Hello everyone! New chapter and this one is a special one. I will not do a rewrite of "Midnight" (because let's be honest, no way in hell Rose would have accepted to follow him in a supposedly boring space bus excursion when she could have been pampered herself all day at the Spa planet. So that would have been a VERY boring rewrite.) so instead it's going to be a full new adventure! 100% mine this time. I'm a bit anxious about it so I'll be happy to have your opinion on this one.
Also fun fact, it was supposed to be posted at least a week ago but I realised that I basically put "Covid-19, in space" as the plot point and had to rewrite the whole chapter lol
Thanks again to my beta PenandPepper who had the listen to me rant about this chapter for a very long time lol
Chapter 34
When Donna entered the library, she smiled as she saw Rose already in there, comfortably installed in one of the many sofas, a cup of hot chocolate in one hand and a book about an obscure author she had tried multiple times to make her read in the other. She knew it was a series about futuristic cops and her many adventures, but she had never been one for that kind of genre. She looked briefly around, but to her surprise, the Doctor was nowhere to be found. Since the adventure in the library, they were never really far from each other, even during adventures. She thought it was kind of cute, but would never say it out loud.
"So how was your first official meeting with Leedan?" Rose asked without lifting her head from the book she was reading.
Donna collapsed on the couch beside Rose, taking one of her magazines in the same movement, mentally thanking the TARDIS for her thoughtfulness. "Great! And weird at the same hand. Technically we already had our first date, but it never existed so…"
Rose marked her page and finally looked at Donna, curiosity written all over her face. "It's what? Second time you saw each other now?"
Donna snorted at the reminder. "If literally crashing into his backyard counts as the first time, then yeah."
"I mean... It's kind of your fault. You were screaming at the Doctor to find him," snickered Rose. The Doctor's frazzled face engraved in her mind for years to come. He had been visibly ready to throw himself out of the TARDIS with how much Donna had been yelling at him. "And well...That's what he did," she mused to herself. He had been so stressed out, he had literally launched the TARDIS like a pinball into the poor man's garden.
"Well, I didn't ask him to form a crater in the man's begonias… And what did you do in my absence?" She was curious to know what kind of adventure they had without her to play as the oblivious middle ground.
"We went to go see Tony, a few weeks after our last visit for him," Rose answered with a smile of happiness at the time with her son. "He called a few minutes after you left, and wanted our advice, so we made a quick stop."
"Oh that's nice! How is he?" Donna had quite loved Tony, and was a bit disappointed that he had elected to stay behind. It would have been gloriously amusing to see Rose and the Doctor trying to fight for his attention. She would have paid big money to see that.
Rose sighed wishfully. "Good. He is doing great. They are starting to settle, and it seems they are planning to choose him as a leader. I couldn't be more proud. I wanted to ask him to travel with us a bit, but he seemed so focused on his people, and I didn't have the heart to take him from them. With how the Doctor is, he would have been sent back like six month later. I mean, I know the Doctor tried to convince him at one point, but he seemed pretty determined to stay where he was. Even if he said he would see us in the near future... " They stayed in silence as Rose was deep in thought and Donna served herself a cup of tea.
"So, are you going to see Lee again?" Rose finally asked, wanting to change the subject. It wasn't like she didn't like talking about Tony, but seeing him settled and realizing she won't have a big part in his life even if she wanted to. It stung a little. And seeing some trace of the Wolf in him made her worry even if she felt it was harmless. Also she was quite intrigued by the dynamic of Donna and Leedan. When she had told them she knew about Lee, and they were finally able to track them down, she had been preparing herself to either see the young man move into the TARDIS or Donna leaving with him in his century. But to her surprise, after an almost literal explosive first meeting, and lots of tears of joy, things seem to have slowed down. She had heard Donna on the phone a few times, but she looked way more cautious than she had expected. And seemed more patient as well.
Donna looked to the ceiling of the TARDIS, trying to find the correct words for what she wanted to say. "I think so, yes. Not that I'm unhappy with him, but he just got out from a century in a computer, so he needs a lot of time to adjust again. And even if we shared a life technically, it was not real. So if we want to have a chance, we need to do it the right way."
