amberfocus (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
amberfocus) wrote2008-04-12 11:21 pm
amberfocus) wrote2008-04-12 11:21 pm
Entry tags:
A Life Unexpected (12/15)
Chapter Twelve: Looking for Answers
“That was my home, Saree. My home!” Peter Tyler was raging. The woman did not say a word, did not back up, did not back down as he came towards her. “You terrorized my children! You traumatized my wife, and my eldest daughter--.”
“We both know she’s not your daughter, Pete,” Saree interrupted quietly.
“My eldest daughter,” he continued as if she hadn’t said anything, “Disappeared. Literally disappeared right in front of my face. I have no idea if she’s living or dead. I have no idea if I’ll ever see her again. And if I don’t find out whether or not Rose Tyler is safe, it’s going to be on your head! Do you understand me, Saree? I brought you into this company and I can sure as hell throw you out on your perfect little,” his eyes narrowed and he quickly adjusted what he was going to say as someone else walked into the room, “Elbows!”
“Unfortunately they didn’t leave it up to you, Pete.” The woman who had entered the room put Saree’s perfect little face to shame. “Hi,” she said, reaching out to shake his hand. “I’m Captain Jack Harkness. I’m a friend of your daughter. In two universes.”
“Jack?” Pete asked, focusing on the least confusing aspect of the woman in front of him.
Jack rolled her eyes. “Short for Jacana, actually, but I never could stand it. Jack does nicely. Gets me in doors I might not otherwise get in. Why don’t you send away the eye candy and we can talk,” she said, gesturing rudely to Saree Goodwin.
“Get out,” Pete said shortly to Saree. “And shut the door behind you.”
When she had, Jack sat down in the big chair in front of Pete’s desk and propped her elegantly leather boot clad legs up on his desk. He sat down across from her. “There’s a coup going on in the halls of Torchwood 1,” she said. “Someone angling for power saw the possibilities of overthrowing you. He even got some good people on his side to support him. What he didn’t reckon on was Mickey Smith.”
“Mickey?”
“Your resident computer genius. Oh, he’s gone way past what he’s shown to Torchwood. He’s gone way beyond my girl, Toshiko, and that’s saying something. He’s been watching Rose’s file since she started working at Torchwood and he’s been watching Ian McCullen’s since the man was assigned to work with Rose. And he set traps. A few of them blew when Tosh was rooting around trying to erase things to protect the two of them.”
Jack smiled darkly. “Tosh and Mickey got together and we figured it out. Ian and Rose apart each have certain connections to the space/time continuum. Together, well things are getting dicey. Ian’s ability to access spacial shifting took a huge jump. And if I’m right, we’re about to see something happening with Rose and time. And that’s what Harrington Conrad was hoping to take credit for.”
“Harry!?” Pete was on his feet and ready to race for the door.
“Down, boy,” Jack said, looking at her watch. “By the time we finish this conversation, the coup will be over. Harrington Conrad will be but a name in the prior employees terminated justly files. And good luck to him finding work in any job higher up than dinner lady.”
Pete sank back down in his chair. “What about Rose? Is Rose okay? And this Ian fellow? He seems like a good bloke.”
“We’ve got people on it. Trusted people. This did not hit us by surprise. Ian can take care of himself. He can jump anywhere on the planet now that he’s got the hang of it, and he can do it without taking the whole building with him now. As long as he keeps a hold of Rose, she will be safe. And if not…well, we will find your daughter. And we will keep her safe. Rose Tyler is worth fighting for!”
***************************************
Rose and Ian appeared in the middle of a rose garden. Neither one of them could stay on their feet, both of them falling to the ground and laying flat. “I don’t know if I can take another one of those jumps today,” Rose moaned.
“I’m hoping we won’t have to. This is my Gran’s place. But it’s not under the name she goes by. She uses an alias to keep this property safe. It’s hidden under all kinds of dead ends and red tape, and possibly duct tape as well. She’s not one to trust bureaucracy of any sort, government or otherwise. She’s one to tell them to go and whistle. We should be okay.”
Rose rolled over onto her stomach to push herself up. As she did so she saw the stately white-haired woman approaching them. “You’re here,” she said softly. At first Rose thought she was talking to her grandson, but the woman’s eyes stayed on her face alone.
