walkwithheroes (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
walkwithheroes) wrote2007-04-29 04:11 pm
walkwithheroes) wrote2007-04-29 04:11 pm
Entry tags:
Fic-"Alternates" (14/26?)
Title Alternates (14/26?)
Author [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]
Rated PG
Spoilers For the Alternates series. Takes place after Doomsday, but has no spoilers for S3 of the show.
Disclaimer I own nothing from the show.
Word Count 3,960
Summary Another post!Doomsday fic. Rips in space threaten to destroy several different Earths.
Author's Note: Thanks to my readers, reviewers, and beta.
Alternate Earth
2055
“Welcome to Torchwood.”
The large metal doors were forcefully pushed open, as Mary Tyler spoke. She spoke pleasantly enough, but there was no doubt of the underlaying sinisterness in her voice.
Thee Doctor was expecting to be brought to the area just outside Mary Tyler’s office, and he was not disappointed. The moment he saw the large white wall, he felt his lips tug into a small smile. This was all so familiar and so simple. He knew just what to do and . . .
There was only one lever, in the center. There was supposed to be two on either side of the two walls. This wasn’t right, not in the least.
“Doctor, you’ve noticed.” Mary smiled. She didn’t smile like Rose, no, Mary’s smile was slightly twisted. “I’m afraid that only one of you will be saving the world.”
Narrowing his eyes on the Rose look alike, the Doctor frowned. “What do you mean by that?”
“Well, according to my sister . . . only one of you will still be around when the time comes.”
Oh, that wasn’t at all encouraging. Tightening his hold on Tess’s hand, the Doctor couldn’t help but wish that Tess was Rose. Or maybe not. What if...what if Tess...his alternate-self would never forgive him if Tess Hartnell died.
“Does one of us die?” Tess asked softly. It was the first time the young woman had spoken since entering the room.
Mary had nearly forgotten Tess was there. “I’m sorry, Ms. Hartnell. You know I cannot tell you something like that.”
“But, it’s already happened.” Tess protested. “It’s not like we can change it. Not unless we want to rip the fabric of this world. And, that’s what we’re trying to prevent...so, can’t you just...”
“Tess.” It was the Doctor, his voice calm and soothing, “you’re not going to die. Everyone’s going to live.” Turning his attention to Mary, the Doctor grinned madly. “Rosemary Tyler, I want you to tell us everything you were told would happen at this point in time.”
“Now, Doctor...”
“You can leave out who's not around at the end.” Tess cut in. Looking hard at Mary, something suddenly dawned on Tess. She was sure the Doctor had already figured it out, but was too careful to say anything. Thankfully - or maybe not so thankfully - Tess wasn’t. “Wait a moment, Rose told you all of this?” Mary nodded. “So, she ends up back on this world. But, how would she know what’s happening now...unless one of us ends up back in 2007 with her?”
The Doctor looked from Mary to Tess, and back to Tess again. He had figured all that out the moment Mary had mentioned Rose, but it was good to see that Tess knew a thing or two. For her part, Mary was the picture of calm; Cool, and collected, she certainly wasn’t about to give anything away.
“Mary knows, but Rose isn’t the one who told her, was she?”
Giving the Doctor a hard look, Mary sighed. “No, but if I tell you any more, it could lead to Reapers.”
That really wasn’t the answer either the Doctor or Tess had been looking for, but it wasn’t like they had a whole lot of time to complain. Especially, with the three armed guards behind them.
“I’m starting to think you don’t trust us.” Tess said coolly. “Or maybe we’re the ones that shouldn’t trust you?”
Squeezing Tess’s hand, the Doctor offered his new companion a warm smile. “You’ll be surprised to know that I would consider things to be going rather well at the moment.”
As they were lead away, Mary heard Tess tell the Doctor:
“Doctor? If that’s the case, I really don’t want to be around when you think things are going badly.”
______________________________________________________________________________
It was deja vu all over again. Tess had been in this room before, just with her Doctor. And, she had been captured before, with a Doctor that looked remarkably like this one. God, the whole thing just gave Tess a massive headache. Placing a hand into her jacket pocket, she fingered her father’s birthday present. Would she ever see him again?
The Doctor was in good spirits, but Tess was sure it was all an act. He was just as scared as she was.
“This is the second time in two days that I’ve been a so-called guest of Torchwood.” Leaning her head against the wall, Tess groaned. “I’m really starting to hate these people.”
The Doctor, who was causally leaning against the wall, grinned at her. “Rose wouldn’t come back to this Earth.”
“Mary looks so much like her big sister, but she’s a much bigger cow.” Tess muttered, more to herself than to the tenth incarnation of the Doctor. “You don’t think...”
“Rose would have to be at least sixty-eight by now...she'd be a granny by now.” Tess could feel the sadness and regret in the Doctor’s voice.
“It’s all a lie, you know.” The Doctor looked down at Tess, right eyebrow raised. “In 2055, you and Rose Tyler will be together. Even if she’s an old woman.”
“Tess...”
