Apologies for my unintentional hiatus. The past few weeks have been crazy. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter :)

The Blue Box

Rose looked up as River dropped a pile of books on her desk with a thump.

"Good morning to you too," said Rose grumpily, as she went back to the book she was reading.

River gave her a narrow-eyed glare. "How long will this be going on?"

"What, my book?" she asked, pretending to gauge the remaining pages. "About six hours, give or take."

River sighed and rolled her eyes. "Rose," she said, pointedly.

Rose considered throwing out another bratty response, but decided against it. She placed a bookmark in her book and closed it. "I don't want to talk about this, River," said Rose.

"Yes, you have made that clear," said River. "You have not talked about it for two weeks now."

"What do you want me to say, River?" demanded Rose, raising her voice.

"Something, anything," said River. "Anything other than these moody silences and shutting yourself in your room."

Rose gave her a look. "You've been talking to Miranda," she said.

"Yes, because she's concerned," said River. "We're all concerned."

"Oh, good," said Rose, sarcastically. "Because that is what I need. More people talking behind my back."

"You're not giving us a choice," said River. "You won't tell us what you need."

"I need time, River," said Rose, knowing she sounded exactly as tired as she felt.

River sighed and nodded slowly. "Alright," she said. "I can give you time. But know that we are all here when you are ready. For whatever you need."

Rose nodded back gratefully. "Thank you," she said. "Even if I don't deserve it."

River opened her mouth as if to say something but then stopped herself. "One day," she said, finally. "I might actually be able to tell you."

"What?" asked Rose, confused.

River shook her head and then crossed the shop to sit behind her desk. "Nothing," she said. "Just talking to myself."

Rose rather thought it sounded like a lie, but she had no energy to fight River on it. She checked her phone instead and saw that it was two in the afternoon. The shop was quiet, and no customers were out and about on a humid September afternoon. Rose wanted to lie down on the visitor's sofa and take an afternoon nap, and she wondered if River would make a fuss if she did just that.

Before she could move, the bell tinkled overhead and the door opened. Rose's head snapped toward the door and she was surprised to see Jack, dressed in his usual long navy coat. He smiled at her and River when he saw them.

"Afternoon, ladies," he said.

"Jack," said River, standing up. "I wasn't expecting you. Is everything alright?"

"Not really," he said. "Hi, Rose."

"Hello, Jack," smiled Rose. "What's wrong?"

Jack walked over to River's desk and pulled out his phone. "My team intercepted this transmission earlier today," he said, and played a recording.

Rose stood up and went over, frowning when she could only hear warbly static. Jack's expression was unusually tense, and River's eyes grew wide.

"How long ago did it start transmitting?" asked River, her voice sharp. Rose tensed automatically when she heard it; she seldom heard River sound like that and it was almost always when they were in the middle of a crisis.

"We picked it up three hours ago," said Jack. "River, it's broadcasting on an open channel."

"Hang on, you can understand that?" asked Rose, confused. She looked between River and Jack, but they both ignored her.

"You take Rose, I'll go," said River, reaching toward one of the locked drawers on her desk.

"River…" said Jack.

"I said, go," said River, pulling out what looked like a complicated watch of sorts. It was placed on a thick wrist guard and had various alphanumeric keys on it with a small display screen. Rose just stared at the obviously futuristic piece of technology, but Jack tensed and whirled around.

"Too late," he said, and grabbed Rose and dragged her into the backroom, shutting the door behind him. Before Rose could say anything, he clamped his hand down on her mouth, just as they heard the front door slam open. It hadn't sounded too loud, but Rose tensed up regardless, staring up at Jack with terrified eyes. Jack's face was hard with tension and he kept an arm wrapped securely around Rose while his other hand held her mouth shut.

They heard footsteps, belonging to at least three people, walking into the shop. There was a distinctive sound of the shop door closing and the lock clicking shut.

"You are a difficult woman to find, Professor Song," came an unfamiliar male voice. Rose was surprised at the South London accent, and she did not like his sneering tone one bit.

"Oh, you know me, Lord Maalvak, I like to keep everyone guessing." River sounded confident, almost flirty, but Rose could hear the tense undertone. "Oh, but pardon me, you don't have a title anymore, do you, Maalvak?"

The man, Maalvak, roared in anger. "Insolent witch," he snarled.

"Such language," said River. "Makes a girl feel special."

Rose heard the distinctive sound of two guns cocking and she tensed again, noticing that Jack did the same.

"Fortunately for you, I am not interested in you today, Professor Song," said Maalvak. "I presume you know what I am here for."

"Yes, I heard your little transmission," she said. "Bold move to broadcast on an open channel. I would have figured you preferred discretion."

Maalvak chuckled, and it was a cold, horrible sound. "Sometimes you need more than subtlety," he said. "Now, quit stalling, and tell me what I want to know."

"Oh, that's simple enough," said River. "I don't know." There was a slight pause. "It's true. I have no idea where she is. And as you can see, I'm the only one here."

"I am in no mood for games, Professor Song," said Maalvak. "I will ask again, where is Rose Tyler?"

Rose gasped and the sound was thankfully muffled by Jack's hand on her mouth. She looked up at him and he looked unsurprised, which confused her even further. Either he'd already known that this Maalvak was looking for her, or he just had that good of a poker face. Rose was betting it was the former.

But even if that were true, it didn't make sense. Who were these people? Why did they know who she was? And why did both River and Jack seem to know so much more about this than they had ever told her?

Maalvak, it seemed, was done asking questions. "Enough. If you won't tell me, I'll just let the transmission do its job," he said, sharply. "Seize her!"

"No need," said River. "I'll come quietly."

