They all stood awkwardly at the airport, waiting for a call from Pete to finally board their zeppelin. That's one thing that he really loved about this world—next to the addition of a Rose Tyler—; it was filled to the brim with zeppelins. Heisenburg must never have happened, because it seemed like one of the most used pieces of technology in this universe. Planes didn't even seem to be invented. Maybe he could do that. But Rose would probably not appreciate him leveraging knowledge from the other universe for a quick buck. Not that they needed it.

Talking about that blonde—she was truly doing everything in her power to avoid him. And if not him entirely, then just his eyes. She hadn't even looked in his direction when she had thrown his jacket back to him. At least he could still look at her, but never seeing those brown eyes completely looking back left a pang in his chest.

He still wasn't sure what her deal was, but considering the day they had yesterday, he supposed it was quite fair. He just hoped she'd warm up quickly, but this wasn't what he had hoped. Especially with the (utterly magnificent, he might add) kiss of yesterday, he thought he had it in the bag.

He fiddled with the rings in his pocket. Maybe he'd been a bit ahead of himself yesterday. He only had a few minutes on the TARDIS, and it was the only thing he could think of taking.

She still looked so beautiful, even if she looked angry and wouldn't turn his way. He had noticed the differences straight away when he had first seen her again, but he did like that he could take his time now. At least for a bit. She had more lines near her eyes, and her face was thinner. Her posture still radiated that nervous energy, despite her seemingly newfound confidence she tried putting out. Either she had been using a new (worse) shampoo, or that smell was just the agitation of the past few days, which was… fair.

Jackie's phone rang and she picked it up. Jackie had talked to him yesterday, thankfully, filling him in with this and that, but also thankfully now hadn't said a word, picking up on the probably explosive energy surrounding them. Finally, they could board the zeppelin and get back. Not that he knew what he'd do there, or if he'd even stay, he just wanted to get out of here. He'd probably have a lot of waiting to do when they got back, and he wanted to start it as quickly as possible.

As they boarded the zeppelin, he took his sweet time looking at that thing of beauty as they walked up the stairs. He could say so much about it, but he couldn't quite think it through properly, so not a single word came out.

Rose thought he looked like crap. She didn't want to pay too much attention to him, considering, but she couldn't help but notice how awful he looked. He seemed like he hadn't slept a single day in his life, and his reaction time to anything was 10 times slower than it had been before. Whether that was the human or bad sleep part was anybody's guess.

He sat down next to her, and although part of her hated the proximity, she was glad that she wouldn't have to see his face for the next few hours. She hated that he was even here in the first place, so any bit of small comfort was necessary for her sanity.

Pete joined them, hugging Jackie and Rose, before sitting down with them. He wanted a story, so Jackie did what she did best, and talk. With too many unnecessary details and unkind comments, but talk she did.

She was thankful for her mother for many reasons, but she was certainly glad she wouldn't have to open her mouth a single time to explain the mess that was yesterday.

A few details were greatly exaggerated, and some were minimised (probably so he wouldn't be concerned), but overall, she told a good story. She was surprised she hadn't told her the other day about it all, but she figured he might've been too busy or simply unavailable for someone in the middle of nowhere. It didn't matter.

She closed her eyes and tried to keep out their voices. She already had a history of terrible sleep over the past few years, either workaholic or simply anxiety, but last night took the cake. She wouldn't be surprised if she didn't sleep for a single wink. Her head was so heavy. Surely they wouldn't mind if she excused herself from the conversation, right? She wasn't even part of it.

Something pressed against her cheek, but she refused to give them what they wanted. It moved underneath her for a few uncomfortable seconds, but it settled shortly after, now followed by a weight on her right side. Like a ball of trash being compressed. She leaned into it—it wasn't as if she had anything to lose.

An earthquake surrounded her, but she remained solid in her state. She didn't fear earthquakes. She had defeated Daleks multiple times, and if she could stand up to them, what good was a silly little rumble going to do?

"I'm exiled," a voice like nails on a chalkboard cut through. "We-ell." A chuckle. The weight from her side left briefly, the comforting, radiant heat disappearing with it for a second. " Exiled ," he sarcastically repeated. "But without the TARDIS, I'm basically useless. I'm not here for anything big anymore. I could help here and there, maybe, but…"

Her nose itched. It was rather minimal to the glaring headache that had formed.

"I'd honestly rather not," the voice continued. "I'll stay out of the spotlight. Forever."

She scratched it, but her fingertips touched a piece of oddly recognisable fabric.

"What are you going to do, then?" her dad (but not really) asked the disembodied voice after a bout of silence.

