Donna gaped. "The Rose Tyler? The breakout sensation of last season's theatre circuit? Oh, I saw you in Pygmalion and Galatea! Your Galatea was positively brilliant!"

Rose's mouth turned into a small smile. "Thank you. I loved the part."

Inspector Smith stammered, "Uh, Miss Tyler, I'm Inspector Michael Smith of Scotland Yard, and this is Miss Noble and the Doctor."

Rose paused, not turning to look at the Doctor immediately. When she did, she silently took him in, crown to heel, before asking, "The Doctor?"

The Doctor did nothing to contain his smugness. "I suppose you have read some of my exploits. Donna here always tends to take a bit of a romantic view-"

"Oi! You don't see him complaining about how much more work he's received since I began writing for him. If I didn't make him look better, he'd be out of work in a week!"

Rose eyes swept over the Doctor again briefly before she squared her shoulders. "If you want to speak to all of us, I'm going to go clean off the rest of this makeup beforehand, if you wouldn't mind. The others should be ready." She then walked offstage and exited through a side door.

Inspector Smith's gaze stayed in the direction of Rose's departure, and Donna cleared her throat softly. Inspector Smith looked back to them, a tinge redder. "Right. The Doctor and I will have a bit of a look around the theatre while everyone is rounded up. Could you come and get us when everyone is ready, Donna?" Donna's mouth settled into a flat line, and Inspector Smith smiled charmingly. "Thanks ever so much."

Donna rolled her eyes as the inspector realized the Doctor was already gone and jogged after him. Well, wouldn't hurt to do a little investigating of my own while they're gone…perhaps run into a certain gentleman on the way? She was engaged but not dead, and Mr. Harkness was one of the handsomest men she had ever seen.

Holding her skirts high above the dusty wood flooring, Donna stepped behind a black curtain and bumped into a flat with forest scene painted on it. She quickly assessed the canvas to make sure no damage was done and crept deeper into the darkened hallway. She saw a sliver of light and heard bits of a hushed yet heated conversation. A man was whispering "It's the only way…why do you care what they think...your silly infatuation with that man!" Donna couldn't quite make out the woman's side of the conversation. As she snuck closer, the door suddenly swung open and Donna ducked behind a nearby screen. Jack Harkness strode out of the room, slamming the door shut, and walked past Donna without noticing her.

Donna breathed a sigh of relief. She then craned her neck around the screen, wanting to see who the woman on the other side of that conversation had been. She crept to the door that had reopened from the force of the slam, and just as she was about to peek inside-

"Donna? DONNA!" Donna ground her teeth and stepped back from the doorway. Perfect timing, as always. After reaching a safe answering distance she shouted, "I'm COMING."

The Doctor hadn't found anything of interest to the case and was quickly disengaging from paying attention to the cast. Several had worked there last night, but as an acting troupe, they all provided each other's alibis. None of them were the type to be Bad Wolf, or even Bad Wolf's imposter. They seemed to be as pure as the driven snow. Or at least too dull to be a thief of the highest caliber. Except for the stagehand that had been limping. With a charred boot and a ticket from Chelsea hanging out of his right pocket. There had been an explosion at the known headquarters of an infamous gambling ring in Chelsea the evening before. They might want to keep an eye on that chap.

He sighed and pulled a hand through his hair. I need to go back to the crime scene, possibly without the inspector. There may have been something his bumbling lackeys missed. The Doctor shouted for Donna, ready to leave. Donna came back onto the stage, eyes blazing. A few moments later, a dark-haired young woman followed from the same door Donna had.

Donna came to stand beside the Doctor, who immediately chided her, "I thought I told you, rule one: never wander off."

Donna leveled a glare at him. "I can handle myself, ta. Besides, I think I might have overheard-"

Rose Tyler reemerged to the stage, in a short-sleeved white lace top with a high-waist pink silk skirt, her hair pulled into a loose bun. Donna's voice slowly faded into the background of the Doctor's consciousness as he took in her form.

