Me and Kry are laughing our asses off at all of you. We are.

Btw, I don't know if I mentioned it here, but I got fanart a few weeks ago. You should have heard me squealing about it. I ran to get my mother so fast that I damn near ran into the pantry door. BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I DO WHEN I GET FANART. If anyone wants to see it, let me know and I'll go reblog it again on tumblr ^-^

**Also, if anyone doesn't know, Tosh and Owen are members of Torchwood III

After leaving the Depot, it took the rest of the day and most of the night for the Doctor to repair the TARDIS. He only stopped working twice: once when Martha brought him a tray of food and ordered him to eat and again when he went to curl up with Rose as she fell asleep. He loathed breaking their nightly routine even with urgent maintenance to be done. It helped him relax after a stressful day and she fell asleep quicker. Plus he loved the feel of her warm body snuggled against his. When the repairs were done he decided a refuel was in order. That meant they were headed to Cardiff.

"I don't understand, why Cardiff?" Martha asked.

"It's got a rift underneath it." The Doctor explained as he flipped the controls to open up the engines. "And not just any rift—a rift in time and space. Just like California and the San Andreas Fault."

"But how do you know about it?"

"It's a long story." Rose said. "But we were here in 1869. These creatures called the Gelth were using it to try and take over the world but this girl, Gwenyth, saved the world and closed it. That was my first trip to the past," she added with a small smile. "Met Charles Dickens."

The Doctor flipped one final switch the leaned on the console. "But, like with a deep wound, rifts never will completely vanish There're always scars left over that can be reopened, by force or by accident. When opened, the rift bleeds energy. Every now and then I need to open up the engines, soak up the energy, and use it as fuel."

Rose tilted her head back and inhaled slowly. It was one of those rare moments without any outside stress that she could feel along with the TARDIS. The ship absorbed the yummy rift energy and power raced through her weary systems; Rose's blood tingled. She hadn't realized she'd been feeling tired until now. There had been an uncomfortable itchy feeling before when some of the key systems were down, witch she also hadn't really noticed until it was gone, but no exhaustion. Now she felt more alert than she had since they first ran away from the Family.

She wanted out. She wanted to run. She wanted to run far and fast and feel the wind on her face and laugh and whoop and not stop until she had to.

The TARDIS hummed happily in her mind, encouraging her.

"So it's a pit stop." Martha realized.

"Exactly."

"Wait a minute. They had an earthquake in Cardiff a couple years ago. Was that you two?"

"Bit of trouble with the Slitheen. We sorted it."

"Of course you did," she said. "So how long are we here for?"

"Oh, maybe an hour or two should do." he replied after a moment. "It's midday outside. Should we get something to eat?"

"Sounds good to me. Rose? …Rose?"

Rose stared blankly into space. Concerned, Martha leaned over and snapped her fingers in front of her eyes. Rose blinked rapidly and her eyes crossed, focusing on the fingers in the center of her vision. "Sorry, what?"

"We're gonna go get dinner while the TARDIS charges. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I'm just…" she stopped, unable to find the right word to explain what she was feeling. "Awake. I didn't even realize we were tired."

"We?" the Doctor asked sharply.

"Me and the TARDIS. I didn't even realize before."

"Explains why you were laying around so much," Martha said.

"I was not."

"That is so weird, though. She was drained so you felt tired. Now she's getting all juiced up and you feel awake. How is that even possible? It's just a ship."

"But the TARDIS is alive, remember that." the Doctor said. "And once upon a time…" he looked at Rose then patted the console, right on the place where it lifted to reveal the Heart. "Rose held her heart."

"Hang on." Martha held up her hand. "You've never properly explained this to me, and if you really don't want to that's fine, but I really want to know. You told me there was a Dalek army about to destroy the Earth and to save you and everyone, Rose absorbed the Heart of the TARDIS."

"Correct."

"What is the Heart?"

The Doctor breathed in deeply through his nose and then exhaled slowly. "That…is not an easy question to answer. Not in English, at any rate."

"Try."

"Alright. Rose absorbed the Heart of the TARDIS." he looked between them. "I was speaking Vicran just now. Their species understood time in a way few others ever could or will, Time Lords notwithstanding. Their language has words similar enough to the Gallifreyan meanings that could get my point across. But you don't speak Vicran so the TARDIS automatically translated it into your native tongues using the words that best match the intended Vicran meanings."

"So even if you explain it an adequate language, it'll still be like you're talking in English." Martha deduced.

"Yes. And if I explained it to you in Gallifreyan, the TARDIS wouldn't even translate."

"Then explain it as best you can in English," Rose said. "I want to know."

The Doctor sighed and ran his hand over his mouth. He thought about it for a long minute before speaking. "When I say 'the Heart of the TARDIS' I am referring to either one specific half of the Heart or its entirety. There is the physical Heart—her core. Her engine. That's all parts, metal, organic matter. It's a physical place we could go to, we can see it, touch it, or repair it if needed. It's the first part of her to fully form underneath her shell. Removing it would kill her. "

The TARDIS rumbled around them, sounding eerily similar to a growl. The Doctor flinched. This wasn't a topic she liked. Not that anyone onboard right now would hurt her, but it was never comfortable for any living thing to hear someone talk about how to kill it.

