Rose sat back down on the chair, she was tired, hungry and had nowhere else to go.

"I'm only staying because you promised to take me to dinner."

She sat defiantly, her arms crossed. She would not let him see she was already defeated.

"Whatever you say. Then shall we go?"

Rose got up. "And what then?"

"We'll see about that after we've eaten. Don't worry, I'm not going to hold you prisoner or anything but since you've nowhere else to go, maybe you could stay here a while?"

"What with? No money, remember?"

"Then get a job."

"Just how am I supposed to do that? I don't exist here. Pete Tyler and his wife never had children. He said I could use his name, he's not exactly going to rush out and adopt me. Look, can we talk about this later? My stomach's rumbling."

"Fine but I want to hear the rest of your story afterwards. You said he was your stepfather, where you came from."

"Detective, in case you weren't listening a few minutes ago, this is my world, or rather my adopted one."

"You seem to have left something out, enlighten me. What do you mean your adopted one?"

"I refuse to take this any further until I've eaten detective."

"Ok, let's go."

Over dinner, Hardy told her about what had happened in the town in the last week since Rose had no idea what had been going on. Then quietly, he admitted what was actually wrong with him over a drink in the empty bar.

"So can't you get help?"

"Yes but not until after I solve this case, then I'll get something done but now, you've just added yourself to my problem, while-ever you're in my town."

"Fine, then I'll do what you threatened to do, get on a bus and leave."

"At ten in the evening? Are you crazy?"

Rose thought he had a point. "Well first thing in the morning then but it doesn't solve my problem. It's all very well, you sitting here and buying me a drink but it's not finding me any place to stay tonight, is it?"

Hardy thought about going out and paying Becca for a single room for the night but not when he had a perfectly good room of his own, he could put up with the blonde for one night. It was fairly warm and if he slept on top and her in the bed, it was a perfectly reasonable arrangement and if indeed she did opt to leave in the morning, she would be out of his hair.

"Drink up, you have some more explaining to do Miss Tyler."

"Fine, I never wanted a drink anyway, I'm tired. So where are you going to dump me, in one of the cells?"

"No, my room."

"What? Now you're the one who's crazy if you think I'm staying in your room tonight."

"I can think of a dozen witty remarks to that comment but I'm really not in the mood right now. It's a cell or my room, your choice and as you've seen my room and my rather comfortable bed, I'd say that comes out on top."

Becca was nowhere to be found, another girl was just sat behind reception so he never bothered asking if his visitor could stay the night and the hotel owner had probably assumed that she would since she had stayed for dinner.

Hardy went into the dresser drawer and brought out a clean white t-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts in a packet he hadn't got around to opening and tossed them over to her. It was now after ten and since he didn't sleep much and had to be up at seven, he decided it was bedtime.

"You can wear these tonight, go get changed in the bathroom and wash your underwear, if you put it on the radiator it should be dry by morning. You can sleep in the bed, I'll sleep on top, there's an extra blanket in the wardrobe and it's not that cold. Just make sure you don't snore."

Rose caught the items he offered her. "Excuse me, I do not snore, just make sure you don't. Geez detective, you're skinny," Rose remarked, holding up the boxers she took from the cardboard holder, tossing back the remaining two pairs.

He just raised his eyebrows at her. "Get changed then we'll talk."

"I'd rather talk first, still wearing my clothes, thanks."

She sat on the edge of the bed, wishing she could just lie down and wake up in the morning to find this had all been a nightmare, like the recurring one she had of losing grip of the lever and being caught by her real stepfather and being brought to another world against her will.

"You said earlier, your adopted world, care to explain that?"

"Ok, shortened version since you already think I'm certifiable. Cybermen, escaped the factories, mapped themselves onto my original world, Torchwood here stopped them coming back by closing the gap they made. Me, in my original world, stopped them taking over, tried to close another gap, I got taken into the world they came from which apparently is this one but it's different, it's changed."

"Ok, I'm with you so far, elaborate."

"Ok. Me and two friends came to this world although now it appears we didn't, like we haven't been here, that's why things have changed. Keeping up?"

Hardy nodded.

"We got here by accident, found out about the Cybermen, the hard way, the Preachers helped us stop them and they got locked inside factories. Still with me?"

Another nod but he was getting annoyed and wished she would just get on with it.

