Rewriting Time

Rose sat on the examination table in the med-bay. Her legs swung back and forth as she watched the Doctor zip around the room, reading from papers here and tapping glass screens there. "So wha's the prognosis, doc?"

The Doctor paused by one screen he seemed to keep being drawn to, he frowned at it for a long moment before turning to Rose. "Honestly, I don't know." Rose raised her eyebrows. "Well, that is to say, it depends on what we're talking about." Rose nodded, trying not to smile. She'd heard this all from her half human Doctor in Pete's World. They hadn't had as much technology at hand though, and Rose was positive the TARDIS had found more in her biology than her past Doctor had.

"Alrigh'," Rose nodded him over, "where do you want'a start?"

The Doctor handed her a sheaf of papers. "You're connected to the TARDIS."

Rose flipped through the papers, letting the numbers and symbols roll over her and sink into her mind. "Yeah, but we already knew tha'."

"Yes, because when she gets weak, so do you. But the complete reverse is possible as well."

Rose looked up at the Doctor, he was grinning and rubbing his hands together excitedly. He looked like the mad scientist version of the Nutty Professor. With that thought in mind, Rose guessed weakly, "If I get hurt so will the TARDIS?"

"See, that's what you'd think?" The Doctor took the papers from her and flipped through them. He pointed to a long line of numbers and symbols, Rose read it as the Doctor explained, her eyes widened. "You can make the TARDIS stronger."

Rose shook her head. "But hows tha' possible?"

The Doctor shrugged, happily in the unknown. "No clue! But you've sort of done it already, what with the bringing her out of her box the other day."

Rose frowned. "No, tha' was more of my connection to her consciousness. I uh—" Rose gestured with her hand to her head, "I pulled on the song in my head, her song, and created a corporeal form for it."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "You knew what you were doing?"

Rose gave the Doctor a look he was not used to being on the receiving end of. "'course."

"But then it was all intentional, every time you use the Time Vortex? It's not instinct?"

Rose nodded. "Yes." She sighed. "Doctor, I told you. You taught me how to control it, when we were in Pete's World."

"Yes! But I thought you just meant how to not destroy the universe!" The Doctor ran his hands through his hair. His eyes were wide, excited and curious. "Oh, well this changes everything. These things won't suddenly happen by instinct with you as a sideline passenger. I mean—" The Doctor gestured wildly, "wow."

Rose laughed. "Usually if 's soemthin' new, the knowledge will come to me through the Time Vortex. Tha's how I know when 's too much power or not. I know my limits, Doctor."

The Doctor nodded, absorbing that information. "Good, good. That's good." Rose nodded, an amused grin on her face. The Doctor's eye were bright with the possibilities of Rose's powers, her connection to the only other woman in his life. He leaned forward and settled comfortably between Rose's legs as she stayed on the examination table. They were silent as the Doctor continued to process all the information. He looked at Rose. "You must know so much about her."

Rose smiled and stroked back the Doctor's hair. He moved into the gesture, a content smile on his face. "Why do you think I hid the mallet?" The Doctor opened his eyes and the two burst into giggles, only broken when one abruptly kissed the other.

The Doctor pulled back. "We should go make breakfast for the Ponds and Jack. They'll be up soon."

Rose pouted. "They can make breakfast for themselves. Or use the food dispenser."

The Doctor snorted. "Do you know how old that thing is?"

"As old as you?"

"Oi." He tapped her nose. "Cheeky." He tugged her hand and Rose hopped off the examination table. "Let's go. I'm sure they'll be wondering where we are by this point."

Rose shrugged. "They know we've been lookin' into my connection with the TARDIS."

The Doctor laughed shortly. "Yes, and Amy is burning with questions."

Rose looked at the Doctor as they walked leisurely through the TARDIS halls. "Maybe we should sit her down and explain it all? 's been a long time, Doctor. She deserves to know." The Doctor sighed. "I could do it if it makes you feel better."

"I don't know why it matters." He didn't want to dredge up the past. He'd made a lot of mistakes, ones he didn't want to look back on.

"To other people, it wouldn't. Martha would never ask about our past, she'd respect our privacy, but she'd want to know the basics. Mickey wouldn't care in the least. Donna would rip it out of you, and Amy is very much like Donna, Doctor." The Doctor nodded, slightly bitter and slightly amused. Rose rubbed his arm consolingly. "She deserves to know things, once and for all."

"Alright. But leave out the bad bits."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "You mean the bits tha' make you look bad?"

"Exactly."

Rose rolled her eyes.

When they entered the kitchen they found it suspiciously empty. Rose and the Doctor looked around once before heading to the console room. Rory, Amy and Jack were playing darts, 58 Century music played softly in the background.

"Bit early for darts, yeah?" Rose called down to them as she descended the stairs with the Doctor. They walked across the circular glass platform and leaned against the metal rail nearest to the trio.

Rory shrugged. "Amy remembered — incorrectly I might add — that she was better at darts."

Amy rolled her shoulders and aimed for her next throw. "I'm just warming up, you watch. I will win." Rory turned to Rose and the Doctor and shook his head. Rose laughed.

Jack, leaning against the stairwell looked up at the two. "How'd the tests go?"

