I'm trying to experiment with some new things... I hope I done alright, and not off the course.

Anyway, I'll be very grateful to read your reviews and if you think I could do something a bit differently to make this story better, feel free to express your suggestions.

Now, read on.

The Living Plastic was dangerously getting closer to Rose Tyler, and at any minute could have grabbed her by the collar. Of course, from years of experience by encountering various aliens, it would be no problem for her to escape them, but Rose was too shocked to move even an inch. She was literally a standing, living statue, that way letting the plastic to get near her way too close.

And just as she expected to be struck by the plastic hand, Rose felt a too familiar hand grabbing hers tightly, and when she turned around to face the source of that, was welcomed by the very first word her Doctor once told her.

"Run."

And they ran, hand in hand, the man ahead and Rose following behind. A man with the leather jacket and big ears made his way to the elevator with Rose in tow. Having reached a stop she tried to get her breathing back together. Her heart was still racing wildly in her rib cage from sheer adrenaline that was running through her veins. Calming herself down as she was taught by the Torchwood protocol, she tried to make sense of the situation. What exactly was going on?

Was she dreaming? Was this part of her self-induced dream? Did she have too much too drink with Mickey or... what was happening here?

Soon enough, her thoughts were disturbed by a plastic hand which got trapped between the still half-way closed elevator doors. The Living Plastic were still eagerly trying to get inside and squeeze the life out of them it seemed.

She guessed it suited her life. Never enough time to think for yourself. Not even in a crazy situation like this.

She couldn't help but snort at it. It was just too good to be true. Without even thinking about what she was doing, Rose grabbed the hand and pulled it off of the dummy. With the obstacle out of the way, the elevator doors finally could close shut. The hand in Rose's grip, though, didn't seem to be giving up so soon just yet. It started twisting itself around, squeezing the fingers in thin air until it finally slipped from Rose's grip and could grip firmly around Rose's throat. Soon enough it began to choke her, and her complexion turning blue.

Finally having enough of idling around in the shadows, the Doctor decided to take some action and fought the hand off of Rose. "Give me that," he exclaimed, pulling his sonic screwdriver out to deactivate it while Rose wheezed in the background.

"Living plastic, so fierce, but look, now became just another hand of a dummy." He tossed the hand to Rose, who caught it from instinct. Only then did she seem to have opened her eyes to finally see who had she came into the elevator with. Who had saved her. Once again.

Her breath caught in her throat as she stood frozen in the elevator even when it opened again on an empty floor and the Doctor stepped outside. She watched how he turned around and seeing her frozen form gained a look of mild annoyance, rolling his eyes and getting a hold of her wrist, dragged her out of it.

Rose stumbled outside from the sheer force and got struck with emotions of how utterly unbelievable the whole situation truly was.

"This can't be real..."

"Oh believe me, it's very real," rich Northern accent reached her ears. "What's with you humans trying to deny the existence of something that's looking right into your eyes?" She could hear the disapproving tone in his voice, reaching her to the depths of her core. Of how long has it been since she heard his voice. This voice. It was only something she would reminisce with a nostalgic ache while thinking of all their travels together. But now... here he was. Speaking to her.

This couldn't be real.

"No..." her voice quivered slightly as she took a deep breath in. "No, but you don't understand... this just... it can't be true, it's not-"

"Mind your eyes", the Doctor cut her short while sonicing the elevator controls, jamming the whole thing altogether. Before long he hurried towards the metal doors, ready to make his exit.

"Oh, no, you don't," Rose whispered to herself as she ran to follow the Doctor.

"What're you doing here?" Was her first question. She cursed herself silently. She couldn't have thought of something better to ask, could she?

"Oh, you know, just trying to save the lives of all you stupid little apes. Good thing I have this." He waved a device at her. "The living plastic is being controlled by a relay device on the roof. So, I'm gonna go upstairs and blow up. I might well die in the process, but don't worry about me, no. You go on, go on," he was telling her was simultaneously pushing her out of the doors. "Have your lovely beans on toast, and don't tell anybody about this cause you'll get them killed."

