Rose stood in what was now being referred to as the shift room as her team manned the computers. Ted handed her the gun. She pulled the strap over her head so it hung across her chest. After working for Torchwood for nearly two years she was used to the weight.

"Why does it have to be you?" her mum asked.

Rose tried to keep herself from rolling her eyes. She knew her mum was worried. She'd argued for the past hour while they were getting everything ready.

"You know why, mum," Rose said.

"Someone else could go."

"Yeah, but I'm the one he'll trust. It would take longer if someone else went and we don't have that kind of time."

"You ain't coming back are you?"

She sighed. Rose hadn't actually said it, but her mum knew how much she loved the Doctor. Her Doctor. That's why her team went to work building the dimension cannon in the first place. Then the stars started going out and they'd doubled their efforts because it wasn't just about Rose getting back to him anymore. It was about saving everyone.

"I don't know," Rose said.

"Don't lie to me. I know once you get back with him I'll…I'll never see you again," Jackie insisted.

"I love him mum. You know that. I told him I'd stay with him forever and I'm not about to back out of that. I don't want to."

Her mum started crying. Mickey put his arm around her shoulder.

"Take care of her, yeah?" Rose asked.

"Yeah," Mickey said, but she could tell he wasn't any happier about the idea.

"Ten seconds," Ted called.

The countdown started. Rose put her hands on the gun and cocked it.

"This ought to be fun," she said.

She felt a burning sensation behind her eyes.

"Is that…Is that supposed to happen?" Jackie asked, pointing at Rose.

"Is what…" was all Rose got out before the countdown hit one and the room vanished.

She felt like she was being pulled and then the ground was beneath her once again. The burning sensation receded and she looked around. The dark street looked deserted. Did I make it? She looked up at the sky expecting to see something, but it looked normal. What? It didn't look like anything had happened yet, but that wasn't right.

All the stars had gone out in her universe. Granted, that one was running ahead of this one, but still, something should've happened by now. She spun around at the familiar high-pitched whine of the TARDIS engines.

As she watched, the box materialized on the street corner. The Doctor! Her lips split into a wide grin. She raced down the street. She heard the doors open before she reached it. From her vantage point behind the TARDIS she could see a cloud of smoke escape, then she heard a cough.

"Doctor!" she yelled, racing around the side.

The TARDIS materialized. The Doctor coughed, running to the door. "Extractor Fans," he yelled through another cough and stepped outside. He'd really done a number on her when he regenerated, but she'd pull through. Always did. It would just take a while. He needed to get back to little Amelia, but it wouldn't do either of them any good if he choked to death. One regeneration a day was quite enough.

"Doctor!" a woman yelled.

He froze. Something…there was something about her voice. He couldn't put his finger on it, but both of his hearts began to beat wildly, which was really not good because he wasn't finished regenerating. He doubled over.

As Rose raced around the side of the TARDIS she watched him double over. No! Oh, God, no! His back was to her, but she could tell that something bad had happened to him from the state of his clothes. She ran to him.

"Doctor, what is it? What happened?"

"I…" he gasped.

No, please! She couldn't lose him. Not after she just found him. She tried to scoot around to see him, but he turned away. Why wouldn't he let her help him?

"Doctor, please, let me help you."

This can't be happening! This absolutely can't be happening! But it was. She…she was there, but she couldn't be there. He'd left her in the parallel universe with the Meta-Crisis. They were happy. Together. Having the kind of life he always wanted with her, but couldn't have. How was she there? It…it wasn't possible.

What would she say when she saw him? He'd only just regenerated. He was so afraid to look at her. He thought she would be locked away when he regenerated. Just a memory of one of his past regenerations like the rest, but as his heartbeat increased he realized that the feelings that he had for the girl who's hand he'd grabbed in the basement of that department store all those years ago hadn't changed. She was still his Rose. The golden angel who saved him after the Last Time War.

"I…I'm fine really," he said, which was a complete lie. He was anything, but fine. She was there. Right there and all he had to do was reach out, but he couldn't. Wouldn't. Something was wrong. He could sense it.

"Please, let me help," she said and the pleading in her voice crumbled his resolve.

He let her help him stand. Then he turned around and faced her. The moment he looked at her, he was hit by a wave of emotion. All he wanted to do was reach out and wrap his arms around her, but he was held back by the shock in her eyes.

"You've regenerated," she gasped.

That's when he took in her clothes and the gun. No! This was bad. Really not good. She…she was wearing the same clothes she wore all those years ago. This wasn't present Rose. This was past Rose and she definitely shouldn't be there. This could…this was really not good.

He knew he should leave. Run back in the TARDIS and go somewhere, anywhere else, but he couldn't tear his eyes from her because she was so close. His golden angel. She stepped closer to him and he was only slightly aware of how very not good that was.

"What…what happened?" she asked, examining his face.

"I…uh…I…" He wasn't sure what to tell her. He couldn't tell her the truth, well, the truth was obvious, he'd died, but he couldn't let her know how or when. This was really, really bad.

"Was it me? Did I do this?" she asked, hesitantly.

What? Why would… Then he remembered. The last time he regenerated was because he'd had to remove the Time Vortex from her. Did she blame herself for that? Of course she did. She was Rose and even when she helped someone if something went wrong she blamed herself, just like he did. Maybe not to the extent that he did, but still…

"No, someone was in danger and I had to save them. They're safe, but I…well, you see what happened."

