a/n: Hey Guys, I'm back and with another update! It's not very long, which leads me to my question, would you prefer frequent, shorter updates, or infrequent, longer updates? Thanks to everyone for the reviews, follows and favourites - Iriomote Yamaneko Nokomis and Renaissancebooklover108 especially. They were greatly appreciated, and definitely made my day. Oh, and this is set after The Empty Hearse, but before John and Mary get married. I hope you enjoy, and please review letting me know what you think!
-BadTimeWolf
P.S - what do you think of the John/Sherlock interaction?
Rose Tyler gasped back to life in the middle of an alley. The stale smell of urine, and dirty brown walls with the occasional colourful splash of graffiti welcomed her. Her cheek was pressed into the ground rather uncomfortably, and she pulled herself slowly into a sitting position, being careful not to aggravate any potential injuries. Spending a few moments gingerly checking herself over, he was happy to find that aside from a few minor scrapes and grazes, she was unharmed, and more importantly, still in possession of her Torchwood issue backpack.
As one might expect, it wasn't the backpack itself that made it valuable, but rather its contents – which were most definitely not Torchwood issue. Tugging the bag open, Rose removed her sonic screwdriver and used it to scan the area. The little pink light at the end (a joke between her and James) flashed as it whirred, and she stared intently at the reading as it came out. Okay. So not in her home universe, but in yet another parallel. She'd have to adjust her mindset then.
First things first, she checked the area for CCTV cameras. Finding two in the general area, she used her sonic to deactivate them, then rummaged some more through her backpack. Her original Dimension Cannon wouldn't have fit in the bag, but James had made some modifications, combining the Cannon technology with that of a Vortex Manipulator to create a Dimension Manipulator, which could be worn on the wrist without sending any alarm bells ringing.
It currently wouldn't work between universes, not unless they were already splintering, but it would work as a handy teleporter, and keeping it close made it all the more difficult for someone to steal. With that thought in mind, she also removed her psychic paper from the bag and tucked it into her jacket pocket. Another object at the bottom of the bag caught her eye, and she stared at it longingly for a few moments, before giving in and tucking it securely into a pocket as well. Slinging the backpack over her shoulder, she left the alley.
It only took Rose a few minutes to confirm that she was in London, and in her correct time period. In fact, this parallel seemed even closer to her home universe than Pete's World had been. A glance at the sky told her this world had seen the Hindenburg crash and burn – the sky was uninterrupted by zeppelins – and a casual flick through a newspaper made it apparent that this world was still a monarchy with a prime minister instead of a president. This was a source of relief for Rose, as it meant it would be all that easier to fit in.
The next thing on her agenda was to decide her next move. She had nowhere to go in this world – and no plans to stay longer than she had too. But unlike before, when she was dimension jumping to stop the stars going out, she had no control to pull her back to her home universe after only minutes. For all she knew, it could be months, years, before she found her way home. And home itself she was unsure of. Was it Pete's World, where her little brother Tony was an old man and her mother was buried, or was it her original universe, where for all she knew, the Doctor still travelled through time and space?
Rose's stomach growled. Deciding that that was a question that required deep thought and could be postponed to another time, her next move must be to get food, and from there, a residence. Question was – where would she get some money? Her eyes fell upon an ATM, and then flickered down to her sonic. Ah. She hadn't had to do that in a while – being the Vitex Heiress had definitely had its perks. Oh well. Needs must and all that.
Crossing the street, she headed for the cashpoint, surreptitiously looking around to make sure no one was watching as she did so. She couldn't see anyone, though a niggling feeling of discomfort persisted. Rose ignored it, and pulled out her sonic anyway.
Across the street, a man tracked her movements with interest.
"I've found us a case," Sherlock Holmes announced his arrival in his best friend, John Watson's flat by tossing himself upon the couch.
"How… how did you get in?" asked John Watson, appearing in the sitting room doorway. "Never mind. It's not important. What are you doing here?"
Sherlock rolled his eyes. "Don't you listen?" he asked in his typical impatient manner. "I said I've found us a case."
"Sherlock," said John. "I can't. Not tonight. I've got dinner with Mary. I cannot miss that."
"Boring," intoned Sherlock. "Don't you want to here what it is?"
"Not particularly. If I listen to it, I'll feel obligated to help," replied John. "Why don't you just start on it by yourself."
Sherlock narrowed his eyes. "You're trying to get rid of me."
"Brilliant deduction. Mary should be home any second."
"Why do you have to get so dull when you're in a relationship," murmured Sherlock as he extracted himself form the couch, sending a dirty look John's way as he did so.
"I'm going to pretend like I didn't hear that," muttered John. "You can be so childlike sometimes."
"You can be so childlike sometimes," mocked Sherlock under his breath as he left the house. Nearly bumping into Mary as he did so.
"Oh hullo, Sherlock," said Mary, the blonde smiling cheerfully him as she entered the flat, a bag of groceries tucked under one arm. "Nice to see you."
"Nice to see you too, Mary," Sherlock replied as politeness dictated.
Right. Well, if John wasn't going to help, he'd just have to do it himself. Sherlock sighed. How he hated having to do that.
All alone in a parallel world, what else was Rose to do asides from eat dinner alone in a fancy restaurant? She'd gone shopping for some clothes earlier – thank god for her 'bigger on the inside' bag – neither of her Doctor's had known when to stop fiddling and tinkering. The menus sat open in front of her, and she casually worked through the contents.
She couldn't help but glance around the room frequently, assessing for threats. There were none to be found, but her gaze landed momentarily on a couple in the corner. The looks on both of their faces, and the way they interacted gave her pause – it reminded her so much of the relationship she'd had with her husband, a relationship that was still sorely missed. The blonde laughed at something her partner said, her short blonde hair glimmering as she moved her head in the candlelight. He smiled back, seemingly delighted by her amusement.
"May I take your order?"
Slightly startled, but not letting it show on her countenance, Rose turned to the waiter that was hovering by, notepad at the ready.
"Yes," said Rose, quickly scanning the menu once more. "I'll have the scallops for my entrée, thank you."
"Anything to drink?"
"A glass of white thanks," answered Rose, "Whatever will best complement the scallops."
Rose wasn't unused to eating alone, but something about eating by herself while being in a completely alien universe really accentuated the feeling of loneliness. Oh well, some things just couldn't be helped. At least she'd found herself a hotel room for the night, so that was one stress out of the way. She'd go job-hunting tomorrow. Nothing elaborate, she'd start off as a shopgirl (she tried not to giggle at the irony), until she'd managed to fabricate and place some records of her existence, and then she'd look for something more clandestine – she'd have better access to technology then, and that could be crucial in finding her way home.
