Snow
AN: This is a companion piece to my story, Cassie, but it can be taken as a stand-alone oneshot as well.
"Sapphire Waterfalls. It's a waterfall made of sapphires! This enormous jewel the size of a glacier reaches the Cliffs of Oblivion and then shatters into sapphires at the edge. They fall a hundred thousand feet into a - Rose, are you paying attention?"
"What-?"
The Doctor chuckled. "What's on your mind, Rose?"
Rose shook her head. "Never mind."
"What is it?"
"You'll laugh."
"I won't. Promise."
"You better not laugh."
"Tell me!"
Rose sighed. "I'm craving hot chocolate."
The Doctor grinned.
"You're laughing!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not! Anyway, you want hot chocolate?"
"Yeah... Not sure why, though."
"Well then! Change of plans. We're going to the planet Charisnotella!"
"Charisno-what?"
"Charisnotella. Come on, you can say it. It's not as hard as Raxicoricofallapatorius."
"Char...is...no...tella. Charisnotella!"
"That's it!"
"Okay, Charisnotella. Why are we going there, again?"
"Best hot chocolate in the universe!" He grabbed her hand and ran for the console. "You ready?"
Rose and the Doctor took their usual spots around the console. They had worked out a routine to help with accuracy and stability in flight, and it worked pretty well.
"Preparation for flight to Charisnotella. TARDIS, are you ready?"
The TARDIS hummed in response.
"Right then. The Doctor, ready for takeoff," said the Doctor from the captain's seat.
"Rose Tyler, ready for takeoff." Rose giggled a bit at how very serious this whole thing was.
"A reminder that giggling during takeoff is strictly prohibited." The Doctor gave her a stern look.
"Right, sorry." Rose held her breath to contain her laughter.
"Right then. Coordinates set."
"Stability controls online."
"Ignition. Takeoff in three... two... one... Allons-y!" The Doctor pulled a lever, and the familiar sound of the engines began.
"Permission to laugh, sir?"
"Permission granted, Rose Tyler." There was a slight pause, and then they burst out laughing.
"Why - do we - even - make it - so - serious?!" Rose said in between her heaving guffaws.
The Doctor (somehow) regained composure. "It's a serious process," he replied. He pointed to the stability controls. "Stay on task, Miss Tyler."
"Right." Rose flicked a few switches on her panel.
"Okay, prepare for landing," said the Doctor. "We'll be landing in sixty seconds and counting."
"Gotcha."
They carefully steered the TARDIS and slowed it perfectly.
"That might've been our best landing yet!" the Doctor cheered. "Molto bene! Now let's go get the best hot chocolate in the universe!" He ran for the door, but Rose grabbed his hand to stop him."
"Doctor, wait," she laughed.
"What?"
"Should we bundle up? I mean, hot chocolate... probably a cold planet..."
"Oh, Rose, you are brilliant. Yes, Charisnotella hits the lowest survivable temperatures. Bundle up."
Five minutes later, the Doctor and Rose were opening the TARDIS doors to... snow. And lots of it.
"Whoa!" Rose giggled. "Good thing I put on a coat, then!"
"A very good thing." The Doctor grinned and took her hand, pulling her just a bit closer. "Well, come on then! Allons-y!"
Rose grinned at the use of the Doctor's favorite catchphrase, but she didn't have much time to grin, as the Doctor grabbed her hand and they took off running, snow flying at them.
They reached a street bustling with aliens. "They're called Sh'karins," the Doctor explained.
"Sh'karins? Not... Charisnotellans or something?"
"No. Sh'karins. Charisnotell is the name of their god, whom according to legend created the planet and named it after himself."
"Ah." Rose decided to observe the Sh'karins a bit. They were about normal human height, and looked rather humanlike, but they had hard, scaly skin in a variety of colors.
"The skin protects them from the elements," said the Doctor. "Instead of having fur or hair or things, they have skin that almost nothing can penetrate. Ah, here's a cafe." The Doctor pointed to a little shop. "We can get hot chocolate here." He opened the door for Rose to walk inside.
"Whooooaaaaah..." Rose breathed in the incredible chocolaty smell. "It smells amazing."
"I know, right?" The Doctor grinned cheekily and walked up to the counter. "Two hot chocolates, please."
