A/N. Thank you! Thank you so much, everyone! There is absolutely no reason to delay the reunion any further… :) Please, let me know your opinions about this chapter! :)


No Time Like the Present: Chapter Three

Jack was holding the Doctor tightly by the wrist, swiftly leading him to the blonde. It was a good thing she was determined not to dye her hair some other colour – the Time Lord's reaction could have been… unexpected. As soon as they saw the black-clad woman, the Captain let go of his hand – this was going to be something

Rose turned towards them, holding her breath. No matter for how long she had been imagining this, the effect of finally meeting his burning eyes was startling. All she could do was watch the rapidly changing expression on the Time Lord's face, while the young woman herself felt unable to move a limb. So much of the Torchwood training on overcoming such instances…

There he was, the Doctor, her Doctor, hurrying towards her, a wide grin on his face. A shiver ran down her spine, as the Doctor touched her face barely with his fingertips, her shock-like state gone at once. Rose breathed out, fighting back the unwelcome wish to sob. Suddenly everything felt too wonderful. Too incredible.

"Med bay. Right now," he whispered into her ear, taking her hand and leading her into the TARDIS. Home. Rose knew she would have followed him to hell and back at that moment, if he as much as asked.

The small scene appeared so strangely personal to Martha she turned her eyes away, unwilling to even consider why the alien seemed so very different out of a sudden. Must have been an old friend, a relation, or someone of that sort – nobody answering all of the given questions with one-syllabled words or a shrug could ever have ever got such an unnatural amount of attention from the Time Lord otherwise. The mistrust, almost since the moment the dark-skinned companion had laid her eyes on the mysterious blonde, had been mutual, or so she believed. Martha would have been lying to herself if she denied this small episode has lit a new spark of jealousy in her heart.


"I was almost certain, Doctor, that you were going to say something else," Rose found her tongue only when the TARDIS doors conveniently closed after them.

The Time Lord smirked at her, never turning his eyes away, as if afraid she could be gone the next moment, his hand holding hers. "Yes?"

"Does it matter?"

"Everything matters, Rose. Even your clothes. Why so much black? Martha must have thought you have arrived to tell me somebody died."

Martha, eh? "I needed to remain unnoticed, see… Usually, nobody spares an additional look at someone dressed like this."

"Usually," the Doctor nodded at her.

"She's found me very suspicious, I think," Rose shrugged at him. "I tried my best not to tell her anything. About myself, about you. Us. Is this okay?"

"I gathered," the alien spoke teasingly. The look on her face… "Of course it's okay. But are you okay?"

At that moment, the young companion was feeling better than she had in a long while. "Does it look any different?"

Her eyes were sparkling with joy and excitement… something the Time Lord realised he had been missing immensely. He replied with a shrug. "So you won't object to me running some tests on you, yes?"

Going through various tests and examinations was the very last thing she wanted, even if with the right person in the right universe, but Rose could see he only wanted the best for her. Besides, this might have meant he-

"Yes. All right," a small smile was playing on her lips. The Doctor was a doctor, after all.

He was smiling at her the entire time, having helped her remove all of her sombre clothes at first, his surprise at her non-existent objections about him helping her disappearing the moment he learnt this was but the upper layer of her clothing. It felt somewhat cheeky – just what Rose would have done on intention – albeit this was not the case. These dark, not at all Rose-like garments must have reminded her of some painful experience, he could tell, as her face seemingly enlightened the moment she was no longer covered in them.

"Burn those down, could you?"

The Doctor nodded, eyeing her unusually meagre figure with worry. "I'll have to nourish you back to your earlier self first," he smirked.

"Can't wait," she could not take her eyes off him and grinned, realising he kept watching her as well.

"That's weird," the alien shrugged at the companion hopelessly. "The TARDIS won't give me any results of the analysis whatsoever." He did not know if it worried or amused him more, as Rose appeared as if she had known this was coming.

"Just so you know, Doctor- I do not intend to leave you ever again…" Rose assured him, her lips once again curled into a sincere smile.

"Does this mean you are not going to mysteriously disappear the moment I turn away?"

"It depends," she gave him the familiar tongue-between-teeth smile, as if negating the deceptive expression. "Can we assume all is fine with me?"

