I don't own Doctor Who.

Also, thank you to orchids117 for being an awesome beta.

Chapter 1

The TARDIS's engines whirred as she materialized in an unused corner of an unused room of an almost unvisited section of The Library - instruction manuals. Nobody ever cared for those.

The doors opened and the Doctor, dressed smartly in his blue suit (which he now preferred to his previous pin-striped brown), stepped out with a smile. It was such a wonderful place, so full of old paper and grey dust; it smelled like relaxation and information, adventure and mystery.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Ah, the Library! So big it doesn't need a name, just a great big 'the'. The whole core of the planet is the index computer, biggest hard drive ever, and up here, every book ever written."

He was pushed aside by a gentle little pink nail polished hand and the bubbly girl stepped out of the box, grinning at him with a tongue-touched smile.

She glanced around with a familiar spark in her eyes. "A whole planet just for books? I'm surprised you haven't moved here yet."

"Well, no one actually lives here. Though I'm sure that if they did ever decide to build houses they would be taken instantly; there are quite a few intellectuals who would kill to live on a book planet."

"And are you one of them?" she joked.

The Doctor gave her an indignant look. "Oi, I've got the TARDIS! She may not have the biggest library, but it's certainly the best."

Rose shrugged. "I can't argue with that. Now, why are we here exactly?"

He reached out for her hand and they made their way to the main hallway. "New universe, new history. Just think of how different earth is; most things are the same, but there are a few major differences. Now just picture that but on every planet. Can you imagine the trouble we could get in? I need to re-learn the history of the universe!"

Rose grinned at him. "So that we don't muck things up wherever we go?"

The Doctor twirled her around by the hand he was still holding. "Exactly! This is a perfect first trip. Come on then, let's find the history section. If I remember correctly it'll be just north of the cookbooks."

They had reached the door that led out of the instruction manuals when the Doctor pulled Rose towards the transportation system, letting himself enjoy the view of the intricate layout of the buildings and beautiful sky above. He was forever grateful that the events of what transpired here in the other universe had not carried over into this one. He pushed aside the memories of the last time he was here, and wished for his other self to solve the mystery that was River Song – for the both of them.

It was a ten minute shuttle ride to the correct section. Rose could see entire cities of authors from the small window of the transporter. In the year that it had taken for the new TARDIS to grow, she had forgotten what it had felt like – the new ground beneath her feet, the new sky.

They got off at the history section, a very large three-story building with an open floor plan that only a few lonely scholars inhabited.

The Doctor stared in pure glee at the rows and rows of times gone by. Where to begin?

"Okay Rose, you start with 'A' to 'E' and I'll take the rest."

"Whoopee," she muttered sarcastically. "I don't even know what I'm supposed to be looking for!"

He sighed and pushed her forward encouragingly. "Anything that stands out; anything you think might be helpful to keep in mind if we ever find ourselves on any of those planets."

So, they began their research. It was truly surprising how big some of the differences were. In Barcelona – the planet not the city – the dogs had noses; it was the cats that were noseless. The language of the Judoons consisted of the vowel 'u' rather than their traditional 'o'. And perhaps the most shocking of all were the Sontarans. They were reminiscent of Earth's hippies, proclaiming to 'make love, not war'. One of their most influential leaders was remembered for his phrase: "It's beautiful… let's go smother it in hugs!"

It was quite amusing really. All the new experiences he could have in all these familiar yet new worlds. The Doctor walked along the stacked aisles, perusing different topics and skimming his fingers over the surface of the special editions. He still retained his ability to read insanely fast, and he was quickly reaching the end of his section.

He began his stroll through the 'T's when he suddenly stopped. His fingers hit a large leather-bound volume, and they seemed unable to move. It was almost as if the book was calling to him, pulling him closer and urging him to peek at what was inside. It was dusty but well-used, which only added to its mystery and appeal. In the dim light, he could see a faint shimmering coat that clung to the book, drawing his eyes away.

Why would a book, have a perception filter? He soniced the illusion away and pulled the heavy tome from the shelf. As he read the title, he had to restrain himself from letting the massive object fall to the floor. Scrawled over the cover in swirling script was 'History of the Time War'.

With a shaking hand, he put the book back in its place and carried on with his reading. He tried desperately to ignore the tugging sensation in his mind that was attempting to pull him back to the information that filled his heart with cold dread. He knew he should probably take a look; the events leading to the fall of this Gallifrey could very well be completely different, but it would still be gone nonetheless.

He looked back at the book uncertainly. He needed to know, but the idea of what could be written in those pages scared him. The Time War was destined for destruction in any universe, of that he was absolutely certain.

"Doctor?" a soft voice called.

"I'm down here!" he replied, clearing his throat and pulling himself away from the shelf.

Rose rounded the corner to join him. "Doctor, I'm hungry. Can we go get some chips?"

He forced himself to plaster on a bright smile. "Of course we can! Brilliant plan! Molto bene! How far did you get?"

She thought for a moment. "Um, I read the first book. Some planet called Aabkud."

He nodded in contemplation. He'd come back later and finish the rest for her. "Okay. I'm almost done here. Why don't I meet you at the TARDIS?"

Rose agreed and with a final glance, she left.

The Doctor ran a hand through his hair and finished the last of the many shelves. He kept telling himself not to give in, but as he began his walk back towards the transport, he snatched the book, re-soniced it into disguise, and placed it under his jacket.

They returned to London and had a nice meal at Rose's favorite chippie, followed by a quick trip back home. Rose was excitedly telling the Doctor some of the things she had read, but his mind was elsewhere. His thoughts kept wandering back to that book. What was in it? What could have happened?

