Author's Note:
Standard disclaimer of "not mine, not profiting, don't sue" applies. That being said, I'm new to the fandom, I have no beta, and I'm unerringly fallible.
- Triell BlacKnight
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Just a Little Place in Time
Chapter One
"There's this little place past Sentura," the Doctor was saying, walking hand-in-hand with the nineteen-year-old Rose Tyler, "they have the best grilled cheese in all of time and space."
"Do they, now, Doctor?" Rose grinned, clearly intent on seeing it for herself.
"Should do for a right quick trip, yeah? Might even be safe." He grinned, an awkward sort of smile, and tightened the grip on her hand a little more. The two grinned wildly and then started to run toward the blue structure marked "Police Phone Call Box." The TARDIS.
The Doctor opened the door for the blond and dashed to the control panel, hitting buttons and pulling levers. "You'll be amazed, Rose Tyler!"
"You think so?" She moved her hair back, watching the Doctor pull levers.
"Oh, yes," the Doctor said, "it's fantastic."
Rose grinned and headed towards the door, pushing it open, ready to turn back and raise her chin up to question the Doctor's sanity, such a familiar sort of jabbing that she hadn't for a second thought that something might not be right, except for possibly the date and location.
Rose's eyes took in the landscape and she backed up, into the Doctor. "Wrong time?" She asked, tilting her head up to look at the Time Lord.
"No," the Doctor said, moving past Rose. He reached down and grabbed her hand. Instead of dashing about or walking with a jovial sort of step, the two walked somberly into the desolate streets.
"You're so sure this isn't the wrong time?"
"Time Lord," the Doctor reminded her. "I'm sure. It's not my sense of time that's off... but this isn't right."
Still, he led her towards a little shop, windows boarded up. "This isn't right," he said again.
"Let's see if they still have the best grilled cheese in the universe, yea?" Rose suggested, putting a hand over her burbling stomach. It had been a while since they'd stopped to eat, what with one thing and another.
"Right then," the Doctor said, pushing the door open. A rusted little bell gave a half-hearted clink as the two walked into the establishment.
It was dirt, cobwebbed up and altogether unpleasant, but the air smelled of fried bread and melted cheese.
"We'll take two," the Doctor said, handing the hunchbacked alien at the counter three brittle twigs before leading Rose to a table.
"It doesn't smell like things have changed all that much," Rose said, inhaling to take in the delicious air.
"Humans," the Doctor said, shaking his head. "Keep seeing what you want to be seeing. When the sandwiches arrived, the Doctor took a big bite and made a sour face. "Don't," he said, stopping Rose from trying it herself. He set his sandwich down and stood. "Let's go."
Rose looked down at the food on the plate and then over at the Doctor, and then stood. "What's going on?"
The Doctor and Rose walked out onto the empty streets once more, and stopped, his smile hesitant. "Let's find out."