The moment I stepped back into the TARDIS, a wave of warmth and acceptance embraced me. It felt like she was welcoming me back. The deck vibrated beneath my feet almost like a nod and in my mind a name came for the great time ship.

"Hello Sexy!"

I could hear the Doctor sputter from the other side of the console but I ignored him for the time being as I went straight up to the ship's heart and placed a hand against it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." A thought was sent out, 'at last.'

I could feel the gaze of the Doctor upon me and then I felt as he turned away and began busying himself with getting the ship ready for our first destination. A soft "Oh" coming from him.

I bit back a laugh and just smiled.

I looked to where I set my luggage to see it was already gone.

"She's placed them in your rooms."

"Rooms plural?"

The Doctor looked over, that annoying blank look on his face. I was truly coming to dislike that look. "It seems she's already taken a liking to you."

"Well I like her too." I walked around the console, "Hey is there a thingamajig that could make my phone work wherever we are."

A chime came from the console as a little drawer rolled out, I placed my cell on it and the drawer closed.

"I suppose you'll know when its finished?" I looked up to find the Doctor staring at the spot where the drawer had appeared.

He shrugged, "I suppose."

He walked to the other side and pulled down a lever, and turned a dial before looking in my direction.

"It's your first trip. Where or when do you want to go?"

"How about we start by going forwards?"

"How far?"

A memory slipped beneath a closed tight door and whispered a year.

"6088."

"So exact. How curious." He rounded the console again, flipping switches before glancing my way.

I shrugged.

He pointed towards the TARDIS doors, "Outside those doors the 61st century awaits. The whole Earth is in stasis awaiting a safe time to awaken."

"Sounds rather boring."

"Well then if you'd like something impressive..."

The TARDIS shook before letting out a sigh as she settled.

"Go on then."

I ran through the doors only to find a modern amphitheatre room waiting for me. When I looked behind only a semi-sci fi looking closed pocket door sat in an oval inset in the wall.

The TARDIS's door creaked, signalling to me that the Doctor had followed me outside. I watched as he threw my cellular toward me and I caught it just before it reached the ground.

"Some jiggery pokery and it should work now."

"Thank you Doctor."

He nodded before turning to sonic the blue lit panel beside the closed pocket door. The sound that reminded me of high end blinds coming up caused me to turn back to the amphitheatre centre. A large window was revealed which showed the massive Earth hanging in space, the sun rising over its horizon.

"You lot, you all worry about dying. But you never take time to imagine that you might survive. This is the year 5.5 slash Apple slash 26 also known as 5 billion years from your future. And this is the day the sun expands. Welcome to the end of the world."

"It's beautiful...space, the earth, the sun." I turned to the Doctor, "I'm assuming humankind has already gone to the stars."

"Just so."

"And no one's down there then?"

"Nope, all gone."

I dazed off looking out at the expanse, my mind only clearing as I heard the end of an announcement, "EARTH DEATH at 15:39."

The Doctor and I walked through black columned beige stone hallways.

"I thought it was an amphitheatre at first, that room. Will we get to meet other visitors who've come to view Earth's end?"

He nodded and I tugged at the bottom of my sweater's sleeves.

"You'll stop me from offending anyone accidentally right?" I swallowed, the idea of somehow causing an intergalactic incident was slightly nerve-wracking. "I don't want to make a serious faux pas as soon as I meet beings from another world."

As we walked through another set of doors that the Doctor sonic opened, a thought popped in my head. "Should we have had souvenirs or something to exchange with them like a hospitality gift?"

The Doctor's shoulders tensed as he laughed, "Relax, Rose. Take it one moment at a time."

We arrived at a grand room with high ceilings and towering windows that arched up over our heads, framed in sleek columns.

"I've read science magazines about this. Wouldn't the Earth's landforms have shifted?"

"They did. Then the National Trust pulled them back. Look down there you'll see the gravity satellites holding back the sun, all waiting for the right moment to let the sun go."

"How long does it have?"

The Doctor checked his watch, "About half an hour. Then the planet gets roasted."

He wiggled his eyebrows and I couldn't help letting out a little giggle.

A voice coming from behind us made me jump, "What are you doing here? This is a maximum hospitality zone."

We turned to find a blue being with a diadem on his forehead and elegant sweeping patterns along his face.

"That's why we are here, we are guests." The Doctor flashed a white piece of paper at the blue being. I marvelled at my first meeting with an extraterrestrial even if he was chewing us out. "See I have an invitation, The Doctor and his plus one. This is Rose Tyler, she's my plus one."

The steward nodded before going back to the front of the hall by the large pocket doors. He stepped up to a podium as if getting ready to make announcements for some large event.

