"Here we are," the Doctor said pleasantly, landing the TARDIS with what seemed to Rose to be a bit more finesse than she was used to experiencing when either of her versions of the Doctor were doing the flying. She wondered if the fact that Gallifrey still existed for him contributed somehow to his TARDIS-flying prowess. Then she found herself trying to wrap her mind around the idea that in theory, he could actually take her to Gallifrey even though for her it had always not existed in some terrifyingly permanent way that meant the Doctor – her Doctor – could never go back there, even if he traveled back in time.
The thought gave her pause. What if, when he took her back to the proper universe, he tried to take her to Gallifrey? Were humans allowed on Gallifrey? When he'd said he had left Sarah Jane on Earth because humans weren't allowed there, he'd said they weren't allowed there then, which implied that at some other date – earlier? later? – they had been. Would it be possible for him to take her to a place that for her not only didn't exist but for all intents and purposes hadn't ever existed? What if the crossing of their timelines itself was enough to do damage, with Gallifrey existing and not existing at the same time in the same place?
"Rose?" The Doctor stepped over to where she was leaning against the railing and touched her shoulder lightly. "I said we're here."
"Oh, yeah," she said distractedly. "I was jus'… thinking." She pushed the confusing thoughts away. This was no time to be contemplating paradoxes and imploding universes, not when she was this close to cashing in her ticket home.
"About what?"
Rose looked up and met the Doctor's curious gaze. "Schrödinger's Cat," she said distinctly.
"Really?" the Doctor said with a smile. "I met him once. The cat," he added. "Not Schrödinger."
Rose shook her head and laughed lightly. "Of course you did." She skirted past the Doctor and headed towards the doors of the TARDIS. Upon opening them, she found herself in her living room. "Oh, well done," she said sincerely. "I won't be too long." She threw a glance over her shoulder. "There's tea things in the kitchen, if you like."
"I never pass on tea," he replied, following her out into her flat.
While the Doctor fixed himself a cup of tea, Rose whirled around her bedroom tossing clothes, toiletries, and a few other items such as photographs and some small knick-knacks into a medium-sized suitcase she'd dug out of her closet.
She'd just zipped up the suitcase when she caught sight of herself in the mirror above her dresser and realized that she was still wearing her suit from work. She sighed, but on the off chance that things didn't go as smoothly as the Doctor seemed to think they would, she thought it would be prudent to put on something a bit better-suited to running and sneaking about. She unzipped the suitcase again and pulled out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
A few minutes later, she lugged the suitcase out to her living room and found the Doctor placidly sitting on her couch drinking tea.
"I'm surprised you haven't deconstructed the stereo by now," she said dryly.
"Hmm?" the Doctor said, looking up from his teacup. "Do I do that later? How rude of me, I do apologize."
Rose managed to hold in her laughter for about a second, but then it bubbled out of her before she could stop it. "Don't worry," she said with a smile. "You usually put things back together in the same or better condition than you found them in. Usually," she said after a beat.
The Doctor said nothing, merely raised an eyebrow and drained the last of tea from his cup. "Ready for our next stop?" he asked.
Rose nodded. "Let me make one phone call first." She pulled out her mobile while the Doctor got to his feet. She scrolled through her contact list until she got to Mickey's name and hit send, bringing the phone to her ear. The Doctor rose from his seat on the couch, left his teacup on the coffee table, and picked up Rose's suitcase to take it onto the TARDIS.
"Mickey, it's Rose," she said when he picked up. "No, I'm not coming to the pub. No, really. Look, I know you're out with Alicia and everyone but I was hoping you could swing by Mum and Dad's." She rolled her eyes. "Yes, now."
The Doctor appeared in the TARDIS doorway and leaned against the doorframe, waiting patiently for Rose to finish her call.
"It's really important, Mickey. I'd rather just explain there. Yes, as quick as you can, please. I'll be there shortly. Thanks."
She disconnected and, with one last look around the flat she had called home for the last year, she crossed the room to stand in front of the Doctor.
"One last stop," he said quietly.
