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locker_monsterTitle: The Other Side of the World (11/31)
Rating: PG
Characters: Rose, Martha
Timeline: Season three
Summary: Season three AU; After a fateful visit to Royal Hope Hospital, Rose finds herself lost in time and space with medical student Martha Jones. As they struggle to find a way home, they meet old friends, and old enemies, along the way...
Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine. Any borrowed dialogue belongs to Russell T Davies and the BBC.
A/N: A sequel to "The Other Side". It's not necessary reading; it just sets up the premise that it was the Doctor who was trapped in Pete's World, not Rose. And a shout-out to my awesome betas:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
joking and quean_of_swords. This story wouldn't have been posted without you guys.
Chapter One. Chapter Two. Chapter Three. Chapter Four. Chapter Five. Chapter Six. Chapter Seven. Chapter Eight. Chapter Nine. Chapter Ten.
The TARDIS shuddered to a halt with a noise that sounded like metal under fatigue. Rose glanced anxiously at the time rotor with its glass casing still broken. The part inside dangled limply, like the ship was panting for breath after a vigorous run. She and Martha had practically travelled non-stop since leaving Earth. The TARDIS needed a rest as much as they did.
And hopefully, that was what waited beyond the doors.
Martha stood at the top of the ramp, staring at the exit. Rose had promised to get her home and the thought of leaving that promise unfulfilled left a bitter taste in her mouth. They had questioned where the “update” had come from but after a good five minutes of debate, they both decided it was worth the risk. Either they returned home or they landed on another unfamiliar planet. That had been their lives for months; what was another stop along the way?
Though her footfalls were noisy against the metal grating, Martha didn’t notice Rose until she was standing right beside her. The young doctor smiled bashfully. “It’s just a door. We’ve walked through it dozen of times. Why am I afraid now?”
“Because we actually have hope this time.” Reaching for Martha’s hand, Rose gave it a reassuring squeeze.
The doors creaked on their hinges as Rose pulled them open. Bright sunlight momentarily blinded her and she raised a hand to block the harsh rays from her eyes. In that brief moment of sightlessness, her world was reduced to sound and smell. On the wind she could smell salt and all around her she heard the chatter of voices and rumble of engines.
One step further and she found herself on familiar ground. The unmistakeable scent of chips and the roar of passing cars greeted her, along with the sight of dozens of humans walking around.
“We made it,” said Martha, joining Rose outside. “We’re home!”
They embraced each other in a crushing hug, their squeals of joy drawing the attention of passer-bys, but beyond a disapproving look no one complained. Rose broke away first, throwing her attention to familiar landmark beside them.
Martha followed her gaze and then frowned. “Wait a sec. Where are we?” She glanced around at the plaza where the TARDIS had landed. “Is this Cardiff?”
The Millennium Centre loomed over them, its bronze front sparking in the sunlight. “I bet you’ve never been happier to be in Cardiff.”
“I officially love Wales,” Martha said with a grin.
It wasn’t quite home, but it would do. The TARDIS could even refuel while they tried to figure out a way back to London. Rose breathed deeply the fresh air as her thoughts turned to eating chips and having a decent cup of tea. She thought back to the café she had visited with the Doctor, Jack, and Mickey. It had been close to the Bay and the food was excellent. She turned around in a circle, taking in all the buildings that surrounded the plaza.
The headline on a newspaper being read by a businessman caught her eye. Noting that Martha was staring up at the fountain across from the Millennium Centre, Rose took the moment to dash over to the businessman and ask him for his newspaper. It had been ages since she had read a paper, but she had other reasons for wanting to borrow one. Once it was in her hands, there was no mistaking the headline.
“I can’t remember the last time I was in Wales…” Martha paused, noticing Rose’s expression as she stared at the newspaper. “What is it?”
Rose handed the paper to Martha and pointed to the date at the top. “It’s three months before we left.”
