Fic: Elements series: Water
Title: Elements series: Water
Author: Mary (stillxmyxheart)
Beta: Rebekah (bekkis)
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Angst
Word Count: 832
Characters: Rose, Ten
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize? Ain't mine.
Summary: Water doesn't wash away everything.
A/N: The sequel to Air; I decided to turn this into a series, so "Fire" and "Earth" will follow later :D
He holds her close as he leads her into the TARDIS, still unable to believe what has just happened.
The wheeze of her breath concerns him.
He pushes a button once they reach the console and an oxygen mask falls down. He slips it over her head, gently urging her to breathe.
There is dried blood in her hair and on her skin and he worries about how much of it might be hers.
She breathes in the oxygen for a few minutes more and the Doctor is relieved to hear the wheeze has gone.
He removes the mask and Rose panics. He holds her and assures her she can have more if she needs it once they reach the infirmary.
She looks vaguely reassured and allows him to lead her back to the infirmary.
He sits her down on the examination table and begins to wash her skin with a damp cloth, cleaning away the blood and dirt, checking for injuries.
Beyond a few superficial scratches, the scrapes on her knees, and the blisters on her feet she is remarkably unscathed.
He wants to know what happened, how Rose came to be covered in so much blood, but there is a haunted look in her eyes that prevents him from asking. Instead he offers her more oxygen.
She takes a pull and then catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror on the wall.
The Doctor has only cleaned what he needed to in order to examine her and she is horrified by her reflection.
She doesn't speak but he knows what she needs. He tells her that her room is still hers.
She leaves and the Doctor stands still a moment, holding the dirty, bloody rag in his hands before moving to toss it in a bin under the sink.
He puts the oxygen away and stands still another moment, bracing himself before walking from the infirmary, heading for Rose's room.
He stands in the doorway of a room he has not looked into since she was taken from him.
It is exactly as she left it, if a little dusty, though her return has already stirred up the stale air.
He steps tentatively forward, careful not to disturb anything, and sits on the bed.
She is still in the shower and he waits for her to finish. He gazes around the room at all the reminders that he has been unable to look at until now.
It is still painful to see. The Rose who left all these things behind is not the same Rose standing in the shower now, washing the remnants of her home-
-never really her home-
-from her body.
The dresser is covered with makeup and hair accessories, the mirror draped with scarves.
A pair of jeans is draped over the foot of the bed, a pink t-shirt crumpled on top.
The Doctor reaches over and just barely brushes the shirt with his fingertips.
He hears the water turn off and withdraws his hand.
A moment later the bathroom door opens and Rose steps out, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.
Her clothes are bigger on her and the Doctor notices now that she has lost weight since he last saw her.
He moves over and she sits down beside him.
They are silent a moment and the Doctor turns to Rose. He has to know what happened but she doesn't have to speak. He can go into her mind and he asks if she remembers seeing him do this before.
Rose nods and turns to face him.
The Doctor raises his hands to Rose's temple, feeling the dampness of her hair, close enough now to smell her gardenia body wash.
She closes her eyes and he does too, reaching into her mind, searching her memories. It doesn't take long to see the large ships descending from the sky, to see the immediate destruction. He can feel Rose's shock and disbelief, but most of all he can feel her fear and it hurts.
He watches the as the destruction continues and then the scene abruptly changes to one of utter ruin. He feels Rose's realization that she's the only one left and there is a wave of loneliness so deep and it hurts.
Rose gasps suddenly and grabs his hands.
He withdraws as fast as he can and opens his eyes.
Tears stream down Rose's cheeks and he can almost feel what she feels as she gasps for air through her sobs, as though she is drowning.
He pulls her to him and she comes easily, clinging to him. He strokes her wet hair and holds her tightly.
The water has washed away the surface dirt but it cannot reach what lingers beneath, and there is a current of pain and loneliness that threatens to pull her all the way down.
He knows because he has been in this current before, and he will help her fight the pull, just as she once helped him.
