Defenders of the Earth, Chapter 12/?
Title: Defenders of the Earth
Author: onabearskinrug
Character/Pairing: Ten/Rose, with Jackie, Pete, Jake, Mickey, and others
Rating: ADULT
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: Thank you to kelkat9, timelord1, and who_in_whoville for all of the help with this chapter and pretty much the entire story. I don't know what I'd do without you ladies :-D
Catch up here!
Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 |
Rose wandered sleepily into the kitchen the following morning, bleary-eyed and still in her pajamas and slippers. The Doctor was in the shower. She had been invited, of course, but Rose knew that it would only result in them missing the car service and having to take the train into the city. The Doctor on a train was just inviting disaster to happen, as she had reminded him as she shoved him, pouting, into the ensuite.
Upon entering the kitchen, she wasn’t surprised to see her mother sitting at the table, a mug of tea and plate of toast in front of her. She had some periodical open in front of her, but Rose was too intent on find her own mug of tea to pay it any notice. She glanced around and noticed their cook and housekeeper, Mrs. Shiner, busy at the center island.
“Morning, Mum,” she greeted. “Morning, Mrs. Shiner.”
“Miss Tyler,” she replied formally. “Would you like some tea?”
Rose hesitated in answering her. She still wasn’t entirely comfortable having a wait staff. They had returned a few days after Rose, Jackie, and the Doctor arrived, and she was just now learning how to make concessions. “I’ll get it,” Rose told her, smiling gently. “I’d love some toast, though, if you’ve got the time.”
“Absolutely,” Mrs. Shiner returned her smile and began bustling around the kitchen while Rose prepped her tea. Her mother was eerily quiet. By now, Jackie would have generally regaled her with colorful commentary about the stories in the paper or something that she’d seen on daytime television. She hadn’t even greeted Rose with so much as a “Good morning.” Her mother was so intently focused on the paper that Rose half expected to see a trashy romance novel hidden in the folds.
“What’s going on in the world today, Mum?” Rose asked as she sat down at the table. “Anything about the hospital in there?”
Jackie finally glanced up at Rose and raised an eyebrow. “In a manner of speaking. Is there something you want to tell me?”
Rose blinked at her mother, mug of tea halfway to her lips. “It’s too early for this, Mum. Why don’t you just save me the trouble tell me what I should have told you?”
Jackie sighed and tossed the paper to Rose. On the front page, Rose could see a huge photo of Royal Hope hospital with the headline “MAROONED ON THE MOON!” splashed across it in huge, bold type.
“Catchy,” Rose murmured. “But I know what happened. I was there. Why am I reading this? Did they get something horribly wrong? I thought Pete had a press conference?”
“A little further down, Rose.” Jackie sounded exasperated.
Rose made a face at her before scanning quickly down the page. She nearly dropped the paper and her mug of tea when she noticed the small picture nestled into the corner and the corresponding highlighting headline. The photo grainy and low-quality, clearly taken with a camera phone, but it was unmistakably a photo of her and the Doctor from Royal Hope, sharing a happy smile while she rested in the hospital bed. The bold caption that went along with it read, “ROSE TYLER PREGNANT?!? DETAILS ON PAGE 6!”
Rose immediately turned to the page and saw another grainy photo, this time of them kissing, smiles still evident on their faces. Rose skimmed the short paragraph that followed the photo.
“Newly-revealed Vitex heiress Rose Tyler reportedly checked into Royal Hope yesterday with stomach pains and dizziness. Could it be that she and long-time boyfriend Dr. John Smith are expecting? Sources indicated that the pair seemed thrilled with the possibility.
“They barely stopped smiling the entire hospital stay,” our source informed us. “You know, until we ended up on the moon. But there was definitely something going on!”
Might we expect a happy announcement in the near future? The National Enquirer will keep you informed!”
“So, are congratulations in order?” Jackie asked in a neutral tone, raising her eyebrow at Rose.
“Of course not,” Rose replied, putting the paper down and sighing heavily. Damage control at Torchwood will be fun with this one. “It was part of the investigation. I was faking the symptoms to get checked in.”
“Well, how was I supposed to know that?” Jackie snapped. “No one ever tells me these things. You know, if you were worried you were pregnant, you should have come to me!”
Mrs. Shiner, sensing a private family moment, slid Rose’s plate of toast in front of her and mumbled something about collecting the laundry. Rose gave her a weak smile and turned back to her mother the moment the older woman had left the kitchen.
“I’m not worried I’m pregnant!” she exclaimed. “God, do you ever listen to a word I say? Even if I wanted to be, we can’t.”
Jackie’s eyes grew wide with alarm. “You can’t get pregnant?”
“Not with the Doctor,” she said, suddenly very interested in the toast and tea in front of her. “We’re not compatible. Something about our DNA, his is a triple helix. It’s too complex to combine with a human’s.”
“Oh, sweetheart,” Jackie breathed, reaching over and taking her daughter’s hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“’S fine, Mum. ‘S not your fault.” Rose swallowed against the lump in her throat. She hadn’t thought about it much since the day before, too much had been happening to really dwell. But now, in a quiet moment with her mother, she realized how much she had unknowingly wanted a family with him…someday. She felt her eyes well up with tears. “Blimey, can’t believe I’m crying over this. I mean, the Doctor and I, we’re still so new and everything. Shouldn’t even be thinking about kids. That’s just it, though…I never thought about it before, when we were traveling. Never thought we would get to this point. Then we did, and now to know that I can’t…’s just a little sad.”
“I know, darling.” Jackie handed Rose a paper napkin, which she used to dab at her eyes. “You know, ‘s not too late to ditch the mad alien. Find yourself a nice, normal bloke to settle down with. Mickey would never turn you down.”
Rose felt a flash of anger at her mother’s callous words. She was just about to offer her own opinion on the subject when Mickey bounded into the kitchen. “Turn you down for what?” he interrupted, causing each Tyler woman to fall silent. He must have noticed the tension in the air, because he looked nervously between them. “Morning. How’s everyone?”
“Fine,” Jackie and Rose said simultaneously in the same clipped tone.
“Right,” Mickey told them, clearly not believing it for a moment. “I’m going to look at a flat today. In case anyone’s interested.”
“What?” Rose asked, surprised. “You’re moving out?”
“I’ve been saying it for days now, Rose,” Mickey said. “This one looks perfect. Two bedrooms, big windows, really close to work and to my Gran’s place. Jackie, you mind coming with me later on? I could use a mum’s eye?”
“Sure, sweetheart,” she replied. “Just tell me when, yeah?”
“Rose! Fancy seeing you here,” the Doctor greeted as he entered the kitchen, stopping by the table to drop a kiss on her cheek. “Goodness, it’s been forever, hasn’t it?”
“You‘re ridiculous,” Rose replied teasingly, her mood immediately lifting upon seeing him. “Do you want some tea?”
“Love some, thanks,” he sat in the chair next to hers and began nibbling at her toast.
