It's all AU.

continued from here

Rhiannon forced herself to take a deep breath as she stalked along the road, scanning the buildings as she moved along for something that looked like an arcade. Nothing appeared, and as the edge of town came closer, she scowled, cursing under her breath a moment. "Fine, if that's the way of it, you bloody bitch."

She started to jog, then to run, feet hitting the ground rhythmically, starting to soothe. Or at least to drop her into a zone where she didn't worry as much about the upset of running into that... twisted mirror of the Doctor she'd all but grown up with. Focused on her breathing, her pace, but aware enough of her surroundings to notice someone else on the path as she approached him.

Slowing down, she dredged up a polite smile from somewhere. Probably one remembered from working for the British government for three years. "Evening, sir."

Something about his face looked familiar, but she wasn't quite sure where she'd seen him before - or if she'd seen him before, honestly.

Rhiannon curled up on a park bench with a basket of chips and a cheap novel, humming as she took the chance to relax. After all, this place would spit her back out when it was done with her, and she might as well enjoy herself. And it was an interesting cheap novel.

She looked up at movement in her peripheral vision, closing the novel with a smile when she saw a familiar face. "Doctor!" She held up the basket. "Care for some chips?"

Jack had bought the coat, and the shirts and trousers and braces that had been neatly folded next to it, but he hadn't put them on yet.

He was sitting outside a cafe drinking a cup of coffee, the new clothes on the seat of the chair next to him and the coat draped over the back.

"Jake, it's just a performance review, I'll be just fine!" Rhiannon laughed, rolling her eyes as she reached for the door to Jack's office. "Really! If things don't go so well, I can always call the Doctor for a lift off-world."

She turned, stepping through the doorway... and closed her eyes, tilting her head back to look up at the starry sky over her head. "This is going to turn into a psych review instead of a performance review, you know that? Really not how I planned to spend the next week in real-world time."

She looked back at the street, and gave the person there a smile. "Sorry. Just having an argument with fate, or whatever it is that dragged me back here." She waved a vague hand at the town around them. "It's been long enough that I was beginning to think I wouldn't come back at all."

The Doctor was sitting at a table outside a cafe with a plate piled high with pastries and buns. Oh, and a pot of tea. He'd had a huge fight with Jack about not having told him he was immortal and coming home stinking of Jack's ex-lover, neither of which he'd been able to justify very well, and Jack had stormed out on him, leaving him feeling confused and guilty.

He'd pottered around the TARDIS for a while, but he'd ended up slinking along here to see if large amounts of sugar and tea would sort him out.

((A place to put more threads, since some people are having trouble with loading large pages))

The Master was sitting at one of the tables savoring a shot of whiskey as he waited for people to show up. He'd traded out of his usual politician's suit, for a longer, more closely tailored knee length jacket, and had actually lost the tie. The white rose remained pinned, of course.

Everything was set up. Tables, large enough for 4 or 5 people to sit comfortably, around the outside of the room. Food and open bar at the far wall from the doors. And still a fairly large space in the middle for dancing. It was going to be interesting to see how many people showed up, because frankly he wasn't sure what the population of the town was. He couldn't help but wonder, given the malleable and mind bending nature of the this place - if more people showed up then could really fit, would the room mysteriously seem bigger? It wasn't a completely absurd idea, here.

As predicted, there were no Doctors with red roses and black converses in sight, yet.

Finally, the Master was ready to post his notice for the party. He pinned it to a large bulletin board easily viewable in the hotel lobby. In careful flowing calligraphy it read,

"All are cordially invited

To an evening of conversation, food, drinking, music, and dancing

In the company of fellow visitors and semi-residents

Located at the hotel ballroom beginning at dusk tomorrow

Dress up is highly encouraged

Less than civilized behavior while in attendance not tolerated

With warm regards,

Koschei (who will be dressed in style) & Theta Sigma (who will probably be late)"

He was trying really hard not to laugh, as he stood back and looked at it. Ok, he laughed. And then wandered off, with a stupidly happy grin on his face.

"...ok that's not right." Kaylee blinked, looking back at the innocent brown door she apparently just walked through. The innocent brown door that apparently belonged to the small cafe she'd just walked into.

It was a lovely cafe, really, very pleasant. The only issue she took with it was that it wasn't the engine room.
That isn't to say that she took issue with every room that wasn't her comfortable, familiar engine room back on Serenity, but when one attempted to walk into said comfortable, familiar engine room and ended up in an entirely new place that didn't look like anywhere she recognised in the 'verse, well, it was enough to put anyone off.

"What's going on?" she asked out loud to herself, confused, for the moment, even out of her usual sunny smile.

Jamie offered a cookie to the person he sat down next to on the settee in the hotel lobby, "I think it's chocolate chip."

Ianto wandered out into the sun, wincing a bit at the brightness, then rubbing his arms, "Can we turn that off, please?" he asked, not seeing anything because, well, he was rubbing his eyes. He was still casual, trainers and jeans and looked more like a teenager with ruffled hair then a grown man who was just slightly lost.

Rhia darted through the door as soon as there was enough room to do so, calling out cheerfully, "Uncle Jack!"

Only to skid to a stop, rolling her eyes at the wooded area she'd ended up in instead.

"Oh, very funny Gran, Uncle Jack's so going to have a fit at you." She paused, waiting for a long moment, the grin on her face fading as there was no response. "Gran?" Nothing. "Dad, there's something...." She stopped, staring over her shoulder at more woodland, and no door, no dad, no mom, nothing but more of the same trees as in front of her.

"This isn't funny. Uncle Jack? Dad, mom? Gran? Anyone?" She bit her lower lip a moment, reaching into her pocket to curl a hand around the book of photos there. "Dad? Uncle Jack? Doctor? Please, guys, this isn't funny anymore, you can come out now. Really."