Rose's eyes widened and she struggled against Jack, whose strong grip held her in place. She couldn't let River be taken by these people, whoever they were, because she was protecting Rose.

"Very well," said Maalvak.

Rose heard River walk toward the intruders and then there was silence. Jack looked down at her and then without missing a beat, he flung her away from the door and went out into the shop by himself. Rose exclaimed in surprise as he closed and locked the door behind himself, effectively locking Rose in the back room.

Rose banged against the door. "Jack!" she called. "Let me out."

"Can't do that, Rose," she heard him say.

"Jack, we have to go and get River," argued Rose.

"Yes, but you are staying right there," he said. "We were lucky that it was that idiot Maalvak and he was dumb enough to not search the premises. They won't think to look for you here again. Just stay here, whatever you do."

"Jack, who were those people? What do they want with me?" asked Rose.

"Stay here while I go and get River back," said Jack, ignoring her question entirely. "I am very sorry about this, Rose." There was a small hissing sound and then silence. Rose stared at the door in disbelief before slamming her fist against the door furiously.

She hated this; being treated like a child and being locked away while her friends dealt with god knows who for her sake.

There was no way she was staying put. Rose knew the door opened inwards into the backroom so there was no point in trying to ram it open, not that she had the upper body strength to do it. She would have to try and get the door open, and she started looking around to see if she could find anything useful. Her phone was out in the shop, so calling someone to come and let her out was out of the question.

River's tools were arranged neatly in their cases but Rose couldn't see any of the finer tools being of much use. As much as she would have loved to try and pick the lock, she knew there wasn't anything in the room to help with that. That left the only option of trying to break the door down.

There were a few trowels and a spade, so Rose picked up the spade, ready to break down the door.

"Sorry about the property damage, River," she murmured and swung hard.

Before the spade could make contact with the door, Rose felt an unnatural breeze at her back, followed by a sound that was rapidly becoming familiar. Rose turned around in shock as the TARDIS began materialising in the middle of the room. The TARDIS landed with a thud and the doors swung open a moment later as the Doctor stuck his head out.

He and Rose stared at each other for a moment.

"I come in peace," he said, glancing at the spade in her hand which Rose realised she was still holding up.

The Doctor's words made her chuckle and she lowered the spade.

"I am guessing this isn't 1997 New York," he said, as he stepped outside, closing the doors behind himself.

"You're only slightly off," said Rose, amused. "It's London. September 2005."

"Close enough," he grinned. Rose started to put the spade down and he chuckled. "Don't let me interrupt you."

"I was trying to break the door down," admitted Rose.

"I'm sure the door deserved it," he said. "But I assume your objective was to get out of…" he trailed off and glanced around, "this room full of things that shouldn't be in London in September 2005."

"This is where I work," said Rose. "I told you, remember? That I worked for a PI?"

The Doctor picked up a radiation sponge and gave her a look.

"River's an archaeologist," said Rose. "Sometimes, she finds things that are...you know, alien." The Doctor continued to pick through the various artefacts in the back room, with a mixture of curiosity and gentle admonishment on his face. "Sometimes we get clients coming in who have found pieces of alien technology that we help authenticate as well." She saw his expression change as he picked up a cyclostimulator. "What?" she asked him.

He held up the cyclostimulator with a questioning look.

"It's a cyclostimulator," said Rose. "Part of an alien ship, River thought."

"Right," he said, and placed it back. "And your boss came across it on one of her expeditions? On Earth?"

Rose frowned a little. "Yeah, why?" she asked.

"No reason," he said, easily.

Rose wanted to push, but she remembered she needed to go after River and Jack. "I need to get out of here," she said.

"Before you start eyeing up the spade again, how about I unlock the door instead?" he asked, walking up to the door.

"It locks from the other side," said Rose. "Unless you've got a lockpick."

"I have something much better," he said, and reached into his coat.

Rose saw him pull out the sonic screwdriver, which he had shown her once before. He pointed it at the lock and Rose heard a low buzz before the lock clicked open. The Doctor held the door open and looked at her expectantly.

"Thanks," said Rose, gratefully as she went out into the shop. The shop was empty but Rose went straight to the front door and then stopped short.

"Interesting," the Doctor murmured behind her. "Perhaps you could tell me what happened here, Rose."

Rose turned around, her mind racing. With a slight nod, she explained the events of the morning to the Doctor.

"I have to go after them," said Rose. "Those people...whoever they were, were after me."

"And you don't know why?" he asked.

Rose nodded, trying not to panic. She looked back at the shop's door. "The door is still locked from the inside," she said. "If Jack and River left…"

The Doctor was sniffing the air, and he frowned a bit. He looked up at the ceiling of the shop and then at River's desk. Rose followed his gaze and frowned as well when she noticed the wrist device she had seen earlier was nowhere to be found.

"This recording," said the Doctor, bringing her attention back to him. "What did it sound like?"

"Just static," said Rose.

"And they said it was broadcasting on an open channel?" he asked. When Rose nodded, he shrugged. "If it's still broadcasting, the TARDIS will pick it up. Come on."

Rose followed him to the TARDIS, remembering to grab her phone before doing so. She tried to think who those people would have been, and why both Jack and River seemed to know so much more than they had told her. The Doctor was fiddling with the controls on the TARDIS console and he frowned again as he flipped a switch and the same warbly static that Rose had heard earlier began playing.

"That's it," said Rose, and the Doctor's frown grew deeper. "What?" she asked him.

"It's a language," he said. "A fairly common one."

"Okay," said Rose. "But what's making you frown like that?"

The Doctor looked at her. "You said both your friends understood it?"

"Yeah," said Rose.

"The language is called Gilese," he said. "It doesn't belong to a particular sector of space but is commonly used in a particular century of human history."

