Old Aches Become New Again

She had woken up, and he was gone.


8 months ago yesterday, she had lost the Doctor for the third time… Rose had almost thought it was for good, but if there was anything she had learned from him, it was to never give up. She had contacted Pete and he had verified that there had been recent activity that could have been a rip in the universe, or something similar- Though, it was gone now. She had clung to that hope, and they began construction of a new dimension cannon (the last one had shattered due to the event that Rose assumed had taken the Doctor)- It could only be used once, however, and needed a rip of some sort.

It had taken a long time to complete it, but finally it was finished. With nowhere to use it, Rose searched. For 3 months she traveled, searching for the place where she could shoot herself through into the other universe. One day, she got an idea of where a rip might be.

So, that was how she had ended up at Bad Wolf Bay once again. Standing on the beach, tears threatening to fall as she once again remembered the pain she had endured there, she found the rip. What were the odds? So many places in the world and it was here. Rose smiled, dialing Pete’s number.

“It’s at Bad Wolf Bay. I found it, I really found it!” Her delight could no longer be contained. Her alternate-universe father expressed his happiness for her, and they soon hung up. Suddenly, it wasn’t just about the Doctor- But had it been in the first place? No. It had been about more than just that man; that wonderful, terrible man who always disappeared on her. Here was her chance to see the world she had left behind again. Her world, as she had taken to thinking of it.

The wind blew softly, sweeping her hair to one side as she stood, waiting for something she could not name. Memories crashed against her, akin to the waves mercilessly beating the shore, and she allowed herself a sad smile. Her life had surely changed when she met the Doctor, but for better or for worse, she could not tell.
Rose remembered her mother’s protests when she had announced that once again, the Doctor was gone, and once again, she would find him.


“But, Rose… He leaves so often, don’t you think it’s time to give it up now?” Jackie had looked at her daughter imploringly.
“No, mum, I can’t. I just know the Doctor is on to something- There’s a good reason he left. He wouldn’t just… disappear. He might need me.”
“Rose…” She had been exasperated. They both knew, though, that nothing would stop her.


The memory faded abruptly, and she knew it was time. Digging around in her pockets, she retrieved the handheld device that would take her through this weakened spot in reality. A small red button rested on top of it, and she stared for a moment. Could she really do this?

Yes. Rose pressed the button and immediately pitched forward, slamming into something hard. She bounced away from it and hit another hard surface, this time spinning through what seemed like nothing before she landed face-down on the ground. Groaning, she rolled over onto her back.

She rubbed her head lethargically, noting that she felt very dizzy and her entire body ached. After a moment, she shakily got to her feet and straightened her clothes, looking around. She had landed right in the middle of… Peckham? Old emotions rushed back and hit Rose so hard, she felt a bit sick for a moment.

Someone walking by seemed to be looking at her strangely, and she returned his gaze, still dazed from landing. After a moment, she realized she needed to know not where she was, but when she was.
“Excuse me, what year is it?” Rose inquired to the man, and he stopped walking, the suspicious glare he gave her intensifying. A minute or two passed before he answered.

“It’s 2012…” The man trailed off, frowning at her as if she had gone mad. He continued walking, his gaze only leaving her when he was a decent distance away.

2012 England. She smiled broadly, realizing she was a step closer to finding the Doctor. For now, she just needed to find this universe’s Torchwood, or someone who could help her out… She realized she was still holding the shards of the dimension cannon, which had shattered in her hand. There were a few bloody cuts on her palm, and she grimaced at the sight, but quickly dismissed it.

Thank you, Pete. She gratefully cast the thought to wherever the man was, knowing he was taking care of her mother in the other universe. She hadn’t told her mother that she would not be able to return, and she knew Pete wouldn’t have until he was certain she was gone. It was the only thing Rose regretted- Lying to her mother. Pete had assured her that her mum would eventually make peace with the fact that she was happy, albeit somewhere that she could not see that happiness. It still bothered Rose, but she kept it in the back of her mind. It was selfish, she knew, but… Her mother could be happy without her. Rose was still searching for her own happiness.

(edit: Yes, there is more to it than just finding the Doctor. The rip has a reason and it will become a more apparent problem once the RP gets really started)

"I'll be back," he whispered to Rose as he planted a kiss on her forehead. The sleeping Rose had smiled, and he stole away in the night to investigate the sounds of his nearby Tardis. Only he had never come back. The twisting and the turning of the mini vortex he had stepped through thrust him into the universe travelled through by the Doctor. Once upon a time, he had travelled through this universe. And as the rip had closed, he knew he could never go back to her. Yet he had made her a promise...and he intended to keep it.

