Love Don't Roam (Reprise)
Disclaimer- I don't own anything from Doctor Who. Everything belongs to BBC and I am merely borrowing the characters and episodes for fun. I claim no ownership.
Hello beautiful people! Here is the next chapter and it's an original idea to boot. You will all get to see what happens after the cliff hanger i gave you last time - cause yeah, I hate them too but there was no other way to end the chapter. I hope I satisfy everyone with this conclusion to the brewing tension that has been growing over the last couple of chapters.
I wanted to make this argument understandable from both sides but still have everyone know that the Doctor's in the wrong here - and I think you all know why. I also wanted to make sure things are resolved well between Rose and the Doctor, which, I hope that conclusion is good for all of you. I am quite proud of it but I don't know what you guys are going to think.
Just like last time with the chapter that had this title, Nine is going to make his appearance but this adventure is completely different from the previous one. Though, I can say that Nine is still the one to help knock some sense into our clueless Time Lord. He's just not the only one.
I hope you all like the chapter. And sorry about the long wait for this chapter as well.
0.2- Time Warp
The medical student stares down at the key the Doctor just placed in her hand and she can feel the excitement building up inside her. She is practically jumping on her feet when she looks up at him, her eyes glowing with her joy.
"Thank you!" Martha squeals as she throws her arms around the Doctor's neck, burying her face into his shoulder as a big smile splits her face. "Thank you!"
The Doctor laughs merrily as he hugs her in turn and lifts her feet off the ground, "You're welcome." He pulls back from the hug to see Rose standing in the doorway to the hall with the most betrayed expression on her face as she watches the pair and he raises a questioning brow. "Rose?"
Martha pulls away from the Doctor - and before she can turn to the blonde, Rose schools her face into a nuetral expression - and smiles at her, showing her the key the Doctor just gave her, "Look, Rose, the Doctor just gave it to me!"
The blonde smiles at their new companion, but it is forced and strain but Martha hasn't been around long enough to realize this. The Doctor on the other hand can definitely tell this, "That's great, Martha, congratulations."
Martha - completely unaware of the growing tension between the couple she's standing in the middle of - turns back to the Doctor with the smile still plastered on her face.
"So where are we going first?" she asks the Doctor. Her smile falters when she sees the concerned look on the Doctor's face, "What's wrong?"
"I just realized I forgot somethin' in my room. Be back in a mo." Rose says in a hurried voice as she spins on her heel and disappears back down the hall she just emerged from.
The Doctor moves past Martha, intent on following his precious girl, "I'll be right back."
With that he rushes after Rose, leaving Martha standing awkwardly in the consel room in the silence. She has no idea what just happened but the medical student feels completely lost. The good mood she was in for earning her place on the TARDIS now utterly ruined.
"Rose." the Doctor calls as he follows her down the hallway. He has to resist the urge to growl when she ignores him and keeps walking as if he wasn't there with her. "Rose, please." Still he gets no response.
With his longer strides he quickly catches up to her and gently but firmly tugs on her arm to turn her around to face him. Rose averts her gaze but doesn't struggle against his hold. It breaks the Doctor's hearts to see her so adverse to him and he has no idea what's caused this change in her.
"Rose." he tries to catch her gaze but she won't meet his eyes no matter his best efforts. "Please talk to me."
"'bout what?" Rose hisses, a bitter note in her tone.
The Doctor is taken aback by the tone, never hearing it from Rose before, especially directed at himself. He blinks his eyes sluggishly as he tries to process this change in her demeanor and finds that his brain is not supplying him with his desired answer.
"Why are you so upset?"
"I'm not." she returns curtly.
"Yes, you are."
Her eyes flash with rage when they finally land upon him and the Doctor is stunned by such a look since it has never been directed at him before, "If you're so sure, then tell me, why am I upset?"
The Doctor mulls this over in his head and there is only one conclusion he can come to.
"You're upset about Martha staying."
Rose screeches in frustration as she throws her arms up in the air. This does cause the Doctor to release her for fear of hurting her arm. Her eyes land on him once more and he can see the pain lingering just beneath her rage.
"This isn't about Martha staying."
"I can't think of any other reason for -"
"You invited her to stay." Rose cuts him off.
The Doctor raises a confused brow, "Isn't that what I just said? You're upset that Martha's staying."
Rose shakes her head and the Doctor can see the betrayal and disappointment she throws his way, "No Doctor, I said I had no problem with Martha staying and I meant that. But, you invited her to stay without even talking to me. We didn't make the decision together, as partners should. Like we did with Jack." She can see as her words start to sink in, "This proves that you still see the TARDIS as yours and that I'm not your partner, that I don't get equal say in what happens or who stays. We agreed to take Martha on one trip as a thank you for saving us back at the hospital. But you kept extending that trip and now you've invited her to stay. Clearly, the decisions are still yours to make and the promises you make to me don't mean anything."
"No! Rose I-" the Doctor starts.
But Rose spins on her heel before he can even begin to explain himself - he sees the single tear sliding down her cheek as she turns - and moves into the room they have been sharing for the past couple of months, slamming the door behind her.
The Doctor rushes to the door, intent on fixing the mess he's made, but when he opens it he finds himself not in their room but instead at the pool. Cursing under his breath the Doctor glares up at the ceiling, knowing the TARDIS isn't going to allow him to see his precious girl at the moment.
With his hearts weighing heavily in his chest the Doctor slowly makes his way back to the console room - having no other option since he knows the TARDIS could hide the door to their room from him for the rest of eternity if she so chose - and watches as Martha jumps to her feet from the jump seat.
"There you are." Martha says with a smile. It quickly falls from her face however when she spots the look on his face and the absence of their friend, "Where's Rose?"
"She's not coming."
Remembering the struggles the blonde has been going through, panic begins to flare up in the medical student, "Is it her headaches? Did they come back?"
The Doctor just walks mechanically to the console and starts flipping the switches, "Something like that, yeah."
"Is this because of me?" Martha questions, having noticed that everything had been fine until she earned her key.
She's hoping she's wrong, but can think of no other reason for the blonde to suddenly be so upset. This actually makes Martha a little angry herself. What gives Rose the right to be so angry with her just because the Doctor asked her to stay. The privilege of travelling through time and space is not for her alone and the Doctor - though the two may be in their relationship - doesn't belong to her. He is free to do as he wishes and Rose doesn't get to act like a spoiled child whose favourite toy has been taken away from her.
"No, Martha." the Doctor answers her in a flat tone, not even bothering to look at her. "This is because of me."
With that he flips the final lever and the TARDIS starts rocking as she takes them to wherever the Doctor has decided to go.
A few days have passed and Martha is excited about going on their next trip. She has loved spending time with the Doctor but while it has been great just being the two of them - and slowly progressing things further between them - the medical student must admit she misses having Rose with them.
The Doctor doesn't seem as lively without the blonde by his side and Martha guesses it's because they have been travelling together for so long now that he really doesn't know how to be without the younger woman.
As much as that causes an ache in Martha's chest she also can't begrudge him that either. He lost everyone he cared for in the Time War so of course he's going to be attached to the first friend he made after such a tragedy. This also explains why the Doctor may have confused his feelings for Rose into something more than friendship, given his tremendous loss and how empty he would have felt before meeting the young woman.
Shaking these thoughts from her mind she continues on her way to the console room after leaving the Doctor in the kitchen to finish his meal. Her mind is racing with thoughts about where they'll be heading next and she can't wait to see it.
She just enters the room and almost jumps in surprise. Placing a calming hand over her racing heart she smiles, "Rose." she calls out to the blonde sitting on the jump seat, who looks up at her voice. "Are you feeling better?"
"Yes." Rose answers, a faint smile on her face.
"That's good."
There is an awkward air between them and Martha can't for the life of her figure out how to break it or what to say. As they both stand there she notices the phone in Rose's hand.
"Are you trying to call someone?" she asks, gesturing to the phone when Rose looks at her in confusion.
Rose lets out a light chuckle, "I have no one left to call."
Martha's heart breaks at the confession and she moves to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry Rose, I shouldn't have asked."
"No, it's alright." Rose replies gently. "Normally, I would call my mum or Mickey... or even Jack... but none of them are around anymore and I guess I realized how alone I am aside from the Doctor... and with us fighting right now... I just realized I have no one I can talk to about any of this."
The medical student can see the pain in the younger woman's eyes.