"What century?" asked Rose.

The Doctor gave her a piercing look. "The 51st century," he said.

"Jack's from the 51st century," she said. "He's a time traveller." The Doctor blinked at her and Rose nodded sheepishly. "I should have mentioned that before, right?"

"Well, it would have been helpful, yes," said the Doctor. "But that's not the only thing." When Rose gave him a questioning look, he sighed. "Both of your friends recognised Gilese, Rose."

Rose stared at him, as her brain caught up with what he was implying. "But...that...River's not…" she stuttered. "Why would River…"

"I assume because both of your friends are time travellers," said the Doctor, turning away from the console as he regarded Rose sternly, crossing his arms over his chest. "There was a distinctive scent of the vortex in the shop, confirming someone had recently used a device to time travel."

"River had a wrist device," Rose mumbled, still too shocked.

"A vortex manipulator, no doubt," said the Doctor. "And then of course, there is what the transmission says." He flicked a switch on the console, and a mechanic voice could be heard over the speakers. Rose felt her entire being grown cold as the same words were repeated over and over.

"Rose Tyler. One zero zero two five zero five zero zero. Seneus. Rose Tyler. One zero zero two five zero five zero zero. Seneus. Rose Tyler. One zero zero two five zero five…"

"W-What is that?" she finally managed to ask.

"A bounty," said the Doctor. "Against you."

"And the numbers?" she asked.

"The reward for collection. And Seneus meaning the subject has to be brought in alive," he said. "It's a reference to a famous song from the late 50th century."

"Why would someone in the 51st century issue a bounty against me?" asked Rose, her voice hoarse with tension.

"You tell me," he said, fixing her with a steely. "You are the one who is friends with time travellers."

The contempt in his tone managed to shake off some of the shock and Rose glared at him. "What are you implying?"

"I'm not implying anything," he said. "I am saying it is extremely interesting that two of your friends are from the 51st century and clearly involved in something which has brought bounty hunters from that time period after you. Either you are involved as well and lying to me about it, or you are someone who will go on to cause trouble in which case I might as well stop you now."

Rose stared at him in disbelief, too furious to even speak for a moment. When she finally spoke, her voice was shaking with anger. "I don't care what you think about me or what I may do in the future," she said, advancing toward him. "All I care about is finding River and Jack and getting them back. They are my friends and they gave themselves up to protect me, so I will find them. With or without your help."

"And what do you plan to do?" he asked, looking unfazed at her anger. "Give yourself up in their place?"

"If that is what it takes!" she shouted. Rose's vision blurred with tears and she rubbed them away angrily. She always got teary when she got angry, a fact she hated immensely because it made people think she was upset and crying, and not furious which she actually was.

The Doctor looked at her, really looked at her, the blue-green eyes almost hypnotic as they looked into her eyes, and then he suddenly smiled, his eyes growing warmer and bluer, somehow. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders and gripped them reassuringly.

"I believe you," he said, his voice very soft and unlike the cold, contemptuous tone from before which confused her immensely. The Doctor removed one hand from her shoulder and used the back of his fingers to wipe the tears from her face before releasing her and stepping back toward the console. "Let's find your friends."

"H-hang on," said Rose, hating how small her voice sounded. "Why-"

He turned to her briefly and smiled. "Can I show you something?" he asked, and continued before she could say anything else. "I have set the TARDIS to trace the source of the transmission and it will take a while."

Rose nodded, and he held out his hand. Hesitating briefly, Rose placed her hand in his and he led her past the console room, and deeper into the TARDIS. Rose wasn't sure what she had expected, but the walls of the corridors were grey and blank, with dim, overhead lighting. Rose couldn't actually see the ceiling, nor the source of the lights, and each corridor looked exactly like the one before it. Sometimes they passed a door, and it was bizarre because some doors looked alien and modern, while others looked like they belonged in a Georgian mansion. It seemed like an eclectic hodgepodge from all over.

They finally reached a pair of ordinary wooden doors and the Doctor smiled at her as he opened the door. Rose had to blink at the sudden bright light and her jaw dropped when she saw a beautiful grassy green meadow with bright sunlight overhead. The meadow, she realised as the Doctor led her inside, was at the top of a gently sloping grassy hill. Hundreds, no thousands of little winged creatures covered the surroundings, their bright wings catching the warm sunlight overhead, making the place look vibrant and alive.

"This is the Butterfly room," said the Doctor, his voice gentle and hushed. Rose looked at him as two or three butterflies with unusual black and lavender wings situated themselves atop his chestnut curls.

"We are still inside the TARDIS, aren't we?" asked Rose, subconsciously mimicking his tone. She jumped a little when an icy blue butterfly the size of her palm fluttered over to her. Rose tentatively reached out a hand and the butterfly flew over to rest on her index finger.

"Yes," said the Doctor, as he let go of her hand and a few more of the black and lavender butterflies fluttered over to him.

Rose felt one of the butterflies land on her head but she couldn't see what kind it was. Either way, she had recognised none of the species she had seen thus far, and knew they had to be alien.

"I quite like this place," said the Doctor, as he walked over to the edge of the meadow where the hill began to slope and sat down.

Rose followed him after a moment, being careful not to disturb the butterflies on her body as she sat down next to the Doctor. "It's beautiful," she admitted, looking out at the view which consisted of thousands of butterflies across the sunny green meadow as far as the eye could see.

"Yes, I rather think so too," agreed the Doctor. There was a brief moment of silence, interrupted only by the sound of fluttering wings.

"Do you really think River is a time traveller as well?" asked Rose, finally.

"From what you have told me, it seems highly likely," said the Doctor. "Not to mention the cyclostimulator."