"And the other part," he went on, "is her soul. Her power, her consciousness: everything that makes her alive. And it's all right under here." He patted the console. "And the Heart also refers to her entire core system—the incorporeal and the corporeal. Gallifreyan has words to describe them individually and together. But when I say Rose absorbed the Heart of the TARDIS, I'm referring to the part that is the TARDIS's soul. It contains her power—the time vortex—as well as her consciousness."

He paused, letting it all sink in. A small tremble passed through Rose and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

He looked surprised. "I thought I did."

"Never like this." She licked her lips. "But how does that explain why I can feel her this way?"

"Because when you absorbed her Heart, you two became one. Two minds and souls in the same body. You formed a bond during that time that I…I don't understand it. I share a deep bond with the TARDIS but this is different. I barely understand it and can't even begin to draw comparisons."

"But you held the Heart too," Rose reminded him. "You took it out of me."

"You held it for minutes, became the Bad Wolf, and did so much. I held onto it for seconds and all I did was heal the damage to your body. Plus, you were an ordinary human, completely unused to being exposed to the power of time. I was neither. The difference between our situations is…" He trailed off and pursed his lips.

Then he cleared his throat loudly, jumping away from the console. "So, there's a nice restaurant not too far from here. I think you both…" he paused as he rifled through his pockets, "…should probably change. Well, I thought I might've had a few pounds on me. Either of you got some money or should we stop by a cash point?"

"Cash point," Martha said. She'd come a long way from being horrified at his methods of acquiring cash. "You go get the money, we'll get changed and meet your outside."

The Doctor bounded down the ramp and opened the door. He stepped out and breathed in deeply, then called over his shoulder, "By the way, it feels like summer out here and I can't smell any rain."

"Thank you!"

Martha and Rose went into the wardrobe to find something decent to wear. The TARDIS helped as she usually did, guiding them with flickering lights to the third floor and myriad of warm weather clothes. Some of them were clearly not meant for early 21st century Earth and others were not right for an afternoon in Cardiff. Knowing full well the Doctor would come hassle them if they took too long they each made their selections quickly. Martha chose a shin-length white button up dress with a lapel collar and a gray band around the waist. Rose's dress was watermelon pink with spaghetti straps, a layered bottom, and lace trim.

Once they found appropriate shoes they headed outside. The Doctor had yet to return from the cashpoint so they waited by the TARDIS. Rose fiddled with her necklace absentmindedly as she watched the people pass them on the Roald Dahl Plass. The ship hummed happily behind her and the wood felt warmer than normal against the skin of her back.

"Do you think I'll ever find someone like that?" Martha asked.

"What?"

"Someone I'd be willing to die to save?"

"Yes," Rose replied without hesitating. "He's out there. You just have to find him."

Martha hummed once in agreement. She cast her eyes along the Plass again to look for the Doctor and she noticed a young woman across the way sitting at one of the tables. She was Asian though it was difficult to tell much else about her appearance from a distance. She was dressed for look the outfit looked like one she could run in if need be. And she was staring straight at them, which shouldn't have been possible. Leaning against the TARDIS as they were they should've been protected by the perception filter.

"Rose," she muttered, trying to keep her lips still. "One o'clock. Asian woman on her mobile, I think she can see us."

Rose turned to look but the woman in question had shifted and was rubbing her eyes. When she lowered her hand she fixed her eyes on a point in the distance nowhere near the TARDIS. She must've been just staring into space. They relaxed.

A few minutes later the Doctor came jogging down the Plass and the met him halfway. "Ready to go?" he asked when they were close. "I went to check if there were any open seats and I think the lunch crowd is almost gone."

Rose smiled. "Great."

He cleared his throat loudly and placed his arms behind his back. "Miss Tyler, Miss Jones, would you care to accompany me to lunch?"

The two women glanced at each other. "I think we will, Mister Smith," Martha replied.

She grinned and so did he and Rose slid her arm around his. Martha nudged him playfully before the three of them set off to the restaurant.

The Asian woman watched them go with her phone still pressed to ear. They were so happy, the time travelling trio. They had no idea what was coming. No idea what was about to happen to them. Because if she remembered the story correctly then this was the stop in Cardiff they'd made just before it happened. They were off to lunch now. They'd order chicken, lasagna, and fish. The Doctor would discover he hated smoked salmon and he'd spit it onto his plate and nearly get them kicked out.

"Tosh? You there?"

Toshiko shook her head quickly. "Yes, I'm here."

"So was it them?"

"Yes. They just left with a tall man wearing a brown suit."

"Sounds about right." there was a pause. "But how did they look?"

"I told you they're wearing a dress."

"No, I meant how did they look at him?"

"Well, Rose…I think she smiled. I was too far to see much but even the other woman, Martha, was happy to be near him."

