Chapter Forty-Four - Eight Days: A Week
Saturday
Dear Diary,
It's Rose. Remember me? I used to write in you years ago, but soon gave up when I realised that there was nothing much to write about. Anyway, I'm back home, walking around my room at two O'clock in the morning, failing miserably to get to sleep (Don't you just love insomnia? It's one thing you can never get tired of) when I came across you. Can't believe the things I used to write about back then. Brought back a lot of memories. Since then I've been to the end of the Earth and back. Wish I could go back and tell my younger self what I know now, but, of course, I can't - The Doctor would never allow it.
Which brings me back to today and my bedroom and the Police Telephone Box that's now standing here. It's called a Tardis and it travels through time and space and, just lately, realities. It's owned by some alien called The Doctor, who I've not known that long but already he appears to have moved into my bedroom. Not sure quite how the Tardis actually managed to fit in my bedroom, presumably it must have some kind of Feng Shui circuit that rearranged the rest of the furniture in the room somehow. Also, looking at it, it appears slightly smaller than before but I might just be imagining that part. Still I guess it only makes sense that if you can make a vehicle that can go anywhere that ever was, will be, or could be, you'd also make it easy to park.
Anyway, we materialise out of the blue in my bedroom this morning, and, not long afterwards, Mum comes up from downstairs to see what the noise is. Unfortunately we're all covered in cuts and bruises from an earlier Tardis malfunction so she immediately freaks out, wanting to phone an ambulance. Anyway, we finally manage to calm her down and, once we've cleaned ourselves up somewhat, we join her for a nice cup of tea.
I should also mention at this moment, Diary, that as well as The Doctor, we also have some TV characters accompanying us - Chloe Sullivan and an old Lex Luthor (who claims to have Clark Kent's mind) from Smallville and the first Jimmy Olsen from that old Superman series I used to watch on Saturday nights. Not that any of this matters to Mum, who completely fails to recognise all of them (except for Jimmy, who she thinks looks like the man out of Love Soup, whatever that is).
Once we get the introductions out of the way, Chloe wants to talk to The Doctor about something in private so they go back into the Tardis to do that. Not exactly sure what she wants to talk about. Maybe she wants to ask him where he got her cellphone number from, or maybe she's trying to convince him that Lex is telling the truth about being Clark (although personally I doubt if Lex could tell the truth about anything).
Meanwhile, Lex and Jimmy set off sight-seeing, leaving me alone with Mum. I wonder if she'll mention anything about seeing me the day my Dad died (it's a long story, way too long to write down here), but she doesn't. She's way too busy bringing me up to date on everything that's been going on in my absence.
Pop over to Mickey's in the afternoon, but I don't mention much of what happened recently just because I don't think he'll believe me. Give him a present - a 7-inch Britney Spears single that The Doctor picked up in Sin City and kindly passed on to me. Mickey points out that he doesn't have a record player and I point out that it's a rarity and that it's the thought that counts. I ask him if he remembers meeting me in the past when he was a kid, but he doesn't have a clue what I'm talking about. Then we go out for a meal (he wants to go for a pizza but they won't let us in after last time - another long story).
Finally, get back home around seven, watch TV for a while, all of us scrunched up in the living room. Lex is still fuming because, while they were out, Jimmy kept getting recognised, while only a few people recognised Lex, and they all just told him he looked a lot older than he did on telly.
Finally, the day's over and I'm expecting us to zip to the next dimension. "So, are you here for long this time?" asks Mum, and, to my surprise, The Doctor says "Yes, we'll be staying for a while - at least a week."
Later, when all of us have called it a day, I ask The Doctor why we're sticking around. Is there another alien invasion? Some deadly threat to mankind?
"No," he replies. "We've got to do some research."
"Research? For a week?" I blurt out. "But you're supposed to know everything. You're The Doctor."
"Of course I don't know everything," he replies, shaking his head. "Not yet."
"Research can be fun," interrupts Chloe, a gleam in her eye.
While I glare at Chloe, The Doctor asks if I want waking up early so that I can help them. I tell them to start without me, and stomp out of the Tardis, slamming the door on my way out.
Research? I didn't hitch a ride on a space/time vehicle so that I could sit around for a week doing research. Where's the fun in that?
And then I try to go asleep, but fail miserably, and then I find a diary, which brings me to the present, which is just as well, since there's no more room left on this page to write anything.
