Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.
Rose shook her head, trying to keep the horrifying experience from her mind, and focused on her surroundings. They seemed to be in some sort of underground tunnel, filled with stampedes of rushing people. All the walls were made of flat stone, and the ceiling was covered in multicoloured wires which seemed to go on forever. Dim lights were dotted along the walls, and left the tunnel with a rather dull atmosphere, mirrored by the annoyed looking people, most of whom were wearing grey suits, holding briefcases and checking their watches, tutting at their tardiness.
"Not so different from my times then. Where are we?" Rose asked, intrigued.
"London, in about...4050." The Doctor replied, rolling his eyes as somebody barged past him.
"Why are we underground?" Rose asked, confused.
"Well, there was a big war. A big nuclear war. It was all completely futile because everybody moved underground as soon as it started, so all anybody achieved was destroying the majority of the surface of the earth and making it uninhabitable. Should be fine in a hundred years or so." He sighed. "You humans, you're so thick sometimes."
"Oi!" She elbowed him in the ribs.
"So yeah, Basically they had a choice: Spread to the stars or stay underground. The ones who didn't want to mix with aliens stayed behind, called themselves 'pureblood' and the others 'mudbloods'" He chuckled.
Rose stared at him in bewilderment. "Isn't that-?"
"Yep!" He grinned. "two thousand years on and J.K.'s still going strong!"
"Wow. But...what do you mean, about the pureblood thing?" She asked.
"Basically, the people down here think that humans should remain human. They think that they shouldn't mingle with aliens." He wiggled his eyebrows and grabbed her hand as if to prove his point. She laughed.
"So...Cassandra, she would have been a descendant of this lot?" She said nodding her head towards the floods of people rushing by.
"Oh, definitely. They don't particularly approve of aliens even being around, so if they find me...be prepared to run for it. I doubt they will though. Come on, lets sit in here for a bit." He said, pulling them towards a bland metal door that said RESTAURANT on the front of it in plain black writing. He opened the door cautiously then stepped through and Rose followed.
It was exactly like any Italian restaurant from back home. Wooden tables held chattering couples and families, their faces lit by flickering candles. The walls were covered in obscure pieces of art in wooden frames, and waiters and waitresses dashed around in black aprons, taking people's orders. The smell of pizza and pasta filled the air, and the delighted screams of children occasionally broke out over the constant hum of voices.
"Table for two, please." The Doctor said with a smile.
"Right this way." Said a tall blonde man in his thirties, taking them to a table then taking their orders.
"They like to keep it traditional on earth. The ones who flew off in their spaceships didn't really bother." He said, thanking the waiter as he put down two cokes.
"What about when the earth gets destroyed by the sun?" She asked, fondly remembering her very first trip with the Doctor.
"Oh, they get over their differences way before then. In fact, in about fifty years, the majority of this lot will move to other planets, and the earth will be left for a few years before some people return once it's free of radiation from the nuclear bombs." He told her.
"What happened to the humans who travelled to other planets?"
"All sorts. Some of them made alliances with other races, some of them started wars. Some joined in with the new societies and cultures, others kept to themselves. The human race-extending their wings and spreading themselves across the stars. Brilliant!" He laughed. Rose smiled.
They both sipped their cokes and sat in comfortable silence for a while, looking around quietly, when Rose caught sight of her reflection in a mirror held by a black haired woman. The wrinkles were definitely more obvious, and she tried to inconspicuously lift a hand to her face to touch them. She wasn't careful enough though-the Doctor saw her out of the corner of his eye and frowned. She knew he had been putting on a brave face for her, but she could tell that he was scared too.
"Rose..." He said, leaning forward and grabbing her hands.
She merely stared at him, the wave of panic bubbling up inside her once again. Mirrors seemed to be a bad thing for her at the moment.
"Rose, we're going to sort this out. Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you." The candle between them caused light to dance on his face, making him look even more beautiful than usual. Rose carefully inspected his tousled brown hair, his heart-warming chocolate eyes, his perfect lips...
"I trust you." She whispered.
He pulled her to her feet and, after throwing too much money to pay for the cokes on to the table, he pulled her through the maze of tables by her hand and marched through the heavy metal door. He led her back into the loud tunnel and gripped her hand tightly, not looking back as he dragged her along. They battled against the constant stream of people, who gave them disgusted looks whenever they got in their way. It was becoming clear that Rose was become tired quickly. Her breathing became heavy and ragged, and she began to decrease in speed worryingly quickly. The Doctor stopped suddenly and turned to face her.
"Are you OK?"
"I'm fine...I just...need...a rest." She gulped, leaning against the wall.
The Doctor looked at her briefly, seeming to stare at her face a little too long.
"Doctor what's up?"
