A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for reading chapter 1, hoped you liked it. About updating, I try and update every weekend, sometimes that can't happen, but most weekends there's a new chapter.
About Rose: Her feelings for the Doctor won't really be any different than how they were in the show. She'll be jealous, but won't be as awful as other stories had made her be when the Doctor fell in love with somebody else. As for the Doctor's feelings towards her, Spoilers!
Here's chapter 2, Enjoy!
Italics mean mind speak.
I don't own Doctor Who.
The next morning saw Jessa and the Doctor in the console room. She was reading a book on very advanced physics. He walked up behind her, "Advanced Physics, really good for light reading." He teased.
She looked at him, closing her book, "I suppose it is, haven't read this version yet, so I thought why not?"
That was something that he had noticed, she knew things most people didn't at her age. He started a discussion on physics to see just how much she knew, and he was thoroughly impressed. Not as much as him of course, but still enough to make him think about his answers. They were so engrossed in their little debate that neither noticed when Rose walked in until she cleared her throat. They both jumped at her arrival, and the Doctor quickly ran over to the console. "Right then, Rose Tyler, Jessa, you tell me where do you want to go? Backwards or forwards in time. What's it going to be?"
He saw Rose look back at Jessa, who smiled and gestured for Rose to pick. "Forwards." He ran around the console pressing buttons.
"How far?"
Rose picked the first number off the top of her head, "One hundred years." He grinned and pulled a few levers, and the engines stopped.
"There you go, step outside those doors, it's the twenty-second century." Rose looked shocked, and Jessa had a smile on her face with a spark of interest in her eyes. He smirked.
"That's a bit boring though, do you want to go further?"
"Fine by me!" Rose was all but bouncing in excitement. He messed with some knobs and buttons before looking up at them again.
"Ten thousand years in the future. Step outside, it's the year 12005. The New Roman Empire." Rose grinned teasingly, "You think you're so impressive."
"I am so impressive." Jessa looked up from her book, which at some point she had picked up again.
"Careful there Doctor, sounds like that ego of yours is in danger of growing impossibly larger." He pretended to be offended before mock-glaring.
"Right then, you asked for it. I know exactly where to go." He started up the engines again. "Hold on!" The TARDIS shook before coming to a stop with a ding. Rose stared at the door.
"Where are we?" The Doctor gestured at the door. "What's out there?" Another gesture, and Rose ran out the door, with Jessa and the Doctor following behind. The room was wooden, and the Doctor came over and opened one of the shutters, when it was gone they saw Earth below them. The Doctor looked over and saw Rose's awed expression, and Jessa's….What was it? He could almost call it sad, but there was a fondness in there as well. Either way he reached down and grabbed her hand. And if either of them noticed that their hands fit perfectly together neither mentioned it. The Doctor turned his gaze down.
"You lot, you spend your all your time thinking about dying. Like you're going to get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids. But you never take time to imagine the impossible. Maybe you survive. This is the year 5.5/apple/26. Five billion years in your future. This is the day….hold on" He looked at his watch, "This is the day the sun expands. Welcome to the end of the world."
-9-
They were walking down one of the corridors, with the Doctor and Jessa still holding hands because neither one had noticed that they were still doing it yet, listening to an intercom announcement when Rose asked, "So, when it says guests does that mean people?"
The Doctor thought for a fraction of a second, "Depends on what you mean by people."
"I mean people, what do you mean?"
"Aliens."
Jessa spoke up, "What are they all doing on the ship, I mean obviously to watch the Earth go, but why do have such an interest?"
"They don't really, mostly just for fun." Jessa shook her head as they headed into an observation gallery.
"All the great and the good are here to watch the Earth burn, mind you when I say 'the great and the good' what I mean is, the rich." This earned another sad shake from Jessa.
"But hold on," this came from Rose. "They did this once on 'Newsround Extra,' the sun expanding, that takes hundreds of years.
The Doctor nodded, "Millions. But the planet's now property of the National Trust. They've been keeping it preserved. See that down there?" He pointed out the window. "Gravity satellite. That's holding back the sun."
