Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Doctor Who. I merely borrow them. But I do claim rights to Nick. If you wanna use him, ask first.
Note: Each chapter will be like an episode, so there will eventually be thirteen chapters written. I might take a while, due to school and such, but it will be done. So please, read, hopefully enjoy, and possibly review.
- - -
By Any Other Name…
"But why can't I join Torchwood?" Nick asked for the third time that morning. His mother, who had been making a pot of tea, stopped and looked at him. After a few seconds, she rolled her eyes and turned back to the stove.
"Because Torchwood policy states that only one member of a family can join the organization, Nick. You should know that…Rose must have told you." Nick frowned. Rose again. It was always, "Rose did this" or "Rose did that". His parents never tired of talking about their star child, Rose Tyler. Having a family member in Torchwood was a big deal in high-society London, and Nick was a bit sick of his older sister getting all the attention. Which was why he wanted to join up.
Sure, he got his fair share of attention, being the baby in the family and all. Besides, Rose had moved out years ago, when he was just a little kid. He knew that both his parents loved him deeply, and tried their best to include him, but a sixteen-year-old was no match for someone who had helped save the world on countless occasions.
Frown deepening, he shovelled another spoonful of cereal into his mouth. He had heard the stories of course. As a young boy, Nick had begged Rose to tell him about her adventures through time and space with someone called "The Doctor". She had told him the stories many times, repeated them so often that he had memorized them. But they were just that, stories. They had happened in another universe, one that was forever locked to him.
Finishing his breakfast, Nick got up and put his dishes on the sideboard for the maid to pick up, then smiled at his mother. "I guess I'll be off then." he said awkwardly, still slightly miffed at the mention of his sister this early in the morning.
"Oh sweetie, do be careful! I know you're only going to a zeppelin parts factory, but they can be dangerous places." Giving her son a loving smile, she added, "Remember that I love you, Nikki." Embarrassed at the pet nickname, Nick gave her a quick peck on the cheek and hurried out of the house.
Once safely outside, the young man paused to enjoy the view. His father, Pete Tyler, was a very wealthy man, having earned it through the sale of various tonics and health drinks back in the '80's. His vast estate reflected that. Aside from the huge mansion, there were several gardens, a heated swimming pool, a tennis court, and a long curving driveway that ended in a courtyard. Trotting down the marble steps, Nick nodded to his driver and slid inside the plush Mustang that he used for personal transportation.
Leaning back against the cool leather seat, he sighed and closed his eyes. Instead of going straight to the private school he attended, like he would normally do, Nick would be joining his classmates at the factory. This way, he would avoid a trip on one of the school's zeppelins. Turning his gaze towards the window, he gazed out at the passing scenery. The mass of greenery hurtling by outside soothed his ruffled nerves, and he smiled to himself. The trip was purely educational, nothing more. It's not like they were leaving the ground or anything. Nope, they were just going to look at some models, perhaps see one of the massive airships being assembled. Nothing more.
- - -
Nick stared at his teacher in disbelief. She had to be kidding. Had to be. They couldn't take a trip on one of the zeppelins! If something ever happened to their precious children, the parents of the students would sue the administration within a matter of minutes. Including his.
"And for those of you who are worried about safety, let me assure you that the engineers here had triple-checked everything to ensure top performance. There will also be trained personnel on hand to assist in an emergency." his teacher continued smoothly, looking quite pleased at the opportunity to ride one of the newest passenger zeppelins on the market. Glancing around a final time, the woman nodded. "Alright, line up please. Proceed directly to your seats, and don't wander off!"
Around him, his classmates chattered excitedly, enthusiastic to be going on an un-planned ride. Sighing, Nick trailed along behind the group, cursing his bad luck. Everything had been going great up until this point. His class had seen several models of ships in development, and had witnessed two sections of the frame being welded together. Then this had come along.
Mounting the ladder, the young man eyed the balloon section warily. Sure, it looked fine, but one little rip could bring the entire thing down. Swallowing nervously, Nick made his way to the last seat available at the rear of the section, and slumped in it, trying to ignore his rolling stomach. This would be the worst field trip of his life…
"Attention please!" Nick looked up gloomily, seeing his teacher standing at the head of the aisle. "As you may have noticed, we are not the only guests on board. So please be courteous, and show them why we are proud to wear the school's emblem!" Other passengers? Eyes darting around, Nick picked out a few men in suits from among the sea of black vests all the students wore. Shrugging, he closed his eyes and let his head fall back onto his chest. If he could just fall asleep, he would make it though this horrible trip.
