TLAWR Chapter Fifty-One: Aftermath
An AU retelling of season 4, beginning with The Last of the Time Lords from season 3. First story in the All Roads Lead Home series. Rated teen.
10/Rose, Martha, Jack Harkness, Donna Noble, the Master, River Song, Sarah Jane Smith, and many more.
(Earlier Entries) ( Chapter Thirty-Eight ) ( Chapter Thirty-Nine ) ( Chapter Forty ) ( Chapter Forty-one ) ( Chapter Forty-Two ) ( Chapter Forty-Three ) ( Chapter Forty-Four ) ( Chapter Forty-five ) ( Chapter Forty-Six ) ( Chapter Forty-Seven ) ( Chapter Forty-Eight ) ( Chapter Forty-Nine ) ( Chapter Fifty )
Nothing you recognize belongs to me!
All was not well with the Doctor. Oh, he kept on a brave face for Donna, smiling and occasionally even laughing as they ate, but Rose could tell that he hadn't recovered from what happened inside the shuttle. She supposed it was a bit hypocritical of her to think less of him for hiding his distress, when she was very obviously doing the same thing.
He could have died. The thought ate away at her, made it hard for her to breathe. She was prepared for regeneration-with the way they lived their life, it was an eventuality that would most likely come sooner, rather than later, but she wasn't prepared to face the rest of her very long life without him. She'd told him that she would leave if he kept sending her away, and maybe she would, but she knew that if she did he would come after her. She believed that he wouldn't let it get that far, that he would stop her. If he didn't-it would probably kill her. Losing him would probably kill her.
Even in Pete's World she'd been sure she would see him again. It had kept her going when Torchwood locked her in a cell and cut her open to find what made her tick. If his shoe hadn't caught on the seat, if Dee Dee hadn't realized what was going on, if the hostess hadn't grabbed the thing that had been Sky-she would have lost him. He would have been gone. There were things he couldn't regenerate from, and being broken down into dust was one of them.
He was calm and commanding when they faced down the manager of the leisure palace and informed her of the situation. She wasn't happy-but she didn't fancy a lawsuit, or losing any more passengers. She also didn't fancy being responsible for unleashing a manipulative, malevolent life form on the universe, so she conceded their point. There were, after all, other, more hospitable places for their company to operate.
It wasn't until they got back to the TARDIS that the Doctor dropped his façade. The smile slid from his face like rain down a window. The fine lines around his eyes and the corners of his mouth deepened as his lips tugged down into a morose line. He seemed to fold in on himself, and despite his height and the strength she knew he possessed-he appeared fragile-old, and tired. There were dark circles under his eyes that she hadn't noticed, and a faint tremble of exhaustion that manifested when he moved. He looked like he could sleep for a week, and considering that he normally slept less than three hours a night, that was saying something.
Donna excused herself as Rose moved to support him. She wrapped one of her arms around his waist and he draped one of his over her shoulders, and together they moved to their bedroom. He remained silent until she shut the door behind him, and maneuvered them to the bed. The tension seemed to drain out of him as he lay back on the soft duvet. Rose kicked off her trainers (she'd decided against the strappy heels, and was glad of it-no one would have taken her seriously in those) and swung her legs up to lay beside him.
"Are you all right?" he asked her, his eyes searching as he reached a hand up to touch her face gently.
Rose bit her lip. "You almost died," she asked incredulously, "an' you're asking me if I'm okay?"
"I don't like it when people hurt you, Rose," he said quietly. "She hit you, and you were screaming, and there wasn't anything I could do about it."
"Yeah, there wasn't anything you could do about it," she agreed, "because that alien had its claws in you! An' there I was, being held down by a woman and an old man whilst they almost killed you!" She buried her face in his neck. "I've never felt so useless," she murmured against his skin.
He shifted so that one arm was stretched out beneath and around her. He ran his fingers through her hair gently. "I have," he told her, and she knew he was back in Canary Wharf, back in that white white room watching her fall.
"I don't want to lose you," she whispered.
"Oh, Rose." His arm tightened around her and he turned his head so that his chin rested on the crown of her skull. "I'm here. We're both here."
"Only because that woman died," she replied. "She gave up her life, saved us all, and no one bothered to ask her name."
"She was very brave," he agreed. "And that's what we hang onto-we remember her, even if we don't know her name." They were silent for a long moment, listening to the other's heartbeat and feeling the air swell their lungs. It felt like a gift, every moment.
"It wasn't much of a holiday," he admitted wearily, and he felt her lips curve into a smile against his skin.
"It was a very 'you' holiday," she agreed. "Although we didn't end up running for our lives, just sitting for them."
"Doesn't have the same ring," he said with a bit of a frown. "But I was thinking, we should go to Shan Shen next."
"Why's that?" she asked, her voice drowsy and her speech slow.
"They've got a fabulous New Year's festival. It was colonized in the 26th Century by a group of people from China, and they kept a lot of the old traditions as well as made some new ones. They've got this drink, it's a bit like tea, but better, and-" He paused. "Rose?" he called. "Rose, are you listening?" A soft sigh was her response, and he realized, with a smile, that she'd drifted off to sleep. His ramblings could wait. As it happened, he was quite tired himself, and when she woke they would go to Shan Shen.
