Glimpse of Truth (chapter 11) Overwhelmed
Title: Overwhelmed (11/?) (part of the Truth series)
Author: sinecure - My master fic list
Character/Pairing: Ten, Rose
Rating: Teen
Genre: AU, drama, angst
Summary: An exchange of civil words.
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.
Author's Notes: To momdaegmorgan for the beta.
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4 (all ages version).
Chapter 4 (adult version), Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7.
Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10.
Dropping his burnt finger from his mouth, the Doctor glared at Rose, biting out his words. "Get out." Erecting his barriers as Rose stared at him, the word she'd spoken echoing in the silence between them, he tried to rein in his anger. She had no right being in his mind... hearing his thoughts. "Get out of my head."
Confusion laced her brow for a moment and then her mouth tightened and her eyes hardened. "I'm not in your head," she snapped, "you're in mine."
Quickly closing the distance between them, he placed his hands on her cheeks and temples and pressed into her mind, knocking her out of his. She staggered backward, reaching out to catch herself on the jump seat. Grabbing her arm, he held her upright, wondering, as he stared at her, what other things she'd heard. Had she seen anything? What had he given away while completely unaware of her mind ghosting through his?
Did she know?
She straightened up and pushed him away. "Where d'you get off going into my head without asking? Told you it wasn't me. You were there, in my head." Glaring at him now, getting a good anger worked up, she snarled, "What's wrong with you?"
Shoving his fists into his trouser pockets, he bit back the angry words that sprang to mind and merely said, "I don't like people in my head."
She stared at him as if he'd said something stupid. "Well neither do I, and you didn't exactly ask, did you?"
Eyes burning into hers, he sniffed sharply. She'd been in his head, reading his thoughts, hearing everything. That she didn't understand any of it didn't matter.
"It's gone now," she said after a few moments, still with that bite of anger. "Is that for good? Is it permanent?"
Should've been permanent before, when he'd erected barriers to keep her and the baby from hearing him in the first place. But she'd somehow broken past those. Been in his mind anyway. "Should be."
"Good." With a last glance at him, she turned and headed out of the console room.
Once she was gone, he sighed, wondering when they'd stop sniping at each other over every little thing. Yanking a metal grate free, he crawled back into the inner workings of the console, surrounding himself with things he understood and didn't make him seethe.
Brushing memories of the human-him from his mind, he ripped out a bundle of wires from the rest, yelping in surprise when another shock went through him.
*~*~*~*
They managed to avoid one another for a few hours, until he headed into the library and happened upon her sitting at one of the tables, books spread around her, head on the tabletop.
He was about to turn and leave when she shoved the books away from her and sat up with a sigh. "Bloody useless, unless I'm a... tentacled, three-armed, purple... hairless alien." Sighing, she looked down at her stomach and settled a gentle hand on it, rubbing her thumb up and down. "You scare me, kid. I mean, these books tell me nothing, and all I know is from humans, right? Every little brat I knew was a terror." She lifted her head and chuckled a little. "End of the world is coming, Slitheen land right on our doorstep, and all Brandon wanted to do was watch his show on telly."
Grimacing in remembrance, the Doctor entered the room, bracing himself for a row. "Kids," he mused. "They've got no priorities."
It pained him a little that she didn't bother looking up at him as he crossed the room, or look across the table when he sat and flicked his eyes over all the tomes. Even when he went still, her head remained bowed. Taking a deep breath, he pushed back the urge to touch her, to reach across the table and slide his hand across her belly. To enter the child's mind and open his own to it in the process.
Instead, he clasped his hands in his lap and leveled his eyes on her. "I'm sorry."
She shrugged one shoulder listlessly. "Doesn't matter."
Leaning forward, he shook his head, resting his arms on the table. "But it does matter. It matters because, if I'm right--and I'm always right--the Time Lord DNA-- well, I say Time Lord, but I mean Gallifreyan. The Gallifreyan strands of DNA are much stronger than human, and then-- boom; you've got a little Time Lord on your hands. And by Time Lord, I mean Gallifreyan." Lifting one of the book spines to eye level, he read the title and tossed it aside. "You're right, these are useless."
Her eyes finally lifted to his, gleaming in the dim light. "Thanks. That helped."
"No, I don't imagine it did." He sighed and sat back, scratching his head. "But I don't know what to expect either, Rose. This is all new to me too."
