Fic: Adaptation 1/? (Nine/Rose, Doctor Who fandom)
I come bearing fic. This takes place during the last part of Parting of the Ways, so spoilers up through there obviously. PG-13 for now but may go up. Here goes...
Adaptation 1/?
by GylzGirl
Spoilers through POTW.
Rose smiled even as she cried. The vortex haloed her in its tempestuous energy. She was everywhere. She was every-when. She was everything. She was everyone. “My head.”
“Come here,” The Doctor said.
She had once been a stupid ape called Rose Tyler. Now, she was a goddess. And, she was dying. “It’s killing me.”
He moved to her side. “I think you need a Doctor.”
He brought her into his arms and kissed her. As her disbelieving gaze met his, shafts of golden vortex energy streamed from her eyes to his until her eyelids fluttered shut, breaking the contact. The Doctor blinked and pulled away from her. “No, Rose!” He shook her a little and pressed his lips to hers again.
She had touched all of existence this day and yet this kiss was the only thing that made her content to die fulfilled. She returned the kiss but would not open her eyes. She brought her hand up to gently brush a tear from his cheek. Who needed eyes to see when the vortex coursed through your very soul?
In the next moment, the Doctor was thrown to the ground. He looked up at Rose in a panic. What he saw shocked him into immobility. She stood with her head and arms thrown back, bathed in the intense golden light of the vortex. It enveloped her, masking her features. Oh Rose. You did this to save me and now I’m going to watch my world die... again. A few seconds later, the vortex-light disappeared and the Doctor’s shock only deepened. Standing where Rose had stood, wearing what Rose had worn, was a different person. She was about Rose’s height, but with dark brown hair that hung almost to her waist. She had bright green eyes, nearly the same color as the ambient light in the console room.
“Rose?” The Doctor whispered.
The girl brought her hands to her head and smiled at him. “Pain’s gone.” Her tongue touched her upper lip in a familiar way that made the Doctor’s hearts clench. “I can’t believe you just kissed it better. That some sort of Time Lord thing, or what?”
He blinked. “Rose?”
Her smile faded. “Why are you lookin’ at me like that, Doctor? Something’s wrong, isn’t it? What is it?” She stepped toward him and long dark hair swished into her vision. She stopped, sweeping a hand through her hair and bringing it in front of her eyes.
The Doctor saw her chestnut laced hand start to tremble. This finally shook him out of his stupor. He leapt to his feet and gently gripped her arms.
Her frightened eyes met his. “What’s going on, Doctor? What is this?”
“You’ve changed, Rose.” He saw that his words hadn’t exactly comforted her. “The vortex energy was killing you. It’s too vast, too powerful, too much to be contained in any one humanoid body. But it’s Gallifreyan; a part of the TARDIS. The TARDIS that knows you and loves you. It searched for a way to save you, and it found it. Rose, you’ve regenerated.”
Rose blinked twice, then collapsed into his arms.
******
When she awoke, she found herself in the Doctor’s bed instead of her own. His back was to her as he stood across the room, arms braced against a dresser-top.
She sat up in the bed, just watching him a moment. His head hung low and the tension throughout his back and shoulders was visible even through the leather of his ever-present jacket. She smiled. My Doctor, she remembered calling him.
“So what exactly is regeneration then?” Her soft voice broke the quiet of the room.
The Doctor straightened then turned to face her. “Time Lord way of cheating death.”
She blinked. “But… I’m not a Time Lord.”
His face was pained as he spoke next. “That’s not what the scanner says.”
A little pulse of fear passed through her system at his words. Strangely enough, when her heartbeat sped up, it seemed... doubled. “Two hearts?” she squeaked out, grasping her shirt over her chest. “This isn’t possible.”
“Regeneration gives you a whole new body when your old one is dying, Rose. But only Time Lords regenerate. The vortex… the TARDIS… gave you a body capable of saving you.” He approached her and gently took her hands into his own. “I am the last Gallifreyan, but no longer the last Time Lord.”
She blew out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “I am.”
He closed his eyes and tears began to fall. “You’ve given up more than you ever should have had to… because of me. I’m sorry, Rose.” He sighed. “I’m so sorry.”
