Where Are You Roaming? (11/25)
Author: lorelaisquared
Titile: Where Are You Roaming?
Fandom: Doctor Who
Word Count: 2077
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: 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
The Doctor knew he was acting a bit manic as he raced around the console, hooting in triumph as he programmed the TARDIS. Viola was still sitting on the jump seat, watching him as though he were mental.
He pressed a button with his shoe and reached around the side to pull a lever. Soon they were off, racing through time and space. It had been a long time since he'd been so certain about being right about something and he could feel the adrenaline and excitement pumping through his veins.
The landing was rough and he and Viola were both on the floor by the time the TARDIS stopped shuddering, but the Doctor didn't care. If he was right, and he was positive he was, they'd be seeing Rose and Donna very soon.
He pulled Viola to her feet and scrambled for the door. His enthusiasm was contagious and Viola trundled after him, eager to find her mother again.
Viola opened the door and they both froze. They were on Earth, in the not too distant past but it was wrong. All of it was wrong.
“Is that a dinosaur?” Viola asked incredulously.
The Doctor's entire being filled with dread as he answered, “Yes.”
The scene before them was pure chaos. Humans from the distant future mingled with humans from the modern day and the past. Prehistoric animals were sparing with futuristic robots and alien beings.
The Doctor backed away from the doors. “No, no, no, no, no.”
“What happened?” Viola wanted to know. “It's all mixed, up, it's all wrong.”
He shook his head frantically as he circled the console. “This can't be happening.” He caught Viola's eye. “It's not possible.”
Viola closed the doors and let out a long drawn out sigh as she approached the Doctor. “Clearly it is.”
“But, I've never seen anything like this. The walls between time periods and worlds are firmly locked. This can't happen.” He pulled the monitor on the console toward him and began taping at the keys with frantic need.
“Just because you've never seen something like this doesn't mean it can't happen. I saw it too - impossible or not, it's happened.”
“But -” The computer beeped, interrupting his argument as his attention focused on the screen. “What?” He frowned, none of it made sense. “What?”
“What is it? What did you see?” Viola wanted to know.
The Doctor jumped, he'd been so focused on the computer that her voice had startled him. He twisted his head so he could see her. She was standing directly behind him, on her tiptoes, trying to see the monitor.
He sighed and lifted her up so she could see it properly, watching as her bright eyes moved back and forth rapidly taking in the readings. She gasped. “Oh, this is bad.”
“It is,” he agreed, “But if we act quickly I think I can close the barriers and set everything right.”
Viola shook her head so violently that her hair hit his face. “You can't.”
“What? Why not?” the Doctor goggled at her, she could be so infuriating sometimes.
“Don't you see it?”
“See what?”
“The crack.”
He peered at the monitor again, everything was just as it had been before. “All I see is chaos that needs to be returned to order.”
“You really are so daft sometimes.” Viola huffed pointing to a mark on the left of the screen near a cluster of mathematical symbols. “It's right there. Look closely.”
He leaned in, careful to tighten his grip on the child so she wouldn't slip off his hip. He scrutinized the readouts, his frown deepening with every second that passed. “Oh no.”
The Doctor set Viola down and began to pace, his hair becoming more and more wild as his hands mussed it repeatedly. He felt Viola's gaze boring into him as he moved, and finally he paused to address her. “If you hadn't seen that I would have...”
“Made it worse, yes.” Her tone was so matter of fact that he started to laugh. “I don't see how this is funny,” Viola said, glaring at him with her arms crossed.
“It's not,” he assured her, sobering. “It's just you.”
“Me?” Viola raised her eyebrows.
“You're only seven, how come you keep being right all the time?”
“I told you I'm more intelligent than you.”
He scoffed. “That's debatable - I'm older and therefore wiser.”
“Humph, so you think.” Viola rolled her eyes. “Anyway, about that crack...”
*~*~*~*~*
An hour later, they'd managed to do further research and had discovered more cracks, identical in shape and size to the first one, scattered throughout the entire universe. The Doctor had insisted on an experimental visit to a far off planet to verify the extent of the situation and what they found there had been terrifying. Thousands of past, present and future human beings were in the centre of the planet, surrounded by hordes of alien races from just about every corner of the galaxy.
