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"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Rose is not intimidated by the scene in front of her; honestly, it was a common sight where she lived. To combat the situation, her voice is firm and sharp. In front of her, a group of four boys, no older than 12, surround a blonde woman wearing a long white coat. She looks bewildered, though not exactly scared, as they stick their hands in her pockets and search for a visible purse.
"Hey there little guys, this is not very polite," she says, in a tone that is at most slightly annoyed, like an aunt who finds her nephews making a mess. Great, a drunkie. Rose approaches, and the boys scatter with shouts of warning to each other, probably recognising a local resident.
“And stop trying to steal from some defenseless women, your coward little rascals.” She shouts behind them, running to the woman. It was late at night, Mickey stopped by his house to get new clothes and The Doctor stayed on the TARDIS, doing whatever maintenance he thought would keep her away from making too many questions, so she decided to drop by and see her mum. She happened to forget this was Saturday night so Jackie most likely was out with friends.
“What are you doing here? You're alright? You shouldn't be here alone and” she looks her up and down, hair messy, clothes crumpled, pitiful, lost look in her eyes “in this state. Are you drunk?”
“I have a friend who lives here.” The woman is not really looking at Rose, a pout forming on her lips “I miss her very much, but I can't really visit her when I want to.”
“What's your name?” Rose tries a gentler approach, the woman's voice is so sad that it makes her want to comfort her immediately.
“I don't remember.”
“Ok. What's your friend's name?”
“I don't remember!”
“Blimey you had a lot then.” The woman shrugs, sniffing.
“Sorry.”
“It's alright.” Rose looks around, she doesn't feel safe walking a stranger inside but she also knows she can't just leave a woman alone and barely conscious at night. So she makes the crazier choice. “Ok. It's so cold here, let's get inside. I'll make some tea and you can sober up.”
“I am sober, I just got terrible amnesia. I knew this could happen, god, why am I so reckless?”
“Yeah, I got a friend who's the textbook of recklessness, don't worry. Come on.” Rose leads the woman inside, the stairs proving themselves a nightmare, she thinks her rainbow blue shirt and trousers that don't reach are so stupid in an endearing way, tho. She wonders if she's an actress. Once they're inside, her mum clearly not there, the woman looks around, a smile spreading on her face, nevermind the mess. She sits on the sofa like she's familiar with the place.
“This friend of yours, how does she look?” Rose asks, making them tea. The woman looks up, confused, like she's thinking so hard it hurts. She holds her own hair, then looks back at Rose.
“Like… us?”
“Blonde?” She nods. “Yeah that's not much help is it?” Rolling her eyes, she puts the tea down, the woman grabs the cup, pouring honey like there's no tomorrow.
“Thanks. Your tea is amazing. Best tea ever, ever.” She drinks it all in one go, to the point Rose thinks she might choke or vomit or both. “And what about you? You look like you've been crying.” Rose immediately brings her hands to her eyes, feeling around to see if they're puffy, which, probably they are. Very red too. No point in denying it, especially to a drunk lady who wouldn't remember a thing by morning. The words slip from her lips like a broken dam.
“My reckless friend, that one” she gestures and she nods “he was a prick last night. He left me alone somewhere he knew I couldn't get back from and then found me again by pure luck, all because he was chasing this other pretty woman.”
“Oh, no.” She seems scandalized for a second, almost slamming her cup down on the table. “Your boyfriend sounds like an asshole. Also you're probably the prettiest woman I have ever seen. Why would he be chasing someone else?”
“Wow” Rose almost chokes with her tea, a smile unconsciously forming “Thanks, I guess. But also, I can't even be mad about it, the lady is dead.”
“Oof. Sucks.” The older woman tries to drink again, but there's no more tea. Rose gives her another cup. “He's still terrible tho.”
“I just wish he would talk to me. I know he's suffering and grieving for not being back there in time. But he won't talk to me, so I can't help.” Rose grips her mug, questioning herself why she was opening up so much to this stranger. She reckons maybe it's because the woman would forget everything in a moment or two, so it's ok.
“Yeah. Talking is difficult, I know that much. I have a hard hard time with it, Yaz tries so hard but I can't really reciprocate.
“Who's Yaz?”
“I don't remember.”
“Ok.” Rose breathes deeply, like this was a lost cause. “Maybe you should sleep a little, I bet you'll be better in a few minutes.”
“Your boyfriend anyway…”
“He's not…”
“I think he would never replace you or something like that. Probably he was acting without using his head and out of anger for something. Wrongly taking it out on you, of course. Right now he must be drowning in guilt for upsetting someone so amazing like you.”
“You don't even know me, lady.” Rose remarks, not with anger, just amusement.
“I know a kind heart when I see one. Plus, you have like, very big, beautiful eyes. No one can resist it.” She looks at Rose like she's being so serious, and Rose can't do anything but laugh at the absurdity.
“I'll grab you a cover. Please don't steal anything.” But she doesn't have the chance to do so, two pairs of very hurried, loud knocks plaguing her door. “Coming, oh my god.”
A boy and a girl stand at the door, he tall, expression stoic but concerned. She stands with her arms crossed and her foot tapping on the floor.
"Where is she?"
"Who are you?" Rose lifts her chin, placing herself between them and the flat, never backing down. She doesn't see it, but the woman looks at the two at the door and puts a finger to her lips, though even she doesn't quite know why.
"We're her friends. We've come to pick her up," the boy says, looking over the younger blonde.
"That's good, because you can't leave a friend in this state on the street. Especially in a place like this." She lets them both in, but the woman is already on her feet, albeit wobbly.
"They have a tracker on me, you know?" She says cheerfully, as if it's the most normal thing in the world. "In case I get lost, which is very thoughtful, as it does happen quite a lot.” They follow her out of the flat, the woman looking around once more, something dancing in her eyes. Rose watches everything attentively.
“Thanks for taking care of her.” The other girl says carefully and she looks at Rose as if she's trying to see something there, something more.
The woman grabs her hand, then places a gentle kiss on her knuckles.
“Thank you, thank you for being my knight in shining armor. Don't forget to think about what I told you. I'm sure he needs you.”
Rose feels shaken as the woman skips down the stairs, the boy shoots Rose an apologetic look while the girl follows the woman down.
In a couple of days, the memory will be nothing but a blur in her mind, no matter how hard she tries to picture the woman's face.