when you're young, you just run

by romanticinpanic, simplystardust (romanticinpanic)

Summary:

Rose left the Doctor after he abandoned her and Mickey in the future for five and a half hours. Five years later, Rose has been living a relatively uneventful life when one John Pond crashed into her life and heart.
.
.
.
Eleven/Rose
Human Nature/Family of Blood AU

Notes:

This whole fic is inspired by this post: https://eccleston.tumblr.com/post/615504752623648768/what-i-would-write-if-i-was-a-fanfic.

2021 Update: Whenever I feature/discuss Mickey, know that I am featuring purely the fictional character, divorcing it completely from the real life actor and his actions, which I denounce. I stand with the women making accusations against Noel Clarke.

Chapter 1: Prologue

Unknown Area of Space, Unknown Time

----------------------------

Amy, Rory, and the Doctor ran into the Tardis. Blasts from an energy weapon whizzed past them. The Tardis doors slammed shut.

The Doctor began to frantically work the console as a familiar wheezing sound started.

He looked up at Amy and Rory with an intense look on his face and asked, “Did they see you? This is very important. Did they see you?”.

“I don’t think so”, Amy panted, still out of breath from running. Rory shook his head.

The Doctor checked a monitor and gritted his teeth.

“They’re following us.”

“How?”, Amy questioned. “This is a time machine.”

“They’ve got a vortex manipulator. They can follow us through all of space and time.”

“Who are “they” anyways?” Rory asked.

“They’re a group called the Family of Blood. Their species has no solid form and die within a matter of months. However, the Family of Blood want immortality. So, they kill and possess bodies, temporarily extending their lifespan. But, they must’ve sensed my time lord biology and realized they could live far longer with my body.”

“And they can follow us anywhere in the universe?”, asked Amy.

“Yes,” the Doctor sighed. “But there is good news. First, regardless of how many other bodies they possess, they will die soon in a couple of months. Secondly, they got my scent to track, but they didn’t see my face. So, all they’re looking for is a time lord. If we change my species and lay low until they die, we’ll be fine.”

“Wait,” Rory said, a confused look on his face. “Go back to the part where you change your species.”

The Doctor flicked a switch on the console, causing a headset to be lowered from the ceiling.

“Amy, Rory. Allow me to introduce the Chameleon Arch to you.”

Chapter 2: To kiss in cars and downtown bars

Summary:

"I've been spending the last eight months thinking all love ever does is break and burn and end, but on a Wednesday in a café I watched it begin again"

London, 2011
----------------------------

“Is that all the papers for today, Ms. Williams?”, Rose asked the English teacher she was helping.

“Yes,” the Scottish woman replied. “And please, we’re both adults, call me Amy.” Rose nodded in response.

“If that’s so, then I’ll be leaving,” Rose said as she got up and took her bag. Before leaving, she turned to the redhead and smiled. “Have a great weekend Amy.”

After Rose left the Doctor, she ran into Jack. While she was surprised, she was happy to see him, even after learning about his... issue with mortality. It was so nice to see Jack and Mickey finally get along together. After explaining why she left the Doctor, he’d helped her get a job.

Rose was now an emergency reserve Torchwood agent. She also helped catalog and analyze Torchwood files and data. When she had extra free time, she would volunteer at the local school.

They’d recently added three new staff members: a married couple, Amy and Rory Williams, and Amy's brother. Amy was an English teacher, Rory the new school nurse. The only one Rose hadn't met yet was John Pond, who was a science teacher.

Her mind couldn’t help but drift to a physics teacher with the same first name. It had been so long since she had seen that face. She swore she saw him for a second in 2009. It was on a busy street. He stood at the street corner, staring at her with a melancholy look on his face. By the time Rose noticed it was him, he was gone.

Of course, she saw things on the news and Torchwood files that she knew had to be the Doctor. The hospital on the moon, the incident at Lazarus Laboratories, and the scandal with the Atmos cars all screamed him.

Rose had seen the Tardis far more often than she’d seen him. London is only so big. Every couple of months she’ll turn a corner only to be met by the blue box. Rose had learned long ago that the only way to fight the urge to burst through the doors was to turn around immediately and walk away.

The first time she walked away was still the hardest. How long had it been since she left the Doctor? Rose glanced at her phone.

Oh. She had forgotten that today was the 5th anniversary of that day. Rose sighed. She needed a drink.

---

John Pond loves teaching, he really does. And he does love his students. But they could be... tiring. Which was why he was now at a bar on a Friday with a banana daiquiri.

As he took a sip, his mind wandered to the strange dreams he’d been having. Every night since he started his new job, he’d dream of fantastical journeys through time and space. Mostly he’d be the one traveling with Amy and Rory. But sometimes, he’d see through the eyes of other men who traveled with other people.

He was snapped out of his thoughts as a blonde woman sat down on the barstool next to him. He glanced at her, she seemed familiar. With a shock, he realized he has seen her before in his dreams.

Was that a sign to talk to her?

If he were to talk to her, how would he even start the conversation?

Hey, I saw you in my dreams?

He mentally scoffed before realizing that said woman started to take notice of his stare.

He decided to throw out a safe “Excuse me, but have we met before?”.

The blonde squinted at his face, “No, I don’t think so”.

John tried to probe if she had also seen him before.

“Sorry, it's just that something about you seems so familiar to me, but I just can’t place it.”

“Maybe you saw the posters? I went missing for a year in 2005.”

John’s jaw dropped. He did not expect that response.

“You did what?”

