Disclaimer: I am not doing this for any monetary gain. I do not own Doctor Who nor the music of the wonderful Sara Bareilles.

Thank you for reading the first chapter. Here's the next. Enjoy.

Chapter 2: Vegas

It's always just around the corner or you're
on your way to somewhere
That is bigger or better...
If you could only get there
It's never your fault you can't start your
own winning streak
But I'd hate to lose you to the fortune you seek...

He knew then and there after the ship had been in the air for two hours that he and zeppelins were going to be having a very, very bad relationship with each other in this world. He supposed that this feeling in his stomach was what he heard to be 'nausea' and he didn't like it at all.

"Doctor, you're turning green; is there anything I can do for you?"

"No Jackie, I'm sure I'll be fine in a mo'-"

The zeppelin shuddered slightly and he held onto the armrest as tight as possible until his knuckles started to turn white. For a slow moving vehicle, it still felt like it was going far too fast. Must've gotten caught up in an upwind or something.

His head was spinning; definitely not good. Why couldn't this world have airplanes like the true universe? He could definitely deal with them…

Suddenly, he felt someone lay a hand on top of his own and he peeked open his eye to see Rose's hand on his. Instantly, his body relaxed. As the zeppelin began to calm down though Rose's hand was gone and didn't come back for the rest of their time onboard. Thankfully for the rest of the flight the ship remained in the air and he managed to keep his breakfast down.

They arrived in London after only a few short hours and for the very first time in his life he was glad to be on solid ground. He remained completely calm but only by not moving a muscle until the vehicle was safely stopped. Wordlessly he unbuckled his safety-belt and exited the craft.

"Tony! Pete!"

Jackie ran forward from behind them to her husband and after giving him a kiss, quickly reached down to grab the small boy standing next to him and wrap her arms around him. This was obviously Tony Tyler, Jackie and Pete's son and Rose's half-brother. He was a good mixture of both his parents but looked to have more Pete than Jackie in him. Rose gave both of the men a kiss as well. Maybe he might be able to use Tony to get on Rose's good side…

"All right everyone," Pete announced, "come on; out to the van."

Tony tried to ask who the strange man was and where Uncle Mickey went but everyone ignored him. Jackie promised to explain it to him later.

Pete turned to look at the brown haired stranger who in turn eyed the floor, intent on learning its every crevice and streak of dirt on the linoleum. He felt a hand grasp his arm. He didn't need to look up to see that it was Pete himself and not the one he secretly wished for. Jackie looked back once before pulling Tony, leading him to the other end of the building. Rose was already far ahead of everyone else and on the other side, checking her phone for messages.

Looking into Pete's eyes, for once he wasn't sure what to say. Pete filled in their awkward silence all on his own with his simple questioning of, "Doctor...?"

"Yeah," he said, scratching a non-existent itch behind his left ear, "not quite actually. It's a long story."

"Jackie filled me in on most of it last night. But, Rose though...I thought she'd be happier."

"I thought so too," the brown haired stranger said, giving Pete a half of a smile.

Pete guided the way outside and led the entire family to the car park so they could get home before Tony needed to get tucked in for the night.

After a light meal and once Tony was asleep in bed, Rose announced that she called a cab to bring her to her apartment in the city that night. She didn't even mention bringing him with her and honestly he didn't really expect her to either. This was just something she needed to work through on her own and he wasn't going to stand in her way.

At least, that's what he was still telling himself until she was gone.

"Doctor-" Pete began to say once she left before being interrupted.

"I, that's not my name. Not anymore," the stranger said, just barely making eye contact before looking down at his hands, still trying to figure out himself who he was.

"Right. Anyway, after I spoke with Jackie last night I called in a few favors and got some paperwork sent over for you to fill out. Come on."

Pete stood and the brown haired stranger followed suit as Jackie disappeared down the hallway looking both upset and tired at the same time.

"If you're going to be staying in this world," Pete said over his shoulder, stopping at a closed door and reaching into his pocket for a key so he could unlock it, "you're going to need an identity. And you and I are going to sit here until everything is all set up for you."

The two men walked into Pete's home office complete with rich red painted walls, shelves upon shelves of books, fancy leather covered seats and a large mahogany desk complete with two desktop computers sitting side by side. There were hanging pictures of the whole family on the walls too, even a portrait done in oil paint.

"Take a seat," Pete said, sitting behind the desk and pointing to the chair across from him.

After sitting, Pete opened a drawer and removed a large stack of various papers of different sizes with tiny words printed on them. Pete then handed him a pen, shoved the papers towards him and the entire night was spent creating a whole life which was in reality nothing more than a piece of fiction; a novelization.

Jackie came into the office a little after dawn in her robe and holding a cup of tea in her hand but Pete told her they would still be a few more minutes. The brown haired stranger yawned as his body reminded him, yet again, that sleep, while mostly useless, was still a necessity to a human life.

Pete began speaking again once Jackie had left. "There's just one more thing I wanted to ask you before we can set you out into the world and I'm really hoping you'll accept."

Pete turned on the computer to his left and the other man stood to watch over his shoulder.

"This is where I keep all my information on what Torchwood is working on. I track agents here," he said, bringing up a map of London that had many small red dots scattered, "case files, satellite feed, whereabouts of current known extraterrestrial life-forms…."

"Oh Pete Tyler you've been busy since I last saw you," the other said barely suppressing a grin.

"As of today," Pete said mostly ignoring him but smirking anyway, "we have seven different main branches of Torchwood on each continent with many sub-groups around the world. Yet with so many people, things often get neglected-"

"Like the Cybermen escaping?"

"Exactly. I need someone with a penchant for travel; one who has knowledge of other life-forms who can report back to the main office what they find and how it can be used for the betterment of mankind."

Pete looked at him and he looked back. "Interested?"

Jackie met the two men outside of the office and immediately forced the man who wasn't her husband up the stairs and into the main bathroom.

"Your room's three doors down on the left. There's a fresh set of clothes waiting for you so I can wash that ungodly thing you've been wearing for two days straight," Jackie called through the closed door. "Don't come out till you're not so fresh!"

"Yes Mum," he whispered.

"Oh, I definitely heard that!"

Walking slowly towards the shower, he stopped and began to slowly remove his clothes one by one until he was standing in the center of the room completely nude. Over the marble sink was a mirror but he completely ignored it and walked into the stand-up shower. He turned on the hot water and stood in front of the jets allowing the water to pelt him like tiny burning pinpricks of pain against his skin before finally turning the knob for the cold.

Everything was all set, he thought to himself while lathering shampoo in his hair. He had an identity, an apartment, a job...It was time, time to finally find his own way in the world and he hoped to all that was in the universe that everything would turn out right in the end.

He wasn't running this time. This time, he was finally free.

And he stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel to dry himself off with and thought about the new life he was about to begin.