Chapter Two – Who's Taking You Home Tonight?

Apparently it was proximity to a temporal distortion, mixed up with something called a quantum shoelace – surely he was kidding? - along with some kind of feedback loop in the TARDIS, that had caused Rose to jump a time track. Rose wasn't really sure about the details. She hadn't been paying attention to the Doctor's rapid explanation, which had been given as he raced around the console, inputting figures, moving levers, and giving it the occasional kick – same as ever. Instead, she had been mulling over what he had said.

Whatever could they have been thinking on Gallifrey…? Meaning he expected Gallifrey to have dealt with the Reapers. Meaning as of now, the Time Lords were still alive. Therefore the Time War hadn't happened yet. So, the big question was - should she tell him? A vision of the Reapers, devouring everything – and everyone - rose up before her, and she shuddered. No. She couldn't risk it. She wouldn't repeat her mistakes. Couldn't. But maybe… If he knew what was to come, then maybe…

"There!" The Doctor's exclamation interrupted her musings. "I've done it." He looked at her, waiting for her approval, and an odd sense of déjà vu went through her. Same old Doctor. Or rather, her Doctor – Doctors – were the same as this one. Or they were all the same as each other? This could get rather confusing.

"Done what?" Rose asked.

"I've found a way to send you home. It was just a matter of hooking up the vortex differential converter to a really powerful supply of neutrons, like a nice hot…"

"Really don't need the technobabble, Doctor."

He gave her an offended look. "Technobabble? Technobabble? Hmmph. I'm inclined to not take you with me whenever we happen to meet, if that's the way you feel."

"Doctor…"

"Fine, fine. All right, in simple terms, I can get you back where you belong."

"Great!" Rose looked at him expectantly.

"In 27.6 hours."

"Oh."

"Well, it's not like it's easy. I've had to be exceedingly clever, even for me. And it's going to take a lot of power – hence the wait, while the TARDIS recharges."

He looked so forlorn that Rose had to resist the impulse to pat him on the shoulder. "I'm not complaining. I'm glad you can get me back. And I don't mind waiting. Honest."

He smiled at her, and for a moment it felt just like old times. Well, new times. Whatever.

"So - what shall we do while we wait?"

She frowned. "You mean…we can go somewhere? We don't have to stay in the TARDIS?"

"Not if you don't want to."

"But what about the timeline? Won't my being here – with you – cause, well, problems?"

He gave her a look that she recognized. Pure mischief with just a hint of recklessness. Pure Doctor. "Oh, I think Time can handle it if you can."

A slow smile began to appear on Rose's face. "I get to choose? Anywhere?"

"Anywhere in time and space."

"Right then. I choose Gallifrey."

He tried to talk her out of it. There's loads more interesting places, he told her. You really don't want to go to Gallifrey.

I really do, she had replied.

In the end, she won. It seemed this Doctor was just as prone to giving in to her wishes as her own Doctor was. He surrendered with ill grace, but surrender he did. And so, a short time later, Rose stepped out of the TARDIS onto a planet which, some time in the future, would vanish, a planet that would become a legend throughout the galaxy, spoken of only in hushed and reverent tones.

Gallifrey.