"Not gonna enjoy the view?" Starting, Nick sighed. He hadn't realized he had a seat-mate.
"Nope." he replied gruffly, hoping the man would go away.
"Aw, come on, it'll be wonderful." the voice persisted, but he just shook his head. Looking out the window right now would be bad. Nick didn't even want to know what would happen if he did it in mid-flight, although several grim possibilities occurred to him.
"Oh, don't be a party-pooper. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance! Not too many people get to ride in a brand-new zeppelin, y'know. You should feel proud." Turning his head away, he snorted.
"So what? I'll have plenty of chances to ride this thing once it's licensed. Besides, my father can get me a ticket on any zeppelin I choose." Nick sneered, squeezing his shut eyes tighter as disturbing thoughts passed through his mind. Of course, he would never do such a thing. His feet were entirely happy planted firmly on the ground, thank you very much. In his opinion, whoever came up with the idea of air travel ought to have been shot.
"Fine, have it your way." his seat-mate grumbled. Finally, some peace. Breathing deeply, Nick settled back in his seat, frowning as the airship started to take off. He let his thoughts drift, blocking out the talk of his peers, focusing on the quiet space in his mind. Yawning, he sighed contentedly and fell into a light doze.
"Hey, wake up." A tap on his shoulder made Nick snort, his sleep-fogged mind trying to sort out what was going on. Had they landed? Sitting up, he looked around, surprised to see that nearly all of the seats in front of him were empty.
"What's going on?" he muttered, annoyed that he had been woken up. He could tell they were still in the air, and Nick did not want to be awake when the zeppelin landed.
"Something's wrong. Your classmates haven't returned from their trip around the ship yet." the person in the seat beside him muttered softly. Slouching back down, he yawned. "So? They might have stopped to see something. Students do that…especially ones with too much money." Nick answered, closing his eyes again.
"No, it's not that. They've been gone for almost an hour."
"But this was only supposed to be a thirty minute trip!" Eyes flying open, the young man quickly sat upright, and turned for the first time to look at the one beside him…and stared.
Nick had assumed that the man beside him was just another suit, here because he had dished out enough cash to take the trip. But no, the man now gazing calmly at him was anything but a businessman. He wore a battered leather coat, partially hiding a dark red jumper. Stunned, his gaze drifted downwards, taking in the dusty black jeans and scuffed brown shoes. Meeting the man's eyes, he was surprised to see that they were a stormy blue-grey colour, and got a sense of oldness from them. Close-cropped brown hair accented his large ears and nose, giving him a slightly comedic look. This was no businessman…this was the Doctor. Nick's big sister had described what he had looked like many times, so the young man was able to recognize the man instantly.
"Yep, which is why there's a problem." the Doctor said, glancing around at the remaining passengers. Filled with a mixture of excitement and fear, Nick eyed the Time Lord, wondering exactly why he was on board. If he was here, then it meant trouble wasn't far behind.
"So…are ya going to do anything about it?" he asked, hoping his tone was nonchalant enough to appear bored, not excited. The Doctor switched his gaze back to him and nodded. "Yeah…I'm going to find out what's going on." Standing up, he brushed past Nick and strode up the aisle, obviously intent on his mission. Nick shifted uneasily, torn between going back to sleep and following the Doctor. He didn't like the idea of roaming around a zeppelin, but this was the Doctor. Sure, it was a different Doctor that his sister had traveled with, but still…as the Time Lord himself had said, this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Sighing, Nick stood up and hurried after the man.
- - -
Nick stopped and sighed. So much for quickly locating the Doctor. He had just spent the last fifteen minutes wandering around, but had found nothing except empty rooms. Walking down yet another passageway, the young man froze as he heard a voice drifting out of a room a few feet in front of him.
"Are the humans disposed of?" the female voice asked. A response came, but it was too low for Nick to catch. "Good…the others are in place, and there are only two more of the pesky apes to find. I'll entrust you to deal with them." Realizing that she was talking about him, Nick backed away slowly, hardly daring to breathe. His classmates were dead…that much was certain. Tears blurred his vision and he gasped, trying not to cry. His friends…the bully who had made fun of him…his teacher…the girl whom he didn't like but also liked…all gone.
