Moving Forward Part 03 - Chapter 46 - Two of Thee Times Three
Title: Moving Forward Part 03 Chapter 46 -Two of Thee Times Three
Author:
othermewriter
Chapter Rating: G - Series Rating: Adult
Characters: 9/Rose Disclaimer: not mine, and so not making money from this; I try not to dwell on it too much :(
A/N: Thank you one and all for your continued support in spite of my erratic posting. As always my thanks to
lostwolfchats for her faithful beta work.
Previous chapter: Chapter 45 - Introductions & Explanations
As I am concentrating on keeping track of Jack I don’t notice Rose’s distress immediately, only becoming aware of it as she comes into our room. As she does I am suddenly surrounded by streams of complex tangled time threads, and I understand instantly why as I see who is following her.
I watch as Rose carefully tries to keep this younger Jack from asking questions that would be very awkward to explain; I am so proud of her. Jack, on the other hand, doesn’t hesitate as he enters to come to my side and rub his hands loving down one corner sending shivers thorough me. At his touch hoards of memory fragments come flooding to the surface. In that moment of distraction I lose track of Jack’s older self.
The rest of the conversation with Rose is brief and I encourage her to go find Theta’s younger self so that I can again concentrate on finding the version of Jack that has been traveling with us and examine my new information. It is only after she leaves that I realize how sidetracked I have become when the thought occurs to me that maybe there might just be someone who can give me just the answers I need. Someone who can tell me why Theta and this younger Jack are here, but first I need to let my Theta know of this unexpected turn of events as he really does hate running into himself unexpectedly.
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I don’t know when Rose Tyler has come from for certain but there is no question in my mind that the Doctor has meet her before and that their relationship is far from plutonic based on their body language. I have never seen him look at anyone quite the way he has been watching Rose. His comment about her being human very much makes me wonder what it is he knows about her future that makes that surprising and I decide I really must ask him when she is not around. When he admits to loving her I am astounded anew. The Doctor has never given any indication to being romantically attracted to anyone, let alone declared that he loved them. It’s just not something he does, leaving me even more confused than before, yet at the same time knowing exactly how special this young woman is to him.
The rest of the things he reveals to her are not quite so surprising, up until the point where he tells her that he has died seven times. I am as horrified as Rose is at this news; I’ve known him to do some extremely reckless things in the year and half I have know him but he has always led such a charmed existence that it never occurred to me that he may not have always been so lucky. This certainty of his mortality sends a cold chill down my spine.
Her reaction to his attempt to minimize his past deaths, as well as how abruptly very pale she becomes, make it clear how much Rose knows and loves him. Hoping to lessen the impact I quip, “Well, I guess that explains why you didn’t tell her Doc,” as the Doctor hands her a cup of tea.
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It doesn’t take me long to see many things this Doctor has in common with my own, but for every one thing that is the same there is another that is different and it’s disconcerting. In spite of the jarring differences, I know that this is my Doctor in a way that goes beyond their assurances. But how he knows me if he is a younger version I don’t understand. “Doctor I need to ask…” I pause unsure if I should, but at his encouraging smile I continue. “So how do you know who I am if you’re a younger him?” The amusement dancing in his eyes is completely annoying yet at the same time so like him.
“Because we have already met for the first time in your future, in fact you were quite the tease, telling me only that ‘the next time we meet will be our third first time meeting’.”
“How does…” Then it hits me - that would have been the first time he met me, this would be the first time I met this version of him and then for me our first meeting would occur at Hendricks with his future self. “Oh, I love being a being a time traveler!” I exclaim, delighted. Then I can’t resist stating, “Guess that means I have to remember to tell you that now.”
“Yep, kind of fun isn’t it?” he replies, his blue eyes twinkling just as much as those of his older self, making me want to see my Doctor again. Why had he never told me we had met Jack before? This reminds me of why we came to find this Doctor.
“Oh, we need to find what happened to Jack! My Doctor is trying to catch up with him and the TARDIS is helping. If he doesn’t remember you’re here he may be heading straight into a trap!”
“He doesn’t remember,” comes the quiet, almost embarrassed, words from his younger self, which alarms me even more.
