A/N – I rewatched Army of Ghosts & Doomsday today to prepare myself to re-write the episodes after the next chapter and I still cry like an absolute baby at the end. I'm excited to re-write it though, so it's definitely got me motivated! As usual, thank you to everyone who reviewed this story so far! You guys keep me going, I love you!

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As she started to come to, Rose was vividly aware of a furious pounding in her head, which drew her to groan, lifting up her pillow in order to press it over her face, trying to block out any and all light that would aggravate the headache further. She couldn't quite remember, but Rose was sure she had some fast acting paracetamol for migraines lying in one of her vanity drawers somewhere, but that would mean moving the pillow, and honestly, she just didn't feel ready.

God, what a dream she'd had.

It hurt, knowing that even after all of this time, she still dreamed of the TARDIS, though this time, she'd also dreamed of dying and somehow being magically pulled into her original dimension. It was laughable, and if the reality of being stuck back in Pete's world without John OR The Doctor wasn't enough to make her want to cry, perhaps she WOULD have laughed.

In the back of her mind, Rose heard a soft hum, a gentle prodding at the light mental barriers in her mind John and Torchwood had helped her initiate. Normally, a touch to her mind would cause alarm bells to ring, but this… it felt familiar, warm and gentle.

It felt like… home.

The ache in her head began to fade by the second from the gentle touch of another mind brushing against her own, the crushing emptiness she'd felt for over a year somewhat softened, and Rose became aware of just HOW familiar it was. Her breath caught in sudden realisation, and she sat up abruptly, throwing the pillow across the room as darkness turned to light. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but it became abundantly clear that THIS wasn't her room back in her parents' mansion. It was her room in the TARDIS.

"It wasn't a dream," Rose's voice was a whisper, and she stared at the familiar surroundings, her fingers tightening on her duvet cover. It looked the way it had the day she'd been taken to Pete's world, as far as she could remember. The walls were a soft faded pink, her vanity sitting in one of the corners and piled high with make-up and various alien knick-knacks from her travels with The Doctor. Various photographs were hung on the walls, and old clothes that she'd yet to pack away to take to her mum still littered the floor.

She'd never let her room in the other dimension get like this, but then, Rose supposed she'd grown up since then. Still, the sight of it all sent waves of nostalgia rushing through her body, and tears welled up in her eyes, quickly slipping down her cheek as a tired mixture of laughter and sobs broke past her lips. She could still feel the TARDIS' presence in the back of her mind, soothing and gentle, and her crying only grew as she buried her face into her hands.

"Thank you, thank you so much!"

Rose Tyler was tough. She'd fought Daleks and Cybermen, told the Devil to go to Hell, and had kicked through the walls of the universe to get back to The Doctor, yet had ended stuck there once more. She'd lost him twice, and lost John once, and the ache of those memories still rested heavily on her heart. Grief wasn't so easily discarded, and she knew it, but knowing she had yet ANOTHER chance to be with The Doctor, well…

Maybe the Universe was really helping her out for once.

Pushing herself out of bed, Rose rushed to the mirror in order to get a better look at her reflection. Younger, she looked younger. Her hair was longer than it had been, and blonde, which she noted in some amusement. She hadn't dyed it since John had died, and had been brunette ever since she'd gotten the last of the colour cut out. Her roots were showing through now, though, and Rose hummed quietly, taking a moment to observe her eyes. They were the same, more or less, they were still tired, holding old grief and loss within them, and Rose smiled bitterly.

Jackie Tyler had always claimed eyes were the windows to the soul, and Rose supposed she was right enough. Though The Doctor had looked young, his eyes told just how old he was, and even John's eyes had spoken volumes about him. Rose's own eyes told their old tale, and she huffed a soft sigh, anticipation beginning to brew within her gut. She couldn't worry about her eyes right now, it was time to see The Doctor.

