Disclaimer: I own not Doctor Who nor the TARDIS. But if I did...

Chapter VI

3 months, 8 days, and 10 hours later

Rose's wide eyes only got wider as she looked at the diagrams the Doctor was shoving her way. "It's really easy, Rose," he had said, and "They're only circles!", and "We haven't even gotten to Old High Gallifreyan!", but that was doing nothing to ease her confusion. As a Time Lady, she thought learning Gallifreyan would be easy, but she supposed the Time Lords liked to give themselves a bit of a challenge, why wouldn't they? But she reigned in her comments due to the fact that only 2 known people in existence knew this language (those people being the Doctor and… the Doctor) and she knew her husband only wanted to keep his culture alive.

She looked back down at the sheets and picked one up, different circular patterns adorning the page. Some had mostly circles inside bigger circles, others had circles and lines stretching across the entire symbol. There were dots and dashes, thin and thick lines, and it was all a round, complicated mess to Rose. With a grimace, she glanced back up at the Doctor and asked, "So, where do I start?"

The Doctor regained some of his manic energy at her question, and launched himself around the table, pointing,

"This here is a word, which is made up of these letters, see?" the Doctor said, pointing at a smaller circle inside a bigger circle, containing other small circles. "You start here, then move counterclockwise to read the sentence. This here," he pointed at a chart with circles, dots, and dashes assigned to different letters, "is the chart on how letters are formed. So, this word here, at the bottom, spells, 'bow'."

Rose followed his frantically moving finger and started to understand a little of what he was talking about. Each word was comprised of different circular letters, placed aesthetically throughout the circle, and was read counterclockwise, like sentences. Once she started to nod, the Doctor continued, "After that, you move here," the Doctor pointed to the circle in the 3 o'clock position, "And read the word the same way as the first. This one reads, 'ties'." The Doctor quirked his brow briefly, but continued,

"Here in the 12 o'clock position, you read the word the exact same way. How about you try, Rose? This one's easy," he said as he shifted the page towards her. Rose rolled her eyes inwardly at his words, slightly ticked at him feeling the need to give her an easy one, but was almost immediately grateful as she tried to match the symbols to letters, and make them fit inside the circle to make sense. This word seemed to have… 3 letters? Yes, that was right. But she didn't know where to begin. Sensing her struggle, the Doctor offered,

"It starts with a vowel."

With that help, Rose was able to spell the word. "Are?"

Elated, the Doctor jumped at her answer. "That's correct! Wonderful, Rose! Absolutely brilliant! I knew you had this in the bag, that's just wizard!" he ended in a grimace as a bit of Donna snuck out. Rose chuckled at the slip and the look on her husband's face, pleased that she'd gotten the correct answer. He shook himself off and proceeded with the lesson as he pointed again,

"So, that just leaves one more word. It starts with a consonant, so that's no trouble, but there are two vowels back-to-back. Can you figure out which ones?" the Doctor asked, giving her a small smile.

Rose took the page back and tried to figure out the word. It started with a 'K' sound, and saw an 'O', and concluded that the other, free-floating circle was another 'O', which left only an 'L' at the end.

"Cool?" Rose asked, semi-confident. She expected an ancient Time Lord language not to include a word like "cool", as it seemed very Earth-like to her. But judging by the Doctor's once again excited look, she was correct.

"Perfectamundo, Rose Tyler! You're catching on quite well. So, the sentence reads, 'bow ties… are… cool," he finished with less excitement and more confusion, and a bit of disgust in his voice. "What? Where did this sentence come from? Bow ties most certainly aren't cool, if I have any say about it!" The Doctor appeared outright repulsed at the page he was holding and shoved it in a random stack away from him.

Rose could hardly contain her mirth. "This coming from a guy that used to wear a vegetable on his lapel? And nevermind past regenerations, I'm sure some people would have something to say against trainers with a pinstriped suit," she taunted with a sly grin on her face, watching her husband's face morph from disgust to disbelief.

"Are you saying you don't like my fashion sense?! All these years, Rose Tyler, and you've been mocking me behind my back, haven't you? 'Oh, there goes the Doctor, alien as ever, as he saves the world in his plimsolls'. You have, haven't you?!"