"Me and one of my friends went back, one stayed to help lock up the Cybermen. The Pete Tyler we met helped in the background, keeping a low profile. Torchwood was still going strong with the government's blessing but the Cybermen assassinated the president, I saw it with my own eyes. The Cybermen, like you said, plotted to get out while everyone was arguing, using this Torchwood to do it, taking it over. Pete Tyler and the Preachers stopped them getting back here, found out where they had gone, which was my world and used portable devices, similar to mine to come and help us."

"Ok. Let's say I believe you, so far. The president never got assassinated, he retired."

"Yeah, well not in my version, like I said, I saw them put a hand on his shoulder and electrocute him. Anyway, me and my friend were already at the Torchwood in my world, we found out that ghosts that were suddenly appearing everywhere were actually Cybermen, Pete and his friends arrived and since they had blocked off their world, we had to trap them between worlds. Something went wrong, another shall we say hostile enemy was also involved and they were fighting each other. Pete Tyler brought me and my mother here but I went back to help my friend. At the last minute, something happened and I almost got pulled in with the Cybermen, Pete came back for me at the right time and I got trapped here."

"But if you were safe here, why did you as you describe it, go dimension hopping to different worlds? Were you trying to find the Cybermen?"

"No, I wanted to get back to my old world, to the friend I left behind."

"He was your boyfriend?"

"Something like that. It took us four years to build a device to go through to parallel worlds, we developed these portable devices to take us back but mine's stopped working, they only work on other worlds not my own."

Then it hit her. "I can't get it repaired, I'm already there and Torchwood is my only hope. Something went wrong detective, something has changed and I never came here the first time, me or my friends. That's why Pete Tyler doesn't know me, he never took over Torchwood after the Cybermen disappeared. He never followed them and came to help us, never brought me or my mother here and his wife survived. She got turned into one of them, I saw her. He stopped them, maybe or maybe it was just the Preachers on their own. Don't you see? Torchwood were so dangerous because they let the Cybermen take over too easily so they were banned along with anyone who worked for them."

Hardy was staring at her. She was well out of it if she believed all this and if he believed it, he needed locking up alongside her but right now, they both needed to sleep.

"Look Rose, I understand what you're trying to say. You believe you came back, to the right world but it had been altered. Isn't that a bit 'Back to the future' like?"

"Yeah, somehow, someone or something changed it, me and my friends never came here or if we did, we never met Pete Tyler and never helped stop the Cybermen. That means my original world could have been overtaken by them."

"I seriously doubt that, if you were still there to stop them but then how did you get here?"

"It's a paradox, an endless paradox."

Rose slumped in the chair at the realisation of what they had just talked about. Her real mother had either ceased to exist or she was back in their original world, maybe changed into a Cyberman so she still didn't exist

"Go get changed Rose and get some sleep. It's Saturday tomorrow, we'll figure out what to do with you."

"You mean take me to the nearest funny farm and have me put in a padded cell?"

"Maybe, I've not decided yet but you tell no-one else about this, do you understand me?"

Rose nodded and picked up the things he had offered, walking to the bathroom.

"If anyone asks, I'll say you're my ex girlfriend trying to make up with me and don't you say otherwise. At least until we've decided what to do with you."

"I can make my own decisions thanks detective."

"Don't keep calling me that, it's Alec though I really hate the name."

"I could always call you Doctor."

"That I don't need. Was the 'Doctor' the one who got left behind, the one you were trying to find?"

Rose just called out a 'yes' as she closed the bathroom door. He waited for her to come out of the bathroom, debating whether to call Miller and ask her to escort this woman out of the county first thing in the morning. Why should he care? So she didn't belong in this world, what was that to him? He should turn her in but technically, she hadn't worked for this version of Torchwood and how would he explain that to the president's committee? Plus, if he helped her, he would put himself in danger, police or not but if Peter Tyler could remain hidden all these years, it would be easy and no-one knew her. That was half the problem though, she had come from nowhere so therefore she had no ID and she had told him Tyler had no offspring.

In the bathroom, Rose got changed into the t-shirt which was too big and the shorts that weren't that bad a fit she supposed and she ran some hot water and used some liquid soap the wash her underwear, putting them on the radiator when she had rinsed the soap out. It would be embarrassing when the detective went in though but he had suggested it. Maybe he had been married at one point. She looked in the mirror, she looked pale and tired, both hardly surprising under the circumstances.

