Thanks for all of your reviews for both Chapter 2 and 1. They mean a lot. Hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Disclaimer: trust me, if I owned Doctor Who, Rose would have married the Doctor not Rive (eye-roll)

3 months later

It had been 3 hard months for the Doctor since Amy's outburst in the TARDIS when she had suggested the possibility of getting the girl he loved back. 3 hard months of a never ending supply of idea's that all seemed to fail and leave him more heartbroken. He had attempted every one of her wild yet wonderful ideas but each and every time, without fail, he would come out with the same thing; shattered hope and a damaged ship. He just wanted to give up.

Were it not for Rory's return, the Doctor was sure he would have gone insane with Amy shouting in his ear every few seconds about not giving up. He was thankful that Rory was able to tame his wild fiance but at the same time resented the fact that, with Rory around, he had no one to encourage him and keep his hopes up.

They had tried everything they could think of. They had tried replicating a Dalek void ship, and failed, and even attempted to update the TARDIS so it could handle the travel between universes, but regardless of his efforts, either their was no gap in the fabric of reality to jump through, or the TARDIS backhanded his attempts with a simple hum of refusal. It had surprised the Doctor, the first time the TARDIS refused to so much as fly towards the void. He always thought that, since their bond when she absorbed the time vortex, that Rose and the TARDIS were... friends.

Thinking about it, it was probably an stupid thought anyway. He knew that the TARDIS was a sentient ship but with her love and appreciation of his friends came the envy and the hatred. After all, she loved him and he didn't doubt that she envied those he came to love. Maybe she felt neglected... not that he would ever abandon her.

Yet, it wasn't just his stubborn ship that was keeping him from crossing the void- it was his nerves. He was terrified, absolutely terrified. As in 'heart-pattering-like-a-machine-gun' terrified. The last time he had seen Rose, he had left her on a beach with a human copy of himself without so much as a goodbye. Since that day he had hated how he had left things with her but the one thing he regretted most was his incompetent mind.

The first time the Doctor had lost Rose, he intended to tell her he loved her, but ran out of time. The second time, he was far too frightened and backed away before she could question him further, letting a clone of him say it instead. And let's not even think about the times before the battle of Canary Wolf. In the pit he had had the chance to tell her but didn't want her to hear the words for the first time through someone else's lips. Even in his 9th incarnation he had had multiple chances to tell her, including the time where he nearly lost her to the Slytheen in Downing Street- he could have easily told her then, but he didn't. He had even had the chance to say it under the stars, in the snow (well... ash) on their first Christmas together, after he had regenerated, but didn't want to overwhelm her. He had just changed his face, personality and body after all. But, even all of the reasons didn't seem enough to the Doctor now. They may of back then, but now he just regretted being a coward.

What was it he had said to the Daleks on Satellite 5?

"Coward, any day"

Well, turns out he was right, although maybe he should have said "Coward, everyday".

Turning his back on his friends, the Doctor decided to take a stroll to his favorite room on the TARDIS. The walk was short, thanks to the TARDIS maneuvering rooms around for him. When he reached the door, he smiled and rest his hand on the glass. He gently pushed open the glass door and carefully stumbled over a large step, onto the lush and comfortable apple grass of New New York.

Upon their departure of the strange new Earth, the Doctor had kindly asked the TARDIS to replicate the planet to every possible detail, even including the varying weather patterns from the day they had visited. Grinning wildly, he closed his eyes and let the wind sweep over him, much like it had on his first time visiting over 4 years ago.

It was strange. Of course he could simply travel to New Earth whenever he desired but it would never be that day. He couldn't exactly go back to the exact day and time that he had visited in his tenth incarnation with the blonde. He wouldn't be able to deal with, one, his past self moaning about crossing timelines, or seeing Rose and then having to leave her.

Even the thought made his spine cold.