Sunday
I must have finally got to sleep, because some noise wakes me up around eight. I look around my room and everything's just like it always was. I pull the covers over me and decide to sleep some more when I realise what the noise was and look around my room again to see that there is something missing - the Tardis. Probably just gone to collect their research, I think, they'll be back soon.
Six hours later and I've read the paper, had my Sunday lunch, had a bath, watched the EastEnders omnibus and the Tardis still hasn't materialised, so I sit on my bed, staring at the spot where it used to be, willing it to return.
How could The Doctor be taking so long? After all, it's a time machine - it should be back immediately. And then I realise the truth - he's abandoned me here. Maybe it was that faux pas with trying to save my father, maybe it was my unwillingness to do research, or maybe it was that note that The Master gave him … Maybe it told him that I'd die with him.
It doesn't really matter of course. What matters is that I'm here, alone, stuck in one space and time for the rest of my life. Still no point feeling sorry for myself - after being up most of last night I'm feeling way too tired for that. I'll just get some sleep and tomorrow, when I wake up, it will be tomorrow. How predictable.
Sunday (again)
I hear rain pounding against my bedroom window and I feel a hand on my shoulder.
"Rose, are you awake?" a familiar voice asks.
"No, I guess I must be dreaming, Doctor," I reply. "Because you've gone now."
"No, I'm back," he says, and then I realise I'm not dreaming.
"I thought you'd dumped me."
"What made you think that?" he asks.
"Well, you disappeared all day."
"I thought you'd appreciate being alone after all that time stuck with us."
"What, stuck in the house with nothing to do," I say, having regained my acerbic edge. "You thought I'd appreciate that?"
"Come with me," The Doctor says, leading me into the Tardis.
I follow him and then there's that familiar pulsating sound that I'm so glad to hear again.
"Are we leaving, Doctor?" I say hopefully.
"No, we'll try this day again," says The Doctor, as the Tardis came to a halt. "We've gone back to this morning."
"I guess this must be the Sunday that the clock goes back," I say, as we step out of the Tardis, onto a busy street. I'm suddenly grateful that I fell asleep with my clothes still on.
"Recognise it?" asks The Doctor.
"Of course I do," I reply. "We're about three miles from my house. I've been here loads of times."
"And do you appreciate it?" asks The Doctor.
"You've got to be kidding, Doctor. After all those amazing worlds and places we've travelled to."
"And what's so amazing about those worlds?"
"They're strange and different and exotic," I reply.
"That's what your world's like for me," he says, looking into my eyes.
"But it's just home," I say, and then I realise I've said the wrong thing as I see the look on his face. He'd give anything to be able to go home… to have a home.
He turns from me, without saying a word, and goes back into the Tardis, and then it disappears.
They say that there's no place like home, and I'd always thought that that was a good thing, but as I spend the rest of the day wandering the familiar landscape, the places unlocking more memories than a diary ever could, I begin to appreciate my home more than I ever did while I lived there.
Of course, this might have all been due to sleep deprivation, I think, as I pop over to Mickey's and crash out on his sofa (I don't go home because I'm afraid I'll bump into me and then, before I could say do fear the reapers, I'd find myself out of time - literally).
Later that night, having been woken up by a sudden rainstorm, I finally go back to my house, confusing my Mum who thinks I'm upstairs. Climbing the stairs, I look into my room to see The Doctor leading my past self into the Tardis. As it dematerialises, I pick up my diary and write this second entry for today, and by the time I've finished writing it, the Tardis has once more reappeared.
Time for a good night's sleep, I think. After all, there's research to be done in the morning.
Monday
Well, it appears The Doctor managed to collect all of his research material yesterday. He even had to pop to the future for some items that weren't available yet.
In the end, it turns out that the research isn't as bad as I was expecting, although sitting in front of the TV all day watching DVDs isn't the most exciting of pastimes. The first thing we have to watch is Superman: The Movie, which is okay although Chloe and Lex keep going on about how he looks just like Dr. Swann. Also, The Doctor is a bit confused by the time travel bit at the end, so we keep having to rewind that part and watch it again and again. I try to explain that it's just a movie, but The Doctor just shakes his head. "No, it's real, Rose. It just doesn't make sense."
"What, that flying around the Earth part."
"No, that's make perfect sense," he replies. "But where did he go?"
"Where did who go?" I ask, but he just looks at me, pauses as he wonders whether it's worth explaining, and then, deciding it isn't, says "Nothing. Next film please, Rose."