Tess rolled her eyes. “That’s the thing about Time Lords, you all have this ‘it’s all about me’ state of mind. Don’t we have several universes to save? Shouldn’t we, I don’t know, tell Mary and her mates to let us out?”
“No.” The Doctor clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “There’s really nothing we can do for them at the moment. Besides,” the Doctor moved to the door of the room, turned the knob, and let the door swing open. “They didn’t bother to lock us in. What do you say we go take a look around?”
A huge smile spreading across her face, Tess jumped up. “Now, that’s more like it!” She rushed to the Doctor and grabbed his hand. “Well, come on. We’ve got lives to save!”
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Doctor's hand felt at home in Tess's hand. She had held his – no, not his – hand before. Why, just two days earlier, she had held her Doctor's hand, when he had looked like this Doctor. Just three days earlier, when her Doctor had looked like him, they had made love on the floor of the TARDIS's control room. It was sad and uncomfortable, but wonderfully peaceful to be with the Doctor in the camel-colored coat.
Taking note of Tess's detraction, the tenth incarnation of the Doctor smiled gently. “Really is a whole new world.”
Tess raised a perfectly kept eyebrow. “Doc, if you start to sing, I'm leaving.”
The Doctor nodded. “Fair enough.” he squeezed her hand. “There really isn't a Torchwood in your universe.” Tess shook her head. “Sure?”
Tess searched her memory carefully. In her five years with the Doctor, they had never come across a Torchwood, and she was sure that the Doctor would have told her about them. “If there is one, I've never come across it.”
From what he had seen, the Doctor had no doubts about Tess and her Doctor being close. However, that meant nothing when it came to secrets of this magnitude. He knew there were things that he could never tell Rose. “Maybe.”
Giving the handsome Doctor a side-ways glance, Tess decided not to press the subject. Besides, her mind was on more important things: like why they were being allowed to walk blindly about a secret organization's headquarters. It seemed, at least to Tess, that Mary Tyler and her Torchwood pals knew a lot more than they were letting on. And that made Tess very uneasy. She hated when people knew more than she did.
“Oh, now that could be...”
Tess turned her attention to a large door, one with a huge: 'No Entry' sign on it. The Doctor was staring at it, as if it were the Holy Grail.
“What?” She looked from the Doctor to the door and back again. “It's a door.”
“That we aren't supposed to enter.” The Doctor explained, almost as if he were talking to a five year old.
Rolling her eyes upward, the young companion knew where this was going. Her Doctor had been the same way when he had worn the camel colored trench coat. “You want to go in? Stupid.”
“Hey! Clearly, they put up the sign, so we'd want to go in.” The Doctor let go of Tess's hand. “Are you a proper traveling companion or aren't you?”
Feeling rather insulted, Tess puffed herself up. “I am! I just think walking through random doors is a bit of a waste. This isn't This is Your Life, you know.”
That gave the Doctor pause. Though, it should have made him think about Tess's point, it actually made the Doctor wonder who would show up for his episode of This is Your Life.
“Doc!” Tess was already at the door, her hand on the knob. “Are you a proper Doctor, are aren't you?”
Smiling madly, the Doctor couldn't stop himself from feeling rather happy about getting stuck with Tess. “I am!” Rushing to her side, the Doctor put his hand over Tess's, and together they opened the door to the mysterious – but very much unlocked - room.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Mary Tyler was not a happy woman. The Doctor and Tess had free run of Torchwood, but they weren't doing anything she had been told they would do. Had she been lied to? Detail by detail she had been told the events of the next seven hours and forty-three minutes, and yet...none of the events had happened the way they were supposed to.
“Ms. Tyler?”
Turning away from her window, Mary found herself staring face to face with her trump card. Or rather the doctor for Torchwood Four.
“What?”
“Rys...he told me you wanted to see me.” The young man shifted uncomfortably under Mary's icy gaze.
“I did. I do. Dr. Cassidy, would you like to save the world today?”
“Pardon?”
“Let me put it another way, how would you like to see an old friend?”
_________________________________________________________________
The only things in the room were a chair, a desk, and a very old looking lap top.
Tess and the Doctor exchanged a look.
“Oh...this so is a set up.” Tess stated, an amused tone in her voice. “I bet you ten quid that there's a disc in the lap top.” Before the Doctor could open his mouth, Tess was at the desk, bending over the computer. “You owe me a tenner, Doctor!”
The Doctor grinned to himself, as his eyes drifted to a large scar on the small of Tess's back. Her shirt had ridden up, giving him the perfect view of the ugly scar. If he had to guess, the Doctor would have said the scar had come from a knife. He wondered if she had gotten it from her travels with her Doctor.
Tess looked back at the Doctor, her blond hair falling into her eyes. “Doctor?”
His grin faded, as he began moving over to the desk. “You have a scar on the small of your back.”
“Oh? Oh!” Tess waved a dismissive hand. “I got mugged when I were thirteen. Nearly died.” She lifted her shirt and jacket up to show the Doctor another scar on her right side. “Fight when I were fifteen. The Estate I grew up on is the most dangerous in England.”
