DW Fic- Right Beside You 12/13

[salimali]

Title: Right Beside You 12/13
Author:  Salimali
Rating:  PG
Characters:  TenII/Rose, Jackie, Pete, OC
Disclaimer: I don't own DW or any of its affiliated characters.
Spoilers: I assume you're all familiar with Journey's End by now.

Summary:  TenII hasn't settled very well into Pete's world. Rose has to set him free before he destroys them both. Can there ever be a Happily Ever After for these two?

Author Notes: PLEASE NOTE, this is NOT part of the Meant to Be series. This is another take on Rose/TenII's life in Pete's world.

Thank you to the brilliant  wishiknewwho who has been an awesome beta and friend.

Dedicated to my lovely friend nipplemuggins  who is still snowed under with A-Level revision- hopefully we'll see her soon xxx

Chapter 1



The next few days passed in a blur for Rose. She and the Doctor had spent a lot of time together, getting to know each other again and Rose was enjoying it. The Doctor was attentive and loving, everything Rose had ever wanted him to be with her. But she knew that they were just playing a game here at the camp. It was like make believe, the Doctor running out to save the day, Rose helping where she could, giving comfort and advice to those who needed it during the day, but it was during the night when the Doctor held Rose tightly on his single camp bed that the walls of reality came crashing down around her.

They’d not spoken about their situation since that first day and Rose was worried that when she did broach the subject of leaving and going home that the truth would come out. She knew the Doctor didn’t want to leave the camp. But she didn’t want to stay. Yes, she wanted to help, but she didn’t want to make this place her home. It was, she felt, time for both her and the Doctor to settle down and live a life together, time for them to stop running. She understood his fears but she was tired. Sighing deeply she buried herself into the Doctor’s body and waited for daybreak. ‘Today’ she thought, ‘I’ll tell him today.’

Rose awoke to the sound of a baby crying. It was the first time that baby Rosie had slept in his room since Rose had arrived. Rose snuck out of bed quietly and went over to the crib, hoping to shush the baby before she woke the Doctor. He’d been called to an emergency during the evening and hadn’t long come back to bed, exhausted and weary. Sensing she was fighting a losing battle, Rose picked Rosie up and cuddled her closely, rocking her back to sleep. She gazed at the baby in her arms, trying to work out what exactly this child meant to the Doctor. She knew he loved the baby and intended to make her his, but what exactly did that mean? She looked around the room for somewhere to get comfortable with Rosie while she thought about the future. There was nowhere to sit, so Rose left the makeshift home and walked through the camp.

As she walked she was hit by the realisation that if the Doctor wanted to adopt Rosie then that meant he had to be planning on staying on Africa. Her heart stopped at the thought that she would again lose him to geography. Looking up at the clear starlit sky she sighed, “Why can’t it just be easy? Just once. All I want to do is spend the rest of my life with him, why can’t I have that?”  She didn’t want to stay here in Africa, in the camp, she wanted a life at home, in London and she wasn’t sure if the Doctor would want that. After all, he’d run away from it before. Rosie shifted in her arms and Rose looked down and smiled a defeated smile. “I won’t ask him to chose, not anymore. I know I’ll lose.” She gathered Rosie closer to her chest as the tears began to fall.

“Lose what?”

Rose was startled by the Doctor’s voice behind her and hurried to try and wipe the tears away before he could see them.

“Um, nothing. It’s okay,” she mumbled, aware that her voice still sounded teary.

“Hey now, what’s the tears for?”

The Doctor had walked around Rose and seen that she was crying; she dipped her head, shaking it slowly. He sounded concerned. Rose shuddered as he placed his hands gently on her arms.

“Rose, what’s wrong? Please, you’re scaring me,” he begged.

“ ‘S nothing, I’m okay.” She sniffed.

The Doctor chuckled as he hugged her one armed. “I don’t think so, now please, Rose, tell me what’s wrong?”

Rose raised her head to look at the Doctor and took a deep breath.

“When you said you wanted to make Rosie yours, did you mean you want to adopt her officially?”

Rose allowed the Doctor to gently guide her over to a nearby bench. Her heart beat fast as she waited for his answer, she shifted Rosie in her arms, she was getting heavy. The Doctor leaned forward and took Rosie out of her arms and cuddled her close, all the while moving to Rose so their legs were touching.

“Yes,” he said softly, looking at Rose sincerely. She could feel herself drowning in his gaze.

“Oh.” Rose sighed, she knew when she was defeated. She started to rise, but was stopped by the Doctor’s hand on her arm.

“Rose, what’s wrong? I thought you’d realised I wanted to adopt her. I told you the first day you were here. Do you not want me to?” His voice was pleading with her.

“Yes, I mean, no! No, I mean I knew you wanted to adopt her. Yes, I want you to, if it makes you feel happy. I just…I just... oh never mind.” And with that Rose stood up and ran away. She could hear the Doctor calling her in the distance.

Rose ran and ran until she came to the perimeter fence. She felt so trapped. He wanted to stay with Rosie in this awful place, with all this death and destruction. She leaned over, her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. The tears came unbidden to her eyes again she let them roll down her face, uncaring. She stayed there until sunrise, watching the camp come to life as the people went about their business. Rose felt guilty for her earlier thoughts; it wasn’t an awful place, but it was somewhere she didn’t want to be indefinitely. Maybe they could come up with a compromise. Maybe she could visit. She shook her head at her thoughts. No, she couldn’t just visit, it wouldn’t work. She wanted, no needed a proper life, with doors and walls and carpets and she needed the Doctor to be part of that life, not be in her life part time. Standing up and straightening her shoulders, she resolved to tell the Doctor how she felt.