CHAPTER 11

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THE UNTOLD HISTORY OF ROSE TYLER

"This time, Doctor, you can be assured that she won't escape to bother you anymore. I'll make sure of that," The Brigadier said as he picked a still unconscious Missy up in his arms.

"Somehow I highly doubt that, Alastair, but I wish you luck anyway. You're going to need it," The Doctor said as she looked at Missy with more than a trace of regret on her face.

"You're worried about her aren't you?" Rose asked with no trace of recrimination in her voice.

"She used to mean so much to me, Rose. I guess she still does in a way despite everything that she's done to me over the years. She was the only one that I could turn to once upon a time. She was the only person who truly understood me because she was just as alone as I was in her own way. If it wasn't for the Master, I don't know what would have become of me. My life would have definitely been much lonelier for sure," The Doctor said in a sad voice.

Rose smiled at her because that was just so like her wasn't it to still care about somehow who had actually wiped her out of existence? That was just who she was and she wouldn't have her be any other way even if she didn't personally agree with her in this particular instance.

As far as she was concerned, whatever happened to Missy was probably better than she deserved. Then again she might be a bit biased.

More than a bit actually if she was being honest with herself.

"So out of curiosity exactly what are you going to do to her?" Maisie asked the Brigadier.

"She's going to a specially designed cell in the Tower created specifically for containing our most dangerous alien visitors. It's been made to even be able to contain a Time Lord based on everything that we've learned about them. Don't worry, Miss Pitt. She definitely won't be coming back this time," The Brigadier said in a voice filled with absolute certainty.

"It was made to contain a Time Lord?" The Doctor said with a surprised and somewhat bothered expression on her face.

"I'm sorry, Doctor, but we had to plan for every eventuality including someone possibly gaining control over you one day and using you against us. You know that I would have only used it as a last resort though and even then only if I had no other choice. You would do the exact same thing in my position," The Brigadier said with more than a trace of guilt in his metallic voice.

The Doctor smiled at him reassuringly as she admitted, "Yeah. Yeah, I would and be just as bothered about it as you are that I had even thought of it in the first place. Don't worry about it, Alastair."

The Brigadier looked almost relieved now as he said, "I suppose I should go then as soon as possible before she wakes up again. Until we meet again, Doctor."

"Until we meet again, Brigadier," The Doctor said as she saluted him.

"I thought that you didn't like doing that," The Brigadier said.

"New me, new rules, Alastair. I've decided that I quite like saluting people in this incarnation at least all of those people that I really respect anyway. Good bye, old friend," The Doctor said with a sad smile that showed that she was already missing him.

It was the Brigadier's turn to salute the Doctor now as he began to fly away from her while carrying Missy in his other arm.

"Still a wonderful lass I see," The Brigadier said in a low voice to himself as he flew out of sight.

"The feeling's more than mutual, Alastair, except for the lass part of course," The Doctor said from down below him with a warm smile as she overheard him.

"What was that, Doctor?" Rose asked in confusion.

"Oh, the Brigadier obviously said something or other to himself when he was leaving and the Doctor's super sensitive hearing picked it up. It's difficult to get anything past her I'm afraid," River said with a small, almost sad smile.

Rose could tell that she really didn't want to leave her just from the way that she looked at her. She could see that quite clearly despite the tough act that she was currently putting on to hide her feelings. Maybe that sort of thing could fool the Doctor but it certainly hadn't her.

She knew the look in those eyes all too well after all. She saw it every time that she looked in the mirror back on Pete's World for far too many years.

She never wanted to see it again either . . . on anyone.

"You know you could always come back and visit sometimes . . . if you really wanted to that is," Rose offered.

River actually gave her a genuine look of surprise mixed with an unmistakable one of gratitude as she said, "I see why you like her now, Doctor. She's obviously jealous of me but yet she still doesn't like seeing me in pain. Thank you, Rose. I was actually going to do that anyway whether you liked it or not, but things are definitely much better this way. I don't think the Doctor would like it if you spent every one of my visits unconscious after all."

Rose couldn't help but laugh because she could tell from River's smile that she was just winding her up. She couldn't help but start to like her despite herself now. Of course she still wanted to slap her in the face every time that she saw her. That was just a given.

"Oh, I don't know. You might be a bit surprised on the outcome of that particular fight, mate," Rose teased her as she made her eyes briefly glow.

"Oh, I like her, Doctor. I still want to knock her senseless but I'd definitely pull my punch out of respect for her now . . . just a little," River joked.

