Disclaimer: Not mine
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Regarding the next chapter. I seriously don't hate Rose – trust me. It's just going to take the Doctor a little while to figure out what's going on. It's all a bit topsy-turvy right now but I'm sure he'll work it out, he's pretty damn clever after all...! I'd love to know what you think so far!
Chapter 13
Rose wasn't used to waiting and she definitely wasn't used to being left behind. The Doctor – after reassuring himself that Rose was well enough to be left for a minute or two, and after promising to be straight back – had run outside with their unexpected passenger to return her to her wedding. Rose had been 'forbidden' to leave the TARDIS in the meantime. In fact he'd told her to stay in the console room and said he'd explain everything when he got back.
He'd been gone a lot more than a few minutes though and Rose was getting anxious…
In fact, she'd just begun sidling up to the doors when they burst open and the Doctor charged in, bouncing with wild energy.
"Rose, quick, help me!" he shouted, running over to the console.
"What's goin' on?"
"It's Donna, she's being abducted by a robot dressed as Father Christmas, driving a London cab!"
Rose felt a surge of excitement that was unpleasantly mingled with envy. Excitement for the promise of adventure unfolding before them and envy that she hadn't been there at the start of it. She wasn't used to that either.
"Hold that there!" The Doctor instructed as he ran back to the doors and flung them wide open.
She did as he asked and twisted her neck uncomfortably to look over her shoulder to see what the Doctor was doing. She was surprised to see that the TARDIS was in flight – not normal into the vortex flight – but actually, properly flying… over the motorway?
She could hear the Doctor yelling at Donna to "Jump!" and then the console started sparking and smoking.
"Doctor!" she called, urgently.
"I know!" he shouted in reply. "Just hold on as long as you can! Come on Donna, JUMP! I'll catch you!"
After they'd both tumbled into the TARDIS the Doctor relinquished Rose's grip on the lever and set about the slightly smouldering console with a fire extinguisher.
"It's not too bad." He coughed through the smoke. "Would've been much worse if you weren't here, Rose, thank you."
Rose half shrugged. "What happened? You were gone ages!"
"Like I said. Bit of trouble with robot Santas!" the Doctor grinned widely as he dashed exuberantly around the console, plotting their next destination. "Plus Donna here doesn't have any pockets!"
Rose fought the wave of resentment rising within her. This wasn't how it was supposed to be!
For an instant she'd wondered if this was how Mickey had felt. Hearing titbits from the Doctor and Rose as they laughed about their crazy adventures, but never really being part of it… The spare part. The tin dog…
"So what now?" she asked, dully. Tying to distract herself from her thoughts.
The Doctor looked over at Rose as though suddenly noticing her – even though he'd just been talking to her.
"You okay?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. Good! So now we get Donna back to her family!" with a flourish, he threw the lever to dematerialise.
"You'd better take this." He said quietly to Donna, handing her something that Rose couldn't see.
"You wha'?" Donna stepped hurriedly back from him.
"It's a bio-damper!" The Doctor explained impatiently, as if anyone should know what that meant. "It'll stop those things finding you again."
"Alright spaceman, just keep your hands off me!"
Rose couldn't help noticing – mostly because she was focussing all of her concentration on their exchange – that the Doctor had given Donna a ring, sort of like a gold wedding band. As Donna slipped it on her ring finger Rose felt a sudden tightness in her chest and fought down another wave of jealousy.
"Rose, stay in the TARDIS, I won't be long."
"You're not leavin' me behind again!"
"Stay in the TARDIS!"
"No chance! I'm coming with you!"
"You can't."
"I'm coming!"
"I won't let you!"
"You can't stop me!" and with that she grabbed her jacket and made a run for the doors.
dwdwdwdw
She didn't know how much time had passed when she woke but she was alone once again in the console room. Her jacket had been padded up to support her head and she had been covered with the Doctor's trench coat.
"NO!" she screamed in frustration. He'd used that telepathy mind trick thing to put her to sleep! The last thing she remembered was him reaching around her to touch his fingers to her temples.
The bastard! She threw his coat off her and jumped to her feet, enraged.
She had no idea how long they'd been gone but she was determined to find him. Shrugging into her jacket she reached for the door and pulled…
Frowning, she tried again.
"Aaaaarrhh!" she pounded the door in anger. "Lemme out!" she shouted at the TARDIS.
