Disclaimer: The Doctor and all his companions are the property of the BBC and Russell T. Davies. There are not mine, nor will they ever be.
A/N: This was originally written pretty soon after 'The Parting of the Ways', when I had no idea what would happen in 'The Christmas Invasion', or even what the new Doctor's new outfit would be. Ergo, this is not canonical in certain aspects, nor does it reflect my actual opinion of the tenth Doctor, which is most definitely a positive one.
We Might As Well Be Strangers
Rose flung herself on to her bed and stared up at the ceiling of the TARDIS. The past few days had been so hectic that she felt like she'd barely had time to breathe, let alone think or relax.
It had all started when the Doctor had made good on his promise to take her to Barcelona. The planet Barcelona, that was, not the city. Almost before she knew what was happening the TARDIS had rumbled into life, flinging them across time and space towards this apparently wonderful planet. The Doctor had not appeared to care, or even remember, that between them they had just defeated the entire Dalek race, that he had just regenerated into an entirely new person, or even that Jack was dead.
Jack. Just thinking the name made Rose's heart ache that little bit more. Wasn't it enough that she had lost the Doctor – her Doctor? Did she have to lose Captain Jack too? Everything would have been a little bit more bearable if only he had been still around.
But he wasn't. It was just her and the Doctor. And the Doctor wasn't even the Doctor any more. He was someone else. Someone she didn't know. A stranger. One that she felt she didn't know any better now than she had five days ago when they had landed on Barcelona…
As the TARDIS's engines had whirred to a stop, the Doctor had reappeared from one of the time-ship's corridors, down which he had vanished after setting them on their course. Looking at him, Rose felt her breath catch and tears spring into her eyes. Gone were the familiar battered leather jacket and black jeans. This new Doctor had apparently decided that his younger face deserved a younger look. He was now wearing a pair of very ripped blue jeans, and a t-shirt with the name of some grunge rock band emblazoned across the front of it. Rose had never heard of the band, which strongly suggested that they came from a different planet, or perhaps the future.
Overall, the look was very disconcerting. It made the Doctor look about twenty-five and completely carefree. And that was not the sort of person that Rose wanted to place her personal safety in the hands of.
The Doctor, however, didn't appear to notice his companion's silence. "Barcelona, here we come!" he declared, bouncing off down the ramp towards the TARDIS's door.
Rose had never felt less like seeing an alien planet in her life. All she wanted to do was stop, catch her breath, and mourn for those she had lost. But at the same time, she couldn't help but worry a little for this new Doctor. The Time Lord had always been manic and happy-go-lucky, but this new incarnation seemed positively reckless. Rose had a bad feeling that she would never see him again if she let him leave the TARDIS alone. And while she still wasn't reconciled to this new Doctor, she also knew that she didn't want him to get hurt. After all, some of her Doctor must still be in there, right? And besides, she needed him. There was no way she could fly the TARDIS on her own, and she didn't fancy been stuck on a planet called Barcelona for the rest of her life.
Still, as she followed the Doctor out of the TARDIS, she couldn't shake the feeling that they were going to encounter problems sooner or later…
And they had. About five seconds after stepping out on to the planet's surface, in fact, which was a lot sooner than even Rose had anticipated. The Doctor had suddenly recalled that, the last time he had visited Barcelona, he had seriously annoyed the natives. Unfortunately, this memory was prompted by the fact that they had stepped out of the TARDIS to be confronted by a line of angry-looking guards pointing rather large guns at them. Ten minutes later they were locked in a cell that looked like it had every type of lock ever invented keeping the door shut.
Of course, the Doctor had managed to get them out. But it had taken about five hours of work with his sonic screwdriver to do it. During that time, Rose had taken the opportunity to study her new companion properly. She still couldn't quite cope with his new attire. Any authority and gravitas he might have had seemed swamped under his new 'punk-rocker-wastrel' look. And Rose was seriously beginning to doubt that he had any authority anyway. The old Doctor would have been able to talk his way out of this situation, no problem. A few jokes, a few big grins, and the Barcelonians would have forgotten all about their grievances. This Doctor, however, had just seemed to annoy the natives even more by trying to talk to them. And Rose had to admit, she could see what they were annoyed about. The whole time he was working on the locks, the Doctor had kept up a stream of inane chatter about 'fantastic planets' and 'great time-periods' that she had yet to see, until her head felt like it was going to explode. Normally, talk of far-flung times and places made her feel excited, but there was something about this new Doctor's voice that seemed insincere and grating, and Rose wished that he would just shut up.
