Doctor Who Fic
Feb. 27th, 2007 08:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
indiana_jTitle: The Five Times the Doctor and Rose Slept Together
Word Count: 3,469
Spoilers: All the way up through New Earth
Characters: Rose, 9 and 10, Jack
Rating: PG
Summary: Rose and the Doctor share a sort of comfortableness with each other that weathers pretty much anything.
Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the characters or the universe. I simply play with it.
Author's Note: Many, many thanks to my lovely beta reader![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
_bounce_. :D (Also, it is surprisingly hard to write a good summary when your title is pretty self-explanatory!)
I.
“Oi, where do you think you're off to?” the Doctor asked, his head popping around the corner as Rose headed down the hallway. They'd just left Charles Dickens in Cardiff—his companion moaning as soon as they had left about not getting his autograph—and now she was near running away from the TARDIS console.
She pivoted on her heel, nearly tripping in the dress that shouldn't have fit as well as it did, and grinned at him. “'fraid I'll run off somewhere?”
He snorted, crossing his arms. “Where to, Ipswitch?” he shot back.
“Cheeky.” Rose fluttered the skirts at him and the Doctor had to tear his gaze back up to her face. “Nah, just going ta change into something a bit more comfortable, you know? Didn't bring much with me, though, and after this I really need something comfortable!”
The Doctor grinned. “Go muck about in the wardrobe. Just remember...”
“I know, I know! First left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, it's the fifth door on my left!” Rose stuck her tongue out at him and ducked away, muttering darkly about corsets and shoes and wouldn't she like to meet the maker of those and have a sharp word with him?
Shaking his head, he ducked back, going to the TARDIS' controls. “Smart, our Rose is,” he told the ship, patting it affectionately. “Who would have thought? Us meeting Charles Dickens like that? Rose was right, we should have gotten an autograph. Next time.”
*
When Rose finally came back, the Doctor had shucked his leather jacket over the railing and was sprawled comfortably in the TARDIS' “captain's chair”, as she had called it after she'd watched the earth explode. He'd retorted that if it had a name, which it didn't thank you very much, then it would be the Doctor's chair, not some daft old captain.
She'd simply laughed and stolen the rest of his chips.
The floor creaked behind him and he looked over shoulder, eyebrows scrunching together when he saw what she'd gotten from the wardrobe. “Hold on now, isn't that my jumper?” he demanded.
“What, this old thing?” Rose looked down at herself, holding hem in both hands as she gave it a good look. “Suppose so, I guess. It was the first thing I could find that was suitable, yeah? Everything else was either uncomfortable looking or wouldn't have fit...”
Not that the jumper fit her all that well, the Doctor realized, forcing himself to look at the TARDIS' controls again. It was several sizes too big, hanging down far enough to cover whatever shorts she was wearing. But it also slipped off her shoulder, despite her tugging it back up into place, and it was distracting.
“Whatcha doing?” Rose stood right next to him and he gave her a grin.
“Thinking.”
“Well, aren't we Mr. Cryptic tonight?” she asked, reaching over to shove him in the shoulder.
“Ow, what was that for?” he demanded, rubbing his shoulder.
“For an alien, you're such a big baby.” Again her hand was on his shoulder and she was shoving him slightly to the side. The Doctor's eyes widened when he realized the rest of her was following her hand, climbing onto the chair with him. “Budge over,” Rose muttered, trying to get settled.
“Do you mind?” he asked, finally, arms slightly raised because he wasn't really sure what to do with them at this point. If he put them down, they'd either be held tightly to his chest or over Rose and he wasn't exactly sure which one would be more awkward..
“Nope.” After what seemed like forever, Rose got herself settled, legs tucked up under her and partially on the Doctor's upper thigh, her head pillowed right above his left heart. “You gonna keep doing the chicken dance impression all night?”
A scowl slide over his face. “Now who's being cheeky?” he huffed, feeling distinctly put out. “You know I was sitting here right?”
There was no answer? “Right? Hello? Wonderful. You come and nearly shove me off my own chair and now you're not even...” The Doctor paused and tilted his head slightly, trying to peer at her. “And now you're completely asleep. Bollocks.”