"That'll be sixteen krans."
"Oooh, I don't have krans on me... Do you take credits?" He pulled out his credit stick.
The lady at the counter took the credit stick and swiped it through her machine. "Right, your order will be ready in a few minutes."
"Thanks." The Doctor took the credit stick back, slipped it into his bigger-on-the-inside pocket, and led Rose to an empty table. "Oh, I am so thankful for credits. Makes life a lot easier. No exchanges, all across the universe. You humans, you don't even have a planetary currency. Not even a continental one. Each country, each tiny little country, has their own currency. It's just ridiculous. Soon America's going to start having a different one in each state. Can you imagine, Rose Tyler?"
"Two hot chocolates!" called a voice from the counter.
"I'll get it," said the Doctor. He went to get the hot chocolates. "Here you go, Rose. Enjoy."
Rose took a tentative sip. "Oh my God."
"Right?!"
"That... might be the best thing I've ever tasted..."
"Wait till I take you to Mardicula. Known for fish and chips. I'll take you there next, if you'd like. Soon as we're done, we can hop in the TARDIS."
"No, not two food-related trips in a day. Tomorrow, maybe."
"Well, whenever you want the best fish and chips-"
"I'll tell you, I promise." Rose looked out the window. "Wow, looks like the storm's picking up."
"Charisnotella's known for that. They've got crazy blizzards."
They finished their hot chocolates, and left. The wind was even stronger than ever, and it was getting dark.
"Mama?" a little voice called out. "Mama? Daddy? Kasha? Taro? Where are you?"
"Was that a kid?" asked Rose.
"Let's find out." The Doctor took her hand and walked towards the voice, where there was indeed a small Sh'karin, probably female, lost in the snow.
"Mama? Is that you?"
"No," said Rose. She looked down at the little thing. "What's your name?"
"Rani," she replied.
"I'm Rose, and this is the Doctor. Are you lost, Rani?"
"Yeah."
"What happened?"
"I was playing hide and seek with my sister and brother outside, and it was my turn to hide, but nobody found me. So I tried to go home and then I got lost."
"Do you know where you live?"
"I know my address, but I don't know how to get there. Young Sh'karins don't have a good sense of direction."
"Neither do old Time Lords," Rose muttered under her breath. "Well, let's at least get you inside. Maybe someone in the houses can help you find your mum." She scooped up the small child. "Doctor, come on."
"Right. There's a house there with the lights on. Let's try there. Sh'karins are known to be very hospitable." He went to the door and knocked, Rose standing behind him with Rani in her arms. An older, female Sh'karin opened the door.
"Charisnotell bless," she said, holding up her palms.
"And you as well." The Doctor mimicked her actions. "I'm the Doctor, and this is Rose, and this is Rani." He motioned to the child. "Rani's gotten a bit lost."
"Shana-sara?" asked Rani from Rose's arms. "Shana-sara, is that you?"
"Rani! Oh, Rani, love, what are you doing out in the snow? Where's your mother?"
"I got lost, Shana-sara. I'm sorry."
"Oh, Rani, it's alright. Charisnotell is with us always, and he guided you to safety. I'm Shana, Rani's teacher at school," the adult Sh'karin explained. "Oh, thank you so much for finding her. Her mother must be worried sick, poor dear, what with two others and a fourth on the way."
"A pleasure to meet you, Shana," said the Doctor. "Might we come in?"
"Oh, of course, of course," Shana replied emphatically. She motioned them in. The Doctor turned to a small figure on a table by the door. Bowing his head, he dipped his fingers in a bowl of water and sprinkled the water over the figure. Rose copied him, and then lifted Rani up so she could do the same as well.
"You are not Sh'karin," Shana mused. "Yet you know all of our customs. What race are you, and how do you know our ways?"
"Rose and I are travelers," the Doctor replied. "We try to know as much as we can of the inhabitants of every place we visit, so we can be respectful of their traditions."
"Oh, how kind of you! Many tourists to Charisnotella only come for the hot chocolate, and have no respect for our culture."
"Once I saw a tourist who stuck his tongue out at a statue of Charisnotell in the square," Rani commented. "I grabbed him by the shirt and asked Charisnotell to forgive me, and then I kicked him, hard."
