Where Are You Roaming? (1/25)
Author: lorelaisquared
Titile: Where Are You Roaming?
Fandom: Doctor Who
Word Count: 2485
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: A teeny bit early this week since I’m on vacation and I’ll be out all day tomorrow.
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
Viola held her mother's hand tightly as they slowly walked through the darkened TARDIS to whatever awaited them on the other side.
Eyeing her mother carefully as they walked, she took note of the freshly dried tears, hollow eyes and forced smile. Viola had never seen her mother cry the way she had been a few minutes before and it worried her greatly. She looked better now, but she was still paler than Viola had ever seen her and she knew that her mum was desperately missing Dad.
Dad. The thought caused a now familiar pang in her chest and Viola looked down, trying to recompose her thoughts. She could grieve later. They were in a new place with a dead TARDIS and right now Mum needed her to be strong.
Resolved, Viola pulled the TARDIS doors open without any hesitation and stepped outside, tugging Rose after her.
As soon as they were away from the safety of the TARDIS, Viola instantly became aware of two things: one, there was an unfamiliar presence in her head, and two, something was wrong. Very, very wrong.
“Viola?” Rose asked, her voice filled with concern as she stared down at her seven year old daughter.
Viola took a deep breath and swatted her hand aimlessly. “I'm fine.”
Rose eyed her daughter speculatively. “No, you're not. You gasped. What was it?”
“It's nothing, really Mum. Don't worry.” Viola started walking again, but her mother's firm touch ‘round her wrist caused her to still.
“Viola.”
Viola sighed dramatically. “I'm not sure what it is exactly.” She shrugged. “I just have this feeling, like something is terribly, terribly wrong here.”
Rose frowned. “Do you think we're in immediate danger?”
After closing her eyes and considering the question carefully, Viola shook her head. “No. I think we're safe...” Ignoring the growing feeling of unease in her abdomen, Viola tried to change the subject. “Where are we?”
Rose looked around them and began to laugh. Viola watched her mother, bewildered as she glanced around the wide courtyard at the rubbish littering the edges and the layers of graffiti on the wall. They were in some kind of estate and Viola couldn't imagine what was so funny about it. Her mother walked over to one of the walls, running her hands over the lettering of a large graffiti that said, “Bad Wolf”. Her eyes darkened, sadness filling them again as Viola watched, confused and curious about what was going on. After a long moment, her mother swallowed hard and turned back to Viola, a terse smile on her face. “This is the Powell Estates, sweetheart.”
“The one where you and Gran used to live?”
Rose nodded. “The one and only.” She took Viola's hand and they started to walk further into the estate. “Come, I'll show you where our flat was.”
*~*~*~*
Donna Noble opened her sleep-laden eyes and peered at the clock: 6:30 am. She groaned, stretched and contemplated going back to sleep before remembering that things were different now. She had a new job. She wasn't just any old temp from Chiswick anymore.
Smiling, Donna deftly flicked off the alarm clock and stretched again before rolling to the edge of the bed and locating her slippers. She shuffled into the darkened hallway, trying not to giggle as she heard the snores coming from her mother's room, and her granddad babbling to himself in his sleep. She switched on the light in the tiny, garishly pink bathroom and busied herself with her morning routine of cleaning her teeth before she stepped into the shower to wash.
As the hot water beat soothingly against her neck and shoulders, Donna felt her muscles begin to relax and she let her mind drift, thinking about the amazing changes that had taken place in her life in the past few months.
It had started soon after Granddad's friend had visited. The strange one in the brown striped suit who was far too skinny for her liking. Donna had continued to work for the temp agency as usual, but the jobs they sent her on had started to change. She was no longer required to merely answer phones and type. Instead she had been asked to help look into problems and unsolved mysteries. Most of the issues had been small at first, little things like twenty quid missing from the petty cash fund or unaccounted employee payroll.