His arms were aching and he gingerly put them back down in place, his left fitting snuggly over Rose's shoulders. Despite his grumbling, he took great care when stretching his legs out not to wake her up. It was all well and good that he was used to this life, but she wasn't and it could be tiring. Especially with those near death experiences they'd run into so far...
There was a fond look in his eyes before he closed them, making note to take her home when they woke up. After all, he couldn't stand the distraction if she kept wandering about in just shorts and his jumper and best she get her own stuff. Knowing women, if they didn't he'd be clean out of jumpers before long.
But that could wait until they had slept.
~~
II.
By Rose's calculations, if they had been in England, it would probably have been around 4 in the morning. But time was wonky on the TARDIS, what with being a time machine and all (and the lack of windows), so there was no telling what time it actually was. They slept when they needed to, never mind the time; morning was whenever they woke up and Rose fixed them a cup of tea.
And since the Doctor was weird with the sleeping, it always seemed like she slept more than he did. The one time she'd brought it up to him, he'd laughed at her, saying that humans were inferior—of course—and thus, needed more sleep in order to keep up with him. And in the same breath, managed to reassure her he'd never leave or go off adventuring on his own while she slept.
By the TARDIS' time, or home time didn't matter, it was late. Rose crept down the hallway, passing the room they'd given to Adam. She froze a few feet away, hearing a noise but continued on when it seemed he'd only been turning over. At least someone was sleeping.
The control room was lit only barely, as was normal when the Doctor finally had to do some resting of his own. But even in the dim light, she could see that he was still in there, nearly blending in with the shadows of his ship. Hunkered down in one of the corners, like a rag doll tossed after being played with for too long.
“Doctor?” It was a whisper that spoke of fear and Rose was at his side before he could even turn to look at her properly. Good, not dead, just...sitting there... “Doctor, everything alright?”
The Doctor chuckled and looked away again, like he didn't want to meet her eyes. “Fantastic question,” he muttered.
Despite the cold metal of the paneling, she sat next to him, ignoring the bit of the metal on her legs. “Yeah? Fantastic to have an answer, all the same.”
Rose was watching closely and even then she nearly missed his jaw clenching and then unclenching. Reaching over, she grabbed his hand, holding on tightly. “Look, I'm sorry,” she said quietly, unshed tears in her voice. “I'm really, really sorry. All those deaths and all I wanted to do...”
His head whipped around so fast that she jerked back in surprise, nearly flinched at the the emotions in his eyes. “You're sorry?” The Doctor laughed, a short bark that made her shudder. “Rose, for the...listen to me, you've nothing to be sorry for. This was all my fault. All mine. I dragged you along, I got you into this mess...I...”
The pressure from his hand to hers was nearly painful but she doesn't say anything, just held on nearly as tightly, nearly at pressure for pressure.
“I killed you. I shut you in with a bloody fuckin' Dalek and, though I didn't see anything—course I didn't, you're right here—I saw it in my mind how you died. And your words keep drilling through my head. 'I wouldn't have missed it for the world'. Those images, those words, over and over again whenever I shut my eyes. Oh, Rose...I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...”
In an instant, Rose wrapped her arm around his neck, her other hand still clenched tightly with his. “Doctor, no, please don't,” she cried as she felt an arm snake around her waist, long legs curling around on the outside as he buried his face in the crook of her neck and shoulder. He was panting as though he was trying not to cry, clutching her as though to make sure she was really real and not going anywhere.
Not another word was spoken between them and, despite the fact the morning would bring cricks and cramping, neither of them moved. The Doctor dozed off about an hour later, in fits and starts, and Rose kept watch until morning on the TARDIS finally arrived.
~~
III.
“Ow ow ow ow. They shot me in the butt!”
Despite her best efforts, Rose was suddenly useless, sprawled out in the bottom of the alien version of a linen closet and laughing herself sick. The Doctor sent her a dark look but when he turned back to Jack, he couldn't quite hide the smirk, especially at the pout the former Time Agent was shooting at both him and his companion.
“Well, whose fault is that?” the Doctor asked as he eyed the sonic screwdriver after using it to exam Jack's...er...wound. “You know what they say about sticking it out like that. You're lucky it didn't get bitten clean off.”
“You got shot in the arse!”
“Yeah, thanks for the information, Rose, never would have known. And would you stop sounding so gleeful?” Jack lifted his head from the ground and grinned at her, eyebrows waggling. “Hey, want to kiss it bett--ow! Watch it with that thing, Doctor!”