"But it wasn't me?"

"No, it wasn't you. I promise," he said, smiling.

"Can I?" she asked, reaching toward his cheek.

He knew he shouldn't let her. He should go. He really should go, but he didn't have the strength to stop her because she was…well, she was Rose. She laid her hand against his cheek and his eyes found hers.

"You're still you," she said, giving him that smile he hadn't seen in far too long.

"I'm still me," he agreed, returning her smile.

He missed her so much. More than he could allow himself to feel, but she was there. Right in front of him and before he could stop himself he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. That's when he felt the gun and his mind snapped back.

He pushed her back, not forcefully, but not exactly pleasantly either.

"Rose, you…I…I have to go," he stammered.

"But you can't," she insisted, grabbing his hand.

"No, really I…I have to."

She held his hand more firmly and he wasn't able to pull out of her grip.

"I came to warn you. To help you. It's-"

"The darkness, I know. The stars and all that."

"How did you know?"

"It's…I'm…" he tried to pull away, but she wouldn't release him. He knew he'd have to say something. He couldn't tell her the truth, well, not all of it, but he had to tell her something or they'd be standing there all night and then she'd never get to where she was supposed to be. "Look, I…" He sighed and then leaned down and took her cheek in his hand. "I'm not the Doctor you're looking for. I mean, I am the Doctor, but not the one you're supposed to find."

"You're not making any sense."

"I'm making perfect sense you're just not paying attention."

"Being rude again. I see that hasn't changed," she teased, giving him a playful smile, which made him want to pull her into the TARDIS and damn the consequences.

"I…" He wrestled to control his feelings and after a moment was able to look her in the eyes again. "I'm the Doctor in the future."

"What?"

"You're looking for me to warn me that the stars are going out in the parallel universe, right?"

"Yeah."

"I remember that because it happened to me, in the past. It happened before I regenerated."

He watched her eyes widen as she began to understand what he was saying.

"So, this is future you, yeah?"

"Exactly."

"So, then…hang on. Does that mean I'm in the future?"

"Yes, but not just my future. We're two hundred years in the future."

"What? But that doesn't even make any sense. The dimension cannon just crosses through the Void. Or, at least, that's all it should do."

"Yes, that is very strange."

Maybe that's why he was there. Maybe he needed to get her to the proper time. She hadn't told him she met his future self, but then Rose knew how dangerous something like that could be. He couldn't help smiling. He'd always thought she was brilliant. Yes, she must have figured out that it would be a bad idea, which it would've been. Definitely, really, not good.

Rose watched him try to work out what was going on. He looked so different. His dark hair flopped over one eye. He was still lanky, but not as thin and his brown eyes had been replaced by piercing green, but he was still her Doctor. She'd seen that when she looked into his eyes.

She wondered how far in the future this version was. He was still dressed the same, with the acceptation of his jacket and overcoat. His clothes were ripped and torn. Was that due to his regeneration or from when he died? The thought of him dying hurt, but he said he'd saved someone and she couldn't blame him for that. Saving people was what the Doctor did.

That's when she realized he was alone. No one else had come out of the TARDIS. He said she made it back to him. He remembered her telling him about the stars. If that was true then where was she? Shouldn't she have come out of the TARDIS too?

"Doctor…" she began, but her phone rang.

She gave him an apologetic smile as she answered. He motioned to the TARDIS and she nodded, thinking he meant to check on something.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Did you make it?" Ted inquired.

She didn't even wonder how he could be calling her because it was the same phone the Doctor had fixed for her. It didn't matter what time she was in, she'd always be able to use it.

"Yeah, but I'm not in the right time."

"Not in the what?"

"Right time. I'm about two hundred years off."

"But that…"

"Doesn't make any sense, yeah?"

"Well, actually…wait…" She could hear him moving around. He must be checking something. "There was an energy spike when you shifted."

"An energy spike?"

"Yes, and it looks like it's happening again."

If it was happening again then maybe it could get her back to the right time.

"Can you shift me from here?"

"Yes, I have a lock on you. Do you want to try it again?"

Rose wasn't sure if she should leave the Doctor, but then he did say he wasn't one she needed to find. He was a future version and she needed to find the present version. He remembered that she found him so this must all workout somehow.

"Yeah, let's give it a go."

"We'll try it in five," Ted confirmed.

She hung up and slid her phone back in her pocket.

"I'm going," she called toward the TARDIS. She had enough time to register that burning sensation behind her eyes and then she was gone.

The Doctor heard her say she was going. He rushed out of the TARDIS to stop her. If she could only move through space then he was sure he needed to be the one to get her to the correct time. Why else would the TARDIS have brought him there?

She was gone. He stood there for a few minutes, concentrating, but nothing changed. He still remembered seeing her at the end of that dark street and running, then the Dalek, then everything else. It was all still there. Nothing changed. So, why was he there? Was it just to torment him further? To remind him of what he'd lost? What he could never have?

The TARDIS whined. Yes, he needed to get back. He'd promised little Amelia five minutes and there was still prisoner zero to take care of. He pushed Rose to the back of his mind again and did the only thing he knew how to do…kept going.

I don't own Doctor Who, any of its Characters, any of its Story Lines, any Jammy Dodgers (because I live in the states), however I do have bananas and I own a fez.

Thank you to all my brilliant readers and if you have time reviews are always welcome! :)