Rose didn't know what she expected "cheating death" to look like, but seeing the Doctor explode in golden light was not even close to what her mind would have conjured up.

After the golden light had receded, the Doctor was no longer there. In his place stood an attractive young woman of about 5'2".

"Hello-," the woman started. She seemed as if she would have continued if she hadn't abruptly cut herself off. Her own musical speech seemed to have startled her.

"New voice, new feminine voice," she mused, her face showing a bit of awe. "Am I a woman? Never been a woman before, this is new."

All Rose could manage to do at that moment was stare. The Doctor was gone, and suddenly she was faced with a young woman confused about her own gender. Fortunately, Rose didn't have to do or say anything, the woman continued on.

"I don't think I fancy Barcelona anymore. I'll take you another time, I promise. For now I feel like cocktails. Fancy accompanying me to a dinner party on Apalapucia?"

"What?" Rose whispered, trying to wrap her head around everything that's happened since she woke up on the console room floor.

"Apalapucia is a pleasure planet," the woman explained as she pressed, turned, and switched a few things on the console. When she finished speaking she turned to face Rose, just looking at her as if she expected her to say how wonderful of an idea it was to go to a pleasure planet for cocktails.

Rose was obviously meant to speak at this moment so she collected herself enough to slip three words past her lips.

"Who are you?"

The woman's brows knitted together in concern. She replied, "I'm the Doctor," as if it were plainly obvious. Rose had to admire her acting skills, but she wasn't going to stand for her Doctor being kidnapped and replaced or whatever the hell happened.

"No. Where is he?" Rose realized she sounded very soft and vulnerable and knew that wasn't the best approach when dealing with evil aliens. She made an effort to sound more intimidating as she continued.

"Where is the Doctor, what've you done to 'im?" Rose inquired harshly, and the woman looked visibly upset.

"Rose, you're right here, I know you saw that. I changed right in front of you."

Rose wasn't convinced, she saw what happened and she wasn't sure "change" was what took place.

"I saw 'im sort of… explode, and then… you replaced him like a… teleport, or a transmat, or a body swap, or something."

Rose approached the woman with determination (and some fear) and pushed her right on the chest.

"You're not foolin' me. I've seen all sorts of things. Nanogenes, Gelth... Slitheen."

As Rose was speaking, all the Doctor couldn't do was stare and think about how she could possibly get Rose to believe her. She found her eyes focusing a bit on Rose's lips as she spoke, and immediately felt guilty when she realized she was thinking about kissing her instead of listening to her. Or, well, she should have felt guilty. This regeneration seemed very unapologetic.

Rose seemed to come to a conclusion as her expression changed. "Oh my God, are you a Slitheen?"

"No, definitely not," the Doctor spoke, shaking her head as tears filled her eyes. Rose was looking right at her, yet couldn't see her. After all they had been through, it was hard seeing Rose treat her like a stranger.

"Send 'im back. I'm warning you, send the Doctor back right now!"

"Rose, I am truly the Doctor. It's me. Look into my eyes, I'm not lying."

Rose took her advice and looked into her eyes. In the chocolate irises she saw no deception, nothing but pleading. Rose stayed silent, not knowing what to say. Did she believe?

"To save my life I had to change every single cell in my body, all my DNA, but I am still me. I would never just leave you, not after having to go through so much trouble coercing you into my snogbox, I had to ask twice."

"But you can't-... Snogbox?"

The Doctor sighed in exasperation.

"When you were about to die in that basement I grabbed your hand and told you to run. And you did. You ran with me all through time and space, and it was fantastic. Rose, please keep running with me," the Doctor pleaded, grabbing Rose's hands.

"Doctor?"

Rose had phrased it like a question but she was now convinced that the woman who stood before her was the person that she had traveled the universe with for nearly a year.

The Doctor gave a content smile as she looked into Rose's eyes and replied, "I am the Doctor."

Rose gave a sigh of relief that the Doctor wasn't dead or some there being tortured while an enemy takes his place and wrapped her arms around the small woman. The Doctor reciprocated the hug, and when Rose slackened her arms, the Doctor did the same.

"So... How about those cocktails?" the Doctor asked playfully as she stepped toward the console.

Rose had hoped that the magical moment would have lasted a bit longer, but that's what the Doctor does. Whenever things got heated he would hang the subject, and apparently she was going to continue that habit.

Unless... Cocktails at a dinner party? That sounds and awful lot like a date. Sort of. Maybe she wasn't distracting herself from the feelings between them, maybe she was finally acting on it. That would be great, but there was something niggling in the back of Rose's mind, keeping her from being happy from the possibility.

"Can you change back?"

The Doctor went still and turned to look at Rose. Her face showed conflicting emotions, and her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Do you want me to change back?"

Rose wasn't sure she knew the answer herself. The Doctor seemed… happier in this body already, more into fun than danger (though Rose knew she probably wouldn't mind some danger thrown into the mix). She was female (a little bit more of Rose's type, really), and she just seemed comfortable in her body when the Doctor seemed out of place in his own skin before the change. But on the other hand, she really wanted the Doctor that was familiar to her, the Doctor Who was more intense and who originally had stolen her heart.

When Rose didn't answer right away, the Doctor spoke.

"I can't change back. Whenever I change, I'm stuck with the body I get until I'm on the verge of dying again," the Doctor admitted, fidgeting as she waited for Rose's response. She feared that Rose would demand to be sent home now that she knew this body was what she was stuck with.

Rose didn't answer, not wanting to show either relief nor disappointment and refusing to give a seemingly apathetic answer of "okay".

The Doctor seemed to understand this at least slightly, because she walked over to Rose and once again grabbed her hands. She wanted to know the truth but couldn't bear looking Rose in the eye as she searched for it.

"Is... Is that okay?"

Rose had never heard the Doctor's voice that small and vulnerable before, and she never wanted to hear it again. She slid her hands out of the Doctor's grasp and put one on either side of the Doctor's face.

"Of course. You're perfect," Rose whispered as one of her thumbs stroked the Doctor's cheek.

The Doctor shuddered and leaned into the touch. Rose was always so charming, so intoxicating. And for some reason, after regeneration, she no longer had any desire to fight her feelings for her companion.

When the Doctor opened her mouth to say something more to fuel the moment, a wheeze came out of it as she doubled over.

"Doctor?"

Rose was horrified and scared. What if something went wrong? What if the Doctor didn't cheat death after all, just delayed it?

"I'm fine," the Doctor replied, though she was sweating copiously. "The regeneration just went a bit wonky, that's all."

Rose grabbed the Doctor by the elbow and led her to the hallway.

"You're sweating marbles. Go lay down, I'll bring you a flannel, okay?"

Rose looked into the Doctor's eyes, trying to be comforting as she rubbed her arm.

"You don't need to treat me like a child," the Doctor said, stubbornly. But she had to double over again and when she straightened she seemed to see Rose's point. "Alright, fine. Bed it is. I can walk to my room by myself. "

The Doctor removed Rose's hand from her and walked down the hallway to her bedroom. After Rose saw the Doctor turn the handle and step inside the door, she was convinced it was okay to stop worrying and get the flannel.

The Doctor should be well in a few hours, shouldn't she?