Rose nodded, realizing that effectively it was the right thing to do. Running head first would be a disaster, too many memories overlapping and information that could stop their relationship before it even started. "Any idea of what you are going to do then?"
Donna shrugged while turning the page at the same time. "Yeah, he was talking about moving to the 21th century to make it easier for us. Because he is not sure if he even still has a life where he is now. But I told him he needed to take his time. Because what if he changed his mind in six month? So we'll see! Also there is the fact I'm travelling with the Doctor. I don't want it to change, I love it too much. For now."
Before they could continue the conversation, the Doctor entered the library with great fracas, making them both turn their heads in surprise. " Ok ladies!" he said with a bit too much enthusiasm, because he was definitely starting to get bored. "We need to go shopping! "
When he had expected great enthusiasm and even some exclamation, he was only rewarded with silence. "Why do I have the feeling that my definition of shopping and his definition of shopping are not the same?" Donna finally said to Rose, who had resumed her reading when she was over his surprise entrance.
"Because you're an intelligent woman," deadpanned Rose, turning a page at the same time. After a few seconds they looked at each other, and started to crack up and laugh madly.
"Ahaha, yeah mock the Time Lord…" said the Doctor, seeing his two friends still laughing at him. "For real, I need some pieces for the TARDIS and per my scanner, it can be found on Gurun III. The moon, not the planet. Would really not suggest going there with the poisonous atmosphere, and the planet Gurun is moving around is too gaseous to do anything with it...But I digress. So fancy a trip?" He wiggled his hands in Rose's direction, who made a show of thinking it over before grabbing them. He helped her up, and after exchanging a smile he turned to Donna and helped her in turn.
"Last one to the console pays for lunch!" Donna yelled as she ran to the door, a protesting Rose soon on her heels. The Doctor smirked at the ceiling, and with one last look around the room, he walked out with hands in his pocket. He didn't mind paying, especially if that put a smile on his friend's face. Today would be a good day, he could feel it.
After an eventless ride and a pretty painless landing, they left the TARDIS in a very good mood. They were walking along some rather empty path, the Doctor and Rose hand in hand, and Donna not far from them when they came into view of a city.
"Why are we here again?" Donna asked as she stared curiously at all the colored buildings they could see.
"I need some carburator for the TARDIS. I thought I still had one in storage, but I can't seem to find it anywhere and this planet is supposed to sell some, so why not let you girls have fun around while I try to find one."
"And what's the catch?" Rose asked. She knew the Doctor way too much to take anything at face value.
He scratched his face with his free hands, looking deep in through. "I don't think there is one. I have to say, I don't really remember anything worthwhile from this planet…"
Donna smiled at one of the locals who was looking at her oddly. With what she could see, red hair seemed to not be very popular around here, as everyone around them either had dark blue hair, or had weird looking full body jumpsuits that let out what she supposed to be fur. "Have you ever been here before at least?" She asked the Doctor. Mainly to know if she had to prepare herself to run for her life because of that. Would not be the first time she offended locals because of her hair, or because the Doctor was already persona non grata.
The Doctor stopped for a second, looking at the sky like it had the responses to his questions. "I don't think so? It seems kind of familiar, but I've been to so many planets, it kind of blurs after a time. But I'm sure it's really peaceful around here!" he finally added with as much cheerfulness as he could muster.
"And you had to jinx it," Rose groaned while eying a shop that seemed to sell some kind of medicinal herbs. "Now we will probably have to stop the end of the world or something…" She exchanged an amused look with Donna as the Doctor started to sputter.
"Hey! It's not always like this! Sometimes it's pretty peaceful!" he argued back with a loud voice, making a few of the locals turn around to find the source of the shouting.
"I have two words for you Doctor," Rose said simply. "Elysian goat."
He blanched at the souvenir. "Well in my defense, I really thought we were in the right place. I couldn't predict that turn of events. And let me remind you, Miss 'I can do no wrong,' I'm not the one that was turned to stone while gallivanting in ancient Rome."
