Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who or any of the characters found therein.

Reviews would be wonderful but I'll keep posting chapters weekly regardless. Also, a special shout-out to gabrielleizzy45 for her encouragement. Check out her story "A Human Wife" as it is well worth the time.

Once again, thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites. I hope you continue to enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

Rose's hopes about not looking like a French maid were dashed since she didn't have the Doctor's handy dandy physic paper to get her into the party as a guest. She wore a black dress with a white lacy apron as she carried a plate of drinks around for the party guests, glad that she had managed to sneak into the party as staff. The men were all dressed in tuxes - even the help. Her cheeks heated as she imagined the Doctor in a tux. His normal suits made him look foxy enough but a tuxedo would probably set her pulse racing so much he'd confine her to the medical bay for examination. If she didn't snog his brains out first, that is.

Giving her head a shake to get rid of the teasing fantasy, she reminded herself that the best way to learn what was going on was to be on staff. The staff was virtually invisible - which she had learned was one of the best things to be. She could eavesdrop on conversations, mix and mingle, and hear all the information she needed in one night. She could also get a good look at her "parents" and probably get caught up on the gossip about them without raising any suspicions. In a few hours, she might know for certain if she were the reason that Pete Tyler was dead in her world and her mother was doomed to live in a tiny council flat. Though, if she did find out that she was the cause of her father's death and her mother's inability to move up in the world, Rose wasn't certain she'd ever be able to forgive herself. She still wasn't sure if she could stop blaming herself for the Doctor's departure, either, as she was now more and more certain it was her fault.

As she moved through the crowds, finding out that this parallel Great Britain had a President and not a Prime Minister, Rose wondered if the guest of honor would ever make an appearance. No sooner did the thought cross her mind than she heard her father's voice calling out, requesting silence and patience. She moved so that she could get a good look at him, her heart pounding in her chest to see what her father would have looked like had he lived. He looked just like the man she had met before, except he was losing his hair and there were wrinkles more prominent around his eyes. Other than those small changes, he looked happier than Rose had ever seen him, even in photographs.

Pete Tyler stood on the stairs, looking around awkwardly at his numerous guests. Rose's heart went out to him. She wanted to fling herself at him, to weep against his chest and feel him stroke her hair and tell her that she was his little girl and he was so proud of everything she had accomplished in her twenty years. She wanted to tell him of the Doctor leaving her for a French tart and hear him tell her that if the Doctor couldn't see how wonderful Rose Tyler was, he was an idiot and didn't deserve her. She wanted him to be the father she never had. But, she held herself rigid and reminded herself who she was. It was one thing to fantasize, but another to actually act on those fantasies. She needed to know exactly what was going on in this parallel world and figure out a way to fix it like the Doctor would have.

"Thank you all for coming on this very special occasion," Pete Tyler, magnate of Vitex Industries, was saying. "My wife's 39th." The crowds chuckled as some of them remembered her 39th that had occurred the year before. Rose fought to hide a grin. Her mum was forty and she was sure her mum had made sure her husband specified her age. Still, feminine vanity seemed to be universal. Or multi-versal as the case may be. "Trust me, on this," Pete continued, giving a thumbs-up as was his famous logo. "So, without any further ado, here she is. The birthday girl, my lovely wife, Jackie Tyler."

The crowd applauded as Rose's mum walked down the stairs, much more elegantly than her Jackie Tyler had ever walked. She was dressed in a smart black dress that clung to her, emphasizing her figure in a way that bordered on inappropriate. Rose blinked in surprise. Her mother was really a beautiful woman. Suddenly, she felt like a dirty child, covered in mud and pretending she was a princess. She would never be half as beautiful as her mum nor a quarter-graceful as Madame du Pompadour. No wonder the Doctor had left her. No wonder at all.

"Now, I'm not giving a speech," Jackie began, looking elegant and gracious. Being among such a posh crowd seemed right and fitting for her. It really was a shame that Rose's mother had never had such opportunities back in her own universe. "That's what my parties are famous for. No work. No politics. Just a few good mates – and plenty of black market whiskey." The crowd chuckled and Jackie turned to smile at the President. "Pardon me, Mr. President." Addressing the crowd once more, she grinned, "So yeah, get on with it. Enjoy." Applause rippled through the hallway as Rose watched her mother and father descend the stairs. They looked so happy. They were so rich. It was everything her parents had ever thought to dream of.

And she didn't exist.

