A/N: Ba-da-boom! Thanks for all for reviews so far, keep 'em coming!

Now, how different is the parallel Doctor and his world after all? Read on and find out!

Disclaimer: Don't own it. Can't be bothered repeating this every chapter so, for all future chapters, I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING! Anguished sob

Chapter Five.

"I don't think I want to know any more than that," the Doctor said scornfully and Rose glared at him.

"It wasn't like we were just getting it on for the hell of it," she hissed. "He loved me. And you know what? I loved him. Deal with it."

"Why are you talking past tense?" the Doctor asked, ignoring her comment. "And where is he? If he loves you so much, why isn't he here? Hmm?"

Tears welled in Rose's eyes and the Doctor immediately softened. "Rose, I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm being like this."

"J-Just so you know," Rose said tearfully. "I never loved him the way I loved you. It was always different, 'cause I always remembered you. It felt like I was… I dunno, betraying you."

"Where is he?" the Doctor asked softly. "What happened Rose?"

"Daleks," she whispered. "Always the Daleks…"

----

Rose skipped out of the TARDIS, practically dragging the reluctant Doctor along. She looked around, gob-smacked at the beauty of this place. Everything was so perfect, green and lush, skies blue and cloudless. Exotic birds were singing in the towering trees and Rose gaped as she stared around in wonder. Oh, she'd never seen so many trees…

"So this is what it was like, before people came?" she asked the Doctor.

"No," the Doctor corrected. "This is Australia, before Europeans came here. And I only want to stay a very short while as we need to do some repairs on the TARDIS."

"No Global Warming," Rose whispered as she looked at the vast glittering ocean and clear skies. "No pollution, no logging, no… How would you describe it? Doctor?"

She glanced around and furrowed her brow. The Doctor was standing stock-still, completely unmoving and staring at something in the distance. Rose spun around and saw what he was staring at, fear filling her body. She'd heard stories about natives from all sorts of countries becoming violent, and if she'd expected the Indigenous Australians to be frightening then she was wrong. Oh, so wrong. Because there, emerging from the trees, was something much more terrifying. An army of Daleks were gliding swiftly towards them, and Rose gaped in horror.

"Doctor," she said quietly, taking a step backwards. "The TARDIS. Let's get in the TARDIS and go, now. Before they reach us."

"Rose," he said, his voice surprisingly calm. "If we go, and leave them here, then everyone in this country will be slaughtered."

"But the Europeans will come here anyway, one day," Rose said urgently, taking another step back. The Doctor looked scandalised.

"Rose, I will pretend I did not hear that. No, you go and wait for me in the TARDIS."

"What, like you reckon I'll leave you here alone to face a couple hundred Daleks?"

He shot her a look. "You know of the Daleks?"

"Fought 'em with my old Doctor, back home."

"I see."

They were getting closer, closer, ever closer and struck terror into the three hearts on the beach. Rose knew how easy it would be to run, to hide. She was sorely tempted, and realised how much she'd changed over the years. When she'd been with her old Doctor she would never have considered it. But watching everything you knew be destroyed, everyone you loved dying, it didn't seem to matter if another population was wiped out. Rose shook her head. No, she couldn't think like that. She had to stay and fight, protect this small country that was just beginning.

And then they were there. They stopped; several hundred Daleks covered the sweeping white beach, and they waited. At last one Dalek swept forward and spoke.

"Senses report that you are the Doctor."

"That is correct," the Doctor spoke, his voice wavering slightly. "I would ask one favour: that my companion here is allowed to retreat first."

"I'm not goin' anywhere," Rose said firmly and the Doctor visibly stiffened.

"Doctor," the Dalek said in its robotic voice. "You have been eluding us, your comrades in war, for much time now. Why did you run?"

"Because I don't want to do this any longer," the Doctor said loudly and Rose felt thoroughly confused. Suddenly it clicked.

"Oh my God," she said, turning to face the Doctor. "You're working for them? Why?"

