Chapter Four: Just One Trip.
Series: Three.
Episode: One - Smith and Jones.
Part: Two.
Two men dressed in identical black leather biker outfits come crashing into the corridor.
"Run!"
The three of them take off down the slippery hospital corridors, darting out of the way of crumpled patients as they go. They start down the stairs but almost collide with the Judoon on their way up, sandwiched between two very different problems they take a diversion down another corridor.
x
The Doctor directed them down corridors and through wards unable to lose their trailing slab, before pushing the two girls through the doors of the radiology room using the sonic to lock the door behind them as the slab continued to bang on the wood. The Doctor guided Martha behind the screen as Rose followed after, still keeping a wary eye on the door.
"When I say now, press the button." The Doctor commanded, tension leaking into his voice, as he darted towards the x-ray machine.
"But I don't know which one." Martha argued.
The Doctor peeked back around at that.
"Then find out!"
The Doctor started messing with the x-ray machine while Martha looked at the many controls in confusion and panic. Rose grabbed the operator's manual from the shelf already knowing that's what they would need and flicked to the right page shoving the book over to Martha, not wanting to steal her thunder but trying to relieve some of her panic. If the grateful look she shoots her way was anything to go by it would seem she'd succeeded.
The slab outside was still battering at the door as its hinges slowly gave way, Rose turned to the Doctor almost by instinct, despite already knowing the plan.
The door came crashing down causing Rose to redirect her attention to the slab that was now making it's entrance. The Doctor already had the x-ray machine pointed at the doorway in preparation.
"Now!" The Doctor called and Martha's hand descended onto the massive yellow button at the given instruction.
For a few moments, Rose was able to see the outline of both of their skeletons before the slab collapsed from the massive dose of radiation. Martha turned the machine off and the Doctor slowly came round to face the slab.
"What did you do?" Asked Martha.
"Increased the radiation by five thousand per cent. Killed him dead." The Doctor answered nonchalantly.
"But isn't that going to kill you?"
"Nah, it's only roentgen radiation. We used to play with roentgen bricks in the nursery."
"That sounds like one hell of a nursery." Rose said, half teasing half concerned.
The Doctor grinned at her.
"It's safe for you to come out. I've absorbed it all. All I need to do is expel it. If I concentrate, I can shake the radiation out of my body and into one spot." The Doctor starts to do an odd sort of dance/jump on the spot and Rose couldn't help the chuckle that escapes. "It's in my left shoe. Here we go, here we go. Easy does it. Out, out, out, out, out. Out, out. Ah, ah, ah, ah! Itches, itches, itches. It is, it is hot. Hold on."
The Doctor throws his new shoe into the bin.
"Done."
"You're completely mad."
"You get used to it." Rose said with a shrug, still thoroughly amused.
"You're right. I look daft with one shoe." Was the Doctor's response.
The other red dap quickly followed the first and Rose can't help but wonder what the point was in the new look.
"Barefoot on the moon." The Doctor said with a snap of teeth as if that solved everything, Martha shook her head in disbelief.
Rose laughed at him again though that was closely followed by her nudging his shoulder as she was now close enough. The Doctor threw her another grin, this one quickly followed with a wink. Which is why the fond smile that broke out over Rose's face was definitely not her fault, she poked him in the side before he sauntered over to the x-ray machine to retrieve his sonic screwdriver.
"If you two are quite finished, what is that thing? And where's it from, the planet Zovirax?"
"It's just a Slab. They're called Slabs. Basic slave drones. See? Solid leather, all the way through. Someone has got one hell of a fetish."
"But it was that woman, Miss Finnegan. It was working for her, just like a servant."
Rose had her back to the Doctor as Martha described the woman she already knew they were after. Meanwhile, the Doctor pulled out what was left of his sonic, as it had been completely fried.
"My sonic screwdriver." The Doctor whined.
Rose came and gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder.
"She was one of the patients, but-" Martha was interrupted.
"Oh, no. My sonic screwdriver."
"You can build a new one when we get back to the TARDIS, yeah?"
"She had a straw like some kind of vampire." Martha spoke up again and Rose was reminded that they were being awfully rude to the young woman.
"Yeah, but I loved my sonic screwdriver."
