Disclaimers: I do not own Doctor Who, Torchwood or any of their characters. This piece of fiction is purely for
entertainment purposes and no money is being made from it.
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Left Behind
Part One
"You're not him," her words had cut through him, slicing deep enough to scar his soul.
A month, no not that long. He had only been alive half a month. Two weeks young but with all the memories of his nine
hundred year old counterpart.
He had been abandoned here in this parallel world, like something shoved aside and hidden away in the back of a cupboard,
lost and forgotten. He had looked forward to a life with Rose, to growing old and living this human life with her. Those
hopes were dashed away now. His solitary heart felt broken.
This was worse than when he had lost her at Canary Wharf. She had been ripped away from him then, and when he had
managed to contact her again, to speak with her what he thought was that one last time she had expressed her love. But it
wasn't him she loved, it was that other him, the Time Lord, the real him. This human body was just a copy, not even that.
He was a flawed patchwork of Time Lord and human. Even his mind wasn't totally his own. There were bits of Donna
Noble in there.
Rose didn't want him. Oh, she had kissed him that first day when he'd confessed his love for her. But in the following days,
she'd grown distant, shying away from any further physical contact with him. He didn't understand. Wasn't this what she
wanted? To have him? He was human. He could be with her now.
Instead, he was left with nothing.
The Doctor - he refused to call himself anything else as it WAS his name and no one here was using it as far as he knew -
didn't know what to do. He was standing in the doorway of his new flat, carrying a box that contained all of his personal
possessions. It wasn't a large box either.
There was no furniture in any of the rooms, nothing at all. He had some money, but didn't know what to buy. Pete Tyler had
arranged everything for him, getting him identification papers and a bank account with a start off fund. He'd also secured a
job for the clone. As much as he despised the idea, The Doctor would be working for Torchwood from now on. He still
had to discuss that with Pete though. There were a few things that needed working out, such as what department he would
be employed in.
He sat on the floor crosslegged and opened his box. He only removed one item and slid the box away from himself on the
polished hardwood floor. He was smiling as he delicately set the piece of coral down. The Doctor stroked his fingers across
it, whispering in a soothing hush, "It'll be okay. You'll see. In no time you'll grow and then we'll leave this place. It'll be just
you and me." He smiled sadly. With the information the fully Time Lord Doctor and Donna had imparted before leaving him
in this blasted world, it wouldn't take too long for him to have a ship again.
He lay on his side and rested his head on one arm. Reaching out, he brushed his fingers over the coral again. "This is just
temporary. Everything will work out."
The next thing he knew, someone was pounding on the door and he had pins and needles running through his arm. He stood
up with a groan, noticing that it was decidedly brighter in the room. "I must have fallen asleep." He walked over to the door,
wincing at how stiff he was after sleeping on the hardwood floor, and opened it to reveal Jackie.
The blonde woman was carrying a basket and walked right in. She paused and looked around. "Why didn't you buy
furniture?" She walked into the kitchen and placed the basket down. "It's a good thing all this stuff is finger food. You don't
even have a proper table setting, never mind a proper table. What did you do yesterday?"
The Doctor felt a slight warmth as she started unpacking the basket. Along with breakfast that she had made - or more likely
bought - Jackie was pulling out a few cans and boxes. "I dunno. I guess after the blow, I was pretty numb."
Jackie gave the Doctor a kind and understanding look. "Well of course you were, sweetheart. Never you mind. Today's a
new day and you have work in a while." She sighed and thought a moment. "Wait a moment. You have no furnishings, so
where did you sleep?"
The Doctor looked down and blushed a little. "I guess I sort of fell asleep on the floor."
"Oh that won't do. Here. Eat some breakfast and I'll give you a lift before going to the shops." She handed him a plate of
various fruits and danishes. "You need some basics. I don't know where Pete's head was just sending you off like that. You
deserve better."
The Doctor picked up a cheese danish only to put it down. "Do I? I destroyed the entire Dalek fleet ... and killed Davros."
Jackie snorted. "Rubbish to that. That thing would have destroyed the entire universe with barely a second thought. And
even with all that, not being given a choice where to go should have been punishment enough. In addition to that, you get
your heart broken and pretty much thrown out on your own. Well don't you worry, dear. I'll help you as much as I can."
