Ending of the Hours (Book Four of the Bad Wolf Chronicles)

Three Dimensional Crash

Jessie woke up later to feel the TARDIS shudder beneath her. She frowned, sitting up, looking down at the floor. "Are you all right?" she asked softly, putting a hand on the wall.

"I am fine, my Wolf," the TARDIS answered.

"Rough flight?"

She heard the mental equivalent of a snort, and she giggled, slipping out of bed and getting dressed. No doubt it was the Doctor again, trying to do something to the poor TARDIS. She chuckled, running the crimping iron over her hair before shrugging her trench coat on. She looked herself over quickly before nodding and heading to the console room.

Sure enough, the only thing she saw of her husband was his white Converse shoes from under the console. She rolled her eyes and kicked his feet. "She doesn't like it," she told him, minutes before there was a spark from underneath and a startled yelp.

"Guess not," the Doctor admitted, sliding out from underneath, and Jessie smirked, seeing his hair still ruffled up. "So! First trip on our own." He tilted his head. "Where do you want to go?"

Jessie's eyes widened. "I can choose?" she asked in shock.

The Doctor smiled. "You've been under the most stress lately. It's your choice. Future? Past? Present? Different planet? As long as it's not a different universe, I don't want to deal with that again."

Jessie smiled, thinking. "I have only one request, and you can choose from there."

"Oh?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "What is that?"

Jessie blushed. "Can we have real snow this time? Not an atmospheric disturbance or ash from a blown up starship?"

The Doctor beamed at that. "Your wish is my command!" he told her, going around the console and piloting.

Jessie was content to lean back against the coral structure behind her, smiling as she watched him work. Truth be told, she was rather . . . happy that it was just the two of them again. She had loved having Martha, and Donna was a riot to have on board, but she and the Doctor really did need this break, just to deal with everything that had been going on around them.

She frowned, feeling the TARDIS shake again. "Is she all right?" she asked.

"Must still be upset at me," the Doctor said, shaking his head before looking at the scanner. "We're here!"

Jessie tried to peek over his shoulder. "Where are we?" she asked.

The Doctor just smirked and grabbed his own coat. "You'll see!" he said, both of them running to the doors.

Neither noticed the scanner warning them about cracks in time opening up again.

***

A similar TARDIS stood in 2007 on the Powell Estate, somewhere the Doctor had never visited, timewise, at least. But the TARDIS didn't belong to the Doctor.

A blonde woman with her hair in fishtail braids looked at her silver wristwatch before sighing and looking around again. Really, she was just fine with her sister visiting her mother, especially after the parallel worlds incident, but a week? "Note to self," she told herself out loud. "Never go domestic."

"Still worried about domestics?" Rose Tyler joked from behind her as she stepped out of the Estate.

The Apocalypse frowned as she looked at her little sister. She could even hear it in her voice. Something had happened in that world that she didn't know about, and it was taking its toll, not in a good way. "Still definitely not a fan," she confirmed before holding the TARDIS door open. "Shall we?"