The Rules Have Changed
10/Rose – Sequel to "She Broke the Rule". It's sort of becoming a bit of a series.
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of his friends. Though I desperately wish I did so that I could make Rose a permanent character.
Summary: They perhaps moved a bit too fast. Now she is going to be in over her head and he thinks she may leave. How is he to do things properly, when she insists on going about everything backwards? And why can he never say no to her?
Trudging through the forest was a lot more fun when you stopped every few feet to have a quick snog, though they didn't seem to make as much progress.
A week earlier, they had set out to find the fountain of youth. They searched many planets, only to find another clue to where it would be. They were nowhere near losing hope- they were far too distracted for that. Rose never could concentrate around the Doctor. Now their attention span had greatly lessened, thanks to the new level of their relationship.
The Doctor spun Rose around and kissed her quickly on the lips, only to continue walking as if nothing had happened. Now how was she to stand for that? He soon found himself shoved up against a tree, his mouth very warm and open (when did he open for her?) and his chest cooler. Had she just unbuttoned his shirt? Certainly she didn't mean to shag here- it was so damp and…green. OH…it appears she does. This was a bit of a problem.
That first kiss she had given him had initiated what his people had referred to as the bonding. The bonding had long been forbidden on Gallifrey, as it was not good for the war. If people were too close the men would not leave for war and the women had too many children to work in the offices while they were gone. Even now, his mind rebelled against it. He knew that it would calm as soon as he formed the link with Rose.
Except he hadn't told her yet.
Every time they made love, the link was meant to strengthen. It did, but only on one side. It was beginning to get more painful for him to continue the single sided link. He needed to tell her and give her mind the capabilities for a telepathic link. But in order to do that they needed to have a Gallifreyan wedding. In the wedding, his mind would enter hers and they would become one mind. She would gain all the telepathic abilities of a Time Lord, making it possible to complete the bonding. He would finally be with Rose. He would literally be closer to Rose than he could ever be with another being- even another Time Lord.
Then there was the problem of getting someone to officiate the ceremony. After all, his people were dead. The only ones that could do that belonged to the Shadow Proclamation, and their last meeting hadn't exactly gone well. He doubted they would allow him to marry Rose without her lifespan increased first.
He knew she loved him. She told him so every day, and he returned it fervently. Then why was he so damned nervous about proposing? He gently pressed her back off of him, grabbing her hand and continuing through the brush. He didn't think he could handle too many more times. The bond was stronger every time and soon it would be too painful. Damned TARDIS was fed up with his cowardice and dropped him and Rose in the middle of this forest. She kept disappearing and reappearing in another clearing. He understood why she was doing it, she felt his pain as well. They were telepathically linked and she was rather annoyed with him for causing her pain for his fear. Especially since his fear was ridiculous.
He really should have proposed to Rose and done the wedding properly before he had made love to her. But really, how could he resist her when she was kissing him so delightfully? He had forgotten about it completely until afterward, really. It was the feeling of the one sided link that made him realize that he needed her with him forever, not just her lifetime. He didn't think he could live without her now.
So here they were, at another dead end planet with just another clue to lead them closer to the fountain of youth. And yes, there was the rather large group of locals following them. He only hoped that they were friendly-
His thought was abruptly ended when an arrow whizzed past his head and stuck into the tree in front of him. So, forget that last thought. He begged the TARDIS to come back to get them, but was met with a snort of laughter. Or as close to a snort of laughter as a sentient ship can get. Gripping Rose's hand tighter, he yelled "Run!". It was rather pointless to voice it, really. She knew the drill. They were already running. They ducked flying arrows and dodged the occasional spear as they ran through the forest, only to be met by a semi-circle of arrows pointed at them.
Brilliant.
Three hours later, they were considerably muddier, a bit more exhausted, and even more exhilarated as they ran back through the trees, howling with laughter.
"I can't believe we finally found a planet that the "I'm a god" excuse worked on!" Rose said, laughing harder as they came to a stop in front of the TARDIS doors. It seems she finally took pity on him and allowed them in.
The Doctor laughed with her, feeling her joy in his mind and wishing she could feel his. "I think that may have made it even harder to escape than before!" he said, as he flipped the controls on the console.
"So, where to next?" Rose asked as she wrapped her arms around him from behind. He both savored the contact and mentally flinched at the pain the closeness brought.
The Doctor set the controls for Earth. "Home. I thought you might like to see your mother." There. That was safe. No sex in her mum's apartment. He would be ok for a few days, until he managed to get up the courage to propose. Then she would understand why they had to search for the fountain and abstain for a bit, as much as he hated the thought.
He could feel her smile against his shoulder. "There's my Doctor, so considerate. You know, it'll be a little while before we get there. And I've never made love to a god before. Care to give it a go?" she asked, pulling him backwards and towards the corridor that led to his bedroom (the TARDIS refused to move her things there until after they were married…the prude). He begged his ship for help, as he knew that he could not refuse her. The TARDIS acquiesced, setting fake alarms off so that he could go about "fixing" her, lest they crash. Rose was disappointed, but not the least bit suspicious that anything was wrong at all.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at Jackie's flat. The alarms shut off and they hopped out of the doors to face the two most difficult days of their lives.
