Parallels And Convergences 2/3-ish
Author: thought_grenade
Rating: Teen
Beta: cakiiebakiie
Summary: The Doctor gets his act together, and there is kissing. The TARDIS becomes fixable.
A/N: Written for the Time In Flux ficathon at doctor_rose_fic. The goal was to rewrite a given episode so that the Doctor and Rose got together, without skewing the canon so much that the next episode couldn't happen. I got Rise of the Cybermen, and here is my attempt. Enjoy! Oh, and Part One is here!
Rose decided to find a bench and a cup of tea. She found the former, but couldn’t get the latter without money. She took out her phone and saw it had found a network. “FREE TRIAL!” it told her. Not thinking, she clicked “ACCEPT” and scrolled through the features. News - the Tylers were famous, it seemed, as every other story was about them doing something or other. She found a Wikipedia-type entry about them and scrolled through. The dates were all the same - birthdays, anniversaries and family.
There were no mentions of any children. ‘They’ve got everything except a family,’ she murmured out loud to herself. She flicked through a timeline of Pete Tyler’s inventions. Most of them had kicked off in the Nineties, with various household gadgets. Recently, he’d got into the health food business and that was when Mr Tyler really took off. She carried on scrolling. There didn’t seem to be any car crashes on there.
Rose sank back on the metal bench. Where were Mickey and the Doctor? They’d been gone at least an hour... maybe she should go and check on them. Sure, fixing the TARDIS might take days, weeks, months, but surely they’d come and tell her how they were getting on?
She’d go to them. As she made her way back, she wondered what a life in this universe would be like. Would she be able to find work? Probably not. She was slightly - more than slightly - unused to the nine-to-five. She’d adjust. She had a knack for that. She speculated on what a life with the Doctor and no travelling would be like. Maybe... maybe they could get a flat together. Or rent somewhere. She was hesitant even in her thoughts; she guessed that it was a little too domestic for a certain Time Lord’s taste.
The TARDIS loomed in front of her. She didn’t bother knocking, and got her key out. The door was unlocked. That was unusual, for the Doctor at least. Maybe Mickey didn’t shut it properly on the way in. She eased the door open, suddenly apprehensive. As she stepped over the threshold, she realised how cold it was in there. At first glance it seemed empty but she caught sight of a huddled figure on the jumpseat. It looked at her with hollow brown eyes.
‘Doctor, what’s wrong?’
‘There’s nothing. Rose... I have to ask...’ he swallowed convulsively, ‘you and... are you and Mickey together?’ his voice barely trembled.
The question took Rose aback. More than that. It knocked her for six. ‘I don’t know. You were the one that invited him on board... if I’m honest, I didn’t want him here.’
‘I think you’ll find he invited himself!’ the Doctor exclaimed defensively.
Rose crossed the console room to curl up next to him. He opened his arms to her, avoiding elbowing her in the face. She leaned back into him, jostling around for comfort. After a moment or so, she ended up with her head in his lap, looking up at him. ‘I can see up your nose,’ she murmured. A smile twitched around the corner of his mouth. ‘That’s more like it!’ The smile became a full-blown grin. One hand reached down to play with her hair. ‘Why did you want to know if me and Mickey were together?’
The Doctor took a deep breath. ‘Rose, are we friends?’
‘What kind of a question is that?’
‘I mean... do you like being friends?’
‘Do you think I’d be here if I didn’t?’
‘You’re in my lap.’
‘Point being?’
‘If you and Mickey were... together... you wouldn’t be in my lap. And I wouldn’t be playing with your hair.’
‘It’s a good thing we’re not together then.’
The Doctor was firing on all four cylinders, even if he remained utterly calm. ‘So, I’m okay to do this?’ And it was on the torn leather of a cold, broken spaceship’s seat that the Doctor kissed Rose Tyler for the first time. It was not entirely comfortable - the odd angle meant their lips crashed together and their noses bumped into each other. It was a dangerously presumptuous move, but the Doctor was hopeful.
