AN/ I wasn't going to update this yet but it's been a while since my last update and I can't think of anything else major to really change. Hopefully it will divert more from the actual episode as the story progresses, this is mostly just the meeting and greeting :D

Reviews:

Thunderyoshi: How's Dublin? (Have you gone to Dublin yet?) You're not the only one, I'm not fond of Martha either but I do like Donna XD

Jasper Winked: haha yeah, the thing with Rose will be explained soon, promise.

Marshmallow jam: glad you like it so far, I hope you continue to enjoy it.

James Birdsong: haha thankyou

NoVacancyMind: Sorryyyy but I didn't want too many of them travelling about in the TARDIS, besides, at least the Doctor knows she's alive this time XD

Bite-me-im-irish: hahahah I share you dislike for her, which, is why I tend to avoid writing about her, to prevent my prejudice against her from making her 'out of character' or unnecessarily bashed hehe

Tempe4Booth: thankyou! I hope this was quick enough, sorry if my updates seem slow...

Pachysam: thankyou for the review, and the great quotes, I liked reading them :D

Disclaimer: (just encase you may have forgotten from the previous 13 chapters) I don't own Doctor Who or any of the characters in this story. I don't own them now, I didn't own them in my last chapters and I'm pretty sure I won't own them in any of the following chapters.

Chapter 14

Rose clung tightly to the console for support against the TARDIS' turbulent flight pattern through the vortex. "So, where are we going?!" she asked loudly, attempting to be heard over the resonant whirring of the Time Rotor. The Doctor had decided they'd had enough of lounging about and had set course for a new destination, except he hadn't told them where yet.

"Why even bother asking?!" called Donna clinging to the other side of the console, "when does he ever actually manage to land on target?"

"Oi!" protested the Doctor in an affronted tone. He was rushing around the console, pushing buttons and slamming levers along with an occasional whack from the mallet when the TARDIS was being particularly petulant. "There's nothing wrong with my flying!" A sudden, contradictory lurch from the TARDIS took him by surprise and threw him off balance. Luckily, he managed to grasp onto the console and steady himself before falling splat on the floor.

"Oh really?" said Donna sceptically. "Bet you ten quid we don't land where you say we will. You'll aim for the Battle of Troy and we'll end up on Planet Zog!"

"Actually, I have the co-ordinates set at random, so I have no idea where we'll land," said the Doctor, rather smugly.

"Well, isn't that convenient," muttered Donna sarcastically. "Well wherever we're going, are we nearly there? My arms are just about ready to fall off!"

"Almost," said the Doctor in a strained voice as he stretched across the console to whack the controls on the far side with his mallet. The TARDIS sparked unhappily.

Rose gave the Doctor an unimpressed look. "You know, the TARDIS might be a bit more cooperative if you didn't hit her."

The Doctor looked at her with raised eyebrows and spoke with a voice one would use when talking to a particularly dim child, "Rose, I think that after nine hundred years I know how to fly my own TARDIS."

A sudden tenacious shock from the TARDIS made him yelp and whip away his abused hand, apparently his ship didn't agree.

Rose could only laugh, offering no sympathy to the Time Lord as he sucked on a particularly pained finger. "Looks like the TARDIS is getting her own back," snickered Rose before stroking the console, "that's right girl, you put him in his place."

"Don't encourage her!" whined the Doctor with an expression that was dangerously close to a pout.

True to the Doctor's words, the TARDIS landed soon after, much to the relief of Donna who was happy to give her tired arm muscles a break.

"I swear, wherever we are, we better not need to lift things because my arms are like jelly," she warned.

Her complaints fell on deaf ears as Rose and the Doctor were already gathering their coats, eager to see where they had landed. With a resigned sigh, Donna joined them by the door, not bothering with a coat as sunlight broke through the crack of the opening door.

