Chapter 1: The Girl Named Rose
Author's Notes:
This is one of the few chapters where you will see some recognizable dialogue from the show. (All the dialogue you recognize is written by RTD, not me) After this, you won't see much from the actual season. You will see some "missing scenes" and my interpretation of what is really going on in the ninth Doctor's head.
I hope you enjoy!
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The ninth Doctor's piercing blue eyes snapped to the scanner as he steadied himself on the TARDIS console. He'd experienced ... at least he thought he'd experienced an odd sensation that should not have been possible.
For just a second (it was less than a second, really), He felt a swooning sickening feeling that only Time Lords could sense when fixed points in time were being forcibly rewritten. However, the moment he reacted, the feeling disappeared.
Had he imagined it? The scanner was telling him so. There was nothing unusual out there. The Doctor leaned on the console and glowered at the screen.
"I've gone mad, that's what it is," the Doctor mumbled out loud.
He was unraveling.
Wondering.
Running from place to place, trying to drown out the deafening silence in his head.
His TARDIS tried to fill in the empty spaces in his mind, and he was grateful, but it was never enough.
The fact remained that he was the only one left. The last of his kind. He deserved to ... Don't think about that, he told himself firmly. That line of thought always led to...to bad things.
Feeling a foolish, but needing something to do, he initiated a secondary scan, just to be sure he hadn't missed anything.
Then he spotted it. Abnormal readings coming from a very familiar level five planet.
"Of course it's earth," the Doctor mumbled. "What the hell else would it be?"
Focusing the scan, the Doctor recognized the cause of the abnormal readings.
"The Nestene Consciousness?" he asked incredulously. Then a sickening realization flooded through him. "The war," he remembered, guiltily. "Their planet, their foodstuffs were destroyed in the war." Exhaling he said, "I'm sorry. I really am, but you can't have Earth."
As he the course to Earth, he tried to remember where on his ship he kept the anti-plastic. "For insurance," he told himself firmly. "I'm not going to use it."
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"Wilson?"
His hearts stopped when he heard her. No one else was supposed to be down here. If he didn't get to her, then she'd go the same way as the electrician who's body he'd found earlier. If he didn't get to the roof and detonate his device on time, most of London would be dead in a matter of hours.
"Wilson, I've got the lottery money. Wilson are you there?"
He should just leave her. What's one girl?
"Look, I can't hang about 'cause they're closing the shop."
The Doctor mumbled a string of his favorite Gallifreyan swear words as he changed direction and headed toward the girl's voice. Of course he wouldn't just leave her.
The girl didn't take long to find. She was being noisy enough. Peroxide blonde, pink hoodie, and jeans; she was no more than a teenager. The Autons had her cornered. Her back was against the wall and her eyes were shut. The Doctor was mildly impressed that she wasn't screaming.
Careful not to draw the attention of the animated shop window dummies, he inched closer to the girl. The Doctor reached out and firmly grabbed hold of her hand. Her eyes flew open. Beautifully brown and vaguely familiar, he noted as her eyes locked with his.
Then the Doctor said one word, just one word. "Run!"
The girl didn't hesitate, and she didn't let go of his hand. They ran.
He and the girl tore through the basement (she seemed to have no trouble keeping up) as the Autons gave chase. The Doctor led her to a lift which, thankfully, opened quickly, but didn't close quite fast enough. The lead Auton plunged its arm through the closing doors. With lightening reflexes, the Doctor caught the arm, and after several tugs he pulled it off, and the doors closed.
"You pulled his arm off," the girl said blankly.
"Yep," the Doctor answered as he threw the arm to her, and she caught it. "Plastic."
"Very clever," the girl said, nearly hysterical, but not quite. "Nice trick! Who were they then, students?"
Keep her talking and she'll stay calm long enough for him to get her out of here, the Doctor thought.
The girl spoke again. "Is this a student thing or what?"
Student thing? He thought. Then he asked out loud, "Why would they be students?"
"I don't know."
"Well, you said it," the Doctor countered impatiently. "Why students?"
"'Cause to get that many people dressed up and being silly, they got to be students," the girl answered tersely.
"That makes sense," he answered, genuinely impressed. "Well done."
"Thanks."
Now, to immediately burst her bubble, "They're not students."
"Whoever they are, when Wilson finds them, he's going to call the police."
"Who's Wilson?"
"Chief electrician."
Oh, him. "Wilson's dead."
Judging by her reaction as she followed him off of the lift, the Doctor probably should have let her down a bit easier.
"That's just not funny. That's sick!"
Gently moving the girl out of the way, he said, "Hold on. Mind your eyes." He soniced the lift button, causing it to short, disabling the lift.
"I've had enough of this now," the girl said shrilly, still nearly hysterical. "Who are you, then? Who's that lot down there? I said, who are they?"