She smiled up at him. “Idiot.”
He opened his eyes. “Pardon?”
“All I wanted was to save you. I didn’t care if it killed me. I wouldn’t let you stop me and undo all my hard work to keep you safe. And here you are. But, here I am, too. And that’s something I hadn’t gambled on.”
“And it cost you your humanity. That’s too high a price, Rose.”
She stood. “It cost me being human, Doctor. Not my humanity. I’m still Rose, aren’t I?”
He started to smile. “Always,” he whispered. “A Rose by any other face would still be as sweet.”
Rose swung her hand back and slapped him hard on the cheek. He gripped his face and stared at her, stunned. “What was that for?!”
“You bastard!” She was crying now. “You never told me! You never said I might go out on an adventure with you and come back with someone completely different!”
He moved swiftly forward, encircling her upper arms in an embrace meant to protect his other cheek. “Not completely different. You’re still, Rose. And I will always be The Doctor.”
“But you wouldn’t be this Doctor.” She sniffled and he relaxed his grip on her. She slid a hand up to the cheek that she’d abused moments earlier. “My Doctor.”
His manic grin appeared, alleviating some of the sadness in her hearts. “I’ll always be Your Doctor, Rose.” He held her hand to his cheek. “Are you telling me you’d miss this daft old face?”
She blinked back tears. “From your goofy smile to the tips of your sticky-out ears.”
“Fantastic.”
She leaned forward and captured his mouth. Whether he parted his mouth for her out of surprise or passion, she wasn’t sure. She only knew that she fully intended to take advantage of it. Her tongue swept in across his and he moaned low in his throat. She smiled against his lips as she kissed him thoroughly.
When they broke apart, she looked deeply into the endless blueness of his eyes. “Jack,” she whispered. At his confused and slightly hurt look, she amended, “He’s alive! I brought him back! We…we’ve got to go back! We’ve just stranded him on a dead station!”
The Doctor’s eyes widened and his hand slipped into her own. Their fingers interlaced, as naturally as breathing, and the Doctor broke into a full run for the console room with Rose in tow.
Following Chapters:
Chapter Two
Post edited to add rating and link to following chapters
Adaptation 1/?
by GylzGirl
Spoilers through POTW.
Rose smiled even as she cried. The vortex haloed her in its tempestuous energy. She was everywhere. She was every-when. She was everything. She was everyone. “My head.”
“Come here,” The Doctor said.
She had once been a stupid ape called Rose Tyler. Now, she was a goddess. And, she was dying. “It’s killing me.”
He moved to her side. “I think you need a Doctor.”
He brought her into his arms and kissed her. As her disbelieving gaze met his, shafts of golden vortex energy streamed from her eyes to his until her eyelids fluttered shut, breaking the contact. The Doctor blinked and pulled away from her. “No, Rose!” He shook her a little and pressed his lips to hers again.
She had touched all of existence this day and yet this kiss was the only thing that made her content to die fulfilled. She returned the kiss but would not open her eyes. She brought her hand up to gently brush a tear from his cheek. Who needed eyes to see when the vortex coursed through your very soul?
In the next moment, the Doctor was thrown to the ground. He looked up at Rose in a panic. What he saw shocked him into immobility. She stood with her head and arms thrown back, bathed in the intense golden light of the vortex. It enveloped her, masking her features. Oh Rose. You did this to save me and now I’m going to watch my world die... again. A few seconds later, the vortex-light disappeared and the Doctor’s shock only deepened. Standing where Rose had stood, wearing what Rose had worn, was a different person. She was about Rose’s height, but with dark brown hair that hung almost to her waist. She had bright green eyes, nearly the same color as the ambient light in the console room.
“Rose?” The Doctor whispered.
The girl brought her hands to her head and smiled at him. “Pain’s gone.” Her tongue touched her upper lip in a familiar way that made the Doctor’s hearts clench. “I can’t believe you just kissed it better. That some sort of Time Lord thing, or what?”
He blinked. “Rose?”
