Defenders of the Earth, Chapter 7
Title: Defenders of the Earth
Author: onabearskinrug
Character/Pairing: Ten/Rose, with Jackie, Pete, Jake, Mickey, and others
Rating: Teen, for now
Summary: AU "Doomsday." Trapped in Pete's World, Rose and the Doctor attempt to find their way back to the TARDIS while navigating Torchwood, meddling family members, and (as per usual) threats to humanity.
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who. Any recognizable characters belong to the BBC.
Author's Notes: This is a monster, to make up for the long wait! Thank you to kelkat9, timelord1, and who_in_whoville for all of the help with this chapter!
Catch up here!
Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6
Rose took the car service back to the mansion so that she could pack an overnight bag for herself and the Doctor. She greeted her mother absently as she breezed past the kitchen. Jackie, never allowing her daughter to get away with such a greeting, followed her to the guest suite as Rose tore through the room and explained to her what they had discovered at Torchwood.
"So, what...they found a tear? We could go home?"
"I dunno yet, Mum," Rose called out from the ensuite as she hastily shoved some toiletries in a bag. "We're not sure if it's big enough or stable enough to travel through." She zipped the small pack closed and emerged from the bathroom, tucking it into the larger duffel which sat half-filled on the bed. Without turning around or even ceasing her movements, Rose steeled her nerve and said, "You don't have to come back with us, you know. You could stay...if you want."
Rose chanced a look over her shoulder at her mother. Jackie looked as though someone had slapped her in the face.
"How can you say that to me?" she demanded. “I'm your mum! Of course I'm coming back with you!”
"I'm just sayin'!" Rose tucked the last pile of socks into the bag and turned to fully face her mother. "You and Pete...I mean...you're really happy with him. I can tell. And you don't need to worry about me. I'll be fine. I'll be with the Doctor."
Jackie looked close to tears. "You think you’re so…I dunno…clever! Worldly! Like you know everything just because you’ve traveled and seen things and…Rose, you’re my daughter! I’m always gonna worry about you, even when you’re fifty years old and even worse if I can’t talk to you or see you all the time!” Jackie choked back a sob. “But it‘s not just that…Rose, I thought I'd lost you, back at Canary Wharf. Thought I'd never see you again. I dunno if I could bear it, love."
"But I don't want you to give up a chance to be really happy!" Rose protested. She swallowed against the lump in her throat. She needed to stay strong, to convince her mum that she would be okay without her.
Rose never gave her mother enough credit. Jackie could always sense when Rose was near tears, and this was no exception. She strode forward and wrapped her arms around her daughter. At the warm, familiar embrace, Rose felt her self control crack and she began to sob, burying her face in Jackie's shoulder, just like when she was a child.
"How can I be happy without my baby girl?" Jackie murmured, stroking through Rose's hair, always comforting even though she could barely speak through her own tears.
Rose couldn't answer. She just cried, great wrenching sobs, and clung harder to her mother.
******
Jackie eventually left the guest wing after she and Rose had both calmed down, needing to pack some bags for herself and Pete. The plan they had worked out at Torchwood was to drive the day or so trip to Bergen, everyone taking a shift driving so the others could rest. Then they would stop off overnight and continue to the hour or so drive to the breach the following morning. Of course the Doctor was itching to get there as soon as possible, but Rose had to gently point out that the various personnel that Pete was so generously providing were human, and therefore no use to anyone exhausted. The Doctor had conceded...begrudgingly.
Pete met them back at the house an hour or so after Rose had arrived. Both she and Jackie had finished packing, Jackie now making hotel reservations in Bergen and Rose was preparing a few travel mugs of tea. Pete came into the kitchen and greeted Rose warmly.
"How's everything down there?" she asked, handing him one of the mugs.
"Thank you," he smiled at her gratefully. "We're good, nearly there. The Doctor is helping to organize the vans. He said to tell you hello." His eyes closed as he took a long sip from the mug. "Oh, this is good. You're nearly as talented as your mother."
"I will take that as a compliment," Rose grinned at Pete and sipped from her own thermos. "We're almost ready to go here. Mum's handling the hotel in Bergen."
"Perfect." Pete nodded. "I figured we'd take my old Jeep up. Haven't driven it in ages. It's all Lexus and Mercedes nowadays. It'll do the old girl some good to get a little exercise."
"You sound like the Doctor," Rose teased. "That's exactly how he talks about the TARDIS. Although, she is kind of alive, so it's not that far off base..." Rose trailed off as her heart clenched once more for their beloved ship. Could the TARDIS feel loneliness? Was she all right, wherever she was? Was being apart from her Time Lord causing her pain, just like it was for the Doctor?
"Rose..." Pete interrupted her train of thoughts. He covered her hand where it lay on the counter and spoke softly. "I want you to know that, whatever happens today or tomorrow or ten years from now, it was a privilege to know you. If your dad-your real dad- was alive today...God, he would have been so proud of you."
Rose looked up at Pete, her eyes filling with tears. This was certainly turning out to be an emotional day. Here was the man who was, and wasn't, her father. His eyes were glowing with pride and affection, so much like that day in 1987 that Rose couldn't help but throw her arms around his neck.
"Thank you," she whispered. "That means a lot. You've no idea."
Pete hugged her back, naturally, exactly has her own Dad had done so long ago. She breathed in deep, heart lurching in her chest when, beneath the lovely cologne and soap scent, she sensed something that was simple and unique and just…dad. Rose pulled back with some difficulty and Pete planted an affectionate kiss on her forehead. "If this doesn't work out, and I won't lie, part of me really hopes it doesn't, I would be honored if you and your mum and the Doctor would stay here...with me. I know we really don't know each other all that well and I'm not looking to replace your real dad or anything, but this last week...it's been nice, having a family to come home to..."
He was rambling. Rose grinned. Apparently there was some truth to that old tale about always falling for someone exactly like your father...even if you didn't meet him until you were nineteen. "Pete," she interrupted. "I can't know what's gonna happen tomorrow but, if we are here for a while, we'd be happy to stay with you. At least, for as long as you can stand living with the Doctor."
Pete's face lit up in an expression she‘d never seen on him before. He looked years younger, so much like the young man she’d met so long ago. "Really? 'Cause that'd be brilliant!" He pulled her into a tight hug once again.
A small sniff from the kitchen entryway caused them to break apart. Rose turned and found her mum, pressing a Kleenex to her eyes in a fruitless attempt to stem her flow of tears.
"Oh, don't mind me!" Jackie sniffled, waving them off casually. "No, really...just...go back to what you were doing!"
"Jacks," Pete said softly. He opened one arm towards her invitingly. "C'mere."
Jackie's sobs upgraded to complete blubbering. "Oh, God!" she wailed dramatically. Rose couldn't help but chuckle through her tears as Pete pulled her in to share their embrace.
Rose wasn't sure how much time had passed with Pete just holding the two of them, rocking slowly, when Jackie's shoulders finally stopped shaking and she drew in a deep, ragged breath. "God, look at us. A right mess we are," she laughed.
Pete chuckled back. "You're beautiful. The pair of you." The trilling of his mobile finally caused him to pull away from their little embrace. Rose watched nervously as he held a short conversation, clicked off the phone and turned back.
"Well, let's get the Jeep all packed. Mickey's got his field team assembled and the vans are all ready to go. We should be leaving within the hour."
Rose grinned at him. "Ready for an adventure?"
Pete grinned back. "Yeah, I reckon I am. And you, Jacks?"
Jackie laughed. "Oh, go on, you nutters. Let's get a move on."
******
The Doctor climbed into the Jeep the moment it slid into a spot next to the standard black Torchwood vans. He hefted a small duffel in after him and placed it delicately on the floor. He slid next to Rose, offering her a small kiss as a greeting.
"Hello," he murmured. "Missed you."
"Only been two hours, Doctor."
"Too long," he replied. He studied her face intently. "You all right?"
"Yeah," Rose replied, entwining their fingers. "Better now. Just an emotional day."
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Things fall apart when I'm not there, always the way." He turned towards the front of the Jeep. "The fleet's assembled. Fancy an introduction, Rose?"
"Absolutely!" she agreed, allowing the Doctor to pull her out into the garage.
"Right! Everyone this is Rose!" She waved her hand in greeting. "You know Mickey and Jake, obviously."
"Who doesn't?" she moved over and gave them each a hug. "Thank you both for doing this."
"Anything for you, babe," Mickey told her, offering an affectionate knuckle bump to her jaw.
Jake grinned. "You've got all of Torchwood eating out of the palm of your hand, Rose. I'm not surprised they all volunteered for this."
"Oh, hush," she teased back.
"Here, Rose," Mickey gestured to the rest of his team, placing his hand on the small of Rose's back in a familiar gesture. She could almost feel the Doctor's jaw tighten at this, but he intelligently kept his gob shut. Mickey led Rose over to a bespectacled, dark-haired man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties. "This is Dr. Ken Dooley. He's our team medic. Everyone's trained in emergency first-aid and CPR, but Ken here has been our savior on more than one occasion."
"Doctor," Rose greeted, catching her Doctor's eye and grinning cheekily. "Nice to meet you."
"And you," he replied, shaking her hand.
He seemed a bit nervous, meeting the boss’s long-lost daughter. Rose wanted to put him at ease, so she put on a friendly smile, asking him about his specialty and where he attended medical school, before Mickey reminded her of their rather strict timeline and they moved on. He introduced her to the next member of their team, a young twenty-something man with dirty blonde hair wearing a t-shirt that said "No, I Will Not Fix Your Computer."
"This is our technical support, Bill Scott," Mickey explained. Rose greeted him warmly and complimented his t-shirt. He blushed and stammered. The Doctor sighed.
"Liza George," a petite, perky blonde piped up next, reaching out to shake Rose's hand. "Head of security."
Some of Rose's surprise must have shown on her face, because Liza grinned. "I know, no one expects me. It's brilliant!"
"Liza's a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black-belt and is certified in nearly every weapon known to man," Mickey informed Rose, winking at Liza. "And a lot known to aliens, too."
Liza blushed prettily at his praise. Rose made a mental note to question Mickey about Liza further when she had him alone.
"And last on our whirlwind tour is our gorgeous relationship manager and linguistics specialist."
"Oh, Mickey, you're a charmer," a middle-aged ginger woman turned to smile warmly at Rose. "Hello, I've heard a lot about you. I'm Carrie, Carrie Potter."
Rose nearly choked as she shook hands. She turned to look at the Doctor, who was grinning. "Carrie Potter?" she questioned.
"Yes, that's right! My husband, Harry, always gets a kick out of it."
"Your...husband's called Harry Potter?"
Carrie looked at her quizzically. "You know, you're the third person to mention that. Mickey was the first, and your Doctor here was the second. Never got that reaction before him. Strange. Anyway, nice to meet you! This is an Earth-based mission, no need for alien relations, so I'm going to go coordinate with Bill. Tech-heavy this one."
"Yeah," Rose replied, still smiling at the Doctor. "Nice to meet you!"
