Rose sat in the dinning room with a steaming cup of tea in her hands. Sitting across the elaborate breakfast spread from her sat the Doctor, eating jam from the jar with a spoon. He'd originally gone for some fish sticks and custard, but Rose had scolded him instantly. It was breakfast for heaven's sake, he could at least try and be healthy. She didn't think jam constituted as healthy much more than fish sticks, but it was still a step up. At least it was in the breakfast menu.
"Glad to see some things don't change then." Rose titled her head to the side; he was using a spoon. "Well, don't change too much." And the TARDIS wouldn't get angry at him for messy hands anymore. There's always a plus.
The Doctor pointed his spoon at the blonde and swallowed the jam in his mouth in one big gulp. "You know, you should have seen me when I first regenerated. Couldn't figure out what I wanted to eat." He leaned across the table in a conspiratory manner and Rose did the same. "I even had a craving for an apple."
Rose's brows shot up. "A craving? That's new."
"I know!" Finally someone else understood him. The Doctor smiled goofily at Rose, she always understood him.
Rose smirked. "It's also very… human."
The Doctor's mouth dropped open. "Oi! There is no need for such cheek, Ms. Tyler."
Rose smiled her special smile back at him whilst Rory and Amy entered the dinning hall. The couple's eyes widened at the incredible spread of food before them. "Mornin'!" Rose chirped happily. They waved amiably, still a little surprised by the unexpected amount of food. They grabbed a plate each and began loading up.
Rose took a sip of her tea as Rory sat down beside her. A warm feeling spread inside her, as if it her were only just hitting her she was back. Rose Tyler and the Doctor, in the TARDIS. She was finally home again. She glanced across the table to the man as he began to pull apart some futuristic house appliance. Rose mentally reminded herself to stop by the 52 Century to buy a replacement.
"So, Doctor," Rory began as he spread maple syrup over his pancakes, "what's the occasion?" His eyes flickered to Rose but he didn't say anything else. Amy and Rory had talked about it last night. They weren't going to question Rose and the Doctor, which meant Amy was going to wait to be alone with the Doctor before she interrogates him. The red head liked Rose, but it was disconcerting that the Doctor hadn't mentioned her. Rory didn't mind so much. Rose had saved their life with House, and she clearly cared for the Doctor deeply. If she had secrets, then she had secrets. The Doctor did too. Though he honestly couldn't claim that he wasn't the least bit curious about her.
"Yeah," Amy nodded in agreement beside the Doctor, across from Rory, "you never do breakfast." The Doctor frowned, though she wasn't sure if it was at her comment, or the shinny object he was actively destroying.
Rose laughed. "Of course he didn't cook. The man could burn toast if ya let him. Nah, I did this." The Doctor rolled his eyes at Rose but didn't comment.
Amelia almost dropped her fork. "What – seriously? How early did you wake up?" Her eyes flickered across the bacon, sausage, eggs, waffles, freshly squeezed juices and more. Something sparked from inside the Doctor's deconstructed appliance and Amy quickly shifted her chair a little bit away.
Rose shrugged. "I don't need as much sleep as you." It looked like she might say more, but she simply took another sip of tea. Rory and Amy frowned but didn't comment. They sat quietly for a bit, while Amy and Rory ate their breakfast. Rose picked at the fruits on her plate with her fork. "So… Did you sleep well?" The Ponds nodded with their mouths full. Rose's smile beamed back at them. "Good! The TARDIS has some amazing plans."
"Yeah," Amy said slowly, "you mentioned that before. How do you know that? Can you talk to her?" Amy looked to the Doctor when she asked this. As far as the Doctor had always said, no one could talk to the TARDIS, ever. Not even the Doctor, but last night the Doctor had implied that Rose could. The Doctor was oddly quiet, he hadn't said a word. He was still playing with his whatever-the-hell-that-thing-was, and didn't seem to really care about their conversation. Rose held back a smile, bit too domestic for him.
The blonde shrugged. "Not in so many words." She set her fork down and pursed her lips as she decided how to explain her connection to the TARDIS. "I can sor' of get impressions from her, yeah? Like when something's broken or she's excited 'bout somethin'. To be honest I'm not really sure what else. The TARDIS and I have always been connected, but not like this."
"Yes," the Doctor agreed, looking up from his jam for the first time since the Ponds had entered the room, "which is why you aren't going to go playing with it until I've figured it all out. Right?"