"All my friends and family think I died during the Battle of Canary Wharf and none of them know that I travel with the Doctor. Everyone who does know are now out of my reach... I don't regret choosing the Doctor and everything... I just realized that I have no one else 'sides him."
Martha watches as Rose stares sadly at her phone once more and moves to stand before her, placing a hand on each of her shoulders and waits until Rose looks up at her.
"I know things haven't always been the best between us, but I do consider you a friend, Rose." Martha says in a kind voice. "So, if you do need someone to talk to. I'm always willing to listen."
Though she knows that she can't discuss the current problem with Martha, since it involves her as well, Rose is still touched by the other woman's offer and smiles up at her.
"Thank you, Martha."
The two smile at each other and for the first time both feel as if they've truly connected as friends.
Their moment is interrupted when the Doctor comes walking into the console room and he stops dead in his tracks when he sees Rose sitting there.
"Rose..." he breathes.
Sensing the growing tension Martha quickly turns to face the Doctor and folds her hands neatly behind her back, a kind smile spreading across her lips.
"So, where are we going today?" she asks, hoping the Doctor gets the hint that the blonde is still not ready to talk to him about whatever they're fighting about - the medical student just hopes that it's not her they're fighting over.
The Doctor looks at Rose still and can see she is pointedly looking at anything but him. The minute he spends staring at his precious girl feels like an eternity to the Time Lord and though he wants to march right up to Rose and grovel on his knees before her until she forgives him and understands that he hadn't meant to invite the medical student alone, that he had been merely trying to make her happy since he knows how lonely she has been since being separated from her mother and Mickey. He had merely invited the medical student so Rose would have a friend around again and could finally start to move past her loss in a more healthy way, he knows now isn't the time and that Rose probably still doesn't want to hear 'excuses' from him.
He sighs heavily before shifting his gaze to Martha and giving her a tense smile, "You're going to love it." he says as he walks towards the console. He notices the small flinch Rose gives at his words and his hearts break even further.
Flicking all the necessary levers the trio are sent on their way.
The trio sit in the back of the taxi with the Doctor squished awkwardly between the two women. Weeks have passed since his fight with Rose and she still won't hear him out, while at the same time Martha seems to be getting closer to him in the way that's making him uncomfortable. This also seems to be pushing Rose further away from him and the Doctor has no idea how to fix it.
The girls seem to have formed a stronger friendship in the last few weeks but the tension between Rose and the Doctor seems to be at it's breaking point. He has no idea how to fix it since Rose won't listen to him and he doesn't understand why she's pulling further and further away from him.
The taxi pulls to a stop and Rose, being the only one to bring money, pays the driver as the three climb out of the vehicle and look around.
"Which way do we go?" Martha asks as she adjusts the quiver sitting on her shoulder, looking to the Doctor for answers.
Said man looks in both directions before pointing to their left, "That way." he says and the trio start making their way down the street. Martha hurries ahead of the couple, excited to see this more than her companions.
The Doctor keeps glancing at Rose from the side but still can't think of a way to branch the conversation he knows they need to have.
"Doctor!" a female voice calls out behind them. The two stop - Martha completely forgotten at the moment - and turn towards the blonde young woman running towards them, "Doctor! Doctor!"
He smiles at her, unsure of what else to do, "Hello." he greets as she comes to a stop before him, Rose still by his side. "Sorry, bit of a rush. There's a sort of thing happening. Fairly important we stop it."
"My God, it's you." the young woman says, her eyes shifting between the pair with a smile on her face, "It's really both of you."
That cause Rose to raise a questioning brow while the Doctor frowns.
The young woman notices their expressions and the smile falls from her face, "Oh... you don't remember me, do you?"
Martha, who had gotten so far ahead of them comes running back a bit on the street and stomps her foot like a child, "Doctor, Rose! We don't have time for this! The migration's started."
"Look, sorry, we've got a bit of a complex life." the Doctor says with an apologetic smile. "Things don't always happen to us in quite the right order. Gets a bit confusing at times, especially at weddings. I'm rubbish at weddings."
Despite herself, Rose is unable to keep the giggle from pushing past her lips and she quickly averts her gaze when the Doctor glances at her with a hopeful smile.
The young woman interrupts their 'moment' as she lets out an airy laugh of her own, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Oh, my God, of course." she states, drawing the time travelers' attention back to her, "You're time travelers. It hasn't happened to you yet. It's still in your future."
This causes the couple to look at each other in concerned confusion before the Doctor looks at their guest again, "What hasn't happened?"
Martha groans from where she's standing - jealousy flaring in her heart that this stranger is taking the Doctor's attention - and frustration that her friends are not coming despite the time constraint they're under at the moment, "Doctor, Rose, please. Twenty minutes to red hatching!"
"Hold on." Rose calls back, never taking her eyes off the woman before them.
"It was me." the woman says with another laugh, as if she's solved some great puzzle, "Oh, for God's sake, it was me all along. You got it all from me."
"Got what?" the Doctor presses, not liking that he has no idea what's going on at the moment.
"Okay, listen." the woman starts, looking at the Doctor seriously, "One day you're going to get stuck in 1969. Make sure you've got this with you." she hands the Doctor a purple envelope, "You're going to need it."
"Doctor!" Martha screeches impatiently.
"Yeah, listen, listen, got to dash." the Doctor says as he remembers the reason they came here in the first place. "Things happening. Well, four things. Well, four things and a lizard."
"Doctor." Rose snaps.
"Sorry."
The young woman laughs, "You really do that, huh?"
They look at her in confusion and the woman just shakes her head.
"Never mind. No worries." she brushes them off. "On you go. See you around some day."
The Doctor goes to move away but stops and spins back to face the young woman, "What was your name?"
She smiles at him, "Sally Sparrow."
"Good to meet you, Sally Sparrow." he says with a genuine smile this time.
At that moment a young man comes up, carrying a carton of milk and he stares at the couple with an awestruck expression. He barely even notices when Sally takes his hand he's so shocked.
"They're..." he starts to say.
Sally smiles, "Goodbye Doctor, Rose."
"Goodbye." they say in return and the Doctor starts down the road in chase of Martha - whose whole face lights up when the Doctor finally comes to her.
Rose starts to follow when Sally calls out to her again, "And Rose?"
"Yes?"
"Beware the drums, Rose." Sally warns.
Before Rose can even question her on what that means the two disappear into the store that's nearby. The blonde stands there, a dark feeling overwhelming her for a moment, before Rose shakes her head and starts running to catch up to her companions who have now left her behind.
Fire licks at her flesh and Rose feels as if her skin is melting from her bones as she continues down the narrow hallway. Her eyes cloud with tears as smoke billows around her, also causing her throat to burn almost as much as her skin is.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts as she tries to pick up her pace but finds it more difficult. Her limbs feel as if they are as heavy as stone and she can't help but feel even angrier at her situation.
Suddenly, she hears blood curdling screams behind her and Rose jumps in surprise. She looks over her shoulder, her heart slamming painfully in her chest. Not wanting to be caught once more Rose starts running as best she can on her injured leg, biting her lip to keep her screeches of pain bottled in.
She finally makes it to the end of the alley she had been moving through and Rose quickly searches her surroundings to be sure that there is no threat around her. Once she's sure that the coast is clear Rose starts hurrying down the road, sticking to the shadows as best as she can because she doesn't want to be seen. Her hair sticks to the nape of her neck due to her sweat and her lungs scream in protest at the little oxygen she's giving them as she continues to push herself so hard.
Rose wants desperately to rest but knows that doing so will lead to either death or capture, neither option is something Rose can allow. With that she continues to hurry onward.
She just reaches the end of the road when a hand grabs her arm and pulls her into another alley - Rose's scream is cut off when a hand covers her mouth and she is pulled into the shadows, all hope being taken from her in that instant.
Rose bolts awake in a cold sweat, feeling a strange energy coursing through her veins and she reaches out in search of the Doctor. When she finds nothing but cool sheets beside her, it takes a moment for her to remember that the Doctor and her haven't slept in the same bed in nearly five weeks and are still barely speaking to one another - unless of course they are talking about their travels.
Her heart aches painfully in her chest and she desperately wants to run to the Doctor and forgive him for everything but Rose knows if she does so, nothing will ever change and the Doctor will continue to make decisions without her. If she doesn't hold her ground in this the Doctor will never truly treat her as his equal and she will forever be just his companion, which isn't what she wants. But part of her fears that her actions have pushed the Doctor away completely and just proved her deepest fear that he doesn't feel for her the way she feels for him.