“Oi!” Jackie scolded. “Mrs. Shiner could make you your own, you know. Or better yet, why don’t you get up and do it yourself?”
The Doctor stared at Jackie for a moment before putting on a winning smile. “Good morning to you too, Jackie! You’re looking well. That dressing gown really matches your eyes.”
“Oh, shut it.”
“What? I was trying to pay you a compliment!”
“You’re in a mood this morning, Mum,” Rose interjected. “Everything okay?”
“Fine,” Jackie replied, a bit too quickly for Rose’s taste. She picked up her mug. “I’m going to make sure Pete has a pressed shirt for today. Don’t forget to say goodbye before you go, you mad kids.”
Rose returned to the table with the Doctor’s mug and slid a plate of toast with strawberry jam and bananas in front of him. She snagged her own slice back out of his hands and took a bite. “What’s her problem?”
“Maybe it’s…you know…that time of the month,” Mickey offered, shuddering at the thought.
“Typical bloke,” Rose huffed. “Blaming everything on Aunt Irma.” She shoved her last bite of toast in her mouth and drained her mug of tea. “I’m going to get ready. You boys behave yourselves while I’m gone, yeah?”
“Aw, Rose, you know us!” Mickey said, grinning through a mouthful of toast.
Rose rolled her eyes. “I don’t think I even have to respond to that, Michael,” she scolded teasingly as she went to prepare for the day.
******
Rose was sitting at the Doctor’s desk down in R&D later on that day, typing up a report on the hospital incident while the Doctor tinkered with the dimension hoppers across from her. She would occasionally ask for clarification on a scientific term or about the Judoon, but otherwise, they worked in comfortable silence. Rose had shed her heels the moment she’d sat down as the desk, and her feet would brush against the Doctor’s trainers from time to time. He would always offer her a small smile and return the gentle caress before turning his attention back to the technology in his hands.
The degree to which this reminded Rose of their easy days on the TARDIS was astounding. Even her mobile vibrating on the desk was welcome and familiar, preparing her for a nice long chat with her mother.
Picking up her mobile, she expected to see “Mum” flash across the screen. Instead, she made a pleased little exclamation when she saw a text from Martha, inviting them to have lunch sometime during the week.
“Hmm?” the Doctor inquired, peering at her over his specs. “What have you got there?”
“Martha’s texted me,” Rose answered, typing as she spoke. “We’re going to lunch this week.”
The Doctor looked confused. “When did you even exchange numbers?”
“While the paramedics were trying to treat you for blood loss. You were putting up quite a fuss, I’m not surprised you didn’t notice.” She grinned at him.
The Doctor sniffed. “I was completely fine by the time they got there.”
Rose’s smile grew wider. “’Course you were, darling. D’you want to join us? She invited you.”
“Lunch with Martha Jones? Brilliant! Can’t think of a better way to spend my lunch hour. Well…” he trailed off suggestively and offered her a winning smile.
“You’re just a randy old man, aren’t you?”
“Entirely your fault, Rose Marion Tyler.”
Rose was about to offer another witty comeback when the Doctor’s desk phone interrupted her. She picked up the receiver and said briskly, “Dr. Smith’s desk.”
“Rose!” Pete’s voice greeted her. “Glad I caught you. Do you have a minute?”
“Sure, Dad, what’s up?” she tucked the phone between her shoulder and ear and turned her attention back to the computer, saving her work and locking the station.
“Do you mind coming up to the office? I have some people who want to meet you.”
“No, that’s alright. Do you need the Doctor as well?”
“I think we’ll be fine without him,” Pete replied. “Shouldn’t take long. I’ll see you in a few?”
“Yep, a few,” Rose replaced the phone in its cradle and slid her feet back into the heels. She turned to the Doctor, who was staring at her quizzically. “Pete wants to see me in his office. Probably some of his colleagues want to meet the long-lost daughter.”
“Well, I don’t blame them,” the Doctor replied. “I happen to find you completely fascinating. Do you want me to come with you?”
“Nah, ‘s just some suits. Keep up with your tinkering. I’ll be back in a bit.” She leaned down and brushed a light, lingering kiss across his lips. “Don’t miss me too much.”
“Too late for that,” he grinned flirtatiously at her as she walked out of the room.
******
“Rose!” Pete greeted her warmly, rising from his chair and kissing her cheek. “Thanks for coming up so quickly.”
“No problem, Dad,” she replied. “What’s up?”
“Well, these gentlemen asked if they could speak with you,” he gently steered her towards his desk, where Rose could see two dark-haired men in suits standing with courteous, polite smiles on their faces. Rose shook their hands as Pete introduced them as Daniel Gibbons and Alex Moya.
“Nice to meet you,” Rose replied, taking the third seat as Pete took his own on the other side of the desk.
“Mr. Gibbons and Mr. Moya are the heads of our field division,” Pete explained. “They asked for this meeting today.”
“Oh, yeah?” Rose asked, turning towards the two men. “Why’s that?”
“We heard from Mr. Smith’s team how well you handled yourself during the moon incident,” Mr. Gibbons told her. “According to witnesses, you kept calm and organized. They felt a true sense of safety knowing that you, and Torchwood for that matter, had the situation under control.”
“Well,” Rose blushed. “It wasn’t all like that. The Doctor was the one who really solved it. I just…helped. So did Martha Jones, a medical student. You know, you oughta look her up. She’d be fantastic here.”
“Noted,” Pete smiled softly at her, the fatherly pride in his eyes evident as he watched Rose interact with the department heads. Rose couldn’t help from smiling back at him.
“You’re level-headed,” Mr. Moya continued. “You’re quick-thinking, you’ve got good instincts, and you’ve got the concerns of others at heart. I’ve spoken with Mr. Smith and Mr. Simmonds, and they both agree that you would be an excellent addition to the field teams. We’ve come to tell you of an opportunity, a case in New York. We’ve got a family who needs a ride home. We hoped that you and the Doctor could go with Smith’s team, help track them down, and get their transport working again. You wouldn’t be going as the Doctor’s assistant, but a Field-Agent-In-Training. We can provide a temporary assistant if he requires. You’d be leaving first thing tomorrow. Are you interested?”
Rose gaped at the gentlemen, her eyes darting between them and Pete. “You can’t be serious! Me, a field agent? I…really don’t think I’m cut out for this.”
“I think you are, Rose,” Pete told her. “I think you’d be brilliant. And I’ve got good instincts about people, remember? Didn’t I say this, weeks back? Before I even brought you to Torchwood for the first time?”
“Well, yeah…”
“And Mr. Tyler tells us you have experience in the field. You and the Doctor? Pete tells us you were…freelancers even before starting here?” Mr. Moya asked.
“I suppose, yeah. Why don’t you ask the Doctor to be a field agent? He’d be better at this than me.”
“We think it’s best to keep the Doctor on as a consultant. Give him the freedom and flexibility to pursue his own interests,” Mr. Gibbons said, giving her a small smile. “He doesn’t seem the type to take orders well, either.”