"Wonderful!" The Doctor exclaimed, shocking Amy into letting the dart slip mid throw. It flew downward and missed the board completely. The Doctor winced under Amy's fierce glare. "Sorry." He whispered.

Rory smirked and crossed his arms, he turned back to Rose and the Doctor. "So what's the verdict? Is something horrendously wrong and we need to throw Rose off the ship?" Rose raised her eyebrows and turned to the Doctor. "Not that that was ever a possibility!" Rory added hastily. "It was a joke… a bad, bad joke." Rory dropped his head.

Amy snorted. "I'll say, as if the Doctor could ever throw Rose out of the TARDIS." She turned and threw her last two darts at the board. "How'd you even manage when she was gone all those years?" Amy asked over her shoulder.

The Doctor's jaw dropped. "Excuse me, Pond? I'm a Time Lord, I don't need a babysitter." The Doctor ignored Rose's disapproving look at that comment.

Amy shook her head in agreement. "No. But you do need Rose. God, I don't even want to know what you were like when she… disappeared." She glared pointedly at him. Rose smirked and turned to the Doctor. He caught her look, but ignored it and chose to instead answer Amy.

The Doctor glared at the redhead. "I was fine." He ground out. His eyes caught sight of Rose who had a raised eyebrow, once again disapproving. "Not fine!" He quickly corrected. He looked between Amy and Rose. "I was… oh shut up!"

Rose turned and leaned her hip against the railing. "Please, Doctor. I've met Martha and Donna. As if I don't know the stories."

Amy's ears perked up. "Stories?" Jack headed up the steps and towards the console where he turned the screen towards himself. Amy and Rory followed him up the steps and stood with Rose and the Doctor.

The Doctor frowned. "Stories? What stories?" He turned towards Jack who was fiddling with the console. "Jack! What are you doing now?"

Jack smirked. "Solving this argument before it gets out of hand." He continued typing on the console. The others converged around him to get a look at what he was doing. Jack finished typing and stepped back. "There. I ran a scan through the TARDIS databanks on how many times the Doctor has said Rose's name."

"What?" The Doctor looked at the screen and back at his companion. "What will that prove?"

"How much you depend on Rose."

Rose rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Sayin' my name doesn't prove anything."

Jack nodded his head in agreement. "Alright fine." He turned back to the console and pressed a few more buttons. "Only times he's said it with great emotion behind it? No, when the name has meant more than just a name. Oh, I like that. Sappy."

Rory frowned as he leaned over Jack's shoulder to look at the console screen. "How can the TARDIS figure that out?"

The Doctor looked insulted. "My TARDIS is brilliant, thank you Pond. You on the other hand, Harkness. I—" The Doctor's voice abruptly cut off as he stared at the console.

Amy looked between the Doctor and Jack. "What? What's wrong?"

Rose leaned forward and pointed to a bright coloured light on the console. "'s a distress signal."

The Doctor leaned forward, close enough his nose was almost pushing into it. "That's never lit up before." He stood up straight, a smile on his face. "I wonder who's calling." There was a pause and then Jack, Rose and the Doctor were all piloting the TARDIS towards the distress signal. Amy and Rory grabbed hold of the railing as the TARDIS shook and groaned.

The Doctor was already racing towards the door as the TARDIS continued to shake and land. "Come on, gang!" He hollered over his shoulder.

"We aren't the Scooby Gang!" Amy hollered back.

Rose smiled at her as she and Jack strode past. "Yes we are."

Rory nodded. "Yeah, we are." Amy pouted and followed them all out of the TARDIS.

They'd landed on a beautiful planet. It had bright light green grass and soft blue skies, like something out of a storybook. Their were wispy clouds streaking across the sky and a beautiful, peaceful silence across the valley they'd landed in. The only disruption in the picturesque view was the massive black and grey Gamma 56 spacecraft with a steady stream of black smoke escaping it.

Jack whistled. "Now she is a pretty girl."

Rory frowned in confusion and scanned the area. "The ship?"

Jack nodded and followed Rose and the Doctor towards the smoking ship. "Yeah, she's a classic. You should see her fly, smooth and beautiful."

The Doctor shot Jack and glare over his shoulder. "The TARDIS is better."

Jack rolled his eyes. "You always say that."

"Because it's true."

Amy shook her head. "I will never understand boys and their obsession with cars." Rose held her breath.

The Doctor's eyes widened and he froze for half a second before promptly turning around and storming up to Amy. "Car? The TARDIS is not a car. H - how? What? No." He gasped, clearly offended as the comment continued to swirl around in his mind. He pointed a finger at the redheaded woman accusingly. His mouth opened but Rose took his hand.

She smiled indulgently and tugged his hand back towards the spaceship. "Come on, dear." The Doctor looked back and forth between Rose and Amy. He finally settled on giving Amy another pointed look before following the blonde towards the ship. Amy raised her eyebrows and shared a look with Rory.

"Hello?" Jack called, having reached the crashed spaceship first. "Anyone in there?" Jack manoeuvred around the side of the spaceship until he found the door. He pushed his ear against it and listened intently.

"Anythin'?" Rose asked from behind him, standing with the others. Jack held up a hand, then very deliberately knocked on the door. Rose pressed her lips together to keep from laughing.

