"You realize it's difficult to offer you a position, considering you don't technically exist."
Sighing, Rose resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. Maria Hill sat elegantly across the glass table with a thick black file beneath her fingers, eyes narrowed. So she doesn't have a license, it wasn't like Rose had time to pick up her birth certificate as she was falling into the void. "Yeah, dead in one universe, never born in another." Rose laughed, albeit nervously. Three years she'd been training for this meeting and now it was finally here Rose wasn't going to let paperwork get in the way. "But I'm sat in front of you, so."
A small smile blossomed on the older woman's face as she flipped open the file and skimmed the papers. Probably
an extensive record of the time since Rose arrived in this universe. Stopping on a particular page she looked up, tucking a stray stand of brunette hair behind her ear. "Why are you here Miss Tyler?"
"Well I was invited." Rose shrugged. "My knowledge is important to SHIELD and if it weren't for 'my lack of training' I would've been hired on the spot three years ago. Like my friends."
"You say 'lack of training' like you disagreed. Your original test scores were hugely below that expected of our agents and even now your test scores aren't perfect-" Rose bit her tongue and looked down at her hands under the glass table. Bunking off with Shareen clearly hadn't helped her IQ even if travelling with the Doctor had made her feel so much smarter. "-but they're good. We understand you are irritated, it's just," Maria's tone of voice changed and she leaned forward, the professional act being dropped. "You weren't ready three years ago. I know it must have been hard with John and Jack being so readily accepted onto the program but they are experts in one field or another. Your intelligence, stamina and combat skills all required improvement before you could join. We knew that. Anyway, look at you. You've done it."
"Three years, Maria. I failed." Rose muttered, eyes still cast downwards. "Twice."
"Third times the charm." Rose glared weakly. "Buck up Rose, the Bus leaves in two days." The agent grinned, closing the file neatly and leaving the small glass office.
Rose rubbed her face with both hand and huffed a laugh. After a beat, Maria popped her head back around the glass door. "Don't forget to say hey to Coulson." She called before promptly walking back out.
As the door closed Rose caught a glimpse of her reflection of herself in the glass door, sat at the table and wondered if the Doctor would even recognise her now. After her time at the Academy Rose had changed a lot. Her body was toned and athletic now, features more defined, even her hair had been cut and professionally bleached. She looked pretty far from that shabby seventeen year old eating chips on the bus. To be fair she'd been pretty far since then.
Reminded of the Doctor, Rose pulled her phone out of her pocket and sought out Johns number which happened to be saved as 'Doctor2' with a poop emoticon. It made John laugh at the time so Rose never bothered to change it.
Clear out the bunk next to yours. I'll be there in 48.
"Level eight." Rose smiled to herself, standing and straightening her uniform. "Finally." Finally she would be part of the team with everyone else.
Walking out of the room Rose could hardly control the bounce in her step, but she tried. It probably wouldn't be very professional to skip down the corridors of headquarters.
Still, it was an undeniable half-skip down the familiar hall to Coulson's supposedly secret office.
Coming to a halt at the door, Rose smoothed her hair and tried to control the energy thrumming through her body. Knocking on the large grey-eagle symbol (they seriously over used that thing) she pushed it open and stepped to the office.
It was small and much warmer than most of Headquarters. Not in heat- of course the entire building was temperature controlled -it was wood paneled and carpeted unlike the steel/glass minimalistic look that SHIELD usually went for. Not to mention the Avengers collectables and signed posters that framed the wall behind his desk.
They were sat on either side of the desk with equal grins on their faces, looked about ready to burst with pride. Rose couldn't stop the toothy grin that invaded her face, her tongue caught between her teeth.
"Welcome to the team." Coulson said, "Took you long enough."
If Rose didn't love him so much he'd've gotten a punch in the arm. "Shut up." She smiled before Pete jumped up from his seat opposite Coulson to pull her into an awkward hug, arms patting her on the back repeatedly.
"Proud of you." He said quietly in her ear, "But seriously, your mother is going to kill me."
Rose nodded and laughed as he released her. Yeah, Jackie wasn't going to be happy about the new life Rose was heading into, but when was Jackie not complaining? "Sorry not sorry." Rose shot cheekily at Pete.
"I can provide you with some mild sedatives for Mrs Tyler, if that's something you'd be interested in." Coulson offered from his desk chair, fiddling with a pen. Pete laughed but stopped suddenly, a calculating look crossing his face as if he was actually considering the offer.
Before he could reply, Rose leant forward on the mahogany desk, eyes widening in her best puppy eyed expression (it always worked on Coulson). "Can I have the backgrounds? I know you said not while I was in training and well-"
"I'll email them to you." The agent said warmly, "I'll send you some of the past mission reports too, they could be useful."
Rose thanked him and left as the two men started discussing the last car show Pete had been involved in, talking models, numbers and upgrades. It was weird at first, seeing those two interact, because they're both very similar people. Protect their own, leader types.
Pete wasn't very pleased when the initial merger began and Torchwood integrated with SHIELD, he didn't want to work with Americans, he didn't want to hand over all our history and he definitely didn't want to drop our name and take up theirs. But as ridiculous as the name Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division is, something changed when Pete met Coulson.
Rose had the feeling that whatever Coulson wanted, he would get. And Coulson wanted Torchwood.
As Rose climbed into the standard issue, matt black Shield jeep outside the building her phone buzzed:
That's Jacks bunk, good luck moving him
And then three more notifications in quick succession.
Scratch that he said you can share and congrats, told you you'd do good didn't I? :D Team says well done
He was joking
I think
Team. Rose's team back together. Granted the were a lot of new members in her team, but Coulson would email their files to her and she could read up on them. A couple she'd heard of through her time at Operations, Ward and May, but the others were complete strangers. Typing a quick reply, Rose buckled herself in before setting off the Tyler residence.
Tell the guys thx, see you in a couple of days.
The reply came as she passed the ornate gates and pulled into the long drive, winding along through the tall trees.
Can't wait!
