Hello everyone!
First of all thank you for all your comments and suggestions! Keep sending them in please.
Second of all my plan for the next few chapters: Due to popular demand Heaven Sent/Hell Bent will be next for angst purposes. Then the Husbands of River Song for a bit of humour and to see their relationship. Then Boom Town as I love that episode and I will need a break from the angst at that point. After that is still undecided.
This is a nice, calm chapter for both me and the characters involved.
So as always I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you for reading!
Please (as ever) let me know what you think!
Robyn
Without any real concept of time, people started trickling into the kitchen at varying times. It had likely been several hours at least and most people had been thankful for the chance to truly relax and get some sleep, as it had been a very long and emotional day.
When they woke up and got ready everyone made their way to the kitchen, despite it never being discussed. They spent the time waiting for everyone to be up and ready, chatting away, eating and sharing stories of life both with and without the Doctor. It was a nice change from the tense atmosphere that had permeated the room the day before (if time was real and therefore days) and no one was awake enough for any emotionally charged conversations yet.
Soon everyone was ready and unanimously it was decided to make their way back to the screen room, ready to see what they would be shown next. There were mixed feelings towards the videos; on one hand it allowed them to see each other and share laughs over some of their more fun adventures but in the other hand there were plenty of things that no one wanted to relive.
The Master was the last one to arrive in the screen room, having avoided the kitchen and everyone else in general since the end of the last video. The group was all settled in their previous seats, with the only change being Rose having joined Martha, Mickey and Donna on their sofa, she'd happily settled next to Donna. As with the previous videos the screen went blank and the word 'Rose' appeared on the screen.
Everyone promptly turned to Rose with questioning looks and grins. She just smiled. "Guess whatever we're going to see is about me."
The Doctor smiled at her. "Maybe it's the first time we met?"
Rose just laughed at that, nodding. That would be fun to see if not a bit embarrassing at times. Mickey groaned; if the Doctor was right this was definitely going to be embarrassing for him. Martha grinned at her husband's worry – he'd mentioned he had changed after meeting the Doctor but she was excited to see what he had actually been like first-hand.
The rest of the room was eager and curious, the meeting of Rose and the Doctor would likely be a nice break from the tension of the last few episodes. It would be nice to see how the pair met as well. With no one discussion, the video started.
[The Tyler's flat]
(Earth, United Kingdom, South London. An alarm clock goes off at 7:30. A young blonde woman gets up, dressed and kisses her mother goodbye. Her mother, who is also blonde, still in her dressing gown and lazing on the settee while watching TV.)
ROSE: Bye!
"Oh no, this is going to be embarrassing, isn't it?" Rose groaned with Mickey nodding nearby, Martha was just grinning excitedly.
The Doctor grinned. "Well, your mum is going to be on screen, so -."
"Oi!" Rose complained but she was grinning. Jack had started chuckling, he wasn't even bothering to hide his excitement at seeing his original Doctor again, or his joy at seeing Rose. The days when it was just the three of them were some of his favourite memories.
(Everyone say Hi! to Billie Piper.)
JACKIE: See you later!
[Henricks Department Store]
(Rose takes the bus to Central London and gets off outside the department store. There is a banner across the main entrance - Henrick's sale sale Henrick's.
"Oh yeah this is definitely the day we met." Rose sighed, but it was ruined by a smile. They were some good memories despite the chaos. The room looked at her confused, how could she tell that just by arriving at work? The few that knew were grinning wildly.
"What year is it?" Yaz asked curious, it did seem a bit older.
"2005, god I was only 19. Seems like not that long ago. What year are you guys from?" Rose answered.
"2020. Ryan and I were only 6 in 2005." Yaz answered sheepishly.
Rose groaned. "That makes me feel so old." A few others around the room nodded while the rest started laughing. The Doctor was laughing especially hard, as was Jack.
The day passes. Rose moves piles of display clothes around the ladies wear section, meets her boyfriend for a snack lunch in Trafalgar Square then goes back to work. Eventually -)
"Wait you were dating Mickey?" Bill asked, pointing at Mickey, seeing their offended looks she rapidly continued. "I just mean, like, he'd obviously married to Martha. Just a bit weird to think he was dating you first. No offense."
"No offense taken. Yeah, we were dating but we're happy now and we're still friends." Mickey answered, squeezing Martha's hand in reassurance (not that she needed it, but he liked to make sure).
TANNOY: This is a customer announcement. The store will be closing in five minutes. Thank you.
(Rose and the other girls head for the main doors. The guard shakes a clear plastic bag in front of Rose.)
GUARD: Oi!
"Well, that's just rude." Donna complained. Rose just smiled at her then glanced ta the Doctor. It was weird to think that if she hadn't had to deliver the money, she probably would have never met the Doctor.
(Rose takes the bag and runs back to a lift and goes down to the basement.)
ROSE: Wilson? Wilson, I've got the lottery money. Wilson, are you there?
(A door with a large danger of electric shock sign also claims to be the office of H P Wilson, CEO.)
ROSE: I can't hang about 'cos they're closing the shop. Wilson! Oh, come on.
"Impatient." Jack teased, grinning. He really couldn't contain his excitement over this episode. The pair had mentioned how they'd met but only with infuriating one-liner and vague mentions as was typical with the Doctor. It would be great to hear, well see, the full story.
"You try working at a shop all day then see how patient you are." Rose argued.
"I know how you feel." Martha smiled at Rose, before shooting a pointed look at The Doctor who grinned sheepishly.
(There is a clattering noise further down the corridor.)
"So, you're in the basement of an empty shop and the person you're looking for is missing. Plus, there are weird noises coming from the room. You're definitely in trouble and should get out of there." Rory summarised with an exasperated sigh. He already knew she wasn't going to do the sensible thing.
Rose just shrugged. "If I did, I wouldn't have met the Doctor." The Doctor grinned at her for that, leading to Rose grinning back. She didn't regret meeting the Doctor.
ROSE: Hello? Hello, Wilson, it's Rose. Hello? Wilson?
(She opens the door to a store room and turns on the lights. There are boxes of clothes, and dressed dummies.)
ROSE: Wilson? Wilson!
(As she explores, the door slams behind her. Rose runs back but it won't open.)
"Typical. How do doors always lock at the most inconvenient times?" Clara shook her head.
"Maybe you should learn to pick locks." The Doctor suggested with a teasing smile.
"And maybe you should put a wood setting on your sonic!" Amy countered.
The Doctor only smiled wider, tilting her head in a vague nod at Amy. "Fair play Pond. But picking locks is fun, very good skill to learn. Jo was very good at it."
"Jo?" Yaz asked, curious at the mention of someone else. She was ignoring the lock picking skill suggestion as a police officer (probationer but still) she couldn't really condone it.
"Jo Grant. Well, Jo Jones now. She travelled with me in my third incarnation mostly. She's likely in UNIT files as we both worked for them at the time. Saw her not that long ago, alongside Sarah Jane." The Doctor smiled - it was a softer smile brought about by fond memories.
She did manage to see a small smile on the Master's face at hearing Jo's name but he quickly schooled his expression into a blank look. She knew he'd had a soft spot for Jo, she was probably the only one of her companions he had ever liked. They had spent some time to go on several occasions when he used her as bait for the Doctor. She still wasn't quite sure what the pair had discussed during those occasions.
ROSE: You're kidding me.
(More noises behind her.)
ROSE: Is that someone mucking about? Who is it?
(A male shop dummy turns to watch her, then approaches.)
"Wait is that dummy moving?" Graham asked incredulous.
"Unfortunately." The Doctor and Rose said at the same time before turning to grin at each other. A few people around the room had a good suspicion of what was coming but they didn't voice their suspicions, letting it be a mystery for the rest of the room. It was more fun that way.
ROSE: Yeah, you got me. Very funny.
(A second one starts moving behind it, then a third.)
ROSE: Right, I've got the joke. Who's idea was this? Is it Derek's? Is it? Derek, is this you?
"What did Derek do for you to think it was him?" Martha asked, a mix between disbelieving and curious. She was enjoying the episode so far; she'd gotten over the Doctor a while ago and was happy with Mickey now. She was very excited to see a young Mickey and fairly curious to see why Rose had meant so much to the Doctor.
Rose shrugged. "He was just the troublemaker of the shop staff. It's not like I was going to just assume the answer was aliens. That would be crazy."
"I think at this point we're all crazy." Clara pointed out.
"True."
(More shop dummies start moving as Rose keeps backing away down the storage area. Finally they have her up against the wall, and the lead dummy raises its arm. Then a hand grabs Rose's wrist.)
DOCTOR: Run.
