Apologies for such a long delay! I found myself in a nasty writer's slump. Well, it's only to be expected as I went deeper and deeper into my story, that way triggering a certain effects on the story ahead. It passed my original plan long ago and with this! Chapter that is. It crumbled nearly everything. So well. I nearly gave up on it, thought that I would just write something simplier.
But then again. How could I? Me and my twists. Lol. Anyway, I must express my utter joy for your feedback in these miserable days of mine! The only thing that kept me going. Really, it was awesome! THANK YOU!
Now, look below. Cheers~
The Doctor, Rose, and Mickey were hanging out in the TARDIS. The Doctor and Rose both slumped in chairs next to each other (with the Doctor's hand casually dropped on the edge, behind Rose, legs on the console). Jack was out, having a shower in the TARDIS and Mickey standing by the console.
"And that weird munchkin lady, with the big eyes? Do you remember?" The Doctor was talking enthusiastically, looking at Rose. "The way she looked at you!" he cried, while Rose was laughing out loud. "And then she opens her mouth and fire comes out!" He was gesturing with his hand.
"I thought I was gonna get frazzled!" Rose cried between laughs.
"Yeah! One minute she's standing there, and the next minute - rawwwh!" He and Rose mimicing fire coming of their mouths, followed by fits of laughter. Mickey was just nodding and smiling, not really following.
"Yeah... where-" Mickey tried to get attention. "Where was that, then? What happened?" Trying to keep a smile on his face.
"Oh, it was on this um..." the Doctor began casually, searching for the right words, Rose leaning to his side, grinning. "Uh, this uh... planet thing, asteroid." He shook his head, Mickey was starting to look not so amused. "It's a long story, you had to be there." The Doctor decided to drop the subject.
"Oh, I missed the TARDIS shower!" An american voice echoed in the console. The trio already there, chuckled at him.
"Had a good massage, Jack?" Rose sang to him, teasingly.
"The best." Jack grinning at her.
"'Course he had," the Doctor added. "Way better than that pleasure planet of yours."
Rose shook her head, smiling. If not his ego then gotta prove his ships' superiority.
"So, what have I missed?" Jack asked them, as he launched himself near the pair.
"Oi, it's already cramped in here!" the Doctor complained.
"'M gonna fall!" Rose cried, laughing, as she felt herself slipping from the edge.
"See what you did," the Doctor chided Jack, playfully, as he now had his arm around Rose, holding her in place.
"If you would just let Rosie sit on your lap, there would be plenty of room here." Jack winked at them.
Rose looked sideways at those words, starting to feel the presence of the arm around her more intensely now. The Doctor was oblivious to that, though.
"Where would I place my legs then?" he cried.
Jack just chuckled at that. "So what were you saying before I came and made the place more cramped," Jack said meaningfully.
"Oh, just a story." The Doctor shook his head nonchalantly. Then his gaze fell upon Mickey. "Um...What're you doing that for?" he asked him casually.
Mickey had his finger on a button on the console. "'Cos you told me to..." he simply replied.
The Doctor blinked at that. "...When was that...?" he asked a bit lost. Rose bit her lip, as she remembered how long ago was that.
"About half an hour ago..." Mickey replied, blinking.
The Doctor opened his mouth, looking at the button. "Um." He managed to say, as he closed his mouth, his lips slightly quivering. "You can let go now." His gaze at Mickey, lips pressed together.
As Mickey let go of the button, Rose started sniggering.
"Well, how long's it been since I could've stopped?" Mickey asked, concerned.
The Doctor just shrugged blithely. "Ten minutes?" he said, all casual. "Twenty?" He tried again. After blinking. "Twenty-nine?" In a faint voice. Jack snorted at that.
"You just forgot me!" Mickey exclaimed indignantly. Jack was now laughing out loud.
"No, no, no!" The Doctor tried to defend himself. "I was just-" He tried to think of an answer. "I was just... I was calibrating." He looked at Mickey. "I was just... no, I know exactly what I'm doing." As he nodded his head, trying to convince everyone and himself the most.
And the next moment, the TARDIS console exploded, throwing the passengers on the chair to one side, Mickey on the other. Sparks and flames flying everywhere, console room shaking violently.
