Chapter Text
Rose Tyler, defender of the Earth, the woman who traversed universes to help save all of reality, had been sent to her room like a sulky teenager. This room made her feel like a sulky teenager. It was embarrassingly pink and girlish, and appeared untouched since she’d last been here, that fateful day when the Cybermen and Daleks broke through at Canary Warf. There was even a pile of clean clothes on the unmade bed, from where she dropped them after picking up her clean laundry at her mum’s. The make-up in the bathroom was all dried up, and there was a thin layer of dust on the dresser.
The dust made it clear that the TARDIS was using the room to send her a not-so-subtle message, since there was never dust in the TARDIS unless the ship wanted there to be.
“Okay, I get it,” she said, speaking generally to the air. “I can’t just go back to the way things used to be. But I can move forward, can’t I?”
The TARDIS gave what Rose optimistically hoped was an encouraging hum. Rose knew she made the right choice. Yes, the “human” Doctor could have given her a normal human life, with a house, curtains and carpet. Maybe even children. But Rose never wanted that sort of life, not even before she met the Doctor, when she was just drifting and waiting for something to happen. If she had no choice, then yes, he’d be the perfect partner. Given a choice, though, she’d pick the stars, and the Time Lord, every time.
She did feel bad for the human Doctor, since he was clearly not welcome to stay on the TARDIS. He had to move quickly to keep from getting stranded in the other universe, and for a moment Rose thought that the proper Doctor was going to physically throw him back out. But the human Doctor held his ground and gave a good impression of the other Doctor’s “Oncoming Storm” glare.
“I know you’re not happy with me right now, but nothing I’ve done could possibly warrant being trapped in another universe with Jackie Tyler, and no Rose.”
The Doctor had to concede the point. Rose thought that her mum was more likely to baby the human Doctor than yell or slap him, but that might’ve been just as bad. Rose herself had said her goodbyes when they were still on the TARDIS, so she escaped with just a quick hug. Her mum knew all along that she and Mickey weren’t coming back.
They ended up dropping the human Doctor off at Sarah Jane’s house. They didn’t even go in for a visit, but just watched him trudge through the rain to her front door, hunched in his coat. Rose had to smile at the coat; he had flung it on without thinking as soon as they landed in Sarah Jane’s neighborhood.
“Oi! That’s my coat! Janice Joplin gave me that coat!” the Doctor had shouted in outrage.
“I know, I remember the day she gave it to me. I love this coat. Which reminds me, I’m also going to need. . .this!” said the human Doctor, as he walked over to the Doctor, flipped open his suit jacket and pulled out the sonic screwdriver. He quickly stepped backwards, out of range, and slipped the screwdriver in his own pocket.
“What?!” said the Doctor.
“You can get another screwdriver. You get to keep the TARDIS. You get to stay with Rose Tyler. Least I could get is a coat and a screwdriver. Stop being so greedy, you pilchard!” said the human Doctor, crossing his arms.
The Doctor looked like he wanted to say something more, but Donna stepped between them and gave the human Doctor a hug.
“Sound like you still got a bit of my voice, Spaceman,” she said, holding him tight.
“Wouldn’t want it any other way, Earthgirl,” he said, looking very sad. He met the eyes of the other Doctor over Donna’s shoulder, and gave him a little nod, which the Doctor returned.
“Well, best be off. Rose, have a fantastic life. Seriously. And you,” he said, pointing at the Doctor, “Don’t be any more of a prat than you have to be.” He spun in place, coat tails flying and strode out into the rain.
The Doctor waited until Sarah Jane let the other man into her house before shutting the TARDIS door. He walked over to Rose to speak softly in her ear.
“Rose, I need you to go to your room for a bit while I talk to Donna.”
Rose started to protest, but the bleak look on his face stopped her. He’d been pushed pretty hard, starting with her refusal to stay where he wanted to plant her. Best let him get his way for now.
“Alright, I’m going to lie down,” she said. “It’s been a busy day.” The Doctor gave her hand a quick squeeze in thanks, which made her feel better about being sent away.
Donna gave a great big laugh. “You could say that again! Although I’m not the least bit tired. Must be my new Time Lord brain, just can’t stop thinking. You know, Doctor, if you rerouted the temporal manifold circuitry through the secondary power coupling, you could increase engine efficiency by 5.7%. What do you say?”
Rose tuned out the rest of their technobabble as she made her way down the corridor to her old room. Where she now sat, wondering what was taking so long. Maybe. . .maybe they were talking about the kindest way to get rid of an unwanted human interloper? She hadn’t gotten the least feeling of jealousy from Donna, and in fact the other woman seemed incredibly pleased that Rose had found the Doctor. But maybe now she was part Time Lord, she would change her mind.
She pushed the thought away. Not very likely that either the Doctor or Donna would’ve changed that much, so no sense borrowing trouble. If it turned out to be the case, then she’d just deal with it then.
Just when she was about ready to give up and go back to the console room, she heard the familiar sound of the TARDIS engine and felt the tug at her insides that told her they’d dematerialized. A few bumps later, another tug told her they’d landed.
Maybe they’d just forgotten her? Well, regardless she’d waited long enough. She strode through the corridors determinedly, only to be brought up short in the console room. No one there. A peek outside showed it still raining, although in a different neighborhood. With a start she realized it was Donna’s neighborhood. She recognized it from when she followed the other woman around in the pocket universe. Maybe Donna had some personal business at home.
The thought calmed Rose and she decided to go back through her room and see if there was anything of use. Most of the clothes were too small or too young or both. She’d filled out some in the past few years, and felt like she aged quite a bit more. She was happy to find her photo album, and diary still in her bedside drawer. The ipod was a nice find too, although her music tastes had shifted some as well. In the end, the “to keep” pile fit into a medium size box, which she found conveniently under the bed.
