Title: Timey Wimey Travelling Partners in Crime.
Disclaimer: Created Russell and owned by the Beeb.
Pairing: Doctor / Rose.
Spoilers: Not really, except for my musings about Season 4 ( and that spoiler. )
Summary: In the whole creation of sound, space and timey-wimey stuff, Rose manages to find a way back to the Doctor. Reunion!fic.
Author's Note: This is a simple reunion fic, only I'm starting off with the reunion and backtracking the story of how it happened through flashbacks. Martha, Donna are onboard: and I'm trying to treat each character with respect, regardless of my particular feelings on some aspects of them.
Flashbacks are in italics.
Rose lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling of her Tardis bedroom. It felt good to be there, it smelt right. There was a faint yellow light coming from her open doorway, but apart from that the room was still and silent. The sheets were cotton and smooth, not like the silken lumpiness of her bed at the Tyler House. Everything was just as she remembered.
Rose smiled to herself in the darkness of the room. She was starting to do that again. Spontaneous smiling. She couldn't help it; Rose felt as if there were two huge balloons in her lungs. Expanding at every moment they made her chest swell and her heart constrict, pushing smiles up to the surface from where they had been sleeping for so long.
Rose Tyler was awake.
And she couldn't get to sleep.
She rubbed the wall next to her lovingly as she laid in bed. She could have imagined it - but the walls of Tardis hummed in response to her fingertips.
" She's pleased to have you back."
Rose lifted her head to see the Doctor, leant in the doorframe at the end of her bed and observing her happily.
She smiled.
" Yeah, I missed the old girl too."
The Doctor came and sat next to Rose, who pulled herself up a bit.
" I could say the same about Jackie. "
" Watch it." warned Rose, her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth in amusement.
The Doctor smiled and took Rose's hand. Looking her in the eye he leant forward and asked.
" So, why can't you get to sleep?"
" Oh I can," retorted Rose. " Half a day with you and I'm already run off my feet. " Rose's voice lowered slightly as her head ducked down. " I just don't want to. Afraid when I wake up all this will be gone. "
Rose ran her free hand over the wall, and looked back to the Doctor.
" She'll still be here. We'll still be here. " he assured, giving Rose's hand an additional squeeze.
" Yeah I know … " replied Rose distractedly as she stared at the ceiling, not sounding all together convinced.
The Doctor cleared his throat.
" She will. She won't even go away. The Tardis, she's not just singing you to sleep. This isn't a lullaby. " said the Doctor, motioning all around him at the chorus of humming walls. " It's the melody in your dreams, staying with you in your sleep. It's the Bad Wolf. It's the Vortex. " The Doctor leant down and lowered his voice impressively.
" It's the timey wimey stuff that does the jiggery pokery in your brain. "
" The Gift of the Tardis. " Rose quoted back fondly.
" Exactly." the Doctor straightened up and pointed a finger in the air. " It's this old girl that turns you into a bilingual, time travelling adventurer like me!"
" Well don't you want to take some of the credit?" asked Rose grinning.
" Ah well, obviously you owe your cool headed practicality and charming roguishness to me."
" Is roguishness even a word?"
" Would you know the difference if I said no?"
" Yeah, cos you do this funny little thing when you scratch your right ear when you're lying - " teased Rose, sitting up to grab said ear.
Deftly the Doctor caught her hand, and pulled up face to face with the Doctor both stilled for a moment, their noses almost touching. Rose's chest swelled with the sheer delight of being this close again and she burst out laughing as the balloons in her expanded. The Doctor broke out in a fantastic smile and also started laughing, pulling her into his arms as he did so.
Grinning happily against him, Rose felt the Doctor's mouth hover by her ear.
" It is a word I'll have you know. "
Rose snorted.
" Did you just snort Ms Tyler? Not very ladylike if you don't mind me saying. "
Rose and the Doctor rocked back and forth a bit as Rose replied.
" I'm just so happy to be back."
" Hm, I didn't realize snorting was an expression of joy. "
" Doctor - on the beach. I still mean what I said. "
The walls of the Tardis hummed.
" G - good. I - uh, well. Just so you know … I was going to say - well, I meant what you said too. Still do as a matter of fact. "
Rose pulled herself out of the hug, rolling her eyes.
" What?" asked the Doctor, eyeing Rose worriedly.
Rose could almost laugh at the small confused expression on the Doctor's face. For a 900 year old alien he wasn't half vulnerable.
" Blimey Doctor, I know you like to go on a bit but could you have thought of a more roundabout way to say that?"
" Rose, " stated the Doctor, his voice changing to that of a more serious tone. " I hardly think crouching on the side of a bed in the dark, with two angry, possibly menopausal, women arguing over television a few rooms over is exactly a fitting moment to tell the women I love that I - "
The Doctor broke off, realising his mistake just as it was too late.
" Love her?" finished off Rose with a delighted grin.
The Doctor smiled sheepishly back.