Rose couldn't stop her beaming smile from breaking out across her face. His vanity! It was hilarious! Her bubbling laugh poured out without restraint, and before she knew it, she was doubled over, wiping tears from her eyes. Although still slightly offended, the Doctor couldn't help laughing along with her, as he was only partially serious and her laugh was contagious.

Finally regaining her breath, Rose gasped out, "But do you know what I find truly impressive? You, saving the world, and not tripping on that ridiculous scarf while you were at it!" Rose barely had time to escape as the Doctor lunged at her, shouting,

"Oh, that's it, Rose Tyler!" and they proceeded to run around their basement like teenagers.

Rose quickly dashed just out of his reach, darting behind a table, ducking under heavy equipment, and taking sharp turns wherever she could. She quickly realized that her reflexes were quicker than the Doctor's, and she wouldn't run out of breath, making her the clear winner. She was tempted to take her victory as this would be the first time she would win one of these "cat-and-mouse" chases, but there was something about being caught that was so… rewarding. There was also the issue of the Doctor's pride that would be wounded if he couldn't catch her, so there really was no more argument, was there?

Rose thought all of this over within a second, and as the next one passed, she made a bad turn, putting her in a corner with no escape. She whirled towards her husband, gleeful smile still on her face, and she watched as he cornered her in, panting heavily and trailing his eyes over her entire body. Rose let out a breathy chuckle and backed up until her bum hit the wall, and the Doctor placed his hands on the wall, framing her head and caging her in. His warm breath ghosted her face and she found herself getting heavily aroused, the look in his eyes doing her no favors.

Needless to say, the two were quite busy for the next 2 hours, and never did make it upstairs. The Doctor never found out if she was joking about his fashion sense or not.


Rose crawled out of bed that night, getting enough sleep to last her the day (1 hour) and tip-toed to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her with an inaudible click. Relieved that she hadn't woken her still slumbering husband, she looked at herself in the mirror, as she prepared herself for another day. Her hair was the longest it had ever been, just brushing her bum. She had stopped dying her hair a few months after she found out she was a Time Lady. She remembered her conversation with the Doctor in that very room all those years ago…

Rose was staring at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, something she had a feeling would become a daily ritual from then on out. She glanced up at her dark roots and thought about giving her hair a touch-up, when the thought came to her- why keep dying it? Why waste all that time and money if she was just gonna live forever? Might as well let it grow out.

After coming to that decision, she finalized it by tossing the remainder of her hair dye in the bin and started brushing her teeth. Halfway through, the Doctor walked in, gave her a lazy grin and kissed her cheek as he passed, reaching for his toothbrush. As he was putting the toothpaste on his toothbrush, he caught a glance at the new item in the garbage. Confused, he reached down and retrieved it, giving his wife a strange look.

"Why'd you throw this away? Don't you need it to keep your hair… you know… blonde?"

Rose finished brushing and spat in the sink, giving him a nod. "Yes, I would need it for keeping my hair blonde, and that's the reason I'm throwing it out."

Still confused, the Doctor asked, "What? Why?"

"Well, I might as well start accepting my brown hair as it's the hair that's gonna be with me throughout eternity or however long I'm living. Don't really want to know what kind of damage my hair will undergo if I'm still dyin' it a hundred years from now," she replied with a shoulder shrug. Glancing at the troubled look on his face, she added, "I hope it's not too big of a change for you… I'm still me, blonde or not."

Standing straighter, the Doctor responded, "Well of course you are, Rose Tyler. I was just thinking…" he trailed off.

"Thinking what?" Rose questioned, nervous at his tone.

"Weeellll… I had so many blonde jokes I hadn't tried out on you yet, so I'm upset that I won't be able to use-"

Rose cut him off as she gave him a shove and began laughing, relieved he had been joking but a bit offended at his blonde joke collection. "Doctor! That's not funny!" she said, stifling a laugh.