Wait. It wasn't disembodied at all. She shot up as soon as her brain put 2 and 2 together.

Zeppelin. Beach. Metacrisis. The one that conveniently had a wet spot near his shoulder. Did she seriously drool on him?

Everyone stared at her for a few excruciating seconds.

"Joining the land of the living, then?" Pete asked rhetorically, chuckling to himself. "How you holding up?"

Her shoulders dropped. She wasn't entirely sure what the truth was, or how to answer that. "Fine," she said, shuffling a bit away from the clone. Darn. She'd been sending mixed messages the entire time. She didn't want him to get the wrong idea and think that there was any chance that she'd want him anywhere near her or her family.

She was doing an amazing job at that, honestly.

"She's tired," the clone answered. "Didn't sleep well."

"Shut up," she said, almost reflexively. What was he doing that for? "Yeah, I slept badly. Big deal." As he looked her in the eye for once, she challenged him to the best of her ability with a Look. "D'you wanna write a news article about it, too? Tell the whole world?"

He continued to simply stare at her. He had the audacity to look surprised.

She waved him off. "Just… shut up." As she turned away from him, she felt her mother's stare, too. She kept her eyes on the ground. She was too tired to fight anyone, let alone defend herself. Yeah, she had been short, and that was probably too much, but she didn't care. He answered in her place like he knew a single thing about anything. The only thing he knew was from stalking her, anyways. Creep. Why was he even allowed in the same place as her? He seemed like some obsessive fan that followed her around everywhere. Except he had privileges to stay near because he was 'family'. What a joke.

She rubbed her eyes. This was going to be dreadful, but it was just these few hours, and she wouldn't have to ever see him again. It was doable, as much as she wanted to strangle herself.

Pete and the clone talked about who knows what, and she simply got up and further ignored it all as she walked away from the claustrophobic group. Why the seats all had to be so close by was beyond her, but for now, it didn't matter. As she leaned against an uncomfortable leather wall, her mother appeared in her peripheral vision.

Not what she wanted to do right now, but her mum seemed to have a knack for finding the worst possible times.

"What's with you?" she asked, not bothering to hide her annoyance. "I thought yesterday you were just off due to the sudden change, but now you're just being mean."

"Oh, I'm being mean", she said, making sure every word was dripping with sarcasm. She rolled her eyes. "My bad."

"Don't get sassy with me," she answered sternly. She put a hand on her hip and sighed. Her gaze softened. "What's wrong, honey?"

She folded her arms. She wanted to act like it was all fine. She really did. But she was tired and hungry (that pastry couldn't be called breakfast), and still incredibly overwhelmed by it all. It barely even registered in her head. The world was complicated, but right now, all she was was a kid begging for her mom. Her voice wavered and she felt her eyes moisten. "He left me behind, Mum."

"But he's right there," she answered, putting her hand on her arm.

"No—" She wiped her eyes. "No, he isn't. He's gone. He left."

As the tears started flowing from her eyes, her mum took her into an embrace. She gladly accepted it, hugging back as tightly as her weak self let her.

He was gone. She'd never see him again. And although that's what he said last time, too, this time she knew he would be right.

She didn't want to fully break down, since she knew she didn't have the energy for it and she still had to get back home, but holding it in was also exhausting. So for now, she just held her mother tightly.

A few minutes later she was back in her seat as if nothing ever happened, sitting next to the doppelganger of the man she had dedicated her life to. As long as he didn't try anything funny anymore, it would be fine.

Sitting down and doing nothing for a few hours was awful. It must've been torture to him, but he hadn't been complaining. He was surprisingly quiet. That changed when they landed. After going through the tedious airport security, they were finally back home—now just a few hours on the road.

At this point, he started complaining about the blood flow in his legs, like that wasn't a problem for everybody else, too. At least Pete kept him busy by basically explaining most of the modern political changes in the past few years. Things he should know, things he probably shouldn't, and just some fun facts that the country as a whole made fun of.

They were still recovering from the disastrous climate change that happened due to the parallel worlds opening up. The whole thing had been a mess, but thankfully only the inner circle knew about the planets disappearing—but the damages were still here. They weren't inconsequential, but due to human ingenuity, most of it had been patched up already.

You could basically stop caring about it in first-world countries. It stopped showing up in news coverage.

She tried to doze off, trying to catch up on all the sleep she hasn't gotten in the past few months, but it didn't work out too well. At least she sat in the front, now, and wouldn't repeat her silly mistake of accidentally fall asleep on him.

