You Are My Home (1/?)
Title: You Are My Home (1/?)
Pairings: pre-Rose/Nine, Rose/Jimmy
Genre: Romance
Rating: PG for this chapter
Author's Note: So this started when I filled a prompt for the Vagina Fest asking for a Nine/Rose Victorian AU. It turned into a giant elaborate plot almost immediately, as always happens when I try to write short pieces around finals week.
“Who sent that bouquet to you?” her mother asks as she surveys Rose critically.
Rose stands a little straighter and squares her shoulders so that the sleeves of her pale pink gown fall just right. “Captain Harkness.” The little cluster of orchids from the Captain matches perfectly as if he’d somehow planned it that way. Of course, given the rumors she’d heard about the man, she supposed it was entirely possible he’d flirted with the seamstresses to find out all the debutantes dresses beforehand though it was equally likely the man just had wonderful taste.
“No. Pick a different bouquet. I don’t want you giving anyone the impression you’re interested in the likes of him,” Jackie states firmly. She wants the best for her daughter and nothing less.
“Mother, he’s the only one who didn’t send me dreadful roses. It isn’t clever and I won’t encourage it.”
Jackie sighs heavily. “Rose, you need to make a good impression. This is your debutante ball. It only happens once, sweetheart. Don’t you want to find a good husband?”
Rose places her hands on her hips. “Of course I do, mother, but I’m not carrying some garish bouquet of roses around all night. I won’t show favoritism to the Captain, even if he’s already seeming like the most tolerable of the lot.”
She waits for her mother’s complaints about her putting on airs and graces that she hasn’t got reason to do or some comment about her being too strong willed for her own good. “If only your father was around,” she says a little sadly instead before marching off to make sure the rest of the preparations are in order. Rose is ushered back into her room by her maid to finish doing her makeup and her hair.
She loves this part, the dressing up. She suspects she shall love the dancing part more but she feels grown up and sophisticated in her gown. She doesn’t think this finding a husband business will be half so difficult as her mother is making it seem.
Before the greeting of all of the guests begins she can tell this part is going to be her least favorite. Her suspicions are confirmed as conversations consist of no more than a simple polite greeting and after they’ve moved on her mother whispering in her ear their opinions of the guests. Rose likes meeting people. She’s a fairly good conversationalist but this sort of tedium holds no interest for her. She hopes as she’s introduced to a rather attractive man named Mr. Adam Mitchell that she won’t really be expected to remember every single one of their names this evening.
Greeting the guests takes nearly two hours. Only two of them stand out in her mind: Mr. James Stone and the Captain. She can tell from the moment she meets Mr. Stone that he is fascinating and if she’s to be frank, quite attractive. Her mother’s warning that he isn’t worth a moment of her time only proves to fuel her interest. Captain Harkness offers her a sparkling grin and bows with a dramatic flourish to kiss her hand. He doesn’t let go immediately and tells her, “I’m honored that you like the flowers, a unique beauty such as you deserves the flowers to match your qualities not just your namesake after all.” She imagines her cheeks turn as red as the bouquets of roses behind her when he winks at her. Her mother grumbles something about the nerve of Americans from new money but isn’t as mean spirited as she imagines her mother intended it to be after the Captain had been equally as complimentary to Lady Tyler.
Her mother seems to favor a Mr. Elton Pope but her friends insist the man is all but promised to a Miss Blake. Rose dances with all of the men who ask. Captain Harkness is easily the best dancer though he holds her closer to him than would be deemed appropriate. Rose forgets her mother’s warnings about Mr. Stone when she waltzes with the man and he tells her all about his brilliant plans for the future. This is a man who could go places with his life and Rose thinks she’d rather like to be the one on his arm when he does. She is still naïve enough to think that he means it when he claims he is interested in her and not her name or dowry. He leaves the ball early but promises to call on her the next day.
As she divides her attention between potential suitors, her friends, and her mother and her crowd, Rose finds herself marveling at the fact that this is her life now. She remembers dimly being a young girl and watching her mother prepare to go out to all the important social events with her father and thinking how terribly glamorous and wonderful it all must have been. It turns out that it is more work than she had expected. The ball room is a blur of brightly colored gowns and sparkling jewels and there is beautiful music drifting through the air though. She knows her life could be far more difficult, would have been if her father had not been so marvelous a business man and restored the family fortunes with his inventions.
She thinks that she wants to marry someone like that and her thoughts inevitably drift back to Mr. Stone and all of his lovely ideas. She could get used to this life, she supposes, and it is a strange thought since it is all she has ever expected. If things progress the way she hopes, she may even be married before the season is over and wouldn’t that just be perfect? The thought of having to spend more than a season looking for a husband is one she doesn’t want to contemplate too much. Of course it isn’t uncommon but when one goes beyond two or three it becomes a real cause for concern. Rose is quite certain that won’t happen to her though.
Mr. Stone does not call upon her as promised the next day but he does send her a bouquet of roses and a poem he has written for her. She thinks the poem beautiful enough to make up for the flowers and resolves herself to tell him of her distaste for the flowers whenever she sees him next.
