Chapter Text
He'd gone from destroying the Daleks, to given a new life in a parallel world, to thinking he was a right bastard (and not even him him, but another him) all in the space of a day. Even he thought it was mad.
The Doctor watched Rose watching the vanishing TARDIS, and "right bastard" crept into his mind again.
And now you can do the same for him. Fix him, in other words. As if the other him was now the picture of health.
Right.
He wasn't sure if it was a Donna bit creeping in, or if it was simply being able to be a third-party witness to his own actions (which didn't happen as much as one might think), but it all seemed a lot clearer now. And if he needed fixing, his other self needed fixing just as much.
He walked up to Rose, taking her hand. And when he looked at her stunned expression, he cursed himself a third time. He knew this had to happen - and knew the reason the other him did it - but it was the way it happened. It had all the carefulness of a rhino crashing through a garden party. Rose turned back to stare at the place where the TARDIS wasn't, but she didn't let go of his hand. At least there was that.
We get a taste of that splendour... And then we have to go back.
The Doctor swallowed and Rose continued to stare to nothing. His free hand went to his jacket pocket where he ran his fingers over a rough object, it slightly tingling against his mind. He might have some human bits in him now, but there was still that, which meant there was a good chance he might not be Earth-bound for long.
If there was one thing he had to give himself credit for, it was that. Before they'd landed, the other him had quickly shoved it into his hand without a word. It didn't take his superior intellect to connect the dots from when the other him had said Dårlig Ulv Stranden - he knew what the plan was. Part of him wanted to warn Rose she was about to be blindsided, but part of him wanted to keep his mouth shut because it meant he'd have her for himself. The selfish part won. So they were both right bastards.
Rose finally sighed. "Well, that's that, isn't it?" she said softly. She let go of his hand and turned to walk after Jackie without so much as a glance in his direction, staring straight ahead.
Not good. So not good.
Two long strides and he caught up with her. He grabbed her hand again, squeezed and gave her a smile. She returned it with a small one, but it soon vanished and she returned to staring into the distance.
Back on the TARDIS there'd been a precious few minutes he'd been able to talk to her after they'd saved the Earth. He'd crushed her into a hug, picking her up off the ground, loving the feel of her in his arms and chiding himself for ever forgetting just how much she seemed to fit there. Rose grinned from ear-to-ear with a "hello, again!" and proceeded to tease him about his blue suit, which he found incredibly funny for some reason. Of course, if she'd started talking about dirt, he still would have been positively giddy.
That was then, and this was now. Now her smile was gone and there was just...shock. He hadn't a clue what to say to her.
It's still me, Rose. I swear.
So, welcome to the rest of your life. Like the view?
...surrounded by shop store dummies, ooh, such a long time ago...
Ready to give that kiss another go?
He opted to rub his neck.
Rose hesitantly opened her mouth, started to say something, stopped. He waited. She started again...
"You two!" Jackie yelled. "Hurry along! Pete's arranged a car but we're gonna have to hoof it about a mile. Supposedly no 4-wheels-drives available for the sand. He'll be getting an earful when we get back, believe you me. At least we'll have a plane instead of one of those bloody Zeppelins."
"Oi! Put a sock in it, blondie!" the Doctor yelled at the interruption. And blinked. "Ooh, that's...that's something I'm going to have to learn to curb."
Rose looked at him quizzically.
"It's Donna. The Donna bit in there. That human part that came from Donna. Got a personality tweak in the process. Well, more of an uncontrolled blurting from time to time. Hmm. She did say she wanted to stay with me forever. Guess this is as good as it gets."
Rose's eyes went away from him again. "Yeah."
He felt his lone heart drop. "That's not what... Rose..."
They caught up to Jackie. "I'll show you where you can put a sock in it. If I wasn't so happy to see you, that is. It is you, isn't it? Or are you some kind of Night of the Living Dead clone that we're going to have to teach to use a toothbrush?"
"Night of the...? What? You mean zombies? You're asking me if I'm a zombie?"
"Same difference."
"Jackie, we talked not five minutes ago."
"That was before I knew the other you was dumping you off."
The Doctor stared at her before deciding that line of discussion was futile. "Sorry to disappoint, but it's me. Toothbrush knowledge and all."
