Warning, this is a very dark story with character death and attempted suicide.

Something went very, very, very wrong. Perhaps it was the fact that he was a meta crisis clone that was half human. It could have been the fact that he had been dropped in the parallel universe mere hours after he was created. Possibly it could have been the fact he was completely alone in his head, without even the TARDIS. The piece of coral he had from the original just couldn't adapt to this universe and died. Regardless of the why, he went slowly and utterly mad.

It was the little things at first that Rose tried to brush off as adjusting to a new life. He'd give her this look that caused an icy feeling in her gut. It was a cross between calculation and speculation, but something about it was off. Like he was looking at her like she was a particularly fascinating insect. It was the way he ate pears and hated bananas. Her little brother wouldn't go anywhere near him.

They tried to look after him. Helped set him up with identification, a place to stay when he claimed he needed space to figure things out. He was even offered a job at Torchwood, though in hindsight that was what brought everything crashing down.

Oh he tried to pretend well enough. He seemed happy in his job working with alien artifacts, doing his part to protect the earth. Even took Rose on a couple of dates, they didn't end particularly well. Still the signs were there.

She did her best to look after him, but the wheel of time seemed to be grinding down on them both. He was her responsibility after all, but some days were harder than others. Some days she just wanted to give up, but she couldn't admit he was more than she could handle. Rose didn't want to admit what happened behind closed doors. When he started showing signs of aging, and she didn't, it just made things worse.

He had found an old artifact he seemed particularly enthralled with. It had a unique energy signature that he spent days on end studying. Perhaps that was what in the end triggered everything. There really is no way of telling now.

It all happened on a Tuesday. It was just a normal Tuesday, nothing really special. Even the weather was nice and calm; you would think a storm should have been brewing for what was to happen. The only thing out of the ordinary is that the Doctor was visiting Torchwood Cardiff with Rose along as his minder.

Later on she would swear that she only left his side for a few minutes, twenty at the most. She had visited the ladies room and been stopped by someone that recognized the heiress and wanted to talk. When she finally pried herself away, it was already too late.

The ground shook as Rose raced towards the lab the Doctor was in. As she burst through the door, alarms were blaring and shots were being fired. She didn't have time to think, only to react as her training took over. Her gun was in her hand as she tried to locate the threat.

There were several agents down on the ground bleeding, as someone held a gun on the scientists that were huddled in a corner. She couldn't see them clearly and her heart nearly stopped when she realized she couldn't spot the Doctor in the clutch of scientists. Rose battened down the worry and grief. She could check the bodies on the floor later. They were mostly likely dead already with the placement of the shots and blood on the floor, the scientists were still alive. There might only be one shot at this, she would have to do her best.

Swiftly coming out of cover she started aiming for the man with the gun, and then froze. Her heart fractured, as she recognized the madman with the wild brown hair. It was the Doctor, and he was at the controls of a machine that was doing something. She felt detached, and it was like someone else was doing the shouting. "Doctor, what do you think you are doing?!"

He turned towards her, gun still in hand. It was then she could see what she didn't want to look for before. It was clear in his eyes that his lack of regard didn't extend to just her, it encompassed the rest of reality as well. In this moment she finally saw, and acknowledge his madness, the words that came out of his mouth next only confirmed it. "There you are, now hurry up! I've adjusted the machine; we just need a couple of those pods they were working on to travel in. We don't have much time before the Rift rips too far open and things will get quite messy here."

Rose lowered her gun slightly, moving closer to him. She looked over to the scientists that looked terrified as the Doctor kept the gun on them as he worked the machine in front of him. "What do you mean, rips open and getting messy, Doctor, what have you done?"