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Stepping out of her room, Rose let out a soft, nervous sigh, smoothing down the outfit she'd chosen for herself. None of the clothes in her wardrobe really suited her tastes any more, and she'd gone through pretty much everything in her wardrobe. She'd been nineteen and twenty when she'd worn these old things, but she was much older mentally now, and her tastes had changed. She'd asked the TARDIS for some new clothes, and as usual, the old girl didn't disappoint.

Clad in much more simple attire than she would have been when she was twenty, Rose hummed thoughtfully, adjusting the TARDIS blue leather jacket with a faint grin. She'd had one of a very similar colour back in the other world, and it was one of her favourites. Wearing it now just felt right. She'd complimented the jacket with a long silver shirt the TARDIS picked out which seemed to shimmer faintly when the light changed, and a pair of plain black sailor cut pants. Of course, to finish everything off she'd been gifted with her own pair of TARDIS blue converse, and she'd wanted to laugh at her cheek.

They WERE incredibly comfortable, much more than converse from her own time had been, so she supposed these were a different make from a different time. Knowing The Doctor, it would make sense, and she smiled, reaching for the ring around her neck, only to pause when she felt the constant warmth of her TARDIS key instead, and her smile instantly began to fade.

It felt odd, not carrying John's wedding ring around her neck with her key, and she breathed a sigh, clutching at said key for reassurance. John didn't exist in this timeline, not yet, and if she stayed here after Canary Wharf, there was a chance he wouldn't exist at all. In the back of her mind, the TARDIS hummed apologetically, and Rose shook her head, touching one of the coral struts with a faint smile

"It's okay. I got a year and a half with him, and it was brilliant, but… I couldn't do it again, not when I know he wouldn't live longer than that, I just couldn't." She closed her eyes, heaving a sigh, before she straightened her shoulders and began to walk down the hallway, pushing the thought of John out of her mind for the time being. She'd grieved him for over a year, and though she'd never forget him and all they'd done, she needed to focus on the situation at hand.

Following the familiar curve of the hallway, Rose felt the same anxious anticipation tightening in her gut, only for her to pause when she ended up in the galley, instead of the console room. Turning, her frown only grew when she saw the door had vanished, and she shot an annoyed look at the ceiling.

"Really? I can eat later, you know!" Rose insisted, but knowing the TARDIS wouldn't change her mind, dutifully made her way to the kettle, switching it on whilst pulling a bowl from a nearby cupboard, observing the kitchen with more fond nostalgia warming within her. It was surprising, how she knew where everything would still be, even after so many years, but she supposed it was like coming home after a long trip. You never really forgot your home.

Pouring herself a cup of tea and a bowl of cereal, Rose sat down at the kitchen table and began to eat. The silence in the room was far too familiar, and she found herself anxiously bouncing her leg as she ate, wanting to get it over with so she could see The Doctor again. The TARDIS made a noise of fond exasperation in her mind, and Rose couldn't help but smile faintly, swallowing a hot mouthful of tea before speaking aloud.

"I think I'm allowed to be impatient, old girl, it's been two years since I've seen him." Silence followed her words, until finally, the TARDIS hummed in acceptance and Rose smiled, though she continued to eat her cereal, only just realising how hungry she really was. It took only a few minutes for her to clear her bowl, and though it burned the roof of her mouth, she quickly drained her mug of tea, standing up the moment she'd finished. She ignored the repeated exasperated sound coming from the ship, choosing to set her bowl and mug into the sink to be cleaned up later.

"I'm done – will you let me see 'im now?" She asked, resting a hand on one of the coral struts, and much to her delight, the door reappeared. Excitement simmered within her stomach, and she let out a soft breath, clenching her fists before she began to walk down the hallway leading to the control room. Terror and excitement stormed around within her, and she rested her hand upon the doorway as she entered, her breath catching as she caught sight of his back, twisting and fiddling with some levers.

The Doctor, for his part, could sense when Rose entered the control room, able to hear her footsteps over the grating as she'd approached, and he smiled to himself, glad for her returned company.

