Chapter 1

Paris, 1881.

If there's one thing to note about the French people, it's that they are observant. When something strange happens, expect to have everyone involved. So when one afternoon in late March, when a mysterious blue box came whizzing from the sky and landed somewhere in the countryside west of Paris, it was hardly surprising that a bad scandal arose. Some said it was those cursed Brits projecting things over the channel. Others claimed it was a more local affair, that it had something to do with some corrupt politician. That was the current accepted theory among the Parisians, as there was more proof: the blue box had disappeared. It couldn't have been the Brits, because it there was a Brit in town, everyone would have known about it. Everyone.

But then things happened, and Paris forgot all about that strange blue box. Years would go by without ever seeing it again. The people who did see it – those who still remembered – would blame it on that silly corrupt politician. All except for a handful. A handful of very special, yet very ordinary people whose existence would forever be changed because of it.

WHOO-SH. WHOO-SH. WHOO-SH.

"Rose, grab that lever!"

"Which one?"

"The big green one! Hurry! Not that one, the one with the stripes!"

Crash! Bang! Pop!

Rose and the Doctor hung on for dear life as the TARDIS began to shake and tumble through the time vortex, as violently as ever, sending its two passengers sprawling about the control room. Suddenly, there was a few seconds of calm before the time machine crashed into the ground, causing the Doctor to fall face-first onto the ground. Rose, who was still holding on, started to giggle. The Doctor had to grin too. But the TARDIS wasn't done yet, jumping a little more and causing Rose to fall right alongside her friend. The pair of them started laughing like maniacs before the Doctor finally managed to choke out, "You okay?"

"Yup!" his companion called, sitting up, a bright grin still on her face.

The Doctor smiled back, jumping up and taking a glance at one of the screens. He tapped it a couple times and tapped some buttons.

"So, Doctor, where are we this time?"

"Well, Rose," he replied with a smirk on his face. "I took you to Barcelona the planet, now I'm taking you to Barcelona the city!"

Rose gasped with glee. "I've never been to Italy, this'll be exciting!"

"Oh yes, and in the future!"

Rose arched an eyebrow playfully. "Just how far into the future?"

The Doctor glanced back at the screens. "Not too far, 25th century. The Sagrada Família hasn't been destroyed yet, luckily."

"The Sagrada whata?"

The Doctor snorted. "It's a church. You'll see."

He walked over to the TARDIS's doors and pulled one open, then did a grand dramatic bow. "Ladies first."

Rose sighed gracefully, playing along, and whispered, "You're too kind, Doctor sir," before doing a little twirl and stepping out. Into grass.

They were in a large field, with nothing besides green as far as the eye could see. The Doctor followed behind Rose and scratched his head, clearly a bit confused.

"Well, the TARDIS isn't exactly the most reliable machine ever, is it?" Rose said quickly.

The Doctor nodded and tapped on his watch a few times. "Hang on, it's re-calibrating." He paused. "1881." He looked up at Rose. "How did I get seven centuries off?"

"Maybe you're having an off day," Rose replied, "because we're not in the right place, either." She pointed behind the TARDIS at what appeared to be a small city landscape, but one building stood out in particular.

"That's the Eiffel Tower," she continued. "We're in Paris."

The Doctor's face brightened. "Hey, at least I got the planet right," he said jokingly.

"Still, I've never been to France, either. Shall we explore?" Rose asked.

He snickered. "Sure, but not in those clothes."

Rose frowned. "Whadya mean?"

"I mean that it's the 19th century and you're wearing jeans and a shirt that says Mickey Mouse. Don't want anyone to get ideas. Change into something a bit more Victorian."

His companion sighed. "Fine." She went back into the TARDIS, but stopped half-way and turned around abruptly. "What about you?"

The Doctor pulled his brown floor-length jacket further closed, and shrugged. "I think I'm okay. Just grab me a top hat."

She giggled a bit and closed the TARDIS's doors as the Time Lord was left alone to observe the majestic and inspiring scenery of a field of wheat and a lone cow.

Finally Rose appeared, dressed in a long blue dress that was typical day wear for that time period. She had a on large cameo brooch and matching earrings. Her long, blonde hair was tied back in a bun, albeit not very neatly. The Doctor stared at her for a few moments before accepting the brown top hat, suddenly becoming very interested in it. She's gorgeous in that dress, he thought, blushing profusely as he did.

