Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Thank you to everyone who's reading and following. It means a lot, it really does!

Okay, in order for my story to progress, I needed to cover some of the Runaway Bride episode, otherwise London gets destroyed by a giant spider, right? Can't have that. Plus I need Donna later on. I'm not going to revisit the whole episode – 'cause we've all seen it, and I need it to be a bit different anyway. Plus, that episode was very much created for humour, and that doesn't work for this right now - so I've tried very hard to tone the humour down without changing Donna's character. I found this chapter really hard to write and I'm not sure I'm happy with it – I just need this stuff to happen so I can get on with the story. I really hope it works, but would love to hear what you think.

Chapter 12

There was no morning, afternoon or night in the TARDIS – time existed in a neither here-nor-there capacity, and the different variations of time she could find herself in were infinite - varying from planetary time - to galactic time - to universal time…

The TARDIS herself kept quantum time but the observant could be forgiven for thinking that the sentient ship adjusted the intensity and hue of the interior lighting to mimic Earth-light. Because in fact, she did.

However the ship was feeling particularly spiteful at the moment, specifically towards the human woman whose presence, although physical in this universe, was also intrinsically linked with a past, present and future in another universe.

An unnatural and conflicting state for anything to be in, and therefore something that certainly didn't belong in the TARDIS.

So although it was late morning, the TARDIS Library lights were off as was the heating, and consequently the normally cheery and warm room was black as a desert night and just as cold.

dwdwdwdwdw

It was the discomfort that awoke Rose. She hadn't really had enough sleep and was groggy and disoriented when she opened her eyes and saw nothing but darkness.

Her thoughts only registered the cold and the dark and the feel of chilly leather against her cheek from the settee. Of course, her lumbering, sleep deprived thoughts, when overlaid with the very recent experiences of her abduction and poisoning, led her - quite naturally - to believe that the rescue and subsequent cure had not happened.

dwdwdwdwdw

The Doctor, having completed the repairs on the TARDIS had been trying to programme the central computer to locate the Master using a trace from the vortex manipulator he'd stolen from Jack. He was only able to code the computer to find it in current time though. And as, according to Torchwood, the Master had vanished again, he wasn't even able to test if it worked.

But if - well, not if - when the Master returned to the present, the Doctor should be able to locate him within 2 metres, or thereabouts…

What he really needed to do was to take the TARDIS out for a quick spin to check the repairs he'd made, but with Rose still having no future in this universe he didn't want to go anywhere that there might be danger.

And let's face it, that was everywhere they went, pretty much all of the time.

Maybe just a quick hop into the vortex and back..? Rose was still sleeping and they'd be out and back before anyone noticed.

Nodding to himself, he flipped the lever to dematerialise and the TARDIS jolted into the vortex with a whine and a clatter. It was a bit rougher than usual but to be expected on the first trip out after so much damage, there was still quite a bit of fine tuning to do. Plus she was still pretty angry with him so some of the turbulence might be her way of venting her fury.

It was as he was bracing himself, with one Converse-clad foot against a coral support, another perched on top of the console and both hands trying to re-stabilise his ship, that he saw the golden light flooding into the TARDIS, and a white wedding dress complete with veil appeared in-between the console and the doors.

"What?!" He jumped down from the console, stunned.

The apparition turned at the sound of his voice and he realised the wedding dress complete with veil was also complete with bride, wide eyed, red haired and horrified.

"Oh!" she gasped.

"What?" he squeaked again, stupefied.

"Who are you?!" she demanded

"What?"

"Where am I?"

"WHAT?!"

It was at that point that an eldritch scream rang through the corridors of the TARDIS, jolting them both.

"What was that?" She demanded. "What the hell is this place? Who else have you got in here?!"

He shook his head frantically, "No that was… "ROSE!" He gaped in sudden realisation. His feet had already taken off running, stopping abruptly as he was torn, half in and half out of the console room – the redhead still screaming at him.

"Stay here!" he shouted before turning back to the exit and sprinting down the corridor.

"Oh no you don't!" she screeched, hitching up the skirts of her wedding dress she raced after him..

"Who've you got in here?! How many women have you kidnapped? You PERVERT!"

"It's not like that!" The Doctor roared as he ran. "She's my friend!"