“It sounds much worse than was. I just went traveling on a whim and all my mail home got lost.”

“I guess so,” he held out his hand. Even if she had no knowledge of his dreams, he was still fascinated by her. “I’m John by the way.”

Rose examined the man for a second. He seemed to have good intentions, and if she was being honest, not half bad looking. She decided to shake his hand.

“Rose. So why are you drinking tonight?”

“Work, you?”

“Fifth anniversary of the end of my last relationship.”

John winced. “Did it end badly?”

Rose sighed. “Yes”. She started to tell a heavily censored version of the pseudo-relationship she and the Doctor had and it was shattered by him abandoning her and Mickey for Reinette.

John listened attentively as he ordered another round for both of them.

Notes:

Hopefully this is the last of the exposition dump chapters.

Chapter 3: Chase two girls, lose the one

Summary:

"I wish any time you said to someone, 'Do you want to be with me?', I wish they’d just say 'Yes' or 'No.' I wish they never said 'Maybe' or 'I don’t know' to you because you don’t deserve 'Maybe' or 'I don’t know.' I wish you never had to wonder if someone loves you back. I wish you never found yourself in a grey area."

SS Madame de Pompadour, Diagmar Cluster, 51st Century
----------------------------
“Mickey,” Rose said, turning to the man waiting beside her. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok,” Mickey responded. “You had no way to know that the Doctor would get him stuck in 18th century Fran-.”

“I’m not just apologizing for that.” Rose interrupted. “I want to apologize for the way I’ve generally treated you. Both while and after we dated.”

Mickey paused, slightly surprised. “Rose, I forgave you for that a long time ago.” He turned his head to look at her. “But thank you for apologizing.”

They both smiled.

“So… pardon me for asking, but what’s happening between you and the Doctor?”

Rose sighed.

“I really don’t know. We do have a…”, she blushed, “physical relationship but he’s told me he loved me. For the longest time, I thought he didn’t need to. That he showed it through other ways. But then he pulls shit like this and I just don’t know anymore.”
.
.
.
Four Hours Later
----------------------------
The fireplace whirred to life. Its fire relit, breaking Rose and Mickey out of their bored daze. It turned around to reveal the Doctor, jubilant. A relieved smile appeared on Rose’s face. He bounded over to her, enveloping her in a hug.

“How long did you wait?”, he asked her.

“Five and a half hours.”

“Great, always wait five and a half hours.”

Rose opened her mouth to protest this but was interrupted by the Time Lord.

“I’ll explain later, get into the TARDIS, I’ll be with you in a sec.” He said before getting back on the fireplace, returning to where he had come from.
.
.

.
The Doctor entered the TARDIS, reeling from the loss of Reinette. He walked through the
console room where Rose and Mickey were.

Rose called out to him “Doctor I-”.

He ignored her, continuing to head directly to his room. He was gone before Rose could finish her sentence.

Only when he arrived at his room did he open Reinette’s letter. The letter filled him with regret and sorrow. So he did whatever he did when confronted with such emotions.

He ran away from them.

He readied himself and tried to put on a semblance of his usual self. He walked into the console room where Mickey and Rose were deep in conversation.

“So what do you say we get out of here?”, he said as he fiddled with the console. “I say we go to Miniaron, lovely people, lovely cuisine.” He glanced at Rose and Mickey for confirmation, expecting them to be excited for a new trip. Instead, the two looked sullen and uncomfortable.

“Actually, we were wondering if we could go home,” Mickey spoke up.

The Doctor’s composure slipped for a second, though he quickly regained. “Sure, we can pop in on Jackie for a quick visit.”

Rose shook her head, “We want to go home and stay there.”

The Doctor froze. All he could muster was a quiet “Why?”.

Rose’s both confidence and anger seemed to increase. “Do you really not know why?”.

She scoffed. “At the school, you promised that you would never leave me behind. And you know what? I believed you. But when you leave us stranded for what could’ve been the rest of our lives, I just… can’t.”

She took a breath. “After things ended with Jimmy, I promised myself to never again waste my life on a relationship with someone who doesn’t love me. Even though you never said it aloud, I thought you did. But now, I don’t know.” Rose stepped closer to him. “So tell me, do you love me?”

The Doctor’s mind was racing. He really did love her. More than the moon and the stars and, dare he even say it, his TARDIS. But there were so many other factors. His responsibilities as a Time Lord, his fear of losing her, the still fresh loss of Reinette.

“Rose, I-”, he began.

He did what he always did when confronted with emotions like these.

He ran away.

“I’m sorry.” He looked away.

Rose tried to hide her disappointment. The Doctor silently flew the TARDIS, the ship’s telltale wheeze the only noise filling the awkward silence.

“We’re here. Powell Estate, 2006.”, he announced without his usual bravado.

Rose gave him a curt nod.”Thank you.” she said without a hint of gratitude. She walked out of the TARDIS door followed by Mickey, leaving the Doctor alone in the TARDIS.

He set the TARDIS to head to somewhere in space, far away from the earth, where he could mope to his heart’s content.

His plans for a pity party were interrupted when he looked up from the console to someone in the TARDIS.

A redheaded woman in a wedding dress had seemingly appeared out of thin air.

“What?”

Chapter 4: You drew stars around my scars

Summary:

"I don't wanna be just another ex-love you don't wanna see"

Rose could feel the morning sun coming through her flat’s skylight. She groaned and nuzzled into the warm body beside her. She wanted nothing more than to just stay in her warm bed for all of time.

Wait.

Warm body?

