A/N: I've long since given up on apologizing for starting new things without finishing others. My brain however decided to go on strike until I got this story out. It will only have about three or four chapters at the absolute maximum, so it won't hinder my other stories.. much. I just love Nine so much and went on a season 1 binge.. This idea was the result.
Warning: Language, some blood, and a horrible attempt of an American to write.
Disclaimer: If I owned Doctor Who three things would be different. 1. Eccleston would have stayed for at least one more season. 2. Bille Piper would have never left. 3. River Song never would have existed. So do you think I own it? If you do then you need to get yourself checked.
The Doctor walked along an almost entirely empty street, his leather clad shoulders squared as blue eyes searched not-so-eagerly for the cause of the TARDIS being yanked wildly off course. He suspected that whatever this was, it was more than likely a fixed point in time. Naturally he wanted to keep his human companions close, but at the same time he had no idea what this fixed point was or meant, so he had simply told Rose that he needed to get a part for the TARDIS and sent her off with Jack. Leaving her with the former con man wasn't exactly his greatest idea, but he knew that Jack could keep her safe, and he also knew that, as much as he wasn't exactly thrilled with it, Rose trusted him as well.
He set off toward the main part of the town, where the inhabitants of the planet walked along the roads. They were mainly humanoid, with a few obvious exceptions. Their skin was covered in velvet-like fur that ranged in color from midnight blue to pale turquoise, they stood slightly shorter than the average human, and their eyes were yellow-gold. They were called the Rodiyans and the planet, Dranlian, was very similar to Earth in terms of resources and food. As he looked now, he saw Rose and Jack not too far away, walking down the street and occasionally pointing at one of the shops. They weren't too hard to spot really, humans hadn't colonized here yet, so they stuck out like a sore thumb.
He noted, with the slightest bit of satisfaction (not that he would ever admit it to himself mind you), that when they walked Rose didn't hold Jack's hand like she usually did when she walked with himself. Quickly, he shoved any thought of this down, determined to focus on the task at hand. It should be easy, it really should be, he was over nine hundred years old and had been doing this for almost that entire time, but something about that nineteen year old human just got to him. He tried to clear his head up as he turned and continued in the opposite direction.
Rose Tyler stepped out of the TARDIS, looking around the planet that she hadn't been to in years. It had been so long since she had been to Dranlian with the old version of The Doctor and the mortal version of Captain Jack, and the warm memories flooded her as her feet touched the grass. The Doctor stepped out after her, wearing his typical pinstripe suit and converse, his gravity defying hair sticking up in all directions. He pulled a hand out of his pocket and wrapped it around hers, and she leaned against him for a second before turning back toward the TARDIS doors.
"Ready?" He asked, arching an eyebrow at the still motionless doors. As if on cue, two young people just about crashed outside the two doors, stumbling and falling as they did so. The first was an older boy, about fifteen years old, with unruly brown hair that also seemed to have said 'no!' to gravity, and warm hazel eyes. Rose caught him by his shoulder as he stumbled, almost hitting the ground. He balanced himself and laughed, turning toward the other figure who had rushed out. She was a young girl, no older than about seven or eight, with long, sandy colored hair that was pulled into a ponytail. Her eyes were dark brown and her cheeks were flushed pink as she laughed. The Doctor scooped her up as she staggered, picking her up over his head for a second as she giggled uncontrollably.
"So," The boy started, looking toward The Doctor, "Where and when are we?"
"Well I know where. We're on Dranlian." Rose answered promptly, recalling the name from years gone by. The Doctor looked at her, his head tilted slightly, like he was thinking something through, before blinking and looking down at the little girl who clung to his hand.
"Well what are we waiting for?" He asked, turning toward the city. Rose noticed the light in his eyes, the one he always had when they went somewhere in the TARDIS, and it made her smile. The teenaged boy turned and looked at her, raising his eyebrows skeptically.
"Now we're sure this isn't a time where there's no hatred for humans, no wars, nothing that's going to get us killed? Dad's driving is... iffy sometimes." He asked, looking around somewhat warily. It was pretty much common knowledge that The Doctor's flying skills were questionable at times.
"Oi!" He yelped, like he was offended, but there was laughter under his voice. "I'll have you know that I'm an excellent driver! Right Erin?" He asked, looking down at the younger child, who stared back up at him, giggling. She looked from him, to Rose, then to the other boy, and she gave a conspiratorial smile.
"Nuh-uh!" She giggled. "When Jackson drives, we don't shake so much!" The Doctor gave an exaggerated gasp, clutching a hand over his left heart like he'd been wounded.
"Mutiny! That's what this is! Mutiny!" Rose laughed and leaned to kiss his cheek, much to both of the youths' chagrin.
"Been telling you for years love, a day would come when somebody other than me would guess the truth about your driving."
"Yeah.. well.." He laughed. "Let's go" The boy called Jackson lifted Erin up, giving her a piggy back ride as they walked, much to her amusement. She squealed but stayed mostly still. He tightened his hold on her as she tilted her head toward the sky and laughed.
"Mummy! Look! 'M flying!" Rose smiled, her hand rejoining into that of The Doctor as their small family joined into the main part of town. Jackson didn't keep too far ahead, always within the line of sight of both Rose and The Doctor. Thankfully Rodiyans didn't seem to mind at all, in fact they seemed to think it was entertaining at the very least, they smiled and waved sometimes at The Doctor or Rose.
