Final post before my trip to England, I'm one sure excited Kiwi girl! Shame we're slightly too soon for Hamlet though, we're going to another RSC show instead. Ah well. Since this is based from Turn Left onwards it's officially AU from now.

"Right, let's see what we have down here."

The Doctor laid himself flat on his stomach and peered through his glasses down under the TARDIS grate, his old torch flashing red on top of his head. He was actually waiting for Donna to pass comment on how ridiculous he looked, maybe dish out a few of her rather stellar insults. Noting how odd it was that there was, in fact, no such comment from Donna, the Doctor made the wise decision not to jinx it and, taking her rare silence in his stride, he continued with a sniff as if he hadn't noticed, "It's going to be spectacularly difficult to get down there because, by the looks of things I need to pull apart the old regulator." He sighed and waved the sonic screwdriver half-heartedly at said regulator, an object that seemed as boring and unimportant as the other various pieces of junk that had accumulated down under the grate over the years. Yet the regulator was actually, among other things, rather essential in the day to day running of things. Not, bang-and-the-TARDIS-falls-through-space-and-time sort of essential, but essential in the sense of, for instance, without it, the TARDIS would lose its under floor heating. And according to Donna (the Doctor hadn't really noticed), it was, quote, "bloody freezing walking around barefoot in this stupid police box.' Upon hearing this, the Doctor had casually told her that maybe the TARDIS wasn't the best place to walk barefoot and, quite honestly, he was rather good at accidently on purpose leaving painfully inappropriate things on the floor after he had finished tinkering. Argo, no bare feet, no cold feet and, shoes (or at least slippers) worn onboard meant that everyone concerned could avoid throbbing big toes that would swell to double their normal size and make running for your life particularly painful. Not that the Doctor spoke from experience or anything.

Further arguing led now to the Doctor's position on the floor with Donna sitting on the captain's seat behind him, waving her foot (thankfully shoed,) in the air impatiently.

"I hope you appreciate this," the Doctor told her, his cheek slap bang against the metal grate, which, he did admit, was a bit chilly to the touch, "I haven't clambered down there in a good hundred years and, oh, I do hate to spoil a good suit."

He sat up on his elbows and sighed, "What would really be handy is a scrap-yard. Not a normal scrap-yard mind, not in this case; but a scrap-yard from at least…oooh, the 72nd Century?"

He aimed the sonic carefully at the pressurised gauge on the regulator, temporarily fixing it as the possibilities emerged, "Tell you what Donna, we'll go even further. New Earth, brilliant, it's very nearly a tradition. I can get the parts I need there. And you'll love it, really…as long as we avoid everything feline."

He gave the regulator a final zap then propelled himself into a kneeling position, pulling off his glasses, "And maybe I can pick up some new partisional modules while I'm at it too," he nodding to himself, "yeah...do you wanna give me a hand up, I'm honestly not as young as I used to be."

He turned, outstretching his hand and wiggled his fingers in the direction of the captain's seat where Donna had been sitting. The seat was now empty.

The Doctor's hand dropped to his side, "Donna?'

Silence.

He lurched to his feet with a sigh, realising she had got bored of him and wandered off. It was amazing as to how often this happened with his companions. Human's to be presise, Donna in particular. Rose and Martha had been patient enough to stick with him most of the time and nod in all the right places, only walking away when he started retelling rants of old. With Donna he frequently found himself in public suddenly talking to no one as she had given up trying to understand him and had found some cheap scarves, (apparently far more interesting than the history behind the Rutans and the Sontarans), for sale for only eight Pluron dollars. Now she had buggered off while he was fixing the regulator. Never mind the aliens who had threatened to destroy her planet, no, she had walked off while he was fixing the underfloor heating...for her!

"Donna, oh, come on, really. You're the one that likes toasty soles!"

With a groan he wiped his hands on his trousers and spinning the sonic screwdriver in his hand he bounded towards the internal console room door.

He grasped said door as one would, people open doors everyday, nothing major. He himself was more than capable, so when he gave it a yank and it nearly dislocated his shoulder, the door not budging an inch, he glared at it a second, knowing this had nothing to do with his door opening skills so yanked it again to no obvious lasting effect.

