All rights for Doctor Who are the BBC's. I own nothing.
AN: Just a random thought... What would have happened if Rose would have mentioned their meeting to the Doctor? Thanks to RTD for some of those lines...
"What year is this?"
"Blimey, how much have you had? Two-thousand and five, January the first."
"Two-thousand and five. Tell you what. I bet you're going to have a really great year."
"Yeah? See you."
"Who are you?" She stared at him, fear and shock mixing in her eyes as she held on to the TARDIS. It was as if she was trying to hide from him but not show she was frightened at the same time. "How can you be here?"
He looked at her in surprise. "I'm the Doctor."
She shook her head. "No. Where is he? Where's the Doctor? What have you done to him?" The fighter side of her emerged again, replacing the fear she was feeling.
His smile disappeared. The whole situation was so much weirder than he'd expected. "You saw me. I, I changed…" He gestured towards the place where he was standing when he regenerated. "Right in front of you."
Her voice was full of pain. "I saw him sort of… explode, and then you replaced him, like a… teleport, or… a transmat or a body swap or something." She moved closer to him, and if looks could kill, he knew he'd have regenerated on spot. "And it's you again! You're not fooling me." She pushed him slightly. He stared at her, in complete and utter shock. "I've seen all sorts of things. Nano genes… Gelth… Slitheen…"
He raised his eyebrows. She couldn't seriously be thinking he was Slitheen or anything like that, could she?
He got the answer a moment later.
"Oh my god, are you a Slitheen?" She asked quietly.
"I am not a Slitheen." His voice was calmer than he'd expected. Somewhere in the back of his head he realised she was frightened because she'd never seen anything like that, but having her looking at him that way hurt too much for him to be able to act on it. She'd never looked at him like that, with such fear and pain and hatred.
"Send him back." Her voice rose higher. "I'm warning you, send the Doctor back right now!"
"Rose," He leaned towards her, hoping she'd finally listen. "It's me. Honestly, it's me. I was dying. To save my own life I changed my body. Every single cell but… it's still me."
She clearly didn't believe him. "You… you can't be," She whispered, tears in her eyes.
Finally regaining his own senses, he moved towards her. "Then how could I remember this?" He asked softly. "Very first word I ever said to you. Trapped in that cellar, surrounded by shop window dummies. Oh…" It seemed as if it's been years since that moment. "Such a long time ago. I took your hand…" He took her hand with his, the way he'd done hundreds of times before. She looked up into his eyes. "I said one word… just one word. I said 'run'."
Her eyes were still filled with tears, but they were no longer looking at him with such pain. As realisation downed on her, she whispered, "Doctor."
He grinned happily. "Hello," He said gently. Now that she knew it was him, everything could go back to normal. Everything was finally fine.
"Rose?"
She looked up at him from where she was sitting on the couch and reading whatever magazine her mother brought in that morning. She requested to stay at home for the night, to be able to celebrate Christmas day with Jackie and Mickey, and unable to say no to her, he agreed immediately. Even though he had much better plans for them.
"Yeah?" She smiled slightly at the sight of him, and he couldn't help but return his own little smile.
"When you said 'it's you again'…" He walked towards her and sat down next to her, looking at her seriously, "What did you mean?"
She frowned. "When?"
He tilted his head towards the outside, where his TARDIS was parked. "After I regenerated." She bit her lower lip, her pain rising again at the reminder of everything that's happened. "After that happened…" He continued gently, "You said 'it's you again'. What did you mean?"
"Nothing." She shook her head. "I just thought…" She looked down. "I thought I saw you before, that's all. I guess it was just someone who looked like you."
"I suppose." He agreed, even though he doubted it was possible. It was possible she met a future version of him. It was actually more probable than the alternatives. "When was that?"
"New year's day." She remained quiet a moment, trying to remember their brief encounter. "He'd asked what year it was, and when I said two-thousand and five he said something about… um… He thought it was going to be a good year." She shrugged. "He was probably just drunk."
"Probably," He agreed again. "What're you reading?" He changed the subject, looking at the magazine.