"Doctor?" Martha tried to once again regain their attention.
"Stop pouting, you're being rude."
"Sorry."
The Doctor finally turns back to Martha, throwing the remains of his screwdriver behind him, as he gives her his full attention. Rose rolled her eyes fondly at him before doing the same.
"You called me Doctor." He grins. "She called me Doctor, Rose."
Rose laughed at the childlike glee on his face, poking him in the side again, softer this time. "Pay attention."
"Anyway? Miss Finnegan is the alien. She was drinking Mister Stoker's blood."
"Funny time to take a snack. You'd think she'd be hiding. Unless. No. Yes, that's it. Wait a minute. Yes! Shape-changer. Internal shape-changer. She wasn't drinking blood, she was assimilating it."
"Woulda known tha' five minutes ago if you were listening." Rose teased, tongue between teeth.
"I'm listening now." He argued, trying to defend himself. "If she can assimilate Mister Stoker's blood, mimic the biology, she'll register as human. We've got to find her and show the Judoon. Come on!" Turning back to Martha to explain, before running out of the room again.
Rose rolled her eyes at the Doctor leaving without them again. She gave Martha an encouraging smile as they both followed after him.
x
"That's the thing about Slabs. They always travel in pairs." The Doctor muttered as they hid behind a water cooler having spotted the other slab before it walked past them.
"What about you?" Martha asked.
"What about me what?"
"You said you two aren't married, but you're awfully close."
"Oh. Humans. We're stuck on the moon running out of air with Judoon and a bloodsucking criminal, you're asking personal questions? Come on." The Doctor deflected, moving away from the water cooler.
"I like that. Humans. I'm still not convinced you're an alien."
"The radiation dance didn't confirm that for you? Be glad its just humans, he used to be awfully fond of the phrase 'stupid apes'." Rose teased, standing up also.
They walked directly into a Judoon or rather the Doctor walked straight into their outstretched scanner.
"Non-human."
"Oh my god, you really are."
"And again." The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand as he took off running.
Rose reached back to grab the still shocked Martha as she heard the Judoon reach for their weapons.
"Duck!" Rose called.
They all narrowly miss the disintegrator beams that had been aimed at their heads.
"Excellent timing, Rose."
"Excellent? We almost died!"
"Focus on the almost, now come on." Rose called back to her, pulling her along.
The Judoon were still following them, their chain of hands quickly broke as they began to ascend the stairs. The Doctor waited until they were all on the ward with him before locking the door behind them manually, as he now no longer had the sonic screwdriver.
"They've done this floor. Come on. The Judoon are logical and just a little bit thick. They won't go back to check a floor they've checked already. If we're lucky."
Patients were collapsing around them and Rose couldn't help the guilt that swirled in her gut. Whoever this Finnigan woman was, Rose didn't care if she was innocent of her crimes, she was willing to let thousands of already sick and suffering people die for her.
The junior nurse from before was crouched on the floor giving oxygen to a patient. She may not have been companion material but she was still a compassionate woman and Rose knew she'd make an excellent doctor one day.
Martha stopped at the sight of her colleague, her own doctor mode activated while the Doctor marched on. Rose tugged him to a stop, the Doctor looked at her in confusion as she nodded at the women getting him to finally look instead of soldiering on. She knew it was difficult to face but they had to, this was what they were fighting for, all these people.
"How much oxygen is there?" Martha asked.
"Not enough for all these people. We're going to run out." Her fear from before pushed to the back as she focused on her patients.
"How are you two feeling? Are you alright?"
"I'm running on adrenaline."
"Eh, I've felt worse." Rose grinned trying to dispel some of the Doctor's worry with their usual banter.
"Welcome to my world."
"What about the Judoon?" Now that was something Rose hadn't considered, Martha really did ask all the right questions.
"Nah, great big lung reserves. It won't slow them down. Where's Mister Stoker's office?"
"It's this way." Martha said getting up with a pant, despite what she'd just said, leading the way.
The Doctor went through first cautiously, worried she'd still be inside. Martha followed closely behind. While Rose lingered in the corridor not quite ready to face the sight of the man's body just yet.
"She's gone. She was here."