"Of course, that's the first word you say to her. It's one of your favourite words." River shook her head, fond exasperation clear in her voice. The Doctor just grinned at her before grinning at Rose. She was very happy for the change of pace in episodes, and the chance to see a young Rose and Mickey.
(The Doctor has gone modern minimalist, with t-shirt and leather jacket. Everyone say Hi! to Christopher Eccleston.
"Wait that's you?" Bill exclaimed, leaning forward in her seat to analyse the Doctor on screen. Many of the people in the room were doing the same thing. (Even the Master although he was doing it more subtly, this wasn't a Doctor he had really encountered).
"Yep, my ninth incarnation. Well, tenth technically but the ninth one to call themselves Doctor." The Doctor explained with a furrow in her eyebrows. This was getting confusing. Then she paused, there was something else she should probably clarify. "He's just out of the Time War." She added softly but the room could still hear it.
That dampened their spirits slightly. At that point the Doctor had just thought they'd killed their own species and were alone in the universe. Even if they hadn't, they had still just survived a massive war, it was bound to leave an impression.
"I see why everyone called him Ears." Bill attempted to joke and ease the tension. It worked.
"Oi!" The Doctor protested while the rest of the group burst out laughing.
He drags Rose through the basement as the Autons - see Jon Pertwee's first story for more details - follow, and into a lift. The lead Auton puts its arm through the closing doors. After several tugs the Doctor pulls it off, and the doors close.)
"Good you're out of immediate danger." Rory nodded happily.
Amy just grinned. "Yeah, but now it's time for questions that he's not going to answer leaving her even more confused." That drew grins and chuckles from the group while the Doctor spluttered offended. She didn't do that. Did she?
[Service lift]
ROSE: You pulled his arm off.
DOCTOR: Yep. Plastic.
ROSE: Very clever. Nice trick! Who were they then, students? Is this a student thing or what?
"Love how that's your first thought." Clara grinned. She knew all too well what teens could get up too.
Rose chuckled. "Yeah, was trying to think logical. Wasn't exactly going to go – 'oh look it's living plastic. Aliens!'" That drew laughter from the rest of the companions. That was true, their first thought usually wasn't aliens (at least non-ironically) before travelling with the Doctor.
DOCTOR: Why would they be students?
ROSE: I don't know.
DOCTOR: Well, you said it. Why students?
"Is this really the time to be discussing that?" Graham asked.
The Doctor shrugged, her lips twitching but she managed to control her urge to grin. "Seemed important at the time."
ROSE: 'Cos to get that many people dressed up and being silly, they got to be students.
DOCTOR: That makes sense. Well done.
ROSE: Thanks.
DOCTOR: They're not students.
That gained laughter from the room. Rose was laughing especially hard, it was weird seeing everything from this angle, especially knowing what she knew now. Jack was grinning happily, enjoying the chance to see his first Doctor again, he liked the Doctor in any incarnation but the first one he met was always going to have a special place in his heart. He had the feeling that was true for all her companions.
ROSE: Whoever they are, when Wilson finds them, he's going to call the police.
DOCTOR: Who's Wilson?
ROSE: Chief electrician.
DOCTOR: Wilson's dead.
The mood plummeted. All the cheer gone with the sudden announcement of Wilson's death. Things hadn't been looking good when he hadn't answered but they hadn't really lingered on that thought or expected the Doctor to be so blunt. They looked down for a minute, a small moment for another person dead.
"Don't have to be so blunt about it, Spaceman. Honestly, do you ever learn manners?" Donna shook her head. The Doctor just smiled sadly; she was never particularly good with things like manners. For a Doctor she had a terrible bedside manner.
[Behind Hendrik's]
ROSE: That's just not funny. That's sick!
DOCTOR: Hold on. Mind your eyes.
ROSE: I've had enough of this now.
Rose buried her head in her hands. God it was embarrassing seeing herself that young and clueless sometimes. She was sure she was going to become embarrassed several times across these videos, well at least Mickey would also have to suffer in this video.
"That's fair. The Doctor isn't explaining anything as usual and you've just been attacked." Rory pointed out, gaining a smile from Rose. Her first meeting with the Doctor had been a rollercoaster of emotions, actually most time with the Doctor was a rollercoaster of emotions.
(The Doctor disables the lift mechanism with his sonic screwdriver.)
ROSE: Who are you, then? Who's that lot down there? I said, who are they?
DOCTOR: They're made of plastic. Living plastic creatures. They're being controlled by a relay device in the roof, which would be a great big problem if I didn't have this. (a small bomb) So, I'm going to go up there and blow them up, and I might well die in the process, but don't worry about me. No, you go home. Go on. Go and have your lovely beans on toast. Don't tell anyone about this, because if you do, you'll get them killed.
"Okay. Two questions. One: Living plastic, really? Second: Bomb? You hate weapons." Clara held up two fingers, to emphasise her point. The whole room was looking at the Doctor with mixed emotions.
The Doctor shrugged, expression blank. "One – yes, living plastic really. They're called Autons and I've dealt with them several times before and since then." She took a deep breath. "Two – this was only about a week at most since the end of the Time War. I wasn't in a good mindset."
Silence reigned in the room for several minutes. Everyone absorbing what the Doctor had said. It was really hitting Rose the change the Doctor had undergone from their first meeting to the last time she had seen him, and not just the physical change of regeneration.
Amy broke the silence. "I have a third question." The Doctor looked at her expectantly, preparing to answer another difficult question. "Beans on toast, really?"
That shocked a small smile out of the Doctor. "Well, I don't know what you all eat." She knew exactly what Amy was thinking about – their own first meeting when she was a little kid and he (at the time) had been eating all her food.
(He shuts the door behind him, then opens it again.)
DOCTOR: I'm the Doctor, by the way. What's your name?
ROSE: Rose.
DOCTOR: Nice to meet you, Rose. Run for your life!
"At least you were nice enough to introduce yourself after that mess." Martha said, voice clearly full of sarcasm. The Doctor just grinned at Martha and Rose who both rolled their eyes at her.
[Street]
(Rose makes her way to the main road, nervous of the dummies in the shop window. She runs across the road, nearly becoming a hood ornament for a black cab.)
TAXI DRIVER: Watch it!
(KaBOOM! A huge fireball takes out the upper floor of Hendrik's. Rose runs straight past an out of date police telephone box parked just in the alley between two other stores.)
"Brilliant explosion." Jack whistled, watching the screen eagerly. The Doctor just rolled her eyes at him.
Rose had perked up at seeing herself on screen run past the Tardis, she hadn't paid any attention to it at the time. The rest of the room grinned at seeing the Tardis.
[The Tyler's flat]
(BBC News 24 keeps everyone informed at 20.45.)
TELEVISION: The whole of Central London has been closed off as police investigate the fire. Early reports indicate
(Jackie is on the telephone and Rose is slumped on the settee.)
JACKIE: I know. It's on the telly. It's everywhere. She's lucky to be alive. Honestly, it's aged her. Skin like an old bible. Walking in now you'd think I was her daughter. Oh, and here's himself.
The Doctor laughed at hearing Jackie on the phone, it was just all so typical of her. Rose just groaned embarrassed while Mickey chuckled, he'd missed Jackie.
"Well done, Doctor. You made the news!" Jack nudged her, causing her to nudge him back harder. He just grinned at her.
(Rose's boyfriend, Mickey, enters.)
MICKEY: I've been phoning your mobile. You could've been dead. It's on the news and everything. I can't believe that your shop went up!
ROSE: I'm all right, honestly, I'm fine! Don't make a fuss.
MICKEY: Well, what happened?
ROSE: I don't know!
Mickey snorted. "Oh no, you didn't know anything." The Doctor and Rose just grinned wildly at him. "Glad I've finally seen what happened exactly." The rest of the room were watching the interaction both on and off screen eagerly.
MICKEY: What was it though? What caused it?
ROSE: I wasn't in the shop. I was outside. I didn't see anything.
"Absolutely nothing." Jack teased. Rose just rolled her eyes at him.
JACKIE: It's Debbie on the end. She knows a man on the Mirror. Five hundred quid for an interview.
ROSE: Oh that's brilliant! Give it here.
(Rose takes the phone from Jackie and ends the call.)
That gains laughter from the whole room.
JACKIE: Well, you've got to find some way of making money. Your job's kaput and I'm not bailing you out.
(The telephone rings again. Jackie answers it.)
JACKIE: Bev! She's alive. I've told her, sue for compensation. She was within seconds of death.
"No offense, but your mum is very … eh." Bill trailed off unsure how to end her sentence.