Jessa was curious, "Haven't the continents shifted by now?"
He nodded again, "They did and the trust shifted them back. That's a classic Earth. But now the money's run out, nature takes over!" Rose was saddened by the fact.
"How long has it got?" he Doctor glanced at his watch.
"About half an hour. And the planet gets roasted."
Rose looked up in understanding, "Is that why we're here? I mean, is that what you do? Jump in at the last minute and save the Earth?"
Jessa looked over at her, "I hope that's not why we're here, Rose. Everything has it's time, and the Earth has lived on longer than it naturally should have. It's the Earth's time." The Doctor looked at her only by what can be described as awe. He'd never met a human who understood death as well as she did, because what she said was completely right. If he couldn't see her home planet, he would've thought that she had watched it die. Because, it's only then that you understand that everything must go sometime.
Rose stared at them in disbelief, "But what about the people?"
"It's empty! They're all gone. All left." Exclaimed the Doctor.
Rose looked at Jessa, "Just us then." Their discussion was cut short by an angry steward approaching them.
"Who the hell are you?"
Jessa rolled her eyes, "Love the hospitality they've got here."
The Doctor chuckled, but the steward ignored that comment, "But how did you get in? This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests have disembarked! They're on their way any second now!"
"That's me, I'm a guest look! I've got an invitation!" He pulled a leather wallet out of his pocket, and opened it toward the steward. "Look, there you see? It's fine, see? The Doctor plus two. I'm the Doctor, that's Jessa and Rose Tyler. They're my plus two. That all right?"
The steward faltered, "Well obviously. Apologies, et cetera. If you're on-board, we'd better start. Enjoy." The Doctor nodded his head and showed them both a blank piece of paper. Rose, however, saw writing on it saying that they were guests, while Jessa still saw nothing.
"The paper's slightly psychic. Shows them whatever I want to see. Saves a lot of time."
"He's blue" Rose pointed out.
They both looked at her, "Yeah."
"Okay…" She said. The steward walked up to a microphone.
"We have in attendance the Doctor, Jessa, and Rose Tyler. Thank you! All staff to their positions." He clapped his hands and more blue people started running around. "Hurry now! Thank you, as quick as we can! Come along, come along! And now, might I introduce the next honored guest, representing the forest of Cheem, we have Trees. Namely, Jabe, Lute and Coffa." The three mentioned walked through the doors before the steward continued, "There will be an exchange of gifts representing peace. If you can keep the room circulating, thank you. Next, from the solicitors of Jolco and Jolco, the Moxx of Balhoon." The Doctor smiled, while Rose and Jessa looked a little overwhelmed. "And next from Financial Family Seven, we have the Adherents of the Repeated Meme." The Doctor chuckled at the look on his companions' faces. The list kept going on when Jabe approached the three.
"The gift of peace." She took a pot with a little plant in it from a tray behind her. "I bring you a cutting of my Grandfather."
He grabbed it before handing it off to Rose, "Thank you! Yes, gifts….erm…." He started feeling around his pockets, but found nothing. "I give you, in return, air from my lungs." This earned an eye roll and a sigh from Jessa. He blew onto Jabe's face. She blushed.
"How…intimate."
"There's more where that came from." He said flirtatiously, this caused Jessa to chuckle and he winked at her.
"I bet there is…" Rose looked as though she might faint after watching the Doctor flirt with a tree.
The steward spoke up again, "Sponsor of the main event, please welcome the Face of Boe."
A huge head in a jar was pushed through the doors. Jessa tuned out the Moxx of Balhoon in front of her when she heard a voice in her head,
'Hello my Jessalyn.' She looked over at the Face of Boe, just knowing it was him. She thought back, Hello, I suppose this means we will meet in the future then? Because I would remember meeting you"
He chuckled 'Very accurate, I forgot how sad you used to be. Don't worry my Jessalyn happier times are coming. Everything will work out. I miss your company, but I think your friend is calling you. We will meet again my Jessalyn.'
