A Life Unexpected (3/15)
Apr. 5th, 2008 07:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amberfocusChapter Three: Mickey's Surprise
The phone on Rose’s desk buzzed and she shook off the strange reverie that had fallen over her. She picked up the receiver. She refused to use one of those stupid ear things. Oh, they swore they were safe now, but Rose wasn’t having any of it. “Rose Tyler,” she said.
“Hey, Rose,” came the slightly out of breath voice of her best mate.
“What’s up, Mickey?”
“I’ve got news, wonderful news, fabulous news, simply mind-boggling news!” He enthused.
The excitement in his voice caused a small smile to flicker over her mouth. “So the news is good then, is it, Mickey?”
“Yes, it is. And I’m going to come down there and drag you out of that moldy old basement and take you to lunch with me so I can tell you properly,” Mickey told her.
“Right, fine then,” Rose told him. “See you in ten.” As she hung up the phone she looked thoughtful. She wondered what Mickey’s news might be. He’d been acting far too smug lately. Well, she’d know it soon enough. She appreciated Mickey a lot these days. He made sure she got out and about at least once a month. If it had been up to her she’d probably have stopped interacting with the rest of the world. Well, not her family, but definitely everyone else.
She finished up her analysis on the alien artifact, designating it as Rularian, non-weapon, medical. The thing caused a temporary 3 day force-field that acted as a bandage. The bandage could be as big as a body or as small as a finger. Something like that could be quite useful in the field. Or in a burn unit.
It had taken her a day and a half to figure that one out and they’d only given it to her because R&D hadn’t clue one after a month of pokes and prods. She didn’t know where her affinity for figuring out gadgets had come from. Her brain just seemed to work differently in this universe. It was like she could look into the object and see how it fit. The ability had come along surprisingly quickly after she’d started working for Torchwood.
She bagged it and tagged it and put it in a tube that she tossed into a vacuum chute. Depressing the button for Medical R&D, she listened while the tube was sucked upwards. It always seemed ironic that with all the technology Torchwood possessed, they still used something as simple and low tech as vacuum chutes. When she turned around she heard the lift ding at the far end of the corridor. She locked down her computer just as Mickey strode into the office.
He stopped abruptly as he noticed Rose wasn’t alone. “Oh, Mickey, this is Ian McCullen, my new partner. Ian, this is Mickey Smith, my best mate. He works up in weaponry.”
She watched as the two men shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. Mickey looked as if he were sizing the man up, something he still did whenever Rose was in the vicinity of another man. Rose found it somewhat endearing, though she and Mickey had long ago passed from the type of relationship where any form of jealousy occurred. Old habits died hard, though and Mickey was still very protective of her.
“We’re going to run out for lunch now,” Rose said. “Will we be going out in the field this afternoon?”
“Not until tomorrow, actually. I’ll explain it all when you get back,” Ian said.
Rose and Mickey rode the lift up in silence, Mickey shifting from foot to foot like an excited little boy. She could tell he was simply bursting to tell her his secret, but she pretended like she didn’t notice. They hadn’t spent much time together lately, just the monthly drag around. Her fault she knew, but it had been getting harder to leave work behind lately and just live her life. “Where are we going for lunch?” she asked him.
“There’s this little café across from the hospital. The food is really good there,” Mickey said. “It’s got an excellent recommendation from this doctor I know.”
“Bit far to go for lunch,” Rose said.
“I’ve got transport.” He ushered her out of the elevator and into the parking garage, leading her over to one of the small black cars staff could use. “So a partner, huh?”
“Saree insisted. He seems like a decent bloke. Maybe a little bit…” She trailed off.
“A little bit what?” Mickey prompted.
Rose bit her lip. “I don’t know. Out of sync? No, I’m not even sure that’s the word I’m looking for. But I’ve only known him for a few hours.”
“I’m sure its nothing. Everyone who works for Torchwood is a little bit off. We kind of have to be,” Mickey told her.
“You’re not wrong.” They fell quiet again and in no time at all they were standing outside the café.
Mickey hurried her inside and across the room to a table where a gorgeous, smartly dressed black woman a few years older than herself was sitting. “I want you to meet the woman I’m going to marry!”
