Alternates (9/?)

[walkwithheroes]

Dear Lord, I'm back and I have an update! Surely, the world will end now.

Title: Alternates (9/?)
Author: walkwithheroes
Rated: PG-13 
Spoilers: Up to Doomsday
Word Count: 2,431
Disclaimer: The Doctor, Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, Jack Harkness, Jackie and Pete Tyler, Torchwood, etc, aren’t owned by me. The third narrative's dialog is taken directly (or pretty much directly) from the S1 and S2 Doctor Who trailers. I did not write those trailers, therefore the words in them are not mine.
Pairings: Ten/Rose, Alt!Eleven/Tess. Hints at others.
Summary: Another post-Doomsday fic. The Doctor discovers millions of rips in time. Millions of rips that have caused several alternate time-lines to run into one another, something that could cause the end of all things.
Author's Note: The italic bits are ‘spoken’ by different people, ala Rose’s narration in ‘Doomsday’. Each companion will get a small narration, okay. 

Thanks to my beta, nemesis_cry for making this chapter what it is.

*= the scenes are taking place at same place.

 I knew a man once. History will never remember him; though that is the way he would have wanted it. The important thing is that I remember him. He was a man with a traveling machine, who could change his face. He was simply called ‘The Doctor’. And one day, with a grin and a wink, he saved the whole of existence.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Earth, this is where I was born. This is where I died.

Once upon a time, I met a man called the Doctor. A man who laughed in the face of danger; a man who wasn’t a man; a man who took me away in his magic box. He showed me the whole of space and time. I thought it would last forever. But, then came the rips in time, the armies, the Torchwoods, and war on Earth.

This is a story of how the Doctor saved the universe. This is the story of how I died.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Do you wanta come wit' us?

Think you've seen it all?

'Cause if you do, we should warn you.

You should think again.

You're goin' t'see all sorts of things.

Once we step outside those doors, we might see anything.

Ghost from the past.

Terrifying monsters.

Aliens from the future.

Impossible things.

The day our home world died in balls of flames.

We'll find new worlds.

It won't be quiet, it won't be safe, and it won't be calm. But, I'll tell you what it will be.

It'll never be the same again.

The trip of a lifetime.

For the first eighteen years of my life, nothing happened to me. Nothing at all. I didn't live, I just existed. Then, I met the Doctor and everything changed. For the first time in my whole life, I lived. Actually lived. He took me away and showed me the wonders of the universe. . . the wonders of everything.

But then, it all ended. It ended in his death...in the death of everyone and everything I ever knew.

Rose Tyler awoke to the feel of the sun on her bed, and the smell of coffee floating up from the kitchen. For a brief moment she couldn't remember what had happened the day before, she worried it had all been a wonderfully heartbreaking dream.

Her fears were put aside when she noticed the lanky figure in the blue suit. He was standing in her doorway, smiling widely and holding the morning paper. “Not even one mention of anything out of the ordinary.” The Doctor told her, and she couldn't quite figure out if he was unhappy about it.

Slowly, Rose lifted herself up onto her elbows. “Torchwood pays a lot of money for nothing to be mentioned.” She licked her lips. “No matter how juicy the story is.”

The Doctor glanced down at the paper and then back to Rose, a smile still on his face. “Now, that's a shame. What's happening... the twenty-first century is when it all changes, you know.”

“I know.” Rose nodded understandingly. Even though she really didn't know.

The pair was quiet after that, a 'morning after' silence filling the room. Usually, their silences were comfortable, but it had been too long and, well, there relationship had never been physical. At least, not in the sexual sense. For a moment, the Doctor wondered how his alternate selves handled the complexities of mature and sexual relations with their companions; for a moment, Rose wondered if Tess and her Doctor had had the same awkwardness after their first time.

“Rose.” The Doctor took on a serious face; somehow he looked hard and alien. “Rose.”

He didn't seem to be asking her anything. He was just saying her name, almost as if he was trying it out for the very first time. Rose felt the need to say something, anything, but she couldn't think of a single thing to say to him, despite all the times she had practiced her speeches in front of the mirror.

