The lump in his throat grows impossibly large as the time ship's song in his mind turns forlorn and quiets to nothing. Her loss mourned most keenly in the echoing silence that follows save for the odd resonance of the pink and yellow girl who'd long ago blundered into his life and saved him from himself, and the barely sentient whisper of a coral clipping.
"You alright?"
He raises a single, somewhat incredulous brow at the woman who'd once bent all of time and space to her will and chortles in derision as her heartache and fatigue permeates his superior yet decidedly dulled senses.
"Dumped on a beach in a parallel world, shouldn't I be the one asking you?"
"Being dumped with you isn't really so bad, I s'pose," She offers him a small lop-sided smirk, "Besides, I made my choice."
"Yea?" He can't quite help the smile that suddenly splits his face at her admission. A weight he'd not realised he'd been burdened with lifting from his shoulders as the steady grip of the hand clasped in his own keeps him firmly grounded and far less inclined to fret over what might have become of them all had their attempts to avoid a Davros shaped multi-versal catastrophe all been in vain.
"Shut up."
He giggles then. Her earlier query suddenly at the forefront of his mind when he realizes he's actually shivering quite badly. A fact not only attributed to an ever so slight case of regeneration sickness, but more so the frigid Norwegian wind and the rather apparent inability this new body demonstrates in regulating its own temperature.
"Urgh, humanity." He remarks distastefully as Rose snorts, "One heart, no TARDIS, weeell, not yet at any rate. Still…could be worse."
"Oh go on then," Rose prompts, raising an expectant and far too knowing brow. "I know you're just dyin' ta tell me how."
"Well, it could've been your Mum trapped with my spare hand, couldn't it?" He clears his throat and offers a nod over his shoulder at Jackie stood a ways up the beach on the phone to Pete.
"Hmmm still rude then," Rose remarks, brushing at his suit lapels as she gazes, half smirking up at him, "Good to see some things never change."
"Oh absolutely." He breathes, suddenly realizing he can almost taste her again as their warm breath mingles between them and unconsciously licks his lips in both remembrance and anticipation.
"Best behave yourself now, Doctor," She murmurs with a sly glance at the aforementioned Tyler Matriarch, "Don't think Mum'd take too kindly to watchin' her daughter bein' manhandled by some alien bloke in the back of beyond."
"I'm sure you're right," He agrees whole-heartedly before sidling closer with a whisper, "Not too sure if said daughter wouldn't prefer it mind."
"Oi, the cheek of ya." Her laugh is so sudden and unexpectedly genuine that it startles him in its beauty. So much so her responding swat, playful as it is no doubt, almost knocks the wind out of him as she turns up the beach. Her expression caught somewhere between amusement and thinly veiled arousal that has his decidedly smug smirk curling ever higher.
"Was that a smile, Rose Tyler?" He calls after her retreating form, giggling to himself when she turns a look over her shoulder only to stumble slightly in the sand as she rolls her eyes in that ever so fondly tolerant way he's come to miss after all their long years apart.
He stills then as his time sense finally adjusts, muted as it is in this regeneration, the smile falling from his face as the myriad of aborted timelines unfurl behind his eyes all centered around not himself, nor Donna as he might've expected, but Rose. His smart, beautiful shining pink and yellow girl who'd fought her way through all of time and space and the ache in her heart and proved him wrong yet again.
"My impossible girl." He murmured, lips curling once again into a smile that splits his face when he considers what might have become of them all and suddenly finds himself truly just so incredibly and utterly grateful at how bloody wizard it all turned out. Well, for him anyways.
"Oi, you comin' or not then, Doctor?"
"Right, yes!" He agrees, shaking off his reverie while simultaneously resisting the urge to quip back something that might goad the elder Tyler into taking to his newish face with an open palm and quickly jogs to catch up. His long legs bringing them back in step before he nudges her shoulder. His hands defaulting to the familiar warmth of his pockets despite the longing he has to entwine their fingers.
He briefly considers himself once again then. Specifically, the woefully inadequate single heart furiously pumping blood about the place. Something else he notes a little awkwardly that he now has very little control over, especially in close proximity to one Rose Tyler, but never mind that now he supposed. In for a penny, in for a pound, as they say.
He's about to tell her about as much himself when suddenly he finds himself hauled to a stop, hand and arm reefed from pocket and shoulder both by the woman herself.
"Blimey, easy does it," He protests sourly, "I'm not indestructible ya know."