They had each other in this universe. Back home, her mother had no one. Not even her anymore. Her mother hadn't really had Rose since the Doctor had grabbed her hand and said, "Run!"

When her mother called out for "Rose," her heart nearly beat its way out of her chest that she had recognized her daughter across the universes. When a little Yorkshire terrier answered and Jackie picked it up, exclaiming over it like it was the most precious thing in existence, Rose Tyler, alien from a parallel universe, thought she would never feel so tiny and unimportant again no matter how long she lived. It may have been funny to some, but to her it was as if the fragile protection around her heart that she had managed to rebuild had shattered.

"No wonder the Doctor left me," she muttered as she looked down at the ground in shame. "I'm worth less than a damned dog."

Squaring her shoulders against the pain, Rose began moving among the guests again, determined not to do anything else to draw attention to herself. After all, it's not like she was important. It's not like she was worth anything.

No wonder the Doctor had left her.

She hoped he had found the kind of love with Reinette that would make him happy like Rose could never make him. She hoped that the pair of them had a dozen children, as many as was possible. She hoped that the Doctor's life was filled with bliss beyond imagining. She hoped that he forgot about Rose Tyler, forgot what a burden she had been to him. She only wished that she could forget herself as well.

And she hoped, desperately, that something would come along and kill her any second now before her heart broke any more.

Mickey sat in a chair, his arms awkwardly bound behind him. Blond-spiky bloke was scanning him with some kind of weird wand. It reminded him of the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. That thought led him on a mental rant about what a right bastard that alien had turned out to be.

"He's clean. No bugs."

"But this is off the scale," Mickey's counterpart muttered, staring at him with a mix of anger and confusion. "He's flesh and blood. How did that happen?"

"Well, it could be that Cybus Industries have perfected the science of human cloning?" Mrs. Moore suggested, knowing that this never could have happened so perfectly. "Or your father had a bank."

Ricky stared at Mickey as he walked around him, sizing him up and finding nothing abnormal. "And your name is Mickey?"

"Mickey," he agreed, terrified that his alternate self wouldn't believe him. "Dad was Jackson Smith. Used to work at a key-cutters in Clifton Parade. Went to Spain. Never came back."

"But that's my dad," Ricky growled, bending at the waist near Mickey's ear. "So…we're brothers?"

"Be fair," blond-spike bloke grinned in amusement, he was enjoying the sight of two Ricky's sparring back and forth. "What else could it be?"

"I don't know," Ricky spat. "But he doesn't just look like me. He is exactly the same. There's something else going on here."

"So…so who are you lot?" Mickey asked in a rush.

"We? We are the preachers. As in gospel truth. You see – no earpods. While the rest of the world downloads from Cybus Industries, we – we have got freedom." Ricky had moved around and was squatting in front of Mickey. His eyes were angry and his jaw clenched and Mickey was sure his face was the exact mirror reflection of his. "You're talking to London's Most Wanted. But target number one is Lumic and we are going to bring him down," Ricky promised.

"From your kitchen?" Mickey asked.

Ricky and blond-spike shared a glance. "Have you got a problem with that?"

"No. It's a good kitchen," Mickey said. The last thing he should do right now would be to piss off this group even more. There was no way he could get out of their trap right now and knew Rose wouldn't even notice if he didn't return now.

The tense silence was broken by Mrs. Moore. A tone sounded from some electronic device. "It's an upload from Gemini," she said.

"Who's Gemini?" Mickey asked.

"The vans are back," she continued, ignoring his question. Ricky had stood back up but was glaring at Mickey as if he wanted to tear his twin apart. "They're moving out of Batta-C. Looks like Gemini was right. Lumic's finally making a move."

"And we are right behind him," Ricky said, giving a jerk of his head. "Pack up, we're leaving."

Mickey was released and taken to the van. They sat in the dark, waiting until some other vans appeared out of the night, taking the road in front of them. They followed, the passengers loading and cocking rifles. Mickey looked scared and confused by the unknown procedure. He barely knew the first thing about guns other than where the trigger was. Rose knew a little bit from what she had learned from that American girl she'd been friends with. God, he wished Rose were here to get him out of this mess. Or to at least tell him how to shoot the damned gun. He had a feeling he was going to wish he'd paid more attention to Rose and her letters from that American girl before the night was over.

