"Where to, Rosalind?" The Doctor poked a couple of buttons on the console. "Backwards or forwards?"
Rosalind wasn't sure yet how to deal with the Gelth situation in the past. The 'easier' option she supposed would be the future. A couple of ideas are already forming to save lives.
"Forward?"
The Doctor grinned, "How far?"
Off the top of her head she couldn't remember how far it was til the sun expanded.
"Ten thousand years?"
The Doctor spun a wheel, pumped a stick and turned a knob with Gallifreyan. The ship rumbled. Pale green light reflected off their faces and the Doctor watched Rosalind as her face looked up in wonder at the living machine.
The Doctor turned the Gallifreyan knob back, eyes never straying from hers.
"Step outside, it's the year 12,005. The New Roman Empire."
Glancing at the Doctor, she couldn't help but mirror his grin.
"Have you been there before, Doctor?"
"A few times," he shrugged.
"Let's go somewhere you haven't."
He laughed, "Fine, you asked for it." He spun the wheel longer than before and turned the dial again.
She wondered then even as they exchanged grins, would the Doctor take her to see Earth burn too.
As he pumped the lever, Rosalind fought a blush. Why did she feel like it was so suggestive when he did it? He looked so passionate and her mind went in a naughty direction before the ship settled again and she shook her head to clear her thoughts.
Walking up to the Doctor she offered her hand, "Shall we, Doctor?"
He grinned, placing his big hand in hers and they laughed as they skipped through the doors of the TARDIS.
The room looked like a mini amphitheater with tan walls, a big yellowish pocket door with a panel that the Doctor immediately sonicked before she joined her at the bottom of the room. The panel elevated revealing space and the planet Earth suspended down below.
"What year is it, Doctor?"
"5.5/Apple/26. 5 billion years in your future. And this is the day…" The Doctor looks down on his wristwatch, "Hold on." The sun gave a burst of light as it crested over the Earth. "This is the day the sun expands. Welcome to the end of the world."
Rosalind shook her head, "Just the planet though, the people all have left."
She could feel his intense look upon her face.
"No doubts?"
She shook her head, "There is so much to explore. Why wouldn't mankind reach out to the stars?"
—
An automated voice came from overhead, "Shuttles 5 6 now docking."
They were making their way through the halls of the station.
"So this is a space station?"
The Doctor checked each panel they passed with his sonic, "Observation deck, more like."
They headed down more black columned corridors until they reached a great hall with windows overlooking the event horizon.
"So how are we going to explain ourselves being here?"
"Got it covered." The Doctor waved a blank piece of paper at her.
They looked down below and the Doctor glanced at her, "I'm surprised you don't have more questions."
"Taking it all in I guess. I've never seen space beyond glimpses behind a screen, its a whole 'nother thing to see it for real behind glass. It's all new."
And it was despite the familiarity to Rose's memories and the TV show.
"Who the hell are you?"
Rosalind stepped around the Doctor who immediately took a protective stance in front of her.
"I apologize we arrived before the other guests and couldn't help but take a look at the sights."
Glancing at the Doctor, she watched as he pulled the paper badge out again. "See, we've got an invitation. The Doctor, plus one. I'm the Doctor and this is Rosalind, she's my plus one."
"Apologies, ect." The host, a blue alien with crescent moon shapes beneath his eyes, moved toward a podium by the entrance to the hall.
"We have in attendance, the Doctor and Rosalind. Thank you, all staff to your positions."
A dozen shorter blue aliens filtered into the room.
"Now I might introduce our next honored guest representing the forest of Cheem. We have trees."
As more arrived Rosalind couldn't help glancing at the Doctor, who met her awed looks with that wondrous grin of his.
"He said something about gifts?"
The Doctor waved away her worry, "Don't worry about that, got an idea."
Lady Jabe came forward, already making eyes at the Doctor.
"The gift of peace. I brought a cutting of my grandfather."
"Thank you, Lady Jabe." I smiled at the little cutting, "I shall call you Groot."
Jabe gave Rosalind a smile in return.
The Doctor leaned forward, "I give you in return air from my lungs."
Rosalind couldn't help the giggle as Lady Jabe eyed the Doctor, "How intimate."
The Doctor stood tall, "There's more where that came from."
"I bet there is."
After Lady Jabe left, Rosalind elbowed the Doctor, "Look at you, getting all flirty."
"When in Rome, as they say and all that."
Rosalind threw her head back and laughed (missing how the Doctor's eyes sparkled as he watched), "Indeed."
"The sponsor of the main event, please welcome Ambassador Harkness and mate."
Instead of a tank with a giant head, in walked the timeless Jack Harkness with a lovely alien lady with periwinkle skin and striking neon green eyes.
Something had changed, it was unclear whether or not Jack was still timeless or not.
Rosalind was brought back to the present when she received the Mox of Balfoon's gift of bodily saliva right onto her cheek.
The Doctor's chuckle came from her left side, "Thank you very much."
Then the Adherents of the Repeated meme arrived bestowing their orbs of 'peace'.
She had to stop them from hurting anyone.
Rosalind backed up, missing Lady Cassandra's entrance.
Making sure no one would overhear, she whispered, "I wish Lady Cassandra and the Adherents of the Repeated Memes little gifts will self-destruct, without hurting anyone or anything, before they can harm anything or anyone."
Lady Cassandra's voice carried to where she was, "But behold I bring gifts!"
Rosalind came back just as the 'ipod' was introduced.
"Play on!" Lady Cassandra's voice commanded.
'Tainted Love' began to play and the Doctor and Rosalind in time began to move with the music, laughs coming from their throats.
Rosalind turned to the Doctor, and gave a short bow, "Dance with me, Doctor?"
With a laugh he took her behind the hand and spun her out and then spun her back to him, her hand resting on his chest. He looked down upon her face, his face sobering only to clear his throat just as Lady Jabe came up.
"Excuse me." She pointed a little device at the Doctor, a flash went off, "Thank you."
While the Doctor followed after the Lady Jabe with a look of curiosity, Rosalind let out a little sigh that perhaps sounded more disappointed than she meant. Backing up she accidentally bumped into someone else, turning around she found the mate of Harkness.
"Oh hello I'm Rosalind."
"Elliarra." There was a secretive little smile on the alien lady's lips and Rosalind could only guess that perhaps this wasn't the first time Elliarra had met her.
"Ladies! I hope you weren't too bored without me!" Jack came sauntering over, his arms slinging it over Rosalind and Elliarra's shoulders.
Elliarra turned toward Harkness, "Rosalind was just introducing herself."
Jack pouted his plush lips grinning as he watched Rosalind get distracted looking up at him. Jack was made to be distracting, proven with how he preened at her gaze meeting his.
"Oh well that's a shame. I wanted to catch up."
"Perhaps next time Ambassador." Jack wrinkled his nose at the title but grinned when Rosalind sticked her tongue at him in rebellion. "I'll meet you soon, well I suppose you for the first time and me second…" she metered out when she saw the two exchange grins.
"Don't give me too much of a hard time, I was just doing a job."
Elliarra smacked Jack on the arm, "You know you deserved it."
Harkness rubbed the back of his neck as he glanced between the two ladies.
"Can I ask how you are here? Time travel or…"
Harkness shook his head and pressed a finger to her lips.
"Spoilers!"
The intercom interrupted any reaction she might have had.
"Would the owner of the blue box in private gallery 15 please report to the steward's office immediately?"
"Well I better go find the Doctor." Rosalind turned away only to be called back by Harkness.
"Rosalind!"
"Yeah?" She raised an eyebrow.
"It gets better."
With furrowed brow she left to find the Doctor, what could have Jack meant?