It always ended up this way, he mused to himself. He would just begin to believe in forever and then the universe would laugh in his face. The Doctor sighed. Rose was gone. There was no use denying it. He had tried his hardest to both keep her with him and keep her safe. But it seemed that was impossible. Nothing he did was ever safe. It was a fact h knew, but sometimes, when she smiled at him, chose to forget.
He sighed heavily, resting his head on the control panel of the TARDIS. It was, oddly enough, quite comfortable to him. The low hum of the TARDIS helped to soothe him as he thought. However, even that comfort didn't erase his recent stupidity. One last chance to say goodbye, and he had ran out of time, before he could say the most important fact. Not only was the universe laughing in his face, it was downright mocking him, daring him to give up. There was no greater insult for a Time Lord than to be reminded time was of the essence.
All he felt like doing was sitting here for a very long time, and maybe drink a cup of tea. Quietly of course. Sometimes, his life of adventure tired him, like now. Despite his loss, he knew that simply wasn't possible. He had moved on before, and h would do it again. The Doctor had found the best way to get back at the universe was to slam the door in its face and try to keep going. Feeling sorry for yourself only invited more pain.
Finally, he decided to end his contemplations. Enough thinking, it was time to go somewhere, and do something. Slowly, he stood up off the floor, brushing off his suit and turning to the controls. Instead of his usual frantic and rushed manipulation of the TARDIS, he made his movements slow and deliberate. Automatically, he set the familiar coordinates without proper thought. Then he paused, catching himself. With a moment's decision, he changed the coordinates, but only minutely. He would go to Earth still, but he couldn't go back there yet. Perhaps sometime a little before that disaster, and somewhere else. The TARDIS lit up as soon as he finished, its signature sound filling the whole ship. The Doctor gave just the tiniest smile. Some things, no matter what, would never change.
Soon enough, the TARDIS reached her destination The Doctor didn't move at first, but hen he set off, grabbing his trench coat and slipping that on. Casually, he pushed open the door and stepped out. He was greeted by cool, crisp air. Breathing deeply, he smiled. Just the thing to clear his mind. Now, where was he? Idly, his eyes swept the area. They stopped their roaming when they reached a small figure, staring back.
Drat, He thought. This is going to be hard to explain. Fortunately, however, the figure was only a small girl. Any ranting about mysterious blue boxes would be credited to imagination. It was rather amusing, he decided, to see the look on the child's face. She gaped for a moment, and then closed her mouth. Then she opened it again as if to say something, but nothing came out.
"Hello there," He spoke cheerfully, enjoying her amazement.
"Hi," The reply was so faint he barely heard it. She shifted slightly, as if unsure whether or not to run. The air was cool, and it was the middle of the day, he noted. The TARDIS had chosen a forest to materialize in. "What is that?"
The Doctor looked back at the TARDIS, as if surprised.
"Oh this? Just a police box, you know," Nonchalantly, he spoke, as if police boxes were a perfectly normal thing to have in forests.
"Police boxes don't just pop up out of nowhere." She stated, matter-of-fact. "Who are you, anyway?" The girl started out incredulous, but turned accusing. Her voice had an American accent. The Doctor sighed. Last time he had been to America, the memories hadn't exactly been pleasant.
"I'm the Doctor," The young girl watched him cautiously, sizing him up. She couldn't have been more than twelve, he decided. But she was out here, alone. The air wasn't that chilly, but enough to make the Doctor glad of his coat. The child was wearing only a hoodie, with an overstuffed backpack over her shoulder.
"What kind of name is that?" She inquired thoughtfully. Never breaking contact with his eyes, she shifted into a more comfortable position. It was obvious she was wary.
"It's my name. Now, what's your name then?"
"Anna,"
"Nice to meet you Anna," He hadn't thought about those words before he said them. They had just sort of come out. It seemed barely a day ago he had said those words to Rose, before grabbing her hand and running. Internally, he sighed. No matter what, his mind would never let him be.
Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted. Anna had begun to say something when the sound of an explosion broke in. A look of horror crossed Anna's face. Without second thought, she broke off running wildly through the trees. Her backpack caught on the twigs and branches along the way, but heedlessly, she tore through.
The Doctor, too, was startled by the explosion. Following Anna's example, he began running. However, since he did not know the way, he had to follow the bobbing backpack that signified the small girl. That is, until the telltale signs of smoke rose through the trees.
Anna ran even faster, with the Doctor close behind. When she reached the edge of destruction, she stopped. Before them, lay the remains of a house, which had exploded.
"My fault," She whispered. The Doctor came up behind her softly as she continued. "They died, and I was so upset. I just wanted to get away..." Silently, the Doctor placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. Anna tore herself away and turned to him. Her eyes were full of hurt. "No,"
About to say something, the Doctor was cut off as Anna flung her backpack at him. He ducked, and watched it go sailing into the bushes. By the time he turned back to Anna, she had taken off towards the burning wreckage. At a slower pace, the Doctor followed. Anna paused at the edge, watching the flames that tore hungrily at the wood.
"Anna," He began, unsure of what to say. She turned and faced him, features torn with grief.
"I didn't mean to," The soft words were chopped with emotion. She looked to the flames again. The Time Lord considered his options. Leaving would be easiest; this wasn't what he had been looking for. In thought, he closed his eyes. An image of Rose appeared, her brown eyes disapproving. Rose wouldn't have let him walk away from this child.
Opening his eyes, he approached Anna again. The girl was crying softly, sobs racking her body constantly. Carefully, he knelt down beside her, looking her in the eyes.
"Anna, how would you like to see the universe?" Instead of Anna's confused, saddened, eyes, he saw Rose's kind ones. They were filled with happiness. Anna just cocked her head at the Doctor, confused.
This will not be easy, He thought. Closing his eyes again, he saw Rose once more. She was smiling at him. Opening his eyes, he grinned at Anna, capturing her with words.
"I have a time machine, see? Called the TARDIS..."
When one door closes, another opens.
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A/N: Alright, this is a second attempt at a Who fic. As you can probably see, this is set after Doomsday, without the Runaway Bride episode/movie. I never got to see that. The Doctor will get a new partner, but she will not replace Rose. I'm thinking about a reunion fic, but the plot is still in the works. Reviews are VERY appreciated. I also need a beta.. I'll update as often as I can, depending on my muse's happiness.
NOTE: The titles for chapters are not of my own design. I sto-borrowed them from the AFI song ...But Home is Nowhere. They are NOT mine. Just to clear things up. By the way, that is a great song...