Discordant -- Story 1 of the Blind and Bound series (9/13)
Title: Discordant -- Story 1 of the Blind and Bound series (9/13)
Author: sinecure - My master fic list
Character/Pairing: Rose, Pete, Mickey, Jackie
Rating: Adult
Genre: AU, Action/adventure, mystery, drama, angst, romance
Summary: Rose Tyler traveled through universes to get back to the Doctor. What did she see in those universes, and how did they affect her?
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.
Thanks: to momdaegmorgan for the beta, and the prompt, and the constant inspiration to finish this thing.
- Prologue
- Chapter 1, - Chapter 2, - Chapter 3, - Chapter 4
- Chapter 5, - Chapter 6, - Chapter 7
Rose dropped to the floor, twisting her ankle as she landed hard. Eyes settling on Ryan, she began to hobble his way, but before she got more than a few feet, Pete stepped in front of her, arms crossed over his chest, eyes narrowing on her, mouth drawn in a tight line.
"Rose, you went against my strict orders not to--"
"I found him," she interrupted, moving past her dad. Feeling like she was choking on the fog, like she was starving for oxygen, she unzipped her jacket, opened it, and took a deep breath. Her lungs were burning. Gasping, she drew in more air, leaning over to grab at the edge of the table.
Then she remembered her phone, and the Doctor.
Pulling her mobile free, she flipped it open, scrolling down to the TARDIS' number, and pressed the call button. All she heard was static; it didn't even ring. She tried again. And again.
Nothing.
Pushing back her disappointment, she rubbed her forehead, glancing up as Pete joined her. Ryan stood up then, and the two of them shared a look before turning their gazes to her.
"You found the Doctor?" Pete asked, dropping his arms to his sides. "Where--"
"Doesn't matter. Just..." she swung toward him, straightening up, finally drawing in enough air to feel comfortable. "There's something out there. Something that's destroying universes. The Doctor told me-- I mean, I saw it... there was this fog, this thing-- a wall of..." Fighting for the right words to convince them of the danger, she groaned out in frustration and rubbed her head harder. She was getting a headache.
Sighing, Pete slid his hands into his pockets, looking anything but convinced. In fact, he looked even more convinced that she was mental. "You're not making sense. Let's go into my office; we can discuss this there." His eyes settled over her shoulder. "Ryan, you can go home now."
"I'm sorry," she tossed at Ryan as Pete dragged her to his office. "It's not their fault," she muttered to her dad, jerking her arm free of his grip. "Punish me, not them."
"They went against my orders." Slamming the door shut behind them, he turned to her angrily. "I put security precautions in place, Rose. Did you really think I'd trust Ryan to keep you from jumping?" Scoffing at her, he shook his head. "The boy's got a crush on you."
Pulling her mobile free again, she flipped through the menu to the video selection and held it out to Pete. "Doesn't matter. I told you, something's coming. And, it's just a matter of time before it gets to our universe."
Pete took the phone, glancing at it, then back to her. "What's this?"
She moved beside him and pressed the button to start the first video. "Watch." Stretching her tender foot carefully, she crossed to the chair in front of his desk and dropped into it, feeling like the rest she'd got earlier had been ripped from her. She was exhausted again. And terrified that somehow that fog was going to follow her here, into this universe and there'd be nothing they could do about it.
"The Doctor called me while I was there. The connection was rubbish, I barely heard him, but I heard enough." Sitting forward, almost unable to believe she was talking so calmly, so rationally, after the hour she'd just had, she nodded to her mobile. "He told me 'it's coming' and that I needed to get back here and warn you."
"To do what?" Pete asked, squinting at the phone. "Is that... are those faces?"
She nodded, unfastening her flak jacket. "Yeah. Bloody creepy too. I'm not sure what the Doctor thinks we can do. He didn't say, or I didn't hear that part, but he said, 'it's coming. The darkness is coming'." Climbing to her feet, she shrugged out of both of her jackets and set them on the chair, rejoining Pete on his side of the desk. Taking the phone from him, she flipped through the menu to the picture folder and handed it back.
He thumbed through them, frowning with each successive photo. "Rose, are you sure this is what he meant?"
"What else would he mean?" she snapped, grabbing the phone back from him. The faces in the fog were less noticeable, but she could still see them. And they still creeped her out. "Pete, we've got to do something." He opened his mouth to respond, but she shook her head with a frustrated shrug. "No, I don't know what, but call all the jumpers in, have them look out for signs of... what?"
Pete scratched his chin, eyes on nothing for a moment, before he moved around his desk and started tapping on his laptop. "Something about fog... not sure quite...." Finger on the down arrow, he scanned the files, eyes moving rapidly.
Rose occupied herself with her phone for a minute, watching the video a few times before once again trying to dial the TARDIS. Still nothing. Just static.
"Here."
Pete's voice startled her and she jumped a bit, spinning around to stare at him. "What?"
"Fog," he said, pointing at the monitor with one hand and scrolling with the other. He pulled his finger away then tapped the monitor again at a different spot. "Fog." More scrolling. "And again."
Rose circled around to see what he was talking about. Her eyes widened when she saw Liam's jump reports. He clicked another tab and pointed again. That was on Mickey's. "They've seen it too?"
"No," he denied, still scrolling through case reports. "These are just normal mentions. But there're... there're a lot of them, Rose." He clicked on more and more and more of their reports. "Nearly every universe, nearly every jump, you've all reported seeing fog."
Swallowing as fear surged in her, she leaned on his desk, feeling weak all of a sudden. "Pete, this thing is coming, and it's swallowing entire worlds--maybe even entire universes--we have to do something."
"What about the Doctor?" he asked, eyes rising to hers as he leaned back and rocked in his chair. "Is there any way he's coming to help? You said you talked to him, so..." He looked hopeful, and she hated to shoot him down, but, she couldn't lie. The Doctor wasn't coming as far as she knew. At least not yet.
"I think we're on our own."
They stared at one another for a moment, weighing the gravity of the situation before they were both moving. "I'll call a meeting of all jumpers for tomorrow. We need to find out what we know. And I want to explore that Earth, the one you just--"
"No," she told him decisively, shaking her head as fear began to throb in her again. "There was... there was nothing left there, Pete. I jumped at the last minute. I saw through it. Saw through the fog, past the faces, and the-- the screaming. The buildings were gutted, nothing but frames left standing. I think it--well, I'm not sure--but I think it absorbed the people."
Slipping his PDA from his pocket, he leaned over to open a desk drawer and pulled a cord free. Attaching it to the PDA, he held his hand out for her mobile. "Rose, I need information--"
"No, you can't send anyone into that thing. It'll kill them!"
Eyes darting from his PDA to her face, he finally let out a sigh, nodding reluctantly. "You're right. I can't take the risk." When she handed him her phone, he hooked the cord to it and thumbed through the menu until he got to the photos and video. After a moment, he snapped it shut and unplugged the device, leaving the cord on his desk.
