Title: The More Things Change
Characters/Pairing: The Doctor and Rose
Word Count: 308
Rating: G
Summary: The Doctor has some quick business to attend to, and Rose contemplates how things change.
Notes: I don't know. I was watching "The Christmas Invasion" earlier today, and sometimes these things happen. Takes place after TCI, but before (most of) New Earth.
Disclaimer: Don't own it. Just for fun.
The wheezing roar of the TARDIS faded, and Rose sprang for the door. The Doctor flailed at her and made an inarticulate series of noises that were enough to bring her to a halt, and she swung around to face him. "What is it?"
"Just... hang on. We're not actually there yet, just had to make a quick stop..." He tilted the screen toward him and flipped a few switches in a way Rose wasn't certain wasn't completely random. She moved back to the console to peer over his shoulder.
"Where are we then?"
"Earth. Exactly the same place, actually. Just... a couple thousand years on. Just a bit of business to attend to..." He typed something, hit another button or two, and Rose frowned at him. When the Doctor talked about business... But maybe he was different, this Doctor. Well, he was definitely different.
An image on the screen flickered to life, distracting her from that line of thought, and she recoiled a little when she saw that it was a Sycorax on the screen. "Doctor..."
"It's alright," he said with an encouraging smile before turning his attention back to the screen. Before the Sycorax could demand to know who he was - or even speak, for that matter - the Doctor said brightly, "Hello, I'm the Doctor! Now, I think I said something about not invading this planet. That may not have been the wording. Scavenging? Anyway. May've made mention of 'for the rest of time' somewhere in there. I understand if the message didn't exactly get through, sort of lost in transit... that's fine. Just turn around now and go home, no hard feelings."
The Doctor glanced over to Rose, and smiled. Rose gaped at him, and couldn't quite decide whether this was so different from the man she knew, or just the same.