The Doctor scrambling to his knees, was now frantically trying to operate the console. Rose by his side.
"You really should check your driving, Doc," Jack joked, as he grabbed on the console to hold on.
"The time vortex is gone!" the Doctor breathed. "That's impossible - it's just gone!" He looked at the monitor in disbelief.
"What?" Jack asked in total disbelief himself, but was left unanswered when the TARDIS began to shake crazily.
"Brace yourself! We're gonna crash!" the Doctor yelled through the noise.
And then they crashed. The Doctor, Rose, Jack and Mickey thrown backwards, reaching the ground with a sharp thud. Gas masks fell from the ceiling, moments later, followed by the blackout in the TARDIS. Only some cracking sounds could be heard.
"Everyone all right?" The Doctor was first to pull himself up from the laying position, but still on his knees beside Rose. "Rose." As he checked her. "Mickey?" he yelled to the other side.
"I'm fine. I'm okay, sorry," Mickey answered.
"I'm okay too, thank you," Jack said sarcastically, as he stood up.
"You'll be fine either way," the Doctor replied in a whisper, standing up, all his attention towards the rotor and console.
"She's dead," he breathed in horror, watching smoke rising from the console.
"The TARDIS is dead," he whispered, as he began to walk around the console, slowly.
"You can fix it," Rose stated in a soft voice, rubbing on his arm - trying to calm him down.
Oh, she wanted to tell him that she's going to be alright. She hated seeing him so devastated.
"There's nothing to fix. She's perished." The Doctor was talking in a faint voice, pulling a lever back and forth fruitlessly.
"The last TARDIS in the universe... extinct." He just looked at the motor with a lost-hope face.
Jack wanted to say something, but as he glanced at Rose, he saw in her look that they have gone past this before. Now it was only their job to help him find that miraculous cure for the TARDIS.
"We'll find a way. We always do." Rose tried to soothe him.
"Not this time. There's no way out," the Doctor just whispered.
"Either way," Jack interrupted his misery. "We've landed somewhere."
"We fell out of the vortex, through the void, into nothingness," the Doctor retorted in a stronger voice. "We're in some sort of no-place..." Back to whispering. "The silent realm... the lost dimension... "
"Does it include sand and water?" Mickey asked from the doorway, stepping out.
The Doctor straightened up immediately. A sudden hope flickering in his mind. He didn't waste time and walked out of the doors after Jack. Rose following behind the Doctor.
A step...
A single step was made outside the TARDIS and it was all it took for Rose to register where they were.
"It's windy here." Mickey named it. But it was different for her. It was not the weather she was concerned about. Far from it. It was the place.
Rocky mountains standing tall in the horizon, wet sand under their feet, and powerful waves surging at the shore.
Why here?
"Come on, a beach without some sun? How will we sunbathe?" Jack joked.
"I'm burning up the sun just to say goodbye."
Maybe that's why there was no sun here...A place where she died.
Some place she desperately hoped to never see again. But the universe seemed to have different things in mind. It would always let the history repeat itself. Maybe with a bit different things thrown in between, a different order, but it just made Rose time and time again to relive all the painful things she had been through. She felt a hot tear escape her eye, as she watched the scene.
It hurt. Standing here. It hurt. And it was-
"It's wrong." The Doctor finally managed to say something, his expression pained. "Something about this place is...wrong," he breathed. His own hearts tightening at the sight ahead.
"Obviously, a beach without a sun is a torture!" Jack exclaimed.
"So where're we?" Mickey asked, looking around.
"Somewhere on Earth..." The Doctor began faintly. He made quite a few steps forward, leaving the trio a bit behind.
He didn't understand, why this place made his hearts ache so much. He could try to convince himself that it was all because of the TARDIS, or that they seemed to be in a different universe altogether, but in the end, it was not it. Because his heartache made him forget even the death of his precious ship. Something was missing. But he didn't know what.
A missing piece in a puzzle.
A voice. His own voice calling for someone. Or he thought like he wanted to call for someone.