"Bloody dramatic? Crazy? Over the top? Yeah, I know. She's still like that, not even jumping universes changes her." Rose just smiled.
MICKEY: What're you drinking, tea? Nah, nah, that's no good, that's no good. You're in shock. You need something stronger.
ROSE: I'm all right.
MICKEY: Now, come on, you deserve a proper drink. We're going down the pub, you and me. My treat. How about it?
ROSE: Is there a match on?
MICKEY: No, I'm just thinking about you, babe.
ROSE: There's a match on, ain't there.
MICKEY: That's not the point, but we could catch the last five minutes.
The room laughed at that while Mickey ducked his head a bit sheepish. Martha turned to Rose with a smile. "He still does that." That just made Rose laugh even harder.
"Nice to know not everything changes." She grinned back at Martha. Mickey had the sudden fear of the pair teaming up against him.
ROSE: Go on, then. I'm fine, really. Go. Get rid of that.
(Rose has brought the Auton's arm home.
"Wait, you brought the arm home?" Ryan asked incredulous.
Rose nodded. "Didn't realise until I got home. It was not a good idea looking back." That statement was very worrying to most of the room.
They kiss, then Mickey picks up the arm.)
MICKEY: Bye, bye.
ROSE: Bye.
(Mickey pretends to be strangled by the arm, then leaves.)
The Doctor looked up at the screen, realisation hitting her after all these years. "That's why-?" She asked Rose.
Rose nodded while the rest of the room looked on confused.
TELEVISION: Fire then spread throughout the store. Fifteen fire crews are in attendance though it's thought there is very little chance of saving the infrastructure.
"Seriously impressive fire. Where did you get the bomb, Sweetie? Just asking for a friend." The look the Doctor gave River let her know how little she believed that. Jack was grinning on her other side; he'd been having the same thought.
(Whistling, Mickey throws the arm into a rubbish bin, while somewhere nearby a couple are having a blazing row.)
[Rose's bedroom]
(Next morning, Rose's alarm goes off at 7:30 as usual.)
JACKIE [OC]: There's no point in getting up, sweetheart. You've got no job to go to.
"A lie in sounds nice." Nardole sighed. He was mostly ignored as normal.
[The Tyler's flat]
JACKIE: There's Finch's. You could try them. They've always got jobs.
ROSE: Oh, great. The butchers.
JACKIE: Well, it might do you good. That shop was giving you airs and graces. And I'm not joking about compensation. You've had genuine shock and trauma. Arianna got two thousand quid off the council just because the old man behind the desk said she looked Greek! I know she is Greek, but that's not the point. It was a valid claim.
Jackie's comments drew more chuckles from the group while Rose just shook her head at her mother on screen.
(Something rattles at the door.)
ROSE: Mum, you're such a liar. I told you to nail that cat flap down. We're going to get strays.
JACKIE: I did it weeks back!
ROSE: No, you thought about it.
(The screws for the cat flap are on the floor.
"I think you owe your mum an apology." Mickey teased. He was a lot less worried than the rest of the room, as he knew what had actually happened. Rose just stuck her tongue out at him.
Then the flap moves. Rose opens it. It's the Doctor trying to look through. She opens the door.)
"Really, Martian?!" Donna raise her eyebrow. The Doctor just shrugged. She was not getting into another fight about the Martain comment. Donna was never likely to stop.
DOCTOR: What're you doing here?
ROSE: I live here.
DOCTOR: Well, what do you do that for?
"You're an idiot." Clara declared bluntly. The rest of the room was just staring at the Doctor incredulous.
The Doctor smiled. "Yep."
ROSE: Because I do. I'm only at home because someone blew up my job.
DOCTOR: I must have got the wrong signal. You're not plastic, are you? No, bonehead. Bye, then.
"Rude." Amy berated the Doctor but it was ruined by a smile. The rest of the room was also smiling at the very typical Doctor behaviour.
ROSE: You. Inside. Right now.
(Rose pulls the Doctor into the flat.)
JACKIE [OC]: Who is it?
[Jackie's bedroom]
(Jackie is in her bedroom putting on her makeup.)
ROSE: It's about last night. He's part of the inquiry. Give us ten minutes.
"Nice lie." River nodded approvingly.
JACKIE: She deserves compensation.
(The Doctor is in the open doorway.)
DOCTOR: Oh, we're talking millions.
JACKIE: I'm in my dressing gown.
DOCTOR: Yes, you are.
JACKIE: There's a strange man in my bedroom.
DOCTOR: Yes, there is.
JACKIE: Well, anything could happen.
DOCTOR: No.
The room burst out laughing. The Doctor, Mickey and Jack who knew Jackie were laughing especially hard. Rose had buried her head in her hands to hide her red cheeks.
"Did she really try to flirt with you?" Rose groaned, deeply embarrassed. The Doctor just laughed more; it was very funny looking back.
[The Tyler's flat]
ROSE: Don't mind the mess. Do you want a coffee?
DOCTOR: Might as well, thanks. Just milk.
ROSE: We should go to the police. Seriously. Both of us.
(The Doctor looks at the copy of Heat on the coffee table.)
DOCTOR: That won't last, he's gay and she's an alien.
Rose glared at the Doctor. "Were you seriously not paying any attention to me?"
"Sorry." The Doctor offered slightly sheepish, but it was ruined by the smile and insincere tone.
"You get used to it." The Master announced form his corner where most of the room had been ignoring him. They spared a couple of cautious glances at him before turning back to the screen unsure what to say.
ROSE: I'm not blaming you, even if it was just some sort of joke that went wrong.
(The Doctor flicks through a paperback.)
DOCTOR: Hmm. Sad ending.
ROSE: They said on the news they'd found a body.
DOCTOR: Rose Tyler.
(The Doctor sees his reflection in a mirror, and behaves as if he's just regenerated and is just seeing himself for the first time.)
The room looked at their current Doctor. "Did you not know what you looked like?" Martha asked.
The Doctor shook her head, frowning slightly. "No, hadn't had a chance to look. I regenerated and then found the Autons trail almost straight after." That dampened the cheerful mood slightly. It was never a nice reminder that the Doctor had just survived the Time War.
DOCTOR: Ah, could've been worse. Look at the ears.
"Hah! So, you admit it!" Rose pointed out triumphantly, the Doctor just smiled shaking her head fondly.
ROSE: All the same, he was nice. Nice bloke.
(The Doctor tries to shuffle a pack of cards.
DOCTOR: Luck be a lady.
ROSE: Anyway, if we are going to go to the police, I want to know what I'm saying.
(The pack of cards goes flying.)
The room looked at the Doctor with the same expression of 'Really?' She shrugged, turns out she didn't have any talent with cards in that face. Rose just rolled her eyes, seeing the Doctor not pay any attention to her on screen. She'd been far too distracted trying to get answers and here the Doctor was messing about. Typical.
ROSE: I want you to explain everything.
DOCTOR: Maybe not.
(The cat flap rattles.)
The group glance worriedly at the screen, they hadn't quite forgotten the issue of the Autons despite their enjoyment of watching the Doctor and Rose on screen.
DOCTOR: What's that, then? You got a cat?
ROSE: No.
(Unseen by anyone else, the Auton arm grabs the Doctor by the throat)
The exchange between the Doctor and Rose about the arm earlier suddenly made a lot more sense. Rose felt a bit guilty for not noticing or believing the Doctor to begin with but was reassured by the fact she knew what happened. Mickey was very glad the arm hadn't decided to try and do the same to him.
ROSE: We did have, but now they're just strays. They come in off the estate.
(Rose comes in from the kitchen area with two mugs of instant coffee. The Doctor is still being strangled, but she takes no notice.)
The room glanced between Rose and then back to the screen, then back to Rose. She was looking a bit sheepish, offering a small apologetic look to the Doctor who just smiled. She understood. The rest of the group forgo asking questions in favour of finding out what happened.
ROSE: I told Mickey to chuck that out. You're all the same. Give a man a plastic hand. Anyway, I don't even know your name. Doctor, what was it?
"Ah the famous question that she is never going to answer." Clara grinned at hearing the familiar sentiment. They all asked the Doctor's name and they were never going to get an answer. The Doctor just smiled mysteriously in response while both River and the Master looked smug – both of them knew the Doctor's name.
(The Doctor manages to throw the arm off. It stops in mid air and grabs Rose's face instead. The Doctor pulls at it, pulling Rose down on top of him as they fall onto the coffee table and smash it. Jackie is using her hairdryer and hears nothing. The Doctor finally gets it off Rose with his sonic screwdriver, then jabs the device into its palm. The fingers stop flexing.)