On Rose's side, the time was difficult because she had no contact whatsoever with the Doctor. It hadn't been this hard before, so why was it so hard now? She felt connected with him somehow, as if she needed the physical part of their relationship to feel whole. She felt like something was missing. And she knew from the look in his eyes when she asked that there was something he wasn't telling her.
For the Doctor, though the pain did not increase, it changed. It was a double edged sword. He now burned for Rose while still feeling the pain of the one sided link. He needed the connection, and he could tell she did too, but he couldn't give it to her.
And there was another problem. Jackie. She knew something was going on, kept prodding about it. Rose didn't want to tell her yet. When she asked to keep it secret, his hearts gave a pang. She didn't understand how permanent this was for him. She didn't understand-and he was too much of a coward to tell her. The only person in the world who knew of the Gallifreyan bonding was Jack- he had used it as an excuse during one of Jack's more intense begging sessions. It had bred too many questions- but it was a good distraction.
Of course, Jack Harkness would be the person they bump into while shopping.
"Rosie!" he yelled, gathering her in a bear hug. She laughed and returned the embrace as well as she could with her arms pinned to her sides.
"Hey, Doc! What's up!" the Doctor braced himself for the oncoming hug. He was not disappointed. After a few minutes of chit-chat, the three of them decided to go get chips and catch up with each other. The Doctor went to the counter to order the chips. This is where he went desperately wrong.
He returned to the table to see a very angry Rose and a very guilty looking Jack. She stood up and before he could even speak, she slapped him right on the face. (This is one moment in which he inappropriately thought 'she really does slap like her mother')
"This whole time- I thought you were happy! You're in pain?" The look on her face- it was one that he had never wanted to see. She looked angry, yes. But there was so much pain under the anger. Her eyes were sad and hurt. And he wanted nothing more than to take that pain away. His mind throbbed through the link, making sure he knew of her feelings.
He didn't know what to say. "I- Rose, I am happy! Happier than I have ever been!"
She shook her head, adopting the pose that he had mentally named "Disbelieving Rose". "So why are you in pain? I know that's what's wrong! You've been sluggish all week! Grabbing your head, and muttering randomly. Why didn't you tell me?"
He glared hard at Jack, wanting to smack him for making this happen in a chip shop. People were staring at them, clearly confused. He looked in her eyes, begging her to calm down for a moment. He knew she wouldn't, she was far too concerned about him. He grabbed her shoulders to hold her to him, so he could whisper in her ear.
"I was going to tell you. I love you, Rose. You know that. Yes, I am in pain. Time Lords aren't meant to be with humans. When you kissed me the first time, it started a bond that you don't have the capabilities to hold. I have to give you telepathic abilities to complete it, and then it won't hurt. It will actually be the most amazing thing we have ever experienced. But I can't give you telepathic abilities until…" he paused, not wanting to ask her like this. She pulled back from him, confusion on her face. The anger was gone, but the pain was still there. It hurt her to know that he was in pain, and she was the cause of it.
He wanted to propose properly. He glared at Jack again, before getting down on one knee. Looking up at Rose, he removed a small box from his coat pocket (the only one that wasn't bigger on the inside) and looked into her eyes. People around were now very clearly paying attention, and Rose's face was something akin to shock.
"Rose Tyler, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, no matter how long that will be. I never want to lose you. Will you marry me?"
She went from shock to joy in milliseconds. Tears pooled in her eyes and she fell to her knees in front of him, laughing the whole way. "Yes, of course! I've been waiting for you to ask, you daft idiot!" she said before kissing him outright. He tried not to let it get too intense, as he could tell other people were still watching them. He knew this because of their applause as he pulled her even closer.
When they pulled apart, he opened the box to reveal a necklace on a silver chain. The pendant was a beautiful leaf made of a jewel that Rose thought was something like ruby. She knew the moment he put it on her neck that it was nothing like a ruby. She began to feel him in her head and relief was instant on his face.
They left the chip shop to return home (not without congratulations and a bag of chips on the house for the lovely couple). Rose twined her fingers with the Doctors as he chastised Jack for telling Rose before she was supposed to know. Rose laughed at his comments. "Doctor, let him be. I'm glad he told me. You're not in pain, which you still need to explain to me, and I've got another reason to love chips." She giggled.
He dropped the subject with Jack and they parted for home. They stayed mostly silent after the Doctor told her of the bonding and what they would have to do before they could make love again. The only reason his pain had abated was because the necklace gave her some telepathic capability to hold her side of the bond. If it was strengthened at all, however, he would once again be in pain. She was even more determined to find the fountain now. Her future with the Doctor depended upon it.
They returned to Jackie's flat and shared the news of their engagement. She took it surprisingly well (they didn't know that she had figured they were together for a long time). They shared a passionate good night kiss (that was as close to sex as they were going to get for a while) and went to bed. The next morning they set out in the TARDIS for the next planet on their list, the clues tight in their hands and determination in their hearts.
She didn't bother with her mirror that morning and the Doctor was too busy staring at her lips to notice much else. It's no wonder that neither of them noticed the golden glow in Rose's eyes.