Quickly, she turned back to lap top. “It says there's a disc in it. Shall we see what Mary wants us to know, but doesn't feel like telling us?” It would be better if they focused on the task at hand. Tess really didn't feel like retelling all her tales to another Doctor. She also didn't want him to think her incapable of being a traveling companion...just in case.
“You know, this lap top is in amazing shape, considering it has to be at least fifty years old.” Breezily, the Doctor clicked around on the screen and tried to open the document. The only trouble was, it needed a password. Glancing over at Tess, the Doctor asked: “What do you suggest?”
Scratching her neck, Tess pursed her lips. “Try Rose, Doctor, Tess, TARDIS, Earth and Time Lord.”
“Awfully easy, aren't they?” The Doctor said. Still, he tried each name, only for them to all be wrong. Taking a chance, the Doctor even tried the name of his home world, the name of the Estate that both Rose and Tess grew up on, several other names of friends and family, important dates, and even combinations of Doctor and Rose and Tess and Doctor.
Sighing heavily, Tess felt like giving up. Instead, she suggested that they try the password for her home computer.
Raised eyebrow, the Doctor repeated: “Are you serious? You want me to try that?”
Tess shrugged. “Couldn't hurt, could it. We've tried everything else.”
Slightly confused the Doctor typed: 'Never again' Like magic, the document opened to show three sentences, that didn't seem to make any sense.
'Don't trust Them. Trust Him. I'm sorry.'
Feeling a bitter laugh creeping up her throat, Tess had to wonder: “Why is everything like a horror film when I'm with you?”
“I'm more interested in who 'Them' and 'Him' are.”
“Torchwood could be 'Them'.” Tess suggested calmly. She knew there was a reason she hadn't liked Mary. The Doctor looked at her expectantly. “What? That's all I got. I mean, it is possible that one of us wrote this. But, it isn't as if there's a TARDIS or some other time traveling ship around here. The lap top looks new, despite being at least fifty years old.”
Growing excited, the Doctor joined in on Tess's half-formed theories. “One of us could have written this, you mean? You could have written this. Him would suggest that the writer of this would be you. However, you have nothing to go back in time with. And, if you were stuck here, you would surely have shown up to stop yourself from getting stuck in the first place. Unless, the note was written by a third party and 'Him' is someone we have yet to meet.”
Her mind going a mile a minute, Tess cut-in; “It couldn't have been written by one of us. Wouldn't we have written something we'd understand? Mary said we only have eight hours, and that was at least half an hour ago.”
“Curiouser and curiouser.” The Doctor ran a hand through his thick brown hair. He took his glasses out of his pocket and carefully put them on. “'Don't trust Them. Trust Him. I'm sorry.' It doesn't say anything about Torchwood. Them...Him...I'm sorry.”
Flopping herself down on the chair, Tess let out a heavy sigh. “Don't forget about the rips. But...Doc, am I alone in thinking that Mary didn't hear what she knows from Rose? How...why...would Rose come back to this universe? It makes more sense that she got sent to my world or your world. And, wouldn't the device teleport her back to her original universe, because it's all based on our DNA or something?”
More than a little impressed, the Doctor grinned widely. “Yes! Now I know why he chose you. Someone else told Mary everything, and that same person left us this note. So...someone's already began messing about with the time line.”
Something began to dawn on Tess. “Uh...Mary said one of us would be gone before the time came to pull that lever, yeah?” The Doctor nodded. “Well, I thought it was because you'd die and not regenerate. But...what if one of us goes back to our proper Earth and leaves the other to finish the job we came here to do? Our devices are working, but what if one of them breaks? Or maybe there's not enough time.”
“Tess...”
Swallowing hard, Tess forced herself to press on. “We should decide now, yeah? If only one of us can go back to our proper place, who gets to go back?”
“Tess...you'll get to see your Doctor and family again.”
Not being able to met the Doctor's warm gaze, Tess looked away. “It's my Dad's birthday. 'Sides my two mates, he's the only family I've got. Still, Dad would be alright without me.”
“He's your father.”
“He hardly...I said he'd be fine without me, so he'd be fine without me!” She felt her face growing hot from anger and embarrassment. “S'alright, Doc. If anything happens, you should be the one to go back. Every universe needs its Doctor.”
“Mm,” He knelt down and took Tess's pretty face in between his hands. Forcing her to stare into his eyes, the Doctor asked: “Why are you so much like her? You really want me to go back? You'd stay here, all alone and five years in the past. Are you selfless or are you just stupid?”
Tess smiled softly at him. “Bit of both, I'd imagine.” She placed a cold hand on his hands. “You're in love with Rose, right? Could you really leave her all alone?”
“This isn't the time to be talking about that.”
“You are, so why try to deny it? You don't want to be away from her again anymore than I...don't be a prat.” She removed the Doctor's hands from the sides of her face, but kept a hold of his hands. “When the time comes, I'm going to make sure you go home. Don't try to argue. My version of you could never win fights with me, and you wouldn't either.”
