Bigger on the inside: Space, Time Travel, Alien Criminals (A Space Time Travel Mystery Book 1)

by Alianna Smith

  “Your sofa is brilliant,” he said.

  She looked away and scrubbed the pot. “Thanks,” she mumbled.

  “I really should go.”

  “No, please don’t,” she said, putting the pot on the draining board, careful not to upset the plates and glasses she’d already put there. The overturned pot, however, moved after she’d let go of it, and the dishes beneath it adjusted with a deafening clatter. “Please,” Rose said after she’d made sure that nothing had broken. She dried off her hands and reached for the pot of hand lotion on the windowsill behind the sink. She looked so disappointed that he changed his mind. If he left now he’d likely fall into a bottomless pit over the call with Lucy, and Rose looked raw enough to need some company as well.

  “Let me,” he said, as she was about to massage the lotion into her skin. He took her by the wrist and pulled her into the lounge, where he sat on the sofa with one leg tucked under. Rose sat mirroring his position and held out her hands for him. He massaged the lotion into her hands, running his thumbs over the tender skin of her palms and the ridges of the back of her hand, sliding his fingers along hers. When he was finished he placed a kiss in each palm and inhaled her scent.

  “Thank you,” Rose breathed. She cupped his cheek with her hand and brushed her thumb over his lips. “Thank you for today, Dave.”

  “I’ve enjoyed it too.”

  “Something’s missing, though.”

  “What is that?”

  She kissed him.

  “How could I forget about that?” he asked, looking at her dazedly. How far was he willing to go with her that afternoon? He wanted her, but something held him back. It was too soon, no matter what his body told him. His reaction to the sheet and the water earlier had, in part, been a reaction to her. The whole situation had been so erotic that, had they not been so vulnerable and caught in their own emotional worlds, he’d have laid her down on that sheet and made love to her.

  He pulled her towards him. Just feeling her warmth against him was reassuring, and as he lay back in the cushions, he gave himself over to her and let her set the pace. He was careful not to drift his fingers over her scars, which seemed still a bit raw, and threaded his fingers into her heavy hair instead. Of course he grew hard against her as they deepened their kisses and the promise of more, the fantasy of making love to her, became almost overpowering.

  Rose stopped eventually and tucked her head into the crook of his chest and chin, sliding a bit off him as she rested her hand on his chest. His heart was racing, but he was relieved to feel Rose’s heart beat no more slowly against his arm.

  “This is lovely,” Rose said drowsily.

  He guffawed inwardly. Lovely didn’t quite begin to cover it, but for lack of proper words he hummed in agreement.

  “I was wondering,” Rose began after a while. He’d thought she’d dozed off, going by her much calmer and very regular breathing. “If we could arrange for some time off during the week, when we can see each other and just shut out the outside world?” She propped herself up to look at him.

  “You make it sound like an affair.”

  “I know. But doesn’t it feel a bit like it? We can take our time, of course.”

  “You’re worried about the others being ready for me to fall in love again,” he said.

  Rose bit her lip. “Sorry. That makes it sound even worse. I don’t mean to offend your family and friends.”

  “That wasn’t what I was thinking. I think it’s a good idea; it keeps things simple so we can get to know each other,” he said.

  She smiled in relief. “Yeah. My schedule will get busier, and I might have to cancel on short notice. But I’ll try to work everything around it.”

  “You don’t just work for the Heritage Trust Fund, do you?” he asked, remembering the investigation she had mentioned at their first lunch.

  “No, but I can’t tell you any more than that. It’s... standard procedure.”

  He sighed. “You’re a very mysterious woman, Rose. In a good way,” he hastened to add.

  “I’ll tell you, but until then you have to trust me and not take it personally when I cancel, yeah?”

  “Aye. Something might come up at home or at work for me, so same here,” he said, brushing back her hair to kiss her.

  And so they made plans for Wednesday afternoons to be theirs. Time together for lunch, or perhaps more, but mostly just something to look forward to. He didn’t want to gloss over the fact that he felt like he was betraying his family in a way. He needed Rose to himself to get to know her properly, to make sure that they were serious, that their relationship would work. Although he trusted Rose when she told him that she was seeing him and not the Doctor, he knew it would take a long while for him to be sure that she wouldn’t wake up one day and decide that he wasn’t enough for her. Conversely, he wasn’t sure if he could deal with Rose’s status in society and the interest it garnered. It wasn’t about him feeling inferior to her; he didn’t want to attract the general public’s interest, and he wasn’t sure how he’d deal with the attention that he’d undoubtedly get if word got out that Rose Tyler was seeing him. Neither did he want the bairns exposed to the media. Rita would have his head for it, protective as she was of them.

  But for now, he had Rose all to himself.