So then we watch Superman 2, which we enjoy more than the first film just because it's all about people we've met - Zod and Ursa and that big guy who got eaten by a dinosaur. Since no time travel's involved that film actually lasts for just its running time, and, at the end of it, we're all so glad to see Zod and Ursa defeated that me, Lex and Chloe have stupid Doctor-like grins on our faces.
Then it's Superman 3 and Chloe almost chokes on her coffee when Martha Kent turns up calling herself Lana. Following that, The Doctor can't understand how there can be a photograph of Clark's face at the High School reunion that's older than the face he had when he left for his Fortress of Solitude in the first film. I tell him once again that it's just a movie.
"But it's not just a movie," he insists. "It's somebody's life - as real as yours or mine."
Anyway, we decide to skip Superman 4. Fortunately, The Doctor feels he's seen enough of Zod and Ursa's reality, and goes into the Tardis to get out the DVDs for tomorrow.
"Smallville," he announces, walking back out of the Tardis, carrying some boxsets. "The first three seasons. Couldn't risk getting any more because Lex reckons that the Clark, Chloe and Lana we picked up come from somewhere during Season 4."
"And we can't risk Chloe finding out about her future," says Lex. "It could lead to a paradox and The Doctor's got a fear of paradoxes."
"A fear of paradoxes," muses Chloe. "Would that be Xeno-phobia?"
We all look at her blankly except for The Doctor who bursts out laughing.
"Glad somebody appreciates my joke," says Chloe.
"Well funnily enough," says The Doctor, regaining his composure, "I actually met Xeno once."
"Did she have Gaby with her?" asked Lex.
"No, Xeno," says Chloe exasperatedly. "He was a Greek who came up with this paradox."
"Interesting chap," says The Doctor, "although he seemed to take forever to get to the point."
Chloe smiles at The Doctor, while the rest of us just look at them blankly.
After Chloe's attempt to impress The Doctor with dull wordplay (not that I'm jealous or anything, and I don't know why I even bothered writing it down here), there's just enough time left for us to watch the first episode of Smallville, which benefits from Lex and Chloe's running commentary, and then it's time for some sleep.
Unfortunately, I don't sleep. Guess I've still not quite reacclimatised to these 24 hour days yet. Pop downstairs for a snack and see Lex sitting in front of the television constantly replaying that bit where his car went off the bridge into the water.
I don't think he notices me.
Tuesday
We skip through the Smallville boxsets watching various episodes, but we know that there's only one really important one. Finally we reach it and, as we watch it, Chloe's in tears as she sees Louise McCallum die in front of her eyes.
"Do you want us to stop the DVD for a second?" asks Jimmy.
"No, it's okay," says Chloe, drying her eyes, and we continue watching the episode.
A while later, we see the drifter, who we know to be Clark, and Louise hover in the sky, a large moon behind them.
"So, does this mean that Clark will be able to fly, when we all get back to Smallville?" asks Chloe.
"No, obviously there's a reason Clark's flying so easily there," says The Doctor.
"Is it because of Louise?" asks Chloe. "Is Clark so focused on her that he's totally forgotten about his fear of flying?"
"Not even close," says The Doctor, turning his head towards Lex. "Do you want to tell her, Clark? After all, you've already lived through this."
Lex studies The Doctor silently for a second and then he turns to Chloe. "No, it wasn't the fear of flying that held me back. To tell the truth, I still have that fear, but every time I took to the sky I faced that fear - that's what heroes do. No, the thing that anchored me to the ground was Smallville itself - the constant background kryptonite radiation present there dampened my powers. Of course that background radiation wasn't present in 1961 Smallville, and so I felt more powerful than ever, able to do anything, able to soar. Then I returned to your present and felt weaker again, until I left Smallville for Metropolis and my full strength returned and I could zoom through the skies with ease, and a certain amount of fear, once more."
The Doctor nods, and we get back to watching the episode, and then, after that, we watch some more episodes, but I get bored when The Doctor starts nitpicking about some episode where a phone call goes backwards in time and decide to go over to Mickey's .
I get over there and Mickey's quite happy. Thanks to the wonders of eBay, he's managed to sell that record I'd given him to some jukebox owner. Anyway, Mickey and me talk, remembering old times, although I have to say that I'm still bored. I like Mickey. Oh, Mickey's fine, but not so fine he blows my mind, so I'm soon on my way back home again where they've finally finished watching the Smallville episodes. They're now watching The New Adventures Of Superman (or Lois & Clark as the American DVD calls it). The Jimmy Olsen in it is the one we've got with us, who looks at the screen, wishing he could be there. I'm kind of surprised that this Cat Grant who's due to become Ultra Woman doesn't seem that evil, just superficial.
