With no work to rush off to the next morning, Rose stayed in bed with the pillow over her head for as long as she could tolerate the silence and the thoughts running through her head. She walked into the kitchen to start the coffee pot when a familiar knock sounded at her front door.
"Rose!" yelled Tony when she opened the door. "Mum says you're going on vacation today! Are you taking the TARDIS? Can I come?!" Tony flew into the flat with his mouth running a mile a minute.
"Tony Tyler! Stop prattling on about that space ship. You know you're not allowed in there!" Rose's mother, Jackie followed Tony into the entryway. She turned to Rose and greeted her with a kiss on her cheek. "Hello, Sweetheart. Pete told me about your vacation, so I thought I'd come help you pack." Jackie explained.
Rose rolled her eyes as she shut the front door behind her mum. "Thanks, Mum. But I'm already packed." She pointed to the duffel bag near the door.
"Oh, wonderful!" Jackie announced. She picked up the bag and started rifling through it. She stopped and observed "Rose, you forgot to pack a bathing suit. Don't tell me you're not heading to somewhere tropical?!"
"No, Mum" Rose replied. "No beaches and sunny weather where I'm going."
Jackie resumed her search through Rose's bag. Just like the TARDIS, the bag was bigger on the inside, so it held a surprising amount of things. "Well, I don't see any ski clothes either, so you're obviously not going anywhere in the mountains."
"No, Mum, I'm not going skiing. I'm going to Manchester."
"Manchester!" Her mother groaned. "Why in the world would you want to go there?!"
"Why wouldn't I?" Rose picked up one of the brochures and read the tag line from the front "Manchester is the city that delivers surprise and delight in equal measures."
It was Jackie's turn to snort and roll her eyes. "Whoever gave you the idea that Manchester is a vacation destination? I don't know who your travel agent is but she really needs to do better than Manchester." Jackie pulled out her phone and began scrolling through her contacts. "I'll just call our travel agent and get this whole mess sorted."
Rose took the phone from Jackie and tossed it back into her oversized purse. "Mum, I don't need your travel agent to sort anything. The TARDIS told me to go to Manchester, so that's where I'm going." Rose explained.
"The TARDIS is your travel agent?!" Jackie exclaimed. "The TARDIS has never been outside that basement; how would it know where the best vacation spots are?!"
Rose bit back her angry retort. She knew her mother's reminder that her TARDIS-flying husband wasn't here anymore was unintentional.
"Mum," Rose spoke softly while staring down at the floor. "The TARDIS... The Doctor's TARDIS, may not have always taken us where we wanted to go, but she always took us where we needed to go. I don't know why she picked Manchester, but if that's where she says I need to go, then that's where I'm going."
Jackie sighed in resignation. She knew she wouldn't be able to compete with that flying box that would never fly.
"Can I go to Manchester with Rose?" Tony asked, reminding the ladies of his presence. "They have an amazing football team. I'd love to see them play. Are you going to a game, Rose?"
"Sorry, Tony" Rose answered. "You can't come with me this time. But I promise that I'll take you next time and we'll go see a footie match, yeah?"
Tony was satisfied with that answer and began kicking an imaginary football around the living room. Jackie convinced Rose to grab some lunch with them before heading to the train station.
The train to Manchester was quick and relatively empty, so Rose was able to enjoy the trip without having to make small talk with anyone who might recognize her as the Vitex-heiress. When she arrived in Manchester, the cloudy sky obscured the setting sun and the city was soon shrouded in darkness. It wasn't raining, but it had obviously rained earlier in the day, judging by the puddles along the road. Rose walked the short distance to her hotel and checked in for the night. After ordering room service and eating a cold sandwich for dinner, she settled in bed and waited for sleep to bring the day to a merciful end. She knew she'd get an early start in the morning, whether she wanted to or not.