“Tess Hartnell, you...”
Tess smiled sadly. “You even say my name like him. Well, he used to say my full name when he got angry with me.” Her brows furrowed. “Though, the Doctor before you – him – never called me by my full name. He'd always blow up and call me stupid.”
“Stupid ape?” The Doctor guessed.
“Yeah, he could be a bit of a prat.” Tess smiled again, this time fondly. “He was sort of my favorite. We matched, you know? He was very dark, very angry. I was...very sad. Full of self-loathing. I suppose it would be fair to say that the Doctor and I saved each other. And now...I don't even know where he is. For the first time in nearly six years, I haven't a clue where my Doctor is or if he's all right or...”
The Doctor opened his mouth, but closed it when he realized that all he could think of to say was her name. Had anyone stayed with him for nearly six years? Tess's relationship with her universe's Doctor made him feel rather jealous, though he wasn't totally sure of the reason why.
Forgetting everything else, the Doctor pulled Tess to her feet and wrapped her in a tight hug. For a great deal of time – neither was sure of the amount – the Doctor and Tess stayed that way, with the Doctor's arms wrapped tightly around Tess's waist. Finally, Tess broke away from the Doctor and straightened her jacket out, all the while looking at anything but the Doctor.
“I'm sorry, Tess.”
“Bit awkward, but nothing to fret over. S'alright, Doc.” Glancing at her watch, Tess noted that there was just a little over six hours until the rip of this Earth opened. “We should go find Mary and her gun-loving mates, yeah?”
Wordlessly, the Doctor smiled, nodded, and offered Tess his hand. Without saying a word, Tess repeated the Doctor's actions. They started out, though they only took three steps, before Tess stopped dead in her tracks. Standing in the door to the room was a man.
The man, whom the Doctor guessed was just leaving his twenties, was dressed in jeans and a tee-shirt. His dark blond hair was a bit messy and his eyes seemed to have humor and kindness in them. In other words, he was a perfectly normal human. But, there was something there. He was staring at Tess like she was a ghost. As for Tess, she looked like she wanted to run away, cry, and run to the man all at the same time.
Feeling a bit lost, the Doctor did the only thing he could think of. He said: “Hello, I'm the Doctor,” before smiling as widely and brightly as he could. Both the man and Tess ignored him, and continued to just stare dumbly at one another.
The Doctor was about to try something else, when the man moved forward. He opened his mouth and said one word, “Teresa.”
Shaking her head, Tess tried her best to hold back tears. “No. Tess. I'm Tess. I'm not...” she didn't get a chance to finish, for it was at that moment that the strange man practically rushed forward and hugged Tess in much the same way the Doctor had moments before. One hand still in the Doctor's, Tess placed her other hand around the other man's waist. “I'm...” Her words were cut off by the man's lips on hers.
In all his nine hundred plus years, the Doctor had seen a lot of couples reunited. But, he had never seen anything like this. In some ways it reminded him of Jackie and Pete, and in others it reminded him of himself and Rose. This man...this man was desperately in love with the Tess Hartnell of this Earth, that much was clear.
2055, Tess would be eighteen. At least, on her world. But on this Earth...
Suddenly, Tess pushed the strange man away and wiped her lips with the back of her free hand. “I'm not her, damn it!”
The man blushed, and the Doctor suddenly felt very sorry for the poor guy. “I'm sorry...Ms. Tyler said you were here and I...you are Teresa Hartnell, aren't you?”
“She's not your Teresa Hartnell.” The Doctor spoke up gently. “Just like you aren't her...”
“Cass.” Tess whispered. Just as the man said: “Chris. Chris Cassidy.”
“And you were...”
Tess sniffed. “In love. Dating. Before...”
Chris nodded in agreement. “Engaged, actually. Here, I mean.”
Oh dear. This could be trouble. An alternate-version of an old lover was never a good thing. Especially when the state of several universes was at stake.
“Doesn't matter.” Tess's voice had become hard. She turned her full attention to the Doctor. “I'm going to find Mary Tyler.” With that, she practically stormed past Chris and out of the room.
Left alone, both alien and human looked after Tess for a long moment, before turning to one another.
“She's not yours. No matter how much she looks...”
Chris held up a hand. “I know. She looks stronger. I doubt that girl would ever ask me to kill her.” His lips curled into a half-smile. “Which is good, because I don't think I have it in me to kill her again.” That said, Chris turned on his heels and went out the door.
Things had just gotten a thousand times more complicated. There was no room for personal drama when the fate of some many universes hung in the balance. Would Tess be strong enough to handle everything? The Doctor hoped so, he had no time to play babysitter or relationship counselor.
“Doc?” the Doctor was shaken from his thoughts, by Tess. She was back and standing in the door way. “Are you a Doctor or aren't you? Come on, then.” She reached out her hand, waiting.
Swallowing hard, the Doctor forced himself to grin like an idiot and jog over to Tess. Silently, he took her hand and the two started back to where they had had their first conversation with Mary Tyler.