All the enthusiasm drained from Martha’s face. She leaned back against the TARDIS, the newspaper dropping out of her hand. “So in London, right now, are past versions of you and me.”
“We’ll just… wait it out.” Even as Rose said it, she realized how ridiculous it sounded. Three months in Cardiff. Somehow this was worse than being billions of light years away from Earth. They were so close to home, but now they couldn’t return without causing a paradox.
Seizing Martha by the arm, Rose opened the TARDIS doors and started to pull her inside. “Come on. We’re back on Earth. Let me grab some money and we can mope over a pile of chips and a good cuppa.”
The young doctor managed a small smile. “Sounds like heaven.”
They retreated to the TARDIS. Just as Rose was about to close the doors, she thought heard a vaguely familiar voice being carried on the breeze. With a shake of her head, she quickly dismissed the thought.
The TARDIS doors flew out of her hands, banging shut on their own.
Her mind flashed back to several months previous, to the first moment where the TARDIS doors had closed on their own. “No!” Rose shouted, slamming her fists on the wood surface. They were home. They couldn’t leave now, not again.
The engines gave a painful groan as they powered up, the entire console room shaking from the effort. Rose was forced to grab onto the railing just to keep upright. Over by the console, Martha was gripping the edge with dear life. The time rotor was moving faster than she had ever seen it move before, like the ship was running as fast as it could away from Earth. It felt like they were being hurled through the Time Vortex.
An explosion of sparks erupted from the console. At the same moment, the TARDIS screamed to a stop.
From across the room, Rose and Martha met gazes. Their disappointment was heavy; Rose could practically feel it. She let go of the railing and tentatively placed her hand on the door. Holding back a sigh, she pulled it open and raised her gaze to take in the new alien world.
Her breath came out in a cloud of vapour. It was a rocky landscape in the dead of night with no vegetation visible. The air was cold and Rose suppressed a shiver, her thin jacket doing little to keep her warm. They had traded sunlit Cardiff for some depressing, lifeless planet. Gravel crunched under the soles of her trainers as she stepped out of the time machine. What had driven the TARDIS to land here? Rose swept her gaze across the barren scene.
A few feet away lay the body of a man.
“Martha!” Rose covered the short distance between her and the body before she could explain further. The ground was wet and cold, instantly soaking through the fabric of her jeans as she knelt down beside the body. She didn’t have to be a doctor to see the man’s chest wasn’t moving.
Inside her head, she apologized – to the man’s family, to herself – and with a steady hand, Rose turned his head towards her so she could see his face.
She gasped and fell back onto her bottom.
“Does he have a pulse?” Martha raced to her side, the TARDIS medical kit clutched under one arm. In her haste to check the man’s vitals, the young doctor failed to notice Rose’s mortified look. “He’s still warm. Maybe CPR…” She leaned over the man, ready to perform mouth to mouth.
He jerked to life, his hands clamping around Martha’s arms. Her surprised yelp was joined by his loud gasp for air. He took a few deep breaths before noticing Martha. Then the man smiled. “Hi there. Captain Jack Harkness.” His voice was hoarse but it still oozed charm.
“Um, Martha Jones.” Faced with a handsome man who had appeared dead a few seconds ago, there seemed like no good answer.
Rose choked back tears. The rational side of her brain, the part that should have been asking questions at a mile at minute, completely shut down as she stared at her dear friend. There would be time for answers, but it wasn’t now. “Jack,” she whispered.
Martha looked over her shoulder, shifting out of the way just enough for Jack to see Rose and vice versa. He stared at her in disbelief. After a moment, she started to giggle and within a few seconds she was overcome by a fit of laughter.
“Rose Tyler!” Jack swept her off her feet in crushing bear hug and whooped with joy. Held so close, she could breathe in the scent of him and it brought back a rush of memories. It was Jack, here in the flesh, held in her arms. It wasn’t a dream.
“How did you get here?” she mumbled into his chest. Reluctantly, Jack let her go but he cupped the side of her face, tilting it up so he could meet her eyes. “Last time I saw you was on Satellite Five.”