She zoned out, staring at the buildings and landscapes instead of listening to whatever they were talking about. She didn't want to be included, anyway, so she was glad they didn't bother her.

When they arrived, the trip had felt a lot shorter than it had been. Maybe because she kept falling asleep every so often.

It didn't matter. Her plan was ready. She'd say goodbye, pass by her apartment on her way to work, grab a few necessities, and search for the Doctor.

She went to her parents to execute the first step of her plan but had to wait because they were talking to the clone. She hit the ground with her shoes, a fair bit of sand falling out of them.

Pete handed him a paper bag. "Here's the ID and a birth certificate. Driver's license and other registration are going to take a bit longer. For now, you're welcome to stay until you get it all figured out."

Good thing she wouldn't stay here long. She doubted she could live in the same house as him for even a few minutes.

Jackie sighed as they watched him open up the package. "Corin's such an odd name. Where'd it come from?"

Wait, what?

"You're free to still call me the Doctor," he said, smiling. "After all, no other Doctors. Wouldn't be confusing."

She rolled her eyes at him. Ignorant twat like always. Always thought he knew exactly what was going on at all times, and so often wrong.

What did they mean, though? Corin ?

He looked at her intently and she remembered what she was doing. Leaving. She went inside to go call a cab.

"Rose?" her mother called when she put the phone down. "Could you accompany Corin and help him out?"

Did this guy seriously name himself Corin ? "No," she answered. "I'm leaving." She grabbed her coat and put it on, passing both Jackie and… Corin. Pete had already left.

"What? Already?" She looked at her, disappointed. "Where are you going?"

She knew her mother wouldn't like the answer, so she lied. "Back to my place."

"At least wait a bit," she answered, looking back to the house. Pete must've gone inside. "You can go back later, but for now we need you here. Pete and I need to go pick up Tony, but we can't leave Corin on his own."

"Why not? He's a grown man, isn't he?" Literally. She crossed her arms. She wasn't a babysitter, and she refused to be degraded as such, again.

"I can—" he tried, but Jackie cut him off. "He's new to this world, isn't he? And you've said he's reckless, he needs someone who knows what they're doing."

"I'm gonna ignore that," he spoke up, "But I do know how to buy clothes."

"Sure, but…" Jackie looked down at his clothes. "Like, proper ones."

He frowned. "What does that even mean?"

"Sweetheart, I love you, but you are not buying your own wardrobe."

"I'm not babysitting him," Rose said. Thankfully the cab was pulling up, so she could leave this dreadful conversation.

"Rose, you can't just leave him behind," she begged.

She bit her tongue. Why not? He didn't seem to have an issue with doing that. He left her behind multiple times, and she's supposed to just pretend none of that happened?

"Rose, please."

She looked at him. He was looking at her, but she couldn't tell with what emotions. Just a blank slate, ready for anything.

She'd do it for her mother, and that was that. "Fine."

Her mother sighed and gave a thank you as she went back inside the house. Great, what did she get herself into?

She got in the back and told the driver to go to the main point of the city. They'll find something quickly since it was packed with clothing stores everywhere. She was a bit hungry, but she did not want to spend any more time with him than she had to. He sat down next to her like a lost kid. She thought he looked awfully pathetic.

He put his hand, palm-side up, between them. Looking at him, he stared back intently. Expectantly. She folded her arms and sighed. The buildings were suddenly really interesting.

She didn't see how his face fell as the last of his hope was utterly shattered, and he pretended it didn't hurt as much as it did. Not a first, and far from the last for him. And although the car ride was extremely awkward to Rose, he didn't notice a bit of it, as he was constantly away, trying to write out a path where they would be fine.

She even had to kick him to snap him out of it, apparently. Maybe she didn't need to kick him, per se, but that is what she did. They got out. It was surprisingly cold, which he didn't expect in the slightest. He had been so used to being warm, and… alien. He was the wrong temperature, and human bodies sucked at regulating their temperature in anything drastic.

He looked over at Rose in her (seemingly) warm coat. Still hugging herself, still avoiding eye contact as they went down the street.

He wouldn't've minded any of these human flaws if he could've been human with her. But it seemed like that just wasn't going to be the case. He had thought this as a gift, but the more he was there, the more it seemed like his Time Lord self knew exactly what he was doing as a final act of vengeance.

He was angry. Not at her, but at the situation. Rose didn't want to seem to have anything to do with him. They'd do this, and then what? He can't keep hoping her mum will force her to go run errands with him. This was maybe even their last chance, ever. He had to do something. He couldn't let this all fall through his fingers because he was too scared to act out.

He followed her to some store. He didn't recognise any of the names, so he didn't bother.