The Metacrisis Doctor woke up in his small bed, his brown eyes staring at the ceiling. For a moment, he felt misplaced. His mind replayed the last bits of the dream, which was of Rose's sleeping beauty, the rippling of the rip in the fabric of reality, and the Tardis at the other side. And then he remembered where he was. Lying in a bed in an apartment on East Downing street off the city of London. Suddenly depression hit him in a wave, and the day ahead of him felt very dull. He wasn't sure he wanted to get up and live it just yet.

So he lay there, his hands pulling the blankets up over his cold, yet sweaty body, and his eyes staring dully at the ceiling. When he had first come through that rip, the initial shock had dulled his senses to the mental pain. Rushing through the streets and a computer center, preventing the krillitanes from killing himself in the past, had dulled his mind. The thrill and chase he'd once felt as the Doctor had dulled the pain, but now as he tried to live his normal human life without Rose, it came back in a tormenting wave. He had tried to partly accept that he could never go back, and thus ease the homesickness he felt. In one corner of his mind, he wondered how his counterpart felt while looking at the two of them, before he left Pete's world. Heartbroken maybe. And now he had to be the same. But it wasn't fair, and it wasn't fair that Rose would be without either.

Over time, he had begun to gather parts, building his own gizmos and gadgets to track down spacial and temporal disturbances. He hoped that perhaps one day, he might find one again that led to his world and Rose. After leaving Sonya, he had established himself as John Smith, with an ID and license, but still roamed the city much like the Doctor. Just a Doctor who couldn't time travel. And he looked for the Tardis anywhere she happened to land, partly so he could get further with his quest, and partly so he could relive his old life. He had met his daughter, and that had been interesting. First her finding out that he was a duplicate yet unique version of the Doctor, and then travelling back to Greeks in 300 BC. But then when he was brought back, the year was off. He had arrived a year prior to the year he had first arrived, in 2013. And when he went back to the apartment he had been using, he found it occupied by another man, who was less than pleased to see a stranger in HIS apartment.

The frustration came when he was left without time travel, and without his equipment. He felt he had to start all over again, no job, no money, with just the trenchcoat and blue suit on his back. At least he had the sonic screwdriver he had made when he travelled in the Tardis. That would definitely make hunting for spacial disturbances easier, but he had to be careful how many times he robbed the ATM to pay the rent. He'd done it just to get an apartment and basic food, but he couldn't go on like that. No, he actually needed to settle down and make a human life like he'd started out to in the parallel world.

Even the thought of a permanent job was a challenge. Just what would he do for a job? Naturally he was brilliant, knowing much of the earth's history and future history, and had knowledge of science far beyond the human's current capabilities. But living here permanently might affect the timeline if he accidentally suggested the wrong equation to the wrong man at the wrong time. He definitely needed to stay out of a field concerning scientific knowledge, as long as it had nothing to do with aliens invading earth. He was sure he'd be seeing them again, though as the Doctor, there had been no time in between to wait for them. Now...it might be months of normal living before another strange occurence appeared.

So he decided being a science teacher was safe. Just enough knowledge to make sure the children learned, but not enough to surpass the common expectations of the world. At least nothing that the children didn't come up with themselves. It was always nice to see a clever student exceeding the norm.

It was now the third month since he had applied for the job and been accepted. His apartment was small, but comfortable, and the job gave enough to pay the rent, and buy him food. It did not, unfortunately, afford him much for buying extra equipment. Even when he tried to starve himself to save money, he still didn't come out ahead. So he finally gave up on that, instead focusing on possibly getting a higher paying job that would afford him the time and luxury of assembling something to help him get back to the other side. Heaven forbid he was actually considering becoming a medical doctor, as if he needed that title to define who he was. Still they paid higher once you got past internship, and he could at least...help people. Just not in the heroic saving the world way he usually did.

His eyes flickered over to the digital clock as he stared at the time, and the date displayed above it. Thursday, two days before Saturday and about another week til he showed up at the hospital for an interview. He really didn't want to get up this morning, but after several minutes, he dragged himself out of bed, took a cold shower, and dressed in his blue suit and brown trenchcoat. One might think from his appearance, that he only had the one suit, but he actually had other clothes. Just for some reason today, he felt like being nostalgic...in a melodramatic sort of way. The bathroom mirror reflected his appearance, his suit apparently never ironed and his face seeming to be two years older than his creation. Well, he was aging faster as a human, but still...perhaps it was the heartsick downcast depression he felt that made his eyes appear slightly sunken. He let out a sigh, his eyes turning away as he moved for the door. For a moment, that flicker in the mirror reminded him of Rose, but he knew it was only the girl he had trapped in the mirror. He didn't bother looking back as he left the apartment.