  Chapter 21

  Rose found it impossible to go to sleep that night. She’d gone to bed with a book, but she’d been unable to follow the story. At one point she had dropped the book onto her stomach and turned to stare at the pair of hand prints on her wall. Her breakdown, as well as Dave’s, still amazed her; it had done her good, and she hoped that Dave felt the same. He had looked a bit shocked when she’d met him in her clothes from her last day on Earth and her heavy make-up. When she’d put it on that morning she hadn’t recognised herself. The Rose looking back at her in the bathroom mirror was a completely different person, and Dave had reacted accordingly to meeting the old Rose. What she’d underestimated, however, was how much her body had changed. She had noticed that the clothes were loose, but she hadn’t realised how much weight she’d lost until Dave had gasped sharply. She had driven herself mercilessly; Mickey and Jake had told her frequently to eat more, but when she was in the middle of something she simply forgot about food. And then there had been the accident, and the two weeks in hospital.

  She sat up and leaned against the headboard, reaching for the glass of red wine on her bedside table. Taking off her clothes for the shoot had been surprisingly easy, and now that she thought about it, the idea of her scars being visible in the photos didn’t bother her that much. Maybe they needed to be seen. They were an important part of her; she had received them as she’d been separated, for good, from her old life. She’d have to call Dave to tell him not to edit the shots.

  Taking Dave’s pictures had been a very strange experience, embarrassing as well as arousing, particularly when he had hardened beneath the wet sheet as she draped it over him. The sight had sent a pleasurable shiver down her spine and it had pooled, much to her shame, between her legs, hot and titillating. Dave, in contrast, hadn’t seemed bothered by her nakedness at all. He’d probably just seen her as part of a work of art, whereas she lacked the professionalism to differentiate between the man and the subject of the photo.

  She had enjoyed taking his photo and applying the techniques and angles he had used when he had photographed her; she hadn’t seen much, but when she had been able to watch him, she had observed him closely. He had been so focused on what he was doing that she thought very few things could have roused him from his concentration. Being absorbed seemed the perfect caption for a photo of Dave working. She had fallen in love with him a little more then, envying him the ability to lose himself so completely in his work. When he worked, the stakes weren’t as high — she stopped herself. She was belittling what he did for a living, as well as his art. Saving lives and finding meaning in life (or making life just that bit more pleasant) just didn’t compare.

  Rose
just wished, sometimes, that the stakes in her job weren’t always quite so high. But she also knew she needed the thrill, no matter how fascinating she found Dave’s work and art. Today had certainly been about art, and about healing. It had been more important than anything else she had ever done before.

  She couldn’t wait for him to show her the pictures.

  On Monday, she found the remodelling of the Torchwood part of the Priory nearly finished. A large portion of the buildings remained empty for the time being since they’d decided to wait and see what other facilities they might need later on. There were a few bedrooms for guests or for themselves, when they were unable to go home for the night. There was a kitchen, bathrooms and a common room. Rose liked these rooms because they were bright and sunny and looked out over the river. The infirmary was nearly finished, and Dominic was beside himself with pride and enthusiasm. The medics who had come up from London to introduce him to the advanced medical facilities smiled at his boyish behaviour when Rose checked on them.

  Her office was finished as well, and although she’d seen the plans and animated models, the result still stunned her. While it looked modern and very professional it was a very warm, welcoming room. “It’s gorgeous,” she said, trailing her fingers over the inviting sofa. The wall behind it was still empty, and she wondered if Dave would sell her one of his photos. She’d seen some of them reproduced on canvas at his studio, and she’d really liked them.

  “It’s nice,” Mickey admitted, smiling from where he stood leaning against the door frame.

  “Oi!”

  Mickey laughed. “It is gorgeous. Perfect for you.”

  They looked at each other for a few moments.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” he said, emphasising the last word. He’d helped her with the Dimension Cannon, but he’d never made a secret of his dislike for her project. “I really am.”

  “So am I,” Rose said. “Come in and close the door, will you?”

  Mickey raised an eyebrow, doing what he’d been told.

  “There’s something I have to tell you,” she said, sitting on the sofa.

  Mickey grinned knowingly.

  “It’s not about Dominic.”

  “Oh.”

  “It is about a man, though,” she continued. Mickey joined her on the sofa. “Do you remember the man who helped me that night?”

  Mickey furrowed his brow. “Vaguely. He was very flustered, wanted to call the ambulance. He seemed nice — oh.”

  Rose smiled broadly. Although she wasn’t ready to tell the world about Dave, she really did feel like they needed to get to know one another first, it felt kind of good to be able to tell someone about him.

  “You’ve fallen in love with him?” Mickey asked sceptically. “The guy you thought was the Doctor?” She didn’t miss the underlying question: Do you think that’s wise?

  “He looks a lot like the Doctor, it wasn’t just my imagination. But he’s a completely different man,” Rose said, serious. She told Mickey about Dave.

  “Does Dominic know?”

  “I told him when we were in the desert.”

