AN: This is my first Dr. Who fic, so please be kind & review so I know how I'm doing! Also, don't be afraid to suggest any changes I may need to make to the story or chapter if something doesn't make sense! On another note, I own nothing of Dr. Who...blah blah blah legal stuff...
So this takes place right after the season 4 finale: Journey's End. If you haven't gotten around to watching it yet, you may want to before reading this fic. For now I'm rating this around K/K+, possibly M in later chapters, but I'll warn you!
On with the story!...
Chapter 1: The Beach
The moment the TARDIS dematerialized, Rose collapsed onto her knees in the sand sobbing hysterically. She just sat there and cried until no more tears would come. He left her, on his own this time. He wasn't coming back and instead he left her with part of him. A doppelganger if you will…he looked like him, smelled like him, talked like him and bloody hell he even kissed like him. But it wasn't him, not really anyway. The one she put her life on the line for time and time again, just walked away.
Rose had no idea how long she'd sat there, it could've been a few hours or possibly even a few days, but one thing she was aware of was that her whole body hurt from the gut wrenching sobs that had been tearing through her body since the moment her Doctor left. The human version was a generous touch to attempt to lessen her pain, but in actuality he only made it worse. For the rest of her life she'd have to look at this man and know that he was only part of what she had fallen in love with all that time ago.
She looked at the now brightening sky as it turned wondrous shades of oranges and purples and reds as the sun began to rise. "At least they had the courtesy to let me mourn in peace" she said to herself as she stretched out her cramped limbs and began the journey towards home.
Home, it was a relative term really. She vaguely remembered Billie Joe from Green Day singing about how: 'Home is where your heart is, but what a shame, cause everyone's heart doesn't beat the same.' "Doesn't that ring true here?" she asked herself rhetorically. Anyway, for now home, at least for today, would be the small cottage her father had built just a couple miles from the bay. As she walked, she hoped that everyone else had gone back to London and perhaps just left her a short note asking her to call when she felt up to it. It would be strange without Mickey there, but she understood. The dawn air was cold around her, but she welcomed it. It helped to take the sting out of her tear swollen eyes. She felt marginally bad about leaving the other Doctor alone with her Mum, but she needed time to herself, to grieve and mourn the loss of her beloved Doctor once again. It might have been easier on her heart if he had regenerated and taken on a new body and personality and left this one with her, but he hadn't and no matter how much she attempted to rationalize that evening, it still hurt like a bitch. The more she thought about the whole bolloxed up situation, the more it made her head and chest hurt and the more it threatened to bring back those tears she was desperately trying to reign control of. As she walked, occasionally she could feel one slide warmly down her cheek, but she would just swipe them away now and then with the back of her jacket sleeve.
Before she knew it, she was walking through the front door of the little cottage by the bay and shutting the door behind her attempting to concentrate on the now instead of the could have been's. As she walked in, she was vaguely aware of someone dozing on the couch as well as a pot of tea water ready to be turned back on sitting on the stove waiting for her. There was also a warm fire burning in the fireplace, filling the cottage with a warm orange glow. At first she was torn between curling up in front of the cozy fire with a hot mug of tea or perhaps some hot chocolate and the bath, but in the end she opted for the latter of the two, hoping it would help ease some of her tension. And for the moment she decided to ignore everything else and just head for the bath, hoping that the warmth of the water will help not only sooth her aching muscles, but her jumbled mind as well.
Rose turned on the tap and plugged the tub drain, then proceeded to peel herself out of her sodden and sandy clothes as she waited for the bath to fill. She briefly thought about the sleeping figure on the couch, wondering who of the three people it could be, since she never did actually turn to look, just sort of sensed their presence. Then she pushed the thoughts away, deciding that soon enough they'd be up and probably looking around for her and she'd deal with them when the time came. Until then, she gratefully and gently eased herself into the hot bathwater and sighed contentedly as she felt the heat gradually work it's way around her tight and aching muscles allowing her to relax for a brief period of time.
As she soaked, she did her best to attempt to clear her mind. She practiced the breathing techniques the Doctor had taught her, and she slowly began to drift into a light dreamless sleep.
AN: Ok, so this is really the end of the chapter this time! Chapter 2 coming soon!
Oh & PLEASE REVIEW!! Even a short sentence is fine! Just let me know how I'm doing!