“Look, down there. This must be the place we’re looking for.”

The merchant had told them to take a left after turning into the street, and this had brought them to a small road, lined with unremarkable houses on both sides except for one which definitely stood out. It was larger than the others, for one, and stood isolated from the others, the area surrounding it bare of anything other than yellowing grass. The building itself had a dreary, forbidding appearance, enclosed as it was by a high metallic fence, its front wall devoid of windows, a surveillance camera above its heavy front door.

As they approached, a man within the enclosure came into view, marching down one side of the building. They scrambled for cover, managing to hide behind a hedge of a house on the other side of the street before the man could see them. They watched as he walked around the corner, paused at the front door to scan the street, and disappeared around the other side of the building.

A guard patrolling the perimeter. Great. It would have been too easy otherwise.

“Alright, I think we need a plan,” she said in a low voice.

“Agreed. I suggest we circle the building and see if we can find an easier way in – there must be a window somewhere, or at least a smaller door, one without a security camera. ”

“Yeah, or we could walk up to the front door,” she suggested with a raised eyebrow. “That’s usually the kind of plan you like, no? Take me to your leader, that kind of thing. And, well, if they want to take use prisoner, them just let them. We can find a way to escape once we’re inside and reunited with your future self.”

“Let’s keep this as a last resort, shall we?” he answered with an amused smile. “After all, he’s had over two hours to free himself, and he hasn’t managed to do so yet. Who says we’d do any better? No, I think we should try to find a back door, first.”

Rose nodded in agreement, and together they circled the building as best as they could. They had to stray far from the fence sometimes, the surrounding area of grass making it difficult to move while staying out of sight of the patrolling guard. They reached the back of the building by taking a side alley and trespassing into the backyard of the house situated directly behind it, crouching behind some bushes to observe the building without being seen.

The Doctor had been right. There was a door there, and from what she could see there weren’t any cameras, either.

“So, what do you think? Is this our way in?”

“Hmm, maybe. Let’s wait for the guard pass by, first.”

A few minutes trickled down in silence. Rose sat down on the ground, letting the Doctor keep watch as she stretched. The day had been one giant roller-coaster, and it was far from over yet. She squinted at the sky to see that the sun was already dipping down towards the horizon, and she suddenly felt the urge to get moving, now. They had to rescue the Doctor, and quickly. She wanted to watch the opening ceremony in a few hours with both of them by her side.

“That’s not going to work.” The voice of the Doctor by her side startled her out of her thoughts. “I’ve counted the time the guard takes to complete his circuit, or rather, the time when this side of the building is not in his line of sight. He’s not absolutely regular, but it’s a few minutes, at most. That won’t be enough time for both of us to sprint from here to the fence, to climb it and go back down again, and to find the correct setting on the sonic to open this door. It can’t see it too clearly from here but it looks like the front door, which I could see in a second was a double encrypted security door – this takes much longer to sonic open than normal locks.”

Rose nodded as she listened to him, her brow furrowed. There had to be a way, nonetheless. So, their problem was that they didn’t have enough time. What they needed, then, was for the guard’s patrol to take longer. And for this, what was required was a distraction. It was simple logic.

Maybe she could go back and… Yes, that would work. He wouldn’t like the idea, but it would work.

“Right. I’ll do it. I’ll buy you more time,” she declared, a determined glint in her eyes.

“I don’t follow.”

“I’ll distract the guard. I’ll go to the front of the building and delay his patrol. You can use that extra time to get inside.”

“Rose, I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” he cautioned, frowning.

“No, listen, it’s perfect! I know what I’ll do, too: I’ll walk up to the guard and ask him to fetch his boss. I’ll say I loved his products so much I want to place a special order, a very… lucrative special order. I’m sure he’ll want to come and talk to me then, and that will mean one less person for you to deal with inside.”

He opened his mouth to argue and closed it again without a word. It was clear that he wasn’t happy with the thought of her putting herself in danger like that, especially since he wouldn’t be able to help her if thing went south, but it was a good plan, and they both knew it.

“Very well,” he agreed reluctantly, “but please be careful, Rose. Don’t take any unnecessary risks.”

“I will, I promise. But you know, I’m no rookie, I’ve been in worse situations before.” She had meant to be reassuring but her words only seemed to make him more uneasy, so she gave him a teasing grin, trying to relieve the tension. “Anyway, you’re one to talk, always rushing into danger. And I can’t even imagine how it’s going to be when you free your future self. Two Doctors together, that just means twice the trouble.”

It worked. He chuckled, reaching over to squeeze her hand in his.

“Rose Tyler, what terrible things have my other selves gotten you used to? You’d see, if you travelled with me – I’d only take you to peaceful worlds and leisure planets. I’d fill your days with cruises on azure waters and outdoors concerts underneath the sunset. No trouble of any kind involved.”

“Somehow I very much doubt that,” she answered, laughing to hide the flutter in her chest. “I know you. You’d get bored in no time. You’d pretend to be aiming for the Ball of the Grand Duchess’ Ball of Xalthir, in celebration a thousand years of peace, and land us smack dab in the middle of the next century’s revolution instead.”

“What, and miss out on the chance to waltz with you? No, no, the revolution would have to wait. Of course we could always find a way to cause a bit of scandal at the Ball while we’re there. Parties on Xalthir do tend to be a bit dull.”

“That sounds like a bit of trouble I wouldn’t be opposed to.”

She smiled at him, taken by the vision of this adventure they could never share. He raised her hand to his lips, and the twinge of longing in her heart that had been there ever since she had met him grew to almost physical pain. She averted her eyes with a sigh and pushed herself off the wall.

“We can dance once this is over, but for now there’s some very real trouble that we have to take care of. Once the guard passes by again I’ll make my way to the front door and wait for him there.”

He nodded, his expression becoming serious once more as he considered her words.

“Understood. I’ll wait a few minutes by the door before going in, to give the guard enough time to fetch his master. I don’t expect there to be a lot of people left inside to deal with, once he’s gone – this is a clandestine operation after all, they are unlikely to be a large group.”

Rose shifted uncertainly, suddenly overcome with the same concern he’d felt for her earlier.

“Be careful in there, Doctor. We don’t know what they might be capable of.”