Small figure, a bit…shapely, albeit with a toned physique. What kind of exertion would cause an actress to be trim like a common laborer? Short fingernails and callouses, also denoting working frequently with her hands. Hair altered with peroxide-

Donna smacked his arm, bringing him back from scrutinizing. "Have you heard a word I just said?"

"In a minute, Donna," he answered, still distracted, not noticing Donna's small smile as she noticed the direction of his gaze and the immediate, unsubtle redirection.

He began walking towards the inspector, who was now talking to the dark-haired woman, Gwyneth. The Doctor briefly looked her over. She would be a closer fit, but she had been understudying another production and thus had an alibi of rehearsing with a Welsh actor's guild. Inspector Smith was now asking Jack questions.

The Doctor reached the inspector just as he asked Jack where he had been around 11pm. "I was here last night running lines with Rose."

"And you two were by yourselves?" Inspector Smith asked, his tone attempting nonchalance.

"Yes, we were." Jack smiled wide.

Rose shifted her posture and bit her lip. "We were just running lines."

Jack, not missing a beat, put his arm around her. "So dedicated."

Rose smiled sweetly and deftly moved herself out from under his arm. "All hands, this one."

"Can you blame me?"

"Did you all hear anything or see anything suspicious?" The Doctor interjected.

"No. I'm staying in a room above the theatre, and I didn't leave last night." Rose said.

"I went out for a bit of air around ten, but I didn't see anything." Jack shrugged his shoulders. "Didn't see anything when I left here a little past midnight, either."

Inspector Smith nodded, folding up the paper upon which he had been writing. "Well, if you hear anything, please let us know."

"Will do." Jack said, pulling on his braces.

Donna shyly offered her hand to Rose. "It was so nice to meet you. An honor, really. I'm gushing like a lovey, I'm so sorry."

"No, don't even mention it. It's wonderful to meet you, Miss Noble. Actually, would you like to see a show?" Rose looked to Jack, whose eyes widened briefly before nodding.

"Oh, I'd love it!" Donna impulsively hugged Rose, and then came to herself.

Rose laughed. "And be sure to bring the Doctor with you." She then smiled with her tongue caught in her teeth.

The Doctor stared at Rose's mouth briefly, not knowing why this woman's smile felt so significant. "If we have the time," he brusquely said. "Let's go Donna." He was already halfway up the aisle when Donna caught up to him, grasping his arm. He yelped as she pinched him.

Once they returned to the Doctor's rooms, Donna lit a fire in the sitting room. She turned to see the Doctor already in his designated chair, the firelight flickering across his face. His mouth was leaning against his hands that were braced fingertip to opposing fingertip.

"Are you in your 'among the stars' mode, or can I tell you what I overheard now?" Donna asked, standing up and brushing the bits of wood from her skirt.

The Doctor scoffed. "I do not have an 'among the stars' mode as you so indelicately put it. I am always completely aware of my surroundings. Superior senses, me. But yes."

Donna cocked a skeptical eyebrow but continued. "Well, I was going to look and see what I could find myself and heard a couple in an argument. Mr. Harkness left the room, so I know he was a participant, but I'm not sure who the woman was. They had been arguing about the woman's infatuation with some man, and her unwillingness to say or do something because of what he might think. Do you think it could have possibly been the actress with the brown hair…a Gwyneth, I believe?"

"Perhaps," the Doctor mused. "I would think it more likely for it to have been Rose Tyler, as she was Jack's alibi."

"I would think that you would prefer it to not be Rose Tyler. You could barely take your eyes from her." Donna's eyes danced in amusement. "My little Doctor, finally a grown boy, taking notice of a woman."

The Doctor spluttered. "I will have you know, Donna Noble-"

"No, no!" Donna laughed, gesturing the Doctor to stop. "I do NOT want to know what goes on in that brain of yours when it comes to the 'fairer sex.'"