Taking the hint, she went in search of a new bedroom. When she opened the door to a room tastefully accented in blues and greens, she knew she found the right place. It was a bit sterile, like a hotel room, but that would change over time. She put away her possessions and took a shower, changing into a navy blue track suit (one of the few items that still fit).
Since there was still no sign of Donna or the Doctor, she went to the wardrobe to see if she could expand her wardrobe. The TARDIS was being uncooperative, though. All the choices were too fancy or too strange. Really, animal skins? She just needed something comfortable that would work in most social settings but that she could still run in.
She still hadn’t found anything suitable when the TARDIS engines engaged again. By the time she reached the console room, they’d stabilized in the time vortex. The Doctor was at the console, dripping wet and staring blankly at the controls. Rose cleared her throat.
“Is it safe to come out now?” she asked.
He blinked his eyes at her, and then smiled. But it was his “I’m always alright” smile, and came nowhere near his eyes. “Ah Rose, yes. I was just thinking about where to go now.”
Rose looked around. “Where’s Donna?”
“She’s home. Safe with her family,” he said, fiddling with the controls and not looking at her.
“What? Why should she go home? She loves it here! It’s not. . .it’s not because of me, is it?” Oh, that would be terrible, after all Donna had done. After sending one version of Donna to her death in the pocket universe; the last thing Rose wanted to push her out of the TARDIS.
“No! Believe it or not, some things in the universe are not about you!” At Rose’s shocked look, the Doctor ran his hand over his face. “Sorry, sorry. Donna had to stay home, for her own safety. Her brain was burning up; I had to take the Time Lord part away. And I don’t want to talk about it further.”
“Oh,” she said. Poor Donna. Poor Doctor.
“So! Where should we go now?” he said, with a forced grin. It was a terrible imitation of his usual manic cheer. At least he was trying, she supposed. Now, where could she suggest that might ease his pain a little? Her mind flashed thought all the amazing places they traveled together, and then it came to her.
“Chips,” she said, with a playful smile
“Chips? Anyplace, in time and space, and you want chips?” he asked, in mock horror.
“Yes, chips. The chips in the other universe were rubbish. I want to go someplace with decent chips.”
He gave an exaggerated sigh and then smiled. A real smile this time. “I think I might know just the place.”
Sure enough, they landed not far from the little chippy on Gloucester Road that he’d taken her so many years ago, after Platform One, and they found a table no problem. As Rose’s teeth penetrated the steaming hot wedge of potato, her eyes closed and she let out a moan. It had been a long, long time since she’d had a proper chip. In the other universe they used the wrong sort of oil, and some type of seasoning that didn’t even exist here. After she swallowed, she opened her eyes to see the Doctor staring at her, and looking infinitely sad. Then his expression turned carefully blank.
“Sorry,” she said. “I really missed chips. Funny, isn’t it, that I can go to other planets where people have tentacles and the food is blue and I feel right at home. But in that other universe so many things were almost the same, but not quite, I could never really relax.”
He gave her an absent-minded smile, but didn’t speak. A bad sign, him not speaking. Her Time Lord-minding skills were a little rusty, but she remembered enough not to try to push past his reserve at this point. He’d only shut down more, or blow up. She needed to either distract him, or give him some space. Her mind sorted through possible conversations, but they all seemed to touch on potentially painful topics. So space it would have to be.
“Doctor?” she asked, as she finished her last chip. “Would you mind if I did a bit of shopping before we left? Most of my old clothes don’t fit anymore, and the TARDIS wardrobe is being uncooperative.”
“Shopping? You wouldn’t need me, would you?” he asked, apprehensively.
“Naw, not in London. You can go fiddle with the TARDIS or something. I imagine she might like the attention, after all she’s been through. I could meet you back there in, say, six hours. Is that too long?” she asked.
“Oh six hours should be fine, fine. Take as much time as you want, actually. You’re right, I do need to check on the TARDIS; it’s not every day she escapes from a core of neutrino energy, tugs a planet across the galaxy, and then plays taxi service to another universe,” he said with a grin.
So they stopped by the TARDIS for some more currency, and then she left the Doctor in the console room looking much happier. Hopefully a few hours of tinkering would help bring him back to his old self. That thought helped her enjoy her time alone as well; nice to just walk casually into a shop, without worrying about the end of the universe or anything. She was also happy to find some good discounts. It was full dark when she returned, loaded down with shopping bags, to the small side street where the TARDIS was parked.
Except that it wasn’t parked there. The TARDIS was gone. Her heart sunk all the way to her shoes. Had he really done it, gone and left her like he had Sarah Jane, and who knows how many others? She’d like to think it wasn’t possible, but the way he’d been acting. . .well, she could deal with this, she could cope. Dammit, she wasn’t the same little shop girl she’d been when they first met. She was a fully grown woman who could take care of herself.
But she couldn’t stop the tears of relief that came when she heard the familiar vwrop vwrop vwrop of the TARDIS materializing. A moment later, the Doctor opened the door.
“Ah, good! You’re still there. Sorry about that — I had a bit of trouble with a bus, and then UNIT ended up moving the TARDIS. Just trying to be helpful, they were, so can’t really fault them. Anyway, it’s all been sorted, and I have a surprise!”
He was bouncing on his heels with excitement and her heart lifted. Now here was her old Doctor. She quickly followed him into the TARDIS and dropped her bags by the door. Then she froze, seeing a strange woman leaning casually against the railing, backpack at her feet. Tall, gorgeous, with long raven black hair and dressed in a skin-tight black clothes. Suddenly Rose felt very short and frumpy in her old navy track suit.
“Rose Tyler, may I present you to Lady Christina de Souza!” said the Doctor with a flourish.
And she’s an aristocrat as well. Lovely.