“Mickey, you never said!” Rose said, a huge and genuine smile overtaking her face. “Congratulations.”
“Well, life’s been busy. Come on, sit down. Rose Tyler, meet Martha Jones.”
The woman gave her a smile that made her eyes sparkle. Rose liked her immediately. “Mickey’s told me so much about you,” Martha said with a laugh. “I feel like I already know you.”
“Sorry, I can’t say the same thing; the little sneak’s kept you a secret. So tell me everything there is to know about Martha Jones.” For the first time in ages Rose actually felt interested in another human being. Something about Martha just seemed right. Rose felt she could have a strong friendship with this woman, something she hadn’t had since leaving home and Shireen behind.
She’d tried looking up Shireen on this world, followed her around a bit to see if the friendship was worth trying to sort, but the girl had been so empty-headed Rose hadn’t tried to make contact. Had Rose been like that before? She shuddered to think so but knew it was a very real possibility.
By the time their food order came Rose found herself talking a mile a minute with Martha. Mickey sat back watching the two women with a self-satisfied grin on his face, like he’d always known they’d get on. With great reluctance they said good-bye with promises to get together again soon.
Rose was very animated on the drive back to work. “I love seeing you like this,” Mickey said. “It’s like having the old Rose back. So what do you think of her?” he teased.
“I think you did very well for yourself, finding such a clever, lovely woman. And a doctor, too. Mum would be proud of you, Mickey. So would your mum have,” she added softly. “Have you taken her around to meet your grandmother?”
“Months ago. She approves.”
“Well, she would do. Martha’s pretty fantastic.”
“I thought I was the one in love with her,” Mickey said.
Rose laughed, a sound Mickey hadn’t heard in so long he nearly crashed the car in surprise. “Watch out!” She yelped. He quickly compensated and got the car back on course.
Once back in the parking garage she leaned over and gave him a hug. “Thank you, Mickey, for not letting me fade away.” She hurried away from him while he checked the car back in. As she rode the lift back down to the basement, she tried to analyze the new feeling inside her and finally realized it was hope. For some reason, meeting Martha Jones had given her hope.
Ch. 4: http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/31276.html
The phone on Rose’s desk buzzed and she shook off the strange reverie that had fallen over her. She picked up the receiver. She refused to use one of those stupid ear things. Oh, they swore they were safe now, but Rose wasn’t having any of it. “Rose Tyler,” she said.
“Hey, Rose,” came the slightly out of breath voice of her best mate.
“What’s up, Mickey?”
“I’ve got news, wonderful news, fabulous news, simply mind-boggling news!” He enthused.
The excitement in his voice caused a small smile to flicker over her mouth. “So the news is good then, is it, Mickey?”
“Yes, it is. And I’m going to come down there and drag you out of that moldy old basement and take you to lunch with me so I can tell you properly,” Mickey told her.
“Right, fine then,” Rose told him. “See you in ten.” As she hung up the phone she looked thoughtful. She wondered what Mickey’s news might be. He’d been acting far too smug lately. Well, she’d know it soon enough. She appreciated Mickey a lot these days. He made sure she got out and about at least once a month. If it had been up to her she’d probably have stopped interacting with the rest of the world. Well, not her family, but definitely everyone else.
She finished up her analysis on the alien artifact, designating it as Rularian, non-weapon, medical. The thing caused a temporary 3 day force-field that acted as a bandage. The bandage could be as big as a body or as small as a finger. Something like that could be quite useful in the field. Or in a burn unit.
It had taken her a day and a half to figure that one out and they’d only given it to her because R&D hadn’t clue one after a month of pokes and prods. She didn’t know where her affinity for figuring out gadgets had come from. Her brain just seemed to work differently in this universe. It was like she could look into the object and see how it fit. The ability had come along surprisingly quickly after she’d started working for Torchwood.
She bagged it and tagged it and put it in a tube that she tossed into a vacuum chute. Depressing the button for Medical R&D, she listened while the tube was sucked upwards. It always seemed ironic that with all the technology Torchwood possessed, they still used something as simple and low tech as vacuum chutes. When she turned around she heard the lift ding at the far end of the corridor. She locked down her computer just as Mickey strode into the office.