He gives her a dark look, clearly irritated. "Exactly what I said, we are getting out of here, using the Rift to get back to our own universe. I should have the Tardis, not that bleeding heart fool. It's my Tardis, and I can use it as I please. "

She shook her head, steadily closing in on him. Rose hadn't bothered to put her gun away, it was lowered but still in her hands. This was her worst nightmare come to life. The one she was responsible for, ready to rip reality apart for his selfish reasons. He's already used the gun, and for all appearances shot to kill. She had failed to fix him, and he was worse than she could imagine. "Doctor, you can't do this. What about the people here? You are going to destroy innocent lives, it is not worth it?"

He sneered at her, still keeping the gun on the scientists. "Innocent lives? Hardly, no one is innocent, especially not in Torchwood. Sure some folks outside are going to get hurt, make that most of the planet, but everyone is out for themselves. Now get over here, I need your energy to make sure I don't rip open our universe too far."

Keeping her eyes on him, she kept moving closer at a steady pace. "My energy, why would my energy help things?"

His gaze dropped to the machine even though he kept the gun trained. "He was too scared to fully find out how you might have changed from the Game station, but I wasn't. You my dear have a tiny piece of the Vortex in your otherwise useless body. Not a lot, but just a spark. That along with your tie to the Tardis will get us to the other side intact in one of the pods, and then to find the Tardis. Oh there are so many things about you Rose Tyler that I discovered, and will use to my advantage."

He was still distracted with the machine now, and she could use that, even through her disquiet. The way he said her name made her shiver, not with joy but with terror. The scientists noted his distraction as well, and one of them decided to move closer. His head whipped up at the movement, and he waved a gun at her. "Stay where you are!"

Taking a deep breath, she kept moving forward, determination in her body language. "No, we're all dead soon anyways if this doesn't get shut down. So if you are going to stop me, you are going to have to shoot me. I'm not going down without at least trying to fix things.

The smile that twisted on his face held no rationality. He seemed almost pleased to have a target. "Well I can easily do that, like swatting an insect."

Rose's heart plummeted, she wasn't close enough. She had been edging closer, but it was too far to stop him if he chose to shoot the other woman. "Doctor stop this now, I will shoot you if I have to." There, she had given him one last chance. As she raised her gun into position she prayed he would take it.

He looked at her with such coldness in his eyes. Nothing was left of the man that she had loved. He was no more than a shell that resembled him. "You won't shoot me Rose Tyler, you are my tool. Now I'm going to deal with this nuisance and we are leaving."

It felt like she was moving through mud, but she aimed, seeing his body language tense up to shoot. With a silent plea for forgiveness she pulled the trigger. His body jerked once, and he turned towards her with a look of surprise as he collapsed.

Now she sprinted forward at the same time as the brave scientists. The other woman frantically worked over the machine as she knelt on the ground. Her knees were quickly soaked in his blood as he started to bleed out. "You did it; I can't believe you shot me after all I did. Oh, you won't be rid of me that easily Rose Tyler. You may have shot me, but I'll always be there, no matter where you go." He laughed slightly and the sound faded as he went still.

Strange, she felt so cold and hollow, she thought she would be weeping now, but she had other things to contend with. Behind them alarms went off, and a great purple crack appeared and started to spread. Frustrated the scientist worked frantically, machines beeping and going off everywhere. "It's too late, I can shut down the machines but he already started opening the Rift."

Closing her eyes Rose thought hard. If her energy would make their arrival safe, would it be enough to close this hole here? "What about me, he said I'm an energy source, if I go through, would it shut it?"

The woman stared at her, and then the machine. "It might, but you couldn't use any of the pods, that would be suicide!"

Opening her eyes she gave a strange little smile. Odd, she felt so at peace now, perhaps this would be atonement for her failure. "Right then, tell my family …. Tell them that I love them. "

Before the other woman could stop her, she whirled and ran towards the purple crack that was growing rapidly bigger. With an audible crack and a flash of light so bright it blinded the other woman, she vanished. The crack had vanished as well, and the alarms slowly started shutting off, more of the building coming to life.