She elbowed the Doctor in the ribs on the way back to the Jeep. "You think you could warn a girl next time?"
"What?" he asked innocently, despite the twinkle in his eyes.
"Harry and Carrie Potter?"
The Doctor just grinned, opening the door to the Jeep and ushering her inside. Pete and Jackie were already situated, just waiting for the Doctor and Rose to settle in.
"Everyone in? Right." Pete got on the intercom system to the vans, giving them the hotel address for their navigation software. With a few more instructions, they were off.
The Doctor popped on his specs and immediately set to work, pulling a metal colander out of the simple duffel. He followed the colander with all manner of contraptions and began attaching them with the sonic screwdriver.
"What've you got there, Doctor?" Rose leaned in, curious.
"It's a psychic brain wave transmitter and magnifier." He welded a few wires together with the sonic. Rose admired how steady his hands were in the backseat of the large SUV. "Just in case. I might need to send someone a message through the void. And I can't risk a recorded message getting into the wrong hands. No, there's someone I know from my old days at UNIT who can look out for the TARDIS, keep her safe if we..." He trailed off, visibly flinching for a split second before the look was gone again. "...if we can't get back right away. I'll need to psychically connect with him. This will help."
"Right," Rose teased. "You're...making a colander helmet."
"I am making a psychic brain wave transmitter and magnifier," the Doctor corrected her good-naturedly. "There is a subtle difference."
"Ah, yes, however did I miss it?" Rose yawned. Despite it being early in the day, Rose felt her late night, early morning, and the emotional toll of the day acutely. She’d packed a pillow and fleece throw for such an occasion, so she pulled them from her bag and arranged herself against the window in an attempt to get comfortable. "I'm going to try for a kip. Behave yourself?"
"Always," he replied. "Well, maybe not always...really though, Rose, what sort of trouble could I cause whilst enclosed in a moving Jeep? Don't answer that."
She grinned at him, eyelids already drooping. Slipping out of her trainers (and simultaneously thankful that she'd changed from her pantsuit into soft cotton track pants, t-shirt, and hooded sweatshirt), she tucked her toes under his thigh, turned to snuggle into her pillow, and was asleep in moments.
******
The Doctor sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. The psychic brain wave transmitter and magnifier really wasn't difficult to cobble together, even in a moving vehicle that could frankly benefit from a front end alignment. No, he couldn't concentrate because, thanks to Rose's brilliant idea of sleeping with as much skin contact as possible, he was now more in tune with her than ever. Not to mention that during the entire previous week there had been much more kissing and cuddling than running for their lives. He could feel the edge of her consciousness, just out of reach, and he wanted nothing more than to delve into her mind and submerge himself in her comforting presence.
There really hadn't been time to explain his psychic sense to Rose. They had been so focused on trying to find a way back that it hadn't come up. The fact of the matter was that he perceived people differently than humans did. Humans had five senses, some had the beginning of a sixth that would evolve over the course of many generations. Time Lords, on the other hand, had approximately twenty-seven senses, including telepathy. Part of the way he felt people was in this telepathy, which was amplified by touch.
After the Time War, the telepathic part of his mind that had connected all the Time Lords together was nearly empty. If it hadn't been for presence of the TARDIS in his mind, he would have gone completely mad. Since he could still feel her more often than not, just dulled, the skin contact with Rose was enough to stave off any major effects. He wasn't entirely sure what would happen if he had to close the last gap, cutting him off from the TARDIS completely.
Well, that wasn't entirely true. He had a fair idea. And he just hoped Rose would be okay with the outcome.
Suddenly quite eager for some contact with her, the Doctor forced all of his concentration on soldering the last few wires together. Once the psychic brain wave transmitter and magnifier was complete, he popped it back into the black duffel and slid it down to the floor. After some fancy contorting, he managed to arrange himself with one foot resting on the floor, one leg stretched along the back seat so that he could pull Rose's sleeping form between his legs and cradle her against his chest. She made a sleepy sound of protest, which he shushed gently as he arranged the fleece throw around them. The Doctor's hands slid under her shirts, making contact with her warm, soft stomach, and he sighed in relief at the contact.
"Mmmm," Rose mumbled sleepily, resting her hands over his. She nuzzled against his neck, eyes still closed before saying his name in that sweet, sleepy way he always adored. He rested his cheek against her head and closed his eyes, contemplating trying to grab a small nap himself when he heard Pete's voice addressing him.
"So, Doctor," he began, trying to sound casual. The Doctor, however, could easily detect the hard note in his voice. "Say this works. You and Rose go back to your own universe, back to your blue box, traveling the stars..."
"That is the preferred outcome, yes," the Doctor replied, wondering where this conversation was going.
"So, should that happen...what are your intentions with my-I mean, with Rose?" Pete's eyes grew wide at his near slip. Jackie seemed to have noticed, and she placed her hand on Pete's forearm, squeezing gently.
The Doctor noticed as well. He let his head fall back against the window. He could easily opt for being snarky, snapping at Pete that his intentions with Rose were none of his business. However, he genuinely liked the man. He was friendly, personable, and brave; fighting the good fight and sticking up for the little guy.
In a lot of ways, he was Rose.
He thought for a long moment before answering. "My intentions are noble," the Doctor replied slowly. "I promise you that, Pete. I intend to stay with her, to protect her, and keep her safe for as long as it is within my power to do so."
"And when she can't travel anymore?" Pete pressed. "When she's old and frail and still refuses to leave you?"
The Doctor closed his eyes. He didn't want to think about it. She would always be gorgeous to him, no matter how many gray hairs in her head or lines on her face. But the thought of her sick and frail...it was something he didn't want to comprehend. Not while he had her warm and strong and vibrant in his arms.
"Then we won't travel anymore," he answered simply. "We'll...settle down, get a house or a flat wherever she wants. London, New York, New New York, Raxicoricofallapatorious, I don't care." The Doctor met Pete's eyes in the rear-view mirror. "She's my home, Pete. No matter where she is, that's where I belong."
Pete regarded him, and whatever he could see in the reflective glass seemed to satisfy him. He nodded, grasped Jackie's hand, and started the Doctor talking on the alien artifacts he had been able to identify thus far. Jackie interjected from time to time, asking questions about the items and about the planets they came from.
Rose slept on, content and perfectly comfortable, lulled by the sound of the Doctor's double-heartbeat in her ear.
******
Rose awoke sometime later, aware of being warm and as comfortable as one could probably get sharing the backseat of a Jeep with a six-foot-plus alien.
"Sleepy Rose," the Doctor cooed in her ear. “We're making a pit stop. Loo break, tea break, whatever you silly humans need. D'you want to get up?"
"Mmm," Rose stretched out, pressing back against his chest. She looked up, and through her bleary eyes she could make out the Doctor giving her a soft look.
"Hello," he murmured, leaning in for a gentle kiss. She smiled against his lips. "Sleep well?"
"I did," she croaked, clasping her hand over he mouth while the Doctor grinned. "Could do with some water. How long was I out?"
"Ohhh, three hours? Give or take? You missed the Chunnel. Very dull. Jackie and Pete have already gone in."
"All right. Thanks for letting me sleep," she said, realizing for the first time that his hands were underneath her shirt, resting on her bare stomach. She turned towards him and grinned, her tongue caught between her teeth. "Doctor...your hands are under my top!"
The Doctor looked...sheepish! "Yes, well, remember that whole skin-contact thing..."
Rose started laughing. "It's like...it's like...you were trying to get away with feeling me up under the blankets in front of my parents! Oh, my God!"
Rose was laughing hysterically now, tears rolling down her cheeks. "If you've quite finished..."
"Nah, not just yet!" and she broke out in another round of giggles before taking deep breaths and calming down. "Sorry, I'm sorry." She reached out and cupped his cheek. "Really, Doctor, I wasn't laughing at you. It was just...well...the situation's kinda funny, right? Like, we're teenagers trying to sneak touches around my parents. Never thought I'd do this sort of thing with you."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Hmmm...I'm still deciding," Rose purred cheekily, pulling herself into his lap and kissing him soundly until her mother pounded on the window and demanded that they make themselves presentable.
******
With four of them in the Jeep, each taking roughly six hours of the drive, they arrived in Norway just after noon, local time. They pulled up outside of the modest hotel, the staff helping to load their bags and move them to their rooms. After a quick working lunch in the hotel restaurant, they decided to reconvene at 06:00 local time in the lobby.
The Doctor was a ball of nervous energy the entire time in their room. He kept fiddling with his gadgets, ensuring that everything was functioning at peak efficiency. His breach detector, the device he would use to close the gap if necessary, the psychic brain wave transmitter and modifier...he tinkered and retinkered until Rose could barely stand it anymore.
"Doctor..." Rose pleaded with him for what seemed like the thousandth time that evening, and they had barely been there six hours. "Can't you just..."
"What, Rose, what?" he snapped. He ran his hands through his hair even though it was already standing up completely straight. "Can't I just...come sit down? Watch some Norwegian telly? Order room service? Have a cuddle? I don't know what you want from me, Rose! I'm used to having time at my disposal. I can slow it down, speed it up, go forward, go backwards. If we had the TARDIS, I could just skip ahead to 06:00, couldn't I? But we don't and I have to sit here and wait eighteen hours to act and I just..."
He covered his face with his hands for a moment before crying out in frustration, sweeping his hand across the table and sending all of his wires, nuts, bolts, bulbs; everything he'd been tinkering with to the floor. Rose jumped at the noise, but immediately crossed the room and took him into her arms.
"Shhh," she murmured soothingly. She ran her fingers through his hair and he buried his face in her neck. His breaths were unsteady and shaking and his hearts were slamming so hard in his chest that she could feel the vibrations against hers. "'S alright, my Doctor. Just twelve more hours. We've spent more time than that in jail cells. And here we are, in a nice hotel room with room service and a soft bed and a big jacuzzi tub and..." Rose trailed off, remembering the basket of amenities she'd found in the bathroom. She pulled away and her heart nearly broke at the questioning look in his eyes. "I'm gonna try something, Doctor. I'll be right back. I need you to wait here for a minute, okay?"
"Okay," he breathed out and allowed his arms to fall from her body. Rose turned back towards the bathroom and located the basket of shampoo, mini soaps, mouthwash, and...ah, there it was. A small metal tin, proclaiming a 'massage bar' inside. Rose opened it up and inhaled deeply. It smelled fabulous-lavender and cocoa butter and something else she couldn't place. The little information card proclaimed the bar to be 100% Organic, made from all natural ingredients. This was good...no harsh chemicals to irritate the Doctor's sensitive nose.
The card also stated that the bar would melt into oils at body temperature. Great. Of course she would choose to give a romantic massage to an alien whose body was consistently 30 degrees cooler than hers. He'd just have to warm up then.