At that moment Rose was just gaping at her surroundings as she viewed her home, London of 2005.

"Well, goodbye." She heard the voice behind her as the doors closed. She quickly turned around and was about to go after the man, when the doors opened once more, startling her; the Doctor's head peeked out the door.

"I'm the Doctor, by the way, what's your name?" he asked with a smile.

"R-Rose..." Not yet understanding what she was doing, Rose answered the question in reflex.

"Nice to meet you, Rose," he added with a huge grin. "Oh, and one more thing, do you have a habit of involving yourself with plastic things or do you only have no sense of danger?"

"Eh?" Rose found it hard to find the right words, if there were any in this situation. "No, I was just... trying to help."

"Ah." The Doctor smiled slightly at that. "Well, better be more careful next time. Now then, run for your life." The Doctor waved the control device in his hands and was gone inside the building once more.

Rose stood there, expressionless. She had just had a conversation with her Doctor. It could have been a dream, and she was still pretty sure it was. "Run for your life." All too familiar words. Run for your life...why? Dummies where inside so what wa-...

"Explosion! He's gonna blow up my job" Rose exclaimed and was already starting to run farther from the building.

Just as she crossed the street, the building exploded. People in the street went into panic; screaming and scurrying around. Rose snorted and just moments later started snickering. She watched her work-place exploding like fireworks and just laughed hysterically like there was no tomorrow.

"I'm...un-employed again." She spoke between the laughing. Right to her side, an elderly woman was staring at her with horror in her eyes.

"No, but seriously, though. This can't be true! It's just..." Still not stopping laughing, Rose addressed the woman. "Oh, my God. This's 2005!" Clenching her stomach as it started to hurt already from all the laughing. She waved the plastic hand, still in her grip, around. "But I don't care!" She shook her head, making the elderly woman step backwards in defense. "If by going mad I can finally be together with him again, so be it."

When she finally calmed down, the street was already empty of the people and resembled the likes from the horror movies. All quiet and dirty - the leftovers from the runaway people the only reminder of them ever being there once. It seemed everyone had run away, scared. Well, it made sense; she had done so too, the first time round.

She soon felt her cell phone buzz from inside her pocket. She answered it, noticing that it was her mum.

"Mum? Of course I'm all right. No, I was not inside. Yeh, I'm coming back home." Jackie was still as protective as ever and having no idea still just how much more dangerous her daughter's life would soon get.

At Powell Estate, Jackie was on the phone for ages, talking with everyone she could talk to about how Rose was lucky to be alive and how she should get compensation. Mickey was soon in the room too, speaking all the same.

Rose remembered feeling slightly annoyed by all this behavior the previous time, but now she just grinned at them. It all felt so nostalgic. As it was, and right. In the right universe with her Doctor still in it. The Doctor!

Mickey was already offering her something stronger to drink when suddenly Rose jumped off the couch and was nearly running through the door.

"Rose! What're you doing?" Mickey shouted behind her.

"Where the bloody hell are you going?" Jackie exclaimed with a bossy voice. "You nearly died tonight and you want to go outside now? Sit back down, missy."

"That makes twice today," Rose muttered.

"What?" Jackie asked.

"Nevermind. But seriously, Mum. I'm fine." She put her hands on her mum's shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Everything's going to be all right. Now more than ever, I promise. I'll come back soon."

Jackie was too confused by her daughter's words to react fast enough. Before long, Rose already left the flat.

Once outside, Rose started roaming the streets, aimlessly searching for the blue police box. To her utter disappointment, she had no such luck. She wandered the streets for hours, when she understood that she wouldn't find the TARDIS tonight, especially if she didn't want to be found.