"Oh, Rose Tyler," the Doctor drew out as he made his way passed her out of the bathroom, "You don't know what funny is until you've heard the rest of my 117 blonde jokes." Then he left the room with a spin on his heel, leaving his wife gaping like a fish.

Rose toyed with a lock of her hair as she returned from memory lane. She realized with a soft smile that she had done what the Doctor had always wanted for her. Lived a good life. It wasn't the most amount of time she could've gotten, but it could have been much worse. She was happy. She was around aliens, her family, and her Doctor, and she sent a 'thank you' towards the ceiling, directing it to the Doctor a universe or two away. Again, she was swamped with thoughts of him, how he would react when he saw her, if he would like that changes, if he had regenerated, if he had new companions, on and on and on. Ever since the Leadworth incident, Rose had progressed with extreme caution, much to the bafflement of her employees. For all they knew, this crack was harmless. But Rose and the Doctor weren't taking any more chances when lives were at stake. Some progress had been made, in particular, the discovery of more and more cracks, with one being the same kind as the one that erased Dr. Turner from existence, but most of them were wormholes. Where they led, there was no way of knowing, but Rose had never felt closer to her home universe than now. Her TARDIS was coming along nicely as well, only a few more decades and she was home free.

Thinking of her TARDIS, Rose finished her business in the bathroom, but gave her face one last once-over. She noticed it a week ago. A wrinkle. The Doctor said it was normal and not to worry, but Rose was far from sad. She loved her wrinkle. As much as she appreciated all the changes her body has gone through, it was comforting to see a slice of humanity that remained on her face. It helped her keep the same humanity in her soul.


Things progressed slowly but also far too quickly after that. The years ticked by, one after another, until Rose knew that her time with her husband was over. He had taught her almost everything he knew by that time, seemingly as if he knew as well that his song was ending. On his death bed, 8 days before she knew would be his last, Rose laid beside him, curled up in a ball against his side, as he remained in his restless sleep. The tears never stopped. She didn't know when they began, as if they'd always just been there. She felt like she was drowning. Slowly, she uncurled herself, gazing at his worn face, adorned with wrinkles and a bit of grey facial hair, and she let her hand caress his cheek. Softly, she started to sing the Gallifreyan lullaby that he had sang to her those years ago, and Rose let the memory engulf her being. The feeling of his strong arms protecting her, and his melodious voice singing her to sleep, leaving her with a peace only he could provide. She hoped she was providing the same for him. As she reached the end of her song, the Doctor's eyes cracked open and gazed into her red, swollen ones. Softly, and almost inaudibly, he spoke,

"Rose…Tyler…" he swallowed, "I love you…with ever…everything," he choked out. Rose shushed him and placed her fingertips on his lips, then pressed their foreheads together, sending him every ounce of love and devotion she could muster his way. She felt the same return to her and was left breathless and a couple more tears leaked from her eyes. When she opened them again, he was asleep once more. She wished that she had known that those would be his last coherent words to her, as she stood over his grave, adorned in all black. She didn't say a word at his wake or funeral, not finding a single word in English or any language anyone else may possibly understand that fit what he meant to her. That, and the fact that she felt like her mind was dying due to the lack of his presence. She had never felt so alone. Pete said enough for the both of them, and Tony as well. She sent a tiny smile his way when he spoke of how much of an influence the Doctor had on his life. He wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for him.

Rose was the first to leave his funeral, wanting to mourn his memory in privacy, and also desperately needed some telepathic comfort through her TARDIS. She took a glance at her future, and felt a smile ghosting her face at the sight of it. She would be alright. The pain would never fully disappear, but she would be happy again, happier than she ever had been. She walked home, day dreaming of the future adventures she would have with her Doctor, and tucked her pain away, at least for the next few minutes.


Flashforward, Date: Unknown

The TARDIS shook like never before, her pilot tripping and falling, trying desperately to grasp at the controls. The changes were different, but now was not the time for that. The TARDIS was crashing, for Pete's sake! Ah, Pete. NO, focus! The pressing of buttons and spinning of dials seemed to have no impact on the plummeting ship, and the options were running out. What to do, what to do… why can't I remember! Another shake, and her pilot was almost sent crashing on the floor. A rather inappropriate, giddy laugh was sent echoing throughout the ship, and one word marked the start of a brand-new life,

"GERONIMO!"


