Please excuse any mistakes, I'm not feeling too good at the moment!
He didn't want to wake Rose up the next morning, just after seven. She seemed blissfully unaware of what was about to unfold when she met his other self for the second time but one thing was good. She'd not run away or told him to forget it but would it be so bad if he didn't go back, well apart from it causing a temporal flux or whatever, there being two of him.
No, it had to be done, Rose had to play her part in the events or he may just disappear, like 'Back to the future' or something more extreme. That snapped him back to reality, well that and Rose twitching her nose when he kissed it gently.
"Whatcha go and wake me for?" Rose yawned, seeing him peering down and smiling from his vantage point, one arm propping himself up on the pillow.
"Good morning my love, you seemed to sleep well."
"Yeah, thanks to you. You're so cute like that."
"Ah, you mean my manly hairy chest?"
"Yeah you nana, whatcha think I meant?" Rose sniggered as something further down stirred and he tried to mentally slap himself.
"Ah, don't bother tryin' to hide it tiger," Rose continued, moving slightly. "Last chance?"
"Rose, there will never be an actual last chance, I could never let you go willingly."
"You mean I get dragged kicking and screaming away from you?"
"Not far off. Come here then."
He pushed her onto her back, putting his hand down the back of her underwear. It was over too quickly for both of them as the Doctor retrieved his boxers she made him sleep in, him not knowing if she didn't trust him or she didn't trust herself. They hurriedly got dressed and she noticed he'd gone back to wearing his brown pinstripe suit.
"It's serious then?" she asked as he opened the bedroom door.
"What can I say Rose? I wish we'd been wrong and it was next week but it would still have come down to this. We'd just be having this conversation next Friday morning."
"I know, sorry. I don't wanna leave like this."
"I know love. You make the tea, I'll make the toast and your favourite marmalade eh?"
"So, how did ya enjoy being like a normal human male then?" Rose asked as they sat at the table for probably the last time.
"It was interesting but most of all, I got to spend it with you. Does that sound corny?"
Rose reached for his hand and patted it.
"Yep, that was corny but very sweet. Ya know, I can look at this another way, you going off and being different when you come back."
"Yeah? Well I'm sorry I'll have to leave you to explain it to your mother and trust me, she'll slap me silly."
"Which you?" Rose laughed, finishing her toast.
The Doctor smiled to himself when he remembered her telling him off for helping himself to a jar of marmalade in 2012.
"Anyway, like I was just sayin' about when you come back. Maybe I can just give the other you some hints?"
"Well maybe but only just before I change. Rose, you can't change anything with the other me, I told you that."
"How will I know when that is though? Can't ya give me a clue?"
The Doctor thought about it. Everything up to his regeneration had to stay the same, he knew that but there again, so did afterwards and he was getting set up for that to change.
"Rose, you'll know, I'm sure you will. Just watch out for anything unusual about me eh?"
"Yeah, that'll help?" he thought to himself as Rose got ready to leave.
"Can you drop me off?"
"Well, it's risking it a bit but I can drop you where I was waiting last night, if Mickey sees me, you can say I just got back from my trip, I doubt the other me will be there yet. Come on then and Rose, if there was any other way, you know I'd take it in an instant, don't you?"
Rose went to hug him. "Yeah, I know but it's not gonna be easy calling the other you 'Doctor'."
"I know that love. Well at least he'll know some things, things he's not supposed to know but he can't know which future regeneration I am."
"That's easy, since ya never told me," Rose smiled, picking up her jacket. "I'll come back for my things later, will I have time?"
"Rose, you're about to step into a time machine love."
"Some consolation that is. Let's get this over with then I can introduce the other Doctor to you, since you've already been him. This is so confusing."
"You're telling me love," the Doctor grinned, leaning down to kiss her for the last time as he wanted to.
Less than fifteen minutes later, Rose had kissed him again and stepped out of the car, the Doctor saying he would lock the door later and put the key in their letterbox for her to collect at some point. Rose had wondered when she was going to be able the clear the flat out, since he'd implied she was going to be busy. She let herself into her mother's flat and called out.