The day didn't seem to look up much when he arrived at the school. Sure, he was distracted by the students and other teachers, but in the back of his mind, his lonely predicament remained. So he walked into the classroom, one hand in his pocket as it clutched at the cold metal of his sonic screwdriver, while the other arm carried a few books he'd need. He had made an attempt to smooth out his suit and not look like he'd slept in an alley, but his hair, usually in its gravity defying sticking up state, seemed to droop slightly, matching the mood he was in. His eyes roamed over the class, looking over each student he knew now by name. Words escaped him, and his mouth went into playback mode, reciting the first words, or word, to pop in his head.

"Physics!" The class all looked at him strangely, and he walked back and forth. "Physics, Physics, Physics, Physics, Physics..." He really didn't know why he'd said that, especially since he wasn't teaching Physics class, or anything related in this class period. He had, he supposed, fallen into a deja vu for a moment, going back to the time he and Rose investigated the school with the krillitanes. Rose... "Um, sorry, wrong class. Anyway, if you could turn in your homework, and open your books to page 96..." He did his best to keep his voice stable, and while the kids scrambled for their books, he looked out the window. If only...

((You guys wanting me to join this?))

Years had gone past since the Tenth Doctor regenerated and begun his life set upon him by The Valeyard, maybe even hundreds if he actually kept track of how old he was now. His thoughts wondered in the realm of the now and rarely found themselves back tracking apart from a very few incidents. Sometimes he was nearly convinced Rose was just a dream he had to keep his mind stable after the horrors of the Time War. The very word Rose no longer brought him the same feeling that it did before, now instead it was just the name of a flower on Earth. No...i know who she is..who she was..how could i forget her? His mind fought back, forcing The Doctor to remember, "Why today?! Why is this happening now after all this time?!" he exclaimed out loud as he leaned over his control console, hitting it with a clenched fist.

Suddenly as if the TARDIS was listening to him, it jerked forward then to both sides before to the forward again and the scanner registered a new location. "Earth..London....2013..no...2012" The Doctor read out loud, the scanner fizzing out on the subject of the date. Smacking the side of the scanner resulted in the scanner fizzing once more before sticking on 2012.

The Doctor arched his eyebrow before peering over to the doors; the growing curiosity becoming too much as he finally gave in and bolted down the ramp and opened the doors. Immediately he was met by the feeling of various types of mops hitting his face, both wet and dry, before the sound of buckets slamming into one another echoed as he tried to walk over them. When he finally found the door, The Doctor pushed the door open and stepped out into the hallway, forcefully trying to fling off a bucket off of his shoe before it finally came off and he turned his attention to the hallway surrounding him.

Pristine newly waxed white floors sparkled in the center of countless brown wooden doors hidden among lockers that covered a vast majority of the wall. Suddenly a bell roared overhead followed by swarms of kids rushing out from the rooms. Their faces filled with joy as they survived another class, one arm holding the strap of their bookbags, the other swinging freely on the opposite side. "Nice suit Mr. Smith..wow, you change quick" One girl commented as she passed The Doctor, "Who?" The Doctor asked but before he could get an answer, the girl had already walked off, "Who's Mr. Smith?" he asked outloud, "You" a student replied with a chuckle as he passed by.

[[ Mind if I hop into this? =) ]]

Candalynne sighed softly as she was sat in a red chair in her console room and she was reading a giant book that recorded the Time War in detail. She groaned as the TARDIS began to shake more violently than usual. "Calm down, Theo!" She shouted at the console as her cousin Theo was panicking because her piloting skills seemed to have stopped working as the scanner began to show the location and the year: London, 2012. Candalynne shut her book and got up from her chair, easily staying upright (even though the TARDIS was shaking like mad), and she checked the scanner before landing the TARDIS.

Candalynne slowly grinned. "Time to play!" She exclaimed before grabbing her black hat and she put it on top of her red hair. She walked down the TARDIS' blue, lit up walkway and she opened the doors and stepped outside to notice she was in an alley right next to a school building. She groaned loudly because she hated the sound of the children screaming as they happily played in the playgrounds. She slowly closed the TARDIS doors and locked the TARDIS before walking out of the alley and into the school building.