She smiled and showed it to him. He remained sitting there next to her, pointing at random things and making her laugh. Despite his lightness, he kept thinking about Rose's story, his hearts filling with fear. What could have happened that was so bad that he came to see her before they'd even met?
There was nothing more he could do. Was there?
As the Doctor wandered around time and space, he could feel his body dying. One cell after another, counting down what little time he had left before he'd have to regenerate again. He hated that moment – it was always so painful – but he preferred it over the alternative.
He'd loved and lost so many people during that short time since his previous regeneration, and the thought of them all pained him more than he could say. Ah, Donna was happy, he'd seen that; and Mickey and Martha had each other; Sarah Jane had Luke and K-9; Jack was still running around the universe causing trouble – oh, he'd missed that man – and doing some good; even Joan was happy in the end.
It still hurt to think about them all.
Especially the only one he hadn't been able to see.
His Rose. Oh, she was happy, she must have been. He left her with his duplicate, knowing they'd care for each other. He was certain it wouldn't be easy for them, but he knew eventually she'd grow to love him. Just like she loved him. And he knew he'd always love her… just like he still loved her.
In the end of the day, he reasoned, I couldn't have given her anything better. She won't see him as a duplicate anymore. Maybe she no longer does. And he's human. They can be happy together.
But as it often does, his reason didn't lessen the pain in his hearts.
If only there was a way he could see her before he regenerated… just for a moment, even less than that. Just to see his pink and yellow girl again; the fire in her eyes and the smile on her lips. He'd give anything to be able to do just that…
His hands piloted the TARDIS away before he'd even realised what he was thinking.
When he stepped out of his TARDIS, he quickly studied his surroundings. Earth. Winter, probably December or January. Somewhere past midnight. London, the Powell Estate.
All the pieces of the puzzle finally fell into place.
There they were, Rose and Jackie, talking quietly about dates and New Year's Day plans. He wished he could talk to her, but knew she wouldn't recognise him. She couldn't; they hadn't even met yet. When she mentioned it to him, right after he regenerated, he knew it must have been his future self, but he hadn't realised just how desperate he would be to see her.
He grunted in pain when his body alerted him his regeneration was near.
Hearing that, Rose stopped and turned to look at him. He'd almost forgotten how beautiful she really was. "You alright, mate?" She asked.
"Yeah," He managed.
"Too much to drink?" She sounded somewhat amused.
How could he explain to her what was really happening? He couldn't. "Something like that."
"Maybe it's time you went home."
"Yeah."
"Anyway," She smiled at him, "Happy New Year."
He wished he could keep that smile right beside him, with that brilliant young woman he was now willing to admit he loved so much. "And you," He replied, knowing it was only fair. "What year is that?"
"Blimey, how much have you had?" Her amusement was clearer now. "Two-thousand and five, January the first."
He looked at her quietly for a moment that felt like an eternity. She remembered their conversation – that conversation – later on. She even told him about it, even though she probably wouldn't have had she known it was his future self. She practically told him he had to be there that day; he had to see her and talk to her.
Maybe, if he told her something more about what was going to happen…
No, He told himself. No, I can't do this. I shouldn't do this. Changing my own past is forbidden. If there's one thing I mustn't ever do, it's this. I can't.
But looking at her smile, the Doctor knew he couldn't give up on this. He couldn't let go of that opportunity. When they went to the Olympics – rather, when they tried and he ended up as a painting – he sensed something was about to happen. Something bad. Something very bad. A storm was coming, and he knew it, but he had no idea what he could do to survive it.
But now he knew what he needed to do.
"Two-thousand and five. Tell you what," He said casually, "I bet you're going to have a really great year."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," He spoke quickly, surprising her. "But when the storm comes," She frowned, "Make sure you run as far as you can. Like on the satellite."
"Blimey," She seemed amused, and he was relieved she didn't question him any further, "How much did you have?"
He shrugged. "More than I should have."
"I can tell. See you."
"Rose?"
She looked up at him, smiling as she saw him. She seemed to like his new face – after they've gone through the preliminary shock stage, that is – and he was more than happy to see it. His hands in the pocket of his pants, he walked towards her and sat down on the couch next to her. She'd insisted they'd better stay for Christmas day, and seeing her happiness, he couldn't say no to her.