Realising that he couldn't really blame the door itself, rather the machine it was attatched to, his eyes shifted to the ceiling, "Really, what have I done wrong now?" the Doctor demanded of the TARDIS, "I'm fixing the regulator, doesn't that merit some…."

He froze mid sentence as he realised he wasn't getting anything resembling a response from the TARDIS. She was always there in his mind, humming gently and giving him a little mental nudge when he was down or just plain confused. But now, mentally reaching out, he couldn't sense anything at all. It was almost if; no, it was as if one part of his own consciousness was missing. This vast abyss sat unpleasantly in his mind, his tendrils reaching out seemingly echoing and rebounding in the nothingness.

Panic was an unusual sensation for the Doctor yet panic is what he felt as, eyes widening in dawning horror he slowly stumbled backwards, pupils glued to the ceiling, mouth slack. Very nearly tripping over the grate ledge he spun and fell towards the console, grabbing and pulling the monitor with him before he righted himself and gave it a sharp tap.

The screen went green then began flashing in Gallifreyan, the symbols changing far too quick for him to read or even identify, before the monitor narrowed and went black.

The Doctor could only blinked for a moment, before, as one does when a television isn't working, he banged the screen again ignoring the sharp throbbing now pulsating through his hand.

As with a television, banging the screen didn't help. The monitor remained blank.

Instead he changed the setting on the sonic screwdriver and whirred it over the keyboard.

Nothing happened.

Glancing from the controls to the central column, the time rotor still going, he slotted the sonic into a space in the console and pulled down on the handbrake.

Nothing happened.

Processing things in quick concession was something the Doctor was good at, it was part of his job description, yet now that stupid thing called panic got in the way and it took a few seconds longer than usual to work it out. He was apparently trapped in the console room. He hadn't tried the exterior door but had an inkling it wouldn't be any less unstuck as the interior. The time rotor was still moving yet the TARDIS was non responsive. If the TARDIS was non responsive then the time rotor couldn't be working.

Yet it was. The lights were still up and blazing, the up and down movement of the column suggested they were still be moving but, slight technical glitch, the TARDIS couldn't actually work if; well, if the TARDIS wasn't there. The Doctor was in the TARDIS, yet, he could have been in Timbuktu for all he knew because he couldn't actually feel the TARDIS. It simply wasn't there.

Hence the conclusion that, "This…this is…this isn't the TARDIS."

And on top of this revelation, Donna had seemingly gone missing.

In the grand design of things, it was actually the Doctor that was missing and Donna Noble who was surrounded by faces the Doctor longed to see again; more specifically the face of one Rose Tyler. Donna looked from Jack, to Rose, to Jack again and couldn't help but snort at the comical matching grins plastered over their faces as the two old friends finally spotted one another across the courtyard.

Jack longed to just run over there and god, he didn't know. He wanted to hug her, he wanted to kiss her, but at the same time he was wary. How was she here? Was she the same Rose he had once known? Was she even Rose? It was sad that at a time like this he thought like that but Jack had come to the realisation that you couldn't really trust anyone. Definitely not your brother and maybe not the girl you loved.

Separating them were Jackie Tyler and Mickey Smith, two people who mustn't ever realise either Rose or Jack were there. And Jack was slightly grateful for that, it gave him a chance to calculate and evaluate what exactly was going on here, what exactly was the best move now and, noted, it was also best to avoid paradoxes when necessary as was the general rule to time travel. He didn't really need two more confused companions, a mother and an ex-boyfriend of all things, demanded answers in his ear as well as everyone else.

Rose was shrugging across the courtyard at him, gesturing apologetically at her mother and her boyfriend and Jack absently shrugged back, still transfixed by her appearance.