As soon as she entered the building, in the back of her mind she felt a small tingle, one she could only feel when a certain, special person was close by. The Doctor. She grinned like a maniac and walked through the hallways to see a man in a familiar suit. "Mr Smith, huh?" She said with her grin. "Nice to see you again, old friend." She said as she stood next to him, wearing her black dress.

[[ If you need help imagining what she looks like clothes-wise, look at my signature banner =) ]]

(I do believe I confused people with my mentioning arriving in 2013. It was 2013 I originally entered the universe in, in my first thread as Meta. In this RP, Rose appeared in 2012, and I got dropped off earlier in 2012 and lived here a while. So yes, we're 2012. Sorry!)

((Both fixed Meta. You or Rose are next lol))

(I'll post today. Sorry, some stuff came up yesterday. Mother's day weekend and all.)

It took a bit for Rose to fully settle in. She wandered about the place she used to call home, marveling at the simple beauty she found in seeing it once again. Up until 8 months ago, she thought she never would. Now, she was even wondering if she should perhaps settle in again once she found the Doctor. Knowing him, however, she'd hardly ever be home. Sadness pierced her heart in the smallest of ways- Each time she remembered that she was here to find the Doctor, a tiny sliver buried itself in her heart. The only thing that kept her going through those last months in Pete's world was the memory of his smile.

It had paid off. Here she was, now, standing in London without a single clue as to what to do next. A light bulb flickered on in her head- Torchwood. This universe had a Torchwood, and Rose needed to find it. Last she had been here, the one in London had been destroyed, which meant... It was a no go. She couldn't afford to look for another one, so where did she go from here? It was hard to say when she was so very lost. The only things she had on her were back-up money, a phone that most likely wouldn't work in this universe, and a small device that could sense time travel occurring near by. Any time travel.

So far, not a thing from any of her supplies. She had only taken what she could fit in her pockets, and now it seemed like a relief. Instinctively, she rubbed her head where she had hit particularly hard. The trip here had really banged her up, and she suspected bruising in several places on her body. Right now, however, was not the time to be thinking about these things. She needed to find the Doctor above all else. Otherwise, this universe meant nothing to her other than strange and cold, with no one to call friend or family here and nothing but a lonely, lost existence awaiting her. Even if it was her birthplace- Even if she had once called this level of reality home. Nothing was here for her but the Doctor. Briefly, she wondered if it really had been worth it to leave everything behind.

Her thoughts were cut into as the device in her pocket began to buzz violently. Time travel- And close. Rose pulled it out of her pocket and held it in the air, shifting it in different directions. When pointed East, it buzzed even harder. She ran East, careful not to cause any disturbances but also frantic to find the source of it before it stopped. The device, however cleverly designed, could only detect time travel for a very small amount of time. After a few minutes, it stopped being able to pick up on the signs that there has been a recent travel through time. The buzzing kept getting louder and more violent until... It stopped. Rose sighed. She had been so close to finding whoever or whatever was time travelling.

A thought stopped her. The Doctor from her universe didn't have a TARDIS, she knew that much, but she hadn't stopped to really think about it. So, there was a limited number of people she knew of who could be using time travel. The Doctor- the Time Lord one, not her Doctor- was one of them. She stopped when she realized the nature of her thoughts. Her Doctor? Rose decided it would be best to come up with another way to differentiate between the two of them. How had the Time Lord Doctor referred to her Doctor? She winced again, but thought hard. Meta-Crisis, wasn't it? So, the Time Lord Doctor and the Meta-Crisis Doctor. That worked.

For a moment Rose wondered if the Time Lord Doctor had regenerated by now. She had no time to think about it, though. It had taken a minute to realize that, in the midst of her thoughts, she had found herself standing in front of a school. A secondary school, by the looks of it. For a moment she was tempted to go in... To investigate. The children were out at their lunch break... Or had it been called recess in those days? She didn't know that it was important. However, the idea that she'd find anything Doctor-related in a secondary school was ridiculous. If anything, he'd be stirring up trouble somewhere.

Just then, the device went off again. This time it was louder than ever. She looked up at the school. It had to be coming from somewhere around the school, and if she could find out where, maybe she'd be closer to finding he- the Meta-Crisis Doctor. What if she found the other one, though? The Doctor who had most likely forgotten about her by now... She decided against it. It was too much a risk... Besides, that second buzz was likely his departure from the school. The last thing Rose needed was to get herself into trouble by going unauthorized into a school.

Still... She felt she needed to leave something. A message to the Doctor, if he was here. As if answering her prayers, a lone student walked around to the main entrance, seeming... Sad. Rose slowly approached.