Rose's breath hitched, when she saw the Doctor's right hand lift up in the air, reaching out for something, like it wanted to touch something, something what was not there.
"Norway," he breathed.
It worked like a trigger in Rose's mind. Before her own awareness reached her of what was she doing, she was already one step behind the Doctor. His back was turned to her face, as he stood there still, reaching out.
"Can I...?" A memory echoed inside her mind. Instinctively she raised her own hand, it hovering just above his pinstriped back. She hesitated, one time, two times, her fingers trembling.
"I'm still just an image. No touch." Another memory playing out in her head.
Would it disappear? If she reached out for him now, would her hand go through? Would she wake up from all of this, like it was just another dream? Was everything just a dream? Was she originally standing here, on this bloody beach alone, watching the empty scene before her and her mind playing tricks of what could have been different?
She clenched her fingers in an unsteady fist as her trembling hands were battling with her, aching for that final step. A touch. Just a simple touch, to let her know that he was here. Or not. Desperately hoping it was the former than the later.
A second passed.
Another...Until she finally grazed his back with her fingers, then palm with delicacy.
He was really here now. Not an image. Flesh and blood.
With the touch the Doctor turned around to face her. He knew who it was. He could feel her coming ages ago. Maybe it was because of his Time Lord's genes, or maybe just because she was Rose Tyler.
"Rose," he said in a low, husky voice. Rose swallowed the lump in her throat. She could barely breathe now.
"Rose... Rose... Rose...ROSE!" Another flashback of his voice calling her in her mind, calling her to come to this beach, to him - one last time.
And then his eyes fell on hers, deep brown eyes, locking their gaze with hers. He was not saying anything. Neither of them was. Rose's mouth was twitching slightly, forming a small smile. A content one. Her hand now resting on his arm, tugging on it, holding on like her life depended on it. Because it did. This was the place where she died. But now...she may be having the chance to live again.
On this cursed beach, on the worst day of her life, she was here, together with the one person she had ever wanted to be with.
And then, they found themselves in each other's embrace. Rose's arms around his neck, face buried in shoulder. The Doctor's arms wrapped tightly around her back. Holding her close with his eyes closed, exhaling a shivering breath.
They didn't talk about that. Didn't ask each other, why the other did that. It didn't need saying. It just felt right. Something they needed at that moment.
And the uneasiness the both of them were feeling, even if the Doctor had no clue why was he feeling like that, faded away, buried in each others arms.
"Doctor!"
An american voice shook the pair apart. As they broke from their embrace, their gazes seemed a bit dazed and unfocused. Both of them were feeling a bit unsteady. After such a long time, only standing there, holding each other, their bodies adjusted to that and were supporting each other comfortably. Now, with them apart, it felt like something was amiss.
The Doctor shook his head, trying to get a hold of himself. That was not how he was normally feeling. He could only blame the TARDIS crash and this parallel universe for all of this. Otherwise it would be no way for him to feel unsteady without Rose holding on to him.
"Doctor, I think we've got something here!" Jack called out for their attention again.
"It's alright. You should...go." Rose gestured to the TARDIS, her voice a bit shaky.
"Yeh. I probably should," he responded automatically, but his gaze still fixed on her.
When neither of them moved from their original places, Captain tried again. "You coming?"
The Doctor blinked at that, turning his head towards the source of the voice. Then back again at Rose. "I-" He gestured with his hand and head, tilting it to the side.
Rose gave him a reassuring smile as she nodded. His eyes lingered at her for one more second before he turned with his whole body, walking away.
Rose exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding. Feeling the loss of the touch herself. Soon enough, a gust of wind reached her, making her shiver a bit. She placed her arms around herself, trying to warm herself up, as she began to walk towards everyone else.
Just as she was about to open the TARDIS doors, a squeal of happiness reached her ears. She jumped slightly, startled by that sound.
"Mickey, we've got power! HA!"
Despite the serious atmosphere just seconds ago, she snorted at that.
"It's alive!" the Doctor shouted out in a deliriously happy voice. Rose opened the doors.
"What's happening?" she asked, feeling infected by the sudden outburst of happiness, radiating from the Doctor herself. She found him right underneath the console, pulling out some important looking internals of the TARDIS.