"What about it?" asked Rose.

"The cyclostimulator is a common component of a spacecraft," said the Doctor, and Rose nodded since she had known that. "From 372nd century onwards."

Rose stared at him for a moment before glancing down at the icy blue butterfly resting on her finger. "Why wouldn't River tell me that?"

The Doctor sighed. "I don't know, Rose," he said.

"D-do you think it's because…" Rose paused as she tried to articulate her thoughts. "Because of what you said before. A-about me doing something bad in the future?"

"Rose," said the Doctor. "Look at me, please."

Despite very much not wanting to, Rose raised her gaze to his. He was regarding her with a soft look which made her want to glance away.

"I provoked you on purpose earlier," he admitted. "Truth is, I am not exactly sure who your friends are or what they have told you. Or haven't told you, as might be the case."

"That was really…" began Rose.

"Sneaky?" asked the Doctor.

"Manipulative," said Rose.

"Yes, I suppose," said the Doctor. "Believe it or not, I used to be worse."

"What changed?" asked Rose.

"I did," he said, with a smile that Rose didn't quite understand. "But the thing to remember is that this is the third time we have met, Rose. Once is fine, twice is a coincidence, but three times? Three times is a pattern."

"A pattern of what?" asked Rose.

"A pattern in time," said the Doctor, as he stretched his arm out in front of himself. A few more black and lavender butterflies flew over to rest along his arm, making it look like he had a bizarre sleeve. "Time is better thought of as a collection of many things, as opposed to an entity in itself. Do you remember the last time we met?"

At Rose's nod, he continued. "Desmond Coughlan was a pivotal point for human history and time travel in particular. He was, what one might call, a temporal tipping point. Such temporal tipping points are prevalent in the stream of time. Then there are fixed points. Altering a fixed point is near impossible and attempting to do so can cause the entire universe to collapse."

Rose shuddered involuntarily at the grim tone of his voice. They were yet to look away from one another, and she felt a spark of fear and excitement build up inside her in an inexplicable way.

"Time travellers have an ongoing responsibility to be careful with how they interact with the universe around them," he said.

"But I'm not a time traveller," said Rose.

"No, but you are encountering them. The odds of knowing one time traveller are astronomical and you know three of them," he said. "I am afraid you have become what's known as a convergence point ."

"What's that?" asked Rose.

"Crudely speaking, a lot of timelines join with yours," he said. "Timelines pulled across space and time, which continue to draw other timelines pulled across space and time. It's why the flutterwing on your finger was the first one to fly over to you."

Rose looked at the icy blue butterfly on her finger.

"Flutterwings are Gallifreyan," explained the Doctor. "They can sense the temporal energy around you. It also explains why you find yourself in situations that humans of your time ordinarily wouldn't when it comes to encountering the bizarre."

"So I am literally attracting trouble?" asked Rose, raising her gaze back to the Doctor's.

He laughed at that. "You are setting new records for jeopardy friendly," he said. "Timelines are complex. Each person has their personal timeline, of course, which sets out the path their existence will take. But they are also surrounded by other timelines, alternative streams of existence which may well become their personal timeline, depending on the choices they make."

"Like if I had chosen to run away with Jimmy instead," said Rose, absently. She shook her head when the Doctor gave her a questioning look. "Did I meet you and River and Jack because I am a c-convergence point? Or did I become a convergence point because I met all of you?"

"I don't know," he said, simply. "Time travellers have a complex timeline to begin with and they have the potential to significantly alter the universe's timelines. A convergence point like you...has that same potential."

Rose considered his words carefully. "Do you think I will become a time traveller in the future?" she asked.

"I would not be surprised if you did," he said. "The timelines will keep drawing to you, and perhaps the more you learn about what's out there, the more it will make you want to seek it out yourself."

Rose glanced away. "And if I don't want to?" she asked.

"Then you had better stop jumping headfirst into situations like these," he said, as he stood up. "Just walk away, instead of getting involved."

Rose chuckled, and it was a short, almost hysterical sound. "How?" she asked, looking up at him.

The Doctor smiled down at her with what could have almost been pity, before he took her hand and helped her to her feet. "I don't know," he said. "I was never able to do it. In the end, I just embraced it."

The butterflies around both of them flew away, leaving them alone at the top of the hill.

"Yeah," said Rose. "I don't think I will ever be able to, either. So I guess I'll do what you do." He tilted his head at her and Rose smiled back at him. "I'll jump right into it."

The TARDIS was still scanning when they returned to the console room. The Doctor examined the scans while Rose had a drink of water and collected her thoughts.

"So, why were you going to New York in 1997?" asked Rose.

"I have to pick up a friend of mine," he said. "She is attending a Greenpeace rally in New York."

"A friend?" asked Rose, curiously.

"Sam," he said. "Sam Jones. I dropped her off there not long before I encountered Troiton and met you for the first time."

"But that was almost two years ago," exclaimed Rose.

"It has only been about ten months for me," he said, with a grin. "Don't worry, I'll pick Sam up only a few hours after I would have left her there."

"That's what you do then, is it?" asked Rose, amused and curious. "Zip through time and space and have a girl in every port?"

He laughed and shook his head. "It isn't like that," he said. "Sam's a dear friend. But yes, I do like travelling with other people. Travelling all by my lonesome has never been my favourite thing."

"Better with two?" asked Rose.

"Yes," he said, sincerely.

Rose held his gaze for a moment but the TARDIS console beeped with the results, distracting them. "It's a ship," said the Doctor, checking the results. "The transmission is coming from a ship in Earth's atmosphere. Human in origin, but definitely from the 51st century."

