I am the Bad Wolf. I create myself.

          The Doctor didn’t interrupt as the creature spoke, didn’t move a single muscle, his respiratory bypass engaging fully when the visage stepped closer to him. It was only once the billfold was lifted, once the creature was crouching down to force the billfold into his line of vision, that his green eyes finally shifted from the floor to the psychic paper. It looked like her handwriting, from this proximity it carried her scent near perfectly and that voice.

          That voice could shatter him, never mind what seeing her face in proper lighting would do.

          But even through all of it, even through the most seamless, nearly-perfect disguise he’d seen in his long, long lives, he could tell the difference. The scent was off, carrying with it something beyond the starlight, something ancient and forever, something a bit like himself. A biological shift that told him whoever’d chosen to imitate Rose Tyler had gotten it slightly wrong. Even still, he didn’t look up. Not just yet.

          “So you’ve found me out. Well done. Of course, I knew you’d found me out the moment you’d spoken. My files are buried deep within Torchwood and UNIT, but somehow you lot still manage to get ‘hold of them. I’ll have to have a talk with the head of security. Far too easy to just waltz in here and take whatever you want, well- baring any blondes with stun guns. Or cricket bats, I haven’t decided yet. So.” He spoke with a vengeance once he finally did speak, making it a point to ramble.

           “Is that what this is, then? Steal something of the Doctor’s to lure him in and when he gets here, have one of your own come out looking like that to try and get into my head?” His voice, which had started out calm and amused was starting to take on a more aggressive tone. “Well it isn’t going to work, because you’ve got it wrong. You may sound like her and you may look like her, but you aren’t human. Rose Tyler is human, the woman that I lost, is human!”

          At the last word his head snapped up and he found her eyes immediately, the rage at someone using her image like that causing a wave of fire to burn out anything else he might have felt, staring into those eyes again. Because how dare a creature, an enemy it would seem, an enemy that would use her face and her voice and her scent to lure or trap him, be able to figure out a genetic way to give Rose Tyler the ability to live as long as himself, when he’d never been able to.

          “Whatever this is, whatever you’re planning, it ends now.” his voice had dropped again, low and dangerous, and he only barely avoided telling the creature the only other option aside from an immediate ceasefire was death. Even knowing it wasn’t Rose, he still couldn’t blatantly threaten its’ life. He hated himself in that moment for being as predictable and domestic as his enemies had hoped he would be.

Rose was stunned into silence by the last, seeing no hint of true recognition in those eyes. She saw only rage, rage at an unknown enemy using the supposed likeness of the one who would be most likely to hurt the Doctor. Stepping back, she took a moment to think, to try to devise a way to make him believe it was truly her. 

“I was human,” she murmured softly, arms folded across her chest, still not looking directly at him. “But... now I’m not. I lived. I lived a long life. A good life, for the most part... With him.” She glanced up at the Doctor, but not long enough to make eye contact before her eyes dropped back down to the stone floor. “He died... oh, I don’t even remember how long ago, now.... Time’s gotten all muddled. He was 93 at the time though.... I followed not too long after. Thought I’d be with him in whatever afterlife, you know...” She bit her lip hard. 

“But there was no afterlife for me... ‘Least not like that. Instead, I regenerated. They had already buried me,” she whispered, her voice going breathless as the memory of that panic overtook her for a moment. Squeezing her eyes shut, she took a moment to get a hold of herself. “I had died an old woman, and by the time I dug myself out I realized I was young again. I went back to Torchwood... snuck in... grabbed as much as I could that I thought might help me piece my way back to you and I ran.”

She pulled another chair around to face him and sat down. “Honestly, I don’t care if you believe me. M’not sure if I would believe it if the situation were reversed... But... I’m not an enemy. I don’t want anything from you... Except maybe....” she shrugged lamely. “The forever I promised you...”

        The moment the Doctor’s captor had reached round to the front of him to snatch the psychic paper’s billfold from his pocket the throbbing in his head began to lessen. That scent, it felt familiar to him, like he’d smelled it somewhere before in the vacuum of space or perhaps in the no-space where matter and time are constructs not constants.

        His biology began to work at double speed, attempting to assuage the lasting effects of whatever he’d been struck with. Felt like either a stun gun or a plank of wood. He’d have to check later for splinters, to be sure. His wrists tensed and he tugged at the restraints again when he heard the voice, though, both of his hearts stilling before starting again twice as fast, head snapping up as he attempted to look at his captor.

        That voice. Of course the Universe would see fit to have him captured by someone who had that voice. He knew that voice, he’d been haunted by that voice for centuries in his sleep. When the woman came round to stand in front of him he tried desperately to see into the shadows she kept herself to, seeing outlines where others might see only shade and his vision was clearing up with each passing moment.

