Notes: This chapter, and the next ones, are why I wrote this. Thinking about it, with the pachinko bit and the angsty bit, this is probably my favorite chapter of the fic. Hope people have stuck around long enough to see it. (Despite my minority opinion on Ten's behavior...)

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We are all just prisoners here

Rose opened her eyes to find the Fury leaning over her in astonishment. "Oh, hello," she said, with a wicked grin. "Are you still here?"

"It's a trick," said the Fury. "You're tricking me."

"Ah, that would be your mistake," said her first Doctor, wincing as he sat up. "You never bothered to understand Rose Tyler, did you?"

The Fury sat down, rather suddenly, a stunned look on her face. "You... You couldn't have... it's..."

"What, did you honestly believe I chose my companions for their looks?" He rolled his eyes, and poked his future in the shoulder. "C'mon, pretty-boy, time to wake up now..."

Her second Doctor moaned a little before laboriously hauling himself to a sitting position. "God, do I have a headache..."

"I should imagine, what with your tiny brain rattlin' around in there like a marble in a pachinko machine. I mean, seriously, the ears are an improvement, but it's what's between 'em that really makes a difference."

Her second Doctor glared at him sourly. "You do realize you're only insulting yourself, right?"

"Never stopped me before, has it?"

"Besides, you know damn well you would've fallen for it too. Worse."

"Well, maybe-- hook, line an' sinker-- but at least I wouldn't have abandoned Rose so many times."

"Look, I already feel like an idiot. You really don't have to try and help."

"I got the right to snipe at you the second I got dragged into the bloody mess. Speaking of which, you owe Rose an apology. Or five."

"Rose?" The Doctor turned and blinked at her. "How did you find me?"

The other Doctor raised his hand. "Wonderfully quick on the uptake this go-round, aren't we?"

"Do shut up for a minute and let me think."

"'Course. Give it a shot. See how well it works for you."

"Doctor..." Rose warned, and let her hand stray toward her cricket bat.

"I'll shut up." He folded his legs and stared at the wall, eyes wide and innocent, the very definition of docile. No one in the room was fooled for a second.

After a moment, her second Doctor shook his head. "What happened?" he asked, the picture of confusion. "I remember Reinette..."

"Little Miss Princess over here was impersonatin' her," said Rose, restraining herself admirably. "You brought her back with you, an' you were all... obsessed, like, you weren't payin' attention to anyfin' else. Then the French tart decided to drive me out."

"I am neither a tart nor French and this cannot be happening."

"Believe it, lady," Rose snapped. "Bitch finally drove me out of the TARDIS, she did. You didn't even blink, just dropped me off in London. 2005, might I add. When I was supposed to be missing. So that was fun."

"...I am never going to live this down, am I?" her second Doctor realized.

"Nope," said her first, inordinately cheerful.

"Anyway, apparently Madame du Punishment here drove Mickey off too before handin' down her sentence. Looks of the control room, that was weeks ago."

"Weeks?"

"Surprised Rickey lasted as long as he did, actually," her first Doctor commented, shaking his head. "Though I guess once he latches onto somethin', it's hard to shake 'im off. When'd he change his mind about comin' along, anyway?"

"Weeks?" said her second Doctor, rounding on the Fury.

"I... I merely passed down the lawful sentence of my people, you cannot blame me for..."

"...Point," the Doctor sighed, and turned back to Rose. "But how did you figure it out?"

"Mostly, the TARDIS drove me out of my mind. You ever hear the song 'Hotel California'?"

The Doctor blinked. "Yeah. Great song."

"Not for seven weeks straight, it isn't!" Rose groused. "Wouldn't bloody leave me alone! And what the hell could I do, stuck in the middle of London?! --But," she sighed, "it worked. Can't argue with that, I suppose."

"Seven weeks?"

"Yep, you're in trouble," said her first Doctor cheerfully.

"Secen weeks..." The Doctor shook his head. "All right, I may see the point of the pachinko analogy."

"I thought you would."

The Doctor shot his past a mild glare as he struggled to his feet. "So. First, we bid you a fond farewell and get you back to torment the people in your own timeline. Second, we drop this person off at the destination of her choice."

"What?!" Rose cried.

"She won't do us any further harm. I'm certainly not going to let her stay on the TARDIS after what she's done--" he shot her a wounded, betrayed look that would've broken Rose's heart-- "but I'm not going to punish her, either. I know you've had a miserable few months-- and I'll try to make that up to you, I really will-- but think about it. Give it time. You'll understand."

"You arrogant son of a bitch," the Fury hissed. "That peasant can't understand. No one can understand."

"What's so difficult about it?" Her first Doctor turned toward the Fury, arms casually looped around his knees. Rose couldn't see his expression, but she thought she knew it very well. Those eyes of his trapped you, like judgment, like truth. And god, if the truth wasn't pretty...

Could be painful, but it'd still set you free.

"What, you think you're the only last of your race? You think you're the only refugee? No. It's happened a billion times. Did they warn you they were sending you away, Princess? Did they warn you you might live? No. They didn't, did they? You just woke up to see your planet burning behind you."

The Fury was shocked, speechless, and how long had Rose wanted to see that expression on her face? Whatever had happened to the girl, Rose couldn't help revelling in it.

"Alive, the last, and you never asked for it. You didn't know how, and you didn't know why. Tradition was all you had left, and you were bound to fufill it. It was what you owed: it was your penance: it was your duty and your privilege and your revenge. D'you really think for a second I don't understand that?"

Hearing that voice haunted by the deaths of a thousand worlds, only an utter fool could answer no.

"No. You don't have a corner on it. You never have. I know why you blame me. I'm the only one left. And I'm an excellent distraction from yourself."

Tears in the girl's eyes, now, but there was no avoiding it. It was just the truth.

"But it wasn't your fault. And if my taking the blame could help anything-- could save anything-- could make something just a little bit right..." His voice was faltering.

"That's why it worked," said her second Doctor, gripping Rose's hand tightly. "I thought it was justice. I thought it might help you."

"But it didn't, did it? It just took away your distraction. It just cut you loose from your tradition. And tradition's been slowly strangling you all your life, but you don't know what else you have. And if taking the blame would help you, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But it wasn't... and it won't. I can promise you that."

"I'll take you anywhere you want," said her second Doctor. "But what you'll do with your life after that... that's left to you."

"Choose carefully," said her first Doctor, and stood up, just like that. "So! Let's dust off the TARDIS and hope she forgives you."

"Hang on. What d'you mean, 'dust'?"

Rose glanced down at the Fury. She refused to look back, head turned toward the wall, fighting the tears in her eyes.

Rose untied her knots and walked away.

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