Don't Blink - 8/?
Title: Don't Blink - 8/?
Authors: rosewarren and ladychi
Characters: Rose, Ten
Summary: AU. What if Rose had stayed through Doomsday and was the one to end up in 1969 with the Doctor?
Rating: PG
~ One~ Two~ Three~ Four~ Five~ Six~ Seven~
“We should have had that alien-pirate-cab driver wait for us,” the Doctor remarked, looking around the lawns of Wester Drumlins. “It’ll be a bit of a hike back to civilization.”
Rose twirled her new jewelry on her chain. “That’s okay. We’ve walked before. ‘Sides, we couldn’t have asked Davey to risk getting sent back in time.”
“Couldn’t we?” But the question was rhetorical. “Right. Come on, then, Rose Tyler.” He held out his arm to her and she took it, sliding her own through it.
“Those stone angels at the house sent us back to this time,” Rose said thoughtfully. “That’s a ways in the future. Why are they here now?”
“Oh, who knows? Maybe this is where they lie in wait for victims. Maybe this is the time they arrive here looking for victims, or it could be a favorite hunting ground.”
He was sounding awfully unconcerned. “You mean it’s just a coincidence that they were there today?” Rose demanded. “Come on!”
“What?” the Doctor asked defensively. “Don’t you believe in coincidences?”
“Sometimes,” she allowed. “Sometimes, yeah. That’s why they’re coincidences, aren’t they? But those Angels bein’ here the same time as us is just strange, that’s all.”
He thought about it some more. “Maybe they spotted us in the house and decided they needed a snack. Maybe we’re the reason they stayed. Easy hunting.”
Rose had no trouble following his logic. “You mean they happened to be there, and they decided to stay ‘cos we wandered by?”
“Maybe. Makes sense, anyway.”
“We’re here because they sent us back in time. And while we were back in time we found them and convinced them it’s a nice house to live in while waiting for food,” Rose said slowly. “Is that what you’re saying?”
The Doctor considered this. “Yes, I am. It’s as plausible an explanation as any other.”
“That’s just weird,” she muttered.
“Not weird, Rose! Time isn’t a straight line, after all! It’s fluid! We can move backwards and forwards in time, altering events that haven’t happened yet, changing things-”
“I thought tampering with established timelines is strictly forbidden?”
“Mostly, yeah. But only if that’s your intent. Being here the same time as the Stone Angels was an accident. One of those timey-timey things that are so fun.” He squeezed her hand and set off. “Eventually we’ll find a bus stop. I hope.”
“You know,” Rose began as they walked along the country lane, “I need to get a job. You have a lot of work to do, I reckon, with all that stuff in the envelope to figure out. We’ll need to pay our rent and buy food while you do that.”
“But who’ll help me if you’re at a job?” he protested, even though he knew she was right.
“You’ll be fine,” she said with a grin. “You don’t need me at all.”
“Oh, but I do.”
“Besides,” Rose continued, opting not to notice that new note in his voice when he said he needed her, “someone has to pay for our new clothes.” She sent him a mischievous look.
“New clothes?” He looked down at his brown suit. “Why do we need new clothes?”
Rose rolled her eyes. His idea of a new look had always been changing his jumper or adding a new tie.
“We can’t walk around in the same clothes every day,” she reminded him. “Not here. There’s no TARDIS to clean and press your stuff or make you up a new suit. We’ll have to assimilate.”
The Doctor was dismayed. “I don’t want to assimilate. I never assimilate.”
“It’s either assimilate or have that lovely suit fall apart from washings,” Rose retorted, and the Doctor sighed.
“I hate local fashions.”
On the way home Rose insisted they stop for a few things. The Doctor had twenty pounds left, and she thought they might as well use it up.
“But we just went shopping!” he protested.
“That was for stuff we needed! Now this is other stuff we need.”
“What other stuff could we possibly need?” he wanted to know. Rose ignored him. He was very capable of spending hours lingering over miscellaneous bits and bobs, searching for replacement parts for the TARDIS, but let her show an interest in something and he got impatient.
Rose bought a hairbrush and a can of hairspray larger than any she’d ever seen, handing them to the Doctor to hold. One of the best things about him was that he was very rarely embarrassed. He thought nothing of trailing behind Rose, holding onto parcels and items of a feminine nature, even if he might complain while he was doing it.