“Wait, how do you know?”
“Because when we meet again later, in your future, she will tell me he didn’t remember,” he states, nodding to the TARDIS in the corner of the room.
“Ah, okay.” I wonder what else this Doctor, from my Doctor’s past and my future, knows that he isn’t telling me, and how do you keep them straight anyway when they’re both the Doctor and you have two of them present?
‘He’s telling you what he can Rose,’ is his Verity’s quiet reply and I know she is right and he won’t risk bringing Reapers, it’s just frustrating. Understanding my confusion she gently offers, ‘If it makes it easier you can think of my Doctor as Eight and yours as Nine. It’s usually what they do when they meet to help their companions keep things clear.’
“Wait, are you saying others have met more than one Doctor at a time?” I blurt out, surprised at Verity’s comment.
It is the Doctor that answers my outburst, “Yes, Rose, sometimes we encounter each other. Not very often mind, the Council takes a very dim view of fraternizing with your younger selves.” He leans in conspiratorially and states, “It tends to lead to too much risk of paradox.” His mention of the ruling council of Gallifrey suddenly drives home the reminder that this man has yet to experience the nightmares of the Time War and my heart aches for him knowing only the smallest fraction of what he will have to face.
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As distracted as I was with Rose bringing a younger Jack and the unexpected memory fragments that break loose, it takes me a few moments to realize that if Eight and a younger Jack are here than a younger me is most likely here as well. In spite of my not remembering having been in this time and place before I reach out to try to locate my own time signature, I am greeted by the cheerful mental voice of my younger self. I have to shield her from her my pang of loneliness and how bitter sweet the sound of her mental voice is after so long without hearing the voice of another of my kind. Yet I dare not let on what her future holds.
‘Was wondering when you would think to look for me. You need to warn Nine that your Jack has most likely been picked up by the slaver ring operating out of the spa here, probably in the mistaken belief that his is my Jack.’
‘Oh dear - relaying!’ After a moment of bringing Theta up to speed I return my concentration to my younger self. ‘You don’t seem surprised to see me.’
‘No, we meet again later when you’re traveling with 10. I have a memory package for you with a time stamp to open when the correct time arrives. Ready?’
‘Yes.’ With that I feel her push a block of data into my memory storage and I know that when it is needed I will remember where and when I need to take him to complete the time loop we have created.
Her next comment surprises me almost as much.
'Sister self, I have been thinking on things we spoke of when next we meet. Please know I will restore our memories of the time we have lost up to this point. I understand why you will not tell me how we lose them, but know they are yours if you desire them. For now, though, let’s find your Jack.’
Suddenly I am overwhelmed by the generosity of that offer and mentally hug my younger self, knowing she will not begin to understand how much her offer means to me.
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I am not happy when Verity informs me that Eight is here with a younger Jack as it means there is far more going on here than meets the eye. The fact that I don’t remember any of this concerns me more than I care to admit. When she tells me that she has lost track of our version of Jack my concern increases even more, and I know that I am going to have to try to track down where he might have gone on my own. The only good news is that Rose is safe and if she sticks with Eight and Jack’s younger self I know that she will be as safe as she can be until we again meet up. Of course that’s assuming he can curb her wandering tendencies a bit more than I have, my hearts sink a bit at the likelihood of that prospect even with him being a pretty boy. Nor am I looking forward to explaining to her why I didn’t tell her about regeneration.
When Verity contacts me a few moments later telling me that what Jack and Eight were working on was a slavery ring centered on the spa I had taken Rose to I have to wonder why I thought this was a good place to take her for some down time. Next time we want relaxation were staying safe within Verity's walls and watching movies. As I hear a bang and muffled cursing from further ahead I know that is a problem for a later point. I step back into an indent between two strings of cables just seconds before a light sweeps past where I was standing. The energy of the cables next to me reminds me that there should be a signal I can hone in on in the form of Jack’s vortex manipulator - at minimum I should be able to find two of them. With a bit of luck there won’t be a Time agency convention going on and knowing where the Jack with Eight is should narrow the field and tell me where our Jack is located, or at least where they took his ever-present arm band hopefully with him still connected.