“You’ve got that right,” Rose grinned slightly at the thought of the Doctor being a member of Mickey’s field team. Disaster.
“We really would like you to consider it.” Moya continued. “And if you go on the training mission and decide it’s not for you, then no hard feelings. Go back to being the Doctor’s assistant. Or you can take a place in R&D, they’ve been asking after you as well. We just ask that you think about it. Let us know some time tonight if we can expect you on the company zeppelin.”
“Course…nice to meet you both.” Rose stood with the two men and they all exchanged polite farewells. Once they were out of the office, Rose turned to Pete, somewhat accusingly. “Was this all you?”
He held up his hands. “Had nothing to do with it. They approached me, seemed to think I was the best way to get to you.” He smiled at her. “You’ve earned this, Rose. I know you’ll be brilliant at it.” He looked at her searchingly. “Why are you so against this?”
“I’m not!” Rose protested, sitting back down. Pete followed, still with the inquisitive expression on his face. “I’m really not. It…sounds amazing actually. But…I just…I don’t know how well the Doctor would take it.”
Pete smiled softly at her. “I’m sure he wants what’s best for you, Rose. Go talk to him.” He patted her hand. “Now, I’ve got a metric ton of paperwork to catch up on, so as much as I love spending time with you, I’m going to send you back to your Doctor now. Try to make it home before six. Your mum’s got a roast on.”
“Got it,” Rose told him. She stood up and offered Pete a small smile. “Thanks, Dad.”
“Anytime, sweetheart. See you tonight.”
“Yeah, tonight,” Rose replied absently, leaving the office, still reeling over the offer. She walked in a daze towards the lift, going over and over what Gibbons and Moya had told her. They wanted her, an ordinary old shop girl from the Powell Estate, to be out in the field. They wanted her to go on missions and interact with aliens and help defend the Earth. Granted, it was pretty much what she had done with the Doctor but now, it would be her job. Some people waited tables, some people ran companies, she would be working to save the lives of everyone on the planet every single day, human and alien both.
She could help make a difference. Rose Tyler, a girl with no A-levels whose job experience extended to Henrick’s and the local chippy, could actually do something important with her life.
Something that could make her worthy of the amazing, brilliant alien she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
She sighed. Ultimately, it always came down to him. Despite his rather obvious devotion, there was always that niggling doubt in the back of her mind that questioned why this gorgeous, selfless, hopeless, 900-year-old Time Lord needed her so badly. That same part reminded her that he didn’t even shag her until he needed the connection, that it could have been anyone walking by and he would have been fine. Logically, she knew she was being silly. Logically, she knew that he really did only kiss gorgeous, brilliant medical student Martha Jones in order to buy him a few seconds ahead of the Judoon. But it was that same small, completely illogical part of her that kept her from feeling that she completely deserved him. Now, maybe this could help quiet that doubt. If she spent her time doing what they had done on the TARDIS, even at a smaller scale and limited to the Earth, she could feel like she was deserving of his respect, as well as his affections.
So lost in her thoughts, she had no idea she’d even made it back to the Doctor’s lab. Swiping her ID badge, she entered the well-equipped room and grinned at the sight that greeted her. The Doctor was sitting at his desk, one hand in his hair, looking rather distressed at the word processor document open in front of him.
“You trying to finish my report?” Rose teased, making her way over to the desk.
He looked up at her and grinned. “Thought I’d try to be helpful. Not really my style and now I know why. I’ll leave this boring work to you. How’s Pete?”
“Good,” she replied, taking a deep breath. Her heart was suddenly racing as she struggled to find the words to tell him of this most recent development.
The Doctor must have noticed her distress. He reached over and covered her hand with his. At this simple contact, Rose calmed considerably. She looked up and noticed his eyes searching her face, almost as if he were trying to read her thoughts. Rose sighed once again. Impatient, she thought with a small grin.
“Pete introduced me to two men,” she began.
The Doctor raised an eyebrow and sniffed indignanly before she could continue. “What, he’s trying to marry you off already?”
She chuckled. “No nothing like that. They’re the heads of the field teams.” She looked him directly in eyes before she continued. “They offered me…well, us, actually…a place on a field mission. Something in New York, an alien family who needs helps getting home.”
“Oh, brilliant!” the Doctor beamed. “New York! The Big Apple! You’ve seen New New York, now you get to see the original! Maybe we could wrap it up quickly and take in the sights! The Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, even the World Trade Center! Can you believe it’s still standing in this universe? Well, I imagine it would be, being that most people take zeppelins across the ocean.” He shuddered. “Airplanes are bad enough. Don’t even want to think about a zeppelin. You know, we ought to get you one of those tablets, might make it easier to take notes, remember names and such. Think we’ll have time before we head out?”
She couldn’t put it off much longer. Rose took a deep breath and let it out before telling him, “Doctor…I wouldn’t be going as your assistant. They’d provide you with one, of course, but…it would be a sort of…training mission for me. They want to put me on one of the field teams.”
“Well, of course they do, you’re brilliant,” he smiled at her. “Everyone wants a piece of you. I had Natalie from PR asking me to set up a meeting with you. Of course I told her no, that you were perfectly happy being my assistant.” Something seemed to register in him at that moment, and he glanced up at her slowly. “Hold on…you are happy, right? You’re not actually going to do this, are you?”
Rose just stared at him for a moment, trying to gauge his reaction. She had become so well-versed in his moods and temperament that it was almost jarring to have no idea what was going through his head. “I…think I want to try, Doctor.”
******
The Doctor stared at Rose, hearts pounding in his chest. She was standing in front of him, the very center of his being, the person who was as necessary to him as oxygen, as water, telling him that she wanted to go off to New York and hunt aliens. He knew it wasn’t logical, but one thought seemed to be blaring white-hot through his mind at that moment.
Oh, God…she‘s leaving me.
This was his greatest insecurity brought into being. Rose wasn’t happy, wasn’t content being with him. She wanted to move on to bigger and better things…without him. Of course, now it was just work. But once she got out there and saw the rest of the world, saw what it could offer her, would he be enough for her? Without the TARDIS, he was just some mad old alien who couldn’t even give her a real life. Would she come to her senses and realize how much better things would be for her without him?
He knew that he’d never be able to let her go. Maybe he could once, but not now. Not only had see ingrained herself into every aspect of his life that it was literally painful to imagine living without her, he was completely dependent on her. He had been, even before he’d been cut off from the TARDIS. He had no idea how to play human, how to live a life, day after day. Rose was his touchstone, his guide, the one who was always taking care of him. He didn’t know if he could do this without her.
And now, she was telling him she didn’t want to be with him anymore. It was like she had knocked the wind out of him.
Rose continued as if she had no idea what she was doing to him. “I mean, it would be great, yeah? Getting paid to save the world? Defenders of the Earth and all that?”
“But…” he practically choked out. “You can do that here, with me! We can go to any department you want! I need you, though! You know I have no mind for all this…typing and filing rubbish.”
