Chapter One
"Doctor," Rose murmured, tears still streaming down her face. The TARDIS was gone forever, and with it the love of her life. The other one placed his hand on her shoulder and she flinched involuntarily. He drew back, hurt showing in his eyes.
She felt guilty. He had told her the one thing she had wanted so desperately to hear, the one thing the doctor could never say to her. So she had kissed him, this man who wore her Doctor's face. But he wasn't him. He wasn't her Doctor. Rose would never see her Doctor again.
"Rose?" Jackie called. "Come on Rose, we've got to call your father. A fine thing for him to go and leave us here, middle of bloody nowhere," she said, gesturing to the place the Doctor had been standing. "It's freezing in this wind, it is." Rose had to smile through her tears. Leave it to Jackie to travel to parallel dimensions, face the dalek empire, help save the universe and then complain about something like the weather. Jackie was already on her mobile, ordering Pete Tyler to send someone to fetch them.
"I'm sorry," he said, while Jackie argued with Pete on the phone. Rose looked at him, seeing a profound sadness in his eyes. "I'm so, so sorry. I lost something too you know." Rose searched his face, confused, then, "the TARDIS," she said in an instant of realisation. "Yep," he said, his 'p' popping emphatically. "All of time and space, traveling, my whole life..." He gazed into the space the TARDIS had occupied only moments before. "Still, I've got you Rose Tyler. Never thought I'd get to travel with you again," he grinned. "Stop it. Please stop it. I know you have his memories, but you're not him. We've never even met before today." She couldn't look at him, look at that face. "I know it's not your fault," she added softly.
"Well, it looks like your father won't be able to have a helicopter here 'till the morning," Jackie interrupted, oblivious to the tension between them. The other Doctor's eyes lit up. "Ooh, we'll have to build shelter, or maybe we can find a cave – love caves – and I can build a fire. Blimey, I haven't had to go hand's on, without the sonic, in ages. It's exciting." Rose and Jackie stared at him. "Or we could just go into town?" Rose suggested. "No blooming way I'm staying out here. Pete's already booked us a hotel. Sending a car too, we only have to walk up to the road," Jackie informed them with an air of superiority. "Oh. Yes, well, I suppose so," the other Doctor conceded, looking a little disappointed.
The walk was cold and windy, but Rose hardly noticed it. She had come so far, crossed universes to be with the Doctor again. How could he just leave her here? The other Doctor was chatting away rapidly and without pause to Rose's mum in that way he always did. It seemed like no matter what he was feeling he could fill up the space with words.
"Money! I'm going to need money. That means a job. Haven't had one of those in a good long while." "Don't worry Doctor, we'll set you up at Torchwood. With everything you've done I'm sure Pete would be glad to have you on the team," Jackie said kindly. "Now that would be a funny thing, me, working at Torchwood." He smiled his cheerful grin. "It's not like it was back home, they do real good here," Rose cut in. "I knew they had to be doing right with you here to keep 'em in line." She smiled back at him, tentatively and briefly.
They didn't have to wait long once they'd reached the road. A car pulled up, driven by an older man wearing a flat cap. They climbed in, and the driver said something in Norwegian. Jackie looked at Rose blankly, who looked to the other Doctor. "Huh. Weird not having the TARDIS to translate for me.. Oh yes, he wants to know where he's taking us." "Oh, what did Pete say?" Jackie fretted. The other Doctor looked at her a little incredulously. "Oh yes, I remember. The Clarion Collection." The driver nodded and took off. "Been a long time since we were in Bergen," Jackie said conversationally. "Two years," Rose replied numbly. Was this better or worse than the last time? She wasn't sure. She stared out the window feeling hollow inside.
The hotel was posh. The kind of place Rose and her mother never would have been able to afford back in their old lives. Pete loved to spend his money on them. Even after all this time Rose still wasn't used to it. Jackie checked them in. "Here are your key cards. We've got two rooms, side by side, Rose is with me though. Don't you two go getting any ideas." "Mum," Rose said, rolling her eyes. "I saw that kiss on the beach, don't think I don't know what it means." Rose just shook her head, studiously avoiding looking at him.
They took the lift up to their floor and down the hall to their rooms. "This is it," Jackie informed them. "Well, goodnight ladies," he said jauntily, and ducked into his room. Once Jackie and Rose were in their room alone, Rose sat down and looked out the window. She started to cry again. "What's wrong sweetheart?" Jackie asked, her voice full of concern. "He's gone. The Doctor is gone, and I'm really never going to see him again," she choked out. "What do you mean? He's in the next room. He's with you now." "That's not my Doctor. He's not the same. You wouldn't understand." Jackie raised her eyebrows. "I learned to love Pete," she said frankly. "I'm sorry mum, I didn't even think," Rose apologized, her cheeks reddening slightly. "I know. But let me tell you, it wasn't always easy for us. He wasn't my Pete, wasn't your father. But I love him now. That man in the next room, he remembers being with you, traveling. He might not be your Doctor, but you are his Rose. It's a gift." Rose looked at her mother, a little stunned by this bit of wisdom. "You're right. I'm going to try."
This is my first fan fic, so go easy on me! Seriously though, let me know what you think by leaving a review please, I'd really appreciate it.