She snapped out of her trance and heard a "..sa?" She looked up and saw the Doctor's worried face looking at her.
"I'm fine just zoned out." She reassured. He didn't look convinced but let it drop. He turned around in time for the steward to announce, "And last but not least, our very special guest. Ladies and Gentlemen, and Trees, and Multiforms. Consider the Earth below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth The Last Human."
The Doctor turned around to watch their reactions as a vertical trampoline made of skin was wheeled through the doors. It had eyes and a mouth. Rose looked absolutely disgusted, while Jessa looked disgusted, interested, and amused at the same time. The steward continued, "The Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen."
Cassandra started speaking, "Oh now, don't stare. I know, I know it's shocking, isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference! Look how thin I am." This got a quiet chuckle out of the Doctor. "Thin and dainty! I don't look a day over two thousand. Moisturize me, moisturize me." One of the men who entered with her sprayed her with a canister. "Truly, I am the last human. My father was a Texan. My mother was from the Arctic Desert. They were born on the Earth and were the last to be buried in the soil. I have come to honor them and say goodbye." She started sniffling, while Rose had started circling around her to get a better look. "Oh, no tears. No tears. I'm sorry. But behold! I bring gifts. From Earth itself, the last remaining ostrich egg." One of the staff brought in the egg while Cassandra continued.
"Legend says it had a wingspan of 50 feet and blew fire from its nostrils." Rose made a confused face at this, while Jessa covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. "Or was that my third husband?" The Doctor chuckled but Rose and Jessa rolled their eyes. "Who knows! Oh don't laugh. I'll get laughter lines!" She laughed and behind her a large jukebox was being rolled into the room.
"And here," she continued. "another rarity. According to the archives this was called an iPod. It stores classical music from humanity's greatest composers." One of the staff pressed play, and 'Tainted Love' by Soft Cell started playing. The Doctor started dancing around to the music. Jessa couldn't stop laughing, while Rose still looked confused. The steward interrupted them again.
"Refreshments will be served. Earth Death in 30 minutes." Rose looked lost, and ran out of the room. The Doctor and Jessa started following her when they were stopped by Jabe.
"Doctor?" She took a photo of him. "Thank you." The two looked at each other, and started back towards where Rose went. They came across a viewing gallery. The Doctor paused.
"Rose, are you in there?" They walked in and saw her sitting on the stairs, so they went and sat beside her. "What do you think then?"
Rose frowned, "Great! Yeah, once you get past the slightly psychic paper." The Doctor laughed and there was a pause before Rose continued, "They're just so alien. The aliens"
"Good thing I didn't take you to the Deep South."
"Where are you from?"
"All over the place."
"They all speak English."
"No, you just hear English. It's a gift of the TARDIS. Telepathic field, gets inside your brain, translates. Jessa saw that a fight was about to happen so she intervened.
"Isn't that cheating?" The Doctor shot her a questioning look. "I mean you never have to learn the languages like other people do, so isn't that cheating?" She smirked. The Doctor laughed, and the previously heavy mood vanished. A computer announcement started talking.
"Earth death in 20 minutes. Earth death in 20 minutes." Rose sighed and pulled out her phone.
"Can't exactly call for a taxi….. there's no signal. We're out of range. Just a bit!"
He took the phone from her. "Tell you what." He put a new battery in the back and handed it to her. "There you go." She turned around to call her mom. The Doctor turned toward Jessa and held out his hand.
"What?"
"Your Phone?" He looked at her as though that should have been obvious.
"Oh, I don't have one."
"What?" He said as if that was the most surprising thing ever. She shrugged.
"Never needed one. Didn't have anybody to call or anything, so what's the point." She looked indifferent about that fact, and the Doctor looked at her with sadness. He grabbed her hand again without thinking about it, just as Rose hung up the phone.
"That was 5 billion years ago. So….she's dead now. Five billion years later, my mum's dead." The Doctor rolled his eyes.
