The Time Shadow |COMPLETED|

Chapter 17

"Run!" the Doctor grabbed Shereen's hand, and dragged her outside the room. They literally bumped into the two people who were trying to open the door earlier; but which other option did he had? He couldn't jump outside the window. It was dangerous, not for him of course, but for Shereen. He could survive that.

"Stop them!!" Elizabeth demanded as she saw the two bodies rush towards the Torchwood exit. She yelled so loud that more than 5 soldiers gathered up.

The Doctor took a short look behind him, and as he realized which crowd was following him and Shereen, he speeded up.
He loved running so more, although this wasn't quietly the situation he was trying to be into at the moment. And Shereen was there as well, her hot hand holding his with strenght. She even laughed as they almost reached the Tardis again; wasn't she brilliant?

The two escaped by stepping inside the Time Machine, and the Timelord flung towards the console to send them above the Moon. After all the pressing of buttons and shaking of the console room, the Doctor turned around, gasping. He looked at the black haired woman for a second, then bursted out laughing. She followed, finding his action rather funny than scary.
He tried to calm himself down a bit, when a flashback slightly shot his head. It almost felt like a deja-vú; like this had happened before. The running, the adventures, the laughing...the chips.
Rose...

"Shereen Black! Defender of the Earth! We just saved it, didn't we?" he rubbed the back of his neck with pride.
"I think we did!!" she jumped besides him, both her hands squeezing his arm, smiling.

The Doctor couldn't really understand this woman. Everytime, after touching his hand, shoulder or chest. Everytime after making eye contact...she seemed so right. Literally, right, pure and fresh. No wonder Rose liked her. His pink and yellow girl knew how to choose her friends.
His eyes widened remembering her name. He felt a slight feeling of shame inside his chest for forgetting about her there. He still needed to take her back home, aboard the Tardis, where she should be. He turned once again around and started flipping levers.

"What are you doing?" Shereen asked him as she noticed his moves.
"Well..one task accomplished. Earth safe. Second. Recruit our missing pilot."

The woman felt her blood rush and hunger intense at the sentence. "Yes! Rose! How could I forget?" she slowly hit her forehead, and the Doctor took a look at her. "I'll just go change my clothes and then meet you here. You're not going away without me. So wait up, okay?"
"Oh, okay. Seems I don't have any other choice, do I?" the Doctor felt his voice go deeper. He only wanted to rush outside the doors and wrap his arms around Rose, then drag her inside the Tardis. Now, he had to wait up.

Shereen made one step backwards to go towards her bedroom, but abruptly stopped.

"I forgot something." she said approaching the Timelord. She reached to his ear quickly, so that he can't protest, and by the time he closed his eyes, he fell down on the ground unconcious, the notes, the text and song still echoing inside his brain.

After she was finished, she streched her arms proudly, and smiled at the image. Shereen turned and ambled towards her bedroom, where she picked up some clothes and placed the Anti-Virus thingy on the bed. She pulled on some jeans, a T-Shirt and a hoodie, then sat down. One more step and she was finished with all this drama. Only one! One step and everything will become hers, just as she wished for.
The woman took a look at the Anti-Virus as it beeped and grabbed it.

Computer not connected. Procedure cannot be accomplished. Computer not connected. Virus not released.

Rose sank inside her bed, her feelings torn apart. She was still crying, and she wished a shoulder to cry on. But..she couldn't be a burden for her mother forever. She cried every night since that day. Every bloody thing remembered her of him, and she could swore she sometimes felt his smell and presence. How his hand perfectly fitted with hers, how he used to look at her; and he would sometimes just blush and look away, like nothing ever happened. Where was that Doctor? Her Doctor. The one whose feelings could be written in the eyes. The one with gentle careful words. The one with wide smile and dark eyes. The one with brown coat..
His memory always haunted her, and this drove her mad sometimes. Even at work, she would sometimes feel uneasy. She would go to the bathroom, cry, re-do her make-up, then retuned like nothing ever happened. Her boss would sometimes notice her statement, and he would try sending her home, but she would only refuse and keep on working with tears inside her eyes.

"Sweetheart, I am preparing some tea. Fancy a cuppa?" Jackie's face showed up through the slightly opened door.

Rose quickly wiped her tears off. "Yeah. Yeah, I would love one. Thank you."

She stood up and went to the window as her mother disappeared. The girl crossed her arms and with an empty look watched the outside world. It was dark, and bloody freezing. Only another 10 days to go until Christmas, and she didn't even prepared a gift for Jackie.

Maybe I should go later out. Pick something nice, Rose thought.

She ran one hand trough her hair, sighing. She cut it shorter again; and to be honest, she never really liked such long hair. Shoulders was good. Not longer, because somehow it reminded her of him.

Jackie put on the kettle and waited for the water to cook, then dropped in the tea. She took a quick look at the telly, thinking that the sound might come out of it. But it didn't. But it couldn't be, could it? He left her, why would he ever come back?
The blonde woman turned around at the noise inside Rose's room.

"Mum?" her daughter's eyes were wide open as she entered the kitchen. She was shaking, but Jackie wasn't sure if of sadness or happiness.
"No..Sweetheart, he left you. He is not coming back.."
"But the Tardis..is outside. It's him..he came back."
"No." Jackie placed the cups of tea on the table. She reached to her daughter's cheek to calm her. "He is not taking you away from me again!"
"Where are you going?!" Rose's voice high pitched as Jackie exited the flat.
"He's not taking you away again!!"

The girl followed her mother on the stairs, her attempts of stopping her only failing. Jackie went outside, as quick as she could, Rose behind her. When she reached the blue box, her hand only started knocking the hell out of the door.

"Jackie! Not the one I was expecting." the Doctor inspected with his eyes, but let out a very loud and painful sound as her slap reached his cheek. "Oi! What the hell was that for?"
"You are not taking her away from me!!" Jackie pushed him with her finger so hard, that he stepped backwards and she inside the Tardis. Rose still followed, keeping quiet. To be fair, the girl didn't really know what to do exept for accepting the feelings of pain as she watched the bigger on the inside interior and him...his eyes once again..his brown suit. She did wanted to hug him, but..no. Shereen was the one.

"Jackie. Erm. Rose!" his face lighted up as he saw her. He tried to reach to her, but Jackie grabbed him again.
"Don't you DARE touch her! "
"What have I done?!" his voice echoed inside the console room.
"What you have Done?! You are even asking that?! One whole year happened, Doctor!" Jackie shouted. "One whole year, you left my Rose alone! You broke her soul, that's what you've done. You dumped her, made her cry! All for what?! For you to return and steal her again?"
"One year?! Jackie, what the hell are you talking about?!"
"Mum!!" Rose finally broke their link as she saw everything tensing up.

The girl wiped the hair off her face and looked at the two. Her mother, visible angry and able to invoke a spirit from the death, and the Doctor, his confusion and slight pain in his eyes, turning towards her. Rose jumped a bit with annoyance as her so called friend joined in. She felt a bit jealous seeing her just drop in, hands crossed, looking silently.

"Rose?" the Doctor's voice called out. It was so weird to hear him say it again..it almost hurt. "What does she mean by a year?"
"You've been gone a year, Doctor." the girl spoke quick. "I am not going back. I am sorry, but I won't.. In fact.."
"Rose. No. What?! You need to come back!"
"Why would I do that? To only feel the pain inside my heart?!"
"Because I-"
"Need you." Shereen cut him off, slowly ambling towards Rose.