#12

Run For Your Life

Rose unclipped the lead from her dog's collar and flopped down onto the nearest empty bench, watching as her black lab frolicked in the long grass with the other dogs. He returned to her every so often with a stick or a ball for her to throw, but stayed away for the most part. She knew why. He seemed to be the only one who could tell when she needed time alone; everyone else, her Mum, Pete, Jake, they all kept her close. Ever since John had died, her whole family had had her on constant suicide watch, though it wasn't necessary. Unknown to them and unlike John, she couldn't die- God help her, she'd tried, but she just kept waking up. Some would call it a gift. It wasn't, it was a curse.

She was brought from her thoughts by the creaking of the moss-stained bench under the weight of a new person. Rose sighed and attempted to ignore the other person. She want sociable at the best of times these days, and this certainly was not 'the best of times'. Perhaps if she made no social attempts whatsoever, they would just go away; who was she kidding? This was London. No one spoke to each other anyway.

After a few minutes of silence, Rose's curiosity got the better of her and she looked over at the person. A man; not unusual. A man without a dog…in a dog park; a little unusual. A man in a tweed jacket and a bow tie; very unusual. She must have been staring or either looking at him strangely as he looked at her and smiled politely. Rose looked at the ground quickly, feeling a blush beginning to rise up her neck at being caught.

"Hello" he greeted cheerfully, which Rose added to her mental list of 'Unusual things about this man'.

"Erm…hi" Rose replied lamely.

"Nice day" he commented, looking up at the clear blue sky. Rose followed his gaze and realised for the first time that day, that it actually was a pleasant day. She didn't really pay much attention to the weather these days, but he was right. Despite the slight chill in the air, it was a good day to be outside.

"Yeah, it is a nice day, isn't it?"

"That your dog?" the man asked, nodding over at the lab trotting over to them both.

"Yeah, this is Jack" Rose introduced, and immediately saw the man's face contort into an amused grin.

"Jack?" he asked, still smirking.

"What?" Rose narrowed her eyes at him, petting the dog as it sat at her feet protectively.

He raised his arms in surrender. "I said nothing" he defended.

"But you're smiling" Rose observed.

"Are you saying that I can't smile? I have to look miserable all the time or I look suspicious?" he lowered his arms.

"Well no, obviously. But when a random man in a bow tie comes out of nowhere and sits down next to you in a dog park with no dog, you can't help but be suspicious" Somewhere behind Rose, what she assumed to be a low flying plane, could be heard.

"If you must know" the man began, looking over Rose's head before returning his line of vision to her "I was smiling at your dog's name. I had a friend called Jack" the dog looked up at the mention of its name.

Rose looked down lovingly at her pet. "I had a friend called Jack too. A long time ago and so very far away" she laughed to herself and looked back at the man "he was a bit of a dog himself. I thought it was fitting"

"I'm sure he would be flattered" the man smiled, looking behind Rose again.

"Probably" Rose couldn't help but shake the feeling of familiarity which seemed to come with talking to this man. She liked it. "I'm Rose, by the way. Rose Tyler"

The plane could be heard again, making the dogs bark. Rose didn't look round, though she could see by the look on the people's faces in the park that she really should. The man beamed at her, stood up and dusted himself off, glancing over her head. The sky began to turn dark, and screams could be heard in the distance but the man continued to smile and Rose couldn't help to mirror the expression. She turned to see something which should have made her want to run as far away as she possibly could; Rose felt excitement bubbling up inside her. A spaceship blocked the sun's rays and illuminated the sky with destructive lasers. Rose felt the man come up behind her and lean close to her ear.

"Nice to meet you, Rose" he grabbed her hand "Run for your life!"

And of course, she did.