“I made it back to Earth. I waited, for you and the Doctor. You never came.”
“Jack…” The reality of their parting hit home. She and the Doctor had left Jack behind in the year 200,100. The Doctor’s regeneration might have prevented them from returning immediately but there was no excuse for why they hadn’t checked on Jack during their travels after Christmas. “I’m sorry,” finished Rose and she slipped out of the captain’s touch.
She managed to walk away a few steps before Jack gently grabbed her arm and pulled her back. “Hey. You don’t need to apologize.” He didn’t sound bitter and that was what made her look up at him. “Is the Doctor here?”
Nearly forgotten, Martha shifted awkwardly at the exchange. Rose caught the movement from the corner of her eye. “He’s gone, Jack.”
“Gone?” Jack’s hand fell away from Rose’s arm.
The remorse that flashed across his face made Rose shiver and it wasn’t just the cold. “The Doctor’s in a parallel world. He’s alive, Jack.”
Jack’s second hug nearly bowled her over. “Oh, thank you.” He placed a quick kiss on her forehead before pulling away.
“So you used to travel together?” If Martha was confused by the situation, it didn’t show. The only indication that she was holding some emotion back was the strained smile on her face. It was the sort of expression Rose associated with the doctor part of Martha: putting on a brave face to instil hope in others.
“We met in World War II. Rose was hanging from a barrage balloon.”
“And we ended up dancing on his invisible spaceship.”
“You make it sound like innuendo. It was completely chaste,” Jack said to Martha in a sotto whisper and with a mischievous grin.
Rose couldn’t help but beam at Jack. The Doctor’s departure had left a hole in her heart that couldn’t be easily filled. Seeing Jack again, she didn’t feel so empty.
“I can fly us back to Cardiff, find a nice café, and I can tell you the whole story, with every sordid detail.”
The prospect of returning home made any tension disappear. Jack could fly the TARDIS, properly too. He could get them back to London, even back to the right time. She and Martha wouldn’t have to wander the universe anymore.
Martha looked ready to kiss Jack when the inhuman roars sounded from over the hill. They all looked past the TARDIS to see the flaming torches bobbing into view. Seconds later, they caught their first glimpse of the people carrying the burning torches and they didn’t look like friendly natives. Even from a distance they looked gruesome, dressed in leathers and alien skins, their faces tattooed with odd symbols and designs.
“Help me!”
The cry for help came from below them, at the bottom of the rise where they stood. Rose spotted a dishevelled man running for his life from another group of savages. They were quickly gaining on him and with the second group approaching, he didn’t stand a chance.
“You can entertain us later!” Without waiting for a response from the others, Rose took off down the hill. It would have been simple enough to run to the TARDIS and lock the doors, simple and selfish, but the last thing Rose wanted to do on her possibly last alien planet she would visit was to leave a man behind to die. The Doctor never would have done such a thing and neither would she.
“Oh, I’ve missed this.” Jack’s declaration told Rose he and Martha were right behind her. She reached the man first but he was so concerned about staying alive he didn’t see her and they collided into each other.
“It’s okay. You’re safe.”
“They’re coming! We’ve got to keep going.”
The second group appeared at the top of the raise while the group chasing the man barely slowed. They were boxed in from two sides. Reaching the TARDIS now was out of the question. From the holster on his hip, Jack pulled out a gun. He swept his aim from one group to the other, unsure of who to target. Unable to choose, he pointed his gun skywards and fired a few shots. The savages paused in their chase.
“We’re close to the Silo,” said the man. “If we get to the Silo, then we’re safe.”
A savage with what looked like tread marks tattooed on his face started forward. “Silo?” Rose asked hurriedly.
“Silo,” agreed Martha and Jack simultaneously.
“This way!” They took off after the man, headed towards his promise of safety.
Rose risked a glance over her shoulder as she ran. The sight of jagged and rotten teeth spurred her to run faster.