“Here we are!” Rose had stopped at a display of magazines and added several fashion magazines to the pile in the Doctor’s arms.
He glanced down at the one on top. “Are these really necessary?”
“Yeah! I need to know what I ought to look like, right?”
“You look fine now,” he protested, and she really did. Her hair was straight and shining, her cheeks still faintly flushed from their encounter with the Weeping Angels. He gazed at her for so long that she flushed and looked away.
“Well, thanks, but I want to blend in here.”
Once back at the flat she declined the Doctor’s offer of lunch and disappeared into the tiny bathroom with all of her parcels.
The Doctor amused himself by watching Coronation Street. It was 67 minutes later - not that he was keeping track - before Rose finally appeared. He gaped at her.
“Rose?”
She grinned. Her eyelashes were coated in black mascara, and her lids were painted a bright blue. Her lips were a pretty pale pink that instantly made him think all sorts of improper thoughts.
When he was able to pull his eyes away from Rose’s mouth, he saw that her hair had been curled and teased into a smooth bouffant.
“Rose?” he said again.
She grinned, delighted with his reaction. “Isn’t it cool? I think I fit right in.”
“You do,” he assured her. “Yeah, you do.”
She frowned uncertainly. “Do I not look all right? What’s wrong?”
She looked beautiful, but Rose was always beautiful to him. He was frowning because her beauty right at the moment was more than he seemed able to handle.
“You do,” he managed to say.
“Thought I’d try an’ find a job,” she said, sitting down next to him. “There are lots of shops around here, did you see?”
He still wasn’t happy with the idea, but if they were going to be here any length of time, they would need money.
“I could find a job myself,” the Doctor heard himself say. “There’s always UNIT-”
“Not UNIT!” she protested. “What would happen if you met yourself? And don’t go off looking for Torchwood, either,” she added for good measure. “Once you got involved in something there you’d never want to leave. ‘Sides,” she continued, poking him lightly in the chest, “you need to figure a way out of this place.”
He caught the hand that was touching his chest, holding it in place. “Do you think I can?”
“Of course.” This was said simply and immediately. “Of course you can, Doctor.”
Beneath her hand the double beat of his heart tripped and sped up. His eyes, wide and intense, searched hers. Rose’s lips parted.
“I’ll get you back home,” he promised quietly.
“I know, Doctor.” Without being aware of it Rose leaned in closer to him. The pressure on her hand increased as he slowly drew her in to him. She was almost sitting in his lap, about to launch herself the rest of the way just so she could kiss him the way she’d been longing to for so long, when they were both startled by the shrill ringing of a telephone, right next to the heads.
The Doctor jumped and let go of Rose’s hand. She fell back onto the sofa, almost losing her balance and tipping onto the floor.
The Doctor stared wildly at the black telephone beside him before picking it up. “Hello? No, sorry. You’ve the wrong number.” He hung up, barely able to make eye contact with Rose. He didn’t know what to say, but she beat him to it.
“I’ll be back in a bit!” She jumped up and was opening the door before he could twist around on the sofa. “See ya!”
The Doctor fell back against the cushions as the door closed. What was getting into him?
“All right,” Rose muttered to herself, walking down the street. “You have no ID, no papers, no references. You won’t be born for another seventeen years. But you can find a job. A shop’s just a shop.”
And with that pep talk, she walked into the first shop on the street.
No ID and no references don’t get you very far in London. That, along with Rose’s odd clothes, made most shop managers decline to offer her employment. She couldn’t get a job with a dress shop, a toy shop, or a small store that sold only cheese and wine.
At the fourth place, her courage in place but her morale rather low, she stopped by the door. She would try here, and then head on home. She was hungry and tired, and the mascara was making her eyes itch.
“Welcome to Helio,” a bubbly brunette said as Rose pushed open the door and walked inside. “What can I help you find?”
Rose smiled, feeling instantly at ease. The other girl looked to be in her early twenties. Her dark hair was twisted up in a high knot, and she wore a bright red minidress and matching shoes.
“Actually, I’m looking for a job,” Rose said, gathering her courage up again. “Are you hiring? I just got into London and I really need a job.”
The brunette hesitated. “As a matter of fact, I am. My last girl just...left. To get married. Have you worked in sales before?”
Rose smiled. “Yeah, I have. Worked in a department store for a while.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. ‘Til it got blown up.” Rose winced as she said the words, but the brunette laughed.