Pulling his office door open, he gestured her through then followed. "Go home, get some rest, but I want you back here bright and early tomorrow morning for the meeting."
There was a small part of her that feared he'd send someone to jump anyway, even go himself, despite her warnings, but there was nothing she could do about it. "Please, Pete. Don't send anyone. We'll talk about it tomorrow, yeah? Decide on the best course then?"
He settled his hand on her shoulder. "You have my word."
Fighting a smile, she halfheartedly held her thumb up and shook it. "Trust me on--"
Grabbing her hand, he pushed it down and rolled his eyes. "Go on, get out of here."
Chuckling, she turned on her heel and headed across the marble floor to the door. She was knackered. A few hour's sleep would definitely be nice. And maybe she'd dream of the Doctor again. Frowning, she wondered suddenly if that had been real at all. Or as real as a shared dream could be anyway.
"Oh, and, Rose?" Pete's voice echoed across the cavernous lobby.
She turned with a curious look.
"Don't think I've forgotten about your jumping under strict orders not to."
Relief flooded through her. If this trumped her going against his orders, then he might just keep her on the project. With her connection to the Doctor, he most likely would.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Apparently Pete's interpretation of bright and early differed from Rose's. When she walked into Torchwood Estates at eight the next morning, peeling off layers of clothing as she went, she couldn't help a yawn. The weather had taken a turn for the worse overnight and there'd been an inch of snow on the ground when she awoke. It'd melted quickly enough, leaving a slushy mess on the streets, drenching the bottom of her jeans as she sludged through the car park.
In here though, it was its usual warm and toasty temperature.
Once again, there was a buzz of activity going on around the lobby. Seemed to be almost routine by now, the noise and activity. Watching from the sidelines for a minute, she counted three people going into the meeting room, and one person leaving it, all carrying folders and files.
Her fears after she left here last night seemed to be fruitless. She'd begun to wonder on the drive home whether Pete was taking her seriously, or just pretending to. It didn't make sense that he would merely try to placate her, though. Why would he?
Crossing to the computers, she was nearly bowled over by Duane. "Oi, boss has been looking for you," he told her, spinning around her and continuing on his way.
"On my way there now." Glancing at the computer pit, she noted it was empty of people. "Seen Tia or Ryan today?" Pete wouldn't really fire them, would he? Yeah, they'd gone against his orders, but they were only trying to help her. And because of that, they now knew of a threat that could be headed their way. A threat they might not have known about if she hadn't jumped last night.
Duane grabbed a few tech toys from the bank of computers and nodded to the meeting room. "In there, just like we should be."
Shrugging, Rose followed behind him, coming to a halt just inside the doors. Not only were all the jumpers gathered inside, seated around a huge table, but all the techs were there too, as well as a few doctors. Santiago was speaking, arguing with Pete, when she slipped inside the crowded room and took a seat between Mickey and Ari.
"Hey," she whispered, leaning closer to Mickey so she could be heard over the arguing voices.
"--safe as can be right now," Pete was telling Santiago, standing, arms braced on the back of his chair.
Santiago shook his head, tossing a folder on the table where it slid a few centimeters. "You can't know that, Pete. This is unprecedented." He gestured around them at the entire hotel. "All of this is. Safety is my job. Making sure all the jumpers are safe and healthy is what you hired me for, and I'm not about to compromise on that just because you think it's all right."
"Always liked to make a fuss didn't you?" Mickey whispered back, fighting a grin.
"Oi," she complained, chuckling at his assessment. It wasn't like she went out of her way to make a spectacle; it just happened that way sometimes. Suzy Perman being kicked out of school with her because of something she'd staged. Larry and Tighe brawling in the pub down the street because of something she told them. Jimmy Stone.
The Doctor.
Everything seemed to blow up around her, and though she didn't ever set out to make a scene, it tended to happen anyway, and in that way, she supposed she was a little bit like the Doctor. He got blamed for everything that went wrong around him too, though he only tried to help, to do good.
Ari tossed her a distracted smile, eyes on Pete and Santiago, listening to the argument closely. Though he was easy going and a bit laid back, he seemed to enjoy conflict, which baffled Rose. Leaning toward him, she tossed her gaze around the room, attention only half on him. "In your element, are you?"
"Of course," he replied absently, preoccupied with the rest of the group, who were joining in on the argument now.
"I've seen it too," Liam said, getting to his feet. His scarred face no longer seemed unusual to Rose, though she knew that Pete found it hard to look at because he felt responsible. In all honesty, it only made Liam more handsome, gave him some character. "We've all seen it." He glanced around the group and Rose was startled to see all the jumpers and techs nodding and agreeing.
"Every time we jump, there's some sort of fog," Jake said over the murmurs. "I don't know if it's what Rose saw, but I'm not willing to take the chance."
"Yeah," Mickey interjected, sitting higher in his seat, crossing his arms over the table. "If Rose says it's coming, and the Doctor--" he glanced at her, then back to Pete and Santiago, "if the Doctor says it's coming, I say we increase jumping and try to find out more about this."
"Try to find a way to fight it," Duane added, glancing up from his laptop.
Tia turned in her chair to face Duane. "How d'ya fight fog?"
"I dunno." He shrugged and resumed typing. "That's for the scientists to figure out, isn't it? Besides, this obviously isn't normal fog." He pointed to his monitor and Tia peered at it, then drew away. "Regular fog doesn't normally have faces in it."
Santiago threw his hands in the air, brow furrowing under his glasses. "I understand that there might be a danger to the planet, but I can't, in all honestly, allow the jumps to be upped to once a day. I don't know what that could do to the human body." He rubbed his forehead and Rose saw his eyes land on her, singling her out. "I'm sorry, but you're taking Ms. Tyler's word without much proof."
Mickey's jaw tightened. "What's that supposed to mean?" He tossed his hand toward Duane's laptop. "There's video, you saw it. That fog isn't normal."
Chelsea, Jake's jumping partner, spun her computer around and tapped a finger on the buttons. "Normal fog usually have faces in it, Dr.?"
Sighing, Santiago shoved his fingers under his lenses to rub at his eye. "Those could be reflections in the--"
"There was nothing to cast a reflection up on the roof," Rose told him, growing angry. Why did he doubt her? Was this about the evaluation, did he really think she was insane? A few sleepless nights were bound to have an effect on her, on anyone, but that's all it'd been. She'd got another seven hours last night and she felt pretty good.
"Maybe nothing you saw. Maybe you just didn't... notice it, Rose. I don't know." His attention was fully on her now and what she saw in his eyes made her stomach sink.
Santiago had it out for her.
He didn't like her, didn't want her here, didn't want her to jump. It was there, written plainly on his face, in his eyes. He wanted her off this project and he didn't care who saw it.
Pete cleared his throat and sat back down, facing the assembled group. "I'm stepping up jumps." Santiago made to object, but Pete cut him off. "I'm sorry, Dr., I've made my decision."