"Rani comes from one of the most devout families around," Shana explained. "And yet I think that she is beyond the devotion of even her family. She is uniquely loyal to Charisnotell, more so than most of us... although I cannot always condone her manners of expressing it."
"Speaking of her family, I think we should probably let Rani's mum know that she's safe."
"Oh, yes, of course," said Shana. She pulled out a mobile phone. "Let me call your mother right now." She quickly dialed. "Hello? Madra? This is Shana. I have Rani here at my house."
"Oh, Charisnotell bless you, Shana!" they heard the voice on the other line. "Patros, Shana has our Rani!"
"Yes, a couple of tourists found her in the snow and brought her to my house."
"Tourists?"
"Oh, yes, and I tell you, Madra, they are possibly the most respectful tourists I have ever seen. They knew to anoint the household shrine when they came inside."
"Really? How wonderful. Rani was telling me of a tourist..."
"Yes, I heard that story. I can't say I approve of how she handled that situation, but I do admire her passion and her spirit. Anyway, I shall come over right away and return her to you."
"Shana, wait," said the Doctor. "Rose and I can take her. I'd like to meet Rani's mother, anyway."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure. You contribute to the community as a teacher, and it is our turn to do our share."
"Doctor, you are impossibly aware of our ways. Madra, did you hear that? The tourists have offered to bring Rani home, saying that they want to contribute to the community! I am in shock at their knowledge. Yes, I'll tell them the way. I'll see you tomorrow, Madra. Charisnotell bless your home." She hung up the phone. "Doctor, are you sure about this?"
"I'm sure." He took Rani into his arms and grabbed Rose's hand. "Charisnotell bless your home, Shana."
"And yours as well, Doctor and Rose. Charisnotell brought you here as a breath of fresh air in the poison that is the tourists we see." She led them to the door, where the Doctor, and then Rani and Rose, each touched the head of the statue. Shana quickly told them how to get to Rani's house, and then waved goodbye as they left.
"Who are you, Doctor, if I may ask?" asked Rani as they walked down the road Shana directed them towards.
"I said, I'm a traveler. I go around and I explore different places. Ah, here we are." He handed Rani to Rose, and then knocked on the door. A (clearly pregnant) woman opened it immediately. "Rani!" She reached for the child. "Oh, I apologize. Charisnotell bless." She held out her palms.
"And you as well, but no need to apologize. I am sure Charisnotell will understand a mother's concern for her child... especially one as passionate as Rani." The Doctor chuckled. "You must be Madra."
"Yes, and you are the tourists. Shana never told me your names."
"I'm the Doctor, and this is Rose."
"Doctor, Rose, do please come in." The Doctor, Rose, and Rani once again anointed the shrine, and then walked into the living room.
"Rani!" a man said. "Oh, Rani, you are safe!"
"Daddy!" Rani ran to hug her father. "Kasha, Toro!" She went to hug two other young Sh'karins, presumably her siblings.
"I am Patros. Our family thanks you, Doctor and Rose," said the man, standing up. "May Charisnotell bless you eternally."
"Thank you, and may Charisnotell bless you and your family as well."
"You are so conscious of our ways," said Patros. "It is so appreciated here that tourists respect us and our culture."
"Charisnotell surely looks down upon those who don't and punishes them," Rose replied. "And if Charisnotell doesn't punish the rude himself, I believe Rani enjoys taking matters into her own hands."
"We wonder whether Charisnotell influences Rani or not. He usually does not condone physical violence, but Rani is only ever violent to the disrespectful." He patted his daughter's head.
"We must be off," said the Doctor. "It was an absolute pleasure to meet you all. Charisnotell bless your home."
"And yours as well, Doctor and Rose," said Patros.
"Rani," said Rose, kneeling down to the child's level. "Try not to get lost again."
"I won't," Rani giggled. "Goodbye!"
"Bye!" said the Doctor, and, pausing to touch the shrine, the Doctor and Rose left Rani and her family.
"Well, that was lovely," said the Doctor. "Now, let's go find the TARDIS."
"That's going to be hard," Rose replied. "The storm's getting even worse."
