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“So, where we off to next, then?” Rose asks as she brings the TARDIS into the Vortex. They had just gotten back to the console room after a quick kip and a shower. Martha was lounging on the jump seat and Rose was twirling around the console flicking and pushing buttons seemingly at random.
Martha bites her lip as she thinks about how to ask to go home. Rose must’ve seen the look on her face because she’s stopping mid-twirl to come sit by Martha.
“You’re allowed to want to go home, you know?” Martha gives her a grateful smile.
“It’s not like I want to stay,” Martha tells her. “I just…,”
“Miss your family,” Rose finishes for her. “I get it. I used to make the Doctor stop over at my mum’s for laundry all the time.”
“I thought that was because he broke the washing machine.”
“Well, yeah, but it was also a chance to see my mum on a regular schedule.” Rose pats her on the arm trying not to feel jealous towards Martha. It wasn’t Martha’s fault that Rose was alone while Martha had a family to go back to. And Rose wasn’t going to make Martha feel wrong for wanting to go visit her family. If Martha missed them, then she wasn’t going to stand in the way of that. “Really, Martha,” Rose continues as she stands to change course. “I’ll be okay while you visit your family. I can hide out in here, read or whatever while you see your family. We can even stay for as long as you’d like.”
“Trust me,” Martha tells her with a small chuckle. “It won’t be long.” Rose gives her a smile and Martha can feel her insides unclench. At least she won’t feel guilty the next time she wants to see her family. “And you don’t have to stay cooped up in here, you know.”
“Here we are,” Rose says ignoring Martha’s last words. She flicks another switch and Martha braces for turbulence, but there’s surprisingly little.
“You sure?” she asks as she comes to stand near Rose.
“Yep,” she replies popping the ‘p’. “It says here you’ve only been gone twelve hours. And I’ve double checked, it’s definitely hours. Hope you didn’t work today.”
Martha ignores the ‘definitely hours’ comment as she walks down the ramp to the TARDIS doors. She feels like all she does is ignore comments like that.
“After the moon incident, the hospital was shut down for repairs. One of the MRI machines was broken, you know.”
“Really?” Rose asks with mock innocence following after Martha. They both giggle as they spill out of the TARDIS and Martha looks up to see her flat.
“Home? You parked in my flat?”
“Sorry about that. I never know where I’ll end up.” Rose looks apologetic and Martha can’t bring herself to be angry. Sure, she’ll have a square shaped stain on her carpet when they leave, but she knows Rose didn’t do it on purpose.
“And all the stuff we’ve done, Shakespeare, New New York, old New York?” Martha asks as she waves off Rose’s apology.
“Oh, that all happened,” Rose tells her with a mischievous grin. “How does it feel to change history in the span of twelve hours, Martha Jones?”
“Like I should be sectioned, Dame Rose Prentice,” Martha teases right back.
“If you should be sectioned, where would that put me?”
“Oh,” Martha pretends to think about it. “In the cell next to me?” They both crack up before the sound of her landline rings through her small flat.
“Hi, I’m out. Leave a message,”
her recorded voice calls out over the speaker.
“Martha, are you there?”
her mum’s voice calls out over the machine.
“Pick it up, will you?”
“It’s mum. It’ll wait,” Martha says as she goes through to her kitchen to pull out some things to make to eat. A small bundle of chips, no matter how gorgeous they were, they weren’t going to cut it after the adventure they just had. Besides, it felt good to be in her home again, and she wasn’t going to let her mother’s digs about Annalise.
“All right then, pretend that you’re out if you like,”
her mum sighs.
“I was only calling to say that your sister’s on TV. On the news of all things. Just thought you might be interested.”
The machine beeps as her mother hangs up and Martha licks her fingers going back over to her living room for the remote. It’s the first channel she clicks on.
“The details are top secret,” and old man explains to the press before him. He’s standing at the podium set up outside some posh looking building and Martha spots her sister to the left of him.
“How could Tish end up on the news?” She asks in wonder as she stares at her sister’s face on the telly. This was so cool.
“Tonight,” the old man continues. “I will demonstrate a device which will redefine our world.”
“What’s this?” Rose asks as she sits beside Martha on the couch.
“She’s got a new job,” Martha recalls as she looks at her sister’s serious face on the screen. “PR for some research lab.”
“That’s cool, good for her,” Rose says with a smile. “You can brag about knowing her before she got famous.” Martha rolls her eyes at Rose’s exaggeration, but she’s secretly jumping up and down in joy for her sister. She knows how hard Tish works and is glad that hard work is paying off.
“With the push of a single button, I will change what it means to be human,” the old man states with an air of superiority. He’s clearly proud of whatever machine he’s built.
“Professor! Professor!” reporters shout as they try to be heard over the other. Martha mutes the tv, not wanting to hear more boasting about how much of genius he was. She had enough of that with Shakespeare.
“Hang on,” Rose says with a frown. “Did he say he’s going to change what it means to be human?” Martha sits up straight as she goes over what the old man said.
“He did,” Martha confirms. “What’s this mean?” She was hoping for a quiet stay with her family. It’s not that she hated the adventures they had been on- okay, getting kidnapped first by aliens who wanted a better life and then by aliens who wanted to
end
her life weren’t the kind of adventures she thought she’d be having when she first signed on- it’s just that she would like a breather. Which is why she wanted to see her family.
“Could be nothing but a new gadget,” Rose says with a shrug, but Martha sensed a ‘but’.
“Or?”
“Or it could mean something is about to go very, very wrong.” Great.
“Great.” But at least they could eat beforehand. And she could pay her rent.
--
“Are you sure it’s safe?” an older woman asks the Professor.
“There were some issues,” he tells her sitting behind his ornate wooden desk. “They’ve been resolved. I’m confident I’m in no serious danger.”
“That’s comforting, Richard, but it wasn’t just you I was worried about.”
“Your concern is touching,” Professor Richard tells her sarcastically.
“The people in that room represent billions of pounds worth of potential investment. Mr. Saxon wants to be sure they like what they see.”
“Don’t worry,” Professor Richard tells her with a smile on his face. “Our friend will get his money’s worth.” There’s a knock on his office door as it opens to reveal his head of PR.
“You wanted to see the guest list for tonight, Professor?” Tish asks as she hands him a file. He over reaches and grabs her wrist, a smarmy smile on his face.
“That’s an interesting perfume, Leticia. What’s it called?”
“Soap,” Tish says blandly before taking back her wrist and leaving.
--
“Are you sure we should go?”
Martha asks over the phone. Rose rolls her eyes as she searches through a pile of clothes for the other high heel shoe.
“Martha, you’re the one who wanted to see your family. That’s why we are here,” Rose pants out as she moves a bundle of petticoats aside. “Just focus on supporting your sister.”
“Yeah, but you think that this Professor person is going to do something evil,”
Martha points out worriedly.
“I just find his phrasing odd, is all,” Rose argues as she stands up with a victorious grin on her face. In her hand was the other high heel, she was finally ready.
