Where Are You Roaming? (2/25)
Author: lorelaisquared
Titile: Where Are You Roaming?
Fandom: Doctor Who
Characters: Rose, Donna, Ten, Viola (OC)
Pairings: Rose/TenII, Rose/Ten
Word Count: 1781
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: Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates that. Happy Passover to those who observe it. Happy holidays to all!
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
Donna entered her office, warm coffee in hand and promptly flicked on her computer before hanging up her jacket and flipping through the pile of telephone messages that had been left for her at the main counter. After returning several calls, most of them pertaining to the case she'd resolved the day before, she settled comfortably into her cushioned swivel chair to check her email.
Many of the messages appeared to be routine follow-ups to the cases she'd been working on, but there was one from FOB marked “urgent”. Knowing that everything else could wait until later, Donna quickly opened the email from her boss.
She began to read the message, her frown deepening with each word she read. When she had reached the end, she scrolled back to the top, reading it again carefully, not wanting to miss any important details.
Leaning back in her chair, Donna's brow creased as she considered the new case her boss had just sent her. It was more complex than anything she'd been trusted with before, it was also the most disturbing, and quite possibly the most dangerous. Donna felt a tiny thrill at the thought, a fact which surprised her. She didn't usually go looking for danger, but in this instance... well, she certainly wanted to do what she could to help.
Donna read the email a third time, taking care to study each of the photographs that had been attached. In each picture there was a child who was missing, and as she gazed at each young face she felt an increase in her resolve to do everything she could to help. She pulled a slip of paper from the drawer in her desk, and after jotting down the addresses of where each of the children had disappeared from, she grabbed her jacket and purse and returned to her car. It was time to put the investigative skills that she'd learned to the test.
*~*~*~*~*
The Doctor leaned heavily against one of the coral pillars in the TARDIS and closed his eyes. It had been harder than he'd expected to say goodbye to Donna and Rose again. He'd tried to stay detached; to go in, prevent Donna from causing the meta-crisis, rescue everyone from Davros and the Daleks, and leave. But he hadn't expected to react the way he had. He'd been travelling alone for so long, he'd forgotten what it was like to have people fighting by his side - people he cared about. It had been wonderful to have that again, and already he missed it, missed them. But he had done what he'd come for. He'd saved Donna from what he'd had to do to her, and it was time for him to move on. Alone. Again.
He'd had no other choice, really. With his younger self there too, every moment he stayed increased the risk of paradox. He'd managed to avoid getting too close to his past self, mainly because he didn't want to have to get into complicated explanations. Plus, truth be told, he knew that the prior him would disapprove of what he was doing and he didn't want to endure the lecture. So instead, he quickly made his exit at his first opportunity, but he hadn't missed the disapproving look his double had given him as he departed.
It was being near Rose that haunted him most of all. It wasn't until he'd seen her again, lively beautiful Rose, that he really processed what he'd given up by leaving her on the beach with his meta-crisis. She was still as beautiful as ever, and even now, as he stood alone in the TARDIS, he yearned for her with every fibre of his being.
Suddenly a thought occurred to him and his lips turned upward into a beaming grin as he sprang into action, bouncing joyously around the console. He quickly programmed the TARDIS for yet another exact moment in time and braced himself as he shifted into the unstable area. It was time to do something for himself, something to finally stop the overwhelming ache of loneliness that had flowed through him for far too long. And this time, he'd hold onto it, and never let it go.
*~*~*~*~*
“Was that an Earthquake?” Viola wanted to know when everything finally went still.
Rose shook her head. “I don't think so. Look.”
Viola turned and was surprised to see that their surroundings had changed. They were no longer in the courtyard of the Powell Estates. Instead they were on a cobbled street somewhere even further into the past.
“But that's not possible,” Viola sputtered, “The laws of time strictly dictate that...”
Rose placed her hand on Viola's shoulder stopping her mid sentence. “I think it's safe to say that we're in new territory here. Didn't you sense that something was wrong when we first arrived? Maybe it's connected.”
Viola scrunched up her face and concentrated on the strange presence in her mind. There was something there and it was something very not good, but she couldn't make any sense of it at all, it was a jumble of chaotic thoughts, sounds and emotions but nothing indicated to her that it was in any way connected to the strange time jump they'd just experienced.