"He's just human now, Mum."
"Half human, thank you," the Doctor reminded her.
Rose seemed as if she wanted to say more, but didn't. He was hoping it was simply because Jackie was there. Maybe if he found a nice rock for Jackie to sit on... Then again, "let's ditch your mother" might not work right at this moment. For one thing, he had no way of securing Jackie to the rock, so the plan was flawed straight off. For another, Rose looked exhausted, so rest first and big important discussions later might be wiser.
Big important discussions? Was that Donna again? She always did seem to have a knack for human relationship stuff, and this seemed right in his mind now. Weird.
They were silent on the walk to the road, and the short car ride to the airport had been dominated by Jackie's mouth. Rose was completely lost in thought and so barely seemed to notice the silence or Jackie.
Rose finally shook out of it when they boarded the small Vitex-owned plane.
"Not quite what you're used to for flying around, is it?" she asked, taking her seat.
"Oh, I think I'll manage." The Doctor plunked down next to her, with Jackie sitting ahead of them.
"You know, I don't even know where to start," she said.
"Let's start at the very beginning. A very good place to start. When you read you begin with A...B...C..."
"You idiot, that's The Sound of Music," Jackie chirped.
Rose snorted and the Doctor made the great effort not to kick the back of Jackie's chair.
"Anyway, what I mean is it's been so long," Rose clarified. "I'm sure you've done lots of things, and lots of stuff has happened here."
"Like an addition to the Tyler family," the Doctor said with a grin.
Jackie turned in her seat. "This one here thought we'd named him 'Doctor.'"
The Doctor kicked that time. "Don't you have headphones you could listen to or something?"
"Oh, all right," Jackie grumbled, turning back around. "I'm not listening. You go and prattle on."
The Doctor slouched down in the seat, getting more comfortable and leaning against Rose over the armrest. "Would you believe I met Shakespeare?"
"Really?" Her eyes lit up.
"Yup. With Martha."
"Oh, good choice with her," Rose said with a smile. "Or maybe she chose you. Either way."
"Yeah, she was brilliant. Even kissed Shakespeare. Uh, her, not me. Hold on...did she?" He scratched at his chin and smirked. "Let's just say they were really close when I walked in. Oh! And there were witches!"
"No way."
"Well, Carrionites. Close enough. Wish you'd have been there."
Something flickered across Rose's eyes, the spark dying. "Yeah, me too."
The flight continued much that same way: Rose would tell the Doctor a story or he would tell her one. She'd be animated and interested but just as she seemed ready to grin or even laugh, she'd become withdrawn.
It was during a withdrawn moment that the pilot's voice came over the intercom, telling them they'd be touching down in ten minutes.
"What...what did you mean about Donna?" Rose suddenly asked. "The part about it being as good as it gets for her staying with you?"
"Oh, well," the Doctor considered. "She's not here with me, is she?"
"Don't lie."
Her abruptness smarted. "Sorry. Yeah, sorry." He took a deep breath. "She's wrong. Oh, is she wrong. She won't last in her state."
"Oh God."
"Oh no," Jackie chimed in, apparently forgetting she was pretending not to listen.
"I won't let her die. Trust me," he quickly reassured them. "But...I know what will have to happen. She's going to have to lose her memories of me. Everything. She can't remember a thing. And I'll have to be the one to take them from her."
Rose looked slightly nauseous. "That's horrible. And...he'll be alone again, won't he?" Tears hovered in her eyes.
"Yes."
She swallowed and nodded.
"He's an idiot," the Doctor muttered.
Anger flashed across Rose's face. Anger at him.
"He should have kept you with him," he blurted in an attempt to explain.
Anger dissolved into something else: hurt. "Great. Two Doctors and they both want to pawn me off on the other as fast as possible."
The Doctor's mouth dropped. "Don't be stupid!"
She stared.
"You heard me! Stupid! That is not..." The Doctor stopped and took a breath. Yelling at Rose was the last thing he wanted to do right now.
He softened his tone. "That's not what happened. I know it sounds daft and backwards and downright insane, but he left because he loves you. Loves you too much, really. I know because I..." The Doctor suddenly became very aware of Jackie watching him. The Doctor cleared his throat.
