Not sure what the point of this is, but: Disclaimer: I own nothing except a bunch of Dr. Who merchandise. Anyway, thanks to rosie-bec with helping me to tweak some details and upload this in the first place!
Hoping everyone likes it and reviews fairly. Enjoy!
Chapter 1
In the corridor in a block of flats, outside the door of the top-floor flat, the Doctor walked up the last few steps. He looked fazed, as if nervous about what he was about to do. This was a new Doctor, of average height with light brown hair and intense eyes. He was dressed in a smart-casual T-shirt, a fitted jacket and chinos.
He approached the flat door, hesitated momentarily and rang the doorbell.
He heard footsteps nearing the door, slightly loud, as if the person had been disturbed, and was annoyed.
The door opened. . . . It was a teenage girl. The Doctor hadn't expected a child, and was taken aback. The girl looked at him inquisitively with beautiful denim-blue eyes and leaned on the doorframe.
"Can I help you?" She asked coolly.
The Doctor smiled, totally at ease after his initial surprise – he found teenagers easier to cope with than young children.
"Hello!" He said, cheerfully, "Is Rose in?"
The girl frowned slightly, confused. Her eyes flicked down and back up to his face, taking him in. She called to someone further inside the flat.
"Mum! It's for you."
She returned to the living room. The Doctor listened carefully.
"Get the chips out, will you?" Said a familiar voice, "And get some homework done."
Rose emerged from the dimly lit flat, approaching the door. She still walked with her old attitude-ish strut. She reached the door and observed him with a slight frown, identical to her daughter's. The Doctor stared back at her, searching for a trace recognition in her eyes, but none came. She looked older, certainly, but there was still the old sparkle in her eyes. Facing the Doctor, she rested one hand on the doorframe and the other on the door, ready to shut it.
"I'm sorry, I don't buy raffle tickets." She said, and made to close the door.
The Doctor placed himself in the way and indicated empty hands.
"See any raffle tickets?" He asked, with a slight smile. He was eager for a bit of their old banter, just to get back on track.
"Was there something you wanted?" Rose asked, with almost forced politeness.
The Doctor's demeanour changed, and his face became more serious. "I want to know how you've been getting on with your life since I last saw you."
Rose was flustered. "What do you mean, since you last saw me? I've never seen you before in my life."
The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "I don't usually repeat myself" he said, "But I've said it once before, and I'll say it once again. He moved closer to Rose. "Remember the first time we met? I took your hand…." He slipped his hand in hers, mimicking his actions after the first regeneration that Rose had witnessed. "….and I said one word, just one word."
As if of its own accord, Rose's memory flashed back to her first whirlwind meeting with the Doctor.
The Doctor lowered his mouth to her ear and whispered. "'Run.'"
He watched the colour drain from Rose's face. Her eyes widened in shock, and she involuntarily stepped away from him. "No," she said, shocked, "No, you can't be, that's not possible, that's…"
The Doctor raised his hand and Rose faltered, holding back tears, partly of shock, partly of hesitant joy.
"It is possible." He said, "I'm back, not for long, mind, but I want to talk to you."
But Rose persisted. "But," she stammered, "You also said that we could never see each other again. Those holes in time, you closed them, you blocked the gap between universes, how…?" She trailed off.
"I found a fresh one." He told her, "Some idiotic time-meddler who doesn't know what they're doing. I'll have to close it when I leave."
"Again." Rose replied, bitterly.
The Doctor looked abashed, and Rose sighed.
"I suppose you'd better come in." She said, "Be polite to my daughter – she doesn't trust strangers easily." She disappeared back into the flat, and the Doctor followed.
Rose and the Doctor entered the living room. On glancing around, the Doctor noticed that it was the very same flat that Rose had lived in with Jackie, except for the fact that it was the parallel equivalent. He glanced at the spot by the window, remembering how Jackie had slapped him when he had first returned Rose. It was clear that Rose had moved into the flat to have enough room to raise her child, without Jackie interfering too much.
Rose tidied some magazines on the coffee table. "Sorry about the mess." She said, "It's not easy keeping the place tidy when you've got a teenager dumping her things anywhere."
"It's fine," the Doctor assured her, "It's just. . . . lived in."
They looked at each other and exchanged a smile. Rose's daughter entered from the kitchen with two plates of fish and chips, which she placed on the table.
She looked up at the Doctor. "Oh!" She said in surprise, "So he's not some stranger, then?"
"Well, no, not really." said Rose, "He's an old…" here she sniggered slightly, "…friend of mine. I haven't seen him for a long time, which is why I didn't recognise him at first."
"Right, well aren't you going to introduce us, then?"
"Oh yeah, of-course. As I said, he's an old friend and he likes to be known as 'the Doctor.'"
A strange look – was it recognition? - flashed across her daughter's face, but she composed herself. "That's, um, a bit weird."
"Yeah, but try telling him that. And, obviously, Doctor, you've met my daughter, Lia."
The Doctor proffered his hand politely. "Nice to meet you, Lia."
Lia briefly shook his hand. "Likewise, um, Doctor." She hesitated, and returned to the kitchen for cutlery. Rose turned to the Doctor.
"She's not normally this distant." She whispered, so that Lia couldn't hear, "But she won't trust you easily, and you need to gain that from her."
The Doctor looked bemused. "Why?" he asked, "Why does she need to trust me?"
At that point, Lia came back. "Your food's gonna get cold, Mum." She set the cutlery out, laying them perfectly parallel.
"Are you staying?" Rose asked the Doctor, "We've probably got some food left in the oven."
"Nah, I'm not hungry." He replied, "Can I take a wander round?"
"Sure, just don't get yourself stuck in the bathroom." Rose gave him an affectionate smile.
"Don't go in my room!" Lia called.
They ate their dinner in silence, broken only by the chink of cutlery on plates. After a while, Lia finally spoke.
"Who is he, Mum?" Lia asked, "I mean, you introduced him as a title. It's not a name, is it?"
"Well, no." Rose agreed. "But I knew him for a long time, and I can assure you, he's perfectly – well, not normal – but he is sane."
Lia gave her a penetrating look, which unsettled Rose.
The Time Lord himself strode back into the room. "Very cosy." He remarked, "Nice decorating in the bathroom."
His attempts at acting normal made Rose chuckle, causing her to choke on a chip. Lia whacked Rose on the back and refilled her glass of water. Rose regained her composure.
"Are you staying?" She asked again, "Only I wanted to catch up with you."
The Doctor looked at his watch. "Sure. I've got until nine o'clock."
"Fantastic." Rose finished the last of her dinner and got up, leaving her plate and glass on the table. "Would you clear the table when you're done, Lia?"
Lia looked annoyed. "Why? I laid it and did most of the preparation!"
Put off her stride, Rose took her used crockery and put it in the dishwasher.
"Come on," she muttered to the Doctor, "We're going for a walk."
Hope you enjoyed it! Obviously, this isn't all; there is more to come! I won't give you any spoilers, but please press that little button and leave a comment! Be nice: this is my first time!