"Hello... Is something wrong?" She did her best to sound friendly, and the child seemed to respond. Looking up, the boy gave her a smile and shook his head.

"No, I'm okay!"

"Do you happen to have a pen and paper?" She asked the boy.

"Yea, right here." The boy pulled his backpack from his shoulders and unzipped it, digging around in the mess of crumpled papers and books. He produced a white sheet of paper and a red pen after a few minutes of groping around in the unruly mass.

Rose put the paper against the wall and thought for a moment. She knew just what to write. Soon after she etched the words BAD WOLF on the paper, she realized she had no idea how the Doctor would see it.

"Can you do me one more favor?" She said to the boy, and he nodded solemnly. She leaned forward and whispered into his ear, simultaneously removing 12 pounds from her pocket and pressing it into his hand. The student looked down at the money in his hand and grinned, then took the paper from her and ran off, backpack still open and various papers flying out.

Rose couldn't help but laugh at the sight. Whatever plight the boy had been suffering, he surely was happy about the money she had given him.

Minutes passed and Rose waited to see if he did as she had asked. A loud beeping sounded over the intercom, signalling an announcement. She heard his childish voice coming through.

"Message for Doctor John Smith, Message for Doctor John Smith. Bad Wolf."

Rose walked away. She had left all the clues she could. Hopefully the boy didn't get in too much trouble.

The bell sounded with a loud clanging and all the children began to file out of the room, picking up their books as they went by their desks and sticking them into the backpacks. It was lunch and recess time for them, and then on to the next class. The Doctor didn't have to teach until later in the afternoon. He sat on the edge of the desk, his eyes watching each one as they left, and only being snapped out of his daze when a student approached him.

"Mr Smith, I have a problem."

"Sure, what is it?" He threw a smile up on his face as he regarded the boy, about twelve and with short curly blonde hair.

"On this problem, with the formulas, I don't understand how we got from here to here..."

So the Doctor spent the next fifteen minutes helping him understand the problem, before the boy thanked him and ran out of the class to join his classmates at lunch. He sat on the desk for a few minutes more, before he ventured out himself. The halls were practically deserted by now, as the children were either out on the playground eating bagged lunches or at the cafeteria. Lunch flitted from his mind, he really didn't care about eating at the time, instead preferring to wander the halls as he let himself think. Or not think. Sometimes not thinking was easier when you didn't feel like doing anything. It had been three slightly dull months as he waited for the time to pass by and for him to get access to his equipment, but he was just slightly impatient. If only the Tardis showed up or if only Rose somehow managed...but that was an impossibility. It was 2012, wasn't it? She'd be at the London Olympics. He had to make sure he stayed out of the way, things would get a bit complicated if he and the Doctor saw eachother. There were enough rips in time without him causing another, he thought with an idle chuckle.

Then just as he was passing by a ladder, he had the misfortune to be splashed by water, and alot of it. He slipped, and nearly fell, instead grabbing on for the nearest thing to hold him, which was the ladder. Unfortunately, his weight threw the ladder off balance, and then he did fall. The ladder went one way, and the maintenance man fell down with him, the Doctor hitting the ground with an oof. A shot of annoyance flew through him as he stared at the man, and then the other stared back. And then he started laughing. He didn't know why, but he did, and the maintenance man started laughing too. They both stood up, pointing and laughing at eachother, a lone student in the halls passing by with a confused look on his face.

"Sorry about that Mr. Smith, wasn't watching what I was doing. You alright?"

"Yes I'm alright, though this coat could be better..." He took off the brown trenchcoat and shook it with a grin. Water went everywhere as it sprayed the other man primarily. "You'd better get this cleaned up, don't want it to become a hazard zone."

The other man agreed with a grin and stepped back, and proceeded to pick up his ladder and remop the floor. The Metacrisis Doctor passed by, stepping gingerly in the puddles of water on the floor, his converse soaking wet and the edge of his pants dripping water down his legs. His collar was wet too, but was mostly protected by the trenchcoat. Thank goodness for water proof clothing, he thought cheerfully as he sat down on a bench and began squeezing water out of his socks, shoes, and pants cuffs. He was momentarily distracted from his thoughts of Rose, that when the announcement came over the face, he felt smacked with a stone to the face. He just stared there, his face fallen and his eyes looking up at the intercom speakers.