  They sat in silence for a while. “Are you sure it’s about Dave rather than the Doctor?”

  “Very. That’s why I need your help,” Rose said. “We’d like to get to know each other better before we take the next step — telling our families. That’s why we’ve decided to take Wednesday afternoons off.”

  Mickey bit his lip.

  “It’s not about... you know,” Rose said, knowing exactly what he was thinking.

  Mickey opened his mouth to say something but closed it when the right words wouldn’t come. Eventually, he settled on, “Five kids is a lot of baggage.”

  “Being Rose Tyler is a lot of baggage,” she retorted.

  He nodded. “I see. So what I do is make sure that you get as many of your Wednesday afternoons off as possible.”

  Rose smiled nervously. “That would be great, yeah.”

  “Anything for you, love,” he said, moving to hug her.

  “Thank you, Mickey.”

  “So, when do I get to meet him?”

  “I’ve asked him to work for the Heritage Trust Fund,” she said, and, when she saw his expression, she added, “He’s a photographer, and the brochure needs a new design. We won’t really work together. Plus, when the media ask how we met, I can give them a plausible story — plausible because it’s true.”

  Mickey nodded slowly, repeating his question. “When do I get to meet him?”

  “I’d like you to meet with him on Wednesday when he signs the contract, and I thought we’d have lunch together afterwards.”

  “As I said, anything for you, love,” Mickey said, kissing her cheek. “Just be careful, yeah?”

  “Yeah,” she said, smiling in relief. Until then she hadn’t realised how nervous she had been about telling Mickey about Dave. And then it had spilled out of her all at once. She just hoped that Dave and Mickey would get on. In the beginning Mickey thought the Doctor had stolen her from him although they both knew that things between them had been practically over before she’d met the Doctor. They had never fought and still spent a lot of time together, and there had been a point when their relationship had become more like a friendship with extras. Rose still had no idea if she’d been the first to realise and acknowledge the fact; she doubted it.

  Just after she’d called Dave to confirm the appointment to sign the contract and sent a copy of it to his lawyer, her mobile rang. It was Lucy’s number; for a beat Rose felt guilty because she hadn’t kept in touch with the clearly troubled girl, and she took a deep breath before she answered the call.

  “I’m with my father’s family now,” Lucy said after they had exchanged the usual pleasantries.

  “That sounds like a giant leap,” Rose said. “How are you feeling?”

  “It’s great,” Lucy said, but there was something in her voice that told Rose all wasn’t as peachy as she wanted it to be.

  “And?” Rose asked.

  “It’s strange living with two girls,” she said.

  “So you have two half-sisters now?”

  Lucy laughed. “Three, and two half-brothers. The youngest used to make me feel bad about being a half-sister. But Alice and Gemma are different.”

  Rose’s eyes widened. “That’s a whole lot of family you’ve got. How does your old family feel about you leaving? Do you still see them, at school?”

  “No, I’m in Edinburgh now. But I do miss them,” she added softly.

  “What about your dad?”

  “I rang him the other day.”

  “I’d suggest we meet to talk, but I’m a bit busy over here,” Rose said, cringing a little. She must sound as if she wanted to shake Lucy off.

  “I left after a fight,” Lucy said. “And I still feel bad about it.”

  “Did you leave because of it?”

  “I told Dad I hated Mum for leaving us the way she did,” Lucy said in a very soft voice. “I’m so ashamed of saying that. And in front of the others too.”

  Rose’s heart went out to her. “Lucy, sweetheart, that’s understandable. I hated my love as well, for leaving me.” Rose bit her lip. This was way too much information for the girl, plus it was misleading. But the truth was there had been times, at the beginning of her exile in this universe, when she had hated Pete for rescuing her and the Doctor for looking on and screaming instead of doing something... Doctor-y and saving the world and the girl. “It will get better.”

  “It’ll just take time,” Lucy said, defeated, and Rose’s heart skipped a beat. Hadn’t Lucy just told her living with her natural father felt great? “I was wondering whether to write to them, to apologise.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Rose said.

  “I was thinking of a letter. To make it more personal?”

  “And more sincere, yeah,” Rose agreed. “That’s a great idea.”

  Lucy thanked her, a relieved laugh in her voice as they chatted about life in Ed
inburgh until Jake came in to let Rose know there was an emergency. Although Rose was loathe to cut her conversation with Lucy short like this, the girl was very understanding, now that the reason why she had called had been discussed.

  As they were on their way to the port, Rose couldn’t shake the feeling that something about Lucy seemed very familiar and that there was something very important she was missing about the girl. However, she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was. The emergency demanded the whole team’s full attention until the small hours of Tuesday night. By the time they bunked down in the Priory’s guest rooms, Rose had completely forgotten about Lucy. When Rose went back to work on Wednesday morning her hair was still damp and she wished for nothing more than a few hours’ more sleep or the strongest legally available coffee in town.