She smiled her special smile. "Funny enough, I remember that story completely differently."
Donna rolled her eyes in the background as they started to smile stupidly at each other. With how they were going, it would take hours for them to stop doing googly eyes. "Personally I only have one word. Pompeii."
The Doctor broke eye contact with Rose and grimaced. "Yeah ok, I'll accept that one."
They continued to walk a few minutes in silence, looking around them with curiosity. From time to time the Doctor would break from their group to look at something before going back and taking Rose's hand again."Anything you can say in that place? Except for the fact they seem to be two races on this planet?" asked Rose, intrigued by the two completely different races she could see on the planet. She also felt she was missing something from around her. But she chalked it up to the fact that the Doctor was completely silent… He who generally could never shut up when they walked to a new planet.
"You know that's exactly the question I was asking myself," he replied with a thoughtful air on his face. "I can't seem to remember anything about this place, except for the fact it's people are really peaceful and Gurunian are the native one. The one with blue hair, not the jumpsuit," he added to help them follow. "And that they have a great market for special ship pieces." He turned to Rose. "Did we come here before? I feel like we came here before."
She shook her head, not remembering seeing this place in any of her travels. With him or when she was in the other dimension. "No, but I think you are confusing this place with Elox." When he looked at her blankly, Rose continued, "also blue people but with three arms? I think you found a piece for the TARDIS there too. Something about kinetics? Don't remember the details."
He smacked himself in the head, making Donna take a step back to not be collateral damage. "Right! The Anti flyer! Also the little shop who sold that wonderful chocolate! Even better than the one we tested in Switzerland." He turned to Donna. "We should definitely go there. You'll love it." As he turned around once again, his eyes lit up when he finally spotted one of the electronic shops he had come for. Before Donna and Rose had time to take two steps, he had already disappeared inside, making an amused Rose and a less enthusiastic Donna follow not far behind. They tried to search for him, but the shop was too big and Rose was soon distracted by a shelf full of what Donna could only describe as metal junk.
"Oh, I think I saw one like that when I was still in the other dimension! But it was silver and not black like that." She tried to show it to Donna but the woman had already wandered outside. "Donna?"
The redhead head popped from the doorway. "Yeah sorry, one of the shop we passed earlier seemed to be selling holo-vids, and I wanted to see if they had some editions I missed." She smiled apologetically when she realised she almost disappeared on her friend. "Space junk is not really my thing, but you two have fun! That is, if you're able to find the Doctor again in the middle of his definition of paradise." She snickered at the mental image of a Doctor running around like a kid at disneyland.
"The first one to finish calls the other, ok? With the Doctor around that generally means disaster around the corner, so be reachable." She knew she said it more as a joke, but she could not shake the weird feeling in the pit of her stomach, like she had forgotten something since they had entered the city. They still exchanged an amused smile, before Donna waved one last time and vanished in the crowd.
Rose turned around, and was soon distracted again by a tub full of interesting technology and ship parts. She even took a few pictures, making a mental note to send them to Malcolm to see his head explode the next time they came to Earth.
She was examining a small tube that looked straight out of Star Trek when the Doctor popped up beside her.
"I think it's a sonic shaver from Coronis," he said while peering above her shoulder. "See." He pointed at two big ridges on the side. "You put that part near an energy source and in ten minutes you are good to go for three months." He smiled brilliantly, happy to have shared his science knowledge.
"Really?" she said while turning it in all directions, her eyebrow frowning. "Because I'm pretty sure we have one like that in the black archives, except it is missing the two bumps in question."
He shrugged. "Yeah without it I don't think you can charge it. It would be completely useless."
She took a picture of it, snickering all along. "They put it in the 'dormant weapon' section of the archives. Just beside a plasma colt from Kerbin. I can't wait to see the faces of the guys when I tell them that." As she was putting away her phone, she realized the Doctor was bare handed. "So no luck?"
"No, but apparently the market has two other similar shops so all is not in vain." He looked around, visibly searching for someone. "Where is Donna?" he asked as they walked outside.