Anyway, after we watch selected episodes from that series, and move into the next series where Cat disappears and Jimmy gets a new head (which according to Jimmy was the original reality) we all call it a night.
Unfortunately I can't sleep again and then I hear a noise downstairs. Going down to investigate I see Lex, sitting in front of the TV screen, watching Smallville. This time he notices me.
"Come and watch," he says. "You missed this one."
"No, I think I'll get some sleep," I say, warily.
"What, and update that diary of yours?"
"You know about my diary?"
"I know about everything," he says. "I'm Lex Luthor. Now, please, sit down."
I do as he says. "But you've been telling everybody that you're Clark."
"Yes, but Chloe knows I'm not. She told Jimmy, I suspect she told The Doctor when she had that private chat with him. She told everybody but you, Rose."
"I better be going," I say, seeing the way he looks at me.
"Don't worry about me, Rose," he says, grabbing my arm tightly and leaning towards me. "I'm not the big bad wolf, you know."
"So, which one are we watching?" I ask, trying to turn his attention away from me and back to the TV.
"Oh, this episode? This is one that brings back memories. It's got my mother, my brother, my mother killing my brother, or so she says. It's got everything."
"No point brooding over it," I say. "You can't change the past."
"Of course I can," he replies. "But it wouldn't take away the memories. Besides, I'm more interested in changing the future."
"That's nice, Lex, but I'm really tired," I say, trying to peel his hand off my arm.
"First I want to show you something," he says, putting his hand in his pocket.
"You can show me in the morning."
"You only get this one chance to see it," he says, releasing my arm. "But if you're really tired, you can go."
Curiosity gets the better of me.
"Okay, what is it?" I ask, and then he shows me a stone.
"Do you recognise this?" he asks.
"It's a stone. So what?"
"This stone can transfer minds, Rose. I've been thinking of using it, but I'm not sure who on."
"Why are you telling me this?" I ask.
"Don't worry," he says, with a smile. "I'm not planning to swap minds with you. Where's the benefit in that?"
"Who then? Clark?"
"I must admit that his powers would be nice, and also, after my deception so far, it would be entertaining that when Clark told people he was trapped in my body no-one would ever believe him, especially Chloe, but no. Why would I want to become the person I most despise?"
"So who else are you considering?" I ask, figuring that if he tells me I can at least warn them.
"Well, The Doctor's out - he's so used to changing his appearance he'd probably have no problem with it, and personally I prefer my body over his. Maybe Chloe. She's afraid of losing her mind and I've got a chance to make her fears come true. If I was Chloe, I could manipulate Clark with ease. Plus I know that she survives to the future (well, at least her body does)."
"How about Zod or Ursa?" I say, trying to protect Chloe.
"Actually, Rose, if you want to know the truth, there's nobody I'd rather be than me. This stone is wasted on me."
"So, why tell me?"
"I thought that maybe you could use it, Rose. The Master told The Doctor how he would die, but, if you used the stone, maybe you could die in his place."
"Sacrifice myself for The Doctor?"
"I'm sure he'd have done the same for you."
I sit there, open-mouthed, staring at Lex.
"Why don't you sleep on it and get back to me," he says, putting the stone back in his pocket. He then switches the DVD off and goes back upstairs to the Tardis, leaving me sitting on the couch, alone with my thoughts.
I don't think I'm going to get any sleep tonight.
Wednesday
By the time I wake up, they've finished watching their episodes of Lois & Clark, and I've missed the one where Tempus first turned up (which led to Jimmy's alternate reality being created), and I've missed the one where Lois became Ultra Woman (which won't happen in Jimmy's reality anyway).
"Morning, Rose," says Lex. "Feel like a change."
I ignore him and then I notice that Chloe's not there. "Where's Chloe?" I ask.
"She went off with Mickey," explains The Doctor.
Great, first she tries to impress The Doctor with her love of research and her paradox jokes and now she's got her sights on Mickey. The next thing I know I'm on the phone to Mickey.
"Mickey, is Chloe there?"
"Hello, Rose," says Mickey. "Yeah, Alison's here. She's on my computer and she's got me running around trying to keep up with her coffee demands."
