Where Are You Roaming? (18/25)
Author: lorelaisquared
Titile: Where Are You Roaming?
Fandom: Doctor Who
Word Count: 1768
Characters: Rose, Donna, Ten, Viola (OC)
Pairings: Rose/TenII, Rose/Ten
Summary: Sequel to What’s To Come is Still Unsure. Rose and Viola struggle to adjust to being in Rose’s original universe while the Doctor deals with the ramifications of his actions at "Bowie Base One" on Mars.
Rating: PG
Beta(s): meremoon
Author’s Note: As promised here is Chapter 18 a little bit early. There will probably be a delay in my response to comments this week since I will be out of the country but I'll respond as soon as I'm back and able. Regular Friday postings will resume on August 12th. Enjoy!
Special thanks to my beta, meremoon for her invaluable feedback. Also a huge thank you to rumpelsnorcack for her constant support and cheerleading. A quick shout out to earlgreytea68 for periodically letting me bounce ideas off of her.
Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 |
Chapter 18
The Doctor tugged at his hair frantically as he watched events unfold before him. He was beginning to panic.
“Think, think, think!” he yelled at himself as he paced around the console. He stopped by the monitor that showed Rose, lying motionless on the ground, her strength and energy spent after trying to buy them more time.
He slammed his fist against the console and swore in Gallifreyan. He’d failed her. She’d given everything she had to try and save them all and he’d failed her. Right after he’d failed her daughter and Donna and everyone. Emotions began to boil deep within his chest and suddenly he felt the urge to scream. To rage against to universe at the injustice of it all.
Instead, he fought against his fury, swallowing hard as he forced himself to tweak the TARDIS settings in one final, futile attempt to stop the inevitable.
A sudden yelp pulled him out of his destructive reverie and he turned toward the sound just as the Master’s fingers slipped from the edge of the TARDIS. He raced to the door, reaching out to grasp his arm, but he was too late and he, Jack and Donna watched in horror as the Master plummeted into the depths of the Time War.
Suddenly, there was a massive explosion that resounded through the universe. Then, just as suddenly, the light and flame that had accompanied the explosion began to vanish and as it went, so did the Time War. The Time Lock was back in place.
The Doctor sank to his knees, overcome with a mixture of grief, regret and relief. He sensed Donna kneel beside him, her arm over his shoulder in a half hug.
“It’s all right now, Doctor. It’s over.”
Without looking at her or Jack he nodded and got to his feet.
“Doctor?” Jack’s voice was filled with concern, but the Doctor tuned him out, walking to the console and programming it on autopilot.
He was vaguely aware of Donna closing the TARDIS doors and coming to stand beside him, her hands over his as the TARDIS began to move. She seemed to know instinctively what he was doing and within seconds they had landed beside Rose.
As he walked toward her, his eyes fixed on her limp form, the numbness he’d felt since watching his people die a second time began to melt away and was replaced with a sort of cool calm. Without touching her, or testing her vitals he knew with certainty that she was still alive.
He studied her face. She looked older and yet still so very, very young. There were tiny creases near her eyes that made him think of both happiness and sadness. It was his Rose, the one he’d last seen on a beach in Norway in another world. The one he’d dreamt of every single night since he’d left her. The one he’d tried to push out of his heart but had never quite succeeded.
Sure, earlier, (he wasn’t even certain exactly when it was - it seemed a million years ago now), he’d saved another version of his beloved and being with her had been wonderful in its own way, but deep down, he’d known it wasn’t quite right. That she wasn’t quite right. That he wasn’t quite right.
Now though, everything would be different. Better. With very little effort, he scooped Rose into his arms, holding her close to his chest as he carried her into the TARDIS. It wasn’t until they were safely inside that he remembered the other thing he’d done. The thing she’d never forgive him for. The thing he’d never forgive himself for.
Viola.
*~*~*~*~*
Rose slowly drifted into consciousness. She could hear people talking but she couldn’t make out their voices or what they were saying. Her head was pounding and although her body didn’t ache, she felt weary and exhausted everywhere.
She moaned and the talking stopped abruptly. She could feel people gazing at her, though how many people, or who they were she wasn’t sure. With great effort, she forced her eyes open and gasped.
The Doctor was staring down at her. For a moment, her heart soared and she thought it was her husband, but then she remembered his death, and the great effort he had gone to in sending her and Viola through the Void. To him. To this man, her original Doctor who was holding her in his arms and staring down at her in wonder.
She fought tears as the memory of her husband’s death pierced her heart all over again. She’d known it would be hard to see the Doctor again, but even though she’d thought she was prepared for it, she realized now it was something she could never have truly prepared for. Not wanting to fall apart now, Rose suppressed her thoughts focusing instead on the other people in the room.
