From a distance, shrouded by a rather brilliant bit of camouflage if he did say so himself, a man known as simply the Doctor watched as an entire fleet of Daleks disappeared from the skies in a shower of golden dust. The Bad Wolf, doing what had been necessary when he couldn't, "...Rose..." His mouth tightened before he ran a hand over his face and through his ruffled brown hair and sighed to himself. He knew what happened now. His past regeneration would leave Satellite 5 with Rose and disappear into the vortex, regenerating into him. New new Doctor. He really didn't know why he was torturing himself like this. She was gone and there was no getting her back and he couldn't cross his own time line to see her again without risking the universe getting torn apart. It was bad enough he was here reliving his past and he dared not venture any closer lest he be detected by his past self.

Ducking his head with another sigh, he closed the two blue doors to his time ship and slowly walked up the ramp to the console. It always happened when he was alone. Every time he lost a companion he was left with far too much time on his hands. Martha Jones had been his last companion, she deciding she'd had enough running about. There was more to it, he wasn't nearly as oblivious as he let people believe but there was no changing things.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he rocked on his feet and just stared at the heart of TARDIS for a moment before shaking his head. He was tired but he was in no shape for sleeping. His brow furrowed as a thought occurred to him. Hibernation. He'd never dared around his companions but with no one to entertain or protect there was no reason why he couldn't now. The added bonus would be a lack of nightmares. Jaw set with determination, he set up a mild cloaking field so scanners would just register TARDIS as a void before retreating out of the console room. He made it about three feet past Rose's door before doubling back with a slight shake of his head. There was no reason not to enter her room anymore either.

Almost cautiously he entered, sweeping a glance over her things and blinking as his eyes started to burn. Dust, no doubt. It had been a long time since he'd been in here after all. His fingers curiously danced over a few of her odd bits before snatching up a discarded pink t-shirt. It was her favorite, one she wore almost every night and he hesitantly brought it to his nose, letting his senses become saturated with her faint scent.

His senses were tingling with the last traces of her presence. She'd been happy, he could feel that and his mind was awash with it. But there was something else and all it took was brushing his finger tips over the discarded white teddy bear that she slept with nightly to feel it. Love. Her love.

With an unhappy moan of a sound he sat down on her bed before curling up on his side. In his hands he still held the piece of cloth tightly and almost protectively brought it to his chest. Wiggling a bit he curled himself under her comforter, converses and all, and with a sigh closed his eyes. Concentrating, he focused on his mind, shutting down his random thoughts and his telepathy, making sure everything was nice and locked. Nothing and no one would get into his mind now. Turning his mental focus elsewhere, he slowed down his hearts beating, yawning as he started to succumb. With one last fleeting thought to the tiny human girl who had stolen both of his hearts, he slipped into oblivion and finally slept.

***

Rose Tyler wiped at the tear running towards her ear, shifting onto her side and crossing her arms in a self hug. Laying on her bed, she studied the wallpaper in her room. It was a nice room. The colors were a nice soft pink flower print, the bed was gorgeous mahogany and the house was huge...but it wasn't home. Her home and her heart were firmly centered around one man she couldn't get back to.

Four years ago she'd been just an ordinary girl. A girl working in shops, growing up on the estates. A girl with no A levels and no real future. But that had all changed when she'd met a man, albeit a very special man. He wasn't the kind of special that you could spot right away either. He wasn't some fabulous hunk or had a posh flat or a load of dosh...nothing like that. In fact he still owed her for multiple chip outings where she ended up paying. All that he had was a gift for gab, an impressive amount of intellect, and a time ship. And she'd fallen in love with him harder than Jimmy Stones and deeper than Mickey Smith. It was a bit queer that this man was an alien to Earth, yet he represented home to her but that was love for you. Now she was stuck in a parallel world that looked like her old world, but wasn't. Her Doctor on one side, she stuck on the other.

Jackie, her mom, had embraced being in this world. She was firmly attached to Pete, the man with her deceased father's face, and loving all the time she was making up for. Pete had been a little weird around her for a bit but she could understand. She wasn't his technically but he'd still welcomed her and had grown used to the idea of having a daughter, especially now that he had a son, her little brother Tony.

