The Wizard of Time

Part 2

Previously...

The Doctor stood over Rose, noticing her heavy breathing and rising heart rate.

"Rose? It's time for you to wake up, now," he said gently, hoping to coax her from her concussion-induced sleep.

"Stupid little bastard," she said right on cue.

The Doctor stood back, an offended look on his face. "You're very lucky you are unconscious, young lady," he said, folding his arms across his chest..

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Rose continued walking along the path in the forest, looking over at her right shoulder now and then with disgust. She'd wiped it off with leaves, but it had left a disgusting little stain with an equally disgusting smell, and that was worthy of a cringe now and then. She sighed as she stopped walking for a minute and looked in front of her, realizing she must've walked a good distance without realizing it. The forest line ended just ahead and it looked like there were fields and fields of beautiful yellow daffodils - or whatever was this planet's version of them, anyway. They were gorgeous! Flowers and more flowers, as far as the eye could see. She began walking again, quickening her step to see them more closely.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you," a sickeningly sweet voice said softly from above.

'Great', Rose thought, 'now the monkeys can talk, too.' Rose looked up and saw what looked to be an angel high above who slowly was floating down in front of her. When she landed, she smiled innocently and Rose grinned slightly, still unsure of what she was seeing.

"Those flowers carry a unique fragrance that may be harmful to you, my child," the angel spoke in her sing-song-too-perfect voice.

Rose couldn't stop herself from asking. "Are you like what, an angel?"

The sparkling lady smiled graciously at the young girl in front of her. "I am Glenda."

"Oh, well, that explains it then," Rose said with a slight roll of her eyes.

"I am the good witch of these fair lands," the fairiesque lady finished.

"Ah, so that's it then - you're just lookin' out for me, yeah?" Rose asked. Glenda nodded. "So how come you didn't stop the monkeys attacking me then? You could've at least stopped that one from pooping on me," she said, looking over at her stained shoulder with disgust.

Glenda smiled and stepped closer to Rose. She took her wand, the one with a star on the end of it, which Rose found sooo cliché'd, and tapped it gently on her right shoulder. When she was done, Rose looked down and found herself in a really cute denim pantsuit of scarlet with matching ruby red sneakers.

"Thanks!" Rose said cheerfully, then walked around Glenda, heading for the flowers.

"Where are you going?" Glenda asked, following behind Rose as she continued her journey, undaunted.

"Well, if it's all the same to you, I think I need to keep moving. You see, the Doctor, well, he's going to be pretty mad at me if I don't get back to the TAR-, to our place, because I got lost and wandered off, and since I've been attacked by a tin man and had a close brush with flying monkeys, I might have to assume that I've hit my head, because none of this is making any sense at the moment." Rose then stood completely still, and turned round to Glenda. "Oh my God, I'm starting to ramble on an' on, just like him!" Shrugging her shoulders, Rose turned back around and walked her first few steps into the field, still keeping her feet on the pebbled road. She looked back at Glenda. "Aren't you coming?"

"I can not," Glenda answered. "I am forbidden to enter the field of yellow flowers."

"That so, eh?", Rose began as she bent down and grabbed a handful of them, pulling them from the ground. "That's a real shame, because these flowers are the highlight of my whole visit here so far."

"Aha!" Cried another female voice from behind her, and Rose looked up immediately to see what kind of creature was speaking with such a nasty, wicked tone. Above her was the perfect rendition of an evil witch - with masses of stringy black hair and a hooked nose anyone else would've been seeking plastic surgery for. Behind the evil incarnate were dozens of those flying monkeys, and the whole view made Rose cringe. She turned immediately back to Glenda, but found the so-called 'good' witch to be gone.

"Don't go looking for her help - this is my territory," the evil one spit out, then howled with a treacherous laugh. "You belong to me! Get her, my children!" she bellowed to the monkeys.

Rose threw herself to the ground, rolling her body on the pebbled surface as she kicked out at the pesky creatures with every opportunity she could find. She could feel the monkeys clawing at her, trying to find purchase to pull her up and carry her away, but Rose was a fighter, and she rolled and tumbled and fought them until they retreated.