Her smile faded. “Why are you lookin’ at me like that, Doctor? Something’s wrong, isn’t it? What is it?” She stepped toward him and long dark hair swished into her vision. She stopped, sweeping a hand through her hair and bringing it in front of her eyes.
The Doctor saw her chestnut laced hand start to tremble. This finally shook him out of his stupor. He leapt to his feet and gently gripped her arms.
Her frightened eyes met his. “What’s going on, Doctor? What is this?”
“You’ve changed, Rose.” He saw that his words hadn’t exactly comforted her. “The vortex energy was killing you. It’s too vast, too powerful, too much to be contained in any one humanoid body. But it’s Gallifreyan; a part of the TARDIS. The TARDIS that knows you and loves you. It searched for a way to save you, and it found it. Rose, you’ve regenerated.”
Rose blinked twice, then collapsed into his arms.
******
When she awoke, she found herself in the Doctor’s bed instead of her own. His back was to her as he stood across the room, arms braced against a dresser-top.
She sat up in the bed, just watching him a moment. His head hung low and the tension throughout his back and shoulders was visible even through the leather of his ever-present jacket. She smiled. My Doctor, she remembered calling him.
“So what exactly is regeneration then?” Her soft voice broke the quiet of the room.
The Doctor straightened then turned to face her. “Time Lord way of cheating death.”
She blinked. “But… I’m not a Time Lord.”
His face was pained as he spoke next. “That’s not what the scanner says.”
A little pulse of fear passed through her system at his words. Strangely enough, when her heartbeat sped up, it seemed... doubled. “Two hearts?” she squeaked out, grasping her shirt over her chest. “This isn’t possible.”
“Regeneration gives you a whole new body when your old one is dying, Rose. But only Time Lords regenerate. The vortex… the TARDIS… gave you a body capable of saving you.” He approached her and gently took her hands into his own. “I am the last Gallifreyan, but no longer the last Time Lord.”
She blew out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “I am.”
He closed his eyes and tears began to fall. “You’ve given up more than you ever should have had to… because of me. I’m sorry, Rose.” He sighed. “I’m so sorry.”
She smiled up at him. “Idiot.”
He opened his eyes. “Pardon?”
“All I wanted was to save you. I didn’t care if it killed me. I wouldn’t let you stop me and undo all my hard work to keep you safe. And here you are. But, here I am, too. And that’s something I hadn’t gambled on.”
“And it cost you your humanity. That’s too high a price, Rose.”
She stood. “It cost me being human, Doctor. Not my humanity. I’m still Rose, aren’t I?”
He started to smile. “Always,” he whispered. “A Rose by any other face would still be as sweet.”
Rose swung her hand back and slapped him hard on the cheek. He gripped his face and stared at her, stunned. “What was that for?!”
“You bastard!” She was crying now. “You never told me! You never said I might go out on an adventure with you and come back with someone completely different!”
He moved swiftly forward, encircling her upper arms in an embrace meant to protect his other cheek. “Not completely different. You’re still, Rose. And I will always be The Doctor.”
“But you wouldn’t be this Doctor.” She sniffled and he relaxed his grip on her. She slid a hand up to the cheek that she’d abused moments earlier. “My Doctor.”
His manic grin appeared, alleviating some of the sadness in her hearts. “I’ll always be Your Doctor, Rose.” He held her hand to his cheek. “Are you telling me you’d miss this daft old face?”
She blinked back tears. “From your goofy smile to the tips of your sticky-out ears.”
“Fantastic.”
She leaned forward and captured his mouth. Whether he parted his mouth for her out of surprise or passion, she wasn’t sure. She only knew that she fully intended to take advantage of it. Her tongue swept in across his and he moaned low in his throat. She smiled against his lips as she kissed him thoroughly.
When they broke apart, she looked deeply into the endless blueness of his eyes. “Jack,” she whispered. At his confused and slightly hurt look, she amended, “He’s alive! I brought him back! We…we’ve got to go back! We’ve just stranded him on a dead station!”
The Doctor’s eyes widened and his hand slipped into her own. Their fingers interlaced, as naturally as breathing, and the Doctor broke into a full run for the console room with Rose in tow.
Following Chapters:
Chapter Two
Post edited to add rating and link to following chapters