After All -A multipule Doctor short story series-

He Deserved It After All
-10th Doctor, TenToo, Rose Tyler-
-Pain, acceptance and lots of FEELS-

(FYI: I wrote this at 4:00 in the morning my time... So if it's not as good as I think it is now, I apologize. My Sleep-deprived mind thought it was really sad and wanted to write it down. AND Mal, You started this with that oneshot you sent me in PM. Remember that -_-)


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With the shadow of his past hanging over him, the Doctor cast a final look around the control room of his beloved TARDIS. Reaching out, he fondly padded the console gently, welcoming the psychic nudge he received from her. Then with a sharp breath, he straightened his back and turned to face the doors. On the other side, he knew, he knew they would be waiting. He knew that it would be the last time he stood inside his ship, it would be the last time he would ever travel to another place. It was his decision, all for Rose... A small, wry smile shifted his lips slightly at the thought of the yellow girl he knew so many years ago. Only for Rose, only she could bring him to do this.

With a final glance at the time rotor, he reached over and set the controls for a two minute delay. The least he could do was send her out of their reach, away from their control. He wouldn't have his beloved cannibalized again, like the Master. How long has it been since such simple adventures? Of course, they didn't seem simple at the time, but now that he looked back on his past, he felt a small, unwilling chuckle rise up and slip from between his lips. So much trouble, all because of who he was in every time line he had visited. Reaching in his pocket he slipped out his Sonic, psychic paper and several other items of importance. Gazing at them for the last time, he gently set them on the console then began the walk to the doors.

One, two, three steps... How long would he last? Four, five, six steps... Would he ever be given the freedom they promised afterwards? Seven, eight, nine steps... Funny how this small walkway seemed to be a million miles now. So many other times it was only a couple of short leaps then he was there. Ten, eleven, twelve... Looking up, he studied the blue wood of the TARDIS doors, memorizing every crack, nick and scratch on the paint. Committing it to the vault that never forgot anything before reaching up with an arm that seemed to weigh a thousand pounds to unlock the deadbolt then slowly pull the door open just far enough to slip out and shut it before they got inside.

He stared at the ground for a long time in silence, the sound of breathing all around him as he slowly adjusted himself to his fate. Curiously, he studied their shoes, missing his trainers from a more... Cheekier attitude. A sudden pang for the past shot through his hearts, searing him to the core with pain as he thought of his companions. Donna, Martha, Jack, Rose... So many so many lives changed because of him. And not all of it was good. He mused to himself, still studying the shoes gathered around him in a protective semi-circle. It was for the best. Always was in the end, everything he did was for them, protecting them, teaching them... In the end it always was the same. Goodbye.

Finally, The Doctor sucked in a deep breath and brought his head up, gazing into the familiar face of Rose Tyler as she stared at him. Nothing showed in her face, no recognizable smile, no happiness or anger. No sadness even... He would have preferred anger directed towards him, even tears, but nothing... That was the worst thing she could have done... She knew him the best in the end, she knew his weakness and his habits. That was how it happened. Dragging his gaze over, he sought a familiar emotion in the face of his Meta-crisis form as he stared impassively into his face. The same as Rose, Nothing there either. He deserved it, always in the end, what pain came to him, he deserved it.

Finally, with a long drawn-out sigh, he reached into his pocket and pulled the key to his TARDIS, the only one that fit the new lock. The only one he ever cared to have made... He felt another lance of pain in his chest as he stared at the shining metal before a hand reached out and snatched it from his palm. "Take him to Torchwood. Secure the TARDIS and get it put somewhere that no one would ever find it again." Rose's words cut through the thick silence around them. Barking orders like a regular army captain. In a way she was, an army captain in a war against one man. Him.

As a pair of handcuffs were bound to his wrists, the familiar call of the TARDIS echoed around the deserted field, blowing dust up as she began to dematerialize for the last time. "No! Doctor, what did you do!" His Meta-Crisis form ran forward, reaching for the wooden doors only to have his hand pass through them as they vanished seconds before contact. "I sent her away. Some place where no one could ever use her again." The Doctor said in a tired voice. The voice of a man that had seen too many things, done too many things and said too many things in his life. Such a long life... And bound to be longer here, in the other world with Rose, his Meta-Crisis and the others... Stuck on Earth, even the small bit of coral he had given to them before leaving had been tucked away, never to be allowed to develop in a chamber of maximum lock down. No more time travel, no more space travel...