"It's tiny." The Doctor seemed not to notice her, as he continued pulling out everything he saw from there. "One of those insignificant little power cells that no one ever bothers about, and it's clinging onto life," he spilled. "But with one little-" His voice cracked a bit as he fought with the cable to release its tangles from his head. "Ounce of reality tucked away inside," he continued, once the threat was tossed away.
"Let me guess. And that's enough power to get us home?" Jack joined, sitting on the jump seat casually.
"Not yet," the Doctor replied in a low voice as he picked up the power cell and sat back on the small set of stairs under the grilling.
"I need to charge it up," he spoke. And then he noticed Rose, sitting on the edge of the console grating, just a few steps away from him.
"Rose," he spoke her name with a silly smile on his face. "Look at this." He showed her a small piece of coral, emitting green light, as he was holding it cupped in his both hands, carefully.
"It's beautiful." Rose beamed at the sight, leaning over to look at it from the closer view.
Mickey just rolled his eyes. "As long as this thing gets us back home."
"Mickey," the Doctor chided him. "You don't understand the power of such a little thing. It has to be nurtured."
"I can show it delicacy," Jack joked.
"You would just break it apart," the Doctor whispered, his eyes locked on the small thing in his hands.
"So how do we charge it up?" Rose asked him softly, gesturing with her hand to touch it. "May I?" She smiled at the Doctor, hesitating a bit.
"Just be delicate," he whispered.
She smiled more widely at that, as her fingers grazed the surface of the coral. "It feels like it's humming," Rose breathed.
"It does, doesn't it?" the Doctor sang, grinning at her.
"Like the TARDIS," Rose added, sliding her fingers on it, carefully. The Doctor giggled at that.
Jack just shook his head in amusement. Both of them looking at the coral like it was their own newborn child.
"When are you going to charge it?" Mickey complained, making the pair jump a bit.
"Oh oh, careful." Rose cupped her both hands just above the Doctor's, preventing it to get damaged.
"Don't scare it, Mickey," the Doctor chided him, grimacing.
"It's so small. It can't possibly feel fear," Mickey retorted sceptically.
"You would be surprised what it can feel," the Doctor said in a whisper as his face lit up.
Rose gasped at the sight. "Its glow got bigger," Rose noted. "What's happening?" As she looked from it to the Doctor.
"It's feeling both of our energies," he told her. "I just have to give it a little bit of a nudge." And with that he blew on the power cell gently, it brightening at the contact. The Doctor and Rose beamed at that.
"I just gave away ten years of my life. Worth every second!" he sang, dorkish giggle following.
"So what, we've got twenty four hours stuck here?" Mickey asked, once they left the TARDIS.
The Doctor stood there, his hands in his pockets, as he grimaced in disgust. "This place really gives me the creeps."
Rose forced her heartbeat to steady, as it quickened at his words. She took a deep breath, moving a bit uncomfortably. She felt a hand around her shoulders, moments later. When she lifted her gaze, she saw Jack looking at her softly. She just gave him a grateful smile. With a quick peck on her head, he released her.
The Doctor was pacing about, ahead of everyone else, thus he failed to notice all that. "Twenty four hours in parallel world and with nothing but a beach," he exhaled, talking in a whisper.
"Parallel?" Mickey asked. "We're in parallel world?" His enthusiasm growing. "It's like on films, isn't it? Like an alternative to our world were everything's the same but a little bit different, like... I dunno," he continued on, without being asked. "Traffic lights are blue, Tony Blair never got elected..."
"Okay!" Jack interrupted him. "So what's the plan?" He directed the question at the Doctor.
"Anything, really." The Doctor just shrugged nonchalantly. "Can't say we got much to choose from, though," he breathed sarcastically.
"Well, there must be an inn or something out here, somewhere." Jack tried to reason. "You can feel it where it is, no?"
"Sure I can," the Doctor agreed blithely. Then he stood in a concentrated pose; his head a bit tilted down, forehead wrinkled. "We go...um..." His gaze trailing from one side to the other. "Uh...that way." He sprung around to the right. And before anyone could react, he continued. "No no no. Wrong way. Nothing in there. Weeell." He considered. "Maybe we could find something there. But possibly only a bunch of trees and sand." He waved his hand before him, in a gesture. "And roads, and-" he continued on, when a cough made him go back to the world.