"How is she here?" Martha finally asked, her voice startling him as he had plainly forgotten them all behind him, Donna beaming, Martha frowning and Gwen and Ianto looking confused and left in out; which wasn't really fair. They didn't belong in this mess, they'd just lost Owen and Tosh and...hold on, had Gwen even called Rhys? It was all too much to think about. Jack knew he had the rather lovely task of rescuing the Last of the Timelord's from whatever dark dangerous pit he had fallen into, not to mention the love of said Timelord's life had just impossibly popped back into existence and yet, here he was, Captain Jack Harkness, worrying about Gwen's husband? He couldn't help but snort at himself as he and his posse watched Rose pull out what looked to be a pocket watch from her jacket before glancing at it and biting her lip, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet.

He could only shake his head at Martha's question, having run out of answers even before they'd begun, "Maybe she can answer that for you."

He turned his attention back to Rose and frowned at her in question, arms raised in the air in confusion. She sighed and shook her head, tapping her wrist impatiently.

It seemed to take an age before Jackie and Mickey had their little moment and broke apart, Mickey wrapping an arm around Jackie's shoulders, steering her towards the flats, glancing over his own shoulder absently, both Jack and Rose ducking back as his gaze swept over their hiding places. Jack could only stand there in frozen horror as Mickey's gaze lingered on the oak tree and the trunk Rose was hiding behind for a second too long. Jackie carried on moving, unaware of Mickey's distraction as Mickey squinted at the trunk suspiciously, cocking his head slightly as if he had seen something he knew shouldn't be there. He took a step towards the tree, paused, glanced back at Jackie and sighed, shaking his head warily and followed her retreating back towards the flats.

Jack breathed a sigh of relief and Rose ducked out from behind the tree as soon as Mickey had disappeared from view. Jack made to move across to her but she held up her hand, signalling him to wait, before glancing up from under the shade of the tree up to the balcony of the flats. A moment later a door slammed and Rose grinned in relief, glancing at the pocket watch again before jogging quite calmly over to where they stood as if she ran across them everyday.

"Hey, you lot."

They were the first words Jack heard Rose Tyler speak since that fateful day on the Games Station. It was a bit anti-climatic really. She seemed perfectly casual, if only a little bit anxious, almost if she had other things to think about and she just wanted to get this over with. She hadn't aged much, but she had an authority about her, as if she wasn't just the companion anymore, she didn't need to run after anyone. They needed to run after her.

It all made Jack feel very uneasy as Rose continued to speak, ignoring the fact they were all staring at her as if she was a ghost. Well she was a ghost really, to this world long since dead, "I need to be quick," she said, giving their blank faces a sympathetic look, "sorry, really, but only have about seven minutes. Well, actually," she corrected herself with a wave of her hand, "I just wasted two of them, so five minutes, I only have five minutes."

She paused, waiting for someone to speak, turning to Jack when they did not, "Come on, let's talk inside the TARDIS. I don't want Mum and Mickey to nip back outside and spot us."

"Rose…"

Jack breathed her name and reached his hand out to her face, pausing slightly before cupping her chin gently, the warm skin his hand met giving him ample evidence that she was not a ghost, not a hologram, not an echo, still, he couldn't help but ask, "Is that really you?"

Rose stared at him for a moment, mingled emotions on her face before she took a breath and relaxed slightly, the intense impatience slipping slightly as she looking up at him with a familiar wide smile, "Yeah, it's me. Hi."

He swallowed dryly, just managing to respond with a matching, "Hi,"

She suppressed a small giggle at the small twitch of a smile beginning to appear on the side of his face and without further ado grabbed his hand and dragged him back towards the TARDIS, "Come on, in."

He stumbled after her as she pulled out a key from under her jacket and open the door of the TARDIS. Any other doubt that this wasn't Rose was gone as the TARDIS gave a warm hum, you could even call it a sigh of contentment, as Rose stepped over the threshold. She bounded forward as everybody else stepped in after her and reached the console, patted it warmly, "I missed you too."

Jack shook his head with a fair amount of wonder, at a loss of what to say, weakly introducing her to everyone at a lack of anything better to say, "Ahh..., Ianto, Gwen, Martha, Donna, this is Rose Tyler."