“Sorry.”
It would have been a lot more sincere without the ear to ear grin on his face. And, as Rose would say, considering his ears, that was saying a lot.
“Why do you wound me?”
There was a snort. “It wasn't me that shot you in the bum. It was because you decided to flirt with the chieftain's daughter.”
“She was cute!”
“She was twelve!”
“She looked Rose's age!”
Finally able to stop laughing, Rose rolled over and sat up, brushing off her shirt. “Well, now what do we do? Can we get back to the TARDIS in one piece?”
Sitting back, the Doctor shook his head. “Not right now. It's full day outside and they're preparing for their festival, which means they'll be more active than normal. I've stopped the bleeding so Jack's in no danger of bleeding out or, potentially, catching some nasty disease...”
“I'll have you know I've had all my shots,” the other man shot back, looking incredibly put out. And uncomfortable. He winced as he shifted, trying to find a comfortable spot. “So what you're trying to say is that we're stuck in this pitiful excuse of a closet until nightfall when they all wander off to pray to their gods?”
“Sort of, yeah.”
Surprised, Rose swallowed a sudden yawn and gave the Doctor and Jack a sheepish look when they glanced over. “What? I'm positively knackered right now. I was in the middle of a lovely lunch when we had to run for our lives so now I'm full and exhausted.”
“Sleep wouldn't be such a bad idea, actually,” the Time Lord mused, shifting so that his back was against one of the walls. “A better way than Jack's last attempt to pass the time.”
Jack shifted up slightly, grimace firmly in place. “I'll have you know that I rather enjoyed our version of “I Spy”.”
The Doctor simply rolled his eyes.
“Was that the time that Jack kept accidentally spyin' my knickers?” Rose asked, chewing on her lip before crawling over to the one side of the Doctor, which just happened to be right in between him and Jack. She lay on her side, an arm tossed casually over black leather and jumper, a comforting combination, and snuggled down.
“She do that often?”
“Sort of, yeah,” the Doctor answered, just a rumble in her ear, sounding suspiciously smug. Just in case, she smacked his stomach. “Oi!”
There was a snicker from behind her, and noise as someone inched closer. A muscular arm was tossed over her and the Doctor's knees and then she squeaked.
“Jack?”
“Yeah?”
“You realize you're lying on my bum?”
“Yep!” She could hear the grin in his voice.
It was a good thing he was already injured, and that her arms were a little full, when she felt him pat her on the butt.
~~
IV.
Different face. Different hair. A new mole.
The Doctor, because even though Rose really does think he's left her, she knows that it might just be him, lies in another man's jimjams, in her mother's bed. He might not have left her when he...when he “regenerated” but there's a good chance he's trying to now.
She worried at her thumbnail, biting it into pieces as she keeps watch. Mickey ran out to check on his mates before coming back ('Happy Christmas, mum. No presents for ya but I brought back the notDoctor and a killer Christmas tree!') and she found her mum dozing in Rose's old room, seeing as the living room was destroyed.
It just wasn't fair, it really wasn't. They had survived the Game Station, all of them and that included Jack though she was still trying to figure out where he was. Her memory was still all fuzzy and clouded at the end but they'd survived. And now this.
Biting down a sob, Rose edged further into the room, stopping at the edge of the bed. There wasn't a thing about him that was the same. More hair, a lot more hair, leaner, different eyes.
But.
But when the tree, being controlled by Pilot Fish, had been breaking down the wall in an attempt to kill them, when she'd leaned over and whispered “Help me”...
Yeah, she'd woken him early but nothing else had woken him. Not getting him across the street in broad daylight. Not Mickey dropping him in the stairwell and not the row she'd had with him when he had. And not...she flushed...when she'd changed him into Howard's stuff.
Two words, spoken by her, had gotten through when nothing else had. The Doctor, like always, had come to her rescue, despite whatever harm might have fallen on him. He had saved her, just like he had in Cardiff or when they had to hop for their lives (because yes, she did remember that) or...
Slowly, Rose climbed onto the bed and crept forward stopping a mere inches away from him. He looked different, he sounded different, he acted differently as far as she could tell.
