A/N: Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers, you really make my day. Had a pretty naff weekend so logging on and seeing your reviews really cheered me up. Ok on we go with the story, again I own nothing and please remember that this is very deliberately AU and the history isn't meant to be correct to the series' timeline.
Rassilon paced back and forth in front of Rose and her friends. He was evaluating the information presented to him but was struggling to come to terms with it. Rose had told him everything, her whole story and she assured him the Mora had known of everything when he had offered her the position on the planet. Rassilon would never go against the wishes of his predecessor and Rose had proved herself on every mission she had undertaken for them. Rassilon glanced over at his Chancellor, seeing the ashen pallor of the man he knew loved Rose utterly and was now broken since the true Doctor arrived. The Doctor himself fascinated the President. He was so like Rose and yet so unlike her, she was more Time Lord in her robes and manner than he even attempted to be in his scruffy suit and yet, they worked perfectly.
Rassilon ceased his pacing in front of the Doctor, running a gaze over him as if to confirm the decision before him.
"You say you wish to work with…Rose for a while?" said Rassilon, still having difficulty distinguishing the two Doctors due to Rose's request that she keep her title in public but privately was to be referred to by her birth name.
"I do," said the Doctor, "I want to see the life she has led and, if I can, assist her with it."
"Can you function under her command? Your history dictates that you were in charge on all your missions but that I cannot allow. If you work with her, you obey her to the letter. She is my best pilot and she knows this universe better than anyone but can you, her teacher, sail under her command?"
The Doctor turned to Rose and smiled, "I'm used to her bossing me about, I think I can handle it. You have my promise that I will try."
Rasillon nodded before pacing back over to Sumira, "You are lucky my dear that Rose chose to speak for you, what you have done convenes several…"
"President Rasillon," said Rose firmly, "We have been over the implications of Sumira's behaviour and I have spoken for her favour and Mickey's, we do not need to drag this out anymore."
Rose smiled as she heard the Doctor let out a low, appreciative whistle at her words and something muttered along the lines of 'You go girl!'.
"Sumira acted irresponsibly," said Rose, "But I will not leave her behind this time, she will not leave my sight and I will make sure this doesn't happen again. You have my oath on that, Rasillon, by the memory of Mora. Now please can we have an end to this? I'm desperate to change out of these robes!"
Rasillon's face split into a friendly smile at the passion in his friends final words, "Very well…"
"President Rassilon," said the Chancellor, "There is still the matter of what will become of the Doctor in the future…what will become of both Doctors. The Doctor…Rose…is a part of this universe now but we cannot let in every stray who passes the borders."
"Thanks, I'm a stray," muttered the Doctor, "Nice friends you've got here Rose, really welcoming what with the guns and now the get off my land act, they're…"
"Doctor!" said Rose, "Being rude again. Some things don't change. What happens to the Doctor and me in the future is irrelevant and I will let you know if anything changes that will affect me doing my job or the citizens of this planet. My duty is to Gallifrey and nothing will cloud that. Ero you are my friend please do not stand against me at this time."
"I can make you no promises Doctor," said the Chancellor not meeting her eyes, "My duty is also to Gallifrey and it is my belief that a renegade Time Lord, who you yourself admitted broke the majority of our laws, running around unchecked is not in their best interests."
"So polite," murmured the Doctor.
"Thank you, that's really helping," said Rose, "He will not be unchecked Chancellor because he will be under my command. As for being a renegade, that, dear friend, is the whole reason I was ever employed. Now if that is all I would like to return to my apartments and change out of this ridiculous outfit!"
Rose turned to the door and began to stomp away, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes as she felt the loss of Ero's support deeply. She could hear her friends catching up to her and her hand was on the door before anyone spoke.
"Doctor," said Rasillon, "Our Doctor, I need to speak with you alone about one more thing. Your friends can return to your apartments but I must speak with you."
Rose sighed and pulled herself upright, closing her hand around the Doctor's as it lay warmly on her arm. He watched her and she took a deep breath, the mask she wore falling back into place over her delicate features and he saw the semblance of his ninth self in her countenance, pained and powerful. Rose turned back to the President, halfway glad to see Ero exiting by a nearby door.
"Certainly my lord," she said walking back over to him, "You have my attention. I'll meet you all at the apartments, Sumira take care of them."
Sumira nodded and led the others out of the door, as Rose walked back over to Rasillon. He walked her to a side door and pushed it open, leading her into a small ornate garden on the one of the palace's many roof terraces. Rose breathed in the scent of the flowers around her, enjoying the dying fragrances as twilight began to descend over Arcadia. She felt Rasillon take her hand between his cool fingers before leading her to a stone bench and sitting her down. He stared up at the stars as he sat next to her, his mask falling away as it always did when they were alone.
"I don't know what to do Doctor," he said softly, "The senate will want to know what happened today and I will have to tell them, I can't protect you anymore."
"I don't ask for your protection, I never have," said Rose, "Let my deeds stand as my protectors and if they fail then I have no place on Gallifrey anyway."
"We need you Doctor," said Rasillon, pulling something from his pocket and handing it to her.
Rose regarded the grainy photograph, it was near black as if taken underground and secretly. She noticed the coding on the bottom, a transmission from the Thal ambassador she often worked with. The image before her took shape as she studied it and she threw the picture away in surprise and disgust.
"You recognize it?" said Rasillon, "Your stories came to me as soon as I saw the image. Our Thal ambassador on Skaro infiltrated the base of the Kaleds despite the peace treaty they signed. He came across some information about the development of these battle droids and sought to get us confirmation."
