Title: Days of Our Lives
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: PG
Characters: Ten/Rose, Donna, Jack
Spoilers: up to “The Stolen Earth”
Summary: In which Rose remembers that she has a gigantic honking gun on her hip and blasts the Dalek to high heaven before it semi-exterminates the Doctor. Quite simply an AU “Stolen Earth” reunion.
Disclaimer: Doctor Who and all associated characters/situations etc do not belong to me, I’m just borrowing them.
~*~
“EXTERMINATE!” the Dalek screamed.
Rose gasped, but even as her eyes went back to the Doctor (still running, a look of terror on his face) she felt the heavy weight of her gun against her hip and she could’ve smacked herself.
With a speed that she wasn’t aware she even possessed, Rose hoisted the gun up into her arms and began to skid to an ungainly halt.
The Dalek took careful aim, its eyestalk fixed menacingly on its prey. It never even realised she was there - and her aim was miraculously better than the Dalek’s would have been.
The top half of its exoskeleton exploded in a shower of sparks and Rose stumbled from the kickback before turning to the Doctor who slowed to an abrupt halt.
They merely stared at each other for a moment, both panting slightly.
“You saved my life,” he finally said, awestruck and somewhat breathless.
“Yeah,” she panted in return. “Looks like things haven’t changed much since I left. Daleks. End of the world.”
“Ah, same old.” he agreed.
“Kiss her you dolt!” a voice rang out from somewhere distant up the street. They ignored it.
“Doctor,” Rose said, somewhat stupidly.
He spread his arms to her and a ridiculously hopeful smile filled his face. “Miss me?”
Unable to contain herself any longer, Rose beamed at him. Hoisting the shoulder strap up and over her head, she dropped the gun carelessly on the ground and then flung herself at the Doctor, right into his waiting arms.
The Doctor laughed joyously against her hair as he wrapped himself around her, squeezing so tightly that her feet lifted off the ground. Rose pressed her face into his skin and pulled her arms tighter around his neck. Unable to get close enough.
“Rose Tyler!” he said fondly as he pulled back just enough to see her face. “Rose Tyler.” He said again, slightly quieter, almost awed, his thumbs smoothing tracks against her cheeks.
“Hello,” she said in a trembling voice, only just realising that she was crying and he was wiping at her tears.
“Hello!” he returned, beaming at her and then he abruptly hugged her again. “Oh...Rose.”
“I missed you,” she whispered to him, her mouth against his neck again, her fingertips in his hair.
“Me too - oh Rose you have no idea how much...”
Rose reached up and took his face between her palms, stopping him from what had no doubt been working up to be quite a lengthy monologue by pressing her lips softly against his.
“Mmh!” the Doctor made a muffled noise of surprise and then finally - finally - he allowed her to kiss him. Rose felt a thrill of sheer ecstasy go through her as he carefully returned the pressure of her lips, angling his head slightly so that their noses didn’t bump awkwardly.
After a moment she pulled back and rested her forehead against his, just breathing him in.
“I never stopped looking,” she told him in little more than a whisper, hands still on his face, voice still trembling. “I never stopped trying to find a way back.”
“Rose,” he whispered. “Rose I need...I need to finish...”
“Lovely as this is,” an accented voice cut across him. “You seem to be forgetting something.” Rose whirled, still entangled in the Doctor’s embrace, jaw dropping at the sight of the man who had appeared behind her. “Daleks?” Jack prompted when all he received were blank stares. “End of the world? Any of this ringing any bells?”
“Oh!” Rose whispered, shocked. “Oh, Jack!”
Jack grinned. “Hello Rose.”
“Oh!” Rose sobbed, reaching out to him. Jack was there in an instant, wrapping her up in a firm embrace, his strong jaw pressed against hers. Crushed between the two men, both sets of arms tangled around her, Rose felt something undefinable slip back into place and she felt a sudden sob burst its way out of her. “God,” she said once Jack had released her, wiping at fresh tears and offering a watery smile to them both. “I feel like I’m on ‘Days of our Lives’ or something.”
“We should get inside the TARDIS,” Jack offered, indicating the destroyed Dalek. “Where there’s one...”
“Yes you’re right,” the Doctor agreed, but Rose couldn’t help but notice the slightly covetous glance he gave to her.
Jack retrieved Rose’s gun and together the three of them raced up the street to the TARDIS where Donna was waiting impatiently.
“Bout time you showed up,” she said airily to Rose, by way of greeting. “You know he’s been a moping, miserable sod since he lost you?”
“Donna!” the Doctor said, mortified and she smirked. Rose responded by reaching for his hand and twining their fingers together.
“Daleks yeah?” she said.
“Yup,” Jack confirmed. “Lots of them.”
“I dunno what they are but they sound pretty nasty,” Donna shrugged.
“Shall we?” the Doctor tugged on Rose’s hand and together - finally together - they stepped over the threshold of the TARDIS.