a/n: This is quite obviously completely AU starting at the end of The Doctors Wife. It picks up toward the end of the episode when Rory and Amy come down to talk to the Doctor who is working on the Tardis in sort of a swing. A big shout out to who_in_whoville who beta read it for me. Huge thank you to you Who!
This is in response to a prompt for the Doctor-Rose Summer Fixathon - What if Idris had whispered "Bad Wolf" to Rory at the end of The Doctor's Wife.
Disclaimer: Don't own anything in the Whoverse.
Hitchhikers of the Vortex
"Doctor, at the end, Idris was talking. She kept repeating something. I don't know what it meant?" Rory told the Doctor, as he looked perplexed at all the dangling cables hanging down from the console as the Doctor sat in a swing making repairs.
The Doctor stood up and walked over to Rory absently sonicing one of the cables. "What did she say?"
"Bad Wolf. She said it was important and you'd understand. It doesn't make sense, does it?"
The Doctor stilled and his eyes widened as he stared at Rory. His expression quickly disappeared as he bounded back upstairs to the main console. "Fairytales, myths and legends Rory. Must have been some spare thought before she transferred back. Especially with you Ponds about. Who better to inspire a fairytale than the Ponds. Look it at you two." he told them, as he dashed about checking readings and flipping switches. He paused and looked back at Rory.
"Something else wrong Rory? You look a bit out of sorts."
"It's just, I watched her die. I shouldn't let it get to me, but it still does. I'm a nurse," he told the Doctor, with a look of concern on his face.
"Letting it get to you, you know what that's called? Being alive. Best thing there is. Being alive right now, that's all that counts." The Doctor knelt down and began sonicing another wire. "Nearly finished. Two more minutes, then we're off. The Eye of Orion's restful, if you like restful. I can never really get the hang of restful. What do you think, dear? Where shall we take the kids this time?" the Doctor said, patting the console.
Amy walked over to him looking down at him in amusement. "Look at you pair. It's always you and her, isn't it? Long after the rest of us have gone. A boy and his box, off to see the universe," she told him, smiling.
"Well, you say that as if it's a bad thing. But honestly, it's the best thing there is." The Doctor spun around to face Amy and Rory. "The House deleted all the bedrooms. I should make you two a new bedroom. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
Rory leaned over and whispered to Amy. "Doctor, do you think that maybe we could lose the bunk beds this time," Amy asked him.
"Nah, bunk beds are cool. A bed with a ladder! You can't beat that." Amy and Rory looked at him with annoyance.
"Oh fine, It's your room after all. Up those stairs, keep walking till you find it. Off you pop!"
Amy quickly grabbed Rory's hand, her eyes sparkling with excitement to see what new room awaited them and dragged him toward the corridor. Once they were gone, the Doctor walked closer to the console and stared at the time rotor. "What was that all about? What were you thinking? Rose is gone and in good hands." He paused and smiled. "The best hands. She deserves to be happy don't you think? So Eye of Orion or wherever you need to take me," he told the Tardis, smiling. The dematerialization lever moved and off they went. Everything was as smooth as could be expected when all of sudden, it wasn't.
The Tardis bounced and tilted around making multiple screeching noises while the cloister bell sounded and sparks flew off the console. Amy and Rory raced into the control room.
"Doctor, What's happening!" Amy demanded, as she raced over to stand beside him holding onto the console for dear life and Rory clung to the railing. The Tardis doors flew open and the swirling infinity of the time vortex shone an eerie light into the interior of the console room. Tendrils of the vortex snaked in through the doors as the Doctor screamed at Rory and Amy.
"Stay back! Don't touch it!"
Suddenly, a massive ball of golden light burst forth into the Tardis landing a few feet from the console. The Doctor stared at it in fascination as wisps of golden energy slowly leached away and two figures emerged clinging together and then falling apart laying next to each other on the ramp to the console. Eventually, the Doctor could see two humanoid figures and as the golden energy ebbed away from them and was absorbed into the Tardis time rotor, facial features emerged
Soon, enough of the golden energy dissipated to reveal a blond haired woman dressed in a tight fitting black leather jacket, with a bright purple shirt underneath, with blue jeans and purple trainers. Next to her, was a young man with short wavy brown hair dressed in a dark brown bomber jacket with a green shirt, blue jeans and boots. The blonde sat up gasping for breath and turned to the man next to her shouting "No!"