Rose's hands clenched at the use of the title in reference to the man who was trying to stop her finding the Doctor; the real Doctor.
"We'll begin doing two jumps a day. Same schedule." He rubbed his head and closed the folders in front of him. "Rose, you and Mickey go today. Jake, you and Liam are on for tomorrow."
With a shocked gasp, Santiago turned to stare at Pete. "May I speak with you a moment, Mr. Tyler?" His eyes darted to Rose, then back to Pete. "Alone?"
Pete caught the look and followed it to Rose, who was frowning at Santiago. "Later, Dr.."
"This is important--"
"As is this," Pete interrupted, voice sharp, brooking no arguments.
There was silence for a moment, and Rose felt like she was watching two lions fighting over a piece of meat. Finally, Santiago heaved a sigh and moved around the table, heading toward the door. His eyes settled on her as he passed, his gaze hard and severe. But he didn't say anything and once he was gone, Pete lost the tautness of his shoulders.
Ari pulled at his shirt, straightening the wrinkles out, darting his eyes from Pete to Rose and back again before speaking. "Sir, when are we jumping?"
Pete glanced at his watch. "You and Rose jump this morning, soon as you're ready. Mickey and Anne, you jump in the afternoon. Liam and Frank, tomorrow morning, Jake and Chelsea tomorrow afternoon." He sat back in his big, black leather chair and eyed them all. "Now, tell me what you've seen."
"Fog," Frank tossed out to chuckles all around the room.
Mickey leaned forward. "We've all seen fog, but how do we know it was this fog?" he asked, tapping his finger on his closed laptop.
"Did it scream?" Rose asked, shivering as she remembered the sounds it made, the eerie, high-pitched and low-sounding screams reverberating around her skull, slithering under her skin. "Did it have faces in it, leave nothing behind but ruins?"
All eyes turned to her and she shifted a bit, suddenly uncomfortable under their scrutiny.
"I heard screaming on a jump a few weeks back," Chelsea said quietly, staring at the tabletop where her hands rested, fingers of one hand playing with the nail of her thumb. She glanced up quickly, blue eyes scanning the assembled group like a computer taking in information. "I-- I just, I heard this sound, well, a scream really, and I went to check it out, but there was nothing there. No one there, just an empty street. And fog."
"Doesn't mean it was this specific fog though," Pete told her, flipping through his folders. "What makes you think it was?"
Tossing her long, brown plait back over her shoulder, she sat straighter. "I remember it because it was odd-looking. It was," she frowned, reaching around to scratch the back of her head with a finger, "almost too dense to see through, and the way it moved..." trailing off, she gazed into the distance for a moment, before snapping back, "it looked alive."
"Yeah," Jake agreed, in a low, chilled voice. "I remember that. Thought it odd at the time, but didn't say anything. Thought you all might think I was mad." He sat back with a chuckle and a shrug, spiked hair looking odd against the expensive chair.
Rose hid a smile. He looked so comfortable there, not at all out of his element, which struck her. This group of people were her friends, her family. They were what she was going to be leaving behind when she found the Doctor. Or he found her. Either way. But she'd still do it; in a heartbeat. There wasn't a choice.
The Doctor would always come first.
As they all began to talk, agreeing on what they had and hadn't seen, Rose watched them quietly. The Doctor had done it again, brought people together to face a common enemy. Now all they needed to do was find it and figure out how to stop it. As concern and whispered voices turned to laughter and joking, Pete called the meeting to an end and left the room. The rest of them slowly followed suit, leaving Rose and Mickey behind.
He'd waited to catch her, she knew. Since Eric's death, she hadn't seen him. Except in her imagination. And now he wanted to discuss that, she knew he did. She'd been avoiding him for that very reason.
She stood up, pushing in her chair. "Go on," she sighed, facing him with her arms crossed over her chest. Expecting war, she was surprised when she got a hug instead.
"All right?" he asked, wrapping her up tight in his arms. She dropped her own, wrapping them around him as well, resting her chin on his shoulder. He rocked her a bit from side to side and she heard him laughing lightly. "You found him, Rose."
Grinning in relief, with sheer happiness of it all, she laughed with him. "I know! I still can't believe it." Tears burned her eyes and she allowed herself to just feel this moment, to actually revel in the fact that she was so close to finding the Doctor for good. Close to seeing him again, touching him, holding his hand, and, she decided right then and there, to take Tia's advice and kiss him.
Oh, she'd give him one hell of a bloody snogging!
"I talked to him, Mickey." Her voice turned shaky as tears slipped down her cheeks. His arms tightened around her. "I talked to the Doctor. I heard his voice."
"Always knew you'd get back to him, Rose." He pulled back, looking down at her, watching her steadily through tired eyes. "Two of you are the stuff of legends. Universes can't keep you apart."
She wanted to believe him, and yet, she cringed at his familiar words. The Doctor had said something similar to Zach and Ida, and then soon after... she wasn't going to think about that. Not right now, not when the news was good and her life was about to turn around.
If they could figure out how to stop the fog.
*~*~*~*~*~*
The moonlight crawling across the floors and walls of her room moved too slowly for Rose's liking. At this rate, dawn wouldn't get here for at least another twelve hours, which was impossible since it was only five hours away.
Sighing, she wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees, and stared out at the snow-covered cityscape, burrowing her cold feet into the warmth of her covers.
Footsteps sounded to her right, and she rolled her head to the left, glancing at the man that entered her room and stood before her, hands in his pockets. "Can't sleep?"
She shook her head and sighed, resuming her study of the nightscape, tracing the features of his reflection with her eyes as he sat down beside her. His hair rested on his forehead, glasses perched on his nose. If she squinted and looked hard enough, would she be able to see his freckles?
"Here," he said softly, concerned voice washing over her. "Take these."
She didn't even bother looking at the sleeping pills Santiago had given her. "They don't work anymore."
His hand settled on her shoulder, exerting a little pressure until she turned toward him. "You need to do something, Rose. You can't keep going like this." Warm eyes caressed her face, brows lowering in a frown when she shook her head again. He leaned forward and brushed her cheek with his knuckles. "I worry about you."
Taking his hand in hers, she scooted closer, smiling as she pressed her lips lightly to his. "Don't. I'll be fine." Closing her eyes, she kissed him harder, humming in delight when his arms went around her, drawing her into his lap. Breaths mingling, the kiss turned slow and languid, drawing out each slide of tongue and nip of teeth until she pulled back and rested her head on his shoulder to stare out the window again.
His hand caressed her back, up and down, soothing her into a state of half-sleep.
When she woke later, he was gone. The bed was empty but for her. Dawn was lighting the sky, sending pink and orange tendrils ribboning through the city, reaching and stretching this way and that. Yawning, she blinked at the ceiling. She didn't even have to look at the clock to know that she'd only got two hours of sleep.