Rose exited the bathroom, still clutching the little tin. She saw the Doctor immediately. He was lying on the bed, propped up on some pillows, hands crossed behind his head, just staring at the ceiling seemingly lost in thought. Rose's heart clenched. She sat next to him on the bed and took one of his hands. "Why don't you take a nice, hot shower, Doctor? I'll order us dinner and I might have an idea to help you relax. Whaddya say, huh? You trust me?" Rose smiled at him.
Rose found his answering smile encouraging. "That sounds...lovely, Rose Tyler. Just lovely. Thank you." He allowed her to tug him off of the bed and lead him to the bathroom.
"Now, I want you in there for at least a half an hour," she instructed him and a mock-firm tone. "The water should be as hot as you can stand it. Don't bother asking me why, but do not get redressed from the waist up. Agreed?"
"Yes, sir," the Doctor answered cheekily, giving Rose a sweet, lingering kiss before he disappeared into the ensuite. "I won't be long."
"I'll hold you to that."
******
The Doctor had to admit, Rose was a genius. Though he wasn't human, the basic template was similar. The differences were mostly internal. Still, superior biology aside, there was something about hot water spraying down on tense muscles that must have been universal. It was doing wonders in helping ease the tension that had been building steadily for the last six hours.
He couldn't help it. The Doctor wanted to act. He wasn't used to sitting on the sidelines and having to deal with team leaders and strategies and procedure. He was used to being the man in charge, everyone deflecting leadership to him because he always was in his element, always knew what he was talking about. And even if he didn't, he was very good at faking.
Rose often called him a control freak. He never bothered arguing.
Then, of course, was the inevitable "what if?" He and Rose hadn't really discussed the future, preferring to take things day by day and focusing on the present. Still, the future always happened. It was inevitable. And what if he couldn't get them home? He had a plan, a back-up plan, and a back-up-to-his-back-up-plan, but if they failed?
He sighed, leaning back against the shower tile. They would go back to London. Stay with Pete, see what unfolded. Living life, day after day.
His Time sense kicked in, informing him that it had indeed been half an hour since he set foot into the shower. Eager to get back to Rose, he shut off the water and toweled off quickly, remembering her instructions not to dress from the waist up. He reached for his suit trousers and wrinkled his nose. He'd been wearing these since the morning before and suddenly had no desire to put them back on over his clean skin. Although, he also hadn't thought to bring anything else in to wear. Nor did he have any idea what Rose had packed for him.
Left with little other options, the Doctor slung the towel around his waist and exited the steamy room.
"Rose?" he queried, scanning the room and finding her at the small dining table, arranging their supper carefully. At the sound of her name, Rose glanced up and immediately turned an attractive shade of pink. "You didn't by chance pack my jim-jams, did you?"
"Erm..." Rose cleared her throat. "Yeah...yeah, I did." She shook her head as if to clear it.
"But really, you're fine in what you've got on."
He blinked at her. "What, this?"
She grinned. "Yeah. In fact, we'd best get started. Go lay on your stomach. I've put towels down on the bed."
"Towels?" The Doctor was very, very confused. Here he was, nine hundred years old, a genius, and he marveled at the fact that the one thing that could confuse him was a twenty-year-old London blonde. "What for? And did you turn up the heat? Why's it so warm in here?"
"All part of my master plan," Rose teased. "Which you should stop questioning and just do as I say, there's a good chap. On the bed with you."
Still not entirely sure what Rose had planned, the Doctor did as he was told, laying face-down across several warm, soft towels. She followed him over to the bed and sat somewhere near his waist, picking up something metallic from the bedside table.
"Rose, what are you...ohhhhh," he breathed as Rose moved to straddle his hips and rubbed a smooth, solid bar firmly over his back. With his skin still warm from the shower and ambient temperature, he felt the bar melt into his skin and leave behind a trail of lavender-scented oil that Rose immediately began working into his muscles.
"Oh, Rose," he groaned, overwhelmed by her hands on his skin and the gorgeous, sweet scent of the oil. "That's just..."
"Shut up and enjoy this, yeah? I'm busy," she took the bite out of her words by leaning over and placing a small, lingering kiss on the back of his neck.
He shuddered. "Oh, all right...do your worst, Rose Tyler."
******
Rose's worst was to, apparently, make him so relaxed that he had no will to complain about the next ten hours of inaction. After she had thoroughly worked the muscles in his back and he had thanked her with a long, passionate snog, they enjoyed a simple supper of soup and sandwiches, watched telly and snuggled. He even managed to sleep a bit, curled around Rose once again in nothing but their undergarments and soothed by the lingering scent of lavender and cocoa butter.
He still awoke earlier than Rose, as per usual, his nervous energy returning. They wouldn't be meeting the rest of the team for a couple of hours, so he took the time to clean and press his suit with the sonic. He paired the suit with his usual Oxford and tie, noting with some disgust that Rose had packed him a pair of dark jeans with the tags still on. Not his style at all. Hadn’t he mentioned to her to force a regeneration on him if he ever donned a pair of jeans? He’d have to bring it up.
The Doctor snuck out of the room quietly once he was dressed, retrieving a selection of pastries and muffins from the buffet table before returning promptly at five to wake up Rose. He pushed his sleepy, grumbling girl into the shower while he brewed them a pot of coffee and made sure all of his equipment was functioning properly.
Rose emerged a half hour later, sweet-smelling and a bit more alert. She was dressed simply in jeans and a snug pink sweater, her hair blown-dry and framing her face attractively. She accepted her mug of coffee gratefully and dove into the plate of pastries.
"You've got everything?" Rose asked him over her banana-nut muffin.
"Yep," he replied. "All ready to go. Got the hoppers, the breach detector-slash-scanner, breach stitcher-upper, and the psychic brain wave transmitter and magnifier."
"The colander helmet?" Rose questioned teasingly, sending him a grin.
"Cheeky." He grinned back briefly before his expression turned serious. "Last chance, you know. To stay. Be with your mum, your dad, your best friend..." His voice seemed to hitch at the next part. "Have that fantastic life I always wanted for you..."
"Yeah, no chance," she retorted good-naturedly.
The Doctor's answering smile was nearly blinding. "Wouldn't be me if I didn't ask, would I?" He drained the last of his mug and waited for Rose to finish her own breakfast. Then, he picked up the black duffel from the floor, reached his hand forward and waggled his fingers invitingly. "Shall we?"
Rose beamed at him as she grasped his hand, pulling him towards her for a gentle, sweet kiss. "Lead the way, Doctor."
******
It took close to an hour to reach the GPS coordinates for the breach. Their little caravan pulled onto a small beach close to 07:00, Pete remarking on how pleased he was with the all-terrain tires while the Doctor inspected the navigation screen.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" he suddenly exclaimed.
"What?" Rose questioned, peering over his shoulder.
"It's the beach...this bay...it's called Darlig ulv Stranden."
"Dalek?" she questioned, heart beginning to pound in panic.
"No, Darlig," he clarified, chuckling in disbelief. "It's Norweigen for 'bad.'"
"So...what? What's it mean?"
The Doctor looked at her, his expression inscrutable. "It translates to 'Bad Wolf Bay.'"
Rose gaped at him, completely at a loss for words. Instead of elaborating, the Doctor simply exited the Jeep and joined the other personnel on the cold, windy beach. Rose followed him, still completely bewildered. Seemed like Bad Wolf was still following them everywhere, even to parallel universes.
Rose wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
"Oh, what a morning!" the Doctor exclaimed, all bravado and cheerfulness even after the unnerving revelation. He pulled his new overcoat from the back of the Jeep and handed Rose her black jacket. "Smell that sea air! Invigorating!"
"And freezing," Rose quipped, pulling on the jacket and zipping it nearly up to her neck. "Wish I'd thought to pack gloves."
"Hmmm..." the Doctor mused, patting his pockets thoughtfully. He reached inside his coat and pulled out a pair of wine-colored, cabled wrist warmers. "Will these do?"
Rose beamed at him. "Couldn't hurt!" she pulled them on. "What d'you think, do they work?"
He regarded her carefully, reaching out and grasping one of her hands in his. "Not ideal from my end of things," he grinned at her. "But at least you'll be warm. You ready for this?"
Rose's smile widened. "Let's do it."
They turned to face the team. Mickey and Jake were helping Bill and Carrie set up the various device interfaces. The Doctor had given them a crash-course while they were loading up the vans, and Rose was pleased to see the look of approval on his face as he watched.
After a few minutes, Mickey gave him a thumbs-up and he nodded. They started up the computers and equipment. The Doctor, still grasping tight to Rose's hand, flipped a tiny switch the breach detector-slash-scanner. Rose giggled when it played the Windows start-up music as it turned on.
The Doctor's lips quirked up in a half smile. "Looks like Bill got bored on the drive up." He held the scanner and nodded in amused acknowledgement at the techie. Bill grinned back and offered a small salute.
The Doctor turned his attention back to the beach, moving slowly around and pulling Rose along with him. They wandered around for several minutes, Rose trusting that the Doctor knew what he was looking for as he kept his eyes trained on the small screen. Rose eventually noticed a small, dark blip, and they began moving towards it.
"Well, what have we here?" he murmured, using the image on the screen as a guide as he moved the scanner up and down, seemingly taking readings and measurements. "Hmmm...can't honestly say I've ever physically stood in front of a gap in the universe. Humbling, really." He released Rose's hand and fiddled with the gadget, buzzing his sonic against it a few times. "We'll know a bit more when I compare these readings to the ones from the gap above Canary Wharf..."
Rose watched as, for the next few minutes, the Doctor tapped on the screen furiously, muttering to himself and working through calculations in his head faster than the little machine in his hand could.
"No, no, no!" he kept muttering. "Not that way...just..."
Eventually, the tapping stopped. He tucked the device in his pocket and ran both hands over his face and up through his hair. He turned to Rose, his eyes dark and expressionless.
She felt her heart sink. "No..."
"Both universes would collapse," he choked out, sweeping her into his arms for a hug. "I'm sorry, Rose, I'm so, so sorry..."
Rose shushed him, stroking her hands through his hair. "Don't be sorry on my account. I have you. We'll find another way, yeah? We'll get working right when we get back to London."
He took a deep breath before taking a step back and looking into her eyes. "Rose, this is the last gap left. I have to close it. There's no way back after this. It's impossible."
Rose grinned, trying to lift his spirits. "We eat impossible for breakfast, Doctor. If there's a way, you'll find it."
He didn't look convinced, but plastered on a smile she was positive was for her benefit only. "Right, so! Plan B. Back to the vans. Rose, remember the tin foil? Now, you're going to think I'm a nutter..."
"Bit late for that..."
He ignored her. "But we need everyone to fashion a foil helmet. Then we need to set up a perimeter, clear out everyone within about a mile. Shouldn't be difficult, not much around here, but we wouldn't want a stray jogger to catch one of my telepathic waves and end up with his brain liquefied, now would we?"
"Brain liquefied?" Rose said weakly as he pulled her back towards where the rest of the team was stationed.
