Rose had been staring at the screen for more than an hour, yet she had only typed five lines. Her mind was not focussed on Mr Peter Briggs' possible sighting of a foreign vessel at 2am on a Saturday morning. He had blown so high on the breathalyser that it was amazing he had still been conscious. However, these things still had to be taken seriously. But not today. Not right now. Rose closed the file on the computer and stared at the empty screen. A simple Torchwood logo was all that adorned it. She glanced at the clock on the wall. It read 18:00. She had been known to work much later than this, but she was not going to today. For one, she had a date with Mickey. For two, she knew she was not going to get anything more productive done today.

She switched off the computer and the lamp on her desk. Standing up, she put her jacket on and left the room, switching the light off behind her. Outside, the majority of people had already left but there was a sparse scattering of people still tapping away at their computers. Torchwood sometimes struggled to stick to a 'normal' 9 'til 5 working day. Saying bye to those people who noticed her passing, she headed to the lift and pressed the button. In such a tall building she was prepared for a long wait but the doors slid open almost immediately. She stepped inside and marvelled at how things had changed in one day. There was now this niggling thought in her brain. It was like an itch she could not scratch. She knew that hope, in this case, was not a good thing. When she was let down, she would have to suffer and grieve all over again. She did not want that. But once the thought had been planted in her head, it was impossible to get rid of it.

The doors closed and the lift began to move downwards. Rose fiddled with her hair self-consciously, staring at her reflection in the mirrored walls. The floor numbers flashed downwards above the doors. 5 – 4 – 3 – Rose moved closer to the doors, ready to leave. Then, all of a sudden, the lift ground to a halt. Rose sighed. "For God's sake," she muttered, pressing on the ground floor button angrily. "What's going on?"

I.I.I.I.I

"Canary Wharf?" Martha questioned disbelievingly. "Rose works in Canary Wharf?"

"It's the central Torchwood office."

"Torchwood?"

"They keep track of all alien movement within this universe."

"Then they must know we're here."

"Probably."

"Will Rose-"

"I don't know."

The two silently entered the main lobby area of the building. It was an impressive, marble affair, with fountains and sculptures. They only managed to take a few steps before a stocky man, of no less than six and a half feet, stepped in their way. He was dressed in a black suit and had an earpiece in his right ear. Martha stepped back but the Doctor did not appear to be intimidated in the slightest. He reached for his magic paper and held it right up in front of the security guard's face. "I'm visiting Torchwood. I have an appointment with Miss Rose Tyler." It was only half a lie. The bodyguard nodded solemnly and stepped to one side.

With a small smile gracing her lips, Martha followed the Doctor to the lifts. "An appointment?"

"Sometimes a little twist of the truth is necessary, Martha. I thought you'd have learnt that by now." He turned to her with a small grin, trying to hide the butterflies that were unsettling his stomach. He was a 900 year old Time Lord but he still got nerves just like everyone else. There was no need to let Martha know that, however. He studied the floor plan next to the lift. "Let's see – Torchwood." His finger jabbed the name on the wall and he proceeded to press the appropriate button. The doors immediately slid open and the Doctor and Martha stepped inside. In a moment they closed again and the lift began to move.

Then, with no warning, the Doctor reached forward and pressed the emergency stop button. "Doctor!" Martha exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

"Good question." The Doctor stepped back and ran a hand through his hair. "What am I doing? Why, only minutes after landing on the alternate world I never thought I could visit again, was I heading straight here to see Rose?"

"Because you want to see her," Martha replied, confused.

"But would she want to see me?"

Martha hesitated. "Why wouldn't she?" The Doctor did not reply. "Doctor, you can't just stop the lift."

"You're right." He reached into his pocket and produced his sonic screwdriver. In one smooth movement he pointed it at the lift control panel, pressed a button and replaced it in his jacket. The lift whirred back into action and began moving downwards, rather than up. "Let's go, Martha." His voice was tinged with sadness and Martha had an urge to wrap her arms around him. She fought it.

"We can come back, Doctor," she insisted. "Maybe now is just not the right time. How about we go for a walk and think it over?"

This seemed to cheer him up a little. "Yes. That's a good idea. We can decide what to do next."

"Right."

I.I.I.I.I

Rose was about to press the emergency help button when the lift began to move again. Sighing with relief, she stepped back from the control panel and watched the floors continue to count down. 3 – 2 – 1 – G. The doors slid open and Rose stepped out. Assertively she paced along the marble floors towards the doors, her kitten heels making a clicking noise, which made her feel strangely self-conscious. After taking only a few steps, she was aware of someone watching her. She turned around, expecting to see a guard or a member of the reception staff staring. As a young, blonde female she was used to receiving her fair share of attention in this building. At first it had unsettled her, but she had grown used to it, and sometimes she even felt flattered by the interest. She smiled slightly as she turned, but to her surprise she could not see anyone. Then, her eyes settled on the lift next to the one she had just stepped out of. The doors were open and standing within was an attractive woman, a little older than herself. But it was not the woman who was staring at Rose. Her eyes were on the man standing next to her. A man in a long coat, underneath which was a pinstripe suit. He was simply staring. As their gazes met, Rose felt her legs buckle underneath her. "Doctor?" she heard herself murmur, before everything went black.