Where Are You Roaming? (8/25)
Author: lorelaisquared
Titile: Where Are You Roaming?
Fandom: Doctor Who
Word Count: 1858
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
The woman who her mum said was named Donna Noble cried out in pain, and for some reason Viola was able to feel the very same pain in her own head. It was unbearable and she felt like her brain was going to burst.
“Mum!” Viola shouted. “Mum, what's happening?”
The pain was blinding now and Viola's knees nearly buckled. She breathed deeply and tried to control it, moving closer to her mum and Donna.
Suddenly there was a massive burst of dazzling golden light that swirled and convulsed around the two women in the middle of the bridge. Viola stared at it, mouth open in awe, and wonder. Then the light flared before disappearing taking her mother and Donna with it.
“MUM!” Viola screamed running to the spot and looking for some kind of sign or indication of where she'd gone. “Mum!” she called again, her voice wavering.
She knelt down, directly over the spot where Rose had been standing a moment before and blinked back tears.
“No,” she told herself audibly. No, she wasn't going to cry, she wasn't going to fall apart. She was going to find out who was behind the oddities that were occurring and she was going to stop them. She stood up, wiped her eyes and took a deep breath, her shoulders shaking against her small frame. She started to walk away when she spotted something on the ground near where Donna had been standing.
Viola stooped to pick it up. It was a list of names and ages, as well as addresses. Deciding it might be worth keeping, Viola pocketed the paper before going to sit under a tree and pondering what to do next.
*~*~*~*~*
The Doctor wasn't sure how many hours had passed when he finally sat up, and dried his eyes. He looked down at Rose’s motionless body again, the sadness in his hearts threatening to overcome him with emotion. It was hard for him to imagine that just the day before he had been so happy and full of hope when all he felt now was despair. How could the universe be so cruel as to take Rose away from him again just as he’d finally brought her back into his life.
He smoothed her hair and planted a gentle kiss on her the cool skin of her cheek.
“Goodbye, Rose,” he whispered, “I love you.” He cast one more glance at her before turning away and leaving the room.
Circling the console despondently the Doctor let go of the hold he'd placed on his thoughts and the overwhelming guilt kicked in. All along, a part of him had known that what he was doing was dangerous; that he was messing with things he had no business messing with. But he'd deliberately pushed the thoughts aside, ignored his conscience and acted completely selfishly. And it had all resulted in the death of the one woman he'd allowed himself to love.
Furious with himself, the Doctor pounded his fists hard into the console not caring that it hurt; not caring what damage he wrought. He was so absorbed in his own anguish that he didn't notice it when the TARDIS lit up and relocated him, until it landed with a gratifying thump.
Momentarily distracted, the Doctor strode to the door, wondering where the TARDIS had brought him, and why.
He pulled open the doors and stepped out into a park. Though the sky was clear, the grass was wet and he knew it had rained recently. The Doctor scanned the area, looking for some indication of something out of the ordinary, for some explanation of why he was there.
Someone was watching him, he realized. He shifted his gaze to his left where a young girl with dark curly hair was sitting beneath a tree, her huge, sad, blue eyes fixed on him.
There was something about the child that intrigued him and he walked toward her. She stood up as he approached and as their eyes met, he could suddenly hear her thoughts as clearly as though they were his own.
She was in great pain this child, missing her father, and her mother terribly. She was scared and alone.
Alone, like him. He felt great compassion for the child then, and without really thinking about what he was doing, he knelt down and opened his arms to her. She ran to him, tucking herself against his chest, her small arms hugging him tightly and her thoughts told him that she felt safe.
He recoiled then, releasing her and backing away. No, she wasn't safe with him, no one was safe with him.
He started to walk away, but she placed her hand in his and squeezed it. “But, I am safe with you,” she whispered. Her voice filled with such faith, such adoration.
“How did you know --?” he started to ask, but then he realized that she must be able to hear his thoughts, just as he could hear hers. “Who are you?”
“Viola.”
“Viola.” He smiled. It suited her. “Like the play.”
She beamed at him. “Exactly like the play. Shakespeare named me... sort of.”
He raised his eyebrows at her and Viola laughed. It was a bright, ringing sound that he couldn't help but smile at.
“Is that so?”
Viola nodded. “Yup.”
“Yes,” he corrected, then sobered. “Why are you all alone, in a park in London?”
Her little eyes filled with sadness again, and he immediately wanted to take back the question. But she surprised him and instead of crying, like he'd expected, she raised her head high and said, “I was here with my Mum, but there was a big burst of light and she vanished. They both did.”
