CHAPTER TWO

Sometime later the Doctor found himself being gently shaken by the shoulder. He opened his eyes and lifted his head from where it rested on Rose's. He hadn't realized he'd fallen asleep, but as he blinked himself awake, he saw Jackie smiling softly. "We're nearly there. They've brought us as far as Paris, we can take a tram back to London from here."

"Brilliant," the Doctor replied, stifling a yawn. "Never been on the tram before."

Rose stirred just then, lifting her head sleepily. "What's goin' on? Are we home?"

"France," the Doctor answered softly. "Taking a tram the rest of the way. My first adventure on this Earth."

Rose looked up at him and laughed softly. "Some things really don't change, do they?"

"Told you," he said solemnly. "Same person."

She seemed to consider this for a long moment, then pushed off of him slowly. "Let's go then."

The tram ride home was insignificant to Rose and Jackie, who'd obviously grown accustomed to living in this world. Jackie complained about the amount of people on the tram, even though the three of them had been given a compartment all their own. Seeing as how Great Britain was separated by the sea from France, this particular tram ran underground in a clear tunnel. The Doctor had pressed his face against the glass window of their car, trying to peer out in all directions at the sea life that surrounded him.

"This is incredible!" He declared with glee, watching fish and sharks and other creatures swimming around with seemingly no notice of the large hunk of metal and electronics hurtling past them. Rose leaned against him, resting her cheek against his shoulder as she held onto his arm. She smiled, infected by his excitement.

"Sometimes I forget they didn't have all this back home," Rose commented. "Well, they've got a train that runs under the water like this one, but you can't see out."

"I'd rather not see out," Jackie commented from behind them. "Can't help thinking what would happen if that tunnel were to cave in. Stuck down here...no way out-"

"Mum," Rose cut in sharply, obviously disturbed by the morbid thinking. She shook her head sharply as Jackie looked over.

"Right," Jackie said, dismissing the thought and looking at the doctor. "So, I don't want to be a damper, but...what are you going to do now, Doctor?"

"You mean now that I'm stuck here on Earth?" He hadn't thought that far ahead just yet. The only thing he was sure of was that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Rose. If he only had one life left, he wanted to make it count. But...living as a human? He'd spent enough time watching them to know that humans were expected to make a living, buy a house, raise a family. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "I dunno."

"What 'bout teaching?" Rose offered. "Remember when we fought the Krillitanes? You posed as a physics teacher?"

"Yeah," the Doctor agreed, thoughtfully. "I seem to always become a teacher whenever I pose as a human." He remembered locking his Time Lord essence into his fob watch as he and Martha Jones had hid from The Family of Blood back in 1913.

"Torchwood will help us get any papers you want," Rose told him. "You know, since you don't have the psychic paper anymore. You'll need something a bit more permanent."

He hadn't thought about that either. No psychic paper, no TARDIS, no sonic screwdriver. He was glad that he was here with Rose; had he been alone, he wasn't sure he'd be able to cope with being human. Rose seemed to sense his thoughts and again took his hand, squeezing it genly.

"Been quite a day for you," she commented. "Becoming human an' all."

"Yeah..." he took a deep breath. "Yeah, it has."

-

By the time they reached the Powell Estate where Rose and her family lived, the three of them were nearly exhausted. The Doctor found this to be ironic as well. He'd been traveling for hundreds of years and had never grown tired of it, rarely needed to sleep, and always had so much energy. One afternoon traveling around Earth and he was ready to sleep for a week.

Pete was waiting for them in the foyer when they came in and Jackie ran to him, throwing herself in his arms and planting kisses all over his face. "I was scared I'd never see you again."

"C'mon," Pete told her with a smile. "The end of the universe could never stop you from getting back here to us." He seemed to notice the Doctor for the first time. "Doctor…I didn't expect to ever see you again."

"Yeah, me either," the Doctor replied as he shook Pete's hand. Pete looked to Rose and Jackie for an explanation, as the Doctor was not forthcoming with information.

"He's human, now, Dad…" Rose supplied. "He's staying here with us for a bit."

"Human?" Pete repeated, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

"It's a long story," Jackie told him. "I'll explain later."

Rose looked up at the Doctor, reaching over and taking his hand. "Come on, I'll show you around."

The Doctor let himself be led around the house, introduced to the servants, shown the various rooms, and finally ending up in Rose's bedroom. It was simple with all the usual furniture one would expect to find, but one entire wall was taken up by a large desk covered with books and papers and a computer. On the wall was a map—of sorts—with colored tacks and post-it notes all over. He went to look at it, unable to decipher her notes. She came up beside him, pointing to various things as she explained.

"All the places I've been, looking for you. I feel like I haven't slept since I started working with Torchwood to track you down."

"How did you know, Rose?" The Doctor asked quietly.

"I told you...the stars started to go out. I'd wanted to find you for so long before that. Since Doomsday…since Bad Wolf Bay…I've tried to work it out, how to get back to you. I was never clever enough on my own, but eventually we knew that the fabric of the universe was starting to tear again. I knew that was my chance. I knew you wouldn't risk coming back here for me…so I went to you."

"And you found me," he told her, taking her hand and turning to face her. "You're brilliant, Rose Tyler. Absolutely brilliant."

Hesitantly, Rose lifted her free hand and placed it over his heart, feeling the steady beat. "It feels like a dream, y'know? I always dreamed of finding you again. Sometimes we'd end up together, but sometimes you seemed like you had no idea who I was. You'd walk right by me without even looking. I'd try to talk to you, but you'd just…disappear."

"I could never forget you, Rose. I never did. Life was never the same without you. Part of me died that day we said our last goodbyes, but I never forgot you. Even the deepest part of my subconscious had your image ingrained in it." He'd kept a journal in 1913 of dreams that he'd had, dreams of the TARDIS, of traveling, of Rose. None of his companions, not even Sarah Jane Smith had ever had such a hold over him.