“Is that why you’re showing up late?”
Martha asks accusatory.
“I’m late because I just found my other shoe,” Rose tells her as she hops down the hallway, trying to put on her shoe as she walks to the console room. “I’ll be there in five minutes, tops.”
“You better,”
Martha tells her.
“As much as I’ve missed them, please don’t leave me alone with my family.”
Rose grins at her dramatics.
“Well, in that case I’ll be there in fifteen,” Rose teases.
“Rose, don’t you da-!”
Martha shouts in her ear before she hangs up on her. Rose laughs quietly to herself as she walks through the TARDIS towards the doors. She fondly pats the console twirling a bit as she goes along.
“How do I look?” she asks receiving an appreciative hum in response. “Thanks girl.” Rose was feeling much better, especially since she was finally,
finally
going to enjoy one of these parties as a guest and not the help. And she was going to enjoy it.
--
“Look at you, James Bond,” Martha says with a smile when she meets up with Rose.
“Yeah? James Bond?” Rose asks rolling back her shoulders and preening just a little.
“In the, you could be the femme fatale, yeah.”
“Am I-,” Rose deflates. “Am I overdressed?” She admits, in her enthusiasm she didn’t realise that it might be a bit much. She looks down at her pale pink dress and winces a little. It was the only dress she had found that wasn’t as alien looking as the others and that actually looked from this century. It cut a deep v to rest mid-stomach and draped down to expose most of her back and fell just shy of the floor.
“Just a tad,” Martha tells her as they enter the space. “And where’s your tattoos?”
“Oh, I didn’t think they’d be appreciated in this sort of crowd,” Rose tells her taking a champagne glass from a nearby waiter. Besides, they were sort of private ways to remember all those she had lost. “An’ I’ve only come as the waiters to these types of things so I’m a bit nervous.”
“Well, in that case, you look lovely,” Martha says with a smile. She was dressed in a charcoal brown clingy dress that ended just before her knees. It complemented her shape and made her look fit.
“Thanks, so do you, by the way.” Martha smoothes a hand down her side a small smile playing on her face as she ducks her head in thanks.
“I think I’m gonna pop over to the food table. The lunch we had back at yours was great, but I’m still a little peckish,” Rose says before gliding away.
Martha is envious at how many heads turn to watch her leave.
“Hello,” Tish greets as she walks up to Martha.
“Tish!” Martha shouts before hugging her sister. Tish pulls back and gets a look at her sister.
“You look great,” she says even as a small look of confusion flits across her face. Apparently Martha had missed her family more than she knew. “So, what do you think? Impressive, isn’t it?” She gestures to the room.
“Very,” Martha agrees as she takes another look around. Tish certainly knew how to put on a party.
“And two nights out in a row for you,” Tish points out leaving Martha to cover
her
confusion. Right, Rose had said it had only been twelve hours. “That’s dangerously close to a social life.”
“If I keep this up, I’ll end up in all the gossip columns,” Martha teases back.
“You might actually,” Tish warns her. “You should keep an eye out for photographers. And mum, she’s coming, too. Even dragging Leo along with her.”
“Leo in a black tie?” Martha chuckles at the thought. “That I must see.” Rose appears at her elbow and Tish gives her a look. “Oh, this is my friend, Rose.”
“Hello,” Rose greets with a smile, a napkin of nibbles in her hands.
“She’s not on the list,” Tish says with a frown. “How’d she get in?”
“She’s my plus one,” Martha tells her not mentioning Rose’s use of the psychic paper.
“This is a wonderful looking party,” Rose compliments with a blinding smile. “If your boss doesn’t give you a raise for this, I’d set ‘im straight for ya.” Tish looks slightly startled at that before composing herself again.
“Thanks,” she says with a sigh of relief. “I put this whole thing together and it’s nice to hear
someone
appreciate it.”
“Hey! I said it was impressive!” Martha defends and Tish gives her a playful smile.
“Yeah, but you’re my sister. You
have
to think that.” Rose smiles at her words, it turning a little sad as she thinks about what it’d be like to do this with Tony. “I’ve got to go back to work now,” Tish says as she spots someone waving her over. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
“She was lovely,” Rose tells Martha as soon as Tish was gone.
“Yeah, she can be.” Martha’s ears catch her mum’s voice complaining over her shoulder and turns to see her and suddenly there are tears in her eyes. Hearing her mum’s voice had made her grateful to be back, but actually seeing her in person made Martha’s heart ache. It had felt like forever since she saw her.
“Martha,” her mum greets before Martha full on
launches
herself at her.
“Mum!” She shouts as she hugs her. Her mother steps back slightly in surprise at the sudden force of her daughters hug, but she quickly controls herself and hugs Martha right back.
“All right, what’s the occasion?” Her mum chuckles as Martha steps back. Of course. Martha keeps forgetting it’s only been twelve hours for them.
“What do you mean? I’m just pleased to see you,” Martha says trying for nonchalance.
“You saw me last night,” Her mother points out.
“I know. I just miss you. You’re looking good, Leo,” Martha teases changing the subject. Leo fidgets with his jacket at her compliment.
“Yeah, an’ if anyone asks me to fetch them a drink, I’ll swing for him.” Rose laughs from beside Martha.
“I’ve been there before,” she says as Martha’s family turns their eyes to her.
“And who are you?” he asks charmingly as he takes her in. Martha rolls her eyes while Rose returns his smile.
“Rose Prentice,” she tells him. “I’m a friend of Martha’s.”
“Is that why you disappeared last night?” her mother asks and Martha has to stop herself from rolling her eyes again. Just because she’s not dating anyone at the moment her mother went and thought Martha had switched teams all of a sudden.
“I went home, mum,” Martha lies with an exasperated sigh.
“Mrs. Jones, it’s lovely to meet you,” Rose says cutting through some of the tension. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Have you?” Her mother asks as she eyes Rose with disdain. “What have you heard, then?”
“Oh, jus’ how great a mother you are an’ that you are top lawyer at the law firm you work at.” Rose takes a bite of the quiche she had sitting in her napkin. “Okay, so not a lot, but we’ve been busy.”
“Busy? Who are you?” Francine asks her again staring Rose down.
“Oh, I was in the hospital th-,” Rose clears her throat a little at her slip up. Martha is glad she’s not the only one to do so. “Yesterday, with Martha. She saved my life.”
“You a doctor, too?” Leo asks skeptically as he looks her up and down. Rose doesn’t take it as an insult like Martha does.
“Oh, no, I don’t have the brains for tha’,” Rose says with a slight laugh. “I was jus’ there trying to visit a friend, but it turns out I got the wrong hospital.” Rose laughs again and Leo joins her. Martha had to hand it to her, Rose could sure think on her feet. And she was actually getting along with her family. Well, with Leo - which was still a hard thing to do.