The Doctor pulled out his sonic. "I can try to find it with this," he said. He fiddled with the sonic a bit. "I can't pick up a signal," he said softly. "Oh, Rose, I am sorry. I am so sorry." He put an arm around her shoulders. "I can't find it. I can't pick up a signal from the TARDIS."
"I could-" Rose started, but the Doctor cut her off.
"No. Absolutely not. You are not using yourself to find the TARDIS. It'll hurt you and I'm not letting that happen."
"Just let me try, Doctor! If it doesn't work, I'll stop."
"Okay, fine. But I will cut off your connection if it doesn't work."
"Got it," Rose rolled her eyes. She breathed deeply and closed her eyes, reaching out to the TARDIS with her mind. It took great effort, for she was cold and tired, and she couldn't pick up on the ship. She pushed a bit further, trying to open her mind and reach out to the ship, but to no avail. The ship was far outside of the range of her human mind. But she continued to reach and reach, straining her mind and causing her to shake.
"Rose, stop. Let go. Rose!" The Doctor tried to call out to her, but she didn't respond, her hands still shaking. "Rose!" He touched her temple with two fingertips, breaking the flow in her mind. Instantly, her knees buckled, and she collapsed in his arms, her eyes closing. The Doctor caught her, and with one smooth motion swept her into his arms, and, cradling her close, walked back towards where Shana lived.
He knocked on the door, where Shana immediately invited them in once he explained what had happened to Rose.
"Oh, poor, poor Rose! Do come in, and get her warm!" Shana bustled them in, fussing over Rose while the Doctor sonic-ed the snow off of her shivering body and then off of his own suit.
"Thanks, Shana. Very kind of you." The Doctor carried Rose inside and sat down on the couch, holding her in his lap.
"Mmmmm..." she mumbled. Her eyes opened slowly. "Doctor?" She looked around a bit. "Where...?"
"Shhh, Rose," the Doctor murmured, brushing a bit of leftover snow from her hair. "We're back at Shana's house."
"The TARDIS...?"
"No, I couldn't find it."
"But I-"
"You tried, and-"
"Sorry," she whispered, tears forming in her hazel eyes. "I couldn't..." A single tear fell from her eye and slid down her cheek.
The Doctor wiped the tear away with a thumb, letting his hand linger on her cheek for a moment. "Don't worry about it," he soothed. "It's okay, Rose."
"But-"
"Shhhhhhh..." He laid a finger on her soft pink lips, which in the warm light of the house looked beautiful... He could kiss those lips, for sure...
Rose shivered a bit in his arms. "Cold, Rose?" asked the Doctor, looking down at her.
"A bit," she muttered, "but I'm okay."
The Doctor shifted her a bit so he could get into his jacket pocket and pull out his sonic. He quickly flicked it over her body, and he gasped a bit. "Rose, you're hypothermic! Oh, no wonder you don't think you're that cold; you're numb!" He hugged her close. "Shana?" he called out.
Shana appeared in the doorway. "Doctor? Is everything alright?"
"Yeah... Do you have a blanket? Rose is pretty cold."
"Oh my goodness, she is cold!" said Shana, feeling Rose's forehead. "Here, you lie down on the couch with her. I'll get you a blanket." She hurried out of the room, but then turned back. "Take off your shoes, Doctor, and lie down with her."
"Um... Right." The Doctor kicked off his shoes and laid down on the soft sofa, Rose curling up next to him, laying her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and began playing with a little bit of her hair.
Rose listened quietly to the Doctor's right heart as it beat in her ear. She always loved listening to this particular heart, because it was the one that reminded her that he was a Time Lord and not a human. She felt his arms around her and instantly felt warmer, cuddled against the soft back of the couch and the Doctor's embrace all around her. Just then, a soft, thick, warm blanket fell on top of her.
"Thank you, Shana," the Doctor murmured. Rose felt a shiver down her spine at the sound of his voice. She loved to hear him talk, even if he was rambling about nothing. "Is that better, Rose?"
"Yeah... much better..." Rose was indeed feeling much warmer, and she couldn't help but drift off to sleep.
The Doctor brushed a finger across Rose's forehead, attempting to see whether she was any warmer. He couldn't quite tell, though, so he got out his sonic again and scanned her. "Still hypothermic," he muttered. "Rose?" She didn't respond. "Rose! Oh, Rose, no, no, no, no, don't go to sleep." He gently shook her shoulder. "Rose, wake up."