Then she sat on the edge of the bath and found herself bursting into tears as it finally hit home. She was in the right universe and totally alone, apart from the sort of friend she had just made. Now she had to rely on him, at least until morning, to decide her fate. Would he really hand her over or just get her out of town?

Hardy was waiting to use bathroom twenty minutes later so he went to knock on the door.

"Rose, are you ok in there?"

No answer but he could hear water running. Rose was trying to wash her red face where she had been crying.

"Rose, open the door please or I'll have to force it, how long does it take you?"

The Doctor had never complained how long she had taken in the bathroom.

She went to open it. "Ok, keep your shirt on Alec, I'm out."

He looked at her.

"Have you been crying in there?"

"Why should you care, you'll be putting me on a bus in the morning."

She crossed over to the bed and pulled back the sheets as he closed the bathroom door. She laid on her back but when she heard the door open again, she turned onto her side. Alec got the blanket out and turning out the remaining bedside lamp, covering himself with the blanket, lying looking up at the ceiling.

"Goodnight Rose, you'll feel better in the morning."

"No I won't, how will I? This isn't going to go away Alec, I'm stuck in a world I don't belong in and to make it worse, it's beyond all recognition. I might as well just let myself get caught."

"Don't say that, believe me Rose, I've seen what they do to people. They think they'll never get caught then they tell the wrong person and before they know it, they are in front of a hearing. There's no plea, no remission, it's life. If you are found guilty of knowing what Lumic did and you haven't sworn to renounce everything, everyone got one chance to turn their backs, if they didn't take it, that was it, no second chances and well you don't even want to go there, it's ten times worse. There's no getting out, ever. Those Cybermen destroyed our way of life, made everyone paranoid that they would come back."

"They're not coming back Alec, ever. They're in a place called The Void, the space between worlds. The device we used wasn't big enough for them to get through, that was if they ever found it. Goodnight Alec, do what you have to in the morning, it doesn't matter now. I don't exist here."

What was she trying to do to him? He was actually starting to feel sorry for her, it must have been a hell of a shock to her if it was true. She had probably been watching too much television or Back to the future. He laid on his back and tried to get to sleep. It was deadly quiet except for background noise coming from outside and he could swear he could hear a soft sound of sobbing. He turned over onto his side, to face Rose's back and put his hand on her shoulder.

Rose shrugged him off but he persisted. "Rose, turn around, please?"

She remained where she was. He tried again. "Come here Rose, it's ok. I promise I won't put you on a bus in the morning, alright? Not unless you agree to go."

"I told you, I'll get out of your way in the morning."

"And where will you go? Look Rose, even if you succeed in getting into Torchwood, what then?"

"I don't know, I'll think of something. The Doctor told me never to give up."

"Turn around Rose."

She hesitated a moment then felt his hand on her shoulder again, higher up where the t-shirt gaped open.

"Don't get any funny ideas or you'll get my elbow in your ribs, bad heart or no bad heart Mister."

Alec chuckled. "Really Rose, is that the best you can do? I'm ill, what can I do? Come here. Hit me if you want but you need a shoulder to cry on, come and take it all out on me."

She slowly turned around and he opened his arms, Rose fell into them and let the tears flow.

"It's ok Rose, get it out of your system. I hate to admit this but I actually believe you. It makes no sense to me, this is the way things have always been for me, well since the Cybermen but since you apparently weren't even here then you wouldn't know. You know all the changes, so tell me, tomorrow."

"I thought you were putting me on a bus?" she sobbed, wetting his t-shirt sleeve even more.

"Let's just say I had a change of heart, on one condition, you tell me everything and don't leave anything out. Your family, how you got here the first time and why you were trying to get back to your friend. My t-shirt's soaking wet now and you've got my other only clean one until I get my laundry back."

"Sorry."

He tightened his hold on her and kissed her hair. "Get some sleep and after breakfast, I'll take you shopping for some new clothes, just a change mind you so don't get any ideas, well except for maybe something to sleep in so I can get my t-shirt back."

Rose managed a bit of a giggle. He moved an arm and moved her hair back out of her eyes. He could just make her features out from the lights outside. He touched her cheek and tried to brush back her tears from the side of her face that wasn't buried in his chest. It felt good, holding a woman close, there had been no-one in his life since his ex wife. He put his hand on her shoulder again, touching her bare skin as the t-shirt was too big for her and hanging off. He shifted her slightly so she wasn't lying on the wet patch of his own t-shirt.