Rose’s eyes shot open to see both her and men’s clothes strewn around her room. She turned her head to see a handsome, young, brown haired man in her bed. Naked.

The events of last night flashed through her head. Drinking to forget the Doctor. Meet a stranger. Venting with said stranger. More drinking with said stranger. Stumbling home with said stranger. Drunkenly making ou-you get the picture.

Rose sighed. She reluctantly got out of bed, put on a robe, and headed to her kitchen. Before she dealt with anything she was going to make herself a cup of coffee.

---

The first thing John noticed when he woke up was his raging hangover. He groaned and clutched his throbbing head as he sat up.

The second thing John noticed when he woke up was that he was not in his own bed. He seemed to be in a woman’s room. Before he could think about why he was in a bedroom he’d never seen before without any clothes on, the door to the room swung open. It revealed a pretty, blonde girl holding two mugs of coffee. Suddenly the events of last night came to him in a rush.

The girl, who he was pretty sure was named Rose, handed him one of the mugs. “Normally I’d give you tea, but I figured you’d prefer something a little stronger.”

He accepted the drink with a curt thank you. The two then sat in awkward silence for a minute, avoiding each other’s gazes.

“I’m sorry,” John confessed. “I’ve never really been in a situation like this before.”

Rose gave a small chuckle. “Don’t worry, neither have I.”

“Do you want me to leave?”

Rose looked down. “Actually… I was hoping you would stay.”

“Oh,” he said, slightly surprised yet interested. “Really?”

“It’s just I haven’t felt a connection like this in years,” she blushed. “And now that I’ve felt it, I don’t want to let it go that easily.”

John smiled. “How about we go on a real date?”

“I’d like that.”

They agreed to meet tomorrow morning at a local coffee shop. After John got dressed, they exchanged numbers.

“I’ve got to go now,” John said. “My roommates must be worried sick about where I am.”

Rose escorted him to her flat's door. The moment John closed the door Rose collapsed onto her couch, feeling like a giddy schoolgirl.

Chapter 5: But now I'm bleedin'

Summary:

"Your close friends always seem to know"

When John came back home, he was greeted by the sight of Amy and Rory sitting at their kitchen table, stern looks on their faces.

“Where were you?” asked his adopted sister. While she was angry, her tone indicated she was more worried than anything.

John blushed. “Sorry, I got sidetracked.”

“Sidetracked?” Amy replied, her Scottish voice raising. “Whatever could possibly cause you to take an entire night to get a drink!”

A look of realization suddenly appeared on Rory’s face, who had been quietly observing the situation.

“Amy,” he said softly. “He wasn’t sidetracked by something, but by someone.” He gestured to John’s disheveled hair and missing overcoat.

“What?” she said as she reexamined her “brother”.

“Wait how-? Who-?” she began.

She sighed and looked down. “You know what? I really don’t want to hear about my bes-brother’s sex life. Just please tell me you used protection.”

John’s lighted flushed face became scarlet, but he gave a small nod. This gave Amy some relief and she left for her and Rory’s room to grade papers.

“You know,” Rory commented. “I really didn't peg you as the type to have a one night stand.’

“About that…”

---

Rose’s euphoria was interrupted by a knock at her door. She cautiously opened it.

“Jack?” she said, embracing him. “Why are you here?”

“Can’t I just want to see you?”, he responded with mock indignation. He stepped inside.

“I actually came by to give you some files.” He handed her a packet and a flash drive. “We intel that the Family of Blood will soon land in the London area.”

“Why are you directly informing me about this, will the wolf be needed?”

“No, at least we don’t think so. It’s just that they use the bodies of their victims as disguises, so we need all the eyes we can get. Also since they feed on and sense life energy I figured I ought to give you a heads up.”

Rose nodded and began to skim the packet. While she did so, Jack leisurely surveyed her living room. Now to the ordinary person, it would seem like nothing was amiss. While calling Jack Harkness an ordinary person is just flat out wrong, doing so also forgets three critical pieces of information.

1. Jack knows Rose very well.
2. Jack had been trying to get Rose to see someone for the past 5 years.
3. Jack is as close as one can get to an expert in one night stands.

Jack started to notice little things: some things knocked over, Rose’s disheveledness at 10 in the morning, two used coffee cups in the sink. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw an unfamiliar man’s jacket draped on a chair.

“Oh my god.”

“What?”, Rose looked up at him.

“You slept with someone!” he said with far too much glee.

Rose only hid her face in her hands in response.

Jack took this as a yes.

He clutched his chest in mock pride. “My best friend’s finally getting some.” He wiped away an imaginary tear.

“Oh, I’ve got to text the Smiths this.”

Chapter 6: I knew you'd linger like a tattoo kiss

Summary:

"We all know now, we all got crowns"

Notes:

Ok, so in this story River is not the same as in canon. All you need to know is that she and the Doctor are in no way romantically connected in this universe, and try not to think too hard how much it would change everything else.

“I’m so glad you're here.”, Amy said as she embraced River. She had called her up to get advice.

“When are you?”

“Last time I saw you, you regenerated into this version. You?”

“In the middle of getting my degree.”

“Oh, I hope we’re not distracting you from your studies.”

“Don’t worry about it, we’re on break. So where is ‘John’?”

“Well you see, he’s expecting his sister and family friend Mel, who happened to be in town,” Amy gestured at River. “To meet his girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?”

“For the past two weeks, he’s been dating a woman named Rose. Nice girl, she sometimes volunteers at the school. Do you know if she’s in his future?”