Ignoring that last thought, his eyes flickered up to the long walk across grassy fields they would have to take to actually get to Paris. "You know," he pointed out, "we could just materialize inside the city."

Rose shook her head, giving him an odd glance. "And risk jumping a few centuries? I don't want to have to get changed again, thanks. I'm starting to like this dress."

The Doctor scoffed. "It won't be a few centuries, I've already locked onto the time zone. It won't be any more than a year."

She sighed. "Are you sure?"

"Yup, no more than a year," he repeated. "Same fashion, same Paris. Allons-y!"

Rose reluctantly entered the TARDIS, followed by a less reluctant Doctor. Before he entered, he turned out slightly. He could have sworn he heard something. It almost sounded like a faint cry. He looked around, before the cow mooed again. The cow produced a similar sound to what he heard. The Doctor made a face at the poor animal before retreating back into his TARDIS.

WHOO-SH. WHOO-SH. WHOO-SH.

This time, it wasn't nearly as bumpy a ride. Within a few minutes the Doctor declared it safe to leave the TARDIS, and the two cautiously stepped outside. They appeared to be in some sort of tunnel, a disgusting tunnel at that, with all sorts of green and yellow slime dripping from the ceiling and oozing out of cracks through the walls. However, neither seemed distracted by this as they peered into the tunnel. They were used to this sort of thing.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and buzzed around. He squinted to read the data. "Well, we're in Paris. In fact," he continued, "We're directly under the Opera Garnier."

Rose frowned. "So we're in the sewers?"

He made a face. "Not quite. Even though Paris does have a sewage system by now – they were installed in the late 19th century with the Industrial Revolution and all that – these bricks are too old to have only been here a few years. So we're probably in the Paris Underground – a large network of catacombs."

Rose nodded intently. She paused before asking, "How long since we left the outskirts?"

The Doctor glanced at his watch. "Actually, we're about two weeks back in time. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself." He looked quite pleased.

Rose looked up. "I think I see a light, let's go check it out!"

He extended his arm for her to grasp, like a proper gentleman should, though provoking quite a few giggles on his companion's part. Together they strolled along the tunnel for a few minutes until finally the light Rose had previously seen was right in front of them.

They both peered up from the dark abyss. They could both see the clouds above and a blue sky, and a ladder that led straight up to the cobblestone streets of Paris. Rose, lifting up her skirts, began to climb upwards.

Suddenly, a dark figure emerged from the tunnel. Rose was still climbing but the Doctor spun around on his feet. He peered out into the darkness, staring at the figure. "Hello," he said cheerfully. This time, his companion turned her head around as well and took a look at the figure. She waved.

The Doctor extended his hand in greeting. "My name is the –" The figure, in lightning speed, moved directly beside him, holding a piece of rope and firmly fastening it around the Doctor's neck. He began to choke, grasping the rope with both his hands, desperately attempting to free himself of the madman's clutches.

During this time, Rose had jumped down from the ladder and was now flailing her arms about, trying to think of something to help him. "The sonic!" she cried. "Doctor, use the sonic!"

Quickly, he took out his screwdriver and tried to use it against the lasso, but with no avail. Rose was getting panicked now as she watched her best friend slowly get the life sucked out of him. In a desperate attempt to save his life, she took her fist and swung it in the general direction of where she assume the figure's head would be.

The man let go of the rope, and the Doctor stumbled forward and collapsed on the ground, panting for breath. Unfazed by a little punch, the dark figure pulled out a long sword and pointed it threateningly in Rose's direction.

Panicked, she took a step backwards and tripped, falling over. The figure pointed the sword at her throat and stared at her. They were closer to the light, and she could see that he was a tall man, covered in a long, black cloak. Looking out at her from under the hood were two immense, yellow eyes that seemed to hold all the darkness and sadness in the world.

Suddenly, the sword began to glow a bright red color and the man dropped it, letting out a pained yelp. Rose quickly rolled away so that the weapon wouldn't fall on her. She stood up and turned around. The Doctor held his screwdriver at the ready, and had a nasty scowl on his face, gone into serious mode. The man backed up as if he was planning on fleeing, but Rose quickly kicked him in his sensitive area and he fell to the ground with a loud bang, groaning a bit in pain.

Rose and the Doctor stood in silence, panting and staring at their defeated foe.

SOOOOO...

Whadya think? Who is this mysterious man? (kinda obvious, but whatevers) Please R & R!