Rose stared at him, her expression practically unreadable. “So…what, you think that’s all I’m capable of? Taking care of your typing and filing rubbish?”
“What? No, of course not. You’re perfectly capable! Where would I be without you? You’re brilliant at so many things, all these…domestics! I would be walking around in the same pair of pants I came here in if it wasn’t for you!”
Oh, the minute the words came out of his mouth he knew he’d said the wrong thing.
Rose flushed with anger. “That’s all I’m good for, is it? All your domestics? Your little secretary, doing your shopping and your busy work and bring your tea and lunch and always good for midday shags in the copy room?”
Now it was the Doctor’s turn to get angry. Is that all she thought she was to him? She had to know how he felt about her. Even if he couldn’t say it out loud, he tried to show her every day, in every kiss and touch and word how much she meant to him. For her to dismiss it so easily…
Before he could come back at her, she continued on her tirade. “I managed for nearly twenty years without you, Doctor. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
“Oh, is that right?” the Doctor shot back, his anger getting the better of him. “So when your face got sucked off or you got trapped by clockwork droids it couldn’t have just been that you’re jeopardy-friendly? I’ll bet you had a brilliant plan in the works and I just happened to come along and ruin it for you?”
Rose gaped at him. “You know what, Doctor? That’s fine. This silly old jeopardy-friendly human is just going to wander off now. That way you’ll have one less thing to worry about while you’re off single-handedly saving the Earth and kissing medical students!”
With that, Rose turned on her heel and stormed out, leaving him seething behind her. With no one around to launch into, the Doctor picked up the dimension hopper that was sitting innocuously on his desk and launched it against the wall, causing small, delicate pieces to skitter all across the room.
He plopped down in his chair in front of the monitor in complete misery. As he started at the blinking cursor in front of him, his anger began to recede into a gut-wrenching fear. She wouldn’t leave him over this, would she? Not after all they’d been through. She loved him, she’d told him every single day since Norway. Surely one fight wouldn’t change that…would it?
Let’s hope I haven’t cocked this up too much, he thought, turning back to the computer and attempting to distract himself from the unpleasant churning in his stomach.
******
Rose spent the entire day and night in complete misery. The Doctor didn’t return to the mansion at all, instead telling Pete that he was planning to work on some things in his lab. Rose felt her heart clench painfully at his words. He very well could have brought his work home, and frequently had. She knew it was because he just didn’t want to deal with her and her rubbish human domestics..
It was the first night she’d spent without him since their arrival in Pete’s world, and she slept horribly without his cool, welcome body pressed up against hers. She tossed and turned, missing the gentle sounds of his tinkering as she slept, or the soft flutter of his breath against her ear. She had resolved to find him upon her arrival at Torchwood and make things right, but there had been no time. Mickey and Jake had hurried her to the company zeppelin and they’d taken off within a half an hour.
Unable to sleep on the flight, she spent the nearly ten hour ride going over the case file, listening to music on the satellite radio station, watching some demented comedy about children being left alone to fend off home invaders, and trying to read her silly werewolf book. Unfortunately, all she could do was obsess over their fight, about how the Doctor had managed to unknowingly zero in on all of her fears about their relationship. Still, instead of sitting down and talking with him about it like a normal couple, she’d lashed out at him and stormed away without a second thought.
She was such a child. And the Doctor surely knew that now and absolutely would question just what he was doing with her. After all, anyone could buy him underwear, make his tea, and type his reports. Certainly half the women (and probably some of the men, too) would be more than willing to shag him and help keep the mental loneliness at bay. What did he need her for?
By the end of the flight, Rose was in a complete funk. They arrived at JFK around four o’clock local time, and Rose was certain she looked exactly as awful as she felt. The plan was to collect their belongings from baggage claim and meet up with the local representatives to plan out the mission. Then it was back to company housing to sleep and they would start looking for the aliens and fixing their transport first thing in the morning.
Rose yawned deeply as she followed Mickey to the baggage area. She’d have to call the Doctor as soon as they got to the house, try to patch things up. She knew being apart would be rough on both of them, but perhaps talking would help ease the tension and help maintain their connection. Maybe, with things settled between them, she’d be able to get a full night’s rest that night.
Rose was moving on autopilot, barely aware of her surroundings. Which is why it took her so long to notice the tall, slender bloke unfolding himself from one of the hard, plastic chairs around the conveyor belt. She had to shake her head hard as she approached him, convinced that he was some exhaustion-fueled, pinstriped hallucination and couldn’t possibly be standing in front of her, his face strained and tense but his smile completely genuine.
“Rose,” he whispered, holding out his arms. It was all the invitation she needed.
She dropped her carry-on bag and hurled herself into his arms, immediately wrapping her own tightly around his neck and clutching him as if her life depended on it.
“Doctor,” she whispered back, pressing a small kiss against his neck. He came alive immediately, lifting her off the ground and spinning her in a circle, chuckling as she squealed.
They needed to talk, Rose knew that. But for the moment, she felt the enormous weight on her chest lift and for the first time in over twenty-four hours, she finally felt like she could breathe again.
He put her down and she immediately cupped his face. So many thoughts were barreling through her head, but the only thing she managed to croak out was, “How?”
“Well, Rose, there is this fantastic invention called an airplane,” he explained, grinning. “And while it is far more expensive and far less common than a zeppelin, I managed to convince Torchwood to send me on ahead. Only took seven and a half hours, can you believe it?”
Rose laughed, her eyes misty. “You’re pulling my leg, you are.”
The Doctor’s face turned serious very quickly, and before Rose knew it, she was back in his arms, pressed tight against his chest. She clutched him back immediately and nearly wept as he began babbling against her hair.
“I’m sorry, Rose, I’m so, so sorry,” he breathed. “I shouldn’t have said all that, I never meant to imply…”
“I know,” Rose interrupted. “I’m sorry, too. I just…never feel like I’m good enough for you. And that you’ll realize it one of these days and go find someone…more worthy of you.” She was surprised to hear herself choke out the last few words around a huge lump in her throat.
“Ohhh, Rose Tyler,” he murmured. “I’m the one who’s unworthy of you. I’m terrified every day that you’ll find something…someone who can give you more and come to your senses and leave this daft old alien behind.”
Rose pulled away from him then and looked him determinedly in the eyes. “When are you going to get this through your thick skull?” She rapped her knuckles against his head, and he chuckled. “I love you, you daft idiot! And I am never, ever going to leave you!”
The Doctor practically growled as he pulled her back against him and pressed his lips insistently to hers. Rose moaned in response, and the Doctor took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, his hands pressing against her lower back and he tried to find as much contact as possible between them. Rose could already feel her heart rate picking up, her body humming with lust and love for the daft, gorgeous, amazing alien in front of her.
Reluctantly, and with great difficulty, the Doctor broke the kiss and pressed his fore head against hers. His breath was coming in quick pants, and Rose could feel the evidence of his desire pressed against her.
“Please, Rose,” he whispered, cradling her face in his hands. “God, please tell me this bloody housing is within ten minutes of here?”