“It’s alright. I’ve been in worse situations before,” he assured her with a grin, mirroring her words from before. “But that reminds me…”

He searched his pockets for a few moments before taking out a small metallic object that looked somewhat like a can of pepper spray. She looked at it with a puzzled look when he handed it to her.

“What is it?”

“An Ethynian blaster. Nifty little thing. It can create a subsonic sound wave that will momentarily knock out anyone in front of it without inflicting any permanent damage.”

“You’re giving me a weapon?”

“Well, a non-lethal one. It’ll even out the playing field. That guard had a laser pistol strapped to his belt. It occurred to me that using the sonic to open the door might set up an alarm of some sort, and if that happens they will immediately become suspicious of you. Rose, take it, please. It will make me feel much better to know that you have it.”

“Alright,” she relented as she pocketed the blaster. “You’re right, it might come in handy. What about you, though?”

“Don’t worry, I can handle myself,” he said dismissively. “Now, one final thing."

His eyes darted down to her neck, and she was suddenly reminded of the necklace she was still wearing. She raised her hand up to touch it, feeling a bit self-conscious after the charged moment they had exchanged earlier, but he had already raised his eyes back up to fix them firmly on hers.

“You should take it off before you go. He’ll know this isn’t one of his own creations and it might make him wary.”

She nodded, reaching up to undo the clasp. She hesitated for a moment, looking at the necklace as it pooled in the palm of her hand, still golden and shimmering, before closing her fingers around it and extending her hand to him.

“Here, you hold on to it for me. This way we have to see each other again after you free your other self.”

“Do you think I would sneak off to my TARDIS without a goodbye?” he chuckled, but his expression sobered when she shrugged uncertainly and looked away. His mouth twisted down in a sad smile at the sight, and after a moment he reached out to take the necklace from her, pocketing it with a sigh. When her gaze didn’t return to him he raised a hand to her cheek, gently forcing her to look at him again.

“I’m sorry, Rose. I would like to blame my other selves for giving you a bad opinion of me, but I know I’m not blameless in this matter, either. It’s true that I’m not always good at handling goodbyes. But I won’t do that to you, Rose. I won’t leave without seeing you again. After all,” he added with a small smile, “I remember you suggesting a dance once this is over, and I’m very much looking forward to it.”

She bit her lip as she chuckled softly, her cheeks flushing under the warmth in his eyes.

“I am, too,” she assured him. His thumb stroked the apple of her cheek and her eyes drifted close as she struggled not to nuzzle into his hands.

It was hard to remember that this Doctor barely knew her when he did things like that, and she wondered why he allowed himself so much familiarity with her. Surely he had noticed by now the effect he had on her, had probably realized how she felt about him. Why wasn’t he keeping his distance, then? With his future self, despite how close they were, the mere hint of a relationship was usually enough to send him running, or at the very least make him do everything he could to distract her from –

Her train of thought blinked out of existence as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead. His kiss lingered, and she reflexively reached out for the lapel of his coat, smoothing the fabric under her fingers as she barely dared to breathe.

“I’ll see you soon,” he whispered when he pulled back, his lips still hovering centimeters from her skin.

She swallowed thickly as she nodded, not thrusting her voice, and she forced herself to take a step back before she did something she’d regret. The guard had just disappeared around the corner, and she stepped out of their hiding place without a word, resolutely making her way back to the front of the building.

She still hadn’t regained her composure by the time she reached the front gate, and she paused for a second to take a deep breath, admonishing herself as she did so. This wasn’t the time to indulge her feelings. There were two Doctors counting on her.

Rose walked up to the fence just as the guard turned the corner, and he eyed her suspiciously as he approached, his hand hovering uncertainly above the weapon on his belt.

“Hello,” she greeted him with her brightest, friendliest smile. “Beautiful day, isn’t it? Listen, I was hoping to talk to your boss. You know, the one that does all those lovely empathic pieces? I saw some of his work today and I absolutely adore it. I’d love to talk business with him, I have a proposition I’m sure he’ll like – a very profitable one.”

The stern expression on the guard’s face did not waver as talked.

“Wait here,” he ordered her before turning back towards the building. She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding once he disappeared inside.

Phase one done. Now she just had to hold both the guard and the artist’s attention long enough for the Doctor to find his future self and escape. It should be easy, right?

Time ticked by without the guard returning, and she began to feel edgy. By her best estimate close to five minutes had passed since she’d left the Doctor. Any longer now and he’d sonic the door open, without her having been able to distract the people inside.

“Come on, come on,” she urged under her breath. She sighed in relief when the front door opened only to tense once again when she saw the guard returning alone.

“Master Tva’n has agreed to see you. Come in, I’ll take you to him,” he announced, unlocking the fence gate for her to step through.

She swallowed nervously, hesitating for a fraction of a second. She hadn’t expected this – she’d thought the man would come outside to meet her rather than risk a potential investor discovering the truth behind his operation.

There was nothing to be done now, though. With a curt nod, she stepped through the gate, waiting for the guard to lock it behind her before following him through the door.

The building was dark and eerily still, their footsteps echoing loudly in the succession of empty rooms through which the man guided her. The whole place seemed completely deserted, in fact. The Doctor had been right, then – a clandestine operation such as this meant very few people involved.

“Here we are,” the guard announced, leading her into yet another room.

That one wasn’t empty, though. On the far side of the room was what looked like a security station, with the video feed of the security camera at the front of the building, as well as a number of others apparently spread out over a big part of the city. There were a few chairs and a desk in a corner, covered with sheets of paper, and to her right was a heavy door with a small key pad above its handle. The guard walked up to it and knocked.

“Master, she’s here.”

“Very good,” came the answer from the other side. There was the sound of a chair scraping against the floor followed by a few rushed, muffled whispers. Then the door opened by a fraction and two men slipped through its opening before closing it behind them.

The first one stayed by the door, watching her as he idly fiddled with the weapon in his hands. The other walked towards her with a confident step and extended a hand for her to shake. That was Tva’n, then. He definitely didn’t look like any artist she’d ever met, and she spared a moment to wonder how the merchants of the city had ever mistaken him for one. He was dressed in dull and sombre clothes, from his gloved hands to his heavy boots, his appearance so unlike the colorful look of the natives she’d seen so far. There was a hard and sour expression on his face, one that couldn’t quite be hidden under the mask of affability he had no doubt put on for her.