The Doctor was stunned and whispered one word, "Rose."
Amy stared at the Doctor's shocked expression which quickly metamorphosed into an almost tender look while Rory ran over to help the unconscious man by taking his pulse as Rose with tears running down her face was whispering to him in some language Rory had never heard and which the Tardis refused to translate. As suddenly as Rose awoke, so did the young man. He gasped and cried out. He turned to her "Mumsy, I'm dying." He groaned in pain, his eyes tightly shut.
"No, no your not. You know what you have to do," she told him.
"I don't know how," he told her, his face grimacing in pain. Soon golden energy was streaking beneath his skin and he was beginning to glow. He struggled to stand up and stared at the Doctor, his eyes filled with fear. Rose ran up to him and looked him in the eyes.
"I believe in you. Follow your instincts. It's gonna be fine," she told him, her voice cracking as more tears fell down her face. He stared at her before looking up and screaming as he burst into golden fire in front of all of them. Rose yanked Rory away just in time as the man completed his regeneration in front of them. The Doctor ran over to stand next to Rose stunned at the regenerating man before him. "This can't be," he whispered.
The young man ended his regeneration bent over and slowly stood up and looked at Rose. "Mumsy, that hurt! He never told us it would hurt like that." He picked up a lock of long blonde hair and examined it. "Blonde, that's new." He looked at his hands and felt his face. He looked all around the Tardis until he saw Amy. He smiled and practically danced over to her.
"Helllo Ginger! So, how do I look?" he asked with a charming smile, his deep brown eyes practically sparkling with excitement.
Rory ran over to stand protectively next to Amy as they stared at the newly regenerated stranger. "Uh, Orlando Bloom in Lord of the Rings," Amy finally replied, taking inventory of every detail of the stranger.
Yeah a bit like Legolas except maybe not quite so elfish," Rory added, staring at the stranger's ears.
The stranger touched his ears a bit and then broke out into a grin. "Blimey, I'm gorgeous!" he shouted out exuberantly. He turned to Rose. "Oh, the others will be so jealous." Rose reached into her pocket and tossed him a hair band which he used to bind up his long blonde hair into a pony tail. He walked around looking at everything. "So this is the old girl. She is one well endowed Tardis!" He gently caressed the console.
Finally, the Doctor broke out of his stunned silence. "Stop that and show some respect whoever you are. This is my Tardis and I won't have you barging in here and groping her," the Doctor told him, while pacing back and forth on the other side of the console, making adjustments as he stared suspiciously at the stranger.
"Oooo old ancient and forever is a crotchety one isn't he. Now, I know where the old man got it," he answered cheekily.
"That's enough!" Rose shouted at him. "I know you're all newly regenerated and feelin' all perky and enthusiastic but please try to be nice. We're guests here and he's right we did sort of barge in even though it wasn't our fault. Stupid, arrogant, megalomaniac tosser," she answered, crossing her arms looking perturbed.
"Who's crotchety!" the Doctor shouted indignantly, whipping around the console.. "And what you mean ancient and the others will be jealous? What others?" He demanded tripping as he stomped over to the young stranger. "You have a name, something you call yourself?" the Doctor demanded as he circled him.
The young blonde smiled brightly with a mischievous look "Oh, just call me Jack," he answered.
"Jack" He paused and turned to Rose. "Rose, you are not telling me you named him after Jack Harkness are you. I, I can't believe other me wouldn't have had something to say about that."
Rose smiled and laughed. "We break into your Tardis mid-flight in the vortex and that's what's upsettin' you? The thought that I named my son after Jack. Really, Doctor. Besides, he's old enough to decide what he wants people to call him. If he wants to be called Jack, nothin' I can do about it." She shrugged and walked over to Jack and gave him a quick hug. He looked down at his mother with affection and embraced her pulling her up and off the ground before setting her back down.
"Who's Jack Harkness?" Amy demanded, now looking at the Doctor suspiciously.
Jack laughed. "When I was just a little, adorable, brilliant child, Mumsy used to tell me all kinds of stories about when she and Dad first traveled about. My favorites were always about this friend they traveled with, Jack Harkness. Hope to meet him one day."