Rose winked. "Scouts honour."
"Yeah, right, sorry. But how'd that happen in the first place?" Rory shook his hand when the Doctor opened his mouth. "Yeah, I know, you need to run some tests. But you mentioned a connection," he turned to Rose, "one you had before. What happened to cause that? What was it?"
Rose smiled, almost proudly it seemed. She could definitely see why the Doctor took Rory. He was brilliant. Rose didn't open her mouth, her eyes glowed gold for a second, but she didn't move to respond.
The Doctor flew back away from the table and landed roughly on his back. "Doctor!" The three companions jumped up.
Rose's smile widened. "And that'll be the adventure." She glanced to Amy and Rory. "You two best get dressed; we'll probably be off soon." Amy finished helping the Doctor back to his feet, who was busy patting the pockets of her jacket and trousers. He seemed fine, and Rose was already racing around the table to his side. Rory walked around the table and took his wife's hand.
"Are you sure?" He asked as he mentally checked over the Doctor's body, assessing for any physical injuries or possible head trauma.
The Doctor looked up at him. "What are you two doing? You heard Rose, we've got an adventure! As soon as I've found my psychic paper."
The Ponds quickly left to their room as Rose reached into the Doctor's breast pocket and pulled out the psychic paper. "Silly Time Lord."
"Oi."
"Right!" The Doctor exclaimed as he whirled around the console, a ball of endless energy. "So, little message, psychic paper." The Doctor tossed the paper to Amy who caught it and read it.
"Who's Max?" She asked and tossed the paper to Rory. He read it and frowned.
The Doctor paused and smiled. "Oh Maximus, lovely fellow, curator of a museum in the 59 Century."
Amy groaned. "Seriously? Another museum." She crossed her arms and cocked her hip. "We don't care about your stupid score, Doctor."
The Doctor frowned and Rose cut him off before he could begin whining. "We're not goin' for that. When I was travelin' with the Doctor, we helped Max out after an artefact from the museum had been taken. You see, by the 59 Century humans had already figured out time travel. Max's museum is one of the best in his galaxy. He's got exhibits from aborted timelines that never were, if Hitler had taken over? Yeah, he's got an entire wing dedicated to it."
Rory tossed the psychic paper back to the Doctor who quickly pocketed it. "Alright, awesome museum. But it is just a museum, who cares if a little item goes missing? Call the police. I mean, it's not really our area, is it?"
"Usually it isn't," the Doctor agreed, "but the Nova Peninsula Museum doesn't have just items from across time, some of these items, like the one that was stolen, are said to be magical." The Doctor typed in the coordinates to the museum and began punching buttons and pulling levers.
Amy walked up and leaned her hands on the console. "But magic doesn't exist."
Rose shook her head. "Just because it looks like science to us, doesn't meant it isn't magic to some primitive life form." She walked around the console to stand by the other woman.
"Yes, but you said they discovered time travel, they can't be primitive."
"And, technically speakin' they aren't," Rose began to agree, "but if you were to give someone from say, Medieval Times, a juke box. Well they'd think it was magic. They have time travel Amy, which means they could pick up objects so far in their future, so technologically advanced, that suddenly it looks like magic is possible, yeah?"
Amy nodded. The TARDIS shook and the two women quickly grabbed the console as the Doctor whooped. The TARDIS continued to shake and Rose laughed as he fell to the ground, loosing his footing. Oh he was such a klutz this time round, she thought. The TARDIS landed relatively safely and Rory picked himself up from where he'd fallen to the ground. Rose patted him on the back and smiled sympathetically.
The Doctor popped back up and smiled excitedly. "Right, so, are we ready to solve another mystery, gang?"
Rose smiled cheekily and raced up to him, taking his hand. "Right behind ya Fred." Rose glanced behind her to the Ponds as the Doctor dragged her out the door and gestured for them to follow. "Come one Shaggy, Velma." Amy rolled her eyes and raced out of the TARDIS after them. Rory took a bit longer, grumbling something that sounded distinctly like, "why am I Shaggy?"
The Nova Peninsula Museum was white and clean, as was the nature of architecture in the 59 Century. The walls were tall on either side of the hall that they had materialised in, the tops curving into the ceiling like an archway. There were openings along the corridor with labels in plain black typing that led to other exhibits. Amy glanced around the TARDIS exterior, but they seemed to have landed beside the only door, one that was clearly labelled management.