Turning, Nick swiftly went back the way he had came, blinking back tears. He couldn't cry. He was a man, and men didn't cry. That was a girl's job. Wiping away the lingering evidence with his sleeve, the boy sniffled. He had to find the Doctor and warn him. Not only was his life in danger, but so was the Time Lord's. Besides, now he had a purpose: to try and avenge the ones who had killed his class. And he needed the Doctor to do that.
Nick glanced behind him to ensure that the way was clear, then quietly made his way forwards, glancing into any opening he passed. Reaching a ladder, he hesitated, then climbed down. Although he was hesitant about going to another level, it seemed the Doctor wasn't in the passenger area. Reaching the bottom rung, the man looked around again, seeing that he was now definitely in the crew-only section of the zeppelin. A maze of pipes, wires and cramped crawl-spaces branched off in all directions, and the dim lighting made it impossible to tell which way to go.
Randomly picking the left side, Nick ducked through a low portal and shuffled through a narrow passage, hoping he was getting close to the Time Lord. Stopping as the passage reached a T-intersection, the young man caught the smell of smoke coming from the left. Smoke was bad…if a fire had started, he could quickly become trapped and burn to death. Biting his lip, Nick listened for the sound of flames, but heard nothing except the rumble of the engines. Shoving the thoughts of a horrible death to the back of his mind, the young man knelt down and crawled down the tunnel, the smell growing stronger the father he went.
After a few minutes of crawling, during which he banged his knees several times, Nick saw light shining up from the floor. Approaching cautiously, he saw that it was air vent that came up from the room below. Peering through it, he saw that he was above the bridge, and that someone wearing a uniform stood directly below the grate.
"Stop it! Your violating the Nebula Agreement by being here!" a voice cried, and Nick realized with a start that the Doctor was down there. Leaning forward, he tried to catch sight of the Time Lord, but saw nothing except tiled floor. Sighing with frustration, the young man glared at the metal grate and listened to the argument now raging beneath him.
"So what if I did?" sneered the female voice Nick had heard earlier. "You certainly can't do anything about it, Time Lord. Article 50, Section F of the Shadow Proclamation prohibits your kind from meddling in affairs other than your own. By interfering, your also breaking the law, aren't you?"
"You're right…except that I'm no longer acknowledged by the High Council on Gallifrey. I'm in exile, and that means I don't have to abide by anything the Time Lords sign. Including the Shadow Proclamation." the Doctor replied, sounding defiant. Hidden in the ventilation system, Nick frowned. Where the Time Lords of this universe different that the ones that inhabited the one his mother and sister came from? It would make sense, but that also meant that this Doctor was different from the one Rose had known. Had he made a mistake in trying to help him?
Now doubting his earlier decisions, Nick wondered if he should leave. But he classmates would still be dead…and he had sworn to avenge them. Rubbing his temples, he froze as the woman spoke. "Hah, but what are you going to do now, Time Lord? You're captured, and once we find that ape companion of yours, we'll be free to continue on with our plans." Eyes widening, Nick drew back from the grate. They knew about him! Granted, he wasn't actually with the Doctor, but the woman down there knew he was roaming around.
Swallowing hard, Nick listened to the Doctor sigh, then mutter, "Alright, you got me. Just…don't hurt him. He's just a kid."
"Fair enough. It's too much of a hassle to dispose of another body. You! Take him to the cargo hold! We'll hold him there while we look for the last human." Peering down, he saw the person below him walk forwards, then pass by, a firm grip on the Doctor's arm. The Time Lord's hands were cuffed in front of him, and he was staring at the floor.
Nick sat back, thinking hard. It seemed he still needed the Doctor…A flash of inspiration suddenly hit him. The cargo hold would have to have vents, and since he was already in the vent system, the tunnels would probably lead straight to it! Crawling forward again, Nick turned right and followed the new tunnel, glancing down at the grates every time he passed one. There! The Doctor and his guard were standing before a door, the guard punching in the access code. Nick waited until they had stepped through the door before following them, trying not to make too much noise as he crawled through the metal shaft. Finally, after a few more turns and another set of locked doors, the Doctor was thrust into a room and the cuffs removed.
The young man tracked the Time Lord as he wandered over to the wall and sat down, positioning himself above the grate that was nearly directly above the man. "Hey." he called softly, and smiled as the Doctor's head jerked up at the sound of his voice.
"Look up." he ordered, and saw the Time Lord respond, eyes scanning the ceiling above him. His gaze landed on the grate, and the man smiled and nodded. "Figure I could fit in there?" the Doctor asked, standing up and looking around. Deciding to not ask what he was doing, Nick sat back and measured the space with his eyes.