"Don't mind me," Jackie said, continuing to watch.
"Jackie, you'd be impossible not to mind."
Jackie rolled her eyes and turned her back to them. But there was no way he wanted to keep having this conversation in front of her. Or behind her, as it was. He glanced at Rose who was watching out the window, still silent.
He mentally sighed.
Then he felt it. Fingers finding his, threading themselves and then holding tightly. But she still didn't turn towards him.
⁂
It was late when the Doctor walked in the door of the mansion he'd been in so many years ago. The decor had changed somewhat -- a bit less formal and breakables safely stashed away -- but the flood of memories still hit him. Going in disguise (bad luck with that tux), laughing at Rose the dog (which was still funny), and telling Rose she couldn't stay here (fate was the one laughing now.) The Doctor caught Rose's hand as she walked in the house. She gave him a smile and Jackie breezed past them, presumably on her way to check up on Tony and Pete.
"I guess I should say 'welcome home,'" Rose said.
He wrinkled his nose. "Home. Hmmm. Complete with doors and carpets."
"Terrifying?"
"Just a bit," he smirked and pulled her into a hug. "Not too worried about it though." Well, he wouldn't worry about it yet, that was. He was mostly sure he could get that piece of TARDIS coral in his pocket to grow. If not, he'd jump off that bridge when he came to it.
Rose wrapped her arms around him and yawned against his shoulder. Things might not be back to normal between them yet, but they were at least comfortable. And everything would be better after a good night's sleep, right? Right.
"Bed! Definitely need a bed!" he declared.
Rose pulled back and blinked.
Well, nothing like taking that comfortable feeling and stomping on it. He cleared his throat. "Can't have you dropping from exhaustion, now can we?" he clarified, trying to feign ignorance at the accidental innuendo.
"Oh. Right. I actually live in the guest house in the back. It's small, but it's nice. Only one bedroom, but it has its own lounge and kitchen."
"Sounds nice."
"It is nice."
"Nice."
"Well."
"Good."
"So."
"You know, I'm gonna see if Pete's up. Say hello, hit him up for spare parts, that sort of thing," the Doctor said, offering an out as opposed to standing in the entryway for the next two hours, shuffling their feet about things.
"Oh, okay. Don't..." She hesitated.
"Yeah?"
"Don't go anywhere, all right?"
He gave her a lopsided smile. "Not a chance."
She reached up and gave him a soft, if way too short, kiss. His eyes still closed, he listened to the sounds of her footsteps disappearing through the house. From upstairs he could hear voices.
He decided to head in a third direction. Better to give Rose space to get her equilibrium back, right?
He wandered into a lounge with an overstuffed sofa and pictures on the fireplace mantel. Habit made him reach for his glasses, only to find that spot empty. Even though they really weren't needed he still wanted them. He put 'get glasses' on his mental to-do list.
There were a few wedding pictures of Pete and Jackie, loads of of pictures of a child who was obviously Tony, but very few of Rose. And the ones there were of her barely seemed like her. There were no giant smiles - the ones that practically glowed in his mind's eye. She seemed subdued. And the fact that she was thinner only accentuated the lost spark.
He'd fix that. He had to.
The Doctor flopped down on the sofa and picked up a photo album. He opened it, caught a flash of Jackie in a hospital cap and flung the book back on the table.
Labour photos?? Was she serious? And out in the open where someone could get hurt?! He shuddered, the desire to poke around completely gone now.
"Welcome to the domestic minefield of Jackie Tyler," he muttered.
Well, now was probably as good a time as any to take inventory. He started rummaging through his pockets.
One toothbrush. Venusian spearmint flavour.
One...no, two yo-yos.
A rubber duck. Which was really strange since he didn't remember putting it in there.
Some gum.
He fingered something and pulled... "Oh YES!" The psychic paper! His other self would be slightly irked to find that gone, but it would be easy enough to replace for him.
What the...? A bigger rubber duck. Right. Still no clue.
A brochure to the King Aarrr exhibit he always meant to see.
A watch...
He stared at the watch, his stomach flopping. It was Donna's. She'd shoved it into his pocket during a mud storm, and they'd both forgotten about it. He sighed, heartsick for her. By now her mind would be wiped. She'd come so far, seen so much, and now it was gone. She helped to save the fabric of existence itself, and as a reward she lost the most amazing thing that had ever happened to her.