Next Chapter
Author: onabearskinrug
Character/Pairing: Ten/Rose, with Jackie, Pete, Jake, Mickey, and others
Rating: ADULT
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: Thank you to kelkat9, timelord1, and who_in_whoville for all of the help with this chapter and pretty much the entire story. I don't know what I'd do without you ladies :-D
Catch up here!
Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 |
Rose wandered sleepily into the kitchen the following morning, bleary-eyed and still in her pajamas and slippers. The Doctor was in the shower. She had been invited, of course, but Rose knew that it would only result in them missing the car service and having to take the train into the city. The Doctor on a train was just inviting disaster to happen, as she had reminded him as she shoved him, pouting, into the ensuite.
Upon entering the kitchen, she wasn’t surprised to see her mother sitting at the table, a mug of tea and plate of toast in front of her. She had some periodical open in front of her, but Rose was too intent on find her own mug of tea to pay it any notice. She glanced around and noticed their cook and housekeeper, Mrs. Shiner, busy at the center island.
“Morning, Mum,” she greeted. “Morning, Mrs. Shiner.”
“Miss Tyler,” she replied formally. “Would you like some tea?”
Rose hesitated in answering her. She still wasn’t entirely comfortable having a wait staff. They had returned a few days after Rose, Jackie, and the Doctor arrived, and she was just now learning how to make concessions. “I’ll get it,” Rose told her, smiling gently. “I’d love some toast, though, if you’ve got the time.”
“Absolutely,” Mrs. Shiner returned her smile and began bustling around the kitchen while Rose prepped her tea. Her mother was eerily quiet. By now, Jackie would have generally regaled her with colorful commentary about the stories in the paper or something that she’d seen on daytime television. She hadn’t even greeted Rose with so much as a “Good morning.” Her mother was so intently focused on the paper that Rose half expected to see a trashy romance novel hidden in the folds.
“What’s going on in the world today, Mum?” Rose asked as she sat down at the table. “Anything about the hospital in there?”
Jackie finally glanced up at Rose and raised an eyebrow. “In a manner of speaking. Is there something you want to tell me?”
Rose blinked at her mother, mug of tea halfway to her lips. “It’s too early for this, Mum. Why don’t you just save me the trouble tell me what I should have told you?”
Jackie sighed and tossed the paper to Rose. On the front page, Rose could see a huge photo of Royal Hope hospital with the headline “MAROONED ON THE MOON!” splashed across it in huge, bold type.
“Catchy,” Rose murmured. “But I know what happened. I was there. Why am I reading this? Did they get something horribly wrong? I thought Pete had a press conference?”
“A little further down, Rose.” Jackie sounded exasperated.
Rose made a face at her before scanning quickly down the page. She nearly dropped the paper and her mug of tea when she noticed the small picture nestled into the corner and the corresponding highlighting headline. The photo grainy and low-quality, clearly taken with a camera phone, but it was unmistakably a photo of her and the Doctor from Royal Hope, sharing a happy smile while she rested in the hospital bed. The bold caption that went along with it read, “ROSE TYLER PREGNANT?!? DETAILS ON PAGE 6!”
Rose immediately turned to the page and saw another grainy photo, this time of them kissing, smiles still evident on their faces. Rose skimmed the short paragraph that followed the photo.
“Newly-revealed Vitex heiress Rose Tyler reportedly checked into Royal Hope yesterday with stomach pains and dizziness. Could it be that she and long-time boyfriend Dr. John Smith are expecting? Sources indicated that the pair seemed thrilled with the possibility.
“They barely stopped smiling the entire hospital stay,” our source informed us. “You know, until we ended up on the moon. But there was definitely something going on!”
Might we expect a happy announcement in the near future? The National Enquirer will keep you informed!”
“So, are congratulations in order?” Jackie asked in a neutral tone, raising her eyebrow at Rose.
“Of course not,” Rose replied, putting the paper down and sighing heavily. Damage control at Torchwood will be fun with this one. “It was part of the investigation. I was faking the symptoms to get checked in.”
“Well, how was I supposed to know that?” Jackie snapped. “No one ever tells me these things. You know, if you were worried you were pregnant, you should have come to me!”
Mrs. Shiner, sensing a private family moment, slid Rose’s plate of toast in front of her and mumbled something about collecting the laundry. Rose gave her a weak smile and turned back to her mother the moment the older woman had left the kitchen.
“I’m not worried I’m pregnant!” she exclaimed. “God, do you ever listen to a word I say? Even if I wanted to be, we can’t.”
Jackie’s eyes grew wide with alarm. “You can’t get pregnant?”
“Not with the Doctor,” she said, suddenly very interested in the toast and tea in front of her. “We’re not compatible. Something about our DNA, his is a triple helix. It’s too complex to combine with a human’s.”
“Oh, sweetheart,” Jackie breathed, reaching over and taking her daughter’s hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“’S fine, Mum. ‘S not your fault.” Rose swallowed against the lump in her throat. She hadn’t thought about it much since the day before, too much had been happening to really dwell. But now, in a quiet moment with her mother, she realized how much she had unknowingly wanted a family with him…someday. She felt her eyes well up with tears. “Blimey, can’t believe I’m crying over this. I mean, the Doctor and I, we’re still so new and everything. Shouldn’t even be thinking about kids. That’s just it, though…I never thought about it before, when we were traveling. Never thought we would get to this point. Then we did, and now to know that I can’t…’s just a little sad.”
“I know, darling.” Jackie handed Rose a paper napkin, which she used to dab at her eyes. “You know, ‘s not too late to ditch the mad alien. Find yourself a nice, normal bloke to settle down with. Mickey would never turn you down.”
Rose felt a flash of anger at her mother’s callous words. She was just about to offer her own opinion on the subject when Mickey bounded into the kitchen. “Turn you down for what?” he interrupted, causing each Tyler woman to fall silent. He must have noticed the tension in the air, because he looked nervously between them. “Morning. How’s everyone?”
“Fine,” Jackie and Rose said simultaneously in the same clipped tone.
“Right,” Mickey told them, clearly not believing it for a moment. “I’m going to look at a flat today. In case anyone’s interested.”
“What?” Rose asked, surprised. “You’re moving out?”
“I’ve been saying it for days now, Rose,” Mickey said. “This one looks perfect. Two bedrooms, big windows, really close to work and to my Gran’s place. Jackie, you mind coming with me later on? I could use a mum’s eye?”
“Sure, sweetheart,” she replied. “Just tell me when, yeah?”
“Rose! Fancy seeing you here,” the Doctor greeted as he entered the kitchen, stopping by the table to drop a kiss on her cheek. “Goodness, it’s been forever, hasn’t it?”
“You‘re ridiculous,” Rose replied teasingly, her mood immediately lifting upon seeing him. “Do you want some tea?”
“Love some, thanks,” he sat in the chair next to hers and began nibbling at her toast.
“Oi!” Jackie scolded. “Mrs. Shiner could make you your own, you know. Or better yet, why don’t you get up and do it yourself?”
