Chapter Text
„This is a low blow, even for things like you.“
The Doctor stared at the creature standing in front of him. He had wrongly assumed that these Beings on the ship just copied what was standing before them. He hadn’t even entertained the thought that it might be possible for them to copy his subconsciousness. His darkest fears. And deepest hopes. To manifest them in such a cruel way.
But of course… Of course this was the best way to drive him mad. To break him.
And here she stood before him. After thousands of years he had thought it would hurt less. It did not.
It was a perfect image of her. She looked at him like he was a puzzle that she tried to put together.
„Doctor?“
Hearing her voice… It let old anger burn through his veins. It just wasn’t fair! Why did the universe have to rub all the things he lost in his face. Again and again and again. First this face. Then Donna. And now this. He wasn’t stupid enough to believe that he could keep any of this. The universe gave him everything, just to take it away. He knew that. He learned that a long time ago.
Rose took a step forward. The Doctor took a step back.
„Your clothes are different… How… And your eyes…“, said the Thing that looked like the women he loved so long ago.
Rose took another step toward him. „You’re not my Doctor, are you?“
The Doctor wasn’t listening. He really wished he had his sonic screwdriver right now. Without it he just had his other senses. Time wasn’t bend around her. So this couldn’t be an echo of a Rose who searched for him with her dimension cannon. His other senses… Well, he couldn’t trust them. Not when his hearts beat faster just looking at an imitation of her.
„So, what are you?“, he hissed „Do you feed on emotion? On pain? On love? Or is this just some cruel game?“
„Doctor, it’t me“, she tried to reach for him but he jumped out of the way.
It only made him angrier. He couldn’t remember being this furious since Amy lost her daughter. How dare they. Using the ones he loved against him. But this wasn’t the quiet, cold fury of his eleventh self or hot anger of his tenth self. He felt much more helpless.
„But why her? You could have chosen anyone.“ He said as he rounded in on her „Amy, Clara, Sarah Jane… By the stars, even River! So why her?“
He stood only inches away from her now. Breathing hard. He could feel tears sting in his eyes.
He knew the answer even before she took his hand. It felt like a missing peace of his heart sliding back into place. And now he could see the tears in her eyes too.
„Doctor, it’s really me“, she said softly.
„This can’t be real“, the Doctor replied weakly even as he squeezed her hand more tightly.
He couldn’t help the selfish hope that he felt just looking at her. He felt all the fight leave his body. No one in the galaxy could make him feel like this. No one but Rose Tyler.
„How is it possible that you are here?“ he asked.
"Well," she said, stretching out the last letter like his Tenth Self used to do, "we just landed here and our TARDIS dematerialised because my lovely husband forgot to turn off the HADS."
„Your husband.“ the Doctor echoed dumbly. He felt like he had been slaped. Rose wasn’t alone here. Of course the Metacrisis was with her.
„I mean, that’s good… That’s… Yeah, I had hoped-“
„Doctor, do you feel that? It’s getting colder…“ Rose interrupted his rambling. She was right. The air was freezing. They could see their breath making tiny clouds before them.
The Doctor took a deep breath „Something is on this ship.“
„Yes, we thought so, too“, said Rose „Otherwise the TARDIS wouldn’t have disappeared. We should find my Doctor and head back to your TARDIS.“
„Yeah, about that“ the Doctor rubbed his neck awkwardly, feeling a lot like his younger self. Rose gave him a Look. She still knew him too well.
„You forgot to turn off the HADS.“
„I forgot to turn off the HADS.“
Rose couldn’t help but laugh „So to get this straight: We’re here at the edge of the universe. With no TARDS, no way back and I’ve lost my husband somewhere on this ship. Did I forget anything?“
„Me and Donna got separated, too“ the Doctor added „She’s on this ship, too. We have to find her.“
Rose looked shocked. But just as she was about to bombard him with questions, the door to the right side of the room slid open and Donna came running through it.
…….
„Oh, you gotta be kidding me.“ Donna said as she looked at the man standing before her. It was without a doupt the Doctor but something about him was differnt. His clothes looked a lot more like his younger version that Donna had met so many years ago. He looked overall… Donna didn’t have a better word for it: More domestic.
This didn’t make any sense. What were these creatures on the ship up to? How many people with this face were running around on this ship?
The man stared at her like she was a ghost.
„Donna?! How… How can you be here? I thought…“
Donna knew she should be afraid. After all, there were monsters on this ship that could copy your face, voice and memories. But something told her that this man wasn’t a threat. She could feel a connection between them. A bond she hadn’t known she had lost until now. Donna knew this bond instinctively. It hadn’t fully formed fifteen years ago but now it came back stronger than ever.
The two parts of the Metacrisis stared at each other. Donna couldn’t help the startled laugh that escaped her.
„It’s you!“
They moved at the same time into a tight hug.
The Doctor pulled away first. „Have you seen Rose?“ he asked.
Donna looked at him warily. Maybe this was a trick after all. Maybe she couldn’t trust her senses here on this ship. „What do want from my daughter?“
The Doctor gave her a blank stare like he couldn’t quite believe what he just heard.
„Your daughter?! You have a daughter? Oh! No, I mean Rose Tyler! My wife.“
Rose Tyler. The girl who had had such a firm grip on the Doctors hearts when Donna first met him. Donna remembered the young girl with the sad eyes who had warned her about the stars going out. The girl who had shown her a way out of Donnas worst nightmare.
They had fought together against the Daleks. They had won and then the Doctor had left Rose Tyler behind with a part of himself. Donna still couldn’t remember much after that. Her head had almost exploded from all the energy and knowlege she had held that day.
But now that she thought about it, she remembered the reaction of the Doctor after they had met again and she had called her daughter… Donna could only imagine what it might mean to the Time Lord to see Rose Tyler again. For even after thousand of years the name of his love still made him look around in hope.