Flux
By Kimmzie
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who
Author's Note: Read, Review and Enjoy.
"You take the words and spread them across time and space. Yes, the big Bad Wolf. You become the Bad Wolf. Well, you can't in a supply closet. Or whatever you are doing." The Doctor sighed. "Not now! She's burning again," he snarled. Rose's skin felt molten in his grasp.
"I want you safe my Doctor."
"Yes, I've heard those words before. I want her safe. She's still burning. Just what are you doing? How does bringing her ex-boyfriend around do anything? You wove the story. Did you bring him here? From what I've heard he wasn't one to enlist."
"He needed to be here." Rose's face was becoming flushed and he felt his dermis sizzle when he touched her. A glow permeated under the slits of her eyelids.
"Oh, he needed to be here did he? One more problem for her. That's too traumatic, that's not fair."
"What is fair? He will need to be here for the story to progress."
"Ah, this grand story you and the TARDIS won't let anyone in on."
"Soon."
"Why him?
"Soon." The gold hue on her skin started to recede. Her pale skin started to feel ice cold, cooler than his.
"Are you alright?" the Doctor whispered.
"Talk about a headache. Did something go messing about in my head again? Did I miss something big?" she asked, as the Doctor steadied her to a sitting position. She tried to hide the fact that she was shivering.
"Yeah," he replied. He took off his black uniform jacket and put it on her shoulders. "The Bad Wolf is up to something, or maybe even the TARDIS. I'm not sure. Don't worry about that now. How do you feel?" He was already taking her pulse.
"Jimmy Stone is here," she said, her voice hollow.
"I got that impression. But why would he need to be here?" The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck.
"I got like this flash of memory last night, my backstory. He's sort of why John Smith is… Anyways, it sort of felt like a remembering a dream or even a sort of deja vous. Like something that was fantasy becoming reality," she trailed off as the Doctor nodded.
"Every story needs an antagonist I suppose. The Bad Wolf creates." the Doctor let out an exaggerated breath. "I really don't know this time. You can handle yourself." He tried to flash her a reassuring smile.
"Yeah, like everyone wants to deal with their ex…. Their Jimmy Stone. He's awful Doctor."
"And you are brilliant! Let my other self know about Stone… I think we are players in the big Bad Wolf's story." The Time Lord leaned against the wall. "We may need to start you working on controlling more of the vortex. Maybe you can see what she is trying to do. I can't see anything. The time-lines are all tangled. I feel blind. She said there is a reason for him being here. Let's try and find out"
"That is definitely worth finding out," Rose agreed, her voice low.
"Well, we can't stay in here forever. Are you alright?"
"I'm always alright." Rose looked to the ground avoiding the Doctor's concerned gaze.
"That's my line, Rose Tyler." The Doctor raised her head so her hazel eyes met his. "Are you alright?"
"I never thought this was going to get so complicated. Isn't the Bad Wolf supposed be helping? I don't know."
"Rose Tyler, I promise you it will turn out fantastic. We'll figure this out. Come to the TARDIS after work, maybe she will divulge her secrets. Make sure that Jack escorts you when you are in town. Dr. Smith has already made him your personal escort. Not that sort of escort," The Doctor stopped midsentence horrified. "The one that walks with you and hopefully he keeps his clothes on. Please make sure Jack keeps his clothes on while on duty. What he does in his free time is none of my business. But you never know." Rose giggled and the Doctor grinned at her. "C'mon. Allons-y?" He held out a hand and she grabbed it without hesitation.
She got to her feet and handed the Doctor his jacket back. "I miss the pinstripes," she said, lightly brushing his bicep.
"I do too. Unfortunately, it's not regulation." The Doctor handed her the basket of office supplies. "Ready?"
Rose nodded but her full lips were thin as she gnawed the inside of her mouth out of anxiety. They walked the halls in an amicable but tense silence. She knew the Doctor's big ole Time Lord brain was thinking about something. He stopped a few doors before her office door.
"I really don't feel like running into myself yet."
"Took you long enough. Did you have trouble picking out the right color push pins? Are they all pink?" Dr. Smith asked not looking up from his paperwork. He went pale when he saw Rose. "Rose. What happened?"
"Nothing really." She looked to the floor and started laying out the supplies.
"It doesn't look like nothing. You look like you've seen a ghost." He got up from his desk and went to her.