“Both?”
“Another woman was with her. Donna Noble.”
The Doctor froze. “What did you say?”
Viola shrugged. “Donna Noble. I was just working out a plan for how to find them when you showed up.”
His mind was racing. How could Donna have been here in the park? She was supposed to be off travelling with his other self. He frowned, realizing suddenly that he'd likely altered that reality when he'd stopped Rose from going to the parallel world. Or had he? He wasn't sure, it was all confusing. He rubbed at his temples.
Viola gasped, her mouth open as she backed away from him. “What have you done?” she asked in horror.
“What?” The Doctor gaped at her before realizing that she'd heard his thoughts again. How did she keep doing that? he wondered. Only another Time Lord would be able to breach his barriers in such a way. But surely he should have sensed the presence of another Time Lord.
Viola's voice halted his thoughts and he focused on her again.
“What have you done??” Viola repeated, the look on her face far beyond her years.
“Me?”
She glared at him. “You, of all people should know that messing with Timelines is a very dangerous thing to do. There could be very serious consequences. What is wrong with you?” she shouted, “You always told me to never tamper with fixed points in time and now you go and do just that? What were you thinking?”
The Doctor ran a hand through his hair and frowned at her. “Who are you?” he demanded in a wavering voice. “We haven’t met, have we?”
Viola's eyes widened in shock. “I'm sorry, I meant, my dad, he uh... always told me that,” she said lamely.
The Doctor stared at her as everything clicked and he realized exactly who he was dealing with; and whose child this was.
He felt a pang in his chest as a cacophony of emotions crashed upon him and suddenly helping Viola was the most important thing in the world.
*~*~*~*~*
Viola watched the Doctor shrewdly as he paced in front of her looking troubled. It was uncanny how like her father he looked. They were identical. The hair, the eyes, the curvature of his mouth - they were all exactly like his. Viola knew she should have anticipated this; should have prepared herself, but she hadn't expected him to just turn up like this - at the exact moment she needed him most.
How had he known to come? She wondered. It seemed unlikely it was a coincidence.
“It wasn't a coincidence,” he said, startling her.
“What?”
“Me coming here. It wasn't me. The TARDIS brought me here. Rather against my will, I might add.”
“How did you know...”
“What you were thinking?” the Doctor finished for her. He tapped his temple. “I can hear everything right here, as clearly as if I were thinking it.”
Viola frowned. “You can? But my dad, he was.... like you... and he could only hear me if I deliberately projected my thoughts to him.”
The Doctor bent down so that they were eye level. “Your Dad is part human. It's different with full Time Lords.”
“How did you know my dad...” Her eyes widened. “You know who I am.”
“I suspected,” he clarified. “Your reaction just now verified it.”
“Oh.” Viola was quiet for a moment. She wasn't sure how she felt about him knowing. She wasn't ready to answer the questions he was sure to have about her father and she was still very conflicted about how similar the Doctor was to him. Instead of dwelling on her thoughts and risking him asking questions, Viola quickly returned to the topic at hand. “So why can't I hear what you're thinking? I mean, I could before, but now I can't, not really - I'm just getting snippets here and there.”
The Doctor looked at her knowingly but to Viola's relief, he went along with the diversion. “It's because I've put up shields, they're like a sort of mental wall. I'm a little rusty - been a long time since I needed to do it, but it prevents you from being bombarded with thoughts and images.”
“You don't trust me?” Viola murmured, trying but failing to keep the hurt from her voice.
The Doctor looked surprised. “What? No, no, no. It's not that... it's just... well, my thoughts are rather dark at the moment, not really fit for a little girl.”
Viola placed her hands on her hips and gave him her most scathing glare. “I am NOT little. Seven is quite grown up.”
Bemused, he pressed his lips together and looked down at her through wide, playful eyes. “Oh right, sorry. Of course seven isn't little, I just meant...” he shrugged helplessly.
Viola rolled her eyes. “Grownups,” she muttered before walking over to him and taking his hand. “Can we go to the TARDIS now please?”
He jumped. “What?”
“The T-A-R-D-I-S,” she said slowly. “We will need it to find Mum.”
“But -”
Viola sighed dramatically and started to pull him in the direction he'd come from. “Are you always this thick? I thought Mum said you were intelligent.”
“Oi!” he spluttered, “I am intelligent! I’m brilliant!”
“Pfft.” Viola said, dragging him toward the thicket where she could see the TARDIS hiding. “Could have fooled me.”