Rose finally entered the room staying closer to the doorway mainly out of sight of the body of poor old Mr Stoker.
"Drained him dry. Every last drop. I was right. She's a Plasmavore."
Just the word seemed to set off a sort of ringing inside Rose's head. She bit back a wince, unable to tell if she'd been successful or not, she hoped it would be assumed to do with the body in the room rather than anything else if she had not been.
"What's she doing on Earth, Doctor?" Rose asked because that was the one thing she hadn't been able to figure out from those damn images.
"Hiding. On the run. Like Ronald Biggs in Rio de Janeiro. What's she doing now? She's still not safe. The Judoon could execute us all. Come on." The Doctor rambled mainly to himself, before getting up, he was already up and by the door - he'd grabbed Rose's hand in the process hoping to comfort her, she'd given a weak smile in response - when Martha stopped them.
"Wait a minute."
Martha bent down to close Stoker's eyes in a move of compassion that seemed to come so very naturally for the young doctor.
Together they exited the office crowding the corridor as the Doctor tried to figure out his next plan of action before everyone suffocated to death. There'd been enough death today. The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck with his spare hand as he rambled to himself.
"Think, think, think. If I was a Plasmavore surrounded by police, what would I do?"
He spotted the sign to the MRI on the wall opposite him as he's hit by the realisation of what the Plasmavore had planned.
"Ah. She's as clever as me. Almost."
"That's high praise coming from you." Rose teased.
Martha looked about herself still in confusion. However, they were all pulled from their thoughts by the Judoon crashing through the doors at the end of the corridor, the sound of patients screaming followed not long after.
"Find the non-human. Execute."
The Doctor looked torn for a second as he stared at the approaching Judoon. And Rose was reminded of her vision from earlier of the Doctor kissing Martha. And unfortunately, she couldn't help the flare of jealousy she feels at the reminder and makes a selfish decision right there and then.
"Go. Go stop Miss Finnigan we'll distract the Judoon."
The Doctor still faltered.
"Go! We'll be fine but you've got to stop her before the Judoon kill you or sentence the hospital to execution, yeah?"
That seemed to convince him as he took a couple of steps towards the MRI room but he still doesn't leave.
"Be careful!"
"As long as you don't do anything stupid!" She called back to him with a smile that she knew was too weak to be comforting, but just knowing what his plan was, no matter that he survived it, put her ill at ease.
But it seemed to suffice for the Doctor as he finally darted away and Rose let out a sigh of relief.
"What the hell are we going to do?" Martha cried, bringing Rose back into the present.
"Just trust me, yeah? And don't tell the Doctor."
"Okay, but what are you going to do?" Still looking slightly worried.
"Something stupid." If the Doctor was going to be reckless then she could hardly be faulted for doing the same, though she doubted her plan would work, she was still human after all. Wasn't she? Only one way to find out she supposed.
Edging backwards slightly to give them more time. Martha seemed to be panicking as the Judoon marched towards them. She began to ramble, the first traces of fear causing a slight tremble in her words.
"Now listen, I know who you're looking for. She's this woman. She calls herself Florence."
The Judoon pointed the scanner at Martha and a flicker of fear passed across her face. Rose squeezed the woman's hand reassuringly.
"Human." The Judoon announced briskly before shifting to face Rose.
Rose held her head up with faux confidence as they scanned her.
"Human." They paused. "Wait. Non-human traits suspected. Non-human element confirmed. Authorise full scan." They pushed Rose against the wall and she could hear Martha gasp from behind her as Rose allowed herself to wear the fear she couldn't help but feel. "What are you? What are you?"
"Confirm human. Minor chronon mutation and traces of non-human contact. Continue the search for the non-human."
Rose sagged in relief as the Judoon confirmed their analysis while Martha was still staring at her worriedly. A big cross was drawn against the back of her hand as she was handed a small booklet with illegible writing she didn't recognise.
"You will need this."
"What's tha' for?"
"Compensation."
"Right." She tucked the booklet into her back pocket. "The non-human went this way." She called dragging them down the corridor to the MRI room.
Rose burst into the room with the Judoon marching behind her as Martha followed a slight distance behind. Miss Finnigan dropped the Doctor's body onto the floor stuffing her straw away as she scrambled away from the Doctor's now limp body. Rose rushed forward cradling the Doctor's head in her lap as she glared up at the woman.