"From the way River spoke to that man, Maalvak, it seemed like his people were the ones who sent the transmission," said Rose. "And he even said he would take River and let the transmission do its job."

"Seems right," nodded the Doctor. "If they wanted to find you and couldn't, they would go after your associates first and leave the legwork of finding you to other bounty hunters."

"So as long as we get to the ship, we can get Jack and River back," said Rose. "And I think I know how." The Doctor gave her a curious look, and Rose grinned. "Do you have any handcuffs?"

"This is certainly a bold plan," said the Doctor.

Rose shivered lightly and hoped he knew that it was mostly because of the ship's interior being a little chilly as opposed to the Doctor's proximity to her. Mostly.

"If it works, it works," she shrugged or tried to at least, since her wrists were handcuffed behind her back. The Doctor had a firm grip on her elbow as he led her out of the ship's loading dock toward the waiting guards.

"Hello, there!" said the Doctor cheerfully. "I have come to collect a bounty."

The two guards, both female and dressed in mismatched dark clothing, narrowed their eyes at them.

"Stay," said one of them, holding up a hand while the other one spoke into a communication device on her wrist in a low voice.

Rose felt the Doctor lean closer until he was speaking right into her ear. "You need to struggle a lot more," he murmured.

Rose suppressed another shiver and prayed he didn't have alien hearing because her heart felt like it would leap out of her chest. She pulled against his grip, doing her best to play the prisoner.

"Follow," said the guard, who had been speaking on the radio.

"Certainly," said the Doctor as he dragged a struggling Rose after the guard. The other guard followed them from behind as they were led to an elevator which descended downwards.

"It's a beautiful ship," commented the Doctor. "A luxury class Chula ship, isn't it?."

"Yes," said the guard behind them.

"H128, if I'm not mistaken," continued the Doctor. "Which should mean the bridge is on the upper floors.".

Rose tensed, wondering why they were being taken to the lower decks. She was also sure the Doctor had said it for her benefit, no doubt to alert her to the irregularity.

"Lord Maalvak has requested the bounty be brought to his quarters," said the other guard.

Rose flinched visibly but felt the Doctor squeeze her elbow once in reassurance. She glanced at him and he met her eyes with that same reassurance; he would not let anything happen to her.

Heartened, Rose returned to struggling as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened to a narrow low lit corridor with floor lights. The air was regulated so the temperature was warmer than it had been on the loading dock and it smelled like citrus and bleach.

They were led down the corridor before stopping at a frosted glass door. The guard in front of them pressed the button next to the door and they heard a small chime. A moment later, the door slid open automatically.

"Inside," said the guard, looking at them expectantly.

"Does the monosyllabic nature of your speech ever get cumbersome?" asked the Doctor, sounding genuinely curious. "Just checking," he added, when the guard glared at him.

The room was a sitting room of sorts that reminded Rose of the crew quarters in Star Trek. The walls were the same burnished bronze as the outer corridors, and the furniture looked like it was plucked out of a Hollywood mansion in the 70s.

There was a man sitting in one of the chairs and he stood up when they walked in. He was of average height with pale skin and thinning brown hair. His face turned an ugly shade of pink when he saw Rose.

"It really is you," he said, glaring at her angrily. "You don't even know who I am yet, do you?" he demanded. He glanced at the Doctor. "Who are you supposed to be then?"

"Oh, hello, I'm Doctor John Smith," said the Doctor, sounding perfectly cheerful. "Here to collect a bounty. You must be Lord Maalvak."

Maalvak regarded him for a moment and then sniffed dismissively. "Pay the man and get him off my ship," he ordered one of the guards.

"Oh, Antlos currency, please," said the Doctor.

Maalvak gave him a look. "Are you serious? You want to be paid in blades of grass?" he asked.

"Yes, please," said the Doctor, and Rose really had to admire the bright, beaming smile on his face.

Maalvak huffed and rolled his eyes. "Pay him in fucking Antlos currency," he ordered. "And get him out of my sight. I want to speak to the bitch alone."

The Doctor clicked his tongue and shook his head. "I'm not surrendering the bounty until I'm paid," he said, and his smile became sharper. Rose saw Maalvak visibly pale. "So I suggest you get someone to start counting the blades of grass. All one hundred million two hundred and fifty thousand five hundred of them. Actually, with the conversion rate it should be more."

Maalvak swelled in anger but nodded at the guards, who both left. He walked up to Rose and glared down at her.

Rose stared back defiantly. "What do you want with me?" asked Rose.

"You will cost me everything one day," he said. "My wealth, my title, my dignity, my standing in society…"

"And so you thought you'd get rid of me now?" asked Rose. "Change the future and save your stupid title that you care so much about?"

"Insolent child," he snarled and raised his hand.

The Doctor casually pulled Rose back toward him by her elbow. "No touching the goods until you've paid me," he reminded Maalvak.

"Look," said Rose. "You've got me here. So let River go."

Maalvak sneered at her. "You're in no position to make demands," he said.

"Could I just interrupt and ask a question?" said the Doctor. "I am no expert, but altering the timeline in a drastic manner like this is bound to cause ripples. Might attract the wrong kind of attention."

"From who?" asked Maalvak.

"Time Lords, for one," said the Doctor.

Maalvak looked at him oddly. "Who?"

"Time Lords? Surely a time traveller like yourself has heard of them," said the Doctor.

"Nice try," said Maalvak. "Time Lords are a story that you tell children. I'd be more worried about the Church of the Papal Mainframe or the Ferutu and their ridiculous magic."

Rose felt the Doctor tense and she glanced at him, only to see his face was taut with shock.

"Ferutu?" he asked. "In this universe?"

"Of course, where have you been?" asked Maalvak, giving the Doctor an odd look again.