Not bad, but almost worse than none at all.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Standing next to Ari, Rose felt dwarfed, as usual. He was a tall man, swamping her in height and intelligence, but he was also one of the nicest people she'd ever known. He didn't judge, and he didn't make her feel like anything less than what she was. It was nice. He was just a bit odd though, in that he liked conflict, liked to argue. And did it very well. He never took potshots though, never talked down to anyone.
Ari Rendell made her feel like an equal, which was why, when he told her that she should sit this jump out, she gaped at him, not believing him at first.
"Why?" she asked, voice a little higher than normal, shaded with surprise. But, glancing behind him, she knew immediately.
"Dr. Santiago said you haven't been sleeping well, and that maybe it'd be best if you--"
Rose glared at him and shook her head. "Santiago doesn't know what he's talking about. I'm fine. I had some problems for a while, but I've been sleeping fine the past few days." This was only her second jump since discovering the fog, since talking to the Doctor, and yet, she'd had this conversation with three of her coworkers already. "Let's hear the rest," she told him, ticking the points off on her splayed fingers. "I'm not fit for duty, I'm going mental, I'm going to crack soon and off everyone horribly and blow up the entire Earth, including, but possibly not limited to, the universe we currently reside in. Am I close?"
He snickered and shook his head, buzz-cut hair sticking up straight, not moving a single centimeter. He reminded her of nothing more than an alien race she'd met a few months after traveling with the Doctor. A race of technological military geeks; they'd policed their solar system, seeding fear, and leaving destruction in their wake.
They were arseholes of the biggest order.
Thankfully Ari's resemblance was merely aesthetic. He couldn't be more different. He, too, was military, but he was also a geek, though you wouldn't know it to look at him.
"Seriously, Rose. Are you all right?" Bright blue eyes settling over her, looking her up and down appraisingly, he shook his head. "You do look tired."
Scoffing, she shoved the lock of her flak jacket straps together. "I'm fine. Santiago's just overreacting. A few night's lost sleep and suddenly I'm going mental? What's that about?" Turning her gaze to Santiago, she glared at him, making sure he saw her distaste. He didn't look away or flinch, did nothing but watch her as they waited to jump.
Ari looked over at him as well and whistled. "He does have it in for you, doesn't he?"
Head ducked to check for her stun gun, she nodded and pulled her jumper free, palming it, looking to Tia and Duane for the go ahead. Ryan was there, beside Tia, watching her with a smile. When he noticed her eyes on him, his smile widened, turned soft.
"Go," Tia told them, waving her hand a bit in the air.
With one last look at Santiago, Rose pressed the button and felt the familiar tugging.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Downing the last of her cocoa, Rose paced to the kitchen and rinsed her mug out. Setting it in the sink, she left the kitchen, flipped off the light, and plopped on the couch with a sigh.
Flipping the telly on, she blinked at the bright screen, shielding her eyes a bit as it flickered and flashed across the room. Her usual 1 am entertainment wasn't on, so she flipped through the channels some more. She'd rather be in bed, asleep, but-- glancing behind her to the hallway that led to her room, she closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. That just wasn't happening.
A shadow passed between her and the telly and she opened her eyes. She saw tired eyes, a soft smile, and mussed hair. He sat on the coffee table in front of her, taking her hands in his. "Come back to bed."
Shivering when he lifted her hand to his lips, she shook her head. "Didn't wanna wake you." Turning her hand in his, she rubbed her thumb over his bottom lip, lightly furling her nails along his stubble-roughened cheek, smiling when he closed his eyes in response.
"You know there's no chance of that," he told her, warm skin moving under her hand. His eyes opened and focused on her. "You need to sleep. Santiago--"
She rolled her eyes and pushed to her feet, good mood suddenly gone. "To hell with Santiago."
"Language," he teased, following her to the window. Standing behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling back until she was leaning against him, then whispered in her ear. "If you come to bed I'll let you do things to me."
Laughing, she folded her arms over his, threading their fingers together. But then her laughter faded and her smile slipped from her face. "He's out there somewhere."
Nuzzling her neck, he traced a path from her ear to her shoulder. "Mm."
She turned in his arms, frowning. "It doesn't bother you, knowing that he's--"
"No." Hands settling on her waist, he drew her to him, watching her, observing her. He liked watching. "What does bother me, is that you're resisting all my efforts to get you into bed."
She snorted and stood on tiptoes, lips hovering over his for a moment. "Prat. I've got a nice big couch right there. Or there's the floor. A chair. Or how about up against the wall?"
Chuckling, lips turning up in a brilliant smile, he bent down and picked her up. Carrying her to the kitchen, he set her down on the counter and stood between her legs. "How's this?"
"Brilliant," she smirked, leaning down to kiss him as the muted telly continued to flicker and flash against every available surface, including them.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"--conditions in the States?" Pete shoved the phone between his shoulder and his ear, reaching for the folder Rose was holding out to him. He opened it, flipped through the files inside, barely glancing at them before shutting it again and taking the phone in his hand. "No, that's not... right. All right. Yes, thank you."
Rose watched him heave a sigh and slip the phone back into its charger. "Nothing yet?" And though that should be good news, he looked frustrated and annoyed.
"Bit of a scare is all. Just normal fog in Washington State." Leaning his hip against his desk, he focused on her for the first time since she'd arrived.
Rose clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palms. "Regretting going global?" she asked, before he could say anything. She didn't need him to ask if she was all right, she was sick of answering that question, sick of being asked if she was sleeping, sick of being watched by Santiago.
To her relief though, he said nothing about how she looked, just shook his head distractedly. "No, not after Jake's jump yesterday." Standing up, he circled around his desk, tossing a glance at her. "You saw the footage?"
"Yeah." The fear she'd felt upon seeing the video Jake brought back from his and Chelsea's last jump swam through her again, freezing the blood in her veins. She rubbed her arms vigorously, trying to ignore the goosepbumps that rose up at the memory. It was just like what she'd seen on her own jump, only, there was no fog left behind afterward. The entire Earth had been eaten away; all that was left were a few skeletal remains.
"Tests still haven't confirmed anything," Pete said, sitting back in his chair. He clasped his hands together, resting his chin on his steepled fingers. "But we're pretty certain it was the same fog. There were no radiation readings by the scientific teams we sent back through."
Rose's eyes shot to his and her mouth dropped open a little. "Hang on, you sent people back in there? You could've got them killed, or--"
"It was safe," Pete sighed, dropping his hands to his lap. And she realized suddenly that he was exhausted. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his skin was paler than usual. Her mum must be giving him hell to take a few days off. "Neither Jake, nor Chelsea, spotted any fog nearby."
"That doesn't mean--" she began, then cut herself off. "I'm sorry. It's... not my-- you're probably right. We need to learn everything we can about it."
He breathed in deeply and stood up, planting his hands on his desk for a moment. "And, that, I'm afraid, seems to be easier said than done."
