Chapter 1 A Little Bit of Both

As Rose once again said her goodbye to the Doctor and his way of life Jackie had given her space, but as soon as the Tardis dematerialized she came over to comfort her daughter. Unlike last time, Rose wasn't crying, but her heart's pieces were torn in so many directions she could do nothing but feel pain, betrayal, and fear.

Her Doctor had left her once again, and this time she had no hope of getting back to him because he didn't want her back. The Doctor didn't want her. She'd spent all those years crying and working to get back to him, and he didn't want her.

But he does, a little voice whispered in her head, and he looks like your Doctor, and acts like your Doctor, and maybe, just maybe he could be your Doctor. No. Rose shook the idea out of her head. Just because the meta-crisis Doctor said he loves Rose and kissed back doesn't mean it wasn't all part of the plan. Sure, he had honestly seemed upset and surprised when the Doctor called him a mistake and a danger, but Rose just couldn't trust this strange man who'd taken the Doctor's face.

In 3 years Rose had grown almost 10 years older mentally, and in that moment when she realized the Doctor didn't want her, she aged another thousand. She'd once asked if she would just be left behind and he promised "never you." Yet, he'd lied. The Doctor had left Rose behind, and like Sarah Jane he left her miles from home with no way of getting back.

"Rose, honey, I've got no signal. Can I see your super-phone?" Jackie asked cautiously afraid of breaking her tattered daughter. Not releasing her hand from that of the Meta-Crisis Doctor Rose handed it over. This Doctor might not be her Doctor, and Rose might have been betrayed by her Doctor, but holding his hand Rose could imagine she was safe in the Tardis again.

While Jackie called Pete the only noise in Rose's ears was the whistling of the brutal wind. Finally, Jackie returned breaking the awkward silence, "Your dad had a feeling we'd end up here. He's just down the street. Oh, there he is now with the truck."

Right on cue, Pete Tyler rolled up and gave a confused stare at the Meta-Crisis Doctor. Jackie hoped in the front seat and began explaining but not until after the meta-crisis Doctor spoke for the first time since he said those 3 deadly words, "Can you give us a minute alone." Jackie nodded worried more about Rose than ever before.

"Rose, talk to me. What's wrong."

"You both lied to me. I trusted him and he left me here, again! You tricked me so he could get away!"

"Is that what you think?" he asked laughing and wiping Rose's hair from in front of her eyes. "You think I only said that I loved you so you'd kiss me and he'd leave." Rose didn't respond but her eyes said enough. "Rose, I told you that I loved you because you asked, and it's true. I had no idea that he'd just leave like that and I hate him for it too."

"Why, why do you hate him for leaving? Because he trapped you here?" Rose asked blubbering with the tears she'd unknowingly been holding in.

The meta-crisis Doctor laughed again. "I hate him because he hurt you. Do you remember when the Wire stole your face?" Rose nodded, "She'd stolen dozens before you, but I didn't hate her, I didn't want her dead until she hurt YOU. You're my Rose and all I want is to protect you and make you happy." He unclamped his hand from Rose's. "That's why I'll have Pete drop me off at the nearest city."

Rose didn't understand why the Universe hated her so much. "Now... now you're leaving me too?"

The meta-crisis Doctor pulled Rose in close for a hug, not caring that she was ruining his favorite suit with her snotty tears, "Rose, I'm hurting you by being here. You look at me, and you see him, and remembering him hurts you! I love you Rose. It's not his memories that love you, it's me! I don't want to lose you again because the thought of being without you kills me, but I don't want to hurt you!"

"But you're not him. That's the problem. You're not him. You're not the Doctor your some weird, dangerous freak of nature that shouldn't exist and I'm your babysitter!"

"Oh Rose," the meta-crisis Doctor released her from his hug. "Look me in the eyes," unable to resist Rose did and saw the man who she loved but who had broken her heart, twice. "I look like the Doctor, because I am the Doctor. Everything he did, I did. It's just like when I regenerated, and you thought I'd teleported or something. If I wasn't him, how could I remember the first time we met. I grabbed your hand and whispered, 'run.' And we did. We ran that day and we never stopped running even when we were separate we were still running. We were running to each other."

"But... you're different. You have some of Donna in you. You act different."

The meta-crisis Doctor couldn't help but smile, "Do you want to know why Donna started traveling with me? I took her with me because in a way she is me. When we first met, i was on my 9th face and I was snarky, and sassy, and sarcastic. I don't think they've ever invented an S adjective that I wasn't. When I regenerated I lost that. I became more crazy, and maybe even a bit smarter, and different. And don't lie, I know as much as you love this version of me, you loved the other one too and you miss him. Donna is the 9th version of me. I have that back in me again, but I still have the traits that come with this face too. In a way I'm the perfect blend of the two Doctors you've known."

"A little bit of both," Rose whispered a smile tugging at her lips.

"A little bit of both," he answered smiling brightly.