Chapter Four

"So, where are you taking me?" Rose asked, leaning against the railing. The Doctor grinned, and began to press buttons in a pattern that made no sense to Rose.

"We've got all of time and space," he replied, grinning excitedly. "Well, most of it. Can't cross my own timeline, so we'd have to be careful where we end up. Can't risk a paradox... at least not on your first trip. You've got the universe in the palm of your hand, Rose Tyler. We can go anywhere you'd like."

"Surprise me," she said happily, following him around. He grinned, pleased, and the TARDIS jerked. Rose laughed as she stumbled, and he beamed at the sound. "It's not as steady as it was before."

"Oi, don't go off hurting her feelings," the Doctor said, petting the console fondly. "She'll take us somewhere we'd never want to be if you do that."

"Your space-ship is a woman?" Rose asked doubtfully.

"The TARDIS itself is telepathic," the Doctor explained. "It's like..."

"Your time machine is sentient," Rose said simply. She reached up to brush part of the coral beams and the ship hummed beneath the delicate touch of her fingers. Rose grinned. "I think she likes me."

"Yes, well," the Doctor huffed. He straightened his tie. "She's inside your brain, right now. Wiring, connecting, discovering, helping. She's translating words and-"

"She's making your rambling easy to understand?" Rose asked. "Cause, you know...on an ordinary day, what you were just saying would have gone straight over my head. But your ship makes it easier to understand."

"No, no, she's not supposed to do that," the Doctor said, a confused expression on his face. He crossed his arms. "You might be right, Rose Tyler. I think the TARDIS likes you. And I suppose… that might be why she let you in all those weeks ago..."

"Lucky for you," Rose teased. "Can I know where we're going?"

The Doctor grinned. "You want the universe, Rose Tyler? I'll show you the end of the world."

"The year Five-Billion," Rose said as she stared at the earth. The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to ignore the impulse to grab her hand. "All humans are gone from the earth and the only one that remains is the bitchy trampoline who's preparing for her seven-hundredth operation."

The Doctor have her a small smile. "Some operations go horribly wrong, though," he informed her. "Trust me, I know. I'm a Doctor."

Rose laughed and rolled her eyes. "But just... look at it. The entire human empire, and it's just gone. All the technology, every single advance we made or could have made as a race. We barely even knew there were other species out there. We had so much potential. The humans were like children."

The Doctor stared at Rose, amazed by her outlook. It was almost exactly how he thought, down to every detail. The humans had so much coming for them and they knew so little. He had always thought of them as children. That is, of course, until he met Rose.

"But now they're all gone," Rose said breathlessly. "It's just me and Cassandra, and I'm not even from this time, and she's not even human. She's had it all nipped and tucked and cut away. How could so much potential just be wiped away like that?"

The Doctor finally stopped fighting with himself and reached for her hand. She smiled slightly at the contact.

"My mum's dead," Rose said suddenly. Her grip tightened on the Doctor's hand at the thought. "The end of the world, and the whole human race is gone. That means my mum, my old mates Mickey and Shareen... all of them. They're gone."

The Doctor squeezed Rose's hand reassuringly. "But not really, I suppose," she mumbled. "Cause time isn't like that. This is happening right now just as much as 2006 is happening right now, right?"

"What?" the Doctor asked, shocked. The human girl chuckled softly.

"We've just travelled through time and space," she said. "It's obvious that time can't be a straight line. There's no way. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to go back. Time has to be like a big ball of confusing twists and turns, always running over itself and changing, and-"

"I got it, I got it," the Doctor huffed. He wasn't sure how he felt about someone being just as clever as him. "You're brilliant. I understand."

"Don't sound so disappointed!" She laughed. He beamed at her.

"Rose Tyler, you could never disappoint me," he said enthusiastically. "You just continue to surprise me!"

"Me and surprises, a package deal," she replied cheekily. "Alright, well. Let's go make sure no one's getting into any trouble. With you on board, who knows what to expect?"

"Oi, I'm not-" the Doctor began, but Rose's laugh cut him off.

"You know it's true," she teased happily.

"Earth death in five minutes," the overhead announced. Rose swallowed hard and the Doctor looked at her sympathetically.

