I am soooooo sorry for this very late update! I've had health problems, then there was school and a bunch of other stuff, it hasn't been easy.
Anyway, here we go with another chapter, and hopefully I can update all my other stories soon too.

CBS owns Person of Interest
BBC own Doctor Who

One Strange Number

Doctor Who / Person of Interest

"Could you please lower your weapon," the Doctor asked again, distaste obvious in his voice as he mentioned the gun aimed at him and Rose. "We're not armed."

Reese was not one to let the enemy get the advantage of any situation, but the man with long spicky brown hair and a trench coat didn't seem to be lying. In fact, John could see in the man's eyes only dislike for weapons. His stance, half covering the blonde girl with his body, indicated that he would protect her with his life- much like Reese would do for Finch. And Bear wasn't growling at them.

"We're just passing by, we're travellers," Rose said, still warry of the gun pointed at them, but trying to ease the tension. "I'm Rose, Rose Tyler. And this is the Doctor," she added as she took a step to the side and nudged the Doctor.

"Yes, hello!" the Time Lord replied with a grin. "And you are?"

Reese and Finch exchanged a glance, and John lowered his gun, soon followed by the Doctor and Rose who lowered their arms. They weren't quite ready to trust them however. But then Bear decided to go straight ahead and sniffed Rose's shoes.

"Bear-" Reese started, but the dog sat down at Rose's feet and gave a happy bark.

Rose grinned and kneeled, petting the Malinois' head. "Aren't you adorable! Your name is Bear, right?" Bear barked again, as if in response, and Rose scratched behind the dog's ears. The three men in the room were left dumbstruck at the interaction between Rose and Bear. But the Doctor quickly recoiled and smiled, after all it was Rose and animals always seemed to love her.

Trusting Bear's instinct that the strangers wouldn't harm them, John eased his stance and pushed the safety off before putting the gun back in his pocket. "My name's John," the ex-soldier said, finally answering the Doctor's question.

"Yes, that is all very interesting. Sorry to interrup you. But did we just witness a blue.. Police Box appearing out of nowhere?" Finch had kept silent for a long while, but finally decided that it was time to talk about the unnatural apparition.

"Ah, that," the Doctor smiled sheepishly and tugged at his ear. "You weren't supposed to see that. But since you did, it's called the TARDIS this thing, best ship in the universe." The Doctor gave a proud grin before looking around. They were in a library, though it didn't seem to be a public one as they were the only people present. "We travel, Rose and I. We explore planets, asteroids, space bases and other places. Speaking of which, we were on our way to Astrefid, but it seems that the TARDIS has decided otherwise. Where are we?"

"Doctor," Rose said, catching his attention and then looked at the other two men. The Doctor followed her gaze to see John and the other man looking perplexed and wide-eyed, as if the Doctor had grown another head.

"Right."

"Are you telling us you travel in space? What is it, a new mean to go to space that the NASA is keeping secret?" Reese asked, incredulous.

"Impossible," Finch said.

"In space and time," the Doctor grinned.

"And it's got nothing to do with the NASA," Rose glanced up, still petting Bear who was waggling his tail. "It's actually got nothin' to do with Earth..."

John and Harold shared another look. Were they implying that this box wasn't human technology? None of them had seen antything appearing out of thin air before of course, but extraterrestrial technology? That would explain it alright, but it was still something big to swallow. "You're aliens," Reese finally said, his tone affirmative and yet asking for confirmation.

"I cannot believe that," Harold frowned. "There hasn't been any new life forms discovered on the planets we've been able to reach yet."

"And yet here we are," the Doctor shrugged and slid his hands in his pockets. "And she's not alien," he added while grinning at Rose. "I am. Time Lord. From the planet Gallifrey."

There was a moment of silence in the room, as Reese and Finch took in the possible existence of aliens. Harold took a deep breath before speaking. "You mentioned earlier that your... ship travels in space and time..."

"Oh yes!" the Doctor grinned widely, glad that the shorter man had been able to wrap his head around the fact that humans weren't alone in the universe. "The TARDIS goes everywhere and everywhen; we've seen some odd places and times, haven't we Rose?"

Rose stood up with a last pat on Bear's head and laughed with the Doctor. "That we have!"

Reese stayed silent and observed the scene. There was a fond look in the strangers' eyes, directed at each other; there was no denying that they both cared a great deal about one another, so either they were both nuts or... Well, he and Finch had seen the box materialising in front of them after all. Out of the corner of his eye, John saw Harold pinch the bridge of his nose and rub his eyes.

"Alright," Finch said. "Let's admit, for argument's sake, this is all true. What are you doing here?"

"Well that's the point," the Doctor replied. "We don't know where we've landed."

"Earth," John hesitated. "New York, er, 2013."

"Oh, great year!" the Doctor exclaimed, his tone light. "Mind you, not a perfect one, politics and all that."