"No..." There was only one person who knew what the Bad Wolf was. Well, besides himself. But could it be Rose? Could it really be Rose? Could she really truly be back? Suddenly he jumped up from his bench, his converse mostly tied and his lower clothing sticking to his legs slightly. He didn't know where he was going, but he felt a new surge of excitement. He dashed down the halls, knowing that he was going somewhere. And then he stopped at the stairs, wondering. She called him Doctor John Smith. He wasn't a Doctor in the other world, not be medical or science terms. Then wait...oh... She must have been referring to both himself and his other counterpart. If his counterpart heard, which he knew he probably hadn't, then she could probably ask him where he was. And if he heard, he'd find her. It wasn't a message meant for anyone other than himself or the Doctor. Or perhaps she was just using both names in case one of the students or staff knew him by one or the other...no that'd just be confusing them. Message was definitely for him.

So he raced up the stairs, his trenchcoat under one arm, and his hand gripping the railing so he didn't slip in his wet shoes. He raced to the control room where he figured he might find the silly kid, and there he was. Being scolded by the dean for using the intercom system.

"But this girl told me..." The boy began.

The Doctor didn't give him a chance to finish. "What girl? Who was she?" He crouched before the boy as he seemed to look scared. He gave the dean and other teacher a look that said, he'd handle this, before looking back at the boy. He tried to keep the excitement level in his voice and not talk too fast for him. "What'd she look like?" He said in a quieter voice.

"She was taller than me...older than me too, she had blonde hair." The boy nodded. "And she gave me this note," he said, holding out the 12 pound note for the Doctor to see.

"You keep that," he said as he closed up the boy's hand. "Now tell me, which way did she go?"

"She left the school."

"Thanks," the Doctor said, standing up and giving the boy a quick pat on the head. Then he dashed out the room, pulling on his trenchcoat as he ran, and headed for the fire escape. He barely missed several of the staff as he barreled through the hallways, so intent was he on finding Rose. Alot of the whys were coming back to him, but he kept that to the side for a minute as he pushed his human body on going faster to catch up. The fire escape door burst open a moment later, and he jumped down the steps, skipping a few at a time to get to the bottom. However by the time he reached the bottom and the gate, he was breathless. His brown eyes looked left and right as his body sagged from the exhertion. He saw no sign of Rose or anyone that looked like her. Couldn't she have waited...?

"Oi, Mr Smith!" The Doctor turned to regard the gardener in the yard with a raised eyebrow. "Where you off to in such a hurry? Something chasing ya?"

"No, I'm looking for a girl, bout this high..." He raised a hand to indicate Rose's height. "Fairly long blonde hair, probably wears a blue jacket...well I don't know what she could be wearing now," he said in a rush.

The gardener shook his head. "Sorry, can't help ya there."

"Yeah that's fine, I'll just look. I'll be back..." He waved his hand in the air before he dashed down the street. There were two different ways he could've gone, and many intersections from there. He was just hoping and guessing now.

((We need to be able to differentiate between our two characters. So from now on i will put "The Tenth Doctor" because if our characters meet up and we are both putting "The Doctor" it could get very confusing))

The Tenth Doctor watched as the final groups of the children rushed by him like a warm of bee's, all heading off to their designated buses and parent driven cars. Then finally there was only one left, a young boy turning the corner from the stairway. His head lowered with a frown dangling from the edges of his face before he peered up and his eyes landed on The Tenth Doctor. Immediately his facial expression shifted to one of utter confusion and surprise. Confusion about why Mr. Smith was still in the building and surprise about his new outfit and how quickly he changed into it.

Slowly, the boy walked up to The Tenth Doctor, "Mr. Smith, why are you still here?" the boy asked him. Knowing the scenario would act out as the previous one if he asked who Mr. Smith was, The Tenth Doctor instead chose to go along with it. Maybe now he could finally get some answers. "Ooh..i..i just needed to get my other suit. The other one..itched me" The Tenth Doctor pulled together a reply; the boy arched his eyebrow, "Because it was wet sir?" he asked, "Yes! Yes! That's why!". "So are you going to go after that woman now?" The boy added, "What woman?" The Tenth Doctor asked, "The woman i just told you about. You know..just left the school..blonde hair?".

"Yes! Sorry! Sort of have a lot of things going on right now! Don't mind me" The Tenth Doctor replied to the boy, a mad grin creeping across his face as his mind began to process what the boy had told him, "Now could you tell me..which way i was heading off to?". Without a word, the boy pointed back in the general direction where Mr. Smith had ran off to. "Thanks" The Tenth Doctor thanked the boy as he bolted down the hall and turned down the corner he saw the boy step out of. Immediately his eyes landed on the fire escape, Go...no don't go that way! Go this way!...No! Go that way! His conscious battled to get control of his legs, but before he could make up his mind, the fire escape door burst open.