*~*~*~*~*
TBC
Previous Chapter | Next Chapter
Titile: Where Are You Roaming?
Fandom: Doctor Who
Word Count: 1858
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
The woman who her mum said was named Donna Noble cried out in pain, and for some reason Viola was able to feel the very same pain in her own head. It was unbearable and she felt like her brain was going to burst.
“Mum!” Viola shouted. “Mum, what's happening?”
The pain was blinding now and Viola's knees nearly buckled. She breathed deeply and tried to control it, moving closer to her mum and Donna.
Suddenly there was a massive burst of dazzling golden light that swirled and convulsed around the two women in the middle of the bridge. Viola stared at it, mouth open in awe, and wonder. Then the light flared before disappearing taking her mother and Donna with it.
“MUM!” Viola screamed running to the spot and looking for some kind of sign or indication of where she'd gone. “Mum!” she called again, her voice wavering.
She knelt down, directly over the spot where Rose had been standing a moment before and blinked back tears.
“No,” she told herself audibly. No, she wasn't going to cry, she wasn't going to fall apart. She was going to find out who was behind the oddities that were occurring and she was going to stop them. She stood up, wiped her eyes and took a deep breath, her shoulders shaking against her small frame. She started to walk away when she spotted something on the ground near where Donna had been standing.
Viola stooped to pick it up. It was a list of names and ages, as well as addresses. Deciding it might be worth keeping, Viola pocketed the paper before going to sit under a tree and pondering what to do next.
*~*~*~*~*
The Doctor wasn't sure how many hours had passed when he finally sat up, and dried his eyes. He looked down at Rose’s motionless body again, the sadness in his hearts threatening to overcome him with emotion. It was hard for him to imagine that just the day before he had been so happy and full of hope when all he felt now was despair. How could the universe be so cruel as to take Rose away from him again just as he’d finally brought her back into his life.
He smoothed her hair and planted a gentle kiss on her the cool skin of her cheek.
“Goodbye, Rose,” he whispered, “I love you.” He cast one more glance at her before turning away and leaving the room.
Circling the console despondently the Doctor let go of the hold he'd placed on his thoughts and the overwhelming guilt kicked in. All along, a part of him had known that what he was doing was dangerous; that he was messing with things he had no business messing with. But he'd deliberately pushed the thoughts aside, ignored his conscience and acted completely selfishly. And it had all resulted in the death of the one woman he'd allowed himself to love.
Furious with himself, the Doctor pounded his fists hard into the console not caring that it hurt; not caring what damage he wrought. He was so absorbed in his own anguish that he didn't notice it when the TARDIS lit up and relocated him, until it landed with a gratifying thump.
Momentarily distracted, the Doctor strode to the door, wondering where the TARDIS had brought him, and why.
He pulled open the doors and stepped out into a park. Though the sky was clear, the grass was wet and he knew it had rained recently. The Doctor scanned the area, looking for some indication of something out of the ordinary, for some explanation of why he was there.
Someone was watching him, he realized. He shifted his gaze to his left where a young girl with dark curly hair was sitting beneath a tree, her huge, sad, blue eyes fixed on him.
There was something about the child that intrigued him and he walked toward her. She stood up as he approached and as their eyes met, he could suddenly hear her thoughts as clearly as though they were his own.
She was in great pain this child, missing her father, and her mother terribly. She was scared and alone.
Alone, like him. He felt great compassion for the child then, and without really thinking about what he was doing, he knelt down and opened his arms to her. She ran to him, tucking herself against his chest, her small arms hugging him tightly and her thoughts told him that she felt safe.
He recoiled then, releasing her and backing away. No, she wasn't safe with him, no one was safe with him.
He started to walk away, but she placed her hand in his and squeezed it. “But, I am safe with you,” she whispered. Her voice filled with such faith, such adoration.
“How did you know --?” he started to ask, but then he realized that she must be able to hear his thoughts, just as he could hear hers. “Who are you?”
“Viola.”
“Viola.” He smiled. It suited her. “Like the play.”
She beamed at him. “Exactly like the play. Shakespeare named me... sort of.”
He raised his eyebrows at her and Viola laughed. It was a bright, ringing sound that he couldn't help but smile at.
“Is that so?”
Viola nodded. “Yup.”
“Yes,” he corrected, then sobered. “Why are you all alone, in a park in London?”
Her little eyes filled with sadness again, and he immediately wanted to take back the question. But she surprised him and instead of crying, like he'd expected, she raised her head high and said, “I was here with my Mum, but there was a big burst of light and she vanished. They both did.”