Author: Mary (stillxmyxheart)
Beta: Rebekah (bekkis)
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Angst
Word Count: 832
Characters: Rose, Ten
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize? Ain't mine.
Summary: Water doesn't wash away everything.
A/N: The sequel to Air; I decided to turn this into a series, so "Fire" and "Earth" will follow later :D
He holds her close as he leads her into the TARDIS, still unable to believe what has just happened.
The wheeze of her breath concerns him.
He pushes a button once they reach the console and an oxygen mask falls down. He slips it over her head, gently urging her to breathe.
There is dried blood in her hair and on her skin and he worries about how much of it might be hers.
She breathes in the oxygen for a few minutes more and the Doctor is relieved to hear the wheeze has gone.
He removes the mask and Rose panics. He holds her and assures her she can have more if she needs it once they reach the infirmary.
She looks vaguely reassured and allows him to lead her back to the infirmary.
He sits her down on the examination table and begins to wash her skin with a damp cloth, cleaning away the blood and dirt, checking for injuries.
Beyond a few superficial scratches, the scrapes on her knees, and the blisters on her feet she is remarkably unscathed.
He wants to know what happened, how Rose came to be covered in so much blood, but there is a haunted look in her eyes that prevents him from asking. Instead he offers her more oxygen.
She takes a pull and then catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror on the wall.
The Doctor has only cleaned what he needed to in order to examine her and she is horrified by her reflection.
She doesn't speak but he knows what she needs. He tells her that her room is still hers.
She leaves and the Doctor stands still a moment, holding the dirty, bloody rag in his hands before moving to toss it in a bin under the sink.
He puts the oxygen away and stands still another moment, bracing himself before walking from the infirmary, heading for Rose's room.
He stands in the doorway of a room he has not looked into since she was taken from him.
It is exactly as she left it, if a little dusty, though her return has already stirred up the stale air.
He steps tentatively forward, careful not to disturb anything, and sits on the bed.
She is still in the shower and he waits for her to finish. He gazes around the room at all the reminders that he has been unable to look at until now.
It is still painful to see. The Rose who left all these things behind is not the same Rose standing in the shower now, washing the remnants of her home-
-never really her home-
-from her body.
The dresser is covered with makeup and hair accessories, the mirror draped with scarves.
A pair of jeans is draped over the foot of the bed, a pink t-shirt crumpled on top.
The Doctor reaches over and just barely brushes the shirt with his fingertips.
He hears the water turn off and withdraws his hand.
A moment later the bathroom door opens and Rose steps out, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.
Her clothes are bigger on her and the Doctor notices now that she has lost weight since he last saw her.
He moves over and she sits down beside him.
They are silent a moment and the Doctor turns to Rose. He has to know what happened but she doesn't have to speak. He can go into her mind and he asks if she remembers seeing him do this before.
Rose nods and turns to face him.
The Doctor raises his hands to Rose's temple, feeling the dampness of her hair, close enough now to smell her gardenia body wash.
She closes her eyes and he does too, reaching into her mind, searching her memories. It doesn't take long to see the large ships descending from the sky, to see the immediate destruction. He can feel Rose's shock and disbelief, but most of all he can feel her fear and it hurts.
He watches the as the destruction continues and then the scene abruptly changes to one of utter ruin. He feels Rose's realization that she's the only one left and there is a wave of loneliness so deep and it hurts.
Rose gasps suddenly and grabs his hands.
He withdraws as fast as he can and opens his eyes.
Tears stream down Rose's cheeks and he can almost feel what she feels as she gasps for air through her sobs, as though she is drowning.
He pulls her to him and she comes easily, clinging to him. He strokes her wet hair and holds her tightly.
The water has washed away the surface dirt but it cannot reach what lingers beneath, and there is a current of pain and loneliness that threatens to pull her all the way down.
He knows because he has been in this current before, and he will help her fight the pull, just as she once helped him.