“He said you would come, but it’s been so long. And the dimensional shift, well I thought it would all be for nothing. All this time, keeping his secrets, hiding his treasure, keeping it safe. All for you, Rose Tyler. And now you’re here.”
Ian rolled over and sat up, looking sharply at his grandmother. She raised one hand to forestall what he had been about to say. “I know,” she said. “I have some explaining to do. And I will. But why don’t the two of you go and get cleaned up first. I’ll put the kettle on and make something to eat.” She looked up at the sun. “I don’t think you had much at the last place you were at before you had to run. And all that shifting has to burn up great amounts of your energy, Ian. Actually, before you do anything, go and drink some water. It’ll help mitigate the drain.”
She led the way into the house, showing Rose to a guest bedroom with its own bath chamber. “There’s clothing that should fit you in the closet there, Rose. And towels are in the cupboard next to the washroom sink. Take as long as you need. I know you have a lot of questions, but you’re safe here. This place is a little outside the perception of places like Torchwood.”
Rose was a bit bemused. The old lady was not what she had been expecting at all, but then Ian had said on more than one occasion that his Gran was something else. Rose would have to agree with that assessment entirely.
****************************************
The old woman watched as Rose entered the bathroom and then made her way into the kitchen. She shooed Ian out of it. “I’m only going to tell it once, so you scoot on out of here and get cleaned up.”
“Gran.”
“I mean it, Ian.” And she gave him the look that had made him back down from any challenges he had ever given to her as a child. Mutely he went off to do as she wished.
She put the kettle on and made some sandwiches. When the kettle whistled she pulled it off the burner. She made a quick trip down to the basement, ostensibly to get a new jar of Ian’s favorite blackberry jam, for Ian did love to dip his ham sandwiches into jam. But while down there she took a little peak behind a door she normally kept locked when Ian was in the house.
The object in the little room glowed brightly green. It looked better than she had seen it in a long time. Well, he had said the time would come. Looks like he was right after all. Really she shouldn’t have doubted him. In all the time that she had known him, the Doctor had always kept his word. This time would be no different.
Ch. 13: http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/35699.html
“That was my home, Saree. My home!” Peter Tyler was raging. The woman did not say a word, did not back up, did not back down as he came towards her. “You terrorized my children! You traumatized my wife, and my eldest daughter--.”
“We both know she’s not your daughter, Pete,” Saree interrupted quietly.
“My eldest daughter,” he continued as if she hadn’t said anything, “Disappeared. Literally disappeared right in front of my face. I have no idea if she’s living or dead. I have no idea if I’ll ever see her again. And if I don’t find out whether or not Rose Tyler is safe, it’s going to be on your head! Do you understand me, Saree? I brought you into this company and I can sure as hell throw you out on your perfect little,” his eyes narrowed and he quickly adjusted what he was going to say as someone else walked into the room, “Elbows!”
“Unfortunately they didn’t leave it up to you, Pete.” The woman who had entered the room put Saree’s perfect little face to shame. “Hi,” she said, reaching out to shake his hand. “I’m Captain Jack Harkness. I’m a friend of your daughter. In two universes.”
“Jack?” Pete asked, focusing on the least confusing aspect of the woman in front of him.
Jack rolled her eyes. “Short for Jacana, actually, but I never could stand it. Jack does nicely. Gets me in doors I might not otherwise get in. Why don’t you send away the eye candy and we can talk,” she said, gesturing rudely to Saree Goodwin.
“Get out,” Pete said shortly to Saree. “And shut the door behind you.”
When she had, Jack sat down in the big chair in front of Pete’s desk and propped her elegantly leather boot clad legs up on his desk. He sat down across from her. “There’s a coup going on in the halls of Torchwood 1,” she said. “Someone angling for power saw the possibilities of overthrowing you. He even got some good people on his side to support him. What he didn’t reckon on was Mickey Smith.”
“Mickey?”
