A/N: Let it be said- I loved the Tenth Doctor. Amazing! So much so, it took, literally, years for me to warm up to Smith's 11th incarnation – but once I did, I found myself hugely disappointed that the Tennant years were sullied by mediocre companions. I never liked Rose, right from the get go- she seemed far too much like a typical little princess who got what she wanted – and the 'love story' arch annoyed me beyond belief. The only good parts were where 9 got to tell her just how stupid she was! And then, she practically killed him! Sure, Nine's passing blessed us with Ten's arrival, but she grew more and more frustrating as time went on. And then Martha. Just as tedious. It seemed, of his companions, the only saving Grace was Donna – due mostly to the fact that she was exactly what a companion should be – a bloody mate! Not some stupid little girl pining after a 900 year old alien. But then we got River – right at the end, one of the most exciting, fun and mysterious characters of the revival years. Regardless of anyone else's opinion of her, I absolutely adore her character. Then he just HAD to go and die. Yet, as we moved into the Smith years, we meet too awesome new companions, and I must say, Amy and Rory proved to be the best yet. For so many reasons – but perhaps most importantly – they were exciting, they weren't built around a one dimensional arch of 'ooooh somebody else wants to make kissy faces with the latest Doctor'. Yes, Jack's character has a touch of that with Ten, but he is so much more than that, I find it excusable. Plus, you see Torchwood, and Jack's ambiguous sexuality and on-going humour in making others uncomfortable is simply part of who he is (Rex in Miracle Day anyone?)

I find a lot of people who disliked Rose fall into 3 broad characters – those who hate anyone who shared something special with the Doctor just because, those who seem to despise any strong female presence (Seem to hate the likes of Gwen from Torchwood as well) and then there's the rest, who do not hate indiscriminately, but can actually formulate an argument as to why each individual character was an annoyance. IMO, Rose was simply a thorn, who acted like a child when she didn't get what she wanted. She was immature, selfish and a right royal pain in the arse. Even when the destruction of multiple universes was the cost, she still went ahead, because she wanted to.

And thus, after multiple storylines playing out in my sad little head, I finally decided to put fingers to keys and knock something out. As you can probably conclude, Rose isn't a saint- far from it, in fact! River plays a pretty big role, the era is the Eleventh Doctor with Amy and Rory, and we even get to see Jack, Gwen and the post Miracle Day Torchwood (As much as I love Ianto, he won't be here…I think. At this stage, anyway :P) with the main arch centring around the Meta-Crisis Doctor, a character with so much potential and speculation surrounding him. It isn't a 'Fix-it" story, and, knowing my own devious mind, will be filled of angsty goodness. I highly expect it will simply create more problems than any solutions.



Here Comes the Night

Chapter One - Comes to This

It's over I didn't want to see it come to this
I wonder if I will ever see your face again
And I know that I will find a way to shed my skin
It's simple I know that I will suffer in the end.

If she was to be honest – and with only herself as company, why be anything else? – The only reason she'd even attempted it in the first place was the Doctor said she couldn't travel between parallel universes.

He should have really learnt a long time ago, that saying she can't do something was practically an invitation to prove him wrong; that declaring a task impossible had only one foregone conclusion – that she would do anything and everything to show him up.

Perhaps the fact it actually worked, however, was the biggest surprise of all.

That was, of cause, before she managed to land herself here, locked up in a cell deep within the Torchwood Tower. Being held within a tiny concrete box, thick steel bars separating her from the world outside was nothing new to her – and this version of 'Torchwood' and its containment capabilities had nothing on the Stormcage. She could have been out the same night she found herself imprisoned – and, that originally that was the plan. Walk out of the primitive facility and return to the Doctor and his universe, gloating and grinning and she smugly informed him he was wrong. Again.

Then she saw him, all four limbs shackled to the walls of the cell opposite her, head constantly bowed and an irrefutable air of defeat surrounding him. She didn't know the face, in fact; she'd never seen it before, but she could deny the sentience he emitted, engulfing her very being.

Only one other had ever had such an effect, and whilst she knew it could not actually be him, she needed to know who he was, why she sensed what she did – who he was. And why the hell he was locked in this desolate hole.

After the first night of very little sleep, watching him out of the corner of her eye as he feigned his own slumber, she heard the heavy footsteps, military boots slamming against the cold solid ground, accompanied by the distinct clips of heels leading the way. He jerked his head towards the sound, clearly an involuntary response, but the first meaningful movement she'd witnessed from him since their incarceration. As the steps grew closer, he backed further into the corner, almost as if he were attempting to retreat within himself, she could see the fear descending upon him.

Nononononononono…please. No more. She needed to strain to hear him, his pleas nothing more than a whispered whimper.

Obviously, he knew something she didn't. But to feel the Doctor's presence and be faced with horrifying image of such a frightened and broken man, that truly terrified her.

As they came to a halt in front of his cell, he stilled and quickly became silent, his head once again bowed, refusing to make eye contact with any of their captors.

"Prisoner 19, you will stand." One of the guards spoke, voice full of venom and malice, "face against the wall, prepare of exchange"

He didn't move, but for the slight peripheral tremble that seemed to go unnoticed by all but her.

"You were given an order 'Doctor', I suggest you follow it."

The owner of the heels stepped forward, every word laced with spite and superiority. Yet the most alarming aspect wasn't that she'd referred to him as 'Doctor' – River had already concluded that he was connected to her Doctor, and therefore herself, from the moment she had sensed him. What hit her core was the way in which this woman spoke his name, as though it were an insult, something for which he should feel nothing but reproach. Then something she never imagined she'd ever witness occurred right before her eyes. He obeyed, with no debate or contest. She had seen the Doctor – her Doctor – obey before, but not without a fight, an attitude of resentment simmering just beneath his surface. But this was different; there was nothing but apathy and dejection here.

She watched, in stunned silence as he stood, the chains clanking against the cement with each movement. He faced the wall, legs apart, and hands on the back of his head, almost mechanical in nature. She could hear the derisive snickers of the men as the woman's mocking continued, "Now there's a good boy. Doing as you're told, about time you finally realised your place here. Who is in charge. Who owns you."

He didn't shift an inch as the burley guards approached, manhandling him as the roughly thumped a second lot of around his too-thin wrists and ankles, only flinching as the metal slammed against his raw skin, before he could recompose himself. A brief flash of terror transformed him in an instant, before settling back to an empty shell.

"He's secured ma'am" nameless, faceless guard again.

"Good, release the primary binds", the self-important smirk evident in her voice, "Escort him to Lab 7 before the interview room. Dr Markham wants to run a few more….tests"

The glee behind the seemingly harmless words, uttered with such malevolence, was not missed by River, instantly reacting to the threat, "WAIT! Where are you taking him!? What is going…" She collapsed before she noticed the implement within the hands of one of the guards, aimed directly at her. Electricity shot through every nerve ending, short circuiting all connections before she fell, a heap on the ground.

It'll learn soon enough…

From the floor, she saw several feet dragging the one being she was interested in between them. She could hear the screams, yelling in protest as the batons came down, silencing their prisoner. Then the world went dark, hidden as her eyelids cascaded down, closing off the world around.