Taking care, a hand reached out and stroked his cheek and his chin, studying his new features. This wasn't the time for it. There was an alien invasion going on and the Doctor was out of touch as far as they were concerned. And she wasn't sure if anything other than a threat on her life would wake him until he was ready.
She was so tired. There'd been no rest since the Game Station. Memories surfaced, of her being sick and snuggling in with her mummy instead of going to school; her and Mickey falling asleep when they were supposed to be in time out; her curled up around her mum when the wedding anniversary came and went.
Without thinking about it, her mind too tired to think anymore, Rose stretched out, kicking off her trainers because she knew her mum would have had a fit. One hand fit in with his loosely as she snuggled around his arm, head on his shoulder.
The aliens would still be there when she woke up. But maybe so would her Doctor.
~~
V.
“Did you mean it?”
Rose glanced up from her book, legs flung over his Captain's chair (oh, how Jack had loved that. They'd even caught him trying to stencil the words on the back of it) so that they dangled and she could swing them. “Did I mean what?” she asked him. Or, really, asked his back since he was dancing around the TARDIS controls like a monkey that gotten into the coffee.
“Well, actually, I suppose the real question is did she mean it when she said you thought it.”
The book closed with a snap as she struggled to sit up. “Huh?”
The Doctor grinned at her over his shoulder. “Very elegant you are.”
“Oi, I could say the same for you!” she chided.
“Possession by bouncy trampoline?” he asked. “Jog your memory a bit? She said you thought I was foxy.” He wagged his eyebrows at her and grinned even more when she blushed, doing a bit of a wiggle that caught her eye.
Rose sniffed. “I think you're being rude again,” she replied, sticking out her tongue. Back to the book but after a few minutes she can't help but glance over the top of it. He was still staring at her, goofy grin on his face, hands in his pocket.
“Can I help you?”
“Never answered my question, now that is rude.”
“Your new body has...a certain charm to it,” Rose admitted loftily.
“Charm? I should say that it does! Have you seen this bum of mine?” Turning in a circle as though if he went fast enough he could actually see it, the Doctor nearly bounced off the chair, causing her to shriek and nearly topple out of it in an attempt to save her legs.
“Watch it!”
Laughing, he leaned down to prop his chin on her book.
Rose, a bit flustered, shot back with, “Well, you weren't exactly all innocent either. You told her to give me back to you! I heard it, I did. Very cave man like, really.”
“And apparently you like me because I'm mad.”
“Mad as a hatter,” she agreed.
“Oi, the cheek on you.”
“And that's why you like me,” Rose replied, smugly, leaning forward until their foreheads banged together. “Admit it.”
“Well, maybe just a little bit.”
Rose had to fight to keep her eyes from crossing and after a while they start to water so she was forced to blink. “I think I need some sleep,” she said softly, after a minute. “Possession is tiring, apparently. Who know?”
“I did.”
“Of course you did.”
Neither of them moved.
“Doctor?”
“Rose?”
“I...when Cassandra entered my mind that last time, she didn't bring over that poor woman's thoughts, because she couldn't, but...I could feel the despair she felt from being in there. I...” She could travel through time and space, eat Mickey's cooking without batting an eye and fight space creatures on a daily basis but this was hard? “Can I spend the night with you?”
This time it was he who blinked. They'd lost track of the times they would up falling asleep together, in the TARDIS or off it, with and without Jack, but they'd never done it on purpose. Or, well, on purpose when the purpose was totally clear. They'd never asked or made intentions clear, it just...well, happened.
The thing that had surprised them both was the lack of awkward in the morning, even that first time when they'd woken up in the same chair Rose was in now. They'd just untangled their limbs, got feeling back in their arms and gone off on their next adventure.
Asking. Subtle, but it was there, a slight move in their relationship. A shift that felt natural.
Rose worried her lip, about to laugh it off before the silence got to be too much and then he stood back, straightening. She eyed him as he scratched the back of his neck.
“Right but if you steal the covers, you sleep on the floor,” the Doctor announced sternly, holding out that bloody “fightin' hand” of his. He winked at her and wiggled his fingers in an open invitation.
Laughing, she dropped her book onto the floor as she reached for his hand, gripping it for all she was worth.
“Oi, I'm not the pillow hog in this TARDIS!”