“You can go back to your patrol outside, Gerick,” he told the first guard, who nodded and left the room without a word. He turned towards her then and gave her a cold smile. “Welcome to my humble studio, Miss. Sorry about the excessive security, but one can never be too careful. I’m sure you understand. My name is Tva’n, designer of empathic art. And you are…?”

“Rose Tyler. As I told your guard, I saw your work earlier today, and I just had to come see you. I have a proposition for you that I’m sure will –“

“Please, just one thing before we talk business,” he interrupted her with a raised hand. “I would like to hear your opinion on this piece, as the connoisseur that you no doubt are.”

He took out a long, thick chain necklace from his pocket and held it out for her to see. It looked nothing like the delicate designs of the counterfeit jewelry she’d seen earlier, but she put on an approving smile despite her surprise.

“Oh, yes, I do like it. It looks very… commanding.”

“Here, why don’t you try it on – please, I insist,” he added when she started to protest.

She complied and slid it around her neck, puzzled by this odd request. The metal seemed to come to life under her touch, its gleam shining brighter, and Rose frowned. If this was a fake, it was very well done.

“Ah, lovely, just lovely,” Tva’n complimented with a satisfied nod. “And now – no, no, you can keep it on – now we can talk business.”

He looked at her with a slight smirk on his face that he couldn’t seem to suppress, and it deepened Rose’s uneasiness. She had the feeling that something wasn’t quite right, but she had no other choice than to stick with her plan. For all she knew, the Doctor had already opened the door without triggering any alarms, and was rescuing his other self at this very moment. She had to keep the two men’s attention on her for as long as she could.

“Great. Here’s my proposition: my native planet doesn’t have that kind of art, and I would like to help you export your products there. I am sure this would –“

The necklace around her neck suddenly flashed mauve, and in a fraction of a second the guard had his weapon trained on her. Rose froze, surprised.

“Terribly sorry, Miss Tyler, but I’m afraid we won’t be becoming partners,” Tva’n sniggered, wicked amusement on his face. “Did you really think we wouldn’t be suspicious of the second humanoid we met today, considering the first almost exposed us to the entire city? I’m not one to let a potentially lucrative opportunity pass me by, though, so I wanted to be certain you weren’t telling the truth. And this is where this neat little trick comes into play.”

He took a step towards her, taking hold of the chain with two fingers. Rose stiffened at his proximity, but the weapon pointed towards her kept her still.

“This is not one of mine, you see – it’s genuine, and very useful, too. You see, it only responds to touch in two ways: it flashes white when the person holding it tells the truth and mauve when they lie. Practically infallible. We used it on your friend, too – that’s how we knew he wasn’t alone. He didn’t –“

A loud alarm started blaring inside the building, and the two men started at the noise, looking away from her for a moment.

A moment was all she needed.

In the blink of an eye she had the Ethynian blaster out of her pocket and was pressing down on the trigger. There was no sound, only a sort of sudden pressure weighing down on her head and making her wince. The two men seemed to have it worse, however: they had recoiled away from her, their hands raised up to their heads in an attempt to protect themselves. They wobbled for a few seconds, hunched over, before finally collapsing on the floor, unconscious

Rose leaned against the wall, struggling to catch her breath. The Doctor had mentioned that this was a directional weapon, but no doubt the sound wave had rebounded off the walls of the small room. She hadn’t taken the brunt of the blast, but it had certainly been enough to make her dizzy. She forced herself to take deep breaths as she tried to compose herself. The alarm was still blaring, the sound somewhat dimmer in her ears now. There was no doubt that the first guard, the one who had returned to the front door, was hearing it too and would be here soon. She needed to be ready for him, but she wasn’t sure if she could take another indirect hit from the blaster.

She heard the sound of footsteps coming closer and closer and she pushed herself off the wall with a groan. She stood facing the doorway, the blaster held up in a shaky grip, but the face she saw appearing through the door made her shoulders slump in relief.

“Rose!”

The Doctor hurried to her and looped an arm around her waist, supporting her as her unsteady legs almost gave out. “Are you alright? I thought you were going to distract them outside, not …” He trailed off, looking around at the limp bodies on the floor and at the blaster hanging loosely in her hand. Concern filled his gaze as he lifted it back to hers. “Did you use that in here?”

“Yeah,” she answered shakily. “The sound wave must have… bounced off the walls – I didn’t think…”

“Oh, Rose, I’m sorry. I should have warned you. Here, just rest for a bit,” he said as he wrapped his other arm around her, tugging her closer until her forehead rested against his chest. “How’s your head?”

“Getting better,” she mumbled into his coat, the sound of his heartbeats and the smell of him filling her senses and soothing her dizziness away. She wrapped her arms around him, feeling herself melt in his embrace. One of his hands started to stroke a lazy path up and down her back, and she sighed in contentment.

“Boss? What’s going on? Everything alright?”

The shout originating from the direction of the front door brought her back to her senses. The alarm was still blaring inside the building, and the other guard would soon be upon them. The Doctor released her from his embrace, his eyes hard and determined.

“Just wait here. I’ll bear it better than you,” he told her, taking the blaster from her hand.

She wanted to protest but she knew he was right. She stood and watched as he stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. She waited in suspense as the sound of running could be heard approaching, followed by the crash of a door being wrenched open, a shout of surprise, and then… nothing.

After a few seconds of agonizing silence she ran to the door and threw it open to see the Doctor standing a few meters away, his back to her, the body of the second guard lying unconscious on the floor in front of him. As he turned to face her he seemed to sway slightly on his feet, and it was her turn to rush to him.

“Doctor!”

She looped an arm around his waist as he wrapped one around her shoulders. He leaned against her for a moment, his eyes squeezed shut, before looking down at her with an unsteady smile.

“I’m fine, don’t worry. I hadn’t used one of these in a while, I’d forgotten how powerful they were. Sorry, just… give me a moment.”

