Calendar Girl

Chapter 3 – Domestic Danger

"I was going to have cereal for breakfast."

The Doctor was lying on his back under the edge of the console when he heard Rose's voice. Without looking at the time display—which now mimicked the Earth's diurnal cycle—the Doctor knew that it was just past nine hundred hours.

She was rather predictable, Rose was. The Tardis had been parked in the Vortex six Earth-days in order to allow the Doctor to focus on repairs and to let the engine recharge, and already Rose had fallen into a circadian rhythm that the Doctor could set his watch to. At first, Rose had slept long hours to catch up on the missing sleep her body needed. But by the next day, she had fallen into a sleep and wake cycle that varied by less than ten minutes. This precision was simultaneously boring and utterly fascinating to the Doctor. Rose was not his first human companion, but he had never paid attention to the details of their habits like he found himself doing lately.

The Doctor's distracted thoughts had caused his work to cease, but he had not moved from his position under the console edge. It occurred to him that Rose's routine was off. She had never announced that she was eating breakfast, and he was not sure what the correct response to such a statement was. If this was a human custom, he was not aware of it. He decided it was best to carry on with his work and act as if this statement was not in any way confusing to him.

"Okay," said the Doctor brightly without getting up to look at her.

"I said," Rose started again, "That I was going to have cereal for breakfast. Turns out that isn't going to happen."

Oh. So this wasn't a general announcement of mealtime after all, it was a notice that the Tardis kitchen was out of cereal.

The Doctor scooted out from his position in a rather awkward manner and sat on the grating looking up at his pajama-clad companion. She was holding a bowl filled with small brown spheres. "You have cereal right there," said the confused Doctor.

"Yes, but no milk," said Rose. "And the whole point of eating Coco Pops is to end up with chocolate flavored milk at the end."

"Then have the Weetabix instead," the Doctor said with a shrug.

"Weetabix with no milk?" The look Rose gave the Doctor gave him the impression that he had suggested something as ridiculous as buying a three-piece-suit for the Face of Boe.

"There's plenty of bread for toast," the Doctor said. He really did not have time for this; he wanted to get back to closing the thermal couplings in the console before the wires near them began to melt. Did all humans have this much trouble adjusting to something outside of the routine? Rose had proven herself to have a quick wit, so he could not understand how her need to eat could be immobilized by one missing ingredient. One would assume that in almost two decades on earth, she would have learned how to improvise on breakfast plans. He certainly hoped she had, because there was no chance he would let her rely on him to help her make decisions this insignificant.

"The bread is already toasting, thanks," Rose said. Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "By some miracle I was able to come up with that one all by myself."

"Fantastic," he said with slight irritation. "Problem solved." The Doctor located his sonic screwdriver and started to duck back under the console.

"The point is that we need to go shopping—today," Rose said.

The Doctor re-emerged from underneath the console long enough to say "No," then returned to the wires that were troubling him.

"What do you mean, 'No?' " asked Rose.

The Doctor sighed and left his position under the console so he could stand up and face her. He looked at her, crossed his arms, and said, "I mean 'no,' as in, 'No, we are not going shopping.' "

"But we're out of milk."

"The Tardis has soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, coconut milk, and goat milk," said the Doctor. "And that's just the Earth milks. There is also bovicerus milk from Shallacatop, capricus milk from Flane, and grassberry milk from Betrushia. We are not out of milk."

"All the same, I don't use those kinds of milk," Rose said. "Besides, the kitchen is empty of other basic things too."

The Doctor rubbed his brow. "Rose we can eat anywhere in the universe at anytime. Who needs a stocked kitchen?"

"Well, when you park us in the void for week—me," said Rose. She sat the bowl of dry cereal on the jump seat and walked over to the Doctor. "Plus the way things tend to go, we could land for a nice breakfast in some quiet café in twentieth-century France and end up being chased by some alien from Jupiter before they even serve us a cuppa. I'd much prefer to have my first meal of the day in the safety of the Tardis."

