Disclaimer: I don't own, and have never claimed to own Doctor Who or anything indirectly or directly related to the world of Doctor Who. Also, any similarities to other fan fiction is completely unintentional. I have simply written the story below for my own enjoyment and entertainment.

Also: italics indicate thoughts of characters and I have referenced the BBC audiobook The Stone Rose in this chapter. If you've not heard it yet, I'd definitely suggest it! It's wonderful - especially because David Tennant reads it so well!

If you choose to review, please be kind - I'm brand new to the realm of fan fiction writing! Anyway, now that's all said, thanks for reading! Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Rose gasped as she ran towards the disappearing TARDIS. Her eyes could barely believe what they were clearly seeing. Rose's heart began to beat rapidly in her chest as tears welled in her eyes. "It can't be!" she whispered to herself, in a voice that was barely audible. She didn't think it was possible to have her heart broken into more pieces than when they first parted but the pain that Rose felt was unbearable. Rose stared blankly at the spot where the TARDIS had just stood, mere seconds before and realized the finality of the whole scene. After the past four years of traveling through universe upon universe, being nearly killed more times than anyone should be able to boast, Rose Tyler was back to the place she had started years before, back to square one, for the second time of her life.

The events of the past 48 hours continued to play themselves relentlessly in Rose's mind as she stared at the square spot that was made by the TARDIS. Unable to control her grief and pain any longer, Rose began to sob silently to herself, keeping her gaze fixed on the barely visible indentation. He's gone, she thought, as she choked back the urge to scream at the top of her lungs. Every part of her body ached and felt numb in the cold sea air. She suddenly felt a familiar hand entwine its fingers in her own. Rose turned to see the part human Doctor looking at her the same caring gaze as his counterpart. One look at his face made Rose simultaneously confused and comforted.

The pair said nothing to each other for a moment as each looked at one another, attempting to make sense of the reality that had unfolded around them. Saying nothing, the human doctor wiped tears away from her cheek with his right hand, while keeping his other hand firmly wrapped in hers. Rose stared at him in utter shock and disbelief, unable to find words to express the tangled web of emotions that were ensnaring her at that moment. All she knew was that the man before her was a carbon copy – a duplicate of the Time Lord that had changed her life forever. Feeling his touch to her cheek, Rose caught his hand with her free hand and held it to her face before looking at it carefully. Same hand – same nails, same size – everything, she thought.

The human Doctor immediately recognized that Rose was having trouble processing what had just happened, and he felt a surge of emotional pain bring tears to his eyes. He hated seeing her in such pain. "Rose, I'm so sorry," he said, emotion making his voice crack and eyes water.

"Yeah – me too" she trailed off, touching his heart again, as she did mere moments ago. She could barely believe that she couldn't hear the four patterned beat that she had come so accustomed to hearing when she was fortunate enough to hug the Doctor.

"Come on – we'd better go," he said, pulling her gently towards the bank where Jackie could be seen talking on a cell phone, presumably to Pete. Rose's feet felt like 20-ton weights as she attempted to move them in the direction that the human Doctor was leading her. Her steps faltered as she looked behind her to the place where the TARDIS had stood. An indescribably painful sob wracked through her body as she shivered uncontrollably. "no – no no no!" she shrieked, freeing her hands from the grasp of the human Doctor. "Doctor, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It's not supposed to be this way!" she screamed at the top of her lungs and pounding her feet into the wet sand. "Please come back!" she cried hopelessly as she fell to her knees and blurry vision quickly slipped away into seemingly impenetrable blackness.


The morning sunshine began to glisten and shine through the large bay windows of Rose's room at the Tyler Estate as Rose finally gained consciousness. Her head hurt and her whole body ached deeply. She recognized the pain immediately. It was the type of pain caused by using the Dimension cannon and pushing herself too hard. Rose moaned quietly and stared at the ceiling, wishing that her eyes were deceiving her. They weren't, however, and Rose closed her eyes tightly as visions of Daleks, Davros and the Doctor disappearing in the TARDIS flashed through her mind. Tears streamed down Rose's eyes as she lay motionless in her large bed, wishing that she could just wake up from the nightmare that had taken over her life for the last four years. Rose's crying intensified, as the pain of the last years seemed to burn ruthlessly through her heart and mind. Sobs that were first barely audible to anyone besides Rose grew and intensified to screams of sheer agony as Rose grappled with the reality that the Doctor, her Doctor, had abandoned her with a half human copy of himself.