Word Count: 3,469
Spoilers: All the way up through New Earth
Characters: Rose, 9 and 10, Jack
Rating: PG
Summary: Rose and the Doctor share a sort of comfortableness with each other that weathers pretty much anything.
Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the characters or the universe. I simply play with it.
Author's Note: Many, many thanks to my lovely beta reader
_bounce_. :D (Also, it is surprisingly hard to write a good summary when your title is pretty self-explanatory!)I.
“Oi, where do you think you're off to?” the Doctor asked, his head popping around the corner as Rose headed down the hallway. They'd just left Charles Dickens in Cardiff—his companion moaning as soon as they had left about not getting his autograph—and now she was near running away from the TARDIS console.
She pivoted on her heel, nearly tripping in the dress that shouldn't have fit as well as it did, and grinned at him. “'fraid I'll run off somewhere?”
He snorted, crossing his arms. “Where to, Ipswitch?” he shot back.
“Cheeky.” Rose fluttered the skirts at him and the Doctor had to tear his gaze back up to her face. “Nah, just going ta change into something a bit more comfortable, you know? Didn't bring much with me, though, and after this I really need something comfortable!”
The Doctor grinned. “Go muck about in the wardrobe. Just remember...”
“I know, I know! First left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, it's the fifth door on my left!” Rose stuck her tongue out at him and ducked away, muttering darkly about corsets and shoes and wouldn't she like to meet the maker of those and have a sharp word with him?
Shaking his head, he ducked back, going to the TARDIS' controls. “Smart, our Rose is,” he told the ship, patting it affectionately. “Who would have thought? Us meeting Charles Dickens like that? Rose was right, we should have gotten an autograph. Next time.”
*
When Rose finally came back, the Doctor had shucked his leather jacket over the railing and was sprawled comfortably in the TARDIS' “captain's chair”, as she had called it after she'd watched the earth explode. He'd retorted that if it had a name, which it didn't thank you very much, then it would be the Doctor's chair, not some daft old captain.
She'd simply laughed and stolen the rest of his chips.
The floor creaked behind him and he looked over shoulder, eyebrows scrunching together when he saw what she'd gotten from the wardrobe. “Hold on now, isn't that my jumper?” he demanded.
“What, this old thing?” Rose looked down at herself, holding hem in both hands as she gave it a good look. “Suppose so, I guess. It was the first thing I could find that was suitable, yeah? Everything else was either uncomfortable looking or wouldn't have fit...”
Not that the jumper fit her all that well, the Doctor realized, forcing himself to look at the TARDIS' controls again. It was several sizes too big, hanging down far enough to cover whatever shorts she was wearing. But it also slipped off her shoulder, despite her tugging it back up into place, and it was distracting.
“Whatcha doing?” Rose stood right next to him and he gave her a grin.
“Thinking.”
“Well, aren't we Mr. Cryptic tonight?” she asked, reaching over to shove him in the shoulder.
“Ow, what was that for?” he demanded, rubbing his shoulder.
“For an alien, you're such a big baby.” Again her hand was on his shoulder and she was shoving him slightly to the side. The Doctor's eyes widened when he realized the rest of her was following her hand, climbing onto the chair with him. “Budge over,” Rose muttered, trying to get settled.
“Do you mind?” he asked, finally, arms slightly raised because he wasn't really sure what to do with them at this point. If he put them down, they'd either be held tightly to his chest or over Rose and he wasn't exactly sure which one would be more awkward..
“Nope.” After what seemed like forever, Rose got herself settled, legs tucked up under her and partially on the Doctor's upper thigh, her head pillowed right above his left heart. “You gonna keep doing the chicken dance impression all night?”
A scowl slide over his face. “Now who's being cheeky?” he huffed, feeling distinctly put out. “You know I was sitting here right?”
There was no answer? “Right? Hello? Wonderful. You come and nearly shove me off my own chair and now you're not even...” The Doctor paused and tilted his head slightly, trying to peer at her. “And now you're completely asleep. Bollocks.”
His arms were aching and he gingerly put them back down in place, his left fitting snuggly over Rose's shoulders. Despite his grumbling, he took great care when stretching his legs out not to wake her up. It was all well and good that he was used to this life, but she wasn't and it could be tiring. Especially with those near death experiences they'd run into so far...
