The Doctor piloted the TARDIS to a planet that was as far from the battle he'd just led as he could manage. Technically, he was supposed to go back to Gallifrey for a debrief and to get his next assignment but, as far as he was concerned, they could wait a day or two for him to recoup. Romana would understand. At the very least, she would let him have the time and not berate him for it too much when she inevitably called him back to the war room.

As soon as his ship materialized with a bump and a rattle, the Doctor ran a soothing hand over the edge of the console before stumbling to his armchair and collapsing into it. It had been a rough go of it for both him and his ship. They needed rest and time to recuperate but those things were luxuries that couldn't be afforded during war.

There was a dried streak of blood on his cheekbone and another, fresher wound near his left temple that was still tacky. He should go to the medbay to clean up, he knew he should, but he couldn't bring himself to move from his chair now that he was seated.

He slumped, boneless in his exhaustion. Images of the horrors of the day played on the back of his eyelids. It was flashes from the temporal grenades exploding and screams of his comrades and allies falling on all sides. It was the limp hand of the man he'd failed to save. The abandoned toy doll stained with blood in the middle of the street.

He didn't know how much longer he could keep fighting this war. He didn't know if this war would ever end, wrapped up in time as it was.

The Doctor slid further down in his chair, any semblance of good posture disappearing. All he wanted was a cup of tea and a few hours of sleep without nightmares. The first at least was doable if he could muster the energy to walk to the galley but the second was something even his wonderful ship couldn't provide for him.

The corners of his mouth quirked up in a weak smile when the TARDIS's hum brightened in tone. Apparently he hadn't been complimenting the old girl enough if such an offhand comment had such an effect.

The ship sent him the mental equivalent of blowing a raspberry at him before radiating golden joy and excitement once more.

He dragged himself upright in his chair, sending the TARDIS an inquisitive nudge that she ignored. He was about to press her for answers when he heard the distinctive scratching of a key sliding into the door lock.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

In a flash of blue Rose stumbled onto the rocky terrain of yet another unfamiliar planet. She raised a hand to where a stone had hit the back of her head as she left her previous location. There was a sore spot but luckily no blood. Mickey and Pete would have a conniption if she was bleeding when she got back to HQ again. They were already wary about her jumping from one set of coordinates to another without a stop back at HQ in between but the rate at which the stars were disappearing had everyone on edge and so they hadn't been able to argue with her logic.

She had to find the right universe so she could latch onto it and start searching for the Doctor in it and the only way to get to that point was by trial and error.

Rose took a step forward, trying to spot any identifiable features or signs of civilization that could help her deduce where she was. Something here felt right. There was some sort of resonance in the air that made her suspect she was in the right universe at last but she needed something to prove it.

She turned in a circle, hand on the holster of the stun gun she brought with her on every jump in case danger was lurking. She only made it 180 degrees before she stopped dead in her tracks, almost not believing her eyes.

A wave of welcome rolled over her and Rose had to fight back tears as she looked at the TARDIS. It had been so long. She rushed to the door and ran a loving hand over the blue panels as she dug out her key and inserted it in the lock.

Rose took a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever she found inside, and pushed the door open.

Rose was taken aback when she entered the TARDIS and found an almost Victorian interior instead of familiar coral and grating. There was evidence that the room had once been even grander than its current look. Bookshelves stood depleted of their stock and there were a few side tables that were toppled over on their sides. One looked like it had scorch marks on it.

She wandered further inside, mentally sending compliments to the TARDIS as she took in the different yet familiar console. What timeline was she in? And where was the Doctor?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The Doctor was on full alert even as his sore muscles protested being pulled taut once more. He had just changed the locks recently and no one but him had a key. He didn't think the TARDIS would let just anyone in, much less greet them with such enthusiasm as she was currently projecting, but the war had done a number on both of them and she could be confused.

Finally the door swung open and a blonde humanoid female slipped inside, closing the door behind her as she took a few steps into the console room. She was looking around the cavernous interior like it was a wonder which wasn't an uncommon reaction, but not one he was expecting from someone who had unceremoniously let themselves in.

She hadn't seen him yet as his chair was partially in the shadows but the Doctor was tired of waiting for her to notice him.

"You know, it's not polite to just barge into someone's home," he commented, not bothering to hide the threat underlying his innocuous words. "Come to think of it, it's not safe either. You should leave."

The girl startled, jerking away from where she was practically stroking the edge of the console. She peered into the darkness and he could tell the moment she spotted him as she stiffened.

