Prologue
Rose pressed her ear to the window of her room. It had been several weeks since the tenth Doctor had deposited her home for Christmas, now she was expecting him to come and pick her up. Her breath fogged up the window as she made little swirls with her finger. She was waiting for the familiar sound of the T.A.D.R.I.S materializing. Then she heard it. She whirled away from the window and ran out of the room.
"Where are you going?" her mother asked as Rose flew through the living room.
"The Doctors back," Rose replied her face flushed with excitement.
"Oh, here we go again," Her mother mumbled to herself as Rose slammed the door shut behind her.
Rose dashed out into the street and headed for the well-known alley way her heart pounding with joy, and there sitting in its usual spot was the T.A.R.D.I.S. Rose smiled at the familiar blue box. Then the door swung open and a face appeared.
"Well, are you coming?"
It was the Doctor. His brown hair as usual was flipped up in the front and his chocolate brown eyes danced with merriment. His smile widened as Rose walked over to him. She threw her arms around his neck and he encircled her stooping to kiss her gently on the cheek. Then he held out his hand, and his eyes asked the question that was so familiar to Rose, 'where would you like to go?'
"Anywhere really, as long as its with you." Rose said with a smile.
"Well in that case shall I surprise you?" was the answer.
"Oh yes please!" Rose squealed.
Rose took the Doctors hand and they walked into the T.A.R.D.I.S.
"That's all done Doctor," a voice from underneath the floor said.
"Oh good." the Doctor replied, "now come out of there and meet Rose."
Rose looked up at the Doctor puzzled but he just shrugged his shoulders. Rose heard the sound of footsteps and turned. Leaning against the console was a young man of about twenty. He was tall and lean like the Doctor. His blond hair was swept sideways reaching to about eye level. His features were sharp and angler. His gray eyes with their intense expression startled Rose and she dropped hers to the floor.
"This is Alex, I picked him up at a planet I visited while you were away. He was an outcast," the Doctor explained.
"Hello," Alex said with a thick English accent, "you must be Rose." He advanced towards her and held out his hand. Rose took it and raised her eyes to meet his. Alex smiled at her kindly and she smiled back.
"Nice to meet you too." she replied just so as not to be impolite.
"I hope you don't mind him traveling with us?"" the Doctor said sheepishly.
"I don't mind at all." Rose replied smiling at the Doctor.
"Well in that case shall we be off?" the Doctor asked with a mischievous look on his face. Rose nodded and watched as the two men strode over to the console and the next thing she knew they were gone from earth and the familiar smells of home.
Chapter 1
Four months later...
Rose stepped out of the T.A.R.D.I.S and gasped. This planet was different from the other ones she and the Doctor had visited together. She wondered if the Doctor might be lost. The terrain was flat and the sand shifted quietly in the wind. There was no sign of life at all. No plants and no strange beings, just a flat stretch of sand. Then she heard a door open behind her. Rose turned and looked at Alex with a puzzled expression on her face, but Alex only shrugged.
"Where in the world are we?" Rose asked.
"I'm not sure," Alex, replied, "the Doctor said we might be stranded."
"Where is he?"
"He's still in the T.A.R.D.I.S trying to figure out where we are." Alex looked over his shoulder at the still open T.A.R.D.I.S door.
"I think I know where we are," came the Doctor's voice from inside the T.A.R.D.I.S, "but we are a bit stranded."
"I knew we were." Rose said with a slight raise of her lips.
The Doctor appeared at Rose's shoulder. His eyes roved around the strange place. Then he shrugged, walked towards a large rock and sat down with a sigh. Rose walked over and joined him. The Doctor rapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Well there isn't much to explore here and we're kind of stuck until I can find out what's wrong with her." the Doctor glanced back at the T.A.R.D.I.S.
"You mean you think something happened to the T.A.R.D.I.S?" Rose asked the Doctor mischievously. "You sure it wasn't you?"
The Doctor snorted. "No I don't think I did anything," he said with a slight emphasis on the words.
"I don't think we will have to worry about anything." Alex said as he strode up to them. "I mean look at this place," he swept his hand around to include the whole dessert, "It's a bump." He sounded a bit disgusted. The Doctor looked up at Alex.
"Well it is an empty place I suppose." He said glancing around him. "Shall we go and explore?" he asked directing his gaze at Rose and winking.
"Oh yes please," Rose replied. Exploring was one of Roses favorite things about traveling with the Doctor.