When she returned home, Jackie and Mickey were at her all over again but she quickly dismissed them and went to her room. Once she was there she tried to remember all the little details of how she came to travel with the Doctor. She remembered that the Doctor was supposed to come to her flat to search for the hand tomorrow! The hand! Right. Where was it?

She returned to the living room with Mum and Mickey still in there, grabbed the plastic hand, and returned to her room.

It was silly, really, but she didn't have much to do and falling asleep obviously scared her (in case she woke up from this dream of hers in the parallel world with no Doctor), so she decided to stare at the hand. It was already 3 am when she started to feel kinda drowsy. Even though she was fiercely fighting her sleep she couldn't stay awake much longer. She fell asleep.

At 7:30 Rose was woken up by an alarm. She reached over with her hand and turned it off. Still sleepy and with blurry vision she tried to identify her surroundings. Her room looked quite odd. At Pete's estate she didn't have such a room. It almost looked like...

"Powell Estate." At once she jumped out of the bed, turned a few circles around the room as she spotted the hand. It was still here. The Doctor should come soon.

"He's coming!" Beaming at the hand like it could understand her. She quickly got dressed and left her room with the plastic hand.

While eating breakfast, Rose was shining with energy and still not letting go of the hand. She could feel Jackie's eyes on her, trying to read the suddenly changed mood of her daughter. If only she knew.

"Are you sick, sweetheart?" she asked softly with concern.

"No, mum. I told you. Everything's brilliant!" She beamed at her mum, making her all the more nervous about her daughter.

"Did loosing your job made you in such a hyper mood?" Jackie narrowed her eyes at Rose, giving her a stern motherly look.

Rose's smile momentary faded. "No!" she breathed out. "I'm just... happy! That's all. It's brand new day, yeh?" She grinned, trying a reassuring look at her mother.

"But what's with the hand?" Jackie asked with confusion and slight disgust in her voice.

"Oh, it's my safeguard," Rose answered simply and once again gained a doubtful look from her mother.

When Jackie went to her room to get dressed and dry her hair, Rose heard some flipping sound. She turned to the door. He was here!

She ran to the door and was about to open it when she came to the realization that she couldn't just jump onto him with a hug. That's not what happened. She was certain he would not understand. If she talked about things that had not happened then, it would seem she had admitted that she was thrown into her past with her older self's consciousness. She had to play along. She might be able to change some things, but she had to stick with the basics.

Some more flips on the door.

She took a deep breath and opened the door. And there he was. Standing tall right in front her. In his leather jacket, cropped hair and big ears. He was standing here. Existing in the same universe as her... Rose nearly lost herself, starting to make a move to launch herself at the Doctor in a tight hug, but luckily the Doctor moved faster than her.

"What are you doing here?"

Rose blinked a few times. Right, she had to stick to the script. "I live here," Rose answered as calmly as she could.

"What do you do that for?"

Rose couldn't help herself and snorted. "'Cos I do. Not much else to do, 'cos someone blew up my job." She tried to end the sentence with all seriousness and a bit of forced blame.

The Doctor seemed like he was not paying that much attention to that, as he quickly pulled out his sonic screwdriver and looked at it in confusion.

"Must have gotten the wrong signal. You are not plastic, are you?" He knocked on her head nonchalantly. "Bye then."

But Rose was quicker. "You. Inside, right now."

Once inside, Rose was pacing around the room, thinking of what to say next. Somehow she just thought to the point of dragging the Doctor to the flat. She knew what she did before. All questioning about Henrik's and living plastic, but she had no desire for such questions now. But it was not like she could just tell the Doctor that she was his companion from the future either. Which was not entirely true either... or was it? What was the truth anyway?

At that moment, the Doctor was looking around the room.

"Rose Tyler." He read the name. Then looked at himself in the mirror and inspected himself. When the hand that was under the couch came back to life, it came at the Doctor. Rose was still deep in her thoughts, so she didn't notice the Doctor's struggles until later.

