The Written Void (5/?)
The landlady had left the room, leaving Rose seated uncomfortably in the spare bedroom. Her eyes perused the small room, tastefully but simply decorated. A musty scent met her nose, the aroma like that of an old book being opened, and she breathed it in deeply. The comforting smell reminded her of a library, almost like the one in the TARDIS, where she had been sleeping…
"It has been agreed that you are to retire for the night here, Miss Tyler," Mrs. Hudson suddenly announced from the doorway.
Rose broke from her reverie and stared at the landlady. "Oh, but my friend and I should be getting back t-"
"Mr. Holmes expressed a wish to have you and your gentleman friend stay as guests."
"The Doctor won't accep-oh never mind." Rose sighed. Of course the Doctor would accept the invitation. His passion for the bizarre and thrilling would always leave everything behind in the dust. Seems he forgot to tell me what the heck's going on here. Again.
Mrs. Hudson reached into the boudoir and pulled out a long, flowing nightgown. "I trust this will be comfortable for you." She handed it to Rose, then turned and left the room once more.
With another sigh, Rose changed into it, leaving her clothes in a pile by the foot of the bed.
"Now then," she muttered to herself, "To find out what he's up to." She strode toward the door, but bumped into Mrs. Hudson just outside the threshold.
"Was there something else you required? Perhaps some hot water and a towel?" she offered civilly.
"Uh, no, I was just going to see my friend and as-"
"Oh dear, you mustn't do that! You aren't properly dressed!"
Rose bit her lip and looked down at her gown. "It seems I'm never properly dressed, am I?"
For the first time that night the landlady smiled. "I'm afraid not, dear. Now you must get some rest. The hour is very late."
Rose reluctantly obeyed. She crawled into bed, blew out the lamp and snuggled deep within the covers. I'm missing something. Everything. She rolled over, trying to push away the questions racing through her mind. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would give her answers.
*****
Inside the TARDIS it was deafening. She had been running about the controls, desperate to stop the inward roaring, pulling every lever she could reach to no avail. The walls continued to dissipate, revealing thundering red clouds above her.
"Rose."
The word was ripped away by the sudden gusts of wind that tore through the transparent walls and knocked her back against the TARDIS console. She reached out to grasp a lever but saw nothing. No hand, no arm, nothing. Pain suddenly struck as millions of tiny pricks stabbed her skin. The stinging increased, the agony tearing through her body in racing currents of electricity. She looked down and watched her body melt into air.
And he wasn't here. He couldn't stop this.
"ROSE!"
She sat up with a cry, her fists clenching the bed sheets. Gasping, she found herself once more in the old guest room, staring into the darkness.
A hand touched her shoulder. "It was just dream. It's-ooof!"
Rose tackled the Doctor in a hug, wrapping her arms tightly about him and burying her face in his jacket.
"That bad, huh?" The Doctor chuckled, gently returning the embrace. "Wasn't I there to fight off the beasties? Oh! Did I have a sword? I do love a good sword."
Rose pulled back, a puzzled expression clouding her face. "N-no. You weren't there at all."
"Really?" He seemed disappointed, but then smiled slightly. "Probably off tinkering in the TARDIS then, eh?"
Rose ran a hand through her tangled hair. "Yeah, something like that."
The Doctor drew himself up to sit cross-legged on the bed. "Weeelll, we've got worse problems. It seems we've been found out."
"What do you mean?"
"The great Sherlock Holmes has deduced our time-traveling ways and is now holding us hostage."
Rose couldn't help but smile. "Hostage? Don’t you mean enjoying an extended stay with your literary hero?"
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Nah. More like being watched like a bug in a jar and getting poked at with little sticks and being fed leaves and such. And dying because he forgot to put air holes in the lid."
Rose burst out laughing and the walls echoed with the sound as it reverberated across the empty room.
