A/N: So I decided to veer off script quite a bit for this chapter. I feel like it wasn't enough of my own, so I made it my own. Enjoy this chapter with a few guest stars!

DISCLAIMER: All I want for Christmas is to own Doctor Who...or Disney. But neither will happen, so there.

The Doctor refused to return Rose home a year late this time.

It wasn't only because he wanted to be more responsible this time around, not really. What he wanted more than that was to avoid an infamous slap from one Jackie Tyler. He did miss the woman-she had grown on him over the years-but a slap on the cheek? He could always live without that.

Unfortunately for him, luck didn't seem to favor him. It never did. No, Rose wasn't missing for an entire year, but she was missing for twelve weeks. The Doctor was fairly certain the TARDIS wanted to mess with him at this point, and he winced as the police were (once again) called to the Tyler flat and Jackie (once again) slapped his cheek hard enough to turn his face bright red.

"Ow!" The Doctor reached up to hold his cheek, backing away from the older woman. She looked like she had another slap in her.

"Three bloody months!" Jackie shouted. "What are you, a pedophile? You haven't hired my daughter for sex, have you?"

"No!" the Doctor shouted, secretly thankful as Rose stepped between them.

"It wouldn't be your business even if he had, mum," she said, the calming voice in the storm that was Jackie Tyler. "He didn't. We were just travelin'. Nothing more."

Jackie didn't look convinced. She reached out and touched Rose's cheek. "You at least thought of me, yeah?"

"Every day, mum. I'm sorry I didn't call."

The Doctor let them catch up and slipped out to the roof of Powell Estate, looking out over London. Nine months until London was graced with the presence of the Slitheen. At least they could relax a bit until they came down to Earth. Then again, everything was changing these days. He was changing his past-something that all Time Lords were told not to do the day they entered the academy. The time streams would change, and some things that were meant to be would not happen, changing history as they knew it…

For him, the Doctor mused, his end with Rose was one thing he didn't mind changing. He'd deal with the consequences when that day came.

The door behind him opened, and he looked away from the city to see Rose walking onto the roof. She smiled a bit and shut the door behind her, rubbing the back of her neck. "Sorry about that. She gets worried."

"I know," he said absently, looking away. "

"How would you know? You met her once."

Crap. "Well, she's your mum. Most mums worry sick when their child goes missing, yeah?"

Rose walked beside him and smiled a bit. "Yeah, suppose so. Not all mums, though."

He shrugged and glanced her way. "Well, yours seems to fit the bill."

Rose nodded and looked where the Doctor had been, shifting so she sat with her legs dangling over the edge. "Yeah. I can't tell her where we've been, can I?"

The Doctor shrugged again. "Well, you could. I can't guarantee she'd believe you, though."

"Well she wouldn't. Who would? I can't even begin to...she's never going to forgive me for that. I missed three months. Was there anything important?"

"Middling."

"You're useless." Rose shook her head, looking back at him. The Doctor rolled his eyes and raised an eyebrow.

"Does that mean you'll stop traveling?"

"No! Just...I can't do that to her again, Doctor." Rose sighed. "We need to come back on time. I don't want to give her a heart attack."

"Bet she's stronger than that." He smiled and sat on the edge. "Nine hundred years of time and space, and not once was I ever slapped by someone's mother." Well...that was a lie. Jackie, then Martha's mum, Francine. Rose giggled.

"She actually slapped you. I can't believe it. And your face!"

"It hurt!"

She rolled her eyes. "Nine hundred, eh?"

"Yeah. Do I look it?" He batted his eyes, and Rose snorted.

"Hardly. You barely look fifty." She nudged him. "She was right, though. Hell of an age gap. And the thing is...it's mental, and I can't tell anyone about this. Not without them thinking I'm a nutter."

The Doctor leaned back against the wall. "What, I'm not good company?"

"Nah, you're great. Just need some human interaction after a while is all." Rose frowned a bit. "That sounded a bit mean."

"It's fine. I get it." He straightened. "What about Mickey?"

Rose's eyes widened, and she got off the edge of the roof quickly. "Oh my god, I almost forgot!" She sprinted off to head to his flat, and he smiled a bit, following after.

Oh, Rose Tyler.

-DW-

On the other side of London, a man in a tweed jacket and bowtie ran through the streets, looking lost and confused as two women ran after him. One had bright red hair and ran surprisingly well in heels, shouting after him in obvious confusion, Scottish accent thick. The second was a blonde who seemed to radiate somewhat, skin casting a gold hue as she faded in and out. The man was running from her, and the redhead did as well, not sure why they were doing it.

"Why are we running?" she shouted, looking back. The blonde had gold eyes as well, though they mixed with brown as the gold faded in and out. She looked equally confused, a bit hurt due to the running. The redhead looked back to the man. "Doctor!"