"I'm back Mum. John's on his way home from his trip so you might see him later, yeah?"
She thought she may as well set things in motion.
Her mother appeared in her bedroom doorway, wearing her dressing gown and her hair wrapped in a towel, a large hairdryer in her hand.
"Blimey Mum, no wonder you're always complaining about the bills," Rose remarked, getting her a huff from her mother.
"Same can be said about the kettle," Jackie called back as Rose went to put water in it.
Then Rose heard a noise at the door and glancing towards it, saw the cat-flap move.
"Mum, you said you'd nailed down that cat-flap, you're such a liar."
Jackie had just switched the hairdryer on. Rose saw the flap moving again and went to investigate, getting level with it. She pushed the flap outwards and caught a glimpse of what could have been the Doctor's sonic screwdriver but he'd told her his predecessor also had one. Then she saw a head and it definitely wasn't John's, it was the man from last night.
Rose was up like a shot. The other Doctor jumped as she opened the door.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I could ask you the same thing. I live here, what's your excuse?"
"Well why are you still here?"
"Because someone blew my place of work up last night."
"I must have got the wrong signal. You're not plastic, are you? No, bonehead. Bye, then."
"Oh no you don't, inside."
Her Doctor had warned her the other him would try to get away, and she wasn't to let him, not all the time.
Jackie saw Rose pass again and stood in the doorway as Rose pulled the other Doctor inside.
"Who's this then?"
"It's about last night Mum, part of the enquiry, give us ten minutes will ya?"
The other Doctor grinned.
"My daughter deserves compensation," Jackie gawked, hoping Rose wasn't already ditching John.
"We're talking millions," the other Doctor replied.
Well if Rose wasn't going after him, he was fair game as far as Jackie Tyler was concerned and he looked too old for Rose anyway but so did John.
"I'm in my dressing gown," Jackie managed, looking down.
"Yes, you are."
"There's a strange man standing in my bedroom doorway."
"Well, yes, there is."
"Anything could happen?"
As if this Doctor had somehow been warned about Rose's mother, he shook his head.
"No."
Rose had realised he wasn't following. She was on her own until he tried to get away again.
"Don't mind the mess, I've been away for a bit, tried living on my own but you know how it is?"
"Yeah, you should see my place," the other Doctor laughed, looking around.
"Do ya want a coffee?"
"Might as well. Mine's just milk."
She already knew that. After telling him they should go to the police and learning a body had been found in the ruined store, the kitchen hatch open, the other Doctor heard a noise while he was admiring his looks in the mirror, learning Rose's surname, made some observations about a celebrity couple and being clever with a deck of cards.
"You got a cat?" he asked, hearing the noise again.
"If we had, I wouldn't have been looking out and seen you, would I?"
Rose continued going on about the man who had died last night as the arm Mickey was meant to have thrown out made its way to the Doctor.
"Anyway, if we go to the police, you can explain. What's your name, I only got the Doctor bit," Rose wanted to know, mainly because her Doctor had refused to tell her that much.
Rose was attacked by the arm as she put the cups down on the glass coffee table and Jackie was oblivious to the whole thing as they crashed through it and the other Doctor finally got it under control, tossing it to her.
"There you go, armless. Right, I'll be off then," the other Doctor stated, putting his sonic screwdriver away.
Rose was after him like a shot.
"Oh no you don't. You have some explaining to do."
"Forget about it, Rose Tyler, forget about me," he told her, the arm tucked under his own arm.
She followed him along the balcony and if she thought her Doctor could walk fast?
"So you're just gonna go swanning off?" Rose asked, catching up with him halfway down the stairs.
"Yep, this is me, swanning off."
Rose took a chance and grabbed his arm.
"Explain it to me, I'm a good listener."
The other Doctor took her hand and explained how he could feel the earth revolving under his feet.
"That's who I am Rose, now go home."
Her Doctor had told her to let him go when she got her first glance of what he'd called the Tardis.
"So there's only you?"
"Yes, what did you expect?" the other Doctor laughed.
"There's me?" Rose said sadly.
