Chapter 9

Rose had finished the Doctor's laundry – careful to make sure that each article was cleaned on the proper setting, especially the leather jacket – and returned the cart to the lobby. She had been browsing online for furniture when the Doctor finally emerged from the master bedroom, the robe from the bathroom around his form.

"Thanks," he told her, looking at her sitting on the couch.

She raised her head upon hearing his words, putting her laptop on the couch beside her. "For what?"

"Giving me a chance to meditate. Helps clear my mind, eases my bipolar symptoms. Although…" He scratched his sideburn, a ponderous look on his face. "Did you peek in on me?" Seeing her face flush slightly, he gaped. "No way! You did! You naughty girl, you!"

"It wasn't like that," she replied, refusing to look at him. "I just wanted to tell you something and you were… Well, you weren't exactly hidden, were you."

"As if you didn't like it," he taunted, walking into the kitchen.

"Doctor!" She couldn't believe the words coming from him, her own embarrassment growing with them.

"You got any cups in this place?" he questioned, going through the barren cupboards. "Blimey, you weren't kidding when you said you didn't have anything here. You don't even have dishes!"

She sighed, rubbing her face slightly. It was obvious that there definitely was a lot more Donna in him than they had previously thought, given his tone. "The cupboard closest to the refrigerator. There are some glasses and plates in there."

Opening the cupboard in question, the Doctor grinned broadly. "Molte bene!" he exclaimed, grabbing a glass before going to the sink and filling it with water. He drained the glass immediately, putting the empty container on the counter. "Now… what next?"

"A late dinner?" Rose suggested.

"Again? We just ate dinner, didn't we?"

"It's been hours and that was linner, remember?"

"You humans do eat a lot," he commented before glancing at the clock hanging on the kitchen wall, seeing that it was nearly nine o'clock in the evening. "Is it really that late? How long did I meditate?"

"A couple of hours. I cleaned your new clothes. A couple of your suits are hanging in the laundry room as is your long coat and leather jacket. The rest of your suits are in the steam-clean with the rest of your new trainers and your casuals and underwear are folded on top of the dryer."

"Steam-clean?" he questioned as he looked for the room she referred to. Noting where she was pointing, he opened the door and grinned before stepping into the room. "Now this is a laundry room! You could practically run your own laundry business out of this room."

Standing from the couch, she followed him into the room. "Mum insisted. Said that it was less expensive and far more reliable than having them dry cleaned professionally. Didn't think it would really come to much use, not with me only using it every other week or so." She touched his shoulder. "Maybe you should get dressed while I call for dinner. And then you and I need to sit down and talk about who you are going to be in this universe." Seeing the frown on his face, she clarified, "Mum called. Dad needs to know the details of your new identity so that he can get you the proper identification papers. And after that reporter taking our picture in Afters, I think it's a good idea to do it as quickly as possible."

The Doctor sighed. "I suppose if I must."

Rose glanced at his face and noted the expression there, the apprehension that seemed to graze his visage whenever creating a life here on Earth was brought up. She knew it wasn't easy for him, being part human and with an emptiness in his mind he was still trying to cope with even if the new medicine and regular meditation were helping him. Perhaps they were going too fast in trying to settle him into this new grounded life but it was necessary. There would be questions about his sudden appearance by not only the press but also by the government. They needed to make sure they had appropriate answers, especially since some government agencies were more likely to treat the Doctor like a lab rat than a sentient being if they knew he was half-alien.

"Hey, it's okay. We can handle anything, you and me, yeah? Mutt and Jeff? Shiver and shake?"

He grinned at her. "Which one am I?" he asked.

The reference to a long ago spoken conversation caused Rose to return the grin. "This time, I get to be shake. You get to get dressed while I call for dinner." She gently pushed him towards the clothes neatly folded on the dryer. She then turned and left the spacious laundry room before going to the living room and settling on the couch before doing exactly as she said she would.