Memories of Jamie and Zoe surfaced - two more people who didn't deserve to never know everything they'd seen and done. That time it was his punishment for asking the Time Lords for help, this time it was simply necessary. It still felt like a punishment though. Maybe it was. Or maybe sometimes life, to put it succinctly, sucked.
He gently placed it down with the other items.
A spool of thread. A keychain with "The King of Rock and Roll" on it. A banana, which he ate. Three paper clips. Some Barcelona currency (the planet, not the city.) Some copper wire.
And then there was that.
The Doctor pulled out the piece of coral from the TARDIS and ran his fingers over it. "Hello, there."
The presence from it was faint, but seemed very much her as opposed to a new entity. Unfortunately, he never paid much attention to the mechanics of TARDIS development, only knowing enough to get him by. But if it was still her, he might not even have to do an imprint flight. Although there'd be absolutely no way he'd risk it. He'd go alone first time out.
He turned the piece over, studying it. "Grown from a hand and grown from a chunk. Fitting, isn't it?"
It hummed happily against his mind and he grinned.
"Why do I get the feeling this was just as much your idea as his? Thanks for coming with me, old girl." He kissed the coral and put it back in his pocket.
The Doctor hit the remote on the television, surfing around and settling on an infomercial. Not that he had any burning desire to own a set of fabulous knives a ninja would be proud to own, but it was mainly for the noise. He scrounged up some paper and a pen and went to work making a list and drawing plans for things like another sonic screwdriver.
The list was necessary since he had ideas about the things on it and Pete's money, but the plans really weren't. But it was the next best thing to actually start building stuff.
A hair loss product, diet pills and two male enhancement adverts later and the Doctor rubbed his eyes. Papers were scattered everywhere, scribblings and sketchings on them. 5:30 a.m. Too early for anyone to be up yet, Rose in particular, but he'd gotten to the point of wanting a break.
He stretched and gave his head a scratch, eyes going to the table and the things that used to be in his pockets. All his worldly possessions. He'd never been so devoid of things before, and he felt the odd sensation of missing the stuff in the TARDIS. 'Materialistic' would be the last word he'd ever use to describe himself, but everything in the TARDIS -- the collections of worlds and lives -- had always been comforting. He felt he belonged in the mounds of history.
But here he belonged...
Rose.
Rose who was over in the guest house. Without him.
Was it wrong to give Rose that space? Maybe he should have followed her. He could have at least stayed in her lounge tonight. That would have been space enough, right? Still too much for his tastes, but there was the bit about her needing space right now, and him trying to be sensitive, and...and...
And if he'd gone with her, his stuff could now be with her stuff!
The Doctor grabbed at the items and papers, shoving them in his pockets. The urge to get the thread, the toothbrush and even the ducks over to Rose's place was overwhelming. He'd be quiet, he wouldn't wake her up, but he'd be there.
Satisfied he hadn't left anything, he strode down a hallway, through the kitchen and pulled open the back door. An alarm instantly beeped in protest. The Doctor reached for the sonic screwdriver that wasn't there.
Damn.
The thumping of footsteps, and the Doctor waited for Pete to come bounding around the corner. The light flicked on.
"AAAAAHHHHH!!!!"
Jackie, completely makeup-less, face dotted with cream, glared at him. "Oh quiet, you daft man."
"Jackie, I've only got one heart now, so for the sake of my health, let's never see each other in the middle of the night again. Ever. If the need arises, we can telephone each other first. Mind, I don't have a phone, but I still think it would be better for everyone involved."
She punched at the keypad.
"So the alarm sounds, you rush to scare the burglar, and Pete's...where, exactly?"
"Checking on Tony. And I knew it'd be you. Rose doesn't have a speck of food in that fridge of hers, so naturally you'd come around."
"Really? Guess it's why she's so thin."
"Oh, don't get me started. And you're one to talk. When's the last time you had a proper meal? Well, you'll have 'em now. Both of you, even if it kills me." Jackie pulled the coffee out and started pouring it into the coffee maker. "Tony'll be up in a half hour anyway," she explained when he'd raised an eyebrow at the coffee. "So you're not here because of Rose's empty pantry?"
