This story features the 9th doctor (who, by the sudden proliferation of ninth doctor fanfiction I am assuming everyone knows) and the 8th doctor, played by Paul Mcgann. He was meant to have a series, but the movie was mismanaged in America and the deal fell through. A great shame because he was the best doctor.
Aside from him, Tom Baker was the best. In anycase, on with the story. If you are not aware of this doctor, his only screen time, as far as I know, is in the Doctor Who movie. He has numerous audio stories and books, however...
Note : I realize that Rose was never told about regeneration. Had she been so, she might not have been so upset when the tenth doctor appeared. In this story, she finds out about it. This was written quickly; I was tired and work starts again in...exactly 8 hours time...i hope this story...and myself...can hold together...
This story does not fit well into a specific place in the Doctor who timeline (confusing as it is anyway).
Daleks will make an appearance later. (Naturally.)
Synopsis : The eighth Doctor appears in the ninth's control room, much to Rose's astonishment and the ninth's annoyance.
Rose walked into the TARDIS control room and froze. A stranger was there...a man. She stared at the him incredulously, but he, in his haste to set the controls had yet to notice her. He was wearing a green coat and beige trousers. His hair was shoulder length, brown, slightly curly. "Who are you?"
He snapped his head up, startled, then frowned, disbelief clear on his face. "I should be asking the same thing!" he retorted. "How did you get into my TARDIS?
Rose put her hands on her hips. "Excuse me? Your TARDIS?"
"Yes, this TARDIS is mine. How did you get onboard it?"
"This TARDIS belong to the Doctor...does he know you're onboard?"
"Yes, I know, and so does he." The stranger nodded. "I am the Doctor and I am very aware that I am present, as I should be, whereas you are a stowaway." He stood back, looking her over. "You're human aren't you?"
"Yes..." Rose faltered.
"English?"
"Yes..."
He moved past her and bent over the control panel. "Odd...I don't recall setting coordinates for – "
Rose rushed forward to stop him. "Don't touch those!" he pushed her away, gently, but firmly.
"I think I'm quite capable of piloting my own TARDIS, thank you! Now...there, that should do it."
Rose regarded him in deep suspicion. "What did you do?"
"I'm taking you home. Earth. England. Then I'll be going were I was originally going before you messed with my controls..." he trailed of, realizing what he had just said. "Wait a moment...you're human...how would you know how to pilot a TARDIS? Unless...is there someone else with you?"
Rose stared at him a moment longer and turned away, running down the corridor.
"Doctor!" she shrieked. "Doctor! Oh,thank goodness!"
"Easy on, Rose!" the Doctor laughed, coming out of one of his private rooms. "What's the matter?"
"You've got to come! Come on, quickly, to the control room!"
"Why? What's wrong?" he frowned.
"There...there's someone there...he reckons he's the Doctor..."
"Does he now? We'd better go see him..."
They made their way back, and sure enough, the stranger was still there. He's finished inputting his course and was standing back, looking quite pleased with himself.
"There, you see?" Rose pointed.
The stranger looked over, hearing her voice. "Oh, you came back?" then he stared the Doctor...her Doctor. "Are you the one who tampered with my controls?
"You?" The Doctor said, confused. "What are you doing here?"
"Do we know each other?" the stranger asked mildly.
"What...what is it?" Rose asked. She looked quite anxious. "Do you know him?
"Yes..." the Doctor faltered. "He's me..."
The stranger's eyes lit up. "Ah...now I see...you must be one of my later regenerations...or you're simply an imposter claiming to one."
"Oh I'm real, no question there!" the Doctor returned, tugging meaningfully on his leather jacket.
"Wait...wait...what's happening here?" Rose demanded. She was rapidly losing control of the situation. "You know him...because...he's you?"
The stranger shook his head. "You haven't told her about regeneration yet? Not very nice of you. Grace was told straight away."
"Only because Grace nearly killed us, for good – don't think I've forgotten."
To Rose's astonishment the two exchanged knowing smiles.
"Who's Grace?" she asked, her eyes narrowed.
"A woman who operated on me – " her Doctor began.
" – on me, to be perfectly precise." The other Doctor corrected.
"Yes, on him. My seventh body was shot. I was taken to hospital. You can guess; two hearts. Confused the poor woman."
"So...what happened?"
"Well...she lost her job...and her anesthetic nearly stopped me from changing."
"Regenerating." The other Doctor muttered. "Look Miss...I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?"
"Rose..."
"Rose, hmm? Well, Rose, when a timelord dies he regenerates, he gets a new body, and a new personality. The man beside you is what I will become when I die. In a way I'm heartened to find that I continue. After all, if my next death was to result in something like matter dispersal, no regeneration in the universe could heal it."
Rose shook her head. "Matter dispersion?"
"Disintegration." Her Doctor said. "Well...you're here now...care to explain why? There's not any more of us lurking about is there?"