Donna blinked at her then gave a small squeal and clapped her hands together, "Really? Really truly…..oh, this is brilliant! He's going to be over the moon. I want to hug you, no, I need to hug you."

Rose snorted, "One must never say no to hugs."

She stepped forward and the two woman held each other for a moment, each grinning like a meercat, "But he won't be able to jump over any moons ever again if we don't find him." Jack nudged Donna out of the way and embracing Rose properly, "Oh, I've missed you." He pulled back and, keeping his hands on her shoulders, surveyed her carefully, "And I have to admit, the timing couldn't have been better."

"Oh, I know, I am good. Well, actually, I missed it at first, ended up a few months back, outside Adipose Industries….nice job by the way." She added to Donna, "But I got here in the end."

"Hold on, I don't get it?" It was a question from Donna, not really a statement and Martha had one of her own to add, "How did you know the Doctor was missing?"

Martha Jones had her eyebrows raised, unable to define what exactly she was feeling. Her little thing with the Doctor was long since over but she couldn't help being suspisious of this 'other woman'. On one hand she had appeared out of nowhere with no real explanation, seemingly quiet at ease about the whole thing. Secondly, Rose Tyler, wasn't really all that impressive. Martha rather felt she had got all jealous for nothing. Regardless, she could still feel the green eyed monster at the back of her mind.

Rose had glanced at the pocket watch again, waving a hand airily at their questions, " I don't have time to be all enigmatic and mysterious…basically, I've been here, done this. Fast forward a few months and there you'll find me. Paradoxes abound me coming here but that's the point. I have something to tell you."

Martha spoke the obvious, "You're from the future."

Rose nodded, "I need you to do something. Actually, Ianto," she spun to face him, he blinked, startled, "I need you to do something."

"I don't even know you."

Rose looked slightly smug, slightly proud, "Ah, but I know you. Ianto Jones, you were there Torchwood Tower, Canary Wharf. You lost your girlfriend that day, even if you didn't realise it until months later. But you've moved on," she eyed Jack with a knowing look, and gave him a slight wag of her finger "you have loved and you have lost and, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but I need you to go back."

"What?" Ianto looked a trifle uncomfortable at the amount of attention suddenly drawn to him.

"I need you to go back to Canary Wharf. I need you to unlock the breach."

"Rose, you are kidding me!" Jack was looking at her in horror.

"It's the only way to get me back."

Jack simply blinked at her, a mixture of longing and sympathy on his face, "Rose, you know we can't...the Doctor wouldn't, even for you..."

She snorted, "Oh, I know that...bang and two universes collapse, no, I'm not asking you to open the breach, just unlock it."

Jack wasn't having it, "We don't know enough about the breach. We..."

"...you don't know what will happen." Rose cut in, "I do. Been there, done that, remember? This is a win win situation actually. Find me and you're able to find the Doctor. Sorta killing two birds with one stone really."

Several seconds of ringing slience followed this statement before Donna spoke, "You know how to get the Doctor back?" she exclaimed "Well just flipping tell us then!"

Rose sighed, looking like she would like nothing better to do just that, "I can't," she said regretfully, "spoilers Donna, spoilers, I can only...nudge you in the right direction."

"And that, per chance, coincides with rescuing you?" Martha asked doubtfully.

Rose sighed opened her mouth, raising her finger beforet thinking better of it and decidedly ignored Martha's accusation, turning to Ianto, "So, you know how to work the controls?"

Ianto nodded slowly, not sure what he was getting himself into, "Yes, the basics. But it's been two years, everything's been dismantled or destroyed..."

Rose shook her head impatiently, "They didn't touch anything in the breach room, trust me, it was too unstable. Everything's still intact."

Ianto surveyed Rose for a moment, trying to decide whether to put his trust in her. Eventually agreeing with what he saw, he nodded, "Well, if it needs to be done, I can do it."

He glanced at Jack for confirmation and Jack sighed, "Okay, so then what? Rose, I'm sorry but the Doctor is the prority...

"Trust me Jack, please. The Doctor is simple a blind leap of faith away. The void has been active as of late. All you have to do is unlock it and the TARDIS will be drawn in. Then, well..."