"Actually...I haven't been out to Rose's place yet. Technically speaking."
It was Jackie's turn to raise an eyebrow.
"But I was just going out now, so if you'll excuse me..."
"Don't."
The Doctor paused, puzzled.
"Oh, don't worry. I'm long past that 'stay away from my daughter or you'll get a slap' stage. Besides, if different universes can't keep you two apart, what chance have I got? Just let her sleep as much as she can now, all right? Maybe she'll get some decent sleep for a change. She's been so driven these last couple of years. No time for anything else. Barely anyone else, too." Jackie crossed her arms, leaning back against the counter. It looked like an accusation.
He took at seat at the kitchen table. "Spent her days at Torchwood, did she?"
"Days. Nights. Well at least that'll change now that you're here. No reason to crack the whip on people to build that cannon any more. And to keep shooting herself across the universe every chance she gets."
"That shooting helped save the universe. Universes. You all helped to save everything in existence. Let's not forget that. Well, I say 'you all,' I mean Rose...and Mickey."
"Bloody Daleks. What's their problem anyway?"
"Oh, Jackie. It's a long, long, long, long, long, long, very long story. Several stories, actually."
"If you ask me...oh no!" Jackie suddenly put a hand to her head. "I just remembered I'd said yes to a playdate for Tony this afternoon when we've an appointment to get his picture taken. Too early to call..." Jackie wrote a note and stuck it to the fridge.
The Doctor wasn't sure if he admired Jackie or if he was simply amazed that a day after nearly being killed by Daleks, she was back to fussing about her son's schedule. She definitely was adaptable, which he was more likely to joke about than ever admit he was impressed.
"So Tony's the little social butterfly, is he?"
"Nah, he's too much like his father. But at least he's mellow. Rose was a handful and a half, always getting into things and wandering off."
The Doctor smiled.
"Speaking of your health..."
The Doctor blinked. "When were we speaking of my health? Oh...oh, right! The one heart and you shocking me to death!" He was starting to get conversation whiplash.
"I suppose now that you're human--"
"Half human. Why does everyone keep forgetting this?"
"--you'll have to start going to doctors and such. You could talk to Pete. He's got a good doctor. Get regular checkups and the like. You'll probably get sick now, won't you? I mean the human kind of sick."
"Nah. I can't get sick. Won't even now. Well, you won't either." His mouth snapped shut, hoping Jackie wasn't really paying attention.
"What?"
Damn. "Erm..."
"What do you mean, I can't get sick?"
The Doctor winced. "Well..."
"Oh, I knew it! You did something to me! I always knew it! All that alien weirdness and you couldn't help yourself! You did something...something alien, didn't you?!"
"Jackie, I swear if you start talking about probes--"
"PROBES??"
"NO PROBES. NEVER SAY PROBES AGAIN."
Jackie lunged towards him, rolled-up magazine from the counter in hand. 900 years of survival experience paid off: he dived under the table. She jabbed the magazine after him. At least it wasn't the coffee pot.
"Come out here and tell me what you did!"
"I'd rather stay down here, thanks!" He dodged the magazine.
"If I start turning green...!"
"You'll have eaten too much broccoli!"
Another pair of feet appeared in the kitchen. "What the...?" Pete exclaimed.
"He turned me into a mutant!"
"What?"
"I did NOT. Well...define 'mutant.' OW!" The magazine made contact with his shoulder and he retreated to the other side.
"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" Pete asked. "Doctor?"
"Sort of busy right now," he said, trying to untangle himself from chair legs while keeping an eye on Jackie's feet and that bloody magazine.
"Jacks! Sit!" Pete commanded.
"BUT...!"
"I need answers, and I'm not going to get any with you like that." Pete pushed her down into a chair.
The Doctor poked his head up on the opposite side of the table. "Oh, well done, Pete. You have a muzzle too?"
"Oh ha ha." Jackie gave him a glare. "Mock me when you did something to me."
The Doctor eyed the magazine being pried out of Jackie's hand by Pete, then pulled himself up, sitting on a chair. He put his hand out, willing her to stay seated. "It's...it's not bad, Jackie. It's really really not. And I didn't do it, the TARDIS did. Back when we travelled to Canary Wharf it happened. You've not been sick since you've been here, have you? Rose either? Think of it like a cosmic booster shot. At the genetic level."