When the Doctor stepped out of the laundry room again, he was wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. His feet were still bare as he walked over and sat next to her.

"So, what exactly does your father need to know to get identification papers for me?" he asked, his voice resigned to what needed to be done.

"Well, first we need a new name." Seeing the lost look on his face, she gave a little smile. "Figured you'd want some help with that so I bought a book while you were in the glasses shop."

"A book?" he questioned as she stood and retrieved the item. She placed it in his hands before returning to her seat. "This is a book of baby names, Rose."

"Know a better way to pick a name?" she questioned. "Now, the first half is all female names so we can just ignore that."

"How am I supposed to pick a name out of all this?" he commented mostly to himself. He took a breath, apparently deciding on a methodology before closing his eyes, flipping through the book, stopping on a page and pointing. Opening his eyes, he read the name his finger had landed on. "Kermit." Hearing Rose giggle slightly, he gave her a teasing glare. "No. I am not green."

"Try again," she encouraged.

He repeated his previous actions. "Beelzebub? What sort of demented parent names their child after the Devil?"

"The name Beelzebub is in there? Seriously?"

He grimaced slightly. "A very odd book you bought." Once again, he closed his eyes and picked another name. Reading it, he groaned. "Ulick... I lick... he licks..."

She smiled mischievously. "Fits you. You do like to lick." The glare she received brought another giggle from her. "Sorry. Try again. There has to be a proper name in there somewhere."

He sighed and complied. "Jehoshaphat... I wouldn't know if they're calling my name or making an exclamation." He flipped the pages again. "Nidhogg... sounds like an insult. Skidbladnir? That's just sounds disgusting!" He glowered at the book. "What is this? A book of sounds you make when you cough?" Frustrated by his lack of progress, he threw the book across the room, causing it to smack against the far wall and drop to the floor, landing open halfway and face down. "Rubbish! Pure rubbish! I mean, really! Those are human names? I might as well just choose the name Dustbin and be done with it!"

Clearly displeased with how the book failed to help the Doctor pick a human name, Rose stood from the couch to retrieve the object. "I guess it's John Smith then."

"I suppose," he responded dejectedly. "I was hoping for something with a little more pizzazz though. Not too much, mind you. It's just… John Smith is so boring. I've had enough of using that alias. Not sure I want to use it for the rest of my life. Well, I could go by any number of names I know that are more appropriate. Ian, Steven, James, Ben, Jack… But I'd really rather have a name of my own, not one I've stolen from a former com…"

As he spoke, Rose lifted the book where it had opened and turned it over. A small smile came to her features as she read what was there. "What about… Alex?" she interrupted his rant.

"Pardon?" he questioned, surprise on his face.

"Alex. Alexander. I always liked that name," she admitted. "Besides… I think it suits you."

"Alex?" he questioned. Smiling broadly, he crowed, "Yes! Alex! Alexander." His brow furrowed. "Alexander what?"

"Well, you could still use Smith for a surname," she suggested.

"Alexander Smith," he tested the name. "Alexander Wilfred Smith." His eyes widened at his words. "Wilfred? Why would I pick Wilfred?" He suddenly stared at the far wall, a soft expression on his face. "I've always wanted to name a child after Gramps…"

"Gramps?" Rose asked gently.

"Wilfred Mott, my grandfather," he replied before sighing in slight frustration. "Donna's grandfather," he corrected, running a hand through his hair. "Still having trouble sorting my memories. Wilf's a good man, though. I'd be proud to carry his name. And it's keeping it in the family… sort of."

"Alexander Wilfred Smith. I like it."

He beamed back at her. "Me too. Shouldn't we be writing everything down, though? So we can let your Dad know who I am now?"

"Right," she agreed, obviously not having thought of that. Retrieving her laptop, she immediately created a new word processor document and then typed for a few seconds before turning to her friend. "Okay, so we have your name. Now… how about a date of birth."

"Well, you said I look about thirty-eight. So what year would that be?"

"1971," she replied. "Any particular day you want?"