A clink of metal on glass calls everyone’s attention to Professor Lazarus, who stood before his machine that was placed in the middle of the room.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am Professor Richard Lazarus and tonight I am going to perform a miracle,” he tells the room as a crowd gathers to where he is standing. “It is, I believe, the most important advance since Rutherford split the atom, the biggest leap since Armstrong stood on the moon. Tonight, you will watch and wonder. Tomorrow, you will wake to a world which will be changed forever.” He steps into the machine and several scientists start up the machine. The four columns start to spin around as they go faster and faster until they blur together.
An alarm sounds not even a minute into the experiment, the machine starting up and Rose spots the control panel sparking as smoke pours from the chamber Lazarus stepped inside. Rose runs over to where the wires are coming out the machine and looks over to see which one would be most likely to stop the machine.
“Somebody stop her! Get her away from the controls!” A woman shouts and Rose whirls on her, her face full of anger.
“This thing is moments away from exploding,” Rose shouts back at her before she turns back to the cables. Martha joins her and they both tug at one of the thicker cords until it comes out of the machine. Rose can hear the whine of the machine start to wind down and sighs in relief.
Martha and her head to the chamber’s door and pry it open. Smoke greets them and they bat it away from their faces, coughing as they inhale it.
A young man stumbles out and into Martha’s arms and both her and Rose share a confused look. The young man pushes himself from Martha’s embrace and goes to stand before the crowd that was regathering after running from the smoking machine. He holds his hands out as he smile down at them.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am Richard Lazarus, I am seventy six years old and I am reborn!” His words were met with a thunderous applause as the crowd takes in his achievement. Rose stares in horror as she realizes this is what he meant by changing what it means to be human.
“It can’t be the same guy,” Martha whispers as she stares at Lazarus’ back. “It’s impossible. It must be a trick.” Rose shakes her head slowly as she sees the crowd greet him with smiles.
“I wish it were, Martha,” Rose tells her. No one should be clapping at this. This was wrong and, and, and- it was just
wrong
!
“What just happened then?”
“He changed what it means to be human,” Rose says echoing her earlier thoughts. She follows Lazarus with her eyes as he goes to pose for the photographers. Why couldn’t anyone else see how bad this was? How wrong it was?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“That was the most astonishing thing I’ve ever seen,” the older woman tells Lazarus. “Look at you.”
“This is only the beginning,” he tells her smugly. “We’re not just making history, we’re shaping the future, too.”
“Think of the money we’ll make. People will sell their souls to be transformed like that. And I’ll be first in line.” Lazarus stiffens and gasps as his body is wracked with pain. He grabs the tray from a passing waiter and shoves the food on it in his mouth.
“Richard,” the woman says scandalized at his poor manners.
“I’m famished,” he says between bites of food.
“Energy deficit,” Martha tells him as her and Rose walk up to where he and the woman stand.
“You speak as if you’re sure, Miss?” Lazarus asks as he wipes his mouth for crumbs.
“Martha, and I have some knowledge of this process.”
“That’s not possible,” Lazarus tells her giving her a look like he couldn’t believe she would know what she’s talking about.
“You used hypersonic sound waves to create a state of resonance,” she challenges, her eyebrow raised as if to dare him to say she’s wrong. Martha loved the TARDIS library’s extensive medical books, some are even from the future and other planets.
“You understand the theory, then,” he says, his tone suggesting as if it wasn’t an achievement in and of itself.
“Enough to know you couldn’t have accounted for all the variables.”
“No experiment is without risk.”
“That thing nearly exploded!” Rose shouted at him, angry at how dismissive he was being. “You might as well’ve just created a bomb!”
“You’re not qualified to comment,” the woman sniffed, still bitter at Rose for snapping at her.
“If we hadn’t stopped it, it would’ve killed everyone in here,” Rose hisses at her, glaring the woman down.
“Then I thank you, Miss,” Lazarus says, not even sorry for his machine nearly exploding. “But that’s a simple engineering issue. What happened inside the capsule was exactly what was supposed to happen. No more, no less.”
“You’ve no way of knowing that until you’ve run proper tests,” Martha says.
“Look at me,” Lazarus tells them gesturing to his body. “You can see what happened. I’m all the proof you need.”
“This device will be properly certified before we start to operate commercially,” the woman boasts.
“Commercially?” Martha asks her.
“You are
joking
,” Rose says with a scoff. “That’ll cause chaos.”
“Not chaos, change. A chance for humanity to evolve, to improve.”
“This isn’t about improving anything,” Rose spits at him. “This is all about you and your fat pockets and your customers living a little longer.”
“Not a little longer, Miss. A lot longer. Perhaps indefinitely.”
“If you make that actually happen, then you wouldn’t just change what it means to be human. You would change humanity,” Rose tells him. Lazarus just gives her a smug look as if to say that was the whole point of his experiment.
“Richard,” the woman tells Lazarus. “We have things to discuss, upstairs.”
“Goodbye, Miss. In a few years, you’ll look back and laugh at how wrong you were,” he tells Rose before taking Martha’s hand and kissing it. He leaves with the older woman and both Rose and Martha shiver at how much of a slimeball he was.
“He has no idea of the damage he’s going to cause,” Rose says as she watches him leave.
“This is a research building, right?” Martha asks throwing Rose at the change in subjects.
“Yeah. Why?”
“I say we do our own tests,” Martha says with a grin.
“How?”
“Oh, with this DNA sample I’ve just collected,” Martha says breezily. Rose returns her grin.
“You’re the best, Martha.”
--
“I grew up over there.“ Lazarus reminisces as he stands before the row of windows in his office. “A tiny flat above a butcher’s shop.”
“It’ll have a blue plaque soon,” the woman tells him. “Richard Lazarus lived here.”
“It’s gone,” Lazarus says. “Destroyed in the war. The bombing.”
“Of course.”
“1940. Do you remember? Night after night. Explosions, guns, firestorm.”
“My parents had sent me to the country by then,” the woman says with a small shake of her head.
“When the sirens went,” Lazarus begins his voice soft as he gets lost in memory. “We’d go to the cathedral there. We used to shelter in the crypt. The living cowering among the dead.”
“But look at what you’ve built here, now. You’ve laid the foundations for an empire. An empire we can rule together,” she tells him as she leans in to kiss him. Lazarus backs away in disgust, practically shoving her from him. “Well, what’s wrong?” she asks him.
“Look at yourself, woman,” Lazarus spits at her as he scrunches his nose up in disgust.
--
“Whoa,” Martha says in awe. She’s bent over a microscope and is looking at the DNA of Lazarus.
“What?” Rose asks, she’s itchy and nervous as she sits around.
“His DNA,” Martha tells her as she zooms in again to get a closer look.
“I don’t see anything different,” Rose says huffing a little as, yet again, things come around back to science she doesn’t understand. The mini t.v linked to the microscope showing what she thinks she remembers a DNA strand looking like. Once they get back to the TARDIS she’s cracking open a science textbook.
“No, but, look at it,” Martha urges as she pulls away from the microscope to stare at the screen projecting the slide’s image.
