Lost Time - The Epilogue
Will the Doctor ever come back?
A/N: Firstly, my thanks to everyone who has reviewed thus far, this is the last chapter of Lost Time - but never fear - it isn't over yet!! Also, my thanks to
lostwolfchats for the beta and keeping me entertained with her own stories as well! lol!
It was one of those rare baking hot days in London. Rose had managed to find herself a shady spot in Hyde Park and had curled up, reading a newspaper. There had been quite a bad earthquake in Cardiff and although Rose knew it had been Jack’s attempt at attention seeking she had still brought the paper to see what the media made of it. As she suspected, the media was blaming the Government, not that there was a justifiable reason to do so - an earthquake was an earthquake, but it had been the fourth one in as many months.
Of course, the media attention was nothing compared to the fuss that U.N.I.T had kicked up and Martha had reported that they were planning on pulling Jack in for questioning, claiming that the Head of Torchwood Three should know better than manipulate the Rift. Still, as far as anyone could tell, the American hadn’t been called to London, much to the disappointment of Martha and Rose.
The blonde glanced up over the top of her paper to see Martha Jones returning with two polystyrene cups of coffee. ‘Anything else interesting in there?’ she asked, nodding at the paper that Rose was holding.
Rose flicked though a couple of the pages. ‘Not really. Apparently we’re all going to be killed by a gas cloud that is heading in the direction of the Milky Way,’ she commented, scanning the article, ‘but it’s okay, it won’t get here for another twenty to forty million years.’ She looked up to see Martha looking thoughtful. ‘What?’
‘Dunno, I was just wondering how Earth really ends.’
Rose had gone back to the paper and had been flicking though the pages again. ‘Sun expands in the year five billion and it gets roasted,’ she replied without looking up.
‘Oh,’ replied Martha. ‘Seems a bit undramatic.’
‘Yep,’ said Rose, shaking her head as she tossed the paper aside and leant back against the tree trunk she was sitting by. She looked at her watch. ‘What time have you got to be back?’
‘In twenty minutes,’ replied Martha, standing up, brushing herself off and taking a sip of her coffee, ‘so I better get going - the traffic was hideous on the way over, see you later?’
‘Most probably,’ she replied, ‘unless I get a better invitation, of course.’
Martha raised her eyebrows. ‘Expecting some handsome man to sweep you off at some point?’
Rose laughed. ‘Only if Jack ends up in town,’ she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her mobile, ‘in fact, he said he would call me anyway.’ She frowned as the phone showed that she didn’t have any missed calls. ‘Probably didn’t go as planned.’
‘When does it ever?’ asked Martha, ‘it’s only his fourth attempt at it in as many months.’ Once again she looked at her watch. ‘Anyway, really have to be off.’
Rose waved Martha off as her mobile phone started to ring. She looked at it excitedly, but saw that it was Donna, not Jack, who was calling her. She answered the call. ‘Hey, you just missed Martha,’ she told the woman on the other end of the line. She smiled as the red head enquired about her immediate plans. ‘Well, I told Sarah Jane I’d pop over sometime this afternoon, unless Jack ends up in town, why?’ She waited for a moment as Donna explained why she wanted to know. ‘No, no, I’ll hang around for half an hour; I’m over by the fountain.’ She laughed as Donna responded. ‘I’ll call you if I move.’
She reached over and opened the discarded paper once more.
‘Half an hour?’ exclaimed the Doctor, as Donna closed her mobile phone. ‘We could go in the TARDIS and be there in half a minute.’
Donna nodded her head. ‘We could, but we’re not going to,’ she told the Time Lord, crossing her arms and glaring at him. ‘Rose has told me about your inability to land in the correct time - chances are we’ll end up another four months down the line for her.’
The Doctor pouted, a move that rarely worked with Donna. ‘But I got from Cardiff to here in less than five minutes,’ he exclaimed to Donna.
The red head raised her eyebrows. ‘And nicely done too, you’ve parked in my living room!’ she replied.
Running his hand though his hair, he looked at the Police Box and smiled. ‘Jackie never seemed to mind too much and neither did Martha,’ he told Donna, who was still looking extremely unimpressed with him.
‘Yeah, well, I do,’ she told him, ‘but we don’t have time to move it. Now come on.’ She pulled on her jacket and checked she had her purse. ‘Of course, we wouldn’t have this problem if you listened to your voice mail once in a while, instead no, we have to get Jack to cause a bit of trouble at the Rift to get your attention.’ The Doctor shrugged, but Donna could see there was a hint of a look in his eyes, suggesting he was perhaps just a little put out that he hadn’t heard the message. ‘It’s okay, though,’ said Donna, now smiling at him. ‘I remember the last you lost her all too well.’