She stood up and brushed herself off, then leaned down to pick up the flowers she'd thrown down. When she stood back up again, she was face to face with the evil witch.

"You are mine," she spoke with a sinister tone, narrowing her eyes at Rose as if she dared her to say otherwise. "You'll come with me or die!"

The look of fear that Rose had at first seeing the witch seemed to evaporate into a grin, perplexing the witch somewhat as Rose took a step forward, then gave the evil one a smile. "I. Don't. Think. So."

Thrusting the flowers she held into the witch's face, she watched the hag's eyes droop almost immediately. For every step back the witch took, Rose matched it and stepped forward. Soon the witch was laying down on the path, mumbling.

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I'll get you my pretty - you'll see, I'll get you!"

"Yeah, well, it smells like rain to me, so you'd better watch out, because I hear it's the kind of rain that melts away bad little witches like you," Rose replied, proud to have remembered what she'd been told about the sleeping powers of the flowers. She really had no idea where the thought of the rain melting the evil witch had come from, but the look of terror on the old hags features told her it was a good thought, nonetheless. She stepped over the now-sleeping nasty witch, dropping the flowers she held in front of her nose. Straightening her new clothes, Rose continued walking the path, hoping she wouldn't be lost for long. But then one brave little monkey decided to attack the woman who'd put his master down.

Rose easily defended herself against the monkey - punching or slapping it every time it flew near her, and soon it flew away from her expediently. "Go back and tell them all - you'll never have me!"

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The Doctor stared at Rose, perplexed. Sitting on his stool, he leaned over his knees and placed his elbows on them, propping his chin in his hands as he watched her. He knew she was obviously having some pretty vivid dreams while her body tried to heal itself. But what were they? They had to be doozies, all right. He was on alert again when her body tensed and she moaned a couple of times.

"You'll never have me," she said.

He grinned at the unconscious woman laying before him, knowing she was still dreaming. "Oh, my dear Rose, I'd say I've all ready got you," he spoke with quiet confidence.

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Rose was walking along the path, which was now within what seemed to be miles and miles of yellow flowers. It was so beautiful that she twirled herself a couple of times as she walked with contentment on her journey. Continuing her trek, she picked a few more flowers and brought them to her face, inhaling their fragrance.

"Oh crap," she exclaimed, suddenly remembering why that shouldn't be done. Rose fell to the ground, her body landing in the field of flowers.

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Rose awoke to the comforts of soft straw beneath her body and a down pillow beneath her head, and knew she must have been dreaming before. Until she realized she'd just recognized her bed as straw. Sitting straight up, she found herself surrounded by little men and was somehow reminded of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'.

"Who are you? And where am I?" she asked, bringing her legs around the side of the bed until her feet hit the floor.

"Don't be alarmed, Miss. We were sent to get you out of the clutches of the evil witch," one of the little fellows volunteered.

"Who sent you - the Doctor?" she asked, her head clearing up a bit.

"No, Glenda, the good witch - she sent us, seeing as she couldn't very well go doing it herself," another man told her. If she were to name this little man he would surely be called 'Grumpy'.

Rose shook her head for a moment and then stood up. "I thank you for helping me an' all, but I've got to be going." she said as politely as she could with the speed she took in getting to the door.

"And just where do you think you'd be going to, Missy?" 'Grumpy' asked.

"I have to get back to the... To home. I have to go home."

"Well there's only one way out of here now that you've gotten the evil witch all worked up, and that's through the castle," he told her.

"Through the castle?" she asked, dumbfounded. "What'd you mean?"

'Grumpy' stared at her for a moment, then spoke. "You've walked a long way from town, gone almost all 'round our little country. You can't turn back now that you've gotten the evil witch all pissy - her and her monkeys'll be waiting for ya. The only way back is through the castle - the town's right on the other side of it."

"You mean I've been walking a full circle?" Rose asked quietly.

"Yep."

"All right. Guess I'm goin' through the castle then," Rose sighed.

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The little men - there were eight of them; Rose counted just to be sure there weren't seven - walked her to the grounds of the castle, stopping just outside the gate. It was there that Glenda arrived, wishing her a safe journey with a bit of advice.