‘You were always okay to do that, I think. Except when we visited my mum,’ she grinned, breathless.
‘Ah. Rose. I have to tell you --’
Rose pressed a single finger to his parted lips. ‘If it’s... what I think it is, don’t. Not now. If we get out of this, back to our universe, then say. But not now,’ she shook her head. ‘Concentrate on getting her better. Getting us home.’
The Doctor nodded solemnly. ‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.’
Rose’s eyes widened. ‘What? What is it?’ she bit out.
‘You’ll have to move. My legs are going dead,’ the Doctor smirked.
Rose groaned but complied. As she swung her legs over, something caught her eye. ‘Doctor, what’s that?’
‘What’s --’ he began, trying to nurse some feeling into his legs. He followed where Rose was pointing and leapt up. His legs almost gave way under him, but Rose caught him in time. ‘Thanks. Is that a reflection?’ he asked to himself. He looked up at the ceiling, but there was nothing. ‘That...’ he started dramatically, ‘is a light!’
‘What does that mean?’
‘It means we have power! See, this is nothing. It’s just some tiny, insignificant power cell, clinging on for dear life.’ He blew on it, and his face glowed green in the light of the cell. ‘I just gave away ten years of my life. Worth every second!’ His grin was more than maniacal; his face was about to rupture. Impulsively, he pulled her into a rib-crushing hug. When he set her down he left his hands on her waist and whispered intimately, ‘You just saved our lives.’
‘We should tell Mickey...’ she murmured half-heartedly.
‘We should,’ he half-heartedly agreed. He didn’t tell her what Mickey had said about not coming back. ‘Okay. We have twenty-four hours before this little un recharges. What do you think,’ he dropped his lips down to her ear again, ‘about going to a party?’
Even half-dead, the TARDIS’ wardrobe was still more than fully stocked. There were plenty of dresses that were suitable for what was sure to be a black-tie bash; still she couldn’t find one perfect for her.
She rummaged through boxes and boxes and rails upon rails of exquisite dresses from all eras - except, it seemed, 21st century Earth.
Finally, at the bottom of the last box, there was a midnight blue mid-thigh length dress with silver lace gloves. It was the only modern thing she’d seen in the room, and the only thing that fitted her. The cut was low, but not low enough that the imagination didn’t have its work cut out. She found, upon further inspection, that there were a pair of matching silver kitten heels and purse. Never let it be said that the TARDIS didn’t co-ordinate. Pulling on the shoes - a little tight, but better than nothing - she set out to find the Doctor.
As was to be expected from him, he was still in his pinstriped suit. Rose rolled her eyes. ‘Doctor. Black tie. Put on a tuxedo. Or at least a black suit.’
‘Only if you’ll take this one off me...’ he drawled. Oh, two could play at that game! She stalked over the grating, the low heels clicking and ringing out. She reached up and loosened the knot of his tie. She felt his breath hitch. The knot came undone, and she brought his face inches from her own.
‘Go and get changed.’
The Doctor left the room obligingly. Rose leaned back against the console and chuckled. Oh, men were easy.
It was a surprisingly short amount of time for the Doctor to get changed; she had expected him to do his hair. He could bluster about it being naturally unruly, but she knew there was no way that it didn’t have any help. She looked at the rest of his outfit. A tuxedo, just like she told him. She looked at his shoes. Black Converses, not that there’s any point in convincing him out of those. She wouldn’t want to anyway. The bowtie was still undone. Shaking her head, she waved him over.
‘How can you not tie a bowtie?’
‘It’s undone on purpose!’ protested the Doctor. Rose looked at him pityingly, and reached up to tie it for him. ‘I was going for the ruggedly handsome, Mr Darcy type look...’
‘Mr Darcy didn’t wear a bowtie,’ Rose muttered into his neck. When she finished struggling with it, she pressed a kiss into the hollow of his neck and felt him hum in satisfaction. The first thing he did when she stepped back to admire her handiwork was to reach up and touch the knot around his neck. She slapped his wrist. ‘Leave it alone. You’ll undo it.’
Together, they stepped out into the cool air.
