Part 4

Stunned at the unexpected sight, for several long, nerve wracking moments the Doctor stared in the mirror in front of him, and an oh, so familiar face stared back. His dark brown eyes, his long thin nose, his slightly wonky ear, his freckles. His face, but not his. His reflection's hair was longer and sideburns slightly wider, and he was badly in need of a shave. Something he had evidently been about to do as shaving cream and a razor, as well as a toothbrush and toothpaste, sat next to a sink directly in front of him.

The Doctor could see in the reflection that they were in a bathroom with a large jetted tub and a separate, glass enclosed shower. Although it was not up to TARDIS standards, it was a fairly stylish bathroom actually, and he realized that in all the times he had been telepathically linked to his other self, he had been so focused on Rose that he had never noticed their surroundings before. Were they at the mansion, he wondered. Their own flat?

As he stared at himself—as they stared at each other?—the Doctor wondered whether the other knew he was here. He couldn't sense the other's thoughts at all, as if they were behind a brick wall, tightly shielded. As were his own, he reminded himself. The mere fact he couldn't sense the other mentally could mean nothing, but he should withdraw before he got caught.

"Are you going to be in here all day?"

He turned sharply to the sound of Rose's voice. She stood in the doorway, only wearing an off-white lacy vest and matching knickers. His other self quickly turned back to the mirror after seeing her, but even that brief glimpse of her had been enough to cause his own breath to catch and hearts rate to increase back on the TARDIS.

"Just finishing up," the other Doctor said, and as always due to the link it was as if he had said it himself.

"I have to get ready, too, you know," she told him, "and I haven't even showered yet. Although…" Her demeanor changed. She grinned at him, her tongue touching her upper teeth, and when she spoke again, it was in a low, seductive tone. "You could join me."

"I've already showered," he answered.

"So? It wouldn't be the first time you showered twice."

She had crossed over to him and was resting her chin on his shoulder, and he could see out of the corner of his eye she was giving him the look. The look he always caved in to. She looked up at him and batted her eyelashes and gave him a wide smile. Not to mention she was clearly visible in the mirror. From her blonde hair down to her upper thighs. The snug vest she wore hugged her curves and through the thin material he could just make out her dark pink areolas, while through her knickers he could just barely see the dark curls at the apex of her thighs.

He could feel his other self weakening. He didn't blame him. In fact, he was a bit surprised the other Doctor hadn't already begun undressing by now.

"You could scrub my back, and I could scrub yours," she continued. "Not to mention anything else you wanted me to… scrub."

Blimey.

He should go while he had the chance, he thought, before the other Doctor realized he was here. But he couldn't bring himself to break the connection. Not with Rose right there. Wearing what she was wearing. And saying things like that.

He felt his brow furrow and found himself looking down at the counter. His other self was seemingly concentrating on putting toothpaste on his toothbrush.

"Maybe later," he said.

She shrugged. "Alright," she said, sounding slightly disappointed. She moved her hands to the hem of her top and began to pull it off. She had only managed to pull it to the bottom of her ribcage before he stopped her.

"What are you doing?" he asked quickly.

"I'm gonna take a shower," she said as if she was speaking to a three-year-old.

"But I'm still in here."

She stared at him. "So?" She shook her head in disbelief and began to pull off her top again.

"Wait," he said, and her hands froze again. "Before you do that, would you mind making us some tea? By the time you finish, I'll be done in here."

"Alright," she said again. "But you'd better be. I don't want to be late again because you couldn't decide what to do with your hair."

"Rose Tyler, we never were late because…" He turned back to her only to see she was giving him a cheeky grin. He rolled his eyes. "I'll be down in a minute."

She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a quick peck on the corner of his mouth before leaving the room, and he began to look in the mirror again.

With Rose off making tea the Doctor knew that she wouldn't be back any time soon. As much as he'd like to just spend time with her, apart from the sex, the risk of remaining, and possibly getting caught, while his other self wasn't distracted was too great. Time for a hasty retreat, the Doctor thought, and began to break the link.

But he found he couldn't.