"Apparently off in my own little world," said the Doctor, recovering quickly as he smiled at Maalvak.

Rose dearly wanted to ask him what all of that had been about, but she focused her attention back on Maalvak.

"Listen, Maalvak, Lord Maalvak, whoever you are," she said. "I don't know what I did to you. Or will do to you, I guess. But let River go."

Maalvak fixed his gaze on her. "Just her?" he asked. "What about the other one?" When Rose just stared at him, he smirked coldly. "Bring them in," he ordered into his wrist device.

The door opened and one of the guards from before came in with another guard, leading River and Jack with their hands bound behind their backs.

Rose froze when she saw them, but noticed they were thankfully unharmed. The guards forced them both onto their knees.

"Caught the other one trying to sneak onto the ship with a vortex manipulator," said Maalvak, holding out a hand toward one of the guards, who handed him a gun.

"Tell you what," said Maalvak as he turned back to Rose. "Pick one."

"What?" asked Rose.

"Pick one," repeated Maalvak, pointing the weapon at River and then at Jack.

"That's sick," said Rose, horrified. "I'm not going to…."

"Pick one, or I'll kill both," threatened Maalvak.

"Pick me," said Jack, looking at Rose. "Pick me to die."

"Jack," said Rose, looking at him in shock.

"Sorry, beautiful," he said, his lips quirking up in a small smile. "But if anyone here has to get hurt, I'd rather it be me."

"Seems like he's made the choice," grinned Maalvak and pulled the trigger.

The scream that tore from Rose's throat was indescribable as she watched Jack slump to the ground, eyes wide open in death. Blood and brain matter had spattered onto the ground nearby and Rose was aware of falling to her knees as she could only stare at Jack's body in horror.

"How does it feel?" demanded Maalvak as he turned to Rose. "To watch something you love being taken away before your very eyes."

"Oh, grow up, Maalvak," snarled River. "You didn't lose anything but your own damn ego. You built your empire on trading slaves and cultivating war. Rose Tyler stood up to you and tore your empire down to nothing."

River's words made Rose look at her, and saw the look of absolute pride and defiance on her face. Maalvak, on the other hand, looked like he would explode.

"You can go back in time and mess with timelines as much as you'd like," said River, as she struggled to her feet. "But the truth is embedded in the scope of the cosmos, Maalvak. Rose Tyler defeated you. And there is nothing you can do to change that."

With a triumphant grin, River held up her now-free hands and swung in the direction of the two guards behind her. Rose felt her own handcuffs click open as the Doctor then twirled the sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the gun in Maalvak's hand. The weapon sparked and Maalvak dropped it, but he advanced upon River in a rage.

Knowing there was no use in her kneeling pathetically on the ground, Rose propelled herself into action as she all but tackled Maalvak to the ground. He certainly hadn't been expecting her to do that, and he went down like a pile of bricks. The urge to pummel him was strong, but Rose flipped him over and twisted his arm behind his back.

"Stay down," she shouted, pushing her knee into his spine as he screamed and struggled. She saw that River had secured one of the guards in the room, while the Doctor was smiling pleasantly at the other one. Rose remembered that she had been the one to surrender her weapon to Maalvak, and was hence unarmed.

"Don't do it," said the Doctor, as she reached for her wrist device.

She moved like she would do so anyway, most likely to call for backup, but the Doctor calmly grabbed her wrist and removed the device from it, in a quick, graceful motion, before letting her go.

The momentary bit of distraction was Rose's undoing as Maalvak roared in anger and pushed her off him. Rose hit her head as she was flung away from him onto her back, and she saw stars in her vision.

"I don't need a weapon to kill you," panted Maalvak as he crawled toward her. "I'll do it with my bare hands."

Before Rose could even react, she saw an impossible sight as Jack slowly rose to his feet behind Maalvak. The wound on his head was closing up and he winked at Rose before grabbing Maalvak in a chokehold from behind. Maalvak struggled for a few moments but then slumped down to the floor, unconscious. Jack let him go and walked toward Rose, smiling softly as he did.

"Hate when it's a gunshot to the head," he said, as he took her hand and pulled her to her feet. "It takes forever to heal."

"J-Jack?" asked Rose.

"Shh, it's alright," he said, wrapping an arm around her and hugging her tightly to his chest. Rose could hear his heart beating strongly, which only confused her even further.

"How?" she asked, pulling away.

"I think we'd all like to know the answer to that," she heard the Doctor say, and Rose glanced past Jack to see that River and the Doctor had secured both of the guards.

Jack sighed. "I will explain," he said. "But we need to find the vortex manipulator and get off this ship."

"Isn't that what you have on your wrist?" asked Rose, looking at Jack's wrist.

"This one doesn't work," he said, as River began looking around Maalvak's room.

"This one does," said River, holding up an identical device that she had pulled out of a drawer. She fastened it onto her own wrist and glanced briefly at the Doctor before looking at Jack. "Jack, I can take you with me," she said. "We need to notify the Shadow Proclamation and get them to requisition the ship, along with Maalvak and his crew." She looked over at the Doctor. "Docto, could you take Rose with you in the TARDIS?"

The Doctor's face was unreadable, but he nodded. "Come along, Rose," he said, putting his sonic screwdriver back in his coat and walking toward the door.

"Go, we'll meet you back at the shop," said River, before Rose could object.

Rose's nostrils flared in irritation but she nodded and went after the Doctor. They didn't encounter any other guards and as soon as they got inside the TARDIS, the Doctor started navigating them away. Rose stumbled over to the wing-backed chair and collapsed into it, her brain whirring at an impossible speed. She didn't realise she was crying until she saw the Doctor kneel in front of her and take both her hands in his.