"She's gone to the holo-vids seller we passed when we entered the market. Space technology is not really her thing, so I can't really blame her boredom." She looked around, trying to see if she could notice any red hair anywhere. "Do you want to search for her, or start with another shop?"
"I would prefer to search for her first," he finally answered with a grimace as he looked around. "I've had a weird feeling since we landed here. I suggest we go to the next shop to see if they have the carburetor and then we leave the planet…"
She took his hand as they exited the shop. "I had the same feeling, it's like I'm missing a piece..." She planned to say something more but was distracted by the sudden silence around them. She could still see people walking around, but they all seemed to look straight ahead and make sure they were not touching each other in any way. An aura of fearfulness and sadness was engulfing the crowd. A striking change with the buzzing market they had walked into forty five minute earlier.
"I think we missed something pretty big," the Doctor said as he looked around while frowning. "I suggest we retrieve Donna and then investigate," he continued, already pulling her in the direction of the seller. And the more they were walking, the more she felt uncomfortable. She could see less and less people, and the few they were passing looked in a hurry to be anywhere but here. "I don't like this…" she whispered, making him frown even harder. As they approached the store they were surprised to see it in the process of being closed down for the day.
"Excuse me," Rose called out to the supposed owner, who startled slightly as they reached them, taking a step back as they approached a bit more. "My friend was here probably twenty minutes ago. Any idea where she's gone?" She took out her phone, searching for a picture. She knew Donna was probably the only human with red hair they saw recently, but she could not take any chances. "Here, her name is Donna." As she showed him the picture, he moved back a bit more, anxiety shedding from him like a beacon.
"I don't want any problem," he said with a high pitched voice, his eyes looking wildly around, the little fur she could see bristling. "They told me to close my shop, that's it, I'm not doing anything. I even told them I didn't know those people, never seen them before."
The Doctor pushed Rose aside, his face serious with one hand already on the sonic. "Who are 'they'?"
The shopkeeper looked around once again, making sure nobody was too near, but the area was completely deserted. "You know…The snatchers."
They looked at each other with growing worry, knowing Donna, she had put herself in the wrong situation and it was not boding well. "That doesn't sound good." Rose said as she unlocked her phone, already springing into action. "I'll try to call her, you try to learn more about those snatchers." She squeezed his hand before walking away, her phone already on her ear.
"So tell me more about them," the Doctor's voice was soft but his eyes were steel. "And where did they take Donna."
"Not here, it's not safe, come inside," said the alien. When the Doctor turned around, his expression probably betraying what he was thinking, there was a brief yet kind smile. "Your companion can join us, I'll leave the door unlocked." They both walked inside, and when the alien made sure that no one saw them he visibly relaxed. "You are not from around here are you?"
"No, we are travelers. Donna too. I'm sure if she did something, it was by pure ignorance. We try not to interfere generally…" He paused for a second before wincing. "Well not much. Well, carry on."
"She was browsing inside the shop, asking me about my stock, when two mixed came in. I tried to stop them, I really did. But before I had time to even finish my sentence, a group of snatchers were on them. Your friend tried to intervene, and they arrested her too. I wanted to say something in her defense. I mean she's clearly not from here you know? But another tourist spoke as they passed in front of them, and before you know it, they took him too. So when they told me to close everything and go home, I was too afraid to say anything…"
The Doctor uttered a curse word, his hands already in his hair. Not good, that was not good at all. "We need to find her. Why did those snatchers take those 'mixed'? And where did they take them?"
"You need to understand. Since the Konun Asto came into power, it's forbidden for us to mix, even amicably. Our race, the Ceti, came two generations ago to this moon, and unfortunately we discovered that our fur evolved under that new sky to be toxic to the Gurunian in the long term. So until we find a planet suitable for our species, and everyone accepts to leave, we are forbidden to touch. The snatchers are here to make sure the law is respected. And those we call 'mixed' are the ones that defy orders. They believe we were lied to, and try to 'prove' it by mingling with each other."
