Ta da! Thanks to your reviews, chapter two has miraculously appeared! I've already got chapter three almost finished, so check back soon for updates.

Oh, and I suppose I forgot to mention, I don't own Doctor Who, and instead am forever indebted to the BBC.


Chapter 2: That's a Bit Complicated

Once things had settled down within the TARDIS, Amy stood on shaky legs, pulling herself up on the ledge of the console.

"Where are we?" she asked, sounding exhausted.

"I'm not sure," the Doctor replied, engrossed in the readings on the monitor.

"It seems habitable," River said, checking the instruments. "But I can't be sure of anything else. These readings don't seem to make any sense."

"Yes," the Doctor said, suddenly sounding grim. "You're right. But I think I'm starting to recognize this place."

"Where have you taken us this time?" River whispered, stroking the bright center column.

"I think, we should try to leave," the Doctor said, sounding both concerned and disappointed.

"Well that doesn't sound like you at all," Amy said, settling back down on the seat.

"Doctor, you said try..."

"Yes, I did," he said, giving River an appraising look. "I doubt we'll get very far. No, we were pulled here, dragged here on purpose. I don't think they'll let us go quite so easily."

Still, he did make a valiant attempt, that ended with sparks and smoke and a small, self-contained fire that quickly went out.

"Right then," River said, all business as she double-checked her belt and holster. "Let's take a look around, shall we?"

"I was just about to suggest that," the Doctor said, standing beside her.

"Oh, all right," Amy said with a moan. "Let's go explore the featureless void."

They stepped outside, into a barren gray landscape, all crags and boulders and looming piles of rocks.

"Oh great," Amy said, a wry grin crossing her face. "A quarry."

River laughed, but the Doctor simply pointed to the sky. "Not quite."

Amy looked up and gasped. The stars had gone dark, pinpoints of black in a gray sky that stretched across the horizon.

"This is the anti-matter universe," River said, unable to disguise the trepidation in her voice.

"Yeah, I was afraid of that," the Doctor replied. "But come on, no sense standing about. Let's go see what Omega wants this time."

And at this, River seemed excited. She slipped an arm around his, and Amy thought they looked like the perfect new couple, off on their first date. "Doctor, you certainly know how to show an archeologist a good time."

"Well, I do try my hardest to keep you entertained," he replied, smirking.

Amy rolled her eyes and walked ahead of them. "Come on, you two, before I throw up. I think I liked you better when you were arguing."

"How was I supposed to know?" she heard a familiar voice shout in the distance.

And a familiar voice answered back, aggravated as she shouted. "Well what did you think was gonna happen when you go off the careful schedule we all agreed to for some of your 'jiggery-pokery'? Bloody hell, John! We're supposed to be picking up the kids in two hours."

"It's a time machine, Rose, we can be back five minutes before we left," he replied, exasperated.

The Doctor dashed ahead of her, scrabbling up a low hill, River and Amy running to catch up.

"Fancy meeting you two here!" the Doctor said from the peak, then laughed. And then Amy and Rose and the two Doctors, well, one and a half Doctors, really, were all embracing like old friends.

Which in a sense, they were. Though it had been only a few weeks for Amy since they'd all accidentally met for tea, it was obvious years had passed for them. The half-human Doctor, John, seemed especially different. He hadn't aged much, particularly, but there was a pleasant lightness in his expression. In Rose as well, but it seemed especially noticeable in him. They both looked fabulously content.

Until John noticed River, and a strange mix of excitement, guilt, apprehension, and longing crossed his face. "River Song..." He said, his voice trailing off.

"Hello, Doctor," River said, with a slow smile as she took his hand. "Pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard so many stories."

"It's just John, for now, really," he said, wearing a wide, sheepish grin, unaware that Amy's Doctor was casting suddenly suspicious glances between both of them. And that Rose was glaring daggers.

"And how's the little one?" Amy asked, rescuing him.

"Twins, actually," Rose said, a little tersely, at the same moment that John pulled his hand back from River's, as though surprised to still find it there. "I'm Rose, his wife."

"Oh, but that's fantastic!" the Doctor said, embracing both John and Rose at once. All three laughed as they pulled away.

"Donna and Adric," John said, placing a hand on the Doctor's shoulder as they locked eyes.

"Lovely names," the Doctor said in a warm voice, and squeezed John's hand for a moment.

"They're almost 6!" Rose said, and pulled out her phone to show off the pictures.

But of course, it didn't work. For a moment, they were all surprised. Then the Doctor looked up at the sky. "Oh, yeah. About that..."


The Doctor had always liked sneaking around, ever since he was a child. He'd been small for his age, and very isolated, and very curious. So he'd turned spying into a game, enjoying the thrilling sensation of seeming to disappear in plain sight. However, this time, as the Tenth Doctor spied on the group from a hidden enclave, he felt like some sort of perverse voyeur.

Rose stood in the center of the crowd, drawing his gaze, as she always did. Absolutely beautiful, and fearless. Her hair was darker now, a more natural blonde, and she wore a blue blazer with a skirt and high-heeled boots. Very professional. She seemed incredibly mature and confident, a woman, now, when for so long the Doctor had chosen to remember her as a 19-year old girl, young and innocent. Now she seemed impossibly distant, beyond him, beyond even his memory of her, but still Rose. Still his Rose.