His constant attention towards Martha is also not helping her insecurities. Ever since she left him in the hallway when they first had their argument she has been waiting for him to come and talk to her, to apologize - because she is not the one who needs to do so - but he still hasn't. He didn't even chase after her then. She knows this is not a conversation they can have in front of Martha so, it doesn't bother her as much when he remains silent then. However, after every trip, when she returns to their room she waits for him to come and talk to her and every time those hopes are dashed.
Releasing a heavy breath, Rose climbs from the bed and moves to the attached bathroom so she can clean herself up and prepare for the day. When she pulls her shirt over her head, the young woman freezes when she sees the angry burn across her back that clear hadn't been there the night before and stares at it in horror. Despite the fact that it looks like a fresh wound she can feel no pain from it and she searches her brain for any reason why or how she got it. Nothing comes to mind though.
Clicking her tongue in frustration as fearful tears gather in her eyes, Rose finishes undressing and hops in the shower to wash the nightmare off herself and relax her body with the gloriously warm water that she adores.
Once she is clean Rose climbs out of the shower and dries herself off, getting dressed in the clothes she picked out for the day, making sure that bracelet is still securely around her wrist. Since she started wearing it she hasn't experienced any headaches and that constant hum in her veins has become a comfort to Rose so she always makes sure she has the bracelet with her at all times. Part of her still wonders where the bracelet came from but given how much it's been helping her Rose can't quite bring herself to care about it's mysterious appearance months ago.
Now that she's fully dressed she leaves the room and walks the short way to the console room to find the Doctor and Martha already there. Her heart lurches painfully in her chest but she schools her features before she approaches the two. "Good morning." she greets.
Martha turns and smiles kindly at Rose, "Morning Rose."
"Good morning." the Doctor says in an even tone.
"So, where are we going today?" the blonde asks as she stands on the opposite side of the console as the Doctor, keeping as much space between them as she can.
The Doctor smiles - but Rose is able to see that it doesn't reach his eyes, which are filled with so much turmoil - and he opens his mouth to answer. However, the TARDIS suddenly starts to shake violently, more violently than normal, as the console starts to spark and the three passengers are thrown forcefully to the floor.
Martha looks around in fear, having never experienced this before inside the TARDIS, "What's happening!?"
"No!" the Doctor exclaims while glaring at the time rotor. "Why are you doing that! Stop it!"
He made a move to the console so he could try and take control of the situation but the TARDIS gave another lurch that threw the trio down once more, tearing screams from Rose and Martha and a annoyed huff from the Doctor.
"What's happening?!" Martha demands once more.
"The TARDIS is takin' us somewhere." Rose answers as she struggles to keep herself from being thrown around too much. "Somewhere important I'm guessin'."
"The TARDIS can do that?" the medical student questions before she falls with another scream.
"Livin' being, remember?"
Martha throws a glare at Rose but the blonde is paying her no mind as she holds on for dear life, a growing ball of something settling in her gut - but Rose can tell neither whether it is a good or bad thing, just a strange sensation in her stomach.
The TARDIS stops with a harsher jerk than normal and the trio all tumble down onto the grating with groans of protest, all taking a moment to make sure they have truly stopped before slowly rising to their feet. Martha quickly checks herself for injuries while the Doctor checks the console and Rose looks around uncertainly.
"Well... we've stopped..." Rose mumbles.
The medical student glares at Rose, "Figured that one out for ourselves, thanks."
Rose matches the glare with one of her own, a power burning behind her eyes that has Martha taking an involuntary step backwards, "Just 'cause you're mad 'bout the situation doesn't mean you can take it out on me."
Martha's face flushes in shame and she averts her gaze to the floor, hunching her shoulders a little bit.
"Sorry." she whispers.
Rose gives a non-communitive response before she moves closer to the Doctor - still keeping a 'safe' distance between them, "So... where are we?"
"I have no idea." the Doctor answers honestly. "But clearly the TARDIS brought us here for a reason." He smiles at Rose, though it isn't as bright as his normal ones nor does it reach his eyes, "Let's find out, shall we?"
Rose nods her head in agreement and the couple rush out the door before Martha can even process what's happening.
"Wait for me!" she shouts as she runs after them, annoyed that they've once again left her behind.
She joins them in a long hallway that has flickering lights overhead and they can hear ghost like shrieks coming from somewhere in the distance but there are no distinguishing features to figure out where they are.
Rose glances over her shoulder and raises a questioning brow as she starts walking towards a door a little ways down the hall while Martha moves to stand beside the Doctor.
"So... now do you have any idea where we are?" she asks in an annoyed voice, not at all liking this dingy rundown place.
The Doctor shakes his head with a manic smile in place, "No. But I can't wait to find out."
"We're not leaving?" Martha asks in disbelief. She had been so sure the Doctor would want to leave just as much as she did considering how much he protested the TARDIS bringing them here.
Instead, he just waves his hand dismissively while shoving both inside his pockets and starts walking off down the hallways. "Nah, where's the fun in that. And besides, the TARDIS brought us here for something and we won't be able to leave until we find out what that reason is."
"Great." Martha grumbles as she moves to follow him.
"Rose?" the Doctor calls.
Said woman has just reached the door she had been moving towards, with her hand stretched out to touch, but the Doctor's voice snaps her out of whatever daze she had been in. Shaking her head to clear the fog that had been clouding her mind she withdraws her hand and starts to run after the Doctor and Martha who are now a fair distance ahead of her down the hall.
The trio walking through another door that slides open automatically when they approach into a room that looks to be some kind of waiting room, with a wall full of windows opposite of them and finally giving them a glimpse of the world outside.
The sky is a burnt orange with dark, angry clouds scattered throughout the scape and buildings as far as the eyes can see but as they all quickly realize, no signs of life anywhere.
"Oh." the Doctor says, drawing the word out longer than necessary, "We're on Gaoul. A human colony... in the year 2243." he looks around at everything. "But the sky wasn't orange the last time I was here."
"Where are all the people?" Martha gasps, her throat dry as a million horrible ideas start racing through her mind.
"Dunno." the Doctor says simply.
Rose opens her mouth to say something when something moves in the corner of her eye causing her to jump and knock over the stand she's next to. Her eyes scan the scenery frantically for whatever she saw but nothing is there.
The Doctor and Martha both start at Rose's sudden movement and the loud noise before they look at her in confusion. Both search the room like Rose is clearly doing but notice nothing that would have frightened the young woman.
Moving carefully towards her, the Doctor puts a gentle hand upon her shoulder, "Rose? What's wrong?"
"There was something there." she breaths, not moving her eyes from the other side of the room. That burning feeling is under her skin once more and Rose can't help but feel that this whole place is wrong - and not because all the people are missing. She doesn't know why she feels this way just that she does and it's making her feel like a stranger in her own body. Part of her wonders if the Doctor can feel it too - and if he can, how can he bare such a feeling?
The Time Lord looks again but still doesn't see anything. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the sonic screwdriver, sets it to the setting he needs and starts scanning the room. Having been around along enough - and knowing Rose wouldn't lie about something like this - to know that there are many things out there that can move fast enough to disappear before anyone could truly see them. Anything could be here and just because they can't see them doesn't mean they're not there.
He slowly starts moving through the room.
"What is it, then?" Martha questions as she trails behind him, searching everywhere to find whatever it is the Doctor's looking for.
"Dunno yet." he answers as they move towards another door then the one they entered the room from. Neither noticing that Rose has yet to move from where she's been standing since they entered the room. "Could be anything."
"That's not very comforting." the medical student grumbles.
"Wasn't supposed to be."
"Thanks."
The Doctor smiles at her apologetically. "Sorry."
Rose continues to stare at the corner of the room, the burning of her skin almost growing unbearable but she doesn't move from her spot. Her eyes start to glow faintly but of course the blonde is unaware of this fact.
"Rose!?" Martha calls from where she is by the door with the Doctor a little further down the hall. He does stop moving when he notices that Rose hasn't moved yet.
The medical student's voice snaps Rose out of her daze and she shakes her head to clear whatever had taken hold of her for a moment. "Comin'." she calls back and hurries over to them.
Before she can get out of the room however the door suddenly slides shut and Rose runs towards it, slamming her hands against it in a futile attempt to open it - memories of the last time she was trapped behind a locked door coming back to her mind. "DOCTOR!" she cries.
"Rose!?"