She motioned to the danish. "Eat your breakfast. I'd fix you some tea, but you haven't even got a proper kettle."
The Doctor poked the cheese filling half-heartedly. "I guess I'm just not that hungry."
Jackie fixed him with a semi-stern look. "You should eat. You're a twig as it is, you are. Lose weight and a light breeze will
blow you away." She pulled out an orange and put it on the table next to the danish. "Don't make me get a bib and play
'here comes the airplane' with you, 'cause I will if I have to."
The Doctor had to smile at her. He didn't doubt that she'd carry through with that threat, and he would rather avoid it.
Deciding, instead, to eat the orange, he regarded Rose's mother as he started peeling the fruit. "So why are you being so
nice to me? The first time you met my original, you hit on him. The second time you met him, you hit him."
Jackie gave him a look. "Like I said. You're all on your own here. Not only have you lost your universe, but you're human.
That means you've lost everything you are. And he saved my Rose, so I love him for that. Instead of running, he sent her
home." She reached out and placed a hand on his arm. "And while you have his memories, dear, you aren't him. You have
a chance to make your own life and your own decisions."
The Doctor smiled a little again. A lot of what the woman said made sense. "Thank you, Jackie."
"There's the smile I wanted. Now eat up. We'll be leaving in about 5 minutes." She finished putting the few groceries away
and took his box into what he figured was the bedroom after carefully placing the TARDIS coral on a shelf. When she came
out she fixed him with one of those looks that said she meant business. "You have nothing here. If you don't buy something
yourself, I'll go shopping and buy things for you. Pink, frilly things with lace and ruffles and ribbons everywhere. Don't think
I won't."
"In my defense, I did only move in yesterday." He didn't want to get attached to this place. He wanted to go away and fly
through time and space like every instinct inside him screamed he should be. "I promise to do some shopping today." He ate
his orange, wedge by wedge and wished she had brought bananas. Maybe he'd buy a bunch later.
"You better." She checked her watch. "We'd best get going."
The Doctor nodded. He ran his long fingers down the front of his suit, half-heartedly attempting to smooth out the wrinkles.
He had no intention to go change. He only had the one other suit really. He felt numb, detached, as if this life weren't real.
He should be traveling in the TARDIS with Rose, not stuck in this alternate universe alone. He shouldn't be trapped in this
human body, this frail cage that he could feel decaying around him. Everything was all wrong.
Jackie patted his arm. "Come on. You don't want to be late for your first day."
"What's the point?" he bit out, his eyes flooding with uncontrolled tears. He couldn't stop it. This body was all too new, too
unfamiliar and strange. He wiped roughly at his eyes with his palms, trying to stifle this unwanted emotional response, but it
wasn't helping.
He coughed, his breath catching on a painful lump in his throat. "I can't stop," he rasped, his shoulders beginning to shake.
Jackie's arms surrounded him, pulling him tight against her. He found himself caving in to the affection, crumbling against her
body as he openly wept. She shushed him, running a hand along his back and her other through his hair.
"Why won't it stop?" he asked, his voice muffled by her shoulder. "This body won't listen to me." He sniffed, clenching his
eyes shut, trembling in her gentle hold on him.
"Well ... you're human, sweetheart, and you've had your heart broken. Plus you're lost and confused. I'm surprised you
haven't broken down long before this. I was in hysterics shortly after the walls were closed off that first time at Canary
Wharf. Pete got me home and I looked at what would be my room and just lost it." Jackie rubbed his back. "You are
doing much better than I ever would. I mean, I was just thrust into a new world. I can't even imagine how I would react to
being a different species." She gave him a brief, tight hug then released him and stepped back. "Come along, now. We'll get
you to Torchwood, and Pete will make sure you're working someplace you're relatively comfortable." She pulled something
out of her pocket and handed it to him. "There you are, love."
The Doctor snorted and took the offered item. When he realized it was a handkerchief, he wiped his eyes and nose. Then
he stuffed it into his own pocket. "I'll get it washed and give it back to you." He swallowed. "I don't think I could be even
remotely comfortable working at Torchwood."
"Oh, I'm sure Pete has a few things in mind." With that, she took his hand and gently tugged him out of his flat.
To Be Continued ...