Explanations are in order

The inky blackness surrounded her and the only thing of substance that Rose knew was real was the feeling of Ace's warm hand grasped in her own. "What's going on here?" she asked, noticing for the first time that the sirens – which had been deafening only moments before – were silent.

"I thought you might ask that," a new voice commented, "Ah, yes, light. Just a moment." Rose could hear someone fumbling in the dark, bumping things, and a few muttered curse words that she could not quite understand. "There we are. Shield your eyes," the voice recommended just as light flooded the room.

Rose found herself in a room that rather reminded her of the library on the TARDIS. Bookshelves lined three of the walls while a massive stone fireplace dominated the other. Three chairs were set in front of the fireplace with a table between them. To her surprise, the table contained a tea set (with the fresh tea inside the teapot if the steam were anything to go by) and scones.

"Fancy a cuppa?" the Seventh Doctor asked with a warm smile, "I'm the Doctor, by the way. Rose, right?"

"Um, yes," Rose looked rather flabbergasted by the entire situation. "Doctor?" For some reason, she wasn't quite capable of intelligent speech.

"Yes, this is my Professor," Ace announced, "I don't know about you, Rose, but I'm dying for a cuppa. Professor? Want me to pour?"

"Please do, Ace," he nodded, "You look rather confused, Rose."

"Yes, I mean, of course I am. One minute we were in an asylum with dozens of orderlies after us and the next thing I know we're in a library and you're offering me a cup of tea like there's nothing wrong at all. What's going on here?" If she thought she was going crazy before; now she was certain of it.

"Well, I tend to find that tea helps immensely in cases like this. You've had a bit of a shock, Rose, and that's understandable. However, we can't enjoy this tea forever. Time waits for no man, or Time Lord you know. Sit down, Rose."

Obediently, she sat down in one of the high backed chairs and accepted a steaming mug from Ace. Sipping carefully, she eyed the two of them suspiciously. She honestly had no idea what to make of this turn of events. She could almost hear her Doctor saying something about the limited capacity of her human ape mind to comprehend things.

"I believe explanations are in order," the Seventh Doctor said, looking at Ace expectantly.

"Explanations. Right. Well, we're in the Professor's head, Rose. That's all that this is. And he," she pointed at the Seventh Doctor, "and I are just aspects of his mind. Well, I suppose you'd call us highly interactive memories. Anyway, we're trying to prevent your Doctor from willing himself into non-existence. It's a bad way to go. Not to mention the fact that if the Professor isn't around anymore, the Earth and the rest of the universe might as well just kiss their collective bums goodbye. It'd be like all the laws governing the universe just shut down. Death, destruction, evil races conquering the cosmos..."

"No more tea..." the Seventh Doctor sighed.

"The Doctor has an asylum in his brain?" Rose could feel a headache coming on.

"And he accused me of having issues with blowing things up, I know. Kinda puts things in perspective doesn't it?" Ace, or rather the projection of Ace, laughed. "Anyway, you mean you haven't been in the Doctor's mind before?"

"Well, no," Rose said, looking between the two figures with a questioning look in her eyes.

"Oh my, just what am I, or rather the future I, teaching my Companions these days?" the Seventh Doctor asked in shock.

"Oh, leave her alone Professor. It's not her fault that you, or rather the other you, hasn't told her about the twisted mess that is your brain," Ace replied with a grin.

"I'm sure that I have no idea what you're talking about Ace," he said rather primly.

"Just keep telling yourself that," Ace laughed. "So, anyway. We need to find your Doctor and stop him from deciding that he doesn't exist. However, since we're in the Professor's mind, finding him might take a while."

"Ace, what I don't understand is...why the asylum? Why, if this is just in the Doctor's mind, did I end up spending three weeks being told that the Doctor, Jack, and the TARDIS are nothing more than figments of my imagination? And why did you, if you're just an 'aspect of the Doctor's mind,' get thrown in there with me?"

"I suppose you'd call me a bit of a defensive measure. Once I figured out what was going on, I had myself put into the asylum to help convince you of the truth. The Professor is real. The TARDIS and Jack are both real. But, it took us a while to figure out what was going on. You see, Rose - you, the Doctor, and Jack have been captured. Someone's figured out how to convince a Time Lord to wipe himself from existence and you're their ticket for doing it."

"Me? Why me?"

"Because," the Seventh Doctor took up the tale, "You're one of my companions. As such, you're a chink in my armor. That's especially true since the end of the War. Rose, you're the only family I've got. You and Jack, that is, but I'm afraid Jack would not have been as effective as you."

"Why not?"

Suddenly, the Seventh Doctor looked rather uncomfortable, "I'd rather not say, Rose. It's not my place to tell you."

"ANYWAY," Ace said loudly, causing both the Doctor and Rose to jump, "We need to get moving. Find Rose's Doctor, save the universe, the usual."

"All in a day's work," the Professor declared, adjusting the fit of his hat and standing, "This way!" Pointing his umbrella towards a door on the opposite side of the room, the Seventh Doctor led the two women deeper into 'his' mind.