Up until a minute ago, Hex was really glad to be back on present-day Earth, for a change.
The explosion that knocks him flat changes things a little.
"Are you okay?" a voice says, from above him, and he works hard to focus his eyes. It's a girl - blonde, a bit tough-looking, quite pretty - and she's holding out a hand to him, worry written all over her face.
"Yeah, thanks," Hex says, taking her hand and pulling himself up. He's sore, but doesn't think anything's broken, though his ankle is protesting a fair bit.
"Anything for you," the girl says, and she leans in and kisses him squarely on the mouth.
He can only stare at her when she pulls away; her face falls, and he feels terrible, despite himself.
"Time travel," she says, spitting her words out, like a curse. "Always fucking with - you don't know me yet, do you."
"Sorry," he says, feeling inadequate, out of his depth. "I really am sorry, but - "
She kisses him again, and he shivers, her hands on his back and he's suddenly quite, quite interested in the future.
"Don't tell anyone," she says, backing away. "Timelines, and all that. Especially not the Doctor. He hates this sort of thing."
"Yeah, okay," he calls out after her, as she turns and runs.
It takes him a couple of minutes to realize she's robbed him blind; the small transmitting device he was bringing to the Doctor, gone.
*
That evening, he helps her up from the ground.
"Bet you weren't expecting Nitro-9," he says. "Ace's specialty."
She's shaking her head, and has a rueful expression on her face.
"I'm really sorry," she says, "but it's a useful trick. Taught you a valuable lesson, at least, right?" She smiles, and despite himself, he smiles back.
"So what about the future, then?" he asks. "Am I going to get the device back?"
She laughs. "Burnt it out to try to reach someone across the void," she says. "And no one knows the future, Hex. Not even the Doctor - remember that. What would be the point of going forward, if you knew?"
"Yeah, I guess so," he says. "But you know my name. You know something."
She smiles again, and her eyes turn light and kind. "Rose Tyler," she says, sticking out her hand. He shakes it, carefully.
"Be careful, Hex Schofield," she says. "There's a war on out there, and we're all fighting, no matter where we are in time. Watch out for the future. We'll have to meet someday, after all." She leans in then, suddenly, and kisses him again.
"What am I missing this time?" Hex says, after she pulls away, leans down to pick up the gun she'd been toting before the explosion.
"Innocence," she replies, and turns and sprints away. He watches her go, until she's faded off into the distance.
He tells the Doctor the transmitting device fell out of his pocket and got smashed during the explosion. From somewhere far off in the TARDIS, he hears a noise, building, a howl.
Rose/Hex
The explosion that knocks him flat changes things a little.
"Are you okay?" a voice says, from above him, and he works hard to focus his eyes. It's a girl - blonde, a bit tough-looking, quite pretty - and she's holding out a hand to him, worry written all over her face.
"Yeah, thanks," Hex says, taking her hand and pulling himself up. He's sore, but doesn't think anything's broken, though his ankle is protesting a fair bit.
"Anything for you," the girl says, and she leans in and kisses him squarely on the mouth.
He can only stare at her when she pulls away; her face falls, and he feels terrible, despite himself.
"Time travel," she says, spitting her words out, like a curse. "Always fucking with - you don't know me yet, do you."
"Sorry," he says, feeling inadequate, out of his depth. "I really am sorry, but - "
She kisses him again, and he shivers, her hands on his back and he's suddenly quite, quite interested in the future.
"Don't tell anyone," she says, backing away. "Timelines, and all that. Especially not the Doctor. He hates this sort of thing."
"Yeah, okay," he calls out after her, as she turns and runs.
It takes him a couple of minutes to realize she's robbed him blind; the small transmitting device he was bringing to the Doctor, gone.
*
That evening, he helps her up from the ground.
"Bet you weren't expecting Nitro-9," he says. "Ace's specialty."
She's shaking her head, and has a rueful expression on her face.
"I'm really sorry," she says, "but it's a useful trick. Taught you a valuable lesson, at least, right?" She smiles, and despite himself, he smiles back.
"So what about the future, then?" he asks. "Am I going to get the device back?"
She laughs. "Burnt it out to try to reach someone across the void," she says. "And no one knows the future, Hex. Not even the Doctor - remember that. What would be the point of going forward, if you knew?"
"Yeah, I guess so," he says. "But you know my name. You know something."
She smiles again, and her eyes turn light and kind. "Rose Tyler," she says, sticking out her hand. He shakes it, carefully.
"Be careful, Hex Schofield," she says. "There's a war on out there, and we're all fighting, no matter where we are in time. Watch out for the future. We'll have to meet someday, after all." She leans in then, suddenly, and kisses him again.
"What am I missing this time?" Hex says, after she pulls away, leans down to pick up the gun she'd been toting before the explosion.
"Innocence," she replies, and turns and sprints away. He watches her go, until she's faded off into the distance.
He tells the Doctor the transmitting device fell out of his pocket and got smashed during the explosion. From somewhere far off in the TARDIS, he hears a noise, building, a howl.
Requests: Ace/Mickey, Ace/Leela, Duggan/Romana II