" Well that was a bit of an anti-climax wasn't it?"
" Good enough for me!" laughed Rose, her voice ringing infectiously as she flung her arms back around the Doctor.
" So. "
" So. "
" Donna? "
" Yeah, about those two - " the Doctor started.
" No, Doctor I'm glad you're travelling with someone. And Martha's great, she really is. Nice and funny and smart- I think she shows me up a little bit actually - "
" Rose - "
" Oi, stop interrupting you. It's just … Donna. "
" What's wrong with her?"
" Nothing, she's nice and friendly too. She's just a bit - loud. Like my Mum actually. "
The Doctor laughed.
" Well you should get used to her. And she's very handy in case you ever happen to leave your blow-horn at home. "
Rose nodded.
" So she grows on you."
" Exactly Rose, a lot like fungus. "
" Only not so green and sticky. " came an indignant voice from the door.
The Doctor and Rose whipped around guiltily to face the blow-horn in question; Donna standing in the door frame with her arms crossed.
" Martha's mucked up the telly set again. Bring that sonic toothbrush thing of yours. Hope you're feeling alright Rose. " said Donna, nodding to Rose.
And with one final glare in the Doctor's direction she was gone again.
" Sonic screwdriver. " the Doctor grumbled.
Rose rubbed his arm fondly, before giving him a slight push off the bed. Sighing heavily he stood up to follow Donna, shooting one grimaced smile back in Rose's direction.
Rose chuckled knowingly, and shifted over to face the wall - trying to find a comfy position - when she felt a hand on her back and - as she turned over - a warm mouth pressed firmly against her own.
Rose's eyes fluttered open in surprise, and as the Doctor drew away he grinned at her; broadly, happily and mischievously, then promptly ran out of the room.
The Doctor practically skipped out of Rose's room, before crashing into a tall, fleshy column.
" Ow!"
" Watch it. " growled Donna.
" It would help if you didn't stand where I was walking! " exclaimed the Doctor as he brushed down his lapels.
" What? Don't want to get infected by the nasty fungus lady Doctor?" asked Donna with an arched eyebrow and crossed arms.
The Doctor at least had the good grace to look sheepish, and scratch his right ear awkwardly.
" Yeah, sorry about that. "
" Well next time you might walk in on me and Martha saying nasty things about you, then you won't be so happy will you?" said Donna, as she started to stalk off haughtily down the corridor.
The Doctor ran to catch up with her.
" Rose wasn't saying anything bad. It was just me. She was only curious about you and Martha. "
Donna slowed down to let the Doctor walk by her side.
" Oh I don't begrudge her being here; it's clear as the light of the day that you're in love with her, and if you don't mind me saying so Doctor you're not half as grumpy with her around. "
Donna sped up again, leaving the Doctor open mouthed and stationary in her wake.
Donna, still walking to the Tardis living room, called over her shoulder.
" Hurry up will you?"
The Doctor started, and chasing to catch up with Donna called out:
" Do you and Martha really say nasty things about me?"
" Another one of his grumpy moods?"
" Yeah. Do Time Lords get PMS you think?"
Donna chuckled as she reached for the overhead cabinet.
" So what do you reckon, can I risk a skirt today? Only I got a nice tan when we visited that second sun yesterday …"
" You'd thought he'd gotten over her by now. "
" … or I could wear a bikini and some ass-less chaps with a flamingo on my head. What about that?"
" Yeah, sounds good. " replied Martha distractedly.
Donna banged down the two mugs onto the table, and Martha jumped in surprise.
" What? Have you got a vendetta against kitchen dishware or something?"
" You my girl, need to get over it. " stated Donna, as she sat down opposite Martha.
Martha squirmed guiltily in her chair.
" I have. I am over it. "
Donna raised her eyebrow.
" I am. " insisted Martha. " It just wouldn't hurt my ego if he moved on too."
" Him? Who can brood alone in his room for hours on end? Not likely. " scoffed Donna. .
" But she was just his friend. "
" Oh come on Martha, the way he waxes on about her? I stumbled across her room once, he acted like I'd vandalised an ancient shrine or something. He was in love with her. You know that. "
" Yeah I guess. " said Martha despondently, digging her thumb into the table. " What do you think happened to her?"
Donna shrugged as she blew over the top of her cup.
" Dunno. She's still alive somewhere, I know that much."
" Yeah in another void. I overheard the Doctor talking. " Martha added at Donna's quizzical look.
" Well she's gone forever now and there's not much either we or him can do about that. "
" MARTHA! DONNA!"
" Kitchen!" Donna bellowed back.
The Doctor ran up the corridor and skidded into the room in a flurry of excitement.
" It's happened! I've got a distress call!"
Martha and Donna stared at the Doctor blankly.
" From the other side! Of the Void! I can get her back … she's there and I can get her back!"
Martha turned to face Donna.
" Gone forever huh?"
…
Let me know what you think.