"Oh, no! You're not sending me off with her! She's so obsessed with you that she practically tore up -two- universes to get to you, she's not getting me as a—as a—consolation prize or something! I will not be some sort of replacement boyfriend! Not on your life, Spaceman!" the Doctor's duplicate argued, slipping into some of his Donna-side, spouting her preferred nickname for the Time Lord. He looked between the Doctor, Jack, and Mickey who stood together in the TARDIS library, in a 'private' conference of sorts. "Besides, you know as well as I do—we've no idea what the ramifications of the biological metacrisis are for Donna or me. Until then, it's not wise that we split up. And It's like—I'm like—your brother—are you really willing to send me off into a parallel universe when we've just met?"
It was strange, Mickey thought, watching the Doctor's duplicate get wound up like this. It had been a short time now that he had known Donna, but she had a strong enough personality that it didn't take long to pick up on it. He had known the Doctor, and this version of the Doctor, a much longer time. The Duplicate really was a strange mesh of both their personalities, the pitch of his voice going up much like the Doctor's did when he got wound up about something, and he was definitely getting louder, much like Donna did. "Hey, excuse me, DocTwo, but it was just a suggestion. We're all throwing out suggestions here."
'Yeah, well. You can throw that one right out the window, Mickey Mouse." the Duplicate glared at him.
"Look, I'm on your side, believe it or not! I tried to tell her that the Boss didn't fancy her like that anymore!" Mickey argued in his own defense. "She wouldn't believe me! Said I was just jealous! When we found out she had jumped through, Jackie and I followed as quickly as we could to try and—minimize the damage—"
"Well if you're not going back, and the twin here isn't going back with her, and the Doctor is definitely not going back—you think Jackie can handle her?" Jack asked Mickey.
"I don't think she's going to have a choice. And we're going to have to make a quick exit," the Duplicate responded.
The Doctor had been the quietest of the four. He wasn't sure why, but he had brought the other three men in with him, hoping for some consolation, some idea, as to how to handle Rose Tyler. All he had said when they first came in was, "What am I supposed to do about Rose?" and the other men had taken over the conversation. He half listened to their ideas, dismissing them as quickly if not quicker than they had, and the other half of his brain was chastising himself for even getting into his mess. He was now pacing back and forth, hands alternately running through his hair and rubbing the back of his neck. After a few minutes he realized the other three had gone quiet and were now watching him. He stopped, staring at them all with a helpless look.
His duplicate, well at least in appearance, half in personality, and as for the rest he wasn't sure, was the first to speak after the long silence. "Were you listening to a thing we said?"
"Everything. You know that. Just thinking. I can't say I hadn't considered leaving you with her." He sighed, considering the man in front of him. "But no, I wouldn't do that to you. I can't expect you to love her if I don't anymore." He bowed his head a moment, thinking about the last several years. "I'm just—I'm a different man now. So much has happened. So many things. I've got—" He looked around, looking for the answer in the air.
The other three men glanced at each other, waiting for the Doctor to say the name they could see on the tip of his tongue.
"I've got a different perspective on life—" The three other men sighed and slumped their shoulders in unison. "—on what it means to be a Time Lord, what it means to be the Doctor." He sighed, again.
His three friends glanced at each other again. Why were they surprised he wouldn't include Donna? Even to Mickey, who had been gone for so long in the parallel universe, it was obvious this new companion of the Doctor's was more than just a companion; he had finally found his equal, someone who held him to a higher standard and who wouldn't put up with his antics.
"Doc," Jack said quietly. "You don't have to defend yourself to us. We all get it. I loved Rose, too. But we all move on, we all change. And it's just a bit disturbing that she brushes off the ramifications of what she's done to get back here."
The Doctor nodded, then looked at Mickey, then back to Jack. "You two will stay on board till we're done with this?"
"Till the bitter end, Doc. We're your friends. That's what friends are for, right?" Jack smiled and patted his friend on the shoulder.
"Yeah, Boss, I've pulled you out of trouble so many times now, I could do it blindfolded." Mickey winked at the man and patted his other shoulder.
The Doctor gave a small smile to the men, then nodded towards his duplicate. "If you two don't mind, I need a word with my—brother."
Jack and Mickey nodded and left the two alone, heading back out to join the women in the control room.
The Duplicate looked at the Doctor a long moment before speaking, "So, you're really going to think of me that way—as your brother? I thought you might be too ashamed of my actions."
The Doctor stared back, and it felt almost like looking into a mirror, except for the different colored outfit. He sighed and stepped closer. "Who am I to judge you for our actions? I was angry, disappointed, overwhelmed by the whole situation. But really, at that moment, I realized – you don't just look like me, you have all my memories, don't you?" The Duplicate didn't falter his gaze as he nodded in response. "I suspected as much. You looked at the Daleks and you knew what you had to do, based on what you know from my history. You saw it as the only way out, and had it been different circumstances, I probably would have too. I've already done it once, well, I thought I did it. Obviously, it didn't quite work out the way we hoped."
"I'm glad that you're willing to accept me then, as family." The Duplicate smiled, and it grew wider as it was mirrored by the Doctor.
"I could use some family right about now," the Doctor responded and embraced his brother for a moment before pulling back. "But we've got to get you a name. None of this 'DocTwo' or 'Dupe" stuff. A proper name."