The door flew open and a small curly haired man raced threw. His wide eyes laded on the Doctor, "Doctor!" he exclaimed as he threw his arms into the air. The Time Lord spun around, hand still firmly grasped in Rose's. The curly haired fellow's mouth dropped open. "Rose!" He ran toward the two and threw his arms around them awkwardly.
Amy watched them, unable to keep the amused look off her face. However, Rose and the Doctor seemed nonplussed. Clearly this was regular action for the spindly fellow. "See Doctor!" The man cried as he pulled back and smiled happily at the two. "I told you she wasn't lost. Love reunited at long last!" The man laughed. Rose blushed and looked away. The Doctor simply rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat.
"Right, well… I … hmmm… Maximus! You sent me a message yes?"
The man's eyes widened further and Amy wondered if they would simply continue to do so until they popped out. "Yes… yes, this way then." He glanced over at the Ponds. "Right, sorry, I'm Maximus. Are you further associates of the Doctor?"
Amy shook the man's hand and smiled pleasantly. "You could say that, yeah. I'm Amy Pond, his is my husband, Rory." Rory stepped forward and greeted the frazzled looking curator. He was wearing a striped shirt like the Doctor's, and a blue vest and brown corduroy slacks. All of which did not match in the slightest and made for a look of an even more confused man then his personality gave off.
"Pleased to meet you. Now, the exhibit is this way. Please stay together." He turned down the long hall and began a brisk pace.
"Right, down to business." The Doctor said, still clearly flustered over Max's earlier comments of him and Rose. "Max, what exactly was taken? I thought I improved your defences last time I was here?"
Max glanced over at the Doctor worriedly. "This exhibit was an old one. It'd been on a tour around the galaxy. It didn't have the updated security yet. They were supposed to install a good one on the weekend, but I thought it'd be fine. Really, it toured the galaxy and no one had tried anything." Rose sighed, oh Max. "As for the object, I'm afraid it was Aphrodite's Apple."
The Doctor stopped walking and frowned at Max. The group paused in the long hallway, having gone so far that the TARDIS could no longer be seen around the curve of the wall. "I'm sorry, The Aphrodite's Apple? As in the one given to her by Paris? The deal that eventually started the Trojan War?" Max winced.
"Wait a second here," Rory waved his hands to calm the Doctor down, "I know this story, this is a myth. The goddess of Discord, Eris, plays a trick on Athena, Aphrodite and Hera and says the keeper of the apple is the most beautiful woman in the world."
The Doctor nodded and began pacing. Amy's eyes widened, pacing already? That wasn't good. "Yes, that's right. And then Paris of Troy is given the task of deciding who gets the apple. Aphrodite grants Paris true love with the most beautiful woman, Helen of Sparta, if he'll give the apple to her. He does, and then Paris gets the girl, after he steals her from her husband, Menelaus." The Doctor stopped and turned to his companions. "But it wasn't the deal that started the war, it was the apple. Because of the desire, it destroyed an entire civilization. Ten years later, Troy fell."
Max nodded. "Those are the ancient stories of it, yes. That's the apples creation story, but it's been used since then." He turned and continued walking down the hall.
The others followed. Entrances to other exhibits past by with titles of 'Atlantis', 'Walt Disney's Return', 'The End of Earth', 'Who is the Face of Boe?'. Rose passed by one of the exhibits then paused and backed up. Her eyes widened. "No way." She breathed out. She glanced down the hall to the others. Rose shook her head, she couldn't resist. She slipped into the room.
Rory turned back just as Rose slipped into the room. All he slaw was a flash of pink and yellow, and she was gone. He glanced ahead at the Doctor talking quickly with Amy and Max. Rory turned back toward where Rose disappeared.
"So the apple's been used again since the fall of Troy?" Amy asked confused. She wasn't all too surprised that a mythic item was real, she was married to the Last Centurion after all. Or he was, in an alternate timeline…thing.
"Yes, and every time it has, it's destroyed the civilization it's been in." Max informed her.
"But how does it work?"
They finally came across an exhibit labelled 'Aphrodite's Apple' which they quickly entered. The room was an octagon with tapestries and cases of random historical pieces lining each wall. In the centre of the room there was a pedestal and a partially broken glass case. A bright light shone from the ceiling down onto the crime scene. The Doctor paused and looked around. He groaned.