"Does it really matter?"

"What about your real birthday?" she suggested.

The metacrisis raised an eyebrow at her. "I was born on another planet with an entirely different calendar and to a culture that didn't put such emphasis on the day a person is born. It really doesn't matter to me what day is supposed to be my birthday. Just pick a day at random."

She gave him a look before saying, "All right, then. December 25th."

"Not Christmas!" he protested. "You can't have me being born on Christmas. That's just not fair! People born on Christmas get jilted. All the attention is on it being Christmas and not on it being their birthday."

She smiled at his reaction. "I thought you didn't care if you had a birthday. If you don't like Christmas as your birthday, then pick another day." She seemed to think on the matter for a moment. "What about… the day you were… you know…"

"The day the metacrisis occurred?" he questioned. "Well, I suppose when Donna… when she touched my hand and caused the metacrisis… I was born. So, yeah. I suppose that will do just fine." He paused with a frown. "What day was that?"

"October 19th," she answered. As she did so, she couldn't help but think of the sadness in his voice as he spoke Donna's name, bringing back to Rose's mind the words he said when he first reacted to his separation from the TARDIS. Setting the laptop to the side, she turned to him, concern in her eyes. "Doctor… when we were in Norway, you said something about Donna burning." She noted the way his expressive eyes grew sadder. "What did you mean? Is she okay?"

He didn't answer for a long moment, his eyes meeting Rose's. "It was a two-way metacrisis. And she's human."

"Yeah? And that means?"

"There's never been a human/Time Lord metacrisis, Rose, because there can't be. I have a Time Lord brain so I can handle all that comes with being a Time Lord. All of time and space is in my brain. But it's also in Donna's. And having a Time Lord mind running through a human brain… it was killing her."

"So she's… dead?" she questioned somberly.

The hybrid shook his head. "No. Knowing my brother, he would have done the only thing he could to save her life. He locked all that knowledge away, made her forget him, the TARDIS, me, you, Jack, Mickey, Sarah Jane… everything. Probably left her with a defense mechanism just in case something might remind her of him because, if she remembers him even a little bit, she will die and he won't be able to save her a second time." He felt his eyes tearing at the thought and blinked away the emotions quickly. "The most important woman in the universe and she doesn't even know it. She's back to being just Donna Noble, a temp from Chiswick, not knowing just how brilliant she really is."

Reaching over to him, Rose gently took his hand, gaining his attention. "I'm so sorry," she told him wholeheartedly. She paused thoughtfully. "Maybe… maybe we can find her in this universe."

"No," he told her adamantly, his eyes dark. "No looking for a past that's gone. If I meet her, I meet her. I'm not going to impose myself into her life simply because she reminds me of my best friend in another universe." Taking a deep breath, he exhaled loudly, clearing his mind with the action. "19 October 1971. That's my birth date," he stated bluntly. "To honor Donna and her creating me. Mother, sister, best friend… complicated relationship there."

"Well, it fits that a complicated man like you would have a complicated family. But let's try to simplify it, yeah? So… mother's name."

"Donna Noble," came the automatic reply. Seeing the look Rose gave him, the metacrisis smiled slightly. "There's got to be more than one Donna Noble on this island. It's a pretty common name. But, just in case there's any confusion, make the middle name… Susan. For my granddaughter."

"You had a granddaughter?" she questioned, surprise in her voice.

"Over a thousand years old, Rose," he stated as if that answered everything. "I had great-great-grandchildren."

"Right," she murmured, pulling the laptop back towards her to type in the Doctor's choice of mother's name. "Father's name," she requested.

"John Smith," he answered. "Simple and easy to remember. No middle name." He thought for a moment. "Let's see… if I was born in 1971, then my mother would have to have been born sometime before 1950. But I don't want her too young. Oh… I don't know… 27 April, 1940," he said, obviously grabbing a date haphazardly. "My father… 30 October, 1938," he stated with more confidence.

"That last one was a bit specific," Rose said with a smile.