The Doctor leaned toward me showing the paper, "The paper is slightly psychic, shows them what I want them to see."

I hummed in reply. I was curious then why I saw the gold circular symbols that I'd seen in the interior of the TARDIS. I would have to remember to ask him about it later.

"What planet was the steward from? What is it like?"

The Doctor smiled at my curiosity, but turned his attention towards the front of the hall where the first real guests were arriving.

I blinked and looked at the doctor, "Did he just say trees?"

The Doctor did not have time to answer as the guests had approached.

A noble lady in a long flowing burgundy gown, she had features that shimmered in a deep ash brown that looked as if it had gold embedded within it. Instead of hair she had a head that was shaped in a bark crown that looked to be part of her beautiful features. She walked toward the Doctor and I, bowing in respect.

A small almost flirtatious smile at the tips of her dark burgundy lips,

"A gift of peace."

She handed the Doctor a little sprig in a seedling container.

I turned toward the doctor, "See. We should have brought souvenirs."

Well I was not going to make that mistake twice.

The Doctor handed the gift over to me and I looked down at the little sprout,

"Hello, I think I'll name you Fangorn."

I looked back up just in time to see the Doctor giving breath from his lungs to the lady who closed her eyes in pleasure.

I turned toward the two guards behind the lady, "May I gift you air from my lungs?"

One shook his head while the other stepped forward, he bowed in respect.

"It is a great honour that you already bequeathed our gift with a name."

I smiled and bowed my head in return.

"The face of Boe," was heard being announced by the steward, as I looked I found them to be a large head with large wise eyes that took in the room with deep interest. His song surged forth confidently as if it were trying to reach out and touch all of us in the room, even if I was the only one who could hear it. When his eyes set upon me I saw his large lips lift into a smile.

There was an ease of character about the one before me and I smiled right back at him. I bowed and watched as his head tilted in return.

As I saw more guests arrive, I was suddenly glad I had the foresight to bring along a medium shoulder bag. I carefully placed lil' Fangorn in the corner of the bag and wrapped a scarf around its base so it was secure. Just as I lifted my head I got a face full of the "gift of bodily fluids" which was thankfully only spit. I took a handkerchief and wiped the spit off my features.

I bowed and thanked the visitor, "Thank you for your sincere gift, I'll put it in here for safe keeping." I then placed the carefully folded hanky back in my bag. The alien in his hover chair giggled before nodding back and continuing to the next guests.

We turned to greet the next guests only to find tall cloaked figures with long, sharp metal looking hands.

"Ah, the adherence of the repeated même" The Doctor bowed, "I give you air from my lungs."

A clawed hand held out a small orb, "A gift of peace and all good faith."

The metal ball given caused a shiver to run down my spine.

The announcer proclaimed, "Special Guest, Lady Cassandra, the last human being."

In rolled a...well I'm not sure how to describe her. Definitely not what one would normally think when seeing a human being. My mind whispered with 'bitchy trampoline' and I pursed my lips so as not to laugh. I hadn't even met her yet it would be rude to make assumptions.

She presented her gifts and I couldn't help my laugh as a jukebox was rolled into the room. "An IPOD!"

A goofy grin and chuckle from the doctor and I looked at him, my lips pursed to prevent myself from laughing as well.

TAINTED LOVE started to come over the ipod's speakers.

The Doctor and my shoulders moved to the sound of the beat, a giggle escaped me.

A flash of blue light caused me to blink and I looked up in time for me to see Lady Jabe. She had what looked like some sort of camcorder up to her face as she looked through it at us, she smiled before looking over at us with a curious look.

"Thank you!"

I wasn't exactly sure what she was thanking us for but I smiled and nodded. I glanced at the Doctor who had begun an intent conversation with Lady Jabe, so I wandered over to the floor-to-ceiling windows.

I looked down at earth and I got a sudden wave of homesickness.

I'd met so many new beings, and yet all of a sudden all I wanted was to hear was my mum's voice.

A deep voice sounded, and it took me a rather long time to realise it originated from inside my head.

'If you still have your cell phone, you can call them.'

I thought: 'Of course' before turning back to see the Face of Bo beside me.

His old lips lifted, 'Hello my friend.'

His voice was soft and tender but deep as it resounded in my head.

'Why do you feel familiar? .. but I don't remember meeting you?'

'Ahh. The early days. You still haven't met me face to face, then.'

The sound of the steward's voice came over the intercom,

"Will the owner of the blue box please report to the stewards office immediately!"

"Uh oh, it seems like the doctor is in trouble."

"EARTH DEATH in TWENTY FIVE minutes"

I looked back at the face of Boe who nodded towards the right.