"Will you two stop already? You still have Chin Boy in your time to go back to after all, River, so what is there to fight about?" The Doctor asked in an annoyed tone.

"You really don't understand anything about humans even after all of this time, do you? I was hoping that my being one would have helped you with that just a little bit," Clara said with a chuckle.

"The Doctor's still the Doctor even with you as a part of her, Clara. That's never going to change I'm afraid," River said with a mad grin.

"I'll just have to work on that once I become a part of her again then, won't I?" Clara said with a forced smile.

The Doctor gave her a sympathetic look because she knew that Clara was already dreading being merged with her once again. It was inevitable of course because neither one of them could live without the other one by this point.

That didn't mean that they had to do it anytime soon though.

"Go see your dad, Clara. I'm not going anywhere for a while. I promise. I wouldn't dare, would I?" The Doctor said with a mischievous grin.

"Not if you don't want to find yourself regenerating again you won't," Clara said with a grateful smile as she raced back to UNIT HQ where she hoped that Kate would arrange to give her a lift back home since the Doctor hadn't.

"Still rude I see. You know you could have at least offered to give her a ride back in the TARDIS," Rose said.

The Doctor slapped herself in the forehead as she said, "I'm such an idiot. I wasn't being rude for once, Rose. Honest. It just never even occurred to me. Usually I don't use the TARDIS for such short hops after all."

"Well, it might not be that short for her," Rose said with a small smile.

"I really hope Kate gives her a lift or I'll never hear the end of it once she comes back again," The Doctor said with a wince.

"Don't worry about it, sweetie. She'll be fine," River said with a grin.

"So she won't be angry at me then?" The Doctor asked hopefully.

River's smile became an evil one as she said, "Spoilers."

"You know you could break that rule just this once. It wouldn't hurt anything to give me one little spoiler," The Doctor said with a frown.

"Maybe but where would be the fun in that?" River said with a smirk.

Rose laughed at her and found herself liking her even more in that moment. That was probably why she would get along with River better when she returned in her own personal future she now realized. She wasn't so bad really once she had gotten to know her.

That still didn't mean that she wanted her to stay though. She was really hoping that she would take the hint and leave soon so that she could have some alone time with the Doctor.

As it turned out, River seemed to be on the same wavelength as Rose already based on her next comment.

"As much as I'd love to stay longer, I'll have to go back soon unfortunately. My Doctor would be so lost without me after all. He'd probably wind up tripping over his own feet and wind up regenerating much too early," River said with a wicked smile.

"That sounds like the Doctor alright. I often wonder if that actually did happen sometime to one of them," Rose quipped as she and River began to laugh together again.

The Doctor looked completely embarrassed now and began to squirm as she said to herself in a low voice, "Here we go. It's just like when she met Sarah Jane all over again."

Suddenly Maisie stepped up to the Doctor and said, "Doctor, you still never fixed the plumbing in my room yet. You promised to do that. Remember?"

"I did? When was that, Flapper Girl?" The Doctor asked in confusion.

Maisie gave her a tight smile now as she said, "Lots of times, remember? I've been asking you for weeks now because the faucet won't stop dripping in my room. It keeps me up at night. Remember?"

She gave the Doctor a pointed look that made her briefly smile as she said, "Oh, yeah, yeah. The faucet. Of course. I really should do something about that and you've waited long enough. Sorry, Rose, River, I really need to go."

"Who are you trying to fool, Doctor?" River said as she gave her a pointed stare.

"I don't know what you mean. Come on, Maisie. Let's go have a look at that faucet. She'll really have my head this time if I don't. Won't you, Flapper Girl?" The Doctor said in a desperate tone.

"Yes, that's right. I'll make her wish that she had never been born. I'm very, very ruthless when I haven't had a good night's sleep after all. You definitely don't want to mess with me then," Maisie said in what she hoped was her best tough girl voice.

"Yes, I'm absolutely terrified of you already, dear. Please don't hurt me," River said in a flat, unemotional voice with a bored look on her face.

Then she turned to the Doctor and said, "As for you, the TARDIS doesn't have leaky faucets. She handles all of those types of repairs automatically herself as soon as they happen so tell me another one. You really don't have to go to all of that trouble just to tell us to stop talking about you, Doctor. Besides, I was just about to leave anyway."

"Were you?" The Doctor said in a hopeful tone.

Then she quickly changed her tone to one of disappointment as she said, "I mean do you really have to? What's your hurry?"

