Author's Note: I wrote this some time ago and never did anything with it, and so I have decided to take it down and put it back up to get it out there again since I've decided to continue it! I hope all you whovians out there enjoy it, especially those of you who, like me, ache to see the Doctor with Rose again (well…maybe not 12 and Rose but you get the picture)
Both the Doctor's hearts had been aching for a good long while. It had been a year since he'd seen his Rose, and he'd been traveling with Martha almost ever since he lost her. However, the Doctor couldn't help but think that his time was Martha was growing short, as she had very obviously developed romantic feelings for him that he could in no way return. Not now, and likely not ever. No one would ever compare to or replace his Rose.
The Doctor had been thinking a lot lately…about his previous body. His time with Rose had been spent in both forms, but she had seemed to look at him differently after his regeneration. She had fallen in love with his ninth incarnation, not his tenth, and he knew that, he knew how different he was. How could she not have loved his ninth generation? He had been a sarcastic, tall, dark and handsome bloke; all leather jacket and sassy attitude. When he'd regenerated he was scared to death that he'd no longer be her type. In a sense he believed he wasn't, he'd become goofy and soft, less edgy and more just.
"I'll be different, I won't see you again—not like this." He'd said. And yet, he couldn't explain it, but at the same time he'd become everything Rose ever wanted. Sure, he wasn't quite the man he'd been, but it really didn't seem to matter to Rose. She loved his new quirkiness and all the silly little kinks in his new personality just as much as she'd loved the roughness of his old; and it was then that it hit him. Rose wasn't attracted to just any look or particular aspect of his generations personality, she never had been. Rose stuck around because she loved him, and no matter how his personality transformed he was always the same man to his core. Rose saw that, she adored him for it.
Of course this only depressed him more, he'd met the one girl that wasn't in love with the traveling or his appearance or anything like that. She loved him and only him, and she'd made that perfectly clear when she chose him over her own family. The Doctor had met the love of his life, that one girl he was sure he'd been destined for, and he'd let her slip through his fingers. There had to be a way, he kept thinking, someway somehow to get her back. He had too, he hadn't even gotten to tell her he loved her, and that hurt most of all.
It was sometime in fall of 25025 where the TARDIS was parked, he and Martha were in Raxacoricofallapatorius on a hunt for a surviving member of the Slitheen family who had recently caused more havoc on poor old London. It was always the Slitheen's when it came to London, wasn't it? Some weird obsession they have. The issue had been mostly solved (vinegar came in handy yet again), and the two were awkwardly standing near the TARDIS, the Doctor deep in thought and Martha becoming impatient.
"Well? Are we leaving or going to stand here all day?" The Doctor fought the urge to retort rudely at her, as he knew she meant well and he was just being, well, broody.
"Hang on just a moment, I'm trying to device a master plan here." She rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. They both knew she was fully aware of what that meant. The Doctor never contemplated where they went much, he just picked a random place and date and let the TARDIS do its thing…except for when he was trying to concoct another ridiculous scheme to try and return for Rose. Missions that the two of them had been embarking on periodically ever since she met the Doctor and all of which had failed. It seemed that just when she begin to believe he was over her it would happen again, this vicious cycle of renewed hope and passion that seemed to spawn out of nowhere. She hated it. Rose's time had ended, it was her turn to be with the Doctor, wasn't it? Shouldn't every companion have that right? The Doctor didn't seem to think so, and it pissed Martha off more than anything had ever angered her in her life.
"Rose. Always Rose, isn't it? Oh Rose would have known what to say during a time like this, we have to rescue Rose, I wonder if Rose is happy. Rose, Rose, Rose!" She ranted, stomping around like a spoiled child, as she often did on what she called "Rose Days".
"Oh quit it Martha, you sound like a broken record. The loss of my friend is such a daft thing for you to complain about, the world doesn't revolve around you." The Doctor wasn't cross, but he did grow weary of having this conversation with his companion. To him, his need to get his love back was none of her business, she was being selfish and unreasonable.