"Whaaa?" Rose's eyes fluttered open.
"You can't sleep right now, Rose. You're still too cold." He shifted her a bit, so she wasn't quite lying down.
"But I'm so... so... tired..." A single tiny tear formed in Rose's hazel eyes, those gorgeous hazel eyes that were now so pained and vulnerable, so exhausted and so sad, and the Doctor felt his hearts break.
"I know," he murmured, stroking her cheek in the softest, sweetest way he could. "Oh, Rose, I know, and I'm sorry, I am so, so sorry." He wanted nothing more than to pull her even closer and shower her forehead and cheeks with tender kisses.
Rose's eyes became, if possible, even more miserable. "I want to go home," she whispered, tears now steadily streaming down her face. "Oh, Doctor, I just want to go home."
The Doctor's hearts sank yet lower. "As soon as we're back on the TARDIS, I'll take you home." He hated saying it, for he never liked the reminder that his precious Rose sought comfort from her mother over him.
"What?" Rose tilted her head in a look of confusion.
"When we're back on the TARDIS, I'll take you to see your mum... that's what you want, right?"
"I said I want to go home, Doctor. To the TARDIS." She wiped a tear from her face with a shaking hand, yet more fell.
The Doctor felt a rush of affection come over him. His Rose, his sweet, perfect Rose, called the TARDIS, his - no, their - TARDIS, home. Rassilon, he wanted to kiss her so badly. But he didn't, instead taking her shaking hand in his own and stroking it with his thumb until it steadied. Still she wept silently, her body shaking both from the tears and from the cold. Oh, how he wanted to soothe her, comfort her, kiss away her tears. But he couldn't.
"Don't cry, Rose," he cooed in her ear. Rose's skin tingled. The tone his voice took now was softer, gentler than before. "Oh, Rose, please don't cry. I'm here... I'm here, Rose. I've got you. It's going to be okay, I promise." Rose relaxed in his arms, just hearing the soothing, caring tenderness of his voice. "That's it, Rose... just relax." Her tears seemed to vanish in her eyes. How could she cry, when the Doctor was holding her and comforting her?
She was so, so very tired, yet she knew she couldn't sleep. Her Doctor had told her that she couldn't. Her Doctor, she thought again, her Doctor who always took care of her, always knew just what to do, always was so gentle, so kind... oh, if only he really did love her, the way she did him and always had, from the very beginning.
The Doctor noticed that Rose felt a lot warmer. Pulling out his sonic again, he scanned her quickly and saw that she was no longer hypothermic. "Rose?" he asked. Rose looked up at him with those hazel eyes that made his hearts melt. "Rose, you can sleep if you want. You're warmer now, much warmer." He gave her a gentle smile, playing with her soft blond hair. Her arms wrapped around him as she adjusted her position so she was lying down more comfortably. "Sweet dreams, Rose," he murmured in her ear. Yet she didn't fall asleep, he could tell. She seemed a bit anxious, actually. Probably the homesickness, he thought. He wasn't able to fix that, but he could try to calm her down... but how?
He turned a bit to look out the window, wondering if there was any sort of progress on the blizzard front, but unfortunately the storm was still raging. "Oh, the weather outside is frightful," he sang softly, "but the fire is so delightful, and since there's no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow."
Rose began to relax in his arms, her heart rate slowing, her breaths calmer. Brilliant! he thought. He continued to sing. "It doesn't show signs of stopping, and I've brought some corn for popping... The lights are turned way down low, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow..."
He was singing. The Doctor was singing to her. And he was an incredible singer. All of Rose's anxiety about not being able to go back home to the TARDIS faded in an instant, and she felt sleep wash over her like the waves of the ocean. And still she dreamed of the Doctor singing to her, his voice so wonderful and sweet.
The fire is slowly dying,
But my dear, we're still goodbye-ing
And as long as you love me so,
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
Hey everybody! Here's a little fluff for you! But more importantly, it's a companion piece to "Cassie," my longer DW fic. Hope y'alls enjoyed!
Love always,
Kathryn-Willa