"Is this the hand you lost Christmas Day?" She startles him with her query. Her tone bordering on accusation.
"I- what?" Admittedly that wasn't quite what he'd been expecting after such an outburst. His decidedly dumbfounded gaze following her own to the perusal of the digits now trapped quite happily once again between her own.
"Is this the one you lost fighting the Sycorax?"
"Oh, yea. Funny old parallel world isn't it?" He gazed down at their entwined grasp in bemusement, "Always did wonder where it got to but everything happened so fast that day, I'd just never really got around to it."
"Bit weird keepin' ya own hand in a jar under the console though init? I mean even for you that's a bit-"
"Yea, well you can thank your Captain Jack for that," He mused wryly, "I couldn't very well leave it with Torchwood, now could I?"
"Jack kept your hand in a jar? Torchwood had your severed hand in a jar?" She shuddered and curled her nose in distaste, "Ugh, that's just-"
"Weird, yea," He hummed his agreement, "That's what Martha said too."
"Almost as weird as the whole not dyin' thing too eh, Doctor?"
"Weeell there is that, yup." He agrees quietly, because he should have seen this coming. Did, in fact, if he was honest. Though the timing not so much considering what they've just been through.
"Look, Rose. I'm not gonna lie to you, so much has happened in the time we've spent apart," He begins suddenly uncertain, "There's so much to do, so much to say that I- I barely even know where to start."
"Tell me about it," She agrees with a quiet nod and a small smile, "Got a few stories of my own worth sharin' over a pint."
"Rose Tyler, are you asking me on a date?" He quips cheekily.
"Think you and I are a bit beyond datin' these days, Doctor," She mused with a small smirk of her own, "Mum already thinks we've been shagging our way across the cosmos for years."
"Well, that's just ridiculous," He huffs, rolling his eyes in the direction of Jackie Tyler, "And grossly inaccurate, though I am only more than happy to make up for any lost time."
"S'pose we have got a reputation to uphold." She agrees with a breathless smirk and a darkened gaze that trails the length of him to once again pause at the hand clasped in her own.
"So aside from givin' me the creeps, what's this one do?"
"What'd you mean do, it's a hand?" He replies, clearly perplexed by her apparently confusion and she laughs.
"No, I mean if this one isn't a fightin' hand then-"
"Oh!" He smiles brilliantly, "Weeeell, I would have through that was obvious?"
"In what way is your severed hand obvious, aside from-"
"It was this hand that finally convinced you I was me, wasn't it." He pouts, "Or new new me, at least."
She narrows her brow in thought, "The new new new you with the new new hand, you mean?"
"Exactly," He beams softly, rocking back on his heels, "Who'd have thought it eh? You an' me, here, together…"
"Think someone might've, yea," She drawls with a cock of her head, "Not that I've designs on burnin' up just to take another look mind."
"Hmmm, no wouldn't risk it," He hums in agreement, "Fresh out of regenerations, I'm afraid."
"You know it's funny I thought that by knowin' how somethin's gonna end it might've made it easier to bare," She admits with a humorless chuckle, "But it doesn't does it? How can you stand it?"
"Sometimes what you think is an end is only a beginning," He shrugs as he turns them to continue their trudge up the beach, "Time's funny like that. Though if this is ours, well that certainly wouldn't do at all."
"Our what?"
"Our end."
She stills then and narrows her gaze up at him in suspicion, "Did you just quote Agatha Christie at me?"
"Maybe." He gulps, caught somewhere between embarrassment and glee she'd recognized the reference.
"The point still stands though doesn't it?" He ventures uneasily because even now he's still unsure of the answer.
"I mean, other me is gone, never to return. I could totally understand if you-"
"What? Decided to abandon you like you did us?"
"Oh Rose," His face falls, "That's not it. That's not why I-"
"No, I know, Doctor. Really, I do. More than you might think." She sighs and waves him off, "It's just right now I'm just so, so over it, to be honest. I'm tired. Not to mention it's been such a long…well…long everything really."
He smiles in agreement because he knows only all too well what she means.
"But seriously though, did you somehow forget where we are right now?"
"Bad Wolf Bay?"
"Our very own personal little paradox once again rearin' it's ugly head."
"There's nothing little about an ontological paradox, Rose, trust me-"
"No shit, Sherlock," She rolls her eyes, "Point is, you're still you, I'm still me and here we are, together."