They exited the TARDIS to find themselves in the beautiful garden of an impressive manor house. The warm summer sun was splitting the trees, shining radiantly against the brilliant blue sky. A mild breeze rusted the leaves and danced with the blades of grass before stroking against their skins, carrying with it the sweet fragrances of the flora around them.

"It's beautiful," said Rose as they walked casually towards the manor, enjoying the vibrant scenery and the chittering birds. A loud buzz flowed through the breeze as they drew close. "That sounds like a big bee," she commented thoughtfully.

Donna scoffed, "we're definitely not back home then."

"What do you mean?" asked Rose.

"The bees are disappearing, apparently," explained the Doctor, still looking ahead.

"Seriously?" asked Rose, "that's funny, the bees in our world were disappearing as well."

"Really?" asked Donna, "well, did you find out what was causing it?"

Rose shook her head, "no, it was weird they were all just sort of... flying away. They were blaming mobile phones or something."

"Torchwood didn't look into it?" asked the Doctor, slightly surprised.

Rose shook her head, "naaah, we were a bit too busy with alien invasions and killer cars," she said with a teasing smile.

"Never mind that," said Donna impatiently, "feel like telling us where we are yet, or when for that matter?"

The Doctor drew in a lungful of air and sighed with refreshment, "grass and lemonade," he commented, tasting and smelling the flavours in the air, "and a hint of mint. Just a hint of mint, must be the nineteen twenties," he concluded with his nasal analysis.

"You can tell what year it is just by smelling?" asked Donna with disbelief.

"Oh yea," said the Doctor smugly.

Rose just rolled her eyes, 'The Doctor – Ever the show-off,' she thought to herself. He was always striving to impress, unfortunately the gears in Donna's mind were turning and Rose smiled when a look of realisation dawned on the redhead's face.

"Or, maybe that big vintage car coming up the drive gave it away." The Doctor certainly had his work cut out for him with this one.

The Doctor's face fell as Donna walked off after the car with a self-satisfied smirk, happy to have apparently outsmarted the brilliant Time Lord. Rose took his hand in hers and offered him a sympathetic smile, "don't worry, I believe you can tell the year by smell," she cooed in a voice that was almost patronising.

The Doctor rested his tongue against his top teeth as he attempted to give her a withering glare but unable to stop the smile that tugged at his lips, ruining the look he was going for.

Rose giggled and tugged the Doctor with her as she followed after Donna, intent on seeing where they were exactly.

Donna was hiding behind a bush, listening in on a conversation between the man who was driving the car and men from the manor. The man from the car was some sort of professor. The others were called Greeves, Reverend and Davenport who was ordered by Greeves to take the professor's baggage. They were talking about arrangements for a party.

"Never mind Planet Zog," she whispered excitedly, "a party in the nineteen twenties, now that's more like it!"

"It would be even better if we were invited," said Rose grinning knowingly at the Doctor, her tongue poking out through her teeth cheekily.

The Doctor took out his black wallet containing the psychic paper and flapped it in the air, "who says we aren't?" he said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Rose grabbed onto his arm giddily, "this is brilliant, I love this!" she said, clutching him close to her.

"Me too," said the Doctor, locking eyes with her and smiling. A swell of joy flowed through him at seeing Rose so happy. He was afraid that travelling with him and then working for Torchwood in the parallel universe would have changed her.

When he and Martha parted ways she was a different woman. She was no longer the hopeful doctor-in-training. Her experiences had hardened her, made her look at the world with just a little more cynicism. That was why he had got her the job at UNIT. He knew she wouldn't be able to assimilate back into her old life. She had lost something along her travels, a tiny piece of innocence which she could never get back and it was entirely his fault.

Yet, here was Rose in front of him, still looking at the universe with wide-eyes wonder. Even after all this time and all the darkness she had seen, her soul still shone radiantly with a pureness untainted by the demons they had faced.

Together, they began to walk towards the direction of the manor but were stopped by the sound of Donna's voice calling them.