"Ah, good morning Rose!" His voice was as cheerful as it'd always been as he turned to face her, practically beaming. He paused, taking in both her outfit and the expression on her face, which caused him to falter, smile fading into concern. She was staring at him with tears in her eyes, her hands clenched into tight fists and her chest heaving, like she was struggling to hold herself together. "Rose? What is it?"

There he was, all pinstriped and messy haired, and Rose was struggling to keep herself calm. For a moment, all she could see was John, and it stung, but that feeling passed, and it quickly dawned on her that this was her Doctor. Her wonderful, brilliant Doctor, and she could feel the tears slipping down her cheeks, though she made no effort to wipe them away. She wanted to laugh in joy and scream and hit him with her fists because he left her! He left her with a copy of himself who fizzled out in a year and a half and left her alone and lost, but she couldn't.

"Doctor," she managed to choke out, and before she could stop herself, she was running towards him, blue converse hitting the grating as she jumped the last steps leading to the console and threw her arms around him. She buried her face into his suit as her emotions got the better of her, and she allowed herself to cry both in relief and because she felt completely overwhelmed. She wanted to tell him everything, but how could she? He'd never left her in this timeline, not yet, at least. Her fingers clutched the back of his suit jacket, and her legs almost gave way as she cried out all the relief and grief she'd been holding up, breathing in his scent, so different from John's that there was no mistaking the two of them for one another. This truly was The Doctor, and oh, she'd missed him.

The Doctor's arms wrapped around Rose in turn, and though he had no clue as to why she was sobbing into his chest, his hearts still ached at the gut wrenching sound, and he swallowed thickly, moving one of his hands to gently cup the back of her head, worry washing over him in an instant. He let her cry for a moment, knowing she needed to get this out of her system, whatever it was.

'Do you know what's going on?' he asked the TARDIS telepathically, frowning slightly, and she merely gave him a sad hum in response, confirming she did without giving him any help into figuring out the reason. He hated this, he hated seeing her so broken up inside and not knowing the cause of it.

Her cries turned into soft sniffles after a moment, and she loosened her grip on his jacket, pulling back from him to stare into his face, her eyes still shining, tear tracks running down her cheeks. He swallowed thickly, thumb ghosting over her skin, and she seemed to shudder out a sigh at his touch, leaning into the contact as her eyes closed.

"What's wrong, Rose?" He murmured softly, and her lips tightened in response, turning her head so they grazed lightly against the palm of his cupped hand, and his worry only seemed to grow at her reluctance to tell him the truth. She'd never felt the need to hide things from him before, so why was she starting now? "Please, Rose, if something's wrong, I want to help."

"S'nothin', Doctor, I just had a really bad dream." Rose mumbled in response, her hand covering his own, and though he wanted to believe that was the case, he just couldn't. The TARDIS would often let him know when Rose's nightmares were bad enough to warrant comfort, and he would comfort her as she slept, but he hadn't heard anything.

Something was bothering Rose, but she wasn't telling him what it was. He furrowed his eyebrows, watching her carefully, but other than the crying bout, she seemed fine. She was smiling, quite genuinely from what he could tell, and her shoulders were completely relaxed. If something had been truly bothering her, she'd be visibly more distressed, he was sure.

"You're sure?" He asked softly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, to which she sighed quite happily, opening her eyes once more, and The Doctor couldn't mistake the sheer joy within them. She was definitely happy now, and though he still felt utterly perplexed, he smiled back at her, trying to discard the worries from his mind.

"Positive."

Rose, for her part, felt lighter than air. When she'd broken down and cried in The Doctor's arms, she'd felt the TARDIS in her mind, her soft hums both comforting and warning, which she understood to mean she couldn't tell The Doctor the truth. Not yet. She could deal with that, and she'd face the truth when it came down to it.

Pulling back somewhat reluctantly from his touch, Rose wiped the tear tracks from her cheeks, glad for the waterproof mascara she'd picked out, and moved over to the console, running her fingers along the familiar tech with a broad smile. Rose Tyler and The Doctor, on the TARDIS as it should be. Despite everything she'd been through, despite all of the loss and grief and pain, she felt like a kid on Christmas Eve, an excitement welling within her that she couldn't contain. Another chance to set things right, to live the life she'd missed so much.