"What is it exactly?" she asked, slightly calmer and weaponless.
"The TARDIS was engineered for travel to other places and times, but going to other places and times can result in all kinds of badness, one of which being, well, disease. People travelling could pick up something, or even worse, could pass something completely alien to a population. The common cold in the wrong place could wipe out a planet. So everyone gets a slight, very slight, modification their first time out as a safeguard. You've got an immune system that can withstand everything. Well, almost everything. Jackie, you should die of old age...or blunt object." He gave her a smirk.
She wrinkled her nose at him but then relaxed. "It's not too bad, I suppose."
"Not bad at all! Most people would love to have something like this!"
"Could have said something about it, though. Does Rose know?"
"Um..." Did she? Hmm. Probably should mention that to her.
"Does this mean Tony's a bit different too?" Pete asked.
"Ooh," the Doctor said, scratching at his chin. "Not sure, really. I could check it out if you'd like."
"He has always been really healthy. And it would be nice to know he'd never get sick," Jackie admitted.
"Hello, by the way." The Doctor stood up and shook Pete's hand. "Long time, no see. And just so we're clear up front, I am not a zombie, no matter what your wife might have told you."
Pete smirked. "Good to know. When it comes to you, Doctor, I'd believe just about anything. So you're stuck in our little universe now?"
"Muuummmy!"
Jackie shot Pete a look. "You just left him up there?"
"He wasn't awake when I looked in on him!"
"Sometimes, I swear...!" Jackie rolled her eyes and scurried out of the room.
Pete and the Doctor sat down at the table, as Pete chuckled and shook his head. "Never thought it'd be like this, having a kid and all. Don't get me wrong, I love 'em to pieces, but... Let's just say things are never quiet around here. Do you always shake up the people's lives you run across?"
The question hit the Doctor like a ton of bricks, a long string of names immediately running through his mind.
He didn't answer.
"Sorry," Pete said quickly. "If it helps at all, I'm glad you shook up my life. Grateful, even. Hell, if it hadn't been for you those years ago, I'd be dead. So, thank you."
The Doctor nodded. "So...," he said, desperate to change the subject. "You're obviously still in the drink business since we jetted here on a company plane. Thanks for that."
"Yeah, although I'm just sort of the face of it now. Chairman of the Board, in the ads, revenue in the bank. But I've been heading up Torchwood for the last few years. Get a bit more personal satisfaction from helping to save the world than selling energy drinks."
"Keeping Torchwood on the up-and-up, I hope. Not mucking up things too much?"
"You sound like Rose. Never afraid to let her feelings known on the morality of things. Like there was this glove we found. Actually would bring people back to life for a few minutes. She made us lock it up straight off. Wanted to pour cement on it, but settled for a 4-person deadlock and she had one of the keys. You know, Mickey had one. Guess we won't be getting in there."
"Good, because that sounds positively horrific. So speaking of Torchwood, you must have tons of odds and ends lying around over there. Spare parts gathering dust, just begging to become things. Useful things..."
"You want to raid our inventory, don't you?"
"Not much...relatively speaking. Got a handy list and everything! A favour, though, Pete."
Pete smirked. "This isn't already a favour?"
"All right, another favour. Rose didn't want me to leave, and while she most likely meant leave the universe, I want to be sure to be here when she wakes up."
Pete leaned back in his chair, giving him a small smile. "I'm glad you're here, Doctor. Glad for her. She's tough as nails about things - once she gets her teeth in something, she's just like Jackie. And you know Jackie. But...I'll just leave it at I'm glad she found you. I'm putting her on leave for now whether she likes it or not."
"Here we are!" Jackie called out, carrying Tony into the kitchen. "This is the Doctor, Tony. Just pay him no mind whenever he starts talking."
How Rose wound up normal, he'd never know.
⁂
Rose slept until the afternoon.
Pete had already been to Torchwood and back, handing over three boxes of equipment. The minute Jackie was distracted, the Doctor began hauling everything out to Rose's guest house. The door wasn't locked, which made him wonder if she'd expected him. Probably.
