Under the damp dirty bridge in London 2007 wasn't the first time Rose had appeared to The Doctor. The first time had been much earlier, on another continent in a different time. The Daleks had turned up in 1930s Manhattan of all places. Four of them, hiding out beneath buildings and running experiments on the local street population. The Doctor, Martha and the captured residents of Hooverville had just escaped and run back to the makeshift village in Central Park. Martha was busy moving between the escapees, healing and patching up wounds with what little she could find. The Doctor sat dejected in a tent. He leant forward, elbows on his knees, head hanging down as he massaged his hands. They were alive. They had survived. After everything… after Gallifrey… after Rose. They still survived while he lost everything. Why wouldn't they just die! He felt like screaming at the universe, at life, at anything.

He felt the presence of someone in the tent, coming closer to him. Why wouldn't they just leave him alone, just for a minute? What was a minute? But no… they needed him to save them. He sighed and hoped they'd see he was thinking and leave him alone.

"Doctor?" The Doctor froze. The question had been asked tentatively but it wasn't the question that scared him, it was the voice. He looked up in fear and saw Rose standing near him leaning over, trying to see his face to see if he was alright. The Doctor tried to jump up and run away all at the same time. But the folding chair he'd been sitting on and side of the tent got in his way and he ended up tripping over the chair leg and his own feet and landed painfully on his knees on the dirt floor of the tent, the chair twisted around his hip. He stared at her in terror as he threw the chair away from him.

'No… no it's ok.' Rose held out a hand towards him. 'I'm not really here.'

'What do you mean 'it's ok'? That's worse!' The Doctor pushed his palm hard into the dirt, trying to convince himself of reality.

Rose sat down cross-legged on the dirt in front of him and waited for him to calm down.

'But… but what are you?' The Doctor ran through the list of alien races he knew could take the image of a memory, turning a person into what was commonly thought of as a ghost. Rose shook her head at each one. As each possibility was mentioned and rejected the Doctor grew more and more worried until he reached the last possibility that he really didn't want to ask. 'Are you… a figment of my imagination?'

Rose smiled and shook her head. 'I don't think so.'

'Then how can you be here?' Rose shrugged, evidently if she knew she wasn't going to tell him. The Doctor frowned and fell silent just watching her.

Rose smiled. 'It's good to see you again, Doctor.'

'But… but' he spluttered 'How do I know if it's even really you?'

Rose sighed and rose up on her knees, moving slightly towards him as though about to tell a secret. 'When you regenerated I wasn't sure if it was you or not. I thought you were a slitheen or something. To convince me you told me the first word you ever said to me. It was 'run'.' She watched him intently to see if he believed her or not yet. 'The first thing you noticed about your new body was your teeth, and I'm gonna guess your tongue cause you've been licking things ever since.' He still looked doubtful. 'Doctor, it's me honest.'

He was unconvinced but longing enough to play along… for now. He reached out to brush the hair off her face and almost cried out in pain when his hand went through her as though she were air.

'I told you, I'm not really here.' Rose bit her lip and looked as saddened by the fact that they couldn't touch as he did. A single tear escaped his eye and she watched as it ran down towards his chin.

To stop herself crying she squeezed her eyes tight and asked with false brightness. 'So what have you been up to?'

The Doctor brushed the tear from his face. 'Oh I'm in Manhattan with Martha, thought I'd show her the Statue of Liberty, and guess what. The Daleks are here.' Rose's eyes widened and he grinned sarcastically. 'Isn't life wonderful?'

'The Daleks?' Rose stood up and turned slightly away from him, hugging herself. 'Why don't they just go away?'

The Doctor nodded and stood as well.

'Wait a sec…' Rose whirled back to face him. 'Who's Martha?'

'Ah… She's travelling with me. I found her in a hospital in London. She's nice. You'd like her. But the question is, what am I meant to do about the Daleks this time?' The Doctor quickly entered rambling mode and began pacing the tent.

Rose tried very hard to push away any feeling of jealousy towards this Martha person, but she couldn't quite stop one jab escaping her mouth and muttered. 'Maybe Martha can tell you.'