"But you said you were a dad," she protested, voice rising in disbelief.
"Ah, yes. I did. But they weren't born, as such. They were loomed. By a great, big ole machine that wove the parent's DNA together and cooked up a baby."
Her lips twisted up. "Sounds romantic."
Lifting a shoulder in a shrug, he dropped his hands to the table, threading his fingers together. "It wasn't. But it was the only way for us to have children. I told you before, we're all-- we were all sterile." Eyes slipping to his hands, he fought off the wave of grief trying to overtake him. "Just me again now."
Taking a deep breath, she sat back in her chair, making it creak, a sound he was familiar with, one that he loved hearing. It reminded him of days gone by, and-- U.N.I.T.?
Shaking his head to clear it of his dead twin's thoughts, he looked up to find her watching him.
"Then what do we do? I mean," she glanced at the books around them and rested her arms on her belly, "all these books are just about aliens. Not your people though. I don't know anything about Time Lords, Doctor. I don't know what's going to happen, what to expect. Do you?"
Blinking at her, overwhelmed by their exchange of civil words, he pushed to his feet.
It was... very odd seeing her even the smallest, tiniest bit afraid. She'd been so confident and independent since... well, she always had been in a way, but since she'd returned to him from Pete's World, she'd been even more so. Even after he'd tried to toss her aside.
And he realized suddenly that he didn't know Rose anymore, not like he used to.
They'd been separated for six years, and then another few months while she lived with the human him. She'd worked for Torchwood, then U.N.I.T., and then he'd come along again. Her lover had died. He, himself, had kidnapped her, forcing her to stay on the TARDIS, only landing a few times on unfamiliar planets for food and supplies.
And she was going to have an alien baby in a few months.
Yet she sat there, admitting something that had to have cost her a lot, but all he could see was the strong, independent Rose she'd become. Despite everything, she'd become stronger. And she was still the woman he loved. She was still Rose Tyler, and he still loved her with both his hearts.
"We'll figure it out--" he began, but stopped when she sighed in resignation. He slipped his hands into his pockets. "We will, Rose. Together." Forcing a smile to his lips, he added, "Just like always?"
Eyes still on him, she nodded, a hint of a tired smile on her lips. "Yeah."
Next chapter - Chapter 12
Author: sinecure - My master fic list
Character/Pairing: Ten, Rose
Rating: Teen
Genre: AU, drama, angst
Summary: An exchange of civil words.
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.
Author's Notes: To momdaegmorgan for the beta.
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4 (all ages version).
Chapter 4 (adult version), Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7.
Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10.
Dropping his burnt finger from his mouth, the Doctor glared at Rose, biting out his words. "Get out." Erecting his barriers as Rose stared at him, the word she'd spoken echoing in the silence between them, he tried to rein in his anger. She had no right being in his mind... hearing his thoughts. "Get out of my head."
Confusion laced her brow for a moment and then her mouth tightened and her eyes hardened. "I'm not in your head," she snapped, "you're in mine."
Quickly closing the distance between them, he placed his hands on her cheeks and temples and pressed into her mind, knocking her out of his. She staggered backward, reaching out to catch herself on the jump seat. Grabbing her arm, he held her upright, wondering, as he stared at her, what other things she'd heard. Had she seen anything? What had he given away while completely unaware of her mind ghosting through his?
Did she know?
She straightened up and pushed him away. "Where d'you get off going into my head without asking? Told you it wasn't me. You were there, in my head." Glaring at him now, getting a good anger worked up, she snarled, "What's wrong with you?"
Shoving his fists into his trouser pockets, he bit back the angry words that sprang to mind and merely said, "I don't like people in my head."
She stared at him as if he'd said something stupid. "Well neither do I, and you didn't exactly ask, did you?"
Eyes burning into hers, he sniffed sharply. She'd been in his head, reading his thoughts, hearing everything. That she didn't understand any of it didn't matter.
"It's gone now," she said after a few moments, still with that bite of anger. "Is that for good? Is it permanent?"
Should've been permanent before, when he'd erected barriers to keep her and the baby from hearing him in the first place. But she'd somehow broken past those. Been in his mind anyway. "Should be."
"Good." With a last glance at him, she turned and headed out of the console room.
Once she was gone, he sighed, wondering when they'd stop sniping at each other over every little thing. Yanking a metal grate free, he crawled back into the inner workings of the console, surrounding himself with things he understood and didn't make him seethe.
