Not This Time

Chapter 4

Doctor's POV

I pull away from Dan and Yaz, I don't want them to know just how relieved I am that they're okay. "Where are we Doc?" asks Dan, bringing me back to reality.

"A parallel universe" I say. I'm trying to hold back the nervousness in my voice, the butterflies in my stomach. It's been ages since I've been to a parallel universe, but I don't plan on staying.

I've put Dan and Yaz in too much danger already. I need to bring us back to our own universe as soon as possible. And when I do I'll force Dan and Yaz to stay on Earth where they'll be safe.

I can't keep hurting people. I have to be responsible for once in my life and do the right thing.

"Right, time to go" I say. I walk over to the TARDIS's control panel but Yaz stands in my way, her eyes are gleaming.

"Can we stay and explore this universe for a while?"

"No, it's far to dangerous"

"But it might be fun"

I look at Yaz's bleeding arms and face and I feel a pang in my hearts. I just want to protect her, I want her to be safe and the only guaranteed way I can do that is by bringing her back home.

"Listen to me Yaz, we don't know what's on the other side of that door" I point at the TARDIS door for emphasis  "I don't want you or Dan to get hurt"

Dan stares up at me "Thanks for remembering I'm still here" he stands upright and holds his hand to his head.

"No problem" I say. I'm going to miss these two, but I have to do the right thing.

"Morality was always you're weakness"

What is that woman doing in my head? She doesn't belong there. Besides, she doesn't know what she's talking about.

"I'm going to check this universe out" says Yaz.

"No!" I yell, why does she have to be so stubborn? But I do kind of want to know what's in this universe, despite myself. Maybe even...

No. Rose Tyler isn't here Doctor, get a grip. I thought I was over her after all this time and now even the slightest possibility that I might see her again has me willing to let my friends get hurt. What the hell is wrong with me?

Yaz runs towards the door and opens it before I can stop her.

Rose's POV

I can't believe my eyes. This can't possibly be real. The Doctor's TARDIS is right here before my eyes. I must be seeing things, it's the only logical explanation.

The Doctor would never actually be able to find a way back to me. My dad teleported me to a parallel universe to protect me and I will never see him again. I have to accept that and move on, there's no more time to waste on stupid fantasies.

I take one last look at the TARDIS. It has two huge dents either side of it, I've never seen The Doctor's beloved ship looking so bad.

It doesn't matter anyway because it's not real. I turn my back on the illusion and walk back along down the beach. It was a mistake coming back here, it's just making me see things that aren't there.

I hear a voice call out from behind me.

"Hey you!"

I tell myself that I shouldn't indulge any time in things that aren't real but despite myself I turn around to see a girl with brown skin and black frizzy hair standing in the doorway of the TARDIS. Her face is covered in cuts and her arms are bleeding, she looks like she needs to go to A and E.

"Hey" the girl yells again cheerfully, despite the pain she must be in.

I walk towards her cautiously, I'm still not sure if this is real or not, but I'm starting to entertain the idea. I walk right up to where the girl is standing. A tall man with brown hair gets out of the TARDIS. Is this The Doctor?

Suddenly a woman with short blonde hair comes out of the TARDIS. She's wearing a white jacket and a stripey top. The woman pulls out something from her pocket. It's a sonic screwdriver, I rub my eyes to make sure I'm not dreaming.

She jumps in front of the two people and starts using the sonic screwdriver to survey her surroundings. "The readings seem normal enough, no signs of any alien life, I think this place looks fairly sa-"

The woman stops speaking when she meets my eyes. She looks like she's just seen a ghost. "Rose" she whispers. How does she know my name? I stumble back from the TARDIS, unsteady on my feet.

"Do you know this girl, Doc?" asks the tall man.

Doc? What does he mean by that?

I don't know what to do, I'm so confused, suddenly I want my regular life back more than anything. I turn around and run away from these people, they might not even be real.

I run along the beach. I want to get back to my house with Dylan, I don't want to be here. It was a mistake coming back here after all these years, it's bringing back bitter memories.

I run and run but this woman is apparently faster. She catches up to me just as I am about to sprint up the pebbly path to the car park so that I can escape this weird situation.

She grabs me by the shoulders and makes me look up at her. Her eyes are streaming with tears, her blonde hair is falling down on my face.

"I thought I'd never see you again" the woman says softly "and I'd never get a chance to tell you"

"Tell me what?" I ask. I'm so confused by this whole situation and why this stranger is acting like I'm an old friend.

"That I love you. The connection broke before I got to tell you that I love you" she says "but now I can say it in person and it's so much better"

I want to ask her what she means, what she's even talking about. I don't know this woman and yet there's something unmistakable in her eyes that I definitely recognise.

Suddenly out of nowhere she leans in and kisses me. Her lips are soft and smooth, I want to keep kissing her for the rest of my life. A million different emotions flood my mind all at once.

But I don't pull away, instead I kiss her more, leaning into her body. She wraps me in an embrace so warm I can't let go of her. It feels so good to be this close to her. It feels...familiar.

She pulls away from me and takes my hand in hers. She places my hand on her chest and I can feel her two hearts beating in perfect synchronicity. She really is The Doctor. Or I'm loosing my mind, one of the two.