"Off we go!" Yelled The Doctor, pressing buttons and pushing levers on the TARDIS console. Alice was still amazed by all that. She had seen the past, the future, and space already. Great adventures and they were not even close to end. He's just given her a key to the machine. That must mean something, she thought.

"Where are we going this time?" She asked, and his face showed that he had no idea, as it usually does. She giggled, and tapped his shoulder.

"That's alright, old man. I understand. Old age do that to people sometimes."

"You won't get over that, will you?"

"No. I won't. It's not my fault that you are... How old again?" - She knew, but she loved the look on his face.

"920. And looking good, thank you."

"You wish!" - She tried to hide her lying eyes. He could see through them, and he could never see that. He looked very good. Those weird clothes, that big hair, big chin. Even the bow tie made him look the most handsome men she's ever known.

She caressed the key on her chest and grinned. Then she turned to look at him.

Well, I guess we're depending on the TARDIS to decide where to have lunch this...

A strong movement made them fall. And it kept happening. She couldn't stand up!

The doctor held on to the console to help him up.

"Woah, dear. What's got into you?" - He caressed the console, looking worried. He loves this machine as if it was a person, Alice thought. Maybe that's all he can love.

The doctor analyzed the numbers, and a clung meant that the TARDIS had landed. He pressed a button, pushed a lever up, turned a screw, did something with his screwdriver and then ran weirdly to the other side of the console to look at the screen. His face couldn't be more serious.

"What?" - Alice said, getting closer to try to see it too. She couldn't understand anything on that screen.

"No way!" - he said, too concentrated in whatever it was to notice.

"What ?" She insisted, leaning over his shoulder.

"Impossible! It can't be. Just..." - he then finally noticed her presence, and she backed out. He smiled, grabbed her hand and said. "Let's go!"

"But what's happened? Where are we?"

"We are... Somewhere."

And they stepped out of the machine.

Outside. The TARDIS was just an old blue police box. Once out of it, you could easily take it for an ordinary 50's blue box, as if having those around is ordinary these days.

Alice relaxed as she saw that they were probably in London, again. Actually, she was quite disappointed. She wanted to travel, but he kept bringing her back to Earth. Maybe it was the past. Not so much, it looked just as she remembered. It could be the future. Yes, please! Be the future!

"Where are we?" She tried again. "Is this London? So, when are we, then?"

"It's London, and it's 2012."

"What? Are we back? Are you..." - she was scared he was bringing her back home. To leave her.

"It is London, it is 2012. But it isn't. It's a parallel universe."

Alice looked amazed. She payed attention to every detail. It was so similar! But, looking again, it was very different.

"Wow! She said. Is it possible?"

"Technically... No". - She could see fear in his old eyes. It wasn't good. – "We shouldn't be here. Something's happened to the TARDIS."

"C'mon, we need to find a hardware store."

"Wait! Is the TARDIS broken? In a place we're not supposed t be?"

"Don't worry. We'll be gone soon." - Or so he hoped.

"I know a very good one. I wonder if it's in the same place."

"Probably not. But no harm trying. Guide me!"

And so she took the lead. As they walked, hand in hand, she felt like the luckiest girl in the universe. Or all universes, as it seemed best to say.

But then he stopped, and let go of her hand. She turned to see him static. She followed his gaze, and found a girl. A blond, beautiful girl, talking on some kind of weird walkie talkie.

"Who's she?" She asked, but no response. The girl came closer, to their direction. Alice called her.

"Hey! Could you help us?"

The girl smiled. "Sure!"

"We're looking for a hardware store. Do you know where we can find one?"

Oh, sure! Just around the corner, go two blocks ahead and you'll find a good one."

"Thanks. Erm. Sorry, but... Do you know him?" Alice pointed to the Doctor. Still paralyzed, looking at the girl. She sighed, as if she had had a weird felling, but then she just answered – "No, i don't think so, why?"