Chapter 10
Author: sinecure - My master fic list
Character/Pairing: Rose, Pete, Mickey, Jackie
Rating: Adult
Genre: AU, Action/adventure, mystery, drama, angst, romance
Summary: Rose Tyler traveled through universes to get back to the Doctor. What did she see in those universes, and how did they affect her?
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.
Thanks: to momdaegmorgan for the beta, and the prompt, and the constant inspiration to finish this thing.
- Prologue
- Chapter 1, - Chapter 2, - Chapter 3, - Chapter 4
- Chapter 5, - Chapter 6, - Chapter 7
Rose dropped to the floor, twisting her ankle as she landed hard. Eyes settling on Ryan, she began to hobble his way, but before she got more than a few feet, Pete stepped in front of her, arms crossed over his chest, eyes narrowing on her, mouth drawn in a tight line.
"Rose, you went against my strict orders not to--"
"I found him," she interrupted, moving past her dad. Feeling like she was choking on the fog, like she was starving for oxygen, she unzipped her jacket, opened it, and took a deep breath. Her lungs were burning. Gasping, she drew in more air, leaning over to grab at the edge of the table.
Then she remembered her phone, and the Doctor.
Pulling her mobile free, she flipped it open, scrolling down to the TARDIS' number, and pressed the call button. All she heard was static; it didn't even ring. She tried again. And again.
Nothing.
Pushing back her disappointment, she rubbed her forehead, glancing up as Pete joined her. Ryan stood up then, and the two of them shared a look before turning their gazes to her.
"You found the Doctor?" Pete asked, dropping his arms to his sides. "Where--"
"Doesn't matter. Just..." she swung toward him, straightening up, finally drawing in enough air to feel comfortable. "There's something out there. Something that's destroying universes. The Doctor told me-- I mean, I saw it... there was this fog, this thing-- a wall of..." Fighting for the right words to convince them of the danger, she groaned out in frustration and rubbed her head harder. She was getting a headache.
Sighing, Pete slid his hands into his pockets, looking anything but convinced. In fact, he looked even more convinced that she was mental. "You're not making sense. Let's go into my office; we can discuss this there." His eyes settled over her shoulder. "Ryan, you can go home now."
"I'm sorry," she tossed at Ryan as Pete dragged her to his office. "It's not their fault," she muttered to her dad, jerking her arm free of his grip. "Punish me, not them."
"They went against my orders." Slamming the door shut behind them, he turned to her angrily. "I put security precautions in place, Rose. Did you really think I'd trust Ryan to keep you from jumping?" Scoffing at her, he shook his head. "The boy's got a crush on you."
Pulling her mobile free again, she flipped through the menu to the video selection and held it out to Pete. "Doesn't matter. I told you, something's coming. And, it's just a matter of time before it gets to our universe."
Pete took the phone, glancing at it, then back to her. "What's this?"
She moved beside him and pressed the button to start the first video. "Watch." Stretching her tender foot carefully, she crossed to the chair in front of his desk and dropped into it, feeling like the rest she'd got earlier had been ripped from her. She was exhausted again. And terrified that somehow that fog was going to follow her here, into this universe and there'd be nothing they could do about it.
"The Doctor called me while I was there. The connection was rubbish, I barely heard him, but I heard enough." Sitting forward, almost unable to believe she was talking so calmly, so rationally, after the hour she'd just had, she nodded to her mobile. "He told me 'it's coming' and that I needed to get back here and warn you."
"To do what?" Pete asked, squinting at the phone. "Is that... are those faces?"
She nodded, unfastening her flak jacket. "Yeah. Bloody creepy too. I'm not sure what the Doctor thinks we can do. He didn't say, or I didn't hear that part, but he said, 'it's coming. The darkness is coming'." Climbing to her feet, she shrugged out of both of her jackets and set them on the chair, rejoining Pete on his side of the desk. Taking the phone from him, she flipped through the menu to the picture folder and handed it back.
He thumbed through them, frowning with each successive photo. "Rose, are you sure this is what he meant?"
"What else would he mean?" she snapped, grabbing the phone back from him. The faces in the fog were less noticeable, but she could still see them. And they still creeped her out. "Pete, we've got to do something." He opened his mouth to respond, but she shook her head with a frustrated shrug. "No, I don't know what, but call all the jumpers in, have them look out for signs of... what?"
Pete scratched his chin, eyes on nothing for a moment, before he moved around his desk and started tapping on his laptop. "Something about fog... not sure quite...." Finger on the down arrow, he scanned the files, eyes moving rapidly.
Rose occupied herself with her phone for a minute, watching the video a few times before once again trying to dial the TARDIS. Still nothing. Just static.
"Here."
Pete's voice startled her and she jumped a bit, spinning around to stare at him. "What?"
"Fog," he said, pointing at the monitor with one hand and scrolling with the other. He pulled his finger away then tapped the monitor again at a different spot. "Fog." More scrolling. "And again."
Rose circled around to see what he was talking about. Her eyes widened when she saw Liam's jump reports. He clicked another tab and pointed again. That was on Mickey's. "They've seen it too?"
"No," he denied, still scrolling through case reports. "These are just normal mentions. But there're... there're a lot of them, Rose." He clicked on more and more and more of their reports. "Nearly every universe, nearly every jump, you've all reported seeing fog."
Swallowing as fear surged in her, she leaned on his desk, feeling weak all of a sudden. "Pete, this thing is coming, and it's swallowing entire worlds--maybe even entire universes--we have to do something."
"What about the Doctor?" he asked, eyes rising to hers as he leaned back and rocked in his chair. "Is there any way he's coming to help? You said you talked to him, so..." He looked hopeful, and she hated to shoot him down, but, she couldn't lie. The Doctor wasn't coming as far as she knew. At least not yet.
"I think we're on our own."
They stared at one another for a moment, weighing the gravity of the situation before they were both moving. "I'll call a meeting of all jumpers for tomorrow. We need to find out what we know. And I want to explore that Earth, the one you just--"
"No," she told him decisively, shaking her head as fear began to throb in her again. "There was... there was nothing left there, Pete. I jumped at the last minute. I saw through it. Saw through the fog, past the faces, and the-- the screaming. The buildings were gutted, nothing but frames left standing. I think it--well, I'm not sure--but I think it absorbed the people."
Slipping his PDA from his pocket, he leaned over to open a desk drawer and pulled a cord free. Attaching it to the PDA, he held his hand out for her mobile. "Rose, I need information--"
"No, you can't send anyone into that thing. It'll kill them!"
Eyes darting from his PDA to her face, he finally let out a sigh, nodding reluctantly. "You're right. I can't take the risk." When she handed him her phone, he hooked the cord to it and thumbed through the menu until he got to the photos and video. After a moment, he snapped it shut and unplugged the device, leaving the cord on his desk.