The Vortex almost collapsed, he caused it. It was his fault in the end, just as he deserved any pain he received. The TARDIS malfunctioned, jettisoning too much energy during a travel phase... Sending him here, cracking open the space between universes again. Of course, the Vortex had a hand in it this time, sending him here in order to re-establish the proper time stream and protect itself from damage. As soon as Rose found out, she called Torchwood and ordered them to take him away to keep from interfering as they carted his TARDIS away to the same prison the small bit of coral was in. It was to protect all universes, not just their own. It was meant to save everyone, at the cost of his own love. Trapped on a single planet... How long would he last, would he ever be allowed the freedom to travel as he pleased once they deemed it safe?

With a final glance at the blue sky overhead, he allowed them to lead him to the vehicles parked alongside the road. His eyes searching for something, anything that might save him. As he was pushed inside gently, the eyes closed, finally able to accept what happened. Off to Torchwood... Off to a singular time line... Alone on a planet where he didn't belong. A sudden thought rising in his mind just as they pulled away and began driving down the long dirt road. The only thought he would ever have for the rest of his unnatural life.

He deserves this after all.

He Dreamed After All
-9th Doctor, Rose Tyler-
=Love, Romance=

Her hair smelled like sunlight should if it had a scent, actually, he considered to himself thoughtfully, there is a planet where you could smell sunlight. Leaning in, he took another deep sniff of Rose's hair and nodded to himself, yes, just like that. Bright, pure and full of promises about a good day. The Doctor's arms wrapped around her waist from behind, holding her back to his chest as his chin rested on the top of her head, studying the sight right out of the TARDIS doors in front of them in silence. It was a birthday gift to her, a trip to a star nursery to watch suns be born. Of course they had to speed time up around their little bubble in the TARDIS so they could watch it properly.

Rose shifted in his arms, causing another cloud of her unique scent drift up into his face and nearly make him groan from the wonder of it. Biting the inside of his cheek, the Doctor stopped breathing and used his respiratory bypass instead to stop the temptation of inhaling her scent over and over again. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but it did many things to him that no other scent in the universe could do. Shifting his eyes away from the bright display, he moved to the side and held her there instead so he could study her out of the corner of his eyes. Her face held an excited expression on it as bright bursts of light flashed across her skin, highlighting her features clearly for seconds at a time.

Suddenly, she turned to look over at him and flashed a bright, one-of-a-kind Rose smile at him, most likely able to take his breath away if he had been breathing at the time. Though it did kick his hearts into high gear just at the sight of it. Lately she had been looking run-down and exhausted, it killed him every time he looked at her face. Making him decide that this would be a proper birthday gift to the girl. He turned his head to face her and flashed her one of his signature grins, waving a hand over at the display with a proud expression. "Fantastic, isn't it? I've been to one of these before, but not this one... You should have seen that one... Colors exploding across the sky. Red, blue, yellow, green and ones you'll never see on Earth. Something no human could ever imagine in their little homes." He said in excitement, his eyes glittering in happiness as he studied her expression as she listened to his story.

Turning his attention back to the star nursery, he felt the bright smile slip into an easy grin as another bright point of light was born in front of them. Before he could point it out to Rose, she snuggled up into his side, cutting off his thoughts at the feel of her pressing against him. "Doctor, This is a wonderful present. Thank you so much." She murmured into his leather jacket, her words coming out slightly muffled from the fabric pressing against her face. Looking down at her, he hesitantly tightened his arm around her and leaned in to breathe her scent in once more.

As he leaned in, his eyes closed so nothing would distract him from analyzing the smell from her hair. Before he could breath it in, however, something soft pressed against his lips making his eyes pop open in surprise. Looking down, he stared into Rose's eyes, from the look in them she was just as shocked as he was. Pulling away quickly, she backed up a step, her face turning a bright red he's only ever seen in the very heart of a burning star. "S-Sorry!" She stammered, her words tripping over themselves as she tried to explain. "I meant to kiss your cheek and you turned your head as I reached up and-"

Blinking slightly, the Doctor reached up and placed his fingers on her lips to stop the torrent of words. As she fell silent, he pulled her back into a hug, his hand reaching up to caress her jaw gently. Without saying a word, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers softly, his eyes closing tightly with each fiber of his body analyzing the taste of Rose. Sweet, salty, spicy and other tastes he's never had the pleasure of enjoying until now. All of them wrapping up into one simple kiss that could only be uniquely Rose.

