Glimpse of Truth (chapter 6) Back to the Beginning
Title: Back to the Beginning (6/?)
Author: sinecure - My master fic list
Character/Pairing: Ten
Rating: All ages
Genre: Romance, angst
Summary: A meeting of three.
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.
Author's Notes: To momdaegmorgan for the beta(s) and tirelessly working on stupid titles with me.
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4. (all ages version) Chapter 4. (adult version), Chapter 5
The Doctor ran down the ramp and flung the TARDIS doors open. Almost immediately, his eyes began to burn from the grey cloud of smoke that greeted him. Holding his hand over his mouth, he took a step outside and looked around, but couldn't see more than a few feet in front of him.
A sudden burst of red light flashed toward him and he ducked, holding his arms over his head. A split second later, a flash of blue light pierced the smoke from behind the TARDIS, aiming in the direction of the first shot.
Cupping his hands over his mouth, he drew in a deep breath, and, inhaling some of the thick smoke in the process, started coughing. Even with his respiratory bypass, it took him a few seconds to get the coughing under control enough to call out. "Rose! Doctor!"
Two more red shots screamed past him, close enough that he felt the heat of them and heard it as something nearby got scorched.
Ducking, perhaps a little belatedly, he slammed the TARDIS doors shut behind him and moved around the protection of his ship. From what he could see in his mind--which wasn't much more than a blurry sky and Rose's injured body--they were somewhere near a stone wall. He waved his hand in front of his face, trying to clear it of the smoke that was preventing him from getting a clearer picture of his surroundings, but it clung stubbornly to the air. Heat roared by him once more and he-- wait. In winter?
Fire.
Heading in the direction of the blue guns seemed as good a plan as any. They, at least, hadn't attempted to shoot at him.
Covering his mouth, he circled around the TARDIS and caught a brief glimpse through the fog of smoke of a figure huddled by a wall.
He ran toward it, pulling his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and aimed it ahead of him, lighting his way. As he neared the wall, something orange roared, flying through the air, and landed with a loud thud on the ground a few feet in front of him, but it wasn't interested in him. The smoke, stirred by the Iboran, cleared long enough for him to see a figure on the ground struggling with the alien.
Running to help, he switched settings on the sonic screwdriver and a high pitched noise pierced the air. He held his hand over one ear, leaning the other into his shoulder to muffle the sound, and dashed closer. The Iboran reared back and turned toward him, spitting saliva.
"Icha ors s'adda," it hissed out, watching him in a less than impressed manner.
The Doctor turned the settings again and pointed the sonic screwdriver at the Iboran. "Icha ors s'adda," he bit out, straightening and looking the alien directly in its black eyes. "M'adra."
The Iboran's manner changed. It huddled a little more, then shrugged, and with a chuckle, gestured to Rose's prone body below him. "R'adda."
He--the Doctor could tell it was male by the green scales lining its eyes and cheekbones--began to back away. There was a blur of movement from near where Rose lay, and a burst of blue laser light shot out.
"No!" he shouted, but it was too late. The Iboran didn't have a chance to move out of the way of the fatal shot. He lay lifeless on the ground, smoke sizzling from between his eyes, rising from a scorched, black mark. With one last regretful glance at the Iboran, the Doctor ran to Rose and dropped to the ground beside her. "Rose, are you--"
"Doct--" she coughed a few times, leaning back in his arms, holding her right side. "Doctor," she tried again, voice thick and hoarse.
He ran his eyes over her, noting all her injuries, before responding. "Yeah. It's me."
She tightened her hand on his arm and tried to haul herself to her feet, but he held her still. She'd been shot with a laser ray. It didn't look too bad, but she was in a pretty sorry state; face covered in soot and dirt, hair in disarray, clothes filthy and torn. "Let's get you to the TARDIS, I can fix up that--"
She shoved at him, knocking him off balance. He hit the ground with an oomph, watching as she crawled away, heading closer to the wall. And then he remembered the other him. Quickly joining Rose, he knelt down beside his twin. Clone. He'd never really figured out what to call the other Doctor. But it hardly mattered now. Probably not anymore. The body Rose was fussing over wasn't moving and the tickling presence in the back of the Doctor's mind was barely there anymore.
Rose slid her arms under the other Doctor, holding him tight to her chest. "Help him," she demanded.
He nodded, hesitating only briefly before he bent to pick up her lover.
The medical equipment on the TARDIS was some of the most advanced in the universe, but even the Doctor couldn't bring a human back to life. Or save someone hovering so near death's door that he had all but one finger inside.
No matter how many times he told Rose this, she just wouldn't listen. He'd tried, over and over again, but still she refused to accept it.
"Fix him," she shouted, lips trembling as she smoothed a hand down her lover's face again and again. The same spot, over and over again. It only smeared the soot and dirt more, but she didn't seem to care. Didn't seem to notice either, as her tears fell on brown pinstripes.