"Is it a Tyler family thing to not notice trouble?" The Doctor teased Rose at seeing her mother oblivious to them fighting with the arm.
"You can't say anything Misses." Rose countered.
DOCTOR: It's all right, I've stopped it. There you go, you see? Armless.
ROSE: Do you think?
(Rose hits him with it.)
DOCTOR: Ow!
"Nice one Rose." River grinned. The rest of the group was laughing at the interaction while the Doctor pouted slightly in her seat.
[Staircase]
ROSE: Hold on a minute. You can't just go swanning off.
DOCTOR: Yes I can. Here I am. This is me, swanning off. See you.
"Honestly Doctor. Stop confusing her and actually try answering some questions for once in your life." Amy complained.
The Doctor tilted her head to the side as if she was weighing the merits of that suggestion. "Let's see … Nah."
ROSE: But that arm was moving. It tried to kill me.
DOCTOR: Ten out of ten for observation.
ROSE: You can't just walk away. That's not fair. You've got to tell me what's going on.
DOCTOR: No, I don't.
"This is seriously how you two met?" Bill asked disbelieving.
The two shared a glace. "Yep. Like I said I wasn't in a very good mindset and I was not looking for someone to travel with me. I just wanted to deal with the Autons and move onto the next patch of danger." The Doctor explained.
She definitely hadn't been looking for a companion but Rose had changed his mind, and he was glad for that. She smiled at Rose – a mix of a thank you and apology for her attitude. Rose just smiled back, understanding clear in her gaze.
[Outside the block of flats]
ROSE: All right, then. I'll go to the police. I'll tell everyone. You said, if I did that, I'd get people killed. So, your choice. Tell me, or I'll start talking.
DOCTOR: Is that supposed to sound tough?
ROSE: Sort of.
DOCTOR: Doesn't work.
"I don't think the police would believe you." Clara pointed out.
Mickey frowned. "They wouldn't." Rose and the Doctor winced at the reminder of how much time they had missed and the trouble it had caused Mickey. Rose mouthed an apology to him and he just smiled back, he'd forgiven them a while ago.
ROSE: Who are you?
DOCTOR: Told you. The Doctor.
ROSE: Yeah, but Doctor what?
DOCTOR: Just the Doctor.
ROSE: The Doctor.
DOCTOR: Hello!
"You realise you weren't actually answering my questions?" Rose said.
"Yes, I was." The Doctor argued.
"Not to normal people's standards." Rose countered. The Doctor held up her hands in mock surrender, smiling.
ROSE: Is that supposed to sound impressive?
DOCTOR: Sort of.
The Doctor crinkled her eyebrows at that. It wasn't supposed to be impressive it was just who she was. At the time she really hadn't wanted to try and explain the full story or anything really.
ROSE: Come on, then. You can tell me. I've seen enough. Are you the police?
"You thought he was police?" Yaz asked disbelieving.
Rose shrugged. "Again, wasn't exactly going to go straight to the alien thing. He had a bomb and was investigating stuff I just figured he was with law enforcement. Didn't really know what to think."
DOCTOR: No, I was just passing through. I'm a long way from home.
ROSE: But what have I done wrong? How comes those plastic things keep coming after me?
DOCTOR: Oh, suddenly the entire world revolves around you. You were just an accident. You got in the way, that's all.
"Rude, Spaceman." Donna berated. The Doctor just offered another apologetic smile at Rose who smiled back. It was very weird seeing everything from this point of view.
ROSE: It tried to kill me.
DOCTOR: It was after me, not you. Last night, in the shop, I was there, you blundered in, almost ruined the whole thing. This morning, I was tracking it down, it was tracking me down. The only reason it fixed on you is 'cos you've met me.
"What did you do to make the plastic angry at you?" Amy asked.
"The Autons." The Doctor corrected. "I don't know, probably blowing it up didn't help. Plus, it may have remembered the last time I stopped the Autons."
She risked a quick glance at the Master, the last time she'd thought the Autons on Earth he'd been there as well causing chaos as normal. Those were fonder memories of their encounters before everything really spiralled out of control.
ROSE: So what you're saying is, the entire world revolves around you.
DOCTOR: Sort of, yeah.
ROSE: You're full of it.
DOCTOR: Sort of, yeah.
"At least you admit it." Martha sighed. The rest of the room was chuckling slightly.
ROSE: But, all this plastic stuff. Who else knows about it?
DOCTOR: No one.
ROSE: What, you're on your own?
DOCTOR: Well, who else is there? I mean, you lot, all you do is eat chips, go to bed, and watch telly, while all the time, underneath you, there's a war going on.
"That is absolutely not everything we do." Bill pointed out.
River turned to the Doctor; concern evident on her face. "You do better when you travel with someone."
The Doctor sighed, understanding her wife's concern but not enjoying it. "Like I said, bad mindset. Travelling with someone would have reminded me that I was the Doctor and I wasn't ready to be the Doctor again and forget everything that had happened. I couldn't bear the thought of losing anyone." She explained quietly so only those close by could hear. The rest of the room was trying their best to give the couple some privacy to varying degrees of success.
That made River frown more so she squeezed her hand and continued talking with some false cheer injected into her voice. "It doesn't matter anyway. Rose didn't give me the chance to spiral. I did travel with someone." River didn't look very convinced but let it go for the moment.
ROSE: Okay. Start from the beginning. I mean, if we're going to go with the living plastic, and I don't even believe that, but if we do, how did you kill it?
DOCTOR: The thing controlling it projects life into the arm. I cut off the signal, dead.
ROSE: So that's radio control?
DOCTOR: Thought control. Are you all right?
"So now you're concerned if she's alright?" Clara asked not unkindly.
"She was taking everything very calmly at that point." The Doctor shrugged.
ROSE: Yeah. So, who's controlling it, then?
DOCTOR: Long story.
ROSE: But what's it all for? I mean, shop window dummies, what's that about? Is someone trying to take over Britain's shops?
DOCTOR: No.
ROSE: No.
DOCTOR: It's not a price war. They want to overthrow the human race and destroy you. Do you believe me?
"Don't they always." Rory complained. His statement drew nods of agreement from the rest of the room.
"Why do they always attack the Earth?" Yaz asked the Doctor.
"No idea, maybe they just like Earth." The Doctor suggested, not particularly serious.
ROSE: No.
DOCTOR: But you're still listening.
ROSE: Really, though, Doctor. Tell me, who are you?
"I don't think you're going to get a straight answer." Ryan muttered. The Doctor never really gave straight answers, especially when it was regarding who she was.
DOCTOR: Do you know like we were saying about the Earth revolving? It's like when you were a kid. The first time they tell you the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it because everything looks like it's standing still. I can feel it. The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour, and the entire planet is hurtling round the sun at sixty seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go. That's who I am. Now, forget me, Rose Tyler. Go home.
The room turned to look at the Doctor, a mix of awe and disbelief clear on their faces. It was Rose who finally voiced their thoughts. "Did you really expect me to just forget you after that speech?"
The Doctor shifted in her seat unsure how to answer. "I was hopeful at the time but I'm glad you didn't." That gained her a soft smile from Rose.
Bill smiled as well. "Nice to see you've always been good at speeches." That made the Doctor smile wider, glad for the slight change in topic direction. The rest of the group nodded their agreement, if there was one thing the Doctor was good at (bar running, finding trouble and coming up with weird answers to problems) it was speeches.
(The Doctor walks off towards the Tardis with the arm. Rose walks off towards another block of flats when there is a rush of air and a strange noise. She turns and runs back, and the Tardis has gone.)
[Mickey's flat]
MICKEY: Hey, hey, here's my woman. Kit off!
ROSE: Shut up.
(They kiss.)
Martha glanced away from the screen upon seeing the pair kiss. She wasn't jealous or anything it was just a bit awkward seeing your husband kiss his ex-girlfriend, even if it was just on a video from years ago. Mickey squeezed her hand in reassurance of his presence, he was finding it very weird himself – seeing himself on screen like that.
MICKEY: Coffee?
ROSE: Yeah, only if you wash the mug. And I don't mean rinse, I mean wash. Can I use your computer?
MICKEY: Yeah. Any excuse to get in the bedroom. Don't read my emails!
The room turned to Mickey with mischief clear in their eyes. Martha was smirking next to him. "So Mr, what did you not want her to see in your emails?"
"Nothing! I swear." Mickey answered far too quickly. He got many side-eyes and dubious disbelieving looks as the group reluctantly turned back to the screen. Mickey let out a sigh of relief before shooting his giggling wife a small glare which swiftly morphed into a smile at seeing her in such a good mood.