"Then it's the Doctor alright. Stay there, wait for them to come back, but don't approach them. I'll call Suzie and Owen and let them know, too."

"Jack, I…" Tosh felt tears welling in her eyes. "They were so happy. Can't I—can't I warn them?"

"No," Jack growled. "Don't talk to them, don't go near them, don't even make eye contact with them again. It has to happen. You stop it and you could cause a paradox big enough to blow a hole in the universe. Do you understand?"

"I understand. But, Jack, something's been bothering me. Did she say where it happened? Are they coming here?"

"I don't know. …I'll call everyone in, just in case. You stay there until I call you. Let me know immediately if they leave." He hung up.

Tosh closed her phone and pressed it against her lips. A tear trickled down her cheek as she thought of the smiles, the laughter, the way he'd held Rose close but hadn't completely shut out Martha. She shook her head quickly and set her phone on the table, pulling her laptop out of her bag. A meal and light shopping would probably take well over an hour. Might as well get a bit of work done while she waited. Apparently that blue box fed off of rift energy. It would be interesting to see how that affected things.

Sometime later, Tosh was knee deep in scan results, trying to create a short a three-dimensional model depicting how the ship absorbed energy. She was able to track the movement of energy just fine but when she tried to scan the blue box to figure out where inside the energy went to, her scanner would work for a few seconds and then simply…stop. It was as if there was nothing in there to scan. Completely impossible, of course, because she knew there was an entire world inside those walls.

Maybe one day she could see it for herself.

"Jack have you monitoring them?"

Tosh jumped in her seat. She looked up at Owen who grinned. Her heart fluttered in her chest. No, don't, she told herself. Not a good idea. He's only just stopped fooling around with Suzie.

"Owen," she greeted with a smile and looked away quickly. "No, he hasn't got me monitoring them, just their ship."

Owen cast his eyes out across the Plass. "Where is it?"

"On top of our elevator. Took me a minute to see it. Stop—you're looking right at it."

Owen squinted, his nose twitching in agitation, and then his mouth puckered. "Well," he laughed once to himself. "Fuck me, there it is. The blue police box."

He pulled the chair out from the table and sat down next to her, folding his hands on the table. He glanced at her computer screen and tapped it. "What's this?"

"I'm working on a 3D model that shows how the ship absorbs the energy into its systems. Trouble is, I can't get a reading on the interior on my scanner. It's like there's nothing there."

"Well," he said slowly. "Didn't Jack say it was dimensionally transcendental?"

Tosh's eyes widened and possibilities raced through her mind. "So, there really isn't anything inside, not in the way my scanner is set to recognize." she realized. "That door is a gateway to another dimension. That's…remarkable. Can you imagine what we could do with that kind of technology?"

"Rob banks, steal things, conceal weapons…"

She sighed and fiddling with her scanner to detect the other dimension. "Well, if you're going to be a pessimist."

"I'm not being a pessimist, Tosh, I'm just saying, that's not the kind of technology we want people possibly getting their hands on." He frowned, staring at it. "I wonder if we could get inside it."

Tosh looked up in alarm. "Don't you even dare!"

"I won't go in, I just want to see." Owen pushed his chair back and stood up but Tosh grabbed his wrist.

"They could be back any time now. Jack said we couldn't interfere or we might cause a paradox."

Owen sighed and sat back down. "Fine."

Confident that Owen wouldn't risk it, Tosh went back to adjusting her scanner. Just a few tweaks and it should work. If she couldn't get an image of the interior nearest to the door then she could at least get a basic idea.

"Did you want to interfere?" Owen asked. "With them."

Tosh's fingers froze. She looked up and sighed before setting her scanner down. "Yes, of course. It's been months, Owen, and this is the first time we've seen the TARDIS, Canary Wharf aside. Don't you realize what day it is for them?"

He scoffed, "No. Unlike you, Tosh, I have better things to do than listen to mad stories about time and space travel."

"Owen, this is the day that what they're running from catches up with them."

"Oh, yeah. Jack said something might go down today. Is that what this is all about?"

She nodded.

"Terrific. Once again the Doctor and Rose cause us a shitload of trouble."

"Owen!" she exclaimed. "What happened to Torchwood One was not their fault. They did that to themselves."

"Yeah, but they were there." he growled. "You saw the CCTV feeds. They walked right past people calling for help. People dying. And what did they do? Absolutely nothing. Think about it, Tosh. Think about all those people we dug out, all those names we added to the list of the dead. How many of them might've lived if the wonderful heroes had helped instead of wal—"

BOOM!

The world around them shook violently. Owen fell over sideways and Tosh just barely saved her laptop from falling to its death before they both hit the ground. Owen lifted his head, swearing like a field. Tosh stuffed her laptop into her bag before she clambered to her feet. Owen grabbed her arm to steady her and the two of them looked at each other in horror then looked in the direction the explosion had come from. A huge back column of smoke rose the air and all around them were the sounds of terror.

"Shit," he breathed.

Tosh gulped. "It's started."

"Really? Thanks Tosh, I had no idea."

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