He shook his head and turned off the machine, unhooking it from the Doctor. It wasn't helping him any. "I can't," he repeated for the fifth time as he pushed the cart aside. "He's too far g--"
"No, he's not. Don't you say that. He's..." she stopped and swiped angrily at the tears slipping down her cheeks, "he's gonna be okay. He told me he was, so don't you dare tell me he's not. Just fix him!"
His patience with her finally at an end, he shouted back, "I can't, Rose! He's dying." The other Doctor's wounds--five laser blasts and a blow to the head--were too much for even him to repair.
She stared at him for a few moments, then sneered, "Liar," before turning her attention back to the man on the bed, running her hand down his cheek again.
Feeling a small tug at the back of his mind, he closed his eyes and followed it, linking with the other Doctor. There was a strange warmth to the connection, something he couldn't fully identify, but it didn't matter, there wasn't enough time to do so.
The Doctor on the bed opened his eyes and sought out Rose.
When he found her, she smiled and bent down to kiss him, laughing through her tears. "See. I knew you wouldn't leave me. I knew you wouldn't." Her smile grew strained when he lifted a weak hand to her cheek. She grabbed it in her own and held it to her. "I love you. I knew you wouldn't leave me."
The Doctor watched his own lips move and read the silent words that were meant for Rose's ears only. He quickly turned away when the lips stopped moving and his hand grew suddenly limp, held up now only by Rose's.
"Doctor?" He heard her moving closer and turned back to see her panicked face fixed on the man lying in the bed. Heard her gasping sobs as she tried to draw his lifeless body to her. "Doctor. Doctor! Don't-- don't die. Please, don't die. Don't leave me."
He felt both like an intruder and like a man watching his own death. Unsure whether to go to Rose to comfort her, or leave her alone to grieve, he decided the only thing he could do was wait to see what she wanted.
There was a loud clatter of metal hitting the floor and he watched in horror as Rose collapsed in a heap by the bed.
The Doctor turned off the scanner and put away the wand, then clenched his hands into fists. Clenched and released. Clenched and released.
She was healed now, but was far from okay.
Looking back at Rose, he watched as her eyes opened and slowly focused on him. She was fighting back tears and nearly succeeded, but a few escaped anyway, running down her temples and into her hair.
Shifting her gaze to the ceiling, her hands curled protectively around her stomach. "It's not yours."
He closed his eyes and turned away. As he did, the warm tug that'd been in his mind since landing, suddenly intensified, burning and searing through his head. He dropped to his knees, fingers gripping his head as a scream of pain tore free from his throat.
Chapter 7
Author: sinecure - My master fic list
Character/Pairing: Ten
Rating: All ages
Genre: Romance, angst
Summary: A meeting of three.
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.
Author's Notes: To momdaegmorgan for the beta(s) and tirelessly working on stupid titles with me.
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4. (all ages version) Chapter 4. (adult version), Chapter 5
The Doctor ran down the ramp and flung the TARDIS doors open. Almost immediately, his eyes began to burn from the grey cloud of smoke that greeted him. Holding his hand over his mouth, he took a step outside and looked around, but couldn't see more than a few feet in front of him.
A sudden burst of red light flashed toward him and he ducked, holding his arms over his head. A split second later, a flash of blue light pierced the smoke from behind the TARDIS, aiming in the direction of the first shot.
Cupping his hands over his mouth, he drew in a deep breath, and, inhaling some of the thick smoke in the process, started coughing. Even with his respiratory bypass, it took him a few seconds to get the coughing under control enough to call out. "Rose! Doctor!"
Two more red shots screamed past him, close enough that he felt the heat of them and heard it as something nearby got scorched.
Ducking, perhaps a little belatedly, he slammed the TARDIS doors shut behind him and moved around the protection of his ship. From what he could see in his mind--which wasn't much more than a blurry sky and Rose's injured body--they were somewhere near a stone wall. He waved his hand in front of his face, trying to clear it of the smoke that was preventing him from getting a clearer picture of his surroundings, but it clung stubbornly to the air. Heat roared by him once more and he-- wait. In winter?
Fire.
Heading in the direction of the blue guns seemed as good a plan as any. They, at least, hadn't attempted to shoot at him.
Covering his mouth, he circled around the TARDIS and caught a brief glimpse through the fog of smoke of a figure huddled by a wall.
He ran toward it, pulling his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and aimed it ahead of him, lighting his way. As he neared the wall, something orange roared, flying through the air, and landed with a loud thud on the ground a few feet in front of him, but it wasn't interested in him. The smoke, stirred by the Iboran, cleared long enough for him to see a figure on the ground struggling with the alien.
Running to help, he switched settings on the sonic screwdriver and a high pitched noise pierced the air. He held his hand over one ear, leaning the other into his shoulder to muffle the sound, and dashed closer. The Iboran reared back and turned toward him, spitting saliva.
"Icha ors s'adda," it hissed out, watching him in a less than impressed manner.