(Rose uses to hunt for Doctor, 17,700,000 results. Doctor Living Plastic 55,300 results. Doctor Blue Box 493 results. The top one says - Doctor Who? ...do you know this man contact Clive here. She clicks on the site and there is a fuzzy picture of the Doctor.)
"The computer is old." Ryan declared. Yaz and Bill, the other youngest people in the group nodded along.
"It's not that bad. I remember those days." Graham protested, but he did have to admit that computers were much better these days.
The Doctor was distracted looking at Rose incredulous. "Did you actually google me?"
Rose just grinned. "Well, it wasn't called googling back then but yeah. What did you expect me to do?"
"Not that!" The Doctor exclaimed.
Jack was laughing happily next to her. "Already internet famous Doctor and you've only just regenerated." The Doctor just sighed.
[Clive's street]
(Mickey drives Rose there in his yellow VW beetle.)
ROSE: You're not coming in. He's safe. He's got a wife and kids.
MICKEY: Yeah, who told you that? He did. That's exactly what an internet lunatic murderer would say.
The room started laughing at Mickey's determined declaration. Rose finally took pity on him, "Thank you for being worried for me Mickey." He just sighed, but smiled at her. He'd been worried about her after the explosion and hearing about this mysterious man. Things made more sense seeing it like that but still he'd had a right to worry.
(One of Clive's neighbours puts out his black wheelie bin and gives Mickey a nasty look. Rose knocks on a door across the street. A boy opens it.)
ROSE: Hello, I've come to see Clive? We've been emailing.
BOY: Dad! It's one of your nutters!
The room burst out laughing at that. Even Rose and Mickey were grinning, it was definitely funnier looking back like this.
"See even the kids know you're a nutter, Doctor." Jack teased, grinning lazily.
"Oi! The kid was talking about his dad not me!" The Doctor protested. She was drowned out by the group's laughter.
(A couch potato comes to the door.)
CLIVE: Oh, sorry. Hello. You must be Rose. I'm Clive, obviously.
ROSE: I'd better tell you now. My boyfriend's waiting in the car, just in case you're going to kill me.
"At least you made him aware." Mickey sighed. Martha just chuckled.
CLIVE: No, good point. No murders.
(Clive waves at Mickey.)
"He seems nice." Rory said.
Rose nodded. "From what I remember he was. Maybe a bit crazy and obsessed but nice enough."
CAROLINE [OC]: Who is it?
CLIVE: Oh, it's something to do with the Doctor. She's been reading the website. Please, come through. I'm in the shed.
CAROLINE: She? She's read a website about the Doctor? She's a she?
That made the room laugh again. "Loving her disbelief." Amy chuckled.
[Clive's shed]
CLIVE: A lot of this stuff's quite sensitive. I couldn't just send it to you. People might intercept it, if you know what I mean. If you dig deep enough and keep a lively mind, this Doctor keeps cropping up all over the place. Political diaries, conspirisy theories, even ghost stories. No first name, no last name, just the Doctor. Always The Doctor. And the title seems to have been passed down from father to son. It appears to be an inheritance. That's your Doctor there, isn't it?
"You're right, he's crazy and obsessed." Donna nodded.
ROSE: Yeah.
CLIVE: I tracked it down to the Washington public archive just last year. The online photo's enhanced, but if we look at the original
(The original is a picture of Kennedy's cortege going through Dallas. The Doctor is just one face in the crowd.)
CLIVE: November the 22nd, 1963. The assassination of President Kennedy. You see?
"What were you doing there? When did you go?" Rose asked. Those questions had always bugged her but she'd never actually gotten around to asking.
"Just ended up there like I normally do. Mild alien invasion, nothing to worry about really, all dealt with. As for when – remember how I left and came back before you agreed to travel." The Doctor smiled.
"But you were only gone for a second!"
"Time Machine." The Doctor sang proudly. The rest of the group watched on confused.
ROSE: It must be his father.
"Nope." Rose just rolled her eyes at that.
CLIVE: Going further back. April 1912. This is a photo of the Daniels family of Southampton, and friend. This was taken the day before they were due to sail off for the New World on the Titanic, and for some unknown reason, they cancelled the trip and survived.
"What happened to not interfering in history, sweetie?" River asked pointedly.
The Doctor grinned. "They were friends and helped me out with a little problem so I figure I'd do them a favour." River just shook her head in fond exasperation. "Besides you really can't say anything River. You're worse than I am."
And here we are. 1883. Another Doctor. (a sketch) And look, the same lineage. It's identical. This one washed up on the coast of Sumatra on the very day Krakatoa exploded. The Doctor is a legend woven throughout history. When disaster comes, he's there. He brings the storm in his wake and he has one constant companion.
ROSE: Who's that?
CLIVE: Death.
The Doctor flinched at that, face automatically going blank which didn't go unnoticed by the group. They immediately burst out into loud complaints, distracting the Doctor from her downward spiral of thoughts. She smiled thankfully at the group.
(Out in the street, the wheelie bin moves closer to Mickey's car.)
"Did that bin just move?" Graham asked worriedly. Mickey grimaced but nodded. He wasn't looking forward to this.
CLIVE: If the Doctor's back, if you've seen him, Rose, then one thing's for certain. We're all in danger.
"No, it means there is danger but the Doctor is going to sort it out." Rose declared defensively; arms crossed.
[Clive's Street]
(Mickey watches the bin move and gets out of his car. He goes to the bin and lifts up the lid.)
MICKEY: Come on, then.
"That's a bad idea." Clara muttered. Mickey just groaned; it had definitely been a stupid decision but like Rose he hadn't really expected aliens to be causing trouble.
[Clive's shed]
CLIVE: If he's singled you out, if the Doctor's making house calls, then God help you.
(Mickey shuts the bin lid and finds he is stuck to the plastic. It stretches as he pulls at it, then the bin growls, flexes, snaps and finally whips Mickey inside itself. Burp.)
"The hell?" Bill exclaimed, expressing the thoughts of most of the room. Martha turned worriedly to her husband who offered a reassuring smile.
ROSE: But who is he? Who do you think he is?
CLIVE: I think he's the same man. I think he's immortal. I think he's an alien from another world.
"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner." The Master declared, waving a hand from his corner in a false uncaring attitude. She shot a glare at him before turning back to the screen, decisively ignoring him.
"Well, he's not wrong." Nardole muttered.
[Clive's street]
(Rose returns to the car. Mickey is sitting behind the steering wheel.)
ROSE: All right, he's a nutter. Off his head. Complete online conspiracy freak. You win! What are we going to do tonight? I fancy a pizza.
(But this Mickey is obviously plastic.)
MICKEY: Pizza! P-p-p-pizza!
ROSE: Or Chinese.
MICKEY: Pizza!
(Plastic Mickey weaves off down the road.)
The room was mixed between laughing and weird disbelief at the Plastic Mickey.
"Did you really not notice that wasn't me?" Mikey asked a bit hurt.
"I'm so sorry Mickey. I was so focussed on the whole mess with the Doctor and just wasn't paying any attention. That's my fault and I'm sorry." Rose tried to explain, offering a sincere apology, something she should have done a while ago if she was being honest with herself.
"Thanks Rose, I really appreciate that. And for the record I get it. Seeing the video, I get why you were so obsessed better now." Mickey smiled softly at Rose who smiled back. There was a reason they had been friends, they'd grown up together but so much had happened between them, plus getting stuck in separate dimensions didn't help. Maybe this would give them a chance to get back to how they were before everything, back to being good friends.
[Pizza restaurant]
(Rose is still oblivious to the fact that Mickey has shiny skin and a fixed grin on his face.)
ROSE: Do you think I should try the hospital? Suki said they had ajobs going in the canteen. Is that it then, dishing out chips. I could do A Levels. I don't know. It's all Jimmy Stone's fault. I only left school because of him. Look where he ended up. What do you think?
MICKEY: So, where did you meet this Doctor?
ROSE: I'm sorry, wasn't I talking about me for a second?
"This is so embarrassing. God, I'm sorry Mickey." Rose groaned while the rest of the room was stuck between chuckling and disbelief. Mickey just grinned.
MICKEY: Because I reckon it started back at the shop, am I right? Was he something to do with that?
ROSE: No.
MICKEY: Come on.
ROSE: Sort of.
MICKEY: What was he doing there?
"The plastic was really focussed on you, Doctor." Bill nodded.
"Autons, Bill. Autons not plastic." Everyone ignored her.
ROSE: I'm not going on about it, Mickey. Really, I'm not, because, I know it sounds daft, but I don't think it's safe. I think he's dangerous.