When she turned and found, the Doctor 'under' the plastic hand, she quickly dropped what she was doing and rushed to aid him. She pulled the plastic off of the Doctor's face. It suddenly turned at her, though. Soon enough, the Doctor made his way to it, but it took a while and some 'table crashing' until it finally came off. Then he took his screwdriver from his pocket and deactivated it.

"There you go. Signal stopped. Auton." The Doctor smiled at his work. "But wait a minute. Wasn't this the hand I deactivated in the elevator yesterday? How come it's alive?" Confused, the Doctor frowned. "Do you have dummies hands' collection at your house?"

"That was me." A voice from behind came and they soon found Mickey standing in the doorway watching nervously at the scene. "I saw it in the street, moving on its own and thought it was cool. So I took it. Are you alright, Rose?" Mickey came to her.

"She could not have been. You saw the moving hand in the street and just took it home. Fantastic," the Doctor said sarcastically.

Mickey whipped his head sharply at the Doctor, furrowing his brows in challenge. He took a threatening step towards him. "And who the hell are you?"

Before the Doctor could have a go at poor Mickey, Rose stepped in. "I'm all right. Don't worry, Mickey. Thank you, Doctor..." Realizing that just the Doctor was kinda strange to let it pass; she moved her hands around to let him speak.

"Just the Doctor. And now, off I go." The Doctor soon dashed from the flat, but Rose followed close behind.

Rose tried to play along.

"Hold it on. You can't just leave like that." And she didn't want him to. Not when she somehow, against all odds, found him again!

"Yes I can. Here is me, leaving. See ya." The Doctor descended the stairs and was soon outside.

"That arm tried to kill me. Twice at that. Somehow everything comes twice at me these days..." Rose muttered the last sentence, barely audible.

"What was that?" The Doctor was once again perplexed by this human. Something about her bothered him, but he just couldn't understand what exactly it was. "But no, it did not try to kill you. It was after me. You just got in the way. The world does not revolve around you."

"So the whole world revolves around you instead?" Rose said mockingly, but fully well knowing the answer, added a bit of a tease.

"Sort of, yeh," the Doctor said with a grin.

"You're full of it." Rose laughed, walking by his side in quick steps to match his speed.

"Sort of, yeh." He grinned, not the least bit conscious.

They bickered teasingly some more, getting some details about the living plastic, just as the old times, no matter if it was the new times to the Doctor .

"Do you believe me?" he asked.

"Yeh," she said simply.

"Really?" he asked in disbelief and failing to hide a smile. Rose decided it was about time she made a move.

"So, all this plastic things... who else knows about this?" she asked softly.

"No one." The Doctor shrugged it off.

"So what, you're on your own?"

"Who else is there? I mean you lot, all you do is eat chips, watch telly, go to bed. While all the time around me is a war going on."

"If you need someone, I can help you," Rose said with all seriousness in her eyes. She knew the Doctor would be shocked by her suggestion, as it was something she did not say before. She just hoped the Doctor would take it the right way.

"You think it tried to kill you and you come after it. Very brave indeed," the Doctor said, grinning, which Rose returned. "But stupid." With a cold face again. Rose frowned.

"I know what I'm doing," Rose persisted.

"No, you don't." He dismissed her. "And frankly speaking, you are a bit crazy, you know that? For a human at least."

"What, is it so hard to believe that a human can love the adventure?" Rose said with a teasing grin, tongue between her teeth.

The Doctor seemed to be taken by surprise. He lost his words for a while. "Okay then, Rose Tyler. If you say so, meet me near that shop of yours at 7 pm and we can go do a bit of inspection." As he said that, he was soon out of sight.

Rose couldn't believe her ears. It worked! She will soon go on adventure with her Doctor. A wide grin appeared on her face. She turned around and skipped towards her flat to get ready. She couldn't wait.

At 7 pm, Rose Tyler was already waiting for the Doctor when the TARDIS materialized right in front of her. She was a bit shocked, as she didn't expect him to be so bold.

