Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: Used some of RTD's Lines because I couldn't think of another reason. lol

She is Returning

Summary - Rose Tyler returns home and is reunited with The Doctor but first she has to gather together his former companions to join him for the final battle.

Ch 12 - A Face of Old

Martha watched as the features on the Doctors face started to change. She knew he was an alien but because he looked human she didn't really think of it much but now watching him physically change his appearance was jarring. He was an alien that could change faces and personalities so she's heard from Jack. When the light faded a smaller man stood there with a closely shaven head and big ears. The brown suit he was wearing was almost bursting off of him. He was definitely a different man. Martha looked over at Rose who looked really freaked out. Martha was confused because she thought Rose already went through this. But the blonde was stuttering and couldn't get any of her words out as she looked at the man.

The light faded away and he stood there for a few seconds, he turned around and faced her. "Rose" he said softly.

"Doctor…how….what?"

"Look at you, all grown up" He said with a little smile.

Now Martha was even more confused. "What did that mean?"

"I don't understand" Rose said.

"I'm not really here Rose, I'm a just an image" he said "My mind was saved somewhere" He said looking around. "That's my hand?"

"Yes, you…you lost in a swordfight with a Sycorax after you…regenerated. So you said body parts can grow back…"

"Within twenty-four hours" he finished for her. "My mind was saved in that hand then, like an emergency program"

"You put an emergency program in your hand?"

"I didn't…you did" he replied "Rather the Bad Wolf did"

Martha stood there watching them talk not understanding anything they were saying. "Bad Wolf"

"Bad Wolf" Rose repeated she didn't remember that part. She knew at the time she wanted him to stay. She thought he was dying, suppose he did in a way by becoming someone new. They were silent again.

"It's good to see you" Rose said breaking the silence.

"It's good to see you too Rose Tyler" he replied back. "It's been awhile hasn't it?"

"Yes, I've been gone. I just found you again"

"How long?" he asked

"Ten years" Rose replied.

He looked over at her "It's been ten years since you've seen me. What happened?" He asked wondering what could've made Rose leave.

"I got trapped…in a parallel world"

"Parallel world" he repeated sadly shaking his head.

Rose walked closer to him. "Your buttons are about to pop off" she told him.

"I know did I regenerate into a twig?" he asked looking down at the suit he was wearing. "I can barely move in this thing"

He smiled at her and turned around "Who's this then?" he asked looking at Martha standing back staring at them both with her mouth slightly open.

"That's Martha Jones, Dr. Martha Jones. You…well the other you traveled with her" she said when Martha didn't answer.

"Well, then hello Dr. Martha Jones, I'm the Doctor or well I was the Doctor"

"…hi" was all Martha could get out. She looked at him, this was the man Rose met and the man Jack was talking about when he and the Doctor were talking about face work. He looked older and more worn out, he looked so different and sounded so different and by the look on Rose's face she's happy to see him again. And it wasn't his looks that Rose saw first, not if this was the version she first met. While she wouldn't kick him out of bed, he wasn't her Doctor. She saw the way Rose looked at the older version of the Doctor and the way he looked at her. She loved them both and Martha didn't think she could wrap her mind around that. Rose loved two different men and didn't care that he changed faces. Maybe they are meant for each other because they accepted each other fully without a doubt no matter how different they've become. She knew she couldn't deal with that, do you have to fall in love with him all over again? Would she have fallen in love with this version if he who was she met that day in the hospital? She didn't know the answer to that question.

"If you are an emergency program, they you're not here to see me"

"No, I'm here because it knew I would be needed for this…to tell you this…" he paused and walked closer to her. "It's the Daleks isn't?"

"Yes"

"They seem to follow you around" he tells her

"Bad Wolf?" She offers

"Dunno" he shrugs his shoulders

"Rose" He says very seriously "Rose you need to stop the Daleks once and for all"

Rose looks at him.

"I don't have many memories of the one him...the Doctor you know. But I know he won't kill. I've seen what happens billions of people will die" He looks at her face which is turned down "Or already are…Rose if you can't convince him…then you have do it"

Rose looked up at him "I have to…I have to commit…."