"Yea we are, aren't we?" He muses fondly, lets the admiration he feels for her seep from his mind to hers because he is proud, incredibly so.
"You're making a habit out of proving me wrong, you know."
"Well, someone's gotta keep that ego of yours in check."
"Volunteering for the job then?"
"Unless you got someone else in mind?" She counters with a pointed lift of her brow he can't help but smirk at and tease.
"Rose Tyler is that a hint of jealousy I'm detect-"
"Oof!" He suddenly finds himself almost winded again by the backhand that lands across his mid-section, "Blimey, what was-?"
"Yea sorry, I must've slipped." She mused innocently.
"Slipped, hmmm…" He eyes her for the longest time until the mirth dancing behind her eyes becomes too great and slips from her lips in a peal of laughter that makes him grin at how very much the sound of it feels like he's finally come home.
The relief and joy that suddenly bubbles through him overwhelming as he begins to chuckle along with her. Rose grinning up at him until she sighs, her amusement dying away to an almost exhausted contentment.
"That was good, yea." She breathed, nudging his shoulder with her own, "I needed that."
"Me too." He's only more than happy to agree.
"Tell ya what else I need right about now is cuppa and a nice hot shower. How bout you?"
He snickers, "Save the world and home in time for tea, eh?"
"Oi, not just the world, thanks," She objects with a scoff, "The whole bloody multi-verse at large owes you an' me big time."
"Urgh, tell me about it."
"Same old, same old," She winks, nudging him with her shoulder. "Nothin' like the old team to beat a spot o' bother though eh, Doctor?"
"Right you are, Lewis. Right you are." He beams, suddenly sweeping her up in an embrace she steps into more than willingly.
"Oh, I've missed you, Rose Tyler."
She grins into his shoulder and holds him tight, "I've missed you too ya daft alien."
"Oi, you two, enough o' that now get a move on." Jackie's voice suddenly chastises over the wind and waves. The Doctor, albeit reluctantly releasing Rose to face the elder Tyler woman as she stares them down and taps a non-existent timepiece on her wrist in irritation.
"Himself's not all that far away, so you might want to get on with it."
"Yea thanks, Mum," Rose sighs, "I got this, yea."
"Himself?" The Doctor glances curiously between Rose and her mother, the latter of which throwing her arms up in surrender as she marches off further up the beach. "Who's that then?"
Rose winces as she meets his gaze, "Someone I was hopin' we'd have more time to discuss before he jus' came swannin' in all guns blazin'. Sorta reminds me o' the old you in that regard to be honest."
His brow raises suddenly in intrigue, "Oh?"
"Looks like we're gonna have to do it the hard way now though." She levels her gaze upon the older Tyler woman and grits her teeth.
"Oi, you can stop that right now, Rose Tyler," Jackie snaps, "This whole bloody thing took far longer than it should've an' you know it."
"You say that as if it's my fault-"
"Well it is, isn't it?"
"Mum?!"
"Look, I'm not sayin' I don't understand sweetheart, cause I do. Really I do," Jackie appeased, only further adding to the Doctor's confusion, "But there was no reason to drag it out like that. It was painful and unnecessary. Dear gods I can only imagine what the other im' is feelin' right now."
"Oh an' wha' about me then, eh?" Rose objects with a hiss, "How do ya think I feel knowin' what that one's goin' back to an' not bein' there to hold his hand too, Mum."
"Ah, Rose?" The Doctor queries when both confusion and hurt begin to pain his single heart as he observes their exchange.
Rose opened her mouth to speak only Jackie beat her to it.
"We're leavin', Doctor. Earth, that is. Only our designated driver's a little late cause we got held up. Typical. Seems it's a thing with your lot."
"My lot?" The Doctor frowns in objection, "You mean alien?"
"Oh, blimey if he's not half a bit daft this time round, Rose." Jackie huffs.
"Oi."
"Urgh, we don't' have time for this," Rose begins somewhat hesitantly, "You see, we have this friend, Doctor…"
"A friend?" He ventures dubiously, "Riiiiight?"
"Well," Rose corrects with a furrowed brow, "He's more than that really-"
"What?" He tries not to sound jealous, really he does.
"Oi. I just snogged this you in front of other you, Doctor. Seriously?"
