Just as she expected, Rose's mind woke up early the next morning. She forced herself to stay in bed under the covers until she could be sure the coffee shops would be open. She showered, dressed and walked out of the hotel, deciding to walk one direction and hope a coffee shop was nearby. The sky was gray and Rose imagined it would rain again today and probably soon. Rose didn't mind the melancholy weather; it complimented her mood nicely.
A few minutes later, a large coffee with a double shot of espresso in hand, Rose found a small pocket park surrounded mostly by quaint rows of homes. The only other people out at this early hour were the runners out for an early jog before the motor and pedestrian traffic made for unwelcomed obstacles. Rose sat down on a bench and dug out the tourism brochures, hoping to find something that might interest her for a few hours today. She picked a brochure about parks and gardens in and around Manchester. She smirked at the bright sunny day captured in the cover photo, wondering if Manchester could ever look so bright and cheerful or if the photographer was really good at Photoshop.
As Rose opened the brochure, a large drop of rain landed on the photo of a famous statue. Rose gazed at the sky and was startled at how much darker it had grown in just those few minutes since she left the hotel. She wondered whether the TARDIS had packed any Wellies for her when another large rain drop landed on her nose and splattered in her eyes.
The rain drops began to fall faster and Rose decided to move her coffee time indoors, quickly stuffing her brochures haphazardly into her shoulder bag. The sky opened and she stood quickly, without noticing the tall, muscular wall running at full speed in her direction. Before she could register what was going on, she was thrown to the ground, the wind knocked out of her as she reached her arms behind herself instinctively. Her pelvis and low back hit the soft ground with a thud.
A strong, calloused hand appeared in her peripheral vision and she reached out to accept the help. As soon as her skin touched the offered hand, lightning struck nearby and a jolt of electricity ran up her arm and into her body, squeezing out whatever breath was left in her lungs. Her ears rung with the crack of thunder that followed and she barely made out a deep Northern voice that yelled "Run!"
Before she could recover her balance or her breath, Rose was being dragged by her hand out of the park and down one of the residential streets. Another few strides and the runner dropped her hand to unlock and open a TARDIS-blue door to one of the houses and then pulled her inside.
Once in the protection of the home's entryway, Rose bent forward, hands on her knees gasping for breath. The burning in her lungs began to subside and she stood up to finally get a look at the man who had pulled her out of the dangerous storm that now raged outside. Her eyes found his and her breathing stopped altogether. Staring back at her were the same deep, soulful blue eyes of the Time Lord she fell in love with over a decade ago. Rose's head felt dizzy and her vision went black as the world faded to darkness.