They had a little over six hours and counting to figure everything out.
Author [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]
Rated PG
Spoilers For the Alternates series. Takes place after Doomsday, but has no spoilers for S3 of the show.
Disclaimer I own nothing from the show.
Word Count 3,960
Summary Another post!Doomsday fic. Rips in space threaten to destroy several different Earths.
Author's Note: Thanks to my readers, reviewers, and beta.
Alternate Earth
2055
“Welcome to Torchwood.”
The large metal doors were forcefully pushed open, as Mary Tyler spoke. She spoke pleasantly enough, but there was no doubt of the underlaying sinisterness in her voice.
Thee Doctor was expecting to be brought to the area just outside Mary Tyler’s office, and he was not disappointed. The moment he saw the large white wall, he felt his lips tug into a small smile. This was all so familiar and so simple. He knew just what to do and . . .
There was only one lever, in the center. There was supposed to be two on either side of the two walls. This wasn’t right, not in the least.
“Doctor, you’ve noticed.” Mary smiled. She didn’t smile like Rose, no, Mary’s smile was slightly twisted. “I’m afraid that only one of you will be saving the world.”
Narrowing his eyes on the Rose look alike, the Doctor frowned. “What do you mean by that?”
“Well, according to my sister . . . only one of you will still be around when the time comes.”
Oh, that wasn’t at all encouraging. Tightening his hold on Tess’s hand, the Doctor couldn’t help but wish that Tess was Rose. Or maybe not. What if...what if Tess...his alternate-self would never forgive him if Tess Hartnell died.
“Does one of us die?” Tess asked softly. It was the first time the young woman had spoken since entering the room.
Mary had nearly forgotten Tess was there. “I’m sorry, Ms. Hartnell. You know I cannot tell you something like that.”
“But, it’s already happened.” Tess protested. “It’s not like we can change it. Not unless we want to rip the fabric of this world. And, that’s what we’re trying to prevent...so, can’t you just...”
“Tess.” It was the Doctor, his voice calm and soothing, “you’re not going to die. Everyone’s going to live.” Turning his attention to Mary, the Doctor grinned madly. “Rosemary Tyler, I want you to tell us everything you were told would happen at this point in time.”
“Now, Doctor...”
“You can leave out who's not around at the end.” Tess cut in. Looking hard at Mary, something suddenly dawned on Tess. She was sure the Doctor had already figured it out, but was too careful to say anything. Thankfully - or maybe not so thankfully - Tess wasn’t. “Wait a moment, Rose told you all of this?” Mary nodded. “So, she ends up back on this world. But, how would she know what’s happening now...unless one of us ends up back in 2007 with her?”
The Doctor looked from Mary to Tess, and back to Tess again. He had figured all that out the moment Mary had mentioned Rose, but it was good to see that Tess knew a thing or two. For her part, Mary was the picture of calm; Cool, and collected, she certainly wasn’t about to give anything away.
“Mary knows, but Rose isn’t the one who told her, was she?”
Giving the Doctor a hard look, Mary sighed. “No, but if I tell you any more, it could lead to Reapers.”
That really wasn’t the answer either the Doctor or Tess had been looking for, but it wasn’t like they had a whole lot of time to complain. Especially, with the three armed guards behind them.
“I’m starting to think you don’t trust us.” Tess said coolly. “Or maybe we’re the ones that shouldn’t trust you?”
Squeezing Tess’s hand, the Doctor offered his new companion a warm smile. “You’ll be surprised to know that I would consider things to be going rather well at the moment.”
As they were lead away, Mary heard Tess tell the Doctor:
“Doctor? If that’s the case, I really don’t want to be around when you think things are going badly.”
______________________________________________________________________________
It was deja vu all over again. Tess had been in this room before, just with her Doctor. And, she had been captured before, with a Doctor that looked remarkably like this one. God, the whole thing just gave Tess a massive headache. Placing a hand into her jacket pocket, she fingered her father’s birthday present. Would she ever see him again?
The Doctor was in good spirits, but Tess was sure it was all an act. He was just as scared as she was.
“This is the second time in two days that I’ve been a so-called guest of Torchwood.” Leaning her head against the wall, Tess groaned. “I’m really starting to hate these people.”
The Doctor, who was causally leaning against the wall, grinned at her. “Rose wouldn’t come back to this Earth.”
“Mary looks so much like her big sister, but she’s a much bigger cow.” Tess muttered, more to herself than to the tenth incarnation of the Doctor. “You don’t think...”
“Rose would have to be at least sixty-eight by now...she'd be a granny by now.” Tess could feel the sadness and regret in the Doctor’s voice.
“It’s all a lie, you know.” The Doctor looked down at Tess, right eyebrow raised. “In 2055, you and Rose Tyler will be together. Even if she’s an old woman.”
“Tess...”
Tess rolled her eyes. “That’s the thing about Time Lords, you all have this ‘it’s all about me’ state of mind. Don’t we have several universes to save? Shouldn’t we, I don’t know, tell Mary and her mates to let us out?”
