Through all this Time (a tenrose fanfic)

The First

"A kilt? Seriously?" I held myself still and bit my cheek to refrain from laughing too hard at his expense.

"Very... Scottish." He replied flatly, and looked down at himself again. I have to admit, however strange the outfit was, he made it look good in that dorky way of his. His feet were bare, and the plain white shirt only half buttoned. His face was occupied with a prominent frown.

"What's going on with the tardis?" I asked slowly, though I thought I had already figured out the answer. He looked up at me sheepishly, ran a hand through his hair, and then sighed. He knew it too.

"It seems she's going through a bit of a phase, I'd get used to pranks like this if I were you. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, just my old girl getting bored with herself." He turned then, and started walking up the staircase yet again. "I'm going to try and exchange this kilt for something not quite so... Breezy."

"Right Doctor, I'll be here... Like I always am." I muttered the last part so he wouldn't hear. He always had been a busy man with a bigger chip on his shoulder than anyone I'd ever met. I didn't need to weigh him down any more with my own desires. I watched him until I couldn't see the back of that dreadful kilt any longer, and then figured I would take a walk. It was the best thing about the tardis; no matter how often or how long you explored, she was always able to surprise you with something new and interesting to look at.

Passing the table setting for two, I inhaled the scent of Apple grass once more before turning into the hallway. I lost myself then, just walking, and turning, and walking some more. Countless turns I took, and soon, I was in a part of the tardis I had never seen before.

The hallways had gotten longer and less well-kept as I had walked on. The rich midnight blue carpets had transformed into shoddy grey ones. The painted walls with their decorative gallifreyan swirls had given way to curved black metal. And the lights had dimmed.

I turned once more, and the air got significantly colder. I hugged myself through the thin material of my dress, and shivered despite myself.

"'Ello, um, could use a sweater, or a heat boost or something here." The words sounded so very loud among the still corridors, and they echoed off the metal. The whole place just felt... Off.

If anything came of my attempt to talk the tardis into warming me up, it was that the temperature seemed to drop even lower. Was this my punishment for not playing along with the dinner scenario? The cold was starting to get to me now, and I turned around as if to start heading back the way I came.

A solid wall stood in my way.

"Alright. This isn't funny anymore." I called into space.

A low creaking noise sounded from my left, and slowly I turned. A door which I'm sure hadn't been there before was now open--inviting me inside. Tentatively I stepped through its threshold and into the darkness inside. The second my feet crossed the door jamb, the door once again snapped shut.

"I... Um... Hello?" Nervously, I reached out a hand to feel along the wall for a light switch. Instead, I felt a large round hole. Frowning, I moved forward a bit and came to yet another round space, and another.

That's when the lights suddenly flashed brightly, and I shut my eyes, momentarily blinded. When I opened them, I recognized where I was... Sort of.

It was the tardis console room... Yet it wasn't. Gone were the golden, tree-like things, and the console itself wasn't anything like I knew it to be. Instead, the entire room was built in black and white. The console was much simpler, and the walls were covered in these 'round things.'

"Hello?" I called again, "Um... It's me, Rose... Is there anyone here?"

'Activate hologram program B-WLF' a mechanical voice responded.

Immediately a form began to materialize leaning against the console. He wore a smart looking black suit, and his white hair fell past his ears. He held on tightly to a cane. It was odd, but somehow I felt like I knew him.

"Confirm identity," the man said.

"Oh, of course... I'm Rose. Rose Tyler, but who are you?"

"Identity confirmed, welcome Rose Tyler to the past." He swung the cane around once in a circle, and then stood up, leaning on it.

"The past? I'm sorry I don't understand, who are you?" I took a step forward.

"You know me Rose, though not as I am shown here. I am the Doctor. The first Doctor, and this is a hologram program the tardis created for you. It seems as if the old girl wants me to tell you a few things." He stopped talking, and seemed to wait for my response.

"The first Doctor? Really?" My eyes widened as he nodded. This man, this old man was the younger version of my Doctor. How strange life as a time lord must be.

"Now realize that this is just a visual representation of myself Rose. In fact, I am nothing but a means of communication between the tardis and yourself."

"Yes I understand. But what does the tardis want with me?" I bit my lip, anxious to hear the answer.

"I have been programmed to tell you the following. Now listen:

There will soon come a time when the Doctor, your Doctor, the current Doctor, will need help more than ever before. He will encounter an enemy so powerful that he will most certainly fail to save the earth, and himself. He will create something, and what he creates will turn out to be his biggest mistake, for it will be his destruction--"

"No!" I all but shouted at him. "The Doctor would never create something so dangerous. You've got it wrong!"

"Listen child. The tardis trusts you. She loves you much like she once loved my granddaughter Susan. In fact, she trusts you because you remind her of her."

"I don't understand. How could the tardis possibly know this is going to happen?" I noticed my hands were shaking.

"The tardis is a ship that travels endlessly through the time vortex Rose. It has given her... Abilities. But she keeps all of this secret in order to not interfere with anything the Doctor is doing. However, she loves him, and can't imagine the universe without him. So that, is why she has instructed me to tell you this."

"But you just told me that something the Doctor creates will be his destruction! How is my knowing going to change that?"

"Patience child, I wasn't finished yet. The thing the Doctor creates will be his destruction, unless you can help him destroy it before it destroys him. In order to do this however, you will need to understand the Doctor in a way that no one ever has. You will need to learn his deepest, darkest secrets. You will need to know his weaknesses and his fears. Then, and only then is when you'll be ready to save him." The first Doctor walked toward me, and swung his cane up to rest on my shoulder. I looked over at it, resting there, not really feeling it, but imagining its weight.

"How." I said softly. "How do I get him to trust me enough to tell me such information."

"Well Rose, that is the hardest part. The Doctor has had companions, he's had friends, he's had family. But never once has he loved someone enough to share with them the rawest parts of himself."

"Loved? You said loved." I repeated his statement carefully, and wait for the answer.

"Yes Rose, the only way the Doctor will ever share such information with you, will be if he finds himself completely and totally in love with you." And with that, the old man smiles briefly once, grasps his cane with both hands, and fades; leaving me once again, alone. The lights flicker off, and all is dark.