"Yeah?"
"When you said 'it's you again'…" He paused, giving her a moment to remember that moment. "What did you mean?"
She frowned, clearly still having no idea what he was talking about. "When?"
He moved his hand through his hair, brushing it backwards. "Well, right after I regenerated, when you told me to bring him back…" She shifted uncomfortably and he hurried to continue, "You said 'it's you again'. What did you mean?"
"Nothing." She shrugged. "I thought I'd seen you before, that's all."
He frowned. "When?"
"I dunno. New Year's Day, I think." She remained quiet for a moment, trying to remember that day. "That was odd. This guy walked up to me and said something about how this year will be a good year." She smiled at him sheepishly. "It really was."
He grinned back at her. "Yeah," He agreed. He couldn't tell her how happy he was that she joined him. "Um, so that guy…?"
She shrugged again. "Guess he had a bit too much to drink. Said something about a storm coming and running far like on the satellite." She grinned. "Guess everything makes sense when you're drunk."
"How would I know?" He grinned at her once again. "Time Lords don't get drunk."
She laughed. "Yeah, I saw!"
"What are you talking about?" He pretended to be insulted. She only laughed harder. "I'll have you know that back then on Andromeda-Seven-"
"You were drunk." She managed through her laughter. He pouted. "You really were though!"
"I really wasn't!" He insisted, although his mind kept on reeling, focusing on the things she'd said. Even though she thought it was just an odd similarity, he had a feeling it was more than that. It could have been him – truly, him – coming back in time to see her. His future self.
In which case his words weren't the words of a drunk man, but a warning.
And somehow – he had no idea how – he knew that warning was meant for him.
He didn't think about the warning again, not until he saw the storm approaching.
They've gone through more than he'd ever have thought they would. A werewolf, clockwork robots, Cybermen, an Isolus and even Satan. No matter who it was that tried to tear them apart, they always found their way back to each other. The Doctor and Rose. Always together.
But then the storm arrived and the ghosts appeared, and the Doctor knew that if he doesn't listen to the warning he received, he'll never see Rose again.
When they visited the impossible planet, Rose seemed to want to tell him something. It was only when she gently pressed her lips against his helmet that he suddenly realised how important she was to him and how many things were still unsaid between the two of them. That was when he decided that if they ever get out of that planet alive, he'll tell her everything.
He didn't.
And now she was in danger.
As he walked around Torchwood, learning everything the human race had managed to screw up since their last visit – honestly, how else could he call that? – he felt both anger and fear flooding him. He knew the storm was their fault, as the moment he walked into the building he could feel it surrounding him, attempting to knock him down. He also knew that the longer he remained there, the more likely he was to lose her.
The Cybermen – and the Daleks, who appeared practically out of nowhere – kept him busy, but it wasn't nearly half as busy as he needed to be to stop thinking about it. His future self – he was certain of that now – was warning him of this day. This specific day. And he was telling him to run.
But how could he run when the fate of the entire universe was in the balance?
He couldn't. Not even for Rose.
"How are you?" He asked as he walked into the sphere room, grinning at her.
She grinned back at him. "Oh, same old, you know."
"Good. And Mickity McMickey. Nice to see you!"
"And you, boss." Mickey seemed as happy to see him as he was. He glanced at them both again before turning to the Daleks, trying to understand who they were.
The Cult of Skaro. He should have known.
The ark they had was the thing that intrigued him, though. Time Lord science, activated by touch. It wasn't uncommon, certainly not for technologies created during the Time War, but something about it was still odd. As if he should have known something about the ark.
"The Doctor will open the Ark!" Dalek Sek ordered him.
He laughed. "The Doctor will not."
"You have no way of resisting."
"Well, you got me there." He admitted. "Although there is always this," He added, getting his sonic screwdriver.
"A sonic probe?"
These stupid Daleks. "That's screwdriver."
"It is harmless."
"Oh, yes," He agreed eagerly. "Harmless is just the word. That's why I like it. Doesn't kill, doesn't wound, doesn't maim. But I'll tell you what it does do. It is very good at opening doors." And with those words he opened the door to the room, letting Jake and the Cybermen enter.