The Doctor beamed at her. ‘Well, come on then, what are we waiting for?’
‘You,’ exclaimed Donna, ‘I’m ready.’
Rose looked at her watch sighing. Donna wasn’t late yet, but she was hungry. She rummaged though her bag for her mobile phone and dialled in Donna’s number. She was greeted by the voicemail; it told her that Donna was probably stuck on the Underground. Although Donna did drive, she very rarely drove into the congestion charge zone. ‘Hey, just me, I’m gonna have to go and grab a sandwich, so I’ll be over at Twitchy-Witchy’s, let me know if you want a bite to eat and I’ll grab you something.’
She was just packing up her belongings when a shadow fell on her, she frowned and as she looked up the newcomer spoke. ‘Hello, Rose.’
She paused for a moment, letting that voice wash over her, a grin spreading over her lips. ‘Hello, Doctor,’ she replied, finally looking up, using her hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight that was now flickering between the leaves. Rose pushed herself to her feet, taking him in. Then she launched herself into his arms. He caught her and laughed joyously as she pressed her head to his shoulder. Finally, they broke apart, Rose looking up into his eyes, which were crinkled with joy.
‘I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you,’ he told her, running a hand though her hair. ‘Said I’d never leave you behind.’
She laughed, brushing off his apology. ‘The way they all told it to me, it seemed pretty definite that I was a goner. Not everyday one survives an avalanche - just lucky I guess.’ Rose smiled sadly. ‘Still, wished you’d have come back sooner,’ she started twisting the Doctor’s tie around her fingers.
The Doctor grabbed her hand and looked down at her, his smile wide, but his eyes betrayed something like nervous energy. ‘So, you want to come with me?’ he asked her.
‘Where did you have in mind?’ she enquired, hitching her bag up on her shoulder.
The Doctor positively beamed as he set off down the path. ‘Oh, I don’t know, I happen to know of a little place out in the Causpia Stretch, the sky looks like shimmering gold dust, or, how about Insedrian, best chocolate in the universe - after Belgium, of course.’
Rose laughed as she joined his side. ‘Either one, don’t mind, seeing as we won’t be getting there anyway.’
A/N: Firstly, my thanks to everyone who has reviewed thus far, this is the last chapter of Lost Time - but never fear - it isn't over yet!! Also, my thanks to
lostwolfchats for the beta and keeping me entertained with her own stories as well! lol!
It was one of those rare baking hot days in London. Rose had managed to find herself a shady spot in Hyde Park and had curled up, reading a newspaper. There had been quite a bad earthquake in Cardiff and although Rose knew it had been Jack’s attempt at attention seeking she had still brought the paper to see what the media made of it. As she suspected, the media was blaming the Government, not that there was a justifiable reason to do so - an earthquake was an earthquake, but it had been the fourth one in as many months.
Of course, the media attention was nothing compared to the fuss that U.N.I.T had kicked up and Martha had reported that they were planning on pulling Jack in for questioning, claiming that the Head of Torchwood Three should know better than manipulate the Rift. Still, as far as anyone could tell, the American hadn’t been called to London, much to the disappointment of Martha and Rose.
The blonde glanced up over the top of her paper to see Martha Jones returning with two polystyrene cups of coffee. ‘Anything else interesting in there?’ she asked, nodding at the paper that Rose was holding.
Rose flicked though a couple of the pages. ‘Not really. Apparently we’re all going to be killed by a gas cloud that is heading in the direction of the Milky Way,’ she commented, scanning the article, ‘but it’s okay, it won’t get here for another twenty to forty million years.’ She looked up to see Martha looking thoughtful. ‘What?’
‘Dunno, I was just wondering how Earth really ends.’
Rose had gone back to the paper and had been flicking though the pages again. ‘Sun expands in the year five billion and it gets roasted,’ she replied without looking up.
‘Oh,’ replied Martha. ‘Seems a bit undramatic.’
‘Yep,’ said Rose, shaking her head as she tossed the paper aside and leant back against the tree trunk she was sitting by. She looked at her watch. ‘What time have you got to be back?’
‘In twenty minutes,’ replied Martha, standing up, brushing herself off and taking a sip of her coffee, ‘so I better get going - the traffic was hideous on the way over, see you later?’
‘Most probably,’ she replied, ‘unless I get a better invitation, of course.’
Martha raised her eyebrows. ‘Expecting some handsome man to sweep you off at some point?’