The Doctor clamped a hand over her mouth. "Not so loud!" he hissed, throwing a glance over his shoulder at the door. "Can you imagine what they'd do if they found me in here? Rose! What is so funny?"
Rose giggled harder behind his hand, and then pushed him away. "Oh, you poor thing! What's it like to find someone exactly like you?"
"We're nothing alike," the Doctor pouted, folding his arms across his chest.
His companion grinned. "Oh, but I think so. I know a few things about the Great Detective, you know. Let's see. He loves a good bit of mystery, not to mention he's eccentric and devilishly clever. You two would make a good team."
The Doctor shook his head. "More's the danger with every new thing he discovers. Rose, this world isn't right and we don't know how to fix it. Anything we do could cause it to collapse on itself and us with it."
"It's a bit of mystery, hmm?" Rose pointed out, cocking her head to the side. "So wouldn't we need a detective then?"
"What? You're not concerned about the black holes and the end of the universe, only that we play along?"
"It'll be fun and you know it."
A weight seemed to be lifted from the Doctor's shoulders and he suddenly grinned, bouncing off the bed to his feet. "I can't argue with that, Rose Tyler! But between you and me, I'm smarter than him."
Rose nodded solemnly. "Of course. But on the other hand, you'd make an adorable bug."
The Doctor stared at her. "What?"
"You know, you being a bug in a jar and all that." She reached up and ruffled his hair. "Would you have this too? And your glasses? Oh, you'd be precious."
"Alright, stop it."
Rose pushed the covers back and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Don't we need to get back to the TARDIS soon? You know, to get supplies and stuff?" She circled the bed and knelt down beside her discarded pile of clothes. She began rummaging through the pockets, muttering,
"I think my TARDIS key is in here somewh-"
Her piercing scream filled the room, ringing in the Doctor's ears. Rose flung away the object in her hand and moaned as she doubled over, her breath coming in short gasps.
"Rose!" The Doctor fell to his knees and grabbed her hand. Taking a box from his jacket pocket, he struck a match in the darkness. On her palm was etched the faint outline of a key, seared into the skin as if branded by fire. He blew out the match and the room returned to darkness. Then his eyes caught the faint red glow of something on the floor.
Chapter Six: Red
"It has been agreed that you are to retire for the night here, Miss Tyler," Mrs. Hudson suddenly announced from the doorway.
Rose broke from her reverie and stared at the landlady. "Oh, but my friend and I should be getting back t-"
"Mr. Holmes expressed a wish to have you and your gentleman friend stay as guests."
"The Doctor won't accep-oh never mind." Rose sighed. Of course the Doctor would accept the invitation. His passion for the bizarre and thrilling would always leave everything behind in the dust. Seems he forgot to tell me what the heck's going on here. Again.
Mrs. Hudson reached into the boudoir and pulled out a long, flowing nightgown. "I trust this will be comfortable for you." She handed it to Rose, then turned and left the room once more.
With another sigh, Rose changed into it, leaving her clothes in a pile by the foot of the bed.
"Now then," she muttered to herself, "To find out what he's up to." She strode toward the door, but bumped into Mrs. Hudson just outside the threshold.
"Was there something else you required? Perhaps some hot water and a towel?" she offered civilly.
"Uh, no, I was just going to see my friend and as-"
"Oh dear, you mustn't do that! You aren't properly dressed!"
Rose bit her lip and looked down at her gown. "It seems I'm never properly dressed, am I?"
For the first time that night the landlady smiled. "I'm afraid not, dear. Now you must get some rest. The hour is very late."
Rose reluctantly obeyed. She crawled into bed, blew out the lamp and snuggled deep within the covers. I'm missing something. Everything. She rolled over, trying to push away the questions racing through her mind. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would give her answers.
*****
Inside the TARDIS it was deafening. She had been running about the controls, desperate to stop the inward roaring, pulling every lever she could reach to no avail. The walls continued to dissipate, revealing thundering red clouds above her.
"Rose."