Pulling his office door open, he gestured her through then followed. "Go home, get some rest, but I want you back here bright and early tomorrow morning for the meeting."
There was a small part of her that feared he'd send someone to jump anyway, even go himself, despite her warnings, but there was nothing she could do about it. "Please, Pete. Don't send anyone. We'll talk about it tomorrow, yeah? Decide on the best course then?"
He settled his hand on her shoulder. "You have my word."
Fighting a smile, she halfheartedly held her thumb up and shook it. "Trust me on--"
Grabbing her hand, he pushed it down and rolled his eyes. "Go on, get out of here."
Chuckling, she turned on her heel and headed across the marble floor to the door. She was knackered. A few hour's sleep would definitely be nice. And maybe she'd dream of the Doctor again. Frowning, she wondered suddenly if that had been real at all. Or as real as a shared dream could be anyway.
"Oh, and, Rose?" Pete's voice echoed across the cavernous lobby.
She turned with a curious look.
"Don't think I've forgotten about your jumping under strict orders not to."
Relief flooded through her. If this trumped her going against his orders, then he might just keep her on the project. With her connection to the Doctor, he most likely would.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Apparently Pete's interpretation of bright and early differed from Rose's. When she walked into Torchwood Estates at eight the next morning, peeling off layers of clothing as she went, she couldn't help a yawn. The weather had taken a turn for the worse overnight and there'd been an inch of snow on the ground when she awoke. It'd melted quickly enough, leaving a slushy mess on the streets, drenching the bottom of her jeans as she sludged through the car park.
In here though, it was its usual warm and toasty temperature.
Once again, there was a buzz of activity going on around the lobby. Seemed to be almost routine by now, the noise and activity. Watching from the sidelines for a minute, she counted three people going into the meeting room, and one person leaving it, all carrying folders and files.
Her fears after she left here last night seemed to be fruitless. She'd begun to wonder on the drive home whether Pete was taking her seriously, or just pretending to. It didn't make sense that he would merely try to placate her, though. Why would he?
Crossing to the computers, she was nearly bowled over by Duane. "Oi, boss has been looking for you," he told her, spinning around her and continuing on his way.
"On my way there now." Glancing at the computer pit, she noted it was empty of people. "Seen Tia or Ryan today?" Pete wouldn't really fire them, would he? Yeah, they'd gone against his orders, but they were only trying to help her. And because of that, they now knew of a threat that could be headed their way. A threat they might not have known about if she hadn't jumped last night.
Duane grabbed a few tech toys from the bank of computers and nodded to the meeting room. "In there, just like we should be."
Shrugging, Rose followed behind him, coming to a halt just inside the doors. Not only were all the jumpers gathered inside, seated around a huge table, but all the techs were there too, as well as a few doctors. Santiago was speaking, arguing with Pete, when she slipped inside the crowded room and took a seat between Mickey and Ari.
"Hey," she whispered, leaning closer to Mickey so she could be heard over the arguing voices.
"--safe as can be right now," Pete was telling Santiago, standing, arms braced on the back of his chair.
Santiago shook his head, tossing a folder on the table where it slid a few centimeters. "You can't know that, Pete. This is unprecedented." He gestured around them at the entire hotel. "All of this is. Safety is my job. Making sure all the jumpers are safe and healthy is what you hired me for, and I'm not about to compromise on that just because you think it's all right."
"Always liked to make a fuss didn't you?" Mickey whispered back, fighting a grin.
"Oi," she complained, chuckling at his assessment. It wasn't like she went out of her way to make a spectacle; it just happened that way sometimes. Suzy Perman being kicked out of school with her because of something she'd staged. Larry and Tighe brawling in the pub down the street because of something she told them. Jimmy Stone.
The Doctor.
Everything seemed to blow up around her, and though she didn't ever set out to make a scene, it tended to happen anyway, and in that way, she supposed she was a little bit like the Doctor. He got blamed for everything that went wrong around him too, though he only tried to help, to do good.
Ari tossed her a distracted smile, eyes on Pete and Santiago, listening to the argument closely. Though he was easy going and a bit laid back, he seemed to enjoy conflict, which baffled Rose. Leaning toward him, she tossed her gaze around the room, attention only half on him. "In your element, are you?"
"Of course," he replied absently, preoccupied with the rest of the group, who were joining in on the argument now.
"I've seen it too," Liam said, getting to his feet. His scarred face no longer seemed unusual to Rose, though she knew that Pete found it hard to look at because he felt responsible. In all honesty, it only made Liam more handsome, gave him some character. "We've all seen it." He glanced around the group and Rose was startled to see all the jumpers and techs nodding and agreeing.
"Every time we jump, there's some sort of fog," Jake said over the murmurs. "I don't know if it's what Rose saw, but I'm not willing to take the chance."
"Yeah," Mickey interjected, sitting higher in his seat, crossing his arms over the table. "If Rose says it's coming, and the Doctor--" he glanced at her, then back to Pete and Santiago, "if the Doctor says it's coming, I say we increase jumping and try to find out more about this."
"Try to find a way to fight it," Duane added, glancing up from his laptop.
Tia turned in her chair to face Duane. "How d'ya fight fog?"
"I dunno." He shrugged and resumed typing. "That's for the scientists to figure out, isn't it? Besides, this obviously isn't normal fog." He pointed to his monitor and Tia peered at it, then drew away. "Regular fog doesn't normally have faces in it."
Santiago threw his hands in the air, brow furrowing under his glasses. "I understand that there might be a danger to the planet, but I can't, in all honestly, allow the jumps to be upped to once a day. I don't know what that could do to the human body." He rubbed his forehead and Rose saw his eyes land on her, singling her out. "I'm sorry, but you're taking Ms. Tyler's word without much proof."
Mickey's jaw tightened. "What's that supposed to mean?" He tossed his hand toward Duane's laptop. "There's video, you saw it. That fog isn't normal."
Chelsea, Jake's jumping partner, spun her computer around and tapped a finger on the buttons. "Normal fog usually have faces in it, Dr.?"
Sighing, Santiago shoved his fingers under his lenses to rub at his eye. "Those could be reflections in the--"
"There was nothing to cast a reflection up on the roof," Rose told him, growing angry. Why did he doubt her? Was this about the evaluation, did he really think she was insane? A few sleepless nights were bound to have an effect on her, on anyone, but that's all it'd been. She'd got another seven hours last night and she felt pretty good.
"Maybe nothing you saw. Maybe you just didn't... notice it, Rose. I don't know." His attention was fully on her now and what she saw in his eyes made her stomach sink.
Santiago had it out for her.
He didn't like her, didn't want her here, didn't want her to jump. It was there, written plainly on his face, in his eyes. He wanted her off this project and he didn't care who saw it.
Pete cleared his throat and sat back down, facing the assembled group. "I'm stepping up jumps." Santiago made to object, but Pete cut him off. "I'm sorry, Dr., I've made my decision."