She nodded mutely, not trusting herself to speak. She knew it was neither the time nor the place, but she couldn’t help it – having his arms around her for the second time in mere minutes was making her heart flutter and her breath catch in her throat. She looked away, hoping he wouldn’t notice the color blooming on her cheeks.

They were both silent for a moment before he straightened up. She made to step away, but his hand drifted down to intertwine with hers, keeping her close.

“Let’s find my idiot of a future self before these three regain consciousness, shall we?”

“That’s a good plan,” she chuckled softly. “And I think I know where he might be: there’s a door with a key pad in the next room, and that’s where Tva’n and the other guard were when I first walked in. My bet is that’s where he is. They mentioned something about how they knew he wasn’t alone – they must have gotten it out of him before coming to meet me.”

“Yes, that seems likely. Let’s have a look.”

They walked back to the room they had just left, stepping over the bodies of the two men still unconscious on the floor to reach the heavy door she had noticed earlier.

Rose tried the door handle, not at all surprised when it didn’t budge – it was very likely that it needed the correct sequence of numbers inputted on the pad in order to open. She raised an eyebrow in the Doctor’s direction and he smiled, twirling the sonic between his fingers.

“Child’s play.”

He adjusted its settings and held it up to the pad, and seconds later the door unlocked with a small click. They share a look of anticipation before Rose pushed the door open, carefully looking over the threshold.

This was no doubt the room where Tva’n made his counterfeit pieces – it was large and filled with crates, its walls and counters lined with schematics and glowing chemicals. And in the middle of it all…

In the middle was her Doctor, blindfolded and gagged, sitting with his hands bound behind the back of a chair and his ankles tied to each leg.

“Doctor!”

In a second she was at his side, the blindfold slipped off his head and the gag removed from his mouth. He blinked up at her in surprise before a wide smile slowly spread over his face.

“Hello!”

“Hi!” she chuckled.

“Rose Tyler. I knew I could count on you! You’re brilliant, you know that?”

“Save the compliments for later, we still have to get out of here,” she answered, smiling brightly despite her words of warning. She lowered her gaze to his restraints, which were made of a material similar to a rope but that looked much stronger, and she frowned.

“Doctor, do you think the sonic can cut through this?”

“Yeah, it should work. If you look in my right pocket, you should –“

“Hmm, this looks like reinforced Xercanium rope. Yes, setting 211A should do the trick nicely, I think.”

The Doctor tied to the chair cut himself off abruptly when he realized there was a second voice answering Rose’s question. He looked at her with wide, disbelieving eyes and she answered with a sheepish smile, stepping aside so he could see his past self, fiddling with his sonic a few steps behind her.

“You! What are you doing here?”

“I believe the words you are looking for are thank you,” retorted the other with a mocking bow as he approached. “In which case, please don’t mention it. It was the least I could do – or, well, there‘s nothing else to do, really, when my future self is being so foolish.”

“You – you –“

The Doctor on the chair sputtered as the other knelt in front of him and set to work on the bindings around his legs.

“Stop moving so much, will you? Unless you want me to cut through your trousers at the same time.”

“Doctor, behave”, Rose chided, a sparkle of amusement in her eyes. “Both of you,” she added pointedly when they both looked at her with similar expression of protest. She bit her lip to keep from laughing, watching as the Doctor on the chair glared in silence at the one kneeling in front of him.

She was distracted a few seconds later by a small noise coming from the other room, and she moved back to the doorway to investigate. Both men were still lying on the floor, but the guard had turned on his back, holding his hands to his head as he groaned feebly.

“They’re waking up! We have to hurry!” Rose called back in alarm.

The rope around the Doctor’s legs had fallen apart and the other Doctor had started working on the on binding his wrists, but at her warning he straightened up with a smirk.

“Right. Sorry, old chap, no time for the hands. We have to run!” he said, already moving towards the door.

“Hey, wait! Come back here!” the Doctor protested as he stood up awkwardly, his hands tied behind his back restraining his movements, but the other had already caught up with Rose. He watched with more than a little annoyance as his past self grabbed her hand with a familiarity he should by no means have and tugged her forward.

‘Doctor, come on!” Rose called behind her shoulder, finally prompting him to move.

They dashed down the corridor, and the Doctor’s jaw clenched as he saw his past self lean in to whisper something in Rose’s ear. Her answering laughter, which was usually one of his favorite sounds in the world, set something stirring unpleasantly inside him. Somehow, he had the feeling that the sooner his past self left, the better.

She perused the shops as she walked, looking with curiosity at the strange, sweet-smelling food, at the eclectic works of art on display, at the clothes, loose and colorful like the natives favoured. The Doctor had left her some local money, and she was eager to spend it, but there were so many interesting things that she couldn’t really settle on anything. Then her eyes landed on some jewelry, made of a metal quite unlike anything she’d ever seen before. She lightly ran her fingers over the ornaments and it was as though they were responding to her touch – some vibrating with a strange chime, others shining in various colors or patterns. They were all different, and all equally fascinating.

She finally settled on one, a necklace with a gem that glowed in a beautiful golden light whenever it touched her skin. The vendor congratulated her on her choice with an obsequious smile, but his expression soured when she offered him the coins the Doctor had given her, turning instantly into one of hostile suspicion.

“What are you trying to pull? I’ve never seen money like this before. I certainly won’t let you pay with it. You thought I was some gullible fool that you could trick with false currency, is that it?”

“No! I – I’m sorry, I thought…” she stammered, the colour rising in her cheeks. “My friend gave me these, he must have made a mistake. I’ll go find him and I’ll come back right away, I swear. Just keep that necklace aside for me, alright?”

The vendor only narrowed his eyes in distrust, scowling as he watched her hurry out of his shop. She hastened away, putting enough distance between her and the shop to ensure that the crowd had engulfed her and screened her from view, before slowing down again.

Well, that had been… particularly unpleasant. Why had the Doctor given her the wrong currency? Had he landed them in the wrong place, or the wrong time? It wouldn’t be the first time, after all. Or had he just been too distracted to realize he’d handed her the wrong coins? That… wouldn’t be surprising at all, actually.

