-Chapter 8-

The Doctor woke up the next morning with Rose in his arms. He had only slept one and three quarters hours but that was more than enough. When he opened his eyes Rose was staring up at him. She looked tired, really she shouldn't have been up for at least another two hours.

"Hello." she said softly. He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face.

"Hello." he said and she smiled back. "Why are you awake so early?"

"Couldn't sleep. Been awake for awhile." she said. She had been watching him sleep, he looked so calm and peaceful when he slept and she hardly ever saw him asleep.

He looked confused. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"Cause I didn't want to wake you up if you needed sleep. Besides, you look peaceful when you sleep." she said grinning.

"Oh really? So I'm not peaceful when I'm awake then?" Rose just laughed. "Fair enough." he admitted. Suddenly he had the urge to kiss her. He restrained himself before he remembered he really didn't have to. He brought his lips to hers.

She smiled when she had to break it for air. "Not that I'm complaining, but for was that for?"

He grinned. "Oh, I don't know. Possibly because I love you. Can't control it."

"So don't." she said grinning and he pulled her closer.

"What do you want to do today Rose Tyler?"

"Hmm. Party? Haven't been to a good party in awhile."

"Anything you want. Party in the fifty-seventh century?"

She smiled. "Sounds like a plan. You will have to let me go then." she pointed out and he looked like it was a difficult decision.

"Hm. Hadn't thought that through. I suppose you're right none the less." he admitted but didn't make a move to let her move an inch.

"I only have to change, won't take long."

"Oh but it will."

"I promise it won't. Go set the coordinates and I can get Donna."

"But Rose, that involves moving and I rather like out current position."

She laughed. "Oh really?"

"Quite."

"What about dancing? I believe you still have to show me some moves." she said poking her tongue out.

The Doctor smiled and kissed her quickly before sliding away and standing. "That I do. Hurry then Rose."


The Doctor pulled a lever and the TARDIS started to flash and warning alarms sounded.

"Oi, stop it! What was that all about? What's the problem now?" he ran around to the monitor to check for the problem.

"Right just settle down!" another man said from the other side of the console.

The Doctor turned his head. Another person? "What?"

"What?" the other man said. Oh no. Oh, no no no.

"What?" he said louder. It wasn't quite impossible just rather unlikely and not the best situation.

"What?" the man said again. It was him. The past him. Rather the fifth version of him. Way back. This shouldn't have happened; it was never good when it did. "Who are you?"

"Oh brilliant. I mean bad, big problem, universe goes bang, but still brilliant!" he said grinning. Bad as it was, still brilliant to see himself.

"I'm the Doctor who are you?" the fifth Doctor said.

"Oh yes you are. You are the Doctor."

"Yes I'm the Doctor."

"Good for you Doctor, good for brilliant old you!"

"Is there something wrong with you?" he frowned.

"Oh there it is! There's the frowny face! I remember that one! A bit saggier than I ought to be. Hair's a bit greyer. That's cause of me, though. Two of us together shorted out the time differential. Should all snap back into place when we get you home. Be able to close that coat again. But never mind that. Look at you! The hat, the coat, the crickety cricket stuff, the stick of celery...yeah. Brave choice, celery. But fair play to you. Not a lot of men can carry off a decorative vegetable. But you do!"

"What's going on?" Rose said walking in. She wore a deep red dress with a slit going up to her thigh on her right leg and a low v-neck line. It showed off her curves perfectly. The Doctor blinked and closed his mouth that had fallen open slightly. Rose caught it and grinned. The other Doctor certainly saw Rose too. He hadn't quite figured out how to close his yet. "Hello?" she said confused.

"Rose! Hello. Right we've got company."

"Forget to mention it this morning did you?" Rose asked still looking at the random guy with the celery on his coat.

"Yeah, sorry. Don't quite know at the moment."

"There is something very wrong with my TARDIS and I've got to do something about it very, very quickly. And it would help, it really would help, if there wasn't some skinny idiot and his-his whatever ranting in my face about every single thing that happens to be in front of him."

"Oh sorry."

"Is he...?" Rose asked her eyed widening as she noticed that look in the man eye, a look she knew so very well. Her Doctor grinned. "I'm Rose by the way." Rose said and shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you Rose, and thank you sir. Now what have you done to my TARDIS? You've changed the desktop theme, haven't you? What's this one, coral?"

"Well..."

"It's worse than the leopard skin."

"Leopard skin?" Rose asked grinning slyly.

"Don't ask." the Doctor said. The other Doctor pulled out his glasses. "Oh, oh, and out they come, the brainy specs! You don't even need them; you just think they make you look a bit clever."

"I knew it!" Rose said cheekily. Another alarm sounded in the console room.

"That's an alert. Level five, indicating a temporal collision. It's like two TARDIS's have merged. But there's definitely only one TARDIS present. It's like two time zones at war in the heart of the TARDIS. That's a paradox. Could blow a hole in the space time continuum the size of...well, actually, the exact size of Belgium. That's a bit undramatic, isn't it? Belgium?"

Rose raised an eyebrow and her mouth opened slightly, smirking. "He's so you. It's weird, you weren't like this before but he is, you are, oh that's confusing to say." Rose said muttered to her Doctor.

"Yeah, it is. Imaging how it is for me." he told her turning his head slightly. "Need this?" He said to his former self and holding the sonic.

"No, I'm fine."

"Oh, no, you mostly went hands-free, didn't you? Like, hey, I'm the Doctor, I can save the universe using a kettle and some string. And look at me, I'm wearing a vegetable." he said mocking but with a smile like a child in awe.

"Kettle and string?" Rose asked. What could he do with a kettle and string?