~Cardiff, Original Universe~

Mickey's instruments were going crazy, locating a disturbance in the Rift. Jack skidded to a stop next to him as he tracked the readings. "Talk to me Mickey what have we got"

He didn't bother to look up, he just kept working. "Disturbance in the Rift, a big one, just outside our doors actually, I think something is coming through."

Moving to the side, Jack pulled up the outside surveillance to take a look. There was a crack, and then a blonde woman was suddenly there, crumpling to the ground. He gaped for a moment, and then took off to the lift. "That's Rose!"

Rose tumbled to the ground, shaky and disoriented. She was a trifle thinner, and her clothes a tattered mess. A sob threatened to choke her as she realized she was still alive, somehow. Putting her hands to her face she half curled in a seated position. It was then she realized she still had the gun, and she stared at it. A familiar and once loved voice seemed to whisper in her mind. "Oh you don't deserve to live, not after what you did. Nothing more than a failure, you can't even get self-sacrificing right, maybe you should just end it all."

Putting her hands down, she stared at the gun, the voice in her head continuing to mock her. Idly she stroked a hand over it, the voice was right. She was a failure, she hurt everyone around her and no one wanted her. That was why she ended up dumped in the other universe after all.

In the Hub, Mickey continued to watch the screen. When he saw that Rose had a gun, and her body language was so distraught, he got a chill down his spine. Calling for Martha he ran towards the other exit. He paused to call up to Jack. "Rose, she doesn't look good and she has a gun."

Jack went pale, and stared down at him as if he didn't quite understand the words. "What? Oh God hurry up!" He stared upwards willing the lift to go faster.

Back outside Rose started to rock a little, hands still stroking over the gun. The malicious voice continued to hiss in her head, and it was all she could hear. She felt just, so broken.

Jack finally got to the surface, and he quickly moved towards Rose. When he got close, he started to move slowly, calling out to her in a coaxing voice. "Rose? Rose sweetheart it's me Jack, your friend. Come on Rosie look at me, please."

It took a moment, but his repeated pleas broke through the voice hissing in her head. She looked up, hands clamped on the gun. "Jack?" Her eyes were wide, her voice disbelieving, and she tried to scoot backwards. "No, no no no! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I cursed you. He told me, I'm such a failure. I fail everyone. I should have died, oh god blood on my hands, all my fault."

Jack's insides went cold, and he slowly kept trying to get closer. "No Rose you didn't curse me, just loved me a lot. I missed you so much sweetheart. Just put the gun down and we can go inside. You look like you have had a hard time, and I want to help you."

Her breath hitched the sobs finally threatening. She stopped scooting backwards, but she hugged the gun to her body, the muzzle pointed slightly up. "I don't deserve help, I was supposed to fix things and I didn't. I had to, I had to, and I didn't want to, but if I didn't, I had no choice Jack."

The pounding of feet heralded the arrival of Mickey and Martha, both wide eyed. Jack waved them back, concentrating on Rose. He was within a few feet now, and he crouched down, praying that she would let him help. "It's okay Rosie, I believe you and I believe in you. I know you would have done your best, please Rose. I've missed you so much."

That made her look up, and focus on him, eyes holding doubt and pain. "You missed me? But he said ….."

He gently coaxed as he slowly reached for the gun, hoping she would let him take it. "I missed you, very much. I've missed you for a very long time, and I'm going to be sad if I don't get to spend some time with my favorite girl. Please, just give me the gun?"

With a sound that was half sob and half sigh she looked down at the gun. Stroking it one last time she ignored the voice in her head hissing at her, and instead chose to listen to Jack. She gave a little nod and extended it just a bit. It was all he needed, and he carefully took it from her. He extended it back behind him, and Mickey walked up to take it.

Once the gun was gone, Jack moved forward to enfold Rose in his arms. He was half afraid she would push him away. Instead, she suddenly clung to him. She was cold to the touch, and tried to burrow into his warmth. When he felt her shaking, he silently cursed whatever had broken this once bright, sunny, and cheerful young woman. Gathering her up, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "It's okay now Rose, I got you, you are safe with me."