Rose politely thanked the woman who worked at the hotel for their hospitality. She was with Danny, Ida, Zach and Toby, the only other survivors of the space base. The trauma from the past few days only seemed to be just sinking into them, the loss of their friends and the place they had called home for such a long time was gone, and all they had was each other. Rose had a heavy, guilty feeling in her stomach, even though she knew it wasn't her fault, it still felt like she had done something so it meant they ended up here. Zachery was at the doors, beckoning her over. She looked over her shoulder for the fifth member of their party, only to see he had wandered off somewhere. Her eyes dropped in sadness and disappointment, but she walked over to Zachery anyway. The Doctor probably needed some time alone.

'He just needs time,' Zachery said as they walked out together. 'He's just lost his ship, right?'

Rose nodded, 'Yeah, but so did you…' she trailed off, guilt kicking her stomach.

'Yes,' Zach replied with a sigh. 'I did, but that was just my job. I can always get a new one…'

'But…what about…the….others?' Rose muttered, wincing slightly.

'The others…' He sighed again, running a hand through his hair. ' You mean Scooti and Jefferson?'

'Yeah…I mean…are you going to tell their families?' Rose could tell that Zachery was trying to keep himself together.

'Right. Yes. I suppose I should do that….'

Zachery walked away from her without another word. Rose's eyes fell to the floor and she followed silently. Toby had disappeared of somewhere, he had been as quiet as he ever had been since they had came to New Earth. Ida and Danny were ahead of them, looking and tapping a screen on the sidewalks. She hurried over to them, peering down at the blue bordered bright screen. Ida was tapping at it without hesitation, her eyes shining with determination as she searched for something. Rose still couldn't get used to this; if people had put something so expensive and high-tech on the council estate where she grew up, it would have been kicked and graffiti would be sprayed on it within minutes. The fact that people just walked past like it was something normal still amazed her!

'Aha!' Ida cried, leaning back.

'What are you doing?' Rose asked,

'What are we doing?' Danny repeated with a laugh, his arms crossed and giving her a look that clearly said 'Are you stupid or something?'

'We're searching up our families.' Ida said, a smile on her face. 'That's mine right there- that's my mum, my sister, my brothers…'

'Oh!' Rose smiled, looking at it with interest. Ida's family all looked pretty alike, 'Does this thing like….know who you are by a password or something?'

Danny laughed, 'You really don't know much do you? Password recognition went out years ago. Too may people got mugged.'

'What, does this thing show all your…money accounts and stuff? Can you get money out of them?'

'Where have you and your boyfriend been living all this time?' Ida muttered, tapping at it again, 'Of course you can get money out of them. These things have files on your families- just so you can check up on them if your on holiday or whatever, they have video phones so you can call them, and they're basically a cash point.'

'But…well, what do you use to get into them?' Rose asked, still trying to wrap her mind around them. 'Can't anyone just get into your files?'

'No…' Danny frowned, pushing his jacket sleeve up' You need to use your code.'

'What, like a password?'

'Pretty much,' A voice said from behind. The Doctor was behind them, looking tired and a lot older than usual. 'Codes are a lot safer than passwords though. Codes are imprinted on the skin.' He nodded towards Danny's arm, Rose peered a little closer and saw something that looked like a….barcode on his wrist. It was in what looked like black ink, and had scrambled numbers on it.

'Do-do you all have them?' She whispered,

'Course. Got them when we were born.' Ida yawned, and started to look through of her family's files, the screen was showing a picture of her brother and had little information about them.

'Don't you have one?' Danny asked, and reached for Roses arm. She pushed her jacket sleeve up and shrugged.

'Not that I know of,' she laughed, looking up to the Doctor. 'Do I have to get one? I mean, if I get a job or whatever, and have to get money out…'

The Doctor was already in front of her though. Ida had stepped aside willingly and the Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver out. 'This can fool anything' He muttered, and began to shine the little light at it. Just seconds later, a stack of credit sticks came falling out and he grinned. 'Perfect. 5000 credits.' He handed them out to each person with a grin on his face. 'Don't spend it all on sweets!' He laughed, then frowned, 'Though I could do with some jelly babies around now, I think there's a shop up this way somewhere….'