River shook her head. “I haven’t met or heard him talk about a Rose, but then again, it's still very early for me.”

Amy frowned. “Too bad. I’d hate to see her heart get broken by the Doctor.”

---

Amy and River knocked on the door of the address they’d been given. It was a mundane looking flat. Its door was opened by John.

“Melody!”, he exclaimed and embraced her. “It’s been so long.”

Amy jokingly pulled a face. “What am I, chopped liver?” The “siblings” chuckled and embraced as well.

“Do come in!”

Inside the flat was Rose. She was scowling at her phone. She glanced up, catching sight of the two visitors. Her face broke out in a grin.

“It’s always good to see you, Amy.” She gave her a brief hug. “And… Melody right?”

River nodded and they shook hands. She looked Rose up and down. She was very pretty. If River hadn’t already known that she had a boyfriend, then she wouldn’t be opposed to throwing her own hat in the ring.

“Would you like some tea?”, Rose asked, breaking River's train of thought.

---

Two Hours Later
----------------------------
Amy looked down at her watch. “I promised Rory I would cook tonight and I’ve got to head home now.”

John got up. “I’ll walk you two home.”

“Actually,” Rose interrupted. “I was hoping Melody could stay behind for a bit. I wanted to talk to her privately about something.”

John looked toward Amy, who simply shrugged. She knew River could handle herself.

After John and Amy had left, River turned to Rose. “So what did you want to talk about?”

Rose gestured at River to come follow her and led her to the kitchen. Rose opened a cupboard. She took a white plastic object out.

“I’m sorry,” she said to River. “But could you get the striped dishtowel for me? Second shelf.”

River was confused why Rose asked her to do so but nevertheless reached up to grab it.

*CLICK*

The moment River was close enough to the cupboard, Rose used the white object she took out earlier (which in hindsight River slapped herself for not recognizing them as Mark 36 Kalukian Handcuffs) and handcuffed both of her hands to the cupboard.

“At least buy me dinner first!” River quipped in an attempt to hide her panic. Rose knelt down and took River’s sonic blaster, which had been concealed in her boot. She placed it on the table next to them.

“So tell me, what’s a girl with triple-stranded DNA doing in a place like this?”

“How about we make a deal? I tell you who I really am and why my biology is different if you tell me who you really are, how you knew I was different, and why you have handcuffs from three galaxies over.”

Rose seemed to think about it for a second before nodding. “Rose Tyler. Reserve Torchwood agent. Manager of Project Bad Wolf. These handcuffs and non-human detection systems are standard in any agent’s home, active or not.”

“What’s Project Bad Wolf?”

“Not part of the deal. Your turn.”

River sighed. “River Song. Woman of many titles and talents. Traveler of space and time. Mostly human with a little Time Lord in me because of the circumstances of my conception.”

This made Rose freeze. “You said… Time Lord? You wouldn’t happen to know the Doctor?”

River nodded. “Yes, we're fairly good friends.”

“Then I think you ought to know what Project Bad Wolf is.” This piqued River’s interest. At the same time, Rose began to take the handcuffs off. “Bad Wolf is a weapon. One that I take care of. It is unfathomably powerful, but it’s only used in the rarest of occasions to avoid word and want of it spreading. It’s only been used once before. Since then it’s been agreed that it will only be used if we have definite proof that the Doctor will beyond doubt not be coming.”

Rose looked the now freed River in the eye. “This is a matter of utmost secrecy.” Her eyes softened, “and if you ever think that the day to use it has come: let me know.”

As River left Rose’s flat for Amy, Rory, and the Doctor’s house, she decided that she would not be telling Amy about this.

---

Later in the evening, John and Rose were on a walk in Hyde Park. The moonlight gave everything an ethereal appearance, which Rose tried to focus on and clear her mind from her encounter with River.

Rose smiled and turned her head to talk to John. “So now that I’ve met your sister and Melody, do you want to meet my mother?”

John didn’t know why, but he felt a wave of dread pass through him and subconsciously touched his cheek. “How about let’s start with me meeting some of your friends? I don’t think I’m ready for your mother yet.”

Rose nodded. “I’ll talk with them. Maybe we could all go out for a meal; you, me, them, Amy and Rory.”

“I’d like that.”

Notes:

I’m just gonna pop in to patch some plot holes. The reason “Project Bad Wolf” wasn’t used in the year that never was (season 3 finale) or the pandorica opens (season 5 finale) in this universe  is because the power of Bad Wolf comes from the TARDIS. So if the TARDIS is exploding or a paradox machine (like in these episodes), Bad Wolf is pretty useless.

Chapter 7: I knew you'd haunt all of my what-ifs

Summary:

"They say I did something bad, then why's it feel so good?"

Notes:

This is the last chapter I'm posting before school starts, so afterwards updates may become more sporadic, but they'll still be coming.

David Stevens was driving home from his job, teaching science in the city. He absentmindedly drove down the dirt path as he listened to the radio play some bubblegum pop song. His bobbing to the song was interrupted by a brilliant green meteor crossing the sky. It landed in the woods beside the road.

He pulled over. Photos and objects from/of the site would be good for lessons. Without a second thought, he entered the woods.

He walked to the area he thought it landed in, a clearing. Strange, he thought. Something had definitely landed here, but there was no crater, much less an actual meteorite. Disappointed, he was about to leave when he ran into an invisible wall.

He stared in shock. Clutching his head in one hand, he used his other hand to trace the wall. Eventually, he found a door. It was unlocked. His curiosity was burning. Against his better judgment, he entered the invisible ship.