It had taken her a while to get used to her new job description, but she had been pleasantly surprised to discover that not only did she enjoy it, she was also very good at it. So good, that she had recently found herself in a more permanent position in the office of an odd little shop called “Cord How To” which not only sold rope to overseas fishing companies and locals alike, but also offered in-house workshops on knot tying.
She had quickly discovered, however, that her role had very little to do with the shop itself and more to do with the behind the scenes private detective work that the owner of the business did on the side.
Donna reached for her mint-scented shampoo and massaged it into her scalp as her thoughts shifted to her boss. She had never actually met him (or her) and her boss was still very much an enigma to her. All their correspondence was done through email, and though all of the emails were signed “F O B," Donna doubted the letters had any connection to her boss's true identity. She had been tempted on more than one occasion to investigate the owner, but aside from one abysmal attempt to find out more, Donna had so far managed to keep her curiosity at bay.
Donna shivered as the water turned cold against her skin causing her thoughts to shift back to the present. She finished rinsing the remaining suds from her hair before turning off the taps and stepping out of the shower to dry off and get ready for another fascinating day of work.
*~*~*~*
The Doctor re-calibrated the TARDIS, his fingers moving over the console faster than necessary in an attempt to ignore the messages in his brain telling him that what he was doing, what he'd already done, was wrong. The cloister bell began to toll again and something about the sound spurred him on, causing him to dance even more frenetically around the controls. He pulled forcefully on a lever, causing the handle to fall off. He tossed it carelessly over his shoulder and used a small hammer to tap the remaining portion of the lever into place.
He checked the computer quickly to verify that his navigation was accurate as it was essential that his timing be exact for this particular mission. Noting that a few of the coordinates were slightly off, he located the mallet from below the console, bringing it down on the controls with a fully satisfying smash. He glanced at the computer again, grinning as the numbers snapped into the correct position. Satisfied that he'd succeeded in his navigation, the Doctor pressed a final button and the familiar sound of the TARDIS materializing filled the air.
He twirled with delight, clapping his hands as he barrelled toward the door. He was about to open it, when he remembered something crucial and dashed back to the console. A few quick flicks of his fingers later, the backup safety shields clicked into place and he breathed a sigh of relief. It wouldn't do to damage the TARDIS on this particular adventure.
A glance at the computer informed him that his window of time was fleeting and he sprang into action, bursting through the door just as Donna, in a younger version of his TARDIS, was reaching toward the jar that contained his glowing hand.
“DON'T touch it!” he shouted.
Alarmed, Donna's entire body shook as she startled and turned to face him, her eyes wide with shock and confusion. “Doctor?”
“Donna!” he exclaimed gleefully, pulling her up to him and engulfing her in a tight hug. He'd missed his best friend so much and it was even more wonderful than he'd imagined to hear her speak his name again. He'd hated knowing where she was but being unable to see her, hated himself for what he'd been forced to do to her. But no longer. It ended now. He'd arrived in time to save her from that fate.
Donna stared at him in disbelief. “Doctor? I don't understand. How--"
Her question was interrupted by an abrupt jerk as part of the TARDIS caught fire.
“No, no, no, no, no!” the Doctor exclaimed, releasing Donna so he could reach the console and switch the shields into place.
A second later the flames went out and the TARDIS stilled. Satisfied that they were safe once more, the Doctor turned back to Donna.
She was standing over the hand, her own arm outstretched again as she reached towards it.
“No! Donna, stop!” He bounded toward her, gently pinning her arms to her side.
She continued to stare at the hand, transfixed. “But the sound, in my head, it's like it's calling to me. I can't help it.”
He spun her in his arms so that she was facing him. “Donna, listen to me. You have to resist. You can't touch it. If you do, if you do...” his voice broke and he winced at the memory of Donna protesting as he pressed his hands to her temples and took her thoughts, her memories, the person she'd become, away from her.
Donna's hand grazing his cheek brought him back to the present. “Doctor? What is it? I've never seen you so scared.”
