Part One: New Beginnings

[Beta'd]

Ch. 1. A Golden Sun

There are many things humans take for granted: time flux, the planet's rotation, the existence of the ground beneath their feet and the air around them. They know these things exist, but they don't understand them, other than in the most basic of ways, and they cannot comprehend the size of the universe.

They stay oblivious to all the changes that happen around them, unaware of the speed they are travelling through space, only minding their own two feet. They don't feel the Earth under them spinning, they feel it flat and reassuring; yet if it stopped, all of them would be dead in mere seconds.

The same thing happens with time. It is considered permanent, fixed, something that is just there, unalterable. Somehow, it's around them and it has always been. Their most faithful companion, it was there at the beginning and will be at the end of the universe, it is in the progression of the seasons and even at the mere ticking of a clock.

Humans assume that time is a strict progression of cause and effect; that every action has both a cause and a product, and that time is both subjective and linear. However, to a time traveller, that is anything but true.

Time can be rewritten (except when it can't), and there are a myriad of possible timelines that stretch from each and every decision. With every choice made, there is a world where that choice was taken in a different direction. Most people will never know if time is changed, because they will only have memory of the current timestream. Some people, however, in the epicentre of change, will forever remember two alternate timelines; what was and what is now.

Around all of us there is a world of possibilities of what could be, what should be and what mustn't come to pass; time strings firmly knotted together, making up the fabric of Space and Time.

This hypothetical cloth is constantly in flux, strings being removed, or tweaked, without the whole cloth suffering major damage; but there are some points that rest permanent, a strong knot of timelines that support the entirety of Time.

Those are what we call a fixed point in time, and if one of the vital timelines supporting it disappeared, all of creation would unravel, like a sweater when a single loose thread is pulled and the whole thing disintegrates.

But there was a species with the task of protecting time: the Time Lords.

The Time Lords were once like any other humanoid species; however, in their planet, Gallifrey, there was a gap in the fabric of Time. Through this gap could be seen the Untempered Schism, the raw Time Vortex, where one can see Time in all its infinity and majesty, raging about.

The Untempered Schism affected their evolution, making them more in tune with time. They had what they called the Time Sense, which allowed them to perceive timelines; to know which points are fixed and which are in flux; to see how a decision will affect a life. With this ability came the task of monitoring Time; keeping fixed points in place, eliminating paradoxes; observing the universe under them, never interfering.

Then something happened, and the Time Lords disappeared.

Most considered the Time War to be legend, if they had even heard the name; yet it was all too real, something the Time Lords knew quite well. The ending of the War left a gaping hole in space where once Gallifrey had spun; and Time was no longer attended.

One Time Lord, however, is still alive. Carrying the weight of a species on his shoulders, with more pain and guilt and rage within him than anyone should ever have to feel, this single Time Lord kept Time flowing freely, as it should. He had taken an oath, long ago: never cruel or cowardly. Never give up. Never give in.

Meet the Doctor, the Time's Champion.

.-.-.-.-.-.

The TARDIS hummed welcomingly as the Doctor stepped inside. He had made a quick stop in Earth after detecting an interference in the TARDIS' radar. It was just a stop to check if everything was ok, and it had ended with a clothes shop blowing up and a man dead.

The mannequins had been controlled by something, and as if they were alive, they began attacking everyone they found in their way. Luckily, the shop was already closed, so there were no customers inside. Unfortunately, that man had stayed behind and the living plastic had found him.

Why did it always end like this!? Everywhere he went, he only met death and destruction. He sometimes wondered why he did all of this, why still bother saving all these people when his hands were soaked with so much blood. Was he trying to redeem himself? Was it because of the adrenaline rush?

He didn't want to think about the main reason. That would lead to why he didn't let anyone near him, and why his head felt so empty all the time. All he could do at the moment was run; never stopping for fear of what would be brought to light if anyone saw his past.

He set the coordinates to the morning after the incident in order to check if there were any living plastic that had managed to escape, but as soon as he introduced the last digit, the console column burst in bright light.

He closed his eyes in pain, and when he deemed it was dark enough to open them again, the Doctor looked around him. Golden time threads surrounded him, strong and knotted, always drifting from one future to the other. The timelines were shifting at an amazing pace in a way that left the Time Lord astonished. Not too many species had timelines this complex; even most of the Time Lords never developed them in any of their lives.

The timelines caressed his rough skin, giving him an odd peace of mind he hadn't felt since… since before the Time War. He followed blindly the golden strings inside the corridors of his ship, and every one of them stopped at a door he had never seen.