“Oh, my god,” Rose gasps as she sees what Martha saw. “Did that- Did that just change?”
“I know,” Martha says as she nods. “Completely impossible.” Rose smiles faintly as she remembers the Doctor and his use of the word. He was always saying it and was always wrong when he used it.
“This means Lazarus changed his own molecular patterns,” Martha says laughing a little as she thinks it over. “The sound waves destabilized the cell structure, then he used some sort of genetic programme to manipulate the protein strands.”
“Is this how you felt when I spouted on in the hospital?” Rose asks as she tries not to feel dumb for not getting Martha’s explanation.
“Basically,” Martha says with a nod. “He hacked into his own genes and instructed them to rejuvenate,” she simplifies.
“But they’re still mutating,” Rose points out and when Martha nods she perks up at getting that right.
“Because he’s missed something. He didn’t finish the process, and no,” Martha adds when she sees Rose’s face. “I don’t think it’s because we unplugged it. Something in his own DNA is trying to change him and it won’t let him stabilise.”
“Change him into what?”
“I don’t know, but we should find out.”
“That woman said they were going upstairs,” Rose remembers, her nose scrunching up as she remembers how rude the woman was.
--
“It’s me who made this all possible!” the woman shouted at Lazarus. “This is my triumph, and I will not be denied, not by you, not after everything I’ve done.”
“You backed me because you saw profit,” Lazarus scoffed. “Your concern was financial.”
“Well, you want the money as much as I do,” the woman pointed out. “We had a plan.” She fails to notice Lazarus starting to sweat and his face paling, and not at her words. “When the device is ready, I’ll be rejuvenated, too. We could be rich and young and together.”
“You think I’d waste another lifetime on you?” Lazarus sneers as he leans on his desk.
“Did that process make you even more cruel?”
“No, my love,” Lazarus tells her with a smile. “That I learnt from you. You have a gift for it.”
“Then you know that I’ll protect my involvement in the project. I’m sure Mr. Saxon will be interested-” she cuts off when Lazarus gasps again and pulls at his collar. “What’s going on?” she demands.
“It must just be- ah!” he shouts as pain wracks through his body again.
“What is it?” she asks as she steps towards him.
“I’ll be fine in a moment,” he tells her gasping. “It’s probably just a cramp.” As soon as he says that, though, his back arches and emits a nasty cracking sound. He drops to the floor, tugging at his bow tie as he writhes in pain.
“Oh! Richard!” the woman shouts as she stands over him not knowing what to do. “Is it some sort of seizure? What should I do? I don’t understand what’s happening. Richard.” Something inhuman towers over her from where Lazarus was lying. The woman backs away terrified, but is unable to look away from where the creature before her opens its mouth. She cries out and that’s when it lunges at her.
--
“Tish!” Francine shouts as she works her way through the crowd. “Have you seen Martha and that blonde woman anywhere?”
“Not since the demonstration,” Tish tells her shaking her head.
“Do you know anything about that woman? Has Martha ever mentioned her before?”
“Not to me,” Tish says as she thinks through yesterday’s conversations with Martha. She shrugs. It’s not like Martha told her everything.
“The way she followed her,” Francine huffs shaking her head in disapproval.
“She’s a doctor,” Tish points out. “She was just doing her job.”
“She’s not a doctor yet,” Francine shoots back. “Never will be, if she doesn’t stay focused.”
“Look,” Leo says stepping in before his mum gets all worked up over nothing. “She’s found a mate. So what?” His mother shakes her head again.
“There’s something going on, Leo, I can feel it.”
“Leticia Jones,” Lazarus says with a smarmy smile on his face as he joins their little family group. “I’d recognize the smell of that soap anywhere.”
“Professor,” Tish says nodding her head politely.
“I’m sorry, ladies and gentlemen, you’ll have to excuse me while I take care of Leticia here, I’ve been neglecting her,” he says as he leads her away from her family.
“What do you mean ‘something’s going on’?” Leo asks not even acknowledging Tish’s depart.
Francine fidgets a little, settling her shawl over her arms to cover her floundering for words. “Something's off, and it starts with that blonde girl.” She settles on, nodding a little as she gets her point across.
--
“This is his office, all right,” Martha huffs as she looks around at all the expensive pieces of furniture.
“So where is he, then?” Rose asks as she, too, looks around his office.
“We could try back down at the reception,” Martha suggests and Rose shrugs before spotting something behind Lazarus’ desk.
“Is that that woman from earlier?” she asks as she comes around the desk to see her mummified corpse. Martha gasps as she joins Rose behind the desk.
“Oh, god,” she says as she covers her mouth in shock.
“It must’ve been Lazarus,” Rose concludes as she furrows her brow. Sure, she hated the woman, but this looked like a painful way to die and nobody deserved that. Except maybe a few thousand Daleks.
“So he’s already changed?” Martha asks stepping away from the body.
“Maybe,” Rose says distractedly as she also steps away from looking at the woman’s remains. “You said he had an energy deficit.”
“Oh, god,” Martha repeats as she thinks about what that entailed. “And his DNA was fluctuating.”
“So he might do this again?” Rose asks her. Martha nods and they share a look before heading back down to the reception.
--
“You seem very young to have such a responsible position,” Lazarus tells Tish as they step into the lift. “Have you much experience?”
“Not really,” Tish confesses. “But the interview panel thought I had all the necessary attributes.”
“How perceptive of them,” Lazarus comments.
“So, where are you taking me?”
“Up to the roof. It’s a lovely evening, I thought I’d show you the view. It’s extraordinary.”
“Like a lot of things around here, then,” Tish says to him.
--
“I can’t see him,” Martha says as she leans forward on the balls of her feet to look over the crowd.
“Well, he can’t be far,” Rose replies also leaning forward on her tiptoes.
“Hey, you alright, Marth?” Leo asks as he stops beside his sister. “I think mum wants to talk to you.”
“Have you seen Lazarus?” Martha asks instead of answering his question.
“Yeah, well, he was getting cozy with Tish a couple of minutes ago.”
“With Tish?” Martha ask as she leans back down to look at her brother.
“Ah, Rose,” Francine says as she spots the blonde she wanted to talk to.
“Where did they go?” Rose asks ignoring Francine and paying attention to Leo.
“Upstairs, I think. Why?”
“Rose,” Francine calls again this time gaining Rose’s attention. She’s just about to speak when Martha interrupts.
“Not now, mum!” Martha shouts as she pulls Rose along with her, running past her family. Rose shoots an apologetic smile over her shoulder.
“Sorry, gotta go!” She looks on in pain as she watches her daughter run away with that blonde girl, her face scowling at the thought.
“I think you need one of these,”
a voice says coming from Francine’s left, but when she turns there’s no one there and she’s suddenly holding a brand new glass of champagne.
--
“Where are they?” Martha asks as she shoots out of the lift and back into Lazarus’ office.
