Chapter 3
The Doctor stared at the city in front of them. Without thinking, he started walking towards it.
Amy and Rory caught up with him. "Doctor… where are you going?" Amy asked him.
"I have something that I really need to do." The Doctor replied.
He veered to the left and kept walking. After about fifteen minutes of walking and backtracking… and no talking… he found what he was looking for.
"Canary Warf?" Asked Amy. The Doctor ignored her and pushed open the doors into the tower. He walked up to the front desk lady, leaving Amy and Rory far behind him.
"Yes, hello." He said the front desk lady, whose name plate read 'Betty'. "Does Rose Tyler work here?" He asked.
"Um… yes sir. Do you have an appointment?" She asked hesitantly.
He flashed his physic paper at her. "Emergency meeting. Alien tech spotted on the outskirts of London."
"Oh! Her office is the tenth floor." Betty said.
"Got it." He said.
He walked over to the lift and Amy and Rory followed. "So, what's on the tenth floor?" Asked Rory. The Doctor ignored him.
The lift dinged and he stepped out. At the very end of the room was another room. He walked over to it and opened the door. Inside was the woman he never thought he'd see again.
He froze and stared at her. She looked up at him. "Are you the emergency appointment guy?" She asked.
He nodded and stepped him, Amy and Rory close behind. They went to the side of the room while the Doctor stood in front of Rose's desk.
"You haven't changed at all." He whispered.
"I'm sorry, have we met before?" Rose asked.
"Oh yes we have." He said. "Rose… Rose… it's me… I'm the Doctor."
Rose's expression stayed the same. "Prove it."
"I'm sorry, what?" Asked the Doctor.
"You heard me. Prove that you're the Doctor. After everyone found out about that story, people would come in claiming that they were the Doctor. So, prove it." She said.
He thought for a second before coming up with the perfect way to prove that he was the Doctor. He glanced over at Amy and Rory. "You two, not a word about this, ever again."
Amy cocked her head but didn't say anything. The Doctor sighed and then stood up straight. "Goodness me, I'm a man!" He said.
Rose's hand flew to her mouth and her eyes shone. "Yum. So many parts. And hardly used."
Amy and Rory's mouths dropped open.
"Oh, oh, two hearts! Oh, baby, I'm beating out a samba!" He said, dancing around the room. Rose started laughing and she stood up.
"Oh, I know what comes next!" She yelled.
"Oo, he's slim, and a little bit foxy. You've thought so too. I've been inside your head. You've been looking." He and Rose leaned in towards each other, and at the same time said "You like it."
It looked so different coming out of his mouth, but he was definitely the Doctor. Her Doctor.
Rose laughed and ran around her desk. She grabbed his arm and yanked him to the stairs. She really didn't want to take the lift at the moment. Too slow.
She pointed at the ginger and the… nose that came in with the Doctor. "Ah! It's the zombies!" She yelled playfully.
"What do we do? What would he do? The Doctor, what the heck would he do?" He said, catching on to her little came.
"Run!" She dragged him to the stairs and the two of them ran down all ten flights. She really hoped the ginger and the nose where following.
She ran into the lobby and Betty the front desk lady looked up. "Is it him?" She asked.
"Oh, it's him all right!" Rose said. The Doctor took the lead and the pair ran down the streets of London. The Doctor stopped on a hill and Rose gasped. Right in front of them was the TARDIS.
Rose turned to the Doctor and threw her arms around his neck. "It's you! It's really you!" She yelled.
Then she pulled back and studied his face. And then, without a warning, she slapped him. "That was for leaving me on that stupid beach!" She yelled.
She didn't care if she hurt him… at the moment. He really needed to know what she had felt that day on the beach
The Doctor rubbed his cheek. "Yeah, sorry. I thought… I mean… I…"
Rose interrupted him. "No, not one word! You left me in Norway, again! At least the first time I didn't have a choice, but the second time you just left me! Without even asking about what I wanted! You didn't even care if I still wanted to travel with you! You just needed me to take care of your problem! You didn't want to have to deal with the meta-crisis, so you just left me on that beach to take care of him"
"I just wanted to give you someone who could love for you entire life, and you could love him for his entire life. You could spend the rest of your life with me, but I couldn't spend the rest of mine with yours. But he could. You two could have forever together, just like you wanted." The Doctor told her.