The Doctor stared at Jackie for a moment before putting on a winning smile. “Good morning to you too, Jackie! You’re looking well. That dressing gown really matches your eyes.”
“Oh, shut it.”
“What? I was trying to pay you a compliment!”
“You’re in a mood this morning, Mum,” Rose interjected. “Everything okay?”
“Fine,” Jackie replied, a bit too quickly for Rose’s taste. She picked up her mug. “I’m going to make sure Pete has a pressed shirt for today. Don’t forget to say goodbye before you go, you mad kids.”
Rose returned to the table with the Doctor’s mug and slid a plate of toast with strawberry jam and bananas in front of him. She snagged her own slice back out of his hands and took a bite. “What’s her problem?”
“Maybe it’s…you know…that time of the month,” Mickey offered, shuddering at the thought.
“Typical bloke,” Rose huffed. “Blaming everything on Aunt Irma.” She shoved her last bite of toast in her mouth and drained her mug of tea. “I’m going to get ready. You boys behave yourselves while I’m gone, yeah?”
“Aw, Rose, you know us!” Mickey said, grinning through a mouthful of toast.
Rose rolled her eyes. “I don’t think I even have to respond to that, Michael,” she scolded teasingly as she went to prepare for the day.
******
Rose was sitting at the Doctor’s desk down in R&D later on that day, typing up a report on the hospital incident while the Doctor tinkered with the dimension hoppers across from her. She would occasionally ask for clarification on a scientific term or about the Judoon, but otherwise, they worked in comfortable silence. Rose had shed her heels the moment she’d sat down as the desk, and her feet would brush against the Doctor’s trainers from time to time. He would always offer her a small smile and return the gentle caress before turning his attention back to the technology in his hands.
The degree to which this reminded Rose of their easy days on the TARDIS was astounding. Even her mobile vibrating on the desk was welcome and familiar, preparing her for a nice long chat with her mother.
Picking up her mobile, she expected to see “Mum” flash across the screen. Instead, she made a pleased little exclamation when she saw a text from Martha, inviting them to have lunch sometime during the week.
“Hmm?” the Doctor inquired, peering at her over his specs. “What have you got there?”
“Martha’s texted me,” Rose answered, typing as she spoke. “We’re going to lunch this week.”
The Doctor looked confused. “When did you even exchange numbers?”
“While the paramedics were trying to treat you for blood loss. You were putting up quite a fuss, I’m not surprised you didn’t notice.” She grinned at him.
The Doctor sniffed. “I was completely fine by the time they got there.”
Rose’s smile grew wider. “’Course you were, darling. D’you want to join us? She invited you.”
“Lunch with Martha Jones? Brilliant! Can’t think of a better way to spend my lunch hour. Well…” he trailed off suggestively and offered her a winning smile.
“You’re just a randy old man, aren’t you?”
“Entirely your fault, Rose Marion Tyler.”
Rose was about to offer another witty comeback when the Doctor’s desk phone interrupted her. She picked up the receiver and said briskly, “Dr. Smith’s desk.”
“Rose!” Pete’s voice greeted her. “Glad I caught you. Do you have a minute?”
“Sure, Dad, what’s up?” she tucked the phone between her shoulder and ear and turned her attention back to the computer, saving her work and locking the station.
“Do you mind coming up to the office? I have some people who want to meet you.”
“No, that’s alright. Do you need the Doctor as well?”
“I think we’ll be fine without him,” Pete replied. “Shouldn’t take long. I’ll see you in a few?”
“Yep, a few,” Rose replaced the phone in its cradle and slid her feet back into the heels. She turned to the Doctor, who was staring at her quizzically. “Pete wants to see me in his office. Probably some of his colleagues want to meet the long-lost daughter.”
“Well, I don’t blame them,” the Doctor replied. “I happen to find you completely fascinating. Do you want me to come with you?”
“Nah, ‘s just some suits. Keep up with your tinkering. I’ll be back in a bit.” She leaned down and brushed a light, lingering kiss across his lips. “Don’t miss me too much.”
“Too late for that,” he grinned flirtatiously at her as she walked out of the room.
******
“Rose!” Pete greeted her warmly, rising from his chair and kissing her cheek. “Thanks for coming up so quickly.”
“No problem, Dad,” she replied. “What’s up?”
“Well, these gentlemen asked if they could speak with you,” he gently steered her towards his desk, where Rose could see two dark-haired men in suits standing with courteous, polite smiles on their faces. Rose shook their hands as Pete introduced them as Daniel Gibbons and Alex Moya.
“Nice to meet you,” Rose replied, taking the third seat as Pete took his own on the other side of the desk.
“Mr. Gibbons and Mr. Moya are the heads of our field division,” Pete explained. “They asked for this meeting today.”
“Oh, yeah?” Rose asked, turning towards the two men. “Why’s that?”
“We heard from Mr. Smith’s team how well you handled yourself during the moon incident,” Mr. Gibbons told her. “According to witnesses, you kept calm and organized. They felt a true sense of safety knowing that you, and Torchwood for that matter, had the situation under control.”
“Well,” Rose blushed. “It wasn’t all like that. The Doctor was the one who really solved it. I just…helped. So did Martha Jones, a medical student. You know, you oughta look her up. She’d be fantastic here.”
“Noted,” Pete smiled softly at her, the fatherly pride in his eyes evident as he watched Rose interact with the department heads. Rose couldn’t help from smiling back at him.
“You’re level-headed,” Mr. Moya continued. “You’re quick-thinking, you’ve got good instincts, and you’ve got the concerns of others at heart. I’ve spoken with Mr. Smith and Mr. Simmonds, and they both agree that you would be an excellent addition to the field teams. We’ve come to tell you of an opportunity, a case in New York. We’ve got a family who needs a ride home. We hoped that you and the Doctor could go with Smith’s team, help track them down, and get their transport working again. You wouldn’t be going as the Doctor’s assistant, but a Field-Agent-In-Training. We can provide a temporary assistant if he requires. You’d be leaving first thing tomorrow. Are you interested?”
Rose gaped at the gentlemen, her eyes darting between them and Pete. “You can’t be serious! Me, a field agent? I…really don’t think I’m cut out for this.”
“I think you are, Rose,” Pete told her. “I think you’d be brilliant. And I’ve got good instincts about people, remember? Didn’t I say this, weeks back? Before I even brought you to Torchwood for the first time?”
“Well, yeah…”
“And Mr. Tyler tells us you have experience in the field. You and the Doctor? Pete tells us you were…freelancers even before starting here?” Mr. Moya asked.
“I suppose, yeah. Why don’t you ask the Doctor to be a field agent? He’d be better at this than me.”
“We think it’s best to keep the Doctor on as a consultant. Give him the freedom and flexibility to pursue his own interests,” Mr. Gibbons said, giving her a small smile. “He doesn’t seem the type to take orders well, either.”