"Bundle of laughs you are." The ship started shaking and the Doctor grinned, "That's not supposed to happen." They walk into the gallery. "That wasn't a gravity pocket. I know gravity pockets, and they don't feel like that." He started fiddling with controls when Jabe walked up to them, "What do you think, Jabe? Listened to the engines, they pitched up about 30 Hertz, is that dodgy or what."
Jessa frowned, "30? That's not even a little good." The Doctor beamed at her then nodded.
He turned back to Jabe, "Where's the engine room?"
"I don't know….but the maintenance duct is just behind our guest's suites. I could show you, and…" She gestured towards Jessa, "…your wife." The Doctor looked at her.
"She's not my wife." Jabe didn't believe the two, she had seen them. The way they work together, and are always holding hands, but she let it drop.
Rose, not being part of the conversation went to go talk to Cassandra. She turned around, "And I want you two home by midnight!" They both grinned and saluted before walking off with Jabe. They were walking down the maintenance corridor when the Doctor asked,
"Who's in charge of Platform One? Is there a captain or what?"
Jabe immediately replied, "There's just the steward and the staff. All the rest is controlled by metal man."
"A computer? But who controls that?" Asked Jessa.
"The Corporation. They move Platform One from one artistic event to another." The Doctor was silent for a moment.
"But there's no one from the corporation on board."
"They're not needed. This facility is purely automatic. It's the height of the alpha class. Nothing can go wrong."
Jessa caught the irony in that and grinned, "Unsinkable?"
"If you like. The nautical metaphor is appropriate."
The Doctor rolled his eyes at Jessa, "So, what you're saying is, if we get in trouble there's no one to help us out?"
"I'm afraid not."
"Fantastic!" He kept walking, "So, tell me Jabe. What's a tree like you doing in a place like this?"
"Respect for the Earth."
"Oh, come on. Everyone on this platform's worth zillions."
"Well perhaps it's a case of having to be seen at the right occasions." She paused, "I know where you're from. Forgive me for intruding, but it's remarkable you even exist. I just want to say how sorry I am." The Doctor looked as though he were about to cry. Jessa was confused, but saw that now was not the right time to be asking questions.
The Doctor turned around and kept walking. He found a panel and opened it. Out fell a little mechanical spider. "Now then. Who's been bringing pets on board?" Jessa looked at it.
"What does it do?"
"Sabotage." He paused, "And the temperature's about to rocket. Come on!"
Jabe had gone and helped some staff, so Jessa and the Doctor ran along a corridor where all the sun filter's had been descending. They came across a closed room. The Doctor ran up to it. "Anyone in there?"
They heard Rose pounding on the door, "Let me out!" The Doctor sighed.
"Oh, well, it would be you." The Doctor messed with the controls before just jamming his screwdriver into the controls.
"Sun filter rising." They all let out a collective breath. Rose went to go open the door, but she couldn't.
"The whole thing is jammed. I can't open the doors. Stay there! Don't move!" said the Doctor.
Jessa rolled her eyes. "Where's she gonna go? Ipswich?" The Doctor grabbed her hand, and they both ran back to where everybody else was.
Jabe was reading off a screen, "The metal machine confirms. The spider devices have infiltrated the whole of platform one." Cassandra started panicking.
"How's that possible? Our private rooms are protected by a code wall." She looked around, "Moisturize me. Moisturize me." Jessa rolled her eyes and turned to the Doctor.
"If I ever become like that I need you to push me into the sun. It won't be murder, consider it my final wishes." The Doctor started laughing as he nodded.
"Will do." He walked over to Jabe and took the spider out of her hand.
"Summon the steward!" Cried the Moxx of Balhoon.
Jabe looked grim, "I'm afraid the steward is dead." There was a collective gasp after that.
The Moxx called out, "Who killed him?"
Cassandra called out that it 'had to be the Face of Boe.' And Jessa felt like she had to defend him, so she did just that. "Listen here, blaming people isn't going to help anyone, but if you are going to continue to do so, you better not blame him or you'll have to deal with me!" Everyone looked at her shocked, except for the Face of Boe who smiled in gratitude and amusement. The Doctor looked at her confused but pulled her back towards him.