Rating: PG
Characters: Rose, Martha
Timeline: Season three
Summary: Season three AU; After a fateful visit to Royal Hope Hospital, Rose finds herself lost in time and space with medical student Martha Jones. As they struggle to find a way home, they meet old friends, and old enemies, along the way...
Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine. Any borrowed dialogue belongs to Russell T Davies and the BBC.
A/N: A sequel to "The Other Side". It's not necessary reading; it just sets up the premise that it was the Doctor who was trapped in Pete's World, not Rose. And a shout-out to my awesome betas:
joking and quean_of_swords. This story wouldn't have been posted without you guys.Chapter One. Chapter Two. Chapter Three. Chapter Four. Chapter Five. Chapter Six. Chapter Seven. Chapter Eight. Chapter Nine. Chapter Ten.
The TARDIS shuddered to a halt with a noise that sounded like metal under fatigue. Rose glanced anxiously at the time rotor with its glass casing still broken. The part inside dangled limply, like the ship was panting for breath after a vigorous run. She and Martha had practically travelled non-stop since leaving Earth. The TARDIS needed a rest as much as they did.
And hopefully, that was what waited beyond the doors.
Martha stood at the top of the ramp, staring at the exit. Rose had promised to get her home and the thought of leaving that promise unfulfilled left a bitter taste in her mouth. They had questioned where the “update” had come from but after a good five minutes of debate, they both decided it was worth the risk. Either they returned home or they landed on another unfamiliar planet. That had been their lives for months; what was another stop along the way?
Though her footfalls were noisy against the metal grating, Martha didn’t notice Rose until she was standing right beside her. The young doctor smiled bashfully. “It’s just a door. We’ve walked through it dozen of times. Why am I afraid now?”
“Because we actually have hope this time.” Reaching for Martha’s hand, Rose gave it a reassuring squeeze.
The doors creaked on their hinges as Rose pulled them open. Bright sunlight momentarily blinded her and she raised a hand to block the harsh rays from her eyes. In that brief moment of sightlessness, her world was reduced to sound and smell. On the wind she could smell salt and all around her she heard the chatter of voices and rumble of engines.
One step further and she found herself on familiar ground. The unmistakeable scent of chips and the roar of passing cars greeted her, along with the sight of dozens of humans walking around.
“We made it,” said Martha, joining Rose outside. “We’re home!”
They embraced each other in a crushing hug, their squeals of joy drawing the attention of passer-bys, but beyond a disapproving look no one complained. Rose broke away first, throwing her attention to familiar landmark beside them.
Martha followed her gaze and then frowned. “Wait a sec. Where are we?” She glanced around at the plaza where the TARDIS had landed. “Is this Cardiff?”
The Millennium Centre loomed over them, its bronze front sparking in the sunlight. “I bet you’ve never been happier to be in Cardiff.”
“I officially love Wales,” Martha said with a grin.
It wasn’t quite home, but it would do. The TARDIS could even refuel while they tried to figure out a way back to London. Rose breathed deeply the fresh air as her thoughts turned to eating chips and having a decent cup of tea. She thought back to the café she had visited with the Doctor, Jack, and Mickey. It had been close to the Bay and the food was excellent. She turned around in a circle, taking in all the buildings that surrounded the plaza.
The headline on a newspaper being read by a businessman caught her eye. Noting that Martha was staring up at the fountain across from the Millennium Centre, Rose took the moment to dash over to the businessman and ask him for his newspaper. It had been ages since she had read a paper, but she had other reasons for wanting to borrow one. Once it was in her hands, there was no mistaking the headline.
“I can’t remember the last time I was in Wales…” Martha paused, noticing Rose’s expression as she stared at the newspaper. “What is it?”
Rose handed the paper to Martha and pointed to the date at the top. “It’s three months before we left.”
All the enthusiasm drained from Martha’s face. She leaned back against the TARDIS, the newspaper dropping out of her hand. “So in London, right now, are past versions of you and me.”