"Alright, fair point," He concedes with a nod when the sudden roar of turbines brings their discussion to a grinding halt. The sky seeming to split apart as the hull of an all too familiar ship shimmers into existence in a torrent of sand and electricity above their heads. The Doctor shivering in the wake of long dormant memories and a sudden familiar tingling in the back of his mind that drops his stomach to somewhere in the vicinity of his feet.
"Oh, no."
"Doctor?"
He's marginally aware of the sound of his own name and Rose's touch as she steadies him but quite suddenly it feels like the world is dropping away from beneath his feet.
"Doctor, you okay?"
"No, no I most certainly am not," He breathes through gritted teeth, "This isn't possible, Rose. This is wrong- just wrong-"
"It's not what ya think, I promise." She tries to assure him though he can barely even hear her over the sudden rush of blood in his ears and the onslaught of memories of the year that never was.
"Breath, Doctor." Rose bids and he tries, really he does.
"I can feel it, Rose, he's here, he's in my head!" He clutches quite suddenly and painfully at his hair might the memories stop, "But why here, why now when I've only just got you back!"
Pain suddenly blossoms in his cheek and he startles at the clarity it brings him in that moment as he blinks and stares down at an irate Jackie Tyler and cradles his stinging jawline.
"Blimey, Jackie, what was that for?"
"Cause ya need ta pull yeself together, Doctor," She warns with a huff, "And while my Rose might like this face far too much to slap some sense back into it, I'm more than happy to send another wallop your way if I think ya deserve it."
He nods somewhat in agreement as he massages his jaw back into place. "Fair play though I've only got the one face this time round."
"Oh, you vain twat." She almost laughs at that. His no doubt witty retort dying as she disappears in a sudden flash of light and he feels Rose take his hand.
"I'm sorry, Doctor, but we gotta go," She offers him an apologetic smile, "It's a long story and I won't lie you're probably gonna freak out and then some, but you need to trust me yea?"
"Trust you?" His eyes widened, his expression hurt, "Of course I trust you, but him?"
He glances up at the ship overhead, "You don't know what he's done, Rose. He's a- a-"
"A monster?" She prompts gently when he can't seem to say the word himself though he nods.
"Yea I know. He thinks as much of himself too," She agrees, "An' I do know wha' he's done- what he's capable of - because I've seen it all and then some."
"If you know then how can you ask me to-" He grits his teeth, eyes darting between her and the ship.
"Because he's not the same as he once was," She presses, "Neither o' you are. An' because I owe him for helping me get back to you. For helping me work out what was goin' on so I could warn you-"
"Helped you shoot holes in the fabric of reality you mean?" He suddenly sneered letting the fear get to him.
"The dimension cannon only worked because of Davros' so you can just stop with the high an' mighty bullshit, Doctor," She hisses just as vehemently, "Besides, you know me better than that. No matter how much I wanted to risk the collapsing of two universes I never would, even for you."
His bark of laughter is almost hysterical, "Liar."
"Then consider us both lucky we had someone round to stop us." The fight leaves her as exhaustion suddenly takes its place and she sighs, grabbing hold of his lapels. "Look, I don't wanna fight you, Doctor. But the fact remains that we need him. Especially now."
"Why?"
"Because this adventure isn't over," She murmurs with a shake of her head, "Not by a long shot, not for us."
His brow suddenly furrows as his time sense flares to life once again at her words and it's almost enough to bring him to his knees at how very suddenly wrong it feels to be stood here on this beach. The pull of the woman beside him however, and the man he's yet to name aboard the ship above is so far beyond undeniable he's surprised he'd not felt it sooner.
"What's happening here?"
"The stars are still goin' out, Doctor." She stresses softly.
"No. No they can't be. The reality bomb never happened," He objected with a shake of his head, "The dimensional retro-closure should have taken care of-"
"It's not Davros. Not this time. Though he certainly didn't help." She bit her lip. "It's this reality, Doctor. This tangent, it's collapsing."
His brow furrowed, "But why? How?"
"We've got a few ideas," Rose admitted wearily, "Point is though, this universe shouldn't have ever existed in the first place, so now that certain events have been set in motion it's only a matter of time before- well, before we run out of it."
"And what exactly, has that got to do with him?" He scowls and reels at the sudden disorientation of a transmat beam. His single heart thundering against his rib cage as he finally sets eyes upon the being he'd once held dying in his arms. His breath coming in short rapid pants as his mind races to catch up with the surge of emotions clawing at his now weary human form.
"Master." He whispers. The other man's lip curling almost fondly in response.
"Hello again, Doctor."