Series 3 AU with Rose! This is a sequel to my stories, "The Girl in the Stalking Spaceship" through "The Shakespeare Code" (but without "Through the Gloom and Doom").

This is NOT a complete rewrite, but is meant for those who want to re-watch the episode - with Rose. If you want even more pure originality than an episode re-do, skip ahead to "42" - Martha's not even on the TARDIS for that one, ;) However, you will miss some significant developments in the Doctor and Rose's relationship on the way...

Thanks so much to GSRgirlforever and NotTheTinDog for stepping up to beta for me, before I went and rearranged things.

May 2018: re-edited since its original publication.

Disclaimer: Surprise, surprise, I own neither Doctor Who nor Harry Potter. Nor do I get anything from writing these stories-except wonderful, constructive reviews! Wink, wink; nudge, nudge ;)

Chapter 1 - Best Laid Plans

Although the Doctor had completed his TARDIS-tinkering, he'd been informed in no uncertain terms by Rose and Martha that they weren't going anywhere until they'd finished their movie marathon. Considering that still left four more Harry Potter films, Rose had suggested he could take care of dinner.

The Doctor returned to the console room, actually pleased with having some extra time alone. He searched through the TARDIS' memory banks, looking for the perfect spot. Yes, dinner was a good idea, but he needed something more. He was tired of putting things off. He was going to propose to Rose.

Hmm. "Propose to Rose". Had a nice ring to it, he thought.

Although, married to Rose had much better implications.

He continued to scroll through, finally stopping on what he thought would be quite a suitable location. New New York. Oh, that was good. The first place he'd taken Rose after his regeneration - their first kiss as the new him, although Rose didn't technically remember it (she'd only guessed), and he really tried not to recall that Cassandra had been responsible for it.

Regardless, the city had plenty to offer, including fantastic restaurants, and Rose had asked for dinner. It was a perfectly reasonable excuse to return to New Earth.

They could dine atop one of the towers, or he could find that nice, grassy hill where they'd lain before. He'd give Martha a chance to wander, getting Rose on her own, and he'd pull out the ring - the real ring, not the ones they were still wearing from the hospital.

He loved that she was still wearing hers. It gave him just that little extra boost of courage for what he had planned.

Eventually, Rose and Martha strolled into the console room, smiling and talking about the movies. Rose walked up next to the Doctor and asked, "So, what's for dinner?"

"I thought we could go out for dinner," he told her. Turning to Martha, he said, "I did say 'just one trip', one trip in the TARDIS and then home. Although, I suppose we could... stretch the definition." He looked to Rose, who was smiling brilliantly and gave him an encouraging nod. "Try one trip to the past, one trip to the future," he suggested to Martha. "How do you fancy that?" Yes, he'd make it seem like it was all for Martha's benefit. Keep Rose completely in the dark until the time was just right.

"No complaints from me!" Martha replied, obviously thrilled.

Rose slipped her arm around the crook of his elbow, seeming just as pleased to keep their new friend around a bit longer. "Thank you," she whispered.

"How about a different planet?" the Doctor suggested.

"Can we go to yours?" Martha asked eagerly.

The Doctor felt Rose's arm tighten around his own. He looked down at the console, and answered evasively, "Nah, I've got someplace better in mind. Great restaurants."

"Come on, though! I mean, 'Planet of the Time Lords', that's gotta be worth a look! What's it like?"

Not the topic the Doctor wanted to broach at all. Still, "Well, it's beautiful, yeah," he told her.

"Is it like, you know, outer space cities, all spires and stuff?" she continued.

"Suppose it is," he replied. She was so excited at the idea, he couldn't find it in himself to crush her notions.

"Great big temples and cathedrals?" she went on.

"Martha," Rose said, at last. Wonderful Rose.

"Yeah?" Martha asked.

"It's not -" Rose began, but looked at the Doctor before continuing. "It was a perfectly incredible world," she explained. "But we can't go there."

Martha seemed to catch her meaning, because she quietly asked, "Why not?"

The Doctor cleared his throat, and took over for Rose. "The Time War," he said, looking at Martha, and maneuvering his hand to hold Rose's. "It was destroyed. Doesn't exist anymore."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," Martha almost whispered.

"It's okay," he said cheerily, "all in the past, right? That usually being relative, I know," he added, forcing a smile for the girls' sakes. "Anyway, like I said, I've got something much better in mind," he said, moving around the console, flying the TARDIS to the coordinates he'd input earlier. "Year five billion and fifty-three, planet New Earth!"

"Really?" asked Rose, smiling.

"Really, really! Second hope of mankind. Fifty thousand light years from your old world, and we're slap bang in the middle of New New York. Although, technically it's the fifteenth New York from the original, so it's New New New New New-"

"New New New New New-" Rose continued.

"New New New New New York," they finished together.

"One of the most dazzling cities ever built," the Doctor said, beaming at Rose as the TARDIS stilled. He took a fraction of a moment to marvel at how Rose could make him so happy, so easily, even moments after discussing something as normally locked away as the Time War.

He threw on his overcoat, and moved to open the TARDIS doors for Martha and Rose to exit ahead of him. He pulled an arrow from their Elizabethan excursion out of the door and tossed it into the console room, before following the girls outside.

Unfortunately for his plans of wining and dining, it was pouring rain.

He heard Rose's sharp intake of breath as she and Martha zipped up their jackets. He barely made out Martha's sarcastic "dazzling" over the pounding of the raindrops.

"Nah, bit of rain never hurt anyone," the Doctor said, trying to make light of the inconvenience. "Come on, let's get under cover!" he said, leading Rose and Martha to a covered alcove further down the alley in which they'd landed.

"Well, it looks like the same old earth to me," Martha observed as they reached the shelter in front of a computer terminal, "on a Wednesday afternoon."

"Definitely not like last time," Rose supplied, shaking out her hair.

"Hold on, hold on. Let's have a look," the Doctor told them. Sonic'ing the terminal, he brought up the image of an anchorwoman giving the traffic report.

"...And the driving should be clear and easy, with fifteen extra lanes open for the New New Jersey expressway," she reported. The display shifted to reveal the familiar image of New New York, a gorgeous, spired city, glistening in the sun, on the coast of a large river, with sleek, flying vehicles zooming in the air.

"Oh, that's more like it!" said the Doctor. "That's the view we had last time. This must be the lower levels," he surmised, looking around. "Down in the base of the towers, some sort of under-city."

"You've brought me to the slums?" Martha asked, but the Doctor could tell she was teasing.

"Much more interesting!" he answered. "It's all cocktails and glitter up there," he said, jerking his thumb back at the image on the screen. "This is the real city."

"You'd enjoy anything," Rose told him, taking his hand after he pocketed the sonic screwdriver.

"That's me," he grinned at her.

"Still, Martha," Rose told her, "the most interestin' trips are usually the ones that don't start out as planned."

The Doctor looked out at the alley. "Oh, the rain's stopping! Better and better!" he said, leading the girls out from under the shelter. And better still, he thought, would be if they could work their way up to the cocktails and glitter...

To be continued...