“This is the top floor,” Rose says as she yanks on her braid.
“Wait, there’s the roof!” Martha shouts as she runs for the stairwell, Rose not far behind her.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“That clock tower’s beautiful all lit up like that,” Tish says to cut through the silence.
“It’s Southwark Cathedral. One of the oldest churches in London. Been around even longer than I have,” Lazarus jokes as he steps up beside her.
“Well you’re looking pretty good for your age,” Tish jokes back.
“Thank you.”
“Can I?” Tish asks holding up a hand.
“Of course,” Lazarus replies leaning slightly down so that she could stroke his cheek.
“Still can’t take it in,” she says as she pulls her hand away.
“I’m still adjusting myself,” Lazarus confesses. “I’ve been working toward it for so many years, it’s hard to believe the moment’s finally arrived.”
“And is it like you expected?”
“I find that nothing’s ever exactly like you expect,” Lazarus tells her. “There’s always something to surprise you. Between the idea and the reality, between the motion and the act, falls the Shadow.”
“Tish!” Martha shouts as they come to a halt a few feet from Lazarus and her sister.
“Martha, what are you doing here?” Tish asks in anger as she spins around.
“Tish, get away from him,” Martha urges.
“What? Don’t tell me what to do.”
“I wouldn’t have you pegged as a poetry man,” Rose tells Lazarus. “Busy as you were trying to change the human race.”
“One lifetime’s too short for me to do everything I’d like,” Lazarus replies with a knowing grin. “Think of how much more I’ll know and do with two, or three, or four.”
“It doesn’t work like that.” Rose shakes her head. “Some people live and do more in twenty years than others their whole lives,” Rose says thinking of how her father had sacrificed himself for her, for the world. “It’s not the time that matters, but the person.”
“But if it’s the right person, what a gift that would be,” Lazarus shoots back.
“It could also be a curse,” Rose says with a sigh. How many times has she heard the Doctor say that?
“You can spend the rest of your life with me, but I can't spend the rest of mine with you. I have to live on. Alone. That's the curse of the Time Lords.”
“Who are you to judge me?” Lazarus shouts angrily at her.
“Over here, Tish,” Martha calls out to her sister waving her hand towards her.
“You have to spoil everything, don’t you?” Tish shouts at her as she refuses to move. “Every time I find someone nice, you have to go and find a fault.” Martha looks behind her as Lazarus spasms in pain and falls to the floor.
“Tish, he’s a monster!” Her sister just rolls her eyes.
“I know the age thing’s a bit freaky, but it works for Catherine Zeta-Jones,” Tish tries to reason when she hears a groaning, snapping sound behind her. She turns to see Lazarus transform into a massive bony scorpion monster. “What’s that?” she asks horrified. Rose reaches out and grabs her arm.
“Run!” They make it through the roof door and Rose stops long enough to sonic the door shut.
“Are you okay?” Martha asks her sister as they race down the stairs.
“I was going to snog him,” Tish imparts, still in shock over what she had just seen. The lights in the stairwell flicker and a robotic voice repeats “Security One,” over and over.
“What’s happening?” Martha asks.
“An intrusion,” Tish says getting past her shock. “It triggers a security lockdown. Kills most of the power. Stops the lifts, seals the exits.” They hear a growl followed by a metallic crash and Martha’s blood runs cold.
“He’s inside!” She runs even faster down the stairs, cursing herself for wearing heels even with the foreknowledge of something bad happening tonight. They burst through the ground floor stairway entrance and Rose looks around.
“Tish, is there another way out of here?”
“There’s an exit in the corner,” Tish says. “But it’ll be locked now.” Rose looks towards where Tish pointed and then back to the crowd still mingling around the reception hall.
“We’ve got to warn them,” Rose tells them before running up to the nearest group of people. “Listen to me! You people are in serious danger! You need to get out of here right now!”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” a woman near her says. “The biggest danger here is choking on an olive.” As soon as she said it, though, a roar echoes from above and everyone looks up to see Lazarus’ mutant form as it jumps down from the mezzanine and crashes on top of a table.
Why does no one listen to me?
, Rose thinks as everyone scatters in screams and chaos.
“Mum, get back!” Leo shouts as he pulls his mother out of the way of a flying table, getting hit in the process.
“Leo!” Francine calls out as Tish and Martha drag her towards the exit where everyone’s bottlenecked. Leo sits up in a daze and Rose drags him out of the way of more flying debris.
“Martha!” Rose yells catching Martha’s attention. “Setting fifty four,” she tells her before throwing the sonic screwdriver that Martha barely catches. Martha nods before shouldering her way through the panicked crowd.
Rose turns around to see a lady frozen in shock and runs over to tackle her from being eaten by Lazarus. She forcefully pushes the woman towards the crowd, where Martha has finally gotten the double doors open and is leading them down the corridor. She sees Lazarus eye the crowd and she curses before calling out to him.
“Oi! Lazarus! Leave ‘em alone!” she shouts as she waves her hand to gain his attention. “You can’t control it, can ya?” she taunts as she moves towards another exit away from the crowd. “The mutation’s too strong for ya, you vain old man. Who are you to think you could defy nature? You’re nothing but a joke!” She says before turning around and sprinting through the doors, Lazarus hot on her heels with a bone chilling roar.
“What’s that woman doing?” Francine asks as she sees the girl running in the other direction with that monster after her.
“She’s trying to buy us more time,” Martha pants out as she points the screwdriver at the bolted door. “Let’s not waste it.” Leo leans on the wall next to her and she stops to look after him. “Leo, look at me. Focus on me,” she says as she turns to face him. “He’s got a slight concussion,” she says aloud after looking into his eyes. “Mum, you’ll need to help him downstairs.” And with that she goes back to the door. It only takes a few seconds more before the door opens. She nearly tumbles to the ground with the force of the crowd pushing to get away.
--
Rose ducks as she runs to hide herself amidst the pipes and boilers and control panels in the basement.
“It’s no good, mystery girl,” Lazarus says from somewhere around her. “You can’t stop me.”
“Is that the same arrogance you used when you swore your device was safe?” Rose taunts back as she kneels next to a steam pipe.
“The arrogance is yours,” Lazarus hisses at her. “You can’t stand in the way of progress.”
“You call turning into an ugly scorpion progress?” Rose huffs. “You’re delusional!”
“It is a necessary sacrifice.”
“Tha’s not your decision to make.”
--
“We can’t get out. We’re trapped!” Tish panics and Martha looks up ahead to see people pounding on a pair of glass doors.
“There must be an override switch,” Martha pants. “Where’s the security desk, Tish?”
“There,” Tish says pointing. Martha slides over a desk and goes over to the control panel, hoping the setting would work for this as well. Luckily, it does and the people scramble to get out of the building.
--
“Peekaboo,” Lazarus whispers from above and Rose looks up to see his cruel smile. She curses in Twelti standing up to run down another corridor.
--
“I’ve got to go back,” Martha tells her family who are pulling her after them.