"Oh, right. So where was I? The inn. Right. A beautiful place to rest. With beds. Lots of beds would be better, right?" he asked them casually, grinning silly. Jack only smirked at him, Mickey eyed him suspiciously, Rose grinned. "So!" Back to his concentrated pose. "Let's try...um...uh..." He furrowed his brows.
"You don't even know!" Mickey complained.
"I can't help it!" the Doctor cried, when he turned to face Mickey. "It's another universe." He rubbed on the back of his neck. "I'm not used to this..." He gestured around himself. "Beach," he finally exhaled.
"Okay then. What date is it at least?" Mickey persisted.
"Date, date, date..." The Doctor began muttering, with his head tilted backwards, like calculating. "The date of today...is...2010...December..." He then frowned. "The day..." He began thinking hard. "What's today's date, come on." He started pacing around in circles. "Argh." As he tugged on his hair. "This universe's driving me nuts!" he exclaimed in a manic voice.
"Okay okay, guys!" Jack tried to calm everyone down. "We've got the year and the month. It's a start. And not like everybody knows the date. I never know after a party." Jack smiled slyly at the memories.
The Doctor shot him a look.
"We can try going down that road ahead." Rose suggested, gesturing to one side.
Better do something before it goes into a fight. Boys. Sigh.
"Of course!" the Doctor exclaimed with enthusiasm. "Let's take a walk." As he took her hand into his, pulling her with him. Soon enough, they were a good distance away from where the TARDIS originally stood.
"They really don't see anyone else, do they?" Mickey stated, his expression blank.
"Good to be young and so in love," Jack sang, going after the pair, but keeping his distance.
"But he's old!" Mickey grimaced, walking right by Jack's side.
"Doesn't stop them." Jack laughed.
And the journey started. Step. Step. Step. Steps left in the sand slowly changing into the traces on the grass. They walked and walked, road by road, when they spotted the forest just ahead of them.
The Doctor and Rose were walking hand in hand, just ahead of Jack and Mickey.
"It's spooky here." Mickey spoke in a whisper. It was a bit darker in that area, shadows of the trees preventing the sun to shine at their direction.
"Boo!" Jack blew into Mickey's ear.
"Aah!" Mickey squealed, turning in a circle. "Where's it, what is it?" he was asking frantically. Jack was laughing out loud by his successful attempt to scare him off.
The Doctor and Rose half turned at them. "Kids, come on, don't fall behind!" the Doctor urged them. Rose nudged on his shoulder, playfully. The Doctor just leaned on her side, grinning, as they continued their walk.
They walked for around half an hour, passing a forest, some roads...Everything seemed peaceful, but quite deserted.
"Don't you feel like someone is watching you?" Rose whispered, leaning to the Doctor's side.
"Have you caught Mickey's disease?" the Doctor cried. "Scared of the dark woods?" he then sang, bumping into her shoulder.
"'M not!" Rose cried, chuckling, moments later. "'s just a feeling...I dunno." She shrugged. "Must be nothing." She grimaced, shaking her head, trying to dismiss it.
"Or an alien invasion," the Doctor noted, nodding his head blithely at her.
"Yeh, or that." Rose nodded her head nonchalantly. They kept nodding their heads for a moment, all serious, when their mouths twitched - and they burst out laughing.
The both of them were laughing out loud, as they continued walking.
"Just look at them." Mickey grimaced at the sight ahead. "Can't they get more cheesy? They are even worse than you."
"Does that mean you finally understood that I'm handsome?" Jack asked, interested.
"Forget it."
"There we go! An inn!" Jack announced, smiling in relief, once the group finally reached their destination.
"I'm gonna ask for beds!" Mickey rushed inside first.
The Doctor and Rose just snorted at the sight, shaking their heads. "All you humans think about is sleep! Wasting a third of your life. How stupid is that?" He grimaced in disbelief.
