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The End of Time Part 2

Take Two-

It was snowing. The cold flakes chilled him, but he didn't seem to notice. The physical pain he was feeling was nothing compared the emotional anguish he felt. What are you doing, Doctor? He asked himself. He was only going to hurt himself more, but he couldn't move. He was held by an overwhelming desire to see her, once last time.

The soft sound of feet on the snow alerted him that someone was headed his way. "It's late now. We missed it." A lump rose in his throat. He knew that voice anywhere. Rose. He closed his eyes and tried to picture her face as she spoke.

"It's midnight. Mickey's going to be calling me any second. This is your fault." A small smile light the Doctor's face. Rose's voice was like music to his ear; it didn't matter what she was saying.

"No, it's not! It's Jimbo's." the Doctor chuckled softly. Jackie. He never thought he catching himself thinking this, but he missed her too. "He said he was going to give us a lift then he says his axle broke. I can't help it." He rolled his eyes. This Jimbo sounded exactly like the sort of guy Jackie would have fallen for before getting together with the alternate Pete.

"Get rid of him, Mum. He's useless." Rose's words echoed the Doctor's own thoughts on the subject.

"Listen to you! With a mechanic. Be fair, though, in my time of life, I'm not going to do much better." Give it a couple of years, Jackie.

"Don't be like that." said Rose, gently. " You never know. There could be someone out there." That was just like Rose. She could be upset with you minute and then all gentle and warm the next.

"Maybe." said Jackie smiling hopefully. "One day. Happy New Year!" New Year? I wonder what year it is.

Happy New Year!" repeated Rose, giving her mother a hug. "Don't stay out all night."

"Try and stop me." said Jackie walking in the opposite direction.

The Doctor tensed as he realized that Rose would be passing the spot where he was standing any second. As she started to pass by, he found that he could hardly breath. Suddenly he felt pain surge up his chest and a groan escaped his lips before he could stop it.

Rose turned and saw him, but fortunately his face was hidden in the shadows. "You alright, mate?"

She was talking to him. Oh, gads! She was talking to him. "Yeah." He wanted to say more. He wanted to tell her who he was and all the great times they would have together, but mostly, he wanted to tell her that he loved her, but he couldn't. It would go against all the laws of the Time Lords.

"Too much to drink?" Oh, Rose! If only it was that.

"Yeah, something like that." I'm dying Rose. The Doctor will still be alive, but not me. Not this form.

"Maybe it's time you went home." But where is home, Rose? Home is with you and we can never be.

"Yeah."

"Anyway," said Rose smiling at him as if he were an old friend and not just some stranger, "Happy New Year!"

"And you." She smiled again and turned to walk away. No, Rose! Don't go. I need you!

"What year is this?"

"Blimey!" she turned around. "How much have you had?"

"Well..."

"2005, January the 1st."

"2005? Tell you what, I bet you're going to have a really great year."

"Yeah?" She smiled. "See ya!" He watched as she left. In a few seconds, she was gone. He would never see her again.

"I bet you will too, Doctor." He whirled to see Rose standing close by, but not the Rose that had just left. This was a Rose who knew him, a Rose that recognized him. She was here.

"Rose." he whispered her name. "But how...?"

"A combination of time travel and dimension jumping." she answered. She smiled at him and he felt both his hearts bet faster.

"The human doctor?" He had to ask.

She shook her head. "Wasn't working out. He's still in the alternate universe with Mum, Dad, and Tony." She blinked and he could tell there were tears in her eyes. "I love you, Doctor. You and only you. There can only be one Doctor."

He smiled back but the smile vanished and was replaced by a look of pain, as the radiation inside him began to burn. "Doctor?" He collapsed to the ground. "Doctor!" She knelt over him. "Doctor, what's happening?" she asked, her voice thick with concern.

"I'm dying, Rose."

"No, no!" She took his hand, tears flowed down her cheeks. "You can't! Not after I came all this way to find you."

"I'm sorry, Rose. I am so sorry!"

"Don't talk like that." she chided. "You're going to be alright. You have to be."

He shook his head weakly. "I absorbed too much radiation, Rose. I am not going to be alright."

"Radiation? What on earth did you do that for?"

"I had to...to save Wilf."

She nodded in understanding. "Where's Donna?" She looked around, expecting to see the red-head.

"Not here." he groaned again. "The metacrisis...the knowledge of the Time Lords in her brain...it was killing her...I...I had to erase her memories of me...to save her life."

"You've been all alone." Rose put her arm around the Doctor and helped him to stand. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been there for you."

He shook his head. "This isn't your fault, Rose." Taking slow steps and guided by Rose it took several agonizing minutes to reach the TARDIS. She threw the door opened and helped him inside.

"It's starting." She knew what he meant and reluctantly backed away. He was surprised by her lack of protest. "No complaining this time?"

"If it comes to a choice," she answered crying, "between having a new Doctor who might not care about me or no Doctor at all...I'll go with the new one."

He nodded. "I don't want to go." he admitted, tears running down his own face. He looked at Rose. She gave him a small smile.

He looked at his hand as the energy began to pour forth and he was suddenly surrounded in light and seemed to burst into flame. Several of the TARDIS's windows crashed and all around the TARDIS, fires began to burn. Rose screamed and raced towards the fire hydrant. She didn't recall the Doctor's last regeneration being so bad. One of the columns crashed to the ground, narrowly missing her.

She glanced over at the Doctor and the light suddenly vanished and he screamed as the new him emerged. He looked around briefly and Rose could tell that his mind was catching up.

"Legs, two good legs. Good!" he seemed completely oblivious to the fact that the TARDIS was on fire. He felt each body part as he spoke. "Arms, hands, ooooh, fingers! Lots of fingers. Ears, eyes, nose. I've had worse. Teeth. Hair...I'm a girl!" Rose chuckled. "No! No, I'm not a girl." Thank goodness for that! Rose thought. He pulled a stranded of his hair (which was still brown only a different shade) down so that he could see it. "And still not ginger!" he complained. "And there's something else...something important...I'm...I'm..." the TARDIS jerked and another explosion knocked them both off their feet.

"Crashing!" Rose shouted. The Doctor finally seemed to notice her. "Hello, Rose!" He grabbed the fire hydrant from her and quickly put out the fires. Then he raced to the console. "We're crashing!" he agreed, only he seemed delighted. Rose remembered that his is how he had seemed after his previous regeneration.

"Well, we've got to stop it from crashing!" she shouted. "What do I do?" The Doctor looked at her and smiled. He seemed to guess Rose's unasked question. "Right now, just do as I say...and Rose?" She turned to look at him. This regeneration was certainly different, but she hoped she could get used to it.

"Yes?"

He grinned. "I love you, Rose Tyler!"

A beautiful smile lit up her face, telling him that he had said the right thing. "I love you too, Doctor." She leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Now what?"

"Now," he said, "we keep from crashing. Geronimo!"

A/N: The reason I did two takes on this one is, I wanted to do one were he doesn't regenerate and one where he does.