“You can’t! You saw what that thing did. It’ll kill you!” her mother protests.
“I don’t care. I have to go.”
“It’s that Rose woman, isn’t it?” Francine asks knowingly. “That’s what’s happened to you. That’s why you’ve changed.”
“She was buying us time, Martha,” Tish says. “Time for you to get out, too.”
“I’m not leaving her,” Martha tells them with a frown, her hand clenching around the sonic screwdriver.
“I’ll go,” Leo pipes up from where he’s leaning against the wall. He pushes off of it and walks over to where his family is.
“No, Leo, you have a concussion,” Martha tell him.
“Yeah, a small one,” Leo argues with a slight smile. “Besides, I’m the man of the house.” Martha scoffs at that, but can see the pleading look in her mother’s eyes and sags in defeat.
“Fine, but you have to get this to her,” Martha says to him holding out the screwdriver. He looks at it curiously but shrugs, grabbing it and heading back to where Rose was. Martha watches him leave wishing that were her.
--
Rose crashes through a door to wind up in a random laboratory. She quickly scans the room and sees several bunsen burners and a plan forms in her mind. She turns them all on blowing out the pilot lights and covering her nose as she goes. She pulls a matchbook out of her dress pockets and waits for Lazarus to come crashing after her. She doesn’t have to wait long.
“More hide and seek, little girl?” Lazarus asks her as he comes through a wall. “How disappointing. Why don’t you come out and face me?”
“Have you looked in the mirror? Why on Earth would I want to face that?” Rose shouts at him between her pinched fingers, the taunt coming out muted and sounding like she has a cold. She’s really just buying time, waiting for him to creep further into the lab.
When he hits the middle of the room, she slinks out the side door tossing the lighted match after her, ducking as the lab explodes behind her.
--
Rose coughs at the smoke, running down a corridor not taking the chance that the explosion killed him. She bumps into a scared looking Leo on her way and drags him after her.
“What are you doing here?” she asks him.
“I- I came to return this,” he tells her holding out her screwdriver. She takes it gratefully and rounds another corner.
“How did you-?” she starts to ask but Leo cuts her off.
“I heard the explosion and came to see what happened.”
“I blew up Lazarus,” Rose explains.
“Did you kill him?” Leo asks turning his head around to look behind him. A roar echoes around the corridor.
“More sort of annoyed ‘im, I’d say.”
--
“She’ll be alright,” Tish tells a worried looking Martha. “Leo’s with her.” That does nothing to alleviate her worry, though, only amplify it.
“I should be with her,” Martha mutters and earns a tsk and a scoff from her mother.
“You just met her and are already ready to jump into the fire with her!” Francine whines.
“Mum, I don’t expect you to understand this, but
yes
. I’d jump into the flames for Rose.”
“Why?”
“She’s all alone, mum,” Martha tells her. “I’m all she has.”
“She’s
married
, for Christ’s sake! How alone can she be?”
“Mum! She’s not!” Martha shouts. “What happened to Adeola happened to her, too! Only, it took her entire family from her! They were there and she saw it happen, so no, mom. She’s
not
married!” Martha doesn’t know the full story, but she’s gathered the gist of it, enough to shout it at her mother. Francine looks taken aback and Tish gasps and covers her mouth with her hands.
“I- I didn’t- I mean-,” her mother stutters and Martha takes in a calming breath.
“No, mum, I’m sorry for snapping, I didn’t mean to. I’m just a little stressed out,” Martha apologizes running a hand up and down her mum’s arm.
“If you want to date her-,”
“Mum!” Martha interrupts this time to groan, throwing her head back as Tish laughs. “It’s not like that! She’s just a friend, is all!”
“Still,” Her mother continues and Martha is really wishing she had been the one to run back for Rose instead of being here for this conversation.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“What now?” Leo asks as they run into the reception room. “We’ve just come full circle.”
“Well, we can’t exactly lead ‘im outside,” Rose says as she looks around. “I wish I’d brought my tuba,” she mutters under her breath.
“What’s a tuba going to do?” Leo asks her incredulously. Rose stiffens as she eyes Lazarus’ machine.
“Hey, Leo? Martha said you were a demolitions expert,” Rose asks leading them over to the machine.
“Yeah?” Leo responds drawing out the word and making it sound like a question.
“You think you can rig this to blow?” She asks tilting her head at the machine. Leo looks at her like she grew another head.
“You and your explosions,” he mumbles before prying a panel off the back and getting to work.
Not even a few minutes later a roar sounds close by and Rose doesn’t hesitate to drag Leo inside the machine.
“Think you can finish that from in here?” she asks him.
“Bit intimate,” he he says his breath puffing out to hit her cheek.
“Oh, you and your sister,” Rose mutters. “Now, chop chop, get to work.”
“Er, well I’d have to,” he says motioning to the floor.
“Are my skirts in the way?” She asks moving to spread her legs and lift her dress up. Leo coughs as he kneels muttering something under his breath that Rose can’t make out.
“Where did that thing even come from?” Leo asks as he gets to work, Rose handing him her screwdriver and showing him how it works.
“That’s what happens when you take a spin in this thing,” Rose says to him as she hears Lazarus pacing around the machine.
“You’re kidding,” Leo tells her.
“Wish I were.”
“But how can it be that Lazarus bloke? That things not even human!”
“Possibly something triggered in his DNA when he was forcing it to rejuvenate,” Rose guesses using the words Martha used.
“You sure you’re not a doctor?” he asks her. “Only, you sound just like my sister sometimes.”
“Pretty sure,” Rose says her concentration focused to what’s happening outside the chamber.
A whirring noise starts and Leo starts at it.
“What’s happening?”
“Sounds like he found the on switch,” Rose says biting her lip. “You done there?”
“Need a minute,” he replies nervously, a bit of wire tubing hanging from his mouth. He spits it out as he twists two wires together.
The machine starts to whine as Rose imagines the rotors outside picking up speed. Oh, god, she
really
hopes she doesn’t turn into whatever the Hell Lazarus became.
“You done now?” she asks a little hysterical.
“Just about, all that it needs now is a trigger,” he tells her coming to stand. He’s sweaty and a little pale, so Rose knows there’s not much longer they can spend in there.
“Tha’s what this is for,” Rose tells him taking back her screwdriver and twiddling it at him. “Hope your ready for a run.”
“You’re mad,” Leo sighs out and Rose gives him a tongue touched grin.
“Oh, yes.” She grabs his hand and shoves the chamber door open with her shoulder ducking as she dashes out, the sonic in one hand and Leo’s hand in the other. She briefly enjoys the fresh air before thrusting her arm with the sonic behind her, aiming for the machine and praying that it works.
Lazarus takes a swipe at them, but misses and Rose presses down on the button of the sonic before he can get too far away from the blast. Unfortunately, that also means that both her and Leo get caught in the explosion as well.
She throws herself over Leo’s head, putting an arm over hers as well as the explosion rocks the room.