There was a fond look in his eyes before he closed them, making note to take her home when they woke up. After all, he couldn't stand the distraction if she kept wandering about in just shorts and his jumper and best she get her own stuff. Knowing women, if they didn't he'd be clean out of jumpers before long.
But that could wait until they had slept.
~~
II.
By Rose's calculations, if they had been in England, it would probably have been around 4 in the morning. But time was wonky on the TARDIS, what with being a time machine and all (and the lack of windows), so there was no telling what time it actually was. They slept when they needed to, never mind the time; morning was whenever they woke up and Rose fixed them a cup of tea.
And since the Doctor was weird with the sleeping, it always seemed like she slept more than he did. The one time she'd brought it up to him, he'd laughed at her, saying that humans were inferior—of course—and thus, needed more sleep in order to keep up with him. And in the same breath, managed to reassure her he'd never leave or go off adventuring on his own while she slept.
By the TARDIS' time, or home time didn't matter, it was late. Rose crept down the hallway, passing the room they'd given to Adam. She froze a few feet away, hearing a noise but continued on when it seemed he'd only been turning over. At least someone was sleeping.
The control room was lit only barely, as was normal when the Doctor finally had to do some resting of his own. But even in the dim light, she could see that he was still in there, nearly blending in with the shadows of his ship. Hunkered down in one of the corners, like a rag doll tossed after being played with for too long.
“Doctor?” It was a whisper that spoke of fear and Rose was at his side before he could even turn to look at her properly. Good, not dead, just...sitting there... “Doctor, everything alright?”
The Doctor chuckled and looked away again, like he didn't want to meet her eyes. “Fantastic question,” he muttered.
Despite the cold metal of the paneling, she sat next to him, ignoring the bit of the metal on her legs. “Yeah? Fantastic to have an answer, all the same.”
Rose was watching closely and even then she nearly missed his jaw clenching and then unclenching. Reaching over, she grabbed his hand, holding on tightly. “Look, I'm sorry,” she said quietly, unshed tears in her voice. “I'm really, really sorry. All those deaths and all I wanted to do...”
His head whipped around so fast that she jerked back in surprise, nearly flinched at the the emotions in his eyes. “You're sorry?” The Doctor laughed, a short bark that made her shudder. “Rose, for the...listen to me, you've nothing to be sorry for. This was all my fault. All mine. I dragged you along, I got you into this mess...I...”
The pressure from his hand to hers was nearly painful but she doesn't say anything, just held on nearly as tightly, nearly at pressure for pressure.
“I killed you. I shut you in with a bloody fuckin' Dalek and, though I didn't see anything—course I didn't, you're right here—I saw it in my mind how you died. And your words keep drilling through my head. 'I wouldn't have missed it for the world'. Those images, those words, over and over again whenever I shut my eyes. Oh, Rose...I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...”
In an instant, Rose wrapped her arm around his neck, her other hand still clenched tightly with his. “Doctor, no, please don't,” she cried as she felt an arm snake around her waist, long legs curling around on the outside as he buried his face in the crook of her neck and shoulder. He was panting as though he was trying not to cry, clutching her as though to make sure she was really real and not going anywhere.
Not another word was spoken between them and, despite the fact the morning would bring cricks and cramping, neither of them moved. The Doctor dozed off about an hour later, in fits and starts, and Rose kept watch until morning on the TARDIS finally arrived.
~~
III.
“Ow ow ow ow. They shot me in the butt!”
Despite her best efforts, Rose was suddenly useless, sprawled out in the bottom of the alien version of a linen closet and laughing herself sick. The Doctor sent her a dark look but when he turned back to Jack, he couldn't quite hide the smirk, especially at the pout the former Time Agent was shooting at both him and his companion.
“Well, whose fault is that?” the Doctor asked as he eyed the sonic screwdriver after using it to exam Jack's...er...wound. “You know what they say about sticking it out like that. You're lucky it didn't get bitten clean off.”
“You got shot in the arse!”
“Yeah, thanks for the information, Rose, never would have known. And would you stop sounding so gleeful?” Jack lifted his head from the ground and grinned at her, eyebrows waggling. “Hey, want to kiss it bett--ow! Watch it with that thing, Doctor!”
“Sorry.”
It would have been a lot more sincere without the ear to ear grin on his face. And, as Rose would say, considering his ears, that was saying a lot.
“Why do you wound me?”