The Doctor stood up and pulled Rose up off the rock. They turned away from the T.A.R.D.I.S and walked in a westerly direction. A few hours later they found themselves climbing up a cliff. Alex reached the top with ease. The Doctor was second to reach the top with even less difficulty. Rose however was last to reach the top and Alex and the Doctor had to pull her up the rest of the way. They all fell over onto the cliff top laughing. Then they all sat up. The Doctor looked over at Rose and smiled taking her hand. They looked into each other's eyes for a while. Then the Doctor leaned over and planted a kiss on Rose. After a few minutes he pulled away from her and winked. The moment was short lived though for the Doctor noticed that Alex was staring off into the distance. The Doctor got up and walked over to him.
"Alex," he called softly but Alex didn't answer. "What's the matter?"
He reached out his hand and touched Alex's arm. An involuntary shudder racked Alex's body and then he pulled out of it. He glanced at the Doctor a bit confused.
"I heard something," Alex said in a hushed voice. "Did you hear it too?" he asked the Doctor and Rose looking over at them.
"Hear what?" The Doctor and Rose chorused together.
Alex shook his head. "Never mind."
The Doctor looked at Alex for a few seconds his expression one of concern. After a few more seconds in which everyone was absolutely silent, he shrugged his shoulders and turning around he took Rose's hand again and they continued their exploration with the cliff edge to their backs. No one noticed two eyes appear over the edge of the cliff watching them as they walked away.
After a few minutes of trudging around without much incident, the Doctor, Rose and Alex returned to the T.A.R.D.I.S. Rose disappeared inside for a few seconds and then came back out carrying a backpack. She set it down and zipped open the main pocket.
"I found some food." She said looking up at the Doctor and Alex, "anyone hunger? She held out a sandwich. Alex walked over and took the sandwich from Rose. Sitting down next to her he unwrapped the plastic and took a bite.
"Peanut butter and jelly," he said looking up at the Doctor, who had just joined them, "I didn't think you ate anything like that."
The Doctor looked at Alex and rolled his eyes. "Just because I'm an alien doesn't mean I don't eat human food." Rose giggled and choked on a bite of sandwich. The Doctor thumped her back and winked at Alex. "Actually, I quite like your food."
"Well, don't let's spoil it now," Alex said sarcastically.
They finished their sandwiches in silence. Then Rose stood up, "I feel like a dance," she said. "Something to make this place a little less, empty." She shivered a little and gazed out into the sandy expanse.
The Doctor stood up and walked over to her. Putting his arms around her, he sniffed at her hair. "Rose, did you get stuck in one of those bogs?" he asked crinkling his nose.
"No," Rose replied suddenly spinning around to face the Doctor. "Why?
"Your hair smells like it."
Rose flinched as she gingerly put a hand up and ran her fingers through her hair. "Well, something got stuck in there." she said slowly looking into the Doctor's serious eyes. "Doctor, is that bad?" her voice sounded a little panicked.
The Doctor looked up as if thinking about it for a minute. "Well," he said pausing, "it's fine." he said finally. Then he looked over at Alex. "Well, it's not fine." he said suddenly running his fingers through Rose's hair. "Well actually it's bad." he said with a finality. Rose shook her head.
"I hope I don't have to cut my hair," she sighed, "Mum would kill me."
She looked at the Doctor helplessly. The Doctor came close to her and took her hand.
"It's alright Rose," he said gently, "I'll take care of it."
Rose rested her head against the Doctor's shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief. As she breathed in again she caught of whiff of that familiar smell that brought her comfort when something went wrong. It was the smell of a time lord, the smell of a traveler who has seen many sorrows, suffered many pains, and helped people in need. She closed her eyes and felt warmth envelop her. Suddenly she saw a young girl with blonde wavy hair at a beach playing in the sun. The little girl ran over to a man who was pilling sand into a big mound. They were building a sand castle. Then the little girl jumped up and ran towards Rose. It was herself. She was seeing an image of herself playing at a beach in London. Then, that man was her father and he was building a sand castle with her. But that's isn't possible Rose thought. Her father died when she was a baby. Then a voice entered her dream. "This is a picture of what it might have been like had your father not died."
Rose eyes snapped open. She was lying in the T.A.R.D.I.S. Alex sat in a corner and the Doctor was standing leaning against the consol. Rose blinked twice and looked at the Doctor with a puzzled expression in her eyes.
"That was you." Rose whispered quietly.
"What?" the Doctor asked.
Rose looked startled. "Your talking to me and you're not even moving your mouth."
"Yeah, I know." the Doctor smiled.
"That was you in my dream, that voice." she said in a quivery voice.
"Yes it was, cause I was the one showing you that memory." the Doctor replied.
"Wait," Rose exclaimed, "you saw me as a little girl."