"The Wizard is a solitary man and he relishes his privacy. Be gentle when you stumble upon his home and he may let you pass. If you meet up with him, show him your shoes - he will know I have sent you forth by them," she said sweetly.

The confused look on Rose's face seemed to amuse the good witch. Glenda simply pointed her wand to the Ruby colored tennis shoes on Rose's feet, making Rose look down at them. They were sparkling. "He likes things flashy," she said, as if everyone knew that fact.

"Okay then," Rose began, taking a deep breath. She stepped forward and pushed on the gates, watching as they sprung open for her. Turning around, she smiled at Glenda and the little men standing all around her. "Thank you," she spoke softly, then walked through.

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The Doctor had started pacing around the little room of the med bay, his worry growing for Rose with each hour that passed. He knew the longer she remained unconscious, the worse it could be for her. Oh yes, there were things he could do to make her better, but they were sometimes drastic steps to take on something so frail as a human being, and none that he would take until at least twenty-four hours had passed. Pulling out his pocket watch and opening it, he realized that she had only been unconscious for about five hours. It sure as hell felt longer than that.

Sitting down in the stool beside her again, he took her hand into his. "Rose, Rose, Rose. You know, you've been making it quite the habit of worrying me here lately. Probably taken off a few years of my life, that." He sighed. "But I wouldn't trade it for the world - the universe even."

"Thank you," she whispered, still unconscious.

The Doctor grinned.

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Rose walked past the lush bushing trees that lined the area of the fence and suddenly her jaw dropped open as she stopped in her tracks. Hidden by the brush, the hugeness of the opulent emerald castle was quite a surprise. Built from green cobbled stones with emeralds imbedded throughout each stone, it stood tall and was so much bigger inside the fence than she had imagined. Like Time Lord technology - bigger on the inside. It was magnificent! She practically skipped up to the huge doors.

Walking inside the castle, a sudden chill crept over her from the cooler air within. No one stood waiting for her. No one was guarding the entrance. Could just anyone walk in?

"Hello?" she spoke loudly, looking around the empty foyer. No one answered her, so she began walking.

Finding the biggest hallway, she walked towards it, bypassing the stairs in hopes of just finding the back door and getting out of there. Opulent or not, the place still gave her the creeps and she just wanted to be home, safe and sound in the TARDIS where she belonged.

The hallway she walked through stopped at the entrance of a huge ballroom, which Rose found a bit odd. But then again, so was everything else on this planet, so, no, not so surprising then. The room was dark and she couldn't stop herself from pulling open the lush velvet curtains of the closest window to see what was in there, just hoping against hope that maybe there was another door that would lead her outside. Turning around, she noticed the portraits hanging around the room, standing at least six feet high on the walls, glaring down at her. Daleks. Portraits of Daleks!

Rose backed out of the room quickly and jogged back down the hallway until she found a smaller one and immediately turned down it. That hall came to an end at a library. It was the biggest she'd ever seen, and she slowly walked in, looking down the aisles still searching for an exit. There was a set of stairs at the end of the long row of aisles she walked and slowly she looked up, seeing where they went. There were more shelves of books there, and a few statues. She looked closer at the statues, mistaking them for the armored shells of knights, like she'd seen in movies of olden times. But then they all stepped forward in unison, and suddenly it was all too clear. Cybermen!

Rose ran out of the library and back up the hall, finding herself in the foyer again as she literally slid to a stop at the front doors. She pulled on them but they wouldn't budge. And she could hear the metalic steps of the cybermen - they were coming. Rose ran to the staircase and took the steps two at a time until she reached the top. She dared look down, hearing the stomping footsteps getting closer, but they weren't in sight yet. Running to the left, she ran as quietly as she could, finding what seemed like an endless row of doors. Turning a corner, she found the end of the line. No other set of steps for her to escape by, oh no, just one double set of doors.

Rose closed her eyes for a moment. "Here goes nothing," she said under her breath. Grabbing hold of the handles, she pushed the doors open and found herself ... in the TARDIS? It certainly looked like the TARDIS, but no - it couldn't be. She walked in further and turned around, looking over every little detail of the ship.