The situation was growing desperate, but neither Viola nor the Doctor knew how to fix it, particularly because they couldn't find any indication of what had caused the calamity in the first place.
It was during a particularly heated debate over a potential stratagem that Viola shoved her hands in her pockets during a fit of exasperation and rediscovered the slip of paper Donna had dropped before she'd vanished.
“What's that?” The Doctor wanted to know.
“Nothing, I think.” Viola handed to him. “I found it in the park where Donna was standing when she and Mum disappeared.”
He inspected the slip of paper carefully before his face broke into a massive grin. “Viola, you're brilliant!” He bounded over to her and to her utter surprise, hoisted her above his head, spinning her.
“Hey! Put me down!” Viola squealed, kicking her legs at him.
Laughing, he complied and danced over to the TARDIS.
Viola gaped at him. “What's wrong with you?”
“Wrong?” He flicked a switch. “Nothing is wrong with me. In fact, everything is right. I think I know the source of all this.”
“You do?” Viola watched, wide eyed as he pulled levers and flicked switches. “How did you get that from a list of random names and dates?”
He thrust the paper back at her before dashing to the other side of the console to flick a bunch of dials. “Look at the last one.”
She glanced at it. “It's an address.”
“Yes!” the Doctor shouted. “And it's circled.”
“So?”
“The date, Viola, look at the date.”
The TARDIS lurched sideways and Viola had to cling to a pillar to aVoid falling over. The Doctor was balancing himself comically on the console with a foot and an arm. Viola chuckled inwardly and looked at the date.
“Oh!” She gasped just as the TARDIS righted itself and landed. “That's exactly five years from the date Mum and I arrived in this universe!” Viola recalled a complicated equation the Doctor had utilized to pinpoint their exact date of entry when she'd told him everything... had it really only been a few hours ago?
“Exactly!”
“You think there's a connection?”
The Doctor grabbed his coat from where it was strewn over a pillar. “There has to be.”
“Couldn't it be a coincidence?”
He paused, his coat only half on and gave her a piercing stare. “Viola, your mother and Donna disappeared and now there's a massive crack in the universe. There's no way it's a coincidence.”
Viola bit her lip thoughtfully. A horrible possibility occurred to her and she felt her stomach turn.
“Viola? You all right?” The Doctor was staring at her with great concern.
“Yes, no, it's just... Do you think we did it?”
The Doctor sputtered. “You? No. No way.”
Viola eyed him uncertainly. “But we came from a parallel universe, something that technically shouldn't happen, so how do you know we didn't cause it?”
“I just know.”
“You don't.”
“Viola I am 99... no 95... okay 89.9123 percent positive that you and your mother did not cause this.”
“89.9123 percent? You made that up,” Viola accused.
He sighed. “Okay, yes, I did, but that's not the point.”
“So what is the point?”
“The point is, that you need to stop worrying. I really don't think you caused this... Donna is involved somehow and she had nothing to do with you coming through the Void.”
Viola dropped her shoulders. “That's true.”
“Good. We agree.” He gestured his head toward the rest of the TARDIS. “Now I'm going to go investigate this address. You stay here.”
Was he serious? Viola shook her head vehemently. “No way. I'm coming with you.”
“You can't, it's dangerous.”
Frustrated, Viola let out a low scream. “I'm not a baby. I can take care of myself.”
He blinked at her, clearly bewildered by her outburst. “I know you can, I was just trying to protect you.”
“Well quit it, it's annoying. Besides,” she said, heading down the ramp, “I'll just follow you anyway, wouldn't you rather I was with you?”
“Fine,” he relented, following her to the door. “But I'm doing the talking.”
*~*~*~*~*
The Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver from his pocket as he sauntered toward the electronics store that sported the address from Donna's slip of paper. He could hear Viola scuffling behind him, trying to keep up with his long, quick strides. He stopped at the door and motioned to Viola to be quiet as he cautiously pushed the door open.
He scanned the empty shop, both with his eyes and the sonic, wrinkling his nose at the pungent smell that greeted him. He crept further inside and swiped his finger over the top of a television set coming away with at least an inch of dust. Holding the finger out for Viola to inspect he whispered, “Doesn’t look like business is especially booming here.”