"Just a vision Rose, it was nothing more." the Doctor sighed. "Get some rest."
When Rose awoke in the morning Alex was standing in front of the consol with his back to her but the Doctor was nowhere in sight. She leapt to her feet and walked towards Alex. He was bending over looking into the computer screen. Rose reached him and glanced into the computer screen. She saw the Doctor standing with his back towards the T.A.R.D.I.S. He was looking off into the distant horizon.
"What's he doing," Rose asked glance over at Alex.
"I'm not sure really," Alex replied with a heavy sigh.
"What did you see when we were up on the top of the cliff?" Rose asked turn to face the T.A.R.D.I.S door and leaning with her back against the consol.
Alex turned towards her, his eyes boring into her trying to figure out what she hoped to gain by getting information out of him. "It was a blue light that was sitting on top of a rock." Alex replied slowly and testily.
Rose looked at him startled, "like a circular blue light?" she asked abruptly.
"Yeah, like a portal or something."
"Maybe you should tell the Doctor about it and he can figure it out." Rose said her eyes full of concern. "It may be dangerous."
"All the same, I'd like to give it a good looking at." Alex said and put his hand on Rose's arm. "Don't try to stop me if I do." he said with a slight tone of aggressiveness.
The air in the T.A.D.R.S suddenly became tense. Rose jerked her arm out from underneath his hand and backed away slightly, with alarm spreading across her face. Alex's face froze, a look of concern suddenly in his eyes.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly, "I didn't mean to say it like that. I don't know why I did."
The door opened and the Doctor came striding in. He stopped right next to Rose and looked up at Alex.
"Leave her alone." the Doctor said tensely looking Alex straight in the eyes. "she has nothing against you. It's me your after, leave them alone."
Rose looked puzzled. Then the tension in the air lifted. Rose suddenly realized that she was holding her breath. She let it out slowly and breathed a sigh of relief. The Doctor jumped the stairs two at a time and reached the consol. He glanced back at Rose.
"Are you alright." he asked.
"Yeah," Rose replied. "What was that thing?" she asked as she reached the Doctor.
"I don't know something that was using Alex to spy on us I suppose." he said looking down at the crumpled heap beside him. "you had better get him something to eat when he wakes up. I suspect he'll be hungry."
Rose ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. She sifted through the cupboards and found a meat sandwich and a cheese stick. She ran back up just as Alex was sitting up rubbing his head.
"Here's some food." she said sitting down next to him.
Alex looked up and then down at the food. "Thanks." he said taking it from her.
Rose stood up and walked over to the Doctor who was underneath the consol fixing something. She gave his foot a playful kick.
"Found out what's wrong yet." she said mischievously.
"No, and if you keep distracting me, we'll be stranded here for months." the Doctor said popping his out head and sarcastically rolling his eyes.
Rose giggled, "Oh Doctor, you flatter me." she said playfully.
"Oh brilliant," the Doctor said rolling his eyes again and letting out a sigh.
"You shouldn't encourage her Doctor." Alex said giving Rose a wink.
"Nice to see your up and about." The Doctor said sarcastically.
Alex glared at the Doctor and turned to the door. "I think I'll take a walk." Alex said walking to the door and disappearing outside.
"He'll be gone for a while." The Doctor said sitting next to Rose who had slumped down against the consol.
"That's alright," Rose replied staring at the door where Alex had gone out. "I wanted to talk to you, alone anyways."
"This isn't about Alex is it by any chance." The Doctor asked raising an eyebrow.
"Yes." Rose looked up into the Doctor's eyes trying to read his expression. "I don't trust him."
"Really." The Doctor didn't sound surprised, "how long?"
"For a while." Rose sighed, "ever since Regina."
The Doctor nodded. "I don't blame you."
"There's just something different about him."
"Like what?"
"I'm not sure exactly, just, something."
The Doctor put an arm around Rose's shoulders. She leaned against him and let out a sigh. "I think he's here to stop us." She said, "he doesn't seem to like the idea of it all."
"Yes, I know." the Doctor glanced at the T.A.R.D.I.S door. "He has been a bit unusual since Regina."
Rose glanced out. "Is it night again already?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you and Alex, time goes fast on this planet." The Doctor shrugged. "We'd better get some dinner and go to bed."
"What about Alex."
"I wouldn't be to worried about him. He can find his way back to the T.A.R.D.I.S without much trouble."
Rose and the Doctor had some sandwiches and then they snuggled up on the floor of the T.A.R.D.I.S. Rose shut her eyes with an uneasy feeling in her stomach that Alex would not make it back to the T.A.R.D.I.S.
Chapter 2