Fic: Unintentionally Loud and a Bit Impulsive
Title: Unintentionally Loud and a Bit Impulsive
Author: Tardisblue
Beta: The Wonderful wildwinterwitch
Characters: Ten/Rose
Genre: General
Rating: G
Summary: Rose and the Doctor talk after the events of the Christmas Invasion.
Disclaimer: The BBC owns everything Doctor Who.
Author's Notes: A big thank you to the wonderful wildwinterwitch for her superb beta-ing and support!
Rose stepped hesitantly into the Tardis console room, pausing as she scanned the area for the Doctor. She did not have to look for very long; she could hear soft tinkering noises from underneath the console along with soft murmuring from the Doctor as he spoke affectionately to the Tardis while going about his repairs.
So different, this Doctor was. While her old Doctor was certainly not silent, this one seemed to need to talk, as one needed to breathe. Despite the change, which had been rather difficult for her to get her head around at first, Rose was beginning to see that he was still, irrevocably, the Doctor. And that she was still Rose. The Doctor and Rose. Just like before. However, while she certainly saw it that way, she was unsure as to what the Doctor thought. Rose chewed on her lower lip, her mind going back to the words the Doctor had thrown at her back on the Sycorax ship. What if he really did think she’d given up on him, even now?
Suddenly, the Doctor’s head popped out from underneath the console, his face breaking into a wide grin as he spotted her.
“Rose! There you are! Nearly done with the repairs. Had a bit of trouble with the frontal thermal thruster from that rough landing. The Tardis wasn’t too happy with me about that one. She wouldn’t even let me get anywhere near the console,” the Doctor said wincing and holding up his black, slightly singed fingers. “But we had a nice little chat and she’s nearly forgiven it all now. So! Just need to do one quick final scan and off we go!”
The Doctor slid out from under the console and jumped to his feet. Beaming, he dusted himself off.
Rose managed a weak smile, fidgeting with the hem of her jacket.
“Rose? Are you alright?” he asked, looking concerned.
Rose took a deep breath, squashing the urge to turn around and forget about the whole thing. It was now or never.
“I didn’t give up on you, you know,” she managed to say in a steady voice. Rose quickly looked down and stared at her hands, feigning a fascinated interest in her fingernails as she avoided his gaze.
The Doctor tilted his head, watching her. As the silence became uncomfortable, Rose forced herself to go on.
“When we were on that Sycorax ship, when you’d finally woken up. You said that I gave up on you. But I didn’t. Not really. I just - I just didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what was happening to you. I was mad. And I was scared,” Rose swallowed. “I thought - I thought that you’d left me. For good.”
“Rose,” the Doctor began.
Rose raised her chin, finally looking up at the Doctor. “But I never gave up. Never would. Not on you.”
“I know,” the Doctor said with a soft smile.
Rose stared.
“But you said - ”
“I know what I said. You’re going to have to forgive me for that bit. I’m afraid that this ‘new’ me is going to be…well…” the Doctor paused, searching for the right words.
“Loud?” Rose offered tentatively.
“Exactly,” the Doctor agreed. “Loud. Unintentionally, though. And a bit impulsive. Unintentionally loud and a bit impulsive. You’ll have to tell me when I’m being like that, all unintentionally loud and impulsive. I don’t think I’m going to realize it most of the time. It’s like this gob has a life all of its own, really.”
Rose smiled, looking back down at her hands.
“You were brilliant, Rose,” the Doctor said softly.
“I was?” Rose looked up again, startled.
“You figured out what those masked Father Christmases were after. You took care of me. Even dragged me to the Tardis for safekeeping while all the world was in chaos. Oh and Rose!” the Doctor beamed, “that speech you made to the Sycorax leader! That was, I must say, absolutely brilliant.”
“I was terrified,” Rose admitted.
The Doctor stepped closer, his expression somber.
“I’m sorry. I should have said something about the whole regeneration thing. Probably much, much earlier. It’s not the easiest subject to talk about. Even for someone with a gob like mine. But I should have told you, Rose. Especially you.”
“s’okay. Just…a little bit of a warning next time, yeah?”
“Yeah,” the Doctor agreed, his eyes warm.
Rose smiled, her heart lifting.
“And Rose?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“You’re not?” Rose asked, her smile fading in confusion.
“No,” he said softly. Stepping even closer, the Doctor took her hands into his own and looked into her eyes.
“Not without you.”