"Rory and Rose wandered off." He turned back to the pedestal. "She's always doin' that."
Amy glanced around worriedly. "Shouldn't we go find them?"
The Doctor shrugged and stepped toward the pedestal to examine it. "Nah, Rose is a pro at wandering off. Wandered all the way to another universe once… or twice." Amy frowned but didn't comment, he was clearly just rambling to himself. She did make a mental note of it though so she could interrogate him later.
Max ambled over with a clipboard and papers for the Doctor. The Doctor flipped threw them then threw the clipboard over his head carelessly. Max didn't seem surprised at all.
"Right," the Doctor clapped his hands and rubbed them together, "I'm sort of curious. Amy had a good question there before. How does the apple work?" He turned to Max.
The man jumped slightly and shifted nervously. "Yes, well. The apple gives the holder their true love."
Amy frowned. "What's so dangerous about that?"
"True love doesn't exist." Max replied. The Doctor and Amy frowned at him, neither agreed. "The holders mind becomes clouded but mostly intact, but everyone he comes in contact with change. People become deranged, usually in search of their love, or their greatest desire. The apple was all about desire. Hera, Aphrodite and Athena desired to be the most loved, the most beautiful, so the apple gives that desire to everyone else. Aphrodite's Apple has toppled 433 civilizations to date. If we don't find it, then it might topple another."
Amy nodded. "Right, so we're looking for a deranged mad man who wants to be loved." She looked to the Doctor and smirked. "Good thing you have an alibi."
The Doctor glared at her then turned to the curator. "Have there been any noticeable effects yet?"
Max nodded furiously. "Yes. The madness is already spreading. The head of the museum captured some paradox woman last week because he thought she'd be an interesting exhibit."
"People aren't exhibits."
"My sentiments exactly."
Amy bit her lip and walked around the pedestal. They needed to figure this thing out, now. "But how can it control all those people? It's just an apple."
"How can the common cold make so many people sick in a span of a few months Amy? It's an infection." The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and took a reading of the pedestal. He frowned and hit the side of the sonic and then tried again.
"What's wrong?" Amy asked as she stepped up next to him.
"The sonic. It's picking up something else…" The Doctor raised his arms and pointed the sonic around the room, activating it as he did. The screwdriver warbled for a moment before the Doctor abruptly turned it off. He raced around the pedestal to the edge of the shattered glass. He bent down and picked a small black object up.
Amy followed him and looked over his shoulder. It was sort of moon shaped, black with ridges along it. It was more pointed at one end, like a tooth. "What is it?"
The Doctor turned to Amy with a frown on his face. "A Chelonian claw." He turned it over in his hand a few times, his frowned deepened. He scanned the claw as he talked. "I don't understand though. Why would the Chelonians want the apple? How could that… Oh… It's the late 59 Century!" He exclaimed.
Amy scowled. "Yeah, so? What's the date got to do with anything?"
"Don't you see? The Chelonian's empire was falling during the 60th Century." Amy rolled her eyes; of course she didn't see that. Stupid Time Lord. "If they want to take back their Empire, they'll need the apple."
Max frowned and stepped towards the two. "Would the apple actually help that?"
The Doctor thought for a second and then shrugged. "Probably not, but the Chelonian's aren't really known for their brains. Big, turtle like things, not too smart. They'll have landed near by, or be in orbit around the planet." The Doctor turned and raced from the room. "Back to the TARDIS!" He called over his shoulder.
Rory paused at the entrance to the exhibit. 'Bad Wolf: The Time Goddess'. He frowned at the title and entered into the room. It was a hexagon room, with hallways leading to more rooms extending from the five other walls. The exhibit was massive. The main room was set up in aisles with display cases showing various items and pieces of information. The far back wall had what appeared to be a replica of a sign: BAD WOLF CORPORATION. Rose stood under it, looking up at the words.
Rory entered the room and looked down at one of the display cases. There was a picture of an aerial view of what was labelled as 'London: 21 Century'. It seemed to be a park, with the words BAD WOLF across the tarmac.
"Rose?" The woman jumped and turned around. She saw Rory and her eyes softened. "What is this?" Why would she leave the group to see this? It was just a few words connected to a fairy tale.