"Forgive me!" she screamed in between loud sobs as she curled into a fetal position and wept miserably into a pillow. With eyes almost clamped closed and feeling numb from head to toe, Rose didn't even realize that her bedroom door had been apparently jolted open and someone had rushed in, picked her up in strong arms and was now rocking her back and forth in an attempt to calm her hysteria. Moments later, when Rose gained control over her consciousness and gut-wrenching sobs that had wracked her, her eyes snapped open widely as she realized whose arms she was in: the Doctor's. Or, more specifically, the meta-crisis, half-human, part Time Lord Doctor that she had been dumped back into this universe with. She pulled herself up and way from him forcefully and froze; just staring at this man that was identical to the Time Lord she loved so deeply.

A long moment passed between Rose and this new version of the Doctor. It was finally the Doctor who spoke first. "Rose, are you all right?" he asked, realizing the answer was far more complicated than a simple answer. Rose couldn't help herself upon hearing her name, in the same way that it always used to be said. Tears streamed again down her face but Rose said nothing other than "yeah…fine." The pain, anger and jadedness of four years of loneliness and grief were evident in those two words. Rose was having difficulty looking at him – it was so confusing to see the Doctor's form but know that the Time Lord was not sitting before her. It was also difficult for her to realize that she had turned her back on the Time Lord when she knew she should have fought him harder – made him see that they should be together.

The human Doctor immediately sensed that Rose was having a difficult time adjusting to the new situation that had arisen from yesterday's events. He couldn't help himself and he suddenly gathered her to him tightly, saying "Rose, I know you're not alright – and I'm sorry, so sorry. " Rose hardly knew what to do at his impulsive action. Part of her didn't mind feeling his arms around him but she couldn't help feeling like she was somehow betraying the Time Lord that was now shut away from her, in another universe, the same sense of betrayal she had felt when she realized she had pushed the Time Lord she loved away. Rose struggled and broke away suddenly. The Doctor felt dejected but was not going to give up hope. He realized what she was feeling was definitely understandable.

"But…you're not him!" she cried pathetically, whipping tears from her eyes. "Look, I should never have…" she struggled to explain but failed and fell silent.

The human Doctor winced at the realization that she regretted their kiss on the beach, but continued to speak anyway, hoping he'd convince her of his true identity. He spoke clearly but quietly, a quiet intensity driving his voice, "Rose, I know it's confusing, but I am the Doctor. I am."

"But he – he left – he's gone. I lost him all over again! I drove him away…" she nearly yelled, a hint of anger apparent. "I pushed him away this time! He's gone because of me and I didn't even get to say goodbye!" she wailed, tears now flowing uncontrollably. "He must hate me now," she said in between breathless crying.

Swiftly, he moving towards her and gripped her shoulders, looking her square in the eyes, "listen, Rose Marion Tyler, if you've ever listened to anything in your life, you must listen to me now. He could never, never hate you. He loves you! He loves you so much he'd let you go to make sure you were happy, regardless of what happened to him. He loves you with every ounce of his being, I can absolutely promise you that." Rose blinked once before closing her eyes as she heard his admission. "And I know…I know, I know – the Time Lord, the other me is gone – but Rose, I'm him, he's me!" he said with an identical smile, tears forming in his eyes as he attempted to convey the truth of the situation to Rose.

The human Doctor moved his hands from her shoulders to hold her hands firmly before continuing, his eyes staring intently into hers. "Can't you see? He didn't do this to hurt you - this is what he knew had to come to pass because he knew it was the only way we could ever be together. It wasn't because I destroyed the Daleks. Rose, think about it! You studied the time lines, all of those universes – you saw all the possibilities and saw that all of the points converged on Donna too. Oh, Rose! It was all leading to the destruction of the Daleks and this! So he or we could finally be with you. So we could be here in this moment, on this timeline! He always wanted to be with you – forever, but this is the only way it was ever going to really work out the way he desperately wanted but dared not hope for. It's the only way he could be happy with you without..." He looked intensely into her eyes, realizing that Rose was now eerily quiet as she contemplated what he had just said.

"The curse of the Time Lords." She added, her voice solemn.

"Exactly." He added, remembering that she had a very good memory. He paused for a second, studying her expressionless face before adding, "…but Rose, I'm still here and I swear, I'm not going anywhere...unless…"

"Unless what?" she questioned, her voice was still tense.

"Unless you want me to go – I will, if that's what you want," he said stoically although he could feel his stomach churn at the prospect of being without Rose in a strange universe, but he proposed this possibility anyway.

Rose saw his intense look and was shocked. He was so sincere. Would he actually go if she told him to? Is that what she wanted? She knew almost immediately that she didn't want him to go – she knew it instinctively. The fear of loosing the Doctor for the third time, no matter if he was another version of the same Time Lord was nearly overwhelming. Quietly she said, unflinchingly "no – I don't want you to go…anyway, you've got nowhere else to go."

