A Rose By Any Other Name

Chapter One

Disclaimer - I do not own any of the characters or locations mentioned in this fic. They belong to much better writers than me. Plus if it were up to me, Rose would still be a companion.

"DOCTOR!" she screamed. "DOCTOR WHERE ARE YOU?"

The Doctor looked from side to side. Where was he? Where was Rose? He could hear her. He could hear her screams and her shouts and her whimpers. He couldn't get to her. Where was she? Where? He was panicking, spinning, searching frantically for a chink in the metaphorical armour. But four walls were encasing him. The same four walls that were slowly closing in, tighter and tighter. There was no door. There was no escape. He couldn't reach her. He couldn't save her.

The Doctor woke to his own shouts.

"Rose" he whispered, tears were in his eyes. He hated crying. After everything he'd faced and everything he'd seen, crying felt like giving up. Like admitting defeat. Like losing hope. He sighed and rubbed his face hard with both hands, wiping both the tears and the dream away.

Rose was gone. Parallel universes sure do suck sometimes.

He looked around his bedroom. The room he slept in it, but that was all. The walls were clear and dull; there was no furniture except for his small rickety bed. He knew he could have the best technology could offer, but he liked the old thing. It was safe, it was familiar. He didn't have any posters or clothes in there, No books, no form of entertainment.

His room was for sleeping. He'd never understood the human need to make the space full of stuff, especially when they have plenty of space elsewhere to put it. But he had always liked Rose's room. Her walls were bare too. No posters. She had books, but she'd complained a few times that she'd never had time to read them. She had a chest of drawers full of clothes, despite the Doctor offering her space in the TARDIS's huge wardrobe. On top, it had been full of pictures. Of Jackie, Mickey and several people he didn't know. She had an old picture of Pete, her mum had given her. There were even several pictures of him. The old him and the current one.

The room was still the same. It still reminded him of her. It was always locked. Once Martha had found the locked door and questioned him about it. He said nothing and eventually she had guessed whose it was. After all Martha wasn't an idiot.

He missed Martha's companionship. She had been brilliant. But Martha just wasn't Rose. Martha had been just what he needed. Martha had been a friend. But friendship, it seemed had not been enough for her. Which- he supposed- was fair enough.

He was alone, once more.

XXXX XXXX XXXX

It had been a typical day at Torchwood 3. Jack had returned from his adventure with his Doctor and was ready for a good invasion. But it seemed all the monsters were staying under children's beds. For now.

Ianto had been sat at his desk by himself for hours. He'd read 3 newspapers (cover to cover), beaten some 14 year old kid from the other side of the world at a video game and had made nearly 19 cups of coffee. Just an average day. No one had come in. Nothing had attacked and Gwen had even gone home early to spend time with Rhys- for once.

Then there was a cough. Ianto jumped, he hadn't even noticed anyone enter, despite the bell on the door.

"Can I help you with anything?" he said in his best we-are-a-completely-normal-company-that-won't-interest-you-in-the-slightest voice.

The stranger smiled.

"I'm looking for Captain Jack Harkness. Tell him that Rose is here to see him."

"Rose who?" Ianto asked. He'd run the name by Jack.

"Just tell him Rose".

And then she feinted.

XXXX XXXX

Owen had helped Ianto carry Rose down to the medical bay.

"Who is she?" Toshiko asked, watching them from behind her desk. Ianto shrugged.

"Just said her name was Rose. She was looking for Jack" Ianto said. Owen raised an eyebrow.

"Alien do you recon?" Owen asked, looking at the young woman, lying in front of him. She was young. Blonde hair and mascara. She was wearing baggy jeans and a red hoodie. Early 20s. She looked human.

"Not sure. Check she's ok, I'll go and tell Jack" Ianto said.

"Tell Jack what?" Jack had his head round the door of his office. He looked at Ianto leisurely and winked for no real reason, before surveying the rest of the room. He froze when he saw the young woman.

"We've got a visitor. Her name is Rose. She was looking for you." Ianto said, not looking at Jack.

"Oh we've got one hell of a visitor."

"Human?" Tosh asked, looking between the blonde and the captain.

"Rose Tyler? About as human as they come".

"Is she? Was she? One of your... um... girls" Ianto said quietly, not being able to keep the jealousy out of his voice. How many more ex conquests of Jack's were going to turn up? Jack shook his head. He stuck his hands in his pockets and strolled, grinning to the medical bay.

"She was a hell of a girl, but she, well, she never saw anyone but him" Jack said confidently, not a hint of bitterness or sadness.

"Rose Tyler" Tosh read from her screen, she had searched their databases when Jack had said her full name. "Born 1987, died 2006." Tosh then looked hesitantly at Ianto. "It says she was on the list of the dead of the Battle of Canary Wharf". Ianto's face stayed impassive. She had been there. She had survived.

"It's a long story" Jack winced slightly.

"Jack who is she?" Owen asked.

"We travelled together, me, her and the Doctor" Jack smiled. Rose was opening her eyes. "Tosh, Owen, Ianto, meet Rose Tyler, the big bad wolf."

XXXX

Maybe she could follow her! Travel the same way she had. She had to get to him first. She couldn't let that thing reach him. She wouldn't let her lay a finger on him.

It would be dangerous. She would never see Jackie or Mickey or Pete or Tony again... but she had made her choice a long time ago. She had to save the Doctor. And who knew who else the thing would hurt trying to find him?

She had battled Daleks, Cybermen, cat people, werewolves, you name it. The Doctor needed her, and she finally had a way to get back to him.

She took a deep breath and the real Rose Tyler jumped.

Author's note

That was really to set the scene and set up the plot. Hopefully they will be longer chapters in the future. So people, it's up to you. Do you want me to continue the story?

Reviews would be supermegafoxyawesomehot :)

Thanks for reading.