Viola shook her head and shoved his finger away from her face. “No,” she agreed. “It’s probably just a front.” To his surprise, she pulled her own sonic from her pocket and walked further into the store, scanning items as she moved. It was smaller than his, he noted and had a purple light instead of blue. He was curious if it had any additional functions and made a mental note to ask to see it later when they had more time.
The Doctor stared after her for a moment, a fresh smile gracing his lips. He followed her to the back of the store where an old dingy curtain covered a doorway. After motioning for Viola to pause, the Doctor placed his ear against the red fabric and listened carefully, wanting to be sure it was safe before venturing beyond it. Deciding it was clear, he flung the curtain open and held his screwdriver out in front of him as he advanced.
Together, he and Viola searched the back room, disappointed to find nothing more than a pile of dusty boxes and the messy remains of an administrative office. The Doctor was about to leave the office when Viola squeaked from the other corner of the room.
“What is it?” he inquired.
“Mum.”
The Doctor’s hearts began to pound. “What? Rose? Where?” He looked around searchingly, but all he could see was the desk Viola was standing behind.
“No, I mean her name, look.” Viola pointed to the desk. He followed her gaze and his eyes widened. The words ‘Rose Tyler’ had been carved repeatedly into the wooden surface of the desk.
He ran his fingers over the words, marvelling at how smooth it still felt. “How odd,” he murmured to himself.
“What could have made those carvings?” Viola wanted to know.
“Only one sure way to find out...” the Doctor adjusted the setting on his sonic screwdriver and directed the device at the desk.
Viola stood on her tiptoes trying to peer at it too. “What’s it say?”
The Doctor frowned, his stomach sinking. “This was carved by a special laser.”
“A laser? But why would someone do that?”
“I have some thoughts…” The Doctor tugged on his ear. “But it can’t be. He’s dead, he couldn’t... it’s impossible.” He looked at the carvings again, and tried to think; who else would be fixated on Rose?
“You’re not making any sense. Who’s dead?”
“Not me!” said a voice behind them. A voice the Doctor recognized all too well. Hearts thudding, both Time Lords spun around to face the newcomer.
TBC
Previous Chapter | Next Chapter
Titile: Where Are You Roaming?
Fandom: Doctor Who
Word Count: 2077
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: 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
The Doctor knew he was acting a bit manic as he raced around the console, hooting in triumph as he programmed the TARDIS. Viola was still sitting on the jump seat, watching him as though he were mental.
He pressed a button with his shoe and reached around the side to pull a lever. Soon they were off, racing through time and space. It had been a long time since he'd been so certain about being right about something and he could feel the adrenaline and excitement pumping through his veins.
The landing was rough and he and Viola were both on the floor by the time the TARDIS stopped shuddering, but the Doctor didn't care. If he was right, and he was positive he was, they'd be seeing Rose and Donna very soon.
He pulled Viola to her feet and scrambled for the door. His enthusiasm was contagious and Viola trundled after him, eager to find her mother again.
Viola opened the door and they both froze. They were on Earth, in the not too distant past but it was wrong. All of it was wrong.
“Is that a dinosaur?” Viola asked incredulously.
The Doctor's entire being filled with dread as he answered, “Yes.”
The scene before them was pure chaos. Humans from the distant future mingled with humans from the modern day and the past. Prehistoric animals were sparing with futuristic robots and alien beings.
The Doctor backed away from the doors. “No, no, no, no, no.”
“What happened?” Viola wanted to know. “It's all mixed, up, it's all wrong.”
He shook his head frantically as he circled the console. “This can't be happening.” He caught Viola's eye. “It's not possible.”
Viola closed the doors and let out a long drawn out sigh as she approached the Doctor. “Clearly it is.”
“But, I've never seen anything like this. The walls between time periods and worlds are firmly locked. This can't happen.” He pulled the monitor on the console toward him and began taping at the keys with frantic need.
“Just because you've never seen something like this doesn't mean it can't happen. I saw it too - impossible or not, it's happened.”
“But -” The computer beeped, interrupting his argument as his attention focused on the screen. “What?” He frowned, none of it made sense. “What?”
“What is it? What did you see?” Viola wanted to know.