"She's getting better at this sort of thing. I didn't even have to tell her that she was rude this time," Rose said with a huge grin.

Then she turned to look at Maisie as she said, "I'd hold onto this one, Doctor. She obviously cares a lot about you to try to pull your fat out of the fire like that. I was just teasing her though, Maisie. That's all it was. I do that. It doesn't really mean anything, yeah?"

Maisie smiled as she said, "I know but I still don't think that she appreciated it very much though. I know how that feels to be in the hot seat like that so I was just trying to help."

"I'll try to tone it down in the future so that you won't feel like you have to do that then. Agreed?" Rose promised as she gave her an apologetic look.

"Agreed," Maisie said with a smile as she found herself liking Rose a lot in that moment and finally seeing what the Doctor saw in her.

"You make sure that you take good care of her, Rose. I'll have a few choice words with you if you don't," River said.

"Oi! No one has to take care of me anymore. I've gotten much better since I used to be Chinny. I'm a respectable, responsible adult now," The Doctor protested.

At that point all of the Doctor's companions even Rusty burst out laughing at once as Rose said, "Right, and that's why Rusty and I just had to save you from accidentally getting yourself erased."

"That doesn't mean anything. That could happen to anyone," The Doctor said.

"Well, it certainly seems to happen to you a lot, doesn't it, dear? My mother had to bring him back from getting himself erased once before," River said.

"Oh, really? Tell me more," Rose said with a wicked smile.

"Oh, no. Here we go again. Somebody go ahead and shoot me now," The Doctor said with a sigh.

"NEVER SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT AROUND A DALEK, DOCTOR. WE MIGHT JUST TAKE YOU UP ON IT SOMETIME," Rusty joked.

"A Dalek with a sense of humor. I'll never get used to that. I'll have to come back again for another visit just for that," River said as she shook her head at him.

Then she gave the Doctor what was obviously a reluctant smile as she said, "I'll see you around then, sweetie. I guarantee it at least once for sure since you still have a visit from past me to look forward to in the very near future. You definitely won't get rid of me that easily."

As River started to enter coordinates into her Vortex Manipulator, Rose said, "Don't worry, River. She'll be just fine whenever you want to come back and see her again. I promise, yeah?"

"I'll hold you to that, dear. Don't make me have to shoot you when I come back," River said with a wicked smile as she suddenly vanished.

"Nice woman, if you like that type. I didn't know that you had a thing for the bad girls, Doctor," Rose said with a smirk.

"Why do you think I liked you?" The Doctor said with an evil smile.

"I don't know what you mean. I'm not a bad girl," Rose said in a fake pouting tone as she failed to repress a mischievous grin.

Maisie groaned as she said in a low voice to Journey and Rusty, "They'll be doing that for who knows how long now. I think I'd rather go to the TARDIS and wait there until Clara's back again. Are you two with me?"

"I HAVE NO WISH TO SEE ANYMORE OF THESE BLATANT DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION EITHER. I DEFINITELY WILL SHOOT THE DOCTOR IF I HAVE TO WATCH THIS FOR MUCH LONGER," Rusty admitted.

Journey laughed at him as she said, "You're certainly no romantic are you, Rusty? I happen to agree with you though. I don't really like this time anyway. It's far too primitive for me."

Journey hadn't intended it to but her comment actually made the Dalek inwardly cringe especially considering his unspoken feelings for her. He hadn't wanted to see such things himself because all it did was remind him of what he would never be able to bring himself to admit to her.

"Oh, I don't know. I kind of like the past. Some eras of it certainly have their charms for sure like the 1920's. I always thought that maybe I belonged in that era instead of the time that I was born in. It was one reason why I had hoped that I would actually enjoy that trip on the Orient Express. I was definitely wrong about that one though," Maisie said.

"That explains the flapper thing then, doesn't it? Well, maybe you'll get your chance to see the 20's in person sometime. It won't be any time soon though judging by that," Journey said with a chuckle as she pointed to the Doctor and Rose who were still happily bantering away with one another.

"Let's go then. They won't even notice that we're gone anyway," Maisie said with a smirk.

As they started to leave, Journey noticed that something seemed to be wrong with Rusty. No one else would have even realized it, but she did because she had been around the Dalek long enough to know every one of his moods by now. Something was definitely bothering him.

"What is it, Rusty? Are you okay?" Journey asked in concern as they walked back to the TARDIS with Rusty's disguise back on once more to keep himself from being spotted by onlookers.

