I want to thank Ms Stella Black( Stella on Amino). Her story on fan fiction net It's a New-New Year, Allons-y! Gave me some ideas to work on and then helped me to make a link to two different paths of a larger story. It helped me turn into one made sense. Thanks Stella, for all the help. The idea of them going back to help 10 is hers and I'm using under her consent. This is an alternative chapter two, but it's a mini story itself. I'll post the whole on fan fiction net.

I used Numeration 2-1, 2-2, 2-3 ..because they're still same chapter 2. I Cut into pieces to make it not long to read. They are part of chapter 2 of a larger fic thus the sub numbers. And alternative, because I made another version where they saved the Doctor on Christmas. They are not different versions of the chapter.


The trio looked at each other in sheer surprise and happiness.

"Holly Crap!" Jack shouted excited.

A blond girl pulled partially open one of the police cabin doors and peered toward the sky in awe and shock. Wind and water glued her hair to her face. She had to pull it out with effort and had to secure it firmly so she could see.

ROSE! They shouted in unison. She looked toward the direction that the shout had come from.

"Over here!" Jack cried to be heard above the hollowing wind. As he was the tallest of his friends, he waved wildly to call her attention

Rose waved back, signaling them to get inside.

Mickey and Jack's feet moved under them before they could realize what they were doing. The men competed with each other to see who reached her first.

Rose backed up to give them some space. Hot air and dehumidifier draft welcomed her friends as soon as soon as they set foot inside.

The blond girl closed the doors, preventing the storm from getting inside as well as soaking the ship's sensitive electrical equipment. For the police cabin was the cover entrance to inter dimensional spaceship. The cabin was much bigger on the inside, reaching infinite size.

Mickey grabbed her in a tight hug and they spun around the place in a mad happy dance.

"Mickey! I thought I would never see you again. I missed you so much!" Her smile could light up a city. " Jack! Martha!" She hugged each one of them affectionately.

"You always knew where to find me, bombshell". Jack picked her in his arms from Mickey embrace and spun her around and in the air like a kid excited with a much-awaited Christmas gift.

"Oy! Military man! Would you mind putting my wife down?" The Doctor was near the ship's control console, located at the center of the room. His voice and facial expression were a mix of annoyance, welcome and warning.

"Doctor!" Jack put Rose down and ran toward him with wide-open arms and a big pleasure smile.

"No Kissing, Army Man, or I'll punch you in the face!" But the Doctor's voice had a friendly, teasing tone that softened his harsh words.

They got each other in a tight welcoming embrace

"I thought you were against violence Doctor." Jack teased.

"I am. That's not violence. It's self-defense. You kiss horribly!"

Jack had a mock offended face. "I had no complaints so far. Maybe you had not got it right.' He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Oy, Lazarus! Don't ever try."

"Oy, Storyteller, what's wrong?" The Doctor let Jack go and walked toward Martha, concern marking his brow upon noticing she was in a shaken state.

Martha was leaning on the TARDIS entrance ramp handrail like she needed support or reassurance. *Of course he is alive, Martha you stupid girl. You haven't slept for 36 hours and are letting you imagination run wild. *

"Doctor. I missed you so much. Sorry about my state. I just need to have some sleep, that's all." Martha gave him a reassuring smile and a real tight hug. * He's alive. I can feel him; his heartbeat is not an illusion. He's all right. Thank goodness. *

"I missed you too, Martha." His arms wrapped her tightly in a comforting manner. He had to bend down a little to do so for he was taller than her and she was located in a lower part of the ramp.

*Like the old times. I missed that too. * He smiled to himself.

It took her a while to realize something. * One heart beat? * She looked up to his face surprised. "You are…"

"Disappointed?" He looked at her with some worry.

"Just surprised. I'm happy seeing you alive and well, too." She tried to smile to him. "It's just that I had followed Rose and the Doctor's drama so close by. When you guys left us, it was just the four of you: you three Doctors and Rose. It seemed to me that Rose and the Doctor would finally be together."

She noticed his pained expression." What is it?" She asked softly.

"What's really wrong?" He locked his eyes into hers. "You are not telling me everything."

*He's avoiding my question, as usual. It's true. I'm not telling him everything. * She felt herself breaking down again, the tears fighting to return.

The Doctor lowered her to ground gently. "Martha, Martha. What's wrong? You are worrying me."