And her mum absolutely loved the change from their old life to this new one. Rose could see how having money and a gigantic house and servants was appealing but she just didn't care about things like that anymore. She hadn't for a long time. Mickey, her ex-boyfriend who she was still friends with, he seemed to be fine in either world. He visited often, found odd jobs here and there, and generally drifted through life. But that wasn't her either. Not anymore.

The Doctor had shown her a better way to live. To live for the moment, take what life offers and make the world a better place while you were at it. But she just couldn't seem to do that here. Torchwood had been very interested in keeping her but no thank you, the last thing she wanted was to get stuck behind a desk trying to dissect everything amazing and wonderfully different in the world. After a year she'd called it quits for the most part. She consulted a bit but that was it. But it left her with not a lot of options since she didn't technically exist in this universe.

Her mom and dad? were more than willing to support her but she felt like she was just wasting her life now. Slowly descending back to being 'shop girl' but without the job. She was losing herself just laying around waiting for something to happen. Mom was nagging every now and then about finding a nice boy but she didn't want a nice boy. She wanted a man. One man. She wanted her Doctor, and only him. There wasn't a boy or man on this planet that could compare to him so why waste her time?

Then there were her dreams, which certainly weren't helping. It was always him, alone and in need of help. He'd get himself into one situation or another but no one would lend him a hand. She'd tried, desperately so, to reach out to him but he was always transparent. Her fingers would just pass right through him, "...Doctor..."

With a sigh she pushed herself off her bed, grabbing a zip-up sweatshirt and throwing it on. She just couldn't be here right now and moping wasn't helping. He'd never even been in this room but everything reminded her of him. Her hazel eyes studied her reflection in the glass, curling her nose up at her stingy blond hair and hastily giving it a brush before wrapping it in a ponytail. Deciding to go for a walk she waved silently at her mom as she slipped out the front door, "Rose! Wait a minute!"

Rolling her eyes heavenward, with a resigned sigh she stopped moving, "Soo close..."

Jackie came bustling out the door a moment later and handed over 20 pounds, her little brother Tony sitting on her mum's hip, grinning up at his big sis, "Look, if you're going to town anyway pick up me mags." She'd been here for two whole years now, but she wasn't going to give up hope. Not this time. She'd lost faith in the Doctor only once after his regeneration, and he'd proved to her he could beat all odds. New face, new body, and he'd still come through. So she'd wait, patiently, and look for her own way out if need be. She chucked Tony gently under the chin, gave her mum a strained smile, pocketing the money with a nod before turning around, "He's not coming, sweetheart. You heard him. He said-..."

Whirling, angry since this was a very old argument, "I heard him but Doctor likes impossible." Reining in her temper, voice firm, "He'll find a way."

Jackie shook her head, nothing but pity in her eyes. From her perspective she'd watched Rose throw away a career at Torchwood and a real future just because she was still mooning over an alien who was never coming back, "Doctor has more sense than you do." Sighing, "Oh Rose, just get on with your life. You could beg 'em to take you back and-..."

Firming her chin defiantly, "He is my life. And he may give up but I'll find me own way."

With a jerk she faced away from the house and took a step, "You're not going to find him, sweetheart... just...I know you love him but let him go..." She ground her teeth and stomped off a little harder, not speaking. Jackie sighed softly as she watched her daughter go. Looking up at the sky and whispering, "Find her, Doctor, or so help me I'll find you myself just to give you a good slap." Tony giggled and Jackie smiled softly at her son, stroking his blond curls, "That's right, luv. Yer mum'll give him what for."

Rose cut through the lawn, hands in her pockets and wandered a bit to the local market. Her overprotective mum just wanted her happy, she knew it but it didn't mean she didn't resent being told to forget him. Tabloids shoved into her sweater, she continued on her journey with no destination in mind. Walking forever, Rose stopped for a motor and rattled off the old address without thinking twice about it. She let her thoughts drift over her past, smiling as she thought about some of their adventures, picturing the Doctor in her mind with his wild hair and wide grin. God she missed him. She still missed him as much as the day she'd been ripped away from him.

She looked up as a Zeppelin slowly chugged along it's way. The one true sign over all the little things that she wasn't in her world. This wasn't her life. Her mobile rang, breaking into her thoughts, the local one she'd picked up while living here and she fished it out of her pocket. Her universal one was tucked in her mum's purse since there was only one person who had that number anymore. Phone to her ear, "Rose."