“I’ve had a few jobs like that! Sometimes it’s better to burn your bridges, isn’t it? I’m Iris. When can you start?”
The Doctor was getting worried. Rose had been gone for several hours. Although he had not doubt she could take care of herself, he didn’t like to not be able to contact her. He could try calling her superphone and seeing if it would get signal without any cellular towers nearby, but if she pulled out her mobile there might be some questions asked.
He was just deciding to go out and track Rose down with the sonic screwdriver when the flat’s door opened.
He abandoned the papers he’d been looking at and jumped up.
“Hello!” Rose said cheerfully.
“Hello. Where’ve you been?” He shoved his hands in his pockets and tried to act casual, like he hadn’t just spent the past eight-three minutes, seventeen seconds thinking only of her and where she could be and what she might be doing.
“I got a job!” she cried. “Isn’t that great?”
“You did?” A delighted smile spread across his face. “You’re brilliant! Where?”
“At a little clothing shop down the street! It’s called Helio and I started today. The manager’s called Iris!”
“Iris,” the Doctor echoed. “Well, that’s lovely. All you need is a Daisy and a Lily and you’d have a full staff.”
“Maybe a Dahlia. Anyway, Iris gave me an advance to buy some clothes and stuff.”
“That was very generous of her,” the Doctor said. “Do new employees normally get an advance right off?”
“And I get an employee discount,” Rose continued, ignoring this.
“Off regular pricing, or off the lowest sale price?”
“And commission! They sell ladies’ clothing and accessories. And shoes! What they don’t sell,” Rose said, “is men’s clothes. We’ll have to go shopping someplace else for you.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not wearin’ that same suit every day while we’re here! You’ll forget to wash it, or you’ll lose the jacket someplace, and then what’ll you do with no TARDIS to replace it?”
“I’m not entirely dependent on the TARDIS,” he started to say, but Rose shook her head.
“Don’t even start. That ship took care of everything for you. Now that we’re here we have to live like everyone else.”
The Doctor regarded her with no expression on his face. For someone who didn’t do domestic, he was certainly in the thick of it.
“We’re not like everyone else, Rose,” he said. “Remember?”
She shook her head. “We are for now.”
Nine
Authors: rosewarren and ladychi
Characters: Rose, Ten
Summary: AU. What if Rose had stayed through Doomsday and was the one to end up in 1969 with the Doctor?
Rating: PG
~ One~ Two~ Three~ Four~ Five~ Six~ Seven~
“We should have had that alien-pirate-cab driver wait for us,” the Doctor remarked, looking around the lawns of Wester Drumlins. “It’ll be a bit of a hike back to civilization.”
Rose twirled her new jewelry on her chain. “That’s okay. We’ve walked before. ‘Sides, we couldn’t have asked Davey to risk getting sent back in time.”
“Couldn’t we?” But the question was rhetorical. “Right. Come on, then, Rose Tyler.” He held out his arm to her and she took it, sliding her own through it.
“Those stone angels at the house sent us back to this time,” Rose said thoughtfully. “That’s a ways in the future. Why are they here now?”
“Oh, who knows? Maybe this is where they lie in wait for victims. Maybe this is the time they arrive here looking for victims, or it could be a favorite hunting ground.”
He was sounding awfully unconcerned. “You mean it’s just a coincidence that they were there today?” Rose demanded. “Come on!”
“What?” the Doctor asked defensively. “Don’t you believe in coincidences?”
“Sometimes,” she allowed. “Sometimes, yeah. That’s why they’re coincidences, aren’t they? But those Angels bein’ here the same time as us is just strange, that’s all.”
He thought about it some more. “Maybe they spotted us in the house and decided they needed a snack. Maybe we’re the reason they stayed. Easy hunting.”
Rose had no trouble following his logic. “You mean they happened to be there, and they decided to stay ‘cos we wandered by?”
“Maybe. Makes sense, anyway.”
“We’re here because they sent us back in time. And while we were back in time we found them and convinced them it’s a nice house to live in while waiting for food,” Rose said slowly. “Is that what you’re saying?”
The Doctor considered this. “Yes, I am. It’s as plausible an explanation as any other.”
“That’s just weird,” she muttered.
“Not weird, Rose! Time isn’t a straight line, after all! It’s fluid! We can move backwards and forwards in time, altering events that haven’t happened yet, changing things-”
“I thought tampering with established timelines is strictly forbidden?”
