It all started the night she died.
To say Rose Tyler lived an eventful life would be an understatement. She had traveled through time and space, fought hostile aliens, saved civilizations, even fell in love. She had her adventures, yet always made time for family. She'd married the Doctor, or John as he was known in Pete's World and they continued traveling through time and space; once their TARDIS was fully grown, of course. Rose got to have all the adventure she never thought she'd have again, and John got to have the one adventure he never thought he'd have ever. He died of old age, of all things, not too long ago. Now she was going the same way and, honestly, she didn't know if she wanted to go.
Rose had been reliving memories in her head as she lay in her hospital bed. Her mind flowed backwards, like watching her life's greatest hits. She had thought of her mum and dad; how happy they were together again. They had decided to get remarried back on Pete's world. Rose remembered how beautiful her mother had looked and how her father got so nervous he'd said her name wrong again. She thought often of Tony, too; the little boy he'd once been and the brave man she watched him become. He and Rose were always partners in crime. He had always reminded her so much of Jack, he even called her "Rosie" like Jack used to. The Doctor was the one she thought of most.
Oh, she had always loved the Doctor. Probably from the moment she had met him she had been falling for him.
Eyes closed, she could almost see the Doctor again, back when he was all big ears and leather, slipping his hand in hers and whispering "Run" like it was only seconds ago. Oh, all the wonderful, amazing, impossible things they did. She wished it never had to end. She could almost feel the last bit of her life seeping out of her body, almost like she was drifting to sleep. The last thought in her mind before she finally went was of the Doctor. Her Doctor.
Suddenly she was blinded by a golden light. She shielded her eyes until the light finally died down and she saw... Herself? A 19-year-old Rose Tyler stood before her, bathed in a soft golden glow which swirled around her as she smirked, "Hello Rose Tyler." she said, her voice echoing with power and sophistication.
"Wot's happenin'? Who are you?" Rose asked softly. Nothing was making any bit of sense.
"I am you." the other Rose said, "Or, at least, a part of you."
"Yeah, cos that's not really cryptic and vague." Rose sighed, exasperated. Of course, something weird was gonna happen to her just before she died. Wonderful.
"I am the Bad Wolf."
"Bad Wolf? The Bad Wolf, as in… No, no way! Tha's impossible, the Doctor took that outta me ages ago!" It took a long time for Rose to get the Doctor to tell her what happened at the Game Station, and even then, it was hard for him to talk about. She knew how dangerous that power had to be if it had scared the Doctor that much.
"Nothing is impossible, especially not for me." said the Bad Wolf with a small smile, "I have awoken from inside you."
"Awoken? So, the Doctor didn't take the power outta me?"
"Not really, no. I am a part of you, woven into your very being. A piece of me has been inside your mind, lying dormant." Suddenly she began walking, no, gliding towards Rose until the gold light surrounded them both, "Until now..."
The tendrils radiated power. Rose could feel it on her skin, giving her strength and energy that she hadn't felt in so many years. Then, the Bad Wolf placed her fingers to Rose's temples and suddenly it felt like she was exploding. She could feel all of time and space running through her veins and electrifying her every nerve. Her body seemed to burst with absolute energy. It felt wonderful and horrible at the same time. It was like she was being ripped apart and put back together all at once. Then it stopped almost as suddenly as it had started. She blinked a few times, taking in deep breaths as her mind tried to catch up to what happened. The Bad Wolf looked absolutely ecstatic, it was Christmas morning to her.
"Wot just..." Rose started, but her voice. She sounded so young! Instinctively, her hands went to her throat, then she looked down at her hands. Not a wrinkle remained. She was properly weirded out. "Wot did you do ta me?!"
"I gave you a gift." The Bad Wolf responded simply. "You must use it wisely. Understand your limits. Not everyone can be saved, but some may be spared. And, above all else, you mustn't let him know until you've succeeded. If he knows too much, if he suspects anything is off, the whole time stream may collapse."
Correction. Now she was properly weirded out.
"Hold on, wot are you on about? Start from the beginnin', help me understand."
"Well, right now, since you're dead, we're in this sort of subconscious subspace where I can talk to you properly." She sounded so much like John, Rose thought. Like the Doctor when he was trying to explain something. "Your death unlocked what has been long hidden from you; me. The Doctor removed the, let's say, physical Time Vortex, the part that was burning you up, but you had already changed."
"And tha's 'cos of you?" She asked rhetorically, "Right. So, bit of the vortex stayed inside me, yeah? Lived my whole life, didn't even know it was there. Never felt it or nothin'. The Doctor didn't even know."
"That's because it's never happened before. Originally, Time Lords became Time Lords by looking into the Untempered Schism, this opening or rift in the space-time continuum. But you, oh you saw the raw vortex, the very heart of the TARDIS. We are a special case!" the Bad Wolf explained, with an edge of pride in her voice. Rose was just trying to stop her legs shaking.
"We?"
"Oh, yes! I mean, I am you... Or at least-"
"A part of me, yeah..." Rose murmured, almost seeing the full picture. "Does that mean I'm talkin' to myself?" she asked sarcastically, despite the tremble in her voice. "Most people would say that's right mad, you know."
"Rose Tyler," the Bad Wolf smirked, "You and I both know you're not most people."
Rose chuckled slightly. "Tha's true." She paused for a moment, "So, I really died then."
"Technically, yes." the Bad Wolf said, "However, that's what my gift is for."
"Why? Wot's the point? My parents are dead, my friends are dead, the Doctor is dead! There's nothin' left for me!" Rose tried to keep her composure as she talked, but she couldn't help being irritated at how everything the Bad Wolf said was so ambiguous.
"You're right, there's nothing left for you. At least, not here." the Bad Wolf assured her softly, cradling her face again, "That's why I'm sending you back."
Rose stared into the other her's eyes. She felt her chest constrict as she grasped the magnitude of the Bad Wolf's words. "Back to my universe? Back to the Doctor?"
"Even better!" she smiled knowingly at Rose, "Back in time!" Rose looked at her perplexed. She shook her head lovingly and explained, "I can use my power to send us back to the moment you first entered the TARDIS, when she first came in contact with us. Send our consciousness into our younger self and relive those two years with the Doctor, but this time we can fix it!"
"Fix it?" Rose asked, squinting. The light tendrils around them were growing awfully bright.
"Yes! Just do as I said and everything should work perfectly!"
"Should?"
"Well, of course there is always an infinite number of possibilities. Quite a few unsavory ones, but also good and that is what we are aiming for!"
Yup, she sounded just like the Doctor. Rose considered what Bad Wolf was saying. Going back, doing it all over again, doing it right this time. She could save more people, herself included. She looked into Bad Wolf's eyes and saw her own gazing back. They probably reflected what the other was feeling; a hope that this would work and a determination to make it work.
"Are you ready, Rose Tyler?" Rose nodded definitely at Bad Wolf. A giant grin broke out on her face, causing Rose to smile as well. Bad Wolf drew closer to Rose and touched her temples again. The golden light around them kept getting brighter and brighter, until it was blinding. Rose shut her eyes tightly.
A/N: So, welcome to my first real story! I know, this an idea that has been done before, but then again what hasn't? I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. I don't have a set schedule for uploading yet, but I promise the next chapter will be up soon. Thanks!