He was stuck. His other self was holding him back, had grabbed him mentally and was holding on tight, preventing him from breaking away.

"I know you're there," he said quietly.

The Doctor tightened his mental shields and didn't respond.

"Don't bother pretending you aren't," he said. His voice was low and even, but the Doctor could feel his anger curling at the edges of their bond. "I know what you've been doing. You can't keep doing this. You have to stop."

"How long have you known?" he asked.

"Long enough to know this isn't anywhere near the first time. At first I thought it was my imagination, the echo in my head, thoughts that didn't seem to be mine. But then I realized it was you. You've been there all along, haven't you?"

"Not all the time."

"No," he scoffed, "just when I was with Rose." He curled his lip in disgust. "You've been watching us. What on Earth have you been thinking? What the hell is wrong with you? You getting off on watching us?"

The Doctor didn't answer, feeling a wave of shame and self-hatred that he couldn't completely hide. In the mirror, he saw the other Doctor's eyes widen in shock.

"You have been, haven't you?" he accused. "You've been wanking while watching us. How sick can you get?"

He felt an irrational surge of anger and poured it through the link, causing the other Doctor to stagger back a step. Again he tried to pull away mentally, and again he was stopped. He lashed out at his other self.

"Let me go," he ordered.

"No. Not until you promise you won't do this again."

"Alright," he told him, "I won't do this again."

The other Doctor glared at himself in the mirror. "You're lying. Do you really think I can't tell, particularly through the link? How stupid do you think I am?"

"Let go of me," the Doctor said coldly, "or I'll make you let go of me."

"Go ahead and try!"

Furious, the Doctor reached out and twisted the telepathic link between them. It was painful for both of them, but as he was in control of it, it was more painful for his other self. The other Doctor's hands flew to his temples and he cried out in agony, but he still managed to hold onto the connection. The Doctor twisted harder, but the bond between them still held.

"Let me go!" he roared.

"No!"

Finally exhausted by his efforts to twist the link, the Doctor let go, and the pain stopped as abruptly as it started. Clearly exhausted himself, the other Doctor hung onto the counter for support and gasped for air.

"Stronger than you thought I was, eh?" he panted, staring into his eyes in the mirror. "Didn't think a mere meta-crisis could hold out against a full Time Lord, did you? You forget, you're fighting me in my own body from an entirely different universe." The Doctor didn't answer, so he continued. "What is wrong with you? What the hell happened to you?"

"Doctor? Doctor, are you alright?" They both heard Rose's footfalls rushing towards them. She appeared in the doorway wearing a short dressing gown over her night clothes, her face full of concern.

"Yes," he answered. He gave her a bright smile. "Why do you ask?"

"I heard you yell all the way from the kitchen," she told him.

"Oh!" He shook his head. "That was nothing. Wasn't looking where I was going and hit my head on the door." He rubbed at a spot on the side of his head. "Just a bit startled by it is all."

"Didn't sound like you were just a bit startled. Let me see," she said, and he obediently bent down to let her look. She gently ran her fingers through his hair at the spot he had indicated. "I don't see anything…"

"That's because I'm fine. Honestly. Absolutely fine."

She frowned. "Are you sure? That was an awfully loud yell."

"Rose. Really, completely, one hundred percent fit as a fiddle. Now why don't you head back downstairs and I'll meet you there just as soon as I've finished shaving."

"Alright, but don't be too long or the tea's gonna be cold."

"I won't."

After she had been gone for a few moments, he returned to looking at himself in the mirror.

"I don't know what happened to you, but no matter what it is, you have to stop this. For your sake, and for hers. Don't you know what it would do to her to know what you've been doing, or are you so far gone that you don't care?"

"You know I care."

"I don't know anything anymore. I never thought you'd be capable of something like this."

"Don't be so quick to judge," he said sharply. "You look like me, you think like me… Isn't that what you said on the beach?" Disparagement crossed the link with his words. "You're me. You'd do the same thing in my position."

"And what exactly is your position?"

He didn't respond for a moment, and when he did his reply was so soft, it was barely a whisper.

"Alone."