"Alison? Can I speak to her."
"Sure, I'll go and get her," he says, and then the phone goes silent for a few minutes and then I hear Chloe's voice.
"Hi, Rose."
"Hello, Alison," I say frostily. "What are you doing there?"
"Well Mickey came to your house, and I answered the door. Anyway, he recognises me immediately as Alison Mack and I didn't want to give away the fact that I was from another dimension so I played along. Anyway, I'm using his computer to do some more research. Just came across a picture of that guy called Batman that Clark said he met in that warped future. He's in a movie and he looks really dreamy. I told Mickey that I wouldn't mind marrying him, but Mickey said I shouldn't because I'd end up being called Ali Mack-Bale. Mickey's really funny."
"No, he's not. He's my boyfriend," I say, and slam the phone down. I think of going round there to check up on them, but, because I trust Mickey, I don't.
Instead, for the rest of the day, The Doctor takes the rest of us on a sight-seeing tour of history - the Titanic, JFK's assassination, too many others to mention here.
By the time we get back, Chloe's home, although she says that she's visiting Mickey again tomorrow. Poor Mickey. Doesn't he realise she probably only wants him for his internet connection? She's also got a stack of comics with her that Mickey's lent her. I leaf through them - Superman, Batman, some other superheroes. Nothing interesting, although there's a character called Jenny Sparks who's got a tee-shirt I quite like the look of.
And that's about all that happened today. Everybody's asleep in the Tardis now, except for Jimmy who's staying up to watch Desperate Housewives.
Nothing else happened. Nothing. I didn't tell Lex that I wanted to swap places with The Doctor, and I keep telling myself that it's not because I'm afraid to, but because I just don't trust Lex.
Maybe one day I'll believe it.
Thursday
Hooray, the DVDs have been watched, the research is over, and I get to go shopping. I'm walking down the high street when I pass this internet place called Sad Café and spot Chloe through the window. Looks like Mickey's finally kicked her out and I naturally can't resist popping in to gloat.
"Hey, Chloe, what are you doing here?" I ask. "Did Mickey run out of coffee?"
"I don't want to talk about it," says Chloe, her eyes fixed on the screen.
"Okay," I say.
"Well, if you insist on knowing," she continues, "he turned from Pete Ross into Clark Kent."
"Sorry?"
"Well, all of this time, he's been acting like my buddy, making me coffees, helping me with my research, when suddenly it turns out he has an ulterior motive."
"Ulterior motive?"
"He wanted me to introduce him to the girl who plays Lana."
"Men," I say, and Chloe nods.
"Speaking of Lana," she says, "it's a good job she's dead, otherwise the comments about her on this message board would kill her."
I look at the screen. "Wow, they really hate her."
"That's one of the nicer ones."
"So, that's all you've been doing all day - reading message boards?"
"Well, that and reading some Smallville fan fiction," Chloe replies.
"Any good?"
"Some good, some bad. There are some people who know me better than I know myself - others that just don't get me at all. Others are full of crazy unbelievable theories."
"Such as?"
"Well, one reckoned that I got rid of the name Chloe Sullivan, altered my appearance, took the name of a loved one, and started working besides Clark Kent at the Daily Planet."
"You dyed your hair and became his girlfriend Lois Lane?"
"No, I had a sex-change and became his pal Jimmy Olsen. Speaking of Jimmy, what are he and the others doing?"
"Nothing much. Just preparing for our departure tomorrow. Checking the Tardis for any signs of gremlin damage."
"Do we know where we're going next?"
"Jimmy says the next place is a hospital. After that there's a city and a sewer and then we should be back to his reality and Ultra Woman."
"Hopefully that'll be an end to this adventure then," says Chloe.
"The Doctor thinks it'll just be the beginning."
Nothing much else happened that day. I left Chloe searching in vain for Warrior Angel fanfics and went to bingo with my Mum. We didn't win.
Actually I'm getting totally bored with being home. Apart from the odd alien invasion, nothing happens around here and, quite frankly, I can't wait to leave.
Roll on tomorrow.
Friday
Well, it's our final day here, and my final diary entry. Not taking you with me, Diary. Nothing personal - it's just that your pages simply aren't long enough for the adventures I'm going to have, not to mention that they're way too consecutive.
Maybe one day I'll get tired of travelling, and maybe then I'll settle down and find time to use you again but, then again, I doubt it.
There are far better things to do.
Asking Lex for that stone's the first on my list.
