A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed. And big hugs to all of you, because you all guessed it correct.

Chapter Three.

Rose Tyler stood before him. She'd been there the whole time; she was The Thing. But it wasn't Rose Tyler as the Doctor knew her. No, this woman was someone else. As she stood in front of him, tears coursing down her cheeks, the Doctor couldn't help but stare. She was clearly several years older, aged somewhere around twenty-nine, maybe even thirty. And she was pregnant.

"R-Rose…" the Doctor said, testing the name. It didn't feel right, saying that name whilst staring at this woman. This stranger.

"Doctor," she whispered. "Oh my God, you've no idea how long I've been waiting for you…"

"You're pregnant." It was all he could manage to say, no other words coming into his mind. Rose nodded sadly. Her hair was a lot longer now, a bit longer than when they'd first met. It trailed down her shoulders in long golden tendrils, and her hands rested lightly on the swollen stomach.

"Whose baby is it?" he asked, not sure he wanted to hear the answer. "Who's the father?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she said with a bitter laugh.

"Try me."

She sighed. "I'd better start at the beginning then."

"A very good place to start," the Doctor said, a weak smile on his face. Rose fiddled nervously with her sleeves and took a deep breath.

"Well, you remember when you told me I couldn't stay, and I used that Beam to take me away?"

The Doctor nodded. "That was only a few hours ago for me."

"Well, that's when it all started…"

----

Rose Tyler landed heavily on the ground, the Beam falling beside her. She waited for the nausea to pass before carefully getting to her feet and picking up the white rod that had brought her here. This journey had been a lot bumpier and somewhat painful, probably due to the rushed circumstances. She glanced around her, relieved that she'd landed in an empty field this time, rather than the middle of the city. She began to walk, admiring how pretty the scenery was. It was all very green with cows grazing in the lush pastures.

She soon reached a dirt road and climbed over the field's wooden fence. Walking along it Rose realised she must have missed London and had landed in the countryside. After roughly an hour Rose arrived in a picturesque little village. The houses and shops were all very small, and it was all rather old-fashioned… And the people walking through the streets were dressed in very old-fashioned clothes too…

"Shit," she muttered to herself as the locals gathered to stare at her. She must've hit the wrong time period. It was clearly around the 18th century, and she was wearing 21st century jeans and a rather low-cut top. She glanced at a nearby farmer who was holding a pitchfork and eyeing her suspiciously and realised she'd better get out of sight. It was a small country town, and she wondered if they still believed in burning witches at the stake…

Suddenly she spotted her saviour. A tall man with curly white hair stalked out of a nearby cottage. He was unusually dressed, even for these times, wearing a red velvet jacket, frilly white shirt, and well pressed black trousers. He walked straight over to Rose and took her arm in his, guiding her purposefully back into the cottage, slamming the door behind him. Rose winced as the whole building shook and then the man turned to face her.

"Well, that was awfully silly of you," he said with a slight lisp. He looked her up and down, and Rose felt as though his eyes were x-rays. "You really ought to have changed into appropriate clothing before waltzing into the village."

"I…" she tried, but faltered under his penetrating stare and tears filled her eyes.

"Oh, come now," he said, tone softening and patting her on the back. "There's no need for a waterworks display, my dear. Can you tell me your name?"

"R-Rose," she said, sniffing away the tears. "Rose Tyler."

"Well, Miss Tyler," he said, shaking her hand warmly. "I am the Doctor."

Rose leapt backwards in surprise and promptly tripped over a chair. The man claiming to be the Doctor watched in mild amusement as she pulled herself to her feet and attempted to regain some composure.

"You can't be the Doctor," she said matter-of-factly. "This is… he… no."

"No?"

"No," Rose said firmly. "You are not the Doctor."

"Well, I'm afraid I am," he said, feigning regret as he took hold of her hand. "I assume you travel with me then?"

"Um," Rose stammered.

"That's alright," the Doctor said reassuringly. "You must be from my future as I don't seem to recognise you. You may, or may not be aware, but I am a Time Lord."

Rose nodded. "Yeah, regenerating and all that. I know."

"This is my third body," the Doctor explained. "I clearly have not met you yet, and you travel with a future me."

"Yeah, must be," Rose muttered, not daring to tell him the truth.

"Something is bothering you, child," he said softly, his deep and ancient gaze meeting her fearful eyes. "What is it?"

"I…" she started. "I'm from another world. A parallel universe."

"Ah, I see," the Doctor said, nodding. "So I am not your Doctor, not even in the future."

Rose shook her head. "And my Doctor is dead. I killed him."

She broke into uncontrollable sobs now, and the Doctor pulled her towards him, holding her tightly against his chest as she cried and whispering words of comfort.

"Will you tell me about it?" he asked once her sobs had broken off and she stood, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"I can't," she said softly, tears still threatening to spill from her eyes. "It hurts. And I'm trapped here now, I can't go back."

"Oh, not necessarily," the Doctor said with a smile. "I'm sure I could find a way to get you back."

"No, you don't understand!" she said tearfully. "My universe is gone. Ripped apart and destroyed. Sucked into the Void in a million pieces."

"Ah, I see," the Doctor said and, after a pause, "Well then, I can see only one option. Would you care to travel with me, Miss Tyler?"

"I…"

"I can see it as my responsibility to take care of you now."

After a moment's hesitation Rose nodded. "Okay."

----

"You what?!" the Doctor shouted and Rose winced. "You agreed to travel with me? Him? Why?"

"I had nowhere else to go," she said, willing him to understand. "I had no one, and I was trapped in a tiny village in the past. He was kind, and he was offering to take care of me. I was only planning to stay until I got back on my feet."

"I take it that you ended up staying longer than intended?" he asked darkly, and Rose nodded. "Tell me what happened next."

"Please don't hate me," she whispered. "It wasn't my fault…"

"What happened?" the Doctor demanded, almost snarling the words.

Rose sighed sadly and looked at the ground. "I fell in love with him."

TBC…

Please review.