"Being rude again?" Rose sang, grinning. The Doctor grinned at her himself. "It's true. Sleeping is a complete rubbish!" he exclaimed. "Imagine what you could do instead of that."
"What, tinker the TARDIS console or adjust some new settings to the sonic screwdriver?" Rose teased him.
"Well, I don't expect you lot to be so brilliant to manage that, actually you may never get to that point-" the Doctor replied, all serious, failing to notice the visible mock.
"Doctor! Rose! Come here, they got beds!" Mickey announced, interrupting the Doctor; his head peeked out the doors.
"What do you want me to do in the inn?" the Doctor exclaimed.
"I dunno, go to sleep?" Mickey shrugged nonchalantly. When he looked at the Time Lord, the Doctor was only giving him the Do you think? look.
"Okay. Maybe not," Mickey muttered.
"Come on, let's check it out," Rose said softly, urging the Doctor.
"Aw, do we have to?" the Doctor whined. "I can just stay...out here." He gestured to the park they just left.
Rose gave him a look. "We've got hours till we can go back in space!" Rose looked at him expectedly.
The Doctor was trying to fight it, but it didn't take him long to give up. "Oh, alright. I'll step in." As Rose tugged on his arm, dragging him inside the hallway.
It was a cosy, wooden place. The hallway was decorated in green and red colours, the fireplace just a bit ahead, and a huge Christmas tree standing tall, right by the window, across the exit.
"It's Christmas!" the Doctor exclaimed in disbelief.
"We just had one and now another one." Rose beamed at the sight. "Always comes down to Christmas with you." As she looked up at the Doctor.
"Our third Christmas now." The Doctor grinned at her. Rose just smiled at him. Fifth, to be precise, but she was the only one aware of that.
"Rose!" Mickey ran towards her, all smiling. "They got a restaurant here."
Rose smiled at him. "Shall we?" As she looked at the Doctor.
"Ye-" the Doctor began, when something caught his eye.
CRASH
A young couple with a small kid, standing near the tree caught his attention. When the mother tried to give her child a snow globe, it crashed on the floor. Of course, the woman just squatted down there, facing her crying girl, soothing her. But the Doctor saw something else. It was like the snow globe went right through the little girl's fingers.
"I'll come a bit later..." the Doctor said absentmindedly.
"Everything all right?" Rose asked, concerned.
"Mm?" the Doctor looked at her, a bit dazed. "Yeh, yeh. Sure. I'll be there in a sec." As he gave her a reassuring smile.
"Alright." Rose smiled at him. "Let's go, Mickey." And they went out of the room.
The Doctor was fiddling with his sonic screwdriver, leaning on the wall in the reception hall, when Jack came into the room.
"Had a good meal?" the Doctor asked Jack casually, as he was still looking at his sonic.
"Could be better..." Jack spoke in an accusing voice. "You didn't show up. Why?" he asked.
"Might have found something." The Doctor grinned at the sonic in his hands.
"An alien?" Jack asked, enthusiasm growing.
"Could be," the Doctor answered blithely. Jack beamed at that. "AHA!" the Doctor exclaimed, leaping off the wall, grinning all happily at his work.
"This should work." He took a few steps into the room. "Gotta show Rose."
When he felt that Jack was not following him, he turned around. With the look he was giving, the Doctor just tilted his head upwards, exhaling. "Of course." His gaze back to Jack. "Where's she?"
"I don't know." Jack shrugged.
"I told you to keep an eye on her," the Doctor cried, grimacing.
"I left her with Mickey." Jack defended himself.
"Mickey? Mickey's not good enough!" the Doctor shot back. "She swoons off, leaving him stranded there."
After a second, an echo of a voice reached their ears.
"That steak was awesome." Mickey's voice rang in the hallway. Soon enough, the figure came into view, rubbing his stomach in contentment.
"See what I mean?!" the Doctor cried, pointing in Mickey's direction.
"You let her wander off!" the Doctor cried, in an accusing voice. "Parallel world, it's like a gingerbread house!" He gestured with his hands, making his way towards the window. "All those temptations calling out." He ran his hand around the curtains, tugging on them harshly, like trying to find something under them or out of the window. But, obviously, not getting the wanted results. So in the end, slamming them shut.