There was a snort. “It wasn't me that shot you in the bum. It was because you decided to flirt with the chieftain's daughter.”
“She was cute!”
“She was twelve!”
“She looked Rose's age!”
Finally able to stop laughing, Rose rolled over and sat up, brushing off her shirt. “Well, now what do we do? Can we get back to the TARDIS in one piece?”
Sitting back, the Doctor shook his head. “Not right now. It's full day outside and they're preparing for their festival, which means they'll be more active than normal. I've stopped the bleeding so Jack's in no danger of bleeding out or, potentially, catching some nasty disease...”
“I'll have you know I've had all my shots,” the other man shot back, looking incredibly put out. And uncomfortable. He winced as he shifted, trying to find a comfortable spot. “So what you're trying to say is that we're stuck in this pitiful excuse of a closet until nightfall when they all wander off to pray to their gods?”
“Sort of, yeah.”
Surprised, Rose swallowed a sudden yawn and gave the Doctor and Jack a sheepish look when they glanced over. “What? I'm positively knackered right now. I was in the middle of a lovely lunch when we had to run for our lives so now I'm full and exhausted.”
“Sleep wouldn't be such a bad idea, actually,” the Time Lord mused, shifting so that his back was against one of the walls. “A better way than Jack's last attempt to pass the time.”
Jack shifted up slightly, grimace firmly in place. “I'll have you know that I rather enjoyed our version of “I Spy”.”
The Doctor simply rolled his eyes.
“Was that the time that Jack kept accidentally spyin' my knickers?” Rose asked, chewing on her lip before crawling over to the one side of the Doctor, which just happened to be right in between him and Jack. She lay on her side, an arm tossed casually over black leather and jumper, a comforting combination, and snuggled down.
“She do that often?”
“Sort of, yeah,” the Doctor answered, just a rumble in her ear, sounding suspiciously smug. Just in case, she smacked his stomach. “Oi!”
There was a snicker from behind her, and noise as someone inched closer. A muscular arm was tossed over her and the Doctor's knees and then she squeaked.
“Jack?”
“Yeah?”
“You realize you're lying on my bum?”
“Yep!” She could hear the grin in his voice.
It was a good thing he was already injured, and that her arms were a little full, when she felt him pat her on the butt.
~~
IV.
Different face. Different hair. A new mole.
The Doctor, because even though Rose really does think he's left her, she knows that it might just be him, lies in another man's jimjams, in her mother's bed. He might not have left her when he...when he “regenerated” but there's a good chance he's trying to now.
She worried at her thumbnail, biting it into pieces as she keeps watch. Mickey ran out to check on his mates before coming back ('Happy Christmas, mum. No presents for ya but I brought back the notDoctor and a killer Christmas tree!') and she found her mum dozing in Rose's old room, seeing as the living room was destroyed.
It just wasn't fair, it really wasn't. They had survived the Game Station, all of them and that included Jack though she was still trying to figure out where he was. Her memory was still all fuzzy and clouded at the end but they'd survived. And now this.
Biting down a sob, Rose edged further into the room, stopping at the edge of the bed. There wasn't a thing about him that was the same. More hair, a lot more hair, leaner, different eyes.
But.
But when the tree, being controlled by Pilot Fish, had been breaking down the wall in an attempt to kill them, when she'd leaned over and whispered “Help me”...
Yeah, she'd woken him early but nothing else had woken him. Not getting him across the street in broad daylight. Not Mickey dropping him in the stairwell and not the row she'd had with him when he had. And not...she flushed...when she'd changed him into Howard's stuff.
Two words, spoken by her, had gotten through when nothing else had. The Doctor, like always, had come to her rescue, despite whatever harm might have fallen on him. He had saved her, just like he had in Cardiff or when they had to hop for their lives (because yes, she did remember that) or...
Slowly, Rose climbed onto the bed and crept forward stopping a mere inches away from him. He looked different, he sounded different, he acted differently as far as she could tell.
Taking care, a hand reached out and stroked his cheek and his chin, studying his new features. This wasn't the time for it. There was an alien invasion going on and the Doctor was out of touch as far as they were concerned. And she wasn't sure if anything other than a threat on her life would wake him until he was ready.