"It's an exhibit." Rose said as she glanced over her shoulder at the words. "It's about Bad Wolf, have you ever heard of her?"
Something about her tone made it clear she wasn't talking about the fairy tales. Rory frowned and began to shake his head, then stopped. He thought back on his life, no, he didn't know about Bad Wolf. His life as a Roman on the other hand. "I've seen the words in Rome. I was a Roman for a bit. But that was in an aborted timeline. It doesn't exist anymore, the Doctor fixed everything."
Rose raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Rory the Roman." She laughed lightly and walked towards another piece of the exhibit. Rory followed her. A hologram popped up and opened the room up. It looked as if the back wall had fallen away and an army of Daleks stood in their place. Rory jumped back, Rose looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. The Daleks behind her didn't move. Despite the reality of their appearance, they were just pictures.
The hologram changed to another image. Rory stepped forward again. This image was still a Dalek, but it was huge. It towered over the two companions, long legs that looked half like shields and half designed off of spiders sprouted from it. Beneath it hung attached a glass container, inside was the face of a Dalek.
Rory frowned, disgusted by the sight. "What is it?" He knew it was a Dalek, but he'd never seen one quite like it. Rose touched the control panel and froze the image so it wouldn't move.
"It's the Emperor of the Daleks."
Instead of seeming shocked, Rory only looked more confused. "The Daleks have an Emperor?"
Rose smiled wickedly. "Not anymore." She looked to Rory. "Bad Wolf killed it, she turned it to dust." The tone of her voice when she said it gave her away.
"You were there?"
"In a manner of speakin'." She was as cryptic as the Doctor, Rory realised. Possibly worse. "I was much younger though." She sighed and closed her eyes. "So much younger than I am now."
"Are you human?"
Rose's eyes opened and she looked at Rory amusingly. "You know, I really thought it was going to be Amy who interrogated me." She smiled softly. "I'm quite glad that the Doctor will have to deal with tha' rage instead." Rory winced as he thought about the Doctor. There was going to be nothing left of the alien when Amy was done with him. "No, Rory. I'm not human."
Rory nodded once and followed Rose as she moved onto another piece of the exhibit. The Dalek Emperor flashed and disappeared, gone. A vertical display case showed a piece of a brick wall with a spray painted red wolf against it. It said it was from the 21 Century.
"So where are you from?"
"Earth."
"But you said –"
"I was born on Earth." She turned and looked at him. "I was born human. But something happened." Rose smiled brilliantly, and Rory knew.
"You met the Doctor."
She nodded slowly. "Yeah. He was different, a different regeneration actually." She paused and waited, but when Rory showed no confusion about regeneration, Rose continued. "We travelled… Then the Daleks happened." Rory watched her face sadden, all the happiness slowly sucked away from her eyes. "I opened the TARDIS, her heart, and I looked into it. Do you know what's in the heart of a TARDIS, Rory?" Rory shook his head, eyes wide. "The Time Vortex, tha's what. I absorbed it and I became the Bad Wolf, I destroyed the Daleks."
"So… you're the Goddess of Time?"
She smiled. "Don't usually go by it, but yeah. Guess I am."
Rory nodded and tried to absorb that information. He looked around and walked up to another exhibit. Rose hesitated and then followed. "Are you still… Bad Wolf?" He asked as he looked at the World War II bomb with the words 'Shlechter Wolf' printed across it.
"Yes… and no." Rory rolled his eyes at that and Rose laughed. "Sorry, but it's not like it's simple, yeah? I mean, sure, I've still got bits of the Time Vortex in me. But I can't dissolve a Dalek to dust again."
"You can't?" Rory watched her face as she thought.
"I probably could. But the amount of power that would exert is dangerous. It might even kill me."
"You say that like it's difficult to do it."
Rose nodded. "It is. I'm not human anymore, Rory. When I became Bad Wolf, I changed myself. I became immortal, powerful and partially all knowing. Though I try to stay away from that last bit. Foreknowledge is dangerous." She sounded like she was reciting words told to her, Rory thought. He briefly wondered who taught her how to use her gifts.
Rose reached forward with a smile and touched the bomb. Her mind flickered to Jack. She'd need to go visit him now that she was back. Then she turned around and walked along the length of a long display case. She dragged her finger along the glass casing.