"I should hope not. But this does raise the important question, as Rose and I were discussing earlier; are you in my TARDIS or am I in yours? Of course technically they're the same entity, but..."
"Mine." Said the ninth, in a tone that ruled out any further debate. "Didn't you notice? I've redecorated." He glanced up meaningfully.
"So you have..." the eighth murmured. "You know I thought something seemed odd about this place, I just couldn't put my finger on it..."
"So...why are you here?" the ninth demanded.
"Do I really become such a brooding character? You'd think I wasn't welcome. You haven't even said hello, and I had to ask the lady's name myself."
"Why are you here? You shouldn't be here! You know what happens when our timelines clash!"
"Oh, I know, only too well. Never pleasant is it? I mean you'd think it would be, meeting your old...or new self. The world just isn't big enough for two Doctors at the same time is it?" the eighth sighed. "I do not know why I am here. You are most definitely right – I shouldn't be. I shouldn't be..."
"Well how did you get here? An accidental time corridor between our two TARDISes? Or from elsewhere? I – you, once made an equation in a prison cell that let you speak with our third life."
"Just a sec...third life?" Rose interrupted "Just how many of you are there...or were there...or whatever?"
"A time lord has thirteen lives," the eighth said, before the ninth could open his mouth. "I'm the eighth, your demanding friend here is the ninth." He paused. "Could be worse I guess. Poor Peri..." he looked curiously at Rose. "He hasn't tried to strangle you, has he?"
"No I haven't!" the ninth returned angrily.
"Well, that's good."
There was an uneasy silence.
"Well?" the ninth said at last.
"I was standing in my control room, and then Rose appeared and here we are." The eighth muttered.
"Except this isn't your control room - anymore." The ninth corrected, knowing his former self would be swift to point out that technically it was. "You always were a bit prone to amnesia weren't you?"
"Yes," the eighth agreed stiffly. "I know. But that doesn't help us much does it?"
Presently there was a faint sound. The ninth frowned. "We've landed. We shouldn't reach – "
"We're on Earth." Rose said in a tight voice. "He...he was taking me home...see..."
"Taking you home...why?"
"I thought it was my TARDIS. It seemed only right to send a stray girl back to wherever she had come from."
"Do you even know where she's from? What town, what region?"
"Well no, now that you ask. I was hoping to ask her until you came barging in and making a big deal out of everything." The eighth turned to the controls, "shall we take a stroll?"
When the ninth made no reply, Rose whispered to him.
"What harm can it be...I mean...if he is you...I mean...why not go with him?"
The ninth frowned. "I suppose we could. I wonder what else will turn up." As they all walked to the door, the ninth glanced at the screens on the control panel.
"What's this...? Coordinates pending...Gallifrey?"
"Why are you surprised?" the eighth asked. "I have business with Romana – forgive me – President Romana. Mustn't forget how important titles are on Gallifrey. I hope they don't make me wear one of those ceremonial gowns again..."
"They won't..." the ninth muttered. He cast his predecessor a dark look. "If you actually are in my timeline, using my TARDIS...then there is no Gallifrey."
The eighth froze, even as he was about to open the TARDIS doors. "No Gallifrey?" he repeated in disbelief. "Are you quite sure?"
"Absolutely positive."
"Well...how? Why?"
"I shouldn't tell you..."
"You know as well as I do that it won't change a thing if you do. If something so catastrophic as the destruction of Gallifrey came to pass than it was bound to happen, one way or another. What happens? Tell me, please..."
"The Time War."
"Time War? You imply that our enemy has the power over time as we do."
"Then you should be able to guess who our enemies were..."
The eighth was silent. He turned away, and shook his head, then hesitated and glanced at the ninth. "The Master...but no, the Eye saw to him. Even he couldn't have contrived a way toescape that..."
"Daleks." The ninth answered.
"Daleks? But Dalek time technology is rudimentary at best. How could they have risen to rival the Council of the Time Lords?"
"A long story."
"So I take it that the Dalek race achieved its goal then, to exterminate all life? However do you manage? With the taking of Gallifrey the Daleks would have become the masters of time."
"Not exactly...they died with us...or so I thought...it seems at least one escaped."
"One Dalek?" the eighth smirked. "Not too much to worry about. But what of Romana? Did she escape?"
"I don't know...but I doubt it."
Rose just stared, open mouthed, stunned at what she was hearing; two Doctors, having a conversation with each other. She was a strand away from cracking. It was unbelievable. She would have laughed, if they both weren't so serious.
At length, the eighth spoke again. "Look, we're in England now, and there's bound to be a nice café around somewhere nearby. I think we should all get ourselves a table, get some tea and have a nice long talk about all of this..."
Feel free to comment on characters, plot, anything. Even questions about the series...Ch. 2 later...