"No!" both Rose and the Doctor shouted simultaneously. The Doctor turned to Rose. "Right, time for answers." He turned to her expectantly, as he leaned against the railing around the console, arms crossed.
"Well, we sort of landed here by accident. Sorry wrong Tardis."
The Doctor stood straight and walked over to her and began gesturing with his hands. "What do you mean wrong Tardis and what about Jack here being all adult and regenerating and you're still young and well, you!"
"Well, he's my son and other you's son and we're a bit complicated." She answered toying with her hair and looking anywhere but at him. "We were aiming for my eldest's Tardis. Sorry about that."
"And surfing the vortex? Wait, eldest's Tardis?" The Doctor was now pacing and flailing about in a tizzy.
"Oh, welll we may have had a bit of tiff with this powerful, evil, psychopath. He sort of threw us in the vortex as part of his evil plan to take over the universe. You know how it goes." She told him shrugging her shoulders and waiving her hand like it was no big deal. "Anyway, we were hoping to land on my other son's Tardis. Bein' about to die and in the vortex without transport and all, we may have gotten a bit turned around."
"Do I want to know how you got to this universe?"
"It's complicated," Rose answered him.
He walked over until he was in front of her. "That's no answer!"
Jack walked over to them. "Hello old guy, mind if I just pop over to the wardrobe. Feeling a little dingy here after floatin' about in the vortex."
The Doctor glared it him. "Amy, Rory take Jack here back and find something for him to well, wear I suppose. Don't let him take any of the good stuff. The fezz is mine! Hands off!" he said, pointing at Jack.
"Doctor, what do you mean how did she get to this universe and I thought you were the only Time Lord left?" Amy demanded, standing in front of him with a stubborn look in her eyes.
"I am the last Time Lord. This young pup is something else," The Doctor told her arrogantly, as he glared at Jack who just smiled back at him as if it was one big joke. "Now then Ponds, take Jack back to the wardrobe and keep an eye on him."
"But Doctor," Amy tried to argue. Rory grabbed her hand and hauled her away telling Jack to follow them. Jack winked at Rose and practically ran down the corridor trailed by Amy and Rory while offering to tell stories about the Doctor's past.
"There is no way that my DNA is in that one," he commented, shaking his head. He turned to Rose, grabbing her hand and jerked her down the corridor toward the library.
"Doctor, what you doin'? Stop, really can't we just.."
"No."
He pulled her in and soniced the door shut. "What is wrong with you?" she demanded.
"What is wrong with me!" he shouted as he stormed over to her as she backed up until she hit a wall. He towered over her and placed a hand on the wall on either side of her and leaned in until his forehead almost touched hers. "You're different," he stated in an almost accusing manner. "You're hair's darker."
"Yeah well your's isn't ginger," she told him, raising an eyebrow. "Why, you got a problem with me being different," she asked.
"I don't know." He closed his eyes, sighing and then opened them staring into her eyes. "I can hear you," he whispered in wonder.
"What do you mean," she asked softly, losing herself in his gaze as the feel of being in the Tardis and close to him began to envelope her with a sense of comfort and warmth.
"It's like a melody but not like the Tardis. You, Rose Tyler, you impossible girl, you are something new," he told her, now gazing at her with an equal amount of wonder and curiosity.
"So I'm different and something new. Would that be good different or bad different," she asked him, cheekily with the patent Tyler grin on her face.
He smiled. "Oh good different I think. We'll see. I Haven't made up my mind yet."
"Hmmm. Nice tie by the way," she commented as she deftly straightened it and absently brushing her fingers down his chest.
"Bow ties are cool," he told her, straightening himself up.
"They certainly are," she agreed, as she leaned in closer.
He pulled back suddenly. "What about other me?"
Rose leaned back against the wall and looked over his shoulder at some distant point. "We were together until…" she drifted off, a sad look passing over her face.
"Oh. Unexpected this all is. Not what I planned," he told her his stance relaxing a bit.
"So, now you have plans do you?"
"I'll have you know, I always have plans. Sometimes plans within plans. It's who I am. The planner. The planner Doctor whose an incredibly snappy dresser. Oh, and who has a fez… somewhere."
"Well that makes all the difference," she told him, and burst out with a giggle.