A second later the door slid open. Jack hopped back as more smoke escaped the opening. Two small balls of blue light floated out from the ship. The group of time travellers stepped back as the two round and glowing aliens floated towards them.

The Doctor smiled. "Oh! Hello there! Well aren't you just beautiful?"

Rose leaned forward to get a better look, a big grin on her face. "'s a Krestellian, righ'?" The Doctor's eyes widened and he turned to his companion, his smile growing impossibly wider.

Amy stepped closer to get a better look at the floating aliens. They were small, about the size of a basketball. They glowed light blue, a soft aura surrounded their soft and jellyfish-like form. "A what?" She asked as one moved towards her. A tendril of blue light unfurled from its aura and caressed her cheek. Amy's eyes widened as a soft song filled her head, soft and lovely. She jerked back.

The Doctor laughed, delighted at their discovery. "A Krestellian. Completely peaceful race. Bit hard to communicate with, they were saying hello, Amy — I think." Amy shot the Doctor a look. He thought?

Rory looked at the peaceful aliens and around the landscape at the never ending green fields and light blue sky. "Right, so why were they hiding in the crashed spaceship with the potentially dangerous smoke?"

The Doctor waved his hand. "Oh the smoke wouldn't hurt them. Though the hiding, good question, Rory." The Doctor turned and patted Rory on the head. He spun around and leaned toward the two Krestellian excitedly. "Why were you hiding?" One of the Krestellian reached out towards the Doctor with another tendril of light, it sparkled and shimmered like fairy dust. The light caressed the Doctor's cheek. The Doctor giggled. "Oh, that tickles."

Jack looked around the landscape, wondering where they had landed. "What did they say though?" He wanted to be on the lookout if there was something potentially dangerous with them on the planet they'd landed on.

The Doctor laughed. "No clue!" He sounded far too happy. "It was all light and sound."

Rose looked at the Doctor curiously. "Sound?"

The Doctor nodded as he pulled out his sonic and scanned both the Krestellian. "Yes, like music."

Rose's mouth opened to form a small 'o'. She smiled. "Well maybe this'll work, yeah?" She touched her fingers to her lips and when they came away, they held a wisp of the Time Vortex. It looked distinctly like the Krestellian's aura's, except gold instead of blue. The two Krestellian, previously inspecting Jack and Rory, rushed towards Rose's outstretched hand. She laughed as the floated around her hand, taking in the energy and touching her with their own soft aura's in response. Rose gasped. "Oh wow, tha's beautiful."

Amy stepped closer to get a better look at what happened. "What? What is it?"

"'s like music. Like the Doctor said, but… 's similar to the TARDIS. I can…" She closed her eyes and listened as the two aliens surrounded her with their music. "She's a princess." Rose informed, indicating one of the blue orbs. "They were on their way to her new home, he's her husband. They're newlyweds." The group smiled. "Somethin' malfunctioned with the navigation system on the ship. They've been fixin' it. 's mostly done. Looks like they jus' need a bit o'power."

Rory frowned. "You got that from music?" Rose smiled, her tongue poking out between her teeth. Rory shook his head, amused. "Alright, well what do we do? Can the TARDIS give them a jump?"

The Doctor smiled widely and pointed at Rory. "You're just full of ideas today, Pond. I like it." He patted Jack's shoulder. "Come with me Jack, we need to grab some quantum stabilized connectors."

Jack nodded and they turned towards the TARDIS. "Like when we were on San Kaloon?"

"Exactly!"

Rose looked up at the sky but was quickly distracted as the Krestellian grabbed her attention once again. Rose nodded and sent an aura back at them. She turned to the Ponds. "We're on Tansre. Give it a couple millennia, and you'll have the first humanoid lifeforms to evolve her. Righ' now 's basically uninhabited. 'cept for the odd spaceship crash here an' there."

Amy smiled and looked around. "It's beautiful." Rose hummed and smiled.

Jack and the Doctor exited the TARDIS with long black coils of what looked to be futuristic wires. Rory helped them carry it across to the spaceship while Rose and Amy went inside the TARDIS and hooked the connectors to the console, Rose telling Amy what to do. Jack ran back into the TARDIS and brought out a Mega Trans-conductor. Rose gave him a questioning look.

"We need to convert the TARDIS' energy into krystal mirco-naughts, so we don't fry their ship." He explained quickly. Rose nodded and went back to showing Amy how to secure the connectors.

The Doctor popped his head into the TARDIS a few minutes later. "All ready in here?"

Rose nodded as she turned a handle on the console. "Yup! You?"

"Good to go! Come on!"

Rose and Amy raced out of the TARDIS and to the Mega Trans-conductor. It sat halfway between the TARDIS and the Krestellian ship. The black wired connectors stretched out from either end of it. Rose glanced at it's position and over to the Krestellian ship. "You think 's a good distance away?"

The Doctor glanced at it. The position of the Trans-conductor would determine which voltage the TARDIS' power would translate to. He nodded. "Looks about fine to me." He smiled at his companions. "Ready?" They nodded. The Doctor turned to the two Krestellian. "Everything should work splendidly. Off you pop. We'll turn on the Trans-conductor. Once the ship starts up, the wires will recoil into it, so you'll be safe to lift off. Alright?" The Doctor turned to Rose, wondering if they'd understood.