"It's nothing, Journey. I suppose I still haven't gotten over what happened in that other timeline just yet," Rusty said in his now human sounding voice.

"Or maybe you have something else on your mind. It's something that you should get off of it by talking about it maybe?" Maisie said in a pointed tone.

Rusty looked at her in surprise as he realized that she knew. She knew that he had feelings for Journey too. Everyone knew apparently . . . except Journey.

"Perhaps. Perhaps one day I should," Rusty said.

"Well, today's a good day as any isn't it?" Maisie suggested.

"Maybe," Rusty said in a non-committal tone.

"Whatever it is, Rusty, just talk to us about it. We're both your friends after all. I'm sure that it'll make you feel much better if you talk it out with us," Journey pleaded.

Rusty visibly hesitated as Maisie said in an encouraging tone, "Go on, Rusty. It'll be okay."

"I – I – don't know," Rusty said in a nervous tone.

"Just tell us, Rusty. Go on," Journey said.

"I love you," Rusty suddenly blurted out.

"What?" Journey said with a stunned look on her face.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Just – Just ignore me," Rusty said in an embarrassed voice.

"You love me? I – I don't know what to say," Journey said in shock.

"How about something that won't break his heart into a million pieces?" Maisie hurriedly whispered into her ear.

"Rusty, listen I . . ." Journey started to say because she realized Maisie was right.

She didn't want to end up hurting him after all. That was the last thing that she ever wanted to do. He meant more to her than anyone outside of her family.

"There's no need, Journey. It was foolish of me anyway. I never should have said anything. You obviously could never feel that way about me after all," Rusty said in a sad voice as he interrupted her.

Journey sighed as she said in a sympathetic tone, "No, I don't feel that way about you. I do love you but not in that way. I'm so sorry if that hurts you because I honestly do care about you, Rusty. I would never want to purposely do anything to hurt you in any way. You're my best friend. I want you to know that."

Rusty seemed to brighten at that sentiment as he said, "Thank you. It feels good to know that someone can love me in return even if it isn't the kind of love that I feel for them. It makes me think that maybe . . . maybe I actually can change after all and be so much more than just a creature filled with mindless hatred."

"Rusty, you already have. You're so far beyond that now. Believe me. You're what the Daleks always should have been and probably would have been if now for Davros. Trust me on that," Journey said in a warm tone.

"Thank you. This . . . won't affect our relationship will it?" Rusty asked hesitantly.

"Not a chance. We're best mates forever you and me. I promise," Journey said as she put her arm around him and led him back to the TARDIS.

"Thank you . . . for understanding," Rusty said in a noticeably relieved tone.

Maisie smiled as she watched them go. She silently hoped that one day he actually would find someone to love him. No one would be happier for him than her if that did happen because she had grown quite close to him in the last few months. She idly wondered if he might find another like-minded Dalek out there just like him one day but immediately dismissed the notion.

What was the likelihood of that happening after all?

Even as the others went back to the TARDIS, The Doctor and Rose were just starting up a heartfelt discussion of their own. Rose had finally gotten her completely alone at last more or less as she took her to a nearby bench, and they both sat down on it together to watch the people walking by them.

"Doctor . . ." Rose started to say.

"Rose, if this is about River I did love her but that's all over with now . . . apart from past versions of her showing up here and there of course. That may still happen from time to time. It doesn't affect things for me now though because . . . in my own timeline she's dead. She has been for some time now," The Doctor said in a mournful tone.

Rose immediately looked guilty as she said, "I'm so sorry then. That had to hurt you enough to see her again after losing her without me giving you trouble about it too. I won't ever mention it again, alright?"

"She was long after you, Rose. I didn't . . . I didn't just find someone else right away or anything," The Doctor said.

Rose smiled as she said, "You'd better not have, Mister."

Then her expression changed and became much sadder as she said, "I . . . I'm glad that you did though and that you had someone else there for you. I always wanted you to have someone else there to hold your hand. I never wanted you to be alone . . . ever. Not like I was."

"What do you mean? What happened, Rose? Did he, the other me, leave you?" The Doctor asked with concern and more than a bit of anger.

"In a way he did, yeah. He died, Doctor. We had a nice long life together and then he died. He died and I went on living. I went on living as years and then decades passed after he was gone and never aged thanks to Bad Wolf. I outlived everyone that I ever loved and then I became like you. Alone. That's when I started traveling in the TARDIS that grew from the piece of your TARDIS that you gave us. I went throughout the other universe saving people and helping them just like you would have. I did that for a long while at first and grew to at least be content with that life even if I wasn't completely happy with it. That is I did until things went so horribly wrong," Rose said in a mournful tone.