---

“How was your day?” asked Leah Stevens after kissing her husband on the cheek.

“I saw a strange place on my way home. I want to show it to you.”

Leah nodded absently as she pulled a casserole from the oven. “How about you show me on Saturday?”

“I want to show it to you now.”

Leah gave him a puzzled expression. “Ok, but first let’s have our dinner.”

“No, now!” yelled the body that formerly belonged to David Stevens. A chill ran up Leah’s spine. He grabbed Leah’s wrist and harshly pulled, causing her to drop the casserole. He dragged the now paralyzed with fear Leah to his car, driving back to the rest of the family.

---

Mr. Stevens was acting very strange today, thought Nancy Jackson. He kept on having to be reminded of things and when he entered the classroom, he sniffed. Not a little “I’ve got a cold” sniff or even an “I’m better than you” sniff. It was a proper “trying to smell something” sniff. It was weird.

Nancy’s train of thought was broken when Peter Lewis from the desk in front of her answered a question wrong.

“Too bad daddy’s money can’t buy you a brain,” she half-whispered at him.

He leaned back in his chair. “At least my father still loves me.”

“Asshole.”

“Nerd.”

“Now what do we have here?”. Both students jumped at their teacher’s voice. Engrossed in their conversation, they hadn't noticed that Mr. Stevens had spotted them. They both looked down, chided. “See me after class,” he said to both of them.

---

The class was over. All but two of the students had left the classroom, leaving Peter and Nancy with Mr. Stevens.

“You wanted to see us?” asked Nancy.

“Yes,” answered Mr. Stevens. “I must discuss your behavior. You two act like squabbling siblings.” He smiled to himself. The children took this as a fond smile, maybe remembering his own brother or sister. Little did they know how sinister the action truly was.

“Let’s walk as we talk. I want to show you two something."

Chapter 8: The smell of smoke would hang around this long

Summary:

"I've got a list of names and yours is in red underlined"

Notes:

Since the Family of Blood's title depends on who's addressing them, I decided that when referring to them in third person as the (most commonly used title). Ex: Husband/Father of Mine ->The Father

The Father walked into the school’s staff lounge. The family knew the Time Lord was here somewhere, but that’s where his scent ended. They needed more information, so it was time for some undercover work.

He tried to listen in on the other staff member’s conversation. They were mostly mundane, talking about problem children or other gossip, except for the conversation between the married couple by the coffee machine.

The conversation started like the others. The redhead mentioned, “So, John was asking if we would be free to head out to dinner tomorrow night with some of Rose’s friends.”

Her husband, the nurse responded with “Sounds good. Where will it be?”

“At that new Italian place around the corner. Cibo, I think?”

“I did want to go there before we left.” This was where the conversation started to get interesting. “How much longer are we staying anyways?”

“Only about a week more. I’m not looking forward to breaking the news to Rose, but I can’t wait to not have to do all this hiding anymore.”

It was at this point that they noticed that The Father was staring at them. They jumped.

“How was your day Dave?” asked the man, awkwardly.

“It was fine”, The Father replied.

“That’s good to hear, we’ll be heading home now.” the woman responded. As they turned to head out of the room, The Father smelled them.

Human.

But still, the timeline in their conversation matched up with The Family’s own timeline. There was definitely something there worth investigating, so The Father discreetly followed them.

---

At first glance, the Williams’ house was fairly ordinary. As The Father looked through the window into their living room, nothing seemed strange. There was a coffee table, a sofa, and a TV. Nothing was exceptionally extravagant or shabby.

He was about to leave, thinking that he was barking up the wrong tree when he spotted it. On a shelf was a sculpture that vaguely resembled a humanoid female. Many would simply assume that it was simply an average sculpture, but The Father knew better than that.

It was made of Larossess, a metal only found in the Lenevar system. The method used to mold it was discovered in the 32nd century, so there was no way that the Williams stumbled upon it, thinking that it was some interestingly shaped rock.

It did not belong there and neither did the Williams.

At this revelation, The Father investigated further. He was walking around the building when he saw it. In the alley that bordered the house’s backyard, behind a dumpster, was a blue box. It had a perception filter, but when he concentrated The Father could see through it. It was the Time Lord’s spacecraft.

That confirmed The Father’s theory. Even if the couple were human, they must be the Time Lord’s accomplices. So, the Time Lord must be someone close to them. He thought back to their conversation. The Time Lord may be at the dinner. If not, it would still be a good opportunity to ambush them.

With his plan in mind, The Father headed back to the rest of The Family.

Chapter 9: 'Cause I knew everything when I was young

Summary:

"And you heard about me, I got some big enemies"

Notes:

Is it almost 1 am? Yes
Do I have online school tomorrow? Yes
Is this an update? YES

Noticing that John was nervously fidgeting as they headed to the restaurant, Rose took his hand.

“Don’t worry,” she said, smiling at him. “They’ll love you. They’re already happy that I'm seeing someone who isn’t like my exes, once they’ll actually meet you, they’ll adore you. Besides, you’ll have Amy and Rory with you.”

John scowled at the mention of Rose’s exes. He despised anyone who hurt Rose intentionally (like Jimmy) or not (like her unnamed last boyfriend). This train of thought was broken when the taxi they were riding in stopped.

They exited the vehicle together. Rose immediately spotted and ran over to a black couple in front of the restaurant. She embraced them.

“John, this is my friend Mickey and his wife Martha,” she explained.

“John Pond”, he said as he shook their hands.