"It'll be a tight squeeze, but you should be able to." he responded, peering down and seeing that the Doctor had gathered several boxes and was arranging them beneath the air vent.
"Fantastic. Give me a sec and I'll be up there." Nick nodded and moved backwards to give the man more room. A minute passed, then a faint buzzing sound came from the other side of the grate. Ah, so he still had the sonic screwdriver. The young man smiled, recalling the numerous stories Rose had told him about the small device.
The grate was quickly taken off and passed to Nick along with the screws that had secured it. A second later, the Doctor was hoisting himself up through the narrow hole. Grimacing, he moved to the other side of the opening, and smiled at Nick. Returning the smile, he gave the grate and screws back, and watched with interest as the Doctor secured the vent.
"There, that should hold for a while." the Time Lord announced, placing the sonic screwdriver in a pocket on the inside of his leather jacket. "Yep." Nick agreed, happy that he had been able to be useful for a change. Seeing that the Doctor was looking at him, he asked sharply, "What?"
"You don't strike me as being a helpful person, that's all." the other man replied casually. Eyes narrowing, Nick shot back, "Why's that now?"
"Let's see…short dirty blonde hair, light brown eyes, slim build, private school uniform…you look more like a rich pretty boy who doesn't care about the world rather than a person who would help someone in need." the Doctor said levelly, blue eyes fixed on Nick's face.
Nick blinked, not sure if he was being insulted or not. What the Doctor had just said was partially true - he normally didn't concern himself with other people. "I'm not a…a…!" he hissed, blushing. At his school, being a 'pretty boy' meant that you didn't like girls, and Nick was certain that he wasn't like that. He had had crushes before!
Smirking slightly at his red face, the Doctor just chuckled, but didn't press further. Instead, he asked, "So what are you going to do now?" Still fuming over the earlier remark, it took him a few seconds to catch on. Staring at the Time Lord in surprise, he asked a question of his own.
"You don't have a plan?"
"Nope. I had one, but as you can see, it didn't work out. All I know is that the people who captured me killed off your class, and have probably killed the rest of the passengers by now too. I was hoping you might have something."
"Oh…er…" Nick trailed off. He had been expecting the Doctor to come up with a great plan, one that would take care of the murderers. But this…this was different. He had to come up with a brilliant plan now.
"How 'bout we blow up the zeppelin?" he suggested, feeling guilty at the sense of glee that coursed through him at the thought.
"The engine room is heavily guarded. Even if we went through the vents, we'd never be able to do enough damage to bring the ship down." The Doctor replied. Rolling his eyes, Nick shook his head.
"There is another way besides that…course, it'd be difficult, but if a big enough rip was torn in the balloon, it would deflate and the ship would crash." A.k.a., his worse nightmare. Nick felt sick just thinking of the long fall the ship would do before it finally crashed. And there was no guarantee that everyone would be killed, either.
"Hm…" the Doctor frowned, and Nick let him think. Anything would be better than his plan. "What makes the balloon float?" the other man asked suddenly.
"Um…a mixture of helium and pure oxygen." he answered, remembering the information from his lectures. "I think there is more helium than oxygen, though." Nick added, catching on to the Doctor's plan.
"You're gonna blow up the balloon part by setting a fire, right? Both gases are highly combustible, and even a small spark would cause it to blow." The Doctor stared at him, then grinned.
"Not bad for a rich kid. Yep, that's what I'm going to do. What's your name?"
"Nick Tyler."
"Right then Nick, I'll be needing you to help me in this. Now, do you remember how to get to the bridge from here?"
"Sure do. Follow me." Turning himself around in the cramped vent shaft, Nick started to retrace his steps, sensing that the Time Lord was close behind.
"So, do you have a name, or are you just 'Time Lord'?" he asked over his shoulder, turning left and ducking under a loose mass of wires.
"I'm the Doctor." the other replied, grunting as he banged into something.
"Kay…What are you gonna do once we reach the bridge?"
"Simple. Start a fire. I'll access the blueprint for the zeppelin, figure out the least-guarded place, then command the computer to malfunction and start an electrical fire. Easy as pie."
"What about the other guards? Won't they be on the bridge?"
"Nope. This thing's on auto-pilot, and their commander is based on the passenger level. It'll be deserted." the Doctor answered, just as Nick reached the grate above the bridge.