Stories & Research Index
Author:
othermewriter
Chapter Rating: G - Series Rating: Adult
Characters: 9/Rose Disclaimer: not mine, and so not making money from this; I try not to dwell on it too much :(
A/N: Thank you one and all for your continued support in spite of my erratic posting. As always my thanks to
lostwolfchats for her faithful beta work.
Previous chapter: Chapter 45 - Introductions & Explanations
As I am concentrating on keeping track of Jack I don’t notice Rose’s distress immediately, only becoming aware of it as she comes into our room. As she does I am suddenly surrounded by streams of complex tangled time threads, and I understand instantly why as I see who is following her.
I watch as Rose carefully tries to keep this younger Jack from asking questions that would be very awkward to explain; I am so proud of her. Jack, on the other hand, doesn’t hesitate as he enters to come to my side and rub his hands loving down one corner sending shivers thorough me. At his touch hoards of memory fragments come flooding to the surface. In that moment of distraction I lose track of Jack’s older self.
The rest of the conversation with Rose is brief and I encourage her to go find Theta’s younger self so that I can again concentrate on finding the version of Jack that has been traveling with us and examine my new information. It is only after she leaves that I realize how sidetracked I have become when the thought occurs to me that maybe there might just be someone who can give me just the answers I need. Someone who can tell me why Theta and this younger Jack are here, but first I need to let my Theta know of this unexpected turn of events as he really does hate running into himself unexpectedly.
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I don’t know when Rose Tyler has come from for certain but there is no question in my mind that the Doctor has meet her before and that their relationship is far from plutonic based on their body language. I have never seen him look at anyone quite the way he has been watching Rose. His comment about her being human very much makes me wonder what it is he knows about her future that makes that surprising and I decide I really must ask him when she is not around. When he admits to loving her I am astounded anew. The Doctor has never given any indication to being romantically attracted to anyone, let alone declared that he loved them. It’s just not something he does, leaving me even more confused than before, yet at the same time knowing exactly how special this young woman is to him.
The rest of the things he reveals to her are not quite so surprising, up until the point where he tells her that he has died seven times. I am as horrified as Rose is at this news; I’ve known him to do some extremely reckless things in the year and half I have know him but he has always led such a charmed existence that it never occurred to me that he may not have always been so lucky. This certainty of his mortality sends a cold chill down my spine.
Her reaction to his attempt to minimize his past deaths, as well as how abruptly very pale she becomes, make it clear how much Rose knows and loves him. Hoping to lessen the impact I quip, “Well, I guess that explains why you didn’t tell her Doc,” as the Doctor hands her a cup of tea.
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It doesn’t take me long to see many things this Doctor has in common with my own, but for every one thing that is the same there is another that is different and it’s disconcerting. In spite of the jarring differences, I know that this is my Doctor in a way that goes beyond their assurances. But how he knows me if he is a younger version I don’t understand. “Doctor I need to ask…” I pause unsure if I should, but at his encouraging smile I continue. “So how do you know who I am if you’re a younger him?” The amusement dancing in his eyes is completely annoying yet at the same time so like him.
“Because we have already met for the first time in your future, in fact you were quite the tease, telling me only that ‘the next time we meet will be our third first time meeting’.”
“How does…” Then it hits me - that would have been the first time he met me, this would be the first time I met this version of him and then for me our first meeting would occur at Hendricks with his future self. “Oh, I love being a being a time traveler!” I exclaim, delighted. Then I can’t resist stating, “Guess that means I have to remember to tell you that now.”
“Yep, kind of fun isn’t it?” he replies, his blue eyes twinkling just as much as those of his older self, making me want to see my Doctor again. Why had he never told me we had met Jack before? This reminds me of why we came to find this Doctor.
“Oh, we need to find what happened to Jack! My Doctor is trying to catch up with him and the TARDIS is helping. If he doesn’t remember you’re here he may be heading straight into a trap!”
“He doesn’t remember,” comes the quiet, almost embarrassed, words from his younger self, which alarms me even more.
“Wait, how do you know?”