Rose felt her eyes soften and the anger inside of her melted away, like ice left out in the sun. She hugged him again and buried her head in the Doctor's shoulder. "I'm sorry." She whispered.
The Doctor pulled away from Rose and stared at her beautiful face. The sad expression on her face and the tears running down her cheeks made him feel guilty, guiltier than he had ever felt before. He wiped the tears off of her cheeks and fumbled through his mind for some way to change the subject.
"So where is other me?" He asked, hoping the question would distract Rose. Oops, bad question. More tears leaked out of Rose's eyes. Why did he always mess up everything? He hugged her tightly. "No, don't cry. Please don't cry. I don't like it when you cry."
He pulled away and wiped the tears off of her cheeks again and waited for her to speak.
"He d-died, exactly a year ago today. He was working late and when he was driving home…" Rose paused and a few more tears rolled down her cheeks "a drunk driver hit him." Tears started running down her face faster than before.
He looked at her neck and saw the chain. Did that chain have a ring on it? No, he wasn't gone for that long. Wait, but time ran ahead in this universe. "Where you two…"
"No, we never dated. Only friends. Close friends." She said, fumbling with the chain around her neck.
Rose wiped her eyes and pulled out the chain, which had a key hanging on it, but not just any key, it was the TARDIS key. "You kept it." He whispered.
"Yeah, of course I did. Can I…" She gestured to the TARDIS. He nodded and she smiled at him.
Amy and Rory ran up to him just as Rose opened the TARDIS. "Did Pete's world drain the power again?" She called from the inside.
"Yeah." He yelled back.
"Is there emergency lights or something?" The TARDIS lit up. "Never mind!"
The Doctor smiled and stepped into the TARDIS. Rose was looking around in awe. "You've redecorated! It's big! And… wow." She said. The lights shut off.
"Sorry, the TARDIS only has so much extra power." He said. "It should be recharged by tomorrow morning."
They stepped back out of the TARDIS. He turned to face Amy and Rory. They still looked pretty shock
"You…"Amy started.
"Nah ah ah." He shook his index finger at her. "I said not one word. Ever."
"Ok… then who's this?" Asked Amy.
"Oh, this is Rose. She used to travel with me." Said the Doctor. "Rose, this is Amy and Rory."
"Hello." Rose said. Then she whipped around to face him. The Doctor noted how well she hid her emotions behind a mask. She looked too much like him, and that wasn't good.
"Let me get a good look at you." Said Rose.
He spread out his arms. "You've still got the hair. Except it's floppy instead of gravity defying." He laughed as she flipped his hair behind his ear. "Ok… wow, cheekbones." Rose giggled. "And your chin! I mean, look at it!" She tapped his chin and laughed. "It looks like a banana."
"Bananas." He said with a smile on his face.
"A good source of potassium." Rose and the Doctor spoke at the same time.
"Now, don't ever tell me my chin looks like a banana again. I'm slightly offended." He told Rose teasingly.
She looked at his clothes. "So, tweed jacket. It's… nice. And suspenders." She snapped his suspenders.
"Ouch!" he yelled.
Rose laughed and straightened his bow tie. "I like the bow tie. It's cool."
The Doctor looked over at Amy. "See!" he said. Amy rolled her eyes.
Rose looked into his eyes. "Green." She whispered. "That's new."
He smiled at her. "Your eyes are the same color. That beautiful hazel…" He locked eyes with her and all thought left his mind.
He couldn't look away, he was too mesmerized by her beauty. He needed to distance himself, needed to look away. He couldn't fall in love with her, not again, because he knew he wouldn't have Rose forever. One day she would die, and he would live on. He couldn't watch Rose die. It would kill him.
"It's late." Rose said, breaking eye contact with him and looking up at the sky. "Pete should be home soon. You need a place to stay. C'mon. I've got my own flat but hey, I can stay at the mansion tonight."
"You left the mansion for a tiny flat?" He asked. He was probably blushing. He shouldn't be blushing. No, very not good. No blushing.
"I'm not used to the whole rich thing." She said, taking off. "Follow me."