"You're going to catch flies like that," the Doctor spoke and Rose snapped her mouth shut so fast you could actually hear her teeth slam together. Slowly she turned around, her eyes looking from his feet up to his face, finally meeting his eyes. His very green eyes. "Nice shoes, by the way. Very flashy."

"You ... You're ... This can't be real," Rose said, slowly sinking down to the floor until she was sitting on it. The Doctor knelt down in front of her, concern clear for the weary girl in front of him.

"You are a long way from home, Rose Tyler," he said gently. "A very long way. You don't belong in this world."

"What world is that?" she asked, looking down, not quite able to meet those very wrong emerald green eyes of his. "And how do you know who I am then, if I don't belong here?"

"I am the Wizard. I know everything," he stated, his tone matter-of-fact.

"Same attitude," Rose mumbled as she picked an imaginary string from her pants leg.

The 'other' Doctor lifted her chin, bringing it up until their eyes met. She couldn't help but stare into those green orbs of his. It was wrong. All so very, very wrong. And she was so very tired.

"I want to go home," Rose said, even her voice was tired. She closed her eyes and a single tear spilled down. " Help me. Doctor, please help me," she pleaded.

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"I want to go home. Help me. Doctor, please help me."

The Doctor's head shot up from the spot on the floor he'd been staring at. He stood from where he'd been sitting and got up right beside her, his face so close to hers his breath blew a few strands of her hair.

"I'm here Rose. Can you hear me? I'm here," he said, taking her hand in his and squeezing it. He noticed her respiration and pulse were all within normal range. And he hoped that somehow she was able to hear him, this time.

"Rose?"

He was staring at her so intensely his eyes should have hurt. "Come back to me, Rose. It's time to come home now," he whispered softly.

Her eyes fluttered open and she slowly looked up at him. "Oh Rose Tyler, you are a sight for sore eyes," he said, his smile growing with each word that passed his lips.

"And your eyes are brown - it's you!" she said, smiling back at him.

"Who else would I be?" He looked at her a bit confused, but his grin remained.

"What happened?"

The Doctor blew out a breath as his smile faded. "The TARDIS malfunctioned on the way to Garchenia, and she threw us around a bit. You got the worst of it." He pushed her bangs back away from her forehead, his hand lingering where it was. "How's your head feeling? It took quite a beating," he said sympathetically.

"Yeah. It feels like it, too." She lifted her hand - the one the Doctor wasn't holding, to the bump on her head. "Ow - my wrist hurts, too," she said, holding it in front of her face and looking it over.

The Doctor grinned. "I bet. I think you landed on it. Luckily for you though, I can make it feel better." He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and adjusted it properly, then held it over her head for a few moments. "Excellent!" he said enthusiastically. Taking the tool and waving it over the wrist she held out, he adjusted it and could soon see by the look on Rose's face that it felt better. After putting the sonic screwdriver back in his pocket, he helped her to sit up then turned and went over to the counter, coming back quickly with a cup of tea and a capsule. Rose took the pill without question, swallowing a bit of the cold tea to help it down.

Rose looked at him as she set the cup down in her lap. He had the silliest smile on his face and she wanted to know just what it was about. "What's with the smiling?" she asked.

"You were talking a bit while you were unconscious. Care to share what you were dreaming about?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and a crooked grin.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she answered, then did her best to supress a yawn. "What did I say?"

"Ohhhh, now Rose, I think you need to get some rest, don't you? You're body's been through an awful lot and ..."

"Doctor? What did I say?" she asked a bit nervously.

He smiled a genuine smile. "Nothing bad, except when you called me names, I suppose. But I'll tell you what. You and I," he began, holding his hand out to her, prompting her to stand, "we'll head over to your room, and once you're all tucked in, both of us can make up a bedtime story." His grin was almost sinister.

"Uh, okay," Rose replied with a look of confusion as they walked out of the med bay.

The Doctor put an arm around Rose's shoulders as they walked down the corridor towards her room. "Yep. You can tell me all about lubrication, and who the little bastard is, and why you think I'll never have you."

If it were possible, the Doctor could feel the blush rising in Rose. "Should make for a very interesting bedtime story, don't you think?"

The End.