'There's a gallery to the right, you can call her in there.'

'Thank you.'

'I hope to see you again, Marion Rose,' he very slowly winked.

I went to the nearby observation gallery. I placed my bag on the step before walking to the window with my cell in hand. I dialled my mum and smiled when I heard her voice.

"Rose what's going on?"

"It's fine mum, you're fine, right?"

"Of course why would I be?"

"What day is it?"

"Wednesday. I need to tell Micky to stop taking you out to the sports bar, he has you out all night and you lose track of time."

"Mum, I need to tell you, I won this... thing."

"What thing?"

"A trip around the world. All expenses paid."

"Oh Rose! That's exciting."

"I probably will leave on Friday or Saturday."

"Oh my this is splendid Rose. I need to tell the gals about this."

"Love you mum!"

Perhaps my voice wobbled a little bit because next I heard my mum inquire softly,

"Are you alright, sweetie?"

I looked over the Earth, a small ironic smile upon my lips.

"Top of the world."

I glanced to my side to see the Doctor had walked up beside me.

Suddenly the whole station shook.

"Well, that wasn't supposed to happen."

"I have a bad feeling about this."

The doctor held out his hand, "Want to go find out together?"

I grinned, I could see a pattern forming with this Doctor, not that I minded.

"Most definitely."

I took his hand and we ran back to the grand hall, where the Doctor soniced another blue panel.

"That wasn't a gravity pocket, I know what gravity pockets sound like."

From behind him I saw as Jabe came over as if immediately knowing we were the right ones to go to for the strangeness.

"Listen to the engines...It's all wrong. I wonder where the engine room is."

Lady Jabe stepped forward, "I wouldn't know about that but there is a maintenance duct just behind our suite. I could show you and your wife."

"Oh she's not my wife."

I smiled toward Jabe and cut to the chase, "I'm a friend who travels alongside the Doctor."

"Oh." A smile alighted the lady's lips.

I glanced at the Doctor and Lady Jabe who looked at each other with soft smiles.

"I'll go ahead and help you two, but don't worry I won't get in the way of any courting."

I watched as the top of the Doctor's cheekbones reddened just slightly as he offered his arm to the lady Jabe.

As we made it under the wires in the maintenance ducts of the observation satellite, nothing we learned was good to hear.

The Doctor peered over at Jabe, "So if we get in trouble, there is no one to save us."

"Correct."

"Fantastic!"

"How fantastic is that?" The lady tilted her crowned head to the side in confusion.

As the two continued to flirt, I tried to unlock the doors that had been vibrating within my Mind Palace since we arrived on this station. A worry beyond the current troubles had started.

"What I'm curious about is both of your ancestries. The stories you must have to tell."

I came out of my fog to ask, "What do you mean?"

Jabe was rather focused on the Doctor who was staring at the panel in front of him with single minded focus. "Maybe you only love trouble because there's nothing left...I know where you are from, Doctor. It's a miracle you exist." The lady placed a hand upon the Doctor's arm and the light in the tunnel caught the wetness at the corner of the Doctor's eyes.

I wanted to say something but I felt frozen in place.

The Doctor placed a hand on Jabe's, one tear falling down his cheek, his gaze catching mine and just for a moment I saw a sadness so beyond anything I had ever felt in this life. And yet there was something in it that resonated somewhere deep and hidden. I swallowed as I felt my eyes grow misty but I cleared my throat. 'Now was not the time.'

As we came into the engine room the Doctor shivered, "Is it just me or is it just a bit nippy?"

The Doctor soniced open a panel.

Sound of the clack of metal upon metal caused us to look up to see a metal creepy crawly. A shiver ran down my spine as I looked at its long sharp spindly legs.

"What's that?"

Sonic didn't get it down but several of Jabe's long tentacle-like vines got it down in a jiffy.

I looked away as the Doctor picked it up.

My head turned up when I heard the automated voice above my head, "EARTH DEATH in 10 minutes."

"The temperature is about to rocket."

I looked over at Jabe, "Will you be ok?"

"The quicker this is solved, the quicker I expect everyone will be safe."

I admired the lady for her determination. I stood just a bit more straighter and nodded in return.

As we came upon the beige columns again a horrible smell wafted from a smoky hallway.

I grew nauseous almost immediately, as a bad feeling grew.

I saw the little blue beings all huddled worried by the door before they ran to the lady's side.

I looked at the smoke and covered my nose so I wouldn't smell it, but it was too late. "Oh no...please no."

The door lifted and the doctor poked his head before turning back to us with a frown on his lips.

"It's the steward."

"I can't vomit, I can't vomit." I whispered to myself.

One of the small blue aliens who had clustered around Jabe tugged on my tunic shirt pointing toward the hall.