"It's alright," he murmured, his face impossibly gentle and compassionate. "Rose, look at me. It's alright."

Rose just shook her head, wondering why she felt so weak and pathetic. She felt the Doctor let go of her hands and wrap his arms around her.

"It's alright, it's been a shocking day for everyone," he murmured in her ear, and Rose wrapped her arms around him in a hug as well.

Rose took deep breaths to calm down and the Doctor kept whispering it was alright and stroking her back. When she finally felt calm enough, she closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Tell me," she whispered.

"Tell you what?" he asked, still holding her in his arms.

"Tell me what I'm supposed to ask them," she said. "What I can actually do...after everything I have seen and learned today."

She felt him sigh as he slowly pulled away. Rose knew she must look like a mess, but he smiled at her regardless.

"You ask what you want to," he told her as he pulled out a neatly folded handkerchief from his coat and held it out to her. "They will answer what they can."

Rose accepted the handkerchief and wiped her face. "You're angry," she observed.

He gave her a piercing look and then inclined his head in agreement. "I don't enjoy being on the receiving end of causality loops," he said, standing up.

"What's that?" asked Rose, as she stood up and followed him to the console.

The Doctor stared down at the console for a moment before looking up at her. "You encountered Maalvak and defeated him in the future, which led to him travelling back in your timeline, breaking all sorts of laws, I might add, and in doing so, he created a causality loop," he explained. "The loop will close when you meet Maalvak for the first time at some point in your personal future. Which means…"

"I will have to pretend I don't know who Maalvak is or what he will do in his personal future," realised Rose. "I will have to make sure that no matter what, the outcome has to be that Maalvak escapes and travels to this point in time."

"Yes," said the Doctor, and grinned when he saw the look of disbelief on her face. "Time travel is a complicated thing, Rose."

"And that's why you're angry?" asked Rose. "Because you don't like people messing with time like this?"

"Partly, yes," he admitted. "But it's also the fact that I am involved." When Rose gave him a confused look, he shrugged. "At some point in my personal future, I have met your friends," he said. "They never questioned who I was, they knew about the TARDIS...meaning at some point, I meet them and tell them that information." He chuckled slightly. "I suppose I should take some comfort from the fact that neither of them seemed to recognise my face."

Rose frowned deeply. "What?" she asked.

"Time Lords, we have this ability," he said. "When we are mortally injured, we change. It's called regeneration. Everything about us changes; our bodies, our personalities, even our gender, sometimes."

"You're kidding," gaped Rose. The Doctor just smiled. "So, you're saying that...when River and Jack knew you...or will know you, you had a different face. Or will have a different face." She paused. "Time travel and tenses don't mix, do they?"

"No, they do not," chuckled the Doctor. He surveyed her a little. "The TARDIS has landed back in the shop. I'm guessing your friends are out there."

Rose sighed deeply. "I need to go out there and face them," she said. "I have known River for three years and I had no idea. And Jack…" she trailed off.

The Doctor cleared his throat. "Yea, I expect it has to be difficult," he said, and Rose thought he sounded odd as he said it. "When it's your lover."

"Lover?" asked Rose, torn between shock and amusement. "Jack and I aren't lovers. We're like family, trust me."

"I see," said the Doctor, and if Rose had been paying attention she would have noticed he looked the tiniest bit relieved. "If it makes you feel better, I am interested to know about a few things myself."

Rose nodded and the two of them walked out of the TARDIS, which had landed in the backroom of the shop again.

Jack and River did not look too surprised to see them and Rose supposed they must have heard the TARDIS landing.

"The Shadow Proclamation has seized Maalvak and his ship," said River. "We kept your name out of it, Rose."

Rose nodded. She had so many questions but she didn't know where to start. She glanced at the Doctor, who was frowning deeply at Jack.

"You're a fixed point," said the Doctor, finally. His expression could only be described as one of disgust and discomfort.

Jack looked a bit taken aback but then smiled, albeit in a tense manner. "Nice to have a name for it, I guess."

"People are not meant to be fixed points," said the Doctor and something about his tone made Rose shiver. There was such power in his voice; this air of authority that seemed to give him every right to bestow judgment on all those around him.

"Wasn't exactly by choice," said Jack, his face growing serious. "To tell you the truth, I don't really know what happened. I felt myself die but then I woke up. And I haven't been able to die ever since." He paused as Rose gaped at him in horror. "Well, I can die but I just don't stay dead."

"What could even do that?" asked Rose.

"I don't know," said Jack. "I was hoping he knew," he added, looking at the Doctor.

"Nothing I have heard of is capable of something like that," frowned the Doctor. "It almost sounds…."

"What?" asked Rose, when the Doctor just trailed off and seemingly became lost in thought.

He looked at her. "Ancient," he finished. There was silence after this pronouncement and both River and Jack looked quite solemn.

"For what it's worth, River knows the answer," said Jack, looking at River who rolled her eyes at him. "But every time I ask, all she says is..,"

"Spoilers," said River.

"Yeah, that," said Jack, rolling his eyes.

"Are you both time travellers?" blurted out Rose.

River and Jack exchanged a look. "Yes," said River, finally.

"And you know me? In the future?" asked Rose.

"Your future, yes," said River. "Our past." She paused before continuing. "To be clear, Jack and I are from different points in your timeline."

Rose glanced at the Doctor, who groaned dramatically.

"This is a right mess," he admonished, as he began pacing. "And now it's part of established events." He groaned again and rubbed his temple like he had a headache. "I suppose I can take some comfort in knowing you were both careful enough to keep Rose in the dark."

"How is that a good thing exactly?" demanded Rose.