Rose nodded. "Yeah, they're good to go. And they're very grateful." Rose smiled at the royal couple as they enveloped the five time travellers in a bright and cheery song. Then the Krestellian disappeared back into their ship. Rose narrowed her eyes at it. "You fixed the smoke?" She asked the Doctor.

The Doctor snorted. "'course. They're royalty, what would everyone say if they returned home with a ship smoking up like a backyard barbecue?" Rose grinned. He clapped his hands and rubbed them together in anticipation. "Alright, gang. Let's get these two home, shall we?" The Doctor pressed a couple buttons on the Trans-conductor and stepped back. His companions glanced at each other nervously and followed suit.

Nothing happened.

Amy frowned and looked around. "Uhmm… Doctor?"

"Oh!" The Doctor jumped and whipped out his sonic screwdriver. "Yes!" He pointed at the black machine and activated the sonic. A small whirring started up inside the conductor, a moment later the light above the TARDIS turned on and a deep bell sounded.

Amy glanced at the time ship. "Is that supposed to happen?"

"Of course!" The Doctor frowned. "No. Well… maybe?" Rose rolled her eyes and headed towards the TARDIS, Amy followed closely behind incase she was needed. The boys stayed by the conductor as the whirring increased into a gentle hum.

Jack turned to the TARDIS. "I think it's okay now!" The girls paused, already at the door to the TARDIS. They glanced at each other and silently agreed to stay by the fussy blue box. The two looked up at the ship as the bell stopped and the light shut back off. "See?" Jack hollered at them.

The hum changed to a loud grinding."What's wrong?" Rose called out to the boys. No one responded to her. They didn't even turn around. "Damn it." Rose hissed under her breath. The grind grew louder until Amy was covering her ears from the racket.

BOOM.

A bright purple streak of lightening shot out from the trans-conductor and into the sky. All three of the male time travellers fell back with the force of the blast.

"Rose, what's happening?" Amy hollered. Rose looked inside at the TARDIS and followed the trail of black connectors to the trans-conductor, past and to the Krestellian spaceship. Rose shook her head. Another shot of lightening stretched into the sky.

BOOM.

The connectors suddenly unlatched from both the TARDIS and the Krestellian space ship. They flew through the air, quickly winding backwards into the malfunctioning trans-conductor. Amy and Rose jumped out of the way as the black wires flew past their faces.

BOOM. A flash of purple hit the sky.

Rose's eyes went gold and she forced herself not to gasp. She grabbed Amy's arm and pushed her into the TARDIS. Rose ran in after her. She turned to close the doors as another shot of lightening went off, heading straight for the TARDIS.

Rose ducked.

The lightening flashed above her, heating her body as it moved past, before it struck the console. BOOM. Rose screwed her eyes shut against the residual heat of the lightening. Amy screamed as the console sparked. Something exploded.

The TARDIS doors slammed shut and everything went black.

"Amy?" Rose called into the silence, into the dark.

"I'm fine." She groaned and picked herself up from the TARDIS floor. Rose followed suit. "What was that? What happened?"

Rose looked around at the darkened TARDIS. She looked eerily similar to how she had when they first landed in Pete's World. Dead. But she wasn't. Rose knew that, she could feel the thrum of the TARDIS beneath her feet, a vibration of her music in the air. The TARDIS was alive. Which begged the question Amy had so astutely asked. What happened? "I don't know."

Amy and Rose made eye contact. They raced towards the TARDIS doors. Amy slammed her hand against the wood. "It's locked." She groaned. "Why does this keep happening?" Rose smiled, thinking back to their first meeting. Amy looked at her. "Sonic?"

Rose pulled out her sonic screwdriver and scanned the door. She bent down and tried to work the lock open. Rose shook her head. "Somethin's wrong. I don't know wha' happened. The TARDIS won't let us out."

The lights flickered and the power went back on. Rose and Amy turned to the console. Rose gasped. It was the old console room. Amy recognized it as the one Rose had led them to when House had captured them. "Rose?"

Rose grabbed Amy's hand and pulled. "We need to move. Righ' now, we need to go." The two raced past the old console and into the hallway. They pushed their backs against the wall and waited. Amy frowned and turned to Rose, she opened her mouth to speak just as the sound of the TARDIS doors opening hit her ears. Voices echoed out of the console room and into the hallway.

"Right! Well that was fun wasn't it?" A distinctly familiar male voice rambled. Rose held her breath. "Always love a good run for your life, keeps the blood pumping, doesn't it? Anyways! Off we go! We should go somewhere new! Though that is the usual. What about a greatest hits. Hmmm? What d'ya say, Donna?"

"I'd say you're avoiding what you know we should talk about, Dumbo." A stubborn female voice replied. Rose smiled.

"What? I — I'd never. Now come on Donna. Pick a place, anywhere. Do you know how many planets there are dedicated to just shopping?" Oh that was so the Doctor, Rose thought. Changing the topic so he didn't have to deal with the problem at hand.

"Don't try to distract me." Rose shook her head. Donna Noble, brilliant. "We're talking about this Doctor."

"About what Donna?" The male voice had grown hard.