"Relax, Doc." Jack put his hand on his shoulder. "There's not much to do here. You said so yourself."
"She could get herself into trouble even in a deadlock-sealed empty room," the Doctor muttered. "Always makes people worry." He shook his head, as he was pacing around the room, thinking.
"What, you didn't like the steak?" Mickey asked, concerned. The Doctor just rolled his eyes at him, continuing his walk.
"Captain Jack Harkness," Jack announced, extending his hand to the receptionist.
"How may I help you?" Emilie, the receptionist, asked, smiling at Jack.
"Would you happen to know of any places, where people hang out around here?" Jack asked, grinning at her. "Also, it would be a great help to know the date of today." As he placed a soft kiss on her hand, looking at her flirty.
"I don't know any places besides Bad Wolf Bay down there and as for the date, it is December the 22nd," she said teasingly.
Thump.
The Doctor previously manically walking in circles around the room, suddenly came to a stop. His face fell. He sprung around in a flash and after a few huge steps, was leaning on the receptionist's desk.
"What did you say?" he asked faintly, looking at her with wide eyes.
"I-I...what?" Emilie looked a bit shocked by that reaction. Jack let go of her hand, looking at her confused himself.
"What did you say!?" the Doctor asked again, in a stronger voice.
"T-that today is 22nd of December," she shuttered.
"No. Before that!" he half-shouted at her, desperation in his eyes. "What was the place?"
"It's just a b-beach." She shook her head.
"How's it called?!" the Doctor asked in an urgent voice.
The receptionist locked her gaze to the Doctor for a moment, looking a bit scared of him, before she uttered the words.
"Bad Wolf Bay."
The Doctor staggered backwards from the desk like he had just been electrocuted. He was looking at Emilie with horror filled eyes, mouth open slack, as he shook his head to the sides.
"No," he whispered, walking backwards. "It can't be."
No no no no.
The Doctor was moving backwards.
"What is it? Did I say something wrong?" Emilie asked concerned.
"Doctor." Jack turned to face him, taking calming breaths.
"What's happening?" Mickey walked towards them, looking confused.
"It's not over yet," the Doctor uttered in horrified voice, and with that, he flew out the doors, leaving a very confused receptionist following his back with her eyes, Mickey stranded there, and a certain captain, looking all disturbed.
What's it, what's it, what's it, what's it, what's it, what's it?
The Doctor was going mad inside his mind. Bad Wolf. It just keeps haunting them. The end of the universe. He thought they came to this parallel world by accident, but, of course, there are no accidents with him.
And Bad Wolf Bay.
Why did it sound so familiar? Why did his hearts ache at the name? He was missing something. Always missing a piece of a puzzle. Always there, somewhere near, but not close enough. Missing. Missing. Missing. What was the answer? What was it? He feared that the answer was always there, in his mind.
Someone has been messing with his head.
He ran further and further, never stopping. Thankfully to his respiratory bypass system he could afford to run without a stop. But even if he needed to, he couldn't now. He just needed to get there. Now!
Pass the road, turn a bit to the left, run straight ahead, past the forest, further, another road, grass, ground, sand...
It was getting nearer, just a bit more, just over that edge ahead. Almost there, he could almost see the waves...
And finally!
A strong gust of wind greeted him, when he reached the place where they parked the TARDIS.
Thump
His hearts skipped a beat when he saw that he was not alone. He had to take a few deep breaths, when he saw Rose there.
For a moment, the image ahead cracked, showing a leather back of someone, just a head of him. The images blinked a few times. One time it was showing the leather, another the red back of someone. It went on and on, until it finally settled down on the present. He narrowed his eyes, in an attempt to concentrate.
There stood Rose Tyler. Her back facing him. Gazing in the distance. At first he just stood there, not moving an inch. Not sure himself what to do. But then, he decided that the gap between them was too big, and he needed to close it. The Doctor took a few slow steps towards her, although still keeping the distance.
Rose flinched a bit, when she sensed someone near.
And then she turned...