Ida and Danny were staring at him like he was crazy. The Doctor raised his eyes.

'Problem?' He asked, shoving his hands into his pockets as Rose looked at the credit stick happily.

'Uh, well…' Danny swallowed uncertainly, 'Is this what you guys…do? Just, go around and take money without earning it?' He asked, not knowing what to do with the credit stick in his hands.

'Oh-er- No, I mean, this is just a one off. This,' The Doctor pulled the sonic screwdriver out, 'Is something I was given to by the….' He paused, 'The shadow Proclamation.' He lied. Rose raised her eyes disbelievingly. 'Good one' she mouthed to him.

'Oh! Well- erm, thanks!' Danny replied, still not sure what to make of the situation.

'No problem. Maybe it can help you get back to your families…'

Rose nodded, 'And I'm sure that's something you all want to do right now.'

Ida was still staring at it, 'You've been sent by the shadow proclamation?'

'Uh, not sent, just, I have…permission from them. If I'm ever to find someone in help like this, then I have to give it.' The Doctor scratched the back of his neck, trying to make the lie more casual.

'5000 credits….you do realise how much this can buy though, right?' Ida said, eyes shining.

The Doctor nodded. 'Yup. Well once you get home I'm sure you could do with taking a year or so out, especially after what happened on that…rock.'


'That was really nice of you to do back then, Doctor.' Rose smiled at him as they made their way down the cobbled street. It really was like Earth. They hadn't reached the time when flying cars or buses or trains were around, and there were some species walking around that she had never seen before, but the layout of it reminded her of Earth. It was somehow homely even though she was still so far away.

The Doctor shrugged, 'Least I could do….feel pretty guilty about what happened.'

'Don't…It wasn't your fault. We just showed up at the wrong time and the wrong place.'

'As usual.'

Rose grinned at him. 'Well, we're alive, right? And its more fun that way!'

'Yeah. But still…' He looked at her sadly, 'We're stuck here now Rose.'

Rose's face dropped. She pursed her lips for a second, before smiling slightly. 'I know. But like I said, Its Ok, I'm here with you and that's all that matters.'

She turned around and walked into a small side shop she had spotted, instantly being hit in the face with the smell of fresh bread and coffee. The Doctor followed her in, not sure if he should ignore her last comment that was buzzing around in his mind, or confront her about it. He went with plan B.

'Hungry?' He asked, and she nodded.

The Doctor got them some pasties and cups of tea. It amused Rose that they still have tea in that day and age, and she was more than happy to drink it with a large grin plastered on her face. They were silent for most of their breakfast, occasionally the Doctor would start fiddling with the sonic screwdriver or they would share a joke. It was like they were sitting back in the TARDIS! But as soon as either of them thought of the now lost ship, their faces would pale.


They left the bakery feeling full in their stomachs but not minds or hearts. Something was missing, and they both knew what it was. It was their home. The Doctor lead the way back to where they said they would meet up with Ida, Zachery and Danny and beat them to it by a few minutes. They were near a park, and Rose made a note in her head that apple grass was there. It must have been on the planet for a long time, because she remembered that in the future (it was odd to think that) when she and the Doctor met Cassandra, apple grass was still there.

There was an eruption of laughter, and Rose looked around to see the Doctor and Ida joking about something. She yawned, her eyes on the Doctor as she thought about just what was going to happen to them. Would they have to get a job? The Doctor working a normal day to day job made her smile, it was just so… not him. She knew he wouldn't live of getting money from the sonic screwdriver, because not only was it not….fair of those who had to work, well, he would get bored of not doing something. Would he end up travelling again? Chasing down trouble and meeting new friends, but just with no TARDIS? No TARDIS….that was still weird to think about. No TARDIS meant no time travelling. No time travelling meant no Earth. She wondered if she would be able to get back to Earth, but then realised that it had been abandoned, hence the fact they were on New Earth. This was home now. What would the Doctor end up doing though? Would he carry on regenerating? Would he end up leaving her here and travelling alone? She shuddered at the thought. 'I'm sure he wont leave me' she thought to herself, he wasn't like that. What was she going to do though? Would she grow old and have children with someone? Someone who wasn't the Doctor….the thought made her feel horrible inside. But she had to admit it was right, the Doctor couldn't stay with her forever. She could stay with him forever, but he couldn't do that for her. It wasn't fair on either of them if they…ever…had a real lovey-dovey relationship.