He just hoped the night wouldn't end with him being shot. Rose had lost the Doctor and that had broken her more than he knew. He wasn't certain if she'd be able to stand losing anyone else as well. True, she loved the Doctor so much that Mickey wished the two of them would just get on with it but he was still her best mate and always would be. He had taught her how to take a bloke down if one ever got too free with his hands. They were a good pair together and had great times. "Doctor," he thought silently, "where ever you are, I hope you know that, if I die, you'll probably never see Rose again. But if you do, treat her better than you have, okay? She's Rose Tyler. She deserves better than me…or even you."

Rose made her way through the crowds with her empty tray tucked under her arm. She was heading back to the kitchen to reload it. With an empty tray, she would stand out in the crowd and she didn't want to burden anyone with looking at her face. The staff wasn't supposed to loll about even if it was a party. It was their job to tend to the guests, the only thing she was good for now. Even then she didn't seem to be doing that good of a job as she had already bumped into several people and spilled a glass of champagne on the ornate carpet.

As she made her way to the kitchen a darkened room with only a faint blue light in it caught her eye. She glanced around – no one was watching her as usual. Quickly, she accessed the information she needed. Mickey's interest in computers had rubbed off on her and the TARDIS's own lessons had deepened her knowledge further. She would never be as good as either of them, but she could hold her own nowadays. What she found made her stomach clench. Hurrying back off to the kitchens, she refilled her plate and then moved back into the room. Pete Tyler walked over to her and stopped right next to her. His eyes were watching his wife and a smile was on his lips.

"I remember her twenty-first," he said off-handedly. "A pint of cider in the George."

"Champagne?" Rose asked politely. Pete turned and looked at her, as if he hadn't noticed her there before.

"Ah. Might as well," he replied, lifting a glass off the tray. The way he looked at Rose made her heart melt and her resolve to stay disconnected waver. "I am paying for it."

"Big night for you," Rose said conversationally. God, how she wanted to hug him and tell him who she was!

"Well, for her," he replied, nodding towards his wife who was clearly enjoying her party. "Still, she's happy."

"And she should be," Rose responded with aplomb. "It's a great party."

"Do you think?"

"You can trust me," Rose grinned, holding the tray with one hand while giving a thumbs-up with the other. Pete laughed at her slight mistake in his signature move.

"You can trust me on this," he laughed, with a wink as he displayed the correct motion.

"That's it, sorry," Rose smiled. The two of them shared a laugh for the first time. "So…um," Rose began. "How long have you two been married?"

"Twenty years."

"And no kids?"

"We kept putting it off. She said she didn't want to spoil her figure."

"It's not too late," Rose sighed, imagining having a baby brother. Of course, she was such a burden that Jackie hardly ever had time to even think about a child but in this universe Rose hoped she could have another baby. "She's only forty."

"Thirty-nine," Pete corrected her, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Oh, right," Rose grinned conspiratorially. "Thirty-nine." She and Pete shared another laugh. It was almost too perfect to enjoy, sharing a laugh with her departed father.

"Still too late," he said sadly. "I moved out last month. But, we're gonna keep it quiet. You know, it's bad for business." He seemed to regain some sense of himself. Of course he wouldn't want to talk to her, it had been an accident that she felt wanted for a few measly seconds. "Why am I telling you all of this? We haven't met before, have we? I dunno," he muttered, confused. "You just seem sort of…"

"What?" Rose asked, her heart pounding and sweat forming under her arms and on her palms. She couldn't let her hopes get up in such a way, it would only cause more heartbreak later on when everyone left her again.

"I dunno. Just sort of…right," he replied, even more confused than before. He stared at her for a long moment before turning to chat with someone worthy of his attention. "Stevie, how's things?" he asked, walking away from Rose. She bit her lower lip to stop the tears she felt forming in her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and die right then and there.

Forcing herself to stand upright, Rose continued her role as serving-girl, very fitting for what she was worth. She would deal with the pain later. Much later.

Mickey sat in the truck with Mrs. Moore. She and Ricky were talking over a walky-talky. "I've identified the address," she said. "It belongs to Peter Tyler. The Vitex millionaire."

"Pete Tyler?" Mickey said, disbelief clear in his voice. That was Rose's dad so he was sure he would find her there. He just didn't know what sort of state she would be in there once she found out her parents had no idea who she was.

"He's listed as one of Lumic's henchmen," she explained. "A traitor to the State."

"We…we gotta get in there," Mickey said breathlessly. Poor Rose. As much as she had hurt him lately, he understood how much pain she had to suffer through.

"Shut it, duplicate," Ricky growled. "That's what I just said." There was a beat of silence then, "What are they doing?" Mickey could hear loud stomping over the walky-talky. "What the hell are they?"