She opened her eyes and looked up at her mum. “I can't tell. It's all just chaos right now.”
Rose's expression instantly turned to one of concern. “Are you okay? It's not hurting you is it?”
In truth, it was causing the beginnings of a rather obnoxious headache, but Viola didn't want to worry her mother more than necessary so she simply said, “I'm fine.”
Her mother eyed her speculatively for a few moments before seemingly deciding to let it go. “I guess we'd best figure out where and when we are.”
Eager to focus on something other than the roaring pain in her head, Viola nodded her agreement and allowed her mother to lead her further into the street.
It was evident within seconds that their modern day clothing was grossly inappropriate. At least if one were to judge by the scathing glares they were receiving from passers by. The attire of those surrounding them was distinctly Elizabethan and Viola was surprised when her mother showed signs of recognition.
“You've been here before?”
“If my suspicions are correct, then yes. Do you remember the stories your dad used to tell about meeting Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth?”
Viola grinned. “How could I forget? He was always going on and on about how the Queen had him round for tea.”
“Is that what he told you?” Rose snorted. “That's rather a different version than the one I remember.”
Viola looked at her mother with interest. “Really?”
Rose nodded. “The way I remember it, your dad stole the Queen's brooch in order to prevent a Sontaran attack and got himself chased by her guards.”
Viola giggled, amused by the image in her head of her Dad running from the queen's guard. After a moment, she sobered, realizing the implication of what her mother had just told her. “But why would Dad say...” she trailed off, not wanting to get upset with her Dad for lying to her. It wasn't right, given - she pushed the thought from her mind - it was too painful.
Rose stopped walking and knelt so she could look into her daughter's eyes properly. “Viola, sweetheart, don't be mad at him,” she said softly.
“I'm not.”
“You are. And I completely understand why, but you have to remember that your Dad adored you - he probably twisted things so that he looked better so that you wouldn't think poorly of him.”
“He would do that?”
Rose chuckled. “Oh, yes. Has a bit of a vanity streak, your father.”
They both froze, the present tense of her statement hanging in the air. Finally, as though by unspoken agreement, they held hands and began to walk in silence, each wrapped up in their own memories of the husband and father they'd so recently lost.
*~*~*~*~*
Donna parked her car along the side of the road before consulting her notes to ensure she was in the right place. Satisfied that she had the correct address, Donna slid out of the car and approached the building. This was the third place she'd been to that morning. The first two, a playground and a block of council flats had offered very little in the way of clues about the missing children. After interviewing people and scouring the area, the only new bit of information she'd learned was that one of the children, a girl of about six, called Carlie, had been wearing a red dress the day she'd vanished. An interesting coincidence considering that the other two missing children, an eight year old boy called Danny, and a four year old girl called Vanessa had also been reported as wearing red.
At first Donna had been excited to note the connection, but as it brought her no closer to figuring out what had actually happened to the children, her elation soon waned and she'd moved on to the next location.
Which was apparently the rundown-looking building that stood before her. It was a large building, wider than it was tall, and though there were several shop signs posted above the many doors, there was only one, a home electronics store, that was actually open. She walked toward it, noting the colourful graffiti that adorned the dull grey walls. She shivered. What had a child been doing in this neighbourhood?
A bell chimed as she stepped into the dingy shop. She could see no sign of the shop keeper, though a rustling in the back told her there was definitely someone else there. While she waited for the person to come forward, she looked around, noting the layers of dust that covered the old televisions and ancient electronics. Donna couldn't imagine that they made many sales.
When several minutes had passed and no one had emerged, Donna began to make her way down the narrow aisle of precariously stacked televisions, video and dvd players.
“Hullo!” she called. “Is anyone here?”
Someone grunted. Encouraged, Donna continued winding her way through to the back of the shop. After what seemed like ages, she finally stepped around a pile of boxes and found herself in a moderately sized office. There was a man sitting behind the desk with his arms folded casually behind his head and his feet crossed and propped on the desktop. He grinned broadly, as though he had been expecting her.
Donna stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening in shocked recognition as she croaked, “Prime Minister Saxon?”