With a content sigh, he moved further into the room and settled on a familiar patch of apple grass. It was soft and gentle beneath his fingers as he let himself trace a phrase he had come to know, in his native language. The circular Galifreyan he wrote made him swell with pride. Whether his planet and people were gone or not, he had loved at least looking at the citadel of the Time Lords. He was proud to be a Time Lord, even if he had hated their way of looking at the universe. It made him smile; looking at his people's language.

He let himself fall back, looking up at the busy sky of New New York. The cars flew above him in a sea of activity. Again, his smile was genuine and wide, but his eyes were sad and lonely.

As he looked over head at the beauty of the planet, having missed looking at its remarkable scenery both times he had visited, he was mesmerized by its unique features. The large buildings, sculptures, cathedrals and majesty. It was a very nice city, not in his top ten of the universe mind, but still nice.

His attention was drawn to a couple in the distance, and he instantly tensed up when he noticed a blonde woman, head back, laying on the grass, laughing. His eyes widened and his body went rigid. He couldn't see the couple well but the man beside her had brown, spiky hair and was laying back in a pin-stripped suit, resting on a large brown overcoat.

He gasped as he watched his past self and the woman he loved sit and talk about the city. He could hear Rose's laugh from meters away and it made his heart swell.

A wave a realization hit him and he jumped to his feet, looking around urgently for his past TARDIS, when a voice filled his mind.

It is hard to manage but I have the exterior of my past self inside my present self. I can maintain it for a few hours at most, so as soon as yourself and the Wolf have left, I shall remove my younger self and then return it when they come back.

Shocked by both the TARDIS' explanation and the knowledge that when he was in the hospital all that time ago his TARDIS had disappeared from existence.

This isn't safe! I didn't want my past self here! He shot back at the TARDIS with his mind.

The TARDIS sent him the equivalent of an eye roll and then the imagine of a beautiful woman laughing. Her mouth was open, teeth bared as she laughed wholeheartedly and the blonde strands cascaded down the expanse of her back. Her eyes were slightly open as she laughed and the Doctor felt a tear graze his cheek at the imagine of Rose laughing in his mind.

With a shake of his head he sat back down, watching as himself and Rose stood up, gathering their things and smiling. As his past self showed Rose his physic paper, she let her eyes wander slightly, gazing around the area.

oOoOo

"Doctor", Rose whispered worriedly, looking behind her in the direction of a young man whose eyes were glued on her.

"What's wrong?" her Doctor asked, gazing in the direction her eyes were locked. He narrowed his eyes at the young man, who obviously had little sense of fashion, but felt a wave of familiarity about him.

Rose was trembling under his gaze; the eyes looking at her were filled with so much emotion it was hard not to shed a tear for the man. "Who is he Doctor? Why is he staring at me?"

The Doctor sighed, shifting in his position. He looked at the strange man who seemed completely oblivious to them looking at him. He was so very familiar, and the Doctor had only ever felt that weirdly unique yet startlingly similar presence in his mind before the time war. Gasping, the Doctor realized who the man must be. Grabbing Rose's arm roughly, he attempted to pull her away. "Rose, stay away from him, he's back news"

Rose turned to the 10th Doctor, eyes wide. "Who is he though?" she asked nervously.

Glaring at the man, the Doctor quietly whispered. "I think he's an old... friend, of mine. His name is the Master"

Her insides twisted in fear as she let the Doctor pull her away. There was a frighteningly weird feeling in the pit of her stomach that was telling her to ignore the Doctor and go to this man but she trusted the Doctor with her life.

"Are you sure its him though Doctor? He looks really familiar. Look at his eyes" she muttered quietly, almost inaudibly, but the Doctor's sensitive ears picked it up.

He looked down at Rose, surprised by the twinkle in her eye as she looked at the stranger. Looking back at him, the Doctor scrunched his nose, taking a whiff of the man. He smelt familiar too; like bananas, cinnamon, a certain perfume the Doctor couldn't quite place, and... time.

"Doctor?" Rose whispered, looking up at the Time Lord as he stood frozen.