“Mostly, yeah. But only if that’s your intent. Being here the same time as the Stone Angels was an accident. One of those timey-timey things that are so fun.” He squeezed her hand and set off. “Eventually we’ll find a bus stop. I hope.”
“You know,” Rose began as they walked along the country lane, “I need to get a job. You have a lot of work to do, I reckon, with all that stuff in the envelope to figure out. We’ll need to pay our rent and buy food while you do that.”
“But who’ll help me if you’re at a job?” he protested, even though he knew she was right.
“You’ll be fine,” she said with a grin. “You don’t need me at all.”
“Oh, but I do.”
“Besides,” Rose continued, opting not to notice that new note in his voice when he said he needed her, “someone has to pay for our new clothes.” She sent him a mischievous look.
“New clothes?” He looked down at his brown suit. “Why do we need new clothes?”
Rose rolled her eyes. His idea of a new look had always been changing his jumper or adding a new tie.
“We can’t walk around in the same clothes every day,” she reminded him. “Not here. There’s no TARDIS to clean and press your stuff or make you up a new suit. We’ll have to assimilate.”
The Doctor was dismayed. “I don’t want to assimilate. I never assimilate.”
“It’s either assimilate or have that lovely suit fall apart from washings,” Rose retorted, and the Doctor sighed.
“I hate local fashions.”
On the way home Rose insisted they stop for a few things. The Doctor had twenty pounds left, and she thought they might as well use it up.
“But we just went shopping!” he protested.
“That was for stuff we needed! Now this is other stuff we need.”
“What other stuff could we possibly need?” he wanted to know. Rose ignored him. He was very capable of spending hours lingering over miscellaneous bits and bobs, searching for replacement parts for the TARDIS, but let her show an interest in something and he got impatient.
Rose bought a hairbrush and a can of hairspray larger than any she’d ever seen, handing them to the Doctor to hold. One of the best things about him was that he was very rarely embarrassed. He thought nothing of trailing behind Rose, holding onto parcels and items of a feminine nature, even if he might complain while he was doing it.
“Here we are!” Rose had stopped at a display of magazines and added several fashion magazines to the pile in the Doctor’s arms.
He glanced down at the one on top. “Are these really necessary?”
“Yeah! I need to know what I ought to look like, right?”
“You look fine now,” he protested, and she really did. Her hair was straight and shining, her cheeks still faintly flushed from their encounter with the Weeping Angels. He gazed at her for so long that she flushed and looked away.
“Well, thanks, but I want to blend in here.”
Once back at the flat she declined the Doctor’s offer of lunch and disappeared into the tiny bathroom with all of her parcels.
The Doctor amused himself by watching Coronation Street. It was 67 minutes later - not that he was keeping track - before Rose finally appeared. He gaped at her.
“Rose?”
She grinned. Her eyelashes were coated in black mascara, and her lids were painted a bright blue. Her lips were a pretty pale pink that instantly made him think all sorts of improper thoughts.
When he was able to pull his eyes away from Rose’s mouth, he saw that her hair had been curled and teased into a smooth bouffant.
“Rose?” he said again.
She grinned, delighted with his reaction. “Isn’t it cool? I think I fit right in.”
“You do,” he assured her. “Yeah, you do.”
She frowned uncertainly. “Do I not look all right? What’s wrong?”
She looked beautiful, but Rose was always beautiful to him. He was frowning because her beauty right at the moment was more than he seemed able to handle.
“You do,” he managed to say.
“Thought I’d try an’ find a job,” she said, sitting down next to him. “There are lots of shops around here, did you see?”
He still wasn’t happy with the idea, but if they were going to be here any length of time, they would need money.
“I could find a job myself,” the Doctor heard himself say. “There’s always UNIT-”
“Not UNIT!” she protested. “What would happen if you met yourself? And don’t go off looking for Torchwood, either,” she added for good measure. “Once you got involved in something there you’d never want to leave. ‘Sides,” she continued, poking him lightly in the chest, “you need to figure a way out of this place.”
He caught the hand that was touching his chest, holding it in place. “Do you think I can?”
“Of course.” This was said simply and immediately. “Of course you can, Doctor.”
Beneath her hand the double beat of his heart tripped and sped up. His eyes, wide and intense, searched hers. Rose’s lips parted.