The Doctor knew she was making sense, but something in him panicked. "I don't go shopping," he said, trying hard to stand his ground.

"What do you call that quick shopping trip we made right before settling in the void?" Rose challenged, "You know, at that place that looked like Mos Eisley?"

"Mos what?" the Doctor said.

"Mos Eisley," she said. "You know, from Star Wars? I was sure when you were looking at all those robotic parts that someone was going to say 'These aren't the droids you're looking for.' "

The Doctor shook his head at the reference. "Not everything in space is like Star Wars," he said.

"Would you rather I compare it to Star Trek?" she asked as she flashed her trademark grin.

"Not really," he said, but he couldn't help but smile back.

"Anyway, that was shopping," Rose said. "We must have been there for an hour looking at machine and tech junk."

"Well that's different," he said, defensively. "It's not…"

"Domestic, yeah," said Rose with disappointment.

As soon as The Doctor saw her crestfallen face, he knew he had lost. "Okay, shopping it is," he said. He turned to his monitor to ponder the least domestic place that could be accomplished.

"Um, Doctor," asked Rose. "Could we go to Earth at some place and time close to home so I am familiar with the stores?"

Well there goes any chance for adventure, the Doctor mused. "Any more specifics?"

"Well, I was thinking I might want a calendar—a normal paper one of 2005 so I can keep track of our holiday excursions," she said. "That is, if we can do that without crossing timelines or whatever."

He could do that. In fact, if that is what Rose Tyler wished, then that is exactly what he wanted to do. He marveled at the power that one human girl seemed to have over him.

"Fine," he said, feigning more annoyance than he really felt, "I'll make it work."

"Thank you. It'll be fun. I promise," she said. She gave him one last smile before retrieving her bowl of cereal and exiting the console room.

"So this is…" Rose said as she and the Doctor emerged from the Tardis.

"Belfast, 6th of January, 2005," the Doctor said. "No chance of running into yourself, yet close to home. And there should be plenty of calendars left over."

"Brilliant!" said Rose. "And look, there's a Tesco right there!"

The Doctor was amazed at what could make Rose Tyler excited. Tell her that the bloke standing next to you is Charles Dickens, and you get an "Okay," but take her to a supermarket chain in Northern Ireland, and she practically jumps up and down with enthusiasm.

"It won't take forever, okay?" she said. "Just gonna take the trolley and make a quick trip."

"Okay," the Doctor said. He leaned against the edge of the Tardis. "I'll be right here"

"You're not comin' in?" Rose asked.

"I'd rather face the Slitheen again," he told her. "Go on; have your fun." He waved her in the direction of the store as he spoke. "And stay out of trouble."

Rose rolled her eyes. "It's a grocery store, Doctor. What trouble can I possibly get into?"

"Don't know," he said. "But if there is any to be found, you'll be the one to find it."

Rose laughed and ran across the street to the entrance of the store. The Doctor thought about following her, but he had to stay true to his party line, and grocery shopping was far too domestic.

Rose walked over to the row of trolleys outside the store and selected the first one without examining it. She yelped as she felt a sharp pain in her right hand and instantly drew it toward herself. As she did, the sharp pain grew. Rose looked at her hand to find it covered in blood. Then she noticed that the trolley handle was twisted and a sharp rusted piece was sticking up right where she had placed her hand. When she pulled it forward, it must have caused a severe laceration. Blood was now dripping to the ground and forming a small pool.

"Bugger," she said. She looked across the street to see if the Doctor had noticed, but it appeared he had gone back inside the Tardis. She knew she should probably return to the Tardis and have the Doctor tend to her hand (which amused Rose since she hadn't seen him do much that actually applied to his title of "Doctor"), but she was afraid that if she did, he would decide to call off her shopping trip and never get around to scheduling another one. No—it was better if she just carried on. Rose took off her light blue cotton scarf and used the jagged edge of the trolley handle to cut it in two. She then wrapped the smaller portion around her hand and did her best to tie it using her left hand and her teeth.