"Who is Konun Asto?" asked Rose as she pushed the door close. "And why does he think that prohibiting contact was the right thing to do? Also no response from Donna, it goes to voicemail. I tried three times," she added when the Doctor looked at her expectantly.
The Ceti looked at them with big eyes. "Wow you must be from pretty far to not know that. Everyone in the system knows them. He is the supreme ruler of this moon. His father, Konun Cacjan, died from fur poisoning after taking one of ours as a lover following the death of his wife. At first we didn't think that was possible, but unfortunately the tests were formal… As were the dozens of other dead Gurunian in the last few years before that. We don't know if that also affects others. And that's why most of us stay in the far back of the city, or on the other side of the moon. Hardly a few of us are allowed at certain times of the year, and only if we wear that protective suit."
Rose and the Doctor looked at each other, similar thoughts and suspicions already passing between them. "And he is the one who proclaimed those laws, right? Enforcing them with the snatchers?"
The Ceti nodded. "Yes, and they take the ones who break the law to the Celleum, where they are judged for endangerment of the population. Most of them are sent to prison on the other side of the planet… However, that's probably where they took your friends. I'm really sorry, I tried but I have a family. I cannot disappear like that. Even talking to you is dangerous. Gaining the right to come to the city is one of the highest honors, I don't want them to think I'm endangering them… So please don't say anything."
"We promise," said the Doctor. "So where did you say that Celleum is?"
"I knew the second you said it would be peaceful, things would go to hell," Rose groaned as they walked towards one of the alleys that were supposed to lead them to what passed for a prison here. "I mean clearly that suddenly poisonous fur is suspicious enough, and the story that goes with it even more. So now because we are clearly insane people, we will have to break Donna out of jail, prove what the Konun said was a load of crap and overcome the government..."
"A normal tuesday for us in short!" the Doctor finished with a brilliant smile. Her black look was response enough. "Ok in my defense, I don't remember a single thing about this planet, so it's probably a really minor issue that will resolve in five minutes flat," he added - trying to be useful.
She glowered so hard, he was suddenly afraid Jackie Tyler would appear out of tin air to slap him. "Say another word, and I will ask the TARDIS to strand you in Hull for the next month."
He raised his hands in sign of peace, then made a zipping motion to show he would not open his mouth again until asked otherwise. They walked in silence for a moment, with only a few grumbling sounds coming from Rose from time to time. She had wanted to do some shopping in peace for once, but apparently it was too much to ask from the universe. After almost ten minutes in the maze of streets, they finally found what they were searching for.
"Ok, Doctor, what's your plan?" Rose asked and when he looked at her pleadingly, making her roll her eyes with fondness, she said, "yes you can talk."
"I was thinking of just going inside, and asking to see Donna."
"That's it?" She said with surprise. She had expected a bit more flourish. "No explosions or anything like that?"
He looked affronted for a split second before remembering who he was talking to. "Well no. Not this time. Because I don't have anything on me, and for once maybe we'll luck out and they'll realise it's a misunderstanding because we're only tourists."
She was not convinced in the slightest. "Whatever makes you sleep at night." She sighed as she watched while people came and went from the building. Too many people. Okay, so it was the nice way then. "But I don't have another idea right now. So, I suggest we hide your sonic, my phone and the psychic paper. Just in case they don't trust us, and we have to break from the inside."
He smiled madly. "Great idea! Much easier that way, you are right!" He rummaged around for a few seconds before taking out both items and placing them inside his shirt. "Also bigger on the inside!" he said as an explanation when she looked at him weirdly. Her only response was to pass him her phone.
"I'm not asking anymore. I learned that sometimes, I don't want the answer," she deadpanned. His snickering was response enough as she dragged him in the direction of the building. At least one of them was having fun. But the fun was short-lived, as the more they were walking to the building, the more they realized what mess they were getting into. No Ceti in sign, only heavily armed Gurunian that were visibly patrolling with closed off expressions. She had the feeling that getting Donna out would be more tricky than planned. But the Doctor seemed completely oblivious of the tension that was rising around them as he opened the door to the building and walked straight to one of the desks, a big smile on his face.
