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BOOK I: Fixing the Doctor's Mistake

CHAPTER 4: Of Paradoxes and Plans

The plan was so crazy that it just might work. Aided by a new memory of landing on the beach and finding the TARDIS footprint, the Doctor was able to track his former self's movements and determine the best time to return Rose.

"Let's see, this me had gone to the beach two days ago, and past me found the footprint right before Donna and I went to Pompeii, so that means that we're on our way to the planet of the Ood now," the Doctor announced.

"You went to the planet of the Ood?" Rose asked. "I would've loved to have seen that."

"No, you really wouldn't have. They were being abused and sold as slaves. Don't worry, though. Donna and I saved them!"

"Well, I'm glad for that at least. I think I'm gonna like this Donna person!"

"Excuse me?" Amy interrupted. "Will someone please tell me what's going on?"

The Doctor looked at her guiltily. "Oh, we're just... Rose how about you explain!"

"Short story: he made a big mistake in his past, and we're going to fix it. Or at least, we hope so."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Rory asked. "Like, wouldn't it cause a paradox or something?"

The Doctor, under any other circumstances would have been amazed at how astute his newest companion was. Rory had clearly been paying attention to the Doctor's lectures about the dangers of messing in the past. But right now, the Doctor was just annoyed. His past self was going to get Rose back and keep her, paradox or no! Either way, his present self couldn't keep her, much as he wanted to.

Rose herself was feeling a little apprehensive about the whole thing as well, but she wasn't going to say anything, because she knew she couldn't stop his plan; besides, she wanted this as much as he did. She had had enough of parallel worlds, thank you very much!

The Doctor avoided looking at anyone else in the room. "Unfortunately, there is no way a paradox can be avoided at this point. Rose even being here right now is a paradox in and of itself. What we need to do is minimize the size of the paradox."

"I can tell you how to do that, Raggedy Man!" Amy interjected. "Send Rose back to the appropriate part of the time line and let history work itself out!"

The Doctor knew she was right, but he just couldn't accept it. Rose's apprehension, however, was getting the better of her. "Maybe she's right, Doctor."

His head shot up from where he was staring at the console. "What?!"

"Look, Doctor. I want to change this as much as you do. Perhaps even more than you do. But you know how dangerous this is!" Rose was practically in tears. "But you said so yourself. This present for you is like a house of cards. Change one little thing, and the whole thing could crumble!"

"This is not a little thing, Rose!" He was beginning to whine and pout like a toddler.

"Exactly. Which is why it's even more dangerous to -"

"I'M NOT GOING TO LOSE YOU AGAIN!" the Doctor suddenly yelled, shocking everyone in the room to silence.

Well, almost everyone. "I knew it!" Amy whispered to her fiancee. "She's the one! The one he lost! The one he loves!"

But the Time Lord's superior hearing heard every word. "Excellent deduction, Pond! Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to fix this if I have to rip a hole the size of Antarctica in the space and time continuum!"

"Maybe we should just go," Rory whispered as he ushered Amy out of the room.

Rose sighed, walked forward and wrapped her arms around the Doctor's waist from behind. He surprised her by turning around and facing her. She gasped when she saw the tears in his eyes. "Doctor," she reasoned. "I'm not giving up. That's not what I'm saying. I can never give up on you - on us. Now, I love you, you daft alien! But you have to listen to me." He opened his mouth to protest, but she silenced him with her finger on his lips. "You have to let me go. Now. Leave me somewhere on Earth in the 21st century, and preferably somewhere close to civilization. Don't make any calculated attempts to put me somewhere where I'll run into pinstriped you, or leather you, or any other you for that matter. Let me worry about fixing this. It's too dangerous for you to do it, because you risk crossing your own time line."

Again, he opened his mouth to protest, and again she shushed him. "You know I'm right, Doctor," she insisted. "I know that you love me. The question I need answered most from you now is this: do you trust me?"