There was a pause, and when Donna spoke again, her voice was soft. "Rose."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Are you kiddin' me? The look on your face? You said it yourself, we almost ran into her, Doctor, past her and past you. Doctor…"

Rose took Amy's hand and pulled her further into the TARDIS, Donna's voice slowly receded the further they went. They ended up in a side hall, far enough away that she knew the Doctor wouldn't hear them talking.

"What's going on?" Amy whispered quickly. "Who were they?"

Rose glanced over Amy's shoulder than back at the redhead before her. "That was the Doctor and his companion Donna Noble." Rose shook her head. "I don't know how it happened, but I think we time travelled inside the TARDIS."

Amy's jaw dropped. She blinked. "How is that even possible?"

"The lightening. It hit the console. It must have done something. But I'll only be able to figure out wha' by seein' the damage."

Amy nodded, determined. "Alright. So let's go out there and tell this other Doctor what's happening and take a look at the console." Rose raised her eyebrows at Amy. "But we can't." Rose shook her head. Amy huffed. "Why not?"

"Because," Rose explained patiently, "that'd be messin' with the Doctor's timeline. An' tha's a big 'no no'".

Amy crossed her arms and cocked her hip to the side, indigent. "So we wait until the Doctor leaves then check out the console?" Rose nodded. Amy threw her hands into the air. "But that could be…"

The TARDIS rumbled and shook. Rose and Amy fell to the ground as the TARDIS materialized somewhere. Amy hopped up and rubbed her bum. "I didn't think the TARDIS could be worse of a ride, but wow, she really has improved hasn't she?"

Rose grinned. "Come on, let's go take a look at the old girl." The two entered the empty console room hesitantly. Rose took one last glance around before she ran up to the old console. The sound of the sonic filled the room.

Amy wandered around and took a long look at the decor. She hadn't got to really check out the old console room the last time she'd been there. The coral mixed with the metal was interesting, a bit grunge. Amy always loved the TARDIS, though she had to admit, she preferred her own console room to the old one.

Amy turned back to Rose, hard at work with her sonic screwdriver. She'd pulled the grating up beside the console and had some wires in her lap. "Can't you talk to the TARDIS? Why don't you ask her what's wrong?"

Rose frowned as she rewired a loose connection and turned the sonic back on. "I can't talk to the TARDIS, not in so many words. 's not like how I communicated with the Krestellian, 's bit more complicated. And I've already communicated with her, bu' I don't think tha's gonna help. This isn't the version of the TARDIS we need to talk to." Rose sighed and put the wires back, she replaced the grating and stood back up. "I don't think we're goin'ta find our answer here. We're in the past. Whatever's happened, has happened yet."

"What do you mean? Of course it's happened. It's happening right now." Amy gestured to the different console room.

"Which means the epicentre might not be the TARDIS. Or it is, but the TARDIS from our time, an' we're jus' caught up in the middle. There are a number of pieces of the TARDIS that — broken — could do this but… I'm workin' on it. Whatever it is… we need to get back to the future TARDIS."

Amy looked around at the unfamiliar room. She wanted back to her TARDIS too. "Well how do we do that?"

A flash of purple lightening sparked from the console and the lights on the console flickered. Rose and Amy looked around. The room was the same but… Rose could feel the movement of time. They were somewhen else.

Amy pointed to the console. "What just happened?"

Rose grabbed Amy's hand and pulled her towards a metal ladder that led up to a grate landing. "We've time travelled again, come on. Up this way." Amy climbed up onto the landing, Rose just behind her. The two laid flat along the landing, heads ducked. Rose knew from experience the Doctor hardly ever used the landing, let alone looked up at it. It was all running around the console and being impressive. Jack had used the landing once, but unless Blon came running through the door, they were fine.

The TARDIS doors were thrown open and a man raced through the door, a young woman hot on his heels. The man, Amy figure to be the Doctor, was older than her current one. He had short cropped hair and a leather jacket, coupled with jeans and a jumper. Amy raised her eyebrows. Where was a camera when she needed one?

The Doctor took his companion's hand and gestured to a button. "Hold that down and keep position."

The blonde did so. She looked to her Doctor. There was something familiar about the girl that Amy couldn't put her finger on. "Wha's it do?" Amy almost chocked. It was Rose. Amy glanced over at the woman beside her. There were tears in Rose's eyes as she looked at the scene before her.

Oh my god, Amy thought as she looked back at the past version of Rose, she was so young. Her hair was shorter than the Rose beside Amy, and incredibly light with dark roots. Amy's jaw dropped, Rose wasn't a natural blonde? She didn't see that one coming. The past Rose was rounder, her muscles not nearly as toned and her cheeks still holding onto the baby fat that took years to get rid of. Amy shook her head, she never thought she'd ever see Rose look so human.

"…If I'm very clever," the Doctor was telling the young Rose, "and I'm more than clever, I'm brilliant, I might just save the world. Or rip it apart."

Young Rose smiled happily. "I'd go for the first one."

"Me too. Now, I've just got to go and power up the Game Station. Hold on!" The Doctor raced out of the TARDIS. The doors shut and a second later the time rotor began to move.

Rose looked up at it, eyes wide. "Doctor, what're you doin'? Can I take my hand off? 's movin'." Rose left the console and raced to the doors. She slammed her hands against the wood. "Doctor, let me out! Doctor, what've you done?"