Martha's call stops the Doctor's search as he turns back from where he is in the dark corridor. He sees Rose is still in the room and even from the distance he is from her the Doctor can still see the faint gold glow to Rose's eyes causing his concern to skyrocket. The voice seems to bring Rose back to reality and she starts to come towards them.
"Comin'." she says in a hoarse voice, clearly shaken by whatever just happened to her.
The Doctor's hearts stop in his chest when the door suddenly slides shut with Rose still being in the room.
"Rose!" he shouts in panic as he races forward, searching for a way to open the door. However, he quickly realizes there is no keypad and the sensor above the door seems to be unresponsive to their presence.
"Get it open!" Martha cries.
"I'm trying!" he returns harshly.
He can hear the faint sounds of Rose banging on the door from the other side but he cannot find any way to get it open. His mind is racing as he tries to figure out not only how to open the door but also why this is happening.
"DOCTOR!" screams Rose from inside the room, her voice muffled through the thick metal and walls.
He continues to frantically search for a way to reach his precious girl but can find no way to open the door - no panel or keypad for him to use, nor any wires - he also can't find any reason it would have closed.
"LET ME OUT!" Rose screams - bringing up unpleasant memories for both the Doctor and Rose as they remember the last time they heard those words.
"Calm down, Rose." he calls back, though he doesn't feel very confident at the moment. He knows that nothing will stop him from getting back to his Rose, even if he has to tear the whole planet apart to do so. "Everything's going to be alright, yeah? Martha and I will go look for the control room so we can unlock the door and get you out. Everything's going to be alright."
"Don't leave me here." Rose pleads in a broken voice and the Doctor can hear the fear that is already starting to take her over. "Please don't leave me here."
"I promise, precious girl, you won't be stuck in there for long. But there's no other way to get you out. We just have to go find the controls and then we'll come back to you. I will come back to you."
There are met with silence - and Martha knows at this moment it would be best to remain quiet as she can tell that the Doctor needs this just as much as Rose does - and the Doctor wonders what's going through Rose's mind.
"Just hurry up, yeah?" Rose says, defeat and fear in her voice.
"I promise." the Doctor returns seriously before turning to face Martha, "Let's go."
She nods her head in agreement and the two race off down the hall. Neither notice the strange shadow that moves behind them.
Wrapping her arms tightly around herself, Rose moves away from the door and starts pacing around the room as she waits for the Doctor to come back for her. Everything in her is screaming that something is horribly wrong here and a chill runs down her spine as Rose tries in vain not to let the fear consume her.
She sings quietly under her breath in an attempt to calm herself down but with that strange burning in her skin and the fear that seems to be dragging her under she can't keep track of the words to any song and keeps switching between the millions that are racing through her head.
Suddenly she hears a whispered voice and Rose jumps in surprise, whirling around only to find herself still very much alone. But, something tells her that there is something in the room with her though she can't see it - it wouldn't be the first time she was against an opponent she couldn't see. Another whisper sounds in her ears but she is unable to make out the words.
Then it's like there are a million voices talking at once and Rose covers her ears as she tires to drown the white noise out. However, the whispers are somehow within her own mind though not at the same time and her effort is futile at best, causing tears of pain to cloud her hazel eyes.
A shadowy figure dashes past Rose causing her to stumble back a few steps and the voices within her mind to increase tenfold - though Rose can still not understand a single word they're saying - and then more of the figures start to appear. They all move past Rose with lightning fast reflexes, pushing her back further and further as the sounds in her mind become unbearable.
"...Doc...tor..." Rose gasps between painful whines, her voice barely a whisper.
Next thing Rose knows, one of the shadows backhands her and knocks Rose out the window that she had backed up towards without realizing, the glass shattering and her scream filling the air.
The Doctor and Martha move through another darkened hallway, the Doctor using the sonic like a flashlight as they search for the control room that has to be somewhere in the building.
Martha bites her lip nervously before she musters up the courage to finally ask the question she wants to ask, "What do you think happened back there? Why did the door suddenly close like that?"
She can see the tension that takes over the Doctor at her question and desperately wishes she could snatch the words out of the air and put them back in her subconscious, but knows that that is impossible - but so was time travel before she met the Doctor, so. She waits patiently for him to answer but can feel her annoyance at his avoidance.
"I don't know. It's like something wanted to separate Rose from us. Like they were only interested in her."
This statement causes Martha's eyes to widen and her heartbeat to quicken as she looks at the Doctor in shock, "You mean that something's targeting Rose?!"
"Like I said, I don't know... but that's what it feels like."
"But why Rose?" the medical student presses, "Why would this... thing... thing be more interested in Rose than you or me?"
"There are thousands of possibilities to that question Martha and I haven't the faintest idea as to why this 'thing' wants her if there is actually a thing at all."
Martha goes quiet as they continue to move forward, just taking the time to absorb the Doctor's words and figure out what they can do. Her friend may be in great danger and right now the only thing they can do is find the control room and unlock the door that currently has Rose trapped in that damned room. She just hopes that they're not too late.
Rose does her best to hold onto the ledge she just barely managed to catch onto when she went sailing out the window, but she can feel her fingers slipping and no matter how much she tightens her grip she can't regain her holding. Her vision begins to blur as tears start to pool in her eyes.
"DOCTOR!" she cries as loudly as she can, only her fingertips still on the ledge, her legs swinging below her as she tries to find some purchase with them but is unable as the soles of her shoes continue to slip on the smooth stone surface.
Unfortunately, despite her best efforts, her grip finally slips and a scream is torn from her throat as Rose plummets down the six story fall, towards the ground far below. She is unable to hear anything but her own scream as the air rushes past her on her way down.
After what feels like hours, but is in fact maybe twenty minutes the duo finally find the control room and the Doctor rushes over to console, getting to work without a single word.
Martha stands beside him, tapping her foot impatiently. She continuously glances at the watch on her wrist and it's not even five minutes later before she is literally bouncing in place.
"Can't you go any faster?" she grumbles to the Doctor, anxious to get back to Rose and save her friend.
"I'm doing the best I can, now be quiet and let me work." he snaps back, sending a seething glare Martha's way.
The glare actually takes her back because he has never looked at her that way. It causes an ache to form in Martha's chest and she instantly regrets her attitude towards him. Rose is just as important to the Doctor as she is to Martha, even more so considering they aren't just friends but the only family that either has left. She has watched time and again as the two risk everything to save each other and she can't believe that she thought for even a moment that he wasn't doing enough to save their friend.
She averts her gaze and the two are in complete silence as the Doctor finishes his work.
"Done." the Doctor says. "The door should be open now. Let's go."
He spins on his heel and basically runs out of the room, leaving Martha to scramble after him.
"We have to stop meeting like this." a voice says.
Rose takes a moment to realize she's not dead - or in the very least, in excruciating pain - from falling four stories before the voice registers in her mind and she slowly opens her eyes, "...Jack...?"
She looks up to find herself in his arms much like when they first met in his ship. She blinks at him owlishly as her mind tries to process what she's seeing.
"Hello beautiful." he says with a smile. "You had us worried there for a minute after you disappeared."
"...Us...?" Rose questions before she sees who's standing beside her friend and her eyes widen in shock. "Doctor."
Jack tilts his head as he takes a good look at Rose and carefully puts her down on her feet, keeping a hand on her shoulder to keep her steady, "Where'd you get the new clothes... And what did you do to your hair?"
Rose takes a step back, her eyes still on the Doctor as she barely hears Jack's question. This is the Doctor who she met first, the one with big ears and loves leather. The one who was still so angry and lonely that he barely smiled and the one who gave his life to save hers. The man she first fell in love with.
He is looking at her in just as much confusion as Jack, both trying to figure out why she looks different and Rose realizes in that moment that she's crossing timelines. This must have happened to her in the past - her younger self is here somewhere - and the only reason she doesn't remember is because she isn't finished living through these events as her younger self.
"I'm not your Rose." she finally manages to breathe.
Both men look at her in more confusion.
"I'm from the future." Rose states, looking pointedly at the Doctor, "A couple years further in your timeline."
The Doctor's eyes widen as he understands what Rose is telling him and he releases a sigh of frustration. "Fantastic."
"Sorry." Rose mumbles but she looks at the Doctor with a faint smile, "It is good to see you both again."
"What?" they both ask.
That is when Rose realizes the mistake she just made and she cringes. "Bullocks." she grumbles.
The Doctor and Martha race down the hall back to the room that Rose had been trapped in, both worried that something may have happened to her when they were gone and both praying that they're wrong about that.
