Jump No. 60

"Can I help you?"

Rose's breath hitched as she turned around with a flurry. She thought she'd be used to being sprung by random people in random places, but to be honest, it was something that never ceased to give her the collywobbles.

Collywobbles…was that a word she used? It stank of Pete Tyler. A little bit of her Doctor too, come to think of it. She wondered from which of them she had learned it, hoping for the first time that it was not The Doctor. Who would have thought? There was something to be said for learning something from one's father. Even he was not really her actual father…

"Excuse me?"

Oh right. Company.

Rose looked into the face staring back at her. It was a kindly face, but one she didn't know. She looked around the face at the room in which she had appeared. It looked like an infirmary, though not a particularly good one.

"Hi," said Rose to the face she didn't recognise. "Sorry…" She wondered where and when she was. Earth perhaps? It certainly didn't look like she was in the future, but her travels with The Doctor had taught her well enough that things weren't always what they seemed. She could be in the 16th Great and Bountiful Human Empire for all she knew. "Is The Doctor here?" she asked hopefully.

"I'm the Matron," the woman replied. "Will that do?" She looked Rose up and down before frowning disapprovingly. "Are you new?"

"Er…" Rose frowned back. "Yeah…" she said, smoothing down her pants. "I'm…"

"In the kitchens?"

"That's right," Rose said, with a big fake smile. "The kitchens, that's me."

The matron nodded. "I thought you must be, you look familiar."

She did? Rose looked around her again. Had she and The Doctor been here? Was she too early again?

"I'm Nurse Redfern," The matron said. "I don't think we've been introduced properly."

She was very formal, this Nurse Redfern. "I'm…" she hesitated, same as always. That blond man with his two hearts and his eyes of fire still burned her insides. She still couldn't share her name.

"I'm looking for someone," she said, same as always. "A traveller, maybe two? A man and a woman most likely," she said, thinking of all the companions she had seen him with, all those young women…

"We don't get many travellers here," Nurse Redfern said. "Are you alright?" she asked, kindly, but just a little judgementally. "Do you need to rest? Perhaps a biscuit?"

Rose smiled, wondering vaguely when she had last eaten. "Actually, that would be lovely," she said. If nothing else, she might have the matron out of her hair for a few moments. The nurse looked her over again, still disapproving, and turned toward the door.

"I wouldn't make this a habit if I were you," Nurse Redfern said as she turned the doorknob. "Kitchen staff coming to the infirmary for biscuits. It's backward, that's what, and Cook will have your hide if you're not careful."

"Yes Matron," Rose said, a little bewildered, as the nurse gave her a kind smile and left her alone in the room.

Right. Investigation time. The matron didn't seem to know who The Doctor was, but he had to be around here somewhere, otherwise she wouldn't have been sent here at all. She closed her eyes for a second as though she might be able to sense the TARDIS somewhere. They'd been through so much together, Rose Tyler and the old machine, but her concentrating was to no avail. They may have been conjoined by the souls at some point, two points now, she supposed, but it wasn't enough. She had no idea where to start looking.

This room, however, was clearly not the right place. She looked around herself quickly before heading toward the door. She had to get out of there before the matron came back, all smiles and judgement and biscuits. Her head spun a little as she started to walk (it hadn't done that for at least fifteen jumps…odd…) and she braced herself on a nearby table for support. She heard a thud and realised she had knocked a book off the table in her haste. She sighed and bent down to pick it up.

She gasped.

Her face was staring back at her.

How odd.

She flicked through the pages of the book. There were Daleks and Cybermen, a picture of K-9 and pages and pages of pictures she didn't understand. "Doctor," she whispered into the book, and with a triumphant pang in her heart, she nestled the book in one arm and exited the room.

"Hello."

She gasped again, nearly dropping the book. A teenaged boy was staring back at her, oddly.

"Hello," she said back, a wary smile creeping its way to her face.

"I'm Baines," the boy said. "Who are you?"

Rose didn't answer. She could feel the hairs on her arms stand on end.

"I'm in the kitchens," she said finally with a half-hearted smile, thankful that Nurse Redfern had given her an identity.

The boy took in a deep breath, his nose in the air. Was he sniffing her?

"You smell," he said, his face turning into a frown.

"Er…" What on earth was going on? "Sorry?" she offered, but the boy didn't look disappointed. In fact, he looked at her with something resembling triumph.