“No.” The Doctor clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “There’s really nothing we can do for them at the moment. Besides,” the Doctor moved to the door of the room, turned the knob, and let the door swing open. “They didn’t bother to lock us in. What do you say we go take a look around?”
A huge smile spreading across her face, Tess jumped up. “Now, that’s more like it!” She rushed to the Doctor and grabbed his hand. “Well, come on. We’ve got lives to save!”
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Doctor's hand felt at home in Tess's hand. She had held his – no, not his – hand before. Why, just two days earlier, she had held her Doctor's hand, when he had looked like this Doctor. Just three days earlier, when her Doctor had looked like him, they had made love on the floor of the TARDIS's control room. It was sad and uncomfortable, but wonderfully peaceful to be with the Doctor in the camel-colored coat.
Taking note of Tess's detraction, the tenth incarnation of the Doctor smiled gently. “Really is a whole new world.”
Tess raised a perfectly kept eyebrow. “Doc, if you start to sing, I'm leaving.”
The Doctor nodded. “Fair enough.” he squeezed her hand. “There really isn't a Torchwood in your universe.” Tess shook her head. “Sure?”
Tess searched her memory carefully. In her five years with the Doctor, they had never come across a Torchwood, and she was sure that the Doctor would have told her about them. “If there is one, I've never come across it.”
From what he had seen, the Doctor had no doubts about Tess and her Doctor being close. However, that meant nothing when it came to secrets of this magnitude. He knew there were things that he could never tell Rose. “Maybe.”
Giving the handsome Doctor a side-ways glance, Tess decided not to press the subject. Besides, her mind was on more important things: like why they were being allowed to walk blindly about a secret organization's headquarters. It seemed, at least to Tess, that Mary Tyler and her Torchwood pals knew a lot more than they were letting on. And that made Tess very uneasy. She hated when people knew more than she did.
“Oh, now that could be...”
Tess turned her attention to a large door, one with a huge: 'No Entry' sign on it. The Doctor was staring at it, as if it were the Holy Grail.
“What?” She looked from the Doctor to the door and back again. “It's a door.”
“That we aren't supposed to enter.” The Doctor explained, almost as if he were talking to a five year old.
Rolling her eyes upward, the young companion knew where this was going. Her Doctor had been the same way when he had worn the camel colored trench coat. “You want to go in? Stupid.”
“Hey! Clearly, they put up the sign, so we'd want to go in.” The Doctor let go of Tess's hand. “Are you a proper traveling companion or aren't you?”
Feeling rather insulted, Tess puffed herself up. “I am! I just think walking through random doors is a bit of a waste. This isn't This is Your Life, you know.”
That gave the Doctor pause. Though, it should have made him think about Tess's point, it actually made the Doctor wonder who would show up for his episode of This is Your Life.
“Doc!” Tess was already at the door, her hand on the knob. “Are you a proper Doctor, are aren't you?”
Smiling madly, the Doctor couldn't stop himself from feeling rather happy about getting stuck with Tess. “I am!” Rushing to her side, the Doctor put his hand over Tess's, and together they opened the door to the mysterious – but very much unlocked - room.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Mary Tyler was not a happy woman. The Doctor and Tess had free run of Torchwood, but they weren't doing anything she had been told they would do. Had she been lied to? Detail by detail she had been told the events of the next seven hours and forty-three minutes, and yet...none of the events had happened the way they were supposed to.
“Ms. Tyler?”
Turning away from her window, Mary found herself staring face to face with her trump card. Or rather the doctor for Torchwood Four.
“What?”
“Rys...he told me you wanted to see me.” The young man shifted uncomfortably under Mary's icy gaze.
“I did. I do. Dr. Cassidy, would you like to save the world today?”
“Pardon?”
“Let me put it another way, how would you like to see an old friend?”
_________________________________________________________________
The only things in the room were a chair, a desk, and a very old looking lap top.
Tess and the Doctor exchanged a look.
“Oh...this so is a set up.” Tess stated, an amused tone in her voice. “I bet you ten quid that there's a disc in the lap top.” Before the Doctor could open his mouth, Tess was at the desk, bending over the computer. “You owe me a tenner, Doctor!”
The Doctor grinned to himself, as his eyes drifted to a large scar on the small of Tess's back. Her shirt had ridden up, giving him the perfect view of the ugly scar. If he had to guess, the Doctor would have said the scar had come from a knife. He wondered if she had gotten it from her travels with her Doctor.
Tess looked back at the Doctor, her blond hair falling into her eyes. “Doctor?”
His grin faded, as he began moving over to the desk. “You have a scar on the small of your back.”
“Oh? Oh!” Tess waved a dismissive hand. “I got mugged when I were thirteen. Nearly died.” She lifted her shirt and jacket up to show the Doctor another scar on her right side. “Fight when I were fifteen. The Estate I grew up on is the most dangerous in England.”
