she didn’t know better, she could have sworn it was just another day, back in London for a visit, and they would return to the TARDIS in a few hours to resume their travels.
Before her thoughts could delve any deeper, Rose let out a huge yawn and clapped her hand over her mouth. “Sorry,” she said, stifling the next yawn as it threatened to emerge. “Long day. Mind if I turn in? I promise, we can finish talking shop in the morning.”
Pete’s expression softened. “Quite right. You and the Doctor can stay in the guest wing. Third floor, to the left. D’you need me to show you?”
“Nah, think I can manage,” Rose replied.
“I’ll join you,” the Doctor said, rising out of his chair.
“’Night Mum, Pete,” Rose told the pair as the Doctor took her hand. “Thank you again, Pete…for everything.”
Pete rewarded Rose with a small smile. “Feels more like I should be thanking you two, but…you’re welcome.”
Rose glanced at the Doctor, the beginnings of a grin on her lips. He squeezed her hand and led them out of the kitchen to retire for the evening.
Chapter 2
Author: onabearskinrug
Character/Pairing: Ten/Rose, with Jackie, Pete, Jake, Mickey, and others
Rating: Teen, for now
Summary: AU "Doomsday." Trapped in Pete's World, Rose and the Doctor attempt to find their way back to the TARDIS while navigating Torchwood, meddling family members, and (as per usual) threats to humanity.
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who. Any recognizable characters belong to the BBC.
Author's Notes: First attempt at long fiction in a WHILE. I hope I can do the show and characters justice. Thank you to stillbrainfried for the Beta help! She spotted the "Men In Black" reference...can you? :-)
The Doctor tumbled out of his rescuer’s arms onto solid ground, relatively certain that this was not, in fact, the Void. He noted the breathable atmosphere, linoleum floor, several human hearts beating at various rates, and a unique, beloved scent that, for a brief period, he had been convinced he would never experience again.
“Rose!” he cried, pushing himself off the ground and searching frantically about the room for a familiar flash of blonde hair.
“I’m here!”
The Doctor could have wept at the sound. Immediately crossing the room, he pulled her into a crushing embrace, relief flooding his whole being at her warmth pressed against him. He brushed kisses anywhere he could reach, murmuring her name between each.
“’S alright, Doctor,” she soothed. She framed his face in her hands and pressed their foreheads together. “’S okay, we’re okay. I’m here, I’m not leaving you.”
The Doctor took a deep, shuddering breath in an attempt to calm his frantic hearts. She was alive, here, in his arms, and he wasn’t sure he would ever be able to let her go again.
He could hear Jackie, Mickey, and Pete close by, trying to engage one another in conversation about the weather (of all things!) in order to give him and Rose a moment. However, he knew they had a Situation-with-a-capital-S that he needed to sort. Tearing himself away from Rose with some difficulty, he surveyed the room around him. The machinery and blank, white wall nearby told him exactly where he and Rose had ended up.
The Parallel Torchwood. The Parallel Universe.
And the TARDIS was on the other side.
The Doctor turned towards the wall, where he was closest to the spatial disturbance that had started this whole mess. He pressed his hand and cheek against the plaster, straining for any signs that he could still connect with the TARDIS despite being a universe apart.
“Can you feel her?” Rose asked. She placed her hand over his on the wall and mirrored his stance.
The Doctor took a deep breath, closed his eyes and reached out, stretching his mind further than he ever had to before. There, faintly, in the back of his mind, he could still hear his TARDIS singing a quiet song in an attempt to soothe his frazzled consciousness through the Void.
He was relieved, though apprehensive at the same time. Was there still a gap between worlds somewhere? If so, it may not be large enough to travel through. If he was very, very lucky, he might be able to send someone a message. But who? UNIT? The Brigadier would be likely to help, at least to transport the TARDIS somewhere safe.
He sighed, opened his eyes and locked them with Rose‘s. “She’s there, I can feel her, only just though. There may still be a small tear between universes, or it may simply be that we can still connect through the Void. I just don’t know at this point…” He turned back to Pete, who was still holding his Dimension Hopper. “Pete? That thing still work?”