She shook uncontrollably, her final attempt at composure breaking against an angry sea of emotion. She began to sob openly, wailing until her voice broke. "Why does all of this always have to be so maddeningly confusing?" she cried, throwing her hands up to her eyes.

Acting purely on instinct, the human Doctor responded quickly by closing the space between them again and wrapping his long, strong arms around her. He knew there was a larger than average chance she'd reject him, but he had to try. Rose found herself even more deeply conflicted when she felt him embrace her for the second time that morning. She hated herself for finding his presence to be comforting, knowing that the fully Time Lord Doctor was out in another universe, without her. Somehow, though, she didn't blame the human Doctor who had his arms around her – he was simply doing what the Time Lord would have done…if he were here, she thought. Due to both her own emotional and physical exhaustion, Rose didn't struggle and move away from him like before, instead, she allowed herself to be held, momentarily loosing herself in thought as the Doctor continued to hold her tightly.

Several moments later, after Rose's sobbing had subsided again, Rose backed away slightly and looked up at him, studying him intensely, noting any differences she could possibly find in an attempt to reduce the amount of cognitive dissonance she was experiencing. She didn't recognize any true differences between the Time Lord and this new Doctor, besides the feel of his single heart when she was wrapped in his embrace. Still battling confusion, grief and guilt, she asked quietly in a raspy voice, "Will he be alright? What will happen to him now?" she asked, hoping for some solace in his answer. She was genuinely worried that her beloved Time Lord would be friendless, alone and in mortal danger either immediately or eventually.

The human Doctor paused for a moment and stared at the carpet, collecting his thoughts before speaking. He recalled meeting River Song on the Library and sighed slightly, hoping events would still unfold to make the memory true to future events. "Yeah," he said, a half smile creeping across his face. "Rose, he'll go on – he'll not be alone, he may even one day be happy" he said, squeezing her hand assuredly.

Rose realized that he knew something that she didn't, that he had knowledge of the future from the memories he shared with the Time Lord Doctor. "So…" she said weakly, collecting her breath, "you know something I don't, yeah?" Her question was astute and the Doctor smiled at the fact that yet again, Rose Tyler had figured out another mystery.

"Clever as always, Dame Rose," he said, amused at her perceptiveness.

"Yeah, well, I've had to be," she said somewhat sadly and yet resiliently.

The Doctor smiled and said, "Do you really want to know?"

Rose paused for a moment, considering his question. She quietly realized that she could take no more emotional upheaval or revelations for the immediate time being so she simply said, "no…not right now."

"You sure about that? I'll tell you whatever you want to know," he said devotedly, his feelings for her showing through the statement.

"That's just it…I want to know everything!" she said passionately with a high level of excitement in her voice as she whipped tears from her eyes. "I want to know absolutely everything. I want to know what has happened to you…well…you both… these years we were apart. But…" she paused, sniffing quietly, choosing her words carefully, "but with everything that's happened, I just …can't…not now."

"Can't blame you for that," he said, somewhat relieved that the conversation could wait for another day, adding, "When you feel ready, just ask."

Rose appreciated this promise and simply said, "thank you, I will." It's the strangest thing – he's not him…but he is all at the same time, she thought. Rose felt strangely comforted again in his presence. While lost in her thoughts, the Doctor stared at her, wondering what she could possibly be thinking. He looked at her curiously and simply asked, "what, what is it?"

Rose paused, wondering if she should say what she had just been thinking. "I was just thinking how …oi! This sounds daft…" she said, realizing how obvious the statement would be.

Realizing that Rose was still processing what he had just told her, he attempted to cheer her slightly. "How? Well… There are lots of questions or sentences that can start with the particular word 'how'. For instance, how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Although why people are so concerned with woodchucks chucking wood when in reality, the animal is so small that chucking anything would be a true engineering marvel is truly baffling! Oh! I've got it! Perhaps that's why the phrase exists …interesting! So, Rose Tyler, perhaps you should ask how woodchucks manufacture ways of chucking wood, since it would be a more accurate example of how humans use the word how," he said, flashing a brilliant smile, the kind that appeared when he knew he was being witty. Rose also knew that he was attempting to make her smile. However, in spite of her knowledge of his strategy, he succeeded marvelously. Rose smiled and laughed – not expecting such an unexpected play on words and the familiar banter that she had yearned to hear for so long.

"Ah! See – there we are! A smile!" he said, a bright smile causing whole face to light up brightly. In truth, she couldn't help herself – it felt so good to laugh with him…any version of him... again and to listen to him think. "But really, Rose, what were you going to say?"

"You – you're just so…him. I know that sounds mental to say…I know what I saw – but here you are! If not for Torchwood and all of those times in the TARDIS, I wouldn't be able to even begin to understand it!" She ran a hand through her hair and sighed.