"Um... Doctor?" Her voice cut through the Doctor's daydream, bringing him back to the TARDIS control room as he shook his head slightly and looked down at her with a questioning smile. "What, Rose?" She smiled slightly and stood on her tiptoes, pressing her lips to his cheek lightly before letting go of him and stepping away to close the doors in front of them. "It is a wonderful present, Doctor. Thank you so much..." She trailed off, looking up at his face for a moment, seemingly confused at the expression on his. "Can we go see my mum now? I'm sure she'll throw a fit if we don't show up for my birthday."

Nodding mutely, the Doctor turned around and walked back to the controls, setting them to the co-ordinates seared into his brain from so many visits in the past. "I don't want her coming to see this either, Rose. Domestic, that's what she'll make my TARDIS and you know it. So no telling her." He said in his usual brisk, no-nonsense tone as he worked, not noticing the irritated look crossing her face at his words. "Right. See you in a bit. I'm going to shower." She snapped, causing him to look up after her as she vanished down the hallway in confusion. "Right..." He murmured, lifting his shoulders into a shrug as he turned back to the console in front of him, leaning against it with his hands as he stared blankly at the blinking lights, his imagination kicking back into high-gear at the thought of her in the shower.

"Ah!" The Doctor growled at himself, shaking his head sharply before pulling the lever down and sending the TARDIS flying into the vortex and towards Rose's home. Turning around, he ignored the tittering hum the controls directed at him as he walked towards his room for a shower of his own. A rather cold shower at that.

He Remembered After All
-11th Doctor-
=Remembrance, friendship, sad=

The Doctor nervously adjusted his bow tie, his boots shuffling from side to side as he waited in the stand of trees next to the park he had begun to frequent over the past week.

The Ponds were gone, living their own lives in their own home, he had cautioned River not to tell them that he was alive. He didn't want to hurt them, he didn't want to put them into anymore unnecessary danger all because of him. A low sigh slipped from his lips, his eyes darting around the park, searching once more before moving on. He would just have to wait until tomorrow.

As he turned around to leave, a high, girlish giggle reached his ears, making him stop and turn back around. There she was, wrapped around Jackie's leg as they walked towards the park. "Rose, please let go of mommie's leg." Jackie sighed, reaching the bench and collapsing into it. "Do you know how hard it is to shop with you? Your as picky as your mother." She said fondly, ruffling the younger Rose's hair before waving a hand at the park. "Go on then. Run off all of that energy before you wear me out." The young girl hugged her Mother before running over to the swings and climbing up onto one of them and quickly getting it to move back and forth. The Doctor patted at his hair with the same nervous, jerky movement as he debated on approaching the girl without Jackie going all Judoon on him and smacking his face into the void before he got a chance to explain himself. Suddenly, an idea struck him, making the Doctor spin around and run back into his TARDIS.


A few minutes later, he stepped back outside and glanced around quickly before shutting the door behind him. As he walked towards the park, he reached up and adjusted the white reverend's collar he wore in place of his usual bow tie. Making his way around the stand of trees, he landed in, the Doctor walked along the sidewalk going towards the park and sat on the bench next to Jackie.

Looking over at her, the Doctor smiled and held out a hand. "Reverend John Smith, a pleasure to meet you." Jackie looked him over then smiled herself and shook his hand gently. "Jackie Tyler, and that over there is my daughter, Rose." She replied, nodding over at the little girl as she climbed the stairs of the slide.

"Rose, what a beautiful name. I knew a wonderful woman with that name once. She could have saved the world twice without once asking for anything in return." The Doctor murmured, watching Rose as she ran around for another go on the slide. "IF you don't mind me saying, Reverend, you sound like you loved her." Jackie said quietly, studying him with a thoughtful look on her face. The Doctor laughed and looked over at her, a mix between a pained expression and a lost one displaying itself across his face. "Ah, I never thought it was too obvious. Apparently I was wrong, but.. She's gone now, off to live with her family. Happy there, I believe." The Doctor said with forced cheer as he leaned back against the bench and resumed watching Rose with a small smile. "She reminds me of her." He added, nodding at Rose as she crouched down, studying a toad on the ground with frank curiosity. "Always curious about new things, instead of running off."

