Tony ran ahead of John. John scanned the ground while still keeping an eye on Tony. John didn't want him to run off. Jackie would never trust him if Tony ran off while under his supervision.
"Find anything?" Tony called back.
"Nothing yet, keep looking."
"Alright...Maybe Rose found something. Let's go see!" Tony took off in the other direction. John followed behind, keeping good pace with the small boy. He was fast, but John knew how to run for distance, not speed.
Ahead of him, Tony stopped running, hands on his knees. He was breathing heavily. "Wait... Up!" He had trouble talking.
"Here, get on my back," John said, crouching down, back facing Tony. Tony climbed on to his back. Tony was a good kid. He was smart for his age.
"Thanks... Mister Smith..." Tony said, clinging to John's back while he tried to catch his breath. John stood up and started walking.
Tony was John Smith's favourite student, no doubt. Though he couldn't show it at school, he tried his best to show it away from the classroom.
John walked around a fishing shack and spotted Rose, a few metres away. He stopped. The strange man who Tony had been talking to and Rose were just staring at each other. Rose looked shocked, and the man was wearing a smile.
Tony slid off his back. "Hi doctor!" He shouted, and ran toward Rose. Rose broke the man's gaze to look at Tony.
"Hey Tony, look what the- I found!" Rose opened her hand to reveal a perfect skipping rock.
"Cool!" Tony said, taking the rock. He threw it onto the still water. The rock skipped a few times, making a small drip sound every time it hit the water. Finally, it plunked into the water.
"Look at what I did, Doctor!" Tony smiled brightly at the man, who smiled back.
John's eyes widened in realization. A strange man who had seemingly arrived out of nowhere, dressed in strange clothes. Tony had called him 'Doctor'.
This man was the Doctor. But John sure as hell wouldn't let him get Rose. He wouldn't hurt her again, not like before.
