"Rose."

A voice. She could hear it, almost feel it, drawing her out of the darkness.

"Rose."

It was him. It was…her eyes snapped open. She sat up, too quickly, the room spun. She grabbed the sides of her head, squeezing her eyes shut as her stomach rolled.

"Are you all right?"

James. It was James, but he didn't sound crazy. He sounded…different. Like he used to, but not. He almost sounded like…. She opened her eyes. The room swam in and out of focus. Not like when she was being choked. It was something else. She felt…slightly woozy, like she had at Christmas. The only Christmas James spent with her when they were at her mum's party and her dad told her there was rum in the eggnog, after she drank three cups.

She tried to focus. Slowly, the room became clearer, but it was still a bit fuzzy. She almost laughed and then stopped herself. What the hell's wrong with me? The gas. Maybe, but it hadn't done that the first time.

"Rose? Are you okay?" he asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

She looked at him and…wait…was he wearing…? Brown pinstriped suit, long coat. Why was he dressed like that? Like the Doctor…the old Doctor? His eyes…she couldn't quite focus on them, but he really did look concerned.

"James, why? Why are you dressed like that?" she asked.

"James? Who's James?" he asked and he seemed confused, as if he didn't know who she was talking about, but he had to.

"You're James," she said, moving to pat his shoulder, but almost sliding off the…whatever she was sitting on.

He grabbed her, gingerly not forcefully, as if he was worried about her actually hurting herself.

"Whoa, careful, you're still woozy from whatever they gave you."

Wait. What? They? Who was he…then she remembered the gas. Adam!

"Where's Adam?"

"Adam?" Again as if he had no idea who she was talking about.

"Adam, the bloke with the," she pointed at her head and leaned over too much, almost toppling to the floor. He took her shoulders and righted her then kept them there as if he thought she might fall, which she might. "…thing in his head. The…" she snapped her fingers searching for the word, "implant. Remember?"

"Adam," and then he seemed to remember, "Oh, pretty boy? That one?"

"Yeah, that's the one."

"We dropped him home, remember?"

"No, after, he came back, kidnapped me, tried to kill me," she picked up her left hand, but the rope burns she expected to see weren't there, "Wait, no, that's not right. My wrist." She showed him.

"Yes, it's a very nice wrist," he said, as if he had no idea what she was trying to show him.

"No, he tied me to the bedsprings and then the choked me with a pink scarf."

"Rose, you're not making any sense."

"I'm making perfect sense, Doctor, you're just not paying attention." Wait. Doctor? No that was wrong. He wasn't the Doctor he was James. She shook her head, which turned out to be a very bad idea because the room swam again. She closed her eyes and took a breath. Then opened them and focused on him. "Why are you dressed like that?" she snapped, irritated that he'd caused her to forget who he was.

He was doing it on purpose. Had to be. Only, she wasn't sure what he was up to. Why he was doing it. He blinked, in that previous Doctor I have no idea what you're talking about way. Then he looked at his clothes and back to her.

"I always dress like this."

"No, the Doctor…the other Doctor dressed like that. You don't like pinstriped suits, remember?"

"The other Doctor? What other Doctor?"

"The other one. The one who looks like you only he's not you, he's the other Doctor. The before Doctor."

"Rose, I have no idea what you're talking about. What's a before Doctor?"

"You know, before the Doctor regenerated and became that tall bloke with the floppy hair."

"I haven't regenerated. I'm still the same. See?"

He gave her that smile and her entire mind threatened to snap. He wasn't the Doctor. He was James. He looked like the Doctor, but then so did James. Of course, James didn't wear pinstriped suits, especially brown pinstriped suits, but he was wearing one now. Then there was the coat, but it had to be a lookalike, not the same one.

"No, you're not the Doctor!" she snapped, trying to push him away, but she was too unbalanced to manage it. "You're James! The Doctor's psychopathic clone! I don't know why the hell you're doing this to me or why you saved me from Adam, but you're not the Doctor! You'll never be the Doctor!"

He looked stricken. The same look the old Doctor got when he realized the TARDIS had fallen into the pit back on that space station that was orbiting a black hole.

"Oh, Rose, what have they done to you?" he asked and there was such concern in his voice that Rose almost believed him…almost.

"Stop," she cried, unable to handle his game anymore. "Please, just stop."

She lifted her hand to wipe her eyes, not the one she showed him, but the other and that's when she noticed something taped to the back of her hand. No, not just taped. It was a needle, like one for an IV.

"I'll fix it. Whatever they did to you I'll fix it. I swear."

"What the hell is this?" she demanded, brandishing her hand.

"Oh," he said, "Sorry, I didn't have a lot of time when I pulled you out of there."

He reached for it as if he was going to remove it, but she pulled her hand back, pulling the needle out herself and then tossing it on the floor. She eyed him.

"Pulled me out of where? What the hell are you talking about?"

"The hospital."

"Hospital? What hospital?"

"We don't need to go over this now. You should rest."

"Rest?" she laughed, a bit more high pitched than she intended. He gave her another concerned look and she wanted to slap that look off his face. The wooziness was wearing off and she wasn't sure if that was from being so upset or if whatever drug he gave her was leaving her system because it was him. James. He was messing with her for some reason. Some sick twisted reason and she wasn't about to let him continue acting like the man she lost. The man she'd never see again. She'd see the Doctor again, if she survived whatever game James was playing, but she'd never see that Doctor again. The one who would always be her Doctor. "You think I'm just going to lay back and go to sleep while you play whatever twisted game this is. Well, that's not going to happen!"

"This isn't a game, Rose," he said, the concern still creasing his brow. "Oh, what have they done to you?"

He let go of her, reaching into his pocket. She took her chance to stand up and she swayed as the room swam again.

"Rose, no, don't get up."

She leaned back on the…bed…that's what it was…and had no choice, but to sit back down. He pulled out his sonic…wait. Sonic? Where did he get that? James didn't have one. Or, at least, he hadn't had one, but then he could've made one.

He scanned her and then looked at the reading his brow creasing a bit more.

"They've been inside your mind." he said, in that very Doctor like manner.

He was James though. She knew that. Was completely sure about that.

"Inside my mind?" she asked, wondering what sort of story he was going to make up for that.

He gazed at her, resting his hands on her shoulders, and his eyes misted over.

"I'm sorry, Rose, I'm so sorry I didn't find you sooner."

Her stomach tightened. He's James. Not the Doctor. James. She was almost completely sure.

"What do you mean, find me sooner?"

She felt a sharp pain in her shoulder where his hand was, but before she could turn her head her eyelid became heavy.

"Rose? Rose!" the Doctor…no, not the Doctor…James yelled right before she passed out.


Standard Disclaimer.

Thank you to all my brilliant readers!

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