She scanned the crowd, searching for familiar spiky brown hair among the alien heads. A good ten minutes had passed since they’d parted ways, so he should be making his way back to her any minute now. Best not to wander too far away looking for him, then. She spotted a bench close by and made her way there to wait.

And wait some more.

The Doctor was over fifteen minutes late, and she was getting sick of sitting around waiting for him. She was itching to get on her feet and do something, but chances were they would just miss each other if she started moving. Or worse, she could get lost in the labyrinth of streets – the market was pretty big, from what she’d seen.

“Doctor, where are you?” she grumbled, annoyed. The glare of the sun seemed to intensify with each passing minute, and the heat was starting to get to her. With the apparently useless currency she carried, she couldn’t even buy anything to quench the thirst she was starting to feel.

She fanned herself with her hand as she considered her options. Maybe she could ask around, see if anyone had seen him. Or she could go back to the TARDIS and wait for him there. She was… almost sure she remembered the way back –

The unmistakable whir of the TARDIS engines froze her in place for a moment. What – He would never leave her here – Why –

She took off running towards the sound, her mind empty of anything except the surge of panic and adrenaline coursing through her. She rushed down the street, heedless of the dense crowd, shouting hasty apologies to the people she jostled along the way. She took a hurried turn, her frenzy reaching a peak as the sound of the engines started to fade before disappearing in the rumble of the crowd.

She slowed to a stop, panting as she surveyed the area around her. The TARDIS was nowhere to be seen, and to add to this she had no idea where she was, the area around her being not the least bit familiar. Well, she thought grimly, if the Doctor had truly left, she would have plenty of time to get acquainted to the place.

But, wait – the area wasn’t the least bit familiar. This wasn’t where they’d landed earlier today. So what had she just heard? If that sound hadn’t been the TARDIS leaving… could it have been the ship materializing, instead?

“Doctor!” she shouted, ignoring the curious stares of the people around her. She waited in silence for a few moments before trying again. “Doctor, where are you? You better not have abandoned on this planet!”

“That would be terribly rude of me, wouldn’t it?”

She whirled around, startled.

There was a man in front of her, dressed like something out of a Jane Austen novel, smiling kindly down at her with polite curiosity. With his green velvet frock coat, silky cravat and long brown curls, he looked as out of place in the middle of a crowd of aliens dressed in vibrant, flowing clothes as she had in her t-shirt and dungaree dress in 1879 Scotland. As she stared at him, his polite expression sharpened into something more, his eyes traveling intently over her as though she was a puzzle he’d love to solve.

“What – Who…” she trailed off. There was something…something she thought she recognized, something in his eyes… But she’d never seen that man before, she was sure of it.

“I’m the Doctor, of course. I believe you were looking for me?”

“You’re the Doctor? But how –”

“Ah, not familiar with the concept of regeneration, are you? I’m afraid that will make any attempt at an explanation rather difficult.”

“No, I – I know about it. Then you’re…”

“Another incarnation, yes. And you are a companion, a future one I would assume, given that I don’t recognize you. It’s strange, however. Your timeline is quite difficult to see. And the rare glimpses I am getting… I’ve never seen one quite so intricately connected with my own. How long have you been traveling with me? ”

“Um… About a year and a half, maybe? It’s hard to tell on the TARDIS, sometimes.”

“Hmmm.”

He ran his hand over his chin as he appraised her, his gaze so penetrating that she averted her eyes, fidgeting under its weight.

“Well, no matter,” he exclaimed suddenly, clapping his hands. “So, you are looking for my other self, correct? Can I assume that I, terrible travel companion that I am, left you to your own devices on this strange world and proceeded to go missing somewhere along the way? I can help you find my future self, if you wish.”

“That’d be great!” she answered, brightening up until a doubt crossed her mind. “Although… wouldn’t that be dangerous? Two of you, at the same place and the same time?”

“Oh no, no need to worry. It’s happened before. For someone with all of time and space at my disposal, it’s funny how often I run into myself. I must have some favorite spots, I suppose. But never mind that – as I was saying, there’s no danger at all. Time Lords have the ability to lock away memories until they’re safe to be remembered again. Although I must say, it will be a shame to forget a lovely young lady such as yourself.”

He gave her a small bow and she giggled, a faint blush heating her cheeks.

“I’m sorry, I’ve been very rude. I haven’t asked you your name yet,” he added as he straightened up.

“It’s Rose. Rose Tyler.”

“Lovely to make your acquaintance, Miss Tyler. Shall we?”

He offered her his arm, and she tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow, beaming at the chivalrous gesture.

“You know, Resznar is a very interesting world,” he began, turning them around and leading her down the street at a leisurely pace, seeming completely unconcerned with the rushing crowd pressing in around them. “There is a mineral compound found only on this planet that is empathic. It’s rather amazing, really: it has the ability to create light, color and even sound in response to a person’s touch. This reaction varies widely from specimen to specimen, and can mean a multitude of things – it can reflect the person’s emotions, of course, but also their thoughts or personality. The people here have learned how to transform this mineral into a variety of objects – works of art, for example, or even clothes. This is why everyone here is dressed so exuberantly. It is simply mirroring how excited they are about the start of the festival tonight.”

Her eyes widened with wonder as he indicated the natives walking around them with a sweep of his hand.

“Then that explains the jewelry I saw, too. There was a necklace that glowed a beautiful golden color when I touched it. Was that an empathic reflection of me, then?”

“Most definitely. The mineral’s reaction can be difficult to interpret, however. Just like there are craftsman specializing in wielding the mineral, there are people making a career out of reading the stone, if you will.”

Rose nodded, fascinated. She began observing the garments of the aliens walking past them with closer attention, wondering what this splash of color or that swirling pattern meant. Some people scowled at her when they saw her staring and Rose turned towards the Doctor, surprised, when she heard him chuckle.

“It is considered rather rude to examine other people’s projections that closely,” he explained.

“But they are wearing empathic clothes for everyone to see! How can it be rude to look?”

“I never said it was logical, did I? I would imagine it’s just like facial expressions, however – some people you can read that way like an open book. Does that mean you wouldn’t mind if someone started scrutinizing your face for every twitch, every frown and every smile? No, probably not. But anyway, as I mentioned, interpreting the reflections is very difficult for most people.”