'We're going to stay here for a while..'

Rose was brought from her thoughts as Danny spoke. Zachery was at his side.

'Oh?' Rose asked, eyes raised.

'Yeah….I spoke to my mum and dad, told them I've got some money. Going to start over.' Danny smiled slightly, 'New start..' He muttered to himself.

'That's great,' Rose said. 'I think we could all do with a new beginning sometimes. What about you, cap'n Zach?'

Zachery sighed, 'I'm not a captain anymore.' His eyes were full of sadness as he said it. 'But….I aint got no family back home anymore. My sisters got a family of her own not far from here. So…I think I'll go see them for a while, try and reattach old strings.' He smiled. 'Bout time I did that really. I was always so caught up in work…but, now I've got a good amount of money to lay back on for a while, I can finally get back to living a normal life.'

Rose put a hand on his shoulder and smiled sweetly, 'That's the best thing to do for now I think.' She paused. 'Good choice.'

'Yeah well, I'm getting old…can't go on regretting things when I can do something about it.' He nodded at his own thoughts. There was a comfortable silence that followed it and they were all staring at the sky.

'I rang scooti's dad.' Zach paused. 'He's always been a real nice guy. He didn't say much. Just nodded asked me what happened.'

Rose looked at him, and could see his eyes shining in the daylight. She had to stop herself from crying at the thought of the young girls father hearing of her death.

'I rang Jefferson's wife, too.'

Danny looked uncomfortable. 'What did they say?'

'Jefferson's wife was upset with me. Told me it was my fault.' Tears were making there way down his cheeks, and Rose put an arm around the bigger mans waist, hugging him slightly. 'He was right.' Zachery muttered.

'No,no no no, he wasn't.' Rose whispered, feeling tears racing down her own face. She sighed. 'It was no ones fault. It just….happened. He died helping us. Its just…' She was cut of by her own thoughts. It was such a shame they hadn't been able to locate the TARDIS after all that crawling through the vents on the space base. The Doctor had managed to find his way back in with an almost dead Ida in his arms, and they had made decided then and there that there was no more time. They had fled from an adventure, one that they were sure that with more time they would have been able to figure out what was going on! Toby had been so disconnected from them all though, he hadn't wanted to go but at the same time had been begging to. Rose guessed he was just trying to come to terms with leaving his work station, but she also had a nervous though that something, something wasn't right with the boy.

'Well….I guess what's happened has happened.'

Rose pulled away from Zach and nodded distantly at him.

'No turning back time…' Danny muttered.

'Funny you say that, Danny-boy.' The Doctor was once again behind them, Ida at his side. 'Because you've never been more right. No turning back time.'

Rose's eyes shone with unwanted tears again at the realistic tone in his voice. He was right.

She gulped. 'Time for a new start.'


Okays! That's this chapter done, just wanted to get to the facts that Toby was still with them, but he's staying away from them too. He's ill, but not like…possessed anymore. Juts very ill. We'll get more to it soon. The Doctor, well, I'll read more into his thoughts soon. Just thought I'd keep him being…well, he's telling it how it is but trying to push the truth away at the same time.

Eh.

Weird! XD

Oh well, please review, thanks so much to you guys who have! I was soooo uncertain about this at the start but….well, reviews make me feel a little more better and confident about carrying on with the fics! And I thought I'd let the others stick around for a while too C: Ida does like the Doctor, but, he ovo doesn't like her back! Danny likes rose, blahahahaa. XDD

Enjoy!|