The Other Side Of Me
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Previously, In Chapter Six ...
The Doctor and Rose sat around the Console Room for a while - he working beneath the console, she pacing around it - much like when this had all begun.
"I wish it would just happen all ready," Rose said, stubbing the tip of her shoe into the grating below her.
The Doctor poked his head out from below, looking at her with sympathy. "I'm sorry I don't know how to trigger it. Would make it much simpler if I could actually figure that out."
Rose sat down in the captain's chair. "'S all right. It's not your fault."
He shook his head, knowing she was right, then began descending back beneath the flooring again.
"Doctor?"
His head poked back up, giving Rose his undivided attention.
"You saw everything the other Doctor and Rose were doing when I was in her world, in her. Right?"
He cleared his throat, then looked confidently at her. "Only what you allowed me to see when I joined your mind."
"So, what did you think?"
"What do you mean?"
"About ... us. I mean, the other us. We're, we're lovers, in that parallel world."
The Doctor pulled himself up from beneath the grating and walked to Rose, only stopping to sit beside her.
"What did you think about that?" he quietly asked her, watching her facial expressions closely.
Rose looked around the room a moment, then returned her eyes to his. "I liked it. I mean, I was kind of stunned at first, but, well, it just felt like it was, well, like it was meant to be. What do you think about it?"
The Doctor stood, a slight flush rising to his face as he walked back over to the center console. He turned towards her then, speaking as he moved to go back down below it. "I think, Rose Tyler, that after all this mess is over with, you and I need to ... explore our options."
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Chapter Seven
Happy Thoughts
Rose didn't know how long she'd been smiling, but figured it was long enough, since her cheeks were beginning to sting. The Doctor had said they needed to 'explore their options'. Well, she had certainly enjoyed 'exploring' a few with the other Doctor.
She'd never thought that he actually wanted that sort of relationship. Although, it did seem he was quite smitten with the lovely Reinette. That thought raised her blood pressure a notch or two. Still, he'd never really attempted to take that extra step with her, and when it came down to it, she was willing to be happy with what he did give of himself, rather than have nothing at all.
Her thoughts wandered to the other Doctor: his hands caressing her body, his lips touching hers, and she couldn't help the tingle that ran through her. The thrill of his touch warmed her. And if she felt this much excitement with only those few encounters from the parallel Doctor, she could only imagine what her Doctor could make her feel. God, she wanted to get their predicament done and over with - now! Then they could move onto other things, as promised.
Other, closer things. Closer proximity to things. Touching things. Tasting ... things.
Damned Doctor and his damned tongue, tasting everything. No wonder her thoughts were all over the place.
Rose shook her head.
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The Doctor stood above the grating, watching Rose as she sat where he'd left her, sitting on the bench. Her eyes were glassy and unfocused; her posture was stiff. She seemed to be daydreaming, but as he called her name, he got no response.
He walked quickly towards her, sitting himself right beside her as he waved his hand in front of her eyes, but she didn't flinch. She was frozen in place, like stone.
Not knowing what to do other than wait, he held her hand, hoping she'd be able to talk to his parallel self. Her eyes closed as her body seemed to relax. He wished he could do the same, but at least he didn't feel so panicked this time.
Rose had gone over to the parallel universe again.
The Doctor just wanted this to be over with. He didn't like being trapped - he preferred having control of his surroundings. He practically laughed at himself. Didn't everyone want to be in control of what happened to them? Perhaps that was why he had never tried to pursue more from Rose in a personal relationship. If they were to succumb to their feelings, he knew he'd have no control. He knew he all ready cared too much. Wanted so much. Needed so, so much.
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Rose looked around the TARDIS, watching the Doctor as he finally lifted himself from beneath the grating, hopefully finished with working on the ship, this time.
"Still with me?" he asked, smiling as he walked toward her.
"Sure I am. Wouldn't be anywhere else, 'cept in that other dimension-universe thing. But I haven't seemed to've gone there yet."
The Doctor gave her a quizzical grin as he slipped down beside her on the bench. "What's all this?" he asked.
Rose looked at him. "I mean, I haven't turned into a zombie again, have I?"
His smile fell slightly. "Are you feeling all right?"