“You’ve got that right,” Rose grinned slightly at the thought of the Doctor being a member of Mickey’s field team. Disaster.
“We really would like you to consider it.” Moya continued. “And if you go on the training mission and decide it’s not for you, then no hard feelings. Go back to being the Doctor’s assistant. Or you can take a place in R&D, they’ve been asking after you as well. We just ask that you think about it. Let us know some time tonight if we can expect you on the company zeppelin.”
“Course…nice to meet you both.” Rose stood with the two men and they all exchanged polite farewells. Once they were out of the office, Rose turned to Pete, somewhat accusingly. “Was this all you?”
He held up his hands. “Had nothing to do with it. They approached me, seemed to think I was the best way to get to you.” He smiled at her. “You’ve earned this, Rose. I know you’ll be brilliant at it.” He looked at her searchingly. “Why are you so against this?”
“I’m not!” Rose protested, sitting back down. Pete followed, still with the inquisitive expression on his face. “I’m really not. It…sounds amazing actually. But…I just…I don’t know how well the Doctor would take it.”
Pete smiled softly at her. “I’m sure he wants what’s best for you, Rose. Go talk to him.” He patted her hand. “Now, I’ve got a metric ton of paperwork to catch up on, so as much as I love spending time with you, I’m going to send you back to your Doctor now. Try to make it home before six. Your mum’s got a roast on.”
“Got it,” Rose told him. She stood up and offered Pete a small smile. “Thanks, Dad.”
“Anytime, sweetheart. See you tonight.”
“Yeah, tonight,” Rose replied absently, leaving the office, still reeling over the offer. She walked in a daze towards the lift, going over and over what Gibbons and Moya had told her. They wanted her, an ordinary old shop girl from the Powell Estate, to be out in the field. They wanted her to go on missions and interact with aliens and help defend the Earth. Granted, it was pretty much what she had done with the Doctor but now, it would be her job. Some people waited tables, some people ran companies, she would be working to save the lives of everyone on the planet every single day, human and alien both.
She could help make a difference. Rose Tyler, a girl with no A-levels whose job experience extended to Henrick’s and the local chippy, could actually do something important with her life.
Something that could make her worthy of the amazing, brilliant alien she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
She sighed. Ultimately, it always came down to him. Despite his rather obvious devotion, there was always that niggling doubt in the back of her mind that questioned why this gorgeous, selfless, hopeless, 900-year-old Time Lord needed her so badly. That same part reminded her that he didn’t even shag her until he needed the connection, that it could have been anyone walking by and he would have been fine. Logically, she knew she was being silly. Logically, she knew that he really did only kiss gorgeous, brilliant medical student Martha Jones in order to buy him a few seconds ahead of the Judoon. But it was that same small, completely illogical part of her that kept her from feeling that she completely deserved him. Now, maybe this could help quiet that doubt. If she spent her time doing what they had done on the TARDIS, even at a smaller scale and limited to the Earth, she could feel like she was deserving of his respect, as well as his affections.
So lost in her thoughts, she had no idea she’d even made it back to the Doctor’s lab. Swiping her ID badge, she entered the well-equipped room and grinned at the sight that greeted her. The Doctor was sitting at his desk, one hand in his hair, looking rather distressed at the word processor document open in front of him.
“You trying to finish my report?” Rose teased, making her way over to the desk.
He looked up at her and grinned. “Thought I’d try to be helpful. Not really my style and now I know why. I’ll leave this boring work to you. How’s Pete?”
“Good,” she replied, taking a deep breath. Her heart was suddenly racing as she struggled to find the words to tell him of this most recent development.
The Doctor must have noticed her distress. He reached over and covered her hand with his. At this simple contact, Rose calmed considerably. She looked up and noticed his eyes searching her face, almost as if he were trying to read her thoughts. Rose sighed once again. Impatient, she thought with a small grin.
“Pete introduced me to two men,” she began.
The Doctor raised an eyebrow and sniffed indignanly before she could continue. “What, he’s trying to marry you off already?”
She chuckled. “No nothing like that. They’re the heads of the field teams.” She looked him directly in eyes before she continued. “They offered me…well, us, actually…a place on a field mission. Something in New York, an alien family who needs helps getting home.”
“Oh, brilliant!” the Doctor beamed. “New York! The Big Apple! You’ve seen New New York, now you get to see the original! Maybe we could wrap it up quickly and take in the sights! The Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, even the World Trade Center! Can you believe it’s still standing in this universe? Well, I imagine it would be, being that most people take zeppelins across the ocean.” He shuddered. “Airplanes are bad enough. Don’t even want to think about a zeppelin. You know, we ought to get you one of those tablets, might make it easier to take notes, remember names and such. Think we’ll have time before we head out?”
She couldn’t put it off much longer. Rose took a deep breath and let it out before telling him, “Doctor…I wouldn’t be going as your assistant. They’d provide you with one, of course, but…it would be a sort of…training mission for me. They want to put me on one of the field teams.”
“Well, of course they do, you’re brilliant,” he smiled at her. “Everyone wants a piece of you. I had Natalie from PR asking me to set up a meeting with you. Of course I told her no, that you were perfectly happy being my assistant.” Something seemed to register in him at that moment, and he glanced up at her slowly. “Hold on…you are happy, right? You’re not actually going to do this, are you?”
Rose just stared at him for a moment, trying to gauge his reaction. She had become so well-versed in his moods and temperament that it was almost jarring to have no idea what was going through his head. “I…think I want to try, Doctor.”
******
The Doctor stared at Rose, hearts pounding in his chest. She was standing in front of him, the very center of his being, the person who was as necessary to him as oxygen, as water, telling him that she wanted to go off to New York and hunt aliens. He knew it wasn’t logical, but one thought seemed to be blaring white-hot through his mind at that moment.
Oh, God…she‘s leaving me.
This was his greatest insecurity brought into being. Rose wasn’t happy, wasn’t content being with him. She wanted to move on to bigger and better things…without him. Of course, now it was just work. But once she got out there and saw the rest of the world, saw what it could offer her, would he be enough for her? Without the TARDIS, he was just some mad old alien who couldn’t even give her a real life. Would she come to her senses and realize how much better things would be for her without him?
He knew that he’d never be able to let her go. Maybe he could once, but not now. Not only had see ingrained herself into every aspect of his life that it was literally painful to imagine living without her, he was completely dependent on her. He had been, even before he’d been cut off from the TARDIS. He had no idea how to play human, how to live a life, day after day. Rose was his touchstone, his guide, the one who was always taking care of him. He didn’t know if he could do this without her.
And now, she was telling him she didn’t want to be with him anymore. It was like she had knocked the wind out of him.
Rose continued as if she had no idea what she was doing to him. “I mean, it would be great, yeah? Getting paid to save the world? Defenders of the Earth and all that?”
“But…” he practically choked out. “You can do that here, with me! We can go to any department you want! I need you, though! You know I have no mind for all this…typing and filing rubbish.”
Rose stared at him, her expression practically unreadable. “So…what, you think that’s all I’m capable of? Taking care of your typing and filing rubbish?”