Amy held her breath, recognizing the feel of the TARDIS as it dematerializes. She looked to the Rose beside her, face blank. Amy could hardly believe what she was seeing. There had to be something she was missing. A lot. The Doctor would never leave his TARDIS. He'd never leave Rose.

A hologram appeared of the Doctor. "This is Emergency Programme One." The young Rose turned to it, eyes watery and hands curled into fists. "Rose, now listen, this is important. If this message is activated, then it can only mean one thing. We must be in danger. And I mean fatal. I'm dead or about to die any second with no chance of escape." Amy's mouth dropped open.

"No!" Rose shouted at the hologram.

The hologram continued, simply a recording. "And that's okay. Hope it's a good death. But I promised to look after you, and that's what I'm doing. The TARDIS is taking you home."

Rose shook her head. "I won't let you."

The hologram Doctor rolled his eyes. "And I bet you're fussing and moaning now. Typical. But hold on and just listen a bit more. The TARDIS can never return for me. Emergency Programme One means I'm facing an enemy that should never get their hands on this machine. So this is what you should do. Let the TARDIS die." Amy shook her head. This was not happening. "Just let this old box gather dust. No one can open it. No one'll even notice it. Let it become a strange little thing standing on a street corner. And over the years, the world'll move on and the box will be buried. And if you want to remember me, then you can do one thing. That's all, one thing. Have a good life. Do that for me, Rose. Have a fantastic life." The hologram flickered out.

"You can't do this to me." Rose cried. "You can't. Take me back! Take me back! No!" Rose pulled levers and pressed buttons, trying desperately to get the TARDIS to turn around. The time rotor stopped and the ship shuddered. They'd landed. Rose turned and ran out of the TARDIS. A second later she ran back in and began fiddling with the console again. "Come on, fly. How do you fly? Come on, help me!"

She lasted a few minutes longer, pulling and pressing the console, trying to go back to her Doctor. Finally, Rose gave up. She turned, eyes watering, and raced back out of the TARDIS. Amy held her breath, waiting for the despondent girl to come crashing back into the TARDIS and continue to find a way back to her Doctor.

The Rose beside her sighed and leaned her head down on her hands, resting flat on the grating. Amy turned to look at her. "He actually did that to you?" Her mind drifted to a TARDIS blue envelope she'd received, inviting her to watch the Doctor die. Was she so surprised?

Rose shrugged awkwardly with her hands pinned beneath her chin. "It was to protect me."

Amy shook her head, bewildered at the blonde's solemnity on the situation. "But he left you. He actually had a choice and he—"

"Amy," Rose cut in, "he was goin' to die. He saved my life. 'sides, this is a fixed point."

Amy huffed and rested her chin on her hands, mirroring Rose. "What's a fixed point?"

"A moment in time that needs to happen, it's unavoidable." Rose didn't sound very sad, Amy thought. She seemed reminiscent, definitely, but these moments didn't seem to be effecting her the way they were Amy.

"But why?" Amy half whined.

"Because," Rose sighed, her mind thinking back to her daughter. The similarities between Susie and Amy were almost terrifying sometimes, "because I — past me tha' is — is goin' to come back here. She's goin'ta rip open tha' console and absorb the Time Vortex. This is how I become the Bad Wolf, the Goddess of Time, how I create my connection with the TARDIS, become not human. An' most importantly, Amy, this is how I save the Doctor. You wanted to know, well this is how it all happens."

Amy opened her mouth but paused before she spoke, letting Rose's words sink in. Amy knew Rose was not human, she had powers and a connection to the TARDIS and Time. All of this Rory had explained to her. But this was how it happened. Rose was sent away from the Doctor, pushed to a distance so he could die.

Then she saved him.

Rose pushed back and fought to create a better path. Amy's mind raced as she thought over the astronaut and Lake Silencio. The Doctor had done the opposite there. He'd brought everyone together and forced them to watch him die. He didn't push them away to keep them safe. And where had Rose been? Was she dead that far into the future? Was that why the Doctor didn't want them to stop it? He hadn't even invited Jack… Amy bit her lip, worrying herself over all her thoughts. One thought stuck out beyond all the rest. One resounding fact that she couldn't, for the life of her, fit into the puzzle that was Lake Silencio.

"The Doctor lies." Amy hadn't even realize she'd spoken until Rose gave her a questioning look. "Oh! Uhh… the Doctor always lies, I just… I never thought I'd see him lie to you."

Rose was shaking her head before Amy could even finish. "The Doctor doesn't always lie. I don't know why you all keep sayin' tha'. He's not tha' manipulative. Sure he can be. But not to his friends. He makes people better. Shows you better things. A better way of life."

There was a flash of purple lightening and the two girls dropped as the grate ledge disappeared beneath them. They hit the glass floor of their usual TARDIS with a dull thump. Amy groaned. Rose hopped up and grabbed Amy's arm. She helped the younger woman up and pulled her toward the straight metal staircase, opposite to the curved glass one that they usually used. They dashed up a little ways before they reached the circular archway and a bit of a landing beside the stair. The two ducked to the side and crouched, quietly peaking around the corner to see into the console room.

The Doctor came running down the curved glass flight of stairs in a modern looking black tux. Amy's eyebrows rose. She'd never seen the Doctor dressed so normally, not even for her wedding. She frowned, why hadn't he worn that to her wedding? Oh, she thought, he was definitely going to get an earful.

