The other Doctor landed the Tardis exactly where he'd left a heart-broken Rose just minutes after he'd left with his future self. He wondered how things would work out and what he'd meant by to watch out for him? Surely making the occasional appearance now and then would upset her even more? He looked at her, sitting on a pallet as he opened the door.

"See, I came back, just like I promised."

Rose remained where she was. Did she really want to go but she couldn't let the version who she loved down, she'd made her promise to him.

"Yeah Doctor, I can see that. Was he ok? When you left him?"

"Yes, he was fine, he got back to his own Tardis. The funny thing is, I should have known who he was, Timelords always recognise each other."

"He said that if you didn't, it would be because he was out of his time."

"Ah, yes, good point. It's not often we meet our future regenerations but there's a first time for everything. Go see your mother if you want?"

"No, she'll be fine. She'll think I've gone back to our flat, I told her John was coming back."

"That's no excuse, you can't keep pretending he's still here you know?"

"I know. We said he was taking a job in New York for six months but I think he lied to me, he said he couldn't tell me when he'd be back."

"Maybe he was just trying to give you some hope he'd be back as soon as he could? I'm not planning on changing anytime soon and since I don't know how far in my personal future he was from, I can't tell you but we are time-travellers."

"I know that, oh, wait on, I think I know why."

"Well, I'm only too happy to listen to your theory but you can't tell me. You can't just make things happen, it doesn't work like that."

Rose looked disappointed. No, she couldn't tell him that maybe when John had said six months in New York would cover his absence he meant six months in her own time would have passed but what could they cram into six months? He'd said hardly any time would pass or was it that it would go quickly?

"Doctor, can we go now? I just need to get some stuff from the flat."

"You two shared a flat then?" he asked. "Why am I not surprised? Come on then, this one's on the house but don't think we're coming back every five minutes."

"I wouldn't expect you to, would I? What have I got to come back for, he's gone. I'll pack my stuff then I'll have to hand the keys in but I can get my mum to do that, I'll leave them with the woman below us, she used to smile at John every morning when we went out."

"Bet you loved that?" the Doctor quipped. "I'll say this for him though, he must have gone through the regeneration catalogue to pick that face and body, most of the time we're not that lucky."

The Doctor had already figured out that if he had developed feelings for his young companion, it would make sense he would reject a few models and settle on one that would be appealing to her, to impress her but now, the choice had been made for him. It didn't take a genius to work out that this John of hers was his next incarnation.

He didn't want to tell her that by John coming back, he'd created an alternate timeline and there would be two of them going around the known universe, roughly two years apart. Well, there was a first time for everything but what next, an exact clone of the new improved version living in an alternate universe?

Yeah, that was likely to ever happen but it now worried him that Rose wouldn't be staying and not by choice would she be leaving. Maybe this new Doctor was already planning to change that? Well good for him, if he could pull it off.

Rose told him where the flat was and he parked around the corner.

"Do you want me to come with you?" he asked, seeing the sad look on her face.

He was never going to be able to fix this for her, even when he changed into the one she really wanted to be with. She would always want the other one, the one in 2007.

"No, I can manage thanks."

"I can land in the flat, if it helps?" he offered.

That got a smile from her, John had told her about landing in Martha's living room and her laundry embarrassment.

"What would the woman downstairs think if she heard the noise?" Rose smiled.

"Sorry," the Doctor grinned. "The Tardis hasn't got a silent mode though it may have in your boyfriend's day."

"You both talk about each other like you're not the same person," Rose informed him.

"Rose, you must be very special. When you said no to me back there, I went away but something brought me back and I never go back, for anyone. That was before I knew about the other me so for me to stay with you after I regenerate, while it's not unheard of but it's very rare. You can count all the people I actually kept around on one hand but most of the time, it was them who left me."

"Yeah, I heard about some of them and how grumpy you could be sometimes," Rose laughed.

The Doctor could see why he kept her. "I could take offence at that," he pretended to sulk.

"Your sixth for example?" Rose giggled.

"Yes, thank you for pointing that out, it was a bad regeneration, that's all. I came around, eventually."

Rose continued to giggle. "What, in your seventh? So, which number are you then?"

"He never told you?"

"Nope, so I never knew what number he was and I couldn't tell you."

"Makes sense I suppose. Well, since you asked nicely, I'm in my ninth regeneration, I think. Does my first self count as a regeneration?"

Rose tried to keep a straight face. "You're asking me?"

She knew he was trying to take her mind off just losing her lover of the last six months.

"Well, I'll let you know when I work that one out. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't? Anyway, why don't you leave your things until morning and go find yourself a room? I'm sure the Tardis has picked something suitable for you to wear whichever one you choose."

"John used to tell me about this place, that the ship could be mischievous when she wanted to be and hide things, like the swimming pool."

"There's a swimming pool?" the Doctor laughed, leaning on a coral strut with his arms folded. "Do I still like bananas?"

"Yeah, you still like bananas but you hate pears. Mum found that out the hard way the second Sunday I took him for lunch when she made a sponge with pears in it. She'd covered it with whipped cream and you should have seen his face when he took a spoonful."

The Doctor smiled. Maybe they could be friends for the duration but she still wanted the other one, no-one would be able to substitute for the version he'd just taken back.