38 years later, Pete's World

Rose lugged the last bag she packed into her TARDIS, then shut off all the lights in her house. She considered moving into an apartment hundreds of times since her husband's death, the house seemingly too big and full of memories, but that house marked her life with her husband, and she couldn't easily give that up. That, and her basement, which was once full to the brim of lab equipment, now empty, save for her fully-grown TARDIS. She just had one last stop to make before she took the journey that would change her life forever. She placed the keys on the kitchen counter, and gazed around the living room one final time, then went downstairs, closing the door behind her.

When she walked into her new home, she received a feeling of welcoming and a short hum was emitted from the TARDIS. Rose sent a sincere smile and rubbed the console in response. The desktop wasn't the coral theme that the Doctor's had been, but it appeared to be in a default mode, the room completely consisting of white surfaces. It was smaller than her Doctor's as well, but she guessed that she may upgrade herself in time, or perhaps Rose would have to make the changes herself. In all honesty, she hadn't quite read the manual yet, since her husband taught her how to fly her, but that was years ago, so she gave the heavy book a good scan, and learned everything she needed to know. She wondered briefly where the Doctor kept his manual as she started the dematerialization sequence and gently landed in her destination.

"That was surprisingly easy…and not painful," Rose mused to herself, already brimming with questions and accusations for the Doctor once she saw him again. Granted, she wished there were more people to help her, as she wouldn't have to do as much running around the console, but she didn't mind the running. In fact, she loved the running. Now, though, she would slow down a bit, and say her final goodbye to those loved and lost in this world she barely called home. Grabbing the three modified bouquets, she clutched them to her chest, careful not to crush them. She picked up her new sonic and pocketed it, and made her way to the door. 15 minutes later, she was busting right back through those doors, manic grin on her face. As she bounded up to the console, she locked onto the crack that she had identified as the one that would bring her to her home universe, and went through a sequence that had her dashing around the console at break-neck speed, fingers flying and feet holing levers in place. This was the beginning. Her unbridled laughter seemed to fill every crevice in her space-and-time ship, and she couldn't remember the last time she was so elated. Her TARDIS shook like a blender, and Rose read the screens before her.

"Looks like you need a bit more welly, so I'll have to delete some rooms. Goodbye, swimming pool, galley, and media room!" she shouted as the TARDIS continued to shake. Rose typed in codes and flipped switches trying to keep her ship from tearing apart. "I know, sweetheart, we're almost there. Steady, now!" Rose caught sight of her favorite piece on the console, one that made her ship her own: a 17th-century style pirate ship wheel. Grasping it with both hands, she gave in a huge spin and sent a 'whoop!' into the ceiling. After a couple more spins, she finally landed, and a crash-landing, no doubt. Fortunately, she stayed right-side up, so Rose put the grappling hook she had prepared away, and panted for a few seconds, taking in the smoke and steam filtering out of the room.

"We made it," she said under her breath, then more strongly, she added, "We made it! We're here! Oh my god we actually did it! Not that I doubted you for a moment, dear."

She dashed over to the screen/monitor to look at her surroundings, to see where and when she was. She couldn't believe how lucky she was. She was in the Solar System, on planet Earth, in England, Leadworth! She picked up her jaw that landed on the floor and stared wide-eyed at the doors of her TARDIS. The Doctor could be right outside those doors. She gave a quick scan of the area and picked up on residual TARDIS energy, meaning he had been here, but must have just left. Rose let out a breathy chuckle. That's always how it was with her, wasn't it? Barely missing the Doctor in her never-ending search for him. Well, this time, she was going to catch him, no doubt about that.