He repeated his instructions to the team. Liza and Ken took the crime scene tape and posts and went to set up the perimeter. Despite looking at him like he was mad, everyone else began to fashion their foil hats to the Doctor's exacting specifications. Apparently, aluminum was the ultimate Earth-based material at stopping psychic waves from penetrating the human brain. Wrap a few layers around your head, and apparently you were safe from a great deal of telepathic species.
Rose was surprised. Guess those nutters with the tin foil hats were on to something after all.
The Doctor helped her secure her own hat to her head, grinning at her. “You’re rather fetching in silver.”
“Yeah, okay,” Rose laughed. “So what’s this all about? What are you gonna do?”
The Doctor took a breath. “I’ve a…friend, in the other universe. Name of Alastair Gordon Lethbridge Stewart. Fine gentleman, worked for UNIT, remember them?”
“From Downing Street?”
He beamed at her. “From Downing Street. Anyway, if I had the TARDIS I could lock onto his DNA and find him anywhere. From here, it’s a bit more complicated. I need to project a telepathic message through the void and into his subconscious. That’s the only way the human mind is willing to accept psychic intervention. I’ll just let him know where the TARDIS is located and ask him to keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, keep her dusted and cleaned, until we can get back.” He said this last bit with forced confidence, Rose could tell.
“And this is where your colander helmet comes into play?”
“Yes, I’ll need my psychic brain wave transmitter and magnifier,” he replied, feigning exasperation. “Ah, lovely, Liza and Ken are back. Are we secure?”
“Crime scene tape is set up a mile in every direction,” Liza answered. Mickey came over to help her with her hat. “Hopefully no one tries to sneak in, but we’ll patrol along as much as we can.”
“Right,” the Doctor said, heading back over to where Jackie and Pete were standing by the Jeep. He retrieved his psychic brain wave transmitter and magnifier from the black duffel and moved to join Bill and Carrie in one of the vans. Rose watched as he connected some leads to the mobile computer terminal, typed in a few commands, and instructed Bill and Carrie on what to input once he wasn’t able to.
“I’m going to be in a…well…trance, I suppose,” he told everyone. “You won’t be able to bring me out of it, I’ll have to do it on my own. Shouldn’t be long, no more than an hour…depends on how chatty my old friend is feeling.” He grinned at Rose. “Are your hats secure? Really, we don’t want any liquefied brains on Torchwood’s expense sheets.”
Rose came to stand in front of him. “Are you sure about this?”
Instead of answering her, the Doctor pulled her in close for a long, hard kiss. His breathing was uneven after he broke the kiss, stroking his fingers down her cheeks and staring directly into her eyes.
“I’ll see you in a bit,” he said, leaning back against the divider, flipping a few switches on the terminal before closing his eyes.
Rose turned away briefly and shut her own eyes. All of a sudden, whisper-soft as if carried on the wind, the Doctor’s voice brushed against her ear.
“Rose,” it whispered.
She turned back towards the van, expecting to see the Doctor’s expressive brown eyes fixed on her. They weren’t…his eyes were shut and he was completely motionless, save for the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.
******
The Doctor opened his eyes and immediately took in his surroundings. He seemed to be in a lovely, sprawling garden filled with plants and fauna he’d never expect to see in the same soil. Huge trees were wafting in the warm summer breeze, and lovely wicker furniture was placed in strategic spots to maximize the views of either the scenery or some particular flower.
Doris seemed to hold a heavy, heavy influence on his friend’s dreams.
“Well, well,” a voice called from behind him. “You look completely daft, but only one man would ever bother visiting me in my dreams. Doctor.”
The Doctor turned around and grinned at his old friend. His skin was a bit more lined, his hair loads more grey, but it was unmistakably his oldest human friend in the universe.
“Brigadier Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart,” he greeted warmly, moving forward to shake the man’s hand. “How are you? And the missus?
“Fine, fine, we are just fine. I’m retired…though it seems UNIT has yet to learn the meaning of the word.” He began to move slowly towards where two wicker armchairs were set up. “Won’t you take a seat, Doctor? I need to take a proper look at you. How is it you seem to be getting younger as I am getting older?”
“I am 900 years old. I hardly think that constitutes ‘younger.’” The Doctor sat down across from his friend. “I’m afraid this isn’t a social call, Brigadier.”
“I figured as much, dreams and all that.” He relaxed against the soft cushion of the chair. “If you’d just wanted to visit, I imagine you’d park the TARDIS in the back garden as always, despite Doris’s threats of dismemberment after you crushed her begonias last time.”
“Oi!” the Doctor protested. “I fixed them!”
“Barely,” the Brigadier replied. “Now, what can I do for you, Doctor?”
The Doctor took a deep breath. “Well, without going into too much detail…I’m a bit…separated from the TARDIS at the moment. I don’t know where I landed in your timeline…does the Battle of Canary Wharf mean anything to you?”
The Brigadier blinked at him.
“Thought not.” The Doctor sighed. “I’m a bit early, then. I can’t give you any other information. It’s a fixed point, it has to happen. However, I’m sure UNIT will be involved. Anyway, when it is deemed safe, I’ll need you to do me a very, very large favor.”
“Of course, Doctor. What will you need?”
“There’s an organization with offices in one of the skyscrapers at Canary Wharf. Called Torchwood. Trust me, you’ll know which one. Down in one of their storage areas is the TARDIS. I can’t get back to her…not yet anyway. I need you to go in there as quickly as possible and find her. Take her to UNIT, to your house, anywhere you can keep an eye on her. She’ll be fine, she won’t need anything…just…” He broke off, sighing. “I don’t want her to be alone. We’ll be cut off, and she might need a friendly face.”
“Of course,” the Brigadier didn’t even hesitate to accept. The Doctor smiled at his old friend. “Can you tell me where you are?”
The Doctor sighed again, mirroring the Brigadier’s posture in his own chair. “I’m…stuck. In a parallel universe. I can only get this message to you through a gap in the universe that I’ll need to close as soon as possible. We’re going to try and come back, the best we can, but…I don’t know when. I’ll come find you as soon as I can, I promise.”
“I’ve no doubt. You said ‘we,’ Doctor. You’re not alone? Where you are…you have a friend with you?”
The Doctor smiled that soft, dreamy smile that usually went along with his Rose-related thoughts. “Yeah. Her name’s Rose…Rose and her…family, she’s got this family. Well…I guess they’re my family, too. Blimey, who’d ever have guessed it? Me, with a family?”
The Brigadier smiled brilliantly. “Rose must be very special indeed.”
“Ohhh, she is, old friend…she most certainly is.”
“Then I look forward to meeting her…once you are back amongst us, I mean.”
“You will.” The Doctor smiled at his friend. “Well, best be off. Breaches to seal, universes to save.” He stood up and shook the Brigadier’s hand firmly. “All my love to the family, good sir.”
“Of course,” he placed one hand affectionately over their joined ones. “And please give my regards to your Rose?”
The Doctor’s grin widened. “Oh, yes. Good-bye, my friend. Good luck.”
He closed his eyes, and was gone.
******
Rose sighed in relief when, about forty minutes later, the Doctor’s eyes shot open. Immediately, he powered down the computer and disconnected the helmet from the terminal. He removed the piece of equipment and called out an all-clear as he exited the van. When he spotted Rose, he immediately strode forward and captured her in a tight embrace.
“My dear friend, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, sends his regards,” he whispered in her ear.
Rose grinned. “It worked, then?”
“Oh, yes,” the Doctor breathed, pulling back and placing a light kiss on her forehead. “I arrived a bit early in his timeline. Canary Wharf hasn’t happened for him, so I’m hoping he can get to her quickly. Lovely to see him, got to catch up a bit. He’s looking forward to meeting you.”
“You mentioned me?” Rose asked in mild disbelief.
The Doctor looked surprised. “Of course I mentioned you.” He sighed heavily. “All right, no use putting this off any longer. We need to close that breach. It’s too dangerous, we don’t need anything else like Canary Wharf to happen over here.”
He led Rose over to the Jeep, where he retrieved the device he affectionately referred to as the breach stitcher-upper. He explained to the others what he was planning to do and assured them that there would be no danger in taking care of it. He led Rose back across the sand to where they had stood earlier, right in front of the gap.
Quite suddenly, the Doctor turned to Rose, grasping her shoulders and imploring her to look at him. “Rose…before we do this, I have to tell you something. You know, what I told you before, about how touching you helps me…sense you? In my mind? Because of the touch telepathy?”
“I remember…”
“Good, because I need to warn you. Once I close this breach, the TARDIS…I won’t be able to feel her. At all. My mind will be…empty. Imagine waking up one day and finding out that you are the only human being left in the universe. My telepathy is a major way of sensing people, and with that part unable to sense anyone…”
“It could be…bad,” Rose finished.
“To say the least.” The Doctor breathed in deep. “Holding your hand, Rose…it will be like putting a band aid on a bullet wound. I may not be able to…control myself…around you.”
“What, you’d…hurt me?” Rose asked in disbelief.
“I hope not. I really, really hope not…”
The Doctor fixed her with a dark, almost…lustful look. Rose shivered, surprised and a bit disturbed at how much this prospect excited her.
She reached up and gently drew his hand away from her shoulder. She twined their fingers together, stepping close to him so that their sides were touching.
“Are you sure about this, Doctor? There’s nothing else you can do?”
“I have to, Rose. I can’t…I can’t put two universes at risk because of me. Besides, the gap would close on its own eventually, best take care of it ourselves before anything else happens. Ready?”
“Are you?”
The Doctor turned to her with a soft, sad smile. “Absolutely not.”
He flipped the switch.
For a moment, it was as though nothing had happened. The first indication that something was wrong was when the Doctor allowed the device fall to the beach. His hand slipped from Rose’s grasp very abruptly and he fell to his knees, an agonizing, mournful wail escaping his lips. His hands moved immediately to his head, clutching great fistfuls of his hair, as if pulling it out of the way would somehow fix the emptiness he was suddenly feeling.
Rose stood off to the side, helplessly watching the man she cared for more than anything in the universe feel as though he was the only creature left in existence. He was on his knees in the sand, head bent, breathing heavily between shuddering, gasping sobs. Rose’s heart was shattering in a million pieces.
Rose had never seen him so small, so…broken. Completely disregarding his earlier warnings, she crouched down in the sand next to him, bringing her arms around his shoulders in an attempt to give him some measure of comfort.
“Doctor,” she whispered, pressing her cheek against his head. “Oh, my Doctor…I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…I’m here, I promise, I’ll never leave you…”
His eyes shot up to meet hers, and Rose gasped. They were…barely him. He was in there, he still knew her, thank goodness. But he looked completely and utterly destroyed from the inside out, his dark, fathomless eyes fixing on hers with an intensity that made her breath catch.
“Rose,” was the only thing he managed to croak out.
She stroked his cheek, his eyes closing at the contact. “It’s okay, Doctor. It’s gonna be okay, you hear me?”
“Rose,” he choked out again, pulling her towards him and nuzzling desperately against her neck, as if all he wanted to do was bury himself inside of her.
She turned towards her parents and the team. “We’ve gotta get back to the hotel…now.”