MICKEY: But you can trust me, sweetheart. Babe, (deep) sugar, babe, sugar. You can tell me anything. Tell me about the Doctor and what he's planning, and I can help you, Rose. Because that's all I really want to do, sweetheart, babe, babe, sugar, sweetheart.
"That's more than a little freaky." Martha said with a disgusted look on her face, Rose chuckled but nodded in agreement. Mickey shook his head at the pair of them but privately agreed, it was incredibly freaky to see.
ROSE: What're you doing that for?
WAITER: Your champagne.
MICKEY: We didn't order any champagne. Where's the Doctor?
WAITER: Madam, your champagne.
ROSE: It's not ours. Mickey, what is it? What's wrong?
MICKEY: I need to find out how much you know, so where is he?
WAITER: Doesn't anybody want this champagne?
MICKEY: Look, we didn't order it.
(Plastic Mickey finally looks up to see that the waiter is the Doctor.)
"And there you are. Right on time." Jack grinned, happy to see the Doctor come to Rose's rescue. The rest of the group was grinning too.
MICKEY: Ah. Gotcha.
(The Doctor starts shaking the bottle vigorously.)
DOCTOR: Don't mind me. I'm just toasting the happy couple. On the house!
(The Doctor releases the cage around the cork and it flies into Plastic Mickey's forehead. After a few moments, he spits it out.)
"That's disturbing." Clara made a face that showed exactly what she was thinking. The rest of the group seemed to agree based on their expressions. It made the Doctor laugh, their weird contortion of faces.
MICKEY: Anyway.
(Plastic Mickey gets up and turns his hand into a chopper. Rose flees, screaming, as Mickey wrecks the table. The Doctor grabs the Auton and pull off its head. The rest of the customers scream.)
"Was your answer to that seriously to just pull his head off?" Jack asked, shaking his head at the Doctor who just grinned unrepentant.
"It worked."
MICKEY: Don't think that's going to stop me.
(The body gets up and starts flailing around. Rose sets off the fire alarm.)
"Because things couldn't get more disturbing." Bill grimaced.
"Good idea with the fire alarm." Martha smile at Rose who grinned back.
ROSE: Everyone out! Out now! Get out! Get out! Get out!
(Rose and the Doctor run through the kitchens carrying the head, while the body wrecks the restaurant before following them to the back exit.)
"Why are you taking the head with you?" Yaz asked.
"Just watch."
[Outside the restaurant]
(The Doctor seals the exit shut while Rose runs down the alley, past the Tardis. The end is secured by padlocked gates.)
ROSE: Open the gate! Use that tube thing. Come on!
DOCTOR: Sonic screwdriver.
ROSE: Use it!
"'Tube thing', that's brilliant." Amy cackled.
DOCTOR: Nah. Tell you what, let's go in here.
(The Doctor unlocks the Tardis and goes inside while the Auton hammers on the metal door, making large dents.)
ROSE: You can't hide inside a wooden box. It's going to get us! Doctor!
Rose just groaned, shooting a vague glare at the Doctor. "You could have just told me." The rest of the room was chuckling at the screen.
"Nah, more fun this way." The Doctor grinned, Rose just glared more, not really meaning it though.
(Rose tries the gate again then runs inside the Tardis. She stops, takes one look and runs outside again. A siren is wailing in the distance. She runs around the Tardis then when the Auton finally smashes through the metal door, she makes up her mind.)
Rose's reaction to seeing the Tardis for the first time made the whole room laugh (and the Master mutter some unkind comment about primitive species but he was ignored). Even Rose chuckled at seeing her first reaction, it was definitely entertaining to watch.
"See told you. Very entertaining." The Doctor grinned.
[Tardis]
ROSE: It's going to follow us!
DOCTOR: The assembled hordes of Genghis Khan couldn't get through that door, and believe me, they've tried. Now, shut up a minute.
"You really need to stop encouraging people to try and attack the Tardis, Sweetie." River scolded the Doctor.
"You really can't say anything River." The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "If anything, you're worse than me. Do I need to bring up Hydroflax again?"
"Once again, Sweetie. I married the diamond." River argued, but her grin revealed she wasn't particularly annoyed. The Doctor just rolled her eyes, but still smiled at her wife.
(There has been another redesign. It is still mostly open plan, but the time console is more central and the walls are slightly curved. What were once roundels are now brass coloured hexagons. Don't like it.)
The group gaped at the old Tardis, doing what they always did when they saw a new version of the Tardis – comparing it to their own. Jack and Rose were grinning, happy to see their original Tardis and original Doctor. They had so many fond memories of both, it was nice to see them again even just on screen.
DOCTOR: You see, the arm was too simple, but the head's perfect. I can use it to trace the signal back to the original source. Right. Where do you want to start?
"Glad you've finally explained that." Rory muttered. A few others nodded along, happy for one question to be answered at least.
ROSE: Er, the inside's bigger than the outside?
DOCTOR: Yes.
ROSE: It's alien.
DOCTOR: Yeah.
ROSE: Are you alien?
DOCTOR: Yes. Is that all right?
ROSE: Yeah.
"Love how calm you are about this." Yaz smiled.
"Thanks, you weren't too bad yourself." Rose smiled back.
DOCTOR: It's called the Tardis, this thing. S. That's Time And Relative Dimension In Space.
(Rose bursts into tears.)
The room whipped around to face Rose who blinked. She'd kinda forgotten she's broken out into tears.
"Are you okay Cockle?" Graham asked, all grandfatherly concerned.
"Yeah, I'd forgotten about that. Everything just caught up with me and I was worried about Mickey but I'm good now. Thanks for the concern though." Rose answered, biting her lip.
"Just as long as you're alright now, love."
DOCTOR: That's okay. Culture shock. Happens to the best of us.
ROSE: Did they kill him? Mickey? Did they kill Mickey? Is he dead?
Mickey smiled softly at Rose, glad to see despite all the drama she was genuinely worried about him. She offered a smile back.
DOCTOR: Oh. I didn't think of that.
"Doctor!" Was shouted by several people across the room. She held out her hands in mock surrender.
"Sorry! To be fair, I hadn't actually met him and was focused on the Autons trying to invade Earth." The Doctor tried to protest; the room just shook their heads at her before focusing back on the screen.
ROSE: He's my boyfriend. You pulled off his head. They copied him and you didn't even think? And now you're just going to let him melt?
DOCTOR: Melt?
(The plastic head is melting on the console, where it is attached by cables.)
"I was wrong, things can get more disturbing." Bill grimaced again, while the room watched in horrified fascination as Plastic Mickey melted.
DOCTOR: Oh, no, no, no, no, no!
(The Doctor sets the Tardis in motion.)
ROSE: What're you doing?
DOCTOR: Following the signal. It's fading. Wait a minute, I've got it. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Almost there. Almost there. Here we go!
(The Tardis lands and the Doctor runs for the door.)
ROSE: You can't go out there. It's not safe.
The room looked confused before realisation slowly set in. "Right, he didn't actually explain what the Tardis can do." Martha said, shaking her head again at the Doctor who just grinned sheepishly.
Jack grinned, "You're about to get a surprise."
[Westminster]
(Nighttime on the north back of the Thames next to the RAF monument.)
DOCTOR: I lost the signal, I got so close.
ROSE: We've moved. Does it fly?
DOCTOR: Disappears there and reappears here. You wouldn't understand.
The group rolled their eyes at the Doctor, he was so focused on the Autons and not paying any attention to Rose's questions. Rose just shook her head, he was always insulting other species, and honestly it was true. Only River, the Master and the Doctor had any clue how to fly the Tardis. Well Jack knew some stuff, more than most at least.
ROSE: If we're somewhere else, what about that headless thing? It's still on the loose.
DOCTOR: It melted with the head. Are you going to witter on all night?
"Honestly, Spaceman. Be nice, it's not like you're actually explaining anything." Donna complained, gaining a sheepish look from the Doctor. It seemed she'd always been a bit rude and socially awkward, that didn't appear to change between bodies.
ROSE: I'll have to tell his mother. Mickey. I'll have to tell his mother he's dead, and you just went and forgot him, again! You were right, you are alien.
DOCTOR: Look, if I did forget some kid called Mickey
ROSE: Yeah, he's not a kid.
"Sorry Rose." The Doctor sighed; she'd definitely been more than a bit rude. "And Mickey." She added quickly.
"I'm still a bit mad about Mickey, but I was wrong. We were both definitely both still kids, it makes me feel old just to say that." Rose sighed, it was weird seeing herself complain about not being a kid (well, Mickey not being a kid but still) especially now she was older and had seen so much more than she had ever thought she would.