"Doctor?"

That was interesting, she knew his name. "That would be me and if you know who I am, you should know that when I tell someone to leave, tell them to run, that they really should do so."

To his surprise she didn't turn tail and run or even show any fear. She laughed. What a puzzling creature that had stumbled into his TARDIS.

"I do know that, yeah. But I also know you're not going to hurt me, so I'm not going anywhere just yet," she said firmly.

With the longer sample of her speech he picked up on the London accent. Most likely human then. 21st century or 30th judging by her clothing. The weapon strapped to her hip pointed to the former time period, but the tech on her wrist made him think 30th century might be more likely.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. I have no idea who you are and I'm not having the best go of things right now. Makes me irritable and unpredictable and I really don't want company." He paused, leaned forward so his face was out of the shadows and his forbidding expression was clear. "So, I'm going to tell you again. Leave."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Rose was captivated by this version of the Doctor. Obviously she was too early in his timeline, had found him before he found her. His obvious hostility stung but it was still him. And this him had a mesmerizing voice, velvety and dark and dangerous. She was positive he was quite the charmer when he put his mind to it, as silver-tongued as the Doctor she was trying to get back to.

Just now though, he was trying to scare her off. She was struggling not to scoff at him. He'd sent her away one too many times and she wasn't going to stand for it any longer. She did have to laugh at him commenting that she should run when he said run.

Honestly, she'd been doing just that since the moment that they'd met. But she ran with him, not away from him and he was really going to have to get that through his head if they were going to get anywhere.

"I do know that, yeah," she confirmed. "But I also know you're not going to hurt me, so I'm not going anywhere just yet."

She could feel him assessing her, slightly unnerved by the fact that she couldn't quite see his face as it was in the shadows. He started talking again but she lost track of what he was saying as soon as he leaned forward to give her her first look at his face.

Rose gasped and closed the distance between them. She stopped a foot away from him, raising her hand like she was going to touch his cheek before freezing, remembering that he might not welcome her touch. "You're hurt," she said, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth as she took in the blood on his attractive face. Knowing him he probably had other injuries as well that she couldn't see.

He batted her hand aside. "That's what happens when you're fighting a war," he bit out, slumping in his seat.

Rose sucked in a sharp breath. There was only one war he could be talking about. The Time War. He was in the middle of it right now and there was nothing she could do to protect him from the horrors she knew he was facing or the impossible choice that was still in his future.

"So you know about the war," he commented tonelessly after watching her reaction. The deep sorrow and familiarity in her eyes as she looked at him was unnerving. It was like she was staring into his soul, like she knew something he didn't. He didn't think he wanted to know what could inspire such a look, if he was being honest.

He continued talking, trying to ignore the curiosity about this girl that was building. "That's surprising for someone who seems to be human. Usually your species is too wrapped up in themselves to notice anything else."

Rose wanted to laugh and cry at his roundabout way of calling her a stupid ape. Definitely the same man. It pained her to see him so obviously hurt and on edge, to see the effect of the war first hand. Apparently she was never going to know what the Doctor had been like before the war took its toll on him. Her first Doctor had been haunted by it, had still been recovering from its horrors when they met and her second Doctor still had nightmares, still suffered from the guilt of his actions in the war this Doctor was currently fighting.

"Why don't we go to the medbay and get you fixed up?" Rose suggested, dodging the obvious fact that he wanted her to confirm she was human. The less information she revealed the better in this situation, she thought. No telling what this would do to the timelines. The TARDIS seemed okay with her being here and she was so happy to be surrounded by her presence that she wasn't going to leave immediately, despite her uncertainty and this Doctor's suspicion.

"No, I think I'm going to stay right here until you tell me who you are and how you got into my TARDIS," the Doctor said, crossing his arms.

"I'm a friend," she said shortly. "Is the medbay functional?"

"Told you I'm not going anywhere so that's irrelevant," he replied stubbornly.

"Wasn't asking you," she shot back.

Sure enough, the Doctor felt his ship hum an affirmative at their unexpected visitor. Curiouser and curiouser, he thought.

Without another word his mysterious visitor backed away from him and disappeared down the corridor, presumably to find the medbay.

There was no way he was letting a stranger wander his TARDIS unsupervised, even if the ship seemed to be fond of this particular stranger and he didn't seem to be a stranger to her. He dragged himself to his feet and started down the corridor after her, ribs and ankle twinging with every movement. He needed answers and he needed the medbay. Following her would lead him to both, he hoped.