"Oh I sound like a broken record do I? Not the one who can only utter the name of one girl?" The Doctor decided to ignore her and kick a switch with one of his red Converse clad feet, beginning to steer the TARDIS in silence. He'd come up with one last plan; one final hope to find a crack in time and space and be reunited with the one person in the entire universe that truly mattered to him. It wasn't Martha, or Donna, and oddly enough this person he even valued more than all the races and beings in the world; and those were the people he'd dedicated his life to protecting.
When the TARDIS landed once more he cracked a smile at Martha. The Doctor liked to keep things light, he hated it when things got tense with his companions.
"Come now, chin up will you? You're the only person around here talking about Rose, I'm here with you now aren't I? Come on then! Alonsy!" A ghost of a smile dusted her face and she walked towards him, reaching out for his hand. Hand holding had been his and Rose's thing, but to avoid another dispute he linked their arms together and cheerily walked to the door. It was infectious, and any trace of anger seemed to drain from Martha's features.
"So where are we?" Knowing that Martha had no clue what had really happened to Rose, where she'd really gone, he felt safe enough to say.
"I like to call it Pete's World, but why is a long story. Essentially, this is 2010 Cardiff—only in an alternate universe. It's a universe where people dead in the normal world may be alive, and people alive may not exist." Martha's face clouded with an unreadable expression.
"You mean like a parallel universe?" She asked dully, the Doctor's expression only brightening, as he had no clue that she'd been able to hear his previous conversation with Captain Jack when they were at the end of the universe.
"Yeah, exactly like that, look at you!" He laughed, only bothering to look at her when he felt her arm drop from his. Her face was blank save for the betrayal and heart-break in her eyes.
"How did we get here? You said she was trapped here." Her voice sounded dead, and the light faded from the Doctor's face, but he decided he ought to tell her rather than be evasive.
"I'm a terrible person that's how. I went back in time to before I closed the void. I'm not supposed to change this, it's dangerous for me to do this. Very dangerous, in doing this one act….I could change everything. The Daleks and the Cybermen may win, the void could destroy the entire universe, and it'll be my love for Rose that caused it. But it's a sacrifice I have to make. I can't do it anymore, Martha. I can't live without her." She smacked the Doctor hard across the face.
"Snap out of this! We have to leave, this isn't like you, Doctor! Risking the universe and everything you've ever sworn to protect, risking innocent lives! Your love for her won't matter if you both die in the process of rekindling it!" He should listen to her, and he knew that. He knew she was right, she was thinking logically, being a good companion. But that's all Martha would ever be to him, a good companion. He'd made up his mind.
"She's worth it. Now come on, we have to do this super fast! We have to find her, snatch her before past me notices and then throw her in the TARDIS and get out of here." Martha dug in her pocket and pulled out her TARDIS key, dangling it in front of his face.
"No. I won't help you. Take your key and get out of my life if this is how you're going to start doing things. Being selfish and manipulating time and space, manipulating the lives in your hands. I want no part in it." The Doctor sighed and looked solemnly at his friend.
"You're a good person, Martha. A good friend. If you want to go home I understand, but I'm not going with you. Get in the TARDIS and go, I'll set the coordinates for the correct date." Martha blanched at the word friend and shook her head in disbelief.
"We're not friends. Not anymore." Her tears finally fell and she ran to the TARDIS, slamming the door behind her. He used his sonic screwdriver to send the TARDIS back to regular 2007, setting it to also come back once Martha was home, and then set off in search of Rose. He had to be very delicate with how he handled this, striking at precisely the right moment.
He walked along in silence for a few moments, trapped in memories from what seemed like so long ago. His Rose…all yellow and pink and perfect. Nothing was better than his Rose. Nothing and no one. He was happy to still have such strong memories of her, though they were just as much curses as they were blessings. He could still smell her scent of magnolia and chips and he craved the smell, ached for it to be real. He often stopped at concessions with Martha to buy chips, simply to feel closer to Rose. Martha warned him time and time again that they were bad for his health, but what did he care? He had two hearts and three regenerations left, let the fried food do its worst.