Donna was there she saw, looking at Rose anxiously. She smiled back at her fondly. They’d been through a lot together recently and Rose already considered her to be a good friend. Beside Donna was Jack, and Rose felt her smile broaden to a wide grin. Until now, she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed Jack during all those years in the other universe. It was good to see them.
Her eyes swept the rest of the room, searching for her daughter. Disappointed, she brought her gaze back to the Doctor’s and struggled to sit up.
“Viola,” she whispered hoarsely. “Where is she? I thought for sure she’d have found you by now.”
The Doctor looked down, but not before Rose saw the immense pain that was reflected in his eyes.
“She did.” His voice was practically inaudible and she had to strain to hear.
Rose slid off his lap and stood on shaky legs. “Then where is she?”
When he didn’t answer, Rose felt terror grip her heart. She placed her hands on his shoulders and asked again. “Where is Viola? Is my daughter okay?”
The Doctor finally raised his eyes to meet hers. They were damp with moisture and even before he spoke she knew.
“Rose.” His adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. “We’ll get her back. We’ll find her, I promise.” The emotion in his voice broke Rose’s carefully honed control and she felt tears begin to trickle down her cheek.
“Doctor, please tell me, what happened?”
It was Jack who answered. “She vanished. We don’t know where she went. She was here with us one minute and then the next she was gone, and all that was left was a large crack.”
A flash of cold fear engulfed Rose. “The crack? Viola was sucked into the crack?” Her knees began to buckle, and she felt someone guiding her her to sit down in the captain’s chair.
The Doctor’s voice was clear and even as he spoke. “Actually, I think the crack was in her mind somehow. I… I saw it before things got so messed up. But Rose, I think she’s okay. I heard her.”
“You heard her?” Rose felt her heart beat more rapidly as she looked at him anxiously. “Here?”
“No. Here.” He tapped his head lightly. “Earlier when I was in the crack.”
“You were in the crack?” Rose’s head began to pound harder. None of this made any sense and it wasn’t bringing them any closer to locating her daughter.
“It’s not important.” He knelt in front of her and reached for her hands but she pulled them away. He sighed. “Look, Rose, I think Viola is in some kind of limbo between existence and non-existence. I can still sense her, so I know she’s all right, but the connection is getting weaker and I don’t know how much longer...” He trailed off, his voice sad and wistful.
Alarmed by the thought of running out of time before they could save Viola, Rose took a steadying breath and swiped at her tears. “How do we get her back?” She asked, wincing at the pinched twinge in her voice.
The Doctor refused to meet her yes. “I’ll find a way, I promise. If I could just…” He spun away from her, throwing his entire being into fiddling with the many exotic items on the console.
Suddenly Donna walked over and placed her hands on the Doctor’s shoulders, startling them both. “Turning into a nutter isn’t going to help you or Viola. Calm down, I know a way.”
The Doctor gaped at her. “You know? How?”
Donna rolled her eyes and placed two fingers against her temple. “Time Lord brain, remember? And unlike yours, mine isn’t completely useless and clouded by emotion.”
“Oi!, I’m not -“
“You are.” Donna walked over to the console and began to flick switches.
“Hey, gentle with her, the TARDIS is not invincible you know?”
“Oi, quit your whining and let me clean up the mess you’ve made of things.”
“But how do you even -“
“Shhhhh!” Donna said loudly. “Later. Let me concentrate.”
Rose looked between the two of them bewildered. “What does she mean the mess you made of things?” she asked the Doctor calmly, not wanting to disturb Donna who had now enlisted Jack to help her with whatever it was she was doing.
He rubbed a hand on the back of his neck and looked down at his feet. “I… well, it’s a long story but remember how I always used to warn you about fixed points in time and the dangers of changing the past?”
Rose nodded.
“Well,” he paused and she could tell he was searching for the right words. “I did something like that.”
Rose’s eyes widened. “Is that why… is that why all this stuff happened? Why Donna and I got trapped in the Void, why realities and times were mixing, why the Time Lock was broken? Because you tampered with things you shouldn’t have?”
The Doctor nodded miserably. “It’s worse than that, Rose. I… the things I did, they kind of unmade the current versions of you and Donna and Viola.”
“What?” Rose gaped at the man she’d once known so well.
He’d done this? After all the lectures he used to give her? She felt fury begin to well up inside her and she had to fight hard to keep control. She felt a torrent of angry words bubble to the surface just as Donna’s triumphant voice rang through the TARDIS.
“We’re here!”
Rose took a deep breath, forcing her anger at the Doctor to subside for the moment. Right now, the most important thing was finding her daughter. Everything else would have to wait.
