Promise me, when you see
A white rose, you'll think of me
I love you so, but never let go
I will be, your ghost of a rose
Rose took a deep breath. She was standing in the room in Torchwood, mentally preparing herself for her next jump. She had been through the Dimension Cannon about twenty-four times, each time being an utter failure in finding the Doctor. And time was ticking. The stars were going out. She could feel it in her bones that they didn't have much time.
It was Mickey who had suggested calibrating her Tardis key to the Dimension Cannon and this was going to be her first test run. She felt her heart accelerating at the prospect of finally finding the Doctor and finally embracing him. She shook her head. She had a more important job to do. The fate of all the Universes was at stake. Matters of the heart could come later.
She glanced over at the crew behind their protective window, working on their computers. Mickey was standing behind all the technicians, his broad arms crossed over his chest. He had filled out nicely over these last few years. He was more a man now than the childhood sweetheart she remembered him to be. She looked back at the Dimension Cannon. They had all changed. They had all been affected by their travels with the Doctor. Some good, some not so good. Like her heart.
"Ready, Rose?" Mickey's voice asked over the intercom, startling her out of her thoughts.
She glanced back at him and gave him a thumbs up. It was now or never. She could not lose her nerve now. She took a steading breath and steeled herself.
"You know the drill. It will take an hour for the Dimension Cannon to recharge. Be careful in the meantime."
She nodded her understanding. One hour didn't seem like much, but when she had landed on a few hostile planets, an hour seemed like an eternity trying to keep alive. If the coast was clear she would investigate and if she found nothing, she would push the button on her wrist holster that would send her back home. Well, not home. If all went according to plan, this wouldn't be her home anymore.
"Got it," she answered.
The Dimension Cannon came to life, the round disc starting to turn and gain momentum until it was all a blur. And then the light started building up. A white light laced with blue, shimmering in the dark room. The green light above the cannon lit up and she took another deep breath and stepped into the light.
And screamed as something went terribly, terribly wrong.