The Doctor and Rose

"Stop, thief!" shouted a guard.

Deep within the city on Gallifrey, a former traveler by the name of the Doctor was trying to run from the guards. The bread vendor he'd been trying to get food from had seen past his psychic paper and now he was trapped on the roof of a building.

"I'll have your head for a trophy, street rat!" said the guard.

"Great," he muttered. "All of this trouble just for a bite of food?"

Deciding to risk it, he used his sonic screwdriver to hijack a levitation disk for him to fly on. He jumped on and flew to the ground, hoping he'd lost them, but he hadn't.

"You are going to the dudgeons, mister," said the guard, grabbing the Doctor's wrists and preparing to handcuff him.

"Well, yeah, probably," said the Doctor. "But if you were me and I was in your position, I wouldn't allow this to happen!"

The Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to make the branch of a nearby tree fall on the guard's head before going back on the run.

[The Doctor:] Gotta keep
One jump ahead of the breadline
One swing ahead of the sword
I steal only what I can't afford
(That's Everything! )

One jump ahead of the lawmen
That's all, and that's no joke
These guys don't appreciate I'm broke

[Crowd:] Riffraff! Street rat! Soundrel! Take that!

[The Doctor:] Just a little snack, guys
[Crowd:] Rip him open, take it back, guys

[The Doctor:] I can take a hint, gotta face the facts
I have no real friends, do I?

[Crowd:] Who?
Oh it's that Doctor's hit the bottom.
He's become a one-man rise in crime
I'd blame parents except he hasn't got 'em

[The Doctor:] Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat
Tell you all about it when I got the time!
One jump ahead of the slowpokes
One skip ahead of my doom
Next time gonna use a nom de plume
One jump ahead of the hit men
One hit ahead of the flock
I think I'll take a stroll around the block

[Crowd:] Stop, thief! Vandal! Outrage! Scandal!

[The Doctor:] Let's not be too hasty

[Lady:] Still I think he's rather tasty

[The Doctor:] Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat
Otherwise we'd get along

[Crowd:] Wrong!

[The Doctor and the crowd:] One jump ahead of the hoof beats
(Vandal!)
One hop ahead of the hump
(Street rat!)
One trick ahead of disaster
(Scoundrel!)
They're quick, but I'm much faster
(Take that!)
Here goes, better throw my hand in
Wish me happy landin'
All I gotta do is jump

The Doctor finally got away from the guard and sat on the ground, leaning against one of the buildings as he caught his breath. He hated the way he had to live his life now, but ever since he'd lost the TARDIS, he'd had no other choice. He'd used all of his money quite some time ago and he had no family or real friends on Gallifrey to help him, so he was down to his current lifestyle. He took the bread from his pocket and was about to eat when he saw two little children digging around for food.

The slums of Gallifrey weren't known to the High Council and the Lord President of Gallifrey and the people there were in great need. Knowing the two children were hungrier than he was, the Doctor sighed and went over to them.

"Here," he said, holding out the bread. "Go on, take it."

The children hesitated but then took the bread. The older sister said, "Thank you, sir."

The Doctor smiled. "Don't worry about it."

A loud noise caught his attention and he went to see what had caused the crowd.

It was another suitor for the Lord President's daughter. He was riding some strange creature and looked exceedingly rude. Suddenly, the two children the Doctor had helped got in his way and started the suitor's ride.

"Out of my way, you filthy brats," he snarled, raising a whip.

Quickly, the Doctor used his sonic screw driver to destroy the whip and got the kids out of the way.

"And just who are you?" the suitor demanded.

"I'm the Doctor and unless you want trouble, I suggest you don't hurt these two," he said. "Someone like you could afford some manners!"

"I'll teach you some manners!" snarled the suitor, kicking the Doctor into the mud and staining his suit.

The Doctor got up, ignoring the mud and said, "Well, it's not everyday you see a Taun-Taun with two rear ends!"

The suitor turned around and said, "You, dear Doctor, don't even deserve your name. You're nothing but a worthless street rat. You were born a street rat, you'll die a street rat, and only your fleas will mourn you!"

Before the Doctor could say anything, the gates of the palace closed and locked him out. He was burning with anger, but could do nothing except go home and hope he never saw that buffoon again.

"Riff-raff, street rat
I don't buy that.
If only they'd
Look closer.

Would they
See a lost soul?
No siree.
They'd find out
There's so much
More to me."

The Doctor's home was just a small damaged room in one of the many buildings, but it was a home for him until he could get his TARDIS back and find some way to help these people. He felt so out of place among his people on Gallifrey. He didn't belong there. He pushed open the curtain and gazed at the palace before looking at the stars.

One day, he thought. One day, I'll be back out there in time and space. One day.

XXX

Meanwhile, in the palace, the Lord President of Gallifrey, Pete, was frustrated that his daughter, Rose, had just refused another suitor. The most recent one had stormed off in anger after Rose had dumped her drink on his head.

"Rose, dear, you've got to stop rejecting every suitor who comes to call. The laws of Gallifrey clearly state that you must be—"

"—married to a prince or someone else of eligibility when you come of age," Rose finished, having heard this a thousand times before. "Daddy, the law is wrong. I want to marry someone for love."

Pete sighed. "Rose, dearest, I know, but the law's the law and you've only got three more days."

"What's wrong with marrying for love?" Rose asked, glaring at her father. "You and Mum married for love, remember? Why can't I do the same?"

"Your mum and I were made for each other and you don't have as much time left to find someone you're made for. I know it doesn't seem fair, but—"

"Dad, please, try to understand," Rose interrupted. "I've hardly ever done a thing on my own, I've never had any real friends and I've never been outside the palace walls. Please, let me make my own decision about my life."

"Rose, you're the Lord President's daughter, you can't just—"

"Forget it," said Rose, angrily. "Leave me alone, Dad."

Pete sighed again and left the room in equal frustration.

Rose sighed and glanced at a bird who had gotten caught in one of the cages. She stood by the cage and rested her fingers on the door for a few moments. "I know how you feel," she said. "I know you feel all too well."

She had all the money and all the pleasures of being the Lord President's daughter, but Rose would've given anything to be free and see the worlds.

"Lucky bird inside a gilded cage
Golden words spoke by an ancient sage
Everything you may have in life
Still, all you hold is dust

Must I yearn forever to be free?
Free to climb a tree and ponder
Free to wander
There's no desire I hold fonder
Than to be, simply me, to be free

How ungrateful is this lucky bird
Spurning privilege for one simple word
Freedom to stretch these golden wings
Freedom to touch the sky

Why one would ask would she want to be
Free to throw away a treasure
Born with pleasure
I'd sacrifice riches beyond measure
Just a girl, with a boy
What a perfect fantasy
To find love, to feel joy
To be really free."

She opened the cage and watched as the bird flew into the watery sunlight. Would she ever find the same freedom? Deciding she would, she made plans to sneak out that night. She filled a small pouch with money and dressed in common clothes before she climbed one of the garden's trees and got out of the palace.