“But not for you?” she asked with a teasing grin.

“This goes without question, Rose Tyler. I’m not most people, as you well know.”

“Alright, then. What about her? What does her dress tell you?” she asked, pointing to a passerby wearing a complicated splatter of bright colors.

“Didn’t I just say it was rude to do this?”

“Yes, well, you’re pretty rude in general, aren’t you?”

He gave her a weighted look then raised one eyebrow in amusement.

“Very well. This swatch of color on the front of her dress spell out hope and anticipation mixed in with a healthy drop of nervousness. She is obviously going to meet someone at the festival later tonight, someone she likes but hasn’t confessed to yet, hence her stress. Oh, and see that patch of sombre green by her shoulder? That means she’s rather disappointed with the meal she’s just had – lacked a bit of spice.”

“Oh, come on! Now I know you’re kidding!” she protested, leaning into him as she giggled.

“But am I, really? Are you sure?” he replied, grinning down at her.

She laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. Someone rushed past her and pushed her into the Doctor, who glared at the person’s retreating back before securing her more firmly against his side. The crowd seemed to be growing thicker by the minute, and this brought back to mind a comment he had made earlier.

“What is this festival you mentioned earlier?”

“Ah, yes. The famed Annual Summer Exhibition. Has my future self not told you about it?” She shook her head, intrigued. “Strange. I thought this was why you two were here. But I suppose he might have been keeping it a surprise, in which case I apologize for letting the metaphorical cat out of the bag.”

“What’s so special about it that he’d keep it a surprise?”

He nudged her out of the throng and into a side street, rummaging in his pockets until he found a bottle of water. He offered it to her and she took it gratefully, suddenly realizing how parched she was. She rested on the wall as she drank, glad to be out of the oppressive press of bodies for a moment.

“It’s quite a remarkable event, really,” he began again when she handed the bottle back to him. “The people here are proud of the culture that has formed around the mineral, and this is a celebration of it. Every year, the capital city is invaded by thousands of people coming to watch the various events – competitions, exhibits, workshops and trade. And of course there is the opening ceremony. Just as there are people who specialize in crafting the mineral, others specialize in mastering the final products, just like musical instruments. Those people learn to modulate their thoughts and emotions at will while in contact with an empathic object and thus creating veritable wonders of light, color and sound. The opening ceremony is a finely tuned performance by some of the best artists in the world.”

“That sounds amazing.”

“It is. And tonight’s event in particular will go down in history as the most extraordinary display this art form has ever produced. I’ve been itching to see it for a long time, but could never quite make myself go. I wanted to save it for a special occasion.”

“Why? What do you mean?”

“Well, I can only see it once, now, can I? Crossing my own timeline for something like this, as grandiose as it is, is simply too reckless. No, I can only witness this event once, I’m afraid.”

“But then why would he bring me here? My Doctor I mean.” He gave her a sidelong glance, and the fact that she’d just referred to his future self as hers finally registered. She soldiered on, trying to keep the red out of her cheeks. “I mean, didn’t he know you’d be here?”

“Well, that’s the thing, isn’t it? He didn’t know. In order to preserve the timelines I will obviously have to lock away any memory of meeting you here, and therefore of coming here at all. Which means…” He paused, taking the step separating them to grab hold of her hand. He looked down, tracing her knuckles with his thumb. “You must mean a great deal to me in the future for my future self to bring you here, I wouldn’t share this special, treasured bit of space and time with just anyone.”

He lifted her hand to his lips and Rose could only stare at him, transfixed, as his lips lingered on her skin. Their eyes met and held each other, and there was a breathless moment that seemed to stretch on to infinity before he straightened up again. Instead of releasing her hand or tucking it back in the crook of his elbow, however, he took it in his, squeezing it once.

“Ready to go back?” he asked, smiling warmly down at her as he indicated the main street at the end of the alley.

She nodded, not trusting her voice to be steady while he was looking at her like that. This was silly, she thought. This incarnation of his was as good as a stranger to her and would never get the chance to become anything else, and yet she couldn’t help the way she reacted to him. He was a version of the Doctor, after all. And a damn charming one at that.

Shaking off the thought, she followed him through the crowded street, looking at the vendor stalls around them with renewed interest, now that she understood how special their merchandise was. She was really looking forward to the opening ceremony tonight, too. A once in a lifetime event, if the Doctor was to be believed. Which reminded her…

“What about you? What’s the special occasion that made you decide to finally come here today?”

He stiffened, though he tried to hide his reaction to her words. He was silent for a long moment, and Rose was about to apologize for asking what now appeared to be too personal a question when he finally spoke, in a voice so low she had to strain to hear him.

“Something rather unpleasant awaits me very soon, something I did not think I would survive. So I thought it was now or never – a dying man’s last wish, if you will. But then, meeting you here… it brings me hope. Hope that I have a future, that there is something for me beyond this veil of darkness that is my future.”

His last words were hushed, and if she didn’t know any better she would say almost fearful. She looked at him, speechless. He was staring straight ahead, his brow drawn and his jaw clenched, but then in an instant his features transformed into a look of excitement as he flashed her a quick smile.

“Look, I wonder what’s happening over there!” he exclaimed, pointing to a gathering of people on the side of the street and tugging her towards it without waiting for a response.

It was a street performer, creating a melody using a series of humming empathic statuettes. It was lovely, and they watched in silence as the people around them oohed and aahed.

Rose knew the Doctor well enough to recognize this sudden change as a deflection, a way to avoid further discussion on an unwelcome subject. In this, he wasn’t any different from his future regenerations. And just like with his future selves, she would respect his desire and wouldn’t pry any further. She couldn’t help but wonder, though.

She didn’t know which incarnation this Doctor was. In the weeks following his regeneration, she had naturally had many questions to ask him, some he answered good-naturedly and others… not. But he had told her that this was now his tenth body. She had gathered, from what he let slip and what he kept tightly bottled up, that the first one she had met, his ninth body, had been born at the end of the Time War, into the pain and guilt and loneliness that had followed. He had not been the regeneration that had fought it, however.

Could this be the one that did, then? Could this warm, kind version of him be the one to fight through the horrors of the war?