"What have you done?" Rose accused.
"This poor man just died of fright."
"Scan him. Confirmation. Deceased."
Martha ran through at that moment.
"No, he can't be. Let me through. Let me see him."
"Stop. Case closed."
"But it was her. She killed him. She did it. She murdered him."
"Judoon have no authority over human crime."
"But she's not human." Martha said pleading with them to listen to her, to believe her.
"Oh, but I am. I've been catalogued." Florence said smugly.
"But she's not! She assimi-" She paused finally understanding what the Doctor's plan had been, she looked to Rose for confirmation, and despite her thunderous expression she nodded at the unspoken question. "Wait a minute. You drank his blood? The Doctor's blood?"
Martha grabbed one of the Judoon's scanners pointing it at Florence.
"Oh, I don't mind. Scan all you like."
"Non-human." The Judoon declared and finally, the smug facade dropped and Rose smirked despite her worry.
"But, what?"
"Confirm analysis." The rest of the Judoon withdrew their scanners.
"Oh, but it's a mistake, surely. I'm human. I'm as human as they come." The Plasmavore rambled in her panic.
"He gave his life so they'd find you."
"Confirm. Plasmavore, charged with the crime of murdering the child princess of Patrival Regency Nine."
"Well, she deserved it! Those pink cheeks and those blonde curls and that simpering voice. She was begging for the bite of a Plasmavore." Rose's hatred for the woman increased ten-fold at her proud confession of murdering a child.
"Then you confess?"
"Confess? I'm proud of it! Slab, stop them!"
Florence ducked behind the slab to the MRI controls as she made her demands. The slab stepped forward as instructed but was rendered to dust in seconds by the Judoon's weapons.
"Verdict, guilty. Sentence, execution."
Miss Finnigan connected one last plug and the machine made a startling noise as it warned of a magnetic overload. Rose noticed that Martha had ducked behind the Judoon as they fired up their weapons.
"Enjoy your victory, Judoon, because you're going to burn with me. Burn in hell!"
The Plasmavore received the same fate as her last remaining slab. Martha crawled forward towards Rose and the Doctor once it was safe. Florence's words still ringing in all of their ears. Rose moved out from under the Doctor satisfied that Martha would stay with him.
"Case closed."
"But what did she mean, burn with me? The scanner shouldn't be doing that. She's done something." Martha asked as she took up Rose's position.
The Judoon scanned the MRI machine.
"Scans detect lethal acceleration of mono-magnetic pulse."
"Well, do something! Stop it!"
"Our jurisdiction has ended. Judoon will evacuate."
"What?" Martha shouted, outraged.
"You can't just leave it, there are a thousand people in this hospital 'cause you brought them here!" Rose bellowed.
"What's it going to do?" Martha asked.
"All units withdraw." Who Rose assumed was the leader, ordered into their communication device.
Rose scrambled to her feet as they flee, yelling after them.
"You can't go! That thing's going to explode and it's your fault!"
She felt slightly calmer once she returned to the room but she was still bristling with far too many emotions to stay still right now.
"Martha start CPR on the Doctor, he's got two hearts, one on each side."
"What? You're not serious."
"I am, now get on with it, I'm going to try and stop the scanner." She answered back sharper than she intended to the young woman who had been absolutely brilliant despite everything. "Sorry but please, he may be our only way out of here."
Martha nodded and started the compressions as Rose made her way over to the scanner. She looked down at the two plugs and tried to remember which she saw Florence use to set off the overload. In the panic, she hadn't been paying close enough attention and in her memory, the two colours had blurred together. Casting a look back at Martha, satisfied that she was occupied, she pressed her fingers to her temples and she shut her eyes as she tried to call upon that power she'd felt earlier. Frustrated when nothing happened, she began to plead quietly, almost as if to herself.
"Come on, please I know you said not to, but just one quick look. Please, old girl. I need your help."
She took a quick peek at herself when nothing seemed to happen, only to find her hands glowing in the soft golden light of before and the word 'red' drifted softly across her mind in a voice that most certainly wasn't her own. Grinning to herself, she pulled the red plug apart as the Doctor suddenly spluttered behind her. She jumped back with a shout when the plugs sparked, but thankfully the machine's hum had died down and her skin was back to normal.