"No need for that. Easy way of finding out. Someone brought a little pet on board. Let's send them back to Master." He placed the spider on the ground, and it went towards Cassandra and stopped for a minute before continuing on to the feet of the Adherents of the Repeated Meme.
Cassandra gasped dramatically, "The Adherents of the Repeated Meme. J'accuse!"
The Doctor was getting annoyed at her, "That's all very well, and really kind of obvious, but if you stop and think about it…" They go to strike him, but the Doctor catches the arm and pulls it off. "A Repeated Meme is just an idea. And that's all they are. An idea." He ripped out a wire and they all collapsed. Everybody gasped again except, ironically, Cassandra.
The Doctor went on, "Remote controlled Droids. Nice little cover for the real troublemaker." He nudged the spider. "Go on Jimbo!" The spider went over to Cassandra again, but this time it stopped.
Cassandra glared, "I bet you were the school swot and never got kissed." Both the Doctor and Jessa raised their eyebrows at her. The two bodyguards on her sides raised their canisters at everybody.
The Doctor raised his hands in mock-surrender. "What are you going to do, moisturize me?"
Cassandra nodded, "With acid. Oh, too late anyway. My spiders have control of the mainframe. I'm not just a pretty face."
"Yes bringing down a ship while you're inside it. I'm definitely seeing the 'more than the pretty face' thing." Jessa added.
"I'd hoped to manufacture a hostage situation with myself as one of the victims. The compensation would have been enormous." She had a dreamy look in her eyes at the thought of the money.
"Five billion years and it still comes down to money." The Doctor said, disappointed.
"It's not cheap looking like this, Doctor. But well you're just as useful dead, all of you. Spiders activate." They all heard explosions around the ship. "Buh-bye, darlings! Buh- bye!" Cassandra said as her and her bodyguard's teleported out.
The computer voice rung out through the ship, "Heat levels rising."
"Reset the computer." Someone shouted.
Jabe shook her head, "Only the steward would know how."
The Doctor and Jessa both shook their heads, the former saying, "No. We can do it by hand. There must be a system restore switch. Jabe, Jessa, come on!"
So, they ran back through the maintenance halls, the computer reminding them of the critical heat levels. They reached the ventilation chamber and looked for the switch, when the Doctor spotted it. "Oh. And guess where the switch is." The switch in question was on the other side of enormous swinging fans that one would have to pass to get to it. The Doctor pulled a lever down and the fans slowed, but once he let go, they sped up again. Jabe took the lever and held it down.
The Doctor looked at her sadly, "You can't. The heat's going to vent through this place."
She was about to answer when Jessa spoke up, "That's why she won't be doing it, I will." They both protested to this but she just spoke calmly. "It's the best choice, Doctor you have to go through to the other side, and Jabe you'll die. I'll be uncomfortable, but overall okay." They both agreed it was the best plan, but neither was happy about it. As Jabe was running out of the room, she turned around.
"Good Luck Time-Lord." The Doctor grinned at her, and then nodded at Jessa. Jessa pulled down on the lever, and the fans slowed and it got a lot hotter. The Doctor passed through the first fan, and looked back at Jessa who was breathing heavily. He turned back and passed through the next fan.
He looked at the third one, and then heard a scream. Turning back around he saw Jessa shaking and her hands were completely red. She bit out, "Hurry up Doctor." Nodding to her he turned around and passed through the final fan. He ran and pulled down the lever. Jessa let go of her lever immediately, and fell to the ground. He ran back through the fans to her and saw her standing up.
"You ok?" He grimaced at his own stupid question. Her hands were red on the verge of turning black, and there were tears in her eyes.
She laughed shakily, "Been better, but it'll heal. Let's go see how everybody else is." She took off her sweater, leaving just the tank top, and wrapped her hands in it. She started walking out, not noticing the Doctor's red face.
When they got back to the observation gallery, they saw Rose sitting with Jabe and nodded at them. The Doctor walked towards them, while Jessa went and sat next to the Face of Boe, talking with him telepathically.
Rose and Jabe asked at the same time, "You alright?"