( Chaper Fifty-Two )
10/Rose, Martha, Jack Harkness, Donna Noble, the Master, River Song, Sarah Jane Smith, and many more.
(Earlier Entries) ( Chapter Thirty-Eight ) ( Chapter Thirty-Nine ) ( Chapter Forty ) ( Chapter Forty-one ) ( Chapter Forty-Two ) ( Chapter Forty-Three ) ( Chapter Forty-Four ) ( Chapter Forty-five ) ( Chapter Forty-Six ) ( Chapter Forty-Seven ) ( Chapter Forty-Eight ) ( Chapter Forty-Nine ) ( Chapter Fifty )
Nothing you recognize belongs to me!
All was not well with the Doctor. Oh, he kept on a brave face for Donna, smiling and occasionally even laughing as they ate, but Rose could tell that he hadn't recovered from what happened inside the shuttle. She supposed it was a bit hypocritical of her to think less of him for hiding his distress, when she was very obviously doing the same thing.
He could have died. The thought ate away at her, made it hard for her to breathe. She was prepared for regeneration-with the way they lived their life, it was an eventuality that would most likely come sooner, rather than later, but she wasn't prepared to face the rest of her very long life without him. She'd told him that she would leave if he kept sending her away, and maybe she would, but she knew that if she did he would come after her. She believed that he wouldn't let it get that far, that he would stop her. If he didn't-it would probably kill her. Losing him would probably kill her.
Even in Pete's World she'd been sure she would see him again. It had kept her going when Torchwood locked her in a cell and cut her open to find what made her tick. If his shoe hadn't caught on the seat, if Dee Dee hadn't realized what was going on, if the hostess hadn't grabbed the thing that had been Sky-she would have lost him. He would have been gone. There were things he couldn't regenerate from, and being broken down into dust was one of them.
He was calm and commanding when they faced down the manager of the leisure palace and informed her of the situation. She wasn't happy-but she didn't fancy a lawsuit, or losing any more passengers. She also didn't fancy being responsible for unleashing a manipulative, malevolent life form on the universe, so she conceded their point. There were, after all, other, more hospitable places for their company to operate.
It wasn't until they got back to the TARDIS that the Doctor dropped his façade. The smile slid from his face like rain down a window. The fine lines around his eyes and the corners of his mouth deepened as his lips tugged down into a morose line. He seemed to fold in on himself, and despite his height and the strength she knew he possessed-he appeared fragile-old, and tired. There were dark circles under his eyes that she hadn't noticed, and a faint tremble of exhaustion that manifested when he moved. He looked like he could sleep for a week, and considering that he normally slept less than three hours a night, that was saying something.
Donna excused herself as Rose moved to support him. She wrapped one of her arms around his waist and he draped one of his over her shoulders, and together they moved to their bedroom. He remained silent until she shut the door behind him, and maneuvered them to the bed. The tension seemed to drain out of him as he lay back on the soft duvet. Rose kicked off her trainers (she'd decided against the strappy heels, and was glad of it-no one would have taken her seriously in those) and swung her legs up to lay beside him.
"Are you all right?" he asked her, his eyes searching as he reached a hand up to touch her face gently.
Rose bit her lip. "You almost died," she asked incredulously, "an' you're asking me if I'm okay?"
"I don't like it when people hurt you, Rose," he said quietly. "She hit you, and you were screaming, and there wasn't anything I could do about it."
"Yeah, there wasn't anything you could do about it," she agreed, "because that alien had its claws in you! An' there I was, being held down by a woman and an old man whilst they almost killed you!" She buried her face in his neck. "I've never felt so useless," she murmured against his skin.
He shifted so that one arm was stretched out beneath and around her. He ran his fingers through her hair gently. "I have," he told her, and she knew he was back in Canary Wharf, back in that white white room watching her fall.
"I don't want to lose you," she whispered.
"Oh, Rose." His arm tightened around her and he turned his head so that his chin rested on the crown of her skull. "I'm here. We're both here."
"Only because that woman died," she replied. "She gave up her life, saved us all, and no one bothered to ask her name."
"She was very brave," he agreed. "And that's what we hang onto-we remember her, even if we don't know her name." They were silent for a long moment, listening to the other's heartbeat and feeling the air swell their lungs. It felt like a gift, every moment.
"It wasn't much of a holiday," he admitted wearily, and he felt her lips curve into a smile against his skin.
"It was a very 'you' holiday," she agreed. "Although we didn't end up running for our lives, just sitting for them."
"Doesn't have the same ring," he said with a bit of a frown. "But I was thinking, we should go to Shan Shen next."
"Why's that?" she asked, her voice drowsy and her speech slow.
"They've got a fabulous New Year's festival. It was colonized in the 26th Century by a group of people from China, and they kept a lot of the old traditions as well as made some new ones. They've got this drink, it's a bit like tea, but better, and-" He paused. "Rose?" he called. "Rose, are you listening?" A soft sigh was her response, and he realized, with a smile, that she'd drifted off to sleep. His ramblings could wait. As it happened, he was quite tired himself, and when she woke they would go to Shan Shen.
( Chaper Fifty-Two )