He fixed his hair self consciously, looking into the reflective surface of something on the TARDIS. Rose smiled as she watched him fiddle with a little rose in the lapel of his tux.

The Doctor's head shot up as he heard heels clicking towards him. He smiled and began dancing around the TARDIS, getting her to materialize to their most recent destination. "Alright! Ponds are all tucked in and off to dream land. I've got the tux on you picked out and…" The Doctor's voice trailed off as he caught sight of Rose. She was gorgeous. Her dress was floor length and trailed softly behind her as she slowly descended the stairs. It was mostly fitted, though it flowed out elegantly around her thighs, giving her room to move. The sleeves were just off the shoulder, somewhat thick straps that held up the smooth bodice with the small 'v' at her cleavage. It was black as night, and sparkled like every star in the night sky.

The Doctor swallowed.

The past Rose smiled and looked down at the glittering dress, she smoothed down her skirt before looking back up at the Doctor from beneath her lashes. "Do you like it?"

The Doctor's cheeks flushed as he breathed out roughly. "Oh, Rose. Yes."

Amy leaned close to Rose's ear. "When was this?" She whispered as loudly as she dared.

Rose turned to the redhead, her eyes staying fixed on the scene before her. "The night before we went to the museum."

"So the night you came back?" Rose nodded and the two turned back to the past version of Rose and the Doctor.

Past Rose had glided over to the other side of the TARDIS, her finger trailing along the console as the Doctor's eyes followed her, entranced. "So where did you say you were takin' us?"

The Doctor took a deep breath and smiled. "It's a surprise." He met her around the other side of the console. He glanced at her bare shoulders before pushing a stray lock of hair back into her bun. "Though you might want to grab a coat."

Rose preened a bit. "Actually, no need. Cooler body temperature now." The Doctor's brows rose slightly and he straightened up. Rose laughed. "Oh no, I know you're vastly interested. An' yes, I do know the particulars, an' no, 'm not tellin' you. Righ' now." She took his hands in hers, lacing their fingers together. Rose sighed, her smile a softly burning candle of bliss. "This is us celebrating." Her smile turned playful. "I think I know where we are." Rose's hands slipped from the Doctor's. She picked up her skirt and quickly dashed towards the TARDIS doors. The Doctor, smiling goofily, dashed after her.

Rose and Amy waited a second before heading back towards the console. Amy leaned against the familiar machine as Rose worked at it with her sonic.

Amy's mind ran through what she'd seen of each of their little flashbacks. She crossed her arms before turning her head towards Rose. "So where was it then?" Rose hummed questioningly in response. "The surprise. Where did he take you?"

Rose pulled a wire out from beneath the console and soniced it, face focused. "Woman Wept." She replied distractedly. She paused and sat back on her heels, a content smile on her face. "'s beautiful there. One of our favourites."

Amy nodded as Rose went back to work. A few more minutes passed before Amy voiced the thoughts dancing around in her head. "These all keep being about you."

Rose paused and looked up at the redhead. "Wha'da'ya mean?"

Amy turned towards her and leaned her hip against the console, a regular posture for her, Rose had noticed. "Well think about it. That was you two off on a date. Before it was you being saved by the Doctor. And the first time, the conversation was clearly about you."

Rose frowned, silently agreeing with the companion. She stood up and brushed off her trousers. "Well even if the situations were all the Doctor and I, there's no reason for it. How would the TARDIS get stuck on throwing us through a playlist of the Doctor and my Greatest Hits?"

Amy laughed harshly. "I don't know. That's your job!"

Rose looked half angry, half amused. "I'm not the Doctor, Amy!"

Amy cocked her head to the side, challengingly. She counted on her fingers as she said, "Sonic. Time Machine. Mysterious past. I think you might be."

Rose rolled her eyes, a small smile on her face. She nodded her had back and forth as she considered Amy's hypothesis. Her eyes widened. "Oh no. If What I'm thinkin' is wha's happened, we better hope the boys fix this and fast or…"

"Or what? Rose?"

"Or the Doctor's goin'ta kill Jack."

"Rose!? Amy! ROSE!"

The Doctor rushed towards the TARDIS and threw the doors open. He paused in the entrance, hearts pounding as he looked around for his two female companions. "Rose!" He hollered as he ran up to the console. "Amy!"

"AMY!" Rory raced into the console room and bolted up the steps to the Doctor. "Doctor what's going on? What's happened?" He'd seen the spark of purple electricity hit the TARDIS. But nothing had appeared to happen, not outwardly at least. However the Doctor had not reacted as such, and if the Doctor was worried well…

Jack stood back from the console as the Doctor paced and Rory looked on with considerable unease. "Doc?"

The Doctor sighed in frustration, his hands pulling on his hair. "I don't know."

Rory's mouth opened, disbelieving. "What do you mean you don't know? What was that lightening? Where are the girls?" After a pause in which the Doctor didn't answer, Rory pointed his finger at the alien angrily. "Doctor, where is my wife?"

The Doctor sighed and dropped his hands to his sides. He turned to the worried blonde. "Rory, I'm not sure. But I will find out. They were in the TARDIS, they should be relatively safe."