He opened the room curiously, observing what was inside. It was a bedroom, where soft tones of pink met with dark wooden furniture. In the middle of the room was a queen-sized bed, and tucked inside it was a girl sleeping peacefully. Her peroxide blonde hair surrounded a heart-shaped face, where pink full lips curved in a little smile.

And the timelines ended in her. They were enveloping her figure, giving off a golden hue that tinted her pale skin. The sight was mesmerizing, and the Doctor stood some moments – five and a half minutes– admiring it.

That was until his advanced brain caught up with him.

"What!?" he sputtered. Her eyes shot open and sat up abruptly

"What? Where am I?" she looked around confused. The Doctor found out she had whiskey-coloured eyes, eyes that you could fall into, and immediately scolded himself, as he had more important matters to concentrate on

"Who are you?" he growled. Without waiting for an explanation, he took the sonic screwdriver from his pocket and in two long strides was beside her, examining her.

"I'm… What's this thing?" she looked at the metal wand with interest, gasping softly when the end glowed bright blue and the instrument began making a buzzing sound

"Sonic screwdriver." The screwdriver finished his scan and he looked at the device "You're human. How did you manage to sneak into my TARDIS?"

"The what?"

"The TARDIS. She's my ship. You're inside one of her rooms right now."

She looked around the room, "And why am I here?"

"You don't know?" He raised an eyebrow, sceptical. She look barely out of her teens, and acted like that. The confusion she felt – or feigned – didn't stop her from looking around the unknown place curiously. She was a bit too calm about it, but her behaviour matched with what she said. She really didn't know.

Looking at the honest confusion in her pret- face, he sighed "Tell you what, I'll take you home and we can both forget this ever happened. Do we have a deal?"

She nodded slowly and kicked away the bedsheets, revealing her body for the first time. The, ahem, very… shapely body only covered with a too thin white satin nightie. The Doctor quickly covered his eyes with a hand, the tips of his ears turning bright pink.

"And get dressed, for Rassilon's sake. I won't drop you nearly naked. I-I'll be waiting in the console room; ask the ship for something to wear and directions, she'll provide… hopefully."

The Doctor left the room promptly, trying to avoid any more embarrassing moments. When he arrived to the console room, he submitted the data he had recollected from the screwdriver into the TARDIS matrix, hoping he could get any information about the strange human that was (hopefully) doing as she was told.

The console's screen showed all the information it had gattered from her, and he couldn't see anything wrong with her. No time radiation, no spatial displacement residue… nothing that could explain the complexity he saw in her timelines. It was as if she had just appeared there. And it made no sense.

The woman that was currently occupying his musings stepped inside the console, dressed with a simple grey hoodie and fitting jeans. He replaced his frowning with a grin and addressed the girl. He would find more about her when he took her where she lived.

"I see you found your way around."

"Yep." She popped the p "The TARDIS' been very helpful. She also gave me a little tour."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. The TARDIS, being helpful? He shrugged the thought at the same time as said time ship gave him what could be translated by a mental cold shoulder.

"Right. Now, could I get an address? I've got something to do in London and I'm in a bit of rush."

She fidgeted "Yeah, about that…"

"What?"

"I… I can't tell you where I'm from."

"And why not?" He demanded, an eyebrow raised

"I don't remember."

"You don't remember where you live?"

"To be honest, I don't remember anything."

He stopped at that "Anything?" She shook her head

Oh, bugger.

He ran a hand through his short hair, hefting the little options they had (which weren't much, honestly). He then remembered something he had installed on the console regenerations ago, on a whim, and he hadn't used it since then. Well, it was worth a try.

The blonde girl watched him move around the central column with curiosity, pressing what seemed random buttons, and she observed how the glow seemed to change with every action the man made. One panel opened in front of her, and the man looked at her expectantly.

"Okay, this might work. I've opened the TARDIS psychic matrix. If you put your hands in it and think about what you remember about 'home' – it can be flashes, even feelings – she'll make sure to find the destination that corresponds with your thoughts and bring us there."

She looked at what he had called the 'psychic matrix'. It had digitiform extensions coming out of it, a yellow hue illuminating them from under it. She put her hand on it hesitant, and the tiny extensions curled between her fingers, tickling her. She then felt something in the back of her head and raised her eyes to the column.

"It's just… so alien." She gasped in amazement. She then looked at him "Are you alien?"