Suddenly he heard voices from a distance. He could only make out the frantic squawking of Jackie Tyler (no matter how much he cared for her, she squawked) and the most irritating voice in the world—the voice of Mickey the Idiot. He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face, where there was a Jackie Tyler and Mickey Smith there was bound to be a Rose. However, there was also bound to be a Doctor, and no matter what happened his past self could not see him.If that were to happen it would spell out definite chaos and destruction. The Doctor pressed himself flat against a wall and very carefully peeked around a corner, searching for faces to match the escalating voices.
"Rose! Rose no!" They were shouting, instilling fear in the Doctor like nothing before. That was, until he caught a glimpse of what was going on, and his hearts rejoiced. He'd planned it just right, he couldn't believe it! He'd gone back to just the part where Rose was trying to get back to him by pressing one of the large round buttons they all had. That meant past him wasn't around in this world anymore and as Rose's hand went to press the button he took the only chance he had.
"Rose! No, Rose, come here now, we haven't much time!" She was exactly as he remembered her. Beautiful shoulder length blonde hair and big brown doe eyes full of so much life, so much love.
"Doctor?" Hearing her call his name again sent a shiver down his entire spine and back.
"Yes, this is the Doctor from the future, if you push that button to be with present day me you're going to be sucked into a vortex that your father will save you from and bring you right back here. Then the void will close and we'll never see each other again. Come on, if you don't hurry it's going to happen all over again, except the TARDIS and I will be stuck here too!" He screamed, turning and running back for the TARDIS as quickly as possible. He didn't need to turn to see if she was following, he knew in his hearts that she was right behind him, like it was always meant to be. He practically ripped the door of the TARDIS off its hinges as he excitedly opened it and turned around. The door shut, and there they were. Doctor and companion staring curiously at each other, longingly.
"Rose I…" The Doctor's voice caught in this throat and he could say no more, tears dangerously close to spilling over. He set the TARDIS's destination without breaking eye-contact with her. She shook her head, slightly confused.
"Why does that phrase sound so painfully familiar?" He sighed almost broken heartedly, but the fact that they'd made it and their ship was successfully traveling through space lightened him up a bit.
"I was able to send you a hologram of myself…had to burn up a sun to do it, I hope you know. You told me you loved me and I tried to say it back, I did, but my hologram cut out. 'Rose Tyler, I' was the last thing I ever got to say to you." Now it was Rose who was near tears.
"How long has it been since you last saw me?" She asked, her heart snapping in half for him. She'd promised him he'd never be alone again, and she'd lied.
"A year, almost two." She couldn't take it anymore, running to him and wrapping her arms around him tightly. Oh to feel her again was enough to drive the Doctor mad, becoming short of breath as he choked back sobs and petted her hair gently.
"But we're together now, yeah? Everything will be fine now. I'm so sorry you were alone, I broke my promise, Doctor. I want to be with you forever." She nuzzled into his chest and he grinned.
"We will now, Rose, nothing can keep us apart, I just proved that. So smile." There he was going it again, acting all chipper when he really wanted to weep. That was the tenth doctor's curse, he buried all his emotions so far down inside, covered it all up with optimism and goofiness. But that's what made his relationship with Rose so special, she dug it all up and washed it away, made him a better and happier man. She set him free, and for that the Doctor owed her everything.
"Now what were you saying when we saw each other last?" Rose asked as she pulled away, shooting him a flirty smile. His smile broadened, but this time it was a true smile.
"ROSE TYLER I—" He started in a mock seriousness that sent them both into a fit of laughter. Once they calmed a bit, he cupped her chin and pulled her face closer to his.
"Rose Tyler…I love you so much." He practically melted into goo as the words fell gracefully from his lips and his hearts filled with the need to do something he hadn't done in a very long time. He grabbed her by her jacket and pulled her against him, his lips finally meeting hers in a searing kiss and strengthening the bond between the two of them that the Doctor had been feeling distant from for far too long.