Quickly, she turned back to lap top. “It says there's a disc in it. Shall we see what Mary wants us to know, but doesn't feel like telling us?” It would be better if they focused on the task at hand. Tess really didn't feel like retelling all her tales to another Doctor. She also didn't want him to think her incapable of being a traveling companion...just in case.
“You know, this lap top is in amazing shape, considering it has to be at least fifty years old.” Breezily, the Doctor clicked around on the screen and tried to open the document. The only trouble was, it needed a password. Glancing over at Tess, the Doctor asked: “What do you suggest?”
Scratching her neck, Tess pursed her lips. “Try Rose, Doctor, Tess, TARDIS, Earth and Time Lord.”
“Awfully easy, aren't they?” The Doctor said. Still, he tried each name, only for them to all be wrong. Taking a chance, the Doctor even tried the name of his home world, the name of the Estate that both Rose and Tess grew up on, several other names of friends and family, important dates, and even combinations of Doctor and Rose and Tess and Doctor.
Sighing heavily, Tess felt like giving up. Instead, she suggested that they try the password for her home computer.
Raised eyebrow, the Doctor repeated: “Are you serious? You want me to try that?”
Tess shrugged. “Couldn't hurt, could it. We've tried everything else.”
Slightly confused the Doctor typed: 'Never again' Like magic, the document opened to show three sentences, that didn't seem to make any sense.
'Don't trust Them. Trust Him. I'm sorry.'
Feeling a bitter laugh creeping up her throat, Tess had to wonder: “Why is everything like a horror film when I'm with you?”
“I'm more interested in who 'Them' and 'Him' are.”
“Torchwood could be 'Them'.” Tess suggested calmly. She knew there was a reason she hadn't liked Mary. The Doctor looked at her expectantly. “What? That's all I got. I mean, it is possible that one of us wrote this. But, it isn't as if there's a TARDIS or some other time traveling ship around here. The lap top looks new, despite being at least fifty years old.”
Growing excited, the Doctor joined in on Tess's half-formed theories. “One of us could have written this, you mean? You could have written this. Him would suggest that the writer of this would be you. However, you have nothing to go back in time with. And, if you were stuck here, you would surely have shown up to stop yourself from getting stuck in the first place. Unless, the note was written by a third party and 'Him' is someone we have yet to meet.”
Her mind going a mile a minute, Tess cut-in; “It couldn't have been written by one of us. Wouldn't we have written something we'd understand? Mary said we only have eight hours, and that was at least half an hour ago.”
“Curiouser and curiouser.” The Doctor ran a hand through his thick brown hair. He took his glasses out of his pocket and carefully put them on. “'Don't trust Them. Trust Him. I'm sorry.' It doesn't say anything about Torchwood. Them...Him...I'm sorry.”
Flopping herself down on the chair, Tess let out a heavy sigh. “Don't forget about the rips. But...Doc, am I alone in thinking that Mary didn't hear what she knows from Rose? How...why...would Rose come back to this universe? It makes more sense that she got sent to my world or your world. And, wouldn't the device teleport her back to her original universe, because it's all based on our DNA or something?”
More than a little impressed, the Doctor grinned widely. “Yes! Now I know why he chose you. Someone else told Mary everything, and that same person left us this note. So...someone's already began messing about with the time line.”
Something began to dawn on Tess. “Uh...Mary said one of us would be gone before the time came to pull that lever, yeah?” The Doctor nodded. “Well, I thought it was because you'd die and not regenerate. But...what if one of us goes back to our proper Earth and leaves the other to finish the job we came here to do? Our devices are working, but what if one of them breaks? Or maybe there's not enough time.”
“Tess...”
Swallowing hard, Tess forced herself to press on. “We should decide now, yeah? If only one of us can go back to our proper place, who gets to go back?”
“Tess...you'll get to see your Doctor and family again.”
Not being able to met the Doctor's warm gaze, Tess looked away. “It's my Dad's birthday. 'Sides my two mates, he's the only family I've got. Still, Dad would be alright without me.”
“He's your father.”
“He hardly...I said he'd be fine without me, so he'd be fine without me!” She felt her face growing hot from anger and embarrassment. “S'alright, Doc. If anything happens, you should be the one to go back. Every universe needs its Doctor.”
“Mm,” He knelt down and took Tess's pretty face in between his hands. Forcing her to stare into his eyes, the Doctor asked: “Why are you so much like her? You really want me to go back? You'd stay here, all alone and five years in the past. Are you selfless or are you just stupid?”
Tess smiled softly at him. “Bit of both, I'd imagine.” She placed a cold hand on his hands. “You're in love with Rose, right? Could you really leave her all alone?”
“This isn't the time to be talking about that.”
“You are, so why try to deny it? You don't want to be away from her again anymore than I...don't be a prat.” She removed the Doctor's hands from the sides of her face, but kept a hold of his hands. “When the time comes, I'm going to make sure you go home. Don't try to argue. My version of you could never win fights with me, and you wouldn't either.”
“Tess Hartnell, you...”