"More than anyone. More than I trust myself, actually."

"Then trust me! I'm not going to let you create a clone of yourself, fry Donna's brain, and abandon me on a beach again. If you even so much as try to, I promise that I will slap your pinstriped self so hard that this bow tie you and perhaps even the next you will appear much sooner than planned, and your cheeks will still be hurting!" He had to smile at that. Yes, if anyone could issue a slap so hard that it could cause him to regenerate twice, it would be Jackie Tyler's daughter. Either that, or Donna! Or Amy. Or River. When did he start surrounding himself with women who like to slap?

"But our plan -" the Doctor started.

"Is rubbish, and you know it! There is no way that a) anyone would hire me to go on an archaeology expedition, 2) no way Professor River Song will even go along with this plan from how you've described her, and finally, I don't like the idea of running into carnivorous shadows, even if they are in the largest library in the universe!"

"You do realize that you messed up the numbers, don't you?" the Doctor asked, eyes twinkling.

"I learned from the best!" she grinned back, tongue sticking through her teeth.

"But this plan would not only reunite us sooner, but it would save River!"

"And how does my saving River in the Library prevent you from creating a spontaneous biological meta crisis?"

She had him there, and she knew it. For once, the Doctor was stunned into silence.

"Look, just let me go. Put the TARDIS on random if you have to, and put me out."

"But if I put the TARDIS on random, there's a high likelihood that we will not land on 21st century Earth!" he whined again. Rose had to admit, this Doctor was like an overgrown child. It amused her.

"Are you forgetting that the Old Girl is alive?! I'm sure she'll take me to where I need to be!" She reached up and held his face in both of her hands. "Just let me go, Doctor. Just do it. I'll be alright. We'll be alright. Just let me go, and trust me."

"Alright, Rose Tyler, you win. But in case this doesn't work out..." He leaned forward and kissed her deeply. He drank of her as if he was a man dying of thirst and she was the only fountain. He didn't know when, or even if, he'd get a chance to kiss her again. He then put the TARDIS on random, pulled the lever, and sent them on their way.

When they landed, they held each other in their arms for a few minutes before Rose slowly, and silently, slipped free from his grasp and walked through the TARDIS doors.

"Doctor, why are we back on Earth?" Donna asked.

"I got a message from an old friend, Martha Jones," the Doctor replied. "She's the one who traveled with me, weell... in between the times that you did. It seems as though we're needed!"

"Well, since we're back on Earth in the 21st century, I was thinking about going home."

"What? But..." he couldn't believe it. They had barely begun to travel, and already she was wanting to go home? Was it something he'd said? "But I was going to take you to so many places! But... you know what? It's been fun! Thank you, thank you, Donna Noble..." then he caught her grinning.

"You're just going home for a visit, aren't you?" he realized.

"Oh, shut up! The look on your face!" Donna laughed. "You had a face like someone just ran over your puppy with the car!"

"Weell... no need to get graphic!" he said, shamefaced. "You just get on home then and I'll... I'll see you later!"

"Allons-y!" she yelled, grinning at him as she walked away towards her home.

"That's my line!" he retorted, though he couldn't help but grin at her.

As he watched her leave, he couldn't get over just how much he cared for Donna Noble. He didn't love her like he did... well, he wasn't in love with her in any case. But she was undoubtedly the best friend that he had had in recent memory. Traveling with her was quite an exceptional experience. For once, he wasn't the one who was always rude! Though, he mused, Donna was ginger. Rude and ginger. He really wanted to be ginger!

Martha greeted him when he arrived at UNIT headquarters. His face lit up when he saw her. Good ole Martha Jones. She really was a good companion. Not many companions would have been able to walk across the entire planet in one year, but she had! He was proud to recommend her to work for UNIT.

"Good to see you again, Doctor. We really need your help on this one!" She greeted him.

"Lead the way, Martha Jones!" He sang out. "Allons-y!"