Part Three
.
Rating: Teen
Beta: cakiiebakiie
Summary: The Doctor gets his act together, and there is kissing. The TARDIS becomes fixable.
A/N: Written for the Time In Flux ficathon at doctor_rose_fic. The goal was to rewrite a given episode so that the Doctor and Rose got together, without skewing the canon so much that the next episode couldn't happen. I got Rise of the Cybermen, and here is my attempt. Enjoy! Oh, and Part One is here!
Rose decided to find a bench and a cup of tea. She found the former, but couldn’t get the latter without money. She took out her phone and saw it had found a network. “FREE TRIAL!” it told her. Not thinking, she clicked “ACCEPT” and scrolled through the features. News - the Tylers were famous, it seemed, as every other story was about them doing something or other. She found a Wikipedia-type entry about them and scrolled through. The dates were all the same - birthdays, anniversaries and family.
There were no mentions of any children. ‘They’ve got everything except a family,’ she murmured out loud to herself. She flicked through a timeline of Pete Tyler’s inventions. Most of them had kicked off in the Nineties, with various household gadgets. Recently, he’d got into the health food business and that was when Mr Tyler really took off. She carried on scrolling. There didn’t seem to be any car crashes on there.
Rose sank back on the metal bench. Where were Mickey and the Doctor? They’d been gone at least an hour... maybe she should go and check on them. Sure, fixing the TARDIS might take days, weeks, months, but surely they’d come and tell her how they were getting on?
She’d go to them. As she made her way back, she wondered what a life in this universe would be like. Would she be able to find work? Probably not. She was slightly - more than slightly - unused to the nine-to-five. She’d adjust. She had a knack for that. She speculated on what a life with the Doctor and no travelling would be like. Maybe... maybe they could get a flat together. Or rent somewhere. She was hesitant even in her thoughts; she guessed that it was a little too domestic for a certain Time Lord’s taste.
The TARDIS loomed in front of her. She didn’t bother knocking, and got her key out. The door was unlocked. That was unusual, for the Doctor at least. Maybe Mickey didn’t shut it properly on the way in. She eased the door open, suddenly apprehensive. As she stepped over the threshold, she realised how cold it was in there. At first glance it seemed empty but she caught sight of a huddled figure on the jumpseat. It looked at her with hollow brown eyes.
‘Doctor, what’s wrong?’
‘There’s nothing. Rose... I have to ask...’ he swallowed convulsively, ‘you and... are you and Mickey together?’ his voice barely trembled.
The question took Rose aback. More than that. It knocked her for six. ‘I don’t know. You were the one that invited him on board... if I’m honest, I didn’t want him here.’
‘I think you’ll find he invited himself!’ the Doctor exclaimed defensively.
Rose crossed the console room to curl up next to him. He opened his arms to her, avoiding elbowing her in the face. She leaned back into him, jostling around for comfort. After a moment or so, she ended up with her head in his lap, looking up at him. ‘I can see up your nose,’ she murmured. A smile twitched around the corner of his mouth. ‘That’s more like it!’ The smile became a full-blown grin. One hand reached down to play with her hair. ‘Why did you want to know if me and Mickey were together?’
The Doctor took a deep breath. ‘Rose, are we friends?’
‘What kind of a question is that?’
‘I mean... do you like being friends?’
‘Do you think I’d be here if I didn’t?’
‘You’re in my lap.’
‘Point being?’
‘If you and Mickey were... together... you wouldn’t be in my lap. And I wouldn’t be playing with your hair.’
‘It’s a good thing we’re not together then.’
The Doctor was firing on all four cylinders, even if he remained utterly calm. ‘So, I’m okay to do this?’ And it was on the torn leather of a cold, broken spaceship’s seat that the Doctor kissed Rose Tyler for the first time. It was not entirely comfortable - the odd angle meant their lips crashed together and their noses bumped into each other. It was a dangerously presumptuous move, but the Doctor was hopeful.
‘You were always okay to do that, I think. Except when we visited my mum,’ she grinned, breathless.