She sits up a minute later taking in the damage around her. She winces when she sees a crater where the machine once stood. That’ll cost a pretty penny to fix.
“Oh, that’s kinda pitiful,” Leo says as he looks upon Lazarus’ naked body.
Among other things
, Rose thinks as she takes in the reception room.
“So much for Tish’s big party,” she mumbles to herself.
--
The EMT’s take Lazarus away in a stretcher, his body fully covered in a red blanket.
“She’s here,” Tish announces to Martha. “She’s alright.”
Rose sees Martha and visibly relaxes. “Hey, there,” she says as Martha rushes to hug her. “Mrs. Jones, you wanted to talk to me?” Rose asks after her brief hug with Martha.
Francine looks like she wants to say something but instead settles for a hug of her own. Rose tenses for a second before leaning into the hug, relaxing into the warmth. Tears spring to the corners of her eyes as Francine pulls away to settle her hair.
“I believe I owe you an apology, my dear,” Francine says kindly.
“For?” Rose asks confusedly looking to Martha for help.
“I treated you rudely and judged you harshly when I shouldn’t have,” Francine tells her. “And I am terribly sorry for what has happened to you. You poor thing, all alone at your age.” She drags Rose in for another hug and Rose is still confused.
Martha winces and gives Rose an apologetic shrug of her shoulders. Rose, for her part, doesn’t look mad, only sad.
“I-” Rose starts, but a loud crash interrupts her and she pulls out of Francine’s hug to look for the scene. “I gotta go.” She runs after the noise.
“Wait for me!” Martha shouts not even glancing at her mother’s face before joining Rose. Leo sighs from where he’s sat in the back of another ambulance getting his wounds treated.
“I would follow, but,” he trails off with a shrug of his shoulders. Tish tsk’s him and then heads after her sister.
“Tish!” Francine calls out, but stays next her her baby boy.
“She’s dangerous. There are things you should know,”
a voice calls out from her left and she turns to see who’s talking, but once again finds no one there. Francine briefly wonders if she should be checked out by the medics, too. Because now, now she feels as if Rose has lied to her daughter, that Rose really
is
a Doctor, and a dangerous one at that. But mostly, she’s wondering why Harold Saxon and Rose know each other.
--
Rose comes to a stop at the sight of the crashed ambulance, it’s doors open to show three mummified corpses and she lets out a painful sigh. Martha rests a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently and Rose gives her a tight smile.
“Where’s he gone?” Martha asks as she looks at the street.
“There’s a cathedral,” Tish says panting behind them. “Southwark Cathedral. He told me about it. It’s just there.” She points down the street and they all three go racing down the road. Martha’s not quite sure how Rose manages to make it look effortless to run in heels, but she is envious. It may be alien technology and she makes a mental note to always dress from the TARDIS for future parties and such.
--
“Do you really think he’s in here?” Martha asks as they climb the front steps.
“Tish’s guess is as good as any,” Rose responds with a shrug as Tish opens the doors. They walk down the aisle to see Lazarus off to the side, shivering in the red blanket that was draped over his body. He makes no move until they’re only a couple feet in front of him.
“I came here before,” he tells them his voice low in remembrance. “A lifetime ago. I thought I was going to die. In fact, I was sure of it. I sat here, just a child, the sounds of planes and bombs outside.”
“The Blitz,” Rose says her hands twitching from phantom rope burns and naninites whispering across her skin.
“You’ve read about it,” he says solemnly.
“I was there,” Rose tells him. “Hanging from a dirigible and in a Union flag shirt.”
“You lie,” Lazarus argues coughing a bit. “You’re too young.”
“So’re you,” Rose responds cheekily. Lazarus lets out a wet laugh, bending as his body makes a painful cracking sound.
“In the morning, the fires had died, and I was still alive. I swore I’d never face death like that again. So defenceless. I would arm myself, fight back, defeat it.”
“An’ tha’s what you were trying to do?” Rose asks incredulously.
“That’s what I
did
do,” Lazarus hisses at her.
“An’ what about that woman you killed? What about the others you killed?”
“They were nothing. I changed the course of history,” Lazarus dismisses and Rose thinks back to another church and what her first Doctor said.
“And you think those others couldn’t? History isn’t changed by stuck-up
arse
holes like you. Everyone is important an’ facing death is what it means to be human.”
“No, little girl,
avoiding
death, that’s being human. It’s our strongest impulse, to cling to life with every fibre of our being. I’m only doing what everyone before me has tried to do. I’ve simply been more successful.” Lazarus shrugs before huddling deeper into the blanket.
“You call turning into some freakazoid success?” Martha asks him. “You can’t even control it!”
“I call it progress,” Lazarus bites out between clenched teeth. “I’m more now than I was. More than just an ordinary human.”
“There’s no such thing as an ordinary human,” Rose tells him shaking her head. Lazarus convulses again, bending down to ease the pain.
“He’s going to change again any minute,” Martha whispers to Rose and Tish.
“I know,” Rose whispers back looking around the cathedral to see what she could use. “I’ve got an idea, but I don’t think you’re going to like it.” Martha gives her a hard glare and Rose grimaces.
“What?”
“You’ll have to be bait,” Rose tells her pulling her aside a little so Tish won’t hear. “Get him under the bell an’ I’ll do the rest.” Martha gulps as she looks over to where Lazarus is writhing.
“Suppose this is payback for the hospital,” Martha grumbles. Rose gives her a tiny grin,
“You’re so sentimental, little girl. Maybe you are older than you look,” Lazarus chuckles out, his voice muffled as he faces the floor.
“Old enough to know a longer life doesn’t mean a better one,” Rose says swallowing against the lump in her throat. “I knew someone who said that in the end all you get is tired of losing those you love. Tired of fighting. Tired of being alone.” Rose could picture the Doctor, his eyes bearing the full weight of his years as he told her of losing his world.
“That’s a price worth paying,” Lazarus pants out through the pain.
“Is it?”
“I will feed soon,” he says instead of responding. Martha grabs her hand in fear and Rose can see Tish huddling close to her sister.
“I’m not going to let that happen.” She squeezes Martha’s hand back.
“You’ve barely been able to stop me,” he brags.
“Leave her, Lazarus!” Martha shouts out as she walks backwards. “She’s old and bitter,” she cuts sorry look to Rose, “I thought you had a taste for fresher meat.”
“Martha, no,” Tish barely gets out, herself frozen in fear as she watches Lazarus start to turn. He drops the red blanket and gets up to chase after Martha, Tish pushing Martha down the aisle.
“What are you doing?” Martha asks her.
“Keeping you out of trouble!”
“Rose! Hurry it up!” Martha shouts as she sees Rose run for the curved staircase.
“Working on it!” was all she said before Martha lost track of her trying not to die by Lazarus’ hands.
“Did you hear that?” Tish whispers bringing Martha to a halt. Martha listens for a second to hear a loud crack and Martha fumbles for her sister’s hand.