“What? No, of course not. You’re perfectly capable! Where would I be without you? You’re brilliant at so many things, all these…domestics! I would be walking around in the same pair of pants I came here in if it wasn’t for you!”
Oh, the minute the words came out of his mouth he knew he’d said the wrong thing.
Rose flushed with anger. “That’s all I’m good for, is it? All your domestics? Your little secretary, doing your shopping and your busy work and bring your tea and lunch and always good for midday shags in the copy room?”
Now it was the Doctor’s turn to get angry. Is that all she thought she was to him? She had to know how he felt about her. Even if he couldn’t say it out loud, he tried to show her every day, in every kiss and touch and word how much she meant to him. For her to dismiss it so easily…
Before he could come back at her, she continued on her tirade. “I managed for nearly twenty years without you, Doctor. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
“Oh, is that right?” the Doctor shot back, his anger getting the better of him. “So when your face got sucked off or you got trapped by clockwork droids it couldn’t have just been that you’re jeopardy-friendly? I’ll bet you had a brilliant plan in the works and I just happened to come along and ruin it for you?”
Rose gaped at him. “You know what, Doctor? That’s fine. This silly old jeopardy-friendly human is just going to wander off now. That way you’ll have one less thing to worry about while you’re off single-handedly saving the Earth and kissing medical students!”
With that, Rose turned on her heel and stormed out, leaving him seething behind her. With no one around to launch into, the Doctor picked up the dimension hopper that was sitting innocuously on his desk and launched it against the wall, causing small, delicate pieces to skitter all across the room.
He plopped down in his chair in front of the monitor in complete misery. As he started at the blinking cursor in front of him, his anger began to recede into a gut-wrenching fear. She wouldn’t leave him over this, would she? Not after all they’d been through. She loved him, she’d told him every single day since Norway. Surely one fight wouldn’t change that…would it?
Let’s hope I haven’t cocked this up too much, he thought, turning back to the computer and attempting to distract himself from the unpleasant churning in his stomach.
******
Rose spent the entire day and night in complete misery. The Doctor didn’t return to the mansion at all, instead telling Pete that he was planning to work on some things in his lab. Rose felt her heart clench painfully at his words. He very well could have brought his work home, and frequently had. She knew it was because he just didn’t want to deal with her and her rubbish human domestics..
It was the first night she’d spent without him since their arrival in Pete’s world, and she slept horribly without his cool, welcome body pressed up against hers. She tossed and turned, missing the gentle sounds of his tinkering as she slept, or the soft flutter of his breath against her ear. She had resolved to find him upon her arrival at Torchwood and make things right, but there had been no time. Mickey and Jake had hurried her to the company zeppelin and they’d taken off within a half an hour.
Unable to sleep on the flight, she spent the nearly ten hour ride going over the case file, listening to music on the satellite radio station, watching some demented comedy about children being left alone to fend off home invaders, and trying to read her silly werewolf book. Unfortunately, all she could do was obsess over their fight, about how the Doctor had managed to unknowingly zero in on all of her fears about their relationship. Still, instead of sitting down and talking with him about it like a normal couple, she’d lashed out at him and stormed away without a second thought.
She was such a child. And the Doctor surely knew that now and absolutely would question just what he was doing with her. After all, anyone could buy him underwear, make his tea, and type his reports. Certainly half the women (and probably some of the men, too) would be more than willing to shag him and help keep the mental loneliness at bay. What did he need her for?
By the end of the flight, Rose was in a complete funk. They arrived at JFK around four o’clock local time, and Rose was certain she looked exactly as awful as she felt. The plan was to collect their belongings from baggage claim and meet up with the local representatives to plan out the mission. Then it was back to company housing to sleep and they would start looking for the aliens and fixing their transport first thing in the morning.
Rose yawned deeply as she followed Mickey to the baggage area. She’d have to call the Doctor as soon as they got to the house, try to patch things up. She knew being apart would be rough on both of them, but perhaps talking would help ease the tension and help maintain their connection. Maybe, with things settled between them, she’d be able to get a full night’s rest that night.
Rose was moving on autopilot, barely aware of her surroundings. Which is why it took her so long to notice the tall, slender bloke unfolding himself from one of the hard, plastic chairs around the conveyor belt. She had to shake her head hard as she approached him, convinced that he was some exhaustion-fueled, pinstriped hallucination and couldn’t possibly be standing in front of her, his face strained and tense but his smile completely genuine.
“Rose,” he whispered, holding out his arms. It was all the invitation she needed.
She dropped her carry-on bag and hurled herself into his arms, immediately wrapping her own tightly around his neck and clutching him as if her life depended on it.
“Doctor,” she whispered back, pressing a small kiss against his neck. He came alive immediately, lifting her off the ground and spinning her in a circle, chuckling as she squealed.
They needed to talk, Rose knew that. But for the moment, she felt the enormous weight on her chest lift and for the first time in over twenty-four hours, she finally felt like she could breathe again.
He put her down and she immediately cupped his face. So many thoughts were barreling through her head, but the only thing she managed to croak out was, “How?”
“Well, Rose, there is this fantastic invention called an airplane,” he explained, grinning. “And while it is far more expensive and far less common than a zeppelin, I managed to convince Torchwood to send me on ahead. Only took seven and a half hours, can you believe it?”
Rose laughed, her eyes misty. “You’re pulling my leg, you are.”
The Doctor’s face turned serious very quickly, and before Rose knew it, she was back in his arms, pressed tight against his chest. She clutched him back immediately and nearly wept as he began babbling against her hair.
“I’m sorry, Rose, I’m so, so sorry,” he breathed. “I shouldn’t have said all that, I never meant to imply…”
“I know,” Rose interrupted. “I’m sorry, too. I just…never feel like I’m good enough for you. And that you’ll realize it one of these days and go find someone…more worthy of you.” She was surprised to hear herself choke out the last few words around a huge lump in her throat.
“Ohhh, Rose Tyler,” he murmured. “I’m the one who’s unworthy of you. I’m terrified every day that you’ll find something…someone who can give you more and come to your senses and leave this daft old alien behind.”
Rose pulled away from him then and looked him determinedly in the eyes. “When are you going to get this through your thick skull?” She rapped her knuckles against his head, and he chuckled. “I love you, you daft idiot! And I am never, ever going to leave you!”
The Doctor practically growled as he pulled her back against him and pressed his lips insistently to hers. Rose moaned in response, and the Doctor took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, his hands pressing against her lower back and he tried to find as much contact as possible between them. Rose could already feel her heart rate picking up, her body humming with lust and love for the daft, gorgeous, amazing alien in front of her.
Reluctantly, and with great difficulty, the Doctor broke the kiss and pressed his fore head against hers. His breath was coming in quick pants, and Rose could feel the evidence of his desire pressed against her.
“Please, Rose,” he whispered, cradling her face in his hands. “God, please tell me this bloody housing is within ten minutes of here?”
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