It took a long time for them to reach the mansion, about twenty minutes, which shouldn't seem like a long time for a nine hundred something year old Time Lord, but the whole time he was trying not to lock eyes with Rose again.
He was thankful when they finally arrived at the mansion. "Your house is big." Amy observed.
"Heh, I'm not used to it. I'm from your universe. I got trapped here about nine years ago." Rose said.
Rose knocked on the door and Jackie answered. "Hey." Said Rose. "So… um… it's him." She gestured to the Doctor. "I found the Doctor… well… more like he found me."
The Doctor waved at Jackie. "Hello."
Jackie stared at him for a second, and then slapped him. "You Tyler's and your slaps." The Doctor mumbled, rubbing his cheek.
"That was for everything you put Rose through!" Said Jackie.
"I already slapped him!" Rose said, but he could tell she was trying not to laugh. He shot her a glare.
"Well then." Said Jackie, taking a step back and gesturing for them to come inside. He took Rose's hand, just out of habit. No, not good. He needed to break that habit; he couldn't fall in love with her again. He tried to let go but she squeezed his hand and wouldn't let him pull away.
"We have a lot to discuss" Jackie said "because I don't think Rose is going to be here much longer."
Rose sat next to the Doctor at the dinner table. They had just finished eating and Rose had a feeling Jackie was going to start talking about Rose going with the Doctor. Rose stared at the Doctor, still trying to take in how much he had changed. She couldn't get over the fact that he had green eyes now. It was just so… different.
She still hadn't let go of his hand. Rose was afraid that if she let go he would fade away, like in most of her dreams.
Five year old Tony ran up to the Doctor and looked up at him with wide eyes. "Are you really the Doctor? Mr. John told me about you but he said you couldn't get here!" He said.
The Doctor laughed and ruffled Tony's hair. "I am, Tony. I'm really the Doctor."
Tony smiled at him, showing off his missing front teeth. "I want to visit space! Can I visit space?" Tony asked him.
The Doctor glanced at Jackie, who shot him a glare and shook her head. "No, sorry. I don't think your mum wants me too."
Tony frowned at him and looked like he was about to say something, but a song came on the T.V. in the other room and Tony rushed out of the kitchen.
"Is he your brother?" Asked Amy.
Rose nodded at her. "His name is Tony."
Amy smiled. "He's adorable."
Tony popped back into the dining room. "Yes I am!" He sang.
"Tony! Don't be rude." Scolded Jackie. Amy laughed.
Rose looked at Amy. She could see why the Doctor had wanted to travel with the ginger. Not only because she was a ginger, but because she was just so nice. "You just can't avoid those gingers." Rose teased the Doctor. "What ever happened to Donna?"
"Donna? Who's Donna?" Asked Rory. The Doctor's eyes grew sad.
"Oh no. What happened?" Rose asked.
"The knowledge was killing her. Her human body couldn't take the Time Lord, and her mind was burning. I had to erase the memories of us travelling together, so she wouldn't burn up." He said.
Rose squeezed his hand to let him know she was there. "I'm sorry." She said.
"She's fine now. Got married, I actually think she has a kid now. I saved the world with her granddad you know." He said.
"Oh, I met Wilf! Nice guy. He helped me find you when I got back. Though his laptop didn't have webcam. I couldn't get into that video conference." Rose said.
"That wasn't exactly the best day for Earth." Said Jackie.
Pete came into the dining room. "No, it really wasn't. I heard all about it." He turned to Rose. "You're not staying, are you?" He asked.
"I just… I just can't. Not after John. And this is my only chance to get back…" She turned to look at the Doctor. "If you still want me to travel with you."
"Yeah, of course I do!" Said the Doctor. He glanced at Amy and Rory, who were both nodding.
"Yeah, I think it'd be nice to have you on board." Amy said. Rose smiled at her.
Jackie looked at Rose sadly. "I'll miss you, sweetie." She said.
"I'll miss you too." Rose said. "I think I should go pack. All my stuff is at my flat down the road."
"I'll come and help. You know, so we can get to know each other better." Said Amy. Rose nodded and the two girls left the mansion.
Disclaimer
Thanks to all my bowties
Over and Out ~Greek-Whovian