"But you did have those experiences – you have all of those wonderful memories! Isn't that brilliant! That said, I definitely get why you say it – all of this is wibbly wobbly, timey wimey craziness at it's finest." He grinned brightly when he thought of how brilliant their adventures had been.

"Wibbly wobbly, timey wimey?" she said, laughing in spite of her emotional pain, an eyebrow raised in surprise of such a phrase.

"Oi! Watch it! It's a great turn of phrase, miss Tyler!" he said with a fake sense of rejection, a smirk curling the edges of his mouth.

"Aye, yes it is – sorry…" she said, still quietly laughing to herself. A moment paused as both laughed quietly, actually enjoying each other's company. "Right…so…tell me, what are we going to call you?" she asked, now relying on Torchwood training to help her deal with the present for now, and the past later. "We can't very well call you the Doctor…you know, considering you're part human now." She looked at him, studying every inch of his face.

"Well, you know, I did some thinking about that last night," he said quietly. "I could go with John Smith, the name I always use, but I don't know…it seems like I need something unique, given the fact that I'm unique and this is an entirely unique situation."

"Right – I agree," she said simply. "Did you come up with anything?" she asked, curious what this new version of the Doctor was considering, thankful for a momentary respite from her complicated feelings.

"What do you think about Mark Alonso Noble?" he said, truly wondering what she would think.

"Alonso?" she questioned, finding the name to be one she wouldn't have thought of otherwise.

"I don't know – I like it! That way you could say 'Alons-y Alonso,' sometime! I'd love hearing that," he said cheekily.

"I see," she laughed quietly "I like it – it works. Mark is a nice name, and I take it that you're using Noble because.."

"Of Donna, yeah. Seemed right, since she helped create me."

"That's wonderful!" she said, smiling slightly. "Wait, though, will you still be…will you still be called well…the Doctor?" she asked, unsure how to really phrase the question.

"Always" he said, emotion making his voice quiet, "after all, I am a part of him, and he's a part of me…regardless of the one heart situation." He grimaced slightly at the thought of having such limited physiology.

"Good – I'll probably have a hard time calling you anything else…" she said.

"I'd have a hard time being called anything else." He said definitively. He also realized that Rose had just indicated that he would be a part of her life in some way, causing the Doctor to grin happily, "so I'm still the Doctor then?" he asked, the question echoing back in her mind to the Christmas Day when she had first seen the Time Lord in the version that sat before her on the bed.

She smiled slightly, tears in her eyes as she realized the truth – the truth that was evident with every action, word and breath the man before her took,

"You remember that?" she asked solemnly, as if remembering a memory that featured a long deceased loved one.

The Doctor nodded – "I remember it all" he said with a bright grin, adding "I remember how you stood up to the Sycorax, how you befriended a Dalek of all things! How you looked in the ash on Christmas Day, how that Fortuna statue of you was identical to my unrequited dreams of you and how wonderful it was to see you again, running towards me the night you finally found me again. Yes, Rose, I remember," he said taking her hand in his. "And I remember your words on the beach when I called to say goodbye, I remember being heart broken when I thought I'd never be with you again – when I couldn't tell you what everyone else seemed to know…that I love you," he said, a tear running down his cheek.

At this sudden outpouring of emotion, tears welled in Rose's eyes and she pulled him into a tight embrace. He remembers so much, looks so much like him…I don't know how any of it is possible. Regardless of how he got here…like mum and me in this universe…Dear God! He's him – he's the Doctor! My Doctor, she thought, love warming her whole being. As she realized it would be incredibly hypocritical and unusually cruel to reject him, she felt a deep connection with the words he had just spoken, almost inexplicably, as if there were more power in just three words than any words she had heard before. Somehow, every fiber of her being told her that she could trust the words that he had spoken - she knew one thing for certain at that moment, upon hearing those three precious words, along with his memories, that the man before her was very much the same being she loved so deeply, now part human or not. She parted from the hug momentarily, moving her hand to softly rub the back of his neck.

"Well, then," she said, moving her hand so that she touching his heart with her hand, she looked him in the eyes, adding, "no arguments from me. Who am I to argue with the Doctor?" she said sincerely, finally answering his question after she realized the truth. "I love you too…both of you…so very much. It's absolutely the strangest thing...very timey wimey indeed," she added before kissing him with the pent up passion of the past four lonely years. She could feel the Doctor smile and hear him laugh slightly and his single heart race as he heard her words, ecstatic that she had accepted him. They reveled in the moment as both finally felt a profound sense of belonging that had been so markedly absent from their lives for such a very long time, even if the future was unclear.

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