"Oi, you two, wait just a minute!" said the redhead. "I'm not going to a nineteen twenties party dressed like this!" she said, motioning over her casual pink shirt and jeans.

"Why not?" asked the Doctor, turning around and looking her over, "you look fine to me."

"I'm wearing jeans. Women didn't wear jeans to parties in the twenties," she said using her 'you dumbo' voice. "Besides, I haven't got to play dress up since we went to Pompeii, and that was the best part of the trip, no offense."

"You went to Pompeii?" asked Rose, suddenly interested.

"Yes we did," said Donna, "mind you, he was aiming for Rome. Told you he never lands on target!" said Donna triumphantly.

"Hey, remember when we went to Rome?" asked the Doctor, attempting to change the subject.

"Yes," said Rose sweetly, "I got turned into a statue and you got sculpting lessons from Michelangelo."

"Oh, you have got to tell me the rest of that story," said Donna with wide eyes.

"Maybe some other time," said the Doctor, tugging at his earlobe.

"Suit yourself," shrugged Donna before grabbing Rose away from the Doctor, "Come on, let's see what dresses he's got in that old blue box of his." She said, dragging her away. The Doctor shook his head with a sigh as the giggling women disappeared into the TARDIS.

He stood outside, leaning against the door of his ship as his companions seemed to take forever getting ready. The garden may have been beautiful but it was getting old fast and he would rather be mingling with the locals and potentially looking for trouble.

"We'll be late for cocktails!" he called impatiently, knocking on the door of the TARDIS to hurry them up.

Finally the door opened and Donna stepped out wearing a brown, beaded cocktail dress. "What d'you think? Flapper or Slapper?" she asked, posing for him.

The Doctor looked her up and down speculatively before smiling, "Flapper, you look lovely. Where's Rose?"

Donna didn't need to answer as seconds later the TARDIS door opened to reveal Rose. The Doctor's mouth fell open at the sight that beheld him. Her sun-kissed hair was tied in a high bun with untamed strands flowing down over smooth, pink skin. She wore a dress of dark blue silk, richly decorated with iridescent beads, creating a shimmering floral pattern down the v-cut neck and around the hem which flowed to just below her knees.

"Like it?" she asked with a smile but the Doctor could sense the anxiety behind it, his opinion mattered.

"Blimey, you look beautiful," breathed the Doctor after finally finding his voice. She really was. He couldn't take his eyes off her, too entranced by her beauty. Rose blushed at the compliment and the pink hue deepened under his wandering gaze.

Then, the Doctor managed to regain some semblance of self-control. Locking eyes with her, he extended his arm. "Shall we?" he asked with a posh accent which was contradicted by a cheeky smirk.

They arrived at the party just as an old gramophone started playing what sounded like twentieth century blues. A woman who appeared to be in charge of the arrangements noticed them arriving and called out to the staff, "look sharp, we have guests!" with an authoritative clap of her hands.

"Hello," greeted the Doctor cheerily with a large wave.

A waiter walked over to them, they recognised him as Davenport from earlier. "Drinks, sir? Ma'ams?"

"Sidecar, please," said Donna, politely.

"And a lime soda for me, thank you," said the Doctor. "Rose?" he asked, turning to see what she would like.

"I'll just have the same as him, thanks," she said, inclining her head towards the Doctor. She didn't really know many nineteen twenties drinks and decided the Doctor's choice was perhaps safest.

Davenport nodded before leaving to fetch their order. When he was out of earshot, Rose turned to the Doctor, "lime and soda?" she whispered.

"7-up," he said, smiling at her, "it's a fancy name for 7-up."

It was then that Lady Eddison appeared, after being introduced by her butler, Greeves. Rose smiled as the Doctor charmed her and with a flash of his psychic paper, had them talking like old friends. Rose's ears pricked up as Lady Eddison mentioned something about a unicorn.

"A unicorn? Brilliant! Where?" said the Doctor, eager to hear more. Unfortunately 'the Unicorn' turned out to be a jewel thief who was currently at large.