Rose had been right about the size: smaller on the inside. He'd quietly put the boxes of equipment against the wall, while noticing details about the place. Sofa, coffee table, TV. The kitchen was open to the lounge, not big enough for its own table, but it had some stools next to a counter. It was all clean and bright but there was something off...
It didn't feel very lived-in.
It fit the picture he was starting to piece together of Rose during the last two years. He opened some cupboards. Some condiments and tea. More condiments and a couple bottles of beer in the fridge. He peeled the plastic film from the clock on the microwave. Opening it, he found the instruction manual still inside.
She probably pretty much lived at Torchwood since she'd been here.
The Doctor felt a ridiculous amount of satisfaction that Rose never gave up on him -- that she'd been that committed to getting back to him -- and simultaneously hated the thought that she put her life on hold to this extent.
He wandered into the bathroom. A clean folded bath towel sat on the counter. Yeah, she probably had expected him. He took the toothbrush from his pocket and placed it in the toothbrush holder. The ducks went in the tub.
There. Excellent.
He found other places for other things, including a new temporary home for the TARDIS coral, and then settled in on the boxes. The Doctor nearly had a new sonic screwdriver constructed when he heard noise coming from behind the door to the bedroom.
Rose opened the door, blinked at him and broke into a relieved smile. "You're here."
He smiled back. "Where else would I be? Off looking at Jackie's labour photos? That'd be madness."
"Oh, sorry." She winced. "Should have warned you about that, shouldn't I?"
He pulled at his hair. "See any grey ones?"
Rose chuckled. Bare feet and still in her pyjamas, she joined him on the floor, crossing her legs. "What's this, then?" She tilted a box to look at its contents.
"Oh, this and that. I need a new sonic screwdriver, don't I? And a few other things."
"Yeah, can't imagine you without your sonic screwdriver for very long."
"Hold on... Almost there..." He made a few more adjustments and then pushed the button. It lit up. "Success!"
"Oh yay! What setting is that then?"
"It's the setting that lights it up."
Rose smirked. "Amazing," she remarked dryly.
For the briefest of moments, the Doctor felt as if this could have been years ago. Him working on some gadget on one of their non-travel days, Rose actually interested instead of just pretending. Talking to each other for hours, never wishing for any alone time.
But reality set in. The reality of the guest house. The parallel world. The mere three boxes of things.
He pocketed the screwdriver.
"I didn't want to leave while you were sleeping..." The Doctor noticed the pleased look on her face. "...but now that you're up, I've got to see this Dimension Cannon! Is it really shaped like a cannon?" he asked with a teasing grin.
"Yes," she said, trying not to smile. "I'd strap on a helmet and they'd load me up."
"I've really gotta see this now. Please tell me there were racing stripes on the helmet."
Rose chuckled again. "Let me take a shower and then we can go."
Forty minutes later and they were at a secondary Torchwood facility, set apart from the dense population of London. The Dimension Cannon was housed in a converted warehouse, the machine itself more of an odd collection of computers, refractors and a power source. It looked like a cobbled-together student science project, but technology's firsts were rarely ever sleek.
The Doctor ran his hand over metal protruding from a refractor and smiled broadly. "You built a trans-universal time machine! That's wizard!!"
Rose gave him a funny look.
"Yeah, sorry. Still working on that blurting thing."
She smirked and turned back to the machine. "Well, other people designed it and all. And put it together."
"Ah, but whose idea was it?"
"All right, maybe I had a bit to do with the concept," she said with a smile.
"Rose, you built a time machine." He couldn't stop grinning. He bounded to her and crushed her into a hug. "You are amazing!"
She pulled back with a twinkle in her eye. "Well, you know. But seriously, we had geniuses working on it."
"I can see that. I've got to meet these people."
"Pete was really generous. Really." She moved from him towards the machine, studying it. "Paid for people to work on it that Torchwood would have never been able to get. I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank him. Of course, it didn't seem like such a frivolous thing once the stars started going out. It went from 'project of that insane Tyler girl' to 'salvation of the world' overnight." She touched the control board. "Doesn't work now, I suppose."
"Nope. It's a train without any tracks. And there weren't any tracks when you started either. And you knew there weren't any. What made you think you could get through?"
