AN: Sorry, this should've been up a few days ago but I haven't been feeling too great the last few days. Killer headaches and all, so I couldn't really muster the concentration to write much when my head's been throbbing every two minutes. Thankfully I think they're gone now so I forced myself to sit down and write this chapter and here it is! Enjoy!
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The duo stood there in silence for a moment, frowning in confusion at his request. They spared a glance at each other for a moment before looking back to the smug fake Doctor, who was still staring at Rose.
Just as Mickey was about to ask, 'What?' in hopes of clearing up their confusion, the fake Doctor beat him to punch, interrupting with a, "Let me be clear. I want you, or to be more precise, the Bad Wolf part that resides inside of you."
"I don't have the Bad Wolf in me. Not anymore. The Doctor took it all away." She replied, although she was a little hazy on the details regarding the Bad Wolf, she could remember the Doctor telling her that.
He had killed the old version of him to remove the power of the heart of the TARDIS from her, becoming a new man in a blaze of golden light. She had shed tears over the loss – for it was as potent as grief even though he was technically still the Doctor, he was still a new man and it had still taken time for her to once again grow to love him as a Doctor anew.
"But not all of it." The fake Doctor replied, he let out a smirk, "You forget that I'm inside his head, scratching the surface, yes, but still inside his head."
"What do you mean 'scratching the surface'?" Mickey frowned, "What the hell is that meant to mean?"
"The mind of a Time Lord is a complex thing. I can't just dig inside his head. He has too many barriers." He let out a sigh, before turning his gaze to Rose, "Makes you wonder what horrors he feels the need to hide, what secrets is he keeping? From you? From himself even?" His eyebrows drew together in thought, "Hmm…"
Rose could not deny that she had wondered what the Doctor's secrets were. He was mysterious, there was no denying that and even though he was engaging in a conversation and thoughtful when the need arose, he had held her tentatively at an arm's length if she were honest with herself. She had been curious as all humans could be at to what mystery hid behind the man.
Yet she had understood his need to hide at least part of himself from her…he was the last of his kind after all, after than much loss there was a pain that went with it. She had never asked what had happened to race, never felt the need to bring up bad memories for him; if he wanted to tell her about them then he could but until he was ready to do so she had given him his secrecy, his shadowed past…
That didn't mean she never wondered how he came to be the last of his kind, how he come to gain a darkness, a pain, an almost detached look in his eye. She would often catch him on his own staring into space and the grief on his face would break her heart but as soon as he realised she was there, the grin would once again returned to his features and he would be her Doctor again.
The fake Doctor let his look of contemplation linger for a moment and if Rose were to look closely he looked more like the Doctor in that moment than he had ever before, she wondered idly what secrets the man inhabiting the Doctor's body had of his own.
"It makes you wonder," The fake Doctor continued, "But I can see into his memory of the moment he took the power into his body to save you. He couldn't get all of it, he didn't even realise it until after it was too late."
"Too late?" echoed Rose, as thoughts of a golden light and the Doctor being consumed by it danced inside her mind.
"A small remnant is still present inside of you, just enough so you won't burn up from the inside become ash and dust."
She swallowed albeit unconsciously at the thought of her skin and bones and organs dissipating into dust in the wind and ash on the ground. A terrifying image and she couldn't help but imagine that if the Doctor hadn't been a Time Lord then she would've brought about his death. That thought seemed to terrify her even more.
"A human with the power of a god…you started legends and I found the stuff of legends. Wonder what that makes me."
"I could think of a few things to call you." Mickey interjected with a glare towards the fake Doctor.
Rose interrupted the bating battle of testosterone she felt was about to kick off if she didn't interrupt the two of them, "And this power…that's in me, what do you want to do with it? If it's going to kill me, then why should I help you?" He was about to reply when Rose interrupted him, "Other than the obvious. Of course, I want to save the Doctor."
He smiled his twisted smile, "Of course you do, and that should be enough of a reason for you to help me so why do you need to know the details."
"Because she's apparently going to risk her life?" Mickey replied, his voice rose in volume slightly.
"And if she doesn't then her Doctor isn't going to have a life so it doesn't really matter about the details."
"Of course it matters. You really think that I'd let her get killed to-"
"I'll do it." Rose whispered so quietly that the two men in the room had almost not believed they had heard it spoken in the first place.
"What?" Mickey questioned, "But he said-"
"I know what he said." She interrupted, "But we don't have a choice. This is the only way."
"But Rose-" He protested.
"No Mickey, this is the only way." She turned to the fake Doctor, "If I'm going to risk my life, then I want to leave a note to my mum and to the Doctor once you let him go."
"Of course, as you wish." He said with a grin.
"So…we're going to the control room first."
The fake Doctor frowned at that, "Why?"
She didn't faze at his question, "Because I left something there that's important to me and if I die doing this then the Doctor will know where to look."
The fake Doctor let out a sigh of frustration, "Fine." He spread out his hands towards the door and gave a small bow, "After you."
Mickey stared at Rose for a moment as she exited through the door. What was she up to? Was she really going to risk her life? Why did she not follow what the Doctor asked her to do? And what about Plan B? Did she know what it was?
"Are you coming Rickey or not?" The fake Doctor sneered at him.
Mickey took a moment to regain his composure; "I'm not letting you get behind me so you can knock me out or something. After you."
"You really are irritating." The Doctor stared him straight in the eye as he said it.
He puffed out his chest, taking a step towards the fake Doctor, "And you really are-"
"Mickey! Come on." Rose asked from the doorway, almost pleadingly.
"Fine, but he stays in front of us. I'm not letting him attack us from behind." He looked at the fake Doctor, his eyes squinting at him. Rose knew he was trying to look hard but all it seemed to be doing was making him look like he was on the verge of sneezing. She decided not to divulge that fact to him, "He's the kind who'd do it."
Rose nodded and the fake Doctor walked ahead of them. As soon as he got a few steps, Mickey grabbed Rose arms to still her and he whispered in her ear, "What are you up to? You know what the real Doctor said."
"I know." She whispered back, "Just…trust me."
"Have you remembered Plan B?"
She frowned and shook her head, "Not yet, but I will."
"I hope so..." Mickey stared at the fake Doctor, "For all our sakes."
To be continued...
AN: And the plot thickens...review if you feel the need to...