Brushing memories of the human-him from his mind, he ripped out a bundle of wires from the rest, yelping in surprise when another shock went through him.
*~*~*~*
They managed to avoid one another for a few hours, until he headed into the library and happened upon her sitting at one of the tables, books spread around her, head on the tabletop.
He was about to turn and leave when she shoved the books away from her and sat up with a sigh. "Bloody useless, unless I'm a... tentacled, three-armed, purple... hairless alien." Sighing, she looked down at her stomach and settled a gentle hand on it, rubbing her thumb up and down. "You scare me, kid. I mean, these books tell me nothing, and all I know is from humans, right? Every little brat I knew was a terror." She lifted her head and chuckled a little. "End of the world is coming, Slitheen land right on our doorstep, and all Brandon wanted to do was watch his show on telly."
Grimacing in remembrance, the Doctor entered the room, bracing himself for a row. "Kids," he mused. "They've got no priorities."
It pained him a little that she didn't bother looking up at him as he crossed the room, or look across the table when he sat and flicked his eyes over all the tomes. Even when he went still, her head remained bowed. Taking a deep breath, he pushed back the urge to touch her, to reach across the table and slide his hand across her belly. To enter the child's mind and open his own to it in the process.
Instead, he clasped his hands in his lap and leveled his eyes on her. "I'm sorry."
She shrugged one shoulder listlessly. "Doesn't matter."
Leaning forward, he shook his head, resting his arms on the table. "But it does matter. It matters because, if I'm right--and I'm always right--the Time Lord DNA-- well, I say Time Lord, but I mean Gallifreyan. The Gallifreyan strands of DNA are much stronger than human, and then-- boom; you've got a little Time Lord on your hands. And by Time Lord, I mean Gallifreyan." Lifting one of the book spines to eye level, he read the title and tossed it aside. "You're right, these are useless."
Her eyes finally lifted to his, gleaming in the dim light. "Thanks. That helped."
"No, I don't imagine it did." He sighed and sat back, scratching his head. "But I don't know what to expect either, Rose. This is all new to me too."
"But you said you were a dad," she protested, voice rising in disbelief.
"Ah, yes. I did. But they weren't born, as such. They were loomed. By a great, big ole machine that wove the parent's DNA together and cooked up a baby."
Her lips twisted up. "Sounds romantic."
Lifting a shoulder in a shrug, he dropped his hands to the table, threading his fingers together. "It wasn't. But it was the only way for us to have children. I told you before, we're all-- we were all sterile." Eyes slipping to his hands, he fought off the wave of grief trying to overtake him. "Just me again now."
Taking a deep breath, she sat back in her chair, making it creak, a sound he was familiar with, one that he loved hearing. It reminded him of days gone by, and-- U.N.I.T.?
Shaking his head to clear it of his dead twin's thoughts, he looked up to find her watching him.
"Then what do we do? I mean," she glanced at the books around them and rested her arms on her belly, "all these books are just about aliens. Not your people though. I don't know anything about Time Lords, Doctor. I don't know what's going to happen, what to expect. Do you?"
Blinking at her, overwhelmed by their exchange of civil words, he pushed to his feet.
It was... very odd seeing her even the smallest, tiniest bit afraid. She'd been so confident and independent since... well, she always had been in a way, but since she'd returned to him from Pete's World, she'd been even more so. Even after he'd tried to toss her aside.
And he realized suddenly that he didn't know Rose anymore, not like he used to.
They'd been separated for six years, and then another few months while she lived with the human him. She'd worked for Torchwood, then U.N.I.T., and then he'd come along again. Her lover had died. He, himself, had kidnapped her, forcing her to stay on the TARDIS, only landing a few times on unfamiliar planets for food and supplies.
And she was going to have an alien baby in a few months.
Yet she sat there, admitting something that had to have cost her a lot, but all he could see was the strong, independent Rose she'd become. Despite everything, she'd become stronger. And she was still the woman he loved. She was still Rose Tyler, and he still loved her with both his hearts.
"We'll figure it out--" he began, but stopped when she sighed in resignation. He slipped his hands into his pockets. "We will, Rose. Together." Forcing a smile to his lips, he added, "Just like always?"
Eyes still on him, she nodded, a hint of a tired smile on her lips. "Yeah."
Next chapter - Chapter 12