Martha smiles in relief when she spots their blonde companion up ahead of them and doesn't notice right away that the Doctor has slowed down as she continues to run to her friend, "Rose!"
Said woman jumps in surprise and stands there stiffly when Martha runs up and throws her arms around her in a tight embrace.
"Thank God, you're alright." Martha says, seeming not to notice the strange behaviour of the younger woman.
The Doctor stops a few feet away, his eyes widening when he gets a good look at the Rose before them.
"We were so worried about you." the medical student pulls back to look at Rose, "Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Who are you? How do you know my name?" Rose questions in return, taking a tentative step backward.
Martha just laughs, thinking the blonde is playing a joke on them in revenge for 'leaving' her trapped in that room, "Ha, ha, very funny."
"She's not joking Martha. She doesn't know who we are." the Doctor says in his serious, calm voice.
Martha blinks and turns to face the Doctor, "What?"
"This isn't our Rose."
"Your Rose?!" the blonde questions with fear in her voice, "What are you talkin' 'bout? Who are you people!?"
The medical student licks her lips as she tries to think of how to explain this - part of her also wondering why Rose doesn't recognize the Doctor considering they said they've been travelling together for two years now so she should know who he is, "My name is Martha Jones... and I'm friends with you... or at least, future you." She sees the way Rose eyes her suspiciously and she has to fight the urge to yell at the woman, knowing it's not her fault that she doesn't know who Martha is, "And this is-"
"Ten." the Doctor interrupts.
Martha looks at him in confusion as she tries to understand what he's doing.
Rose looks just as confused as she tilts her head, "Ten?"
"Yup." the Doctor says as he pops the 'p' as he smiles at Rose, "Yup, ten, that's me."
"Ten?" she asks again, disbelief clear in her tone.
"...Yes..." he replies a little more hesitantly now.
Rose stares at the two of them in silence for a few moments before she shakes her head, "I don't have time for this. I have to find my friends."
"We can help you with that." the Doctor offers - flutters of memories flooding his mind as he remembers what his younger self was doing at this moment, or at least part of it.
Rose eyes them suspiciously before sighing and nodding her head, "Okay. Let's go."
She walks off down the hall with the Doctor easily keeping pace with her. Since Martha hadn't been expecting the swift retreat she is once again scrambling to catch up to them, her mind still reeling from all this new information.
The Doctor, Rose and Jack all slowly walked back into the building Rose had fallen from as well as the one the men had left not too long ago as they had searched for their missing companion, now searching for their missing friends.
"So, I'm not travelling with you two anymore?" Jack asks, a note of sadness in his voice,
"No." Rose answers honestly, knowing that they won't remember this event once they return to the TARDIS since they're crossing their personal timeline and the Doctor explained to her what happened when he met his past selves in his timeline. "From what I know you stayed behind to help people after a very bad thing happened."
Jack nods his head, processing that information, "What about the Doctor?"
"Well... he... uh. He-" she starts uncertainly.
"I regenerated." the Doctor says in a solemn voice. Knowing the only reason this version of him wouldn't be with Rose anymore is because he had to regenerate. There is nothing else that would make 'him' leave the girl's side.
Rose nods, "Yeah... did it to save me." she says.
The Doctor smiles at her, "At least it was for a good reason."
This causes Rose to blush but at the same time her mind wanders back to those last moments with the Doctor and she wonders what he had done to save her. Her memories of that time still pretty blurry and mostly forgotten though she remembers parts of it better now.
"What does that mean?" Jack interjects. "What's regeneration?"
"To save his life the Doctor can basically change who he is on the outside and maybe his personality too, but he is still the same man." Rose answers. "Took me a bit to realize that though."
The Doctor smiles sadly at Rose, knowing he probably never explained regeneration to her until it was happening and it would have caused her a lot of confusion. And given how different his appearance and personality can be when he does change it would have thrown her through a loop.
Jack turns to the Doctor with a cheeky smile, "So you can just cheat death and change what you look like?"
"Pretty much, yeah." he replies.
Rose laughs again, shaking her head fondly. As much as she loves the new version of the Doctor she can't deny that she will always miss this version of him. She has to admit that it is nice to be with him again despite knowing their time is limited and she will have to part ways with him when they are done here.
"Why are you wearing a molecule stabilizer?" the Doctor questions.
Rose blinks and tilts her head as she steps through another door, "Huh?"
"Your bracelet Rose." Jack says, pointing at said object. "It's a molecule stabilizer."
"It is?" Rose asks as she stares at it before looking at the Doctor again, "I didn't know that. I thought the Doctor left it for me."
The Doctor pulls the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and scans Rose, before reading the results. His eyes widen when he sees the results.
"You have Huon particles infused to your DNA." he says in a gasp. "How's that possible? It shouldn't be possible."
"I can't tell you that." Rose replies, "Cause one, that's too much foreknowledge, and two, I don't know it myself. The Doctor said he would figure it out... before he got distracted by other things."
"What did he do?" the Doctor asks, drawing both Rose and Jack's attention as he glares sternly at Rose, "MY future self, what did he do?"
He can't imagine anything being more important to him than finding out how to help Rose. So, his future self must have done something to make Rose believe that her safety isn't his number one priority, that she isn't the most important thing in the universe to him. He knows how drastically he can change when he regenerates but he knows that Rose will always be the most important thing to him. He can't imagine it any other way.
"What do you mean?" Rose questions back, confused by the abrupt inquiry.
"You're upset about something and look almost lonely - and believe me I'm an expert in that field - so my future self must have done something to make you feel that way." he states seriously, his tone making it clear that he's not going to let this go. "So what did he do?"
"I can't imagine the Doctor... any version of him, doing something to upset you, Rose." Jack says, concern lacing his voice.
Rose laughs but the sound is broken and raw as she tries to push her emotions aside but is failing terribly. "Not his fault... I was the one who misunderstood everythin'."
"Bullshit." the Doctor snaps.
Rose actually stops walking and looks at him in shock.
"There's no way you misunderstood anything. You're too clever for that. So, he must have done something to you to make you feel this way, which means it is most definitely his fault." the Doctor states.
Rose flushes once more as she averts her gaze, trying to think of a way to explain the situation to the Doctor, "Well... he... we... he said we were partners, that we would decide things together, yeah?" she starts simply. "But then, we met this new companion, our friend." Rose notices the way the Doctor's eyes narrow at the mention of someone new aboard the TARDIS, smiling as she remembers how much he really didn't like many people back then, "And we were only supposed to take her on one trip to thank her for savin' our lives... but then... the Doctor, he invited her to stay permanently... Without even askin' me. I have nothin' against Martha, in fact I wouldn't mind if she did stay... just him askin' her to stay without my havin' a say in it just made me realize that we aren't really partners... that we're not equals like I thought we were."
Silence fills the air between the trio and Rose notices the dark looks that both men have on their faces. She tilts her head in confusion as she tries to think of something to say but something cuts her off before she eve has a chance.
"DOCTOR!"
The Doctor, younger Rose and Martha move down to another floor since Rose had told them that she had been separated from her friends near the eighth floor and had already searched the three floors above them when she ran into them.
They are now heading down to the second floor and Rose keeps glancing at the Doctor, confusion in her eyes but also this nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she should know this man.
"What do your friends look like?" Martha finally asks, feeling that she's kept quite long enough.
"They'll be the only other people here." the Doctor says in a short tone. "Shouldn't be hard to miss."
Rose abruptly stops walking and the Doctor turns to face her with a confused look on his face while Martha has to stop rather suddenly to make sure not to collide with the blonde - sending a glare her way.
"What is it? What's wrong?" the Doctor asks Rose in concern.
"...Doctor...?" she asks in a voice barely above a whisper as she looks at the man standing before her. He looks nothing like the man she knows and seems way to happy to be her Doctor but the protective feeling she gets from him and the tone he just used are undeniable.
He smiles at her, both sadness and joy battling for dominance in his eyes, "Hello."
She steps forward and gently cups his cheek, noticing the way he leans into her touch, "But... how?"
"Long story... You'll get the answers soon." he replies just as quietly as she did. He remembers a little bit more about this adventure and knows that it isn't much longer before they end up at the game station and everything goes to hell. "But, I'm okay thanks to you."
"Me?" she asks.
He nods his head.
Without a word Rose throws her arms around the Doctor in a fierce hug that he easily returns. Both completely forgetting about their companion who is both confused and angry at the scene unfolding before her.
