3: The Doctor makes a mistake
When the riots start, they run.
There is teargas, shrapnel, gunshots, dust settling on the streets only to be torn up again when a new wave passes. On a momentarily empty street glass crunches underneath the Doctor's hurrying feet as he dials Rose's phone, again and again, until he finally hears the click on the other side that means she has picked up and yells before she can answer: "Get to the Tardis!"
There is a sickening moment of silence, before she yells back: "I can't remember where you parked it!"
The Doctor's voice pitches up. "Gh... Behind the bleedin' barber shop!"
"Alright, alright..." In this time of panic, she still finds it in her to sound indignant. "No need to get huffy about it." Good girl.
The Doctor gets there first. The roar of angry masses, shattering windows and car fires is muffled by the buildings towering around this backstreet and he is glad no mob has found an interest in this particular venue. The destruction raging around him makes him a bit sad, but this is not his fight; it's something these people will have to work out on their own. He spends a second spinning around, looking for his companion, but as she's nowhere to be seen he enters the ship with pockets full of apparatus re-stolen from the Torchwood facilities. No Manic Street Preachers in this world, but they managed a Torchwood... go figure. He pulls a doohickey out of his coat, inspects it closely with squinted eyes and throws it over his shoulder with an exasperated grunt. The next thingamajig he fishes out however generates a happy face and he quickly takes to rigging it in an ingenious way he thought up on the way over. A few moments into the process he drops it all, darts out the door to look around, then back in again. He repeats the ritual, growing a little bit more worried each time, until he finally sees his best human running up to the Tardis from the other end of the street. She looks as if someone showered her in pulverized concrete, but alive and well, and she takes a moment to rest her hands on her knees outside the door, panting heavily.
"What took you? I thought you were just going to say bye!" the Doctor complains. Rose looks up, trying to get some words out with the deep breaths. "Weh... Ih..."
Not having the patience for this, the Doctor goes happy again, grabs her elbow and pulls her inside. "Never mind, we've got work to do."
After a few chaotic minutes of shouting and running around, on the Doctor's part, and trying to do what she's told on Rose's, they're both holding on for dear life as the Tardis struggles with the makeshift upgrade that is supposed to help them in the right direction. Sparks are flying from some crucial panel, the grate is rattling as if it's about to come off and the Doctor spends a second wondering if it's really going to work. He looks over to Rose where she's clinging to a column and catches her eyes. There is worry in them, almost fear. Taut jaw, apprehensive features... She's not completely convinced either, it seems, that it's going to work. The insolence of her doubt burrows into him, deflating any of his own. How dare she not be completely convinced it's going to work? Of course it's going to work! He's the Doctor! He shoots her a smile of utmost confidence. Hesitantly she tries to return it; it doesn't quite reach her eyes but it's enough to soften her expression into something a little less precarious.
And then, there it is; an abrupt end to the shaking and breaking, too sudden to be easily trusted so Rose holds on for a while longer while the Doctor laughs victoriously.
"We did it, Rose!" He throws his arms up. "We're home! Well, home... In the right dimension, anyway." He remains in the pose while Rose slowly lets go of the column and takes a deep breath.
"Phew! Ya-ay", she laughs joylessly and wipes her sweaty palms on the back of her jeans, only to get them covered by concrete dust. She tries to wipe them on each other, looking around as if she's not sure of where she is. The Doctor, who is still waiting for his victory-hug, lets his arms fall to his sides.
"You alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine", she answers with a wave of her hand. There is nothing believable about it, so the Doctor gives her a meaning look. She realises there's no point of faking and leans back on the column, looking at the floor, at the walls, other places than at him. He waits.
"I feel bad, about... the other me", she offers after a while.
"Ah, Rose..." he starts softly, tilting his head. She looks up, interrupting him.
"I feel really bad about leaving her there! There was so much going on... She could get hurt, or..." She swallows.
He steps closer.
"Too late now. There's nothing to do. We can't go back." He reaches out and cups her shoulders, looking at her intently, willing her to understand that sometimes – just sometimes – she mustn't care. She won't meet his eyes, until he cheerily exclaims: "At least now you don't have to take a picture to know what you look like from behind!" which he immediately regrets as he's hit by a wildly insulted stare. "Oh, she'll manage fine. She's you!" he tries.
Rose's eyes glaze over with something undefinable. Unfamiliar, eerie – empty. Empty glaze, underneath; sad turmoil.
The Doctor is starting to feel a bit bad himself. Just a tad. A teeny, tiny bit of desperate. "Would you like to go home?" he asks, fully prepared to take a hundred beatings from Jackie for upsetting her little girl if it's what it takes to get that look off of that face.
"What? No! No..." Rose is all frowns, distracted contemplation. "Let's just..." She brings her hand to her face, touching her palm to her cheek, the back of it to her forehead. It leaves dirty streaks. "Let's just... go somewhere nice."
"Right." The Doctor smiles. He gives her shoulders a squeeze, hesitating just a second before letting go since somewhere inside he's still waiting for that hug, and starts walking briskly around the consoles talking about their options.
"...even if the fire storms might be a problem. But oh! the colours, Rose! You'll have to try and name every one of them, I bet you can't. So that'll be our first stop – although..." He stands still for a second, glancing her over. "First stop for you, maybe the shower?"
A look of complete confusion takes over Rose's grimy face before she finds her composure, turns to regard the only exit, and takes it.
The Doctor's gaze lingers at the empty doorway. He shakes a feeling, and goes back to setting coordinates.
A/N: I wonder if this is very different from what I've been writing so far, or if it goes with it. R&R, because that's love! Also, if you missed the update of chapter two I suggest you check it out, it's a little altered.