"That's the day of the infamous War of the Worlds broadcast in the United States. Figure it's appropriate because my father is an alien. Let's see. About my parents... Mother died of a brain tumor… ten years ago? Father died a year later of a heart attack. Make them both New Year's Eve. I did die of a heart attack on New Year's Eve once. Well… regenerated anyway."

She thought about his made-up history for a moment. "That's so… romantically tragic."

"Regenerating on New Year's Eve?"

She giggled. "No, you git. Your father dying exactly one year after your mother. Makes it sound like he died of a broken heart."

He blinked at her words. "Yeah, it does, doesn't it. I was just thinking that it would be easy to remember but, now that you pointed that out, I rather like it."

She chuckled slightly. "Any siblings?"

"Two. Twin brother, of course, named after my father. And a sister named Donna." Seeing the look on Rose's face, he shrugged. "Complicated event in space and time, remember."

"We're trying to make things as simple as possible," she countered. "Bit odd for you to have a brother named after your father and a sister named after your mother."

"Well, my parents were a bit odd," he responded with a grin.

Rose pushed the laptop away again and turned towards him, a smile on her face. "They must have loved each other very much."

The Doctor mimicked her movements. "Desperately," he agreed.

"When did they get married?"

"August 1961."

"But you and your brother were born in 1971. So, why did they wait so long to have you? Or is your sister older than you."

The hybrid's grin broadened with the obvious game they'd engaged in. "Oh, no. We're triplets. Very rare triplets. My brother and I are identical and our sister is fraternal. My parents were both working professionals. Never had time for a family. We were a surprise for them."

"And what did your parents do for a living?"

"Both were scientists. Mother quit her job to raise us full-time – definitely a job in itself with three children – while Father worked to support us. I was a precocious child. Got into trouble a lot. Too smart for my own good."

"I bet you were. So how did you turn out so smart?"

"Brilliant parents, child prodigy, went to university at the age of sixteen. I have… oh… three doctorates?"

"What are they?"

"Medicine, history and physics, of course."

"Of course," she agreed. "Where did you go to school?"

"Cambridge."

"What do you do for a living?"

"Oh, I've done a bit of everything. Doctor, scientist… ended up… a teacher?" he suggested.

"Is that what you want to do? Be a teacher?" she questioned gently.

He paused thoughtfully at her question. "I'm not sure."

"Well, we can get back to that later. Right now, however, you're looking for a job because you've been out of the country on an extended holiday. Now… where did we meet?" she continued the game.

"Vitex function."

"What were you wearing?"

"That cream suit hanging in your laundry room. What about you? What were you wearing?"

"Spaghetti strap black gown, matching shoes, diamond earrings and necklace."

"Hair done up?"

"Soft curls. And you stayed slightly out of sight the whole time, not wanting to draw attention to yourself."

"I wasn't trying to avoid people," he protested. "I was just… people watching. I like to people watch. You were bored with the party, thought I looked interesting. You offered me a drink and I accepted."

"We got talking. You told me about being on holiday and how you just got back when you were obliged to come to the function."

"Terribly boring."

"We talked for about twenty minutes uninterrupted before my dad pulled me away for the main presentation."

"I slipped out during the presentation, painfully and suddenly aware that I'd just talked to the famous Rose Tyler. But I couldn't get you out of my head so I came by the mansion on the pretense of having left my wallet the other night and I asked you out to dinner."

"I was unsure about going out with you at first but then I remembered how we seemed to hit it off at the function so I said yes. Our first date."

"We had chips," came the habitual response.

She pointed a finger at him. "Steakhouse. We joke about having chips. You gave me a single white rose. I wore a simple blue dress. You wore the blue pinstripe. You were so adorably chic geek."

"Chic geek?" the Doctor questioned with a bemused expression, gaining a chuckle from her. He blinked for a moment as he recalled the entire conversation. "Wait a minute… does this mean we're dating?"