"Yeah, so the TARDIS is stuck in this void...then what?" Martha asked

Ianto shook his head warily, "It's not as simple as that Martha," he told her softly, "the void is...well, the void...the void is hell."

"WHAT?" Donna demanded

"So your plan is to send us into hell?" Martha asked Rose angrily.

Rose beamed at her, "Martha Jones. I never did say thank you. Thank you for what you did."

"What did I do?" Martha demanded

"You kept him going. You and Donna. You kept him alive. And now look at you. A doctor, an engaged doctor. An engaged doctor working for UNIT. Whatever happened in this stupid blue box," she patted the console apologetically, "it's been an experience no matter what happened, fobwatches and broken hearts, a year that never was. Whatever you may think of me Martha, I'm not going to trap you all in hell, you deserve better than that, you all do. Sit tight and I'll work things out on my end. An eternity in hell is not my grand plan for you."

Jack really really wanted to say that this was all fine and dandy and let go of his official obligation and just run with this crazy almost nonexistant plan. But Jack Harkness had been in charge for far to long now, it was who he was and sadly, he couldn't just follow the word of his favourite blonde girl without consideration, not like he use to, "I have to say Rose, this doesn't sound very promising."

Rose turned to him with pleading eyes, "Jack trust me. Wibbly wobbly, timey wimey." A small smile returned to her face at that, "I know it will work 'cause, well, I've already done it."

Gwen Cooper felt very overwhelmed by all of this, not really part of this world. Yet she was the only one that could take a critical step back and view all the facts before, "I'm sorry, Jack, but this is stupid. We can't put blind faith in what she says, we just can't. It simply sounds like she wants her own ass saved, never mind the Doctor."

Rose sighed and glanced at the pocket watch again, stepping nimly out of the conversation as Jack rounded on Gwen, a spark of anger erupting, "Firstly, don't presume Rose values her own 'ass' over anyone elses...regardless of how nice that ass is."

He smiled sweetly at Rose and she simply rolled her eyes.
"Second," Jack said, turning back to Gwen, "I'm nearly a hundred and fifty years old. And out of that existance, if I had to put blind faith in anyone, any entity in this universe or the others...it would be one Rose Marion Tyler...oh," he shrugged absently, "and I suppose the Doctor deserves notable mention too."

He grinned at Rose and she blushed, "Thanks Jack."

They stared across at each other, things left unsaid, times not shared, all convayed in a single look. With reluctance Rose dragged her eyes away and pulled out her watch again, "Damn it, I've only got about ten seconds."

"Time to go, is it?"

"Yeah, see you soon Captain."

Jack opened his mouth, closed it, sighed and tried again, "Rose, you're from the future...so where are you now?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, "I can't tell you that, Jack."

He surveyed her for a moment then realised, "But you're smiling."

Rose's smile stretched even further at it's mention, a twinkle in her eye, "Well yeah, I am."

She gave a little content sigh then frowned and glanced down at her hand to see it wavering in and out of existence, "Ah well," she sighed as her image began to fade, "Time's up, off you go…and off I go."

Then she disappeared.

Five minutes later Mickey Smith raced out of the flat and nearly threw himself off the balcony as he heard the great engines grind into life once again. Two times in quarter of an hour, well; regardless of the idiot that Mickey was, he logically realised it must have been the real thing for him to hear it twice, and just maybe he hadn't been hallucinating when he had spotted Rose out of the corner of his eye hiding under the old oak tree.

"Mickey, do you want some of these macaroon biscuits?"

Jackie, bless her, hadn't heard it the second time and Mickey didn't want to worry her.

Glaring suspiciously out at the estate, he sighed and reluctantly let it be, returning back inside, his mind on the blonde girl under the tree.

"Yeah, I'd love some, Jackie."

The front door shut on Flat 29 of Bucknell House and what with the bat people, tin dogs and dead mice; the next time Mickey Smith saw Rose Tyler he had quite forgotten about the strange happenings that day. Life chasing after the Doctor did that to you.