The word was ripped away by the sudden gusts of wind that tore through the transparent walls and knocked her back against the TARDIS console. She reached out to grasp a lever but saw nothing. No hand, no arm, nothing. Pain suddenly struck as millions of tiny pricks stabbed her skin. The stinging increased, the agony tearing through her body in racing currents of electricity. She looked down and watched her body melt into air.
And he wasn't here. He couldn't stop this.
"ROSE!"
She sat up with a cry, her fists clenching the bed sheets. Gasping, she found herself once more in the old guest room, staring into the darkness.
A hand touched her shoulder. "It was just dream. It's-ooof!"
Rose tackled the Doctor in a hug, wrapping her arms tightly about him and burying her face in his jacket.
"That bad, huh?" The Doctor chuckled, gently returning the embrace. "Wasn't I there to fight off the beasties? Oh! Did I have a sword? I do love a good sword."
Rose pulled back, a puzzled expression clouding her face. "N-no. You weren't there at all."
"Really?" He seemed disappointed, but then smiled slightly. "Probably off tinkering in the TARDIS then, eh?"
Rose ran a hand through her tangled hair. "Yeah, something like that."
The Doctor drew himself up to sit cross-legged on the bed. "Weeelll, we've got worse problems. It seems we've been found out."
"What do you mean?"
"The great Sherlock Holmes has deduced our time-traveling ways and is now holding us hostage."
Rose couldn't help but smile. "Hostage? Don’t you mean enjoying an extended stay with your literary hero?"
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Nah. More like being watched like a bug in a jar and getting poked at with little sticks and being fed leaves and such. And dying because he forgot to put air holes in the lid."
Rose burst out laughing and the walls echoed with the sound as it reverberated across the empty room.
The Doctor clamped a hand over her mouth. "Not so loud!" he hissed, throwing a glance over his shoulder at the door. "Can you imagine what they'd do if they found me in here? Rose! What is so funny?"
Rose giggled harder behind his hand, and then pushed him away. "Oh, you poor thing! What's it like to find someone exactly like you?"
"We're nothing alike," the Doctor pouted, folding his arms across his chest.
His companion grinned. "Oh, but I think so. I know a few things about the Great Detective, you know. Let's see. He loves a good bit of mystery, not to mention he's eccentric and devilishly clever. You two would make a good team."
The Doctor shook his head. "More's the danger with every new thing he discovers. Rose, this world isn't right and we don't know how to fix it. Anything we do could cause it to collapse on itself and us with it."
"It's a bit of mystery, hmm?" Rose pointed out, cocking her head to the side. "So wouldn't we need a detective then?"
"What? You're not concerned about the black holes and the end of the universe, only that we play along?"
"It'll be fun and you know it."
A weight seemed to be lifted from the Doctor's shoulders and he suddenly grinned, bouncing off the bed to his feet. "I can't argue with that, Rose Tyler! But between you and me, I'm smarter than him."
Rose nodded solemnly. "Of course. But on the other hand, you'd make an adorable bug."
The Doctor stared at her. "What?"
"You know, you being a bug in a jar and all that." She reached up and ruffled his hair. "Would you have this too? And your glasses? Oh, you'd be precious."
"Alright, stop it."
Rose pushed the covers back and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Don't we need to get back to the TARDIS soon? You know, to get supplies and stuff?" She circled the bed and knelt down beside her discarded pile of clothes. She began rummaging through the pockets, muttering,
"I think my TARDIS key is in here somewh-"
Her piercing scream filled the room, ringing in the Doctor's ears. Rose flung away the object in her hand and moaned as she doubled over, her breath coming in short gasps.
"Rose!" The Doctor fell to his knees and grabbed her hand. Taking a box from his jacket pocket, he struck a match in the darkness. On her palm was etched the faint outline of a key, seared into the skin as if branded by fire. He blew out the match and the room returned to darkness. Then his eyes caught the faint red glow of something on the floor.
Chapter Six: Red