"But you care about the Doctor." Rory said, he hadn't moved. At Rose's confused glance he walked towards her and leaned against the glass case that separated them. "You care about him, you became immortal. You became one of the few people in the world who'll probably ever be able to be with him forever, and you left him anyways. You care about him, but you fell in love with someone else." He didn't mean it to sound accusatory; it had just come out that way. He pulled back from the display, an uncomfortable look on his face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. Look, the Doctor's my friend. I just want to understand."
Rose stared down at the glass box. "I've only ever been in love with one man, Rory. The Doctor." Rory frowned at that. His stomach seemed to drop beneath the floor. Amy loved him, he knew Amy loved him. But if Rose could love the Doctor and still marry someone else, what did that mean about Amy and him? Rose watched the conflict cross Rory's face and seemed to understand what he was thinking. "Rory, if I tell you this next bit. Don't tell Amy, she seems like the type that would take it out of hand. And I really don't want her to bring it to the Doctor, it isn't fair." Rory nodded slowly. He didn't promise anything aloud. He knew if Amy needed to know, then he'd tell her no matter what.
Rose licked her lips and stared off into nothing as she gathered her thoughts. She let out a strained laugh. "Alright… uh, simple version. I got locked in an alternate universe away from the Doctor." Rory's eyebrows shot up. That was the last thing he was expecting to hear. "When I finally made my way back, a lot of stuff was happenin'." She made a face and Rory could tell this was a very simple version. "The Doctor got hurt, but instead of regenerating he just healed himself and all the other energy went into this hand that he'd lost a long time ago. Yeah, don't ask. Anyways, later on, more stuff happened. And then the hand grew… a sor' of, half human half Time Lord version of the Doctor. All the same memories, everythin'.
"When the Doctor took my mum home back to the parallel universe, he left me with the human Doctor." She paused and smiled. "We could live a normal life together. Took a bit of time to get back into the swing of things. But eventually we got married." Rose looked at Rory, who looked beyond stunned. "When I tell you I loved only the Doctor, it's true. I married the Doctor. I lived a long, happy life with him. But after he died… after my great grandchildren died, I knew that it was time for me to go. So I found a way home.
"Every companion loves the Doctor in their own way, Rory. But the way Amy looks when she's starin' at you. Nothing can compete with that. That's true love."
Rory was silent for a while as he digested Rose's story. He knew there was more to it, so much more. One day, he really hoped he'd get to sit down and listen to it all. For now though… "I won't tell Amy. Not about your husband… But the other stuff, Bad Wolf. She has a right to know."
Rose smiled and her eyes glowed gold for a blink of an eye. "Well come on then Roronicus, we've got an apple on the loose. We should find the others."
Rory smiled and laughed. Her little snippets of insight didn't seem so ominous anymore. They headed out of the exhibit and back into the hall.
The Doctor threw open the TARDIS door and Amy rushed in, hoping to find her husband. The Doctor turned to Max and gestured for him to follow.
"Oh, I mustn't." Max politely declined. "I have to make sure the doors stay locked so no one enters the museum… I should also keep an eye on the director of the museum. Otherwise who knows what he'll get up to?"
The Doctor nodded. "No problem, Amy and I'll sort it." He turned to enter the TARDIS.
"Doctor."
He turned and looked at the smaller man. "I can't tell you how happy I am to see you and Rose together again. I feel as though… Maybe everything will turn out alright." The man nodded with tears in his eyes and scurried into his office. The Doctor stood at the entrance to the TARDIS and stared at where the man had disappeared to. Now that seemed odd.
"Doctor!" The Doctor turned and entered the TARDIS.
"Yes, Pond?" He responded politely as he closed the door and ran up to the console. He flicked a couple switches and typed some Time Lord jargon into the typewriter on the console.
"Rory and Rose aren't here."
The Doctor unsuccessfully held back a snort. "Of course not. I'm sure they're off somewhere getting into trouble with the authorities as we speak. Rose is quite jeopardy friendly, poor Rory, he has no clue what he's getting into."
Amy's eyes widened. "What!? Doctor! We have to go find them."
"Rose has her sonic and her vortex manipulator. She's more than able to take care of Rory, she used to work for Torchwood after all."
Amy stalked up to the Doctor and crossed her arms. The Doctor glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "While on the topic, Rose. Who is she?"
"Rose Marion Tyler."
"Where is she from?"
"Earth."
They glared at each other.
"I don't like her."