The Doctor crossed his arms petulantly.

Donna's smile slowly sobered. "But seriously, Doctor, who is this 'Bad Wolf' you and Inspector Smith were referring to?"

The Doctor's eyes lit, much like they did when his violin was held to his chin, or when they were running for their lives. "Oh- Bad Wolf. One of the very few cases that has stretched across a decade. One of my few worthy opponents." The Doctor paused, lips upturning and eyes losing focus with nostalgia.

Donna looked to the ceiling in exasperation. "Well, go on, then! Give us the story."

The Doctor turned back to the fire, his eyes darting as he reversed the years. "Bad Wolf was the first case I offered my services to Scotland Yard. This would have been about, ohhhh, nine years ago? Ten? Close thereabouts. Anyway, there was another inspector I was working with, an Inspector Adams."

The Doctor's face remained impassive, but his clenched fist and white knuckles told another story. "The man couldn't see evidence placed right in front of his nose, let alone find actual clues. Scotland Yard was testing me, seeing if I was actually useful on the field." He shook his head. "Bad Wolf was something different, something like they had never before seen. A thief that left absolutely no trace, even in the messages."

Donna's brow drew together. "I thought you said that all burglars leave a trace- especially in how they leave their messages. 'It is as good as a fingerprint, Donna Noble,' you said!"

A grin spread the Doctor's face. "Well- that is the eventuality of every thief arrogant enough to leave a calling card. But Bad Wolf is the exception to every rule. They never kept a strict modus operandi, which in itself became Bad Wolf's modus operandi. People from all walks of life were burgled, and all types of materials were stolen. They only needed to be valuable. And the notes, which were always cleverly done. Like you saw with the beamsplitting, always new. Never the cutout newspapers."

The Doctor lit a pipe that had been lying in his slippers by the chair. Donna grimaced but didn't say a word, silently urging him to continue.

The Doctor lazily blew a smoke ring. "I came in on the case very late. I had begun to see a pattern in the victims of the thefts- many of them were not the rightful owners. They had obtained each piece through the black market. Most of the items turned up again very quickly, but they of course couldn't be returned to the victims."

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, left hand still clutching his pipe. "There was this girl, oh about fifteen or sixteen, who showed up around a couple of the crime scenes. You could tell the girl had struggled through life, but she was extremely curious." A waif, mousy brown hair and lost hazel eyes. "The inspectors and constables I was working with began to think I was completely mad when I suggested that a young girl like that could be Bad Wolf. A young person would be small enough to crawl into some of the spaces, wouldn't hold to a modus operandi necessarily, because a young person hasn't fully developed his or her personality."

"Did you really think it was that little girl?"

"Not at first," he conceded. "But when she happened to pop around more than two crime scenes, I became a little wary. Inspector Adams thought she had developed an attachment to me." He scoffed lightly, but his eyes seemed almost sad as he turned back to the fire. "I was a little younger and less wise."

Donna reached out, as if to touch him, but he shook his head quickly before running both of his hands down his face, seemingly not noticing her movement. He then faced her again and continued, "Bad Wolf only kept one artifact, an astrolabe. Gorgeous piece of Ottoman handicraft. The girl had expressed an interest in astronomy." Her small voice catching, telling him of her dream to leave this world and fly to the stars."The inspector finally used my kindness towards the girl as an excuse to try and throw me off the case. Insisted I was being…inappropriate. Which was utter rubbish. He couldn't stand the strides I had been making for which he could not take the credit."

"So they never went after that girl?"

"No. Couldn't tie her to it. She disappeared soon afterwards." He tried to question her, and all that she did was smile, her tongue caught in her…

The Doctor suddenly jumped up, the contents of his pipe spilling onto the rug.

"Are you completely mental?" Donna cried, stamping the sparks out.

"Donna Noble, go get changed. We are going to the theatre tonight!"