She sagged against the controls, the adrenaline slowly leaving her as she realised just how little air they must have left as she panted to herself. Her little stunt certainly hadn't helped any for that particular problem. Rose looked up to see the Doctor looking at her in shock. She gave him a tired smile as he dove forward.
"Rose Tyler you are brilliant."
"So was she." Rose gasped as she nodded towards the unconscious Martha. "Doctor the air."
"Come on." The Doctor said tugging her up by the hand, he went to scoop Martha up before leading them over to a window.
Rose leant against the Doctor the slightest of exertion too much for her.
"Come on, come on, come on, come on, please. Come on, Judoon, reverse it." The Doctor pleaded jumping up and down on the balls of his feet.
It started to rain and slowly the Doctor grinned beside her.
"It's raining, Rose. It's raining on the moon."
Rose gave a feeble smile as her legs buckled, the use of Bad Wolf and the lack of oxygen finally getting to her. There was a flash of lightning but Rose missed it as she fell into oblivion and the hospital returned to it's home.
x
Medical staff, media, family and friends swarmed the hospital all trying to get to the survivors, each for a different reason. The Doctor slipped away to the TARDIS with an unconscious Rose once he was sure Martha was safe. He left Rose in the med-bay with an oxygen mask on before having the TARDIS disappear from the scene, no need to add more fuel to the fire.
Rose was sitting up when he got back. She went to pull the mask off but he rushed forward and tugged into back into place. She pouted at him from behind the mask.
"Slight oxygen starvation, best leave it on for a minute."
Rose mumbled something at him that he couldn't quite understand.
"Nope. Sorry, you're just going to have to wait." He grinned at her.
Rose rolled her eyes but tugged the mask off anyway.
"Can't believe I'm back in here again. I hate hospitals." The Doctor tried unsuccessfully to put the mask back on while Rose just swatted at his hands. "Doctor I'm fine, really." The Doctor seemed to finally accept that she was not going to give in, and relented. "What happened to Martha?"
"Back at the hospital, she's fine. Got her brother's party tonight, hasn't she?" The Doctor answered nonchalantly, avoiding Rose's gaze.
Rose narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, before sighing.
"You didn't say goodbye, did you?"
"Well..." He trailed off rubbing at his neck awkwardly.
Rose rolled her eyes at him, hopping off the medical table.
"She saved your life, you should at least say thank you." She said as she trailed out of the room, her comment certainly had nothing to do with what she'd seen this morning, not that anyone would be able to prove either way.
"Where are you going?"
"Console room." She called over her shoulder as she disappeared down the corridor.
Rose heard the tell-tale slap of the Doctor's daps on the floor as he followed after her, clearly, he'd gone and changed into his other suit after his stunt in the radiology room. Maybe she'd been out for longer than she'd realised.
"What for?" He asked, having caught up with Rose who was now sitting on the captain's chair waiting for him.
"Come on she was brilliant, you should invite her along. At least to say thank you. Plus she saw us this morning so there's also that circular paradox to deal with." Rose continued to push, because despite what she knew she still thought Martha deserved a trip, she hadn't lied when she'd said she'd been brilliant.
The Doctor's mouth opened and closed a few times as if he were going to argue but when he obviously drew up a blank he gave up on the excuses and started the dematerialisation sequence.
"I hate when you're right." He mumbled pointlessly. "Though I suppose it's a good job you remembered that little circular paradox because you haven't eaten anything today. Ended up on the moon at lunchtime."
"No, you don't." Rose teased, giving him her signature tongue in teeth smile she knew he secretly loved. "And thank god, I was getting really sick of hospital food."
"We're here. Do you want to do the honours?"
"Sure you got the right time? It's not accidentally been a year or anything?"
"Oi. That happened once."
"Well…"
"Out you go. Go and find Martha." He said opening the doors pushing a laughing Rose out. "Minx." He muttered under his breath.
Rose skipped to the end of the alley they'd landed in, still grinning to herself when she heard a woman going on about drugged people believing they'd gone to the moon.