"Everyone seems like a kid to me sometimes. But I still should have been a bit nicer seeing as I dragged you into it all." The Doctor said. She glanced at Bill who was offering a small smile to let her know she was thinking exactly what she was. Their time in Scotland looking for the Lost Legion had shown that card – almost everyone was a kid to an ancient time travelling alien.
DOCTOR: It's because I'm trying to save the life of every stupid ape blundering on top of this planet, all right?
ROSE: All right.
DOCTOR: Yes, it is!
"Oi, we're not apes!" Donna complained.
"Yes, you are." The Doctor and Master countered in sync before realising they had done so and turned to glare at each other. They turned quickly away, back to the screen instead.
ROSE: If you are an alien, how comes you sound like you're from the North?
DOCTOR: Lots of planets have a north.
"You sound like you are from the North again this face. It's nice." Rose realised, grinning. She'd loved her first Doctor's accent (not that she didn't like her second Doctor's accent but there was just something comforting about her first Doctor's northern drawl).
The Doctor grinned. "Regeneration lottery."
ROSE: What's a police public call box?
DOCTOR: It's a telephone box from the 1950s. It's a disguise.
"Not a very good one." Amy snorted.
"I like it and so does the Tardis." The Doctor pouted.
ROSE: Okay. And this, this living plastic. What's it got against us?
DOCTOR: Nothing. It loves you. You've got such a good planet. Lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air, perfect. Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs. It's food stock was destroyed in the war, all its protein plants rotted, so Earth, dinner!
"That's not reassuring in anyway, you realise that right?" Clara asked, looking like she was already resigned to the answer. The Doctor just shrugged; it hadn't been meant as a reassurance just a fact.
Graham, Ryan and Yaz shared a glance. "This anything like that Praxeus stuff, Doc?" Graham finally asked.
"Completely unrelated, don't worry Graham. Well, apart from the loving plastic thing but both have been dealt with anyway." The Doctor tried to reassure her current companions who looked unnerved by the reminder of Praxeus.
"Praxeus?" Martha asked concerned.
"Trust us, you don't want to know." Ryan declared which seemed like enough of an answer for the rest of the group who turned back to the screen.
ROSE: Any way of stopping it?
(The Doctor holds up a tube of blue liquid.)
DOCTOR: Anti-plastic.
ROSE: Anti-plastic.
"Anti-Plastic? Really?" Rory asked in disbelief.
"Yep!" The Doctor answered cheerfully, very proud of herself (even though it hadn't quite worked according to plan).
DOCTOR: Anti-plastic. But first I've got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?
ROSE: Hold on. Hide what?
DOCTOR: The transmitter. The Consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic, so it needs a transmitter to boost the signal.
ROSE: What's it look like?
DOCTOR: Like a transmitter. Round and massive, slap bang in the middle of London.
DOCTOR: A huge circular metal structure like a dish, like a wheel. Radial. Close to where we're standing. Must be completely invisible. What? What?
The group started chuckling at the Doctor's complete obliviousness. Jack started nudging the Doctor teasingly as he laughed while the Doctor just smiled, unable to hide her red cheeks.
(The Doctor turns and looks at what Rose is staring at on the south bank but the penny doesn't drop.)
DOCTOR: What? What is it? What?
(He finally catches on to what Rose is looking at. It's call the London Eye, it's on the south bank of the Thames and it is the biggest Wheel in the world - so far.)
DOCTOR: Oh. Fantastic!
"Fantastic? Is that what you said in that face?" Amy asked, still grinning at her obliviousness. At seeing the Doctor's answering nod, she continued. "Better than Geronimo."
"Or Allons-y." Martha added. The Doctor just pouted at all the teasing; she knew her companions getting together would just lead to her embarrassment.
[South bank]
(The Doctor and Rose run across Westminster Bridge.)
DOCTOR: Think of it, plastic all over the world, every artificial thing waiting to come alive. The shop window dummies, the phones, the wires, the cables
ROSE: The breast implants.
"Is that really what you thought of first?" Mickey laughed, while Rose just shrugged blushing a bit.
"Love your thinking, Rosie." Jack laughed happily, clapping his hands.
"Don't call me Rosie, Jack."
"Sure thing, Rosie."
DOCTOR: Still, we've found the transmitter. The Consciousness must be somewhere underneath.
ROSE: What about down here?
(Rose looks over the parapet and sees a large manhole entrance at the bottom of some steps.)
DOCTOR: Looks good to me.
(They run down and the Doctor opens up the hatch. There is red light inside.)
"Of course, you're going underground, things can never be nice to us." Rory complained.
Donna had glanced at the Doctor, remembering her own experience underneath the Thames. The Doctor noticed her glances and seemed to connect her thinking after a minute. She shot Donna a questioning glance which Donna just replied with a (slightly) shaky smile. That Christmas Day under the Thames had certainly left an impression in so many ways.
[Nestene chamber]
(They climb down a short ladder into a brick-built area with lots of chains. From there they go through a door and down a flight of steps into a multi-level chamber.)
DOCTOR: The Nestene Consciousness. That's it, inside the vat. A living plastic creature.
ROSE: Well, then. Tip in your anti-plastic and let's go.
DOCTOR: I'm not here to kill it. I've got to give it a chance.
"Sweetie-."
"No River."
"Not everything wants a chance Doctor. Not everything deserves a chance." River continued, ignoring her wife.
"I've got to try River. Especially back then, after what I thought I'd done. After what I had done. I have to try." The Doctor said softly, earning a sad but understanding look from her wife. They could have that argument another time.
(He goes down to a catwalk overlooking the seething vat.)
DOCTOR: I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract according to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation.
"You're referencing the Shadow Proclamation. I'm pretty sure you break it every week." Jack laughed. The Doctor just grinned and shrugged.
(The stuff in the vat flexes.)
DOCTOR: Thank you. If I might have permission to approach?
"You can understand it?" Bill asked confused.
"I speak a lot of language. You pick them up when you travel as long as I do." The Doctor grinned. It had definitely come in handy a lot through her travels.
(Rose spots someone on a lower level and runs down.)
ROSE: Oh, God! Mickey, it's me! It's okay. It's all right.
MICKEY: That thing down there, the liquid. Rose, it can talk!
"Glad to see you're alright and not plastic." Martha smiled at her husband.
He grinned back. "So am I."
ROSE: You're stinking. Doctor, they kept him alive.
DOCTOR: Yeah, that was always a possibility. Keep him alive to maintain the copy.
ROSE: You knew that and you never said?
DOCTOR: Can we keep the domestics outside, thank you?
"Doctor!"
(The Doctor continues downwards.)
DOCTOR: Am I addressing the Consciousness? Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilisation by means of warp shunt technology. So, may I suggest, with the greatest respect, that you shunt off?
"Ah, my favourite kind of diplomacy." Jack grinned, hand to his heart while the Doctor just rolled her eyes at him.
(A sort of face forms in the vat of plastic.)
DOCTOR: Oh, don't give me that. It's an invasion, plain and simple. Don't talk about constitutional rights. I am talking! This planet is just starting. These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk, but they're capable of so much more. I'm asking you on their behalf. Please, just go.
ROSE: Doctor!
(A pair of shop dummies grab the Doctor. One takes the vial of anti-plastic from his pocket.)
"And as usual your attempts at diplomacy doesn't work and the alien is going to continue their plans of world domination." Amy declared with an exasperated sigh.
DOCTOR: That was just insurance. I wasn't going to use it. I was not attacking you. I'm here to help. I'm not your enemy. I swear, I'm not. What do you mean?
(A door slides back to reveal the Tardis.)
DOCTOR: No. Oh, no. Honestly, no. Yes, that's my ship. That's not true. I should know, I was there. I fought in the war. It wasn't my fault. I couldn't save your world! I couldn't save any of them!
The Doctor flinched at the reminder of the Time War, which didn't go unnoticed by anyone. River pulled her wide closer to her, squeezing her hand to help ground her back in the present. The Doctor offered her a shaky thankful smile, it had been a bad time back then but Rose, and then Jack and the rest of her companions had helped.
ROSE: What's it doing?!
DOCTOR: It's the Tardis! The Nestene's identified its superior technology. It's terrified. It's going to the final phase. It's starting the invasion! Get out, Rose! Just leg it now!
"That's not good."
(As the plastic in the vat keeps roaring, Rose phones her mother.)
ROSE: Mum?
Martha grimaced. "You're trying to warn your mum." It was a statement not a question but Rose nodded anyway, glad someone understood.
[Outside a police station]
JACKIE: Oh, there you are. I was just going to phone. You can get compensation. I said so. I've got this document thing off the police. Don't thank me.