“We’ll just… wait it out.” Even as Rose said it, she realized how ridiculous it sounded. Three months in Cardiff. Somehow this was worse than being billions of light years away from Earth. They were so close to home, but now they couldn’t return without causing a paradox.
Seizing Martha by the arm, Rose opened the TARDIS doors and started to pull her inside. “Come on. We’re back on Earth. Let me grab some money and we can mope over a pile of chips and a good cuppa.”
The young doctor managed a small smile. “Sounds like heaven.”
They retreated to the TARDIS. Just as Rose was about to close the doors, she thought heard a vaguely familiar voice being carried on the breeze. With a shake of her head, she quickly dismissed the thought.
The TARDIS doors flew out of her hands, banging shut on their own.
Her mind flashed back to several months previous, to the first moment where the TARDIS doors had closed on their own. “No!” Rose shouted, slamming her fists on the wood surface. They were home. They couldn’t leave now, not again.
The engines gave a painful groan as they powered up, the entire console room shaking from the effort. Rose was forced to grab onto the railing just to keep upright. Over by the console, Martha was gripping the edge with dear life. The time rotor was moving faster than she had ever seen it move before, like the ship was running as fast as it could away from Earth. It felt like they were being hurled through the Time Vortex.
An explosion of sparks erupted from the console. At the same moment, the TARDIS screamed to a stop.
From across the room, Rose and Martha met gazes. Their disappointment was heavy; Rose could practically feel it. She let go of the railing and tentatively placed her hand on the door. Holding back a sigh, she pulled it open and raised her gaze to take in the new alien world.
Her breath came out in a cloud of vapour. It was a rocky landscape in the dead of night with no vegetation visible. The air was cold and Rose suppressed a shiver, her thin jacket doing little to keep her warm. They had traded sunlit Cardiff for some depressing, lifeless planet. Gravel crunched under the soles of her trainers as she stepped out of the time machine. What had driven the TARDIS to land here? Rose swept her gaze across the barren scene.
A few feet away lay the body of a man.
“Martha!” Rose covered the short distance between her and the body before she could explain further. The ground was wet and cold, instantly soaking through the fabric of her jeans as she knelt down beside the body. She didn’t have to be a doctor to see the man’s chest wasn’t moving.
Inside her head, she apologized – to the man’s family, to herself – and with a steady hand, Rose turned his head towards her so she could see his face.
She gasped and fell back onto her bottom.
“Does he have a pulse?” Martha raced to her side, the TARDIS medical kit clutched under one arm. In her haste to check the man’s vitals, the young doctor failed to notice Rose’s mortified look. “He’s still warm. Maybe CPR…” She leaned over the man, ready to perform mouth to mouth.
He jerked to life, his hands clamping around Martha’s arms. Her surprised yelp was joined by his loud gasp for air. He took a few deep breaths before noticing Martha. Then the man smiled. “Hi there. Captain Jack Harkness.” His voice was hoarse but it still oozed charm.
“Um, Martha Jones.” Faced with a handsome man who had appeared dead a few seconds ago, there seemed like no good answer.
Rose choked back tears. The rational side of her brain, the part that should have been asking questions at a mile at minute, completely shut down as she stared at her dear friend. There would be time for answers, but it wasn’t now. “Jack,” she whispered.
Martha looked over her shoulder, shifting out of the way just enough for Jack to see Rose and vice versa. He stared at her in disbelief. After a moment, she started to giggle and within a few seconds she was overcome by a fit of laughter.
“Rose Tyler!” Jack swept her off her feet in crushing bear hug and whooped with joy. Held so close, she could breathe in the scent of him and it brought back a rush of memories. It was Jack, here in the flesh, held in her arms. It wasn’t a dream.
“How did you get here?” she mumbled into his chest. Reluctantly, Jack let her go but he cupped the side of her face, tilting it up so he could meet her eyes. “Last time I saw you was on Satellite Five.”