"Yes." He paused, attentive of her reaction "Is that alright?"

"Yeah." She answered breathless "What's what I feel at the back of my head?"

"That's the TARDIS." He answered slowly, his eyes narrowing in confusion "That's strange… you shouldn't be able to feel her…"

"And I have to think of home, right?"

"Yep. And we'll be there in a tick. Most certainly. Probably." Possibly. Who was he kidding, it was a long shot.

She closed her eyes and concentrated in whatever she felt that could relate to the feelings of home. A wheezing sound startled her, and when she opened her eyes, the column was moving up and down, as if pumping the energy for the ship to move.

And then, they came to a stop. The Doctor checked the monitor and frowned at the place and date.

"What's wrong?" the girl asked

"The TARDIS has gone to London, 26th of March, 2005. I was there the day before, and I meant to go check things were alright at this the time and place." He looked at her "Well, we now have a hint of how you ended up inside here. Should we go check out?"

He rushed to open the doors and she followed him into a busy street. She was amazed as crowds of people rushed around them, not even giving them a glance. Didn't they notice the huge spacesh-

She looked in bewilderment in the direction of what should have been a massive spaceship, but where it only stood a blue wooden box. She rounded it, placing a hand on its wooden exterior, and when she finished, she opened the blue doors again, looking at the too big room for the tiny exterior.

"It's… it's bigger on the inside!"

It was the Doctor's turn to smile. He never got tired of that sentence "Yep. That's my TARDIS. T. A. R. D. I. S. That's time and relative dimension in space."

"It's amazing!" she smiled at him and closed the doors again "But what's a Police box?"

"It's a disguise!" the Doctor crowed with poorly concealed glee.

"A disguise," she repeated slowly, pointedly glancing around at the obvious lack of blue police boxes on the busy street.

"From the sixties. The Chameleon Circuit got stuck in 1963. Could've fixed it, but I like the way She looks, don't you?"

"Mm, certainly is… retro," she teased. "C'mon, lets move."

The pair walked down the street, and neither of them noticed the face of a mannequin turning on its own, following them with his void eyes.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Still nothing?" the Doctor asked her again. She just shook her head.

"I can't remember anything about this place. It seems familiar, but right now I think I could be in Mars and feel the same way." She just sighed "Look, I'm being a drag here; you said you had something urgent to do, right? You can leave me if you want."

"I could take you to Mars, if you'd like." The Doctor's attempt at levity fell short. He was torn. It was true he had to check out if everything was alright around here – he hadn't detected any strange signals altogether, but it wasn't bat to do an extensive scan for Autons; but he wasn't the kind of people to leave those in need alone.

Moreover, there were still a lot of mysteries around her that hadn't been answered. As how she manage to appear in mid-flight, or why did she have such complex timelines. Let's not forget she's amnesiac, for Rassilon 's sake!

A strong hand on his shoulder stopped his musings. He turned his head, only to see a white mannequin standing behind him, and some feet behind, a bunch of them were slowly approaching.

"Ah… about that urgent thing… it looks I don't need to look for it anymore." The Auton began raising his arm, preparing himself to do a deadly strike. The Doctor grabbed her hand, and for a millisecond, he was struck of how soft and warm it was "Run!"

The pair began running down the street, and everywhere they went, the mannequins of every shop seemed to wake up, running behind them. One of the mannequins took them by surprise, grabbing the blonde's arm, making her tumble behind, dropping the Doctor's hand.

He quickly turned around and began tugging the mannequin's head, trying to get rid of him. After some struggle, the dummy's head got out with a loud 'POP', and that seemed enough to destabilize it, as he dropped his hands from around the girl. They resumed their running to the TARDIS, which was now in sight.

The Doctor glanced sideways at the girl panting beside him, "I'm the Doctor, by the way. Do you remember your name?"

"Rose."

He grinned and grabbed her hand "Nice to meet you, Rose. Run for your life!"

The mannequins were closing by, but so was the TARDIS. He grabbed a key from his pocket and unlocked the door, tugging Rose inside. They tried to close the door, but one rebellious arm stuck at the doorway. Rose pushed the door closed and the Doctor pushed it out, managing to close the door.

"What the hell were those things?"

"Autons. They're basically living plastic. Yesterday they caused some havoc in one of the malls; I think it was named Henrik's. I thought it had only been a local thing; I guess I was wrong."

Rose watched as he wired the head of the Auton that had grabbed her on the TARDIS' console as he kept talking "Yesterday I manage to get an arm, but it was too simple; I couldn't get a signal. But the head's perfect. I can use this to trace the signal back to the original source."