Despite his fears, his curiosity was getting the best of him. He waited impatiently for Rose to tire and the moment she pranced off to her room he took out the book. His metacrisis body only needed one whole night of sleep every two or three nights, more than he was used to but still less than humans. He settled himself comfortably in his bed and flipped to the first page, already knowing what it probably said. He decided to read the regular way, one word at a time, to make sure he captured every detail. With a deep breath he began.

The Last Great Time War was a battle of death and destruction for the whole universe. The mighty Time Lords of Gallifrey and the mutated Daleks of Skaro entangled themselves in a conflict so old that it went beyond time. The Act of Master Restitution – a peace treaty established by the President – was a complete failure. Quite the opposite of its intended purpose, it escalated the events leading to war…

The next day, he woke Rose earlier than she would have liked, but her tiredness was soon forgotten when he reminded her of their plans. She had spent the whole of last week packing all her and the Doctor's things. Her family knew the TARDIS had been practically near completion; however, Jackie Tyler was shocked to hear that they had already taken her out on a test-flight. The entire Tyler family was gathered in the sitting room of the mansion. Off to one side the Doctor and Pete were discussing recent business of some sort, young Tony was colouring on the floor, and both Jackie and Rose were huddled on the sofa.

"Oh, sweetheart! I thought I'd have at least another few weeks with you!" Jackie murmured while hugging her daughter.

"It's okay, mum. We're gonna call and visit, yeah?"

"I know. I've just gotten so used to havin' you here. But maybe it's for the best. Now that himself is done spending all his time on that machine, he'd better be spendin' it all on you. I don't understand why you two haven't just gotten together properly yet, I mean, when I found Pete again, we couldn't keep our hands off each other. I don't get what's stopping you, I really don't, and –"

"Mum!" Rose warned, casting a quick eye towards the man in question. Thankfully he was too engrossed in his own conversation to pay them any mind.

"Well it's true!" Jackie continued in a lower voice. "You're both are so in love, you are, and yet like a couple of teenagers you just let things be as they are. Bein' alone with him in that box again – never mind it being 'bigger on the inside' – will do you both some good, it will."

Rose curled a strand of hair behind her ear, slightly embarrassed by the topic of conversation, one she was having with her mother no less. "We've both just been busy. He's been workin' on the TARDIS, and I was helping dad at work and you with Tony. But now that we're travelling again… I dunno. Things are different. They're going back to the way they were before. We're no good at staying in one place, either of us." She stared down at her hands with a small smile, remembering how easy their relationship had been when they travelled.

She felt a tug on her sleeve and looked down at her brother. He proudly presented her with a messy crayon portrait of what could only be described as a blue smudge on a purple smudge, in space.

"Wose, it's for you! It's the TA'IS and it's on Waxicowicofawapatowious!" he slurred, still learning to enunciate his words – and more importantly, alien planets and species – properly. From behind him, a strong pair of arms reached out and lifted him off his feet. The young boy giggled delightfully and was perched on the Doctor's shoulders.

"That's perfect Tony! A true work of art, isn't it Rose? That's just beautiful! We're gonna have to put it up on the wall, with a biiiiig frame!"

Tony giggled again and nodded hugely.

Over the time the Doctor had been in Pete's World, he hadn't gotten to know many people: a few of Rose and Pete's colleagues from Torchwood and the odd neighbour and technician, yet out of everyone, by far, Tony was his favorite. They had bonded whilst getting yelled at by Jackie together after causing a slight mud disaster in the kitchen. Well, he wouldn't say disaster, more of a mishap, really. Either way, it was the kind of experience that tended to bring people closer together.

After that, the child of four would sometimes help the Doctor with some easy tinkering, especially in the early stages of the TARDIS's development. She was almost like their pet; sitting in a tank needing constant cleaning and electrical feeding.

The boy was so gleeful and childish, much like him at times. He loved to explore and had a knack of finding trouble. He would be a complete disaster to take into space and the Doctor just couldn't wait to take him (for, you see, Jackie had set some very strict rules concerning the time and space boundaries of her toddler – ones which the Doctor completely agreed with, sort of mostly kind of, but not really).

Pete stepped in and took his son from the Doctor's shoulders.

"Now, Tony, wasn't there something you wanted to say?" his father prompted.

The child thought for a moment, then ran to hug both the Doctor and Rose by their legs at the same time. "Thank you for staying with me and not going away forever. I love you and miss you!"

Rose bent down and hugged him in earnest. "I'm glad I stayed too," she whispered, and snuck a glance up at the Doctor, sharing a small smile with him. In the long run, she knew she had made the right choice. "And we're gonna miss you too. We'll bring back some alien toys for you, okay?"

Tony grinned and hugged them tighter. Jackie had watery eyes and joined in, pulling the Doctor forcefully towards her when he tried to get away.

"Call every day, alright? And Doctor… you'd better bring my daughter home alive." She pulled back abruptly to give him a dark, warning glare.

He gulped under her threatening gaze. "I will do everything in my power to make sure Rose is safe."

Rose rolled her eyes. "I can take care of myself just fine."

The rest of the goodbyes were exchanged, and soon the Doctor and Rose were walking out to the TARDIS.

He grinned at her boyishly. "Would you like to do the honors?"

She grinned, slipping her new key into the keyhole. The door creaked open invitingly and the pair couldn't help but giggle excitedly.

"You ready, Rose Tyler?"

She reached down and grabbed his hand in hers firmly.

"Take me to the stars, Doctor!"

So... chapter 1... whatdya think?