If only his mental capacity hadn't deteriorated so much. He could have up to 6 different trains of thought at all times, but now he could barely hold on to one. Darn human brains couldn't think properly, and he hated it. He needed to be sharp in his wits, and he just… wasn't. Barely sleeping a wink last night also didn't help. And then that mind-numbing car ride. It didn't matter.

He just had to focus on this. Zoning back in, he noticed Rose was staring at him with a raised eyebrow. "What?" he asked, his voice breaking.

"What do you want?" She folded her arms for good measure.

What? "You? I don't—"

" Corin ," she spat as if it were a four-letter word, "We're in a clothing store. What do you think I'm asking you?"

Okay. He was slightly glad he knew her name. He was not glad about how she was using it. Beggars can't be choosers. He swallowed thickly. "Can't I just wear suits again?"

She rolled her eyes.

He suddenly felt really defensive about it. He'd been wearing them for years (or just a bit more than a year with her) and she'd never said anything about it. She was just angry at him because… well, because it was him . "Why re-invent the wheel?"

"Because it's not a wheel. It's a pentagon." Her gaze snapped to his. "Triangle."

"That still works," he muttered under his breath. He tried to give a semi-frustrated vibe, but honestly, he was so glad she was actually talking to him. Considering she had run off several times when he'd tried to talk to her, this was a vast improvement. Even though he had never heard anyone say the word 'triangle' with such hatred. Triangles were nice, too, it's—

Whoah. Alright. Fashion was a bit… different.

No matter how much he might've defended his dignity in front of Jackie, he was actually a bit lost. He could figure it out, in time. Obviously. He was a super-genius. He could figure it out. But it was nice to have someone with him, especially since it was Rose.

Or despite it. He couldn't tell.

She looked intently through hanging clothes here and there, looking at the tags quickly. She swiftly took out a brown suit, much like the one before except for the pinstripes, and shoved it his way. She took two more on her arm.

He stared at her.

As he didn't take it, she looked up at him to meet his gaze. "What?" She looked him up and down. "Did your size change?"

Yeah, that was totally normal. "You know my size?"

She shrugged as she rolled her eyes. "Only because it's the same as mine."

He made a face.

She smirked a bit and his world turned upside down. His face, he can attest to proudly, didn't reflect this. She just looked away, once again looking through other clothes. A few seconds later, she must've noticed his statue impression. "What? Aren't you gonna try 'em out?"

He shrugged. I trust you, he didn't say.

"That's sweet, but I don't want to waste a few hundred bucks because you couldn't be bothered."

That was… fair. He took off his other jacket, as cold as it was, and put the other one on. It felt like a crime. It must've looked great, though.

She must not have agreed with his inner monologue, because she looked at him queerly. She put down some other things she had gathered and walked over to him. She patted down his shoulders, turned him around, and straightened it in his back.

He thought he would die on the spot. He tried not to shiver at her touch. And she seemed so clinically detached from the situation that it hurt his ego a bit.

She pulled back and looked at (or, more, inspected) him again. "Mh," she shortly hummed.

That was good, he thought. It was probably the biggest compliment he'd get in a few months, so he'd take it in stride. He once again followed her with his eyes as she went through the entire store, picking up things here and there. She just looked at him oddly every so often. Which was fair. He was feeling slightly incapable, if not full-on pathetic.

A few minutes later, they had a pretty big pile of stuff. "Shirts, suits, suit-shirts," she said, going through the pile, "Pants, underwear, socks… We'll get shoes later. Is that all?"

He blinked at her. "I think so."

"You're going to need a toothbrush too. I'm sure they'll gladly rent out towels, but I doubt they're willing to share toothbrushes."

Was that a joke? That was a joke. She made a joke!

"What are you smiling like that for?" she chastised.

Oh, shoot. "Oh, er. Funny."

She ran a hand over her face. "Alright. You have a pair of shoes, so you can get another pair on your own another time."

He swallowed down his joy. Right. No need to get ahead of himself.

She looked back up at him. "What about scarves? Gloves? A hat? Anything?"

He pretended to think about it while he stared back. That was…sweet. She seemed to care about his human needs in a few months when the Earth would shift a bit on its axis. That was promising. "No, that's alright."

A few minutes later, she paid, and they were once again on their way.

That went surprisingly well. The bag wasn't even that heavy, either.

Before he could ask to go get a coat, Rose put her hand up and said she had to leave. She gave him 50 bucks so he could take a cab home, and left.

He stayed behind in the wind, staring at her disappearing form. She didn't look back once.

Right.

He managed to delude himself for a minute there.