The doctor looked over, eyebrows drawn down.

"Go, there's someone I need to find."

Just as I came back from the restroom, I watched as the 'last human' Lady Cassandra teleported away. My mind whispered to me and I looked toward the Doctor to see his shoulders tense and his features determinately set.

I looked toward a couple of the huddled guests, "I think it would be best to stay as far away from the windows as you can."

Several nodded and I looked around to see if there was anything else I could do,

my gaze connected with Jabe's and we shared a look.

With a nod, together we ran after the Doctor.

Large metal fans spun in the room.

The female automated voice spoke over our heads, "HEAT LEVELS RISING."

The switch to save everyone was on the other side of the fans. Only way to get there was to hold down a metal switch on the entrance side while the other person navigated carefully through the fans.

The heat was already making our clothes stick to our skins, I could even see a couple beads of sweat roll down the side of the Doctor's face.

We both cringed as we saw a sweating Jabe hold down the switch.

"You can't, the heat...Jabe you are made of wood."

"Then stop wasting time, Time Lord."

I took off my tunic, thankful for the camisole underneath and gestured to Jabe.

She let me wrap the switch's handle with the tunic, but we both knew it wasn't thick enough to protect her.

"Please let go, if you can't hold on." I looked into her dark eyes, "We will find another way."

Jabe gave me a bittersweet smile.

"Starling, keep him safe. He is precious."

"I will."

Starling echoed in my mind as I ran beside the Doctor. Hands held we continued forward through the fast moving fans, already so used to running beside each other.

The automated voice chimed again, "HEAT LEVELS RISING."

A scream came behind us.

Tears threatened to fall as I looked back to see Jabe only to see her give us both one last look before she fell to ashes. While I stared at where she once stood, the Doctor crossed over the last fan.

A couple moments later the automated voice came overhead, "SHIELDS REPAIRED."

Hot tears fell down my reddened cheeks. My skin felt dry but my hands tightened into balls at my sides. I felt more than I saw as the Doctor came to my side.

"How do we make them pay?"

The Doctor didn't answer as we walked back toward the hall through the slower moving fans and past where Jabe once stood.

In the hall, the Doctor walked toward where Lady Cassandra had placed her gift of an ostrich egg on a pedestal. He picked it up and smashed it to the ground.

I looked around at all the remaining guests picking themselves and crying. I could feel the gaze upon me of the two guards of Jabe, tears fell down my cheeks and I shook my head. They turned toward each other in grief.

The sound of the Doctor's sonic drew my attention away.

"I have her coordinates. I can bring her back."

I spoke up beside him, "Instead of reversing her transport, why couldn't we send her coordinates to the Shadow Proclamation? Surely they wouldn't be stopped by her lawyers."

His hand froze, "Yes." His hand tightened on his sonic before he looked over at me, "I suppose that will have to do."

The Doctor walked away and a voice spoke in my mind.

'Follow him, Marion Rose.'

I did just that and found him standing overlooking the burnt Earth. I stood by his side not having to say anything.

A leather jacket slipped around my shoulders and I blushed as I caught a sight of how tightly my camisole clung to me due to the heat.

"Thank you." My voice was hoarse. I gazed at the destroyed planet, "It's gone."

Long fingers slipped into mine, "Come with me."

On the walk back to the TARDIS I pondered on when I stopped the Doctor.

I almost wished I hadn't.

I wanted to feel like what we had done was the right thing, that Lady Cassandra rotting in a jail cell was enough but I was left thinking about Jabe's plus two weeping...they hadn't been her guard but her brothers.

The Doctor's voice broke me from my thoughts, "Come along, Rose Tyler."

I stepped out of the TARDIS into noisy London. Babies cried, newspaper men called out to passersby and people walked past with no idea about the sight I'd seen.

"You think it's going to last forever..." He stopped before looking down at me, "My planet is gone."

"What happened?"

"There was a war and we lost."

"Who were they? Your people?"

He looked back over the busy streets, his face turning blank in grief, "I am a Time Lord. I am the last of the Time Lords; they are all gone. I'm left travelling on my own because there's no one else."

"You don't have to be alone anymore, I'm here."

I smiled up at him, "And I'll make sure you are never alone again."

A dry laugh came from the Doctor, "Is that a promise or a threat?"

Then his features melted into his goofy smile, even if it hadn't reached his eyes yet.

I let out a loud laugh, "Maybe its both?" I offered my hand, "I'm craving some chips, what do you say?"

"Can't pay."

I smiled, "That's alright I'll treat you, in return for a homemade meal made by you."

"There better be some fish in the deal then."

"Well of course, I wouldn't have it any other way."