After finishing her self-administered first aid, Rose noticed a teenage Tesco employee walking out of the store.

"Oi!" she called to him. "One of these trolleys just sliced up my hand. You need to clean up this bloody trolley and get it out of here before someone else gets hurt." After she said it, she realized how her words must have sounded, so she clarified. "I mean the trolley literally has blood on it," she said. She waved her haphazardly bandaged hand at him as proof. "See?"

The worker nodded. He went about finding someone to help him, but didn't offer any apology. If Rose's mother had been with her, she would have been demanding compensation for her daughter, but all Rose wanted was to get groceries and get back to the Tardis. She took the next nearest trolley and headed toward the entrance. It was just her luck—this one had a sticky wheel and wobbled—but she decided it wasn't worth her trouble to get a different one.

Rose went over her mental shopping list as she passed through the double doors. The unwieldy trolley was a pain, but she soon learned its idiosyncrasies and adjusted to them. In addition, she seemed to be following the same path down the aisles as a young mother and her child. A cherubic girl of about three or four sat in the trolley seat, and waved at Rose. The little girl with honey blonde hair and a friendly smile reminded Rose of herself at that same age, and Rose enjoyed smiling and waving back at the child as she shopped.

Rose knew what she wanted to buy, but tried to consider what the Doctor might want as well. This was difficult since he refused to come along, but she did her best to guess. She bought bananas because it seemed they went through them rather quickly though she had eaten very few. She also went a little overboard with biscuits, puddings, and sweets. This was probably because everything that the mini-Rose was putting in her basket (without her mother's knowledge) looked appealing and made Rose want it as well.

Soon she had gone through most of the store and had a basket full of food for breakfasts, quick meals, and snacks. All she had left to select were the non-food items. She had stocked up on various personal items and was now in the hair care row. She had chosen several bottles of shampoo and conditioner because she had no idea when she would next be able to go shopping. Meanwhile, the little girl in front of her (whom she heard the mother call Katie) was holding a bottle of kids' shampoo and chattering about the cartoon character on it. Rose nodded in response then turned her attention to the hair dyes. She once had hair as fair as Katie's, but it had darkened over the years. Her natural hair color was a mixture of several hues, and the darker ashen tones had overtaken the fairer golden ones. Her mother (who ran a hairdressing business from home) would help her achieve a look that let mostly the golden tones come through. But with a changed life, she wasn't sure if she really wanted to bother with hair dyes. After all, no one cared what shade of blonde her hair was when she was running for her life.

Rose walked sideways as she examined the multiple boxes of dye. She did not notice that little Katie had dropped her shampoo and broken it. Rose stepped where Katie's mother's trolley had been and slipped on the spilled shampoo. In the process, she tripped into a hairbrush display that was in the the aisle and fell on her backside. The hairbrush display was tethered to the shelf, and the minor stumble caused the entire shelf to tilt. Rose looked up and knew it was going to fall.

"Watch out!" she shouted to the mother and daughter who were only a few paces ahead of her. She watched as the mother got Katie to safety. Rose, however, was unable to get to her feet quick enough and could only cover her head and duck. The entire shelving unit did not fall, but the top shelf was yanked from its brackets and came crashing down along with bottles of shampoos and other bottles of hair care supplies. The shelf hit Rose on her left shoulder pushing her further to the ground while several shampoo bottles pelted her back and head.

The Doctor pondered his earlier conversation with Rose as he assessed his repair work and declared it complete. He knew he had to try being less stubborn. It had been his choice to invite Rose to travel with him—he even gave her a second chance when she had said no—therefore it was his obligation to make her feel comfortable. And if he was being honest with himself, it was his pleasure to go out of his way for her. He had already decided to give her back those missed holidays; was it that much trouble to also make the Tardis feel like a proper home to her? The Doctor smiled. Domestic or not, the idea of Rose Tyler making herself at home on the Tardis was one of the most pleasant thoughts he had had in a long time.