She nodded, assimilating the information, "And this living plastic, what's it got against us?"

The Doctor's face brightened. She was taking it well so far "Nothing, it loves you! You've got such a good planet! Lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air… perfect. Just what the Nestene consciousness needs. Its food stock was destroyed in the war, all its protein plants rotted, so Earth: dinner."

"But we can't let them have their way, right? They're attacking people outside. Do you- Doctor! The head!"

"What?" he looked at her confused ant then turned around, just to see the white plastic appendix melting. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no!"

He rushed and pulled a lever while pressing some buttons. The room seemed to shake a bit, and the Doctor's brow deepened in concentration.

"Come on, girl, follow the signal!" He looked at the screen once more, "It's fading! No, no, no, no! Almost there!"

The TARDIS rattled again, and with a shudder, it seemed to land. Rose raised her head from the banister she was clenching for life, observing how in the place the head had been placed it was a white mass of smoking plastic.

He dashed outside, Rose hot on his heels, and she looked around them; the whole scenery had changed, as they were near a river, and there were definitely less people around. She looked again at the TARDIS, who stood stoic as if she belonged there.

One question came to her mind "The TARDIS, does it fly?"

"Disappears there and then it reappears here; you wouldn't understand. I was so close…" he muttered, looking around him

"And if you're alien, how come you sound like you're from the north?"

At that, the Doctor stopped and looked at her. "Lots of planets have a north!"

"Really though, Doctor. Tell me. Who are you?" and why do you risk your own life for the sake of other species?

He exhaled. There was no stopping for her questions, were there? "It's like when you're a kid, the first time they tell you that the world is turning and you just can't quite believe it, 'cause everything looks like it's standing still."

He paused and took her hand "I can feel it... The turn of the Earth, the pass of time, how this planet is falling through space, and how every inhabitant, even you and me, are clinging to the skin of this tiny little world. And, if we let go..."

For a moment, she could feel it. She could feel both of them drifting away, the wind blowing on their faces, and the ground spinning beneath their feet. It all ended when he released her hand, and was soon reminded of what was like to be herself.

"That's who I am. Now, let's find the feeder, okay?"

She nodded, catching her breath "How are you gonna stop it?"

The Doctor took out a vial out of an inside pocket of his jacket "I've got this. Anti-plastic!"

"Anti-plastic?"

"Anti-plastic! But I've got to find it first. Where did they hide a transmitter this big in the centre of London?" he wondered, looking around once more

"What does it look like?"

"Like a satellite dish, I suppose, only much bigger. Something big, round and metal, standing near here… it must be completely invisible…"

Rose looked over the Doctor's shoulder. At the opposite side of the river stood something that she could only describe as a white round wheel. What was it called again? Ah, a Ferris wheel. It was big, round and metal.

"What?" he questioned at her widening eyes. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. The Doctor turned around and then right back "What is it? What?"

She gestured with her head, and he turned around again. That time, he noticed the figure of the London Eye beside the Thames. Oh, she was brilliant.

"Fantastic!"

They ran through the Westminster Bridge towards the metal structure. They could hear the muffed cries of the people in the street, panicking over the attack of the living plastic, and that was enough motivation to make their strides longer. Soon, they were near the London eye.

"Think about it; plastic over the world, every artificial thing waiting to come alive. The shop window dummies, the phones, the wires-"

An image popped up in Rose's mind, one that elicited such an amused reaction that she had to share. "The breast implants."

The Doctor regarded her a look between curious and amused "Anyway, we've found the transmitter. The consciousness must be somewhere underneath." He spotted a manhole. "Gotcha."

He opened the hatch with his screwdriver, and both of them climbed down the ladders. The room was illuminated with an eerie red light, and it was so hot her back dampened considerably.

The big room consisted on two levels, the upper floor, with metal flooring, where they stood, and the lower one, where a big mass of incandescent material was growling and moving.

"The Nestene Consciousness. That's it, inside the vat. A living plastic creature." The Doctor whispered, trying not to alert it to their presence

"What are you going to do? It doesn't seem too amiable to me."

"I didn't come here to kill it. I'm going to give him a chance."

Rose observed as the Doctor approached to the edge of the floor and addressed the angry mass, her choosing to stay behind in case the Doctor needed her somehow. He cleared his voice, and every word he spoke seemed to echo in the vast room.

"I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract according to Convention 15 of the Shadow proclamation."