"Where is The Doctor?" the boy named Baines asked. He raised an eyebrow and Rose got the sudden feeling that even if she knew, she shouldn't tell him.

"I don't know what you mean," she said. "The matron was in the infirmary, but she's gone for biscuits." Well played, Tyler. Use Nurse Redfern's ignorance to your advantage.

"This stench is not congruent with The Doctor," Baines said, sniffing her again. "There is something unlike the vortex. It smells of…" he took another deep breath. "Nothingness."

The void. Her Northern Doctor had smelt it on her too. Was this boy an alien, then? Perhaps she wasn't on earth after all.

"You are not of this world," Baines concluded. "Who are you?"

Rose stiffened. She had no idea what was going on, but she felt sure that if she gave the wrong answer, she could very well be putting The Doctor in danger. "I'm looking for The Doctor," she said, her chest tight with nerves. She hoped that she was saying the right thing.

"As are we," Baines replied with something resembling a smile. "For what purpose do you require him?" he asked.

"Same as you," Rose replied.

"Impossible," Baines said. "We have been tracking him for several of this planet's months. We have found no trace of him here. How did you come to find this place?" He seemed both angry and intrigued. Rose had no idea whether this was a good combination or not.

"Passing through," she said, a little amused that she hadn't exactly lied yet. "I won't stay long," she said. "I look for him everywhere."

Baines frowned. "You will not stay?"

"No," she said. "I'll leave this Time Lord to you."

"Good," said Baines. "Mother of Mine will pleased to know it. We do not need competition."

"Right…" said Rose. "His companion…" she said, crossing her fingers in her mind for good luck. "Who is it?"

"We do not know," he said. "We have not seen her face."

Rose sighed. "Did you see her at all?" she asked. "Does she have red hair?" Thank goodness for Donna Noble's hair, Rose thought. Everyone remembered gingers.

"She does not," Baines said. "We have caught mere glimpses. She is dark haired. Slim. That is all we have been able to ascertain. She and The Doctor have certainly done a lot of running."

Rose laughed under her breath. That did sound like him.

"Joan?"

Rose knew that voice.

Baines's eyes went wide and he pulled on his blazer. "One of the teachers," he said, in a hush. "I trust I shan't see you in this place again?" He raised his eyebrow again and Rose understood the warning in his voice.

"Passing through" she said, as she had before. She needed to get out of here. She knew that voice better than she knew the back of her own hand and she figured that it would not be a good idea for the owner of that voice to see her here, particularly if he was hiding from the Baines boy and whoever else he was working for.

Baines nodded curtly, and Rose ducked away behind one of the doorways in the hall.

"Professor Smith," Baines greeted politely.

"Hello Baines," Rose heard from that beautiful voice. She peeked around the corner. There he was. Beautiful and brilliant and just a little odd looking.

The Doctor.

She tried to place what was so odd, but she couldn't. It was like he was holding himself differently, although she couldn't figure out how. The Doctor smiled at Baines and began asking him questions about his homework. Rose frowned again. Just what was going on?

"Who were you talking to, Baines?" The Doctor asked.

"One of the kitchen staff," Baines replied, nonchalantly. "Smelt of dog."

The Doctor laughed. "I knew a girl like that once," he said, his nose scrunched. "Had a smell of the wolf about her." He seemed look off into the distance for a second. Baines laughed. "How strange," The Doctor said, "I'm not quite sure what I meant by that…"

Rose frowned as she watched Baines make his excuses and leave. She watched The Doctor stroke his chin thoughtfully, still staring out to space.

"She wrote a letter on rose petals, scattered through time," he muttered to himself. Rose's heart tugged her painfully. "The wolf! That's new. Who is she?"

Rose stared at the book in her hand. He had drawn her picture but didn't know who she was. She opened it, flicking through furiously till she found a page about her. There were a few, she noticed. One of her face in a television set. She smiled ruefully. That was only a few days ago, really. One scattered with roses. One with her face. How did he not know her?

She dropped the book with a start, as she felt the light and the darkness of the void begin to take her.

"Who's there?" She heard The Doctor exclaim, and she hid herself under a desk at the sound of his footsteps. She watched him pick up the book and hold it to his mouth.

She watched him intently as she began to fade. He sighed into the book and frowned.

"She will not answer me and she keeps walking away."

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