Her curiosity peaked again, and she let a beaming smile grace her face as she bolted to the door. Whipping it open, she peeked around it and took in her surroundings. It was the same house that she had visited all those years ago in Pete's World. Getting over the shock of seeing it again, she noticed similarities and differences, one big one being the little girl, sitting on a suitcase and looking up into the night sky. She couldn't have been more than 7, if Rose had to guess. And if the Doctor had just been here… 'He must've promised her a trip' Rose thought to herself. She also realized that she must have materialized at the exact same time as he dematerialized, or else she would've captured the girl's attention. She glanced around where she landed, right in front of a pile of rubble… wait, did that used to be a shed? Then she looked at her TARDIS, and almost jumped. It looked exactly like a tree and blended in perfectly with the nearby vegetation. Getting over her growing excitement, she turned her attention back to the scene in front of her. Giving the girl a sad smile, Rose walked up to her cautiously, as to not scare the girl. When she was still a few paces away, she said,

"Hello,"

The girl jumped where she was sitting and whipped her head to the unexpected visitor. She looked startled and asked,

"Who are you? Where did you come from? Are you with the raggedy man?"

Rose picked up that the girl was distinctly Scottish, and filed that interesting bit of information in the back of her mind as she responded,

"My name is Rose. What's yours?"

"Amelia Pond," she replied.

"Lovely name. So, who's this 'raggedy man' friend of yours?" she asked subtly.

"He fixed the crack in my wall," she responded without missing a beat.

"There's a crack in your wall?" Rose asked, concerned.

"Well, not anymore, since he fixed it," Amelia answered, as if the answer was obvious.

"Of course," Rose replied, "Mind if I join you?"

Amelia shook her head and scooted over on the small case, but Rose just smiled and sat on the cold grass beside her. She tilted her head up to the sky, mirroring the little girl, and thought back to a simpler time, when she would wander the streets of London at night, and sometimes just stare at the night sky. She could she them much more clearly here. Taking a breath, Rose got herself to ask the girl,

"The 'raggedy man' you were talking about? He didn't by chance call himself 'The Doctor', did he?"

Amelia turned her head to Rose, eyes wide and mouth parted slightly, doing well for a child at containing her emotions, thought Rose. She asked, "Do you know him?"

Rose sighed. "I used to. A very, very long time ago. So long ago, I don't know what he looks like anymore. Tell me, Amelia, what does he look like?"

Amelia seemed amused, "How can you forget? Here, I'll draw you a picture." And with that, she jumped up off her suitcase, and rushed back into her house, followed by a slightly started Rose. She quickly followed the bouncing red hair into the house that hosted many of her nightmares in years passed. Strangely, there wasn't much different, save for the fact that the old furniture was newer in this universe, which made sense, because she landed in 1996, making this furniture more appropriate. But that didn't explain the perpetual darkness, making the house seem old and abandoned. Her eye caught sight of the kitchen, and her eyebrows hit her hairline.

"What happened here?" she stopped Amelia's pursuit. The room had seen cleaner days. Bits of…well, everything was covering almost every surface, pots and pans sat in the sink, and the refrigerator light was streaming out of the open door, revealing a fairly empty refrigerator.

"Oh, the raggedy man didn't know what he wanted to eat, so I made him almost everything in my entire kitchen. And you'll never believe what he ended up liking!"

"What?" Rose asked, not taking her eyes from the destroyed room. The Doctor definitely liked to leave a trail behind him.

"Fish fingers and custard!"

"Gross," Rose made a face and Amelia grinned.

"It's not too bad, I guess," she shrugged.

A thought hit Rose, and she almost smacked herself for being so slow on the uptake, cringing at the last time she had felt that way, and asked the young girl,

"You sure do let a lot of strangers into your home. Where are your parents?"

Amelia looked down at her shoes and responded, "I don't have parents, just an aunt,"

"Well, where's your aunt? You can't be here by yourself,"

"Yes, I can," she retorted, meeting her eyes. "I'm old enough!"

Rose sighed and put her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow. She didn't have much experience with children, but this one seemed different. There were things that just felt…wrong about her life, and Rose could wager what caused it. Regarding her for a second longer, Rose changed pace.

"You said your room was…this way?" she asked, pointing at the stairs.

Amelia's face instantly cleared and she regained her previous excitement, saying, "Yes, just upstairs. My coloring pencils are up there as well, so I better draw the raggedy man quick before I forget him," she immediately cut herself off, as if she said something she shouldn't have. Rose decided not to push it and just let herself be dragged up the stairs.