“Rose... my wonderful, brilliant, Rose Tyler.” A small, sad, smile played on the corner of his mouth. “Pete told me the TARDISes seem to be ready for traveling. That means I can get back to my rightful universe...I don't belong here.”

“Neither do I,” Rose told him quietly. “Of course, I'm dead back home.” Her face fell just a little. “I reckon I don't belong anywhere. Not anymore.” She sat up as straight as she could. “What I said last night, I meant it, you know. When you leave, I want to go with you. If... if you still want me to.”

The Doctor locked his gaze onto hers. “Oh, I'd love for you to come with me.” His tone was happy, sincere.

Rose could feel herself beaming. While she wasn't too keen on the idea of never seeing her family and Mickey again, she wanted – needed – to be with the Doctor. It was selfish of her, she knew that. She couldn't stop herself from feeling the way she did.

“You'll never see Jackie again, your own mother.” His tone had grown deadly serious and his voice was low, stern. “You'll never see your sister, Pete, Mickey...anyone from this world. You won't even be able to visit your old friends from your Earth, because they think you're dead. You will – literally - be alone in the universe. You'll have no one.”

Rose nodded slowly, her voice suddenly small. “I'd have you.” She swallowed hard. “It's always better with two.”

“Ah,” the Doctor stepped fully into the room,“it might not always just be the two of us.” The way he was looking at her, Rose knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to get her to stay with her family. “It's been two years for me. Two years since I last saw you. I... there was another girl after you. Martha Jones, a bright girl with a lovely smile.”

Rose stared at him, looking hurt and angry. “There are always others traveling with you. 'Cause we're human and we wither, die an' decay. You don't, you regenerate. I thought...'course you'd move on. Did you ever even mention me?”

“I mentioned you daily.” He replied abruptly. The Doctor stopped himself from going on, knowing that he had already revealed much more than he had wanted to.

“Thank you.” Rose told him softly, sniffing back some unshed tears. “For mentioning me, I mean.”

He stared closely at her, looking defeated, angry and in love all at once. “It'll just be me and you. And when you die, I won't even mourn you properly. You could live sixty, seventy, years with me...but, to me it'll only be a moment in time.”

“You'll miss me. In the back corner of your head and heart, you'll miss me.” Rose told him simply. She reached out her hand, waiting for him to take it. “That'll be enough.”

With the faintest of smiles, the Doctor moved to the bed and took Rose's hand firmly in his. “Rose, my Rose. How long you gonna stay with me?”

Rose felt herself smiling faintly. “Forever.”

Pete Tyler arrived at the rift in Cardiff to find himself facing four large blue police call boxes sitting neatly in a line. Jake and his team had spent all night watching the TARDISes in hopes that the rift could fix them. The theory was that energy from the rift would be able to mend the Doctors' ships and bring them back to working order. If the theory was correct, the alternate Doctors and their companions would be able to get back to the rightful Earths, close the rips, and stop anything nasty from getting out of The Void.

Neither he nor Jackie wanted to think about what Rose would do if the Doctor asked her to go with him, yet he couldn't help but do just that. Still, Jackie thought of them as one big happy family, and Pete didn't want to disappoint his wife again.

Taking off his sunglasses, he squinted at the large boxes in front of him. “Now, that is a sight.”

“Dad,” Pete glanced behind him to see Rose and the Doctor coming toward him from his car, “it's a sight, yeah?”

“Oh,” the Doctor walked past Pete and straight to the last TARDIS in the line. “She's working again.” With a manic smile, he turned back to look at Pete and Rose. “Go on, say anything in any language. Ask me to travel to Jackie's for a cuppa.”

Without thinking, Rose rushed to join her Doctor. “I think I... I know I have,” she reached into her jean pocket and pulled out a glowing TARDIS key, “my key!”

The pair shared one of their smiles, before walking over to the Doctor's ship. “Shall we...” The Doctor began only to be cut off by voices and loud ones at that.

Turning, the trio were greeted by the sight of Jake, Jack, Mickey, and the others. It appeared that every single one of them was in the middle of some important conversation or another.

“Cardiff...you did promise to take me places that I never dreamed of,” Tess teased her Doctor; Rose noticed that the two were comfortably walking arm in arm.