“I made it back to Earth. I waited, for you and the Doctor. You never came.”
“Jack…” The reality of their parting hit home. She and the Doctor had left Jack behind in the year 200,100. The Doctor’s regeneration might have prevented them from returning immediately but there was no excuse for why they hadn’t checked on Jack during their travels after Christmas. “I’m sorry,” finished Rose and she slipped out of the captain’s touch.
She managed to walk away a few steps before Jack gently grabbed her arm and pulled her back. “Hey. You don’t need to apologize.” He didn’t sound bitter and that was what made her look up at him. “Is the Doctor here?”
Nearly forgotten, Martha shifted awkwardly at the exchange. Rose caught the movement from the corner of her eye. “He’s gone, Jack.”
“Gone?” Jack’s hand fell away from Rose’s arm.
The remorse that flashed across his face made Rose shiver and it wasn’t just the cold. “The Doctor’s in a parallel world. He’s alive, Jack.”
Jack’s second hug nearly bowled her over. “Oh, thank you.” He placed a quick kiss on her forehead before pulling away.
“So you used to travel together?” If Martha was confused by the situation, it didn’t show. The only indication that she was holding some emotion back was the strained smile on her face. It was the sort of expression Rose associated with the doctor part of Martha: putting on a brave face to instil hope in others.
“We met in World War II. Rose was hanging from a barrage balloon.”
“And we ended up dancing on his invisible spaceship.”
“You make it sound like innuendo. It was completely chaste,” Jack said to Martha in a sotto whisper and with a mischievous grin.
Rose couldn’t help but beam at Jack. The Doctor’s departure had left a hole in her heart that couldn’t be easily filled. Seeing Jack again, she didn’t feel so empty.
“I can fly us back to Cardiff, find a nice café, and I can tell you the whole story, with every sordid detail.”
The prospect of returning home made any tension disappear. Jack could fly the TARDIS, properly too. He could get them back to London, even back to the right time. She and Martha wouldn’t have to wander the universe anymore.
Martha looked ready to kiss Jack when the inhuman roars sounded from over the hill. They all looked past the TARDIS to see the flaming torches bobbing into view. Seconds later, they caught their first glimpse of the people carrying the burning torches and they didn’t look like friendly natives. Even from a distance they looked gruesome, dressed in leathers and alien skins, their faces tattooed with odd symbols and designs.
“Help me!”
The cry for help came from below them, at the bottom of the rise where they stood. Rose spotted a dishevelled man running for his life from another group of savages. They were quickly gaining on him and with the second group approaching, he didn’t stand a chance.
“You can entertain us later!” Without waiting for a response from the others, Rose took off down the hill. It would have been simple enough to run to the TARDIS and lock the doors, simple and selfish, but the last thing Rose wanted to do on her possibly last alien planet she would visit was to leave a man behind to die. The Doctor never would have done such a thing and neither would she.
“Oh, I’ve missed this.” Jack’s declaration told Rose he and Martha were right behind her. She reached the man first but he was so concerned about staying alive he didn’t see her and they collided into each other.
“It’s okay. You’re safe.”
“They’re coming! We’ve got to keep going.”
The second group appeared at the top of the raise while the group chasing the man barely slowed. They were boxed in from two sides. Reaching the TARDIS now was out of the question. From the holster on his hip, Jack pulled out a gun. He swept his aim from one group to the other, unsure of who to target. Unable to choose, he pointed his gun skywards and fired a few shots. The savages paused in their chase.
“We’re close to the Silo,” said the man. “If we get to the Silo, then we’re safe.”
A savage with what looked like tread marks tattooed on his face started forward. “Silo?” Rose asked hurriedly.
“Silo,” agreed Martha and Jack simultaneously.
“This way!” They took off after the man, headed towards his promise of safety.
Rose risked a glance over her shoulder as she ran. The sight of jagged and rotten teeth spurred her to run faster.
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