She does not have to wait long. The man makes a habit of dropping by unannounced whenever it suits his fancy. Sometimes for several days in a row and other times she goes a week without seeing him. He assures her, after she finally works up the courage to tell him she doesn’t like roses, that she won’t receive them again from him and she’s perfectly right to expect better. They are roses again though when he sends her flowers a week later.
She forgives him his rather unorthodox ways though each time she receives a letter from him. She thinks perhaps he ought to have been a poet or a musician or something equally fascinating and artistic. She and her mother attend balls and other important social events every week. When Mr. Stone is there as well, Rose devotes nearly all her attention to him.
She tells her mother she is expecting his proposal any day now and that she intends to accept. They have a terrible row and do not go out that night or the next. Her mother starts inviting a Mr. Jacob Simmonds around for tea and while he is quite nice and Rose gets along with him swimmingly, there is not the slightest hint of romantic intentions between the pair of them. According to the gossip of her friends, there isn’t a single girl in whom Mr. Simmonds has shown interest and he likely intends to remain a bachelor. Rose secretly thinks that were it not for Mr. Stone, she might like to remain on her own as well.
Mr. Stone proposes a month later but refuses to announce their engagement right away. Her mother in desperation starts inviting Captain Harkness for supper at least once a week, often more. The Stones are hosting a ball two weeks after James’ proposal and Rose has convinced him to announce their engagement that night. Those plans are derailed in the blink of an eye though when the young Mr. Stone is caught having his way with one of the servant girls and clearly quite drunk.
Rose is about to be escorted onto the ballroom floor by the Captain when this happens. The Captain surreptitiously slips the ring off of her finger and ignoring the way all the other guests are now focused on the argument between James and his parents, leading her in a graceful waltz. He’s holding her tight to him and assuring her that it will be alright. No one knew she and Mr. Stone had been engaged, he himself was around their household more often than the man after all, and so was Mr. Simmonds for that matter. She need not fear a terrible scandal. Rose wants to tell him she doesn’t care about any scandal she loves James but doesn’t trust her voice at the moment.
They learn the next day that three other girls, who had apparently been under the impression Mr. Stone intended to marry them as well, had fled the ball in tears. Rumors spread about how many girls Mr. Stone tried to seduce but Rose’s name is never on the list. She suspects her mother or the Captain start the rumor that she’d rid herself of Mr. Stone some time before the dreadful affair but is too caught up in her heart ache really care. It takes only a week before her sense of betrayal shifts from heart ache to anger. She doesn’t need the likes of Mr. Stone anyways. Her mother was right. She can do so much better.
2. The Bachelor
Pairings: pre-Rose/Nine, Rose/Jimmy
Genre: Romance
Rating: PG for this chapter
Author's Note: So this started when I filled a prompt for the Vagina Fest asking for a Nine/Rose Victorian AU. It turned into a giant elaborate plot almost immediately, as always happens when I try to write short pieces around finals week.
“Who sent that bouquet to you?” her mother asks as she surveys Rose critically.
Rose stands a little straighter and squares her shoulders so that the sleeves of her pale pink gown fall just right. “Captain Harkness.” The little cluster of orchids from the Captain matches perfectly as if he’d somehow planned it that way. Of course, given the rumors she’d heard about the man, she supposed it was entirely possible he’d flirted with the seamstresses to find out all the debutantes dresses beforehand though it was equally likely the man just had wonderful taste.
“No. Pick a different bouquet. I don’t want you giving anyone the impression you’re interested in the likes of him,” Jackie states firmly. She wants the best for her daughter and nothing less.
“Mother, he’s the only one who didn’t send me dreadful roses. It isn’t clever and I won’t encourage it.”
Jackie sighs heavily. “Rose, you need to make a good impression. This is your debutante ball. It only happens once, sweetheart. Don’t you want to find a good husband?”
Rose places her hands on her hips. “Of course I do, mother, but I’m not carrying some garish bouquet of roses around all night. I won’t show favoritism to the Captain, even if he’s already seeming like the most tolerable of the lot.”
She waits for her mother’s complaints about her putting on airs and graces that she hasn’t got reason to do or some comment about her being too strong willed for her own good. “If only your father was around,” she says a little sadly instead before marching off to make sure the rest of the preparations are in order. Rose is ushered back into her room by her maid to finish doing her makeup and her hair.
She loves this part, the dressing up. She suspects she shall love the dancing part more but she feels grown up and sophisticated in her gown. She doesn’t think this finding a husband business will be half so difficult as her mother is making it seem.
Before the greeting of all of the guests begins she can tell this part is going to be her least favorite. Her suspicions are confirmed as conversations consist of no more than a simple polite greeting and after they’ve moved on her mother whispering in her ear their opinions of the guests. Rose likes meeting people. She’s a fairly good conversationalist but this sort of tedium holds no interest for her. She hopes as she’s introduced to a rather attractive man named Mr. Adam Mitchell that she won’t really be expected to remember every single one of their names this evening.