The Doctor stopped and walked quickly over to her. Rose watched the incredibly interesting beetle making its journey across the dirt. The Doctor watched her intently.

'Look at me, Rose.'

Rose raised her eyes to meet his, but not her head.

'She is not your replacement.' The Doctor willed her to understand, figment of his imagination, fake ghost, whatever, in any form, real or not, he couldn't handle Rose not believing him. 'I could never replace you. I…' He stopped.

Rose nodded. 'I'm sorry, I know. It's good you're travelling with someone.' Rose tried very hard to believe her own words, and she did, mostly. 'I just wish…'

The Doctor nodded. They both wished that.

Rose took a deep breath. 'So what are you going to do about the Daleks?'

'I don't know, I'll figure it out when I get there.'

Rose nodded. He usually did. The Doctor gave new meaning to 'works well under pressure'. It was almost like the threat of certain death was what his mind thrived on.

'Doctor!' A voice called from outside the tent and moments later a young woman hurried in and stopped short.

'I thought you were talking with someone. I heard talking.' The Doctor's opened his mouth to answer but she hurried on. 'Never mind. The pig men are coming… Don't say that everyday.'

Martha, Rose assumed, given her clothing style. She couldn't help but think that she was a bit pretty.

'Ok, thank you Martha. I'll be there soon.' Martha nodded and left the tent again to go and find Tallulah and Frank.

The Doctor spun back to Rose. 'She couldn't see you.' He accused. 'There! You are a figment of my imagination. I'm going insane. Always knew it would happen one day.'

'I'm not!' Rose cried. 'Honestly, I'm not.' She held her hands out to him, imploring him to believe her.

'Then what are you?' He almost screamed at her. 'Why take this form? Why this one? Be someone else, anyone else! Please!' He sank to his knees in front of her. 'Please.'

The last soft 'please' nearly broke Rose's heart. She knelt in front of him, tears running down her cheeks. 'I am me. I can't tell you any more, but I am me.'

She waited on the dirt before him as he stared into her eyes, trying to understand. She hated having to say it, hated that he couldn't just sit and cry like any normal person, but he wasn't a normal person, he was the Doctor and he had a world to save.

'You have to do it, Doctor. You have to save them.'

At last he drew in a shaky but settling breath and stood. He walked towards the entrance of the tent, through which yells of orders and screams of panic and fear were filtering.

'Doctor.' She called and he stopped. 'I love you.'

He nodded and continued out of the tent without looking back.

~*~

The next evening Rose returned, looking for her Doctor. She appeared on top of a very tall building and had to close her eyes for a minute to calm the instant fear of being so high without any protective gear, not that she needed any. Opening her eyes once more she looked about her. The city stretched away from her into the horizon, lights shining like multi-coloured stars fallen to Earth. It was beautiful. She smiled and looked around for the Doctor. If she had appeared here he must be nearby.

Then she saw him, lying on his back on the opposite side of the structure. She ran over to him. His arms were flung wide, one hanging over the edge. His face was covered in tiny drops of water and his hair blew in the breeze that flapped his coat against the metal. He was unconscious and looked utterly peaceful. A small smile on his lips.

'Doctor!' She called. He didn't stir. 'Doctor!' she called again. 'Come on Doctor, you have to get up!' Her eyes were tearing up as she felt the enormity of the situation. The Doctor unconscious, she didn't want to even entertain the thought that he might be dead. He was unconscious and she couldn't help him. She couldn't hold him, couldn't wake him by anything but her voice and if he woke suddenly and rolled in the wrong direction, she wouldn't be able to stop him falling. She couldn't save him. She could only watch and call.

'Doctor! Doctor!' She began to chant his name in desperation, each word changing slightly in tone. She was watching him so intently that she was startled by the arrival of Martha and the others. Rose stopped calling him and moved out of the way as Martha rushed to his side and tried to revive him. As the Doctor stirred and winced at the pain in his head Rose grinned, he was alive!

The Doctor slowly opened his eyes and, seeing Rose leaning over Martha's shoulder, smiled.