"Doctor?"
Her broken feeble voice was music to his ears.
It's Rose. Not the Rose who's been giving him a run for his money. Smothering him with too much information, emotion, everything at every turn. Nope. Just plain old, young naïve Rose.
"Rose!" He shouted in breathless excitement.
Her answering laugh was enough for the tension to melt off his shoulders.
"Where are you?" He asked.
"With me, I'm afraid," answered a man.
The Doctor's happiness fractured at the sound of another person. He scowled, "who's this then?"
"Hello," was the man's bright reply. "I'm the Doctor."
"Oh, no," the Doctor glared at James. That's his voice, no doubt.
James straightened his back, all attention on him. "What?"
"It's you." The Doctor stated.
James blinked. "Oh." He worked his mouth, as if puzzling it out. "Oooh!" He suddenly beamed. "Weeell, isn't that wizard?" James snatched the phone, all smiles as he spoke into it, "Remember me?"
"Hold on." The Doctor worked around the console, ignoring how sticky every lever and dial had become. Whatever is going on will hopefully explain itself... now. The console monitor wavered, eventually centering, for a semi-clear picture.
"Connected the phone link to the TARDIS mainframe," he told them as they abandoned the phone to crowd around the monitor.
"Video chat," Rose grinned eagerly at James. "Reminds me of when we first met."
The Doctor shot her a questioning look.
Rose shook her head. "The darkness, planets disappearing. I'll tell you later."
When the video feed had a strong enough link the Doctor tapped the screen. It appeared to be showing the interior of the TARDIS reflected back at him. Can't be right.
Just when the Doctor began fumbling with the settings, a double of James popped onto the screen.
"Hello there," he said.
The Doctor glanced at the James by his side. Then looked back at James on screen. James on screen appeared younger by a large sum. Doesn't explain why there's two right now though.
"Blimey, it's like looking at the future -not that I don't do so daily." James on screen mumbled, staring directly at his other self. "Mind you, I age well."
James winked at him. Then they shared a long goofy smile that the Doctor almost gagged at. Are they flirting?
"If I'm not wrong... that's the original Doctor." Rose explained in awe, never once taking her eyes away. "The one James was cloned from."
"Bit pretty." the Doctor made a face. That's who he becomes after regeneration? The Doctor version of James... Doctor James. She no doubt preferred that younger look, but he didn't appreciate earning Rose's affections with appearances.
"Rose," Doctor James called to somewhere beyond the screen. "Phone is o-over here," he chuckled mid-sentence then took a step back.
Moments after, Rose swung into view. Eyes wide. "Doctor!" Then her sight roved over the older Rose and James at the Doctor's side. "What?" She took a step back, caught off guard.
Doctor James caught her around the shoulder with one arm. When did they get so familiar? "Remember what I said about parallels and the clone?"
"Oh," she relaxed. "Oh, that's... yeah." Then she shyly stepped free from his comforting grasp. The Doctor raised a brow. Huh.
"Awesome!" Tony squealed into the conversation. He climbed between them and grabbed the screen. "Is it like that story with the angels? Is it a recordering from the past?"
"No, Tony," older Rose scooped him off. His feet hit the grating with a rattling thud, and she knelt in front of him, twirling her hand in a circle as if searching for words. "It's the, um, that's real the Doctor on the telly."
"That's the real Doctor right there," Tony adamantly pointed out the Doctor himself. He hid a smirk. Wise boy.
"No, it's like..." she rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Remember how I told you James is a human clone? He was cloned from the original Doctor, and that's him there, he's just in a parallel world." Older Rose pointed at the screen. "A clone is-"
"I know what a clone is, Rose," he spoke petulantly, "I learnted that years ago."
Older Rose ruffled his hair till it stuck up at odd angles. "Cheeky little thing."
The Doctor actually found himself smiling. "Bit more of Jackie in that one."
"Is that your brother?" Doctor James leaned in close to the screen, as though it would help him get a closer look.