"What is going on?" Martha snaps, "What are you two talking about?"
"Nothing. Let's keep going." the Doctor brushes off. He is not ready to talk about regeneration with the medical student and he doesn't think he ever will be. Hopefully he'll never have to talk to her about it because he plans to stay this 'him' for as long as he possibly can. True he can't explain it to Rose at the moment either but the fact that she recognizes him even without him having to tell her lifts a weight of his chest that he hadn't realized had bee there until it was gone. Rose had always been one more of faith than one of science and facts like Martha. It was one of the reasons he took such a shine to Rose right off the bat.
"But what's going on?" Martha insists, not liking the fact that she is once more the only one in the dark about the situation at hand especially considering this is a Rose from the past apparently and shouldn't know as much as Martha did.
Before either of the two can reply they notice movement ahead of them and Rose's face breaks out in huge smile when she spots her big eared, leather wearing Doctor just down the hall.
"DOCTOR!" she screams as she rush forward - past her future self that she doesn't notice in that moment - and throws her arms around him. His arms quickly wrap around her in return.
"Rose." the younger Doctor breathes as he holds her tightly to his chest, glaring at the two who are approaching from the same direction Rose had come from.
"Rose." the older Doctor says as he runs to his Rose's side, "Are you okay? ... How did you get here?"
"Fell out the window." she answers. Relief and pain warring inside her. She is glad to see him again but is still hurt by everything that has happened between them.
"Jack." the other Rose says as she hugs her friend tightly as well.
"Why did she call him 'Doctor'? You're the Doctor." Martha's voice cuts through the air, confusion on her face as she turns to the Doctor for answers.
The younger Rose pulls away from Jack and bites her lip while her counterpoint gives her Doctor a look that clearly states that she isn't going to help him with this one.
The young Doctor smirks and crosses his arms, deciding he already doesn't like this new companion he apparently is going to invite along in the future, "Yeah, you're the Doctor. Why would Rose call me Doctor?" His smirk grows wider at his older self's glower, not at all sorry for the trouble he's stirring up at the moment - especially considering how he's been treating their Rose.
"Because that's who he is." the Doctor replies honestly.
Martha shakes her head, trying to understand this, "So... what? Is it like a dread pirate Roberts situation?"
"No." everyone answers as they shake their heads.
The medical student looks around completely lost as she realizes that somehow she is the only one who doesn't know what's going on here and that knowledge just infuriates her.
"But... you said that you're the last of your kind. So how can there be two Doctors if you're the only Time Lord?"
"Yeah pretty boy? How can there be two of us?" nine snipes, enjoying the situation his future self is in. He knows that when the tables turn and he's in his place he's not going to enjoy this at all but since that is still in his future and he believes his future self deserves this and worse he's not going to let up.
Both Roses smack his arm as they glare at him, "Doctor." They blink at each other before laughter bubbles past both their lips as they smile.
"This is going to take some getting used to." Jack admits, though he is enjoying the situation at the same time.
The younger versions of the Doctor and Rose smile at him while the future Rose just shrugs since she doesn't really know how to handle this either.
"Excuse me." Martha interrupts once more. "But could someone please answer me?"
"Not my place. You're his companion." Nine states before taking his Rose's hand and starts walking back down the hall. "I'm going to go make a device to stop the shadows that are appearing all over the place."
Jack bows to the future Rose and offers her his arm, "Shall we?"
"We shall." Rose says with a laugh before taking his arm and they start down the hall after the couple ahead of them.
The future Doctor stands there flabbergasted for a moment before his brain finally catches up with everything and he rushes after the group, "Shadows? What shadows?"
"Same ones that knocked me out the window." Rose replies without glancing at them.
"WHAT!?" the Doctor cries horrified.
"Wait up!" Martha calls from the back of the group, hurrying after them all. Part of her angry that the Doctor still won't answer her question. She had thought they were past all the secrets and stuff back on New Earth but apparently she had been wrong.
The group enter the same control room that ten and Martha had used earlier to try and release Rose from the room they had been trapped in the nine immediately sets to work on his device. After some hesitance ten joins his younger self and the two continue to work in silence.
The two Roses move to the side of the room to watch their Doctors work with Jack joining them. Martha just stands by the door feeling completely out of place as her eyes drift over the many already within the room.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Martha questions after standing by the door for what fells like an eternity to the medical student.
"No." both Doctors answer in unison.
Martha rolls her eyes and crosses her arms - definitely not a fan of this new 'Doctor' or the way her Doctor is acting around him, "Fine. I'll be here if you need me." She says as she leans against the wall by the door.
"So, she waits for you to give her instructions?" nine asks his older self, chuckling under his breath. He makes sure to only speak loud enough for his counterpart to hear him, not wanting to start arguments with everyone else because of his 'rude' behaviour.
Ten glares at his younger self, "No. Martha is a good friend and has helped us multiple times."
"And that makes everything better." Nine says while rolling his eyes. He notices the confused look his older self gives him. "Is that why you're so smitten with her?"
"I'm not smitten!" Ten shouts causing everyone to look at him with raised brows and his face flushes in embarrassment while he gets back to work with his counterpart, grumbling under his breath like a child.
Nine smirks cruelly at his older self, "Coulda fooled me." His eyes drift over to the future Rose who sitting atop one of the crates lining the wall and fiddling with the bracelet she now wears while talking with Jack and her counterpart, "And you've definitely made Rose believe it."
Ten looks up startled as he glances over at his precious girl, his hearts stuttering in his chest as he watches her laugh at something Jack says before he looks back at his counterpart. "What are you talking about? Rose knows how I feel about her."
"Are you sure about that?" Nine growls with a raised brow still working away on the device, showing his counterpart no mercy. He never shows mercy to anyone who hurts his Rose and that includes himself. "You're saying that everything she thinks is going on is all in her head? That you haven't made Rose believe that your new companion is more important than Rose, that you haven't broken your promise to be equals with Rose?" He can see the shame his counterpart is trying so hard to hide but it is as clear as day to him. "You're saying that you haven't broken her heart?"
"What do you know about the situation?" Ten snaps defensively, trying to deny everything his counterpart has said but he can see it in his mind's eye everything he has done in a new light and why Rose would believe such a ridiculous thing. "This doesn't involve you!"
Before anyone even knows what's happening, nine punches ten hard in the face and the older Time Lord crumbles to the floor under the force of the blow as the younger Doctor glares down at him.
"It most definitely involves me!" he shouts at his idiotic older self, finding it hard to believe that this man is truly him, "You seem to have forgotten how broken we were before that day. Before we met her. We were trying to kill ourselves because we thought we had nothing left. Then we met the most beautiful person we have ever met and she saved us from ourselves, and has kept doing so time and time again!" he can see everyone is staring at the two in shock but he can't stop the words from tumbling out of his mouth and he doesn't want to either. Someone needs to knock some sense into this idiot and who better to do so than himself? "And now you've gone and ruined everything with your pride and idiocy and you're saying it doesn't involve me! What could have changed to make you this selfish and idiotic because I sure as hell would never do the shit you've done!? What makes you believe you can just take advantage of her kindness and treat her like she means nothing when she should be everything to you!?"
"That's enough!" Martha shouts at nine, glaring at him as she comes to ten's side. She notices when he flinches away from her touch but doesn't take the time to dwell on that as she glares at the other man. "You have no right to talk to him like this.
"I have every right." nine growls with a roll of his eye before he storms out of the room.
"Doctor!" the younger Rose shouts as she races after her Doctor.
The present Doctor and Rose glance at each other but Rose quickly averts her gaze and hurries after the younger Doctor, breaking her own Doctor's hearts.
Jack comes over and helps the future Doctor to his feet with an offered hand. "You okay?" he asks.
"Not really." ten answers honestly.
"For what it's worth..." Jack starts with a glare at the older version of his friend, "I think you deserve a lot worse than that for the shit you've pulled."
"Hey!" Martha snaps.
Ten hangs his head as guilt starts to consume him. "I know."
"Doctor." Rose calls as she catches the Doctor's arm and stops his dead march down the hall. "What was that 'bout?"
He shakes his head, "It's nothing, Rose. Never mind."
"It was 'bout me, yeah?"
They both turn to find the older Rose standing there, an uncertain smile on her face while she nervously fiddles with her bracelet again.
The Doctor sighs, "Yeah it was, yeah."
"You didn't have to do that." Rose says in a sad voice.
"Yes, I did."