He swallowed and tried to mentally shake the image from his brain. It wasn't going to happen. Not now. This was why he'd come, he had to save Donna from that fate, and to do that he had to stop her from causing the meta-crisis. It was the only way. “Just trust me, Donna, you cannot touch that hand. Promise me.”
Donna nodded. “I promise,” she whispered.
“Thank you.” He kissed her forehead quickly then grinned. “Right! We'd best get moving. Not much time left if we're going to save me and Rose.” His brow furrowed. “Rose and me? No, Rose and I! Yes, that's it!”
Donna smiled at his musing and cut right to the point. “You?”
“It's a long story. Weeellll, not that long. I'm from the future, I've come to help.”
“You’re from the future?” Donna gaped at him. “Just what the world needs, two skinny gits in brown trousers.” She paused and crossed her arms. “Hey, what about all that nonsense you love to spout about not crossing timelines? Doesn’t you being here create a paradox?”
He astutely ignored the question as he returned to the console. “Let's get to work. Donna, here's what I need you to do...”
*~*~*~*
Rose and Viola were nearly to the door of her old flat when Rose saw something that made her stop dead in her tracks.
“Mum, is that--?”
“Yes,” Rose whispered, squeezing her daughter's hand. “It is.”
The door to the flat was wide open and Jackie was standing just outside, her head turned as she shouted something back into the apartment. Rose gasped audibly when she heard her own voice respond. Somehow they had arrived in her past.
“Mum.” Viola was tugging on her arm, frantically. “Mum, we have to go, it's a paradox, we're not supposed to be here.”
“Is that what you felt earlier?”
“I'm not sure. Maybe. But we can talk about it down there, you can't see yourself. It’s far too dangerous; it could change things.”
Rose nodded and started to let Viola draw her away as she cast one last glance at her mother whom she'd thought she'd never see again. It was tempting to run to her and envelop her in a hug, but Rose knew that as much as it might make her feel better about the whole mess she'd found herself in, it would only serve to confuse Jackie and risk making their current situation worse.
They were nearly to the stairs when Rose froze again. There, standing beside her mother was the Doctor. Not the Doctor she'd been married to for all those years, not even the one she'd fought so hard to get back to, but her original Doctor, the one she'd met a million years before when she worked down at the shop. She had thought she'd never see him again, not with that face, and suddenly she realized just how much she'd missed him. Her hand slid out of Viola's and she took a step toward him before her daughter grabbed her wrist and stopped her.
“Mum, you can't,” Viola hissed.
“But Viola, that's the Doctor, he might be able to help us!”
Viola looked up in surprise, then frowned. “But he looks nothing like Dad, did he regenerate?”
“No. We're in the past remember? That's the face he had when I first met him.”
Viola peered at him curiously for a moment. “He has funny ears,” she said finally. “But we can't talk to him.”
“But --”
“Mum, didn't all those years with Dad teach you anything?” Viola cried in exasperation. “We can't mess with the past. If we change anything it could affect the future. We can't talk to the Doctor until we find him in his current timeline.”
Rose sighed, and watched her first Doctor for another moment before giving in. She knew her daughter was right, and if she was honest with herself, she knew that part of her desire to seek help from him was her conflicted emotions over the prospect of seeing the Doctor who looked like her husband again. Reluctantly, Rose turned to Viola. “Okay, let's go.” Rose took her daughter's hand again and together they walked down the stairs.
Once they were a safe distance away, Rose began to consider their predicament. They were somehow in the past, with a dead TARDIS and no means to correct their timeline. In effect, they were stranded, and she didn't know what to do.
“We should go back to the TARDIS,” Viola said confidently.
“But she's --” Rose couldn't even say the words. It hurt to much to think about what they'd lost.
“I know, but it's a safe place we can go until we figure out what to do next,” Viola said pragmatically.
Knowing her daughter was right, Rose nodded and they began to walk back to it.
They had just reached it when the ground started to shudder, slowly at first, then faster and faster as bright lights flashed violently around them. Rose and Viola clung to each other, as they waited for it to stop, neither of them certain of what exactly was going on.