"You'd be surprised young lady." the other Doctor said. "But who are you?" he said turning back to the Doctor.

"Take a look." the Doctor said.

The other Doctor squinted and looked closer. "Oh, oh no."

"Oh, yes."

"You're...oh no."

"Here it comes. Yeah, yeah, I am."

"A fan."

"Yeah. What?" he said confused now.

"We're up to ten now. Three minutes to Belgium." the other Doctor said turning back to the monitor.

"What do you mean a fan? I'm not just a fan, I'm you."

"Okay, you're my biggest fan. Look, it's perfectly understandable. I go zooming around space and time, saving planets, fighting monsters, and being, well, let's face it, pretty sort of marvelous. And naturally, now and then people notice me. Start up their little groups. That L.I.N.D.A. lot. Are you one of them?"

"No..."

"Oh he's so you." Rose to her Doctor whispered, teasing.

"How did you get in here? Can't have you lot knowing where I live."

"Listen to me. I'm you. I'm you with a new face. Check out this bone structure, Doctor, 'cause one day you're gonna be shaving it."

The TARDIS shook and a bell sounded. "The cloister bell!"

"Yep, right on time, that's my cue." the Doctor said running back around the TARDIS.

"Yeah, that's my fault actually. I was rebuilding the TARDIS, forgot to put the shields back up. Your TARDIS and my TARDIS, well the same TARDIS actually, different points in the same time stream collided and oop, there you go, end of the universe, butterfingers. But don't worry, I know exactly how this all works out. Watch. Venting the thermal buffer, flooring the Helmic regulator, and just to finish off, let's fry those Zeiton crystals."

"You'll blow up the TARDIS!"

"You know I haven't."

"Who taught you that?" the other doctor said with a look of almost disbelief on his face.

"Supernova and black hole at the exact same instant."

"The explosion cancels out the implosion."

"Matter remains constant."

"Brilliant."

"Far too brilliant. I've never met anyone else who could fly the TARDIS like that."

"Sorry, mate, you still haven't."

"You didn't have time to work all that out. Even I couldn't do it!"

"I didn't work it out. I didn't have to."

"You remembered."

"Because you will remember."

"You remembered being me, watching you doing that. You only knew what to do because...I saw you do it."

"Wibbly Wobbly..." the Doctor started.

"Timey Wimey!" they finished and the fifth Doctor smiled. "So you're me and I'm you. That means...?" looking at Rose.

"Nope."

"Prisoner?" he said looking a bit confused.

"Oh no, I just meant she's not a normal companion, she's Rose."

"Hello." Rose said smiling.

"Then what...?" he started before he noticed the placement of the future version of himself's hand. "No..."

"Oh yes."

"But that's...highly impossible, verging on improbable."

"That's Rose, I'm afraid she is quite impossible." Rose rolled her eyes but the Doctor grinned at her and she couldn't help the smile that broke out on her face.

The fifth Doctor looked them with a mix of shock and confusion. These two, a future version of him, with a...human? And he was happy? Rose noticed his look and stepped out of the Doctors grip towards him. "Yeah I know, can hardly believe it myself."

"Oi, trying to not be offended here!"

Rose just rolled her eyes. "How old are you? Twenty three?" the fifth asked in disbelief.

Rise laughed. "If only."

"Spoilers Rose." the Doctor warned. "Right! TARDISes are separating. Sorry Doctor, time's up. Back to long ago. Where are you now? Nyssa and Tegan? Cybermen and Mara and Time Lords with funny hats and the Master? Oh, he just showed up again, same as ever."

"Oh no. Really? Does he still have that rubbish beard?"

"No, no beard this time. Well, a wife." the fifth Doctor started fading slightly.

"Oh, I seem to be off. What can I say? Thank you, Doctor. And may I say, I look forward to meeting you Rose." he said kissing her hand.

Rose smiled. "Me too."

"You know, I loved being you. Back when I first started, at the very beginning, I was always trying to be old and grumpy and important, like you do when you're young. And then I was you! And it was all dashing about and playing cricket and my voice going all squeaky when I shouted. I still do that, the voice thing, I got that from you. Oh, and the trainers. And..." he put on his glasses. "Snap. 'Cause you know what, Doctor? You were my Doctor."

"To days to come." the fading Doctor said smiling.

"All my love to long ago." He said as he faded out completely.

"That was...odd." Rose said.

He laughed. "What isn't in our life?"

"Very true. But how did you not know me when we first met if you'd already met me now?"

"Well, I can block out memories that would be potentially dangerous. Like what happened today with accidentally seeing my future. So I just shut it all out. Closed and locked the door so to speak. Up until the cloister bell triggered my memories, which is how I knew what to do."

"Oh, sounds simple when you put it like that."

"Hm. I suppose something leaked through when I first saw you though. I felt like I needed to know you and that's one reason I came back after you said no the first time. I suppose seeing us together left quite an impact."

"You do tend to do that." Rose grinned.

He grinned. "I didn't think it would be possible to be jealous of myself but I'm not sure I liked how he kissed your hand."

Rose laughed. "He was you!"

"Like I said." he chuckled and pulled her closer and kissed her suddenly.

"Oh not in here please!" Donna said coming in. "Rose said something about a party?"

"Oh Donna." the Doctor mumbled. "Right! A party it is!"

"Did I miss something?" Donna asked suspiciously.

Rose grinned. "Nah."


Yes, yes I know this is very late and doesn't belong here if you go by how the season went but oh well. I won't be doing Voyage of the Dammed but I really wanted to do this bit. I might do a separate bit outside of this story of the party they went to but I wont put in in Kiss of the Wolf. Hope you are enjoying this!