The Doctor jumped, he'd been so focused on the computer that her voice had startled him. He twisted his head so he could see her. She was standing directly behind him, on her tiptoes, trying to see the monitor.
He sighed and lifted her up so she could see it properly, watching as her bright eyes moved back and forth rapidly taking in the readings. She gasped. “Oh, this is bad.”
“It is,” he agreed, “But if we act quickly I think I can close the barriers and set everything right.”
Viola shook her head so violently that her hair hit his face. “You can't.”
“What? Why not?” the Doctor goggled at her, she could be so infuriating sometimes.
“Don't you see it?”
“See what?”
“The crack.”
He peered at the monitor again, everything was just as it had been before. “All I see is chaos that needs to be returned to order.”
“You really are so daft sometimes.” Viola huffed pointing to a mark on the left of the screen near a cluster of mathematical symbols. “It's right there. Look closely.”
He leaned in, careful to tighten his grip on the child so she wouldn't slip off his hip. He scrutinized the readouts, his frown deepening with every second that passed. “Oh no.”
The Doctor set Viola down and began to pace, his hair becoming more and more wild as his hands mussed it repeatedly. He felt Viola's gaze boring into him as he moved, and finally he paused to address her. “If you hadn't seen that I would have...”
“Made it worse, yes.” Her tone was so matter of fact that he started to laugh. “I don't see how this is funny,” Viola said, glaring at him with her arms crossed.
“It's not,” he assured her, sobering. “It's just you.”
“Me?” Viola raised her eyebrows.
“You're only seven, how come you keep being right all the time?”
“I told you I'm more intelligent than you.”
He scoffed. “That's debatable - I'm older and therefore wiser.”
“Humph, so you think.” Viola rolled her eyes. “Anyway, about that crack...”
*~*~*~*~*
An hour later, they'd managed to do further research and had discovered more cracks, identical in shape and size to the first one, scattered throughout the entire universe. The Doctor had insisted on an experimental visit to a far off planet to verify the extent of the situation and what they found there had been terrifying. Thousands of past, present and future human beings were in the centre of the planet, surrounded by hordes of alien races from just about every corner of the galaxy.
The situation was growing desperate, but neither Viola nor the Doctor knew how to fix it, particularly because they couldn't find any indication of what had caused the calamity in the first place.
It was during a particularly heated debate over a potential stratagem that Viola shoved her hands in her pockets during a fit of exasperation and rediscovered the slip of paper Donna had dropped before she'd vanished.
“What's that?” The Doctor wanted to know.
“Nothing, I think.” Viola handed to him. “I found it in the park where Donna was standing when she and Mum disappeared.”
He inspected the slip of paper carefully before his face broke into a massive grin. “Viola, you're brilliant!” He bounded over to her and to her utter surprise, hoisted her above his head, spinning her.
“Hey! Put me down!” Viola squealed, kicking her legs at him.
Laughing, he complied and danced over to the TARDIS.
Viola gaped at him. “What's wrong with you?”
“Wrong?” He flicked a switch. “Nothing is wrong with me. In fact, everything is right. I think I know the source of all this.”
“You do?” Viola watched, wide eyed as he pulled levers and flicked switches. “How did you get that from a list of random names and dates?”
He thrust the paper back at her before dashing to the other side of the console to flick a bunch of dials. “Look at the last one.”
She glanced at it. “It's an address.”
“Yes!” the Doctor shouted. “And it's circled.”
“So?”
“The date, Viola, look at the date.”
The TARDIS lurched sideways and Viola had to cling to a pillar to aVoid falling over. The Doctor was balancing himself comically on the console with a foot and an arm. Viola chuckled inwardly and looked at the date.
“Oh!” She gasped just as the TARDIS righted itself and landed. “That's exactly five years from the date Mum and I arrived in this universe!” Viola recalled a complicated equation the Doctor had utilized to pinpoint their exact date of entry when she'd told him everything... had it really only been a few hours ago?
“Exactly!”
“You think there's a connection?”
The Doctor grabbed his coat from where it was strewn over a pillar. “There has to be.”
“Couldn't it be a coincidence?”
He paused, his coat only half on and gave her a piercing stare. “Viola, your mother and Donna disappeared and now there's a massive crack in the universe. There's no way it's a coincidence.”