Rose laughed. ‘Only if Jack ends up in town,’ she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her mobile, ‘in fact, he said he would call me anyway.’ She frowned as the phone showed that she didn’t have any missed calls. ‘Probably didn’t go as planned.’
‘When does it ever?’ asked Martha, ‘it’s only his fourth attempt at it in as many months.’ Once again she looked at her watch. ‘Anyway, really have to be off.’
Rose waved Martha off as her mobile phone started to ring. She looked at it excitedly, but saw that it was Donna, not Jack, who was calling her. She answered the call. ‘Hey, you just missed Martha,’ she told the woman on the other end of the line. She smiled as the red head enquired about her immediate plans. ‘Well, I told Sarah Jane I’d pop over sometime this afternoon, unless Jack ends up in town, why?’ She waited for a moment as Donna explained why she wanted to know. ‘No, no, I’ll hang around for half an hour; I’m over by the fountain.’ She laughed as Donna responded. ‘I’ll call you if I move.’
She reached over and opened the discarded paper once more.
‘Half an hour?’ exclaimed the Doctor, as Donna closed her mobile phone. ‘We could go in the TARDIS and be there in half a minute.’
Donna nodded her head. ‘We could, but we’re not going to,’ she told the Time Lord, crossing her arms and glaring at him. ‘Rose has told me about your inability to land in the correct time - chances are we’ll end up another four months down the line for her.’
The Doctor pouted, a move that rarely worked with Donna. ‘But I got from Cardiff to here in less than five minutes,’ he exclaimed to Donna.
The red head raised her eyebrows. ‘And nicely done too, you’ve parked in my living room!’ she replied.
Running his hand though his hair, he looked at the Police Box and smiled. ‘Jackie never seemed to mind too much and neither did Martha,’ he told Donna, who was still looking extremely unimpressed with him.
‘Yeah, well, I do,’ she told him, ‘but we don’t have time to move it. Now come on.’ She pulled on her jacket and checked she had her purse. ‘Of course, we wouldn’t have this problem if you listened to your voice mail once in a while, instead no, we have to get Jack to cause a bit of trouble at the Rift to get your attention.’ The Doctor shrugged, but Donna could see there was a hint of a look in his eyes, suggesting he was perhaps just a little put out that he hadn’t heard the message. ‘It’s okay, though,’ said Donna, now smiling at him. ‘I remember the last you lost her all too well.’
The Doctor beamed at her. ‘Well, come on then, what are we waiting for?’
‘You,’ exclaimed Donna, ‘I’m ready.’
Rose looked at her watch sighing. Donna wasn’t late yet, but she was hungry. She rummaged though her bag for her mobile phone and dialled in Donna’s number. She was greeted by the voicemail; it told her that Donna was probably stuck on the Underground. Although Donna did drive, she very rarely drove into the congestion charge zone. ‘Hey, just me, I’m gonna have to go and grab a sandwich, so I’ll be over at Twitchy-Witchy’s, let me know if you want a bite to eat and I’ll grab you something.’
She was just packing up her belongings when a shadow fell on her, she frowned and as she looked up the newcomer spoke. ‘Hello, Rose.’
She paused for a moment, letting that voice wash over her, a grin spreading over her lips. ‘Hello, Doctor,’ she replied, finally looking up, using her hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight that was now flickering between the leaves. Rose pushed herself to her feet, taking him in. Then she launched herself into his arms. He caught her and laughed joyously as she pressed her head to his shoulder. Finally, they broke apart, Rose looking up into his eyes, which were crinkled with joy.
‘I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you,’ he told her, running a hand though her hair. ‘Said I’d never leave you behind.’
She laughed, brushing off his apology. ‘The way they all told it to me, it seemed pretty definite that I was a goner. Not everyday one survives an avalanche - just lucky I guess.’ Rose smiled sadly. ‘Still, wished you’d have come back sooner,’ she started twisting the Doctor’s tie around her fingers.
The Doctor grabbed her hand and looked down at her, his smile wide, but his eyes betrayed something like nervous energy. ‘So, you want to come with me?’ he asked her.
‘Where did you have in mind?’ she enquired, hitching her bag up on her shoulder.
The Doctor positively beamed as he set off down the path. ‘Oh, I don’t know, I happen to know of a little place out in the Causpia Stretch, the sky looks like shimmering gold dust, or, how about Insedrian, best chocolate in the universe - after Belgium, of course.’
Rose laughed as she joined his side. ‘Either one, don’t mind, seeing as we won’t be getting there anyway.’