*~*~*~*~*
TBC
Previous Chapter | Next Chapter
Titile: Where Are You Roaming?
Fandom: Doctor Who
Word Count: 1768
Characters: Rose, Donna, Ten, Viola (OC)
Pairings: Rose/TenII, Rose/Ten
Summary: Sequel to What’s To Come is Still Unsure. Rose and Viola struggle to adjust to being in Rose’s original universe while the Doctor deals with the ramifications of his actions at "Bowie Base One" on Mars.
Rating: PG
Beta(s): meremoon
Author’s Note: As promised here is Chapter 18 a little bit early. There will probably be a delay in my response to comments this week since I will be out of the country but I'll respond as soon as I'm back and able. Regular Friday postings will resume on August 12th. Enjoy!
Special thanks to my beta, meremoon for her invaluable feedback. Also a huge thank you to rumpelsnorcack for her constant support and cheerleading. A quick shout out to earlgreytea68 for periodically letting me bounce ideas off of her.
Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 |
Chapter 18
The Doctor tugged at his hair frantically as he watched events unfold before him. He was beginning to panic.
“Think, think, think!” he yelled at himself as he paced around the console. He stopped by the monitor that showed Rose, lying motionless on the ground, her strength and energy spent after trying to buy them more time.
He slammed his fist against the console and swore in Gallifreyan. He’d failed her. She’d given everything she had to try and save them all and he’d failed her. Right after he’d failed her daughter and Donna and everyone. Emotions began to boil deep within his chest and suddenly he felt the urge to scream. To rage against to universe at the injustice of it all.
Instead, he fought against his fury, swallowing hard as he forced himself to tweak the TARDIS settings in one final, futile attempt to stop the inevitable.
A sudden yelp pulled him out of his destructive reverie and he turned toward the sound just as the Master’s fingers slipped from the edge of the TARDIS. He raced to the door, reaching out to grasp his arm, but he was too late and he, Jack and Donna watched in horror as the Master plummeted into the depths of the Time War.
Suddenly, there was a massive explosion that resounded through the universe. Then, just as suddenly, the light and flame that had accompanied the explosion began to vanish and as it went, so did the Time War. The Time Lock was back in place.
The Doctor sank to his knees, overcome with a mixture of grief, regret and relief. He sensed Donna kneel beside him, her arm over his shoulder in a half hug.
“It’s all right now, Doctor. It’s over.”
Without looking at her or Jack he nodded and got to his feet.
“Doctor?” Jack’s voice was filled with concern, but the Doctor tuned him out, walking to the console and programming it on autopilot.
He was vaguely aware of Donna closing the TARDIS doors and coming to stand beside him, her hands over his as the TARDIS began to move. She seemed to know instinctively what he was doing and within seconds they had landed beside Rose.
As he walked toward her, his eyes fixed on her limp form, the numbness he’d felt since watching his people die a second time began to melt away and was replaced with a sort of cool calm. Without touching her, or testing her vitals he knew with certainty that she was still alive.
He studied her face. She looked older and yet still so very, very young. There were tiny creases near her eyes that made him think of both happiness and sadness. It was his Rose, the one he’d last seen on a beach in Norway in another world. The one he’d dreamt of every single night since he’d left her. The one he’d tried to push out of his heart but had never quite succeeded.
Sure, earlier, (he wasn’t even certain exactly when it was - it seemed a million years ago now), he’d saved another version of his beloved and being with her had been wonderful in its own way, but deep down, he’d known it wasn’t quite right. That she wasn’t quite right. That he wasn’t quite right.
Now though, everything would be different. Better. With very little effort, he scooped Rose into his arms, holding her close to his chest as he carried her into the TARDIS. It wasn’t until they were safely inside that he remembered the other thing he’d done. The thing she’d never forgive him for. The thing he’d never forgive himself for.
Viola.
*~*~*~*~*
Rose slowly drifted into consciousness. She could hear people talking but she couldn’t make out their voices or what they were saying. Her head was pounding and although her body didn’t ache, she felt weary and exhausted everywhere.
She moaned and the talking stopped abruptly. She could feel people gazing at her, though how many people, or who they were she wasn’t sure. With great effort, she forced her eyes open and gasped.
The Doctor was staring down at her. For a moment, her heart soared and she thought it was her husband, but then she remembered his death, and the great effort he had gone to in sending her and Viola through the Void. To him. To this man, her original Doctor who was holding her in his arms and staring down at her in wonder.
She fought tears as the memory of her husband’s death pierced her heart all over again. She’d known it would be hard to see the Doctor again, but even though she’d thought she was prepared for it, she realized now it was something she could never have truly prepared for. Not wanting to fall apart now, Rose suppressed her thoughts focusing instead on the other people in the room.