…Nothing happened. Yeah, she hadn't really expected that to work. And now her hand was hurting.
He'd locked the doors! Or told the TARDIS not to let her out or something. This was getting completely out of hand!
But pounding the doors and stamping round the console room wasn't getting her anywhere. It was just tiring her out because she was so exhausted, really bone deep weary, tired. It had been a long time since she'd slept properly.
She let out an exasperated sigh that was almost a growl and slouched, morosely to her room.
She cried out, horror-struck as she opened the door. Her room was DESTROYED! Completely wrecked! The shattered remains of the furniture were barely even recognisable.
Was this why the Doctor hadn't let her go to her room before? What the hell had happened in here?! Had this been the Master's work? And why had the Doctor been so elusive about it?
She spun away, tears springing from her eyes. The TARDIS was her home! And her room in the TARDIS doubly so!
She stumbled into the corridor, meaning to head back to the console room. But either she went the wrong way or the TARDIS had switched the corridors around for some reason. The next room she ended up in seemed to be a sort of gallery…
Dozens of framed photographs of different sizes lined the walls. She rubbed her eyes free from the blur of tears and looked from photograph to photograph.
They were all of people waving or grinning at the camera. But, at first glance, she couldn't see anybody that she recognised. Who were they? And what were they doing in here?
There, in black and white, a young woman with short dark hair peered shyly out at the camera. Another frame held the smiling, slightly serious expression of a young boy with black hair and a gold star pinned on his shirt. Further along the wall there was a photo of a girl in a black bomber jacket decorated with badges, a huge, joyous grin on her face. And there, was a young lad in his school uniform… Really, who these people? And why were their pictures in this room?
As she continued to look she felt a jolt of recognition. That was Sarah Jane! She smiled at the sense of familiarity in what had become a very alien-feeling room. And there! That was her! Rose Tyler in her Union Jack Tee-Shirt! Grinning at the camera. She remembered the Doctor taking the photograph, and there was Mickey and Jack! She felt a sudden sense of relief at these familiar sights which was quickly followed by a sharp stab of fear as it dawned on her who these people all were.
These must be the people that had travelled with the Doctor. His companions. Which was great but... there were so very many of them. Hers was just one photograph among literally dozens!
She swallowed down the anxiety rising in her. After all he'd pretty much told her that had been the case that night outside the chip shop where he'd fixed K9. Seeing it for herself… was a little bit different though.
It would have been better if they'd seen this room together. Less painful… he could've told her the names of the people, where he'd met them, the adventures they'd had…
What they'd meant to him…
Her breath caught in her throat with an audible groan when her eyes caught the photo of a stunning young woman with long, slightly wild hair, wearing a tight vest with a plunging neckline and what couldn't even be described as a skirt. Her long, toned thighs were bare all the way to her hips.
Oh my God! The Doctor travelled with her?! And she dressed like that?! Rose felt sick. She didn't want to see anymore and she had just turned to leave the room when one last thing caught her attention. There was an empty frame which she was sure hadn't been there before. Her heart stuttered in her chest… this empty frame seemed to speak louder than all of the others. What did it mean? Whose had it been?
Or perhaps, she should have been asking, whose was it going to be?
Too tired and confused to find her way back to the console room she slumped to the floor, sitting cross legged on the cold grating, wishing she'd brought the Doctor's trench coat with her there was a chill in the air.
That was where the Doctor found her. Cold, dishevelled and completely fed up.
"ROSE! I told you not to wander off. The TARDIS she's not… it's just not a good idea right now. Anyway, what are you doing out here?"
"Rose? Are you okay?"
"Yeah." She sniffed, trying to stop her breath hitching. "You were gone for hours."
"Yeah, sorry Rose. I'm really sorry." He sat down next to her. "But, Donna! You should've seen her Rose she was brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah, she's gone home now. Shame, real shame… you'd've really liked her, but she was just…"
"Brilliant?" Rose grumbled sarcastically.
"Yeah. You sure you're okay? Have you been crying?"
"Nah! 'course not. Just tired." Rose hurriedly wiped her face with the sleeve of her jacket. "So, go on then Doctor. What did she do?"
"She stopped me from going too far." His voice was low with awe. "She might even have saved my life."
"Good ol' Donna." Rose mumbled quietly, her heart breaking.
And then too low for the Doctor to hear
"That was my job once."