Rory raised an eyebrow in displeasure. "Relatively?"

The Doctor suddenly exploded in a fit of rage. "Well if they were perfectly safe they'd be here right now, wouldn't they?!" Rory didn't back down.

Jack stepped between the two distressed men. "Alright. How about we figure out what happened with the Krestellian ship to create that bolt of electricity. Everything was set up properly on our end, so it must be something on there's, right?"

The Doctor nodded and stormed down the glass steps and out the TARDIS doors. Jack patted Rory on the back supportively and followed the companion out into the light of the Eden-like planet. Rory and Jack stood on either side of the Doctor as they looked out into the distance.

Rory sighed. "Well it looks like it worked." The Krestellian ship had taken off. Nothing but a dark patch of dying grass was left to signify it had ever been there. "Well… that's helpful."

The Doctor glowered out at the beautiful landscape before marching back into his time and space ship. Jack looked after him worriedly before following. Rory and Jack entered to find the Time Lord already at the console and pushing buttons. He was by the scanner, frowning at the screen as he repeatedly flipped the same switch. Jack and Rory came around to see what he was doing.

Jack frowned. "Why isn't it working?"

Rory looked between the two men. He couldn't understand a thing that the screen was saying, or what the Doctor was trying to do. "What's not working? What are you doing?"

The Doctor scratched the back of his head. "I'm trying to get the TARDIS to scan for all lifeforms inside the ship. But she can't. It's like she's frozen." The Doctor tensed. He turned to Jack, jaw clenched. "Harkness, did you leave that scan on?"

Jack shook his head and shrugged. "Which one?"

The Doctor's mouth dropped. He needed to put locks on the TARDIS scanner, he quickly decided. Who knows what Jack liked to scan for. "Which? Why…" The Doctor stuttered before quickly shaking his head. "Jack, the one you started before we got the distress signal. You'd used the main console's scanner off the TARDIS mainframe, for that stupid disagreement with Amy about Rose and I, didn't you?"

Jack nodded slowly, not following. "Yeah, but that wouldn't do anything… would it?"

The Doctor sighed and hung his head. "The TARDIS malfunctioned. She's stuck sifting through all the times I said Rose's name, pointlessly I might add."

Rory nodded, understanding and ready to move ahead with the explanation. "Right, but where are Amy and Rose?"

The Doctor turned and leaned against the console. He tucked one around across his chest and rested his elbow on it while he rubbed his face tiredly. "Well, I may not be able to use my scanner but I can tell you," he pressed a couple buttons. A circular hole appeared on the console and a piece of technology that looked rather like a larger sonic with white caps on either end slowly rose from within the console. A thin metal piece was wrapped around the centre, securing it to the console, "the Time Vector Generator is acting up."

Jack's eyes widened. "Oh god."

Rory looked back and forth between the two men, instantly alarmed. "What? What does that mean?"

Instead of answering, the Doctor turned to the piece of machinery and soniced it. Jack waved his hand, he took another moment to collect himself from his surprise, before responding to Rory. "Well in a Vortex Manipulator, there's a much smaller version of it. If removed, the machine is completely destroyed, it'll never work again. But a malfunctioning TVG is even worse. When it's malfunctioning, it forces the Vortex Manipulator to suddenly activate. We have systems and technology to hold us in place once we've landed in a place or time. But the TVG can throw everything off."

"And it's the same in a TARDIS?" Jack and Rory turned to the Doctor.

The Doctor sighed and turned around. "If the Time Vector Generator dies, so will the TARDIS. The inside will soon become the same size as the outside. But thankfully, that's not the problem. It's malfunctioning — the lightening, probably — which means essentially what Jack said. Time's flickering in and out, like a candle. But it's not happening to us right now, so it must only be effecting those who were there at the time."

"Amy and Rose." Rory supplied.

"Exactly."

"So where are they, exactly?"

The Doctor paused. He nodded his head back and forth. "In the TARDIS — at an undetermined time… constantly. They'll be stuck living in moments that passed in the TARDIS, or have yet to pass — for them — all of which involve me saying Rose's name with great emotion." The Doctor turned a baleful eye on Jack at that.

Jack's mouth dropped. "What? Because that scan was going on while the TVG started to malfunction? Seriously? What are the chances that would even happen?"

The Doctor made a small gesture with his hands. "Almost zero."

Rory laughed, the sound bordering on hysterical. "Oh god. This cannot be happening. Is this happening?"

"'fraid so."

Jack crossed his arms and nodded. "We have to get them out before they mess up the timeline."

The Doctor pointed at Jack, a bright smile suddenly gracing his features. "Yes! Good point, Harkness! They haven't yet. Not that I can tell at least. But one of me is going to notice at one point or another. Probably quite a few of me. So let's get them out…" He looked between his companions expectantly. "Any ideas?"

Rory groaned.

* This story is inspired off of the episode "Cat House" from Charmed.

I've had this for awhile to be honest, but because of the whole wibbly wobbly nature of it, I had to make sure it all would make sense before posting the first half. I hope you all like this! I enjoyed writing it probably a bit too much. :P

Also, I will not be doing a God Complex (100% confirmed now). I looked a bit more into it, but it just won't be happening. Sorry. I hope this substitute isn't horrible or anything.

Thanks for reading! :)