"Are unicorns real?" asked Donna incredulously as the Doctor walked off with Lady Eddison.

Rose shrugged, "probably. I've seen a werewolf and I met this woman who said she'd seen the Loch Ness Monster."

Donna laughed, "Look at us, talking about unicorns and the Loch Ness Monster like we're discussing flower arrangements or the weather!"

"I know," giggled Rose, "it's brilliant!"

Donna scoffed, "I don't know if 'brilliant' is the word I would use but it's definitely something else, I'll give you that!"

They joined the Doctor as he was being introduced to Lady Eddison's husband, Colonel Hugh Curbishley, who was confined to a wheel chair and her son, Roger Curbishley.

Roger approached Rose and Donna, "I say, you are super ladies," he said, shaking their hands and grinning winningly. However, his hand lingered on Rose's for just a little longer than the Doctor was comfortable with.

Donna flirted back with him but before he could turn his attention to Rose again, the Doctor stepped forward and took his outstretched hand. "Hi, I'm the Doctor," he greeted with a large smile before taking back his hand and clasping it around Rose's possessively, in a clear message to the young man.

"How do you do?" greeted Roger, unfazed by the Doctor's behaviour.

Rose smirked inwardly. It appeared the Doctor still didn't like her hanging around pretty boys. Not that he need worry. Rose saw how Roger looked at Davenport, she doubted he would try to sweep her off her feet anytime soon.

Next, Robina Redmond, a popular socialite, appeared who was soon followed by the vicar, Reverend Golightly. Rose overheard him speaking to Lady Eddison and her husband about the church being broke into and him apprehending the 'ruffians.' Interested, she walked over to them.

"As the Christian Fathers taught me, we must forgive them their trespasses. Quite literally," he said with a light laugh.

"You apprehended them all by yourself, though?" she asked slightly sceptical. She remembered when a couple of blokes from around her area robbed the church, they were caught by the vicar but they just laughed at him when he tried to stop them then swanned off before the cops arrived. If they have the disrespect to rob a church in the first place, they're hardly going to be that worried if an old preacher shows up.

Reverend Golightly waved it off, seemingly humble. "It was nothing really, just doing my part to protect the Lord's house."

Rose looked doubtful but didn't say anything else. She smiled when she felt the Doctor's hand take hold of hers. "Causing trouble already?" he asked with a playful smirk.

"Oh come on, he's obviously full of it!" retorted Rose. "No way he took on two blokes by himself."

The Doctor laughed, "oooh you never know, maybe he works out on weekends, well... except Sundays, obviously."

Rose rolled her eyes humorously, "very funny. Where's Donna?"

"Just over there," said the Doctor, bending his head to the right where Donna was over talking to a few of the other guests. "Actually, I'd better go over there and make sure she's keeping out of trouble. Coming?"

Rose shook her head, "no thanks, I'm good here." Her inquisitive nature was getting the better of her and she wanted to see if she could get more details on the vicar's story.

"Alright, see you in a bit then," he said, releasing her hand to walk over to Donna. However, in a moment of bold impulsiveness, he leaned down and gave her a sly peck on the cheek before casually sauntering off like nothing had happened, leaving Rose blushing furiously in a stunned daze.

The Doctor couldn't quite believe what he'd done either. He had always kept Rose at arm's length as a rule. Never letting her get too close for fear of the pain it would cause when she inevitably left him. However, nothing could have made the pain of losing her more bearable and he was tired of hiding his feelings behind friendly hand holds and teasing flirtatious remarks.

He had found his resolve. From now on, he was going to hold Rose close and heaven help anyone who tried to take her away from him. He wasn't losing Rose again and sent the proverbial two-fingered salute to any of the fates that conceived otherwise, he would fight them too if need be.