"Right, here you are. Off we go then. Ready?" The Doctor smiled at her with a fake-smile-you-could-see-through. It was obvious he was trying to scare her off with the TARDIS, but that wouldn't work on Rose. She was determined to make her choices right this time.

The Doctor seemed to have found himself speechless once more when he didn't get the reaction he was expecting, such as screaming or backing away. Rose just grinned a wide smile at him instead.

"Off we go, then," Rose said simply.

"You are taking this awfully well," the Doctor said to her with a growing suspicion in his voice.

"Oh, you know. Too much Star Trek and you believe all the things." Rose grinned. "Besides, you told me how impressive you were," she continued, poking at his chest. "So it is just right that I was expecting something extraordinary from you."

The Doctor just shook his head. "Rose Tyler, I'm gonna work on figuring you out soon enough. But for now, we've some important things to do." He grinned and grabbed Rose's hand in his. With that they ran in search of an adventure.

When a dummy disguised as a random person in the diner came to life, they let themselves out through the back door. As they ran back to the TARDIS, the Doctor soon inside and Rose not falling behind, they both stopped for a moment.

The familiar buzz welcomed her senses and she couldn't believe how she managed to survive without her for so long. She took a deep breath in, calming her heart while keeping her joy out of her face as much as she could. Her eyes fell on the expectant blue orbs, waiting for her reaction. Brushing all other thoughts aside, Rose took matters in hand.

"It is bigger on the inside," Rose stated, biting her lower lip to prevent the snort. She knew just how much he loved when people noticed that.

"Yes," he just said simply.

"It's alien, then. Are you alien?" she asked.

"Yes. Is that alright?" the Doctor asked with a bit of concern in his voice.

"Yeh," she answered without hesitation.

"It's called the TARDIS. This thing. T.A.R.D.I.S. Time and Relative Dimension in Space." A slight pause. "Okay then, no more wasting time, let's go outside." The Doctor was making his way through the door.

"We have moved," Rose stated, once outside. "Does it fly?" she asked mockingly, fully well knowing the answer.

"Disappears there and reappears there. You wouldn't understand." The Doctor was pacing outside frantically, looking for the signal of the alien.

"Try me," Rose told him in all seriousness.

The Doctor just looked at her like she was some kind of alien and was about to say something, but decided to drop the subject. "Next time."

Rose beamed. Next time. She couldn't help but smile at that.

"What's the police call box?" Rose decided she had to keep asking to not sound too obvious.

"It's a telephone box. From 1950s. A disguise," he answered with a grin.

"That's a really good disguise." She beamed at the wooden box, caressing it a little. "I love it."

The Doctor looked at her with a furrowed brow. "I mean," Rose was quick to correct herself, after catching herself on her suspicious behavior. "It's lovely. The retro style and all." She grinned with tongue between her teeth smile, her eyes twinkling.

"Exactly!" the Doctor exclaimed, proud of himself. Rose chuckled silently at him, then stopped, taking a breath in.

"So, this plastic thing. What're you gonna do about it?"

"Ah," he remembered. He put his one hand inside his pocket and took the blue liquid out. "Anti-plastic." He showed it to her in all proud manner.

"Riiight, anti-plastic." Rose nodded, suppressing the smile.

"Anti-plastic!" the Doctor exclaimed again. "But first I've got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?" He began pacing about, concentration showing on his face.

Rose bit her lower lip. "Hide what?" she asked innocently.

"The transmitter," the Doctor said like it was obvious. "The Consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic so it needs a transmitter to boost the signal."

"Yeh? And what's it look like?"

"Like a transmitter. Round and massive, slap bang in the middle of London." His pace became more agitated, looking around for a clue.

"A huge circular metal structure... like a dish..." He kept going on, gesturing with his hands, not really paying much attention to Rose, just for the sake of thinking.