The mass growled in response, and soon they were both in a heated discussion where she could only understand one end of it, and for the look of it, the Doctor was losing. He said something about a War, and the look on the Doctor's face was heartbreaking. Whatever this War was, it hurt him badly to think of it.

Some mannequins began approaching him, but before she could alert him, two shiny strong arms grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth, muffling her warning.

Two mannequins grabbed both the Doctor's arms, and took out the vial of Anti-plastic from inside his pocket. A small cry left her throat.

"It was just an insurance! I wasn't going to use it. I was not attacking you, I'm here to help. I'm not your enemy, I swear I'm not." The mass growled something that made him pale. Uh oh.

Suddenly, a light was switched on and another dummy opened a door, only to reveal the TARDIS inside. The Doctor then looked truly frightened "No. Honestly, no." A growl "Yes, that's my ship. That's not true, I should know. I was there; I fought in the War. I couldn't save your world!"

There was that War again, she noted. "Doctor!" she called for him, shaking off the hand covering her face "What's going on!?"

"It's the TARDIS! The Nestene's identified its superior technology, and it's terrified. It's starting the invasion! Get out, Rose!"

Bolts of energy shot form the growling mass beneath them, and the ground began shaking. She took her chance to get rid of the mannequin that was securing her in place. The Doctor seemed to try it too, but the two figurines seemed to have a tighter grip on him, and they didn't bulge.

"Seriously, Rose, get out! It's the activation signal, it's transmitting!"

She turned around, trying to find a way to help him. There was no way she was abandoning him there on his own. She had no memories, no recollection of job or studies. As far as she knew, she was alone in the world. She needed him, and dare she say it, so did he.

She caught a glimpse of a long heavy-looking chain tied from the ceiling to the railing near her. She took an emergency axe and struck the lock securing it, making it snap in two. She grabbed the chain with both hands and looked at the struggling Doctor, one of the dummies still holding the vial of Anti-plastic.

She clenched her fists "I've got nothing. No job—that I know of—no family—that I remember—nothing for me here. What I do have is a plan. A wild, crazy, possibly fatal plan… but that's all I got. Really hope I've done gymnastics."

She took some steps backwards, then charged at full speed. The ground disappeared from under her feet and she swung directly at the three aliens, hitting the one that was holding the flask. The dummy tumbled forward, falling with the Anti-plastic into the plastic pool, and the reaction was instantaneous; the surface hardened and began to creak.

"Rose!" The Doctor caught her when the chain was returning and helped her steady herself and put her feet back on the ground. The Consciousness began to explode the same moment "Now we're in trouble." The Doctor grinned

He grabbed her hand and they both rushed to the blue box, laughing despite the incoming danger. The door closed behind them, and when the room erupted in flames, the spaceship was no longer there.

.-.-.-.-.-.

It was evening at a secluded part of London when a groaning sound filled an empty street. A blue Police box materialized without anyone noticing, and two people walked out of it.

"Nestene Consciousness? Easy." The Doctor snapped his fingers

"Easy? You were useless down there. You'd be dead if it weren't for me." Rose teased him, her tongue poking out from her teeth. Was that a habit of hers? He pondered. It was cute.

"Yes, I would. Thank you." he rubbed his nape, uneasy "And sorry… For being a bit harsh at you this morning."

"It's no big deal." Her smile softened.

He looked down at the human before her. She had been very brave; despite her condition, she had maintained a clear mind and asked the right questions, helping him find the trouble before it was too late. She had swung in a rusty chain just to save him!

She had earned with flying colours her place in the TARDIS. The only thing left was her accepting his offer.

"Right! I'll be off… unless, you can come with me. We still know nothing about your whereabouts, so you could stay with me until you find out who you are. What do you say?"

She bit her lower lip "Is it always this dangerous?"

His silence was all the answer she needed.

"I-I can't." she stammered, after a long hesitation. She clearly wanted to, or so he thought (hoped),but she couldn't take the leap. "As you just said, I have no memories whatsoever. You need a person that's ready for action, and I feel I'll just be a burden in your travels. Moreover, I've got a family to find here."

Her words felt like a blow in his gut, but he never left his mask of nonchalance, or so he hoped. He nodded at her apologetic face and made his way to the TARDIS, forcing himself not to turn and look at the human being who had, for just a brief moment, filled the aching emptiness in his mind, hearts, and soul.

"Doctor!" she called back when he opened the door. He turned around to look at her "It doesn't mean it's the last time we see each other, you hear me? It's just a 'see you soon'."