Her heart clenched painfully in her chest at the thought. She glanced at him to see that his face had settled back into a frown as he stared at the street performer, all trace of his previous excitement gone. Sensing her watching him, he tilted his head towards her, and she squeezed his hand in silent comfort. For a moment his eyes shut in something close to pain, but when he opened them again the burden in them had lessened. He gave her a small nod of thanks, and they turned back to watch the artist’s performance in silence.

When it was over Rose tugged on the Doctor’s hand, and they walked away as people around them cheered. She led him among the stalls, exaggerating her enthusiasm as she stopped to examine and comment on the items she saw. The Doctor joined in her exclamations, visibly forcing himself at first, but by the time they reached a shop selling empathic hats and Rose started trying on the most ridiculous ones, they were both laughing with genuine amusement.

They wandered among the kiosks for a while, their original goal of finding her current Doctor seemingly all but forgotten. They ran around the market exclaiming over the things they saw, rushing from one stall to the next and not caring in the least about the curious looks they were attracting. The Doctor rambled on about the history of the planet, the discovery of the mineral and some of its most infamous uses, and Rose couldn’t keep the amused smile that was slowly forming on her face. She giggled in the middle of a completely non-humoristic account of how the world will run out of mineral once it becomes over-exploited in the planet’s recent future, and he stopped, a mock affronted look on his face.

“Something funny, Miss Tyler?”

“I’m sorry, Doctor,” she said, her apology marred by the fact that she was still chuckling, looking far from repentant. “It’s just… you sound so much like… well, like you. The other versions of you I know. Sure, you’re different, just like they were different from each other, too, but at the same time… You know, sometimes I think a big part of the reason why you take on companion is to have someone that will listen to you when you let out all of that knowledge in that big Time Lord brain of yours.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Am I boring you, Rose, with all of this tedious knowledge?”

“No! No, that’s not what I meant! I enjoy listening to you!” she protested, laughing.

“Of course you do. Though I couldn’t blame you if my future selves have bored you on occasion. If they’re anything like my past ones – of which I have no doubt – then they never know when to shut up, the pompous, long-winded, self-important old geezers…”

He wrinkled his nose in distaste, and Rose beamed at him in amusement.

“Not a fan of yourself, I take it?”

“I like myself just fine, Rose Tyler. Best incarnation there is, yet.”

He winked at her and she giggled, her tongue poking teasingly out of the corner of her lips. For just an instant his eyes drifted to it, and she felt a strange swooping sensation at the sight. When he dragged his gaze back to hers she could have sworn that there was a faint flush on his cheeks. He averted his eyes, clearing his throat as he did so, and tugged on her hand to get them moving again.

She let herself be pulled away, trying to get her pounding heart under control. There was nothing to be done – against all instincts of self-preservation she had, she was well on her way to falling for this Doctor, as well. Any body, any face he wore, she seemed to be powerless to resist him. This amazing, wonderful, silly alien had stolen her heart a while ago, and now it was his, whichever version of himself he happened to be.

It was probably selfish of her, but she wished she could get to know all of his incarnations. She wished she could have been with him from the beginning and stay with him until the end. At the very least, she wished she could get to know this version of him better. She would spend her days trying to see that flush on his cheeks again.

She was following the Doctor down the street, lost in her musings, when she became aware of an insistent gaze trained on her. She scanned the crowd, feeling uneasy, until her eyes fell on a merchant standing beside his wares, eyeing her with mistrust.

She froze for an instant, her back stiffening as she recognized him. The jewelry vendor from before. And from the looks of it, his opinion of her hadn’t improved in the time that had passed since she’d left his shop.

Feeling herself flush with embarrassment, she looked away, trying not to let it bother her. The Doctor had felt the stutter in her steps, however, and stopped her with a look of concern.

“What is it? Something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing. Just…”

Her eyes darted against her will to the merchant still staring at her, and the Doctor followed her gaze with a frown.

“Rose, why is that man glaring at you like you are a villain plotting his downfall?”

She bit her lip, shuffling on her feet before sighing in resignation. The whole thing was just so ridiculous.

“Well… future you had left in search of some parts for the TARDIS, and I was just having a look around when I saw this really gorgeous necklace. You’d left me some money, but when I tried to pay it turns out you’d given me the wrong type of currency. I don’t think the merchant believed me when I said it was a mistake – he probably thinks I was trying to steal from him.”

“Hmmm.”

The Doctor hummed pensively, his eyes narrowed at the man who had turned away to help another customer.

“Doctor, it’s alright, it doesn’t matter. Just let it drop,” she protested, tugging on his hand to drag him away.

He resisted her attempts, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Nonsense, Rose. It was my future self’s negligence that put you in this situation, it’s only natural that I should put things right again.”

He strode towards the stall, Rose having no other choice but to keep up with him. The merchant saw them approach and looked at Rose with mistrust, but one glance at the Doctor and his expression changed into one of grovelling servility.

“Ah, dear lady, so you found your friend! You came back for the necklace?”

“Yes, yes, she found me, here I am! I’m so sorry, silly me, we’ve been travelling so much that I got the currency confused. You can understand, I’m sure. Rose, what exactly did you try to pay with?”

She handed him the coins, and his eyebrows flew up in exaggerated astonishment.

“Oh dear, it’s a good thing for us the transaction was denied. Taking the exchange rate into consideration, these are worth quite a good deal more than anything we could buy in this shop.”

He pocketed the alien money with a benign smile thrown in the merchant’s direction, whose eyes had bulged out in shock – and most likely in regret, as well.

“Now, will you kindly get the lady’s necklace?”

The man nodded and walked away to fetch it, and Rose used that opportunity to lean in close to the Doctor.

“Are those coins really worth that much, Doctor?” she whispered.

“I have no idea. I’ve never seen their kind before. I don’t even know what planet they’re from.”

Rose shook her head at him in amusement, but the merchant coming back with a small jewelry box prevented her from saying anything else. The disgruntled look of the vendor as the Doctor pocketed the alien coins and handed him some plain, old Resznar money instead had Rose biting her lips to suppress her laughter.