"Hi! I'm the Doctor and this is Rose," the Doctor announced as Rose waved awkwardly to the two Gurunian who looked at them impassibly. "We are searching for a friend of mine. A bit taller than my friend here with red hair and white skin." The two aliens looked at each, their faces hardened as they faced the Doctor again, one of them discreetly moving his hand under the desk, alarming Rose. She thought about making the first move, but as she looked rapidly around her; she realized there were too many Gurunian around to be really efficient, especially with the Doctor babbling over. So she just moved slightly to the right, protecting the Doctor while still having enough space to jump if needed.
"You see we're travelers, well more like tourists I'd say," the Doctor explained, either completely unaware or just unaffected. "So whatever our friend did, I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding! So if you could just give her back to us, we'll be out of your hair in a jiffy!" His smile was now so big, it was almost splitting his face in two, making him a bit ridiculous.
"You said you are friends with this 'Donna'?" asked the taller of the two with a ruff voice, his face stony and stern.
Rose nudged the Doctor slightly, showing him that she was now taking the lead. Without a word he shuffled a bit, moving in her shadow, indicating he had understood what she was trying to do.
"Yes, you see we are from a planet pretty far from here, and it's our first time here!" she started, blinking her eyes in a sign of innocence. As she put her hand in her hair, she saw that at least one of them was starting to loosen up. "And then we got separated, and you see my friend is a bit...intense, you know." her voice lowered as if she were letting them in on a secret. "She always tries to do the best thing, but sometimes she doesn't understand…" She battled her eyes with a sweet smile. "I'm really sorry if she offended you in any way. I'm sure it was not her intention at all." Just as the most impassive one returned her smile, making her hope to have gained enough ground to get out of there without too much fuss, the Doctor put both his hands on the desk with trepidation, making what she supposed to be a decoration of some sort wobble under the force.
"So anyway, I'm sure we can arrange that. Where should we retrieve her?" he asked, a bit too maniacally to be honest, making one Gurunian that was walking past stop and stare. And not in a good way, Rose thought. She felt the sudden urge to throttle the Doctor. She even thought for a second to abandon him there, and get out to regroup and find another plan, because this one clearly was two seconds from exploding in their face, but she was not sure he would not have himself killed as soon as she turned head.
The one named Kallos, if what was on the desk was his, was clearly the more experienced of the two, lost all sense of friendliness at the Doctor's words and straightened up completely. "She broke the law. We announced our role clearly, and she still tried to intervene. It took three of my men to stop her. And three others for the other travelers."
They looked at each other with a certain anxiety. It was becoming likely that they either needed to fight or find another way, and rapidly with how Kallos was becoming more and more cold by the second.
"Eh this one is not with us I'm afraid," said the Doctor while sending an apologetic glance to Rose. He had wanted to help her and only muddled everything up. "We are only here for our friend."
The guard crossed his arms, nodding to someone behind them and a few seconds later they were surrounded by Gurunian. Enough that even with her training and the Doctor at his best, they would rapidly be stopped. They will have to do it differently, probably make something blow up. Just like old times.
"She will be judged in the morning of the third rising sun like all the others. You can plead for her at that moment if you really want to." His smile was sharp and cruel, making all Rose's hair stand up in alarm. It was not good, not good at all. She looked with dread to the Doctor whose face had completely closed off, showing he had also understood the underlying message.
Donna would not live to see that third rising sun.
"Wait!" he said suddenly as one of the Gurunian tried to grab him to show them the exit. "Send us with her." He glanced at Rose who nodded firmly. They could not let her stay here alone. If they were to break her out of prison, it would be from the inside.
Kallos, clearly the one in charge, looked at them with surprise, and the shuffling she could see around here showed her it was something that took them aback. She crossed her arms, and raised her chin in a sign of defiance. If she was going down, it would be fighting. "You clearly have no pity or compassion if justice means killing people." The subtle gaze she could see them exchange showed her she had knocked right in the middle. "So yeah, send us with our friend. We will not abandon her, especially for something she had no control over!" The Doctor crossed his arms beside her, showing them they were a team through and through. Nobody left behind.