Next Chapter
Author: onabearskinrug
Character/Pairing: Ten/Rose, with Jackie, Pete, Jake, Mickey, and others
Rating: Teen, for now
Summary: AU "Doomsday." Trapped in Pete's World, Rose and the Doctor attempt to find their way back to the TARDIS while navigating Torchwood, meddling family members, and (as per usual) threats to humanity.
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who. Any recognizable characters belong to the BBC.
Author's Notes: This is a monster, to make up for the long wait! Thank you to kelkat9, timelord1, and who_in_whoville for all of the help with this chapter!
Catch up here!
Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6
Rose took the car service back to the mansion so that she could pack an overnight bag for herself and the Doctor. She greeted her mother absently as she breezed past the kitchen. Jackie, never allowing her daughter to get away with such a greeting, followed her to the guest suite as Rose tore through the room and explained to her what they had discovered at Torchwood.
"So, what...they found a tear? We could go home?"
"I dunno yet, Mum," Rose called out from the ensuite as she hastily shoved some toiletries in a bag. "We're not sure if it's big enough or stable enough to travel through." She zipped the small pack closed and emerged from the bathroom, tucking it into the larger duffel which sat half-filled on the bed. Without turning around or even ceasing her movements, Rose steeled her nerve and said, "You don't have to come back with us, you know. You could stay...if you want."
Rose chanced a look over her shoulder at her mother. Jackie looked as though someone had slapped her in the face.
"How can you say that to me?" she demanded. “I'm your mum! Of course I'm coming back with you!”
"I'm just sayin'!" Rose tucked the last pile of socks into the bag and turned to fully face her mother. "You and Pete...I mean...you're really happy with him. I can tell. And you don't need to worry about me. I'll be fine. I'll be with the Doctor."
Jackie looked close to tears. "You think you’re so…I dunno…clever! Worldly! Like you know everything just because you’ve traveled and seen things and…Rose, you’re my daughter! I’m always gonna worry about you, even when you’re fifty years old and even worse if I can’t talk to you or see you all the time!” Jackie choked back a sob. “But it‘s not just that…Rose, I thought I'd lost you, back at Canary Wharf. Thought I'd never see you again. I dunno if I could bear it, love."
"But I don't want you to give up a chance to be really happy!" Rose protested. She swallowed against the lump in her throat. She needed to stay strong, to convince her mum that she would be okay without her.
Rose never gave her mother enough credit. Jackie could always sense when Rose was near tears, and this was no exception. She strode forward and wrapped her arms around her daughter. At the warm, familiar embrace, Rose felt her self control crack and she began to sob, burying her face in Jackie's shoulder, just like when she was a child.
"How can I be happy without my baby girl?" Jackie murmured, stroking through Rose's hair, always comforting even though she could barely speak through her own tears.
Rose couldn't answer. She just cried, great wrenching sobs, and clung harder to her mother.
******
Jackie eventually left the guest wing after she and Rose had both calmed down, needing to pack some bags for herself and Pete. The plan they had worked out at Torchwood was to drive the day or so trip to Bergen, everyone taking a shift driving so the others could rest. Then they would stop off overnight and continue to the hour or so drive to the breach the following morning. Of course the Doctor was itching to get there as soon as possible, but Rose had to gently point out that the various personnel that Pete was so generously providing were human, and therefore no use to anyone exhausted. The Doctor had conceded...begrudgingly.
Pete met them back at the house an hour or so after Rose had arrived. Both she and Jackie had finished packing, Jackie now making hotel reservations in Bergen and Rose was preparing a few travel mugs of tea. Pete came into the kitchen and greeted Rose warmly.
"How's everything down there?" she asked, handing him one of the mugs.
"Thank you," he smiled at her gratefully. "We're good, nearly there. The Doctor is helping to organize the vans. He said to tell you hello." His eyes closed as he took a long sip from the mug. "Oh, this is good. You're nearly as talented as your mother."
"I will take that as a compliment," Rose grinned at Pete and sipped from her own thermos. "We're almost ready to go here. Mum's handling the hotel in Bergen."
"Perfect." Pete nodded. "I figured we'd take my old Jeep up. Haven't driven it in ages. It's all Lexus and Mercedes nowadays. It'll do the old girl some good to get a little exercise."
"You sound like the Doctor," Rose teased. "That's exactly how he talks about the TARDIS. Although, she is kind of alive, so it's not that far off base..." Rose trailed off as her heart clenched once more for their beloved ship. Could the TARDIS feel loneliness? Was she all right, wherever she was? Was being apart from her Time Lord causing her pain, just like it was for the Doctor?
"Rose..." Pete interrupted her train of thoughts. He covered her hand where it lay on the counter and spoke softly. "I want you to know that, whatever happens today or tomorrow or ten years from now, it was a privilege to know you. If your dad-your real dad- was alive today...God, he would have been so proud of you."
Rose looked up at Pete, her eyes filling with tears. This was certainly turning out to be an emotional day. Here was the man who was, and wasn't, her father. His eyes were glowing with pride and affection, so much like that day in 1987 that Rose couldn't help but throw her arms around his neck.
"Thank you," she whispered. "That means a lot. You've no idea."
Pete hugged her back, naturally, exactly has her own Dad had done so long ago. She breathed in deep, heart lurching in her chest when, beneath the lovely cologne and soap scent, she sensed something that was simple and unique and just…dad. Rose pulled back with some difficulty and Pete planted an affectionate kiss on her forehead. "If this doesn't work out, and I won't lie, part of me really hopes it doesn't, I would be honored if you and your mum and the Doctor would stay here...with me. I know we really don't know each other all that well and I'm not looking to replace your real dad or anything, but this last week...it's been nice, having a family to come home to..."
He was rambling. Rose grinned. Apparently there was some truth to that old tale about always falling for someone exactly like your father...even if you didn't meet him until you were nineteen. "Pete," she interrupted. "I can't know what's gonna happen tomorrow but, if we are here for a while, we'd be happy to stay with you. At least, for as long as you can stand living with the Doctor."
Pete's face lit up in an expression she‘d never seen on him before. He looked years younger, so much like the young man she’d met so long ago. "Really? 'Cause that'd be brilliant!" He pulled her into a tight hug once again.
A small sniff from the kitchen entryway caused them to break apart. Rose turned and found her mum, pressing a Kleenex to her eyes in a fruitless attempt to stem her flow of tears.
"Oh, don't mind me!" Jackie sniffled, waving them off casually. "No, really...just...go back to what you were doing!"
"Jacks," Pete said softly. He opened one arm towards her invitingly. "C'mere."
Jackie's sobs upgraded to complete blubbering. "Oh, God!" she wailed dramatically. Rose couldn't help but chuckle through her tears as Pete pulled her in to share their embrace.
Rose wasn't sure how much time had passed with Pete just holding the two of them, rocking slowly, when Jackie's shoulders finally stopped shaking and she drew in a deep, ragged breath. "God, look at us. A right mess we are," she laughed.
Pete chuckled back. "You're beautiful. The pair of you." The trilling of his mobile finally caused him to pull away from their little embrace. Rose watched nervously as he held a short conversation, clicked off the phone and turned back.
"Well, let's get the Jeep all packed. Mickey's got his field team assembled and the vans are all ready to go. We should be leaving within the hour."
Rose grinned at him. "Ready for an adventure?"
Pete grinned back. "Yeah, I reckon I am. And you, Jacks?"
Jackie laughed. "Oh, go on, you nutters. Let's get a move on."
******
The Doctor climbed into the Jeep the moment it slid into a spot next to the standard black Torchwood vans. He hefted a small duffel in after him and placed it delicately on the floor. He slid next to Rose, offering her a small kiss as a greeting.
"Hello," he murmured. "Missed you."
"Only been two hours, Doctor."
"Too long," he replied. He studied her face intently. "You all right?"
"Yeah," Rose replied, entwining their fingers. "Better now. Just an emotional day."
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Things fall apart when I'm not there, always the way." He turned towards the front of the Jeep. "The fleet's assembled. Fancy an introduction, Rose?"
"Absolutely!" she agreed, allowing the Doctor to pull her out into the garage.
"Right! Everyone this is Rose!" She waved her hand in greeting. "You know Mickey and Jake, obviously."
"Who doesn't?" she moved over and gave them each a hug. "Thank you both for doing this."
"Anything for you, babe," Mickey told her, offering an affectionate knuckle bump to her jaw.
Jake grinned. "You've got all of Torchwood eating out of the palm of your hand, Rose. I'm not surprised they all volunteered for this."
"Oh, hush," she teased back.
"Here, Rose," Mickey gestured to the rest of his team, placing his hand on the small of Rose's back in a familiar gesture. She could almost feel the Doctor's jaw tighten at this, but he intelligently kept his gob shut. Mickey led Rose over to a bespectacled, dark-haired man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties. "This is Dr. Ken Dooley. He's our team medic. Everyone's trained in emergency first-aid and CPR, but Ken here has been our savior on more than one occasion."
"Doctor," Rose greeted, catching her Doctor's eye and grinning cheekily. "Nice to meet you."
"And you," he replied, shaking her hand.
He seemed a bit nervous, meeting the boss’s long-lost daughter. Rose wanted to put him at ease, so she put on a friendly smile, asking him about his specialty and where he attended medical school, before Mickey reminded her of their rather strict timeline and they moved on. He introduced her to the next member of their team, a young twenty-something man with dirty blonde hair wearing a t-shirt that said "No, I Will Not Fix Your Computer."
"This is our technical support, Bill Scott," Mickey explained. Rose greeted him warmly and complimented his t-shirt. He blushed and stammered. The Doctor sighed.
"Liza George," a petite, perky blonde piped up next, reaching out to shake Rose's hand. "Head of security."
Some of Rose's surprise must have shown on her face, because Liza grinned. "I know, no one expects me. It's brilliant!"
"Liza's a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black-belt and is certified in nearly every weapon known to man," Mickey informed Rose, winking at Liza. "And a lot known to aliens, too."
Liza blushed prettily at his praise. Rose made a mental note to question Mickey about Liza further when she had him alone.
"And last on our whirlwind tour is our gorgeous relationship manager and linguistics specialist."
"Oh, Mickey, you're a charmer," a middle-aged ginger woman turned to smile warmly at Rose. "Hello, I've heard a lot about you. I'm Carrie, Carrie Potter."
Rose nearly choked as she shook hands. She turned to look at the Doctor, who was grinning. "Carrie Potter?" she questioned.
"Yes, that's right! My husband, Harry, always gets a kick out of it."
"Your...husband's called Harry Potter?"
Carrie looked at her quizzically. "You know, you're the third person to mention that. Mickey was the first, and your Doctor here was the second. Never got that reaction before him. Strange. Anyway, nice to meet you! This is an Earth-based mission, no need for alien relations, so I'm going to go coordinate with Bill. Tech-heavy this one."
"Yeah," Rose replied, still smiling at the Doctor. "Nice to meet you!"