The group entered the restaurant. They quickly spotted Jack, Amy, and Rory, who had arrived earlier and had already found a table. Those standing seated themselves and introductions were completed.

“So,” Martha asked John. “What do you do for work?”

“Amy, Rory, and I all work at the local school. I teach science, Amy English, and Rory’s the school nurse. What about you?”

“Mickey and I both do freelance security. Jack works in the same government agency as Rose.”

---

The two friend groups meshed well together. By the time everyone had finished ordering, they had all become engrossed in various conversations. Jack and Mickey were getting to know John more, Rose and Amy were discussing upcoming events at the school, and Martha and Rory were talking about their craziest ER shifts ("A man had gotten a barbie doll stuck up his-!").

That’s probably how they didn’t notice The Family enter. They were all there. The Father sniffed the air and located the Ponds. He motioned with his head and The Family stalked over, futuristic, alien weapons half-hidden by The Parents’ sides.

The Mother grabbed Rory and the Father grabbed Amy. They both placed the barrel of their guns by the couple’s heads. The Children stood menacingly next to them. A wave of science fell over the room. All gazed in shock at what had just happened.

“Oh Time Lord! Where are you?” The Father called out in a teasing, sing-song voice. “If you don’t surrender yourself, your little accomplices may get…”, he pressed the gun barrel harder into the growing paler Amy’s head, “ damaged.”

While The Father was giving his threat, looks were exchanged across the table. Jack and Rose silently confirmed with each other that from the guns they were using, that Amy and Rory’s hostage-takers were The Family of Blood, who they’d previously read about. Jack and Rose then looked at Mickey and Martha. A plan was wordlessly made. Meanwhile, John simply stared in confusion at his girlfriend and new friends' mix of glancing, nodding, and... was that sign language?

Rose counted down with her fingers. When she reached zero Jack leapt at the The Family, knocking the guns out of their hands. While he was successful in disarming them, The Mother managed to get a lucky shot in before he made contact and he fell to the floor dead. Martha began evacuating everyone else in the restaurant. Rose then immediately freed Amy and Rory who were led out of the restaurant by Mickey.

It was now just Rose and The Family. And Jack’s corpse.

Notes:

So long time no see! Sorry about that, school is time consuming. I can't promise that the next update will be any sooner, but as I said before I AM NOT ABANDONING THIS FIC. Anyway, happy Labor Day to all my fellow Americans, happy day in general to anyone who isn't one and stream Ice Cream and folklore!

Also thank you all for 70 kudos! Each one adds a year to my lifespan and each comment a decade

Chapter 10: I knew I'd curse you for the longest time

Summary:

"I can feel the flames on my skin, crimson red paint on my lips. If a man talks shit, then I owe him nothing. I don't regret it one bit, 'cause he had it coming"

John was very confused and overwhelmed. One moment he was enjoying dinner, the next his family was being held at gunpoint by his coworker.

Amy and Rory were dragging him into their flat (it was only around the corner from the restaurant), whispering in hushed tones about how “They found us” and “It’s in the drawer right?”.

John stopped in the doorway, causing Amy and Rory to look at him in confusion. “Why are we at home when Rose is in danger!”

Amy and Rory exchanged a look. Amy responded, “We can’t help her, but we’re getting someone who can.”

“Why can’t we? It’s just Dave with a gun, probably drunk or something.”

Rory answered this time. “Dave is not himself anymore, something else is controlling his body.”

“Like what, a demon or a ghost,” John said half jokingly.

“Try aliens.”

John looked at Amy in disbelief. “This has got to be a joke right?”. She shook her head sadly. “Well, then who is this person that we’re getting to help us?”

“The Doctor. He’s an alien himself, but he likes earth and humans and deals with these sorts of situations.”

“But why are we here, shouldn’t we be going to him?”

Amy sighed, “He’s already here.”

“Is he like invisible?”

“John, he’s you.”

---

Rose stared at The Family, who stared back at her. A few minutes passed as both parties scanned each other, trying to figure each other out. Neither was in a rush as no one seemed visibly armed.

While examining her, The Family took in her scent. She was not the Time Lord. However, her behavior told them that she knew what she was doing and something to say. That or that she was incredibly stupid.

Finally, Rose drummed up the courage to speak. “You’re the Family of Blood, correct?”

The Mother tilted her head. “Who's asking?”

“Rose Tyler, local human. What do you want?”

“Why do you care?”, The Daughter responded.

“You mentioned that you were looking for a Time Lord?”

“Yes,” The Father answered. “We seek his life energy.”

“Trust me, he isn’t worth it,” Rose muttered. Speaking normally again, she said, “So you’re looking for energy then?”

“Yes,” The Family tentatively responded.

“Well then let’s make a deal. You see, I lied. Bioscan me, not totally human. Once was, one time vortex later I’m… less human. But, you know what I am? Filled with time energy. Full on energy buffet. So how about I unleash that energy, you all gorge yourself on it. When you’re done, leave this planet and never return. Deal?”

The Family smirked sinisterly. They nodded, agreeing to the deal.

Rose closed her eyes. She focused on the otherworldly singing she always heard in the back of her mind. She and the family both felt the warm touch of Bad Wolf as Rose began to glow, flooding the room with a golden light.

The Family smiled as they absorbed the energy Bad Wolf was radiating. For the first time since their birth, The Family felt full. Not just temporarily sated, but full.

Suddenly they started to notice that Bad Wolf’s warmth had grown stronger and was beginning to hurt. The uncomfortable heat grew to an inferno as the energy was too much for them, burning up both The Family and their host bodies. One by one, each member fell to the ground with a scream.