Rose's hands clenched at the use of the title in reference to the man who was trying to stop her finding the Doctor; the real Doctor.
"We'll begin doing two jumps a day. Same schedule." He rubbed his head and closed the folders in front of him. "Rose, you and Mickey go today. Jake, you and Liam are on for tomorrow."
With a shocked gasp, Santiago turned to stare at Pete. "May I speak with you a moment, Mr. Tyler?" His eyes darted to Rose, then back to Pete. "Alone?"
Pete caught the look and followed it to Rose, who was frowning at Santiago. "Later, Dr.."
"This is important--"
"As is this," Pete interrupted, voice sharp, brooking no arguments.
There was silence for a moment, and Rose felt like she was watching two lions fighting over a piece of meat. Finally, Santiago heaved a sigh and moved around the table, heading toward the door. His eyes settled on her as he passed, his gaze hard and severe. But he didn't say anything and once he was gone, Pete lost the tautness of his shoulders.
Ari pulled at his shirt, straightening the wrinkles out, darting his eyes from Pete to Rose and back again before speaking. "Sir, when are we jumping?"
Pete glanced at his watch. "You and Rose jump this morning, soon as you're ready. Mickey and Anne, you jump in the afternoon. Liam and Frank, tomorrow morning, Jake and Chelsea tomorrow afternoon." He sat back in his big, black leather chair and eyed them all. "Now, tell me what you've seen."
"Fog," Frank tossed out to chuckles all around the room.
Mickey leaned forward. "We've all seen fog, but how do we know it was this fog?" he asked, tapping his finger on his closed laptop.
"Did it scream?" Rose asked, shivering as she remembered the sounds it made, the eerie, high-pitched and low-sounding screams reverberating around her skull, slithering under her skin. "Did it have faces in it, leave nothing behind but ruins?"
All eyes turned to her and she shifted a bit, suddenly uncomfortable under their scrutiny.
"I heard screaming on a jump a few weeks back," Chelsea said quietly, staring at the tabletop where her hands rested, fingers of one hand playing with the nail of her thumb. She glanced up quickly, blue eyes scanning the assembled group like a computer taking in information. "I-- I just, I heard this sound, well, a scream really, and I went to check it out, but there was nothing there. No one there, just an empty street. And fog."
"Doesn't mean it was this specific fog though," Pete told her, flipping through his folders. "What makes you think it was?"
Tossing her long, brown plait back over her shoulder, she sat straighter. "I remember it because it was odd-looking. It was," she frowned, reaching around to scratch the back of her head with a finger, "almost too dense to see through, and the way it moved..." trailing off, she gazed into the distance for a moment, before snapping back, "it looked alive."
"Yeah," Jake agreed, in a low, chilled voice. "I remember that. Thought it odd at the time, but didn't say anything. Thought you all might think I was mad." He sat back with a chuckle and a shrug, spiked hair looking odd against the expensive chair.
Rose hid a smile. He looked so comfortable there, not at all out of his element, which struck her. This group of people were her friends, her family. They were what she was going to be leaving behind when she found the Doctor. Or he found her. Either way. But she'd still do it; in a heartbeat. There wasn't a choice.
The Doctor would always come first.
As they all began to talk, agreeing on what they had and hadn't seen, Rose watched them quietly. The Doctor had done it again, brought people together to face a common enemy. Now all they needed to do was find it and figure out how to stop it. As concern and whispered voices turned to laughter and joking, Pete called the meeting to an end and left the room. The rest of them slowly followed suit, leaving Rose and Mickey behind.
He'd waited to catch her, she knew. Since Eric's death, she hadn't seen him. Except in her imagination. And now he wanted to discuss that, she knew he did. She'd been avoiding him for that very reason.
She stood up, pushing in her chair. "Go on," she sighed, facing him with her arms crossed over her chest. Expecting war, she was surprised when she got a hug instead.
"All right?" he asked, wrapping her up tight in his arms. She dropped her own, wrapping them around him as well, resting her chin on his shoulder. He rocked her a bit from side to side and she heard him laughing lightly. "You found him, Rose."
Grinning in relief, with sheer happiness of it all, she laughed with him. "I know! I still can't believe it." Tears burned her eyes and she allowed herself to just feel this moment, to actually revel in the fact that she was so close to finding the Doctor for good. Close to seeing him again, touching him, holding his hand, and, she decided right then and there, to take Tia's advice and kiss him.
Oh, she'd give him one hell of a bloody snogging!
"I talked to him, Mickey." Her voice turned shaky as tears slipped down her cheeks. His arms tightened around her. "I talked to the Doctor. I heard his voice."
"Always knew you'd get back to him, Rose." He pulled back, looking down at her, watching her steadily through tired eyes. "Two of you are the stuff of legends. Universes can't keep you apart."
She wanted to believe him, and yet, she cringed at his familiar words. The Doctor had said something similar to Zach and Ida, and then soon after... she wasn't going to think about that. Not right now, not when the news was good and her life was about to turn around.
If they could figure out how to stop the fog.
*~*~*~*~*~*
The moonlight crawling across the floors and walls of her room moved too slowly for Rose's liking. At this rate, dawn wouldn't get here for at least another twelve hours, which was impossible since it was only five hours away.
Sighing, she wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees, and stared out at the snow-covered cityscape, burrowing her cold feet into the warmth of her covers.
Footsteps sounded to her right, and she rolled her head to the left, glancing at the man that entered her room and stood before her, hands in his pockets. "Can't sleep?"
She shook her head and sighed, resuming her study of the nightscape, tracing the features of his reflection with her eyes as he sat down beside her. His hair rested on his forehead, glasses perched on his nose. If she squinted and looked hard enough, would she be able to see his freckles?
"Here," he said softly, concerned voice washing over her. "Take these."
She didn't even bother looking at the sleeping pills Santiago had given her. "They don't work anymore."
His hand settled on her shoulder, exerting a little pressure until she turned toward him. "You need to do something, Rose. You can't keep going like this." Warm eyes caressed her face, brows lowering in a frown when she shook her head again. He leaned forward and brushed her cheek with his knuckles. "I worry about you."
Taking his hand in hers, she scooted closer, smiling as she pressed her lips lightly to his. "Don't. I'll be fine." Closing her eyes, she kissed him harder, humming in delight when his arms went around her, drawing her into his lap. Breaths mingling, the kiss turned slow and languid, drawing out each slide of tongue and nip of teeth until she pulled back and rested her head on his shoulder to stare out the window again.
His hand caressed her back, up and down, soothing her into a state of half-sleep.
When she woke later, he was gone. The bed was empty but for her. Dawn was lighting the sky, sending pink and orange tendrils ribboning through the city, reaching and stretching this way and that. Yawning, she blinked at the ceiling. She didn't even have to look at the clock to know that she'd only got two hours of sleep.