Eventually, however, the Doctor had succeeded in opening the cell door, and the two of them had snuck out of the prison. Considering the substantial armed guard that had greeted them when they arrived, Rose was surprised that there weren't more guards around to prevent them escaping. Not that she was complaining, however. At least, not until the sirens announcing their break for freedom had gone off, forcing them to make a run for it. Fortunately, they managed to get away from the prison without being spotted, and even managed to make it back to the TARDIS.
Except that the TARDIS wasn't where they had left it. The natives had obviously carted it off and impounded it. The Doctor had apparently really annoyed them.
There followed four days of running and hiding while the Doctor tried to locate the TARDIS. Unfortunately, all he had to do this was his sonic screwdriver, and finding a sophisticated time-and-space ship using only a sonic DIY tool was not a simple process.
Still, find it he eventually had, in a building right next door to the prison, much to Rose's annoyance. More running and hiding had followed as they had snuck inside this building and found the TARDIS. Leaping inside, the Doctor had slammed the door shut, and Rose had prayed that the old Doctor had been right when he had said that the armies of Genghis Khan couldn't get through that door. Genghis Kahn the Barcelonians might not have, but an army they certainly did. One that had been well and truly roused by the Time Lord and his antics.
Dropping into a chair, Rose watched as the Doctor frantically flipped switches, pulled levers, and tweaked knobs in order to get the TARDIS going and carry them away from Barcelona. Eventually, when they were on their way, Rose decided to break the silence that had fallen.
"Doctor?" she asked tentatively. "What happened?"
The Doctor paused, only for a split second, but Rose noticed it. "Well," he replied cheerfully, "you see, the last time I was on Barcelona, I accidentally insulted their emperor and…"
"Doctor!" exclaimed Rose, her temper finally snapping. "That isn't what I meant and you know it. What happened to you? What happened to me? What happened back on Satellite Five?"
There it was again, that slight pause that told Rose that the Doctor was uncomfortable and avoiding the issue. And she was proved right when he waved his hand dismissively.
"It's all far too complicated," he said airily. "Let's just say that I'm still here and you're still here and leave it at that, shall we?" But he didn't look her in the eye, and Rose suddenly realised with a shock that he hadn't actually looked directly at her at all since he had regenerated.
"But I feel like you're not really here anymore," she complained. "You're a stranger to me, Doctor. Something's happened, and you're not you anymore. And I don't understand it. I miss the old Doctor. He…I mean you…oh, I don't know what's going on anymore!" Rose gave up. She obviously wasn't going to get any sense out of this new Doctor, and there was no one else who could tell her what was going on. Turning on her heel, she ran out of the control room…
Which had led her to this, staring up at the ceiling, her thoughts spinning out of control, tears starting to creep down her cheeks. She felt utterly alone, and was beginning to get an inkling of why her Mum was always so anxious to stop her time-travelling with the Doctor.
She missed her friends. Jack. The Doctor. Even Mickey would have been welcome right about now, as a friendly face. But none of them were here anymore. Or at least, she amended, one of them was, but he was now a completely different person, and one that didn't seem that bothered about her anyhow.
As she lay there, trying to sort out her feelings, Rose gradually fell into a doze. All the antics of the last few days were catching up with her, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop her eyes from closing.
Rose.
Startled, her eyes flew open. Had she been asleep? She didn't think so, but how else could she explain that oh-so familiar voice that had just echoed softly around her room?
Rose.
She shook her head furiously, trying to make sure she was really awake. There was no way she could be hearing what she was hearing.
Rose. It's me. I'm really here.
The voice now had a familiar tone of amused exasperation mixed in with its northern twang, the tone that emerged when she had done something particularly 'human.' And it was that which convinced Rose that she wasn't hearing things.
"Doctor?" she asked softly. "Where are you?"
I'm here, Rose. I've always been here.