“Your resident computer genius. Oh, he’s gone way past what he’s shown to Torchwood. He’s gone way beyond my girl, Toshiko, and that’s saying something. He’s been watching Rose’s file since she started working at Torchwood and he’s been watching Ian McCullen’s since the man was assigned to work with Rose. And he set traps. A few of them blew when Tosh was rooting around trying to erase things to protect the two of them.”
Jack smiled darkly. “Tosh and Mickey got together and we figured it out. Ian and Rose apart each have certain connections to the space/time continuum. Together, well things are getting dicey. Ian’s ability to access spacial shifting took a huge jump. And if I’m right, we’re about to see something happening with Rose and time. And that’s what Harrington Conrad was hoping to take credit for.”
“Harry!?” Pete was on his feet and ready to race for the door.
“Down, boy,” Jack said, looking at her watch. “By the time we finish this conversation, the coup will be over. Harrington Conrad will be but a name in the prior employees terminated justly files. And good luck to him finding work in any job higher up than dinner lady.”
Pete sank back down in his chair. “What about Rose? Is Rose okay? And this Ian fellow? He seems like a good bloke.”
“We’ve got people on it. Trusted people. This did not hit us by surprise. Ian can take care of himself. He can jump anywhere on the planet now that he’s got the hang of it, and he can do it without taking the whole building with him now. As long as he keeps a hold of Rose, she will be safe. And if not…well, we will find your daughter. And we will keep her safe. Rose Tyler is worth fighting for!”
***************************************
Rose and Ian appeared in the middle of a rose garden. Neither one of them could stay on their feet, both of them falling to the ground and laying flat. “I don’t know if I can take another one of those jumps today,” Rose moaned.
“I’m hoping we won’t have to. This is my Gran’s place. But it’s not under the name she goes by. She uses an alias to keep this property safe. It’s hidden under all kinds of dead ends and red tape, and possibly duct tape as well. She’s not one to trust bureaucracy of any sort, government or otherwise. She’s one to tell them to go and whistle. We should be okay.”
Rose rolled over onto her stomach to push herself up. As she did so she saw the stately white-haired woman approaching them. “You’re here,” she said softly. At first Rose thought she was talking to her grandson, but the woman’s eyes stayed on her face alone.
“He said you would come, but it’s been so long. And the dimensional shift, well I thought it would all be for nothing. All this time, keeping his secrets, hiding his treasure, keeping it safe. All for you, Rose Tyler. And now you’re here.”
Ian rolled over and sat up, looking sharply at his grandmother. She raised one hand to forestall what he had been about to say. “I know,” she said. “I have some explaining to do. And I will. But why don’t the two of you go and get cleaned up first. I’ll put the kettle on and make something to eat.” She looked up at the sun. “I don’t think you had much at the last place you were at before you had to run. And all that shifting has to burn up great amounts of your energy, Ian. Actually, before you do anything, go and drink some water. It’ll help mitigate the drain.”
She led the way into the house, showing Rose to a guest bedroom with its own bath chamber. “There’s clothing that should fit you in the closet there, Rose. And towels are in the cupboard next to the washroom sink. Take as long as you need. I know you have a lot of questions, but you’re safe here. This place is a little outside the perception of places like Torchwood.”
Rose was a bit bemused. The old lady was not what she had been expecting at all, but then Ian had said on more than one occasion that his Gran was something else. Rose would have to agree with that assessment entirely.
****************************************
The old woman watched as Rose entered the bathroom and then made her way into the kitchen. She shooed Ian out of it. “I’m only going to tell it once, so you scoot on out of here and get cleaned up.”
“Gran.”
“I mean it, Ian.” And she gave him the look that had made him back down from any challenges he had ever given to her as a child. Mutely he went off to do as she wished.
She put the kettle on and made some sandwiches. When the kettle whistled she pulled it off the burner. She made a quick trip down to the basement, ostensibly to get a new jar of Ian’s favorite blackberry jam, for Ian did love to dip his ham sandwiches into jam. But while down there she took a little peak behind a door she normally kept locked when Ian was in the house.
The object in the little room glowed brightly green. It looked better than she had seen it in a long time. Well, he had said the time would come. Looks like he was right after all. Really she shouldn’t have doubted him. In all the time that she had known him, the Doctor had always kept his word. This time would be no different.
Ch. 13: http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/35699.html