Faintly at the bottom of the fire escape, The Tenth Doctor could hear two men yelling to each other, their conversation a complete blur to him until the words "Fairly long blonde hair, probably wears a blue jacket" echoed up to him. Immediately his eyes widened and his mind finally connected all the dots to one image, one figure, "Rose.." he hissed. Jumping over several series of stairs, The Tenth Doctor rushed down the fire escape the best and fastest he could before finally reaching the ground. Looking up, The Tenth Doctor caught sight of a man running away from him, the familiar trench coat immediately making a connection to the Meta Crisis Doctor that he had left with Rose. "What's he doing here?" He asked himself before the gardener roared into his line of sight, "Mr. Smith?!?!" he exclaimed, cocking his head to the left as he stared at him, "What are you doing there?! You were just..and wearing...?!?! What the bloody hell is going on here?!?!".

Candalynne blinked in surprise as someone rushed past her and it was an exact copy of The Doctor, but in a different type of suit. She saw The Tenth Doctor running so she followed slowly. She thought it was one of her hallucinations but other people had spoken to the "copy", so she assumed it wasn't something her mind was trying to trick her with.

She rushed out and went to confront The Tenth Doctor again but she noticed a schoolgirl run up to him about some locket. She slowly felt sympathy for the girl - Candalynne had also lost a locket from centuries ago. She walked up to the girl, "A truck huh? Now, let's see if I can outrun the thing okay?" She smirked slowly, almost in an evil way. She lifted off her black hat and she looked to The Tenth Doctor. "Hold his for me, Doc- I mean, Mr Smith." She said before passing him her black hat. She cracked her fingers before grabbing a piece of sharp metal off the floor and she ran quickly after the truck.

She aimed for the trucks back wheel and she threw the sharp metal into the wheel and it pierced the wheel, making the truck sway violently before eventually braking. "Now you can get your locket." She called to the schoolgirl.

((bump??))

(Sorry guys. I've been extremely ill lately. I'll have a reply this weekend, though.)

As she walked away from the school, Rose couldn’t help but have a feeling that she should go back. It would have made more sense to wait for the Doctor, right? Even with that thought nagging her, something else told her to keep walking. A voice in the back of her head… She shook it off. The Doctor would find her even if she didn’t go back and wait. If he was there, that clue would certainly be enough to alert him to her presence. If he wasn’t there, she needed to move as quickly as possible to find where he was.

It was bad enough she had disturbed the entire school in her search for him. Rose didn’t want to think about how much further she’d end up going eventually. It was beginning to occur to her that there was a bigger problem at hand- the way she had traveled back to her universe. Of course, she had been aware the rip was an issue, but remembering what happened every time someone traveled back and forth made her shudder.

So, the hole was wider now. There was still the issue of who had caused the rip, but now that it was bigger it would start showing up in more places than just Bad Wolf Bay. The idea sent a chill through her veins, especially with the memories of the last rip.

Along with those memories came the other Doctor- the one she didn’t want to remember. The one who had sent her right back to the place she had been striving to escape in order to get back to him. Rose knew she shouldn’t linger on such thoughts, but they persisted. She frowned as she came across the place she used to live, Powell Estate. Her emotions flared up for a moment…
Until someone stopped her.

“Are you Rose Tyler?” The woman asked, frowning. Rose was shocked that anyone recognized her, and for a moment did not respond.

“… Yea, I am. How did you know?” She asked, shock evident in her voice. The woman’s frown deepened and she looked worried.

“I knew something was coming… You need to come with me.”

The older woman grabbed her by the arm and began to walk very quickly. Rose could only follow in a daze. What was going on?

The Metacrisis Doctor didn't know where he was going. Well he knew where, where-ever Rose was. But where was she? After a minute of foot pounding down the street, he stopped at an intersection, his body bent over slightly as he gasped for breath. His brown eyes darted left and right over the busy intersection, but there was no sign of the long blonde hair flowing over her shoulders. There was no sign of her blue jacket and her slim figure moving through the crowd. All he could see were vague shapes of varying color moving back and forth like a mindless blur...but none of it was Rose.

For a moment, he felt dejected. He'd probably run down the wrong street, and even if he hadn't, she could've jumped into a cab. By now, whichever way she went, she'd be long gone. And as large a city as London was, it would be almost impossible to find her.