She elbowed the Doctor in the ribs on the way back to the Jeep. "You think you could warn a girl next time?"
"What?" he asked innocently, despite the twinkle in his eyes.
"Harry and Carrie Potter?"
The Doctor just grinned, opening the door to the Jeep and ushering her inside. Pete and Jackie were already situated, just waiting for the Doctor and Rose to settle in.
"Everyone in? Right." Pete got on the intercom system to the vans, giving them the hotel address for their navigation software. With a few more instructions, they were off.
The Doctor popped on his specs and immediately set to work, pulling a metal colander out of the simple duffel. He followed the colander with all manner of contraptions and began attaching them with the sonic screwdriver.
"What've you got there, Doctor?" Rose leaned in, curious.
"It's a psychic brain wave transmitter and magnifier." He welded a few wires together with the sonic. Rose admired how steady his hands were in the backseat of the large SUV. "Just in case. I might need to send someone a message through the void. And I can't risk a recorded message getting into the wrong hands. No, there's someone I know from my old days at UNIT who can look out for the TARDIS, keep her safe if we..." He trailed off, visibly flinching for a split second before the look was gone again. "...if we can't get back right away. I'll need to psychically connect with him. This will help."
"Right," Rose teased. "You're...making a colander helmet."
"I am making a psychic brain wave transmitter and magnifier," the Doctor corrected her good-naturedly. "There is a subtle difference."
"Ah, yes, however did I miss it?" Rose yawned. Despite it being early in the day, Rose felt her late night, early morning, and the emotional toll of the day acutely. She’d packed a pillow and fleece throw for such an occasion, so she pulled them from her bag and arranged herself against the window in an attempt to get comfortable. "I'm going to try for a kip. Behave yourself?"
"Always," he replied. "Well, maybe not always...really though, Rose, what sort of trouble could I cause whilst enclosed in a moving Jeep? Don't answer that."
She grinned at him, eyelids already drooping. Slipping out of her trainers (and simultaneously thankful that she'd changed from her pantsuit into soft cotton track pants, t-shirt, and hooded sweatshirt), she tucked her toes under his thigh, turned to snuggle into her pillow, and was asleep in moments.
******
The Doctor sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. The psychic brain wave transmitter and magnifier really wasn't difficult to cobble together, even in a moving vehicle that could frankly benefit from a front end alignment. No, he couldn't concentrate because, thanks to Rose's brilliant idea of sleeping with as much skin contact as possible, he was now more in tune with her than ever. Not to mention that during the entire previous week there had been much more kissing and cuddling than running for their lives. He could feel the edge of her consciousness, just out of reach, and he wanted nothing more than to delve into her mind and submerge himself in her comforting presence.
There really hadn't been time to explain his psychic sense to Rose. They had been so focused on trying to find a way back that it hadn't come up. The fact of the matter was that he perceived people differently than humans did. Humans had five senses, some had the beginning of a sixth that would evolve over the course of many generations. Time Lords, on the other hand, had approximately twenty-seven senses, including telepathy. Part of the way he felt people was in this telepathy, which was amplified by touch.
After the Time War, the telepathic part of his mind that had connected all the Time Lords together was nearly empty. If it hadn't been for presence of the TARDIS in his mind, he would have gone completely mad. Since he could still feel her more often than not, just dulled, the skin contact with Rose was enough to stave off any major effects. He wasn't entirely sure what would happen if he had to close the last gap, cutting him off from the TARDIS completely.
Well, that wasn't entirely true. He had a fair idea. And he just hoped Rose would be okay with the outcome.
Suddenly quite eager for some contact with her, the Doctor forced all of his concentration on soldering the last few wires together. Once the psychic brain wave transmitter and magnifier was complete, he popped it back into the black duffel and slid it down to the floor. After some fancy contorting, he managed to arrange himself with one foot resting on the floor, one leg stretched along the back seat so that he could pull Rose's sleeping form between his legs and cradle her against his chest. She made a sleepy sound of protest, which he shushed gently as he arranged the fleece throw around them. The Doctor's hands slid under her shirts, making contact with her warm, soft stomach, and he sighed in relief at the contact.
"Mmmm," Rose mumbled sleepily, resting her hands over his. She nuzzled against his neck, eyes still closed before saying his name in that sweet, sleepy way he always adored. He rested his cheek against her head and closed his eyes, contemplating trying to grab a small nap himself when he heard Pete's voice addressing him.
"So, Doctor," he began, trying to sound casual. The Doctor, however, could easily detect the hard note in his voice. "Say this works. You and Rose go back to your own universe, back to your blue box, traveling the stars..."
"That is the preferred outcome, yes," the Doctor replied, wondering where this conversation was going.
"So, should that happen...what are your intentions with my-I mean, with Rose?" Pete's eyes grew wide at his near slip. Jackie seemed to have noticed, and she placed her hand on Pete's forearm, squeezing gently.
The Doctor noticed as well. He let his head fall back against the window. He could easily opt for being snarky, snapping at Pete that his intentions with Rose were none of his business. However, he genuinely liked the man. He was friendly, personable, and brave; fighting the good fight and sticking up for the little guy.
In a lot of ways, he was Rose.
He thought for a long moment before answering. "My intentions are noble," the Doctor replied slowly. "I promise you that, Pete. I intend to stay with her, to protect her, and keep her safe for as long as it is within my power to do so."
"And when she can't travel anymore?" Pete pressed. "When she's old and frail and still refuses to leave you?"
The Doctor closed his eyes. He didn't want to think about it. She would always be gorgeous to him, no matter how many gray hairs in her head or lines on her face. But the thought of her sick and frail...it was something he didn't want to comprehend. Not while he had her warm and strong and vibrant in his arms.
"Then we won't travel anymore," he answered simply. "We'll...settle down, get a house or a flat wherever she wants. London, New York, New New York, Raxicoricofallapatorious, I don't care." The Doctor met Pete's eyes in the rear-view mirror. "She's my home, Pete. No matter where she is, that's where I belong."
Pete regarded him, and whatever he could see in the reflective glass seemed to satisfy him. He nodded, grasped Jackie's hand, and started the Doctor talking on the alien artifacts he had been able to identify thus far. Jackie interjected from time to time, asking questions about the items and about the planets they came from.
Rose slept on, content and perfectly comfortable, lulled by the sound of the Doctor's double-heartbeat in her ear.
******
Rose awoke sometime later, aware of being warm and as comfortable as one could probably get sharing the backseat of a Jeep with a six-foot-plus alien.
"Sleepy Rose," the Doctor cooed in her ear. “We're making a pit stop. Loo break, tea break, whatever you silly humans need. D'you want to get up?"
"Mmm," Rose stretched out, pressing back against his chest. She looked up, and through her bleary eyes she could make out the Doctor giving her a soft look.
"Hello," he murmured, leaning in for a gentle kiss. She smiled against his lips. "Sleep well?"
"I did," she croaked, clasping her hand over he mouth while the Doctor grinned. "Could do with some water. How long was I out?"
"Ohhh, three hours? Give or take? You missed the Chunnel. Very dull. Jackie and Pete have already gone in."
"All right. Thanks for letting me sleep," she said, realizing for the first time that his hands were underneath her shirt, resting on her bare stomach. She turned towards him and grinned, her tongue caught between her teeth. "Doctor...your hands are under my top!"
The Doctor looked...sheepish! "Yes, well, remember that whole skin-contact thing..."
Rose started laughing. "It's like...it's like...you were trying to get away with feeling me up under the blankets in front of my parents! Oh, my God!"
Rose was laughing hysterically now, tears rolling down her cheeks. "If you've quite finished..."
"Nah, not just yet!" and she broke out in another round of giggles before taking deep breaths and calming down. "Sorry, I'm sorry." She reached out and cupped his cheek. "Really, Doctor, I wasn't laughing at you. It was just...well...the situation's kinda funny, right? Like, we're teenagers trying to sneak touches around my parents. Never thought I'd do this sort of thing with you."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Hmmm...I'm still deciding," Rose purred cheekily, pulling herself into his lap and kissing him soundly until her mother pounded on the window and demanded that they make themselves presentable.
******
With four of them in the Jeep, each taking roughly six hours of the drive, they arrived in Norway just after noon, local time. They pulled up outside of the modest hotel, the staff helping to load their bags and move them to their rooms. After a quick working lunch in the hotel restaurant, they decided to reconvene at 06:00 local time in the lobby.
The Doctor was a ball of nervous energy the entire time in their room. He kept fiddling with his gadgets, ensuring that everything was functioning at peak efficiency. His breach detector, the device he would use to close the gap if necessary, the psychic brain wave transmitter and modifier...he tinkered and retinkered until Rose could barely stand it anymore.
"Doctor..." Rose pleaded with him for what seemed like the thousandth time that evening, and they had barely been there six hours. "Can't you just..."
"What, Rose, what?" he snapped. He ran his hands through his hair even though it was already standing up completely straight. "Can't I just...come sit down? Watch some Norwegian telly? Order room service? Have a cuddle? I don't know what you want from me, Rose! I'm used to having time at my disposal. I can slow it down, speed it up, go forward, go backwards. If we had the TARDIS, I could just skip ahead to 06:00, couldn't I? But we don't and I have to sit here and wait eighteen hours to act and I just..."
He covered his face with his hands for a moment before crying out in frustration, sweeping his hand across the table and sending all of his wires, nuts, bolts, bulbs; everything he'd been tinkering with to the floor. Rose jumped at the noise, but immediately crossed the room and took him into her arms.
"Shhh," she murmured soothingly. She ran her fingers through his hair and he buried his face in her neck. His breaths were unsteady and shaking and his hearts were slamming so hard in his chest that she could feel the vibrations against hers. "'S alright, my Doctor. Just twelve more hours. We've spent more time than that in jail cells. And here we are, in a nice hotel room with room service and a soft bed and a big jacuzzi tub and..." Rose trailed off, remembering the basket of amenities she'd found in the bathroom. She pulled away and her heart nearly broke at the questioning look in his eyes. "I'm gonna try something, Doctor. I'll be right back. I need you to wait here for a minute, okay?"
"Okay," he breathed out and allowed his arms to fall from her body. Rose turned back towards the bathroom and located the basket of shampoo, mini soaps, mouthwash, and...ah, there it was. A small metal tin, proclaiming a 'massage bar' inside. Rose opened it up and inhaled deeply. It smelled fabulous-lavender and cocoa butter and something else she couldn't place. The little information card proclaimed the bar to be 100% Organic, made from all natural ingredients. This was good...no harsh chemicals to irritate the Doctor's sensitive nose.
The card also stated that the bar would melt into oils at body temperature. Great. Of course she would choose to give a romantic massage to an alien whose body was consistently 30 degrees cooler than hers. He'd just have to warm up then.
Rose exited the bathroom, still clutching the little tin. She saw the Doctor immediately. He was lying on the bed, propped up on some pillows, hands crossed behind his head, just staring at the ceiling seemingly lost in thought. Rose's heart clenched. She sat next to him on the bed and took one of his hands. "Why don't you take a nice, hot shower, Doctor? I'll order us dinner and I might have an idea to help you relax. Whaddya say, huh? You trust me?" Rose smiled at him.