"Then why is she screaming? What's wrong with her?"

"Lights!" The Doctor commanded harshly as he ran into the Library. With a disgruntled flicker the TARDIS complied, bringing noon lighting into the room.

Rose's screaming got even louder, if that were possible, at the angry shout and the sudden brightness.

"Oh my God! What have you done to her?!" The redhead ran into the room placing herself between the hysterical Rose and the Doctor.

"Rose!" The Doctor shouted, trying to dart around the woman now blocking his path.

Rose screamed even louder, her hands were locked in tight fists in her hair, her body clenched into a ball.

"She's having a panic attack! Let me get to her! I won't hurt her, I promise." He pleaded.

The woman looked between him and Rose for a moment, torn with indecision before finally relenting. "You'd better not or you'll have me to answer to!"

Huffing with exasperation the Doctor skidded to his knees by the settee, reaching his long arms around his companion to hold her.

"Rose, it's me." He said softly. "You're in the TARDIS, you're safe. I'm here."

"Doctor?"

"Yeah," he laughed shakily with relief. "It's me, come on. Look at me?" he encouraged, pulling her hair away from her face.

She took a shaky breath, looking up at him with puffy, red rimmed eyes. "It's really you?"

"Yeah." He smiled. "You're safe, you're okay, I've got you."

She closed her eyes and clung to him, trembling.

"What happened Rose?" he asked gently.

"I woke up and it was dark." She swallowed. "I thought I was still with… him."

"I'm so sorry, Rose. I'm so sorry." He inwardly cursed the TARDIS savagely for messing around with the lights.

"It's okay. 'm okay." She nodded into his chest. "Where am I?"

"TARDIS library." He said, his voice still low.

"What 'm I doing in the library?"

"You were fast asleep and I couldn't take you to your room because…" he broke off. He hadn't thought how to tell her about that.

"Because…?" she prompted, anxiety colouring her tone.

"Later." He whispered.

She looked up at him, her eyes questioning.

"Later okay?" he smiled and gently brushed the tears from her cheeks with his fingertips.

She nodded, accepting. It was then that her eyes flickered to the woman in her wedding gown.

"Who's she?!" She sat back suddenly, breaking from the Doctor's embrace, her eyes wide with shock.

"She's… I dunno actually." The Doctor admitted, shaking his head. "Who are you?" he stood, facing her.

"Donna." The woman said shortly,

"I'm the Doctor," he smiled widely "And this is Rose and you're on board the TARDIS."

"The wha'?"

"The TARDIS. Look, how did you get on board?"

"Well, you tell me! You kidnapped me! I was supposed to be getting married!"

"But it's impossible! You shouldn't be able to lock onto the TARDIS and transport yourself inside!"

"Doctor!" Rose called urgently, gasping.

He turned sharply to see her hunching over, her face pale.

Within an instant he was back on his knees beside her. "What's wrong?"

"I think I'm gonna…" and with that she turned her head retched, emptying the contents of her stomach onto the library floor.

"I'm sorry!" she cried. Overwhelmed, she started to sob.

"Oh, Rose." He sighed, rubbing her back. "It's okay, really it's okay."

It wasn't often that he found himself stumped, but right there, right then, he was. He had a sick and broken Rose, clearly needing his full attention and he had a complex puzzle in a white lacy dress which could spell the end of the universe… or could simply be an innocuous, however freakish accident.

As his highly tuned Time Lord mind was trying to figure out how he could both take care of Rose and find out how and why this woman, Donna, he reminded himself, had appeared in the TARDIS, the two women helped resolve the issue for him.

"Look." Donna said, in a much softer tone to the one she'd been using previously. "I know your friend's sick and you want to help her, but I really need to get to my wedding."

The Doctor shook his head. "I'm sorry. I can't."

"It's okay." Rose said, half smiling, half grimacing with the nausea still rolling through her. "You should help her."

"Rose, I can't."

"Course you can." Her grin didn't quite reach her eyes but it was reassuring to see it none the less.

"What about you?" He asked softly, concerned.

"I'll sit in the console room, yeah?"

"Okay." He sighed, clearly not happy but also not able to think of any other solution. And as long as Rose was with him, and as long as she was in the TARDIS she was in the safest place anyway.

Or so he thought.