Tess smiled sadly. “You even say my name like him. Well, he used to say my full name when he got angry with me.” Her brows furrowed. “Though, the Doctor before you – him – never called me by my full name. He'd always blow up and call me stupid.”
“Stupid ape?” The Doctor guessed.
“Yeah, he could be a bit of a prat.” Tess smiled again, this time fondly. “He was sort of my favorite. We matched, you know? He was very dark, very angry. I was...very sad. Full of self-loathing. I suppose it would be fair to say that the Doctor and I saved each other. And now...I don't even know where he is. For the first time in nearly six years, I haven't a clue where my Doctor is or if he's all right or...”
The Doctor opened his mouth, but closed it when he realized that all he could think of to say was her name. Had anyone stayed with him for nearly six years? Tess's relationship with her universe's Doctor made him feel rather jealous, though he wasn't totally sure of the reason why.
Forgetting everything else, the Doctor pulled Tess to her feet and wrapped her in a tight hug. For a great deal of time – neither was sure of the amount – the Doctor and Tess stayed that way, with the Doctor's arms wrapped tightly around Tess's waist. Finally, Tess broke away from the Doctor and straightened her jacket out, all the while looking at anything but the Doctor.
“I'm sorry, Tess.”
“Bit awkward, but nothing to fret over. S'alright, Doc.” Glancing at her watch, Tess noted that there was just a little over six hours until the rip of this Earth opened. “We should go find Mary and her gun-loving mates, yeah?”
Wordlessly, the Doctor smiled, nodded, and offered Tess his hand. Without saying a word, Tess repeated the Doctor's actions. They started out, though they only took three steps, before Tess stopped dead in her tracks. Standing in the door to the room was a man.
The man, whom the Doctor guessed was just leaving his twenties, was dressed in jeans and a tee-shirt. His dark blond hair was a bit messy and his eyes seemed to have humor and kindness in them. In other words, he was a perfectly normal human. But, there was something there. He was staring at Tess like she was a ghost. As for Tess, she looked like she wanted to run away, cry, and run to the man all at the same time.
Feeling a bit lost, the Doctor did the only thing he could think of. He said: “Hello, I'm the Doctor,” before smiling as widely and brightly as he could. Both the man and Tess ignored him, and continued to just stare dumbly at one another.
The Doctor was about to try something else, when the man moved forward. He opened his mouth and said one word, “Teresa.”
Shaking her head, Tess tried her best to hold back tears. “No. Tess. I'm Tess. I'm not...” she didn't get a chance to finish, for it was at that moment that the strange man practically rushed forward and hugged Tess in much the same way the Doctor had moments before. One hand still in the Doctor's, Tess placed her other hand around the other man's waist. “I'm...” Her words were cut off by the man's lips on hers.
In all his nine hundred plus years, the Doctor had seen a lot of couples reunited. But, he had never seen anything like this. In some ways it reminded him of Jackie and Pete, and in others it reminded him of himself and Rose. This man...this man was desperately in love with the Tess Hartnell of this Earth, that much was clear.
2055, Tess would be eighteen. At least, on her world. But on this Earth...
Suddenly, Tess pushed the strange man away and wiped her lips with the back of her free hand. “I'm not her, damn it!”
The man blushed, and the Doctor suddenly felt very sorry for the poor guy. “I'm sorry...Ms. Tyler said you were here and I...you are Teresa Hartnell, aren't you?”
“She's not your Teresa Hartnell.” The Doctor spoke up gently. “Just like you aren't her...”
“Cass.” Tess whispered. Just as the man said: “Chris. Chris Cassidy.”
“And you were...”
Tess sniffed. “In love. Dating. Before...”
Chris nodded in agreement. “Engaged, actually. Here, I mean.”
Oh dear. This could be trouble. An alternate-version of an old lover was never a good thing. Especially when the state of several universes was at stake.
“Doesn't matter.” Tess's voice had become hard. She turned her full attention to the Doctor. “I'm going to find Mary Tyler.” With that, she practically stormed past Chris and out of the room.
Left alone, both alien and human looked after Tess for a long moment, before turning to one another.
“She's not yours. No matter how much she looks...”
Chris held up a hand. “I know. She looks stronger. I doubt that girl would ever ask me to kill her.” His lips curled into a half-smile. “Which is good, because I don't think I have it in me to kill her again.” That said, Chris turned on his heels and went out the door.
Things had just gotten a thousand times more complicated. There was no room for personal drama when the fate of some many universes hung in the balance. Would Tess be strong enough to handle everything? The Doctor hoped so, he had no time to play babysitter or relationship counselor.
“Doc?” the Doctor was shaken from his thoughts, by Tess. She was back and standing in the door way. “Are you a Doctor or aren't you? Come on, then.” She reached out her hand, waiting.
Swallowing hard, the Doctor forced himself to grin like an idiot and jog over to Tess. Silently, he took her hand and the two started back to where they had had their first conversation with Mary Tyler.
They had a little over six hours and counting to figure everything out.