Slowly... her gaze not meeting his yet, her loose hair scattering around her face by the wind. He was replying that scene over and over again in his head; the blond hair touching her face, just to flutter in the air the next moment. Savouring each detail... when he gasped.
Rose lifted her eyes up, to meet his, looking at him in wonder, tenderly.
"Wh-y are you here?"
"Wh-ere are you?" an echo in his mind prevailing the voice in the surface.
And then everything fell into place...
The last year went by in his mind by a flash, and suddenly there were no more questions, no more doubts. Just sheer happiness.
He stood there, watching her, his awestruck expression slowly changing into a relief filled smile. He exhaled a laugh, not yet fully believing what was happening. But when he saw her concerned expression, he decided that he did not care how any of this happened anymore. What mattered is that it did.
"Inside the TARDIS," he answered in a strong voice, gulping at the last word, as he waited Rose's reaction with anticipation.
Oh, his pink and yellow human was so lost at his words. Rose shook her head slightly, looking at him in disbelief. She thought she was hearing things again. Everything this place had ever done to her was bringing out the last memories of them. Her eyes were starting to shine, filling themselves with unshed tears.
It didn't take long for the Doctor to notice what she was doing. It felt so familiar, to shake the imaginary things out of one's mind. Wanting desperately to hold onto such hope, but refusing to go that road, in order to protect himself. So he told her one thing, which she wanted to hear the last time. Which he couldn't then, but could now.
"And I'm not just an image," he said in a gentle voice, smiling fondly at her.
A wave of shock ran down Rose's body. She choked a sob from the words, placing the back of her hand over her mouth, looking at him with desperation in her eyes.
Could this be real?
"C-Can I...?" She only managed with her voice cracking. She took an instinctive step towards him, lifting her hand at him.
He just made a small nod, smiling tenderly at her.
The next moment she was running towards him, with all her might, even if their distance was only a couple of meters away. She had to get to him. And seconds later she did, the Doctor catching her in the air, as he took a few big leaps himself. Wanting her near himself. His arms were wrapped around her; them fitting together like they were made for each other. He lifted her from the ground, giggling from sheer joy, Rose letting a watery laugh escape her lungs.
"Rose. Rose. Rose. Rose." He was whispering her name like a mantra, as he held her close. He gently put her back on the ground, but not severing their contact.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for leaving you alone into this," he whispered into her hair. Rose could feel her tears coming through her eyes. She shook her head and buried herself deeper into his embrace. She could feel when he kissed her hair softly, making her feel so dear to him. They stood there for, it seemed ages, rocking themselves slightly and caressing each others' backs and hair and everything. Just so they could draw themselves into each others' smell.
With a visible reluctance the Doctor slowly started to pull away. As his hands left her back and were now on her arms, he slowly lifted them to cup Rose's face into his both hands. He gazed into her eyes like she was the most precious thing in the world. Which she was to him.
"Oh, Rose." The Doctor spoke softly. "I'm so sorry... and thankful, and proud at the same time." He laughed just a bit. "All those lives you have saved..." He was starting to smile more widely at her and Rose made a nervous laugh. "I'm so proud of you, my brilliant Rose." Caressing her cheek with his thumb.
"You came back to me," he said lightly.
"Yeh." Rose let out a watery laugh.
"I told you, I was not gonna leave you. I promised forever to you," she said tenderly.
"Quite right too," he said softly. "You were right by my side this whole time, and I didn't even know." He chuckled in disbelief of his bliss.
"We've got an extra year to our adventures," Rose joked lightly and made the Doctor laugh a bit.
"Rose Tyler, defender of the Earth. You really lived up to that name." He grinned at her and she beamed at him.
He placed his forehead against hers. "I missed you," he said tenderly. Rose smiled through her tears.
"Me too."
to be continued...
It is not over. With this um, "AU Episode", let's just settle on that. Some more twists coming next. Hehe.
I hope, the wait was worth it.
P.s. this is like a small part of where I was going with my story. The next part should reveal some of why going the way I did. ;D
P.s.s. Am I the only one from the North Pole or is it normal for the trees to be all green and sun shine in the middle of winter in UK? In the original script, Mickey read "February the first." So.