"Nothing. We've been travelling together, you know, and I think he fancies you." She laughed, and the girl took another look at the doctor. His eyes changed, and Alice couldn't help but shivering at the touch of their looks. The girl excused herself, and went away. Alice got closer to the doctor, and only heard him whisper – "Rose!"

"Rose! Is that her name?" - she said, as he came back to his senses.

"What?"

"That girl. Is her name rose? You know her? How?"

"Long story. So, the hardware store?"

"C'mon! Tell me!"

"We have to leave, Alice. Let's..."

Boom! A big explosion called their attention not far away. Screams and people running, and the doctor just went running towards it. Alice went after him.

"You know her, don't you?" She yelled, while she tried to reach him. "She went that ! I don't think she... If..."

"Rose! Rose!"

The girl was lying on the floor, not far from where the explosion had been. She had something on her hands. The doctor leaned towards her and held her head on his lap. She slowly woke up while Alice reached them.

"Wh...what?" - said Rose, looking at the face of the weird man helping her. – "Oh, thank you, sir." - She stood up, but then felt her head hurt and went down again. He held her carefully.

"Sh... Careful. Slowly now."

"I... I don't..."

"Is that... A sonic screwdriver?" - he looked at the thing on her hand. It looked like a pen, if it wasn't for the glowing blue tip.

"Yes... How do you...?"

"Oh! Erm... I'm... John Sm... Smiley, head director of... The Torchwood division in ...er...Wales."

Rose looked at him and wondered. He smiled, and introduced Alice as his second in command.

"We're looking for your captain."

"Rose Tyler" - she introduced, stretching out her hand. He hesitated before holding it. – "second in command of the division, London. I didn't know we had a division in Wales?"

"Well... We're quite new."

"C'mon, i'll take you to our leader."

"So... Who's the boss, then?" - He asked, as they walked.

She giggled – "Well, technically, he's only in command in Torchwood. I'm the boss, if you know what I mean."

Alice laughed, but the doctor looked puzzled.

"He's my husband." - She made it clear.

"Husband, eh? So you married him."

"I'm sorry?" - She asked, confused, and so was Alice.

"Oh, I see, the husband. Ha! What a laugh!" - He changed the subject.

They kept walking in silence. Alice waited for Rose to be in a safe distance to ask – "what's going on? Do you know her?"

"From a long time ago." - He said.

"But, how? She lives here."

"She was once from your London. She and i... we used to travel."

"But how come she doesn't seem to know you? That's why you lied about your name?"

"C'mon." Said rose, pointing to a house. "That's our house. He's probably there."

They entered the house, and she told them to sit while she went looking for her husband – "honey!"

"Honey!" - The Doctor said, giggling. Alice was pissed. She wanted explanations! He understood the threat in her eyes, and began.

"A long time ago, before I looked like this, I met Rose. She travelled with me, but then she fell here, and started living here. We never saw each other again, because it was dangerous to cross that frontier between the other universe and this one. She began defending the Earth here while I kept travelling there, and regenerated. She stayed here with... Him."

"Him who? Her husband? Do you know him?"

"Of course I know him. He's... Me."

And when he said that, a slim man walked into the room. His hair was wet and fuzzy, and he had a welcoming smile on his face.

"Hello, i'm..." But the smile fainted the second he looked at the Doctor.

"Hello!" The Doctor said.

"You?" The other man said. "But how?"

"I don't know. The TARDIS..."

"What?" Rose walked into the room, surprised.

"That's him, Rose. He's back."

"Hello, Rose."

"You...are...Doctor?"

"Yes."

"You've changed... Again. " She held her husband's arm, looking scared.

"Yes."

"Was it painfull? To me?" - The man asked.

"Yes. A little bit. The TARDIS had to regenerate too. It happened inside her."

"Poor girl."

"But how? Why are you here?" – said Rose.

"Hey. I'm Alice, and I have no idea what's going on."