Much Ado About Who

Chapter 1

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"Oh, no! You're not sending me off with her! She's so obsessed with you that she practically tore up -two- universes to get to you, she's not getting me as a—as a—consolation prize or something! I will not be some sort of replacement boyfriend! Not on your life, Spaceman!" the Doctor's duplicate argued, slipping into some of his Donna-side, spouting her preferred nickname for the Time Lord. He looked between the Doctor, Jack, and Mickey who stood together in the TARDIS library, in a 'private' conference of sorts. "Besides, you know as well as I do—we've no idea what the ramifications of the biological metacrisis are for Donna or me. Until then, it's not wise that we split up. And It's like—I'm like—your brother—are you really willing to send me off into a parallel universe when we've just met?"

It was strange, Mickey thought, watching the Doctor's duplicate get wound up like this. It had been a short time now that he had known Donna, but she had a strong enough personality that it didn't take long to pick up on it. He had known the Doctor, and this version of the Doctor, a much longer time. The Duplicate really was a strange mesh of both their personalities, the pitch of his voice going up much like the Doctor's did when he got wound up about something, and he was definitely getting louder, much like Donna did. "Hey, excuse me, DocTwo, but it was just a suggestion. We're all throwing out suggestions here."

'Yeah, well. You can throw that one right out the window, Mickey Mouse." the Duplicate glared at him.

"Look, I'm on your side, believe it or not! I tried to tell her that the Boss didn't fancy her like that anymore!" Mickey argued in his own defense. "She wouldn't believe me! Said I was just jealous! When we found out she had jumped through, Jackie and I followed as quickly as we could to try and—minimize the damage—"

"Well if you're not going back, and the twin here isn't going back with her, and the Doctor is definitely not going back—you think Jackie can handle her?" Jack asked Mickey.

"I don't think she's going to have a choice. And we're going to have to make a quick exit," the Duplicate responded.

The Doctor had been the quietest of the four. He wasn't sure why, but he had brought the other three men in with him, hoping for some consolation, some idea, as to how to handle Rose Tyler. All he had said when they first came in was, "What am I supposed to do about Rose?" and the other men had taken over the conversation. He half listened to their ideas, dismissing them as quickly if not quicker than they had, and the other half of his brain was chastising himself for even getting into his mess. He was now pacing back and forth, hands alternately running through his hair and rubbing the back of his neck. After a few minutes he realized the other three had gone quiet and were now watching him. He stopped, staring at them all with a helpless look.

His duplicate, well at least in appearance, half in personality, and as for the rest he wasn't sure, was the first to speak after the long silence. "Were you listening to a thing we said?"

"Everything. You know that. Just thinking. I can't say I hadn't considered leaving you with her." He sighed, considering the man in front of him. "But no, I wouldn't do that to you. I can't expect you to love her if I don't anymore." He bowed his head a moment, thinking about the last several years. "I'm just—I'm a different man now. So much has happened. So many things. I've got—" He looked around, looking for the answer in the air.

The other three men glanced at each other, waiting for the Doctor to say the name they could see on the tip of his tongue.

"I've got a different perspective on life—" The three other men sighed and slumped their shoulders in unison. "—on what it means to be a Time Lord, what it means to be the Doctor." He sighed, again.