"I had some ideas about that, but I wanted Donna to be present for that," the Duplicate stated, and quickly noticed a change of expression on the Doctor's face.
"About-that—your memories, my memories. If they carried with them the anger for the Daleks, can I presume that you know my feelings about other things as well?" The Doctor was now avoiding eye contact, glancing around the library, tapping a book that sat on a nearby table.
"That would be a fair presumption. However, my feelings are my own, brother. It seems, from what I can surmise from everything swirling around in my brain, that I carry both your memories and Donna's. My personality seems to be yours and hers stirred up in a pot and poured out. So, my reactions, my feelings, on the memories I access are based on a mix of things. I believe it makes them uniquely mine, not necessarily how one or the other of you feels about anything."
The Doctor's face grew very serious and he frowned at this twin. "Then you must promise me something, brother. You will under NO circumstances reveal what you know to her."
"But brother, shouldn't you—" his Duplicate argued.
"No. Under NO circumstances. I will not do it, I will not think it, I will not share it," the Doctor stated firmly, with more conviction than his duplicate had seen him portray since his 'birth' not too long ago. "I will not ruin the best thing that has happened to me—the best person that has ever stepped foot into this TARDIS."
His duplicate sighed, looking at his brother sadly, his shoulders slumping. "Very well, brother. Your secrets are safe with me and forevermore shall be."
The Doctor nodded, satisfied by his new brother's answer. "Now, your name?"
At that moment the library door slid open and Donna peered in. "I was sent to check on you two?" She frowned. "Rose is getting impatient." She then sighed and looked down as she stepped in, allowing the door to slide shut behind her. "I suppose she's anxious for you to get me back to Chiswick."
It was the Doctor's turn to frown, and his brow furrowed as he exclaimed, "What?!" His brother's jaw dropped, but he remained quiet, waiting to see how the Doctor was going to handle this. It was time for the Doctor to clear up some things with Donna.
Donna looked back up at him, a terribly sad look in her eyes. "I believe she's under the appropriate assumption that I'll be dropped off at Mum and Gramps' so you two can go adventuring together."
"What on Earth made you think that was an appropriate assumption?"
Donna glared at him, equally confused and getting a bit annoyed because she was upset enough and he wasn't making this easy. "Because. It's. Rose. Your Rose. You love her. Bloody hell, Spaceman, do you have to make this so difficult? Just get your arse out there, please, and take me back to Chiswick."
"Donna," the Doctor spoke quietly, slowly and carefully walking up to her. His twin watched the interaction, wondering if this might be the moment that the two of them finally admitted their feelings for each other. As the Doctor spoke again, his voice cracked and was filled with sadness. "Donna, you said you were going to travel with me forever."
"Doctor, I—" Donna began, unable to hide the confusion in her voice. "It wouldn't be right for me to be hanging around when you and Rose—"
"Donna!" The Doctor tried to keep his voice quiet, but the exasperation was getting through. "Donna there is no more 'me and Rose'!"
"What!?" It was Donna's turn to be exasperated. "But you—you always talk about her—"
The Doctor interrupted her. "When was the last time, before she showed up in that alternate timeline built around you because of the Trickster—when was the last time I spoke about her?"
"Well it was just—when we—well I guess it has been a while, hasn't it?" Her voice grew into a whisper as she realized that it really had been a long time since he had mentioned Rose.
"I've changed, Donna. I'm not the same person I was when you first met me. I'm not—I don't—I don't love her anymore." Donna just stared at him, unable to believe what she was hearing. She stayed quiet, so he continued, "I'm taking her back to the parallel universe with her mother. My brother—" He turned towards his twin self and Donna's gaze turned towards him as well. "—Is going to travel with us for a while. We've got to figure out this biological metacrisis, what it did to both of you. How it's going to further affect your brain."
Donna continued to stare, mouth agape, between the Doctor and his twin. Eventually her gaze landed back on the Doctor. "So—I can still travel with you? You're going to take me to all those planets I have swirling around in my brain now?"
The Doctor grinned. "Try and stop me, Donna Noble." He then grew serious, brow furrowing. "So, I take it, since my earlier revelation was such a surprise that you—you didn't get my memories in the metacrisis?"
"No, just all this knowledge. I guess he," she said as she pointed with her thumb towards his twin, "got all your memories."
"So, speaking of me—the Doctor here was asking me about a name—and I had some thoughts, but I wanted to share them with both of you, together," he said as he looked between the two people who made him the person he now was.
"Okay, what's your name going to be then?" Donna asked curiously.
"I was thinking—Geoffrey Horatio Smith"
Donna and the Doctor both gasped, and Donna whispered, "Geoffrey, after my father—"
"The person you trusted the most in life," the Duplicate explained.
"And Horatio?" Donna questioned.
"Horatio was best friend and most trusted to Hamlet," the Duplicate continued as he looked to the Doctor.
"My favorite Shakespeare play," the Doctor said quietly.
"I hope that I can be someone that you both consider trustworthy—whether it be as a friend or a brother—whatever it is you wish."
"Geoffrey," Donna whispered. "Geoffrey Horatio Smith—it's beautiful."
Geoffrey smiled as did the Doctor and Donna and they embraced each other, before the Doctor sighed and stepped back. "Well, here we go then—into the fray."