Rose shrugged. "I had to hope. Hope you were wrong, or that maybe something would change. Didn't want the fabric of reality to be destroyed... We didn't punch any holes ourselves. You've gotta believe that."
"I know."
"But I couldn't do nothing. I had to believe."
Hope. She'd had hope when he'd had none. The Doctor went to her, taking her hand.
"I just can't seem to get the hint when you try to send me away," she said with a sad smile and a sideways glance. He was pretty sure she meant it as a tease, but there was an edge to it.
He wanted to reassure her, to tell her that if given choice, he'd always keep her with him instead of protecting her life, but that seemed a bit like a lie. Even now.
"I never want to. It's a 'have to' thing."
She was silent, shifting her feet.
Pete was right, though. Once Rose decided on something, there was absolutely no stopping her. And she'd decided to be with him -- something she'd had to practically yell at him in order for it to sink in. Unfortunately once it finally got through to him, she... Well, he really didn't want to think about what happened at Canary Wharf.
It should have been impossible. But with the Cannon in front of him now, 'impossible' simply didn't apply to Rose Tyler.
The sound of the door interrupted the silence.
"Rose! Oh, Doctor! Hey!"
"Jake-y boy!" The Doctor let go of Rose's hand to shake Jake's.
"Looks like everything worked out then? Well, I knew that before. Had a clue when the stars came back and we're all still alive," Jake commented.
"Just a hint, then," Rose teased.
"Yeah yeah. I'm being sent back to Torchwood One. Most everyone is. Came by to pick up my stuff."
"None too soon, yeah?" Rose asked.
"Did I ever complain?" Jake countered.
Rose smirked. "All the time?"
"Okay, there might be some celebrating. That reminds me - I can't get Mickey on his mobile. He came back in one piece, didn't he?"
"Oh." Rose shot the Doctor a glance.
Jake's face fell.
"Oh no! He's alive!" Rose quickly said, giving Jake's arm a squeeze.
"Completely and utterly fine!" the Doctor added.
"But...he stayed in the other world, Jake."
"What? Really?" Jake put a hand in his hair.
Rose nodded.
Shock was written on his face. "Just like that?"
"Yeah."
"Didn't even say goodbye first, did he?"
"I'm sorry--" Rose started.
"Nah. Forget it. Good riddance, the tosser." Jake strode out of the room, managing to swipe a stack of papers off a table along the way.
"I'm gonna... I need to go talk to him. Just for a few minutes," Rose apologised.
"No, no! Go ahead. Take all the time you need. Rose, were he and Mickey...?"
"What? Them?" She paused, almost as if the thought had never occurred to her. "Maybe on Jake's part, but I don't think Mickey. I mean, he did just up and leave, didn't he? No goodbyes? Seems pretty definitive, doesn't it?"
There was a sadness in her eyes, and the Doctor had the feeling she might not have been talking about Jake and Mickey anymore. But she turned and left the room before any more was said.
The Doctor had a panel open and was underneath a section of the Cannon when Rose finally came back. He could see her feet walking towards him, then bending down to talk. Just like so many times she'd done before...
"Wow, this is familiar," Rose said. "All that's missing is the console."
The Doctor pushed himself away from the machine to grin at her. "You've been reading my mind." He sat up.
"Got a smudge." She rubbed his nose. "Doctor, how are you doing?"
"Well, I've reviewed the whole system, and I've gotta say, I'm pretty impressed--"
"No," she interrupted. "I mean, how are you doing? Being stuck here?"
He moved to get up and she helped him. He wasn't quite ready to tell her about the TARDIS piece. The last thing he wanted to do was get her hopes up and dash them. She hoped for the both of them before, and it seemed like it should be his turn. "I ever tell you about the time I was stuck on Earth? Grounded, really."
"Seriously? For how long?"
"Years. It was centuries ago. Picked up a job at UNIT as a way to pass the time. So this? This is old hat."
"You miss it though, don't you? Even already."
With every fibre of his being, he didn't say. From her eyes, he didn't have to.
Rose looped her arm through his and pulled him towards the exit. "Come on. Mum called a minute ago. She's insisting we have dinner with them. Something about feeding us or dying. Let's just hope she ordered in."
The Doctor wrinkled his nose.