"They're not droids," said Rose, "I that is what I think it is then it is a life form and it is deadly, a threat to Gallifrey, a threat to bring about the Time War."
"Then that fate will reach us also," said Rasillon, "And I cannot prevent it."
"I can," murmured Rose, "I can try. I know before you even command it that I will leave for Skaro in the morning. I will talk with Davros, he has been reasonable until now, perhaps he will reveal the project to me and we can manage it. If not, well, now I have the Doctor we may have a chance but Rasillon, if this is a Dalek then we are in grave danger."
"I know," said Rasillon, "And I do not know how we can face it."
XXXX
Rose returned to the apartments she shared with Sumira and was glad to hear the laughter echoing from the lounge room as she pushed open the door. Rather than going straight into them she turned into her room and began to clamber out of her restricting robes. She pulled the ties loose from her hair and let it fall randomly about her shoulders, running her fingers through it, still unused to the colour after four years.
"You look amazing," came a voice from the door.
She jumped as she heard the Doctor's voice behind her but she knew her heart wasn't just hammering through shock. She kept her eyes on the large ornate mirror as she saw him walk behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle and resting his chin on her shoulder. She leaned back into him, not caring for modesty as she stood in just her underwear, two years at his side and ten more dreaming of him had left her without any concerns over him. She reached up to fuss his untameable hair before brushing her fingers across his cheek to remove the single tear that had escaped his eyes.
"Still overwhelming isn't it?" she said as he buried his face in her neck, "You're here and its like the time never passed between us, yet you're in my arms. That was never part of the deal before."
"It should have been," murmured the Doctor, "I wasted so much time."
"If anyone can understand why you held back I can now," said Rose pulling out of his embrace and getting into a soft dressing gown.
She sat down on her bed and patted the space beside her. The Doctor sat, pulling her back into his embrace.
"When I was with you before I know all you could see was the forty years, if that, that we could have together before I got to old to travel and then I'd die. To love someone and lose them so quickly is so hard," said Rose, revelling in his dual heartbeat against her cheek, "When the Time Lords granted me their gift I accepted it whole heartedly, the chance to live on amongst the stars. It was only when I noticed Angela growing up that it hit me. They'd die."
She felt the Doctor's breath leave him in a saddened sigh as he brought a hand up to stroke her hair, "That's why you don't visit so much, distance yourself from your family?"
Rose nodded against him, "It is that. I can't watch them die but they don't need me anymore either. Pete can't love me, I'm not his. Mickey has a girlfriend, Mum has the money and Angela. All I had was the memories of the stars and a heart that couldn't be human anymore. When I found the Time Lords, when they gave me long life, I became as complete as I could be without you at my side. I was home."
"You say I should be angry for you becoming me but you never did," said the Doctor, sadness threading through his voice, "I never held the affection for my people as you do, nor did they hold any for me. When you were talking to Rasillon today I saw the Doctor I could never be, you're greatest deeds have been to save this world, the only thing I did for my planet was…"
"Don't talk about it," said Rose placing a finger and then a kiss against his lips, "Don't give yourself that pain anymore. There is something you could do Doctor, something to make it feel better."
The Doctor shook his head, "There's nothing."
Rose bent down and retrieved the photograph from the pocket of her robes, she handed it to the Doctor and watched as his eyes fell upon the Dalek image.
"They hadn't been created in this universe," Rose explained, "We intervened when the Thals and Kaleds started fighting and we got them to sign a peace treaty. The Daleks we encountered before I left our universe did not come from Skaro here and they didn't go near the planet. I met with Davros, I remembered him from your stories and we brought him into a weapons treaty that he has honoured, we even provided him with technology but it seems that despite our efforts we could not thwart the creation of the Daleks. I will need your help, perhaps together we can stop the threat."
"The project might be in its infancy," said the Doctor, his arms tightening around her, "You could…you could do what I failed to…destroy them before they have a chance to expand."
"And like you I cannot commit genocide on any species, not without proof they will become a threat. This universe is so different, there is still a chance we could halt the project or engineer it so the Daleks have a concept of right and wrong," said Rose, "I have to give them a chance."
The Doctor let out a humourless laugh, "I taught you too well," he said, "Oh God Rose why does this have to be on your shoulders?"
"Because I am the Doctor," she said, "And its my job but I have you by my side now and no doubt Mickey while he can be with us. Sumira and I are a good team but with you two, we might just tip the balance in our favour. We leave for Skaro in the morning but promise me one thing."
The Doctor tilted her face up to his, falling into the chocolate, ageless pools of her eyes, "Anything," he muttered, "I can hardly refuse you a thing after all this time."
"Don't tell them," said Rose simply, "Sumi fears the Time War and Mickey will get over excited. This mission needs to seem like any other diplomatic trip."
"You have my word."
"Good, now come on. Our friends are waiting and I for one am starving, plus I have ten years of you life to catch up on properly," said Rose, "And ten years of your kisses to steal back later."
She got to her feet but felt herself pulled back down onto the bed before his lips connected hungrily with hers. She wrapped her arms around him, not knowing whether to weep or laugh at the love he now openly showed her. He pulled away, dragging sweet, butterfly kisses across her cheeks and nose. He gave her his trademark boyish grin and she felt her heart soar at the sight, ten years rolling away like never before but her mind would not relax fully and she knew he felt it also. Her Time Lord gifts had not been solely her longevity. She could feel it, as he often had done before, the distant rumbling, the warning drum of an oncoming storm.
A/N: Daleks! Could hardly write a reunion AU without bringing in our dearest enemies could I? Would have been rude! Plus I now have a scorned lover who I may or may not decide to play with…poor Ero I am cruel to him!