She was so tired. There'd been no rest since the Game Station. Memories surfaced, of her being sick and snuggling in with her mummy instead of going to school; her and Mickey falling asleep when they were supposed to be in time out; her curled up around her mum when the wedding anniversary came and went.
Without thinking about it, her mind too tired to think anymore, Rose stretched out, kicking off her trainers because she knew her mum would have had a fit. One hand fit in with his loosely as she snuggled around his arm, head on his shoulder.
The aliens would still be there when she woke up. But maybe so would her Doctor.
~~
V.
“Did you mean it?”
Rose glanced up from her book, legs flung over his Captain's chair (oh, how Jack had loved that. They'd even caught him trying to stencil the words on the back of it) so that they dangled and she could swing them. “Did I mean what?” she asked him. Or, really, asked his back since he was dancing around the TARDIS controls like a monkey that gotten into the coffee.
“Well, actually, I suppose the real question is did she mean it when she said you thought it.”
The book closed with a snap as she struggled to sit up. “Huh?”
The Doctor grinned at her over his shoulder. “Very elegant you are.”
“Oi, I could say the same for you!” she chided.
“Possession by bouncy trampoline?” he asked. “Jog your memory a bit? She said you thought I was foxy.” He wagged his eyebrows at her and grinned even more when she blushed, doing a bit of a wiggle that caught her eye.
Rose sniffed. “I think you're being rude again,” she replied, sticking out her tongue. Back to the book but after a few minutes she can't help but glance over the top of it. He was still staring at her, goofy grin on his face, hands in his pocket.
“Can I help you?”
“Never answered my question, now that is rude.”
“Your new body has...a certain charm to it,” Rose admitted loftily.
“Charm? I should say that it does! Have you seen this bum of mine?” Turning in a circle as though if he went fast enough he could actually see it, the Doctor nearly bounced off the chair, causing her to shriek and nearly topple out of it in an attempt to save her legs.
“Watch it!”
Laughing, he leaned down to prop his chin on her book.
Rose, a bit flustered, shot back with, “Well, you weren't exactly all innocent either. You told her to give me back to you! I heard it, I did. Very cave man like, really.”
“And apparently you like me because I'm mad.”
“Mad as a hatter,” she agreed.
“Oi, the cheek on you.”
“And that's why you like me,” Rose replied, smugly, leaning forward until their foreheads banged together. “Admit it.”
“Well, maybe just a little bit.”
Rose had to fight to keep her eyes from crossing and after a while they start to water so she was forced to blink. “I think I need some sleep,” she said softly, after a minute. “Possession is tiring, apparently. Who know?”
“I did.”
“Of course you did.”
Neither of them moved.
“Doctor?”
“Rose?”
“I...when Cassandra entered my mind that last time, she didn't bring over that poor woman's thoughts, because she couldn't, but...I could feel the despair she felt from being in there. I...” She could travel through time and space, eat Mickey's cooking without batting an eye and fight space creatures on a daily basis but this was hard? “Can I spend the night with you?”
This time it was he who blinked. They'd lost track of the times they would up falling asleep together, in the TARDIS or off it, with and without Jack, but they'd never done it on purpose. Or, well, on purpose when the purpose was totally clear. They'd never asked or made intentions clear, it just...well, happened.
The thing that had surprised them both was the lack of awkward in the morning, even that first time when they'd woken up in the same chair Rose was in now. They'd just untangled their limbs, got feeling back in their arms and gone off on their next adventure.
Asking. Subtle, but it was there, a slight move in their relationship. A shift that felt natural.
Rose worried her lip, about to laugh it off before the silence got to be too much and then he stood back, straightening. She eyed him as he scratched the back of his neck.
“Right but if you steal the covers, you sleep on the floor,” the Doctor announced sternly, holding out that bloody “fightin' hand” of his. He winked at her and wiggled his fingers in an open invitation.
Laughing, she dropped her book onto the floor as she reached for his hand, gripping it for all she was worth.
“Oi, I'm not the pillow hog in this TARDIS!”
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-28 04:17 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-28 04:20 am (UTC)But I'm glad you liked it. :D
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-28 04:30 pm (UTC)Also? Bounce was right about Rose's voice being familiar. ;)
(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-13 12:26 am (UTC)And thank you. *snickers* Yeaaah...just a bit familiar...
(And yes, yes you need to see more. So do I, actually...XD)