Only when she felt all of their lights flicker out did Rose put Bad Wolf back to sleep. She sighed and turned around to check on Jack. She was met by the shocked faces of Amy, Rory, and John.

Chapter 11: Chasing shadows in the grocery line

Summary:

"Did you think we'd be fine? Still got scars on my back from your knife. So don't think it's in the past, these kinda wounds they last and they last."

Notes:

PSA: I shortened the title to just when you're young, you just run (cutting out "but you come back to what you need")

Also I originally didn't even think about a Tyler Slap, but @theblindgodess commented about it. I couldn't stop thinking and what am I if not a woman of the people?

“Look, John, I can explain-”, Rose began.

“I didn’t absorb all the vortex energy,” the Doctor said to himself in shock.

Rose squinted in confusion. “Wait how do you know about vort-”, her jaw dropped as she processed his statement. She looked at him with a face of utter shock. “Doctor?”

The Doctor stayed silent, but gave a single nod.

Rose gave a huff of disbelief. She looked down at her feet and muttered “Of course, the only guy I fell in love with after you would turn out to be you.”

Suddenly, her face hardened as she came to a realization. She walked over to the trio and looked the Doctor in the eye.

“This is one of your plans isn’t it,” she said, clearly hurt by him. “Get a new face, walk into my life, make me fall in love with you again. For what? For you to keep lying to me, to keep stringing me along, for you to roleplay domestics?”

“Rose-”, the Doctor was interrupted by Rose's palm meeting his cheek. The Doctor took this in stride, from the moment after he’d opened the fob watch, he’d been expecting the infamous Tyler Slap^TM. The Ponds however, had not. Their eyes nearly bulged out of their skulls seeing the usually friendly and amicable Rose slapping the Doctor of all people.

“Don’t ‘Rose’ me. You made it damn clear where we stood the last time I saw you. Now leave me alone.” Rose walked over to Jack’s body, put him in a fireman’s carry, and left the now desolate restaurant.

Amy and Rory turned to the Doctor, feeling very out of the loop.

“What on earth just happened?”, asked Rory.

---

Martha and Mickey were waiting across the street of the restaurant. They knew Rose could handle herself, but they still wanted to be close enough if anything went wrong. The moment they saw Rose exit the restaurant, they rushed over to her.

“I saw John enter, did he learn about...”, Martha gestured with her hands to try and represent the craziness that was Rose’s life.

Rose nodded.

“He didn’t take it well?”, Martha said, noticing Rose’s general appearance.

Rose let out a snort and gave an eyeroll, eyes brimming with tears. The couple winced.

“How bad was it and who do I need to punch?”, Mickey inquired.

“He’s the Doctor,” said Rose bitterly. “A new regeneration, but still him.”

The Smiths’ jaws dropped.

“You’re joking right?”, Martha exclaimed.

Rose shook her head.

“John Pond is the Doctor? The guy who thinks bowties are cool and teaching science to year 9s is fun?” Martha then pulled a face. “Ok, that does sound like him.”

Mickey looked Rose in the eye. He could tell the last thing Rose needed right now was Martha and himself fawning over her. “Is there anything you want us to do for you?”

Rose thought about it for a moment. She handed him Jack’s corpse. “Take this to his place. He should be back in about 10, 15 minutes. I need to spend some time with my Mum.”

The Smiths looked at her with concern, but obliged and headed to Jack’s apartment. Rose turned around to the direction of her mother’s house.

Sometimes in situations like these, you just need your Mum.

Notes:

And if anyone thinks Rose overreacted, try to think about it from her perspective:

Imagine having a really bad break up, finally finding someone after years of being single due to that relationship, only to find out that (to the extent of your knowledge,) it was your ex catfishing you

Chapter 12: I knew you'd miss me once the thrill expired

Summary:

"And I hate to make this all about me, but who am I supposed to talk to? What am I supposed to do, if there's no you?"

It was midnight when Jackie Tyler heard a knock at the door, rousing her from her beauty sleep. She grumbled as she walked to the door. “Whoever’s out there better have a bloody good reason for-”

Her remark was cut off when she opened the door to see Rose looking like a kicked puppy. “Rose! Oh dear, what happened? Come in and let me make you a cuppa.”

Rose obliged and sat down on the sofa with her knees up to her chest. As Jackie gathered the supplies for tea, she asked “So what happened? Did you and that John fellow you’ve been talking about have a fight?”

Rose nodded.

“Oh sweetheart,” Jackie sat down next to Rose as the water heated and reassuringly put her hand on Rose’s back. “Was it just a spat or did he turn about to be a piece of shit?’

Rose sighed. “I don’t know. We were having dinner with some friends. There was an alien issue and Mickey and Martha evacuated the restaurant so I could go Bad Wolf. But he walked back in when I was done and learned about the whole ‘can sometimes access the powers of a time goddess’ thing. And then guess what?”

Rose huffed and looked at the ceiling. “Turns out he’s the fucking Doctor. The next regeneration.”

Jackie’s eyes widened as she poured the water into a teacup. “And how do you feel about that?”

Rose made a noise of frustration. “I don’t know! One of the reasons I left the Doctor was because I just felt like one insignificant girl in a long line of humans he used to show off to and stave his loneliness. But now he returned and the time we spent together when he was John…”

“Doesn’t matter anyway,” Rose continued more calmly as she accepted the tea Jackie offered to her. “Whatever feelings I have don’t matter, he broke my trust by lying to me and creating a false persona. I cannot forgive such emotional manipulation.”