She was quiet for a long minute and he watched her eyes fill with tears. "I can't stop thinking about him." He knew she meant her Doctor. "Do you think he'll be alright? Do you think he misses me?"

His heart skipped a sad beat. He'd never be able to measure up to her Doctor, even though they were one in the same. "Of course he does, that's why I'm here. So that he can be with you…in a way. Do you remember what I told you once, about never being able to grow old with my companions? That's all he ever wanted with you. That's I all want." He swallowed hard after a moment, wiping away a tear that trickled down her cheek. "Do you think you'll ever love me as much as you love him?"

Her eyes snapped up to meet his, surprised at his words. "I do love you," she answered. "It's just…there's two of you, and I know you're him—partly—but I…"
He watched her fumble to explain, understanding the unspoken: he still wasn't her Doctor. Not really. She needed time to adjust to this. They both did. He tried to offer her a smile, but failed, releasing her hand and turning away, walking towards her bed and sitting on the edge. "I'm so sorry that you got landed with me."

"Don't say that!" She squeaked, more tears falling as she came over to the bed and threw her arms around him. "Don't you dare. I love you—both of you—I just can't help wishing he was here too. That doesn't mean that I love you any less."

They sat there for a long while, holding onto one another, both lost in their own thoughts. "We've got so much to do…" Rose said thoughtfully after a few minutes. "You'll need clothes, a toothbrush, a razor…and then there's the matter of your papers from Torchwood…"

It struck the Doctor for the first time that he'd been stranded here without any money. He typically never kept money on him anyways, but this seemed like one of those times he probably should have. "I…don't have any money, Rose."

"Don't worry," she replied, turning her head to kiss his neck. "We'll take care of you. I'll think of a way you can pay me back." She smirked up at him, and he knew immediately what she meant. His ears went pink again, but he felt an odd trickling sensation in his stomach. Desire. "I'm going to take a shower; then, if you want, we can go to the shops?"

He nodded, not trusting his voice and watched her saunter off to the bathroom. Once she had closed the door, he let out a heavy sigh, then hauled himself off her bed and tried to find his way back downstairs to wait for her. He heard a small child laughing in a nearby room and Jackie's voice carrying down the hall. Curious, the Doctor tiptoed closer, peering in the partially opened door. Jackie looked up and smiled at him from her position on the floor in front a toddler who was currently playing with a toy spaceship, making it fly around.

"Come on, then." She told him. "Come meet Tony."

The boy turned as his mother spoke to the Doctor, curious at the stranger. Tony had brown eyes and mousy brown hair that hung into his eyes. He was a beautiful child, and his eyes glittered with wonder. His toys were temporarily forgotten.

The Doctor smiled and squatted down before the young child. "Hello there, Tony. I'm the Doctor…well, not so much the Doctor anymore. Best you call me John, then. John Smith."

"John Smith?" Jackie asked. "That your real name, is it?"

"Earth name," he replied simply.

"Seems so plain for a man like you."

"Oh? What would you call me then?"

"I dunno," Jackie replied as she pushed Tony's hair out of his eyes. "Maybe David."

He raised his eyebrows a little in consideration. "No, no I still like John Smith."

"Suit yourself then." She replied. "Say hello, Tony."

"Hi." The boy said shyly, tilting his face down but still observing the stranger from under his long eye lashes, his eyes so very full of curiosity.

"Where's Rose?" Jackie asked as she pushed herself off the floor.

"Shower." The Doctor replied, standing as well. "Which is probably not a bad idea, but we'll be off to find me some clothes soon."

"You can borrow some of Pete's clothes if you want. He's got a few pullovers that will fit you just fine."

"Thanks," he smiled softly. "I'm already enough of a burden as it is."

"Come off it, Doctor. You're never a burden. You're family."

The word struck a chord with him and he looked at her with a solemn expression. She considered him family. "You've no idea what that means to me, Jackie."

"I can imagine I do," she said softly. "Out there on your own for so long. Did you have a family, Doctor?"

"Oh yes," he said wistfully. "A very large family. A wife, children…parents, brothers and sisters, friends… They all died. All of them."

"You were a father?" She sounded shocked.

"Oh yes, a grandfather too." He could feel tears threatening to fall and tried to smile. "That was a very long time ago now."

She looked at him suspiciously, "Exactly how old are you?"

"906. Though I suppose I should try and find an 'Earth age' now."

"906!" Jackie nearly shouted. "You don't look a day over 30. When's your birthday then?"

"Well, by my calculations with the Earth calendar, it should be somewhere near November 23rd."

"Shoulda known you were a Sagittarius." Jackie gave him a teasing looking of disdain. "Adventurous, your lot. Travelers."

"That's me." He said with a smile.

"There you are," Rose's voice interrupted from the door. She had cleaned up and changed clothes. The Doctor silently wondered if she could ever look more radiant.

"Wose!" Tony squealed from the floor, jumping up and running at his sister, throwing his tiny arms as far around her as they would go.

"'ey, short stuff." Rose smiled and ruffled her brother's hair, leaning down to give him a kiss.

"Did you know that he's 906 years old? And he's a grandfather?" Jackie asked Rose conspiratorially as if the Doctor was no longer in the room.

"Geez, Mum, you didn't waste any time interrogatin' him, did'ya?" Rose came over and took his hand, squeezing it affectionately, before looking up at him curiously. "Grandfather? Really?"

Jackie cut in as the Doctor gave a modest shrug. "What? I haven't spent as much time with him as you have. Is that such a crime?"

Ignoring her mother, Rose turned to him. "So, shopping then, eh?"

He winked at her. "Allons-y."