"Because that is our responsibility as time travellers," said River, seriously. "I don't like lying to you, Rose, but please believe me when I say I couldn't risk accidentally revealing something that could cause a potential paradox."

Rose looked at River's sincere expression and nodded slowly. She was still unhappy about the whole thing and she had more questions to ask, but she wasn't exactly angry at River, especially after everything the Doctor had told her about time travel.

"What I want to know," said the Doctor, "is why the two of you are here in Rose's past in the first place. You knew the risks of causing a paradox by travelling back in her timeline.."

"Would you believe us if we said it wasn't on purpose?" chuckled Jack. The Doctor gave him a look, and he chuckled. "It's true. I have been stuck here on Earth for some time now and I knew eventually our timelines would run parallel. I kept my distance at first, but when River and I met, I figured I would take the risk."

"Why?" asked Rose.

Jack chuckled. "Because you're worth it. Every time."

Rose blushed wildly and saw the Doctor's eyes narrow just a bit. She wondered if he was thinking she had lied to him before about her relationship with Jack.

"As for me," said River, breaking Rose out of her thoughts. "I came to this time for my own research. I didn't expect you to walk in through these doors, Rose. Trust me when I say I was just as shocked to see you."

"Why didn't you just tell me to go away?" asked Rose. "Why offer me the job? Why help me all these years then?"

River took a deep breath and smiled at Rose with tears in her eyes. "Because you saved me," she said, her voice full of emotion. "On the worst day of my life, when I was at my most vulnerable, you saved me." She let her words wash over Rose for a moment. "And when I asked how I could repay you, all you said that you were sure I'd find a way." River smiled to herself as if remembering an inside joke before looking at Rose seriously. "When you walked in through these doors, you were so young. So vulnerable and terrified. And I thought, 'this is how I do it. This is how I repay you.'"

Rose didn't know quite what to say to that so she swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. She looked at the Doctor who had stopped pacing and appeared to be contemplating something. When he noticed her gaze on him, he smiled before looking at River and Jack sternly.

"I am the last person to lecture someone about being reckless and trifling with the web of time," he said, sounding remarkably like a pompous schoolteacher. If he were only holding onto his lapels as he spoke, he would be the very image of a headmaster scolding his errant pupils, thought Rose. "However you seem to be aware of the risks you are running here and sometimes knowing is half the battle." He fixed River and Jack with a firm stare. "Don't let me hear you are causing paradoxes or endangering anyone in any way."

River and Jack nodded dutifully and Jack even shot the Doctor a smart salute. The Doctor watched them keenly for a moment before nodding and turning to Rose.

"As I said before, ask what you want but know that they can only answer what they can," he said.

Rose nodded and then glanced at Jack and River.

"Uh, Jack, could you come and look at this...bookshelf over here?" asked River, walking over to the far bookshelf on the other end of the shop, away from the Doctor and Rose. Jack rolled his eyes but grinned mischievously at them before joining River.

"Do you get the feeling they are trying to give us privacy?" Rose asked the Doctor in a whisper.

"It's your imagination," said the Doctor, though he returned her amused smile.

Rose nodded toward the back room and the Doctor led the way back toward the TARDIS with her in tow. She took a deep breath and met his gaze.

"Thank you," she said, finally. "I'm sure this would have been a lot worse for me if you hadn't told me what you had about time travel."

"Are you still angry at your friends?" he asked, regarding her with open curiosity.

"I was never angry," said Rose, honestly. "I felt betrayed at first but after what they said now…" she paused and shook her head. "How could I be angry at that?"

The Doctor nodded and gave her a smile that she didn't quite understand but it made her want to blush again. She cleared her throat and focused on what she wanted to say to him.

"Remember the first time we met?" she asked, and he looked surprised at the change of topic but nodded. "You, uh, asked if I wanted to come with you."

"Yes, and as I remember you turned me down," he said, smiling softly. Rose hesitated and saw the Doctor's smile widen. "Would you like me to ask you again, Rose Tyler?" he asked, smiling slyly.

Rose blushed but nodded determinedly. "It seems inevitable that I'll be a time traveller some day," she said. "I might as well learn from a Time Lord."

The Doctor regarded her shrewdly. "And is that your only reason?"

"No," said Rose honestly. "I started working here because I wanted to see what was out in the universe besides what I know. The same curiosity and desire to learn led to me wanting to be an archaeologist. And that hasn't changed," she added. "I still want to graduate from Oxford but I do want to see the universe as well."

The Doctor chuckled and nodded. "Very well," he said. "Give me your phone."

Rose frowned in confusion but handed over her mobile phone. The Doctor went into the TARDIS and returned about two minutes later.

"Here you go," he said, holding the phone back to her.

Rose took it and thought it felt a bit heavier than before.

"I have upgraded it," he said, blue-green eyes twinkling in amusement. "Programmed the TARDIS number in and added universal coverage so it won't rack up your phone bill." Rose just gaped at him which made him grin. "Call me," he told her. "Whenever you feel like seeing the universe. For as long as you like."

"And you can bring me back in time?" asked Rose. "So I can continue at Oxford?"

"Of course," he promised.

Rose smiled and pocketed her phone before giving him a hug. "Thank you," she said.

She felt him return the hug with a small chuckle. "You're very welcome, Rose," he said, as he pulled away. "I'll see you soon."

Rose grinned brightly at the Doctor as he stepped into the TARDIS. "See you then, Doctor," she said.

The Doctor returned her smile and closed the doors of the TARDIS. A few seconds later, the blue box dematerialised and Rose waited until it had vanished completely.

With a sigh, she turned back to go and speak to Jack and River. She would be asking all her questions and she knew they could only answer what they could.

And that was perfectly fine with her.