Chapter 2

While leaning against the theater's opposite wall, Rose tried to digest the whole event. She desperately wanted someone to hug her. To let her spill some joyful tears on their shoulder. Instead she breathed and looked longingly at the now, half empty stage door. She couldn't stop herself thinking about if The Doctor were real. Then wonderful days like his wouldn't be so rare. Even now she could see that a day like this probably wouldn't happen in at least another year.

The trip back to the hotel was slow and she longed throw herself on a bed and cry to her heart couldn't bear more. Her hotel wasn't far from the tube but as it had rained earlier, the sidewalk was so wet and full of fallen leaves it almost made her slip, even though she was wearing trainers. Trainer's like The Doctor's even (although her's were white). That meant keeping her eyes focused on the ground. When she finally looked up as she had a crossing, her breath caught in her chest. On the other side of the street stood a Police Public Call Box. Her heart was racing, but her head remained cool. When she crossed the street it was impossible to resist the urge to take a quick look. She couldn't remember seeing it there earlier, but concluded that that was some sort of trick her mind played on her after the evenings events. But it could have been there all along. She was in a hurry when she had to catch the tube earlier. The boxes was rare for sure but not unknown in the UK after all.

Deciding it would be for the benefit of her sanity to walk away, she turned her heal and left. She did not even dare to look back, afraid it might be an hallucination. She increased her pace and not before long she was running, away from that blue box. Never expected to do that, she mused. Forgetting to keep her look on the ground, she missed the big, wet, pile of leaves in front of her and fell straight to the ground, scraping her kneecaps and palms in the fall. Cursing, bleeding, and crying from the pain, she tried stubbornly to stand up. But trembling, tired legs on wet ground make for a poor combination and she fell again, but at least this time, not as heavily. With a loud sigh and some sobbing she sat herself on her trainers.

She felt like eight years old. And even younger when that hand came from nowhere. She looked up and took the hand in the same instant. Then she continued to curse some more, but silently this time. She brushed the dirt from her knees and dried her tears with the back of her hand, before she took a good look at her saviour. Mind you, it was really dark, even in London, at close to midnight. Rose looked, gasped, walked backward and almost fell over again.

"Oh my god. You are David Tennant." 'Thank you for stating the obvious', one part of her brain told her while the other sort of... screamed like a little girl.

The man didn't speak however, and Rose had to walk back the same distance to look at him properly again. She covered her mouth for fear she would exclaim something absurd. Again.

"Uh, thank you Mister Tennant. It was slippery and I fell. And then I couldn't get up again. Silly really..." She didn't sound calm, but at least speaking in a much lower voice. It started to rain again. Just dripping at first. Still he didn't speak. The only sound heard was that of rain falling slowly, then faster, but not showering. This rain would pass soon, but probably leave the two of them fairly moisturised afterwards.

Rose kept staring at him. She didn't want to leave, but it was very awkward just standing there, not saying anything, opposite David-I-must-be-dreaming-Tennant. Finally, after a pause of a few minutes, he spoke.

"Yes. I saw. You fell because you ran. You ran because you saw that Blue Phone box."

She pushed some wet hair from her face and wrinkled her eyebrows.

"You saw that?"

"Oh, yes." There was small hint of amusement in his voice. Feeling a moderately uneasy, very nervous and extremely perplexed (it was such a wonderful, horrible situation), Rose had to work really hard to not sound freaked out.

"R-right. Uh. Thanks for helping me again... I guess I should... go." She didn't want to leave, but could't think of any reason to stay. And then, a terrible thought struck her. "I wasn't stalking you or anything. Please... I'm not a crazy fangirl!", she cried desperately (and knew it was the biggest lie ever, but didn't want him to know that).

He answered with a smug smile, and putting his hands is his pockets said, "Yes you are".

That made her face burning red. But it then she noticed how he looked. All this while she had been concentrating so hard on not acting foolish (and failing at that) that she hadn't really been paying attention to his altered looks. And the fact that he didn't speak with a Scottish accent.

She was fast to point it out.

"What happened to your accent?"

"What do you mean?", he answered, suddenly serious again, but still standing nonchalantly with his hands in his pockets.

"Your Scottish accent. You are not talking like you do for real. I mean, I don't know you... But I mean, what I have seen on the telly and... well, in the play, this evening. You talk with an accent."

He was silent for a short while.

"Who do you think I am?", he said, sincerely.

Puzzled, and being a bit thick tonight, Rose half shouted, "Why, you are David Tennant! Anyone would recognize you!"

He laughed then, but not happily.

"Do you like this David Tennant?", he said with a straight face.

Rose was bewildered why he would speak of himself in third person and also why he was talking to her in this strange way. But she was still excited and delighted with this unexpected encounter, on a sidewalk in the rain, and couldn't really be bothered with his oddities. She was just happy he talked to her.

"Ofcourse I like you. Who doesn't", she said quietly, although her heart was beating so loud she thought even he could hear it.

He shook his head solemnly.

"Aren't you gonna ask me why I'm here?"

It hadn't even occurred to her to question it. "Uh.. well...", was all she was able to say.

He took a step closer. "I saw you."

She felt her cheek burn again but cared less this time.

"You mean, when I fell?"

"No." He paused, scratched his chin and then looked at her again, with brightness in his face. "Well, yes. But I saw you before. Outside the theater."

"And then you came running after your fangirl?", she laughed nervously. He also smiled, but only briefly.

"Come with me."

Her mouth fell open. "What?"

"It is just a few streets. Will you come?"

She was beginning to suspect some mischief, som reality tv-thingy. Why was he even talking to her? She was nobody. But he was so calm, perhaps it wasn't a trick? He turned his head and looked down the dark, wet street. And then she saw his sideburns. Close shaved and very slick

"How did you get your sideburns back?"

He turned back with a confused look on his face. "What?"

"I didn't see you having any earlier this evening."

"What? What? Don't be daft."

"Is it make-up?"

"What's your name?", he asked, ignoring her question.

"Rose. Rose Tyler", she answered meekly.

A flash came over his eyes, very fast, but she saw it.

"I knew a Rose once.", he said, looking at the dark, cloudy sky. He quickly recovered though and with a fained look of annoyance, turned his eyes once more to Rose's.

"What? Make-up? Are you really just another blonde ape?"

A little taken aback, Rose went silent. She supposed she must be dreaming and as it is with dreams, it had started to live it's own life. It was all so very singular. Why was David Tennant acting so oddly? Was he really this eccentric? Why was he saying all these enigmatic things to her? Why was he so much like The Do... Her trail of thought made her gasp... again. A lot of gasping seemed to be going on (even if it was just in her head).

"Oh god, this is weird. I mean, fabulous, but really weird. I don't think I do this much longer. My friends are already teasing me for lo.. liking The Doctor so much. And you look like The Doctor."

He grinned then.

"Took you long enough! Ofcourse I look like The Doctor, I am The Doctor!"