"Kallos?" the one that was the closest to her asked with a point of uncertainty. It was apparently a precedent.
Kallos frowned with severity as the Gurunian who was sitting down looked around him bewildered. "Well if it's their choice… Take their jackets off, search their pants and shoes and send them to the cage. Just so you know, there is no coming back so...Good luck." His smile was borderline giddy, as he turned his back and walked away while the Doctor and Rose were stripped from their belongings. Thank god for bigger on the inside pockets, as they never found what the Doctor had put aside beforehand.
They were escorted to a door that was concealed on the side of the room. Four men were flanking them, each making sure they could not make any sudden movement as Rose could feel the crackle of electricity right behind her. Probably some sort of cattle prod. They walked for a few minutes in silence, even the Doctor, who was probably busy memorising every nook and cranny from this maze. Finally they came in front of another door which was heavily armored and plated. One of them opened it with some sort of magnetic pass and before they had time to think, they were roughly pushed inside, the door instantanly closed back behind them. They heard one of them say good luck before the rest of them started to laugh.
"Well it could have gone better," Rose said, more to relieve the tension than anything else as they turned around. They were a bit surprised to see so many people inside, at least fifty at first glance. Gurunian, Citi and even some otherworldly as she saw an Aridian slumped against one of the walls.
"At least we're still alive to see another day," continued the Doctor as he scanned around him with a slightly anxious look. "We need to find Donna. I feel that something bad is about to happen and I don't like that idea."
She turned to him with concern. "What do you mean bad? How bad?"
"I have no idea but…" Before he could finish his sentence, a tornado of red hair collided with him.
"You're here!" screamed Donna as she hugged the Doctor with all she had. "I was afraid you wouldn't find me in time!" She turned to Rose and hugged her too, a hug Rose returned gladly. "I wanted to call but they didn't let me, and I couldn't give a message to the poor merchant. I was really hoping your proportion to find trouble would put you on the right path! I was right!" She was all smiles and not really worse for the wear to Rose's relief.
"Like we would leave you behind." Rose smirked as the Doctor was rummaging in his shirt pocket to find his sonic again. "But why on earth did you decide to make a scandal without telling us? You know the rules, you've been here long enough!" She knew she was scolding her, but she had been so afraid they would not find her, or not in time.
Donna grimaced, knowing she was in the wrong but when she saw those poor kids, she could not stop herself. "Yeah I'm sorry. I really tried to stay out of the way. I was on the verge of calling you, and then one of them struck the one poor kid just because he was holding hands with one of those aliens in fur…"
"They are called Citi apparently," said the Doctor distractly as he took out his sonic with a triumphant flourish.
"And then that guy tried to stop them too… And one thing led to another…"
"Oh yeah we heard about that!" Smiled the Doctor. "Apparently it took 6 men to restrain the both of you?" Donna shrugged, showing it was not a big deal. Rose was still impressed. And a bit proud too.
"Yeah about that!" Donna said, looking around trying to find him. "I really want to introduce you, because he said some freaky things. Pretty sure he is either insane or a swindler. Or both - who knows." She smiled and waved right behind them. "Oy! Right here! And be nice," she added more in the direction of the Doctor than Rose.
Rose tried to turn around to see that mysterious man, but was stopped by the Doctor who tried to do the same, inadvertently blocking her view with his back. The curse of being the short one. As she tried to push him, his body became completely rigid.
"Oh no…" he said with a mix of appalled and alarmed voice. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me…" said a voice she would have recognized in her sleep. A voice she thought she would never hear again. One she had mourned and cried over long after his disparition. As she pushed the Doctor aside, she was met by the vision of a dead man. The one she had loved so fiercely she had broken the laws of time for him.
"Doctor?" she said in a strangled voice.
"Rose?" exclaimed the Doctor, his face betraying his shock and stupefaction. He was the one who disappeared in the fire of regeneration. Her first Doctor.