The voice seemed to be emanating from the very walls of the TARDIS, making the air shimmer slightly. The effect seemed almost tangible enough to touch, and Rose longed to reach out and feel the Doctor – her Doctor – standing in front of her. But she knew that she wouldn't feel anything.
"But I can't see you," she said desperately, tears springing into her eyes again. "Where are you?"
In the control room.
Rose's heart leapt. Then she realised what the voice meant. "But that's not you," she protested. "That's someone else. Someone I don't know, or understand."
Of course it's me. It will always be me.
"But he feels like a stranger. He's a completely different person. And he won't even look at me properly."
Don't be too hard on me, Rose. I've just been through a rather trying experience, and it takes a while to adjust.
"But haven't you done it before?" Rose asked. "You made it sound like you had."
I have done it before. Eight times. But every time is different. I never know exactly what will happen. It's a little disorientating.
"Oh," said Rose, slightly deflated. Then: "but what about me? According to you, something big happened back on Satellite Five. But this new you won't even talk about it. Or about Jack. Or about what's happened to him, or anything. I need to talk to someone who understands, Doctor. I need you back."
I'm already here, Rose. You have to trust me. I won't let you down. Just give me some time. I promise everything will be alright.
"But when? When will everything be alright? I'm scared, Doctor."
But there was no answer.
"Doctor? Doctor!"
But the voice was gone.
Rose couldn't keep the tears in check anymore. Somehow she knew that that was the last time she would know her Doctor, and the thought filled her with sadness.
Eventually, she fell asleep again. And she dreamed. Of Satellite Five, filled with Daleks. Of a bright golden light, full of power. Of life and death. She saw that the Daleks were all disintegrating, that death reigned over the Games Station. Except for one spark of life, one spark that suddenly emerged from the destruction. One human left. All alone, thinking his friends had left him.
For the second time that evening, Rose started awake. For a few seconds she just sat there, trying to grasp what she had seen. Somehow, she knew it hadn't just been a dream. It was a message from the Doctor, one last communication before he moved on with his life, and she moved on with hers.
Jumping from the bed, she rushed back to the control room.
"Doctor! We have to go back to Satellite Five! Jack's alive back there, and he's all alone…" She tailed off as she caught sight of the Doctor leaning against the control console. But for once he wasn't tinkering with the TARDIS's circuits. Instead he was staring off into space, looking utterly lost.
"Doctor?" said Rose gently, feeling a sudden surge of compassion. "Are you alright?" Slowly, she walked up to him and gently touched his arm.
Her touch seemed to bring the Doctor back to himself. "Oh, I'm fine," he said brightly, giving her a quick glance before turning back to the console. "Now what were you saying about Satellite Five?"
But Rose wasn't going to let him dismiss it that easily. "Doctor," she said firmly, grasping his shoulder and turning him back towards her. "Look at me. Look at me!"
Reluctantly, the Doctor looked at her, holding her eye for the first time since his regeneration. Rose looked back, searching his face for something – anything – familiar.
And there it was. Deep in his eyes was a glint of something. Something that she knew.
"Is he in there?" she demanded.
The Doctor sighed. "They're all in here, Rose," he said softly. "Or perhaps I should say, I'm all in here. There's just me, Rose. I may show a different part of myself every so often, but I'm still the same person, deep down."
And there it was again. Something familiar in the depths of his eyes. A mixture of amusement, exasperation, and…love. Rose felt her heart lightening. He was right. He was still here. Everything was just going to require some small adjustments, that was all.
The Doctor, watching Rose as she watched him, saw that she finally understood. She understood that things were going to change somewhat, but that everything was going to be alright. And as she accepted that, he felt something inside himself click into place. Suddenly he felt like himself again.
"Well, now that's all sorted, maybe we can get down to the business at hand. I believe you were saying something about Satellite Five and a certain alive friend of ours?"
As the Doctor danced around the control console, setting the TARDIS on its way again, Rose smiled. Things were certainly going to change. She and the Doctor would have to get to know each other all over again. Watching him as he manipulated the time-ship's controls, Rose decided that the grunge-rocker look actually worked for him. It was definitely something that she could get used to, in any case. She wondered if Jack would appreciate it too. If she knew anything about the Captain, she suspected he would. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face…