Within moments they were all running outside and upstairs. A plan already forming in his mind, he hurried to get the Magnaclamps. He could get rid of them all at once, only this time, he could do it without killing anyone. Without destroying anything.
Almost anything.
As he looked at the Daleks, flying out of the prison ship – of course it was bigger on the inside! How could he have been so slow? – he realised there were certain precautions he would have to take. The clamps could save him, yes, but there were others who'd travelled between worlds there – Pete, Mickey, Jake… Rose.
Maybe that's what I'd meant, He thought as he explained his plan to them. Deep down he was both proud and thrilled at how fast Rose understood it, showing him they really made a perfect team. Maybe the whole point was to send her away to keep her safe.
After all, that's what he did when the Daleks came to Satellite Five, didn't he?
And then she came back.
"Once the breach collapses, that's it." He said through gritted teeth. He needed her to leave. He needed her to be safe. "You will never be able to see her again. Your own mother!"
She looked at him calmly. "I made my choice a long time ago, and I'm never going to leave you. So what can I do to help?"
He told her what to do as he looked at her, his mind reeling. He should have told her about the storm; should have told her he needed her to be safe and that the only way to make sure she'd be safe was to send her away; should have told her about the warning and what it meant-
He froze.
That wasn't quite what he did on Satellite Five, was it? He didn't just send her away. He activated Emergency Program One.
Could there be another way to save her?
"That's more like it. Bit of a smile." He couldn't help but smile as the thought crossed his mind, and she immediately noticed it and grinned back at him. "The old team."
"Hope and Glory, Mutt and Jeff, Shiver and Shake," He retorted, still grinning.
"Which one's Shiver?"
"Oh, I'm Shake." She laughed quietly. He pulled her aside, glancing at the window. The Daleks and Cybermen were coming; he didn't have much time. "Now, Rose, I need you to go to the TARDIS-"
Guessing his thoughts, she shook her head. "No."
"Rose-"
"I'm not leaving you."
"I don't want you to."
"I don't believe you." She looked at him, her determination clear in her eyes. "I fell for that once. I'm not going to fall for it again."
"Rose, listen to me." His voice was more serious than she'd ever heard it. He could see eyes narrowing slightly as she noticed it. "I don't have time to explain. I promise I will explain everything as soon as you're back here, but-"
"So you're sending me away again!" She cut him off angrily. "Just like-"
"It's either that or I'll lose you forever!"
She stared at him in shock. "What?" She mumbled.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Rose, please," He begged quietly. "I promise I'll explain everything the moment you're back here. But right now the only place I know you'll be safe is in the TARDIS. I'm gonna send her away, as far as I can, and set her to return in a few hours. It should be enough to keep you safe."
"But…" She stepped backwards, still looking shocked. "But why…?"
"I don't know," He admitted. "But please, do as I say." He glanced at the window. The Daleks were almost too close for his plan to work. "I promise, if this works, I'll explain everything."
She hesitated. "You promise?"
He nodded. "I promise."
She hesitated before nodding. "What do I do then?"
He breathed out in relief. "Pull the purple lever. It will send you and the TARDIS away. You'll return here in a few hours. Hopefully just a few hours into the future, too, but I can't be sure of that." He grimaced. "I do hope it'll be a few hours into the future."
"Okay." She hesitated briefly before hugging him. He hugged her back, holding her tightly. "Good luck."
"You too." He let go and watched her as she left. Then, as soon as he heard the TARDIS dematerializing, he turned back to his plan.
Within moments his Magnaclamp was attached to the wall. Pulling the lever on his side, he placed his sonic screwdriver between his teeth and pressed the button, aiming it at the other lever, on the other side of the room. Within seconds – and just as both the Daleks and Cybermen had reached the room – the suction was in full force.
He held onto the clamp tightly. Silently, he kept counting down until the moment the breach seals itself. One minute, fifty-nine seconds, fifty-eight seconds…
He stopped when he saw the other lever slowly going the wrong way.
Of course that'd happen, He thought, again activating the screwdriver with his teeth. The lever resisted for long few seconds that felt like forever, and he'd just started thinking it wouldn't work… When he managed to reverse its movement.