*~*~*~*~*
Previous Chapter | Next Chapter
Titile: Where Are You Roaming?
Fandom: Doctor Who
Characters: Rose, Donna, Ten, Viola (OC)
Pairings: Rose/TenII, Rose/Ten
Word Count: 1781
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: Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates that. Happy Passover to those who observe it. Happy holidays to all!
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
Donna entered her office, warm coffee in hand and promptly flicked on her computer before hanging up her jacket and flipping through the pile of telephone messages that had been left for her at the main counter. After returning several calls, most of them pertaining to the case she'd resolved the day before, she settled comfortably into her cushioned swivel chair to check her email.
Many of the messages appeared to be routine follow-ups to the cases she'd been working on, but there was one from FOB marked “urgent”. Knowing that everything else could wait until later, Donna quickly opened the email from her boss.
She began to read the message, her frown deepening with each word she read. When she had reached the end, she scrolled back to the top, reading it again carefully, not wanting to miss any important details.
Leaning back in her chair, Donna's brow creased as she considered the new case her boss had just sent her. It was more complex than anything she'd been trusted with before, it was also the most disturbing, and quite possibly the most dangerous. Donna felt a tiny thrill at the thought, a fact which surprised her. She didn't usually go looking for danger, but in this instance... well, she certainly wanted to do what she could to help.
Donna read the email a third time, taking care to study each of the photographs that had been attached. In each picture there was a child who was missing, and as she gazed at each young face she felt an increase in her resolve to do everything she could to help. She pulled a slip of paper from the drawer in her desk, and after jotting down the addresses of where each of the children had disappeared from, she grabbed her jacket and purse and returned to her car. It was time to put the investigative skills that she'd learned to the test.
*~*~*~*~*
The Doctor leaned heavily against one of the coral pillars in the TARDIS and closed his eyes. It had been harder than he'd expected to say goodbye to Donna and Rose again. He'd tried to stay detached; to go in, prevent Donna from causing the meta-crisis, rescue everyone from Davros and the Daleks, and leave. But he hadn't expected to react the way he had. He'd been travelling alone for so long, he'd forgotten what it was like to have people fighting by his side - people he cared about. It had been wonderful to have that again, and already he missed it, missed them. But he had done what he'd come for. He'd saved Donna from what he'd had to do to her, and it was time for him to move on. Alone. Again.
He'd had no other choice, really. With his younger self there too, every moment he stayed increased the risk of paradox. He'd managed to avoid getting too close to his past self, mainly because he didn't want to have to get into complicated explanations. Plus, truth be told, he knew that the prior him would disapprove of what he was doing and he didn't want to endure the lecture. So instead, he quickly made his exit at his first opportunity, but he hadn't missed the disapproving look his double had given him as he departed.
It was being near Rose that haunted him most of all. It wasn't until he'd seen her again, lively beautiful Rose, that he really processed what he'd given up by leaving her on the beach with his meta-crisis. She was still as beautiful as ever, and even now, as he stood alone in the TARDIS, he yearned for her with every fibre of his being.
Suddenly a thought occurred to him and his lips turned upward into a beaming grin as he sprang into action, bouncing joyously around the console. He quickly programmed the TARDIS for yet another exact moment in time and braced himself as he shifted into the unstable area. It was time to do something for himself, something to finally stop the overwhelming ache of loneliness that had flowed through him for far too long. And this time, he'd hold onto it, and never let it go.
*~*~*~*~*
“Was that an Earthquake?” Viola wanted to know when everything finally went still.
Rose shook her head. “I don't think so. Look.”
Viola turned and was surprised to see that their surroundings had changed. They were no longer in the courtyard of the Powell Estates. Instead they were on a cobbled street somewhere even further into the past.
“But that's not possible,” Viola sputtered, “The laws of time strictly dictate that...”
Rose placed her hand on Viola's shoulder stopping her mid sentence. “I think it's safe to say that we're in new territory here. Didn't you sense that something was wrong when we first arrived? Maybe it's connected.”
Viola scrunched up her face and concentrated on the strange presence in her mind. There was something there and it was something very not good, but she couldn't make any sense of it at all, it was a jumble of chaotic thoughts, sounds and emotions but nothing indicated to her that it was in any way connected to the strange time jump they'd just experienced.
