Just to be clear before I start : the one I called "Meta-Crisis Doctor" is [SPOILERS] the half human/half time lord Doctor who was created by Donna in the last episode of the 4th season [END Of SPOILERS]. Some people call him differently.

***

"Doctor!" she shouted. "Where are you?"

Her voice echoed through the old house, but nobody answered. She called his name again.

"I'm upstairs, Rose!"

She rushed up the stairs, up to the last floor. Every single step made the wood creak.

 Breathless, she opened the door at the very end of the dark corridor. "Doctor, are you there?"

He didn't answer, but he was there. Siting in front of the dirty window, he was looking at the leaves falling. It was autumn, and the trees were all red and orange. She could see him in the reflection. He looked sad. 

Approaching, she said, "What are you doing, Doctor? You've been here for hours."

He looked at her reflection, smiled a sad smile. "Thinking. C'me sit, don't stay there." He motionned for her to sit on the chair next to him and handed her a tea. "It's cold, though." 

She studied him as he went back to watching the trees. Oh, he looked so much like the Doctor. The one from the other dimension. The one she had travelled with. The one who had left her.

But it wasn't him. He looked like him, thought like him, had the same name, but he was a person on his own. He didn't have the same wants, or needs. The real Doctor needed to travel, needed the danger and the adrenaline. But the new one only wanted to travel and wanted the things in his memory. He only needed her. 

Closing her eyes, she took a sip of tea. Cold indeed. "What are you thinking about?"

"Fire."

She opened her eyes, tilted her head. "Fire?"

"It burns so bright, so white... Don't you think it's beautiful?"

She frowned. "I guess so."

"But, the thing is... The fire, it needs to burn something. To detroy. ...So captivating, and yet so lethal."

Okay, she was getting worried. She put the tea down and put a hand on his arm. "Doctor?"

Suddently, he shifted, looking at her hand. "Just like you, Rose."

"Me?"

"You're so beautiful... And yet, you're killing me inside. You're burning my heart."

She took her hand back, settled back into the chair. Only when he finally looked at her in the eyes she saw the fine sheen of tears covering them. "Doctor, what's wrong?"

"Can't you understand, Rose? I have his memory. It's always the same pattern. Destruction, death, hurt, loneliness." A tear fell down his cheek. "But then, you come along, and you bring new emotions with you. Affection, respect, love. Rose, you changed everything by falling in love with him." 

His voice broke at the last part, and she felt her heart cracking along. She tried to reach him, but he backed away. "You still don't understand, do you? You're his Rose. You're only half mine, because I'm half him."

Eventually, she laced her arms around his neck and pulled him close. Resting his chin in her shoulder, he kept on talking. "You might love me. But you're in love with him. You might spend the rest of your life with me, but you're dying to spend even a second with him again. You don't understand..." His voice completely broke, and she felt him shake against her.

She felt a tear fall on her shoulder and held on tighter. Was he right? Maybe he was, actually. It was the Doctor she had fallen in love with, not him. But... "You know how you started to love me through the Doctor's memory?" She felt him nod. "But then, you kept on loving me on your own behalf. It was you who loved me, not him. Maybe it's the same for me. I started loving you because you were like him, and maybe I'm still here because I kept on loving you for yourself."

When the silence extended, she felt a nervous laugh rise up in her throat and quickly swallowed it back. She waited for him to said something, anything, but he stayed quiet. "Doctor?" she ended up asking. "Are you okay? Was what I said too stupid?"

He laughed a bit. "No. No, it actually made some sort of sense."

"Really?"

He smiled in her neck. "Yep."

She smiled with him. "I stunned you into silence."

"No you didn't." He tried to be serious, but she could feel him try to contain his laughter. Breaking the hug, she looked at him. He had a big grin on his still tear-stained face. It was amazing how he could change emotions so quickly.

She grinned back at him. "I know I did. I way too smart for you, Doctor." Her smile fell. "But, Doctor, I have to tell you though. That last point... I'm still wondering myself. I still not sure, but it's the best I can give you right know."

He looked pained, but kept on smiling as he opened his arms."C'me here." 

She felt right in them and rested her head against his heart —his only heart. "Thank you, Rose."

She held him just as tight as he did. "For what?"

"Oh, you know.... Stuff."

She laughed again. "Rose?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

She felt her lips spread in the biggest smile she was capable of. "Quite right, too."

***

There, you, go. I hope very much you enjoyed it! Also, what do you think of the length of this? Is too long, too short, just right?