Leaning over, he carefully scanned as much as the room as he could see, but saw no one. Still thinking that this was far too easy, Nick moved to the other side of the vent and wiggled around to face the Doctor. The Time Lord had already set to work loosening the screws, and after a few seconds, he gave it a light tap. The grate dropped out and fell to the floor with a clang, making Nick wince.
Flashing a grin at him, the Doctor shifted so that he feet dangled through the hole, then quickly dropped to the floor. Peering after him, the young man saw the Time Lord beckon for him to follow. Trying not to think of how far he was going to drop and hoping he wouldn't break anything, Nick mimicked the Doctor's motions and landed on the tilted floor with a gasp.
Straightening up shakily, Nick turned around and froze in horror. The front half of the bridge had been converted into one big monitor, made up of groups of smaller computer screens. Normally, he would have marvelled at the technology, except that all of the screens were showing the sky around the ship. It was like he was looking through a huge window, and he was able to see just how high up the zeppelin really was. Brown eyes wide, he guessed that they were about a mile up, possibly more. The more he looked, the more Nick saw that his vision was beginning to narrow, and he knew that he was on the verge of passing out.
"Nick…Nick Tyler!" Blinking, he tore his gaze away from the awful sight and focused dazedly on the Doctor. The man was standing by a console, obviously having just completed his task of ordering the computer to start a fire. Seeing that he looked concerned, Nick gave him a hesitant smile and walked over, sensing that he probably looked horrible.
"Need me?" he asked casually, ignoring the Time Lord's questioning gaze. He wasn't about to admit that he didn't like heights, especially to the man in front of him.
"Yeah. Alarms should be going off any second now, so let's go." the Doctor replied, tapping the screen one last time before moving towards the door. Glad to be off the bridge, Nick eagerly followed.
Just as the Doctor had predicted, alarms starting ringing almost immediately. Breaking into a jog, the Time Lord quickly navigated the maze of tunnels, glancing back every so often to make sure Nick was keeping up. Puffing, Nick rounded a final corner and stopped in amazement. There, sitting in a dark corner, was the fabled time machine.
"Wow…" he breathed, excited to see that the Doctor's ship was still in the form of a police box in this universe.
"C'mon, time to go." Smiling, Nick followed the Time Lord into the TARDIS, and looked around, noting that the interior was much larger than the exterior. Of course, Rose had mentioned that many times, but Nick had never quite grasped the magnitude of it until now. Taking a few cautious steps forward, the young man finished examining the room and met the Doctor's gaze.
The Time Lord stood near the console that made time travel possible, arms crossed and a serious look on his face. Raising an eyebrow, Nick waited, but the other man didn't say anything, just gave him a penetrating stare.
"What is it?" he finally asked, uncomfortable under his intense gaze. "You don't seem shocked by this. Why?" the Doctor asked calmly, but Nick detected a trace of suspicion behind the words. Shifting uneasily, he wondered how he was going to explain things. Rose had told him everything, but this Doctor had never met his sister…he didn't even knew she existed. Deciding to tell the truth, Nick glanced at the floor and quickly organized his thoughts.
Meeting the Doctor's blue eyes with his brown ones, Nick spoke. "Listen, I know this is going to sound really weird, but it's true. My Mum and sister are both from an alternate universe, having crossed the Void to get here when they were younger. In their original universe, my sister met an alternate form of you and travelled with him for quite a while. Growing up, I used to listen to the all stories she told me about her adventures with the Doctor. That's why I wasn't surprised by the TARDIS." Pausing for a moment, Nick saw that the Doctor was listening intently, so he continued.
"There are differences between you and the Doctor my sister travelled with. Big ones, from the little I heard. So while I know all about him, I don't know anything about you. For all I know, you could be a completely different Doctor." Finished, Nick dropped his gaze to the floor and hoped he had done the right thing.
"That explains a lot." the Doctor muttered, and Nick looked up to see that he was smiling slightly. "You're…not mad?" he ventured, his question making the Time Lord chuckle.
"Why would I be?" the other man asked curiously.
"'Cause you don't get to boost your ego by explaining everything to me." Nick responded with a grin. The Doctor snorted, but also grinned. "Fine then, no, I'm not mad."
"That's good. From what I hear, you get scary when your mad."
"Yep." the Time Lord said, but was cut off from saying anything more when the TARDIS shook violently. Hurrying over to the monitor mounted on the console, he glanced at it and grinned.