Rose nodded. "Let's get there."
A few minutes later, the TARDIS was materializing somewhere in the vast Tyler mansion. Rose tentatively opened the door and peered out. "Got a thing for living rooms, have you?" she called over her shoulder before stepping out into the familiar room.
The Doctor appeared behind her. "They have such comfortable chairs," he explained.
"Well, feel free to sit down in one," Rose said with a smile. "I'm sure my mum will-" Rose was cut off in mid-sentence by Jackie bursting into the room, Pete close on her heels.
"Oh my God!" Jackie screamed. "It is him! I told you," she said, turning briefly to look at Pete. "I said I heard the engines. Oh Rose," she said, crossing the room to grasp Rose's hands in hers. "You're leaving then, aren't you?" Before Rose could respond, Jackie caught sight of the Doctor sitting on her couch. "Who the hell are you?" she asked incredulously.
"I'm the Doctor," he said, as if it should have been obvious.
"It's the Doctor before he met us," Rose said, squeezing Jackie's hands. "He got here by mistake, because he got caught in a breach that another Time Lord made. I heard him materialize and I came bursting in. He's taking me back, Mum. We'll find the right version of him once we get back."
Jackie glanced from Rose to the Doctor and back again. "He doesn't know about…"
Rose squeezed Jackie's hands warningly again. "No, and he can't."
"But you're going with him?"
"I have to, Mum. I have to take this chance. I won't get another."
Jackie nodded. "Have you called Mickey?"
"He's on his way," Rose said. Nearly before she'd gotten sentence out, Mickey walked in to the room.
"All right, what's the big-" He stopped in his tracks when he saw the TARDIS. He stared at it for a moment, but then he had eyes only for Rose. "You're leaving," he said flatly.
Rose shrugged. "What else can I do?"
Mickey shook his head and closed the distance between them, enfolding Rose in a warm hug. "Nothing. I know, there's nothing else you can do."
Rose tightened her arms around Mickey's waist for a moment. Pulling back, she cupped his cheeks with her hands. "Be happy," she whispered. "Be so, so happy."
Mickey nodded. "And you." It was only then that he caught sight of the velvet-coated Doctor sitting on the couch. After a near-perfect double-take, Rose explained again that he was an earlier incarnation of the Doctor, with suitable amounts of warning in her tone to keep Mickey from mentioning anything he shouldn't in the ensuing conversation.
After some time, the Doctor withdrew the breach detector from his pocket and announced that it would be best if he and Rose returned to the TARDIS lest they miss their ride back to the proper universe. "I shudder to think of the paradox that would cause," he said.
After a round of hugs, Rose and the Doctor got back on the TARDIS and shut the doors behind them. The Doctor moved the TARDIS back to the original place it materialized so that they would be more likely to catch the breach when it opened. He looked at Rose curiously.
"You'll miss them," he said softly. "You'll miss them a great deal."
"Yes," Rose replied simply.
"You're coming with me anyway, going back to me… to him, to the man I'll be."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Rose gave him an almost serene smile. "I love him," she said. "And he needs me. Much more than they do."
The Doctor blinked, obviously surprised by her response. He was saved from having to come up with an answer by a beeping from the detector in his pocket, indicating that the breach had been opened. "Here we go," he exclaimed, with no little amount of enthusiasm. "Home again, home again," he said in a slightly sing-song tone.
Rose was jostled against the console and winced a little before grabbing on to keep herself steady. The Doctor stared intently at the screen, watching data flow past. Eventually, the sharp jolting ceased and the Doctor beamed at Rose around the time rotor.
"And here we are, back again." He took a last look at the screen and strode around the console to stand in front of Rose. "First stop, London."
He reached over towards the navigation controls to set the destination. Suddenly, a distinctively harsh grinding noise filled the console room. Rose looked up at the Doctor, alarmed. "Is that what I think it is?" she asked incredulously.
"Oh dear," the Doctor said, actually sounding worried. He nodded in the direction of the doors and the coat rack, where a large blue box was appearing out of thin air. "That can't be good."
