{AUTHOR'S NOTE}

So, after a couple of kind words and some reassurance, here it is! The first chapter of my very first piece of writing of this sort. It's basically just a Journey's End re-write, providing some context before the head-canon begins.
Reviews would be greatly appreciated, cause hearing your feedback and opinions helps me out to improve my writing and make this fanfic as good as it can be.
I hope you enjoy reading! :)

[Dårlig Ulv Stranden, "Bad Wolf Bay" - 2008]

It always comes back to here. On this beach in bloody Norway, with Rose Tyler and the Doctor, saying goodbye. Except now there's two of him and she's struggling to comprehend the fact that this time, he's offering to spend his life here in Pete's World, with her. But in her eyes, it's not him and she doesn't know if she can accept this offer because how can she be sure that this man, this "Part human Doctor", is exactly the same person she fell in love with?

But it all seems so perfect, so right. This was Rose Tyler, finally getting her happy ending and her Doctor. She could picture their future together, as if it were playing in front of her eyes. Discovering each other again, overcoming their differences, buying a house together, sharing a mortgage, starting a family and of course, falling in love. A new kind of adventure was waiting for the two of them and all she had to do was decide if this was what she really desired.

The sound of the TARDIS snaps Rose Tyler back to reality before she's made her choice.

"We've got to go. This reality is sealing itself off - forever."

The Doctor turns to leave, to end this and perhaps, to finally get closure knowing that she'll be happy this time.

"But, it's still not right!" She can't stop the words spilling out of her mouth. Rose knows that she should just accept this gift of life that he's giving her but there's still something stopping her. "... 'Cause the Doctor's... Still you."

He needs to leave. As much as he wishes that she could join him, fill his life with her light, he knows that this is for the best. This is what she deserves. A proper life.

"And I'm him."

There is only one thing that will set Rose straight and that is the answer to the question she has asked herself for the past 3 years.

"Alright. Both of you, answer me this." She takes a moment to breathe as the two Doctors - and essentially her two possible futures - stand at each side of her. "When I last stood on this beach, on the worst day of my life, what was the last thing you said to me?" There's hesitation and she's afraid that perhaps she'll never know what he really meant to say. "Go on. Say it!"

The Doctor's mind and hearts are racing. He knows what she wants to hear and he knows that he can't say it because she'll choose him. He swallows, clearing his throat before he speaks. Before he disappoints her.

"I said, 'Rose Tyler'."

She looks him dead in the eyes, pleading, as he says this. She knows that he knows what she wants to hear and she was going to hear it.

"Yeah. How was that sentence gonna end?"

As much as his mind is screaming at him, he cannot say those three words. He can't finish that sentence that longs to be completed.

"Does it need saying?"

Rose continues eye contact with him for a few moments, begging him without words. She needed to hear this more than she needed anything in her entire life and she needed to hear it, from him, and as much as she wanted to listen to those words coming from the real Doctor's mouth, she understood that this was a test. She turns to the Meta-Crisis.

"... And you Doctor?" Already, by calling him Doctor, she was beginning to accept him. "...What was the end of that sentence?"

His hand gently reached for her arm as he leaned closer towards her ear. Providing Rose Tyler with her answer and decision.
As he whispers in her ear, Rose Tyler's heart stops. She stops to look at him, as if taking a moment to assess if this is real and then, without a thought, she pulls him in and releases all her feelings towards him in one passionate kiss. This was it, there was no going back. The Doctor's world shatters as he watches them and wishes that he had the guts to just tell her all those years ago, but in his mind he know that this was right. Rose Tyler, no longer his Rose Tyler, was happy and loved. Something that he could never truly make her. This was his closure. She knew now and that was all that mattered, so he turns to leave, not saying goodbye because the Universe knows that he hates goodbyes and this was no exception to that.
The sound of the TARDIS door closing, forever, caused Rose to swiftly run towards it - as if by instinct, but it was too late. The TARDIS slowly fades away, leaving the two of them to live their lives together.

He takes her hand as they watch the space that once sat the TARDIS returns to but a patch of slightly shifted sand. She turns to face him.

"You're definitely him...?" she questioned.

"Yeah. In every aspect, like he said. It's just the aging part."

She takes a deep breath and looks to the ground, shuffling her feet in the sand.
A couple of seconds passed before he spoke again.

"... Is that okay?" he asks, somewhat fearing her answer as he knows that there is a chance that she won't accept him.

She looks back up at him. "Y-Yeah... Yeah. It is." she says, her mouth slowly forming into a small smile but there's still a flash of sadness in here eyes. He squeezes her hand.

"He'll be okay. I promise." he reassures her.

"I know... It's just..." she clears her throat and blinks, pushing back the tears that are threatening to spill out, "Never mind..."

Several minutes pass and they both stand, hand in hand, staring out to sea in silence. But it's a comfortable silence, so they let it be until Jackie pierces through,

"Right, you two! Pete's sending out a car to come collect us. Should be 'ere in about a day or two, so let's get some rooms in that Bed and Breakfast up the road until we're sorted."

The Meta-Crisis nods and turns to Rose.

"Ready?", he asks.

"Yeah... Let's go."

He squeezes her hand. Not out of reassurance, but out of a reaction to the sharp pain that strikes the back of his mind for a few seconds. He gasps, wincing whilst tightly closing his eyes and raising a hand to his temple.

"Are you alright?" Rose stops and lays a comforting hand upon his upper arm.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah.." he grits his teeth and slowly the pain recedes into nothing, "S'just the TARDIS leaving this Universe, I think. Our bond breaking-"

She cuts him off, knowing how strongly connected the Doctor is to his ship, "Oh God, is that bad?!"

"It's fine, I'm fine! It's just that presence disappearing, I think. My psychic connection to the TARDIS was noticeably weaker compared to his. It's your fault, anyway. Humans and your limited psychic abilities." He cheekily grins at her, hopefully calming her assumptions. She punches his arm lightly.

"Oi! You can't complain now, you've gotta deal with it!" she jokes, "However... I dunno if I like this bit of added lip."

They both laugh before continuing on behind Jackie, beginning their normal life together. The Doctor and Rose Tyler, as it should be.

However, in the distance, far off shore, a storm is approaching...