Pete tossed the hopper over to the Doctor. Placing an arm around Rose’s waist, he pressed the big yellow button.
“Dead,” he announced. “Not surprised, really. Means it worked. The walls are sealed.”
“Will she be okay?” Rose asked. “The TARDIS? I mean, is she safe there? At Torchwood Tower?”
The Doctor felt a wave of gratitude pass through him so strong that he had to pull Rose into his arms yet again. Here they were, trapped in a parallel world, separated from everything Rose had ever known, and she was worried about his ship. Once again, a lovely pink-and-yellow human managed to keep him grounded.
"You, Rose Tyler, are amazing,” he whispered, breaking their embrace and giving her a weak smile. “I’ve no doubt that the TARDIS will be fine. Remember, assembled hords of Genghis Khan? No one will be able to harm her.”
“And what about you?” Rose asked, cupping his cheek. “The TARDIS is all you have left. Can we even get back to her?”
The Doctor leaned slightly into her touch. He wasn’t entirely sure they would ever be able to return to the TARDIS. Travel between parallel worlds was supposed to be impossible. Sure, they had managed it a few times. So had the parallel Torchwood. Still, the dimension hoppers had stopped working. With enough time and the right equipment, he was certain he could modify the technology to send them back. However, said technology was not supposed to exist in the 21st Century, despite whatever Torchwood had been dabbling in.
With a confidence he didn’t entirely feel, he finally responded to Rose‘s queries with somewhat false enthusiasm. “No idea. Half the fun though, right? Hmm? New adventure? We’ll figure it out, Rose. Got the best team on the job, eh?” He tweaked her chin affectionately, and was rewarded with a brilliant smile.
“Shiver and Shake?”
“Oh, yes.” He grinned, somewhat goofily at his companion, immensely grateful that, no matter what, they were in this together.
******
They agreed that the assembled party would retire to Pete’s home in an attempt to relax and regroup so work could begin on returning to their proper universe first thing in the morning. Pete had offered any and all of Torchwood’s resources to the Doctor, for which he felt exceptionally grateful. They spoke a bit on the ride back about modifying the Dimension Hoppers for safer travel, and the Doctor discovered that they lacked the technology to actually punch holes in the walls between universes. Certainly they could travel between once the walls were open, but he was not too keen on waiting around for someone with the capability. Generally, someone with that technology in this time period would be up to no good, and that was an understatement.
He didn’t want to think of any ne‘er-do-wells threatening them without the protection of the TARDIS. He had no failsafe anymore, nowhere he absolutely trusted he could put Rose in the event of a proper end-of-the-universe scenario. Not that he would ever consider sending Rose away again. She certainly showed him what good that would do. He wasn’t sure he could to it again, to be honest. Or that he would want to. The knowledge of just how much he needed Rose Tyler threatened once again to take his breath away.
The object of his musings was, currently, staring at her mum and sort-of dad with an expression of gentle happiness on her face. Jackie and Pete were sitting in the front seat of the Jeep, conversing in soft tones about their current situation. Despite the strange way in which they found one another, their hands were linked between the seats and an overall feeling of serenity seemed to surround them.
“What d’you think then?” the Doctor nudged Rose with an elbow and grinned. “Don’t make a half-bad matchmaker, do I?”
Rose glanced at him and smiled back, her tongue caught between her teeth in an alarmingly attractive manner. “I reckon a change in profession might be in order. The Doctor’s Trans-Dimensional Dating Service.”
“The perfect someone is out there, just maybe not in this universe!” he joked back, their banter placing him somewhat at ease. Despite their current situation, he found Rose’s proximity to be a huge comfort. Suddenly, the prospect of being stuck on a parallel Earth sans TARDIS seemed infinitely more manageable.
He pulled Rose to him and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She rested her head against his chest and the pair settled in comfortably for the rest of the trip.