Rose looked at him for a moment, his question bringing an instant halt to the game. "I don't know. Does it? I mean… do you want to date?"

"Well, dating is two people getting to know each other in order to ascertain whether or not the other person is a potential mate so…" His smile returned. "Yeah. I want to date you, Rose Tyler. So, what does that make today? Date number… three?"

"How would this be date number three?"

"Well, date number one is the fictitious dinner at the steakhouse. I just figured that you are likely the kind of person who would wait until the third date before asking someone to share a condominium with you."

She laughed at his supposition. "More like date number two hundred three," she corrected him.

"All right. So, we've been dating for a while now. How long then?"

"A few months," she decided.

"A few months? Rose, we still don't know each other like we should. How are we going to appear to have been dating for a few months?"

"That's what this weekend will be for, getting to know each other. Besides, you just got back from your extended holiday, remember?" He shrugged slightly in concession. "Too bad we didn't record everything we just said," she added with a sigh.

"Oh, I remember it. No worries there." As he spoke, the doorbell rang.

Rose put the laptop in his hands. "Good. You can finish your mini-biography while I go get our dinner." She stood from the couch to answer the door.

He sighed slightly as he started to type all the relevant information they had come up with in their little game. A part of him paid attention to Rose as she paid for their dinner and took it into the kitchen. She took down a couple of plates and placed a couple of slices of pizza on each before opening the bottle of pop she'd purchased, pouring a glass for each of them. Then, with a skill the Doctor hadn't realized she had, she balanced the plates on one arm while carrying the glasses in the opposite hand as she went to the dining table and put everything down gently.

"That was impressive," he complimented, carrying the laptop to the table.

"I worked in a restaurant for about six months before getting that job at Henrik's," she told him with a smile. "There are some things you just don't forget."

"Obviously," the hybrid stated, putting the laptop in front of her. "All done. Well, at least with the basic information. Do we need anything else?"

She looked over what he typed, quickly making an adjustment here and there. "Where were you born?"

"Doesn't matter. I've been everywhere. Well, everywhere in the other universe. I can easily improvise if asked." Seeing her look at him with questioning, the half Time Lord concluded that wasn't an acceptable answer. "Wherever you want to put down is fine as long as it makes sense with the information we've decided on."

"Victoria, British America, then," she decided. "That's the country's capital city."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why British America?" he asked with curiosity.

She typed as she spoke. "About fifteen years ago, there was a terrorist attack in Victoria. They blew up the Capitol Building, destroying the city's records. Fortunately, no one was hurt and most of everything was on paper back-up elsewhere but there are still problems with obtaining accurate information from there. Having you grow up there makes it much easier for you to improvise your history, as long as you are consistent with it. And people will be less likely to go digging too deep into your past if you're a Commonwealther."

"Commonwealther?"

"People born in the old British Commonwealth: Australia, British America, India, South Africa, et cetera. Your accent puts you as either a Londoner or from British America so..."

"So I'm a Commonwealther," he reaffirmed in his mind.

"Well, British American, actually. It's not considered polite to call someone a Commonwealther if you know where they are from. So… sorry for being so rude." She grinned at him winningly.

"Forgiven," he replied, returning the smile as Rose finished typing up the fairly consistent history for the hybrid before sending it to her father via secure email. "I am going to need to read up, though. There's obviously lots of differences between this universe and the other."

"There's a library nearby," she offered as she closed her laptop. "Mickey and I spent a lot of time there just learning about this world for the first couple of months. I still don't know everything, though. Probably never will."

"Yes. Well, you aren't planning on possibly being a teacher either," he pointed out. He gestured to the pizza on her plate. "Your dinner is getting cold."

"Just need to call Dad and let him know we emailed him the details," she informed him as she pulled out her cell phone and did exactly that. "Hey, Dad." She paused, listening. "Yeah, I just sent it Torchwood email. Yeah. Is that really necessary? All right, I'll bring him tomorrow. No, we're staying here tonight. You let me worry about that. See you tomorrow. Love you. Bye."