Wordlessly, he leaned down and unexpectedly grabbed her legs from underneath her with one arm, then gently caught her back with the other arm. He began to walk quickly onwards. Rose didn't quite know how to react. She stared at him, but he ignored her and focused on weaving between the crowd. For another twenty minutes they continued like this, and occasionally the Doctor would look down at her face and speed up. Eventually they reached another door identical to the one that led to the restaurant, only this time it had MEDICS DEPARTMENT printed on the front. The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at the lock, and after a short buzz and a burst of blue light, the door opened with a click.
"Come on." He said, after sticking his head round the door to check if it was safe.
Inside was a plain white room. It looked very sterile-there wasn't a speck anywhere in the room, and Rose suddenly felt rather unclean. They both looked around in confusion at the apparent lack of doors, and the Doctor was about to start using his sonic when a piece of the wall suddenly moved backwards and slid aside, revealing a stout woman in her forties.
She wore a white lab coat, skin-coloured tights and black high heeled shoes. Her features were unremarkable, her brown hair hung lifelessly on her shoulders and she wore no make up. Rose's attention was immediately drawn to her necklace-it was a plain black metal circle with a circular blue crystal that glittered ostentatiously in the centre of it. Rose couldn't understand why, but this simple necklace made her heart tighten in fear.
"Do you have an appointment?" The woman asked, uncaring.
"No, but I'm the Professor John Smith and this is my associate, Rose Tyler. We need the life serum immediately, important government stuff." He said, trying to sound official but failing to hide the desperation in his voice.
"Ha!" The woman scoffed, writing on a black clipboard and shaking her head. "Can I see your credentials then please, Professor."
He grabbed the psychic paper from his pocket and her it infront of her. She inspected them carefully then sniggered, and Rose felt the urge to slap her-she didn't have to be so rude!
"What?" The Doctor asked, looking at the paper in confusion.
"Simple psychic paper cannot work on us-we all have at least basic psychic training, and you, sir, are a fake. I bid you good day." She said, turning to leave.
"No wait, please! You've got to help us!" He shouted, anger, frustration and terror filling his eyes.
"And why should I do that?" The woman asked, raising an eyebrow.
The Doctor stepped towards the woman, and began to speak as slowly and as calmly as possible.
"Because my friend is in trouble. And when my friend is in trouble, I will do everything I possibly can to save her. I'm asking you politely, give us the serum and we'll leave you in peace. But if you try and stop me, I promise you, I will get it. And it will cause a whole load of trouble for you." He said, clenching his fists.
"Good bye, Sir." She said.
"I'm warning you." He growled through clenched teeth. "I could cause so many problems. And I won't stop until I get what I want."
"Oh, that won't be necessary." Said a new voice from behind the door.
A woman in a smart black blazer and pencil skirt walked in, her black hair tied up in a loose bun, her lips and cheeks both bright red. She wore a brooch identical to the other woman's necklace, a black circle with a glittering sapphire-which once again caused Rose's palms to sweat in sudden trepidation.
"Sorry?" The Doctor asked.
"Both of you, this way." She said. She strode off without another word, and the brown haired woman nodded to them as they walked past, the Doctor taking Rose's hand in his.
"What's happening?" Rose whispered.
"I think," The Doctor speculated. "We're getting the serum."
Rose's head seemed to clear, and she was suddenly free of a huge weight on her shoulders. She let out a huge sigh and grinned at the Doctor. He smiled reassuringly back at her, and they swung their hands between them.
They followed the woman down quite a few corridors, all of which were an identical white colour-Rose had no idea how the woman knew where she was going-and eventually they reached a threateningly big iron door. The woman placed her hand on a glowing screen, then typed a in a password. The door opened automatically, and she pulled it open-with great difficulty; it looked very heavy.-They all stepped inside.
This room was pitch black. It was impossible to see how big the room was, but the echo of their footsteps suggested it was quite large. It was cold, and there was a strange, out of place scent of grass and moss. In the centre of the room there was a small podium, lit by a tiny stream of light, on which sat a tiny vile.
"After you take the serum, you may feel drowsy, sick, or feverish, but the immediate affects should wear off quickly. Long term affects can include disability, brain damage, crippling pain or death." She said, monotone. The Doctor gulped. "I'll leave you two to it then." She droned, and left, closing the door behind her with a clunk.
Rose rushed towards the vile, desperate to take it as quickly as possible. She grabbed it in her hand-almost dropping it in her rush- and pulled the lid off. She lifted it to her lips and was about to tip it into her mouth when a hand clamped down on her hand.
"Doctor, you can't stop me." She said, annoyed that he would change his mind at this moment.
"No it's not that. It's just-It's-" He looked torn, and his eyes filled with tears as he took a deep breath and said. "Rose Tyler...I love you."
She tipped the vile, and swallowed the serum in one gulp.
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