Here we are at the first possibly major bump in the road where the changes to the timeline could be major: the Library. Luckily, Eleven has given Rose a little bit of info on this adventure, but will it be enough foresight to save everyone?

Again, I do not own Doctor Who.

BOOK I: Fixing the Doctor's Mistake

CHAPTER 8: Silence in the Library

"The Library," the Doctor crowed as the TARDIS materialized on another planet. "A Library so large and important that it needs no other name, just a great big 'The'."

"Kind of like the Doctor, yeah Dad?" Jenny quipped, sticking her tongue out between her teeth the same way her mother does.

"Uh, never thought about it that way before," her father replied.

"So, what are we waiting on, then? Let's get out there Space Family!" Donna urged.

"Space Family?" the Doctor inquired. "That's a new one."

"Well, it rolls off the tongue easier than Space Man, Space Girl, and Space-Man's-future-wife-who-is- also-Space-Girl's-Mum!" Donna laughed.

"Touche," the Doctor grinned.

Throughout this banter, Rose was quiet. She was feeling very uneasy about coming to the Library, after what her bow tie Doctor told her. There were carnivorous shadows here, Vashta something he'd called them. And there were too many people here who were important to the Doctor, and he didn't even know it. There were Donna and Jenny and herself, of course, but then there will also be the mysterious River Song. And bow tie Doctor wanted her to try and protect them all. She just goes that she didn't let him down!

"You okay, Sweetheart?" the Doctor whispered as he took her hand.

"Yeah," she whispered back. "But future you told me about this adventure. This isn't where you make the big mistake, but it's a major event, and I'm nervous. Just, whatever you do, keep everyone out of the shadows."

The Doctor nodded, suddenly nervous himself. "Stay out of the shadows," he told the other two. Luckily, they didn't ask questions.

There were other people approaching, the creepy face had said. Rose gulped. "Here she comes," she thought.

But River want alone. She had her expedition team with her, of course, but there was someone else, too.

"Jack?!" The Doctor and Rose exclaimed.

"What? You two look surprised to see me!" The incorrigible Captain winked. "And Donna! Long time no see! And Jenny! Come say hello to your Uncle Jack!"

"Who are you?!" Donna shrieked. "And how do you know me?"

"Uncle Jack?" Jenny scrutinized him.

"I thought you were dead!" Rose cried.

"Which time?" Jack winked. Rose was really confused at that statement!

But it was River that threw the Doctor for a loop. "Look at you, Doctor! You're younger than I've ever seen you. When is it, now for us?" She pulled out her diary. "Have we done Velspoon yet?"

"Who are you?" The Doctor asked. "Are you someone from my future?"

River's smile died on her lips just then. "You don't know me?!"

Jack walked up, and to everyone's amazement, put his arm around her. "I'm afraid, Dearest, that he is meeting you for the first time, and the others are as well."

Rose then spoke up. "River. It is, River, isn't it?"

River nodded.

"I haven't met you, but I've heard a lot about you," Rose spoke kindly. "Though I wasn't told that you and Jack were... whatever you are." Jack chuckled at that. Then Rose out her arm around the other woman. "And it's going to be okay, I promise!"

"Are you Rose, then?" River asked.

Rose was in a panic. River didn't know her! She didn't know Donna, either, though she seemed to know Jenny, and that was a good thing. And there was no whispering of the Doctor's real name into his ear, though how much of that was Jack and her own insistence that he could trust River without her proving it, she had no idea. But here was a woman from the Doctor's future, directly from the time line of her bow tie Doctor, and she didn't know her! What happened? Was she unable to fix what she had come back to fix?

She needed to snap out of it. There were more pressing matters at hand. Already, two on River's and Jack's team had been claimed by the Vashta Nerada, first Mr. Lux' s secretary, Miss Evangelista, and then the pilot that the Doctor had christened "Proper Dave", who'd started chasing them as the shadows animated his body. Then came the message that Donna and Jenny had been "saved".

The Doctor had gone into a panic when that happened. "Don't worry," Rose consoled him. "Future you told me about this. Being saved is a good thing for right now. They'll be alright."

"She's right, Doctor" River said. "Right now, there are still seven people who are alive and depending on you! Focus on that!"

The Doctor nodded. "There are seven people still alive, you say?"

"Yes," River replied.

"Then why do I count eight?" Everyone turned in alarm as the eighth figure started towards them. Proper Dave.