"I shouldn't have brought you here," he murmured, stepping closer to her. She shook her head and stepped away again. The Doctor cleared his throat. "You're just barely adjusting to time and space, and I brought you to see your planet explode. Brilliant, I am. A real charmer."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Rose said lightly, poking his chest. He smiled. "It's just a bit to take in. It's sure better than Feldspoon."

"What's wrong with Feldspoon?" the Doctor asked defensively. "It's a lovely planet-"

"Have you visited Feldspoon recently?"

Both the Doctor and Rose turned to see who was asked. Jabe, the tree woman, looked inquisitively at the both of them. "I was under the impression that the planet Feldspoon perished one million years ago."

"Well," the Doctor said, clearing his throat. "Guess it wasn't that recent, eh, Rose? When you live for three million years, it all just sort of blends together."

Jabe continued to look at them skeptically until the Steward asked for their attention. "I must return," she said apologetically. "Thank you for your time."

The Doctor watched as she walked away, and Rose turned to stare at him. "You're three million years old?" she asked, shocked. The Doctor laughed.

"Time Lords don't live quite that long, I'm afraid," he informed her. Rose looked relieved. "I'm only nine-hundred-and-three."

Rose stared at him, wide-eyed, before he directed her attention to the earth.

"Earth death in ten, nine, eight, seven, six," the overhead began. Rose sucked in a deep breath and the Doctor automatically stepped closer to her, grabbing her hand again.

"Oh, God, it's happening," she mumbled.

He squeezed her hand. "Come with me," he said, taking her away from the observation deck and back towards the TARDIS. She followed numbly, watching as her home planet was roasted. He pulled her into the TARDIS and sat her down on the jump seat before moving into action. She watched curiously as he tinkered around the console, pressing buttons and pulling levers and yelling at the ship to behave.

"What are you doing?" She asked softly. The Doctor smiled at her.

The TARDIS settled down and came to a stop, and the Doctor reached for Rose's hand once more. Their fingers intertwined easily, as though they had done it a million times before, and she let him pull her up. A part of her was afraid for whatever was on the other side of that door. But something told Rose that as long as the Doctor's hand was in hers, she'd be safe.

He led her outside the doors and then gestured around them. "Here we are," he said proudly.

Rose blinked, trying to take in the sight around her. The Doctor had returned her to London, 2006. People were bustling around them, moving forward and backward and yelling and whispering. Everything was so busy and loud, and Rose couldn't believe that it would all be gone one day.

"I saw the end," she said as she watched a couple walk by, obviously in love. Her heart broke as she realized that human love would be lost in the future, too. "I saw the end of my planet."

The Doctor squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I watched my planet burn," he said quietly. Rose looked at him, knowing there was more, but knowing he wouldn't tell her… not yet. "You think it'll last forever, but it doesn't. One day, it'll just be gone."

"You watched a war go by, didn't you?" Rose said gently. He looked at her and took a deep breath.

"Yeah," the Doctor said in a thick voice. He cleared his throat and then grinned. "But that's all in the past. Let's move forward, yeah? You've seen Feldspoon and the end of the Earth today. Quite a lot to take in. What do you want to see now?"

Rose took a deep breath and grinned. "Honestly? I just want some chips."

The Doctor laughed. "Now, that I can do."

"Oh, so you'll pay for them, then?" Rose asked, teasing. He smiled back at her before his grin faltered.

"I haven't got any money," he began, but her laugh cut him off.

"Come on, then, tight wad," Rose laughed, pulling him forward. "What kind of date are you? Making the lady pay. It's a good thing we've got five billions years till the shops close- you owe me!"

The Doctor grinned. "Rose Tyler, I'm so glad I met you."

A/N: Yay! Another update. You guys are spoiled (; hehe. Another semi-calm chapter before Rose and the Doctor find themselves in trouble... Spoilers! Next update should be up by Wednesday at the latest (:

Also, a huge thanks to my beta, EdithFinch. She's brilliant.

You guys are incredible! Please keep favoriting, and following, and reviewing, and check out my other stories^.^

Much love,

xxx Kat