******
After establishing that he, Rose, and Jackie would be staying for the foreseeable future, Pete made arrangements with his personal shopper to outfit the trio with various necessities. At Jackie’s and Rose’s protests, he had simply flashed a black charge card and a winning grin, replying that it was on Torchwood.
“For research purposes, you understand,” he teased gently as he gave his shopper their various sizes and rang off.
Jackie proposed a cup of tea, and shared a brief argument with Pete about who would prepare it. Ultimately, it proved far more complicated than originally anticipated and involved a hasty dismissal of the kitchen staff with orders to take a few days of paid time off. Jackie made herself right at home in the enormous, gleaming gourmet kitchen and set about her favorite task. Pete directed her to the various items she needed, and Rose once again marveled at how seamlessly the pair worked together and how naturally they had taken to one another.
A short while later, all with steaming cups in front of them, the foursome (Mickey having departed the mansion upon arrival, citing tea with his Gran) sat around the small wooden kitchen table. They doctored their cups, waiting for someone to start the inevitable “What now?” conversation.
“We are at a slight disadvantage,” Pete began slowly. “The press will be watching Torchwood, and therefore me, more closely now that the walls have sealed and any environmental issues clear up. Jackie is supposed to be dead, and then she turns up with a grown daughter? I’m not sure anyone will believe that.”
“One of the most amazing things about you humans,” the Doctor responded, “is your ability to turn a blind eye to anything remotely extraordinary. Spaceship crashing into Big Ben? Alien hoax. Sycorax hijacking a satellite? Students. Giant cockroach crash lands his ship on a backwater farm and steals your husband‘s skin? Swamp gas from a weather balloon was trapped in a thermal pocket and reflected the light from Venus. A wife back from the dead and mysterious daughter? Well…you get the idea.”
“Not sure whether to agree or feel insulted,” Pete murmured from across the table.
Rose smiled at him. “You’ll get used to it.”
The Doctor could have sworn she mumbled something along the lines of, “Beautiful for a human,” before Pete began speaking again. “I think the easiest course as of right now would be to get all of your paperwork in order. If you’ll be spending as much time as you imply at Torchwood, we should bring you on. You’ll need identification, though. We’re too involved with the People’s Republic to keep several new employees under their radar.”
The Doctor froze, cup of tea halfway to his lips. Employee? Torchwood? Going to work every day with Jackie Tyler?!
“Oi!” Jackie interjected. “If you think I’m stepping one toe in that place then you’d best be prepared for a sectioning! I'll be sticking to what I’m good at, thank you very much.”
The Doctor practically sagged in relief. Unable to resist the opportunity, he interjected, “Screeching and slapping a spectator sport in this universe, Pete?”
Before Jackie could work up to said slapping, Pete placed a gentle hand over hers and smiled indulgently. “You can do anything you want, Jacks.”
Rose cast a sidelong glance at the Doctor. He seemed…okay. He was engaging in their usual banter, criticizing her species, and insulting her mother. Practically normal for the pair of them. If she didn’t know better, she could have sworn it was just another day, back in London for a visit, and they would return to the TARDIS in a few hours to resume their travels.
Before her thoughts could delve any deeper, Rose let out a huge yawn and clapped her hand over her mouth. “Sorry,” she said, stifling the next yawn as it threatened to emerge. “Long day. Mind if I turn in? I promise, we can finish talking shop in the morning.”
Pete’s expression softened. “Quite right. You and the Doctor can stay in the guest wing. Third floor, to the left. D’you need me to show you?”
“Nah, think I can manage,” Rose replied.
“I’ll join you,” the Doctor said, rising out of his chair.
“’Night Mum, Pete,” Rose told the pair as the Doctor took her hand. “Thank you again, Pete…for everything.”
Pete rewarded Rose with a small smile. “Feels more like I should be thanking you two, but…you’re welcome.”
Rose glanced at the Doctor, the beginnings of a grin on her lips. He squeezed her hand and led them out of the kitchen to retire for the evening.
Chapter 2