"You could say that." Rose worried her lip. John put a warm hand on her arm. "I ran into a private in the supply closet. A private Jimmy Stone." John Smith's arm went ridged against hers and she could feel added pressure in his touch. "It's alright."
"Hmph. Clearly," he said. "Make sure you take Capt. Harkness with you if you go anywhere… well you can take care of yourself. You do seem to be the type to go wandering off."
Rose tried to hide a giggle. John looked at her confused. "It's nothing. I appreciate that you care. I'll stay away from 'im."
"Did you run off with half the UNIT supplies?" John's eyes widened at the eclectic assortment of office supplies laid out before him.
"Just what the Doctor ordered." Rose smiled. "Everything needed to save the world, highlight, collate, and all that."
"The pen may be mightier than the sword I suppose," John Smith mused.
"Depends." Rose smiled cheekily. She noticed that John Smith eyes narrowed and he just shook his head. Rose started to show him her calculations that she had gone over this morning.
"Thank you Sir," The Tenth Doctor saluted his superior officer and left the ranks of drilling soldiers. He headed towards the TARDIS.
The Time Lord scrunched his face in disgust, he felt so limited! He couldn't extend any of his senses. Time and reality were tangled in a pulsating, wavering, tangled mess. Things were just popping in and out of time with no consequences. His paradox machine was working too well. "This time even smells wrong," he whispered to himself as he took in a deep breath. He made it to the strange blue box at the edge of town and quietly entered with no one knowing.
"Hello, girl." He smile. "I know, it's not the proper me or well you know how these things are."
The Time Lord was comforted with an amused hum.
"Activate TARDIS Interface," the Doctor said. He changed into a pinstriped suit jacket that was strung up on a coral strut. After that he was jumping around out of the combat boots, when a hologram appeared. The image made his hearts clench.
"Wotcha want alien-boy?" The image of Donna Noble stood in front of him.
"Is this the best form to have this conversation?"
"Oh, now the man from Mars wants to talk. You're in a little too deep for heart to hearts now." The Red head put her arms akimbo.
"Sinking deeper and deeper with every second. Is the Bad Wolf present?" he whispered. The words were muffled because a red converse was on his left foot and the laces were tangled in his teeth.
"The Bad Wolf is where and whenever it wants to be. I cannot detect it in the vicinity of this vessel at this time. Go look at the scanners."
"I trust you."
"Why do you need to talk? Why so primitive?"
"I'm going native in my old age."
"Don't have to tell me twice," the Image of Donna laughed. "All it took was another pretty blonde. You may just have a type."
"Oi!" The Doctor roughly put his final shoe on. "The question is how is this story going? Who is writing it? You or the Bad Wolf?"
"Why does that matter?" the TARDIS questioned.
"You already know Jimmy Stone is here."
"He's part of the back story," the TARDIS shrugged.
"Who's idea was that?"
"It doesn't matter. He needs to be here for events to go forward for Rose and John Smith. Rose is the Bad Wolf. The Bad Wolf gains nothing in seeing your human harmed. As I gain nothing in seeing you my Time Lord get harmed. I wanted to see the Universe so I stole a Time Lord and ran away."
"I borrowed you."
"Hmmph. You were the only one bonkers enough to go along for the ride," the TARDIS smiled. "I will stand shoulder to shoulder with you in any battle even when the gates have fallen. I will never surrender never sacrifice our friendship. Trust me Doctor. This tiny human Stone blighter shouldn't ruin anything. Let Rose spend some time with John Smith, okay? Maybe you could go do some stargazing on the hills a few roads back. There's a very nice man you can talk to about the stars."
"Right. Thanks. To be correct I stole you." The Doctor smiled.
"Silly Martian." The Donna image disappeared.
Rose's mobile started to ring in her pocket and an image of the TARDIS appeared on the screen she had a quick conversation with the Doctor and hung up. Nothing to worry about. Rose needed a pint or two.
"John?"
The human looked up from his papers. "Rose?" he replied with a smile.
"Fancy to go out for a drink tonight?"
"Depends who's buying," he replied.
"Well, you're the one making the big bucks now. But I could get a round or two." She winked. "You seem worth it."
"Done and done. Fantastic! Let's just finish these last astrological projections and call it a day. I want to get ready. Apparently I'm going out for drinks."
"Well hurry up then… What are they paying you for anyway?" Rose said with a laugh.