The two smile at each other before the Doctor turns to the younger Rose, "Can you go back and make sure that Jack doesn't do anything too bad to that idiot."
Both Roses roll their eyes but the younger one nods, gives her Doctor a quick hug and then heads off back down the hall.
The remaining two stand in awkward silence until the younger Rose is out of hearing range and then her counterpart sighs, "Thank you."
"He deserves it." Nine states firmly.
"I've never understood what you see in me... You made me a better person but I was a nobody when we met. Just some girl in a shop." Rose says sadly, wrapping her arms around herself.
The Doctor walks forward and gently cups Rose's face, bringing her eyes to his, "We both know that's not true Rose, you were never 'just a shop girl'." he says with a smile, it growing when Rose smiles at him in return. "There are people who were made to work in a shop and people who only work in a shop for a time and we both know that you are the latter. You were born to do more than that Rose, right from the start."
Once again they just stand there staring at each other, the moment stretching on for what feels like forever for them, before Rose surges forward and covers his lips with hers in a passionate kiss. He hesitates for the briefest of moments then returns the kiss fervidly as they both try to convey all of their feelings in the kiss. It is a kiss that lasts only minutes, but it feels like it is forever before they both pull away with flushed faces and gasping for breath.
"Sorry." Rose mumbles, "I always wanted to do that... never got the chance."
The Doctor gives her that silly smile that she loved to see so much, "I'm not complaining."
Flashes start to flicker through Rose's mind like film cuts and she squints her eyes as she tries to see through the fog that is suddenly there. This also brings back the voices from the shadows and Rose once more covers her eyes to drown out the sound though she knows it is a fruitless effort.
"Rose? What's wrong?" his question is answered when the shadows start to appear around them and he realizes that for some reason they are connecting to Rose. That she is able to hear what no one else can and he grinds his teeth in frustration. Without trouble he scoops Rose into his arms bridal style and starts running down the hall back to the control room - cursing how far the room actually is and wondering how he got that far without noticing. Every step he takes down the hall he spots more and more shadows forming around them and pushes himself to move faster, desperate to keep Rose safe as he always has.
"So..." Martha starts uncertainly. She's kneeling beside the Doctor as he works on the device with Jack taking up the post of Nine and helping make the device while they work in complete silence. Both men keep glancing at the door, obviously waiting for their companions to come back. The medical student wishes that the leather clad man would never return. "What are you building?" she finishes lamely.
"It's similar to an EMP device. It will destroy all the shadows." the Doctor answers off-handedly.
Martha nods her head in understanding even though she doesn't completely. "And then we can go?"
"Yeah."
She clenches her fists in annoyance, not happy with the Doctor's short, clipped tone and wanting to go find the other man and throttle him for doing this to her Doctor. Martha is also angry at the TARDIS for bringing them here - remembering what Rose said about the TARDIS bringing them here for a reason - and wonders why the machine had even bothered to when there was already a Time Lord here to deal with the situation.
This thought bring an ache to Martha's chest due to the fact that the Doctor lied to her. He said he was the last of his kind when he clearly wasn't and it is obvious that the Doctor and this man who shares his name have some kind of history - clearly they must if the other man felt comfortable enough to entrust the Doctor to take care of Rose - but for some reason they don't get along.
It is also making her head hurt that there are two Roses here. Getting along with her friend was hard enough as it is with the complicated relationship between the two women and the Doctor and now trying to get along with a Rose who has no idea who she is? Talking about making a mountain out of an anthill.
"I'm Martha Jones by the way." she introduces to the other man, realizing they had never made introductions.
"Captain Jack Harkness." he replies with a flirty smile on his face.
"Don't." the Doctor clips.
Jack rolls his eyes and smiles at the Doctor, "I was just saying hello."
"So no bloodshed then?" the younger Rose asks as she walks into the room, a smile playing across her face.
"Nope. We're all getting along just fine." Jack answers, smiling broadly at the girl he sees as his sister.
Rose laughs and shakes her head, "Good, 'cause the Doctor sent me back to make sure you lot don't kill each other."
Ten glances at her nervously, "And where is he? ... And Rose?"
"Talkin'." she answers simply before going back to her seat on the crates, smiling at them when they all look at her. "What?"
"Nothing." the Doctor says a little too quickly as he gets back to work.
They work in peaceful silence for about ten minutes or so when suddenly nine comes charging into the room carrying Rose and a few shadows lingering behind him. He hurries over to the crates where is own Rose is sitting and carefully puts Rose down beside her.
"What's wrong with her!?" Ten asks in complete panic, proving to his younger self that she is still very important to him, as he hurries over to check Rose for any injuries.
"Those shadows are connected to her somehow. She can hear them." he says. He shifts his gaze to his own Rose, "Take care of her."
Rose nods and turns her attention to her counterpart.
The Doctors rush back to the device with nine looking at Jack, "Can you work on the wiring?"
'You got it." Jack says without hesitation, already setting to work.
"We need to get this thing done." nine says to his counterpart, who nods his agreement as they both set back to work.
"What can I do?" Martha asks.
"Wasn't speaking to you, Marsha."
"Martha." the medical student corrects.
"You sure?" Nine asks with a mocking grin on his face. Both Roses and Jack sigh as they hang their heads.
"I think I know what my own name is."
"You think you would."
"Doctor." the younger Rose snaps at her Doctor, glaring at him pointedly. Her only response is an eye roll before the Doctor turns back to work alongside his future self.
The whispers intensify within the older Rose's mind and she hisses in pain as a bunch of flashes move rapidly through her mind in a jumbled mess.
"Hurry it up, yeah?" the younger Rose requests as she rubs comforting circles in her counterpart's back.
"Almost there." ten returns as they put the final touches on the device. The two Doctors stand up and the older gets ready to flip the switch. "Just hit this button and the shadows will be gone."
"Just do it already." his counterpart snaps.
The Doctor rolls his eyes and gets ready to do just that.
"Wait!" the present Rose calls out just as the Doctor goes to flips the switch. Everyone turns to look at her, her counterpart helping her to remain on her feet. "Doctor, they're the people of Gaoul."
"But... that's - that's not..." ten says in disbelief as he looks at the shadows that are lingering just outside the room. None of them have moved any closer or made any threatening moves towards them.
"How do you know that, Rose?" Jack asks, not wanting to doubt her but finding it hard to believe at the same time.
"They showed me." she says with a vague gesture to her head. "They're trapped between times... or at least that's what they're sayin'... 'bout a month ago there was a bright flash of light and next thing they knew, they were trapped like this..." the blonde looks at the shadows sadly, "They didn't mean to hurt me either. When they tried to connect earlier they said that my thoughts were too loud and accidentally lashed out... They need our help, Doctor. Please."
The two Doctors look at Rose then at the figures before them before finally looking at each other. A silent conversation happens between them then they nod and turn back to their device, tearing it apart.
"What are you doing?" Martha asks in confusion.
"Building a Phase Shift Device, to help move these people back into the right time." ten answers.
Having heard those words Jack starts quickly reworking the wires so it can do what it's supposed to do.
Both Roses smile as the younger one helps her future self sit upon the crates once more.
Martha shakes her head, "But what if they're really a threat!?" she protests. "They could be tricking Rose so they can be free from this thing they're trapped in and then attack us."
"Not everything in the universe is a threat, Marsha." nine returns hotly, smirking at the glare the medical student sends his way. "Besides, I trust Rose's judgement on this. She was right when it came to the ghosts back in 1869 and about the Dalek in Utah. I have no reason not to trust her."
"Doctor." Martha says, turning to her Doctor, believing that he'll see how crazy this all is.
He just smiles at her, "Sorry Martha, but I trust Rose on this too. She's never lead me wrong before." the two Doctors share a pointed look between them before they focus back on the task at hand.
Martha throws her hands up in frustration, "But, they could be dangerous!" she snaps only for everyone to ignore her and continue to work.
The Doctors with help from Jack finish the device in a little under twenty minutes and the two Time Lords nod at each other before they both flip the switch to the device.
A bright light engulfs the room and everyone closes their eyes to keep from being blinded by it. The voices in Rose's had abruptly cut off as well.
When the light dies down they all open their eyes to find very human looking people standing where the shadows had been previously, all who look shocked and relieved to find themselves back on this plain of existence.
Martha blinks in surprise, feeling a little bit of shame inside her at the fact that she had been wrong and that she doubted Rose in such a way.