Viola bit her lip thoughtfully. A horrible possibility occurred to her and she felt her stomach turn.
“Viola? You all right?” The Doctor was staring at her with great concern.
“Yes, no, it's just... Do you think we did it?”
The Doctor sputtered. “You? No. No way.”
Viola eyed him uncertainly. “But we came from a parallel universe, something that technically shouldn't happen, so how do you know we didn't cause it?”
“I just know.”
“You don't.”
“Viola I am 99... no 95... okay 89.9123 percent positive that you and your mother did not cause this.”
“89.9123 percent? You made that up,” Viola accused.
He sighed. “Okay, yes, I did, but that's not the point.”
“So what is the point?”
“The point is, that you need to stop worrying. I really don't think you caused this... Donna is involved somehow and she had nothing to do with you coming through the Void.”
Viola dropped her shoulders. “That's true.”
“Good. We agree.” He gestured his head toward the rest of the TARDIS. “Now I'm going to go investigate this address. You stay here.”
Was he serious? Viola shook her head vehemently. “No way. I'm coming with you.”
“You can't, it's dangerous.”
Frustrated, Viola let out a low scream. “I'm not a baby. I can take care of myself.”
He blinked at her, clearly bewildered by her outburst. “I know you can, I was just trying to protect you.”
“Well quit it, it's annoying. Besides,” she said, heading down the ramp, “I'll just follow you anyway, wouldn't you rather I was with you?”
“Fine,” he relented, following her to the door. “But I'm doing the talking.”
*~*~*~*~*
The Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver from his pocket as he sauntered toward the electronics store that sported the address from Donna's slip of paper. He could hear Viola scuffling behind him, trying to keep up with his long, quick strides. He stopped at the door and motioned to Viola to be quiet as he cautiously pushed the door open.
He scanned the empty shop, both with his eyes and the sonic, wrinkling his nose at the pungent smell that greeted him. He crept further inside and swiped his finger over the top of a television set coming away with at least an inch of dust. Holding the finger out for Viola to inspect he whispered, “Doesn’t look like business is especially booming here.”
Viola shook her head and shoved his finger away from her face. “No,” she agreed. “It’s probably just a front.” To his surprise, she pulled her own sonic from her pocket and walked further into the store, scanning items as she moved. It was smaller than his, he noted and had a purple light instead of blue. He was curious if it had any additional functions and made a mental note to ask to see it later when they had more time.
The Doctor stared after her for a moment, a fresh smile gracing his lips. He followed her to the back of the store where an old dingy curtain covered a doorway. After motioning for Viola to pause, the Doctor placed his ear against the red fabric and listened carefully, wanting to be sure it was safe before venturing beyond it. Deciding it was clear, he flung the curtain open and held his screwdriver out in front of him as he advanced.
Together, he and Viola searched the back room, disappointed to find nothing more than a pile of dusty boxes and the messy remains of an administrative office. The Doctor was about to leave the office when Viola squeaked from the other corner of the room.
“What is it?” he inquired.
“Mum.”
The Doctor’s hearts began to pound. “What? Rose? Where?” He looked around searchingly, but all he could see was the desk Viola was standing behind.
“No, I mean her name, look.” Viola pointed to the desk. He followed her gaze and his eyes widened. The words ‘Rose Tyler’ had been carved repeatedly into the wooden surface of the desk.
He ran his fingers over the words, marvelling at how smooth it still felt. “How odd,” he murmured to himself.
“What could have made those carvings?” Viola wanted to know.
“Only one sure way to find out...” the Doctor adjusted the setting on his sonic screwdriver and directed the device at the desk.
Viola stood on her tiptoes trying to peer at it too. “What’s it say?”
The Doctor frowned, his stomach sinking. “This was carved by a special laser.”
“A laser? But why would someone do that?”
“I have some thoughts…” The Doctor tugged on his ear. “But it can’t be. He’s dead, he couldn’t... it’s impossible.” He looked at the carvings again, and tried to think; who else would be fixated on Rose?
“You’re not making any sense. Who’s dead?”
“Not me!” said a voice behind them. A voice the Doctor recognized all too well. Hearts thudding, both Time Lords spun around to face the newcomer.
TBC
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