"...like a wheel. Close to where we're standing. Must be COMPLETELY invisible." And there he stood, his back to the railing of the bridge, facing Rose, right behind him, the London Eye looming 450 foot above them. The Doctor, oblivious to the fact, didn't seem to register it at all, just kept on frowning in concern.

Rose raised an eyebrow, giving him a hint to look behind.

"What?" the Doctor asked, not getting it.

She tried again, by nodding towards the Eye. This time the Doctor turned around, but when saw nothing, switched back to her, completely nonplussed.

"What?" he asked again.

Rose shook her head, rolling he eyes. It never changes. It just never does. Looking at the Eye still, she gestured with her head once more. The Doctor turned around again, but still failed to make the connection.

"What is it? What?" he kept asking.

Rose gave him a non impressed stare. Shifting a bit uncomfortably under her gaze, the Doctor risked to turn once again and FINALLY, it clicked.

"Oh... fantastic!" He gave her one of his toothy grins and ran off with Rose's hand in his.

Once they found the consciousness (with Rose's help, of course), Rose was surprised how things seemed to play out all the same as the last time even if she tried to change some things. Even Mickey was found there all the same, being swallowed by the trash bin when he was outside looking for Rose.

And now here they stood. Mickey staggering from the TARDIS with Rose helping him while the Doctor stood between the TARDIS door.

"Nestene Consciousness. Easy," the Doctor exclaimed and clicked his fingers.

"You were useless in there. You would be dead if not for me," Rose teased.

"Yes, I would," the Doctor agreed with a smile. "Thank you," he sighed. "Right then. I'll be off. Unless, I don't know." He shrugged. "You could come with me. This box isn't just a box you know, it goes all around the universe. Free off charge." He beamed and Rose smiled right back at him.

Mickey put his nose into the conversation. "H-he is an alien. He is a thing." Pointing at him.

"He is not invited," the Doctor added. "What do you think?"

Mickey clung to Rose like his life depended on it.

"Yeh. I...um, can't. I got to find my mum, and someone's gotta look after this lump. So..." Rose was careful to use the same words as the last time as she was hoping for the same reaction. She just couldn't suppress the temptation to make the Doctor ask her twice.

"Okay. See you around."

For a lingering moment, the Doctor kept his eyes locked with Rose's, who were sparking with hope and wonder, but in the end, he turned his head away, disappearing inside the depths of the TARDIS.

The sounds of the universe echoed in the dark alley of Powell Estates, leaving the wind behind as the ship dematerialized. Rose waited for a bit, but then nothing happened. It was like the box was never even there, like the Doctor was never there.

A howling of the dog echoed somewhere in the distance and that was all of the sounds she could hear. She swallowed. Did she do something wrong? Was she too...forward, or not...helpful enough or...he wouldn't just leave her like that! Not after all that. Well...he didn't know her, yet, not really.

She turned around, just to find Mickey already going off. She turned back to the street. Shaking her head. "But you can't..." Her voice breaking mid-sentence.

"Rose? You coming?" Mickey's voice calling her.

She lingered in the place some more and started to walk backwards. And that's when it happened. In the midst of darkness and the silent life of the night in the Estates, the sound of the universe reached their ears once more. As the blue police box materialized, the Doctor popped his head out.

"By the way. Did I mention? It also travels in time," he finished, leaning on the TARDIS doors, leaving them open.

It was all the invitation she needed.

Rose beamed at him with a smile full of delight. Laughing in relief. She turned to Mickey with beautiful smile lighting her whole face.

"Thank you." She kissed his cheek.

"For what?" Mickey asked, puzzled.

She laughed. "Exactly." And ran with all her might, grinning, inside the TARDIS.

The Doctor in the TARDIS with Rose Tyler, just as it should be. Their story just resumed.

to be continued...

A/N: I have to express my thanks. I didn't expect to get any reviews in the prologue but was pleasantly surprised to get them. SO THANK YOU! I hope this chapter didn't put you off, and you will continue or join me