        “Torchwood has more titles than you’ll ever be given access to, and isn’t that the point of surprise inspections? That no one knows they’re about to have one?” he asked, his mind attempting to piece together what his eyes were slowly bringing into focus, refusing to believe it even as it came to pass right in front of him. The name of every shape-shifting alien species known to him started racing through his mind, wondering which one had chosen to take over that voice and that face. He knew immediately the psychic paper hadn’t worked, and he slid his foot out to nudge it across the floor at her.

        “Ah- well. Was worth a try. I get points for creativity, at the very least.” his voice lightened slightly, the way it did while he was stalling with an enemy, and he sniffled in a puff of air as he sat back, seemingly satisfied with his attempt at fooling whatever-it-was-who-was-impersonating-her. “Who I am isn’t nearly as important as what I’m doing here. There’s an object- a very dangerous, very volatile object -that doesn’t belong here. It belongs with me. I’ve asked nicely three times and Torchwood refuses to hand it over. So I’ve decided to take it back. I figured sneaking in would be better than making a scene during business hours but clearly… I was wrong.”

        He paused, shifting his eyes from the shadowed-form-wearing-a-ghost-from-his-past to the billfold on the floor, not wanting to look at whatever-it-was as he asked the question.

         "So who are you suppose to be, former-director-of-Torchwood, Knower of All Titles and Human Lie Detector? And what’re you doing down here? Get demoted to guarding the living room?“

“Dangerous and volatile, huh?” Rose asked, raising a brow. “And I’m just supposed to let you walk off with this object without any proper proof of who you are?” Rose tapped her fingers against her arm lightly. “Forgive me, but that doesn’t seem like very sound logic to me.” 

Rose stepped a little closer to the man, surprised that he didn’t recognize her, a little hurt if she actually let herself admit it. “I would think that you might recognize me,” she said softly, dropping a little of her authoritative tone. “Though it has been a long time... and who knows how much longer for you... Doctor.”

Reaching down, she picked up the billfold and held it in her hands for a long moment before crouching down to level with him and holding it open for him. “I know you probably don’t believe I am who I say I am, Doctor.... if you even recognize who I am, anymore... But I know it’s you... and I hope this is enough for you.”

“And what are you the god of? Bad tastes?”

“You’re not my god.” 

“It’s been a long time since anyone invoked my name.” 

“I’m a god, not a genie. I do not ‘grant’ wishes.” 

“You haven’t an inkling of an idea of what you’ve just done, haven’t you?” 

“And what is a mere mortal to a god?” 

“A god is only as powerful as their believers.”

“When’s the last time anyone prayed to you?” 

“Don’t be stupid. Gods don’t exist.” 

“Your petty discourse is highly amusing.” 

“What a cute little shrine! I wonder who’s it to?” 

“Your title may have “Evil” in it but you just look sad.” 

“No one’s ever built me a shrine before…” 

“You mustn’t be a very good god then.” 

“Your mortal woes are beneath me.” 

“You dare speak to me in such a tone?” 

“Be careful of what you wish for.” 

“You don’t know the meaning of “God-King”. 

“You know not of who you speak to, do you?” 

“You don’t look very… godly… to me.” 

“’A god’? Don’t be so full of yourself.” 

“What are you the god of?” 

“Does it get lonely?” 

“Oh god, please don’t hurt me!” 

“Your god has no sway here.”

“And what brings you into my domain, little one?” 

“I think I just woke something up. Something powerful.” 

“Um… hello? Any… anyone listening?” 

“This is stupid. Of course no god will listen to me.” 

“You probably look nothing like your statue.” 

“I hope this shrine is worthy enough for you…” 

“I’m here as a sacrifice, as promised by my people.” 

“You’ve been living here all this time?” 

“I got kicked out weeks ago, and you only just noticed?!”

“There’s no place else I can go.” 

“I just got the eviction notice today.” 

“We need to be moved out by tomorrow.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“This is no way to live.” 

“You’re kicking me out?!” 

“Fine! Then leave!” 

“When I asked if you lived under a bridge, I wasn’t thinking that you were literally living under a bridge.” 

“I couldn’t afford a motel room anymore, so here I am.” 

“It’s only going to get worse when it starts to snow.” 

“Hey! That’s mine!”

“Get away from there!” 

“You… you live like this…?”

“It’s a little drafty, but it’s home.”

“What, come to mock a street urchin?” 

“If I had known, I would’ve asked you to stay with me sooner.” 

“I’m not a charity case.” 

“That bench cannot be comfortable.” 

“Please, they’re kicking me out, and my __ can’t live out on the streets.” 