"They're made of plastic," the Doctor answered. "Living plastic creatures. They're being controlled by a relay device in the roof, which would be a great big problem if I didn't have this." He pulled the explosive device from his pocket and waved it at her. "So, I'm going to go up there and blow them up," then he added honestly, "and I might well die in the process, but don't worry about me." He opened the door to he stairs back up to the roof and stepped inside. "No, you go home. Go on. Go and have your lovely beans on toast. Don't tell anyone about this, because if you do, you'll get them killed."
He shut the door behind him. He had to go and take care of this, now. No more distractions. Hopefully the girl will be smart enough to run away. The girl. That title didn't suit her at all. He never asked her name.
Opening the door, again, he found her still standing there. Didn't her tell her to go home? "I'm the Doctor, by the way," he said. "What's your name?"
"Rose," the girl sputtered.
What a lovely name. Very simple. Rolls off the tongue. "Nice to meet you, Rose," he said sincerely. "Run for your life!"
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"I survived, then," the Doctor said with a bitter laugh. "Big damn surprise, there."
He stood and dusted himself off. The blast threw him off the roof. No broken bones, only a bit singed. He wanted to get back to the TARDIS before the sirens got too close. He didn't feel like explaining himself to the police. The Doctor slipped away quietly.
On board the TARDIS, the time ship brushed his mind affectionately as he rushed around the console flipping switches. He wanted to jump ahead a few hours. By then, most of the police would have cleared out, and he could resume his search for the signal was driving the Autons.
He opened the doors as soon as he felt the landing. It was morning, and the TARDIS landed near a counsel estate.
"An interesting place to hide," he mumbled.
A quick scan with the sonic told him he was on the right track. The signal went toward one of the flats. That meant he would have to deal with people.
He didn't want to deal with people. Especially not human people.
Sighing in resignation, the Doctor followed the signal. It seemed to be coming from a flat several flights up. Trotting up the stairs, he stopped in front of a certain door. Maybe no one was home.
The Doctor got down on his hands and knees and was about to peer through the cat flap, when he heard a familiar voice.
"Mum, you're such a liar. I told you to nail that cat flap down. We're going to get strays."
"Rose?" he whispered to himself. "You're kidding me." He heard another voice.
"I did it weeks back!"
Rose answered, "No, you thought about it."
Suddenly the cat flap lifted and the Doctor saw those beautiful brown eyes peering at him once more.
The Doctor ignored the flutter in his hearts and stood as Rose snatched the door opened.
"What're you doing here?" The Doctor asked much more rudely than he intended.
"I live here," Rose said in the same tone, not the least bit intimidated.
Brilliant girl, he thought, but he said, "Well, what do you do that for?"
"Because I do," she answered crossly. "I'm only at home because someone blew up my job."
Suddenly remembering why he was there in the first place, the Doctor said, "I must have got the wrong signal. You're not plastic, are you?" He playfully knocked on her head. "No, bonehead. Bye, then."
Escape wasn't going to be that easy.
Rose, much stronger than she looked, grabbed him by his arm and pulled him inside the flat. "You. Inside. Right now."
The Doctor heard the other voice again. He supposed that was her mother. "Who is it?"
"It's about last night," Rose explained quickly. "He's part of the inquiry. Give us ten minutes."
"She deserves compensation," the woman, another peroxide blonde, said as he paused in front of her bedroom doorway.
"We're talking millions," the Doctor quipped automatically as he took in the surroundings.
The Doctor looked at the older woman again when her tone changed. "I'm in my dressing gown," she stated.
The Doctor thought, Is she coming on to me? "Yes, you are," he answered evenly.
"There's a strange man in my bedroom."
She is coming on to me. "Yes, there is." Really, you have no idea how strange.
"Well, anything could happen," she said, fluttering her eyes.
"No," he said firmly, as he walked away. He'd never admit that he was a bit flattered.
He looked around the apartment, half looking for the source of the signal he was following, and half looking into this comfortable little world in which Rose Tyler lived.
The Doctor saw his reflection in a mirror. For the first time he didn't immediately look away. Except for the jacket, he didn't look much like ... No, don't think about him.
"Could've been worse," he said out loud. Frowning, he added. "Look at the ears."
He didn't have much time to preen. Once again, he was forcibly reminded why he was there in the first place when the plastic arm he was tracking nearly killed them both, but he was able to neutralize it in time.
Barely.
Arm in tow, the Doctor marched back toward the TARDIS, but he was followed by Rose Tyler. He couldn't seem to get rid of her.
She's not coming with me, he thought to himself. Last thing I need is some human girl following me about.
"You can't just walk away," she was saying. "That's not fair. You've got to tell me what's going on."
"No, I don't," he answered simply.
"All right, then. I'll go to the police. I'll tell everyone. You said, if I did that, I'd get people killed. So, your choice." The Doctor couldn't help smiling at her when she said, "Tell me, or I'll start talking."
He teased, "Is that supposed to sound tough?"