"I've always wanted to visit New York!" Rose squealed, her eyes lightening up with enthousiasm. "New York of the future," she said, her tone dreamy. "Nothin' like New New New York though, right?" Rose turned to the Doctor and laughed.

"Future?" Harold asked. With the whole discussion about aliens, Finch and Reese had forgotten all about the new number they had gotten a few minutes ago. She was standing right in front of them while she had been reported dead back in 2006. She was another mystery.

"Yeah, when I left home it was 2006," Rose shrugged. "2013 is the future for me."

"I'm afraid to inform you that nothing of importance has changed since," Harold gave a small smile. He had decided to leave out the part where she should be dead. The girl seemed joyful and didn't seem to have a reason to fake her own death. Unless and accident had happened, like it did to Harold. But then again, she travelled in time and space with an alien, so how could he even begin to guess at what happened. And Reese followed Finch's lead, not saying anything on the matter.

As Harold and Rose talked, the Doctor took a look around the room. He could see behind a shelf of books, a computer with a couple of screens, a keyboard and a pile of books on a large, round table. There was a transparent board behind the table, a chair in front of the screens, a dog bed under the table, and next to it, another chair turned to face the first one. And this part of the room was lightened by large windows. The Doctor took a step towards them to go investigate the computers and books further, but he stopped as he saw John move closer to the shorter man in a reflex to protect him.

"Sorry," the Doctor apologised. He could recognise the same protectiveness in John's moves as in his own when his companion was in danger. Rose had noticed too and smiled knowingly. "I just wanted to look around."

"It's alright, John," Harold glanced at John, the calm in his eyes appeasing the ex-soldier. "Doctor -is it?- you can look around, but I'm afraid you will not find much."

"Ah but the Doctor, that's me, always curious!" The Time Lord then realised he didn't know the man's name yet. "And you are?"

"You can call me Harold," he said, his tone business-like.

"Good name that is, Harold!" The Doctor ranted on as he stepped to the side to study the few book shelves he could see before reaching the desk. "Do you both live here?" he asked, curious. There seemed to be food, water and a good electricity access even though it didn't seem like a public library.

John shot an amused look at Harold. "No. We work here."

Bear walked past the Doctor to lie on his bed under the desk. Rose was deeply interested in the books she could find on the shelves. "What kind of work?" she asked, picking up on the conversation.

Finch, feeling a bit more at ease, felt the corner of his lips tuck up in a small smile. "We help people in need."

Rose looked at them in disbelief for a second before bursting out in laughter. The noise echoed in the Library and gave the place a new strange, although agreeable, sense of life. "You're kind of like the Doctor then. He likes helping people too, though he's a magnet for trouble. Aren't you, Doctor?" But there was no answer. In worry, Rose turned to face the desk, where the Doctor was looking at a pile of books. "Doctor?"

Frowning, the two men did the same. They had come to accept the two strangers, but they didn't trust them yet. If the man called the Doctor was going to do something to endanger them, Reese wouldn't hesitate to throw them out.

"That's strange," the Doctor said in a breath as he picked up the pile of books to look at their sides. They were arranged in a way that reminded him of something. There were letters and numbers... Authors... That was it! The TARDIS' message! "Rose! Look at that!" he jumped excitedly around the desk to join her under the wary eyes of Finch and Reese.

"May I ask what you're doing?" Harold asked, a frown still plastered on his face. How could an alien be interested in the particular books John had picked up to find their new Number?

"This is it!" the Doctor replied as he showed the books with a broad smile. He stopped next to his companion, bumping shoulders with her. "Look Rose, don't they remind you of something?"

"Excuse me, but I'll have to ask you again; what are you doing?" Finch asked again, confused and irritated that he didn't get an answer the first time. Reese stepped towards them.

Rose examined the books closely. The white stickers composed a string to letters and numbers, and the authors... She had seen them before, in that particular order, even. Her eyes widened in understanding. "Oh my God, weren't they on the TARDIS screen earlier?"

"Yes!" the Doctor exclaimed excitedly before turning to the two men. "Before we landed here, my ship left us a message. A list of those exact same books!"

Finch and Reese exchanged a confused look. "How could that be?" John asked but Harold only shrugged.

"What did you use those books for?" Rose asked.

"If the TARDIS sent us this message, it must be important. 'Could explain why we're here." the Doctor pressed them.

Deciding that the situation could work on their favour at some point -especially on trying to better understand their new Number-, Harold sighed. With a last look at his partner, he went on, "We have a way of knowing if a person is going to be involved in some kind of danger." The Doctor raised a brow but let the bespectacled man continue. "We receive a string of numbers and letters, which we translate into a Social Security Number through the books."

"A person is in danger then?" the Doctor asked.

"Or about to commit a crime," John added.

"And who's that?" Rose wondered, looking at the books that held such invaluable information.

Harold took a deep breath. "You, Miss Tyler."