She looked up at him as he reached to kiss her forehead, her face still half buried.

"Rose, listen to me. Get some sleep, we'll figure everything out in the morning, just relax but you have to stop crying because I'm going to move you to the other side, I don't want you sleeping on my wet t-shirt, ok?"

Rose nodded. "You stay there, I'll move over."

He gently moved her so she flopped onto his pillow and climbed over her. Then she moved onto her side to face him and he took her back in his arms again.

"Stopped crying now?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"Good otherwise I may have to take my t-shirt off then you really are in trouble."

~~~~{ silversurfer60 }~~~~

Rose was vaguely aware she was lying on someone but couldn't remember where she was until she felt something prickly on her forehead. Then she realised it was the detective who she had thought was the Doctor.

"Morning Rose, how are you feeling now?" he asked, trying to move her to get some feeling back in his dead arm.

Rose scrambled away from him, realising at some point he had got under the covers and she could feel his hairy legs.

"Don't bother, you've been sleeping on me all night."

"Sorry. What time is it?"

"Seven thirty, breakfast is eight until nine so if you want to get a shower, go do it now. When we've eaten I'll take you down to the superstore to get some clothes. While you're getting your shower, I'll arrange to pick a car up for the weekend."

Rose was trying to extract herself from the tangled bedclothes. "Should you even be driving in your condition?" she asked, stepping onto the carpet and aware the t-shirt she had borrowed hardly covered her legs.

It was too late, he had already seen but wasn't going to make a fuss over it, she had laid on him all night after all and he knew for a fact there was nothing under the t-shirt since her bra was hanging over the radiator and he had woken to feel her breasts on his chest, a very nice feeling at that and feelings he definitely should not be entertaining further down in his shorts but he couldn't get attached to her and if he did, he couldn't follow it up.

"You sound like my GP, I've already had the 'If you don't change your lifestyle you'll end up dead' speech so I don't need another one from you. To say you were upset, you slept like a log, you never woke once."

She disappeared into the bathroom and checked her just about dried underwear but it would have to do until she got some more. Stepping under the hot shower, she began to wake up properly, aware she had been lying on the detective all night and probably giving him awkward feelings but in his condition, he was hardly able to force her into having sex with him, he'd probably end up in the hospital or worse.

Getting dressed, she felt better and towelling her hair, went back into the bedroom to find he was still in his boxer shorts and t-shirt, waiting to use the bathroom. He had been a gentleman and let her go first.

"I won't be long then we'll get breakfast. I'm picking a car up at ten so we'll walk down to the station but I need to stop by my office, I never finished up last night thanks to someone telling me tales from beyond the universe."

"You said you believed me."

"I do but I can't use that as an excuse for not finishing my boring paperwork. Come in with me and I'll introduce you to my DS, you could use another friend as long as you don't tell her what you told me."

"Is that such a good idea?" She looked around for his comb, spying it on the dresser. She picked it up. "May I?"

"Sure, you'd best get some of your own toiletries while we're out, I'm sure you don't want to use my deodorant and I object to you using my shaver to shave your legs."

Rose smiled at the thought of him actually having a razor.

"Don't go laughing, yes I have a razor, I just choose not to use it so often these days."

"Never said a word, did I?"

"You didn't need to."

Ten minutes later, having taken his clothes into the bathroom, he emerged.

"Right, breakfast and leave it to me to tell the hotel owner, just agree with what I say and don't get all mushy over me in public, got that?"

Rose gave him a mock salute.

They were just leaving and since Rose didn't have her jacket on, her rather sophisticated watch was showing, even if the screen was blank.

"I'd take that off if I were you, it might get stolen or arouse suspicion. I don't know about where you came from but wearable technology is not all that common here, someone might take a fancy to it and you can't keep it covered up all the time."

She pulled the purple band over her wrist and looked at the black screen, just wishing it would spring to life and take her home but maybe this really was home, there would be no other reason the device would stop working. No-one had bothered explaining to her how it worked exactly, just that it did, not the ins and outs of it. There would be no-one to repair it, no-one had that kind of knowledge, only the top minds of the few who had invented it and if they existed here, they would be changed or in prison. Now she was a prisoner, not locked up but on this version of the world she had come to live in with only one ally – Alec Hardy.