[Nestene chamber]
ROSE: Where are you, mum?
[Outside Queens Arcade]
JACKIE: I'm in town.
[Nestene chamber]
ROSE: No, go home! Just go home right now!
"I don't think she's going to believe you if you tried to explain." Clara pointed out.
Rose just shrugged. "I had to try and warn her at least."
"No, I get that." Clara acquiesced.
[Outside Queens Arcade]
JACKIE: Darling, you're breaking up. Listen, I'm just going to do a bit of late night shopping. I'll see you later. Ta-ra!
[Nestene chamber]
ROSE: Mum! Mum!
(Jackie goes into Queens Arcade, which contains the Underground station entrance.
The Consciousness starts throwing energy bolts around.)
DOCTOR: It's the activation signal. It's transmitting!
(The Eye lights up with energy.)
ROSE: It's the end of the world.
"Bit dramatic." The Doctor smiled.
"Yeah, was a bit premature on that one. The world has almost ended several times since then." Rose grinned.
"And before then. Yet you're all still here spinning away happily on this planet." The Doctor chuckled.
[Queens Arcade]
CLIVE: There's no point creating a spreadsheet if you're going to spend summer money in winter months.
(A shop dummy moves.)
CAROLINE: Oh, my God! I thought they were dummies. I nearly had a heart-attack.
(Everyone stops to watch the show in all the store windows until one dummy smashes the glass and comes out. Jackie is coming down the escalator.)
CLIVE: It's true. Everything I read, all the stories. It's all true.
(An Auton's fingers drop and it shoots Clive.)
The room paused, looking down for a moment of silence for Clive. Rose was frowning, she'd never known that Clive had been killed by the Autons.
[Nestene chamber]
(The plastic in the vat is getting extremely agitated.)
DOCTOR: Get out, Rose! Just get out! Run!
ROSE: The stairs have gone.
"Fair point against the running plan." Yaz nodded, she was a bit nervous about the trouble the group were in onscreen but they seemed very blasé about the whole thing and were here safe so clearly, they had escaped unharmed.
(The Autons try to push the Doctor into the vat. Rose and Mickey run to the Tardis.)
ROSE: I haven't got the key!
MICKEY: We're going to die!
Mickey groaned, hiding his face in his hands. He'd been very young, looking back, and had matured a lot since then. His start with the Doctor may have been very rough but it had given him opportunities he probably never would have had otherwise. His experiences had helped him grow more confident, plus it had given him a job he enjoyed and a wife he loved.
(Rose looks around for other possibilities.
Back at the shopping centre, Autons start coming down the escalator, shooting at anyone. Jackie finally screams, throws away her plastic bag and runs. But outside the Arcade is just as dangerous. The Autons shoot a passing taxi driver. She hides behind the crashed vehicle, then three brides smash their way out of the shop behind her.)
The group watched worriedly at all the chaos unfolding but as Mickey, Rose and the Doctor seemed mostly unconcerned they assumed everything had gone mostly okay.
DOCTOR: No!
NESTENE: Time Lord.
(Rose stands up and looks at the Doctor, then runs round the chamber.)
MICKEY: Just leave him! There's nothing you can do!
"Oh, thanks Mickey." The Doctor said, teasing clear in her voice.
"No worries. Always glad to help." Mickey answered back, voice soaked in sarcasm. They had long since gotten over their troubles from back then. The pair shared a grin while Rose sighed, rolling her eyes at their antics.
ROSE: I've got no A Levels, no job, no future.
(She grabs an axe as the three brides prepare to shoot Jackie.)
ROSE: But I tell you what I have got. Jericho Street Junior School under 7s gymnastic team. I've got the bronze!
The room let out a cheer, happy to see Rose save the day while the boys were occupied. Rose grinned, proud of herself. It was weird to compare her situation now to her situation back then – everything had changed so much, but she loved her life and didn't regret her decision to travel with the Doctor.
(Rose chops through the rope holding a very long chain to the wall and takes firm hold. She runs and swings out along the side of the catwalk, kicking the two Autons into the vat. The second one also drops the vial of anti-plastic into it. The golden Nestene screams as it starts to turn blue.)
The group grinned, happy to see the Autons dealt with so easily (comparatively to normal). It was nice when things were resolved quickly and easy, nice but unfortunately rare.
DOCTOR: Rose!
(The Doctor grabs her as she swings back.)
DOCTOR: Now we're in trouble.
(Explosions start and the signals from the Eye stop. The shop dummies start to stagger then fall over. The Doctor and Rose run to the Tardis, where Mickey is holding on for dear life, and they all go inside. The Tardis dematerialises.)
"Good, you're all safe." Martha smiled at the group.
Rose and the Doctor shared a glance that made Mickey instantly nervous. "Wait till you see Mickey's reaction to the Tardis." Rose grinned, aiming her comment mostly at Martha who grinned back excitedly while Mickey groaned, he'd been right to be nervous.
[Outside Queens Arcade]
(The Tardis materialises on the Embankment by a row of shuttered kiosks and Mickey runs out, terrified. Jackie answers her mobile phone.)
The group burst out laughing while Mickey tried to hide his face in his wife's shoulder, but she was laughing so much she was shaking, making hiding very difficult.
JACKIE: Rose, Rose, don't go out of the house.
[Embankment]
JACKIE [OC]: It's not safe. There were these things, and they were shooting! And they
[Outside Queens Arcade]
JACKIE: Hello? Hello?
Rose frowned, no wonder she had worried her mum so much after that. Disappearing for a year had been bad by itself but disappearing for a year after the chaos in London and not answering the phone – well that really wasn't good.
[Embankment]
(Rose goes over to Mickey, who is trying to hide behind a pallet. The Doctor stays in the doorway of the Tardis.)
ROSE: A fat lot of good you were.
DOCTOR: Nestene Consciousness? Easy.
ROSE: You were useless in there. You'd be dead if it wasn't for me.
"Thank you, Rose." The Doctor smiled earnestly; she couldn't remember if she had actually thanked her back then but it wouldn't' hurt to do it twice. Rose just smiled back softly.
DOCTOR: Yes, I would. Thank you. Right then, I'll be off, unless, er, I don't know, you could come with me. This box isn't just a London hopper, you know. It goes anywhere in the universe free of charge.
MICKEY: Don't. He's an alien. He's a thing.
"Rude, Rickey." The Doctor teased, ignoring Rose who looked like she wanted to face palm.
"Sorry Doctor, I wasn't particularly nice." Mickey admitted with a wince at seeing himself on screen. No wonder he and the Doctor hadn't gotten on well to start with, well alongside the kidnapping Rose for a year.
"It's okay, I wasn't particularly nice to you to start with either." The Doctor shrugged.
DOCTOR: He's not invited. What do you think? You could stay here, fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go anywhere.
ROSE: Is it always this dangerous?
DOCTOR: Yeah.
ROSE: Yeah, I can't. I've er, I've got to go and find my mum and someone's got to look after this stupid lump, so.
"You said no?" Martha asked, she'd never realised that Rose had initially said no. From the rest of the group's expressions, they also hadn't been expecting that.
Donna grinned. "Glad to know I wasn't the only one that said no to this idiot the first time."
"You said no as well?" Rose asked Donna.
"Yep, but I ended up running into him again and deciding to give it ago after some begging." Donna shrugged.
"Hang on! There was no begging. I distinctively remember you chasing me down and asking to come!" The Doctor complained. Rose and Donna just turned identical grins on her which made her pout, she was feeling teamed up on.
DOCTOR: Okay. See you around.
(The Tardis dematerialises.)
"How long was it for you?" Rose asked curious, she knew she had mentioned it had been longer for her earlier and she was curious now.
"Maybe a week or two, I can't quite remember." The Doctor shrugged. Rose shook her head; time travel was still so weird sometimes.
"I'm glad you came back." Rose simply said.
"So am I." The Doctor smiled softly.
ROSE: Come on, let's go. Come on. Come on.
(The Tardis materialises.)
DOCTOR: By the way, did I mention it also travels in time?
ROSE: Thanks.
MICKEY: Thanks for what?
ROSE: Exactly.
(Rose kisses Mickey on the cheek and runs into the Tardis.)
"That's what got you?" Amy asked, shaking her head. (She was ignoring the fact that the time travel part had gotten her too – the Doctor had still been late for her twice).
Rose smiled. "I think I regretted saying no as soon as he left, so I'm glad he came back." She explained. Then she turned to Mickey. "Sorry for leaving with no explanation though, Mickey." Mickey just smiled offering a nod, that was water under the bridge.
The Doctor clapped her hands, gaining the attention of the room. "Well, that's that. What's up next?"