"Hey! Who turned out the lights?"

"Hey! Who turned out the lights?" Proper Dave was gaining on them. As they ran, Rose told the Doctor what she knew. She figured at this point that there was no sense holding out on information that could save more lives.

"You have to talk to Mr. Lux!" Rose exclaimed. "Ask him about CAL."

"Uh, Doc, Rosie?" Jack spoke up and interrupted them. "Story to interrupt, but, Rosie, you've got two shadows."

Rose gulped. She was afraid that this would happen once she started talking. Of course the shadows had targeted her! She was telling the Doctor how to stop them! The Doctor just looked at her in horror and fear. Luckily, her bow tie Doctor anticipated this happening, and had come up with a plan. Let's just hope this works!

"Doctor, love, I don't have much time. You have to trust me. I'm going to join Donna and Jenny. We'll be safe. We're uploaded to the computer mainframe like a saved document. Download us and all the missing people after the danger is past. Good luck!" She said, before pressing the button on the teleport that she had hidden in her pocket.

Instantly, a voice called out, "Rose Tyler has left the Library. Rose Tyler has been saved!"

"Mum!" Jenny called out, running to embrace her.

"Stop! Wait! Don't touch me yet," Rose called. "How many shadows do I have?"

"Two. You have two," Jenny replied. Rose held her breath. No, they couldn't have followed her, could they?

"You have two like everyone else here. There are two suns!" Rose exhaled her relief. She was safe. It was up to the Doctor, now. And River. And... Jack? Rose wondered why her bow tie Doctor didn't tell her about that.

Happily, mother and daughter went off to explore this strange world. They visited with Donna and her family. Jenny had just enough time lord in her that she wasn't tricked by the illusions that CAL presented, and Rose knew too much. But both women were glad to see that Donna was happy, and were loath to tell her that anything was wrong.

Then Rose met Dr. Moon. He was not happy that she wasn't taken in by the illusions. "Please, let me meet Charlotte, Dr. Moon. I promise I won't hurt her." To her surprise, he allowed it. The little girl was watching the events at the Library on her telly. She watched, transfixed, as the Doctor dropped through a trap door, narrowly escaping both Daves who were now both infected by the shadows.

Swallowing his fear for his family, the Doctor did indeed talk to Mr. Lux about CAL. Then he met her: Charlotte Abigail Lux. The child wasn't just hooked up to the mainframe, she was the mainframe!

Proper Dave approached. "Hey! Who turned off the lights?"

"Doctor, I think we should go!" Other Dave called out.

"Not yet!" He hissed. He addressed Proper Dave and learned how the Vashta Nerada's forest had been destroyed to make the books, and now they claimed the Library as their own.

"Doctor, I think we should go!" Other Dave called out again.

"I said, not yet!" He then worked out a deal. He had one day, one day to rescue everyone who had been trapped, then the Vashta Nerada could live here in peace.

"Doctor, I think we should go!" Other Dave called out for a third time.

Something clicked. "Oh, Dave, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Both Daves began advancing on him from both ends of the corridor. "Hey! Who turned off the lights?" "Doctor, I think we should go!" "Hey! Who turned off the lights?" "Doctor, I think we should go!"

The Doctor narrowly escaped through the trap door. He carefully worked his way back to where the others were. It was then that he learned that they had lost Anna as well. He relayed what had happened to Other Dave. This company was dropping like flies! The Doctor knew what he had to do, and ran to do it quickly.

River followed, knocked him out, and handcuffed him to the doorframe. When he came to, he was horrified.

"What's going on? And where did you get handcuffs?!"

"Spoilers!" Was all she said as she hooked up herself to the mainframe.

"What are you doing?!" He cried. "You won't survive!"

"Neither would you, and you know it!" She scolded. "But don't you see? This means that you've known all along how this would end!"

"Time can be rewritten!"

"Not those times!"

But before she could say anything more, Jack entered the room. He looked at the Doctor and guffawed. "The Doctor in handcuffs. Now there's a fantasy come true!"

"Oh, shut up and get me out so I can stop River from committing suicide!" The Doctor snapped.

"I've got a better idea!" Jack said, as he knocked River out and handcuffed her next to the Doctor. He then hooked himself up to the mainframe. He sighed, "Oh, this is really going to hurt!"

When River came to, she saw her boyfriend dying in her place.