"Genocide on a race that you thought you already did…and that I thought I had done…Yes"

Rose stepped backwards and ran her hands through her hair and taking deep breathes.

"Convince him then"

Rose leaned back against the wall "He doesn't like guns"

"Because you didn't" he answered back. "That man I became was because of you Rose Tyler" He walked over to her "You gave me a reason to live, you taught me to have compassion again. I was so angry Rose and you made me want to be better"

Rose looked at him.

"I'm sorry to have to ask you do this…maybe all this was meant to happen." He said staring into her eyes. He wanted to touch her again feel her soft skin beneath his hands he wanted to grab a hold of her and feel her heart beat against his but he couldn't he was just an image. So he got as close as he could.

Rose looked up at him at the man she first fell in love with. She brought her hand up to his face and watched it go right through him. She brought her hand to her face; he was just an image with his mind, almost like last time when he tried to send her home. She stood up straight. She always thought fate was trying to split them up but it wasn't fate it was the Daleks. She's seen so many people suffer and die because of them. He was right they need to be stopped.

"Convince him it's the right thing do"

"No! I will not let him suffer anymore. I can't let him carry that burden anymore. I need to do this. I was meant to finish this. The Time War ends now!"

"You won't have to do it alone" Martha spoke up. "None of us are ever alone, he…you touch so many lives and show us that we are capable of so much more. We won't let you do it alone Rose. We are all here the Doctor's army" she said looking at the both of them.

He looked at his hand it started to glow again. "It looks like my time is up"

Rose saw as the yellow light started traveling down his arms.

"Goodbye Rose Tyler, Dr. Martha Jones" he said "And I'm sorry"

He took a deep breath and was getting ready to regenerate. "Doctor!" Rose shouted.

He turned around to face her.

"I just wanted you to know that you were…fantastic!" she said smiling.

He tilted his head and gave her his biggest smile. "And Rose Tyler you are fantastic" The light engulfed him once again. Rose looked on this time not wanting to turn away she wanted to see what this new version looked like from the very beginning. But what she saw was, the Doctor bring his hands together and bend over slightly. The light from his arms went into the jar carrying his hand, the light from that went back into him.

The light faded and there he was standing there, her Doctor with the wild hair grinning at her.

"You didn't change?"

"No, I didn't want to, why would I" He said smiling at her again.

"How"

He pointed to his hand "I used the regeneration energy from my hand to heal myself, then I siphoned off the rest into a handy bio-matching receptacle – namely, my hand right over there" he said and tweaked his tie. Then looked down at his clothes that were now rumbled and loose fitting. He was confused but he didn't care because he saw her there his Rose. He didn't know what happened to make him start to regenerate, he remembered Donna and running out onto a street then he was on the ground. But when he looked up he saw her, his Rose her beautiful face etched with worry staring down at him. "Missed you" he said softly afraid that her image would fade. "Missed you too" he heard her reply in her wonderful slightly cockney accent. He didn't want this dream to end he didn't want to give into the darkness that he knew was coming. He couldn't keep his eyes open and as hard as he tried her image started getting blurry and her voice sounded far away so very far away. "Doctor, Doctor!"

He looked straight into her eyes "Rose" he said

"Doctor" she replied at the same time.

They stood there staring at each other he saw her eyes start to water and felt his do the same. The distance between them closed somehow and they were in each other's arms. Rose's face was burying herself into the collar of his suit and he brought his head down and nuzzled it next to hers. He had felt empty for so long because she is what he was missing.

Her arms were wrapped tightly around him afraid that if she let go he would be gone again. Her Doctor she was really here with him in his arms feeling his one heart beat with her hand and hearing the other one beating against her ear.

He finally pulled away slightly and Rose lifted her head up slowly to look at him. One arm still secure around each other. "My Rose, all grown up" he smiled and pushed a stray hair from her face. She laughed.

His smiled dropped as he looked deeper into her eyes. His two hearts broke as he saw a look that he never ever wanted to see in her eyes. Pain, so much pain the eyes of warrior.

Tbc…