A/N: I'm not going to stop writing real Doctor/ Rose stories. But, the whole idea of a half/human mortal Doctor is intriguing and I wanted to write a story about how Rose copes with this new development in her life.

Chapter One

No, he can't leave me again. Not now, when I've finally found him. He can't leave me back in the parallel universe. I risked so much to find him and he just dumps me back at Bad Wolf Bay and now he's heading back into the TARDIS with Donna without even a goodbye.

And he's leaving me with him.

This man, this Doctor who isn't even the proper Doctor, just someone who has his face and his body and his memories, but it's not him. I watch as the TARDIS slowly fades away out of my life and I feel his hand taking mine. The hand. The hand that my Doctor lost. The hand that saved him in the TARDIS and allowed him to keep on going in his current regeneration is now attached to this man that is standing beside me. As the TARDIS disappears, I look over at him and he looks back at me, a serious look on his face. I wonder what he's thinking? Does he know I would give anything to be in the TARDIS right now? That even though he told me he loved me and we shared a kiss, right now I am aching inside because this man will always be a copy of the man that I truly love? Don't get me wrong, he's technically the Doctor and at least this time I'm not standing here alone. At least I can grow old with this Doctor, although the thought of him aging seems unbelievable to me. That one day my Doctor will have wrinkles and white hair or maybe even no hair. One day this Doctor will sicken and die and there will be no brilliant golden light to save him.

And so here I stand on the beach at Bad Wolf Bay with my mum and a mortal Time Lord who only has one heart, one life and my former Doctor's temperament. And once again, I am given the task of turning him away from the darkness and the anger and changing him into a half human version of his duplicate.

At the moment, I really don't feel like changing anything except my clothes. Then, after that, a long shower so I can crawl into bed and sort out everything that's happened.

"Rose?"

Rose looked over at the Doctor who was studying her intently.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"Nothin'"

Rose looked over when he laid a hand on her shoulder. The hand he lost that day on the Sycorax ship…

"Rose, I know…I know this is going to be difficult for awhile. But I want it to work out," the Doctor said, softly. "I want us to work through all this, so we can become close, just as close as you were to the other Doctor."

Rose nodded, staring out at the waves as they came crashing onto the beach. The Doctor squeezed her shoulder and kissed her cheek tenderly. She stiffened for a moment when he came close to her and then relaxed.

I'm not being fair, she thought. I need to give this Doctor a chance. He can't help it if he was born. If it wasn't for this hand on my shoulder, my Doctor would have regenerated completely. He's not my Doctor, but he is a Doctor and perhaps, in time, I can learn to love him just as deeply. At least I know for sure he loves me. At least he told me so unlike the other Doctor. And we'll be together for the rest of our lives. There's no curse of the Time Lords now. Now, he can be with me free and clear and perhaps, just perhaps, we can settle down, marry, maybe even have a few kids.

She raised her eyebrows at that.

Would this Doctor even want that? She thought. I mean, it is the Doctor and I'm sure he's just as anti-domestic as the other one. Still…he has no TARDIS. He can't just up and go whenever he wants to. Although, we could always travel the world together, me and him. Just the pair of us, bumming around the Earth, having some laughs and seeing the sights. Could be fun.

"Rose? Could you please speak?"

Rose looked at him.

"Why?"

"Because I want to hear your voice. Right now all I hear is Jackie on the mobile yelling at Pete to drop everything and come get us. I'd rather hear you."

He slowly turned her around until she was facing him. Smiling, he stroked her cheek.

"Brand new life for both of us, I suppose," he said.

"Yeah, I guess it is."

His arms enfolded around her. Rose laid her head against his chest and felt a lump in her throat when she only heard one beating heart.

"Blimey, it's chilly here. Ugh! I hope Pete isn't too far away. Sucks that the gap comes out right here. Think they need to rename this place Hell Freezes Over because that's the image I'm getting in my head right at the moment."

Rose laughed at that. He grinned, knowing he had been the cause of that.

"Say," he said, trying to keep the laughs coming. "Think if we stand here long enough, we'll see some penguins swim up?"

Rose smiled.

"Maybe, you never know," she said.

She cracked another smile when the Doctor pretended to scan the horizon for them.

"Nope, no penguins yet, but I'm sure if we're patient, the little buggers will show up sooner or later."

"Better be sooner, otherwise mum will start throwing a fit because the other Doctor stranded us out here."

"Oh God, anything but one of Jackie's rants, please," the Doctor replied.

He smiled when Rose giggled at that and his heart filled with love for her. He cupped her chin with his hands.

"Don't give up on me, Rose," he said. "I promise I'll live up to him in every way, just please, please give me a chance. We can be happy together, I know we can."

The look in his eyes nearly tore Rose's heart in half. Her eyes misted over as she embraced him tightly.

"I won't give up, Doctor. It's a big adjustment for me, but I do love you."

The tears began to flow down her face.

"How could I not love you? You're the Doctor. My Doctor. "

The tears increased when she saw the joy on his face. She stroked his cheek.

"I love you, you know that, don't you?" she said.

He smiled from ear to ear.

"Of course I do," he said. "It's just that I hope you love me because I'm me and not because I resemble him."

"I can't lie to you, Doctor. I do love him and I'll miss him and like I said, it will take time to get used to this version of you, but the point is, you're still him even if you do only have one heart and finally, I have you all to myself for the rest of my life."

"Yup, be careful what you wish for because you're stuck with me now, Rose Tyler, for better or for worse."

"Rose!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"And by worse, I mean living with your mother," he muttered to himself.

They looked over as Jackie ran up.

"I phoned Pete and he and Tony are on their way. They're going to pick us up in Bergen, which means we have one hell of a walk. However, there is a little town a few miles away. We can go there and arrange for someone to take us to a hotel. Obviously, it'll take a few days for them to get here."

She looked at the Doctor.

"I also told him about you. I explained as best I could what had happened and he's going to let you stay with us."

"Oh good, nice to know I won't be stranded here while you guys are back in London. I'm glad that huge mansion of yours has enough room for my thin little body. And I promise I won't eat more than a crumb a day, lest I grow fat and crowd you out of the house."

Jackie rolled her eyes.

"So, this one has your other Doctor's personality, has he?"

"Yeah, mum."

"Wonderful, I have to go through all the mean little insults again. I just hope you can sort him out before I have to start slapping him again."

"Trust me, Jackie, whatever side of the house you're on, I won't be there."

"Good, keep it that way. Now, follow me, we got a long walk ahead of us."

The Doctor looked at Rose.

"Just what I've always wanted to do. Follow your mum while I'm freezing my arse off."

Rose patted him on the shoulder, gave him a little kiss and took his hand as they followed Jackie off the beach.