Rose wandered through the mansion. She spied Jackie sitting outside by herself. Deciding to take a risk, she walked out onto the balcony, still carrying her tray of champagne. "Mrs. Tyler, is there anything I can get you?" she asked politely.

"The last twenty years back," Jackie replied with no sense of humor in her voice. She glanced over at Rose as if she was wondering why the help was still standing next to her.

"I can manage a glass of champagne," Rose said, uncertain of how to continue. "Or a nice cup of tea?"

"Oh, that would do me," Jackie said with a smile as she turned to regard the young woman. Rose decided to take a risk. Moving to sit down on the bench next to Jackie, she set the tray on her lap. Just because things hadn't worked out with Pete, maybe she would have more luck with Jackie. "Mum would love that. She'd stay up all night just for that last glass of tea."

"Oh, I'm the same," Jackie grinned.

"Two sugars."

"And me. And Pete always says, 'You know…" she cut off sadly. "Never mind him."

"I was talking to him earlier. He's a nice man. You know, a bit of a joke, I suppose, even if he has got money but he's a good bloke. But the most…he's worth a second chance."

"Are you commenting on my marriage?" Jackie demanded as her voice suddenly turned to ice. If there was one thing Jackie did not tolerate was outsiders telling her what she was doing wrong in her life.

"No, I was just…"

"Who the hell do you think you are? You're staff. You're nothing but staff. You're just a serving girl for God's sake. And you are certainly not getting paid tonight. Don't you dare talk to me," she snarled as she rose from the bench and went back into the house. Rose stared at the tray on her lap in shame for thinking she was worthy of anything. She was nothing, absolutely nothing. Her own mother's alter ego had said so. Her own father's alter ego didn't even recognize her. She was nothing.

No wonder the Doctor had left her.

Before she had a chance to ruminate on that thought, a bright light flashed from somewhere in the distance. Rose heard loud, clomping steps, as if steel were hitting stone. She blinked and squinted, trying to see what was coming. Her eyes wouldn't focus in the harsh light and she began wondering if maybe she needed glasses. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought of the way the Doctor would pull his glasses out of his coat pocket's inner lining and settle them on his nose, his big, chocolate-brown eyes peering through them as he studied whatever it was. Her own hazel-nut eyes wouldn't look as good, she knew, distracting herself from the fear of whatever it was tramping its way up the drive to kill her.

"This is our greatest step into cyberspace," the voice from the computer she'd listened to earlier whispered in her mind. "The ultimate upgrade." The shadows on the lawn resolved themselves into metallic humanoid shapes. She darted back into the house and made her way to a window, leaving her tray sitting on the bench she and Jackie had shared. She watched as this army of metal men made their way closer and closer. A sense of wrongness washed over her. Somewhere…perhaps in the Time Vortex…she had caught a glimpse of these creatures. "Cybermen," she whispered, putting a name to the horror as she realized exactly what she was staring at. "Not again," she muttered, unaware that she was no longer speaking English.

Windows shattered and guests began screaming in fright. Rose huddled against the wall, hoping to go un-noticed in the crush of terrified people. She was good at that lately and she needed the aspect of surprise when she confronted the monsters marching towards them.

"Mr. Lumic," the President of Great Britain said.

"Mr. President," a voice answered. "I suppose a remark about crashing the party would be appropriate at this point, sir."

"I forbade this," the President said.

"These are my children, sir. Would you deny my family?"

"These are worse than robots," Rose thought to herself as she stared at the horrific creatures of metal and worse blocking off the entrances. How she knew this, she did not know. All she did know was that this could not be. She must put an end to it. It was her duty. It was what the Doctor would have done if he was her.

Even if it killed her. Especially if it killed her.

"Who were these people?" the President demanded.

"It doesn't matter," the voice of Lumic replied angrily.

"I demand to know, Lumic! These people, who were they?"

"They were homeless and wretched and useless until I saved them and elevated them and gave them life eternal!" Lumic's voice boomed so loudly that Rose could hear it even without earpods. Her stomach twisted as she took in the fullness of the abominations. Human beings, their brains stripped out of their bodies, welded into skins of steel. Their emotions were removed because it would hurt too much if they could feel anything. She could understand that. It might be nice to get a bit of relief from the constant pain that threatened to crush her. But it was wrong and she felt bile rise to her throat. "And now I leave you in their capable hands. Good night, sir. Good night, Mr. President," the voice abruptly cut off. One of the creatures approached the President and stared at him out of cold, dead, dark eye sockets.