"Sort of," she faltered.
"Doesn't work."
He really wished she'd stop following him, and she wouldn't stop asking questions. Some of them were good questions, though. She was quite clever. He would never admit how much he was enjoying her company. But, he didn't need her. He didn't need anyone, especially not some human teenager.
"Really, though, Doctor," Rose Tyler asked seriously. "Tell me, who are you?"
The Doctor turned and looked at her properly. Her blonde hair was blowing about her face. Her beautiful eyes were serious as she looked at him. Her lips ..." Stop that now, he told himself firmly. She's just a human girl.
Right, to answer her question. Where to start? Finally he said, "Do you know like we were saying about the Earth revolving? It's like when you were a kid. The first time they tell you the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it because everything looks like it's standing still. I can feel it." Hardly realizing he was doing it, he reached for Rose's hand. She took his without hesitation. It was like her hand belonged in his. "The turn of the Earth."
The Doctor allowed his mind to relax and his senses to take over. He could feel much more than the turn of the earth, but the English language was inadequate to describe the vortex that controlled the spiraling timelines he felt all around him. He said, "The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour, and the entire planet is hurtling round the sun at sixty seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go ..."
Then he felt something quite different. An unexplainably familiar feeling of peace, and an echo of a song rushed through the Doctor. Was it coming from Rose? That would be impossible. He let go of her hand, and the song stopped. "That's who I am," he finished, lamely. "Now, forget me, Rose Tyler. Go home."
The Doctor turned away from Rose Tyler and walked toward the TARDIS with the arm. His instincts were telling him that he shouldn't be walking away from Rose Tyler. They were telling him that he needed to keep her close, but he ignored his instincts. She's just a girl, he told himself over and over. She's just a human girl, and she certainly doesn't need to be around the likes of me.
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Rose Tyler didn't forget him (this girl never seemed to follow instructions). She saved his life.
Once again, his life was spared from certain death, but for the first time in a very long time, he was grateful that he wasn't dead.
"A fat lot of good you were," Rose gloated as they stood together in an alleyway. She was high on the adrenaline from the days events and rather giddy.
"Nestene Consciousness? Easy," the Doctor said with a false bravado.
"You were useless in there," she countered. "You'd be dead if it wasn't for me."
"Yes, I would. Thank you," he said honestly. "Right then, I'll be off, unless, er, I don't know, you could come with me." He willed himself not to blush, and he started babbling. Why the hell was he babbling? "This box isn't just a London hopper, you know. It goes anywhere in the universe free of charge."
"Don't," cried the useless lump called Rickey. "He's an alien. He's a thing."
"He's not invited," the Doctor said pointedly. "What do you think? You could stay here, fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go anywhere."
He saw the spark of adventure in her eyes. She asked, "Is it always this dangerous?"
"Yeah," he answered a bit too quickly.
Rickey (the Doctor knew perfectly well his name was Mickey) clung to Rose, and her face fell a bit.
"Yeah, I can't. I've er, I've got to go and find my mum and someone's got to look after this stupid lump, so."
He tried his best not to show his disappointment as he stepped back into the TARDIS. "Okay. See you around." He firmly shut the door behind him.
"Lets just get out of here," he mumbled to his TARDIS, his only companion. He automatically put the ship in the Time Vortex and sat heavily on the jump seat.
"You're a bloody idiot," he told himself out loud. "Of course she wasn't going to come. As if you deserve to have someone come with you. Murderer."
If she knew what kind of man he really was, she'd run away from him. He should have known better than to ask.
Rubbing his hands across his face, the Doctor stood and leaned on the console. He moved to input new coordinates to go somewhere. Anywhere.
He swore loudly when the TARDIS shot a spark at him that caught him right on his hand.
"What was that for?"
The scanner turned itself on. On it read the Gallifreyan word for time. Then the coordinates for Earth...coordinates that would land the TARDIS in the same alley where it was before, about ten seconds in the future.
The Doctor stared at the screen. "Rose said no," he said blankly. "I asked her..." then comprehension dawned. "I didn't mention that the TARDIS is a time machine. But, it wont make a difference."
The TARDIS brushed his mind again. Sighing in resignation, the Doctor landed the TARDIS back in the alley.
Walking to the door, he opened it and stuck his head out. His hearts fluttered when he spotted Rose still there. Composing himself, he said with as much cheerfulness as he could muster, "By the way, did I mention it also travels in time?"
Before rose could answer, he disappeared back through the door, leaving it open. He didn't dare to hope that she would follow.
Exactly seven point five seconds passed, then the Doctor's heart soared as Rose Tyler appeared through his door. She shut it behind her, and looked at him expectantly as she smiled, her tongue between her teeth.
He grinned back at her. There was such innocence in her eyes. She trusted him. It had been a long time since anyone looked at him like that. He would have done anything to keep her looking at him like that. It had been years since he had someone to show off for.