"Course I am. Just sittin' here, still waitin'."
"Waiting for what? For me?"
"No silly, the other you. Did you hit your head or somethin' down there?"
"Rose? What's going on?" The Doctor looked truly worried, and Rose couldn't help but melt a little at the sight of him. But she didn't swoon. Instead, she turned her eyes away from him and looked closely at the center console. The really shiny, center console.
"Oh!" she said, suddenly standing and backing up a little.
"Rose?" The Doctor stood up slowly, as if perhaps readying to approach an injured animal.
"It's not what you're thinkin'."
"And what is it you think I'm thinking?" he asked, stepping slowly towards her.
Rose met him step for step, she going backwards as he moved forward. "You think somethin's wrong with me, but it's not."
"Well, now that you mention it, you are acting a little ... odd."
"Could you just, you know, stand still for a moment?" she asked, watching him as he stepped closer while she had backed into the center console.
"Did something happen to you while I was working on the ship?" he asked, scratching his brow.
"No. But, you see, what I'm about to tell you, well, I really need you to sit down first. I'm okay - really. But you need to sit so I can talk to you."
"Are you sure you're feeling all right?"
"A little nervous maybe, but well, that's all."
The Doctor looked at her closely for a moment, then dropped his shoulders in submission and turned away from her, walking to the bench and sitting down.
"Comfy?" Rose asked with a nervous grin.
The Doctor simply raised his eyebrows.
"Okay." She walked a few paces to his left, then walked a few more to the right, gathering her thoughts. "It's really funny, it is," she began, then paced a bit more. Finally, she stopped in front of him. "You see, I'm, well, I'm not really who you think I am. I mean, I'm Rose Tyler, but I'm not your Rose Tyler. I'm actually from a parallel universe."
The Doctor let out the breath he'd been holding, exhaling loudly. Then he began chuckling. When he finally calmed down, he smiled at her. "Thank goodness that's all it is. For a moment there I thought you were going to tell me you were pregnant."
Rose simply gaped at him, unable to form a retort to his words right away.
"Would that be a bad thing?" she finally managed to ask.
"No, actually, it wouldn't." His eyes left hers for a moment, as if he were contemplating the idea.
"So tell me about this parallel universe you were going on about then," he said all of a sudden, once again giving her his undivided attention.
Rose sat down beside the Doctor, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. "I'm from another one - on the other side of the black hole. You said - the other you - my Doctor - he said that it's the reason we're stuck in the Vortex an' can't get out. But he figured out that I was travelin' between them, an' he thought that if I talked to you about it then you and he could maybe figure out how he and I can get unstuck, because maybe you'd've gone through this whole bein' stuck in the Vortex thing before where he hasn't. Yet. Somethin' about us all bein' similar but not exactly the same." Rose shook her head. Even she didn't find it believable, and she was the one traveling back and forth between the universes.
"What are the differences Rose, between your universe and mine?"
"You believe me?" She was quite shocked.
"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"
"I dunno. S'pose because it sounds so far-fetched an' all."
"That's why it's so believable," he grinned.
"Well, your console is lots shinier than ours. Oh! An' in his room, you've still got that green lamp - but his is gone."
"Yes, I've been meaning to get rid of that thing - the stones keep falling away."
"That's why he got rid of his. But I'd never been in his room before, and when he joined my mind he saw the differences. That's when he figured out that I must be travelin' between the two worlds - universes - you know - between yours an' mine. He pointed out the stuff that wasn't the same."
The Doctor stood suddenly, turning himself to face Rose. "So you're telling me that it's been you here with me these last few days, not my Rose?" His expression showed mild distress.
"No! I mean, I was with you, but, well, we never, I mean, it didn't get that far between us. When I've been here, on this side, it's been in little amounts of time. An' I was back with my Doctor before you and I ever ..."
"All righty then," he interjected quickly, scratching the back of his neck nervously. He took a moment to absorb the information, then returned to the other questions he had.
The Doctor looked closely at Rose. "So, you've never been in his room?"
Rose looked away from him for a moment, returning her eyes to him with a sad little smile. "We're not like that, in our universe. We've never ..."
"He has no idea what he's missing," he spoke softly, noting her suddenly sad expression.
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