At the sound of her voice, he snapped out of his trance and looked down at Rose with a terrified gaze. "We need to go... now"

When he tried to pull at her arm again, Rose resisted, standing her ground. The Doctor turned back to her in surprise. She was staring in the direction they saw the man but this time her eyes had softened and a small smile was gracing her features. The Doctor couldn't seem to say a word as she began to stumble in the direction of the stranger, who was now standing, watching her with wet eyes and a terrified smile.

She couldn't stop the movement of her legs and before she knew it, she was running towards him. She knew it was him. She could just.. tell. His eyes, kind and ancient yet filled with sorrow and fear, were boring into her. As she moved closer and closer she could see his eyes widen and his feet begin to move. He was careful and slow, as though terrified to reach her in case she wasn't real, and the thought scared Rose.

By the way he was looking at her, it was clear he no longer had her. Either she was dead, left (which she highly doubted would ever happen) or he'd kicked her out. A small part of her mind was fighting against the idea, the thought that maybe he was only looking at her like a blind man looking at the sun for the first time because, maybe they were together in her future and he was just looking at her with eyes full of love, but she couldn't believe it. Although that was true and the admiration in his look was obvious, she knew that he had definitely lost her by now.

He was now walking, not running, but getting closer and closer by the passing seconds. His eyes were filled with tears and his smile was wide and, looking at him, she felt herself speed up.

When she felt large, firm and familiar arms wrap around her tightly, holding her like a life line, she let out an involuntary scream of delight. She heard him sigh and her eyes widened at the sound of this new Doctor. He burrowed his head into her head, sighing in relief at the feel of her in his arms and she felt the cold feel of tears on her shoulder.

"Rose" she heard him whisper over and over again like a prayer. She smiled at his new voice, pleased by the sound of it. She only shook her head in surprise and happiness, taking in the smell and feel and sound of him all at once.

Yes, it was overwhelming; looking at the man she knew was her Doctor, only older and without her, but she couldn't let her mind focus on that. Instead she focused on the sensation of being in his arms,

"Doctor" she whispered, tears flowing from her eyes without measure. "It's me. I'm here" she whispered comfortingly.

"I know" he chanted in her ear over and over, as though trying to persuade himself of that.

Suddenly she was out of his arms, hands pressing against her shoulders. Her eyes shot open and she stared at the older doctor in confusion. She didn't let herself take in his new face, only stare at him in confusion. "What?"

He shook his head violently, pushing her off of him gently. "No, no, no, no, no, no! This can't be happening! This is your fault" he added, shouting at the sky. Rose furrowed her brows in confusion, unaware he meant the TARDIS. "You shouldn't even be here! One, its dangerous and oh my goodness paradox right now! And two, the TARDIS shouldn't even be able to put you both in here" he rushed, hands buried in his hair and pulling at the strands urgently.

"Rose" she heard her Doctor call. She looked back at him, eyes wet and wide. He was watching himself sympathetically as he stepped forward, grabbing her arm and pulling her away.

Before she was able to protest, she felt another arm pull her back. She looked back towards the older Doctor, watching as he cried silently, looking at her with profound hope in his eyes.

"Oh my god" both herself and the younger Doctor heard him say. "It's really you. You're really-", he shook his eyes. "Rose" he sighed once more, throwing his arms around her and pulling her to his chest. She gasped in surprise but let herself relax in his hold, happy she could make him smile.

The younger Doctor looked on from the sidelines, not jealous of the fact Rose was in another man's arms, even if that man was him, but with sympathy. He knew that he must have lost her by now and couldn't stop a single tear from escaping. From his older self's reaction, he loved her even more than he did now, which both scared and thrilled the younger Time Lord. He looked on as his... 11th? incarnation hugged her to him so tight it looked like she was struggling to breath and knew, he had to make however long he had left with her, count.

Hope it was good and exciting and different. It won't change my whole 'reunion' plans but I hope you liked it anyway :)

Reviews are love - appreciate every one