A chance to be with The Doctor forever.

"So, where are we goin' today?" Rose looked back at him with her tongue in teeth smile, and though he'd been watching her carefully, trying to judge her mood, his hearts warmed at the sight of such a genuine expression on her face, and his manic energy soon retuned, as he rushed to the other side of the console, flipping levers as he went, causing the ship to shake, and drawing a giggle out of the human girl.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten already, Rose Tyler!" He flipped another switch, shooting her a small, playful grin. "You told ME you wanted to go shopping, so we're going to an asteroid orbiting the moons of Winyradia, home to one of the best bazaars of the 40th Century." Rose started slightly at that, recalling this trip the first time around. The TARDIS wouldn't immediately be throwing her into the thick of things, then. She had time to figure out how to stay with The Doctor during Canary Wharf. "Nice jacket by the way," The Doctor added, and Rose grinned in response, lifting her eyebrows slightly.

"Thanks, the TARDIS picked it out." She fiddled with the hem lightly, and The Doctor's grin grew even wider.

"Well, she does have good taste!" He noted, before he flipped another switch, sending the ship into flight. "Hold on!"

Laughing at the old familiar jostle, Rose gripped onto the edge of the console, grinning broadly as the TARDIS hummed happily in her mind. She eventually came to a stop, and Rose didn't hesitate, rushing immediately to the doors, The Doctor not far behind her. Pulling them open, Rose smiled broadly at the familiar sight from so long ago.

"Here we are! Winyr bazaar, in the year 3963!" The Doctor gestured grandly with a hand, and Rose laughed breathlessly. It was just a busy and bustling as she could remember, hundreds of stalls as far as the eye could see, aliens bustling around, shopping and selling, some of them shouting out for deals and bargains, bright colours assaulting her eyes, and she inhaled, the scent of unique spices wafting over her.

"I love it!" She declared, looking back at him with a broad grin, which he returned enthusiastically, reaching out to take her hand, and though Rose knew it was just natural for them to initiate contact in this timeline, her heart skipped a beat. "Um, right, c'mon then tightwad, you can't expect me t'pay for everything here, can you?" She teased, and he sniffed, acting insulted.

"Rose Tyler, I believe YOU have a perfectly good credit stick I gave to you for moments like these," He pointed out, giving her hand a light squeeze, and she smirked, finding herself falling back into their witty banter with incredible ease.

"You've got one too, yeah? Maybe you could start making up for all those times I bought us chips." She teased, and The Doctor grinned in response, making a happy noise in the back of his throat that caused a tingle to shoot through her entire body. God, she'd missed this, she'd missed him so much.

"Come on, I'll buy you the local specialty of the bazaar to make up for it later," He promised, shutting the door to the TARDIS, and she nodded, moving forward eagerly, ensuring he was following behind her with a quick tug to his hand. They had some shopping to do, and maybe, if she was lucky, she'd find something that could help in the upcoming fight, and her stomach clenched at the thought.

It was coming, and this time, she'd be ready.

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Blimey, she'd forgotten just how hot it could get here. Fanning herself with her hand absently, Rose shrugged out of her jacket, resting the leather over the crook of her arm, absently peering at the stalls around her and taking everything in. On her first trip here, she'd been utterly overwhelmed with just how much there was to see, but the familiar surroundings felt soothing to her now, and she smiled, her fingers ghosting over a scarf made of incredibly soft material.

Up ahead of her, The Doctor had found some stalls selling spices and some kind of exotic nuts and was busy taste testing, much to her amusement. His oral fixation was something he and John shared, but that was a given. They were the same person, after all, but John was – no, had been human, for all intents and purposes.