“He’s changed again,” she whispers back. “Keep moving. We’ve got to lead him under the bell when Rose is ready.”
--
“I bloody hate stairs,” Rose grumbles, sonic screwdriver in hand as she tries to loosen the screws from here, but all it’s doing really, is vibrating the bell itself. She’ll have to go all the way to the top. Great.
--
Martha and Tish are backed up into a wall that’s opposite where they need Lazarus to be and Martha curses.
“There’s nowhere to go,” Tish pants out. “We’re trapped!” Her voice is tinged with panic and Martha wishes Tish had stayed back with mum and Leo. Them losing both her and Tish was going to cripple them.
“We gotta get him over there,” Martha pants nodding her head to behind Lazarus who was toying with them, fake swiping and laughing as they jumped.
“All right, so then we’re not trapped,” Tish grunts out as she ducks another false swipe. “We’re
bait
.”
“Sorry,” Martha tells her.
“Ladies.” Lazarus’ voice is disturbing in his mutant form.
“Stay behind me,” Martha tells her sister dragging her behind her by their still attached hands. “If he takes me, make a run for it. Head to the stairs. You should have enough time.”
“But!” Tish tries to protest.
“Just do it, Tish!” Martha says as they move sideways from a swipe that was too close for comfort. They somehow manage to get away from him and Martha leads Tish and Lazarus closer to under the bell. “Rose!”
“Almost!” was the shouted reply followed by a, “Sorry!”
--
“I hope they’re okay,” Rose says trying to spot them while she worked, but the bell was in the way. Suddenly she hears them below her and looks down to see Lazarus’ tail hit Martha and send her skidding to the beginning of the staircase. Tish moves between her sister and Lazarus and Rose likes her fire. She eyes the last screw and wills it to drop faster.
“Watch out!” She yells down below as the joints holding the bell up groan. She jumps onto the bell to send it crashing down, holding on for dear life.
--
Martha groans as a loud clanging sound fills the air. She peeks out through one eye to see a squished Lazarus under the bell.
“I’ve got you,” Tish tells her gently as she helps Martha sit up.
“Martha?” Rose calls out loudly from somewhere behind the bell and Martha looks over to see a disheveled Rose limping over to them, holding a hand to her head. She has scrapes and bruises all up and down her arms, but she still looks as stunning as when she first entered the reception room.
“I’m okay,” Martha tells both her sister and Rose wobbling as she stands. “We all okay?” Tish nods her head trying not to look at the guts splattered on the church walls and is very grateful none spilled on her. “Thanks,” she tells her sister grabbing her forearm to get her attention.
“It’s your friend you should be thanking,” Tish says.
“I told you she’d think of something.”
“She cut it a bit fine there, didn’t she?”
“Always does,” Martha says with a smile as Rose skirts a puddle of blood, skirts in her hand.
“Who is she?” Tish whispers as Rose gets closer.
“She- She’s Rose Prentice,” Martha responds with a shrug.
“Guys, I think my hearing ‘s gone,” Rose shouts, rubbing one ear, her head tilted to the side like she’s expecting water to come out of it. “Ugh, I got my bell rung good,” she says a few seconds later at a more normal volume, working her jaw like her ears are popping.
Martha snorts as she rolls her eyes. Well, at least she knows Rose will be okay.
“I think I get it now,” Tish tells her as they walk out of the Cathedral, their arms linked together, Rose walking a few steps ahead, tilting her head to the side every now and then.
“Get what?” Martha asks wishing she trusted the cleanliness of the sidewalk to slip her heels off.
Tish nods to Rose. “Her. Why you’re friends with her.”
“
You
don’t think I’m in love with her, too, do you?” Martha asks a slight whine to her voice.
“No,” Tish laughs out. “But I
do
think that she’s very important to you.” Martha swallows thickly at her sister’s insight.
“Yeah,” Martha says with a smile as she looks at Rose’s back. She’s started to hum, making small noises as if to gauge whether her hearing is back or not. “I don’t know a lot about her, but what I do know is it - It just makes me grateful for having known her.”
Rose lets out a little noise before shouting in victory. She jump spins, a grin on her face. “It’s back!” she shouts hopping a little as she does so. She belts out another sing-song noise as she tips her head back to look at the night sky.
Tish and Martha laugh as Rose swings back around before changing her mind and turns again. She walks towards them, her arms held out.
“Come on slow pokes,” she calls out to them. “I don’t know about you, but
I
sure could go for some chips right about now.”
“Oh no, not chips again,” Martha groans out. Rose sighs.
“Fine, I’ll settle for take away.” Tish looks at both of them with disbelief.
“How could you eat after that?” She asks. Rose just shrugs and Martha can’t think of a response that doesn’t involve Aliens, so she copies Rose and shrugs as well. Tish just rolls her eyes and speeds up to walk ahead of them.
Rose gives her a wide grin. “Did I tell you I liked your sister?”
“I don’t know, a lot’s happened since this morning.”
Rose’s grin gets wider. “Well, I do.”
“Yeah?” Martha asks a smile breaking out across her face. She didn’t know it was important to her that Rose liked her family, but it is.
“I like your sister’s sister, too,” Rose says, bumping their shoulders together. Martha rolls her eyes even as she chuckles.
“Incorrigible,” she sighs out with a put upon sigh. Their laughter mixes to fill up the street.
--
“I’m sorry that escalated,” Rose tells her as they walk into Martha’s flat sometime later. Both of them had their heels in one hand and Chinese in the other. “I really wished it was just a nice party with your family.” Martha laughs a little because no party that included her family turned out nice and she told Rose so.
“I can see a pattern developing,” Martha tells her as they lounge on her sofa, chopsticks in hand. “You should take more care in the future.” She thinks it over. “And the past. And whatever other time period you find yourself in.” Rose stills beside her.
“Does this mean you don’t want to travel with me anymore?” She asks her eyes downcast as if she’s expecting Martha to tell her to leave and never come back.
“No! Rose, I
love
traveling with you!” Martha puts down her box and goes to hug Rose. “I was just saying when you eventually wander off that you should be careful.” Rose sniffs and huffs a laugh.
“You sure you’ve never met the Doctor before?” she asks.
“Pretty sure. Why?”
“He always used to call me jeopardy friendly. Said rule one was to not wander off.”
“There’re rules?”
“Not really?” Rose says confusedly spearing a broccoli piece. “I mean, on other planets, sure. But in general, no. He just said that on account of him getting lost and taking it to mean that I wandered away from him.”
“I bet it was you who wandered off, poor Doctor.” Martha chuckles and dodges the same broccoli piece Rose was about to eat.
“Betrayal!” Rose cries out, a smile on her face. Martha just pops the thrown broccoli into her mouth, thinking over her conversation with Tish. She wonders how many more adventures they’ll have, how long it’ll be before she knows more about Rose, until they both know more about each other. For now, though, she just enjoys lounging on her couch with her, their dresses making them feel all the more giddy for eating take away.