‘Ah. Rose. I have to tell you --’
Rose pressed a single finger to his parted lips. ‘If it’s... what I think it is, don’t. Not now. If we get out of this, back to our universe, then say. But not now,’ she shook her head. ‘Concentrate on getting her better. Getting us home.’
The Doctor nodded solemnly. ‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.’
Rose’s eyes widened. ‘What? What is it?’ she bit out.
‘You’ll have to move. My legs are going dead,’ the Doctor smirked.
Rose groaned but complied. As she swung her legs over, something caught her eye. ‘Doctor, what’s that?’
‘What’s --’ he began, trying to nurse some feeling into his legs. He followed where Rose was pointing and leapt up. His legs almost gave way under him, but Rose caught him in time. ‘Thanks. Is that a reflection?’ he asked to himself. He looked up at the ceiling, but there was nothing. ‘That...’ he started dramatically, ‘is a light!’
‘What does that mean?’
‘It means we have power! See, this is nothing. It’s just some tiny, insignificant power cell, clinging on for dear life.’ He blew on it, and his face glowed green in the light of the cell. ‘I just gave away ten years of my life. Worth every second!’ His grin was more than maniacal; his face was about to rupture. Impulsively, he pulled her into a rib-crushing hug. When he set her down he left his hands on her waist and whispered intimately, ‘You just saved our lives.’
‘We should tell Mickey...’ she murmured half-heartedly.
‘We should,’ he half-heartedly agreed. He didn’t tell her what Mickey had said about not coming back. ‘Okay. We have twenty-four hours before this little un recharges. What do you think,’ he dropped his lips down to her ear again, ‘about going to a party?’
Even half-dead, the TARDIS’ wardrobe was still more than fully stocked. There were plenty of dresses that were suitable for what was sure to be a black-tie bash; still she couldn’t find one perfect for her.
She rummaged through boxes and boxes and rails upon rails of exquisite dresses from all eras - except, it seemed, 21st century Earth.
Finally, at the bottom of the last box, there was a midnight blue mid-thigh length dress with silver lace gloves. It was the only modern thing she’d seen in the room, and the only thing that fitted her. The cut was low, but not low enough that the imagination didn’t have its work cut out. She found, upon further inspection, that there were a pair of matching silver kitten heels and purse. Never let it be said that the TARDIS didn’t co-ordinate. Pulling on the shoes - a little tight, but better than nothing - she set out to find the Doctor.
As was to be expected from him, he was still in his pinstriped suit. Rose rolled her eyes. ‘Doctor. Black tie. Put on a tuxedo. Or at least a black suit.’
‘Only if you’ll take this one off me...’ he drawled. Oh, two could play at that game! She stalked over the grating, the low heels clicking and ringing out. She reached up and loosened the knot of his tie. She felt his breath hitch. The knot came undone, and she brought his face inches from her own.
‘Go and get changed.’
The Doctor left the room obligingly. Rose leaned back against the console and chuckled. Oh, men were easy.
It was a surprisingly short amount of time for the Doctor to get changed; she had expected him to do his hair. He could bluster about it being naturally unruly, but she knew there was no way that it didn’t have any help. She looked at the rest of his outfit. A tuxedo, just like she told him. She looked at his shoes. Black Converses, not that there’s any point in convincing him out of those. She wouldn’t want to anyway. The bowtie was still undone. Shaking her head, she waved him over.
‘How can you not tie a bowtie?’
‘It’s undone on purpose!’ protested the Doctor. Rose looked at him pityingly, and reached up to tie it for him. ‘I was going for the ruggedly handsome, Mr Darcy type look...’
‘Mr Darcy didn’t wear a bowtie,’ Rose muttered into his neck. When she finished struggling with it, she pressed a kiss into the hollow of his neck and felt him hum in satisfaction. The first thing he did when she stepped back to admire her handiwork was to reach up and touch the knot around his neck. She slapped his wrist. ‘Leave it alone. You’ll undo it.’
Together, they stepped out into the cool air.
Part Three
.