“Because when we meet again later, in your future, she will tell me he didn’t remember,” he states, nodding to the TARDIS in the corner of the room.
“Ah, okay.” I wonder what else this Doctor, from my Doctor’s past and my future, knows that he isn’t telling me, and how do you keep them straight anyway when they’re both the Doctor and you have two of them present?
‘He’s telling you what he can Rose,’ is his Verity’s quiet reply and I know she is right and he won’t risk bringing Reapers, it’s just frustrating. Understanding my confusion she gently offers, ‘If it makes it easier you can think of my Doctor as Eight and yours as Nine. It’s usually what they do when they meet to help their companions keep things clear.’
“Wait, are you saying others have met more than one Doctor at a time?” I blurt out, surprised at Verity’s comment.
It is the Doctor that answers my outburst, “Yes, Rose, sometimes we encounter each other. Not very often mind, the Council takes a very dim view of fraternizing with your younger selves.” He leans in conspiratorially and states, “It tends to lead to too much risk of paradox.” His mention of the ruling council of Gallifrey suddenly drives home the reminder that this man has yet to experience the nightmares of the Time War and my heart aches for him knowing only the smallest fraction of what he will have to face.
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As distracted as I was with Rose bringing a younger Jack and the unexpected memory fragments that break loose, it takes me a few moments to realize that if Eight and a younger Jack are here than a younger me is most likely here as well. In spite of my not remembering having been in this time and place before I reach out to try to locate my own time signature, I am greeted by the cheerful mental voice of my younger self. I have to shield her from her my pang of loneliness and how bitter sweet the sound of her mental voice is after so long without hearing the voice of another of my kind. Yet I dare not let on what her future holds.
‘Was wondering when you would think to look for me. You need to warn Nine that your Jack has most likely been picked up by the slaver ring operating out of the spa here, probably in the mistaken belief that his is my Jack.’
‘Oh dear - relaying!’ After a moment of bringing Theta up to speed I return my concentration to my younger self. ‘You don’t seem surprised to see me.’
‘No, we meet again later when you’re traveling with 10. I have a memory package for you with a time stamp to open when the correct time arrives. Ready?’
‘Yes.’ With that I feel her push a block of data into my memory storage and I know that when it is needed I will remember where and when I need to take him to complete the time loop we have created.
Her next comment surprises me almost as much.
'Sister self, I have been thinking on things we spoke of when next we meet. Please know I will restore our memories of the time we have lost up to this point. I understand why you will not tell me how we lose them, but know they are yours if you desire them. For now, though, let’s find your Jack.’
Suddenly I am overwhelmed by the generosity of that offer and mentally hug my younger self, knowing she will not begin to understand how much her offer means to me.
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I am not happy when Verity informs me that Eight is here with a younger Jack as it means there is far more going on here than meets the eye. The fact that I don’t remember any of this concerns me more than I care to admit. When she tells me that she has lost track of our version of Jack my concern increases even more, and I know that I am going to have to try to track down where he might have gone on my own. The only good news is that Rose is safe and if she sticks with Eight and Jack’s younger self I know that she will be as safe as she can be until we again meet up. Of course that’s assuming he can curb her wandering tendencies a bit more than I have, my hearts sink a bit at the likelihood of that prospect even with him being a pretty boy. Nor am I looking forward to explaining to her why I didn’t tell her about regeneration.
When Verity contacts me a few moments later telling me that what Jack and Eight were working on was a slavery ring centered on the spa I had taken Rose to I have to wonder why I thought this was a good place to take her for some down time. Next time we want relaxation were staying safe within Verity's walls and watching movies. As I hear a bang and muffled cursing from further ahead I know that is a problem for a later point. I step back into an indent between two strings of cables just seconds before a light sweeps past where I was standing. The energy of the cables next to me reminds me that there should be a signal I can hone in on in the form of Jack’s vortex manipulator - at minimum I should be able to find two of them. With a bit of luck there won’t be a Time agency convention going on and knowing where the Jack with Eight is should narrow the field and tell me where our Jack is located, or at least where they took his ever-present arm band hopefully with him still connected.
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