"Rose?" The Doctor asked after about five minutes, slight concern in his voice.
"Yeah?" He looked at her, tilting his head in much the same way as he had done before, back at the TARDIS.
"I know we've been here before, but I'll be honest with you, I don't remember much of it.." He muttered, sounding almost embarrassed. She tilted her head at him, tightening her hold on his hand. "What?" He asked, concern in his voice. She gave him a half-smile.
"Just wondering... Can Time Lords go senile?" She giggled slightly at the look on his face, he was not amused. "Okay, maybe not. I wouldn't know though, you sent me off with Jack to chase some fixed point or something."
"How did you know about-?" He started, surprised, he thought he'd said he needed to repair part of the TARDIS, how did she know that? But she already cut him off.
"Well Doctor, when I plan on ditching my friends, I usually don't mutter about where I'm actually going under my breath." Smiling as the tips of his ears turned pink, she leaned her head gently against his shoulder for a moment. "But really, I don't know. You came and found me and Jack, and although you were in a relatively good mood, we ate a little shop then left. Though there was some sort of explosion, you might have been responsible for."
"Hey.. Why am I the one that's responsible for it?" He challenged as they turned around a corner.
"Maybe because explosions are practically how you communicate? I was thinking maybe I should start a list.." He smiled a bit sheepishly, and she rolled her eyes. "But I'll be honest, Jack and I were shocked and a little disappointed that there were no near death experiences that time."
"Guess that would've been pretty odd, huh?" He smiled his thousand watt smile, the thumb of his right hand brushing over the silvery band on one of her fingers, the one that matched his own. "Still.." He continued "It's kind of odd for me to have almost no memory about something like that.." Rose's thumb stroked over the top of his hand reassuringly.
"Doctor, at the very worst, something happened and you had to put a memory lock on something, and it was probably for a really good reason." He turned and gave her that smile, the one he saved just for her, and for a second lost himself in the fact that right now, as he walked along the pavement-like ground of a Rodiyan civilization, he had what he never thought he would have again: A family. For a second he allowed himself to drift back into memories.
First to leave the TARDIS was Sarah Jane, then Martha and Jack, followed directly after by Mickey. Next came Jackie Tyler, and for one heart stopping moment, Rose was terrified that The Doctor planned to leave her in Pete's universe with the meta-crisis Doctor. It was, after all, something he would do. Silly, childish, fear made her almost afraid to step out of the TARDIS, like she thought he would close the door behind her and leave. It must have been the look on her face because Jackie gave a small, sad, smile as she looked at her daughter.
"You don't need to say anything Rose. From the day you met that bloody man, that blue box is where you've belonged." Rose had reached her mother into such a tight hug that Jackie coughed when she let go.
"'M gonna miss you mum.." She managed to choke out, fighting back the tears. She'd said this goodbye so many times in her head, but now that she was actually having to say it everything she planned on saying ran away from her.
"I'm gonna miss you too, sweetheart." She said through a teary smile as she heard Pete pulling up in his car further up on the beach. "I'll make sure and tell Tony all 'bout his big sister. Now as for
you Doctor," Rose almost was able to smile as her mother turned on The Doctor. "I am still holding you to the promise you made when you were all big ears and leather jackets. If she gets hurt of if you leave her behind, I will tear down the walls of the universe and slap you through two more of your 'changes'." The Doctor looked thoroughly horrified as he assured Jackie Tyler that he would take care of Rose.
The was a pause, and Rose gave her mother one last hug, before turning her back for the last time on Dårlig Ulv Standen. She felt The Doctor's hand slip into hers as the doors of the TARDIS closed behind them. They rejoined Donna and the Metacrisis (Rose secretly called him Doctor-point-five) in the ship.
Melancholy colored both Rose and The Doctor for the next few days as they merely drifted through the Vortex. Donna's memories had to be wiped, and sadly the Metacrisis doctor had died because they couldn't very well wipe every memory of himself from the man. They never left each other sight.
Then came the day that they found out what a combination of multidimensional travel, time in the TARDIS, and Bad Wolf had done to Rose. It had happened when they were on Earth, it happened on the one and a million chance that an idiot thief had decided to attack them as they walked down a nearly empty road. Terror had pulsed through The Doctor as Rose hit the ground, blood welling from her stomach. He watched the steady rise and fall of her chest cease, and the Oncoming Storm had been released, and only the sound of violent coughing could pull him away from murdering the man who had harmed Rose. As he dropped to his knees by her side, putting a steadying arm around her, he had felt the impossible. The fast paced thumping of a double heartbeat.
"We know where we are.. But when are we? I know the chances are small, but I really don't want to run into ourselves." She asked, her interest peaked after a second of thought. The Doctor chuckled.
"Dunno, but out of all of history, what are the chances we'd run into ourselves? And even if we did.. What's the worst that could happen?"
Oh noes.. Whenever those last few words are said, nothing good ever happens. *sigh* anyway, tell me what you think, and I'll jump right on my other stories. Please, take a cookie when you leave, but no more than three per person, due to the cookie famine in the world that is my head. Reviews are always appreciated btw.