Standing with Donna, he took a sneaking glance back at Rose. She still had a rosy cheeked, dazed look about her. A rascally part of him felt rather proud at having flustered her so easily. It serves her right for looking so damn alluring in that dress.

"Ah, here she is," said Lady Eddison, breaking Rose out of her trance as a woman in a blue dress made her way towards the group, "the woman who needs no introductions!"

The group clapped as she joined them. Rose wondered who she was. She was obviously someone important. The woman approached Donna and the Doctor, introducing herself as Agatha Christie. Rose gasped, she was at a party with Agatha Christie? Brilliant!

The Doctor appeared to be equally as thrilled, introducing himself and Donna with a vigorous handshake. She laughed to herself as the Doctor entered rambling mode. Deciding she would have her revenge on the Doctor later for dishevelling her, she made her way over to them, eager to meet Agatha Christie.

"You make a rather unusual couple," said Agatha once the Doctor finally finished babbling.

"Oh no, we're not a couple," said the Doctor, pointing between him and Donna.

"Yeah, he's with her," said Donna, motioning towards Rose who had just joined them.

"Rose!" said the Doctor excitedly, grabbing her by the hand and pulled her next to him. "Rose, meet Agatha Christie. Agatha this is Rose, she's my... um... my..."

"Wife?" offered Agatha, shaking Roses hand.

"No um, we're not married," said the Doctor.

"Well obviously not. No wedding ring," said Agatha, smiling knowingly.

Rose looked down at her hand while the Doctor smiled, "oh, you don't miss a trick," he said, clearly impressed.

Lady Eddison approached Agatha Christie after sending her maid, Miss Chandrakala, to fetch Professor Peach and started talking to her while the Doctor walked over to the Colonel and took his newspaper. The TARDIS brought him nowhere by coincidence but he needed to find the exact date if he wanted to know what was going on. A quick glance at the cover of the newspaper gave him a big clue. This was the date Agatha Christie mysteriously disappeared.

He subtly beckoned over Rose and Donna, careful not to draw anyone else's attention. He showed them the paper and told them its significance, watching their reaction to the news. He smiled when he saw Rose's eyes sparkle with curiosity and excitement, wondering what could have happened to Agatha and why it was such a mystery.

Donna stood with Rose while the Doctor wandered off to talk more with Agatha Christie. "So, Agatha Christie's going to pull a disappearing act for ten days after discovering her boyfriend's been having an affair. Not the kind of thing we usually travel around time and space to visit is it?" said Donna, finishing off her sidecar.

Rose shrugged, "we don't know if that's why she disappeared though. Besides, I thought you liked the idea of a party in the twenties."

"I do," said Donna, "but after visiting other planets and great historical events, it seems kind of... I don't know, plain?"

"I think it's nice," said Rose, sipping the last of her lime and soda, giving the glass to Davenport as he passed.

"Yeah," agreed Donna, "but where's the excitement? I mean, nineteen twenty-six is nice but it's hardly the most eventful year."

Suddenly, Miss Chandrakala came running out of the manor, screaming like a banshee, "Professor! The library! Murder! Murder!"

Rose raised an eyebrow at Donna who rolled her eyes, "that proves it," she said, "I'm a Jinx."

TBC

Please Review!! (Puppy-dog eyes)

I actually would have had this updated last night but we had a power cut all night because of snow and gales. Northern Ireland is hopeless with bad weather!

Can I just say, that I am sick to the teeth of snow! It's nearly April for crying out loud! I've seen more snow this year than I have in my whole life and I thought we'd seen the last of it by now, but low and behold, I looked out the window and there was SNOW. Usually I love snow but that's because snow's generally a rare thing where I live, until THIS year at least... (grumbles)

What's more, Northern Ireland is hopeless with snow! Other countries get tons more than us and they just get on with it, we get a few centimetres and everything stops! If I ever look out the window and there's one foot of snow, I'll be expecting a state of mass panic if that's how bad things get over a few lousy centimetres...

Okay, that's my rant over...