*~*~*~*~*
Previous Chapter | Next Chapter
Titile: Where Are You Roaming?
Fandom: Doctor Who
Word Count: 2485
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: A teeny bit early this week since I’m on vacation and I’ll be out all day tomorrow.
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
Viola held her mother's hand tightly as they slowly walked through the darkened TARDIS to whatever awaited them on the other side.
Eyeing her mother carefully as they walked, she took note of the freshly dried tears, hollow eyes and forced smile. Viola had never seen her mother cry the way she had been a few minutes before and it worried her greatly. She looked better now, but she was still paler than Viola had ever seen her and she knew that her mum was desperately missing Dad.
Dad. The thought caused a now familiar pang in her chest and Viola looked down, trying to recompose her thoughts. She could grieve later. They were in a new place with a dead TARDIS and right now Mum needed her to be strong.
Resolved, Viola pulled the TARDIS doors open without any hesitation and stepped outside, tugging Rose after her.
As soon as they were away from the safety of the TARDIS, Viola instantly became aware of two things: one, there was an unfamiliar presence in her head, and two, something was wrong. Very, very wrong.
“Viola?” Rose asked, her voice filled with concern as she stared down at her seven year old daughter.
Viola took a deep breath and swatted her hand aimlessly. “I'm fine.”
Rose eyed her daughter speculatively. “No, you're not. You gasped. What was it?”
“It's nothing, really Mum. Don't worry.” Viola started walking again, but her mother's firm touch ‘round her wrist caused her to still.
“Viola.”
Viola sighed dramatically. “I'm not sure what it is exactly.” She shrugged. “I just have this feeling, like something is terribly, terribly wrong here.”
Rose frowned. “Do you think we're in immediate danger?”
After closing her eyes and considering the question carefully, Viola shook her head. “No. I think we're safe...” Ignoring the growing feeling of unease in her abdomen, Viola tried to change the subject. “Where are we?”
Rose looked around them and began to laugh. Viola watched her mother, bewildered as she glanced around the wide courtyard at the rubbish littering the edges and the layers of graffiti on the wall. They were in some kind of estate and Viola couldn't imagine what was so funny about it. Her mother walked over to one of the walls, running her hands over the lettering of a large graffiti that said, “Bad Wolf”. Her eyes darkened, sadness filling them again as Viola watched, confused and curious about what was going on. After a long moment, her mother swallowed hard and turned back to Viola, a terse smile on her face. “This is the Powell Estates, sweetheart.”
“The one where you and Gran used to live?”
Rose nodded. “The one and only.” She took Viola's hand and they started to walk further into the estate. “Come, I'll show you where our flat was.”
*~*~*~*
Donna Noble opened her sleep-laden eyes and peered at the clock: 6:30 am. She groaned, stretched and contemplated going back to sleep before remembering that things were different now. She had a new job. She wasn't just any old temp from Chiswick anymore.
Smiling, Donna deftly flicked off the alarm clock and stretched again before rolling to the edge of the bed and locating her slippers. She shuffled into the darkened hallway, trying not to giggle as she heard the snores coming from her mother's room, and her granddad babbling to himself in his sleep. She switched on the light in the tiny, garishly pink bathroom and busied herself with her morning routine of cleaning her teeth before she stepped into the shower to wash.
As the hot water beat soothingly against her neck and shoulders, Donna felt her muscles begin to relax and she let her mind drift, thinking about the amazing changes that had taken place in her life in the past few months.
It had started soon after Granddad's friend had visited. The strange one in the brown striped suit who was far too skinny for her liking. Donna had continued to work for the temp agency as usual, but the jobs they sent her on had started to change. She was no longer required to merely answer phones and type. Instead she had been asked to help look into problems and unsolved mysteries. Most of the issues had been small at first, little things like twenty quid missing from the petty cash fund or unaccounted employee payroll.