And then he was brutally reminded of the fact that she was his no longer when his half-human doppelganger casually draped an arm around her. He felt his chest suddenly clench as he saw them together. She leaned into his touch, again, very casually. Like it was the most natural thing in the world.

He could still hear the words that half-human Doctor had spoken on that desolate beach, the words that had cemented his final decision, reminding him of the promises he'd never be able to keep. "I've only got one life, Rose Tyler. I could spend it with you, if you want."

The Tenth Doctor forced his gaze away from the couple to survey the rest of the crowd, and his hearts clenched again when he saw River, standing next to a young, slightly awkward man in a bow tie. Standing very close to him, the Doctor realized. The other man couldn't quite keep his eyes from her, and as he bumped against her playfully, the Tenth Doctor heard River laugh. It was a lovely sound, wild and free, though it couldn't wipe away the image of her body convulsing as millions of volts of electricity coursed through her. The memory of being trapped, handcuffed, as River died in front of him. Died to save him, even though he'd never met her before. Knowing he was the one forced to suffer the loss, that he would be the one left to grieve, to pay the true cost for her sacrifice. All while a future version of him enjoyed the pleasure of her company. Of that teasing laugh, and those knowing eyes. Of finding someone, loving someone, he would one day trust with his deepest secrets, with his true name, the one thing he'd always kept to himself throughout his centuries of self-imposed exile. And all at once he realized exactly who the silly fob in the tweed and bow tie truly was. The Tenth Doctor felt a dark, bitter stab of pure rage.

"So who are we spying on, exactly?" said a familiar voice at his side.

The Tenth Doctor turned, shocked that anyone could have snuck up on him. "What?"

And the Fifth Doctor laughed, "Oh, let's not start that again, Doctor."

He smiled, genuinely pleased and surprised to see him. "Oh, that's just brilliant."

"Pleasure to see you again," the Fifth Doctor said, extending a hand. Which the Tenth Doctor ignored as he pulled him into a hug.

Then he noticed the lanky ginger schoolboy standing a few feet away.

"Turlough!" he said, turning to him.

"Hello," Turlough replied, a little uncertain.

The Tenth Doctor pulled him into a tight embrace, rejoicing in the feel of his body, so much warmer than most species. Breathing in the unique, tantalizing smell of his skin, like fresh mint and cinnamon all at once. He couldn't help but melt, just a bit, at the pleasure of holding Turlough in his arms once again. His Turlough. Out of a millennia of friends and lovers, Turlough was the one who loved him because of his darkness, not despite it. And he'd rarely felt as dark and desolate as he did now, so close to the end of this incarnation. So he let the embrace linger, let himself drift into the memories of pleasure and pain and desire that would always surround his beautiful, complicated, treacherous Turlough.

"Erm, yes," the Fifth Doctor said, sounding obviously uncomfortable. "Turlough, I'd like to introduce you to, well, myself."

Turlough began to pull away, pausing to search the Tenth Doctor's face for anything familiar. And because he knew it would drive Turlough mad, he gave him a wink and clicked his tongue before releasing him.

"That's me!" he said, wearing a manic grin. "The one and only Doctor Number Ten!"

He spun around with a little flourish, and was grateful to hear Turlough laugh.

"So I take it you're trapped here as well," the Fifth Doctor said, suddenly suspicious.

"Yep," he replied, still meeting Turlough's appreciative gaze.

"How long has it been for you," the Fifth Doctor asked, moving closer, standing in front of him to draw his attention.

"A long time," the Tenth Doctor said, his voice turning hollow and melancholy as the smile slid from his face. "A lifetime, it seems. I haven't... I haven't had an easy time of late."

The Fifth Doctor placed a consoling arm on his shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that."

The Tenth Doctor shrugged him off and looked away.

"But wait a minute," Turlough said, staring into the dim hollow in the distance. "How can you be here, when it looks like you're over there?"

"Ah, yes," the Tenth Doctor replied. "Well, that's a bit complicated actually."

"Complicated or not, it seems we're all stuck here together," the Fifth Doctor said. "Why don't we stop by and say hello?"

The Tenth Doctor moved away from the ledge, suddenly unnerved. "I can't," the Tenth Doctor said in a low, husky voice. "I just can't."

"But we're all trapped here," the Fifth Doctor said plaintively. "We need to work together."

"I can't!" the Tenth Doctor replied, raising his voice. "I can't face them. Not right now, not like this. Not when they all look so... happy together."

He spat the last two words out like a curse, and the Fifth Doctor backed away slightly, moving in front of Turlough. As though trying to protect him. The Tenth Doctor chuckled, but it was a bitter, mirthless sound.

"What have you done?" the Fifth Doctor hissed. "Tell me what you've done. What you're so ashamed of."

"I've been on my own for a long time," the Tenth Doctor said in a grim, quiet tone, stuffing his hands in his pockets. His eyes suddenly gleamed in the pale light, his expression purposely blank, even as something sinister edged through. "There were some things... I've done some things that went wrong. And now I'm going to die. Soon. Oh, but if you think I'm going to stand there next to the man who's going to go sauntering off after I'm gone, living the life I should have led, then you are dead wrong, Doctor. Dead wrong."

And with that, he strode passed his younger self, purposely brushing Turlough's shoulder with his own as he walked off, alone, into the darkness.