The Doctor turned the settings again and pointed the sonic screwdriver at the Iboran. "Icha ors s'adda," he bit out, straightening and looking the alien directly in its black eyes. "M'adra."
The Iboran's manner changed. It huddled a little more, then shrugged, and with a chuckle, gestured to Rose's prone body below him. "R'adda."
He--the Doctor could tell it was male by the green scales lining its eyes and cheekbones--began to back away. There was a blur of movement from near where Rose lay, and a burst of blue laser light shot out.
"No!" he shouted, but it was too late. The Iboran didn't have a chance to move out of the way of the fatal shot. He lay lifeless on the ground, smoke sizzling from between his eyes, rising from a scorched, black mark. With one last regretful glance at the Iboran, the Doctor ran to Rose and dropped to the ground beside her. "Rose, are you--"
"Doct--" she coughed a few times, leaning back in his arms, holding her right side. "Doctor," she tried again, voice thick and hoarse.
He ran his eyes over her, noting all her injuries, before responding. "Yeah. It's me."
She tightened her hand on his arm and tried to haul herself to her feet, but he held her still. She'd been shot with a laser ray. It didn't look too bad, but she was in a pretty sorry state; face covered in soot and dirt, hair in disarray, clothes filthy and torn. "Let's get you to the TARDIS, I can fix up that--"
She shoved at him, knocking him off balance. He hit the ground with an oomph, watching as she crawled away, heading closer to the wall. And then he remembered the other him. Quickly joining Rose, he knelt down beside his twin. Clone. He'd never really figured out what to call the other Doctor. But it hardly mattered now. Probably not anymore. The body Rose was fussing over wasn't moving and the tickling presence in the back of the Doctor's mind was barely there anymore.
Rose slid her arms under the other Doctor, holding him tight to her chest. "Help him," she demanded.
He nodded, hesitating only briefly before he bent to pick up her lover.
The medical equipment on the TARDIS was some of the most advanced in the universe, but even the Doctor couldn't bring a human back to life. Or save someone hovering so near death's door that he had all but one finger inside.
No matter how many times he told Rose this, she just wouldn't listen. He'd tried, over and over again, but still she refused to accept it.
"Fix him," she shouted, lips trembling as she smoothed a hand down her lover's face again and again. The same spot, over and over again. It only smeared the soot and dirt more, but she didn't seem to care. Didn't seem to notice either, as her tears fell on brown pinstripes.
He shook his head and turned off the machine, unhooking it from the Doctor. It wasn't helping him any. "I can't," he repeated for the fifth time as he pushed the cart aside. "He's too far g--"
"No, he's not. Don't you say that. He's..." she stopped and swiped angrily at the tears slipping down her cheeks, "he's gonna be okay. He told me he was, so don't you dare tell me he's not. Just fix him!"
His patience with her finally at an end, he shouted back, "I can't, Rose! He's dying." The other Doctor's wounds--five laser blasts and a blow to the head--were too much for even him to repair.
She stared at him for a few moments, then sneered, "Liar," before turning her attention back to the man on the bed, running her hand down his cheek again.
Feeling a small tug at the back of his mind, he closed his eyes and followed it, linking with the other Doctor. There was a strange warmth to the connection, something he couldn't fully identify, but it didn't matter, there wasn't enough time to do so.
The Doctor on the bed opened his eyes and sought out Rose.
When he found her, she smiled and bent down to kiss him, laughing through her tears. "See. I knew you wouldn't leave me. I knew you wouldn't." Her smile grew strained when he lifted a weak hand to her cheek. She grabbed it in her own and held it to her. "I love you. I knew you wouldn't leave me."
The Doctor watched his own lips move and read the silent words that were meant for Rose's ears only. He quickly turned away when the lips stopped moving and his hand grew suddenly limp, held up now only by Rose's.
"Doctor?" He heard her moving closer and turned back to see her panicked face fixed on the man lying in the bed. Heard her gasping sobs as she tried to draw his lifeless body to her. "Doctor. Doctor! Don't-- don't die. Please, don't die. Don't leave me."
He felt both like an intruder and like a man watching his own death. Unsure whether to go to Rose to comfort her, or leave her alone to grieve, he decided the only thing he could do was wait to see what she wanted.
There was a loud clatter of metal hitting the floor and he watched in horror as Rose collapsed in a heap by the bed.
The Doctor turned off the scanner and put away the wand, then clenched his hands into fists. Clenched and released. Clenched and released.
She was healed now, but was far from okay.
Looking back at Rose, he watched as her eyes opened and slowly focused on him. She was fighting back tears and nearly succeeded, but a few escaped anyway, running down her temples and into her hair.
Shifting her gaze to the ceiling, her hands curled protectively around her stomach. "It's not yours."
He closed his eyes and turned away. As he did, the warm tug that'd been in his mind since landing, suddenly intensified, burning and searing through his head. He dropped to his knees, fingers gripping his head as a scream of pain tore free from his throat.
Chapter 7