Swirls of blue light, joining to make an otherworldly tunnel of travel. The road of the fourth dimension. Along this road the last TARDIS twirled, its course set as she headed to her destination. The swirling blue of the Time Corridor showing the ancient craft was traveling forward in time. Inside the Doctor sat by the console, the green glow of the central column washing over him, the deep hum of the TARDIS engines embracing him. Telling him he was safe inside her, all were safe inside her. His mind drifted through the here and now, the past and the future the intricate ties of time showing him, the last Time Lord that for the moment time was flowing smoothly.

He looked up to see Rose walk in, cups of tea in her hand. She handed him one of them, he nodded his thanks before taking a sip. She sat down beside him, shoulder touching. They enjoyed the companionable silence, their legs propped on the console as they enjoyed the rare moment of silence. She drunk her tea, placing her cup on the floor, then she reached over the console, giving it a quick caress as she reached for the metallic, bumpy ball object he often threw around in the quiet time. She started throwing it gently from hand to hand.

"So where are we going today Doctor?" she asked him, her voice soft over the hum of the TARDIS.

"A few thousand years in your future. To the EVE system." He replied.

"EVE?"

"In the year 4079, after a few world wars over your home system, humans found a wormhole that led to the other side of the Universe. And you humans and your names. You dubbed it EVE. Also calling the first planet you landed on EVE. The planet is a lot like Earth. Right atmosphere, the sky is purple, the sun a lighter shade, more of a lilac hue."

"Purple skies? That's so strange" she smiled in delight, looking forward to seeing this.

"You built cities, naming them after Greek Gods. So there was Hades, and the others. Also there were continents names after various Geek legends. 50 years after the founding the Wormhole collapsed, and they were alone in the universe. There was famine, death. But the resilient creatures you are, you rebuilt. The Tales of your home world becoming legend itself." He smiled, now getting off the chair to bounce around the console. "You Humans, you just amaze me. Capable of such horror, but also capable of such miracles. Conquering the odds to survive."

"Look at you… been at the coffee again?" she smiled, sticking her tongue out between her teeth in that way he loved.

"You're never going to let me forget that are you?" he whined.

"I can't help it if you just had to try that coffee called 'Rocket Fuel'" She sniggered. He had been high for ages. Babbling more than usual and so fast she had caught only the first word and the last word; the rest had been a blur of noise.

"Well, it was nice…"

"But you didn't have to drink the whole bag in one day," she threw the ball at him. He caught it with a guilty grin. Rose looked down to what she was wearing, black jeans with a dragon down one leg, her black Punky Fish hoody, black top. "Will this be okay, Doctor?"

"Yeah, they're just about wearing the same. So you'll be fine. Right hold on, purple skies, gentle breezes await," he bounded up to the console, Rose just to the side as she held on to the mushroom shaped control center. The pitch of the engines changed as the TARDIS began to shake, her landing imminent. Just before the last second of dematerialization it was like the TARDIS had a hiccup, she lurched then leaned to one side… held there for a moment, then fell over. Rose and the Doctor landed in a heap near the door that led deeper into the TARDIS. The door to exit the TARDIS now on the ceiling, they would have no way to reach it without a ladder.

"Well that was new, you all right Rose?" he reached over to come into contact with her wrist. This was replaced with her hand as she gave his a quick squeeze.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Probably going to have a huge bruise on my side. But when is that any different?" she got up, now standing on the wall. The Doctor gave her a quick look to make sure she was fine. Then climbed to the console, standing on the back of the chair.

"Hold onto something while I change the room"

"Change the room?" she asked, thinking it was a funny time to redecorate.

"You'll see. Hold onto the railing" So she did as the Doctor reached for a button. He paused for a moment, his hand hovering above the pyramid shaped button. Before finally pressing it. Nothing happened for a moment, making him run his hand through his hair in confusion. Until finally with a yell on his part, the room turned. The floor becoming the floor again.

"Ow!" she looked over to see him holding his nose, he must have smacked it on the console. "I hit my nose" it came out muffled as he had his hands over it.

"Let me look" she moved his hand away. It was red but wasn't bleeding. "Awww poor Mr Nose" she giggled, going on tiptoe to give his nose a little kiss.

"Mr Nose?" he raised an eyebrow. She giggled at his face. Sticking out her tongue again.

"So what happened?" Rose asked as he was now back at the console.

"I don't know….it's like she tripped or something" he mumbled

"The TARDIS can trip?" she asked wide eyed.

"Yep!"

"But she doesn't have legs"

"Just because she doesn't have legs doesn't mean she can't trip," he replied offhand as he hit the console screen, but it remained blank. "Oh well, we're not going to get anything from this until we straighten her up. He walked back to the console to get his long brown jacket that had been tossed over the stabilizer handle earlier. Rose went to the door and opened it, sticking her head out. To find the TARDIS was on its side….but she was standing on the floor.

"Okay that is just sooo wrong" It made her feel queasy, she yelp as the Doctor pushed her out the Door, it was meant to be gentle but she landed with a bump as she fell the side that was steeper than the other above the ground.

She did not fall onto lush dark green grass under a purple sky. No she landed on an ash covered ground, the sky a raging sea of gray cloud the ash still falling from them, lightening flashing to and fro, the air cold and biting in the darkness. In the distance were some hills; it seemed to be some ruins upon them. Here and there were the rotting carcasses of sheep.