“Both?”
“Another woman was with her. Donna Noble.”
The Doctor froze. “What did you say?”
Viola shrugged. “Donna Noble. I was just working out a plan for how to find them when you showed up.”
His mind was racing. How could Donna have been here in the park? She was supposed to be off travelling with his other self. He frowned, realizing suddenly that he'd likely altered that reality when he'd stopped Rose from going to the parallel world. Or had he? He wasn't sure, it was all confusing. He rubbed at his temples.
Viola gasped, her mouth open as she backed away from him. “What have you done?” she asked in horror.
“What?” The Doctor gaped at her before realizing that she'd heard his thoughts again. How did she keep doing that? he wondered. Only another Time Lord would be able to breach his barriers in such a way. But surely he should have sensed the presence of another Time Lord.
Viola's voice halted his thoughts and he focused on her again.
“What have you done??” Viola repeated, the look on her face far beyond her years.
“Me?”
She glared at him. “You, of all people should know that messing with Timelines is a very dangerous thing to do. There could be very serious consequences. What is wrong with you?” she shouted, “You always told me to never tamper with fixed points in time and now you go and do just that? What were you thinking?”
The Doctor ran a hand through his hair and frowned at her. “Who are you?” he demanded in a wavering voice. “We haven’t met, have we?”
Viola's eyes widened in shock. “I'm sorry, I meant, my dad, he uh... always told me that,” she said lamely.
The Doctor stared at her as everything clicked and he realized exactly who he was dealing with; and whose child this was.
He felt a pang in his chest as a cacophony of emotions crashed upon him and suddenly helping Viola was the most important thing in the world.
*~*~*~*~*
Viola watched the Doctor shrewdly as he paced in front of her looking troubled. It was uncanny how like her father he looked. They were identical. The hair, the eyes, the curvature of his mouth - they were all exactly like his. Viola knew she should have anticipated this; should have prepared herself, but she hadn't expected him to just turn up like this - at the exact moment she needed him most.
How had he known to come? She wondered. It seemed unlikely it was a coincidence.
“It wasn't a coincidence,” he said, startling her.
“What?”
“Me coming here. It wasn't me. The TARDIS brought me here. Rather against my will, I might add.”
“How did you know...”
“What you were thinking?” the Doctor finished for her. He tapped his temple. “I can hear everything right here, as clearly as if I were thinking it.”
Viola frowned. “You can? But my dad, he was.... like you... and he could only hear me if I deliberately projected my thoughts to him.”
The Doctor bent down so that they were eye level. “Your Dad is part human. It's different with full Time Lords.”
“How did you know my dad...” Her eyes widened. “You know who I am.”
“I suspected,” he clarified. “Your reaction just now verified it.”
“Oh.” Viola was quiet for a moment. She wasn't sure how she felt about him knowing. She wasn't ready to answer the questions he was sure to have about her father and she was still very conflicted about how similar the Doctor was to him. Instead of dwelling on her thoughts and risking him asking questions, Viola quickly returned to the topic at hand. “So why can't I hear what you're thinking? I mean, I could before, but now I can't, not really - I'm just getting snippets here and there.”
The Doctor looked at her knowingly but to Viola's relief, he went along with the diversion. “It's because I've put up shields, they're like a sort of mental wall. I'm a little rusty - been a long time since I needed to do it, but it prevents you from being bombarded with thoughts and images.”
“You don't trust me?” Viola murmured, trying but failing to keep the hurt from her voice.
The Doctor looked surprised. “What? No, no, no. It's not that... it's just... well, my thoughts are rather dark at the moment, not really fit for a little girl.”
Viola placed her hands on her hips and gave him her most scathing glare. “I am NOT little. Seven is quite grown up.”
Bemused, he pressed his lips together and looked down at her through wide, playful eyes. “Oh right, sorry. Of course seven isn't little, I just meant...” he shrugged helplessly.
Viola rolled her eyes. “Grownups,” she muttered before walking over to him and taking his hand. “Can we go to the TARDIS now please?”
He jumped. “What?”
“The T-A-R-D-I-S,” she said slowly. “We will need it to find Mum.”
“But -”
Viola sighed dramatically and started to pull him in the direction he'd come from. “Are you always this thick? I thought Mum said you were intelligent.”
“Oi!” he spluttered, “I am intelligent! I’m brilliant!”
“Pfft.” Viola said, dragging him toward the thicket where she could see the TARDIS hiding. “Could have fooled me.”
*~*~*~*~*
TBC
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