"As I see it, you are perfectly fine, Rose," the Doctor said, allowing the double-entendre sink in. "But I think we should go meet Martha and Jack – who knows what kind of wicked things they might have planned for us?" He had to admit whatever Jack and Martha were talking about did not interest him at all. Neither it did interest Rose, and the Time Lord knew the Captain could be reasonable enough when it was necessary. Not disclosing the blonde's identity, for one thing.

"Hey, Doc! Is everything all right?" Jack smirked at Rose, who rolled her eyes at him. "I would suggest we left the ladies alone for a bit," he nearly pushed the puzzled alien aside, to a place where he had been hiding earlier – a very suitable one. Without having explained anything, he grinned smugly at him. "Listen, and don't make much noise." It was clear soon enough they could hear every single thing without being seen.

While it was very much against the Doctor's morals, he pushed them away for this once, assuring himself he could stop listening at any moment.


The more recent companion began the conversation with what has undoubtedly interested her more than the identity of the unfamiliar woman. "I'm not the only one smitten with the Doctor, then?"

Rose did not feel like negating anything at this point. It seemed only natural to her every other woman was attracted to the Doctor. Just her luck? Or his charms?

"S'ppose not," she admitted quietly. "Although my mum used to say I was infatuated with him. Same thing, really…"

A rival, then? Martha shook her head at the stupid idea. Of course, she was blonde and pretty… But not even she could win against the mysterious Rose.

"Too bad he keeps fantasising about somebody else, eh?" If she couldn't win him over, neither would this one…

As the blonde's face remained completely blank, the dark-haired companion decided to speak up. "Rose something-or-other," Martha furrowed her brow.

The blonde was suddenly overtaken by a sudden coughing fit. This was getting better and better… She waited for it to pass, knowing her secret wish to snog the Time Lord senseless was very likely just a few steps away from coming true… If he did love her, just as she has dared to hope… "Is it Rose Tyler, by any chance?"

Martha was puzzled about the sudden turn of conversation, but answered nonetheless. "Not sure about the last name, but, now that I think of it… Yes. Did you know her?"

"A bit, yeah."

Great…

"What was she like? Must have been somehow special, I can't remember a day without him mentioning her name," she grimaced.

The fair-haired companion was savouring the words, fighting hard not to appear too gleeful. "We weren't that close, me and her." Rose kept asking herself inwardly why she could not simply tell the other girl her name, but thought it best to keep the ball rolling for the time being. After all, neither the Doctor nor Jack seemed to be against this.

"But they were, Rose and the Doctor?"

"The Doctor. In the TARDIS, with Rose Tyler. Just as it should be," the blonde spoke dreamily, averting her eyes. "They were close, yes."

"How close?"

"Not close enough," the Doctor interrupted, suddenly appearing between them and shaking his head at Martha. "That's what I get for leaving you alone with strangers? A questioning session?"

"I was interested, that's all."

He grimaced. "Discussing my personal affairs with her?"

"I haven't-"

"If it interests you so bloody much, why not ask me?"

"I'm sorry!" She could see the Doctor was furious. Maybe not as furious as she knew he could be - but Martha would not have wished that on anyone.

"I can tell you now, though. Everything you want to know. It wouldn't bother her," he motioned vaguely towards Rose, "because she knows," the Doctor sent her a small smile that was returned at once.

"I love her."

"You do, Doctor?" Rose's small voice asked for a much needed confirmation.

"Yes. Tell her. Please." This was the game Rose was more than willing to get involved in. Pretending to be someone else, while still being herself…

The other girl rolled her eyes at the alien. "Is this where your "I will find her" determination ends, Doctor?" Martha shook her head incredulously. "You ask your friends to tell those words for her?" She could not lie to herself – this had more or less opened her the path she had always wanted to follow… Too bad this meant that nameless girl could also fight for his attention. She was no fool and saw the Time Lord was not indifferent towards the blonde.

"Is this all you want to tell her, Doctor?"

"No. I wish I had fought harder."

"What about the mysterious sentence?" Martha believed the sooner the Rose-business was over and done with, the more chances she'd have.

The blonde stared at him, tears pooling in her eyes. "You don't have to, Doctor."

"I must."

"Don't. Please, don't." All of a sudden, she was terrified of his upcoming words.


A/N. Teaser, am I? But we all know what the Doctor is about to say, yes? :D