As the Doctor took her on her first adventure, at least he knew his future self had told her nothing so she could experience it for herself but from time to time, it pained him that she knew she was going to leave but not how. He just hoped her Doctor would figure out a way to keep her from being taken away.

It also bothered him that now, through her Doctor being sent back, there were two of them but had her Doctor even thought about that? Maybe that would give himself an advantage?

Rose gradually told her mother and Mickey what had happened, though Jackie had guessed half of it so as Rose was sent back to Earth from the games station, she wasn't giving up without a fight because her Doctor had told her nothing about losing him before he actually became him.

Then she realised as she sat on the wall outside the non co-operative Tardis who refused to take her back and Mickey came running towards her.

"Mickey! I need to get the Tardis working."

"Hello to you too Rose."

"Stop wasting time and go borrow a tow truck."

"What? Are you kidding me, where would I get one of those from?"

"Ask my mum to ask Rodrigo. Don't mess about Mickey. I left the Doctor facing his worse enemy and I have to get back."

"Rose, leave him, he said you'd get separated."

"Yeah but not until he changes."

"Oh, I forgot. Call your mum then but how are you gonna fly that thing?"

Rose was busy calling Jackie.

"Rose, you're back! Has he changed yet?"

"No mum, I need your help."

"Tell me something new. Go on then."

"I need you to call Rodrigo and let Mickey borrow his tow truck."

"Are you kidding? Mind you, he does owe me a favour. Where are you?"

Ten minutes later, they had onlookers as Mickey attached the thick chain to the central console where she had seen the Doctor opening it when they were having a slight problem with Margaret the Slitheen.

"Rose, are you sure about this?" her mother asked.

"Mum, he has to change or my John won't exist, don't you get that? John came from the future, yes but he changed from the Doctor facing the entire Dalek fleet and if I don't get back and save him, he won't come back, ever."

"Oh," Jackie mouthed as Rose led her outside and Mickey got into the tow truck.

"You'll be back though, won't you?" Jackie pleaded as she waited.

"I don't know mum but if he changes where I left him, at least I'll have been with him and if he dies, I've lost everything. John once told me if he never returns to the Tardis, she's programmed to bring whoever is onboard back to Earth and remain where she lands, like now but he can override how long she waits, like now. I have to at least try. You remember I told ya I met dad?"

Jackie nodded.

"Well he'd tell me to try anything and I am and a tow truck is the best way of opening that panel. Then I tell the Tardis what I want the most and she'll take me back."

They then hugged and Rose told Mickey to rev up the engine and start pulling.

As the chain gave way and dragged behind the tow truck, the Tardis doors closed and Jackie called out her name. Rose was relaying where she wanted to go but the ship was changing her and she wasn't even aware, her Doctor had withheld that from her, the fact she was about to change the Doctor she was trying to save.

The next thing she knew, she was lying on the Tardis grating.

"You're ok Doctor?" she asked as she propped herself up and he was messing with the Tardis controls.

He was actually trying to hide the fact he was beginning to regenerate and he suspected the person he was about to change into hadn't told her she would make him change. He'd not done nearly as much this time as he'd wanted but considering he'd hidden himself away after the end of the time war, he'd not had a clue how much time had gone by until he'd found out about the shop window dummies.

Then he'd met the young woman who was going to change him in more ways than one.

"Yeah, you know me Rose Tyler," he cheerily replied, twisting two strands of wire together and fusing them with his sonic screwdriver.

They didn't actually do anything but it made it seem to Rose he was busy, which he did most of the time anyway, just to impress her. His future self must have told her he tended to exaggerate sometimes so he probably failed to impress her but she was too polite to say anything.

"How did I get here?" she asked, trying to get up and leaning on a strut. "I was back on Earth and yeah, you told me to go home and forget about you, who were you to tell me to do that? John once asked me if I wanted to forget him and I went crazy with him. Now I get it. I had to come back to make sure you changed. You're not about to do it now are ya?"

"I can't lie to you Rose."

"But you can't change yet, you promised we had still so much to do together."

"You're getting what you want Rose, you're getting him back."

"Do ya think I wanted it this way? Why are you changing now?"

"Because you looked into the heart of the Tardis and absorbed the time vortex, no human is meant to do that."

"I've not got the time vortex in me, I'm fine." Then she realised. "What? You took it out of me and by doing that, I make you change? That's not fair Doctor."

"Rose, it was meant to be, you are the reason he looked like he did, I changed for you."

Rose covered her face in horror, seeing a yellow glow coming from him.

"I had so many places I wanted to show you, Barcelona, the planet not the city and you'll go there, with him."

"But it won't be him, my Doctor."

"You can turn him into that Rose, that's what he intended, you make him better."

The Doctor staggered from behind the console, Rose clinging hold of the coral strut. If he was going to change for her, she knew she should have the decency to watch.

"You were fantastic Rose and do you know what? You are so worth changing for."

With that, the regeneration energy took hold and Rose watched and when it finally stopped, he staggered forward again, the other Doctor's clothes hanging loosely on his new thinner frame. Then he looked up.

"Rose! Where was I? You were expecting me?"

Rose nodded.

"This is brilliant. Blimey, I'm real proper skinny, I thought the other me had been on a crash diet!"

"It's really you?" Rose stuttered.

"Yep, it's me Rose, got a hug for me?"

Rose stepped forward pensively. He may not be John but this was the closest she would ever get back and they'd already talked about it but it all depended how this version of him wanted to take it.