A small chuckle greeted her, "Nope, Mickey. But I'm lookin' for Rose."

Grinning to herself at the familiar voice. Mickie Smith, her former boyfriend but still one of her best mates. She hadn't heard from him in weeks, "Hey. How's goes?"

"Not too bad, really. Just wanted ta give ya a heads...won't be comin' back for a bit."

Mickey had taken to travelin' as she had put it, only he'd stayed Earth bound. The last time they'd talked he'd been thinking of a trip to Spain. Picking at her jeans, sticking her tongue in her cheek and talking cheekily, "Found a job or a girl."

She grinned wider, almost hearing Mickey squirming uncomfortably, "Both."

Softening, "I'm glad for ya, Mick. I really am."

"Are you...you mean that?"

Licking her bottom lip, "Course I do. I-...I don't want you waitin' round for me...it's like you said, Mick, it's not fair. I want you to be happy. Really. I want you finding the best girl in the universe and I want you happy with her."

There was a pause at the other end, a long one before his voice came over quiet and serious, "I can't have the best so I'll have to settle for second." She frowned a little to herself but there was no changing things. It would be easier, loving Mickey. He'd move hell and earth for her. She almost wished she could stop loving the Doctor for him but she just couldn't and in all honesty, she wouldn't change things. Mickey cleared his throat, getting her attention, "Look, I've gotta go but...talk to ya later?"

Nodding to herself, "Yeah, later."

She cut off the connection, resting her bottom lip on the top of the phone for a minute. That was it then. She was the only one left. Mum had taken to this world like a duck to water. She was perfectly content and had started over. She had her Pete back and even had another child, which she'd always wanted. Now Mickey seemed to have found a groove for himself. But she couldn't. She wasn't a Torchwood agent, too many stodgy rules and agendas. She wasn't shop-girl either. She was Rose Tyler, the Doctor's Rose Tyler. She'd been made for something greater than this.

With a sigh she pocketed the mobile and looked out the window. The cab stopped and she paid the fare, letting the door slam behind her as he drove away. She looked up at the towering buildings of the apartments that were so familiar yet a complete stranger to her. The Powell Estates. She'd never lived here, but in another set of apartments that looked identical to them in a whole other universe. Why she was here she wasn't sure but with a sigh she walked slowly on the sidewalk, seeing the familiar park and the garages for the autos. Even some of the people looked familiar but she kept to herself. She was an outsider now.

Wincing, feeling something warm in her hip pocket, she started to dig it out before it occurred to her that was where she kept her TARDIS key. A flash of dark blue caught her eye and she froze, blinking in shock at what she was seeing. It wasn't possible. Her breath caught in her throat as she tilted her head, looking at the lone blue box sitting next to a condemned building. An old police box, the lettering POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX glowing softly. It really was the TARDIS. Swallowing heavily, whispering harshly to herself, "Doctor."

She took off at a run, down to the corner and across the street, ignoring a passing car slamming on it's breaks and the horn blaring to avoid hitting her. But she just kept running, up to the box and stopped just short. Almost reverently she put her right hand on the door before digging in her pockets frantically for the one possession never to leave her body. After several tense moments with a cry of victory she found her key and slowly slid it in place. A turn and the door opened, biting her lip hard to keep from crying at the familiar sight.

It was exactly as she remembered it and she walked in as if in a daze, letting the door close behind her as she pocketed the key once more and leaned back. The high domed ceiling, the forked columns that looked almost living and the central console with the heart of the TARDIS inside. She managed about three feet up the ramp before suddenly feeling dizzy, realizing skipping breakfast had been a bad idea. She stopped for a moment, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply as she put a hand on one of the columns, hissing and jerking her hand away to find it hot.

With a frown she examined her hand, finding it pink but no real damage. The columns were never hot. Ever. Usually they were cooler than the air. The console glowed a bit, the old engine pivoting a fraction, "This is emergency program one."

She jumped and stared, seeing the Doctor in his former glory, looking ahead of him as the holographic message replayed. Those adorable big ears of his, his nose and piercing pale blue eyes, dressed in black jeans and black leather. Even his familiar Northern accent, "Laura, now listen, this is important. If this message is activated then it can only mean one thing. We must be in danger and I mean fatal."