It had taken her a while to get used to her new job description, but she had been pleasantly surprised to discover that not only did she enjoy it, she was also very good at it. So good, that she had recently found herself in a more permanent position in the office of an odd little shop called “Cord How To” which not only sold rope to overseas fishing companies and locals alike, but also offered in-house workshops on knot tying.
She had quickly discovered, however, that her role had very little to do with the shop itself and more to do with the behind the scenes private detective work that the owner of the business did on the side.
Donna reached for her mint-scented shampoo and massaged it into her scalp as her thoughts shifted to her boss. She had never actually met him (or her) and her boss was still very much an enigma to her. All their correspondence was done through email, and though all of the emails were signed “F O B," Donna doubted the letters had any connection to her boss's true identity. She had been tempted on more than one occasion to investigate the owner, but aside from one abysmal attempt to find out more, Donna had so far managed to keep her curiosity at bay.
Donna shivered as the water turned cold against her skin causing her thoughts to shift back to the present. She finished rinsing the remaining suds from her hair before turning off the taps and stepping out of the shower to dry off and get ready for another fascinating day of work.
*~*~*~*
The Doctor re-calibrated the TARDIS, his fingers moving over the console faster than necessary in an attempt to ignore the messages in his brain telling him that what he was doing, what he'd already done, was wrong. The cloister bell began to toll again and something about the sound spurred him on, causing him to dance even more frenetically around the controls. He pulled forcefully on a lever, causing the handle to fall off. He tossed it carelessly over his shoulder and used a small hammer to tap the remaining portion of the lever into place.
He checked the computer quickly to verify that his navigation was accurate as it was essential that his timing be exact for this particular mission. Noting that a few of the coordinates were slightly off, he located the mallet from below the console, bringing it down on the controls with a fully satisfying smash. He glanced at the computer again, grinning as the numbers snapped into the correct position. Satisfied that he'd succeeded in his navigation, the Doctor pressed a final button and the familiar sound of the TARDIS materializing filled the air.
He twirled with delight, clapping his hands as he barrelled toward the door. He was about to open it, when he remembered something crucial and dashed back to the console. A few quick flicks of his fingers later, the backup safety shields clicked into place and he breathed a sigh of relief. It wouldn't do to damage the TARDIS on this particular adventure.
A glance at the computer informed him that his window of time was fleeting and he sprang into action, bursting through the door just as Donna, in a younger version of his TARDIS, was reaching toward the jar that contained his glowing hand.
“DON'T touch it!” he shouted.
Alarmed, Donna's entire body shook as she startled and turned to face him, her eyes wide with shock and confusion. “Doctor?”
“Donna!” he exclaimed gleefully, pulling her up to him and engulfing her in a tight hug. He'd missed his best friend so much and it was even more wonderful than he'd imagined to hear her speak his name again. He'd hated knowing where she was but being unable to see her, hated himself for what he'd been forced to do to her. But no longer. It ended now. He'd arrived in time to save her from that fate.
Donna stared at him in disbelief. “Doctor? I don't understand. How--"
Her question was interrupted by an abrupt jerk as part of the TARDIS caught fire.
“No, no, no, no, no!” the Doctor exclaimed, releasing Donna so he could reach the console and switch the shields into place.
A second later the flames went out and the TARDIS stilled. Satisfied that they were safe once more, the Doctor turned back to Donna.
She was standing over the hand, her own arm outstretched again as she reached towards it.
“No! Donna, stop!” He bounded toward her, gently pinning her arms to her side.
She continued to stare at the hand, transfixed. “But the sound, in my head, it's like it's calling to me. I can't help it.”
He spun her in his arms so that she was facing him. “Donna, listen to me. You have to resist. You can't touch it. If you do, if you do...” his voice broke and he winced at the memory of Donna protesting as he pressed his hands to her temples and took her thoughts, her memories, the person she'd become, away from her.
Donna's hand grazing his cheek brought him back to the present. “Doctor? What is it? I've never seen you so scared.”