"What happened?" The Doctor asked as she put her arm around her in a display of silent support.

"I found out that the Daleks of that universe were attacking the Earth and came to help. They were too much for me though, and I couldn't handle them all on my own. They started wiping out an entire city, and I couldn't do a thing to stop them. I tried but I was completely useless. They shot me for standing in their way, and l was lying there dying and listening to others dying all around me when I finally became so angry that I just lost it. That's when I started to glow all over with the power of the Vortex and was instantly healed. Then I used it to attack the Daleks, and I completely wiped them all out. Unfortunately that wasn't all that happened though because I couldn't turn it off once I had gotten it started. It raged out of control and I wound up destroying what was left of the city as people ran in terror everywhere from me. Somehow I didn't kill anyone but I so easily could have. That was when more Daleks came and ambushed me. They trapped me and hid me away because they were terrified of me too, Doctor. Even the Daleks were afraid of me," Rose said in an emotional voice as she started to shake all over.

"I'm so sorry, Rose. I never meant for that to happen. I never would have let that happen if I had known," The Doctor said in an upset tone as she wrapped her arms around her and held her tightly.

"I know. I'm not blaming you, okay? Neither of us realized that I had been changed, did we? I should have known it though. I felt different even back when I was still traveling with you. I just didn't want to say anything because I was afraid that you'd make me leave," Rose admitted.

"Different, how?" The Doctor asked.

"I suddenly saw things more clearly and in a way that I never had before. It was like I was so much smarter somehow and could put the pieces of everything around me together so much faster than I had before when we trying to investigate things. Don't you remember how sometimes I spotted things faster than you and figured them out much quicker after I was the Bad Wolf?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, but I thought that was just because you were finally getting the hang of it. We had been traveling together for a while after all, and you were always so clever anyway right from the start," The Doctor said with a fond smile.

"That's what I thought too but I was wrong. I was actually getting much smarter and more in tune with things because I had been changed. That werewolf back in 1879 knew that. He could sense it when he told me that there was something of the wolf about me. I should have listened to him. Then maybe you never would have made me leave," Rose admitted.

"I thought that I was doing what was best for you but I realized later that it was one of the worst mistakes of my life. I didn't realize until now just how much of a mistake that it really was though," The Doctor said in an angry voice.

"Don't blame yourself. You couldn't have known," Rose said.

"I should have known, Rose. If anyone should have, it should have been me. I won't make that mistake again I promise. From now on, I'm not going anywhere. Got it, Blondie?" The Doctor said.

"Blondie?" Rose said in amusement.

"Sorry. That's the Clara in me talking. She's still a part of me even when she isn't here. You'll just have to get used to her I'm afraid," The Doctor said.

"She's not so bad. I think she and I could be the best of mates under other circumstances," Rose said with a fond smile.

"Good. I'm glad because I'm more or less just like her now. That doesn't bother you does it? I mean the fact that I'm just like her?" The Doctor asked hesitantly.

"You mean the fact that you're a girl now? Is that what you mean? No, it really doesn't. I've gotten used to a lot of things because I've seen so much change all around me. I'm definitely not going to be thrown by that, Doctor. Don't worry about it, okay? You and me are just like we always were," Rose reassured her.

The Doctor smiled with joy as she said, "We really will travel together forever now, Rose. I promise. I won't ever leave you again. It'll be just you and me traveling the universe for the rest of our hopefully very long lives. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good and it's all that I ever hoped for," Rose said as her smile widened and spread across her entire face.

"There's only one thing and I hope that this doesn't end up breaking up our relationship before it even gets started," The Doctor said in a worried tone.

"What is it, Doctor?" Rose asked with concern.

"How do you feel about soufflés? Do you like them even if they are a bit . . . burnt?" The Doctor asked with a sudden grin.

"Shut up," Rose said as she playfully punched her in the arm and started laughing.

That was when she finally felt for the first time in a very long time as if everything was going to be alright again. Now for the first time since her other Doctor died, she was well and truly happy once more.

She hoped that this time around it never ended.

Next: That's right. Rose is here to stay and she's joined the Doctor's crew just in time to come across a very familiar foe alongside her. Are these particular enemies really as bad as they seem at first glance though or might they be the start of something new?