"We better get moving. Hold on!" Nick obeyed, tightly gripping the handrail and bracing his body while the Doctor rushed around, pressing various buttons and pulling levers. The TARDIS shook again, and Nick felt the floor tip hard to the left. He held on as the time machine rattled around for a few seconds, then landed with a hard bump and stopped shaking.
Unclenching his hands from the metal handrail, Nick took a deep breath, still recovering from the quick but rough flight.
"Your sister tell you about that?" the Doctor asked, trotting past him and peering out the door.
"Yeah…but nothing beats the real thing." he replied, following the Time Lord out into the bright sunlight. He grinned a second later, relieved to be back on terra firma. Kneeling down, he picked a flower off a bush and sniffed it appreciatively, admiring it before looking around for the other man. The Doctor had climbed to the top of a small hill and was gazing southwards, shading his eyes against the mid-day sun.
"Look over there." Joining him, Nick directed his gaze to where the man pointed, squinting to make out anything the blue sky. Seconds later, a small flash of orange appeared, flickered for a moment, then went out. Sighing, he dropped his eyes, torn between happiness at the destruction of the zeppelin and worry about what the people had been planning. He had never found out how or why his classmates had died, but he suspected their bodies had been burned in some fashion. That would be why he had smelled smoke in the ventilation system.
"What now?" Nick asked, looking down at the flower in his hand. He then smiled, recognizing that he held a wild red rose. The Doctor was silent for a moment, and the young man glanced at him, wondering what was going through his mind.
"Do you want to come with me?" the soft question made Nick freeze. He had always daydreamed about travelling with the Doctor, and the thought had crossed his mind a few times since he had first met the Time Lord. Even, then he had never really considered his answer, believing that he wasn't good enough to become a companion.
"You…you really want me to come with you?" he asked, still stunned by the offer.
"Yeah. Most people would have never thought of blowing up the zeppelin that way. Or rescued a complete stranger." the Doctor answered, turning to face him.
"Er, your not exactly a stranger…" Nick muttered. This could be his big chance, a way to prove to his family that he was important too. But his Mum was getting old, and he didn't know how she would handle him just suddenly disappearing. Closing his eyes, Nick thought for a moment, then nodded.
"I'll come. But, I want to go home first and tell Mum." he said firmly, meeting the Doctor's gaze.
"Fair enough." the Time Lord replied, smiling down at him. "What's your address?"
- - -
"Mum! Hey, Mum!" Nick called, wondering if she had gone out for lunch.
"Nick! I just heard the news! Oh honey, I though you were dead!" Turning, he saw his emotional mother come rushing down the staircase, pulling him into a tight hug. Smiling, Nick rubbed her back while she cried, then wiggled free once the waterworks had died down. Sniffling, she wiped the tears from her face and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.
"It's alright, Mum…I'm fine. Really…" he protested as the woman started to examine him for injuries.
"Your clothes are filthy! Why, I thought zeppelin factories had high cleanliness standards! The manager of that factory is going to hear about this…I'll tell your father to speak with him. But what are you doing home at this hour? If you weren't at the factory, then shouldn't you be in school?" The smile that had appeared when she had started ranting vanished.
"About that…" he hesitated, then ploughed ahead. "I met the Doctor, and I'm going to go with him, Mum."
"Oh…" his mother whispered, obviously stunned by the news. Giving him a watery smile, she added, "Your just like your sister; you never could refuse a chance to skip school." Squeezing his shoulder, his mother nodded. "Go change and pack a bag. I'll think up a cover story."
Nick smiled, relieved that she had accepted his decision. Holding up his hand, he gave her the rose he had picked, seeing her smile in thanks. Turning, he then raced up the stairs, mentally picking out what he was going to take.
Ten minutes later he trotted back down, a small pack slung over his shoulder. He was now dressed in a set of old jeans, a black T-shirt with a tan jacket over top, and a pair of dark red shoes. He gave his Mum a tight hug and a kiss, whispering, "I love you." Jackie Tyler placed a hand on his cheek and nodded. "I love you too Nikki. Please, try to stay safe. I know it'll be difficult, but promise me you'll try?"
"Of course." he promised, giving her a final hug before turning and walking out the front door.
Sitting in a far corner of the courtyard was the TARDIS, with the Doctor leaning against the side of it. Seeing Nick approach, he grinned and went inside, probably to plot their course. Turning around, he took one last look at his home before pushing open the door and stepping inside.
- - -
In an effort to come up with a name for this chapter, I remembered a line I had read once. The full line is "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" spoken by Juliet from Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.