Placing a hand over her mouth, she slowly walked across the grating, standing to his left as she had a seeming lifetime ago. This had been her message once, as if she would have listened to him, "I'm dead or about to die any second with no chance of escape, and that's okay, hope it's a good death. But I promised to look after you and that's what I'm doing. The TARDIS is taking you home. And I bet you're fussin' and moanin' now, typical."

Rose smirked to herself, her hand falling away. It suddenly occurred to her that with an alternate universe it would make sense that there would be a Doctor here as well. Except it seemed in this case his companion, Laura, had listened to him. She snorted to herself. It just made this Laura unworthy in her opinion, "But hold on and just listen' a bit more. The TARDIS can never return for me. Emergency program one means I'm facin' an enemy that should never get their hands on this machine, so this is what you should do. Let the TARDIS die. Just let this old box gather dust. No one can open it. No one will even notice it. Let it become a strange little thing standin' on the street corner. And over the years the world will move on and the box will be buried. And if you want to remember me then you can do one thing, that's all, one thing..." He turned to look in her direction and just as before it startled her, "...have a good life. Do that for me Laura, have a fantastic life."

The message faded and Rose sighed to herself. She'd missed his familiar face, but it was different now. She'd loved the old Doctor, loved traveling with him and fighting both with him and at his side. She'd fallen in love with his insults and his wit and his armor protected feelings because she'd seen how vulnerable he was underneath. With his newer version his emotions were out there for all to see, all but the tender ones. Boyishly charming but the same inner darkness. The same vulnerability. But his was a personality that had opened up to her and subtly showed her that he could love her if given enough time. Actually, that wasn't it. He already did love her. He'd gather his courage one day to show it.

She looked around the old ship, realizing the TARDIS was still 'alive' in the sense that she could almost feel the familiar hum of the engines, even if they were idle. If only there was some way she could get back without killing herself or tearing a hole in the universe. She walked around the console, resting her hand on it and blinking in startlement to realize the contact tingled, "Hey, TARDIS."

"...who...are you..."

With a yelp she jerked around, seeing the computer screen flashing. It was the Doctor's voice, but it was stilted, having the wrong inflection. Frowning, she cautiously ventured over, startled to see the past Doctor's image frozen on the screen. The images suddenly shifted again, each time a word or phrase was heard and she realized with sudden clarity the TARDIS was trying to talk to her, using conversations and images from the past on board the ship, "...who ...are...you..."

Licking her dry lips, "I'm Rose. Rose Tyler. I-I was the Doctor's companion...well, my Doctor's companion. Bit different than your Doctor even if they are the same person..."

She trailed off awkwardly, "...why...are you...here..."

Pulling in a breath, "I saw you and I knew you could help me get back home, back to my universe."

"...impossible...emergency program one...overrides...all others..."

Shaking her head, "I did it before. In my world I was sent home just like, uh, Laura was. Only I didn't listen. I..." She frowned to herself, struggling to remember. In the beginning she couldn't remember a thing but slowly fragments had started to return to her. She lightly touched the computer screen as she struggled to sort out her thoughts, "...I tore open your control panel and looked in-..."

"Impossible."

She smiled distantly, "Doctor likes impossible...I looked into the TARDIS...and the TARDIS looked into me." Blinking slowly, "You gave me the power and I used it to...I kept him safe."

"...safe...he was...safe..."

Nodding vigorously, "Yes. Yes, he was safe."

"...I will..." The screen cut off abruptly, Rose gasping as something settled in her mind, gentle yet powerfully strong. She'd known on some level the TARDIS and the Doctor probably talked telepathically, but she had no idea it was like this. She wasn't just hearing words, she was feeling emotions and seeing little bits of history at the same time. By touching my organics you have transferred a part of yourself to me. We are one, Rose Tyler. I will give you what you need to know. Everything that you need, but in return you will protect my Doctor, as you've protected yours. I will give to you what is rightfully yours and you will give to him a companion. Are you agreed to the terms? It was everything she wanted. Rose found herself nodding, not even aware of her surroundings she was so seduced by such a strong presence. It will be painful.

The corner of her lip lifted just a little. She'd learned long ago that nothing worth having was ever just given. It was just like the Doctor. To have him, you have to accept the monsters that go with him. But just like him, it was worth it, "I know."