He let out a relieved breath and started counting again.
When the breach sealed itself for good – thank goodness it worked – he let go of the clamps and sat down on the floor. The first thing he did was to search in his mind for the unique signature of his TARDIS, which hadn't disappeared from his mind since the moment he took her from Gallifrey. It seemed as though she was still there… but he couldn't be sure. She was too far away.
Leaving Torchwood, he turned towards the Powell Estate. Jackie was with Pete in the other universe; Rose was – hopefully – in the TARDIS. Their apartment was definitely empty – the perfect place for him to stay until his TARDIS comes back.
He hoped she'd be back within a few hours.
Seeing as it was late – and he was rather tired after everything that's happened that day – he locked the door behind him and lay down on the couch. It was more comfortable than he'd remembered it, although he still had a hard time falling asleep on it.
Sitting up, he sighed. I'm not gonna be able to sleep here, am I?
The truth was he was too worried about Rose and the TARDIS to be able to sleep. He was so certain his plan would work, but if it didn't, it only had one meaning: he'd lost them both. But then, he could have sworn he could still feel her in his mind…
Getting up, he wandered around the apartment. Both bedrooms were ready for sleep, even though both women weren't going to ever return. Rose's bedroom smelled just like her, drawing him in, until he sat down on her bed.
Within moments he was asleep in her bed, dreaming about his Rose.
It's been three days since the battle of Canary Wharf, and there was still no sign of the TARDIS. Three days. The Doctor was growing agitated.
Deep down, he started wondering whether he was wrong. Did he make a mistake sending Rose and the TARDIS away? Was it wrong to assume that would protect them? Was she now inside the Void, after he'd promised both her and Jackie he would keep her safe?
It was impossible. It was supposed to protect them. It had to have protected them. He wasn't sucked into the Void; she had to have survived to. It only made sense.
But then, since when has his life made sense?
I should have let her stay here, He thought. I should have-
The sound of the TARDIS rematerialising cut his thoughts off.
Before his mind could process the fact his TARDIS was back, he was already out the door, running downstairs towards the spot where he usually landed the TARDIS when they came back.
There she was, standing in the middle of the street. He watched it carefully as the door opened and Rose stepped out of it, blinking at the sudden sunlight.
Before she could see him, he crashed into her, hugging her tightly. She seemed shocked at first, but when she realised it was him, she laughed and hugged him back, holding onto him just as tightly as he was holding onto her.
"It worked!" He breathed out in her ear before laughing joyously. "You're here!"
"'Course I am." He could practically hear her grinning. "It's only been a few hours."
"For you, maybe." He pulled back, grimacing.
"How long has it been for you?"
He glared at his TARDIS. "Three days!" She burst out laughing again and he pouted. "Stop laughing!" Her laughter turned harder. "Seriously, Rose, stop laughing!"
Seeing that he couldn't make her stop laughing any other way, he pulled her to him and pressed his lips against hers, again surprising her. At first she was frozen with shock, but eventually she kissed him back, silently telling him she felt the same way.
He smiled softly when he pulled back. "Hello," He said softly.
"Hello," She grinned back at him. "Nice to see you again."
"Likewise." She laughed quietly. "Fancy seeing Tetha-Alpha-G?"
"Sure." He led her back into the TARDIS, smiling as he sensed his old friend in his mind again. "But first, Doctor. Tell me the truth. What was this all about?"
He hesitated as he sat down. "Do you remember you met this guy in New Year's Day, and he mentioned something about a storm and a satellite?" She nodded, frowning. "Do you remember telling me about it?"
"Yeah, but… I thought he was just some drunk guy."
He shook his head. "I don't think he was. I think… it was a future version of me." He hesitated once again. "And he… I was trying to warn us about Torchwood. If it weren't for his warning, I'd have probably lost you." He took a deep breath. "Forever."
She looked at him quietly for a long moment before taking his hand with hers. "Good thing I'm not going anywhere, then."
He smiled at her. "Yeah. Now, Tetha-Alpha-G?"
"Sure." She grinned. "After you, Doctor."