Tess' Doctor gave her a small wink. “Parallel Cardiff. It counts, lovely love.”

“I was just worried about you. You should have come back to the room.” The most temperamental of the Doctors was saying, though his companion didn't seem at all interested in what he had to say. “Instead, you were with two men.”

“I called you, Mickey.” That was Jake, jealously clear in his tone. The poor guy really had to get over his crush, Rose thought.

“I was...” Mickey ducked his gaze from Jake, “busy.”

“He, Leven, and I had a grand ol' time.” Jack stated with one of his classic grins. “You should have been there.”

“It was only one night, Doctor.” That was Leven, quiet but firm. “Besides, I were perfectly safe wit' Mickey an' Jack.”

Scanning the large group, Pete noticed that Levi and Lily were holding hands in the back. They seemed to be whispering and giggling about something that no one else was allowed to know. Suddenly, Lily let out a loud and brilliant laugh, causing Jack, Rose, and her Doctor to glance their way; she had sounded strangely like the tenth incarnation of Rose and Jack's Doctor – her father, Pete reminded himself – did when he laughed.

“What?” Levi demanded, his tone one of pure defensiveness.

Jack gave the couple a long look. His eyes locked onto Lily's, as he told her: “Nice ring. New?”

Lily opened her mouth, but it was Levi who answered: “Don't see how it's any of your business, mate.”

“Someone wants a fight.” Someone - it sounded like Tess – sing-sang from the front of the group.

Someone may have said something, a fight may have started, but it was all stopped by Pete who cleared his throat loudly. All eyes turned to him, authority at its best.

“If everyone's done?” He scanned the group, his eyes locking on Rose's for the briefest of moments. “Jolly good. Jake's informed me that the TARDISes are fixed, at least as far as we can make out. So, would you all like to try a test run?” The question was met with nearly everyone – including Jack and Mickey – taking glowing TARDISes keys out of pockets. Pete smiled to himself. “Good to see you've all come prepared. Who'd like to go first?”

Tess raised her hand. “Excuse me for being blunt, but shouldn't the oldest TARDIS get the first test run?”

“Because you think if the oldest one is fully functioning again, that they all will be?” Leven's Doctor questioned.

“Well...” Leven turned her gaze to her Doctor, “is yours the oldest? Or...or is it Levi's?”

The question caused Levi's face to light up. “It's mine! It's mine and we get to say goodbye to this place first.” He smiled giddily as she kissed Lily's hand. “Oh, it's the best news we've had all day!”

Pushing forward, the two rushed to their ship, keys out and happy smiles of their faces. Levi sharply stuck his key into the doors and turned. With a loud creak, the TARDIS doors opened and the two siblings bounced happily inside.

“Oh,” Levi leaned against the doors. “Bye, all! We've had a lovely time, really. Just...great. Good luck and what not...”

“Wait!” Rose called out before she had even noticed that her mouth was opening. She could feel her face growing hot, but wasn't completely sure why. All she knew what that there was something in her gut that told her Levi and Lily couldn't leave just yet.

“Wh... what about... are you... what will you do when you get to Torchwood on your world? You'll have to go to all the years we're all from. What will you say?” Her Doctor wordlessly slip his hand into hers, though she wasn't sure why he thought she needed his strength. After all, she was just...checking on things.

The strange man called Levi stared fondly at both Rose and the Doctor for a long moment, before sighing. “Oh, I haven't a clue. We'll think of something.”

“Maybe...when will you people learn?” The tenth incarnation of the Doctor questioned with a small smile.

“Something like that.” Levi glanced back into the TARDIS, to see Lily calmly standing near the controls. She locked her gaze on his, before smiling warmly. Never taking his eyes off Lily, her brother spoke once more, though it was hardly more then a whisper and not entirely directed at her. “I love you.”

Sniffing, Levi turned back to face all the others, who were now all gathered in front of the TARDIS. “Goodbye...everybody.” With a cold expression on his face, Levi closed the TARDIS doors firmly.

*************************************************************

With the doors closed behind him, Levi turned his attention back to Lily and the controls. “It's good to be back, yeah? We should get going, uh...Torchwood, April, 2007.”