Rose's smile faded, her chest constricting at the old memory of his final moments, the light leaving those eyes, and the awful, terrible grief that followed, that she'd never be rid of. She didn't regret her time with John, he'd taught her so much and done so much good in Pete's world, and she'd loved him whole-heartedly, but the hurt still lingered.

Exhaling softly, Rose dragged a hand down her face, trying to will herself to snap out of it. She still had her memories of the other world, but that reality didn't and wouldn't exist here, and though she knew she needed to keep her head on her shoulders to figure out a way to prevent being separated from The Doctor, she couldn't just pretend her time with John never happened.

Ugh, it was just so complicated!

Opening her eyes, Rose paused when she noticed a familiar silver trinket lying on the stall next to her, and she reached out, picking it up with the smallest of smiles pulling at her lips. Ah, she remembered this little thing. She'd bought it as a gift for her mother, but like everything else in the Tyler flat, it'd been left behind after they'd gotten stuck in Pete's World. Knowing that Jackie would end up there again, it would seem pointless to buy her the trinket, but at the same time…

"Bazoolium," The Doctor's voice, so close to her ear, made her jump, and she looked at him with wide eyes, prompting him to grin in response, lightly tugging on his earlobe. "It's made of Bazoolium, that thing. Quite good at predicting the weather, since when it's going to be sunny it goes hot, and when it's going to rain it goes cold. It's a simple endothermic reaction, but Bazoolium is an incredibly sensitive metal, and its molecular structure allows it to react before the weather actually hits. Bit more reliable than your local weatherman." He slipped his hands into his pockets, watching as Rose turned the trinket in her hands. She'd only been half listening to his explanation, more caught up in the fact she hadn't known he was there. When she and John had bonded, they'd always known when the other was close, could simply feel it. She'd forgotten she technically wasn't bonded to him here, and it had caused her to focus on her mind, where John had once lingered. The emptiness was still present, but it didn't hurt the way it had once, and she felt less broken, somehow. She didn't understand what it all meant, but it was something to think on later.

"Mum could do with somethin' like this," She mused, shooting him a smile. "She's always moaning about the weather and getting' caught in the rain."

"Might give her one less thing to moan about," The Doctor agreed lightly, and couldn't resist a little jab, as he added: "Mind you, can't imagine Jackie Tyler not moaning about something."

"Oi, that's my mother!" Elbowing him in the side, Rose shot The Doctor a look, causing him to snicker, but he held his hands up in an apology, knowing Rose wasn't really offended. "I think I'll get it, somethin' to bring her back next time I lug all my washing back home."

"I think it's a good choice, it's not too alien so it shouldn't overwhelm her." The Doctor noted, and Rose smiled, looking at the stall keeper who had been watching their exchange curiously, the hint of expectation in his eyes.

"Only fifty credits for such a useful little trinket. I would say it's worth it, yes?" He wheedled, and Rose simply held out her credit's stick in response, prompting The Doctor to grin and move back to the spices stall, clearly not done with his sampling just yet.

Rose wasn't sure why she'd decided to keep the bazoolium, but an idea was slowly beginning to form in her mind. She knew it was best for Jackie to live in the other universe. There, she'd never want for anything, she'd be happy with Pete, and eventually, they'd have Tony. They'd be a proper little family, and Rose wanted that for her. However, there had been things from this universe Jackie had often missed, photo albums, trinkets, just little things which carried memories. Maybe there was a way for her to take a bag of those things to the other dimension. She knew The Doctor would still try to send her away, so if she could drop the bag on the ground before she went back to her own dimension…

Well, it was an idea, at least. She didn't want to carry around a huge bag full of things whilst running from Cybermen and Daleks, and it would definitely draw questions. Maybe the TARDIS could help her out. Musing on her options, Rose took back the credit stick once it was offered, smiling gratefully at the vendor before she moved on to join The Doctor at the spice stall, his bright smile as he spotted her, lifting her spirits considerably.

She could work out the details later. For now, she just wanted to enjoy this time with The Doctor. It was the lightest she'd felt in well over a year, and she'd enjoy the peaceful serenity for however long she could.