The Kind Ones, Chapter 9
Rose and the Doctor stood patiently in the Kind House until the Karandaix were ready.
“You will feel a tingling sensation on your body,” the oldest alien explained, “but it will be brief.”
The Doctor nodded his head and took Rose’s hand in his own.
“Are you ready?” he asked her.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Rose responded nervously.
The Karandaix began to twist around the pair as they separated from the wall and circled closer and closer, like sharks around their prey. One of the smaller ones darted out and wiggled through the Doctor’s body like he was a mere ghost, and then weaved back through Rose. The other Karandaix followed suit as they laced in and out, carefully unwinding time as they went.
Before Rose could really recognize what was happening, she found herself back on the TARDIS, her skin tingling slightly where the Karandaix had been. Inside the ship, the fires were still blazing. The Doctor followed shortly behind her, and threw himself on top of her to protect her from the flames.
“I thought they were going to put out the…” Rose started to shout, but found the flames abated and reversed back into nothingness.
“Fires…” Rose finished lamely.
The Doctor flashed her a cocky smile and winked as he was still covering her body with his own. “Looks like the Karandaix can be trusted after all!” he exclaimed.
Rose blushed before the Doctor jumped up and pulled her after him, heading for the time rotor.
“I just need to send the required data,” he mumbled as he typed in a string of numbers into the console, “And…wala!”
The Doctor bounced up and down before turning on the view screen, which he had adjusted to look down on the village.
“Now that our part of the bargain is fulfilled, let’s see what the Karandaix can do!”
Rose watched in fascination as the eerie aliens floated through the village, weaving in and out of the structures and residents. The sun began to drift backwards through the sky, and as it gained speed, she saw a succession of stars and suns whirl over the planet’s surface. They were taking Kvetwaw back, just as they had sworn to do.
Soon, the Karandaix slowed their pace until they had set the date back to just after their initial arrival on the planet. Rose and the Doctor cheered as the aliens receded back into the Kind House, and multiple villagers emerged from their houses in blinking confusion.
They watched as little Olena bounded out of her hut, marveling at the reappearance of so many lost friends, especially one little boy who caught her eye immediately.
“Bernadyn!” she cried out happily.
A daunted looking boy turned to smile at his friend, and they all but crashed into one another’s arms.
Rose wiped away a tear after watching the young friends reunite, and leaned heavily on the Doctor’s shoulder as he turned off the small television.
“It’s all over, then?” she asked him with a grin.
“Yeah,” he replied as he smiled back at her.
“Good!” Rose said teasingly. “I’m exhausted! I feel like I could sleep for a million years, even after all those nightmares!”
“Me too, strangely enough,” the Doctor added.
Rose yawned loudly and stretched her arms over her head. “Well, I’m gonna get some sleep right now!” she announced as she padded off toward the hallway.
The Doctor watched her walk away until she reached the edge of the room and turned around slowly.
“Doctor,” she said with embarrassment. “I don’t suppose you’d mind…”
“Need a sleeping buddy?” he asked sincerely.
“Yeah,” Rose answered sheepishly. “I’m kind of scared to go to sleep by myself.”
“Well,” the Doctor stated jovially as he ran over to her side, “Time Lords are not only wonderful at saving the day, you know. We’re also excellent teddy bears. Just, bigger and less fluffy.”
Rose giggled and the Doctor ducked down, placing an unexpected and passionate kiss to her lips.
“And we tell fantastic bedtime stories,” he added in a husky whisper.
Rose bit her lip at the thought and led him silently into the bedroom. Suddenly, she didn’t feel like sleeping at all.