The group stand in the hallway where the group first arrived and Rose isn't surprised to discover that nine's TARDIS is behind the door she had been drawn to when they arrived. It appears that that TARDIS had been reaching out to her in a way similar to her TARDIS and the thought warms her chest.
She gives a hug goodbye to both her past self and Jack before moving to say goodbye to the previous Doctor. She hugs him tightly, happy that he easily returns the embrace. "Goodbye Doctor." she whispers.
"Goodbye, Rose Tyler." he says in return. "See you in a few years." he can hear the huff of laughter she lets out at that and he smiles at the sound. His eyes look over her shoulder to his future self who is standing a few feet away, watching them intensely. "Tell that dolt I want to have a word with him before you go."
Rose pulls away but nods her head, hugging him one more time before she moves back to her Doctor and Martha.
"Rose." the Doctor greets, watching as his counterpart sends Rose back to their TARDIS while Jack and him stay where they're standing, sending heated glares his way. "Ready to go?"
"He wants to talk to you before we go." she replies, smiling faintly when he pouts at her words. "Go on then." She grabs Martha's arm and drags the protesting medical student inside their TARDIS, leaving the men alone in the hallway.
Ten takes a deep breath and lips his dry lips before he marches forward to face his younger self and best friend, his hands stuffed in his pockets to prevent them from shaking. He stops just a couple steps away from the two. "Yes?" he says in a fake sweet voice.
"You better fix this." nine starts in a tense voice. "Fix whatever you've done with Rose before you lose her forever. Because that's where you're heading right now. And if you really are me, I know you won't survive losing her, just like I wouldn't. Hell, she told me that I became you because I couldn't let her die. So remember that feeling and fix this."
Ten bows his head for a moment before meeting his counterpart's gaze head on, "I plan to."
"You better." Jack adds on, with a fierce glare of his own. "You've loved her since before I came on the scene, I could tell that from the moment I saw the two of you together, so if you screw this up, I'll kill you." He gives a charming smile that sends a chill down the Doctor's spine because of the cold words. "And the next time I see you - because apparently I'm not with you guys right now, but you know I'll find my way back - I own you a punch to the face for all this crap, understood?"
Ten actually chuckles at that, "Yeah."
"Now get going before I throttle you again." Nine bites out before spinning on his heel and storming back towards his own TARDIS.
Jack waves before following after the younger Time Lord.
Ten sighs heavily before he too heads back to his own TARDIS. Ready to be anywhere but here.
Rose released Martha once they were back inside the TARDIS and the medical student glared at her, "Rose, you can't leave the Doctor alone with those men!"
"They won't hurt 'im."
Martha lets out a snort, "Won't hurt him? Rose that bloke punched him!"
"Yeah, I know." Rose says in reply before sitting down on the jump seat. She watches as Martha tries to open the TARDIS door but it doesn't budge. She smiles up at the time rotor, knowing the TARDIS isn't letting the medical student out before returning her attention to her friend, "They need to have this conversation, Martha. I think that's why the TARDIS brought us here in the first place, so those two could talk."
"Why do they need to talk!?" Martha snaps, "Who is he anyways?"
"He's the Doctor."
"You all keep saying that, but what does that even mean?"
"Exactly like I said, he's the Doctor."
Martha releases an irritated squeal that doesn't even register as a sound and glares at Rose before she starts pacing around the console room like a worried mother for their child and Rose just lets her, knowing that Martha isn't going to calm down until the Doctor walks through that door.
Rose started fiddling with her bracelet again, her eyes lingering on it as she remembers what the Doctor and Jack had said about it. She wonders why the Doctor hadn't told her before what it was if it was meant to help her. This thought leads her to believe that maybe it wasn't a gift from the Doctor at all. But if it wasn't from him, then who gave it to her?
Her thoughts are interrupted by the Doctor walking into the TARDIS. She smiles at him nervously which he returns before Martha races forward and throws her arms around his neck.
"You're okay. Did they hurt you?" she asks, noticing that the Doctor doesn't give her a hug in response to hers and she tries to ignore the pain that knowledge causes her.
"No. Just knocked some sense into me is all." the Doctor gently pushes Martha away and walks up to the console, easily sending them back to the vortex before he turns to smile at his companions. "Why don't we all rest for the night and start fresh tomorrow?"
Though hesitant, Martha nods her agreement, "Sounds like a plan." she glances at Rose to find the blonde still hasn't moved, "Good night."
"Good night." the couple say as she walks out of the room. The silence afterwards is almost deafening and after a few minutes that seem so much longer Rose finally rises from her seat.
"Good night, Doctor." she starts walking towards the corridor as well.
"Wait, Rose." he calls after her. She pauses just at the doorway to the corridor. "Can we talk?"
"'bout what?" Rose asks without turning around.
"What's going on between us."
Rose debates with herself for a few moments - silently cursing herself for how quickly she caves - before she turns back to the Doctor and walks back into the console room, standing a few feet away from him.
The Doctor is internally grateful that she's giving him the chance to talk things out and he hopes he doesn't screw things up by saying the wrong thing.
"I first wanted to say I'm sorry." he says sincerely. "I never should have invited Martha to stay without asking your permission first. That was something we should have done together and I'm sorry I took you out of the decision."
"I'm not goin' to say it's alright, 'cause it really isn't... you made me feel like my opinion didn't matter like I didn't have a say in anythin' even though you promised me that I did, that we are equals." she starts, "But I do appreciate your apology."
"I swear to you now Rose, I will never ask someone to stay aboard the TARDIS unless we both decide and agree to it together like we did with Jack or Donna. Because that's how things should be done. The TARDIS is just as much yours as she is mine, maybe more so given the fact that she likes you more than me and has been actively keeping me away from you for weeks since you didn't want to see me."
Rose's eyes widen at that and she looks at him in surprise, "You mean you weren't avoiding me?" she asks.
"No. The TARDIS knew you were upset and that I had screwed up, so she was punishing me by not letting me see you like I wanted to."
"I... I thought that you had decided that you didn't want to be with me anymore, that this whole thing between us wasn't worth it anymore. That maybe you had changed your mind about everything."
Rose averts her gaze as she tries to hold back her tears, not wanting to see the look in the Doctor's eyes.
The silence between them stretches for too long - far longer than it ever has between them - and Rose can feel her heart breaking within her chest as she tries to swallow past the lump in her throat. She knows whatever the Doctor will say next will break her but she won't allow him to see that - she will not be one of those girls who fall apart simply because a guy doesn't like her the way she likes him.
However, the Doctor didn't say anything. Instead, he gently moves his hands from where they are resting on her hips and places them on either side of her face, cradling it gently in his grasp. He waits until Rose looks up at him - catching her gaze - before he guides her lips towards his and gives her a chaste kiss that has so much passion in it for how sweet the kiss actually is. It is so unbearably gentle that it throws Rose completely off kilter.
The Doctor pulls away and rests his forehead against hers, his eyes glazed over as tears pool in his chocolate gaze.
"I'm so, so sorry, Rose. My precious girl." he whispers, his voice shaky. He catches her eyes with his and she can see the guilt and the sincerity there - practically screaming at her. "I'm sorry that I led you to believe that this... that you meant anything less than absolutely everything to me."
Rose finds herself at a complete loss as she tries to deal with the battle between her head and her heart, "But... Martha..."
"She's just a friend, Rose. Nothing more." he argues fiercely, "I never meant to make you believe she was anything more. Because she isn't." A tear finally slips lose from the corner of his eye to stream down his cheek, "You are my everything, precious girl."
"You... you have such a way with words when you actually decide to use them." Rose says with a little laugh, more tears leaking from her eyes.
The Doctor waits until she locks gaze with him again, "In all the time I've been alive, in all the time I've been travelling and the people I've travelled with and met, never have I loved anything as wholly as I love you, Rose Tyler. I am sorry that I lead you to believe otherwise, and I will spend everyday of the rest of our lives together proving this to you, so you will never have reason to doubt it again. It will be my greatest pleasure."
"I love you too." she whispers back, a smile tugging at the side of her mouth.
The Doctor smiles and leans his forehead against hers, "And I promise you that the only reason I invited Martha to stay was because I thought it would make you happy, because you said you wanted her to stay. I had no other reason... I just wanted you to be happy."
Rose laughs as she shakes her head, "You silly man." She gently kisses him and smiles at him as another tear slides down her cheek, "Though I now understand that, next time try askin' me first, yeah?"
"I promise."
The two kiss again before the Doctor wraps an arm around her waist and guides her down the corridor to their room.