The Doctor left the Tardis with a purpose. Finding a calendar for Rose was the perfect gesture to show that he was accepting her for the linear-minded human that she was. He found a small book shop around the corner from the Tesco which had exactly what he needed. At the front of the store was a display of calendars that had already been marked down for clearance. Instantly, his frustration set in. He could not understand why there needed to be such a wide selection of calendars when they provided the same information. And why did so many of them feature diminutive animals? Puppies, kittens, bunnies, and baby farm animals stared at him from their glossy pages. Other calendars featured photos from films and television programmes that were popular in 2004. After searching through countless calendars, he finally found the right one and went to find Rose.

Before the Doctor even turned the corner, he knew something was not right. He could hear the wail of an ambulance siren and could tell it was heading in the same direction he was. His suspicions were right: the ambulance had stopped in front of the supermarket. The Doctor broke into a run and headed straight into the commotion.

"What happened?" he asked one of the paramedics standing outside

"Sir you can't be here," the paramedic answered.

I bloody well can, he thought, try and stop me. The Doctor's stance and stare became authoritative as he asked again, "What happened?"

"A young woman was hit by a falling shelf," said the paramedic. "But you can't go in there."

"Yes I can," he said. "I'm the Doctor." Then he darted into the store and toward the location of the accident without waiting for a response.

"I'm fine really," a voice said from within a circle of people.

It was Rose. Of course it was. He hadn't meant his words that morning to be prophetic, but yet she still managed to find danger in an everyday supermarket.

Using the title of "Doctor" to his advantage, he was able to break through the protective ring of people and get to her. Bottles of shampoo were everywhere and one row of the shelf was lying on the floor. Rose was sitting in the midst of it all while two paramedics tended to her needs. He did not see any outward damage, except for a bloody scarf tied around the palm of her right hand. With a bit of convincing and the use of psychic paper, he was able to get Rose released to his care. And the supermarket, eager to avoid a lawsuit, was happy to settle the matter by giving Rose her groceries for free.

"Ouch!" protested Rose. A wave of pain shot through her hand as she sat on the examining table in the Tardis medical bay. She tried to draw her hand away, but the Doctor held her wrist firmly and used a device similar to the sonic screwdriver to heal her hand.

"It wouldn't have hurt so much if you had come to me the minute you injured it," said the Doctor. "That trolley was teeming with bacteria and germs. Your hand was already becoming infected. Still, you'll be completely healed in a day or two."

"And what about the pain from being hit by a shelf and pelted by shampoo bottles?" she asked.

"I'm afraid that's just muscle soreness and will have to heal in its own time," the Doctor said.

"So I suppose that this was the last shopping trip I get to make," said Rose.

"No," said the Doctor, "just the last one without me. You, Rose Tyler, are a magnet for danger, no matter how domestic the task."

"That was purely coincidental, that was," Rose said. "But it'd be nice if you'd come next time."

"I'd be glad to."

Rose grinned, but then a thought made her face fall. "Oh no!" she said. "I forgot!"

The Doctor smiled, which seemed like the wrong response to what she had said. "Wait here," he instructed her. A moment later he was back with a brown shopping bag. "I think this is what you forgot," he said as he handed it to her.

Rose opened the bag and took out a wall calendar. Rose examined the back cover, which had a preview each month's picture, and happy tears filled her eyes. Inside were twelve photographs from famous places within the United Kingdom. "It's perfect," she said. She gave the Doctor a bear hug, which she could tell surprised them both.

"Well then, Calendar Girl," said the Doctor with a grin. "It's time for a year to remember."

Author Notes: This story deviates from the rest since it is neither a glimpse of an episode nor a holiday adventure. Still, I thought it was needed to help establish the story a little more. We will be intersecting with the TV show very soon.