Donna was there she saw, looking at Rose anxiously. She smiled back at her fondly. They’d been through a lot together recently and Rose already considered her to be a good friend. Beside Donna was Jack, and Rose felt her smile broaden to a wide grin. Until now, she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed Jack during all those years in the other universe. It was good to see them.
Her eyes swept the rest of the room, searching for her daughter. Disappointed, she brought her gaze back to the Doctor’s and struggled to sit up.
“Viola,” she whispered hoarsely. “Where is she? I thought for sure she’d have found you by now.”
The Doctor looked down, but not before Rose saw the immense pain that was reflected in his eyes.
“She did.” His voice was practically inaudible and she had to strain to hear.
Rose slid off his lap and stood on shaky legs. “Then where is she?”
When he didn’t answer, Rose felt terror grip her heart. She placed her hands on his shoulders and asked again. “Where is Viola? Is my daughter okay?”
The Doctor finally raised his eyes to meet hers. They were damp with moisture and even before he spoke she knew.
“Rose.” His adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. “We’ll get her back. We’ll find her, I promise.” The emotion in his voice broke Rose’s carefully honed control and she felt tears begin to trickle down her cheek.
“Doctor, please tell me, what happened?”
It was Jack who answered. “She vanished. We don’t know where she went. She was here with us one minute and then the next she was gone, and all that was left was a large crack.”
A flash of cold fear engulfed Rose. “The crack? Viola was sucked into the crack?” Her knees began to buckle, and she felt someone guiding her her to sit down in the captain’s chair.
The Doctor’s voice was clear and even as he spoke. “Actually, I think the crack was in her mind somehow. I… I saw it before things got so messed up. But Rose, I think she’s okay. I heard her.”
“You heard her?” Rose felt her heart beat more rapidly as she looked at him anxiously. “Here?”
“No. Here.” He tapped his head lightly. “Earlier when I was in the crack.”
“You were in the crack?” Rose’s head began to pound harder. None of this made any sense and it wasn’t bringing them any closer to locating her daughter.
“It’s not important.” He knelt in front of her and reached for her hands but she pulled them away. He sighed. “Look, Rose, I think Viola is in some kind of limbo between existence and non-existence. I can still sense her, so I know she’s all right, but the connection is getting weaker and I don’t know how much longer...” He trailed off, his voice sad and wistful.
Alarmed by the thought of running out of time before they could save Viola, Rose took a steadying breath and swiped at her tears. “How do we get her back?” She asked, wincing at the pinched twinge in her voice.
The Doctor refused to meet her yes. “I’ll find a way, I promise. If I could just…” He spun away from her, throwing his entire being into fiddling with the many exotic items on the console.
Suddenly Donna walked over and placed her hands on the Doctor’s shoulders, startling them both. “Turning into a nutter isn’t going to help you or Viola. Calm down, I know a way.”
The Doctor gaped at her. “You know? How?”
Donna rolled her eyes and placed two fingers against her temple. “Time Lord brain, remember? And unlike yours, mine isn’t completely useless and clouded by emotion.”
“Oi!, I’m not -“
“You are.” Donna walked over to the console and began to flick switches.
“Hey, gentle with her, the TARDIS is not invincible you know?”
“Oi, quit your whining and let me clean up the mess you’ve made of things.”
“But how do you even -“
“Shhhhh!” Donna said loudly. “Later. Let me concentrate.”
Rose looked between the two of them bewildered. “What does she mean the mess you made of things?” she asked the Doctor calmly, not wanting to disturb Donna who had now enlisted Jack to help her with whatever it was she was doing.
He rubbed a hand on the back of his neck and looked down at his feet. “I… well, it’s a long story but remember how I always used to warn you about fixed points in time and the dangers of changing the past?”
Rose nodded.
“Well,” he paused and she could tell he was searching for the right words. “I did something like that.”
Rose’s eyes widened. “Is that why… is that why all this stuff happened? Why Donna and I got trapped in the Void, why realities and times were mixing, why the Time Lock was broken? Because you tampered with things you shouldn’t have?”
The Doctor nodded miserably. “It’s worse than that, Rose. I… the things I did, they kind of unmade the current versions of you and Donna and Viola.”
“What?” Rose gaped at the man she’d once known so well.
He’d done this? After all the lectures he used to give her? She felt fury begin to well up inside her and she had to fight hard to keep control. She felt a torrent of angry words bubble to the surface just as Donna’s triumphant voice rang through the TARDIS.
“We’re here!”
Rose took a deep breath, forcing her anger at the Doctor to subside for the moment. Right now, the most important thing was finding her daughter. Everything else would have to wait.
*~*~*~*~*
TBC
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