He swallowed and tried to mentally shake the image from his brain. It wasn't going to happen. Not now. This was why he'd come, he had to save Donna from that fate, and to do that he had to stop her from causing the meta-crisis. It was the only way. “Just trust me, Donna, you cannot touch that hand. Promise me.”
Donna nodded. “I promise,” she whispered.
“Thank you.” He kissed her forehead quickly then grinned. “Right! We'd best get moving. Not much time left if we're going to save me and Rose.” His brow furrowed. “Rose and me? No, Rose and I! Yes, that's it!”
Donna smiled at his musing and cut right to the point. “You?”
“It's a long story. Weeellll, not that long. I'm from the future, I've come to help.”
“You’re from the future?” Donna gaped at him. “Just what the world needs, two skinny gits in brown trousers.” She paused and crossed her arms. “Hey, what about all that nonsense you love to spout about not crossing timelines? Doesn’t you being here create a paradox?”
He astutely ignored the question as he returned to the console. “Let's get to work. Donna, here's what I need you to do...”
*~*~*~*
Rose and Viola were nearly to the door of her old flat when Rose saw something that made her stop dead in her tracks.
“Mum, is that--?”
“Yes,” Rose whispered, squeezing her daughter's hand. “It is.”
The door to the flat was wide open and Jackie was standing just outside, her head turned as she shouted something back into the apartment. Rose gasped audibly when she heard her own voice respond. Somehow they had arrived in her past.
“Mum.” Viola was tugging on her arm, frantically. “Mum, we have to go, it's a paradox, we're not supposed to be here.”
“Is that what you felt earlier?”
“I'm not sure. Maybe. But we can talk about it down there, you can't see yourself. It’s far too dangerous; it could change things.”
Rose nodded and started to let Viola draw her away as she cast one last glance at her mother whom she'd thought she'd never see again. It was tempting to run to her and envelop her in a hug, but Rose knew that as much as it might make her feel better about the whole mess she'd found herself in, it would only serve to confuse Jackie and risk making their current situation worse.
They were nearly to the stairs when Rose froze again. There, standing beside her mother was the Doctor. Not the Doctor she'd been married to for all those years, not even the one she'd fought so hard to get back to, but her original Doctor, the one she'd met a million years before when she worked down at the shop. She had thought she'd never see him again, not with that face, and suddenly she realized just how much she'd missed him. Her hand slid out of Viola's and she took a step toward him before her daughter grabbed her wrist and stopped her.
“Mum, you can't,” Viola hissed.
“But Viola, that's the Doctor, he might be able to help us!”
Viola looked up in surprise, then frowned. “But he looks nothing like Dad, did he regenerate?”
“No. We're in the past remember? That's the face he had when I first met him.”
Viola peered at him curiously for a moment. “He has funny ears,” she said finally. “But we can't talk to him.”
“But --”
“Mum, didn't all those years with Dad teach you anything?” Viola cried in exasperation. “We can't mess with the past. If we change anything it could affect the future. We can't talk to the Doctor until we find him in his current timeline.”
Rose sighed, and watched her first Doctor for another moment before giving in. She knew her daughter was right, and if she was honest with herself, she knew that part of her desire to seek help from him was her conflicted emotions over the prospect of seeing the Doctor who looked like her husband again. Reluctantly, Rose turned to Viola. “Okay, let's go.” Rose took her daughter's hand again and together they walked down the stairs.
Once they were a safe distance away, Rose began to consider their predicament. They were somehow in the past, with a dead TARDIS and no means to correct their timeline. In effect, they were stranded, and she didn't know what to do.
“We should go back to the TARDIS,” Viola said confidently.
“But she's --” Rose couldn't even say the words. It hurt to much to think about what they'd lost.
“I know, but it's a safe place we can go until we figure out what to do next,” Viola said pragmatically.
Knowing her daughter was right, Rose nodded and they began to walk back to it.
They had just reached it when the ground started to shudder, slowly at first, then faster and faster as bright lights flashed violently around them. Rose and Viola clung to each other, as they waited for it to stop, neither of them certain of what exactly was going on.
*~*~*~*~*
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