Now that she knew the empathic nature of the necklace, she was eager to try it on again and see how it would react to her touch this time. If its glow had been a reflection of her emotions, there was no way the gem would react the same way –she’d definitely gone through a whole spectrum of them since the last time she’d touched it

“Allow me,” said a smooth voice next to her, startling her from her contemplation.

She nodded, and the Doctor took the chain from her hands, stepping behind her to fasten the clasp. His fingers brushed the gem as he did so, and for a moment it glowed a gorgeous cerulean blue color that stole her breath away.

“There, all done.”

The Doctor walked back to face her, but the moment his eyes lighted on the gem he froze. It had changed again when it touched the skin of her collarbone, and it was now shining in the same golden color as before. The Doctor stood staring at it, seemingly spellbound.

Her hand went up to touch the pendant, worried.

“What is it, Doctor? Something wrong with the necklace?”

“No, it’s…” His voice was hoarse, and he cleared his throat before beginning again. “It’s beautiful, that’s all.”

He raised his eyes back to hers, and she was startled to see the intensity in them. It seemed as though they were piercing through her and looking into her soul.

He reached a tentative hand forward and she watched, breathless, as it stopped a hair’s breadth away from the gem. She dropped her own hand in silent permission, and he swallowed thickly before slowly closing the gap, stroking the pendant with the tip of his fingers.

For a moment the gem seemed to pulsate, wavering, and then the same gorgeous blue color erupted in its center, swirling in perfect harmony with the golden glow. It was one of the most beautiful things she’d ever seen, and though she didn’t understand the meaning behind it, the sight of it made her heart feel so full that it almost ached.

She dragged her gaze back to the Doctor. He was still staring at the pendant, his eyes dark and full of a storm of emotions she couldn’t begin to read. She watched him for a moment, barely daring to breathe in fear of breaking the spell he seemed to be under, but then his gaze snapped up to hers. In the blink of an eye he had dropped his hand and backed a few steps away, looking anywhere but her.

“Yes, very good. Excellent purchase,” he said, his voice strained, running a hand through his hair in agitation. “Now how about we – hold on, what’s this?”

Still reeling from what had just happened and the way it suddenly ended, Rose could only blink in confusion. The Doctor was frowning at a display of very expensive-looking pieces of empathic jewelry in a section of the store. The merchant hurried over when he saw him looking, an obsequious smile on his face.

“Ah yes, the gentleman has a good eye. These are my newest arrivals. They were created by an up-and-coming artist who’s been all the rage recently. I was lucky enough to snatch up a few of his products. You can see for yourself how good his designs are.”

“Yes, well, what I can see is that they are most certainly fake. These were not made from real empathic mineral, no doubt about it. Oh, the imitation is admittedly convincing enough for most people, but I am not most people.” He picked up a bracelet that flashed a bright green under his touch, dangling it in front of his eyes for a moment. “Yes, as I thought, these are coated with a chemical substance that is designed to respond to touch in a pre-determined way. It will look just like the real empathic mineral to untrained eyes, except for the fact that this substance will fade away in time, and then I suspect you will have very angry customers on your hands.”

The shock on the merchant’s face seemed genuine.

“Are – are you sure? How do you know...?”

“Quite sure. The residual smell is very distinctive to my superior olfactory system, I’m afraid.”

The other man snatched the bracelet from the Doctor’s grip and sniffed it, his face darkening into a scowl.

“Then he tricked me – he tricked all of us, the good-for-nothing scum!”

“Who is? Where does this merchandise come from?”

“From a stranger who moved here only a few weeks ago. None of us knew anything about him, but his products were so popular... We didn’t question it. He made fools out of all of us. I won’t stand for it! Wait till the other merchants hear this. We have a reputation to maintain, you know?”

“Where can we find him?” asked Rose, stepping forward to join in on the conversation. “Maybe we should pay him a visit, Doctor. Because I’m thinking, what if the other you noticed the same thing, and decided to track it down to the source…”

“Yes, you’re right, that does sound like something I’d do.”

The merchant frowned at the words the other you, but he shrugged, deeming it unimportant.

“Well, I can tell you where his art studio is, though I have to tell you, it’s pretty well guarded. We all thought he was just bit paranoid, or just a bit crazy, but…”

“…Maybe he was preparing against another type of eventuality, like an angry horde of shop vendors discovering he’s been tricking them. You’re right, Rose, I think it would be most interesting to see this studio for ourselves.”

“You do what you want. As for me, I’m going to start passing the word around and make sure no one sells that stuff from now on, and then I’ll contact the authorities. If you want to find him, go down that street until you reach the fountain, then turn right and take a left right after. There will be a large building surrounded by a high fence, you can’t miss it.” Rose and the Doctor nodded in thanks and were turning to leave when he called after them again. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I’m – I’m sorry about earlier, Miss. I was… pretty rude.”

“That’s alright,” Rose assured him, beaming cheerfully. “I can understand your reaction. And I’m used to rudeness, anyway.”

The Doctor sent her a sidelong glance as they walked away from the stall, and Rose grinned at his expression.

“Was that last remark meant for me?”

“Well, if the shoe fits…” He narrowed his eyes at her, and she giggled. “Though if it’s any consolation, you’re much less rude than your current incarnation. I thought for sure you were going to chew that merchant out when you strode in there.”

“Part of me wanted to, I have to admit, but… he’d done nothing wrong, after all. Being suspicious of strange currency is a question of survival for merchants.”

“I know. Still, I was amazed by your self-restraint.”

He let out a strained chuckle, his eyes darting down to the necklace around her neck before looking away again. Rose’s breath hitched when she noticed the faint blush that had reappeared on his cheeks, or the way he ran a hand through his curls again. She still wasn’t sure what had happened back at the shop, what either the golden or the blue color meant, and why the Doctor had reacted to them so strongly, but…

There had been something in his eyes back then, something that looked very much like longing. The way he’d so slowly reached out to touch the gem… like he had to touch it, like he couldn’t help himself. And then the way he’d looked at her… Was it a sudden sense of self-restraint that had caused him to jump away from her as though she’d burned him?

She shook her head with a sigh. It was pointless to wonder about this. They were going to find her current Doctor, and after that this version of him would make himself forget about her and leave. So no matter how much she… And even though she wished she could…