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Language:
English
Series:
Part 3 of Encounters: Rose and the First Doctor
Collections:
Classicrose Week
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Published:
2025-06-18
Words:
300
Chapters:
1/1
Comments:
8
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40
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2
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278

A Different Doctor

Summary:

״You’re the Doctor?” Rose stares at the older gentleman — who stares quizzically back at her. She got turned around while exploring this city, separated from the Doctor, and she was relieved when she found the TARDIS again.

Except that apparently, this is the wrong TARDIS. And the wrong Doctor.

Notes:

For the ClassicRose Week prompt: “Timey-Wimey.”

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

״You’re the Doctor?” Rose stares at the older gentleman — who stares quizzically back at her. She got turned around while exploring this city, separated from the Doctor, and she was relieved when she found the TARDIS again.

Except that apparently, this is the wrong TARDIS. And the wrong Doctor.

He’s changed faces on her before, but it somehow never occurred to her that he might have done so before they met. This Doctor looks much older than either version Rose has traveled with — which is really sort of weird, given that technically (since he clearly doesn’t recognize her) he must be younger.

“And I’m Steven,” the dark-haired man beside the Doctor puts in. “Who are you?”

She opens her mouth, then closes it.

Oh god, if he hasn’t met her yet she probably shouldn’t introduce herself. What if that creates a paradox or something?

“Gives me a headache sometimes,” Rose mutters to herself. “All this… timey-wimey stuff.”

“What?” says Steven.

Apparently her mutter was a bit too loud.

“Ugh. Never mind.” She makes a face. She wishes she could stay, get to know this version of him, but that just… feels like a bad idea.

Besides, the Doctor is probably looking for her. She doesn’t want him worrying. And she definitely doesn’t want him coming and finding her with his other self. She’s not risking anything that might call up those reapers again.

“See you around,” she says.

And with that, she bolts off to find the Doctor — the other Doctor, the proper Doctor, Rose’s Doctor — leaving the elderly one and his companion looking after her in bafflement.

~~~

(Long after the brief interaction with the girl who never said her name, one thing she did say lingers in the Doctor’s mind. Timey-wimey. Hmm. He likes the feel of the phrase.)

Notes:

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