The house was identical in every respect, and Rose knew it before she saw it where Amelia's room would be. Sure enough, the room that haunted her dreams, memories of Dr. Turner and the glowing crack flooded her eyesight, before she blinked to clear it. She couldn't lose it here, not now, not when she was so close. It appeared that the Doctor had done what the girl said he'd done, the crack was gone.

"See? No crack!" Amelia pointed out.

"Yes," Rose murmured. Amelia was already sitting at her desk, sketching on a piece of notebook paper with her back hunched over and her red hair brushing the paper, making it impossible for Rose to catch a glimpse at her drawing. Rose thought about making small talk while she waited, but didn't want to distract the girl, so she familiarized herself with the room a bit, taking in every noticeable, and not noticeable, detail. Things like picture frames, but no pictures, no other chairs to sit on besides her desk chair, and a fine layer of dust coating almost every surface. The room seemed lonely, Rose noted, and didn't seemed to carry a lot of memories. If she ever had kids, she may have been able to pick up on more details about the room, things that were missing that only a parent could provide… she'd have to ask the Doctor when she found him. Which reminded her,

"How's your sketch coming along, Ms. Pond?"

"Almost…finished…aaaaand, done!" she exclaimed, holding it away from her, arms outstretched. She then turned it so Rose could see, who was trying her hardest not to breathe over her shoulder, and Rose took it all in. Granted, it was a child's drawing, but one thing was remarkably clear- he had regenerated. And Rose realized why Amelia called him "raggedy" now, it appeared he had just regenerated, making his previous attire a shredded mess. She hadn't remembered that about his last regeneration, which made her a bit worried about him, but she would ponder on that later. She couldn't quite tell from the simplicity of the picture, but he appeared even younger than his last regeneration, which was saying something. Her eyes tried to absorb every detail in the basic sketch, her fingertips going as far as grazing the picture. Taking a deep breath, she snapped herself out of it and straightened up, giving Amelia a bit of a smile.

Amelia took the picture away and asked, "So, you know him? You know the Doctor? He said he was coming back for me. He said he had to go to the moon first. And he had a swimming pool in the library… he said lots of strange things. Do you think he was lying?"

Rose looked into the unabashedly hopeful look in the child's eyes and grit her teeth, cursing the Doctor for doing this to a child. "I think he meant it when he said it, dear, but sometimes… things happen and the Doctor can't keep his promises like he wants to. One time, he thought he was bringing me home twelve hours later when it was actually twelve months! He can be a pretty bad driver," she rambled.

Amelia looked up at her, and if she was confused she didn't show it. She mainly looked disappointed. "He's just like every other grown-up. They always lie," she said dejectedly, putting her head down.

Thinking quickly, Rose asked, "How would you like to see something amazing?" Amelia raised her head and quirked an eyebrow, "You see, I have this…ship. It's just like the Doctor's. How would you like to go on a quick trip while the Doctor's on his?"

Amelia's face lit up, "You have a police box like the Doctor's?"

Rose chuckled, "Not exactly. See, it's not a police box. The police box was just a disguise for the real thing inside. Wanna see?" Before she knew what she was doing, Rose was leading Amelia to her TARDIS. Why was she doing this again? Oh, yeah, her darn heart was betraying every logical thought that was trying to stand in her way. This was a bad idea, but Rose didn't see any flashing red lights or warnings, so this wasn't breaking any fixed points in time. The next thing she knew, she was walking up to her TARDIS with a very confused-looking Amelia in tow.

"Where is it?" she asked.

Rose just grinned and drew her key out of her shirt, unlocking the place that would change this child's life forever.

A/N: So, now we are getting started! Or, are we almost done? I honestly have no idea how far I will go with this story, all I'm certain about is that I will not be doing ANY series re-writes during this story. Sorry. I just don't have time. Maybe I'll write a sequel on series 5 with Rose, but school is starting soon, and needless to say, I'm aiming for this to be done within the month. Big thanks to all my lovely readers, I love ya!