"Rose. Get back in now!" The Doctor was practically dragging her back in; he carried her into the med bay, placing her on a bed, before having a blue beam washing over them both. Then he was handing her a green pill. "Take this, Rose" she swallowed it without a second thought.

"What was that?"

"Anti-radiation pill. It's ever so slightly roasty out there." He stroked her cheek "Sorry for pushing you out the Door, should have gone out first…"

"It's alright, you weren't to know" She placed her hand over his, when it came to her he could still have dark moments in which his eyes would lose their bright spark; being replaced by concern and guilt.

"I still should have checked first"

"Oh, stop it!" she poked him in the ribs making him jerk away. "We were messing around. Besides I guess its not supposed to look like a Volcano just erupted outside anyway"

"It's not a Volcano, with this amount of radiation, this is a nuclear fall out. Been about a month by the looks of it." He replied, his eyes not seeing as he was trying to think if EVE went to war. But found no trace. "But it's not supposed to be like this. We should be in time for the founding festival. There should be music, flowers in bright bloom. Not ash and death. This is wrong." He began to walk back towards the console room, Rose followed. He only stopped halfway there to look in a store cupboard, passing her some ropes while he carried a flat metallic object, about the size of a paving stone.

"What's that?"

"It will lift the TARDIS up. So we can get her straight. Then I can do some scans." She followed him out back on the ash-covered land. He had assured her because they had both swallowed the anti-radiation pill they would be safe.

He tied the ropes to the top of the TARDIS then slipped the thin metal under the top end that was on the floor. He stood back taking a firm hold on the ropes then turned to her.

"Rose, press the button on the TARDIS jack…" Rose sniggered.

"TARDIS jack?"

"Well it is! Just press the button, then press it again when I tell you" she pressed the button, the flat metal vibrated then the TARDIS slowly began to lift off the ground, below it a column of blue light that pushed it higher. As it got to the top, the TARDIS once more vertical and the Doctor straining on the ropes to stop it falling the other way. He told her to press the button again…..with a slight problem….she was too short.

"Why did I have to pick a vertically challenged girl as my companion?" he groused as he tried to hold the TARDIS.

"You're going to get a slap you are!" she glared back then reached down to pick up a stick she had seen beneath the ash. With this she pressed the button switching off the TARDIS jack. The Doctor then let go of the ropes; he proceeded to give her a lift so she could untie the rope, and then placed her on the floor. With the rope now in her hand and the TARDIS upright they could finally take in the world around them.

A chill wind blew across the darkened sky, whirled dead leaves from the trees and whipped up the dust, covered the tracks of shoes on the road. The wind that sang through the silence was the only sound and Rose shivered. It began to rain; it swept across the barren land, black and icy, leaving gritty traces on their faces and hands. Maybe the fields would grow again. Maybe it would wash the darkness from the skies. The Doctor grabbed her hand as they ran for shelter, seeing a sign on the door of a home, the wood burnt to cinders but the raised surface still showing the name, 'Badwolf Moon cottage' causing the Doctor to do a double take at the name.

They passed through a kitchen, the dust thick inside. The door before them had been opened, the half circle cut into the dust. The sink, everything was covered in this thick layer. It clung in the air, heavy, oppressive. Like the thickness before a heavy thunderstorm. The Doctor carefully opened the door, inside was thick darkness, the sick sweet smell Rose knew all too well, the smell of rotting flesh. The Doctor tightened his grip on her hand as he pulled out a flashlight and scanned it round the room. Rose gasped as the light illuminated one corner, there was a young teenager, with boy child of about 5 in her arms. Both had radiation sores, hair falling out.

"Looks like they've been dead about 10 days." He swung the flashlight to the left, the light catching the white pill bottle "suicide, couldn't stand the radiation sickness anymore." His face was hard as steel lined with the sorrow; radiation sickness was a bad way to die. The Doctor headed towards the door, seeing in the stand by the back door a large green fishing umbrella. He took it out before holding out his hand for Rose. She was stood there, looking at the corpses of the young ones.

"Rose…" she met his eyes, he saw the trace of horror and pain. Then her gaze flicked back, seeing a leather book, looking like a journal. She carefully took it before having one last look at them.

"Rest easy, sweethearts…" then she had the Doctors hand in her own, he pulled her close to his side. Opening the umbrella to keep the black rain at bay. They traveled over the now slick-black-ash slurry as the rain continued. In the distance they could see a farm, they headed for this, as the rain became snow, blinding in its intensity. The hurried inside. The living room was clear, so the Doctor built a fire using the Sonic Screwdriver to ignite it. Then he sat down behind her so she was tucked in between his legs, grabbing a patchwork quilt off the settee he pulled it round them both. Rose was shivering against him, the temperature drop severe

"That w-w-w-was quick Doctor" her teeth chattered, but her shivering lessoned as the room heated up from the heat of the fire and the heat being generated by the both of them. Yes his body temperature was lower than hers, but even in this cold he felt warm to her.

"Must have been numerous explosions, and from the extent of the erratic weather, each must have been five times the power of Hiroshima." He hugged her close to him, seeing her pull out the book she had picked up. "What's that?"

"I found it near the two in the house, looks like a journal" she replied, pulling out before both of them. As the wind howled and the black tainted snow fell. They read about what happed after the bombs fell. When the real nightmare began….

TBC….

KITG: hope this is still grabbing your attention : ) as I said, sorry if I seem to disappear out of the Time Vortex. As my TARDIS is relocating so will be off the matrix for a while. (In primitive ape terms…I'm moving house and am going to be off the Internet, might be from the 30th onwards for 10 days)