“Very well,” said Jackie. “Do whatever your heart tells you. I will support you no matter what way you go. Now get some sleep in the guest room, you’ve had a long day.”

Chapter 13: And you'd be standin' in my front porch light

Summary:

"I blew things out of proportion, now you're blue. Put you in jail for something you didn't do. I pinned your hands behind your back. Thought I had reason to attack, but no"

Notes:

This fic is more based on the RTD era where the Doctor was rarely slapped, and sorta ignoring the Moffat era canon where it becomes way more common.

River knocked on the door of the Tardis. She was surprised to get another phone call from her mother so soon. Amy mentioned that something had happened when the Doctor returned but said that she would explain when River arrived.

The door was opened by Amy who exclaimed, “River! Thank god you’re here. Please come in.” She grabbed River’s hand and led her through the console room, past the Doctor lying on the ground and staring at the ceiling, and in the direction of the hallway. “Ignore him, he’s been moping for the past three days.”

River was worried but followed Amy to the Tardis’s kitchen where they both sat down.

River glanced in the direction of the console room. “He doesn’t seem to be doing so hot.” She turned back to her mother. “Was it how the news was broken to Rose? How she reacted?”

Amy sighed. “We went out for dinner with Rose and some of her friends. The Family decided to crash the party. We ran to get the Chameleon Arch. When we came back, Rose had already dealt with the situation. Turns out she was a former companion. She and the Doctor had ended on a bad note. We didn’t have the time to explain the Chameleon arch to her, so when she learned that John was the Doctor, she thought he was using his new regeneration to trick her. So she slapped him and left.”

River gave a disbelieving huff and leaned back in her chair. “She… slapped him. Since I’ve’nt seen Rose in the Doctor’s future, I figured their relationship was doomed… but damn, what a way for it to end.”

Amy nodded. “Yeah, I figured that as well. Shame though, I really liked her. Oh, and that’s not even the craziest part!”

“There’s something crazier than the Doctor being slapped?”

“Yeah! Turns out Rose is like this time goddess called Bad Wolf!”

River suddenly paled. She muttered to herself, “‘Bad Wolf program’? Why didn’t I see it earlier?”

“What’s wrong?” Amy asked.

“I figured that Rose and the Doctor were doomed because I hadn’t heard of Rose in the Doctor’s future. However, I have heard the Doctor talk about someone he’s very close to, but has only referred to them as ‘Wolf’. When I asked him about it, he just spouted some nonsense about timelines and paradoxes.”

“She loves John, and I suspect she also loved the Doctor. So does this mean that the only thing that’s keeping them apart is that she doesn’t know about the Chameleon Arch?”

The two women looked at each other, a plan clearly forming in their minds.

“You thinking what I’m thinking?”, asked Amy.

“Head to Rose’s, clear up the misconceptions and convince her to come back to the Tardis?”

They both stood up, smiling.

“Dearest daughter, you know me so well.”

Chapter 14: And I knew you'd come back to me

Summary:

"Your kiss, my cheek. I watched you leave. Your smile, my ghost. I fell to my knees. When you're young you just run, but you come back to what you need"

Rose stood in front of the door, her hand was tentatively raised in front of her. The cool London wind whipped around her. Amy and River’s visit had convinced her to give the Doctor another chance, but would he even accept it?

Finally mustering up courage, she pushed the door open. Since Bad Wolf, she never needed her key. She stepped in to find the console room empty. She knew River and the Ponds were out having some family bonding time. (They'd also tried to explain River’s timeline. It was confusing, but hey, when was life on the Tardis ever simple?)

The Tardis seemed to warm at the presence of her wolf. Rose smiled. The Tardis itself was one of the things that she missed most from her time with the Doctor (excluding the man of the hour[s] himself).

She looked around the console room. It had changed a lot since she was last there. While her first console room would always hold a special place in her heart, she had to admit that she liked this one as well.

Rose walked around the rest of the Tardis, seeing rooms both familiar and completely new.

She was in one of the rooms filled with extra parts when she saw him. The Doctor had fallen asleep next to a pile of large computer chips. The grease and welding goggles still on his face and his haphazard position all told her that he must’ve accidentally fallen asleep after doing some repairs.

Now Rose didn’t know too much about time lord biology, but she knew that in order to fall asleep (especially unintentionally), that he must’ve been extremely tired. She fetched a blanket for him and decided to wait next to him, in the meantime reading a book the Tardis provided.

---

The Doctor groaned as he woke up from his unplanned nap. Opening his eyes, he was met by the sight of one Rose Tyler.

Clutching his head, he said “Hallucinations? I must be even more tired than I thought.”

Rose looked up at his words. “I’m not a hallucination Doctor.”

“Yeah right, that’s what all hallucinations say. Besides, like Rose will ever even tolerate my presence after everything that’s happened. I’m sure Rose-”

Rose rolled her eyes and pulled him into a kiss. The Doctor was stunned and sat in silence trying to process what just happened. After mentally going through every hallucinogen he knew, he was finally sure that what was happening was real. A smile broke out on his face.

“Rose!”, he cried overjoyed and drew her in for another kiss.

---

This love is good, this love is bad
This love is alive back from the dead
These hands had to let it go free
And this love came back to me

Notes:

Wow! This was the longest thing I've ever written (so far). So much has changed both personally and worldwide since I started writing this in June. I just want to thank y'all for the time you've spent reading, commenting and giving kudos.

xoxo