Rose found his answering smile encouraging. "That sounds...lovely, Rose Tyler. Just lovely. Thank you." He allowed her to tug him off of the bed and lead him to the bathroom.
"Now, I want you in there for at least a half an hour," she instructed him and a mock-firm tone. "The water should be as hot as you can stand it. Don't bother asking me why, but do not get redressed from the waist up. Agreed?"
"Yes, sir," the Doctor answered cheekily, giving Rose a sweet, lingering kiss before he disappeared into the ensuite. "I won't be long."
"I'll hold you to that."
******
The Doctor had to admit, Rose was a genius. Though he wasn't human, the basic template was similar. The differences were mostly internal. Still, superior biology aside, there was something about hot water spraying down on tense muscles that must have been universal. It was doing wonders in helping ease the tension that had been building steadily for the last six hours.
He couldn't help it. The Doctor wanted to act. He wasn't used to sitting on the sidelines and having to deal with team leaders and strategies and procedure. He was used to being the man in charge, everyone deflecting leadership to him because he always was in his element, always knew what he was talking about. And even if he didn't, he was very good at faking.
Rose often called him a control freak. He never bothered arguing.
Then, of course, was the inevitable "what if?" He and Rose hadn't really discussed the future, preferring to take things day by day and focusing on the present. Still, the future always happened. It was inevitable. And what if he couldn't get them home? He had a plan, a back-up plan, and a back-up-to-his-back-up-plan, but if they failed?
He sighed, leaning back against the shower tile. They would go back to London. Stay with Pete, see what unfolded. Living life, day after day.
His Time sense kicked in, informing him that it had indeed been half an hour since he set foot into the shower. Eager to get back to Rose, he shut off the water and toweled off quickly, remembering her instructions not to dress from the waist up. He reached for his suit trousers and wrinkled his nose. He'd been wearing these since the morning before and suddenly had no desire to put them back on over his clean skin. Although, he also hadn't thought to bring anything else in to wear. Nor did he have any idea what Rose had packed for him.
Left with little other options, the Doctor slung the towel around his waist and exited the steamy room.
"Rose?" he queried, scanning the room and finding her at the small dining table, arranging their supper carefully. At the sound of her name, Rose glanced up and immediately turned an attractive shade of pink. "You didn't by chance pack my jim-jams, did you?"
"Erm..." Rose cleared her throat. "Yeah...yeah, I did." She shook her head as if to clear it.
"But really, you're fine in what you've got on."
He blinked at her. "What, this?"
She grinned. "Yeah. In fact, we'd best get started. Go lay on your stomach. I've put towels down on the bed."
"Towels?" The Doctor was very, very confused. Here he was, nine hundred years old, a genius, and he marveled at the fact that the one thing that could confuse him was a twenty-year-old London blonde. "What for? And did you turn up the heat? Why's it so warm in here?"
"All part of my master plan," Rose teased. "Which you should stop questioning and just do as I say, there's a good chap. On the bed with you."
Still not entirely sure what Rose had planned, the Doctor did as he was told, laying face-down across several warm, soft towels. She followed him over to the bed and sat somewhere near his waist, picking up something metallic from the bedside table.
"Rose, what are you...ohhhhh," he breathed as Rose moved to straddle his hips and rubbed a smooth, solid bar firmly over his back. With his skin still warm from the shower and ambient temperature, he felt the bar melt into his skin and leave behind a trail of lavender-scented oil that Rose immediately began working into his muscles.
"Oh, Rose," he groaned, overwhelmed by her hands on his skin and the gorgeous, sweet scent of the oil. "That's just..."
"Shut up and enjoy this, yeah? I'm busy," she took the bite out of her words by leaning over and placing a small, lingering kiss on the back of his neck.
He shuddered. "Oh, all right...do your worst, Rose Tyler."
******
Rose's worst was to, apparently, make him so relaxed that he had no will to complain about the next ten hours of inaction. After she had thoroughly worked the muscles in his back and he had thanked her with a long, passionate snog, they enjoyed a simple supper of soup and sandwiches, watched telly and snuggled. He even managed to sleep a bit, curled around Rose once again in nothing but their undergarments and soothed by the lingering scent of lavender and cocoa butter.
He still awoke earlier than Rose, as per usual, his nervous energy returning. They wouldn't be meeting the rest of the team for a couple of hours, so he took the time to clean and press his suit with the sonic. He paired the suit with his usual Oxford and tie, noting with some disgust that Rose had packed him a pair of dark jeans with the tags still on. Not his style at all. Hadn’t he mentioned to her to force a regeneration on him if he ever donned a pair of jeans? He’d have to bring it up.
The Doctor snuck out of the room quietly once he was dressed, retrieving a selection of pastries and muffins from the buffet table before returning promptly at five to wake up Rose. He pushed his sleepy, grumbling girl into the shower while he brewed them a pot of coffee and made sure all of his equipment was functioning properly.
Rose emerged a half hour later, sweet-smelling and a bit more alert. She was dressed simply in jeans and a snug pink sweater, her hair blown-dry and framing her face attractively. She accepted her mug of coffee gratefully and dove into the plate of pastries.
"You've got everything?" Rose asked him over her banana-nut muffin.
"Yep," he replied. "All ready to go. Got the hoppers, the breach detector-slash-scanner, breach stitcher-upper, and the psychic brain wave transmitter and magnifier."
"The colander helmet?" Rose questioned teasingly, sending him a grin.
"Cheeky." He grinned back briefly before his expression turned serious. "Last chance, you know. To stay. Be with your mum, your dad, your best friend..." His voice seemed to hitch at the next part. "Have that fantastic life I always wanted for you..."
"Yeah, no chance," she retorted good-naturedly.
The Doctor's answering smile was nearly blinding. "Wouldn't be me if I didn't ask, would I?" He drained the last of his mug and waited for Rose to finish her own breakfast. Then, he picked up the black duffel from the floor, reached his hand forward and waggled his fingers invitingly. "Shall we?"
Rose beamed at him as she grasped his hand, pulling him towards her for a gentle, sweet kiss. "Lead the way, Doctor."
******
It took close to an hour to reach the GPS coordinates for the breach. Their little caravan pulled onto a small beach close to 07:00, Pete remarking on how pleased he was with the all-terrain tires while the Doctor inspected the navigation screen.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" he suddenly exclaimed.
"What?" Rose questioned, peering over his shoulder.
"It's the beach...this bay...it's called Darlig ulv Stranden."
"Dalek?" she questioned, heart beginning to pound in panic.
"No, Darlig," he clarified, chuckling in disbelief. "It's Norweigen for 'bad.'"
"So...what? What's it mean?"
The Doctor looked at her, his expression inscrutable. "It translates to 'Bad Wolf Bay.'"
Rose gaped at him, completely at a loss for words. Instead of elaborating, the Doctor simply exited the Jeep and joined the other personnel on the cold, windy beach. Rose followed him, still completely bewildered. Seemed like Bad Wolf was still following them everywhere, even to parallel universes.
Rose wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
"Oh, what a morning!" the Doctor exclaimed, all bravado and cheerfulness even after the unnerving revelation. He pulled his new overcoat from the back of the Jeep and handed Rose her black jacket. "Smell that sea air! Invigorating!"
"And freezing," Rose quipped, pulling on the jacket and zipping it nearly up to her neck. "Wish I'd thought to pack gloves."
"Hmmm..." the Doctor mused, patting his pockets thoughtfully. He reached inside his coat and pulled out a pair of wine-colored, cabled wrist warmers. "Will these do?"
Rose beamed at him. "Couldn't hurt!" she pulled them on. "What d'you think, do they work?"
He regarded her carefully, reaching out and grasping one of her hands in his. "Not ideal from my end of things," he grinned at her. "But at least you'll be warm. You ready for this?"
Rose's smile widened. "Let's do it."
They turned to face the team. Mickey and Jake were helping Bill and Carrie set up the various device interfaces. The Doctor had given them a crash-course while they were loading up the vans, and Rose was pleased to see the look of approval on his face as he watched.
After a few minutes, Mickey gave him a thumbs-up and he nodded. They started up the computers and equipment. The Doctor, still grasping tight to Rose's hand, flipped a tiny switch the breach detector-slash-scanner. Rose giggled when it played the Windows start-up music as it turned on.
The Doctor's lips quirked up in a half smile. "Looks like Bill got bored on the drive up." He held the scanner and nodded in amused acknowledgement at the techie. Bill grinned back and offered a small salute.
The Doctor turned his attention back to the beach, moving slowly around and pulling Rose along with him. They wandered around for several minutes, Rose trusting that the Doctor knew what he was looking for as he kept his eyes trained on the small screen. Rose eventually noticed a small, dark blip, and they began moving towards it.
"Well, what have we here?" he murmured, using the image on the screen as a guide as he moved the scanner up and down, seemingly taking readings and measurements. "Hmmm...can't honestly say I've ever physically stood in front of a gap in the universe. Humbling, really." He released Rose's hand and fiddled with the gadget, buzzing his sonic against it a few times. "We'll know a bit more when I compare these readings to the ones from the gap above Canary Wharf..."
Rose watched as, for the next few minutes, the Doctor tapped on the screen furiously, muttering to himself and working through calculations in his head faster than the little machine in his hand could.
"No, no, no!" he kept muttering. "Not that way...just..."
Eventually, the tapping stopped. He tucked the device in his pocket and ran both hands over his face and up through his hair. He turned to Rose, his eyes dark and expressionless.
She felt her heart sink. "No..."
"Both universes would collapse," he choked out, sweeping her into his arms for a hug. "I'm sorry, Rose, I'm so, so sorry..."
Rose shushed him, stroking her hands through his hair. "Don't be sorry on my account. I have you. We'll find another way, yeah? We'll get working right when we get back to London."
He took a deep breath before taking a step back and looking into her eyes. "Rose, this is the last gap left. I have to close it. There's no way back after this. It's impossible."
Rose grinned, trying to lift his spirits. "We eat impossible for breakfast, Doctor. If there's a way, you'll find it."
He didn't look convinced, but plastered on a smile she was positive was for her benefit only. "Right, so! Plan B. Back to the vans. Rose, remember the tin foil? Now, you're going to think I'm a nutter..."
"Bit late for that..."
He ignored her. "But we need everyone to fashion a foil helmet. Then we need to set up a perimeter, clear out everyone within about a mile. Shouldn't be difficult, not much around here, but we wouldn't want a stray jogger to catch one of my telepathic waves and end up with his brain liquefied, now would we?"
"Brain liquefied?" Rose said weakly as he pulled her back towards where the rest of the team was stationed.