“I’ll get you back home,” he promised quietly.
“I know, Doctor.” Without being aware of it Rose leaned in closer to him. The pressure on her hand increased as he slowly drew her in to him. She was almost sitting in his lap, about to launch herself the rest of the way just so she could kiss him the way she’d been longing to for so long, when they were both startled by the shrill ringing of a telephone, right next to the heads.
The Doctor jumped and let go of Rose’s hand. She fell back onto the sofa, almost losing her balance and tipping onto the floor.
The Doctor stared wildly at the black telephone beside him before picking it up. “Hello? No, sorry. You’ve the wrong number.” He hung up, barely able to make eye contact with Rose. He didn’t know what to say, but she beat him to it.
“I’ll be back in a bit!” She jumped up and was opening the door before he could twist around on the sofa. “See ya!”
The Doctor fell back against the cushions as the door closed. What was getting into him?
“All right,” Rose muttered to herself, walking down the street. “You have no ID, no papers, no references. You won’t be born for another seventeen years. But you can find a job. A shop’s just a shop.”
And with that pep talk, she walked into the first shop on the street.
No ID and no references don’t get you very far in London. That, along with Rose’s odd clothes, made most shop managers decline to offer her employment. She couldn’t get a job with a dress shop, a toy shop, or a small store that sold only cheese and wine.
At the fourth place, her courage in place but her morale rather low, she stopped by the door. She would try here, and then head on home. She was hungry and tired, and the mascara was making her eyes itch.
“Welcome to Helio,” a bubbly brunette said as Rose pushed open the door and walked inside. “What can I help you find?”
Rose smiled, feeling instantly at ease. The other girl looked to be in her early twenties. Her dark hair was twisted up in a high knot, and she wore a bright red minidress and matching shoes.
“Actually, I’m looking for a job,” Rose said, gathering her courage up again. “Are you hiring? I just got into London and I really need a job.”
The brunette hesitated. “As a matter of fact, I am. My last girl just...left. To get married. Have you worked in sales before?”
Rose smiled. “Yeah, I have. Worked in a department store for a while.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. ‘Til it got blown up.” Rose winced as she said the words, but the brunette laughed.
“I’ve had a few jobs like that! Sometimes it’s better to burn your bridges, isn’t it? I’m Iris. When can you start?”
The Doctor was getting worried. Rose had been gone for several hours. Although he had not doubt she could take care of herself, he didn’t like to not be able to contact her. He could try calling her superphone and seeing if it would get signal without any cellular towers nearby, but if she pulled out her mobile there might be some questions asked.
He was just deciding to go out and track Rose down with the sonic screwdriver when the flat’s door opened.
He abandoned the papers he’d been looking at and jumped up.
“Hello!” Rose said cheerfully.
“Hello. Where’ve you been?” He shoved his hands in his pockets and tried to act casual, like he hadn’t just spent the past eight-three minutes, seventeen seconds thinking only of her and where she could be and what she might be doing.
“I got a job!” she cried. “Isn’t that great?”
“You did?” A delighted smile spread across his face. “You’re brilliant! Where?”
“At a little clothing shop down the street! It’s called Helio and I started today. The manager’s called Iris!”
“Iris,” the Doctor echoed. “Well, that’s lovely. All you need is a Daisy and a Lily and you’d have a full staff.”
“Maybe a Dahlia. Anyway, Iris gave me an advance to buy some clothes and stuff.”
“That was very generous of her,” the Doctor said. “Do new employees normally get an advance right off?”
“And I get an employee discount,” Rose continued, ignoring this.
“Off regular pricing, or off the lowest sale price?”
“And commission! They sell ladies’ clothing and accessories. And shoes! What they don’t sell,” Rose said, “is men’s clothes. We’ll have to go shopping someplace else for you.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not wearin’ that same suit every day while we’re here! You’ll forget to wash it, or you’ll lose the jacket someplace, and then what’ll you do with no TARDIS to replace it?”
“I’m not entirely dependent on the TARDIS,” he started to say, but Rose shook her head.
“Don’t even start. That ship took care of everything for you. Now that we’re here we have to live like everyone else.”
The Doctor regarded her with no expression on his face. For someone who didn’t do domestic, he was certainly in the thick of it.
“We’re not like everyone else, Rose,” he said. “Remember?”
She shook her head. “We are for now.”
Nine