The Doctor appeared at her side just in time to also catch that part of the argument.
"Told you I got it right." He whispered in her ear.
"This time." She teased.
She went to say something else but the Doctor put a finger to his lips and shushed her, whether because he thought they were going to get spotted being total creeps on a dark street corner or because his ego couldn't take any more teasing. Rose couldn't be certain but with a roll of her eyes, she did keep quiet, turning back to the bickering family.
Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea.
It was really just driving home just how much she missed her mum and Mickey. She couldn't even argue with them about the little things, it was weird how that worked. Of course, she missed the good stuff too but now she didn't even have the bad stuff and the scene before her was really driving that home.
Rose was pulled from her thoughts by the Doctor nudging her.
"You okay?"
"What happened to being quiet?" She teased, but when the worried look didn't fade she settled on a more serious expression. "I'm fine, I'll be even better when you go buy me some chips."
"Oh I'm buying them now, am I?"
"Yep." She grinned popping the 'p' before copying the Doctor's shushing motion from before and turning back to the street before them.
As the last of the family members disappeared into the night Martha was left alone outside the pub staring off after them with a sigh. It took a couple of seconds for her to notice them there but when she did, Rose beckoned her over before they sunk back into the alley towards the TARDIS.
Moments later the sound of heels could be heard clicking on the cobblestones before Martha appeared in the mouth of the alley with a smile.
"I went to the moon today."
"A bit more peaceful than down here."
"You never even told me who you are."
"The Doctor."
"What sort of species? It's not every day I get to ask that."
"I'm a Time Lord."
"Right! Not pompous at all, then."
Rose laughed at that, she'd never really thought about that particular aspect she kind of forgot amidst the lectures of superior biology.
"She's got a point."
This time it was the Doctor who poked Rose in the ribs.
"Behave." He muttered to Rose before turning back to Martha. "We just thought since you saved my life and I've got a brand new sonic screwdriver which needs road testing, you might fancy a trip."
"What, into space?" Martha asked dubiously.
"Well…"
"But I can't. I've got exams. I've got things to do. I have to go into town first thing and pay the rent, I've got my family going mad."
As Martha listed off all the things she had to do Rose couldn't help but feel glad she didn't have those kinds of concerns anymore.
"If it helps, he can travel in time as well. Don't know why he doesn't ever start with that." Rose said with a roll of her eyes.
"Where's the fun in that?" The Doctor answered Rose.
"Get out of here." Martha said in disbelief.
"I can."
"Come on now, that's going too far."
"I'll prove it." The Doctor said slipping inside the TARDIS.
"See in a second, you're gonna love this bit." Rose said before disappearing inside too.
"Right." The Doctor declared. "Let's go get you those chips. Where did Martha say we saw her?"
"Chancery street."
"Right then off we go."
The Doctor began his usual dance around the console, Rose smiled to herself at the sight it'd been a while since he'd done so, so exuberantly, it hadn't been the easiest of weeks after all. Rose clung to the railings by the TARDIS doors with a laugh at a particularly strong lurch. When they finally came to a stop.
"Oh, money." The Doctor said patting down his pockets but Rose had already opened the doors.
"Should still have the money from when we saw Donna and if not I'm sure we can find a cashpoint 'cause I don't have anything. No job me, and I can't pinch any off of mum anymore."
"Good point." He rummaged through his numerous pockets before he pulled out a tenner from their trip with Donna when he suddenly groaned. "Does that mean I'm going to need to start carrying around Earth currency, I hate Earth money."
He heard Rose laugh from outside the TARDIS doors at his whinging, it was a conversation they'd had before after all.
"You never have any money when we go into the past so I don't see wha' difference it would make."
"Yeah but I have a bad habit of ending up in present-day London, well present for you anyway."
"Chips first, plan currency later." Rose said adamantly looping her arm through the Doctor's as she dragged him towards the nearest chippy.
The second problem occurred when it came to locating Martha amongst the morning crowd. Thankfully the Doctor had an advantage with his height and was able to spot her after a while. Worried about the time frame of the paradox, they quickly made their way over.
"Morning, you want any chips? Long day and all that?" Rose asked the slightly younger Martha trying to make it seem a little less weird than it was, but most likely failing.