The man suddenly stopped running, turning around in time for the redhead to crash into his chest. The blonde managed to stop in time, watching him.

"Why are you running?" she asked quietly. The man shook his head.

"You're not supposed to be here. Time lines...something's wrong." He looked down at his chest. "Amy, we're leaving."

"We can't just leave her," she snapped. "What's wrong with the time lines, anyway?"

He looked back up. "I lost her years ago, Amy. Many years ago...she's not supposed to be here."

The blonde shook her head. "I've never left, Doc-"

"Don't!" He closed his eyes and turned around. "We need to stop this. Something's extremely wrong here."

Someone was changing his time line, and he was going to find out who.

-DW-

Jackie Tyler was not a welcoming person. The Doctor had forgotten that about her.

That wasn't to say that they weren't friendly toward each other. In fact, she had even kissed him at one point when they returned from traveling. That was after this whole mess had happened, however, so expecting her to be anything more than cold toward him was something the Doctor didn't plan on doing. He was right to do so, actually. Jackie acted like he wasn't even there, going about her daily business while the Doctor sat there, waiting for Rose to return.

That didn't mean she hadn't shouted at him some more once her daughter wasn't there to defend his honor, but now she just ignored his presence altogether.

That left him sitting there and watching the telly boredly while he heard her blabber about the situation to everyone she could call, gossiping away and inviting them over for a welcome home party for Rose. He was pretty sure she had called him a pedophile at one point. The Doctor just ignored her in turn, so he couldn't be certain.

He relaxed when the door opened and Rose came home, Mickey in tow. The man looked like he wanted to punch the Doctor on sight, and honestly? He wouldn't blame him.

"Everyone thought I murdered her," he said coolly, looking at the Time Lord. The Doctor raised his hands in innocence.

"Not my fault everyone jumped to a brutal conclusion. Do you need to punch me?"

"I'd like to, yeah."

"Then do it."

"No," Rose said firmly, grabbing Mickey's hand. "No more bodily harm to the Doctor today, understood? I'm safe, Mickey." She looked him in the eyes. "Isn't that enough?"

"Not even a phone call, Rose. How is it enough?" Mickey walked away to find Jackie, and Rose fell back onto the couch, next to the Doctor.

"He'll never forgive me, either."

"He'll get over it. You could have called."

"Don't you take their side too," she groaned. "I'm already being hated on by my mum, friends, and now my boyfriend. I don't need you ganging up on me, too."

"To be fair, I don't think they'd let me into their little gang." He raised an eyebrow, and she rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Did mum slap you again?"

"Surprisingly not. She's just acting like I don't exist."

"I suspect it'll be like that for a while. Do you need some tea?"

"If you could, please."

Rose smirked and stood. "You're being polite? What's got up your sleeves?"

"Oi!" the Doctor protested. "I am very polite, thank you."

"No, you're rude. Brilliant, but rude."

The Doctor pouted some more, and Rose laughed as she went to get the tea made up. He smiled fondly and tilted his head back. He had to blame the Tylers for making him all...domestic. At one point, he wouldn't even dream of simply laying around the flat while there was a world out there to explore. Now, however, it just seemed...natural. He rather liked it.

He wished he'd had more time like this with his Rose.

The Doctor sighed and looked out the window. This was his Rose, wasn't it? Just...earlier. Innocent, lovely Rose. His pink and yellow human.

Rassilion, he was a sap.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knocking at the door, and the Doctor shouted that he'd answer it. Probably some of Jackie's friends ready to yell at him. What he didn't expect to find was a gangly man with a bowtie, a redheaded woman who looked all levels of angry and confused, and a flickering blonde woman that had to be…"Rose?"

"Doctor," the man said, and his attention turned to him.

"Who are you?"

"You're messing with time lines. What the hell are you doing?" The man barged in, and the Doctor yelped in indignation.

"Oi! This isn't my flat, you know. Who are you?"

"Who do you think?"

The Doctor frowned, then looked at his hand as the man pulled out...a sonic screwdriver.

"...you're kidding me."

"Nope. What are you doing to the time lines? You're screwing them up, and everything is getting all...mumbley jumbley!" He waved his hands and frowned. The Doctor frowned as well.

"You didn't just say that. Besides, does it matter?" He crossed his arms. "It's for the better. I'm doing the right thing."

"You're not! You're causing probably hundreds of paradoxes, and all because you couldn't-"

"Doctor, who was at the door?" Rose walked in and both men looked over. His future version looked flabberghasted, while the redhead looked even more confused and the other, flickering Rose simply sighed.

"I should leave."

"...there's another of me. Why is there two of me?"

"Rose-"

There was a scream outside, and the group looked outside as a UFO crashed in the middle of London.

"Doctor?" the redhead asked. The bowtie man sighed.

"Bollocks."