The Doctor managed to crack a little smile at that and nodded again "See you soon, Rose Tyler." The door closed behind him and he moved the TARDIS to the vortex

In the weeks that came, he did what he did best – getting in trouble. He visited the Sheikah tribe, saved a family from the Titanic, and travelled the universe back and forth. However, at the end of the day, being either joyous or miserable, the face of a certain blonde human always popped inside his mind.

He couldn't help but think of how much Rose would've enjoyed the day's particular travels. She would've laughed in delight; gave him a grin, one of those ones with that bit of tongue peeking out—really, that shouldn't have been as distracting as it was. He was a Time Lord, for Rassilon's sake! Rose would've insisted he stopped and saved that family, the one he'd abandoned. Rose…

What was wrong with him? He had long accepted that she wasn't going to travel with him, so why did his mind torture him that much? It wasn't just that, but even the TARDIS seemed to miss her.

He was doing some repairs at the console, when his thoughts drifted to the usual place.

She had called herself a burden. Couldn't she see she had been one of the most brave and useful human in London? But he couldn't argue with her wish to find out about who she was. And she wouldn't be able to do that risking her own life so far away from home. She was better without him.

The TARDIS shocked at him in protest, and he shook his hand in pain.

"What was that for!?" he demanded, looking at the ceiling. The TARDIS' lights blinked, and she mentally asked him to stand up.

He obliged grumbling, and she made the monitor spin until it was in front of him. The screen lightened up, and showed the image of the girl occupying his mind; standing alone at the last place he had seen her.

"Why are you showing me that?"

The screen zoomed in closer, and the Doctor could see her sad expression. The coordinates modulator moved on its own accord, fixing the coordinates to that dark alley, one minute after he left.

"What do you want me to do? I already asked her to come, and she didn't want to." The column light blinked, and the image zoomed closer to her face "She refused! I offer her all time and space and she refused! And she has all the right to; she has a family to return to."

The image on the screen changed from her face to a white background. Then, in bold letters, the word 'time' appeared in it. He furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Time? What does that even have to… oh." His eyes widened, and a small smile tugged the corners of his mouth "Time… of course! Old girl, we've got something to do!"

The screen showed Rose again, that time turning around, ready to leave.

"We can't have that, can we? Let's get going!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Rose stared at the empty road end, more exactly to the place where the TARDIS had stood only seconds ago. The only sound she could hear was her rough breathing.

She messed up.

All the reasons her mind had come up with to refuse the invitation had vanished when the wheezing sound began echoing in the street, and before she could think of telling him she had made up her mind, he had disappeared.

She was alone, damp and cold, she didn't know anyone around here, and the only person she actually knew was who knew where already. She hugged herself, trying to keep herself from shivering, and exhaled a shaky breath.

She could wait here all night to wait for him to return, but she doubted he would even come back for her. He had already offered her to travel with him, and she had said no, so it wasn't likely.

She grimaced at her stupidity, but gathered herself up. It was time to stop moping around. She had lost the best opportunity of her life, so it was time to do as she had said and collect information about herself. If only she knew where to begin…

The wind picked up and a flyer hit her face. She grabbed it annoyed and looked down at it. Bad Wolf Band? Is that a rock band? It was an advertisement about an unknown band, she supposed, and the date was the day after. The address of the pub where it would take place was written down the flyer, so she decided to check it out.

She folded the paper in four parts and kept it in the pocket of her hoodie, and when she was about to resume her walking, a soft, familiar sound — one she'd never expected to hear again — echoed in the street. She turned around, and her smile widened when a blue Police box made herself visible.

The door opened, and the Doctor leaned on the doorway "Did I mention it also travels in time?"

She laughed at that and ran to meet him in a hug. He seemed startled at first, but soon hesitant arms enveloped her.

"You came back!" she exclaimed happily

"I did. I just thought it was a bit rude to leave an amnesiac girl alone in a cold street."

"Thank you." She left his arms and looked to the side, hesitant "Does the… does the offer still stand?"

"Yeah."

Rose smiled at him, a hint of tongue in the corner—why was he so fixated on that?—and the bundle of timelines around her began to disappear. That only meant one thing: her future was knotted tight with his own, and he no longer was allowed to watch it. He smiled in response, anticipation pooling in his stomach.

"So, where are we going?"

He grabbed her hand softly – it seemed to fit in his naturally. "I don't know, but I'm sure it will be fantastic."