The Doctor Squared

The Doctor has just stepped out of one of the cluttered parts stalls to follow Rose when he gets a strange feeling, a tickle in the back of his mind. Another Time Lord? Can't be. Then the tickle changes to a very familiar buzz. Oh God, it's one of himself. He has to warn Rose. Who knows which one it will be? Visions of crazy scarves and crazier coats race through his mind as he gets moving.

Beginning to jog, he gets a bit frantic when she isn't immediately visible.

"Wandering off, really? Why is it so hard not to?" Annoyed and worried he picks up his pace as he begins calling for her.

"Roooose! Rose?" Spying a flash of the right colour through the tents, he veers that way, still calling for her as he's running.

"Rose, there's another…" He turns the corner, and is only a few meters from Rose when he sees he's too late.

"…me here. Oh boy."


Rose is digging through a pile of space junk at a stall manned by a somewhat grouchy Zocci when she spots the edge of a green crystal poking out of the debris.

"Ah-ha!" she exclaims excitedly. Feeling her husband approaching, she's just about to turn and hold up her prize, when a rough hand grabs her shoulder spinning her around.

"Oi! Hands off! Who…" She doesn't finish her question as her annoyed golden-brown eyes flash to the hard, ice blue ones of her first Doctor, who currently has a death grip on her shoulder.

"You! You said no," he spits at her, his eyes wild and his chest heaving as if he's been running

"Oh, boy." They both hear, and two sets of startled eyes turn to the Tenth Doctor as he finally catches up with Rose, trainers squeaking on the pavement as he skids to a halt.

As the Ninth and Tenth Doctor's eyes meet, one's widens in none-too-pleased recognition while the other's closes momentarily as the memories of this encounter unlock.

"You're me?" The harsh Northern accent is far from amused. "Who are you, then?" he asks Rose testily, giving her a little shake.

Rose, over her initial surprise, is not pleased at being treated like a sack. She stomps hard on his leather boot clad foot, throwing him off balance enough to knock him on his arse with a quick shove to his chest. Standing over him like an avenging angel, she lets him know in no uncertain terms what she thinks at this very moment.

"Since you're going to have to forget this ever happened, you rude git, I will personally inform you that I'M YOUR WIFE!" Rose yells at him and then covers her mouth starting to cry at her outburst—stupid hormones.

Running the few steps to her husband, Rose buries her face in his coat, feeling horrible for being so mean to her first Doctor. He wraps his arms soothingly around her, murmuring nonsense into her hair for comfort.

"You said, No." Is what he'd just spouted at her? So he didn't appear after a few seconds that first time, like she'd thought…he was gone for…for how long? That smug bastard.

Turning back to the leather clad Time Lord who is still on the ground blinking owlishly up at them, Rose is just about to launch into another furious tirade when she feels her husband put a hand to her shoulder, drawing her back to his side as he begins communicating with her telepathically.

-Rose, please. That me has currently just had the shock of his life, and yelling at him will not help,- he tells her silently, begging her to calm down.

He's just remembered this little episode, and now he's only doing his part. Steeling himself to not feel too jealous, he reminds himself that this is himself. And all of this is about to happen…to…him; so the entire thing will actually happen to him—time travel; something new every day.

-Rose, I never asked anyone twice. You said no, so I left. I only just remembered this. Thought it was a bit weird that I went from you saying no, shifting to the vortex and some missed time, and then back to you. Now I understand. He needs you, Rose. Yes, he'll have to forget this until today, but…he needs you and that's very me.-

-He needs me?- She feels the indignant flush recede as her husband's words start to get through the hormone fog.

-Oh, yes, and desperately. You were the first person who made him feel even a little alive after-everything. He…I was crushed when you refused. Go, do what you do best, make me feel better.-

-But…what do I…umm…do we…- The wave of embarrassment almost makes him laugh

-No, you…we don't…dance- he sends her amusedly and pleased that she's a bit uncomfortable with the idea. -Not sure how that would affect the Bond, best not to find out-

-And you're okay with this? You're both the Doctor, so I love you, but you're good?-

-Yep, right as rain.- he tells her, smothering the remark in brightness that he mostly feels. -You go, enjoy. I'll take this crystal you so serendipitously found, back to the TARDIS and start working on the helmic regulator-

The best part of telepathic communications is the amount of conversation you can have in only a few seconds. The pensive and now glowering Time Lord has just picked himself up and is dusting himself off indignantly when Rose turns back to him.

"I'm sorry. That was unfair of me, Doctor." Holding her hand out to him and smiling apologetically, she asks, "Would you care to join me for some chips? There's a stand over that way that does these purple ones. They looked gorgeous!"

He stares at her outstretched hand for a moment like it might bite him. Looking up to his future self, they size each other up until future him nods and quirks an eyebrow at him. Scowling even more ferociously, the previous Doctor turns and stalks off.

Rose looks after him like she's been hit. Her Doctor sees her wounded expression, and smiles sadly when she glances back at him confused. With a smile the pinstripe Doctor motions with his head back towards himself.

Turning back, she sees that the wool and leather Doctor has only gotten a couple of meters away before he halted. His shoulders are hunched around his ears and his fists are balled at his sides. It is obvious that he's at war with himself, but at least he's waiting.

This more than anything else finally gets through to Rose. She suddenly remembers how he was when they first met—how brash, rude, and angry he was. She had helped ease that, she reminds herself. They'd helped each other, and he hasn't had that chance yet.

Walking over to him, she comes to his side, not touching yet, but close.

Her scent surrounds him, like and unlike the Rose he'd left back on Earth. Glancing back, the Ninth Doctor sees future him turn and leave. Feeling that annoying buzz that signals a version of himself move away, he realises that he can still feel Rose in his mind—she's a Time Lord…but how?

That's what startled him when he exited his TARDIS. It was the first time he'd felt another Time Lord since the War. The sensation near to drove him mad. He took off running pell mell through the markets. It wasn't until he slowed down enough to try and track it that he realised the buzz was one of himself and he also felt another TARDIS. Noticing the other telepathic return was close, he'd turned a corner and saw the blonde girl from behind. He was so flummoxed that he might be a girl in the future that he had actually reached out to touch her. He hadn't meant to be so rough, but he wasn't feeling like himself. Hadn't felt like himself since before the War, if he was honest.

Seeing it was the woman that had refused him, threw him for a loop.

Looking down into those eyes now and seeing them filled with a love that he doesn't know and can't understand terrifies him. He nearly starts to run again, but the desire—the need—to know what happens is too great. Nodding once at her, he agrees, "Chips". Without looking back he starts walking again, just slow enough that she can catch up to him.

Smirking behind his back, she jogs up to his side and slides her arm through his. He stiffens, but allows her to stay as they head toward the chip stand.