If she wasn't very careful, he would go off and never come back but it would leave John here, out of his time and while that would make her extremely happy, it could cause all kinds of complications.
The other Doctor walked off, Rose watching and in the distance, there stood the time ship in the shape of a Police Box, just as her Doctor had described.
"Doctor," Rose called after him.
He stopped for a second and turned around.
"You know where I am, if you need me?"
The other Doctor nodded and walked off again and while Rose stared as he entered the small box, having already been told it was bigger on the inside, she watched it disappear. She took the short route back to her block then decided to see if Mickey was at home. She rang the bell and he answered.
"What do you want Rose? I'm not exactly in a good mood right now, the garage is short of work so don't come asking for me to lend you some money."
"Sorry, no, I just got paid, the store does these new electronic payments. Can I use your laptop?"
"Whatcha looking at?" Mickey asked as he brought coffee in.
"That cup had better be clean Mickey."
Mickey just huffed. Then Rose typed into the search box 'Doctor blue box' and at the first result, there was a picture of the man she'd met last night with some writing – 'If you have seen this man, contact Clive' followed by a phone number.
"You're not serious Rose?" Mickey gasped as she scribbled the number on the back of an old envelope.
"I tell ya Mickey, I wouldn't have got out of that basement last night if he'd not been there."
"Still, bit of a coincidence he's call The Doctor as well? Is there something you want to tell me? Have you got a 'Thing' for doctors?"
"Don't be so daft Mickey, it's just a coincidence but it might be worthwhile going to see this Clive bloke?"
"Well I'm not going in, I'll wait outside."
Rose thought at least Mickey was taking some notice, her Doctor said he was crucial to some of the events that would take place later on and into the evening though he'd never been able to say exactly how but it was all coming together.
After spending some time with 'Clive', Rose came to the conclusion he was nuts, he had no idea who the Doctor was, how he'd described him was vaguely what her Doctor had told her about his past but she was unable to go with some of the theories. Meanwhile, Mickey had taken an interest in a moving wheelie-bin and been deposited in the bottom of it and replaced with a plastic replica, which her Doctor had said, she was going to be in for a few surprises.
Rose got into Mickey's yellow VW and she became suspicious as he zig-zagged down the street.
"Here Micks, let me drive?" Rose volunteered.
The Doctor had been giving her lessons, he said he had the patience of a saint and that no matter how much she protested, he was going to get her through her test.
"Pizza, I want pizza," was all the reply she got as he straightened the car and the replica Mickey got the hang of driving, though the real Mickey wouldn't thank him for crashing the gears.
All Rose could do was hang on as they drove back towards The Powell Estate but Rose didn't think it was safe to let a rogue Mickey loose.
"Hey, Mickey, let's go to that new Bistro? You know where it is?"
Plastic Mickey looked like he was consulting something. The dummies seemed like they were interested in her but she was the key to leading the Doctor to them, which was probably who they were after, considering he blew most of them up last night. As they got seated, 'Mickey' began asking her questions.
"So, where did you meet this Doctor then? You can tell me, Rose, sweetheart, babe," he twitched.
"I'm sorry, was I going on about him too much?" Rose asked, knowing something was wrong with him, he'd not asked her if John was due back and what her plans were while he was away, since she'd no job.
Then she heard a northern accent she recognised. "Champagne?"
Mickey spoke without turning around as Rose caught sight of the other Doctor.
"We never ordered any champagne."
Before Rose knew what was happening, the other Doctor had hit Mickey between the eyes with the cork, Mickey had spat it out and when the Doctor pulled the head off, everyone ran screaming from their tables and Mickey or what was left of him was wandering around chopping tables in half.
Rose soon found out this Doctor shared certain traits such as not liking Mickey too much and she had to laugh at him not knowing at first where the transmitter that was controlling the dummies was being hidden. He'd be sure to ask how she'd known but as they got into the base of Nestene Consciousness, she realised what was meant by her using one of her talents. She led Mickey up to where the Tardis had been taken and she knew what was going to happen when they were taken back, he would ask her to go with him, she would say no, using Mickey as an excuse and if, if he came back, her Doctor would be going home.