“All the shelters and halfway houses were full, so here I am.” 

“I didn’t know anyone lived here, I’m sorry!” 

“W-were you living in my attic?” 

“Rent got too much…” 

“i wasn’t-” 

except she WAS gaping, subconsciously, but it was still gaping all the same. in her defence, she had just been working on one of the more BIZARRE invasions she’s ever experienced and was interrupted by rose tyler - who she’s sure she left in an alternate universe quite a FEW years ago now. 

“the files that we need are ENCRYPTED. i’m trying t’ crack them but-” she raises her hands feebly before returning them to the keyboard she’s attached to the block of computers. “it’s gonna take time t’ do it remotely. what i really need is-” 

her eyes travel back over to the new addition, springing to her feet. “feel free t’ say no - i hate t’ ask you so SOON but… we need t’ go back IN there. if i can get to the main computer, i can crack those files open a lot easier, we could get to the SOURCE manually instead of having to go through all of this. but i got swamped the last time i went in there. i need someone t’ keep them off of my back long enough for me t’ get t’ the computer there. what do y’ say? for old times’ sake?”

Rose blinked as the Doctor suddenly jumped up and reflexively, she looked over in askance. As the woman finished up her request, or more, her implication, Rose’s lips twitched up in that special tongue-touched smile that she saved just for the Doctor. “You silly Time Lord... you think you even have to ask?” 

Abandoning the computer she had been working on, she straightened up and put her hands on her hips. “What are we dealing with in there? Big dumb ones, small clever ones, or a mixture of the two? More talking in circles or proper fighting?”

Rose had to stop and marvel at how easy it was to just fall back into it with the Doctor, despite all that had changed, for both of them, being here, doing what they were doing, it just felt right. 

                                             “Whatever our souls are made of,                                                    his and mine are the same.”                                                            — Emily Brontë

                                              “He’s like FIRE and ICE and RAGE.                             He’s like the NIGHT and the STORM in the heart of the sun.                                                 He’s ANCIENT  and FOREVER.                   He BURNS at the centre of TIME and can see the turn of the universe…                                                        And… he’s WONDERFUL.“

the doctor is DEEP in thought, deep in the tangles of wires and machinery that she had managed to RIP from the walls of the basement she had just been chased out of. all of this amazing technology, she reminds herself, and humans NEVER change. they just CONSUME new devices without even thinking to check what they’re ACTUALLY doing. and now people were paying the ultimate price. 

she’s working against the clock, the entire system is deadlock sealed, not even her new and IMPROVED sonic could work it’s way through that. no, this has to be done CAREFULLY, and it has to be done right - although they were being TAKEN over by something, the people in those helmets are still just that - PEOPLE.

another ENCRYPTED file to crack, and the doctor’s patience is wearing thin - when she notices another voice in the room. one IMPLYING that she doesn’t know what she’s doing. 

“i can assure you, NOBODY knows what they’re doing better than i do-”

her words fall FLAT - are her eyes deceiving her? perhaps the walls and walls of code she’s had to crack have finally fried her mind. either that or ROSE TYLER is standing before her. but that’s not JUST it. it’s rose but it ISN’T. no, this is something else altogether, another mystery for the doctor to unravel. 

wait - where’s the DOCTOR? does she really look like a companion? well, she is her own TYPE, she supposes. 

“me-” she points to herself, the gesture WEAK and confused. “it’s me. i’m the doctor.” 

way to sound convincing.

Rose looked up from what she was doing when the woman stopped to turn around. She raised a skeptical brow as the woman insisted she knew what she was doing, her eyes skimming down over the mess of tangled wires that had the woman somewhat trapped. “Surely...” she said, her tone doubtful. 

As the woman fell silent for a moment, Rose turned back to what she had been doing. Just because the mechanics of the task were out of her reach, in the absence of the Doctor she was their best shot, especially if this woman was the other option. She had just had a stroke of luck with one of the security walls as the woman began to speak again, causing her to momentarily miss the words. 

“Gotcha,” she said, keying away once more as she hit another line of defense. “I’m sorry, you said wha--” her words caught as her brain finally caught up. Turning slowly, she looked at the woman, her eyes beginning to scrutinize her anew.

Then. 

“Oh thank god,” she murmured, rolling her eyes as she turned back to her task. “Well now that we’ve got that straightened out, you wanna help me out with this, or did your Time Lord sense for gaping at inappropriate times carry over?” 

Internally, her mind was thrown into overdrive as her subconscious went to work processing this new bit of information. The Doctor was a woman now? She would have called the woman a liar, but even her near infantile telepathic sense could tell that that would have been a fruitless argument.