He repeated his instructions to the team. Liza and Ken took the crime scene tape and posts and went to set up the perimeter. Despite looking at him like he was mad, everyone else began to fashion their foil hats to the Doctor's exacting specifications. Apparently, aluminum was the ultimate Earth-based material at stopping psychic waves from penetrating the human brain. Wrap a few layers around your head, and apparently you were safe from a great deal of telepathic species.
Rose was surprised. Guess those nutters with the tin foil hats were on to something after all.
The Doctor helped her secure her own hat to her head, grinning at her. “You’re rather fetching in silver.”
“Yeah, okay,” Rose laughed. “So what’s this all about? What are you gonna do?”
The Doctor took a breath. “I’ve a…friend, in the other universe. Name of Alastair Gordon Lethbridge Stewart. Fine gentleman, worked for UNIT, remember them?”
“From Downing Street?”
He beamed at her. “From Downing Street. Anyway, if I had the TARDIS I could lock onto his DNA and find him anywhere. From here, it’s a bit more complicated. I need to project a telepathic message through the void and into his subconscious. That’s the only way the human mind is willing to accept psychic intervention. I’ll just let him know where the TARDIS is located and ask him to keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, keep her dusted and cleaned, until we can get back.” He said this last bit with forced confidence, Rose could tell.
“And this is where your colander helmet comes into play?”
“Yes, I’ll need my psychic brain wave transmitter and magnifier,” he replied, feigning exasperation. “Ah, lovely, Liza and Ken are back. Are we secure?”
“Crime scene tape is set up a mile in every direction,” Liza answered. Mickey came over to help her with her hat. “Hopefully no one tries to sneak in, but we’ll patrol along as much as we can.”
“Right,” the Doctor said, heading back over to where Jackie and Pete were standing by the Jeep. He retrieved his psychic brain wave transmitter and magnifier from the black duffel and moved to join Bill and Carrie in one of the vans. Rose watched as he connected some leads to the mobile computer terminal, typed in a few commands, and instructed Bill and Carrie on what to input once he wasn’t able to.
“I’m going to be in a…well…trance, I suppose,” he told everyone. “You won’t be able to bring me out of it, I’ll have to do it on my own. Shouldn’t be long, no more than an hour…depends on how chatty my old friend is feeling.” He grinned at Rose. “Are your hats secure? Really, we don’t want any liquefied brains on Torchwood’s expense sheets.”
Rose came to stand in front of him. “Are you sure about this?”
Instead of answering her, the Doctor pulled her in close for a long, hard kiss. His breathing was uneven after he broke the kiss, stroking his fingers down her cheeks and staring directly into her eyes.
“I’ll see you in a bit,” he said, leaning back against the divider, flipping a few switches on the terminal before closing his eyes.
Rose turned away briefly and shut her own eyes. All of a sudden, whisper-soft as if carried on the wind, the Doctor’s voice brushed against her ear.
“Rose,” it whispered.
She turned back towards the van, expecting to see the Doctor’s expressive brown eyes fixed on her. They weren’t…his eyes were shut and he was completely motionless, save for the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.
******
The Doctor opened his eyes and immediately took in his surroundings. He seemed to be in a lovely, sprawling garden filled with plants and fauna he’d never expect to see in the same soil. Huge trees were wafting in the warm summer breeze, and lovely wicker furniture was placed in strategic spots to maximize the views of either the scenery or some particular flower.
Doris seemed to hold a heavy, heavy influence on his friend’s dreams.
“Well, well,” a voice called from behind him. “You look completely daft, but only one man would ever bother visiting me in my dreams. Doctor.”
The Doctor turned around and grinned at his old friend. His skin was a bit more lined, his hair loads more grey, but it was unmistakably his oldest human friend in the universe.
“Brigadier Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart,” he greeted warmly, moving forward to shake the man’s hand. “How are you? And the missus?
“Fine, fine, we are just fine. I’m retired…though it seems UNIT has yet to learn the meaning of the word.” He began to move slowly towards where two wicker armchairs were set up. “Won’t you take a seat, Doctor? I need to take a proper look at you. How is it you seem to be getting younger as I am getting older?”
“I am 900 years old. I hardly think that constitutes ‘younger.’” The Doctor sat down across from his friend. “I’m afraid this isn’t a social call, Brigadier.”
“I figured as much, dreams and all that.” He relaxed against the soft cushion of the chair. “If you’d just wanted to visit, I imagine you’d park the TARDIS in the back garden as always, despite Doris’s threats of dismemberment after you crushed her begonias last time.”
“Oi!” the Doctor protested. “I fixed them!”
“Barely,” the Brigadier replied. “Now, what can I do for you, Doctor?”
The Doctor took a deep breath. “Well, without going into too much detail…I’m a bit…separated from the TARDIS at the moment. I don’t know where I landed in your timeline…does the Battle of Canary Wharf mean anything to you?”
The Brigadier blinked at him.
“Thought not.” The Doctor sighed. “I’m a bit early, then. I can’t give you any other information. It’s a fixed point, it has to happen. However, I’m sure UNIT will be involved. Anyway, when it is deemed safe, I’ll need you to do me a very, very large favor.”
“Of course, Doctor. What will you need?”
“There’s an organization with offices in one of the skyscrapers at Canary Wharf. Called Torchwood. Trust me, you’ll know which one. Down in one of their storage areas is the TARDIS. I can’t get back to her…not yet anyway. I need you to go in there as quickly as possible and find her. Take her to UNIT, to your house, anywhere you can keep an eye on her. She’ll be fine, she won’t need anything…just…” He broke off, sighing. “I don’t want her to be alone. We’ll be cut off, and she might need a friendly face.”
“Of course,” the Brigadier didn’t even hesitate to accept. The Doctor smiled at his old friend. “Can you tell me where you are?”
The Doctor sighed again, mirroring the Brigadier’s posture in his own chair. “I’m…stuck. In a parallel universe. I can only get this message to you through a gap in the universe that I’ll need to close as soon as possible. We’re going to try and come back, the best we can, but…I don’t know when. I’ll come find you as soon as I can, I promise.”
“I’ve no doubt. You said ‘we,’ Doctor. You’re not alone? Where you are…you have a friend with you?”
The Doctor smiled that soft, dreamy smile that usually went along with his Rose-related thoughts. “Yeah. Her name’s Rose…Rose and her…family, she’s got this family. Well…I guess they’re my family, too. Blimey, who’d ever have guessed it? Me, with a family?”
The Brigadier smiled brilliantly. “Rose must be very special indeed.”
“Ohhh, she is, old friend…she most certainly is.”
“Then I look forward to meeting her…once you are back amongst us, I mean.”
“You will.” The Doctor smiled at his friend. “Well, best be off. Breaches to seal, universes to save.” He stood up and shook the Brigadier’s hand firmly. “All my love to the family, good sir.”
“Of course,” he placed one hand affectionately over their joined ones. “And please give my regards to your Rose?”
The Doctor’s grin widened. “Oh, yes. Good-bye, my friend. Good luck.”
He closed his eyes, and was gone.
******
Rose sighed in relief when, about forty minutes later, the Doctor’s eyes shot open. Immediately, he powered down the computer and disconnected the helmet from the terminal. He removed the piece of equipment and called out an all-clear as he exited the van. When he spotted Rose, he immediately strode forward and captured her in a tight embrace.
“My dear friend, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, sends his regards,” he whispered in her ear.
Rose grinned. “It worked, then?”
“Oh, yes,” the Doctor breathed, pulling back and placing a light kiss on her forehead. “I arrived a bit early in his timeline. Canary Wharf hasn’t happened for him, so I’m hoping he can get to her quickly. Lovely to see him, got to catch up a bit. He’s looking forward to meeting you.”
“You mentioned me?” Rose asked in mild disbelief.
The Doctor looked surprised. “Of course I mentioned you.” He sighed heavily. “All right, no use putting this off any longer. We need to close that breach. It’s too dangerous, we don’t need anything else like Canary Wharf to happen over here.”
He led Rose over to the Jeep, where he retrieved the device he affectionately referred to as the breach stitcher-upper. He explained to the others what he was planning to do and assured them that there would be no danger in taking care of it. He led Rose back across the sand to where they had stood earlier, right in front of the gap.
Quite suddenly, the Doctor turned to Rose, grasping her shoulders and imploring her to look at him. “Rose…before we do this, I have to tell you something. You know, what I told you before, about how touching you helps me…sense you? In my mind? Because of the touch telepathy?”
“I remember…”
“Good, because I need to warn you. Once I close this breach, the TARDIS…I won’t be able to feel her. At all. My mind will be…empty. Imagine waking up one day and finding out that you are the only human being left in the universe. My telepathy is a major way of sensing people, and with that part unable to sense anyone…”
“It could be…bad,” Rose finished.
“To say the least.” The Doctor breathed in deep. “Holding your hand, Rose…it will be like putting a band aid on a bullet wound. I may not be able to…control myself…around you.”
“What, you’d…hurt me?” Rose asked in disbelief.
“I hope not. I really, really hope not…”
The Doctor fixed her with a dark, almost…lustful look. Rose shivered, surprised and a bit disturbed at how much this prospect excited her.
She reached up and gently drew his hand away from her shoulder. She twined their fingers together, stepping close to him so that their sides were touching.
“Are you sure about this, Doctor? There’s nothing else you can do?”
“I have to, Rose. I can’t…I can’t put two universes at risk because of me. Besides, the gap would close on its own eventually, best take care of it ourselves before anything else happens. Ready?”
“Are you?”
The Doctor turned to her with a soft, sad smile. “Absolutely not.”
He flipped the switch.
For a moment, it was as though nothing had happened. The first indication that something was wrong was when the Doctor allowed the device fall to the beach. His hand slipped from Rose’s grasp very abruptly and he fell to his knees, an agonizing, mournful wail escaping his lips. His hands moved immediately to his head, clutching great fistfuls of his hair, as if pulling it out of the way would somehow fix the emptiness he was suddenly feeling.
Rose stood off to the side, helplessly watching the man she cared for more than anything in the universe feel as though he was the only creature left in existence. He was on his knees in the sand, head bent, breathing heavily between shuddering, gasping sobs. Rose’s heart was shattering in a million pieces.
Rose had never seen him so small, so…broken. Completely disregarding his earlier warnings, she crouched down in the sand next to him, bringing her arms around his shoulders in an attempt to give him some measure of comfort.
“Doctor,” she whispered, pressing her cheek against his head. “Oh, my Doctor…I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…I’m here, I promise, I’ll never leave you…”
His eyes shot up to meet hers, and Rose gasped. They were…barely him. He was in there, he still knew her, thank goodness. But he looked completely and utterly destroyed from the inside out, his dark, fathomless eyes fixing on hers with an intensity that made her breath catch.
“Rose,” was the only thing he managed to croak out.
She stroked his cheek, his eyes closing at the contact. “It’s okay, Doctor. It’s gonna be okay, you hear me?”
“Rose,” he choked out again, pulling her towards him and nuzzling desperately against her neck, as if all he wanted to do was bury himself inside of her.
She turned towards her parents and the team. “We’ve gotta get back to the hotel…now.”
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