Not bad, but almost worse than none at all.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Standing next to Ari, Rose felt dwarfed, as usual. He was a tall man, swamping her in height and intelligence, but he was also one of the nicest people she'd ever known. He didn't judge, and he didn't make her feel like anything less than what she was. It was nice. He was just a bit odd though, in that he liked conflict, liked to argue. And did it very well. He never took potshots though, never talked down to anyone.
Ari Rendell made her feel like an equal, which was why, when he told her that she should sit this jump out, she gaped at him, not believing him at first.
"Why?" she asked, voice a little higher than normal, shaded with surprise. But, glancing behind him, she knew immediately.
"Dr. Santiago said you haven't been sleeping well, and that maybe it'd be best if you--"
Rose glared at him and shook her head. "Santiago doesn't know what he's talking about. I'm fine. I had some problems for a while, but I've been sleeping fine the past few days." This was only her second jump since discovering the fog, since talking to the Doctor, and yet, she'd had this conversation with three of her coworkers already. "Let's hear the rest," she told him, ticking the points off on her splayed fingers. "I'm not fit for duty, I'm going mental, I'm going to crack soon and off everyone horribly and blow up the entire Earth, including, but possibly not limited to, the universe we currently reside in. Am I close?"
He snickered and shook his head, buzz-cut hair sticking up straight, not moving a single centimeter. He reminded her of nothing more than an alien race she'd met a few months after traveling with the Doctor. A race of technological military geeks; they'd policed their solar system, seeding fear, and leaving destruction in their wake.
They were arseholes of the biggest order.
Thankfully Ari's resemblance was merely aesthetic. He couldn't be more different. He, too, was military, but he was also a geek, though you wouldn't know it to look at him.
"Seriously, Rose. Are you all right?" Bright blue eyes settling over her, looking her up and down appraisingly, he shook his head. "You do look tired."
Scoffing, she shoved the lock of her flak jacket straps together. "I'm fine. Santiago's just overreacting. A few night's lost sleep and suddenly I'm going mental? What's that about?" Turning her gaze to Santiago, she glared at him, making sure he saw her distaste. He didn't look away or flinch, did nothing but watch her as they waited to jump.
Ari looked over at him as well and whistled. "He does have it in for you, doesn't he?"
Head ducked to check for her stun gun, she nodded and pulled her jumper free, palming it, looking to Tia and Duane for the go ahead. Ryan was there, beside Tia, watching her with a smile. When he noticed her eyes on him, his smile widened, turned soft.
"Go," Tia told them, waving her hand a bit in the air.
With one last look at Santiago, Rose pressed the button and felt the familiar tugging.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Downing the last of her cocoa, Rose paced to the kitchen and rinsed her mug out. Setting it in the sink, she left the kitchen, flipped off the light, and plopped on the couch with a sigh.
Flipping the telly on, she blinked at the bright screen, shielding her eyes a bit as it flickered and flashed across the room. Her usual 1 am entertainment wasn't on, so she flipped through the channels some more. She'd rather be in bed, asleep, but-- glancing behind her to the hallway that led to her room, she closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. That just wasn't happening.
A shadow passed between her and the telly and she opened her eyes. She saw tired eyes, a soft smile, and mussed hair. He sat on the coffee table in front of her, taking her hands in his. "Come back to bed."
Shivering when he lifted her hand to his lips, she shook her head. "Didn't wanna wake you." Turning her hand in his, she rubbed her thumb over his bottom lip, lightly furling her nails along his stubble-roughened cheek, smiling when he closed his eyes in response.
"You know there's no chance of that," he told her, warm skin moving under her hand. His eyes opened and focused on her. "You need to sleep. Santiago--"
She rolled her eyes and pushed to her feet, good mood suddenly gone. "To hell with Santiago."
"Language," he teased, following her to the window. Standing behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling back until she was leaning against him, then whispered in her ear. "If you come to bed I'll let you do things to me."
Laughing, she folded her arms over his, threading their fingers together. But then her laughter faded and her smile slipped from her face. "He's out there somewhere."
Nuzzling her neck, he traced a path from her ear to her shoulder. "Mm."
She turned in his arms, frowning. "It doesn't bother you, knowing that he's--"
"No." Hands settling on her waist, he drew her to him, watching her, observing her. He liked watching. "What does bother me, is that you're resisting all my efforts to get you into bed."
She snorted and stood on tiptoes, lips hovering over his for a moment. "Prat. I've got a nice big couch right there. Or there's the floor. A chair. Or how about up against the wall?"
Chuckling, lips turning up in a brilliant smile, he bent down and picked her up. Carrying her to the kitchen, he set her down on the counter and stood between her legs. "How's this?"
"Brilliant," she smirked, leaning down to kiss him as the muted telly continued to flicker and flash against every available surface, including them.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"--conditions in the States?" Pete shoved the phone between his shoulder and his ear, reaching for the folder Rose was holding out to him. He opened it, flipped through the files inside, barely glancing at them before shutting it again and taking the phone in his hand. "No, that's not... right. All right. Yes, thank you."
Rose watched him heave a sigh and slip the phone back into its charger. "Nothing yet?" And though that should be good news, he looked frustrated and annoyed.
"Bit of a scare is all. Just normal fog in Washington State." Leaning his hip against his desk, he focused on her for the first time since she'd arrived.
Rose clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palms. "Regretting going global?" she asked, before he could say anything. She didn't need him to ask if she was all right, she was sick of answering that question, sick of being asked if she was sleeping, sick of being watched by Santiago.
To her relief though, he said nothing about how she looked, just shook his head distractedly. "No, not after Jake's jump yesterday." Standing up, he circled around his desk, tossing a glance at her. "You saw the footage?"
"Yeah." The fear she'd felt upon seeing the video Jake brought back from his and Chelsea's last jump swam through her again, freezing the blood in her veins. She rubbed her arms vigorously, trying to ignore the goosepbumps that rose up at the memory. It was just like what she'd seen on her own jump, only, there was no fog left behind afterward. The entire Earth had been eaten away; all that was left were a few skeletal remains.
"Tests still haven't confirmed anything," Pete said, sitting back in his chair. He clasped his hands together, resting his chin on his steepled fingers. "But we're pretty certain it was the same fog. There were no radiation readings by the scientific teams we sent back through."
Rose's eyes shot to his and her mouth dropped open a little. "Hang on, you sent people back in there? You could've got them killed, or--"
"It was safe," Pete sighed, dropping his hands to his lap. And she realized suddenly that he was exhausted. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his skin was paler than usual. Her mum must be giving him hell to take a few days off. "Neither Jake, nor Chelsea, spotted any fog nearby."
"That doesn't mean--" she began, then cut herself off. "I'm sorry. It's... not my-- you're probably right. We need to learn everything we can about it."
He breathed in deeply and stood up, planting his hands on his desk for a moment. "And, that, I'm afraid, seems to be easier said than done."
Chapter 10