The Doctor smiled slowly. "Liar." He turned back to the console. "Now!" He continued typing. "I think I can figure a way to track down the apple using the TARDIS. Just give me a mo', then I can link it up to the sonic and we can trace it from there." The Doctor raced around to the other side of the console and pushed a couple buttons. "You see, the apple's infection is in the mind. It plays with the brainwaves and neurons. Increasing certain parts of the brain decreases others, so you've got wild humans with no inhibitions. Back to Ancient Greece 'cept everyone's an Emperor."
Amy nodded. "So what's Torchwood?"
The Doctor stopped and sent a disapproving look to his companion. "Torchwood? Really, Amy? Focus will you!" He turned back to the TARDIS. "Right, I think I've got it." The Doctor plugged his sonic into the console and swung the console screen towards him. He tapped it with his finger and waited as swirling Gallifreyan swept across the screen.
"I've never heard of it. Is it alien?"
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Sort of." He glanced at Amy who was waiting with her eyebrows raised. He wasn't going to get out of this so easily. Really, he knew it was coming. At least he wasn't stuck with Rory; Rose would have to deal that one on her own. Poor Rose. "Torchwood was a secret government agency on Earth that dealt with aliens. Happy?"
She wasn't. "I've never heard of it."
"Hence the word 'secret'." The TARDIS pinged and the Doctor grabbed his sonic screwdriver from the console.
Amy grabbed his arm before he could run past. "Seriously though, Doctor. You've never mentioned her before. You mentioned people you've travelled with before, but not Rose. I've never heard of a Rose before."
The Doctor frowned. "It's not something I like to talk about." Was all he said and then he brushed past her and was out the door.
"Or at all." She grumbled under her breath. Amy closed the TARDIS door behind her and found the Doctor staring at the entrance to the management office again. "You mentioned an alternate universe." The Doctor's head whipped around. "Earlier, you said Rose wandered off into an alternate universe."
"Pond." He said warningly.
"Just give me some answers Doctor. That's all I'm asking. You've brought this strange woman onto the TARDIS and expect us to live with her. You aren't even going to tell us anything about her? That's ridiculous!"
The Doctor glared at Amy. "If you want to know about Rose then ask her yourself."
Amy stared hard at him. They were yelling, they were properly yelling. But Amy had good reason. Rose was a stranger with some random powers that came from nowhere, and scary foreknowledge, not to mention her connection with the TARDIS. How could she not connect Rose to the astronaut on the beach at Lake Silencio? Amy had to know something, if only to stop future nightmares she knew were going to come that night. She took a different tactic. "Is she River?"
The Doctor chocked. He clearly wasn't expecting that one. "I'm sorry?"
"You know. River. Rose. Both start with an 'r' and they're both nature related. Vortex manipulator and a connection with the TARDIS, though a bit different clearly. But still, I mean. We don't even know who River is right? Or do you? Have you not told us?"
The Doctor licked his lips and his chest rose rapidly as his breathing picked up. "No… No I don't know who River is. But she's not Rose. Because I know who Rose is." The Doctor made a face. "And I know that Rose and River would probably not get a long… at all." He had really been avoiding the idea of Rose and River meeting. It wasn't a pleasant thought at all.
Amy's eyebrows rose. She thought the two would get a long great. They were both ominous, told little about themselves, and flirted with the Doctor in an ease that left her… uneasy.
"Wait – you're making sense."
"I am?" Amy said as she shook her head. "I mean yes, yes I am."
The Doctor grabbed the sides of Amy's face and looked hard into her eyes. "The apple isn't affecting you. Why isn't it affecting you?" He let go and stepped back. "You were at the scene of the crime, right where the apple used to be. You should be going nuts, or trying desperately to find Rory but you aren't, you're worried about me." The Doctor began to pace and smacked his forehead once, twice. "Oh!" He spun back around to Amy. "The apple works on desires, specifically desires of love. But true love, you've already got true love. You're in love with Rory. It wouldn't affect you. You could probably even hold the apple and not be affected."
"Well what about you? Why aren't you affected?"
"I – I'm a Time Lord." He said it confidently, but Amy heard the tremor at the beginning of his words. She smiled deviously. One way or another, she was getting down to the bottom of this Rose thing.
"RORY!"
The Doctor and Amy froze as the word screamed out across the empty white hall. Then all at once they were running.
"ROSE! RORY! ROSE!"