He stopped abruptly as he noticed Rose wasn’t alone. “Oh, Mickey, this is Ian McCullen, my new partner. Ian, this is Mickey Smith, my best mate. He works up in weaponry.”
She watched as the two men shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. Mickey looked as if he were sizing the man up, something he still did whenever Rose was in the vicinity of another man. Rose found it somewhat endearing, though she and Mickey had long ago passed from the type of relationship where any form of jealousy occurred. Old habits died hard, though and Mickey was still very protective of her.
“We’re going to run out for lunch now,” Rose said. “Will we be going out in the field this afternoon?”
“Not until tomorrow, actually. I’ll explain it all when you get back,” Ian said.
Rose and Mickey rode the lift up in silence, Mickey shifting from foot to foot like an excited little boy. She could tell he was simply bursting to tell her his secret, but she pretended like she didn’t notice. They hadn’t spent much time together lately, just the monthly drag around. Her fault she knew, but it had been getting harder to leave work behind lately and just live her life. “Where are we going for lunch?” she asked him.
“There’s this little café across from the hospital. The food is really good there,” Mickey said. “It’s got an excellent recommendation from this doctor I know.”
“Bit far to go for lunch,” Rose said.
“I’ve got transport.” He ushered her out of the elevator and into the parking garage, leading her over to one of the small black cars staff could use. “So a partner, huh?”
“Saree insisted. He seems like a decent bloke. Maybe a little bit…” She trailed off.
“A little bit what?” Mickey prompted.
Rose bit her lip. “I don’t know. Out of sync? No, I’m not even sure that’s the word I’m looking for. But I’ve only known him for a few hours.”
“I’m sure its nothing. Everyone who works for Torchwood is a little bit off. We kind of have to be,” Mickey told her.
“You’re not wrong.” They fell quiet again and in no time at all they were standing outside the café.
Mickey hurried her inside and across the room to a table where a gorgeous, smartly dressed black woman a few years older than herself was sitting. “I want you to meet the woman I’m going to marry!”
“Mickey, you never said!” Rose said, a huge and genuine smile overtaking her face. “Congratulations.”
“Well, life’s been busy. Come on, sit down. Rose Tyler, meet Martha Jones.”
The woman gave her a smile that made her eyes sparkle. Rose liked her immediately. “Mickey’s told me so much about you,” Martha said with a laugh. “I feel like I already know you.”
“Sorry, I can’t say the same thing; the little sneak’s kept you a secret. So tell me everything there is to know about Martha Jones.” For the first time in ages Rose actually felt interested in another human being. Something about Martha just seemed right. Rose felt she could have a strong friendship with this woman, something she hadn’t had since leaving home and Shireen behind.
She’d tried looking up Shireen on this world, followed her around a bit to see if the friendship was worth trying to sort, but the girl had been so empty-headed Rose hadn’t tried to make contact. Had Rose been like that before? She shuddered to think so but knew it was a very real possibility.
By the time their food order came Rose found herself talking a mile a minute with Martha. Mickey sat back watching the two women with a self-satisfied grin on his face, like he’d always known they’d get on. With great reluctance they said good-bye with promises to get together again soon.
Rose was very animated on the drive back to work. “I love seeing you like this,” Mickey said. “It’s like having the old Rose back. So what do you think of her?” he teased.
“I think you did very well for yourself, finding such a clever, lovely woman. And a doctor, too. Mum would be proud of you, Mickey. So would your mum have,” she added softly. “Have you taken her around to meet your grandmother?”
“Months ago. She approves.”
“Well, she would do. Martha’s pretty fantastic.”
“I thought I was the one in love with her,” Mickey said.
Rose laughed, a sound Mickey hadn’t heard in so long he nearly crashed the car in surprise. “Watch out!” She yelped. He quickly compensated and got the car back on course.
Once back in the parking garage she leaned over and gave him a hug. “Thank you, Mickey, for not letting me fade away.” She hurried away from him while he checked the car back in. As she rode the lift back down to the basement, she tried to analyze the new feeling inside her and finally realized it was hope. For some reason, meeting Martha Jones had given her hope.
Ch. 4: http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/31276.html