The Doctor who was noticeably upset said, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm full of ideas, I'm bristling with them. Idea number one, teleportation through five thousand degrees needs some kind of feed. Idea number two, this feed must be hidden nearby." He went over to the ostrich egg and broke it open, a teleportation feed fell out. "Idea number three, if you're as clever as me, then a teleportation feed can be reversed." He twisted it and Cassandra reappeared, not even noticing she'd left wherever she was.
The Doctor said distastefully, "The Last Human."
Cassandra looked at him, flustered, "So. You passed my little test. Bravo you're eligible to join the human club."
The Doctor glared, "People have died. You murdered them." He looked at Jessa and Jabe. "More people could've died because of you."
"That depends on your definition of 'people'. And that's enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries. Take me to court then, Doctor! And watch me smile, and cry, and flutter…"
The Doctor looked at her, "And creak?"
"And what?"
"Creak! You're creaking." And she was. Her skin was tightening.
"What! AH! I'm drying out! Moisturize me!"
The Doctor watched on, "You raised the temperature."
"Have pity!"
Rose walked up, "Help her."
Jessa walked up as well, "Even if he could, he shouldn't. Everything dies Rose, it's more than Cassandra's time." And as she said that, Cassandra exploded.
-9-
Jessa had finished talking with a very grateful Jabe, and went to find the Doctor and Rose. She saw them looking down at the Earth in what looked like a very emotional discussion. She decided not to interrupt and went and sat in front of the front of the TARDIS, thinking. This had been the most fun she had in a long time, but did she want to keep doing it? If she kept doing this, she'd grow attached to both Rose and the Doctor. She didn't know how long Time-Lords lived, but Rose was human. Humans only lived so long after all. When she came to this world she promised not to care for anyone because it hurt too much to let them go. But it was a sad existence she lived. Maybe, just maybe, it was time to try again. Consequences can be dealt with later. She looked up and saw the Doctor and Rose walking toward her hand in hand. The Doctor looked down at her.
"You coming?"
She smiled, "Yeah I think I am."
-9-
After the Doctor had healed Jessa's hands, they went out for chips in the 21st century, the Doctor told them about his planet and the war, before hopping back in the TARDIS. Rose went to bed leaving just Jessa and the Doctor. She spoke up. "Is this going to become tradition, after an adventure, just us hanging around the console?"
"There have been worse traditions."
She smiled, "Yeah." Then seemingly out of nowhere, "My dad raised me and my three brothers by himself. I never realized how impressive that was until I grew up. My oldest brother, Tim, helped out with the payments, but my dad never let him do too much. Claimed that childhood was not meant to be spent working." She smiled, "I was my dad's princess. He would've done anything for me that I asked. He taught me to read and write, and we'd always do these puzzles together. Now that I look back at it, I realize he hated puzzles, but I loved them, so he'd do them without complaint and with a smile. He died of old age a while back, and when he did I cried for months, he was the most important thing to me in the world." She wiped the tears out of her eyes, and looked at the Doctor.
"I know you don't like to talk about your planet with anyone, let alone Rose and I. And I really appreciate that you trusted us enough to do so back there. So, there's one of my most precious memories. Not as a trade, but to show that I trust you and want you to know that you can do the same with me."
The Doctor looked at her with a soft smile, and with gratitude and appreciation in his eyes. He got up and sat next to her. He started to tell her a story of when he was younger. Then, it would be her turn. They went back and forth for hours. The Doctor telling her about Gallifrey and his adventures with other companions. In return she would talk about her travels around the world, and even some about her brothers. Neither knew what it was that made so easy to talk to the other, it just was. After one particularly funny story the Doctor looked at Jessa.
"Why weren't you shocked earlier with all the aliens, or anything really."
She smiled sadly, "When you have had the biggest shock of your life, Doctor, everything else doesn't seem quite so shocking anymore. Sure, aliens are surprising, but I've long since accepted that we aren't alone in the universe."
He saw that she didn't want to talk about it anymore, so he just grabbed her hand and they laid down side by side listening to the hum of the TARDIS.