"Some things haven't changed. You are still inherently Rose, but you're not a young girl any more. Oh no, you're definitely…"
"What," she asked him, her eyes gazing into his as they moved closer together until they were barely touching.
"Oh, impossible Rose, time it moves differently about you. I may have been a bit daft back when I saw you last but I wanted what was best for you. I saw a brilliant future and I wanted you to have it. Look at you all glowy and a Mum and well mature, but in a good way not in a boring way."
She smiled and traced a finger down his face. "Nice face. Heard a rumor about you. Said you blew up the universe. Brings back memories," she told him.
"There were Daleks, Rose. More than Daleks really, but I did what needed to be done. Tell me about the children."
She smiled and turned away from him walking around the library trailing her fingers along the books. "I missed her ya know. She's… Sexy?" Rose turned around and looked at him eyebrows raised.
"What? She said it not me," he told her, fidgeting and playing with his sonic.
Rose burst out laughing. "Right and that's why there's always been all the sweet talk and caressing the console."
"What, I'm suppose to ignore her. Nothing wrong with giving encouragement and besides, she's blue, temporal and magnificent."
Rose smiled and cocked her head to the side. "You know I can hear her. Not in proper words but…I can feel things. It's more now. Other you always said it was absorbin' the time vortex. Made me and her a bit connected. She feels sort of happy I think." Rose walked over to his desk and sat on the edge. "We did it you know. We grew a Tardis. Traveled a bit. Grew more for the kids. Been hiding from you. Trying to stay out of your way and not muck up timelines and all," She looked up at him. "You don't know how hard it's been to stay away. The kids, they're not Time Lords, but they can see timelines and regenerate. Don't know how long they'll live except longer than me I spose. Don't really want to know when I'll end so I can't really say," she told him, with a soft smile.
He walked over and picked up her hands in his. "You could stay."
She smiled and looked up into the infinite depth of his eyes. "You know I can't. At least, not yet. Promise me if you run into one of the kids, you won't turn away. They're a bit curious and get into loads of trouble. A bit like you."
"Jeopardy friendly. Sounds more like you." he told her, running his hands up her arms and pulling her close.
"Oh shut up," she told him as she grabbed him by the collar and pulled his face down to hers. As she kissed him, she ran her hands around his back and in to his hair, deepening the kiss. He acted like he didn't quite know what to do with his hands and after a few awkward moments of flailing about tightened his arms around her and pulled her body up close and molded it into his. She moaned into his mouth as his hands finally started to explore her body. She backed him into the couch where he fell backwards pulling her down on top of him. He looked up at her bit startled. She grinned down at him, just the tip of pink tongue peaking out the side of her mouth.
He laughed. "Still got the moves?" she asked him, with a bit of cheek.
"Let's find out," he told her, with a wicked smile.
Just as clothing was unbuttoned and untucked, the Tardis shook and tilted causing Rose to fall off the Doctor and sofa and roll onto the floor.
He sat up buttoning his shirt. "We've landed" He hopped up and unlocked the door. "Coming," he asked. Rose, still lying on the floor, held up her hand and wiggled her fingers.
"Oh, right." He walked over and grasped her hand, hauling her up and running down the corridor with her hand in hand. When the arrived in the console room they found Jack, Rory and Amy. Jack was staring at the monitor.
"Excellent!" he shouted. "Mumsy, our ride is here."
Rose looked up at the Doctor. "Guess it's time to go."
"You don't have to. You could.."
"No, I can't."
Jack walked over and took her hand. "Sorry old guy, but she really can't. No worries though, think we may run into each other again one day or my sister or brother. Better hope for my brother though. My sister is all.."
"Jack!" Rose chastised him. She walked with him toward the door and turned around. "Take care of him Amy and Rory. He denies it, but he needs someone." She turned and looked at the Doctor. "As for you mister, I'll be seein' you eventually and next time, we'll finish what we started." She winked at him and she and Jack walked out the door.
He stared at the door for a long time. Amy walked over and crossed her arms. "Well!" she demanded. He turned around and started dancing around the console setting coordinates and slamming down switches and buttons. "Well, I believe we were on our way to the Eye of Orion or was it Acapulco" He scratched his head and shrugged. "Oh well same difference." As they dematerialized and Rory and Amy gripped the railing for support he looked back at the door and whispered, "I'll see you soon, Bad Wolf" and smiled.