"Because," the Doctor said quickly, facing her also, "they promised to spare the lives of my loved ones if I helped them."

"What, and you actually believe them?"

"Doctor," the Dalek interrupted. "You promised us information, straight from the Citadel. Do you have it?"

The Dalek's eyestalk swung around to peer at Rose before swinging back to face the Doctor. Silence. The Dalek rolled forward slightly, clearly not afraid. Rose realised she'd been wrong; there was hardly anything this world had in common with hers, and this Doctor was a completely different man.

"I have no new information," the Doctor said at last. "And what news do you have for me?"

"We will not share any information until we gain some in return."

"Please," the Doctor said, his voice almost a whisper. "Is my family safe? My friends?"

There was a long pause before the Dalek finally spoke. "This is war, Doctor. Your people against ours, and there is no room for sentiment."

"But you promised," the Doctor said urgently. "You promised to look out for my loved ones, to protect them. Please, tell me they're safe. I beg you!"

"We were not there," the Dalek said in its emotionless voice. "We were fleeing for our own lives. We could not stop it."

"You killed them?" the Doctor demanded, an almost pleading note in his voice. "You didn't…"

"We did not. The Time Lords did."

"What…"

"The Time Lords killed them. We did not."

"I don't understand," the Doctor said, tears filling his eyes. "It can't be true… Why would they do such a thing?"

"They needed information on your whereabouts," the Dalek said. "Your family would not say, so the Time Lords killed them. There was no sense in keeping them."

"No," the Doctor said, falling to his knees. "No…"

"One survived," the Dalek croaked and the Doctor looked up hopefully, tears glistening in his eyes.

"What did you say?"

"One survived."

"Who? Who was it?"

"The Daleks took him, and questioned him also. You promised us information, promised to work for us. You fled. He would not speak of where you were."

"WHO WAS IT?" the Doctor screamed and Rose jumped backwards slightly.

"Your only friend," the Dalek said and Rose could have sworn she heard a hint of a smirk in that robotic voice.

"Master," the Doctor whispered. "Is he safe? Did you keep him alive?"

"He escaped," the Dalek said. "And we had a covenant, Doctor."

Rose felt dread filling her body and knew what was to come.

"You promised the Daleks information. You have no information. You are worthless, Doctor. You will beexterminated."

"Not likely," Rose scoffed and held up her wrist, pointing to the gold watch the Doctor had given her. "See this watch? The Doctor gave me this for my birthday. I dunno whether or not he realised it at the time, but this watch ain't ordinary."

"What is the point of this distraction?" the Dalek demanded.

"The point is this," Rose countered smugly. She stepped close to the Doctor and pressed a button on the watch. A transparent shield flew from the watch's face and engulfed Rose and the Doctor.

"Exterminate! Exterminate!" It was terrifying, hearing hundreds of Daleks chorusing that word and shooting beams of deadly light, but it was quite satisfying to see the lasers being repelled by the shield.

"Right," Rose said brightly to the Doctor. "Let's go, shall we?"

And Rose took the hand of the terrified Time Lord and led him back into the TARDIS. To safety.

----

Rose watched as the Doctor struggled to take in all this new information.

"He was working with the Daleks… Friends with the Master… I don't understand…"

"Doctor, he's a different man," Rose said softly. "You have to remember that. Those people, that world, all of it is completely different. You don't know any of it."

"But…" the Doctor was thinking heavily and his brow was furrowed. "War… That must mean… the Time War! Oh Rose, is that what they meant?"

The Doctor had leapt to his feet, a crazed look in his eyes and Rose was momentarily frightened. She nodded, tears coming to her eyes.

"The Time War," she whispered. "And I was there."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "You… what?"

"I fought in the Time War, Doctor," Rose said loudly. The Doctor watched as she opened her mouth to say something else but was cut off by a gasp. She doubled over in pain, clutching at her stomach and the Doctor was immediately by her side.

"The baby," she whispered, looking at the Doctor fearfully. "Doctor, I think its coming."

To be continued…

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