Night had fallen over Bad Wolf Bay, the winds had calmed and the skies cleared. From his balcony door, the Doctor could see the many new constellations this universe had to offer. Fingers rubbing circles over the porous coral, the Doctor smiled as he felt the TARDIS's hum within his mind. It wasn't as strong as what he was accustomed to feeling, but still, it was a comfort for this half human Time Lord. With the proper materials and just the right amount of jiggery pokery, he felt confident that he would be able to grow a full TARDIS in a relatively short amount of time, thanks to Donna's ingenuity.

Thinking of his best mate, the Doctor felt heaviness settle deep within his chest. He knew what his other self would have to do, what he probably already had done. Donna's human brain would not be capable of handling a Time Lord consciousness and unless he removed it, she would be lost. It was a cruel injustice, what he would have to do, for both the Doctor as well as this brilliant woman who had finally come to the realization of how important and valuable she truly was. Unused to the sudden influx of such strong emotions, this Doctor had to shut his mind to those thoughts… for now. He was good at running, but he knew that eventually he would have to face this.

Needing a distraction, he decided he would do a full inventory of his new body and its physiologic functions. In the past few hours he had already encountered many little things that were jarring to him. He felt the thrill and nervousness that usually accompanied the moment before he stepped out of the TARDIS every time he landed somewhere new. Being half human? This would certainly be an adventure. He closed his eyes and with a grin thought to himself, "Allons-y!"

First things first: his brain. As the Doctor monitored his neuronal activity, he was pleased to find that not much had changed. There were a few structural differences within his prefrontal cortex, however, which explained some of the personality quirks he had noticed. No doubt, this was a contribution of Donna's. His Time Lord senses were mostly intact, although his ability to sense timelines was markedly diminished. This would take some getting used to.

Next: cardiovascular system. His lone heart was beating at a steady rate of 80 beats per minute; unusually fast for what he had considered normal before, but just right now that it had to do double the work without its partner. He still seemed to possess some measure of control over its rate and contractility, as well as his vessels, but not much. Well… that was annoying.

Right, moving on, lungs: Wow, those were quite different as well. He took a deep breath and held it. Within minutes he realized this new body was much more dependent on higher levels of oxygen. No more respiratory bypass. Remembering all the times his previous incarnations had survived attacks and misfortunes with this particular Gallifreyan trait, the Doctor sighed. This was starting to get frustrating. How did humans live with these pathetic bodies?

As he continued down the list he grew more and more agitated. He knew his life would be infinitesimally short in comparison to his full Time Lord counterpart, but he was starting to realize it would also be full of annoying inconveniences and limitations.

Last on his list, and perhaps the most unsettling, was this alarming flood of hormones. Over the course of his travels, the Doctor had quickly learned how easily his human companions were swayed by these chemical compounds, constantly flowing through their bloodstream. He shuddered as he recalled many instances in which he had been forced to take refuge in the TARDIS library until his companion (usually a female) managed to get a hold of themselves after a particularly sudden fluctuation. He wondered how drastically he would be affected by this particular change in physiology. Already he had been given a small taste, when Rose had snogged him within an inch of his sanity back there on the beach. It had been so utterly overwhelming, both pleasant and alarming. The Doctor swallowed and took a deep breath. As a full Time Lord he had often scoffed and looked down on this human frailty. Gallifreyans never allowed their body to rule their minds, that was positively barbaric.

As his thoughts turned to Rose, the Doctor sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Things were not going very smoothly. That kiss on the beach had certainly raised his hopes, but then she had withdrawn and the painful reality set in. Rose felt betrayed, and to her, he was just a look-alike consolation prize. As they had walked from Bad Wolf Bay to the nearby town, Jackie had offered words of encouragement, telling him of her adjustment period to this world's Pete Tyler.

"She just needs some time Doctor, but you stay on her, you hear? Don't let her push you away. My Rose is a stubborn one, I should know, but she'll come 'round. She just needs to get used to the idea of this you and let the other one go."

When they arrived at the little bed and breakfast, Rose had spoken a few quick words to him before stating that she was exhausted and was going to bed. He had walked silently beside her, hands in his pocket and heart pounding in his throat, until they had reached her door. "Goodnight Rose. I hope you sleep well," he had told her quietly. She started to open the door but stopped and halfway turned to him. Looking up she met his gaze for a moment before averting her eyes again and mumbling a quick goodnight, after which she walked into her room and promptly shut the door behind her.

Once in his room, the Doctor had tried going to bed as well. This new body tired easily and he felt a strange heaviness that he hoped meant he'd fall asleep quickly. He had removed his trainers and lay on the soft bed, tossing and turning for a few minutes. Although his body was certainly ready for sleep, his mind was not. While most of his mental Time Lord capabilities were intact, it seemed that his ability to control his state of consciousness was not. That is what had brought him to the balcony door, seeking solace in the starry skies above.

Without having to look at the clock on the opposite wall, the Doctor's time sense told him that he had been standing there for two hours, thirty four minutes, and twenty seven seconds. He gave a great yawn and turned towards the bed, wondering if he would be able to rest now. If he couldn't shut off his mind, he would at least let his body rest, and hope that it would be enough. It would probably take a while to figure out how much sleep this body would need but if he were going by how he currently felt; his guess was that it would be considerably more than his other self.

The Doctor lay back down and made an effort to slow his heart rate and breathing down. He started rubbing circles again on his TARDIS coral, reaching out mentally to its hum, in an attempt to calm his mind. Within a few minutes, a pleasant heaviness of body and fogginess of mind began to overtake him and with the last of his wakeful consciousness, the Doctor let out a sigh, a small smile on his lips. Just as he was letting go of the last tendrils of wakefulness, there came a soft knock on his door, followed by Rose's voice.

"Are you awake… Doctor? It's me, Rose."

The man in the blue pinstriped suit shot upright, eyes wide open, and suddenly very much awake.