Worth A Thousand Words

Chapter Two

'There's still a glitch somewhere – the mainframe keeps registering the wrong ETAs,' the Doctor announced as he returned to the TARDIS with a newspaper, frowning at the date. It was a day before the coordinates he had entered. 'Probably some wires crossed in the processors, buggering up the input when I –'

His annoyed tirade came to an abrupt end as he lifted his eyes from the periodical and allowed them to fall upon his companion. Rose stood in the entrance to the console room, arms crossed and an unimpressed expression on her face.

'You went without me!' she accused lightly, though the words didn't immediately register.

The sleeveless, knee-high dress she'd found belonged to another era. A time where a girl with elfin eyes and a pixie's smile had begged him to let her attend a human secondary school. A girl who had accidently led two of her teachers back to the TARDIS. The TARDIS he had locked her out of because he had been so sure he had known what was best for her.

He swallowed.

As far as he was aware, anything that belonged to Susan should still be locked away along with her room. Not hanging in the wardrobe where he – where anyone – might stumble upon it.

'Doctor?' Rose's voice pulled him back from the momentary lapse, her annoyance laced with worry

'Where did you get that?' he asked, careful to keep his voice level.

'It was set out for me,' Rose answered, turning around to show off. She'd added knee-high boots to the ensemble, a choice that was purely hers; Susan had always preferred kid-slippers.

Stop it, he ordered himself.

'Does it look okay? I wasn't sure about the hair...'

'S'fine,' he grunted, barely glancing at the passable beehive she'd managed while sending the TARDIS a disgruntled message not to leave anymore of his companions' things out for Rose. They would invite questions – questions he didn't have it in him to answer. 'A bit more 1964 than 1963, but it'll do.'

'If anyone asks, I'll just say it's "all the rage" back home. You still went out without me.'

'Figured if I popped out to get my mugshot, we might spend more time exploring,' he replied lightly. 'Why cut the trip short on account of an assassination? Sort of makes everything a bit depressing, don't you agree? Not that I managed it, but still...'

'That what you're worried about? S'not exactly new, is it? I've seen dead bodies before, Doctor – some of 'em even got up and started walking about.'

'It's got nothing to do with your hardiness, Rose Tyler,' the Doctor rolled his eyes. 'But when you told me about those photos you saw, did you actually see yourself in 'em?'

'Well... no.'

'Which means you weren't there,' he finished. He didn't tell her that he really should have gone off and done all this without her.

'Oh.'

She went quiet for a moment.

Barely a second passed before she piped up, 'But I'm the one who knows where you've got to stand and get your pictures taken. What if you go to the wrong place, and then you don't get photographed and Clive never finds those photos? Then I won't ever track you down, Mickey won't get copied by an Auton and you won't stop the invasion in time. Oh, and I'll never save your life.'

She beamed at him expectantly, and he grinned back. 'Well done.'

'Yeah?'

'Except the part where all I have to do is this –'