"Yep," Older Rose lifted him with effort. "Tony Ty-"
"I can introduce myself," Tony squirmed, only stilling when she clamped her mouth shut. "I'm Tony Tyler, I'm eight, and I want to meet the Slitheen!"
Everyone except Tony appeared to be appalled by the idea.
Older Rose had to explain, "he's got this thing. Wants to fight evil aliens. Nothing easier to take on than a Slitheen, he says."
"I've got a brother?" Young Rose looked curiously at Tony. "Did Mum really...?"
"Yep," Older Rose said, popping the 'p' in a way that made both James' smile. "Pete was still alive in this universe -turned single- then he met Mum, and along came Tony. But just recently Pete, um, passed away..."
Older Rose, James, and Tony went silent. The Doctor did his best to ignore them. Taboo topic.
"Really?" Young Rose questioned with a watery laugh. With such an odd reaction, everyone found themselves staring at her. "He lived for so long. I did it. I saved him. Did he- was it a good life?"
"Yeah," Older Rose slowly grinned. "Made it big. Vitex, his daft little schemes, they worked. He got rich. And-"
"Quit it," Tony snapped through a scowl. He struggled free from Rose, and continued, "he's gone, quit speakin' of him!"
James sighed, "Tony."
Tony clenched his fists. "I want to go to Woman's Weep- Wept. Let's go to Woman Wept!"
"We will, just not now," Older Rose told him.
"But we need-"
"Tony," her tone changed reprimandingly.
Tony swallowed. He paused a moment then pointed at the screen, voice shaking with restrained emotion as he asked, "why's there two Roses?"
"She," James scratched the back of his head, "she's a clone."
"Oi!" Young Rose cried. "I'm the original, ta."
"What does that make me?" Older Rose asked, partially amused. "I'm older, shouldn't I be the original?"
Young Rose bit her lip and tilted her head. "Not sure. How much older are you?"
"Enough."
Young Rose raised a brow, leaning in just so, "got skill to go with that?"
Older Rose smirked, mirroring her gesture, "if only you knew."
He wasn't sure if they were fighting, or if they were going to pounce each other for an entirely different reason, but he did know one thing. Scratch that, two. Although this encounter escalating would fair for good entertainment, he wanted it to stop from how the two James' were watching with rapt attention.
"Right!" The Doctor clapped his hands, but had a hard time pulling apart. As he extracted a pack of sanitizing wipes, he hedged toward the main topic, "how's it you two were able to contact us?"
"He looped the, um," young Rose looked at Doctor James over her shoulder. "The phone feed through 1987."
"The universe's haven't closed off!?" The Doctor and James exclaimed. They caught each others eye, still cautiously talking in sync afterwards, "but... that..."
"Means the universe's will bleed together," Doctor James completed for them.
"But the universe split in 1987," young Rose interjected, "you said. Shouldn't they be safely joined there?"
Doctor James crossed his arms. "It does not work that easily. When the universe splits it does not go off into other parallel universes like the branches of a tree. It separates. 1987 stays the same on both sides, however from then on it is different."
"Alright," young Rose rubbed her forehead. "Could've kept it at the-" she moaned, "all this is hurting my head."
"The pills should be working," Doctor James tilted her head up.
She swatted him away, "not that. Everything's double. It's maddening." She pointed at James, "what do I call you?"
"Me? I'm James," he waved. "Hello."
Rose drew her head back. "You've got a proper name?" After he shrugged silently she chose to address the Doctor and Doctor James. "Now how do I differ the two of you?"
The Doctor froze. She can't possibly... Doctor James' gaze fell away guiltily. How dare he. He told her. Doctor James told her. The Doctor's jaw tightened. "He's not me, Rose."
"I know what you're thinking," Doctor James ran his hands through the side of his hair. "And no. Rose put two and two together herself. Wasn't planning to tell her about regeneration, but, sorry."
Rose looked all the world like she was trying not to bite his head off. "I get why you never said nothing, but a passing remark about it would have been a nice."
