Wandering Rose

By Sonic Jules

Disclaimer: Doctor Who and the characters of said show do not belong to me, no matter how hard I've wished for it. No infringement meant on the owners and associates, nor BBC.

A/N: A special thanks to Catharticone, who always knows the right words and ways to make my work look like I know what I'm doing.

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Chapter One:

Wandering Off

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She'd done it again: Wandered off when he'd told her to stay put. A simple request with the easiest of instructions, yet upon his return she was nowhere to be found.

He hadn't been gone that long. Left her with tea and biscuits at the little cafe, safe and sound. He realized he'd only been gone forty-two minutes, finding the dealer he knew here and bartering for the specially-grown mineral that the TARDIS favored when stressed. Now Rose was nowhere to be found.

He pondered a leash and collar for his wayward companion as he walked through the streets, searching for her. Pink, perhaps. She seemed to like the color well enough.

He knew she couldn't have wandered far. The town was small and there was no motorized transportation, only the use of animals that looked like a cross between camel and mule, which the Doctor called 'horses' because they bore a strong resemblance to those creatures from Earth. In fact, there were many similarities here to his favorite planet. The community was set up like something out of an old Western movie; the inhabitants enjoyed a simple life with minimal advancements. Though they hadn't mastered electricity yet, the Doctor knew that within only a few decades this place would be prosperous and industrialized. They'd already mastered running water within their unpretentious dwellings.

The shops were beginning to close down, and he figured he'd see Rose walking out of one, totally oblivious to the time she'd spent within it. Seating himself on a bench at the end of the road, he had a perfect view as the retailers began locking up and leaving for the evening, ushering the lingerers out before them.

The Doctor became a bit nervous as the final shopkeeper strolled past him, nodding politely as she walked by. Where had Rose gotten off to?

He stood, looking all around him. His surroundings seemed calm as the sun began setting, casting the Time Lord in a golden-orange glow. He closed his eyes as his brows furrowed in concentration.

He began walking the now deserted street, his voice loud and booming. Fear began gnawing in the pit of his stomach as each call of her name went unanswered.

"Rose!"

The Doctor took a few more steps, then stopped suddenly, hearing fast footsteps approaching from between two of the shops. His arms crossed his chest as he turned, expecting to see Rose. Instead, he saw a young boy of about twelve running, a fishing pole and bucket bobbing in his grasp.

"Stop!" the Doctor yelled, bringing the lad to a sudden halt with his commanding tone.

"Mister, I gotta go. My ma's gonna be mad if I'm late for supper again," the child explained, breathing heavily from his run.

"I'm lookin' for a girl - a lady. Blonde hair, wearin' pink and denim. You seen her?"

"Yeah, I think I did. Could tell she wasn't from 'round these parts, just like you."

"And?" The Oncoming Storm demanded more information with that single word, just from the glare that accompanied it.

"She went off with the Bloxin brothers - I saw 'em all headin' out in a carriage 'bout a mile and a half back from here."

"She was with them willingly?"

"I reckon. She was riding in between 'em on the carriage, though I don't know why. They're nothin' but trouble."

As dread crept through the Doctor's mind, both he and the boy looked south as a woman's voice called out angrily.

"Avery!"

"That's my ma, Mister. I gotta go before she comes after me with a switch!"

The boy began taking off, but the Time Lord grabbed him swiftly by the arm.

"Wait a minute! Where do the Bloxin brothers live?"

"About four miles north of here, up the hill," he pointed toward the setting sun. "There's only one trail up there an' only one house - you won't miss it." As he finished giving directions, the youth pulled free from the Doctor's grasp, hearing his mother's call once more.

The Doctor started running in the opposite direction of the boy to the end of the rows of buildings, his sights set on the stable there.

OoO

By the time the Doctor reached the only house on the hill, the sun had almost set. Hues of red and violet filtered through the thickly leaved trees lining the trail. He saw light flickering from within the dwelling, preceding the shadows that moved across the window upon which his gaze focused.

Hopping down from the horse he'd 'borrowed', the Time Lord tied its reins to a small tree, shushing it with a quick rub down the snout.

Stealthily, he made his way onto the porch of the cabin, careful of the old wooden boards as he slowly brought himself up beside one of the windows.

He would formulate a plan, get Rose the hell out of there, then get them back to the TARDIS. Timing was everything.

The scream he heard set the Doctor into action immediately, forgoing any thoughts of a plan at the sound of Rose's distress. He pushed his way inside by breaking through the window, pieces of glass raining down around him like a shimmering halo as he burst in.

Momentarily stunned, the two men within the small abode stared, unbelieving the gall of their intruder. Rose screamed again, this time from the crash of the Doctor's unexpected arrival.

The first thing he did was look at Rose. She was tied to a chair, well and truly bound. She'd been beaten, bloodied and bruised, her pink shirt torn open. He could only imagine what else he'd find, hidden beyond his sight.

His anger intensified and his vision turned red.

"Nathan! Get the gun!" the oldest of the two brothers yelled. He'd been pushed to the floor with the Time Lord's abrupt entrance, rendering him useless to defend himself.

"Thomas?" the younger brother called out, his eyes still staring at the Time Lord, frozen in place, his mouth gaping with fear.

The Doctor turned to Nathan, his eyes meeting the frightened stare. "Shut your yap," he spat, then shoved his forearm up under the young man's jaw, effectively slamming his mouth closed and knocking his head back enough to bounce into the wall behind him. Nathan slid to the floor, a bloody trail following him down the aged and peeling wallpaper.

The Doctor then turned to the man still sitting on the floor, his steely gaze telling him that he would be next to face his wrath. The older brother began scrambling backwards until he, too, was up against a wall.

"What, what d-do you want?" Thomas stuttered, willing to barter anything to save himself from this stranger's ire.

"The girl," the Doctor seethed evenly, stepping closer.

OoO