Chapter Text
“...And how was that sentence going to end?” Rose demanded, looking into the eyes of the man she loved.
“Doesn't need saying.” The Doctor answered, sadly.
“And you, Doctor?” Rose turned to the Duplicate, Meta-Crisis, whatever you wanted to call him. He laid a hand on her shoulder and bent to whisper in her ear.
“I love you...”
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
Rose started awake, jarred by the sound of her alarm clock. She sighed heavily, brushing stray hairs from her face.
The same damn dream. Of that same damn terrible, awful, horrible day.
The day she finally found out that the Doctor returned her love with his own, that he had given her his heart as she had to him. And what had come of it?
Rose was left with a man who was grown accidentally from his severed hand. A man who was supposed to essentially be the Doctor, have his memories, feel his feelings...
She hadn't even spoken a word to him since she simply turned on her heel and walked away after the Doctor left with Donna.
Donna...
Oh, how she envied her. -She- got to be with him, while Rose was stuck here, without him, her heart in pieces at her feet.
That was two days ago now. A miserable 48 hours.
Rose slowly shuffled out of her room and down to the kitchen. She went through the motions of making tea, not because she wanted it but simply to give her hands something to do. Otherwise, she would simply just be.
Oh, she'd told herself she should be strong, help the duplicate adjust to a normal human life, that that would help ease the pain. He deserved it too, she knew. It wasn't his fault that he was what he was and how he came to be. The duplicate hadn't chosen the life he got.
Rose bit her lip, hard, against the tears that threatened. It was so unfair. He wore the face of the man she loved, but wasn't. The light in his eyes when we looked at her, that said he loved her, was there.
Damn... That made it so much worse, knowing that she had the Duplicate's heart. He deserved so much better. Someone who hadn't known his counterpart and wouldn't constantly compare the two as she had done from the moment she'd first laid eyes on him.
He needed someone who could give him their heart, fully, completely. And only to him.
Rose knew she couldn't give him that. Hell, wouldn't give him that.
The vibration from her phone broke her free from her bleak thoughts. It was a text message, work related.
Torchwood...
So it begins.
With a sigh, Rose finished her tea and headed back upstairs to get dressed. She bypassed her usual attire and went for a drawer of clothing that she'd gotten from friends who had tried to get her wear something different for once, but had never succeeded.
Well, today they would.
When Rose Tyler walked into the main lobby of Torchwood, she turned heads.
Her mother, Jackie Tyler, was amongst them. “Rose?” she said, as if she couldn't quite believe this was her daughter.
Rose wore a deep forest green pencil skirt and fitted blazer, with a light gold coloured silk blouse and heels to match. Her hair, a harsh bun at the back of her head, her make minimal but just a bit more than she usually wore.
In a word, she looked stunning. Like a woman. No just that, but one that belonged within the Torchwood walls.
She flashed her ID badge to the security guard and then headed straight for the elevators.
“Rose!” Jackie turned to Pete who had been standing next to her, just as god-smacked as everyone else, “That was Rose...”
Pete could only nod.
In the elevator, Rose caught a glimpse of herself and started a little. Yes, she'd seen the finished product in her bathroom mirror, but seeing it in a full length reflective surface was something else.
It was the farthest from her real self as she could get. And that was how she wanted it.
The whole day people stared at her opened mouthed in various stages and levels of shock. She learned to ignore it, though, and just went through the motions.
It wasn't until lunch time, and she was sipping a cup of tea, that she saw -him-.
The air seemed to leave her lungs, her heart began to race, her control began to fray at the edges.
No! No! She wasn't ready for this! No!
Rose turned on her heel and retreated, hoping he hadn't noticed her. Unfortunately, he had.
“Rose...”
Oh, God... the way he said her name. The naked longing, the hope...
Suddenly, she felt a hand rest gently on her shoulder. Rose didn't need to turn around to know it was him. She did anyway, and instantly regretted it.
There they were. All of those feelings he had for her that she desperately wanted to avoid, to pretend didn't exist. He never pushed her, pleaded, or demanded. He simply watched, waited, yearned, and loved.
Lord help if that didn't make her very afraid...
“Doctor.” she said, trying to sound the right level of friendly without giving him false hope. No, not hard at all...
“Long time no see.”
“It's been two days.” she found herself smiling a little.
He shrugged in an impossibly adorable way.
“Have a good day, Doctor.” God, she needed to get away from him. Fast. He was tugging at her heartstrings in a way she hadn't thought he could.
The man she loved wasn't here. Rose had to remember that. He was gone. Forever. With someone else. Turning on her heel, she tried to walk away rather than run. Rose just barely succeeded.
The Meta-crisis, Duplicate Doctor, whatever you wanted to call him, hell he wasn't sure what to call himself yet, watched her go.
Yes, it had only been two days, but they'd been a very painful two days for him. He knew exactly why she was avoiding him. He accepted it and hated it at the same time. He wanted so much for Rose to care for him as he did for her. To see her smile, laugh, and fill the room with the warmth in her heart.
That would take time. He'd been as patient as he could be, standing back, giving her space. It was one of the hardest things he'd ever done in his short existence.
Rose stopped, turned to look at him. Why can't you love someone who can love you back, you daft half-alien, she thought sadly.
He didn't deserve this heartache. Not at all.
Rose gathered her courage and kept walking, the sound of her heels echoing down the hall.