"Rose pass the sonic, oh and by the way, when I'm near death I regenerate and become an entirely different person." The Doctor's words oozed sarcasm, but through it all, Rose couldn't help but lose her sour expression. He painted a smile on to finish, "top of the morning!"
"Top of the morning. Yeah," her whole sentence bordered on a nervous laugh that she couldn't help but let go at the end.
"Us laughing about regeneration," James scratched his eyelid to hide a grin. "Never thought I'd see the day."
Young Rose perched herself in front of the screen. "Back to the issue. Suppose Doctor One and Doctor Two would do. Or a nickname."
"I am rather dashing," Doctor James held his nose high. "how 'bout a nickname for me that encompasses that?"
"An' you big head?" She raised a brow at him through a sidelong glance. "There isn't a word big enough. And then it wouldn't even be a nickname. Besides, I think I prefer northern, and leather," she met the Doctor's eye, "for dashing."
That... that was a honey sweet tone if he's ever heard one. The Doctor's mouth went slack. She's flirting with him. Him. In all his northern glory.
Somehow the Doctor popped out of his stupor to form answer of his own. "Been calling him Doctor James myself."
Older Rose took a moment of thought. "Since when?"
"Since the narration." He told her tersely. It should have been something she noticed ages ago.
"I will not be named after a clone," Doctor James rebuked. "I'm the original in the original universe. It is Doctor. No more no less."
"Tough," the Doctor rebuffed. "I'm the Doctor, one and only. You're some poor knock off."
"You're younger."
"Yeah, well you act it."
"Okay!" Both Rose's exclaimed. James broke into a smile between the two.
It's absurd the amount of coincidences one can have while running into one's self. Sadly, it doesn't appear to be ending anytime soon.
The Rose's did not find humor in it this time though, and young Rose was the one who decided to propel her irritation with the Doctor's. "You two remind me of this chihuahua my Gran's neighbor had. Stupid thing would bark endlessly at any passing canine."
"I remember that!" Older Rose squealed. Then sheepishly cleared her throat when everyone stared at her. "Sorry."
"From now on you're Doctor James," young Rose told him.
Doctor James immediately pouted. "Rose that... that's not fair. I'm the Doctor. Don't nickname me after a clone. I was nice."
"It's not a punishment," James told him. "I can't help it if you look like me."
Doctor James leveled a narrow look at him. "Isn't that my line?"
Simultaneously the Rose's sighed, "don't start."
If you think about it, as of now, Nine is surrounded by a mess of easily distracted kids. Anyway, I loved when Amy flirted with herself in the mini-episode of Who. Conceited characters, as I see it, can either get annoyed with each other, or play. Nine pretty much fights. Then Rose and Ten could go either way. Oh, one more thing, BBC put together this lovely recreation of a Beach Boy song called God Only Knows. At the end of the video you can hear the last surviving Beach Boy himself. You can find it on Youtube if you want to check it out.
Also! primitive grooming ritual by lyricalprose, on teaspoon, it a short fic of an adorable first kiss between Ten and Rose.
Kl: Why, thank you! Happy to know you like the perspective. I'm flattered that you call me talented, thank you for that, hopefully my skills as a writer continue to improve. Also it's Abyss for short if you want. :)
skidney: That's wonderful. Thank you!
Verity359: Ha! You're welcome. I'm am a Bad Wolf soldier. Any and everywhere I can put Bad Wolf, it's there. I do hope you're helping in this effort to spread the words, but don't get caught. xD That's great that you liked Ten's chapter. And I'm glad you enjoy my sense of humor. Thank you for the review!
Guest: You're welcome. I don't plan on letting the plot drag on unnecessarily, so I'm glad you liked that, Adric. :) And don't apologize! I'm flattered you were interested my opinion, and besides, I've already written a reply. XD Sorry if you don't care about it anymore, but I posted it on my tumblr, which you can find through my profile. I posted it there because, well, it's a lot. Like... it made this chapter twice as long a lot.