"Um, no thanks." Martha said slowly as if she wasn't quite sure if Rose was sane or not, which was fair enough all things considered.
"Suit yourself." The Doctor said, taking Rose's hand and heading back to the TARDIS. "And back again."
They opened the doors back to the alley they'd been in only moments before to see a very stunned Martha stood back against the bins. The two of them stood in the doorway watching her in amusement.
"Sure, you don't want one? They're still hot."
"No, but, that was this morning. Did you? Oh, my god. You can travel in time."
The Doctor pinched one of Rose's chips while Martha got over the whole time travel thing.
"Oi!" Rose protested, but he simply grinned and tried to grab another one while Rose struggled to keep the bag out of his reach which was far more difficult than it should have been. The lanky git.
"But hold on. If you could see me this morning, why didn't you tell me not to go into work?" The two of them focused back on Martha and the Doctor used that distraction to pinch another chip for which he got an elbow to the ribs.
"Crossing into established events is strictly forbidden. Except for cheap tricks." The Doctor explained munching on his pilfered chip.
"And that's your spaceship?"
"It's called the Tardis. Time and Relative Dimension in Space."
"Your spaceship's made of wood. There's not much room. It's a bit intimate, I mean you two barely even fit in the doorway."
"We'd fit a lot better if he stopped nicking my chips."
"I paid for them."
"Hardly counts." Rose disputed.
"Take a look inside." The Doctor finally answered Martha as they stepped out of the doorway.
"No, no, no." Martha muttered before darting back outside. "But it's just a box. But it's huge." She started circling the TARDIS before coming back inside. "How does it do that? It's wood. It's like a box with that room just rammed in. It's bigger on the inside."
Rose watched the Doctor mouth the last bit at the same time as Martha and bit back a laugh.
"Is it? I hadn't noticed." The Doctor said sarcastically.
Rose followed the Doctor up the ramp.
"You love that bit."
"It's the best bit." He defended.
"Right then, let's get going." He said louder this time so Martha could hear him too.
"But is there a crew, like a navigator and stuff? Where is everyone? Can't be just you two."
"Just us."
"Just you two, on your own?"
"Yeah, that's how I like it. Now. Just one trip to say thanks. You get one trip, then back home."
"Then back home." Martha repeated.
"Good. Well, then. Close down the gravitic anomaliser, fire up the helmic regulator. And finally, the hand brake."
Rose didn't miss the wistful glance Martha shot at the grating as the Doctor rambled on. She couldn't help but feel guilty that the Doctor kept reinforcing the idea that it was just one trip as it had been her idea in the first place but she'd seen the other timeline and she'd tried to follow it as closely as possible but maybe she'd just made things worse.
"Ready?" The Doctor asked.
"No."
"Off we go."
As the Doctor threw the dematerialisation leaver the TARDIS gave a massive jolt throwing about her occupants so that they had to hang on for dear life. Rose sent a stray thought to the TARDIS, wondering what the hell her problem was.
"Blimey, it's a bit bumpy."
"Welcome aboard, Miss Jones."
"It's my pleasure, Mister Smith."
A/N: ITS DONE! Wo finally I put this chapter off for ages even tweaked the previous chapters in lieu of procrastinating this one. Thankfully I already started the next one during my period of procrastination. When I was thinking about the plot for this book I realised a lot of what I want to happen would have to wait until later episodes so I may end up moving a couple around to help with the pacing sorry
Anyway let me know your thoughts in the comments :)
Replies:
Dreamcatcher56:
I'm glad you're enjoying it the TARDIS will play a big role with Bad Wolf. Alternative timeline knowledge won't be a common thing to happen but it is linked to the TARDIS and the situations the TARDIS finds herself in.
smnxtp:
Ahaha thank you. I'm having so much fun figuring out my headcanons for this bad wolf so I'm glad you guys are also enjoying it, hopefully I don't ruin that with what I have planned
debygoebel:
Hope this satisfies your kiss queries. The Doctor will find out but that's still a couple of chapters off
VeronicaD13:
Thank you! As I said above the alternative timelines won't be very common they're... almost a side effect. As for Martha's crush I'm still deciding where to go with that so any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks guys!