"We have been upgraded," a metallic voice said.

"Into what?" Rose asked.

"Into the next level of mankind. We are human point two. Every citizen will receive a free upgrade. You will become like us."

"I'm sorry," the President said. "I'm so sorry for what's been done to you. But listen to me," he pleaded with a politician's practiced voice, sure that his authority would cause some sort of reaction. "This experiment ends tonight."

"Upgrading is compulsory," the robotic voice replied.

"And if I refuse?" the President asked, confidence still present in his tone. "What if I refuse? What happens if I refuse?"

"Then you are not compatible," the robot who had long ago been human replied.

"What happens then?"

"You will be deleted," the steel man said as it reached up an arm and placed it on the President's shoulder. Electricity shot out of its hand and the President's body began to tremble in its grasp. His eyes rolled up in his head and he collapsed to the ground, dead. The rest of the party guests screamed and began scattering. Rose ran as well, desperate to be anywhere but here. There was no way in hell she was going to be turned into some freaky cyborg.

Even if it meant that maybe, just maybe, she'd be able to stop hurting so much.

Better the pain than this though. This nothingness that meant she wouldn't be able to love the Doctor anymore.

As she listened to the people scream, Rose had to remind herself that this wasn't her world. The Tylers in there were not her parents. She had to convince herself that it wasn't her duty to save their lives this time. If she could escape…she could figure out a way to put a stop to this. That's what the Doctor would want her to do.

And that's what Rose Tyler would do. No matter the cost.

As she leapt out of one of the broken windows, she saw Pete Tyler follow her. "Is there a way out?" she demanded, reaching back to grab his hand. It didn't fit hers as well as the Doctor's had but it still felt right.

"The side gate," he answered as they ran. "Who are you? How do you know so much?"

"You wouldn't believe it in a million years," she answered. As they ran, she spied two figures running up towards them. "Who's that?" she wondered aloud.

"Get behind me!" she heard Mickey's voice shout at her. She ran behind him and another bloke – a guy with spiky hair – and ducked. They had automatic rifles. Rose hadn't seen one of those in years and now she hated the site of guns just like the Doctor. Not since her last trip to the United States to visit her mate Maggie. She couldn't believe she had been so fascinated with them in the past, the thought disgusted her now. They opened fire, spraying the metal men with a barrage of bullets that Rose knew would be useless. The Cybermen could overpower the whole world.

"Oh my God, look at you," she said to Mickey, wrapping her arms around him and pulling his face to her shoulder. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

Mickey pulled away and glared at her. Apparently Mickey didn't want her anymore either, no surprise there though. "Yeah. No offense, sweetheart, but who the hell are you?"

She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see another Mickey running towards her. "Rose!" he called out. "That's not me. That's like…the other one."

The metal men surrounded them. The spiky-haired bloke kept firing. "Stop!" Rose shouted. "Bullets won't hurt them." She'd heard enough ricochets and had learned enough from Maggie to know that metal just bounced against metal unless you were packing some serious power. Like Abrams tank serious. "Put the guns down," she ordered those with her, hoping her voice sounded confident. "Put your hands up. We surrender!" she shouted to the metal men. "There's no need to damage us. We're good stock. We…volunteer for the upgrade program. Take us to be processed."

"You are rogue elements," came that tinny, robotic reply.

"But we surrender," Rose protested.

"You are incompatible."

"But this is a surrender."

"You will be deleted."

"We're surrendering!" Rose cried, tears welling in her eyes. She felt as if she had lived through this before. It felt as if every moment of every time had already happened to her and she was just walking through past memories. She hoped this wouldn't continue for the rest of her life, that is if she wasn't killed right now. "Listen to me, we surrender!"

"You are inferior and will be reborn as Cybermen and you will perish of maximum deletion. Delete, delete, delete, delete," the voice repeated, reminding Rose eerily of her encounter with the Daleks. One of the Cybermen reached towards her and she cringed as she waited for the metal to touch her. It would be a relief to allow death to take her, but she still had so much to do. It wasn't time yet.

Better the pain than living as a heartless, emotionless robot. Better the agony than forgetting the love she had for the Doctor, the love she would never give up.

She could hear a song ringing through her mind. Stretching out a hand, she pointed it at one of the Cybermen. Golden light surrounded her and then shot out from her hand to the Cybermen. They screamed and then faded into dust as the very atoms of their existence were erased.

Rose sighed, her eyes rolling back into her head, as she tumbled to the cold ground.