Rose paused and looked behind her down the long white hall. They'd been walking for sometime and still hadn't come across any exhibit on 'Aphrodite's Apple'. Rory had fallen behind for a moment and Rose looked to him now. He was staring at the name to an exhibit, his face clearly puzzled.
"What's wrong?" She asked as she headed back towards him. He pointed to the title and cocked his head lightly to the side. "'The Last Centurion'? What's tha'?"
Instead of answering, Rory's confusion visibly deepened and he turned to her. "You don't know?"
Rose smiled and rolled her eyes. "Well I could easily figure it out, if ya like. But it sor' of seems like you know already."
"Uh… Yeah, I do. It's me, I'm the Last Centurion."
Understanding dawned on Rose. "Roronicus, so that's what tha' was from." Rose headed towards the exhibit and Rory followed.
"Yeah, but that never happened. The Doctor fixed it, right?"
The room was a triangle, smaller than a lot of other exhibits. In the centre of the room there was a case that held within it a Roman legion's armour. Rory instantly recognised it as the one he'd worn for a couple centuries, before going in disguise. Around the room were pictures and paintings of sightings of the Centurion up until World War II. Then there were a bunch theories on his disappearance, most of them conspiracy rubbish. One entire wall was dedicated to the timeline, and the story of the Pandorica.
Rose nodded and whistled. "You're a bit older than you look too, aren't you Centurion?" She glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled cheekily. Despite himself, Rory smiled back. "The Doctor probably did fix it, but timelines don't just die. Time doesn't die. It's constantly moving, constantly changin'. Just 'cause you were able to revert the world back to its original order, doesn't mean the previous one isn't still accessible." She turned back to the exhibit and stared at the armour. "Timelines are easy, universes on the other hand," she whistled, "tha's not so simple."
Rory stepped up beside Rose and raised his hand against the glass. Memories of that time flitted through his head. He could never forget any of that life. It would always remain inside of him. And despite his claims that he could keep it hidden, he still woke with nightmares.
"The Last Centurion. I like to think I'm not that anymore… but it changed me."
Rose nodded. "I know what you mean. It never really leaves does it?" Rory saw Rose's eyes flash gold in the reflection of the case and watched her face quickly turned to horror. Rose spun around as something slammed into Rory. Glass shattered.
"Rory!" Rose called out as she punched one of the attackers in the stomach. Someone else came up and swung. Rose's vision swam and she stumbled.
Sounds of a scuffle echoed behind her. She felt someone grab her hand, "Rose, run!" Then Rory's face came before her and she almost smiled with relief. They ran towards the door. A hand grabbed Rose's ankle and she cried out as she fell forward a the same time as someone pushed her.. Her head slammed against the floor and everything went black for a moment.
She gasped away to the sound of singing. The TARDIS. Oh… she'd died. Rory!
Rose jumped up and two people quickly grabbed her. "Rory!" She struggled against the muscle pulling her away from her friend. She saw Rory fall to the ground and a glint of a sword – where had they gotten a sword? – "RORY!" – and then –
POP!
The sound of the sword hitting flesh echoed in her mind.
The men released her and pushed her into a white room. Rory. She didn't fight them.
A door shut behind her and Rose turned to see she was in some sort of prison. There was no door, it had vanished when her captors left. Murderers. They weren't captors. They'd murdered her, and they'd murdered – Rory. Her heart broke. Oh Amy. What was she going to tell Amy?
Rose wrapped her arms around herself and turned back around. Someone else was standing on the other side of the prison, staring at Rose with something akin to disbelief.
"And just where the bloody hell have you been?" The woman raged as she swept towards Rose.
Rose's eyes widened and glowed a bright gold. Knowledge from the Time Vortex rushed into her mind, and with it, confusion and… happiness. Rose lowered her arms and smiled cheekily at the woman. "River Song." She greeted.
Thanks for all the comments you guys. I think it's pretty evident what I decided to do. This is, clearly, an original adventure of mine that I've decided to put it. For those of you who don't really like to read those sorts of fanfics, hang in there. Right after this adventure will be The Rebel Flesh, The Almost People, and then A Good Man Goes to War. -.- What have I gotten myself into? However! It really makes my day to read your comments. So please, post me your favourite part or your favourite quote from this chapter, or even so far! I do love to hear feed back! Thanks for reading! :)