"Sorry. I thought that the Doctor was dead. Then I saw you and thought it was just my lack of sleep was playing tricks on my tired mind. Then I heard your heart beat. Just one. I'm happy you are alive but that means he…" She sobbed.

Jack and Mickey also had concern in their eyes.

Rose felt her heart being squeezed with an iron fist. "Why do you think he died?"

"Last time that Mickey and I saw him, he didn't approach us to say hello as he usually does. It wasn't because he was busy. I just knew in my heart that he was saying his last good-bye. I could feel that something was terribly wrong."

Mickey nodded slowly.

"And you didn't ask what it was?" Rose felt her voice fail.

"Like he would say." Martha sighed. " The Doctor never admits that there's something wrong with him even if it is something that's slapping on your face."

"Besides, he was too far away for us to ask. He had saved us from a Sontaran and left before we could even recover from surprise." Mickey joined the conversation.

Rose wanted to know more but Martha state brought the compassion on her." I think this is something we should talk after a shower and with good cup of tea. All of you are still wet. Come." Rose extended her hand to help Martha get up.

"I'll get the tea ready." The Doctor offered. "Let's meet on the tea room after we are refreshed."

Martha looked up surprised. " What tea room?"

"I will show you after you have warmed up." Rose smiled. "We have converted a small part of the library into a tearoom. It's a nice place for reading and receiving friends more comfortably."

They met each other at the tearoom a while later. The Doctor had provided tea and snacks. Mickey and Jack were having scotch .The Doctor wasn't very fond of alcohol, so he joined the girls on the tea.

Martha, Mickey and Jack felt better after the shower and with the soothing tea and they told Rose and the human Doctor how the other Doctor had seemed strange the last time they had seen him.

Martha eyed the double. "Sorry, Doctor. But you know him. You came from him, you know how he thinks and feels. Tell me- would he hide a regeneration from us?"

The Doctor shook his head. " No. He wouldn't hide from you. You are his closest friends and you know about the regeneration, you have seen it happen before.

On the other hand, if he were regenerating, he would want some privacy for that. He certainly wouldn't invite you to watch or to be with him if he could avoid it."

Martha caressed her teacup. " Sorry. I guess I overreacted. It's just the way he looked. And he never approached to say hello. It's so unlike him. And Jack had just lost Ianto. It isn't like him not being close a friend in moments like this."

Rose bit her upper lip. "Now that you have mentioned, I'm recalling something. I didn't pay attention on the occasion for it seemed unimportant. It was the year before I met the Doctor, a few months earlier. It was New Years Eve. I was returning to my apartment from celebrating when I heard a pain grunt. There was a man in the shadows, close to a wall. He was swaying. At the time I thought he had just partied too much. He asked me what year was it, and told me to have a great year."

"OH MY GOD!" Her eyes went humid and turned to the Doctor. "I remember now. He had your voice. He was about your height and he had cape like the one Doctor used. Funny how details seemed unimportant then seems to lock each other now."

"If was him it's unlikely he was drunk." The Doctor lowered his teacup on the saucer. "He might have been under regeneration."

"Why did he hid it from me then?" Rose asked wounded.

"You had not met this version of him yet. Actually, you had not even met him at all. You would not understand what was happening to him. Besides, he doesn't like endings. He knew he was going to meet you a few months later and wanted you to keep those fantastic memories, not those of him leaving."

The Doctor eyed Mickey and Jack. "Do you guys think he was in trouble too?"

Jack was pensive. "I saw no traces of it on his face back then but I had just lost Ianto and wasn't really paying attention to things. After Martha and Mickey told me about his state, it came to me now that he had a serious, almost sad face."

"So lets go back in time and check it. If he needed help, we are his friends." Mickey suggested.

"If he was under regeneration already it would be useless going back. Stopping a Time Lord regeneration process is a sure recipe to kill him." The Doctor reminded them.

Rose stared at him. 'We can't just sit back and do nothing."

"I didn't say that. Look. Let's go back that date and have a peek. If it was regeneration, we may have to go further back in time and see what triggered it. If was something else… we see then what we can do there."

"Lets go!" Jack said worried.

"Sorry. We have to wait a few hours. The TARDIS is recharging herself. I can't unplug her right now. And you three are in an urgent need of some rest. We are leaving after breakfast." They said good night to each other and retired themselves to their rooms.