“Are you sure you're alright?” Lily asked him, as she began turning knobs and pressing buttons. “Did you let your human side feel a tiny bit of...something?”

Levi scoffed slightly. “Lily...love of my lives...I don't do human. I'm over eight hundred years old, I've embraced my inner ass of a Time Lord.” He cocked his head to one side and grinned. “Hope this works.”

With a final pull of a knob, the TARDIS whirled to life. The pair both grinned widely, as the familiar sounds of their home filled their ears. Any moment they'd be whirling through space and time.

Any moment...

Any moment, until...it didn't happen. Just as quickly as the TARDIS had sprung to life it quieted down again.

Exchanging a look, Levi and Lily rolled their eyes upward. Great, still not completely healed.

“Fuck.” Lily muttered.

“We're fucked is more like it.” Levi stated darkly. He sighed deeply. “Well, shall we go tell parallel Mum, Dads, and the rest?”

Feeling defeated, Lily only nodded and reached her hand out for his.

*************************************************************************************

The doors to the TARDIS opened slowly, and Pete cursed softly under his breath when he noticed the looks of his parallel-grandchildren's faces.

“It isn't working, is it?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“No. 'Course, that doesn't mean the others aren't. Older TARDISes surely need more time and power.” Lily suggested with a shrug.

Pete knew he had to quickly come up with something. Something to say, something to do. Just...something. He nodded to himself, cleared his throat, stood tall, and said firmly: “Plan B. Go into your ships, program them to fly themselves to where you want them to meet you when they're fully healed. Take as little time as possible, then report to the cars which we'll take you back to Torchwood.” Pete looked to Jake, Mickey, and Jack. “You three will come ahead with me, to get things ready.”

“Dad, what... we can't use those,” Rose said as firmly as she dared. “They'll make the rips bigger, won't they?”

Smiling sadly, Pete placed a hand on his oldest daughter's face. “Sweetheart, we haven't any more choices. At this point, all we can hope for is that we're in time to close the rips between our universes.”

Rose's only response was to hide her gaze from him; suddenly feeling so very guilty for having been so happy not three hours before.

“Right,” Pete looked toward the others. “hurry up you lot. We've got universes to save.”

Disclaimer:

Much of Rose and Ten's conversation borrows lines from the show:

“You'll never see Jackie again, your own mother.” was a line that the Doctor spoke in “Doomsday”

“It's always better with two.” was spoken during series one by Rose.

“We're human and we wither, die an' decay. You don't, you regenerate.” Is a play on what Ten told Rose in “School Reunion”

“How long you gonna stay with me?”

“Forever.” The Doctor and Rose said these things in “Army of Ghost”

“the twenty-first century is when it all changes,” was spoken by Jack in the new Torchwood series.

Note: In the first script for “Age of Steel”, Jake mentioned to Mickey that Rick(e)y was his boyfriend.

Comments

[innt-that-rite.livejournal.com]

Yay-update!
I absolutely love this story, and this was a brilliant chapter!!

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

:) I am sorry it took so long. But, I'm so glad that you decided to hang in there for an update.

Glad you like the story, and I'm even happier you enjoyed the chapter.

[davidtenanntmad.livejournal.com]

yey!an update! it was worth the wait though :P looking forward to more :)

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

It's good to see you're still reading. :) Also, it's good to read that you liked it.

[rawthorne.livejournal.com]

Great to see you updating! Like I've already told you, I truly enjoyed the chapter. You've got a good plot going and your characterization never falters. I also like your instinctive choice of couples that lead the action each time; it's very apropriate and very much in the vein of the show.

As always, I am enjoying myself in your world of Alternates and am eagerly awaiting more.

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

I always feel so happy when I update. You'd think I'd do it more often.

As always, thanks for the kind words, and the beta.

[yun-goes-cheeky.livejournal.com]

that's my first dw fanfiction and I'm amazed. you've got brilliant style. I love it!
xxx

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

that's my first dw fanfiction and I'm amazed.

Wow. I'm honored that my work is your first dw fanfiction.

you've got brilliant style.

Thanks so much. I hope you find some other great dw fic soon.