But not totally impossible. He drifted along the sidewalk, his eyes panning over the street as his hand pulled out his sonic screwdriver. Such a handy tool it was, he was glad that he had taken the time to make himself a new one in his other version's borrowed Tardis. Switching the settings, he began buzzing the streets, slowly and carefully. He wanted Rose to pop out from behind a street corner, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. But the screwdriver wasn't looking for Rose, it was looking for the path she had taken into this universe. His mind was mulling it over as his screwdriver buzzed its negatives. There was no way she could've come over from her universe without there being another hole in the fabric of reality. Not that she wouldn't seize the opportunity to and build herself another dimension cannon. But he was reasonably sure the walls of the universe were sealed. Except for the hole he had come through. He frowned slightly, his fingers slowly switching over to another setting. He hadn't figured out why that hole had opened, but it had also resealed itself. It was probably a natural occurrence. Was there another natural occurrence? And if so...was it natural any longer?

"Ahah!" Suddenly the screwdriver changed slightly in frequency, its display giving him hope. It had picked up on a spacial disturbance, a trail of sorts. Rose would be long gone by then, but he would at least have a point to start from. A familiar crazed grin spread over his face, and he dashed down the street, his screwdriver leading the way. Through alleyways and across roads, around chattering people and parked cars, it lead him. Past Rose's old apartment, which lay dormant with their absence. Or maybe it had people in it, he didn't stop to look long. Finally, he stopped at corner, where a lonely street eventually joined a busy intersection. Around him were a few houses, with the towering apartment buildings and skyscrapers not far beyond. It was a quiet spot, and an excellent place to pop out of thin air.

And that's when he found it. He didn't need his screwdriver to see the warping, shimmering, twisting array of particles that formed the gateway. It was big enough for a person to get through, and certainly large enough to allow Rose passage. With a frown he ran his screwdriver up and down, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the readings. Something was wrong, something was causing it to get bigger. Too much pressure was being put on the rip, and he knew that it would get larger still. Even worse, it could start happening in other places too. As he looked up at it, he wondered where it lead. Obviously, to Rose's parallel world, but did it lead elsewhere? Was their parallel world the only universe affected, or were the other universes in danger?

He probably knew the answer to, was it safe without protection, but he tested anyway. He stuck his hand through, waving it around slightly in the fissure, and instantly regretted it. He snatched his hand back and gasped, his free hand going to protect his affected arm. It literally felt like the molecules and atoms had been bombarded, throwing half of them around and tearing through the others like a storm. It left his arm feeling like it had nearly been ripped from his shoulder, with sharp throbbing tingles travelling upward at each beat of his heart.

"That's bad," he murmurred after a moment of gasping and hissing. "That's really, really, bad." His eyes moved around as he looked about at the affected area. He pointed his screwdriver at the rip, adjusting the settings and buzzing it. It wasn't enough to close it, but it was enough to help keep back the spread, at least for the moment. But it only confirmed for him that something was causing it, and needed to be stopped before it was too late. For a second, he wished he were his other self and had the Tardis. He could analyze this alot better if he did. But unfortunately, he didn't and did not remember if his former self was stopping by any time soon. He would have to investigate himself, and rig something up using earth's primitive technology. Or maybe he could use something from Torchwood. He really didn't want to go there any time soon, but if other leads panned out, he might have to.

Now he had two things to do; find Rose, and stop this universe from being ripped apart. His hands in his pockets, he began walking back in the general direction of the school and his apartment.

The Doctor glared between the pleading school girl and the disappearing form of his meta crisis copy, gritting his teeth as he was forced to help the girl or continue his chase. Then, suddenly, just before he was about to give into the girls pleas, Candy rushed over and saved him. Her quick actions to stop the truck surprising The Doctor was he watched the sharp metal pierce the tough rubber of the tire. "Brilliant!" The Doctor exclaimed, looking back to Candy with a grin, "I owe you one Candy...just..don't go running around causing trouble. There's no telling what it could do to this universe".

Turning back towards where he last saw his copy running, The Doctor released an aggravated sigh; he was gone. There was no telling where he could have run off to, "Maybe..." The Doctor mumbled. Flipping out his sonic screwdriver, The Doctor adjusted the settings as he held it up to his ear, "If i can set it to detect biological abnormalities then it could detect the influx of his blood, half time lord..half human". The sonic screwdriver burst with life as he pointed it to the east, but it wasn't towards the Meta-Crisis, it was to something completely different. "Oo" The Doctor mumbled, glaring down at his screwdriver then up to where it was pointing, "Where did you come from ey?".

((Bump??))