She opened her eyes and looked up at her mum. “I can't tell. It's all just chaos right now.”
Rose's expression instantly turned to one of concern. “Are you okay? It's not hurting you is it?”
In truth, it was causing the beginnings of a rather obnoxious headache, but Viola didn't want to worry her mother more than necessary so she simply said, “I'm fine.”
Her mother eyed her speculatively for a few moments before seemingly deciding to let it go. “I guess we'd best figure out where and when we are.”
Eager to focus on something other than the roaring pain in her head, Viola nodded her agreement and allowed her mother to lead her further into the street.
It was evident within seconds that their modern day clothing was grossly inappropriate. At least if one were to judge by the scathing glares they were receiving from passers by. The attire of those surrounding them was distinctly Elizabethan and Viola was surprised when her mother showed signs of recognition.
“You've been here before?”
“If my suspicions are correct, then yes. Do you remember the stories your dad used to tell about meeting Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth?”
Viola grinned. “How could I forget? He was always going on and on about how the Queen had him round for tea.”
“Is that what he told you?” Rose snorted. “That's rather a different version than the one I remember.”
Viola looked at her mother with interest. “Really?”
Rose nodded. “The way I remember it, your dad stole the Queen's brooch in order to prevent a Sontaran attack and got himself chased by her guards.”
Viola giggled, amused by the image in her head of her Dad running from the queen's guard. After a moment, she sobered, realizing the implication of what her mother had just told her. “But why would Dad say...” she trailed off, not wanting to get upset with her Dad for lying to her. It wasn't right, given - she pushed the thought from her mind - it was too painful.
Rose stopped walking and knelt so she could look into her daughter's eyes properly. “Viola, sweetheart, don't be mad at him,” she said softly.
“I'm not.”
“You are. And I completely understand why, but you have to remember that your Dad adored you - he probably twisted things so that he looked better so that you wouldn't think poorly of him.”
“He would do that?”
Rose chuckled. “Oh, yes. Has a bit of a vanity streak, your father.”
They both froze, the present tense of her statement hanging in the air. Finally, as though by unspoken agreement, they held hands and began to walk in silence, each wrapped up in their own memories of the husband and father they'd so recently lost.
*~*~*~*~*
Donna parked her car along the side of the road before consulting her notes to ensure she was in the right place. Satisfied that she had the correct address, Donna slid out of the car and approached the building. This was the third place she'd been to that morning. The first two, a playground and a block of council flats had offered very little in the way of clues about the missing children. After interviewing people and scouring the area, the only new bit of information she'd learned was that one of the children, a girl of about six, called Carlie, had been wearing a red dress the day she'd vanished. An interesting coincidence considering that the other two missing children, an eight year old boy called Danny, and a four year old girl called Vanessa had also been reported as wearing red.
At first Donna had been excited to note the connection, but as it brought her no closer to figuring out what had actually happened to the children, her elation soon waned and she'd moved on to the next location.
Which was apparently the rundown-looking building that stood before her. It was a large building, wider than it was tall, and though there were several shop signs posted above the many doors, there was only one, a home electronics store, that was actually open. She walked toward it, noting the colourful graffiti that adorned the dull grey walls. She shivered. What had a child been doing in this neighbourhood?
A bell chimed as she stepped into the dingy shop. She could see no sign of the shop keeper, though a rustling in the back told her there was definitely someone else there. While she waited for the person to come forward, she looked around, noting the layers of dust that covered the old televisions and ancient electronics. Donna couldn't imagine that they made many sales.
When several minutes had passed and no one had emerged, Donna began to make her way down the narrow aisle of precariously stacked televisions, video and dvd players.
“Hullo!” she called. “Is anyone here?”
Someone grunted. Encouraged, Donna continued winding her way through to the back of the shop. After what seemed like ages, she finally stepped around a pile of boxes and found herself in a moderately sized office. There was a man sitting behind the desk with his arms folded casually behind his head and his feet crossed and propped on the desktop. He grinned broadly, as though he had been expecting her.
Donna stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening in shocked recognition as she croaked, “Prime Minister Saxon?”
*~*~*~*~*
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