The Doctor smiled at her as she hung up. "So… we're staying here tonight."

"Yeah. It's been a long day," she commented, finally turning to her dinner.

"You know there's only one bed in this condo."

"My bed is big enough for both of us."

"Already offering to share your bed?" he questioned with a smile.

She chuckled slightly. "We have been dating for several months. And it isn't like anything is going to happen." She looked at him with tender eyes. "Is it?"

"Do you want it to?" he asked gently.

She hesitated before answering. "I don't know."

"That makes two of us so… we should keep it platonic. For now," he added quickly. He finished the slices that were on his plate and stood to get more. "So, where are we going tomorrow?"

"Torchwood."

"I just left there," Alex complained. "Why do we need to go back? My appointment with Dr. Gentillini isn't for another week."

"Dad wants to go over the information we just sent him and get the paperwork going on establishing your identity," she replied around a mouthful. "I think he also wants to talk to you about career options."

"Like working for Torchwood," he supposed. The tone in his voice showed a hint of uncertainty.

"I know you said you didn't want to work there but it's something to consider. It's a good job," she pointed out.

Alex shrugged slightly, letting the subject dissipate.

A silence seemed to settle around them as they ate, both giving each other occasional glances that showed pent up interest in one another. Finally, when they had both had their fill, they put the leftovers in the refrigerator and washed the dishes they'd used before putting them away.

"I suppose we should get some sleep," the Doctor said, leaning slightly on the kitchen counter.

"Yeah," Rose agreed quietly. "Busy day tomorrow."

"First official day in my new domestic life," the Doctor agreed. "Quite an event, when you think about it." He took a step towards her, bridging the space that had been between them.

"Yeah," she agreed, looking into his eyes in a way that told him she was considering breaking the agreement they had just made only minutes ago about keeping it platonic.

The Doctor, for his part, was suddenly finding it difficult to think of anything except how he wanted to test how soft Rose's skin would be under his hands. He forced the thought away violently only for it to return with a vengeance. Why can't I think rationally? Yes, she's extremely beautiful but there's a time and a place and this is certainly neither but… oh, she smells so good… He cleared his throat abruptly, hoping that the act would help focus his mind. "I'll just… go put my pajamas on. I can sleep on the couch. Do you have an extra blanket and pillow I could use?"

"I'll go get them," she answered, slowly going to do just that as the metacrisis walked to the laundry room to change his clothes.

"What is wrong with me?" he whispered to himself as he stripped off his shirt. "I can't stop thinking about undressing her and… No, don't think about it. Now is not the time to be thinking about sex. Get control of your hormones…" Taking a deep breath, he exhaled slowly as he finished changing his clothes.

As the Doctor stepped out of the laundry room, this time in his pajamas, he noticed Rose standing beside the couch, a blanket and pillow in her hands.

"Thanks," he told her, taking the items from her before putting them on the couch. "So… see you in the morning?"

She nodded slightly at his words, an odd look in her eyes that the Doctor chose to ignore. That look, he knew, could only lead to trouble that neither of them were ready for… and that he would indulge in within a second if he didn't force himself not to think about it.

"Well, then… good night," he told her, a small smile on his face that he hoped didn't look as forced as it felt.

"Good night, Doctor," she returned a smile before slowly going into her bedroom and closing the door.

Making sure that the lights were off, Alex laid on the couch wide awake, unable to stop thinking about Rose sleeping in the other room, of how he wanted to touch her… caress her… kiss her in areas that weren't publicly acceptable. He turned on his side in an attempt to avoid looking towards her bedroom, hoping that it would help him in his quest to control his thoughts and finding it futile. Something was clearly wrong with him. He should be able to control his hormones better than this. After all, he had done so before around her, back when he was fully Time Lord. Now, however, it was as if his hormones had a mind of their own and no amount of reasoning was going to put them down.

The cause of his distress came to him a moment later. "Bloody hell… I have human hormones!"