I've read a lot of duplicate Doctor stories, but I thought I would try my hand at it. Its just my idea of what might have happened, and who this new Doctor might have become.
David glanced down at his watch again, and sighed softly. He rubbed at the blurriness- that he had discovered came after a long day in the field, followed by paperwork- in his eyes. It cleared. He was going to be late for his date with Rose, again. He was late, oh, half the time. His timing hadn't improved since becoming part human, that was for sure.
Rose, there was a complicated subject. Oh, he still loved her fiercely, and he doubted that it would ever changed, he just wasn't sure he loved her like the other him had. Or even as this him had a few weeks ago. Things were different now, and he wasn't sure how far the differences really ran.
He had been left her a little over a month ago, had been working for Torchwood for three weeks. He was settling in much better here, than he was in his outside life. He and Rose had decided to take things slow, him getting his own flat close to work. He hadn't wanted the time or distance at first, but he was thankful now. Because he was confused, and he needed this time to work it out.
That's why they were dating, because neither one was certain he was the man she had fallen in love with. And if he wasn't that man, he wasn't sure that she was who he wanted, needed to love. At least not like the other Doctor had.
It was funny, in a sad sort of way. Now that time was so limited it had never seemed so startling slow or blazingly fast. And it was hard to adjust. Was he running or crawling? He was never quite sure, anymore.
He looked up for a moment; his gaze settling on what rumor had it was going to be his new partner in the field. They had all been temporary until now. She was young, too young in his opinion to do this kind of work, but she was Rose's age. Even if he thought Rose was too young for this as well.
The office they worked in was almost empty, save Elizabeth- partner to be- him, and an older man named Gary. Gary seemed to be calling in a night though.
He liked Elizabeth; she was clever, kind and incredibly good at her job. She would make a good partner, he was certain. He and Rose had spoken of her briefly, because he felt it was right to tell her that his new partner would be female. Even if he didn't feel anything towards Elizabeth, though she was pretty, and Rose had looked up her work.
She had several merits on her file; she had saved several lives in the field. Like he said, a good partner.
Returning to his work, he filled in the blanks on the form, hesitating to call Rose. She wouldn't be happy, but she wouldn't give him a hard time about it either. She understood work, often answering a call or two during their dates.
His hand was tired, and he was reminded of a school he had never really attended. It had been a little over a month and David was becoming less the Doctor and more his own man with every passing moment. He had found his own intrest, his own taste, his own sense of humor. Though he still held a lot of the other man.
He just hadn't expected this, hadn't known he wasn't going to be the Doctor. Not really.
A soft voice spoke from near him, "Go on, David. Get to Rose. I'll finish your paperwork."
He looked up at her, finding nothing in her eyes but a sense of kindness. "No, I can't ask you to do that."
"It's a good thing you aren't asking, then, yeah?" She asked, her tone light, and joking.
"Really, Elizabeth. Thanks but I can just call and tell her that I'm running late."
He knew that everyone her knew that he and Rose were dating, and he wasn't surprised they even knew about their date, but that wasn't a reason for him to leave this huge stack of work to her.
She held out her hand thought, offering him no real choice, and he gave her the stack. With a smile she turned, and walked away. He could see her own work piled neatly on her desk, and he knew that she had to be exhausted. He sure was.
Once she was seated again, she told him without looking up, "Have fun David. Be safe."
"Thanks," he agreed, leaving his lamp on because the office seemed too dark for him.
He walked to the door, slipping on his coat, knowing that it was still snowing outside. She didn't look up, her face a mask of concentration. He tried but couldn't move his hand to open the door. He felt a tingle, something was wrong. His hairs raised, a feeling overwhelmed him, something he hadn't felt since he was a Time Lord.
He needed to go, he could still make it close to on time, but he didn't move. "Are you going to be okay, leaving on your own," he asked from the doorway.
She looked up surprised. He wasn't sure if it was surprise that he was still there, or that he cared enough to ask.
"OF course," she agreed, her mouth twitched into a small smile. "Thank, though."
He should go, she was fine. He had seen her, and knew that she was capable of taking care of herself but his feet wouldn't take him anywhere. He knew something was wrong, and the part of him that was still Time Lord wasn't going to let him walk away. Or maybe, it was the part that was human that wouldn't. He didn't know that either, not yet.
To be continued…