Greeting the guests takes nearly two hours. Only two of them stand out in her mind: Mr. James Stone and the Captain. She can tell from the moment she meets Mr. Stone that he is fascinating and if she’s to be frank, quite attractive. Her mother’s warning that he isn’t worth a moment of her time only proves to fuel her interest. Captain Harkness offers her a sparkling grin and bows with a dramatic flourish to kiss her hand. He doesn’t let go immediately and tells her, “I’m honored that you like the flowers, a unique beauty such as you deserves the flowers to match your qualities not just your namesake after all.” She imagines her cheeks turn as red as the bouquets of roses behind her when he winks at her. Her mother grumbles something about the nerve of Americans from new money but isn’t as mean spirited as she imagines her mother intended it to be after the Captain had been equally as complimentary to Lady Tyler.
Her mother seems to favor a Mr. Elton Pope but her friends insist the man is all but promised to a Miss Blake. Rose dances with all of the men who ask. Captain Harkness is easily the best dancer though he holds her closer to him than would be deemed appropriate. Rose forgets her mother’s warnings about Mr. Stone when she waltzes with the man and he tells her all about his brilliant plans for the future. This is a man who could go places with his life and Rose thinks she’d rather like to be the one on his arm when he does. She is still naïve enough to think that he means it when he claims he is interested in her and not her name or dowry. He leaves the ball early but promises to call on her the next day.
As she divides her attention between potential suitors, her friends, and her mother and her crowd, Rose finds herself marveling at the fact that this is her life now. She remembers dimly being a young girl and watching her mother prepare to go out to all the important social events with her father and thinking how terribly glamorous and wonderful it all must have been. It turns out that it is more work than she had expected. The ball room is a blur of brightly colored gowns and sparkling jewels and there is beautiful music drifting through the air though. She knows her life could be far more difficult, would have been if her father had not been so marvelous a business man and restored the family fortunes with his inventions.
She thinks that she wants to marry someone like that and her thoughts inevitably drift back to Mr. Stone and all of his lovely ideas. She could get used to this life, she supposes, and it is a strange thought since it is all she has ever expected. If things progress the way she hopes, she may even be married before the season is over and wouldn’t that just be perfect? The thought of having to spend more than a season looking for a husband is one she doesn’t want to contemplate too much. Of course it isn’t uncommon but when one goes beyond two or three it becomes a real cause for concern. Rose is quite certain that won’t happen to her though.
Mr. Stone does not call upon her as promised the next day but he does send her a bouquet of roses and a poem he has written for her. She thinks the poem beautiful enough to make up for the flowers and resolves herself to tell him of her distaste for the flowers whenever she sees him next.
She does not have to wait long. The man makes a habit of dropping by unannounced whenever it suits his fancy. Sometimes for several days in a row and other times she goes a week without seeing him. He assures her, after she finally works up the courage to tell him she doesn’t like roses, that she won’t receive them again from him and she’s perfectly right to expect better. They are roses again though when he sends her flowers a week later.
She forgives him his rather unorthodox ways though each time she receives a letter from him. She thinks perhaps he ought to have been a poet or a musician or something equally fascinating and artistic. She and her mother attend balls and other important social events every week. When Mr. Stone is there as well, Rose devotes nearly all her attention to him.
She tells her mother she is expecting his proposal any day now and that she intends to accept. They have a terrible row and do not go out that night or the next. Her mother starts inviting a Mr. Jacob Simmonds around for tea and while he is quite nice and Rose gets along with him swimmingly, there is not the slightest hint of romantic intentions between the pair of them. According to the gossip of her friends, there isn’t a single girl in whom Mr. Simmonds has shown interest and he likely intends to remain a bachelor. Rose secretly thinks that were it not for Mr. Stone, she might like to remain on her own as well.
Mr. Stone proposes a month later but refuses to announce their engagement right away. Her mother in desperation starts inviting Captain Harkness for supper at least once a week, often more. The Stones are hosting a ball two weeks after James’ proposal and Rose has convinced him to announce their engagement that night. Those plans are derailed in the blink of an eye though when the young Mr. Stone is caught having his way with one of the servant girls and clearly quite drunk.
Rose is about to be escorted onto the ballroom floor by the Captain when this happens. The Captain surreptitiously slips the ring off of her finger and ignoring the way all the other guests are now focused on the argument between James and his parents, leading her in a graceful waltz. He’s holding her tight to him and assuring her that it will be alright. No one knew she and Mr. Stone had been engaged, he himself was around their household more often than the man after all, and so was Mr. Simmonds for that matter. She need not fear a terrible scandal. Rose wants to tell him she doesn’t care about any scandal she loves James but doesn’t trust her voice at the moment.
They learn the next day that three other girls, who had apparently been under the impression Mr. Stone intended to marry them as well, had fled the ball in tears. Rumors spread about how many girls Mr. Stone tried to seduce but Rose’s name is never on the list. She suspects her mother or the Captain start the rumor that she’d rid herself of Mr. Stone some time before the dreadful affair but is too caught up in her heart ache really care. It takes only a week before her sense of betrayal shifts from heart ache to anger. She doesn’t need the likes of Mr. Stone anyways. Her mother was right. She can do so much better.
2. The Bachelor