"Yeah, that's my Rose alright, she's the first one to run towards trouble, she is." Jackie laughed fondly, watching the young girl as she hopped along behind the toad, her eyes locked onto it while she did. The doctor laughed with her, thinking of his own memories of Rose. Rose with the Nestine Consciousness, Rose with the Slitheen, the Dalek they met in a bunker fifty or so feet under the earth's surface. Everything she did was so human, so brave and caring and most of all, so Rose. Only she could have returned wonder and excitement to the universe for an old man like him.

Turning to Jackie, he waved a hand over at Rose as she abandoned the toad in favor of the teeter totter. "Do you mind if I-? I love playing with children." He asked quickly, flashing a winning smile at Jackie, her nod was all he needed to get up and walk towards Rose, his hands in his pockets. He really shouldn't be doing this, this is just too close to crossing his own time line. Not to mention Jackie, she was unusually observant, he was sure she'd remember this happening later on down the road when his younger version runs into Rose for the first time.

He stood at the other end of the teeter totter, grinning at Rose as she finally looked up at him, making a pang shoot through his hearts at her eyes when they connected with his. "Hello!" She said cheerfully, waving wildly before gripping the handles tightly again. "Hello there... My names John, what's yours?" He asked with the same grin on his face, watching as she swayed from side to side on the seat, a look of intense concentration settling onto hers. Looking up at him again, she grinned the same bright smile from before. "I'm Rose, do you want to play? I'm going on an adventure." She giggled and rocked on her seat again, her face lighting up with excitement.

The Doctor laughed and sat on the ground beside her, mimicking how she sat on the seat. "Where are we going then?" He asked curiously, his gaze wandering over to Rose wen she imitated the sounds of an engine running, her hands shifting on the handles. "We're space travelers. I want to go to the moon and mars and all the planets on the universe!" She proclaimed proudly, her head turning so she could look at him again. "Don't you want to go to space? See the stars close?"

Grinning widely, the Doctor leaned back on his hands, eyes moving up to the sky for a moment in thought then back over at Rose's expectant expression. "I'll tell you a secret." He said quietly, leaning close to her, his voice dropping down to a whisper. "I'm from space." Rose's eyes widened and she let out a squeal of excitement before clapping a hand over her mouth. "You can't tell anyone, okay, Rose? Top-secret stuff." The Doctor said in the same serious undertone, raising a finger to his lips. Rose's face turned serious as she nodded her head solemnly. "I won't tell anyone, not even mummy. I promise." Grinning at her again, the Doctor rubbed her hair before getting to his feet. "I have to go now, Rose. Worlds to visit, people to save and a whole universe to explore."

"Aw! Why can't you stay? I wanna hear a story." Rose whined softly, a pout crossing her face as she folded her arms tightly. Smiling gently, he crouched down to her eye level. "I tell you what. When you get older, I'll come back and take you on adventures with me, Rose Tyler. You keep that curiosity and honest wonder at the world in that pretty little head and I'll come back when your older. I promise."

Her pout slipped away, being replaced by a bright smile as she threw her arms around him in a hug. "I promise." She whispered in his ear before letting him go and running over to her Mother when Jackie called her name. "Reverend Smith, would you like some tea?" She asked as the Doctor walked over to them. "I can't, moving on today. But you never know, I might show up again." He said with a smile, Rose's happy giggle only making it grow wider. "A pleasure talking to you, Jackie, and especially you, Rose." He said brightly, tucking his hands into his pockets before nodding at the both of them and walking away. "Be careful!" Rose's voice called out behind him, making his smile tremble slightly with barely suppressed emotion as he vanished around the corner and turning into the trees.

Stopping in front of the TARDIS doors, he placed a hand on the wood and looked over his shoulder one final time before pushing it open and walking inside. It was time to move on. He couldn't dwell in the past anymore, only keep moving forward in his time line.
He would always remember his Rose Tyler.
He never could forget her After All.