A Gallifreyan's Dream
The Doctor was sitting in the captain's chair, fiddling with a spare part of the TARDIS. His companions, Jack Harkness and Martha Jones, were away doing something or other. He hated times like these, when they weren't around to bother him, because he'd sit and brood about Rose. It had been two years and a week since he'd last seen her, felt her hand in his, her musical laughter in the air – and it still hurt as much as it did the day after she left. Who ever said "time heals the most painful wounds" had obviously never met Rose Tyler.
Martha came bounding into the console room to find the Doctor, once again, lost in thought. He was doing this more and more nowadays;
"Doctor!" she asked, waving a hand in front of his face impatiently.
"Wha-" the Doctor jumped. "Sorry! Right … where are we off to this time? You decide, Martha Jones!" he said, bouncing around the console, pointing his finger at her.
"Em …" she was cut of by Jack running in with only a towel on, his hair dripping wet.
"We've ran out of shampoo!" he cried. "I need to get the slimy alien goo off it! I'm not going anywhere until we get some more shampoo." He sat down on the captain's chair and crossed his arms over his chest, while trying to keep the towel in place. He was obviously cross; then again, most people knew when it came to looks, to Jack it was of the utmost importance. This is probably why he took a big hissy fit when he got squired with goo on Yougi, the planet they had just visited. Wasn't the Doctor's problem he looked like a convict who had escaped imprisonment. Nevertheless, the green goo was slimy, smelly and thick, and Jack had been in the shower almost half and hour trying to scrub it off.
"OK, OK, we're going, Jack!" he said, pressing some buttons and pulling some levers. The usual tumble that came with flying through the vortex – before the TARDIS started shaking erratically. Martha and Jack looked at each other worriedly – and shampoo forgotten, Jack ran away to get dressed.
"Come on, girl!" the Doctor chanted, hitting her with a hammer despite her protests. Jack came skidding back into the console room, dressed in record time but with his hair still soaking wet.
"Hold on!" the Doctor shouted, as they all grabbed hold of the support beams that outline the walls of the TARDIS. They all clutched on for dear life; and were not shocked when the loud beep came from the console, signalling they had made a crash landing. For once, the Doctor looked lost.
"I … I don't know where we are," he said. "We could be anywhere in the universe," he started punching things into the TARDIS, to try and find their hidden location.
"How about London?" said Jack. He and Martha were at the doors of the TARDIS, pulling it open to reveal the Thames and Big Ben.
"Oh," was all the Doctor could say. He soon regained his composure, and looked around. "Do you know what date it is?" he asked his companions. They shook their heads, while still looking
"There are no newspapers…" said Jack, wandering around, looking in bins and on benches.
"Doctor, can I ask a question?" asked Martha, who had appeared at his side, looking curious..
"Of course!" he asked, looking like he was glad that she had asked a question, and that he was sure that he knew what I was.
"Why are the traffic lights blue?" she said, pointing to the road behind the TARDIS. Sure enough, the traffic lights were blue.
"Ah." He said. "Well…" then he realized. Traffic lights are not meant to be blue, anywhere in the universe. Traffic lights were an Earth thing, and they were all the same colour. Which must mean…
"TRUST US ON THIS!"
The Doctor spun around. There, on the same type of billboard that they had seen Pete Tyler all those years ago, was Pete, Jackie, and girl that he didn't know, and there she was, in all her blonde brilliance. Just standing there as if it was the most casual thing to do in the world.
Rose.