While You Were Sleeping
By Sonic Jules
A special thanks to a special friend, Catharticone, who has given me a strong shoulder as well as fantastic ideas and beta skills. You are truly a rare gem...
"Rose!" Are you all right?" The Doctor's frantic tone had her roused in seconds; he could see the clarity in her eyes as she quickly sat straight up upon his intrusion.
"Wha' is it? Somethin' wrong?" she asked as her mind tried to focus, looking all around her room with wide eyes before settling her gaze on the Doctor.
"There was this noise - I heard it in while I was working in the Console Room," he began, quickly looking her over before pulling out his sonic screwdriver. He continued talking to her as he began scanning her room with the instrument.
"It was very erratic, definitely alive, and it was coming from in here." He pointed the screwdriver towards every corner and every piece of furniture as Rose's eyes followed his movements.
"Somethin's in my room?" she asked with alarm, now completely awake as she jumped out of bed and stood beside the Time Lord.
He scanned towards the loo then looked down at her, cutting off the sonic screwdriver before placing it back in his pocket.
"Well, not now. But there was definitely something ... I heard it. And as you know, my hearing's quite acute."
"You sure you didn't nod off and start dreamin' about somethin'? Because I think I would've noticed, bein' right here and all," she asked. Her tone was not exactly accusing, but it was obvious she wondered how she had slept through such a noise.
"Positive. I'm nowhere in need of a sleep cycle at the moment. Besides, I was standing underneath the console. Kind of hard to take a kip there, don't you think?"
"Yeah," Rose answered with a slight roll of her eyes. "Well, what did it sound like?"
The Doctor stood for a reflective moment, pondering his answer. "Almost like livestock - a wild boar perhaps, though what a wild boar would be doing on the TARDIS I have no clue."
"I think you fell asleep and you were dreamin'. I mean, if you heard somethin' like that then I should've heard it too, seein' as I'm the one sleepin' in here."
"I suppose you're right. Maybe I misjudged the distance. Still, I don't think it could've been too far from here." He looked at Rose closely. "So you're sure you heard nothing?"
"Nothin' that was loud enough to wake me up, no."
The Doctor walked out into the hallway and Rose followed, almost bumping into the Time Lord as he stopped abruptly. She watched him as he took a deep breath, exhaled it slowly, then repeated the process several more times.
"What're you doin'?" she asked quietly.
He looked at her as if she should know exactly what he was doing. "Why smelling for livestock, of course."
"Oh, of course." She turned around then. "I'm goin' back to bed," she told him, heading back inside her room.
The Doctor put his hands on his hips as he turned to watch her retreating form. "Well don't come running to me if some wild animal comes in there and tries to eat you," he said indignantly.
"I should be so lucky," she mumbled through a yawn.
"Beg your pardon?" The Doctor's eyebrows rose with his voice.
"I said I'll close the door so it can't get in." As her words ended, the door closed with a thud.
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The Doctor sat on the grating beneath the center console, leaning back against the heart of his ship as he allowed himself to relax. He'd just fixed the maintenance issues that the TARDIS needed, all without the sound or scent of anything that didn't belong on his ship.
He sighed deeply and closed his eyes. Maybe he had been hearing things. Or maybe ...
Yes! There it was! That awful, atrocious, malicious, evilesque sound of some beast, invading his vessel for unknown, and no doubt no good, deeds to be done.
The animal was being more quiet this time, having undoubtedly thought it would be clever enough to go undetected after its previous near capture. But it had underestimated The Oncoming Storm! Keen senses and slightly telepathic, not to mention fabulously handsome - this creature had no chance against the him, the Doctor told himself smugly.
Stepping quickly without a sound, the Time Lord walked down the corridor, his senses all on alert as he made his way closer and closer towards the threat. He edged himself against the wall so that his shadow would not be seen. After all, the element of surprise should always be on the winning team's advantage.
As the Doctor neared the source, he noted that the beast had become silent once more, and wondered if perchance it had detected his approach. Soon enough though, the intruder grunted and the Doctor knew he was almost upon it.
When the Doctor reached Rose's closed door, he once more heard their invader, clearly inside her room. It was in there with Rose! He berated himself as he quickly pulled out his sonic screwdriver once again, knowing he'd let her down. He should've never let her brush off his instincts! Regardless, he'd failed to protect her from whatever was in there right now.
Why wasn't she screaming? Had that thing harmed her beyond being able to defend herself - beyond being able to at least call for him to come to her rescue?
The Doctor burst through the door at the same time the animal had begun an awful grunting noise, giving the Time Lord horrid visions of Rose being ripped to shreds.
"Leave her alone!" he yelled at the top of his lungs as he widely swung open her bedroom door.
Rose's scream was piercing as it continued on, echoing in his mind. He watched her rise from the bed, shocked and startled, then tumble to the floor, a tangle of sheet and blanket and skin rolling down rather quickly.
"What the hell do you think you're doin'!?!" she screeched as she stood, staring at the Lord of Time with a look that could peel the skin from his bones without flinching.
"I, I ... I thought you were being attacked. I heard - oh. Oh! Oh no."
The Doctor had the good graces to look away before the slight tug of a grin began spreading across his lips.
"What? What!"
"I think I may have discovered the source of the noise I was hearing."
Rose looked at him, her eyes a bit skeptical. "So, what great beast has ya goin' all nutters then?"
"You." It was then that the Doctor burst into laughter at the sight of his companion's raised eyebrows. "You, Rose Tyler - you were snoring!"
"I was not!" she exclaimed, much to the Doctor's delight. He laughed that much harder.
"Oh yes - yes you were!" the Doctor exclaimed through unstifled giggles. "It all makes sense now," he said as seriously as he could before his laughter won over his attempt at standing straight. He was soon doubled over, which gave Rose Tyler the perfect opportunity for ...
The pillow that hit him nearly knocked him over, and his look of shock as his eyes met hers was soon covered by another sweeping blow. The Doctor allowed himself to fall to the floor, his laughter a bit muffled by the fluff Rose hit him with steadily.
"Okay! Okay! What is it you lot say? Oh yes - Uncle!"
At the Time Lord's words, Rose stopped her assault on him, landing herself beside him as she caught her breath.
"You're not mad at me, are you?" The Doctor asked, grinning sexily as he tried to win her over.
"No. But I should be - makin' fun of me like that," she answered, giving him a halfhearted slap of her pillow for good measure.
"I wasn't making fun of you. At least not at first, anyway. I was simply trying to protect you from, from ... You!" The laughter that came from him seemed to be a possession he couldn't overcome.
"Oi!"
The Doctor stood, offering his hand to Rose and waiting while she eyed him a moment before taking it. "Come on," he said, leading her out into the hallway.
"Where're we goin'?"
"To get a snack. Maybe some tea," he answered, trying to keep a straight face. "Then we'll head over to the Infirmary," he continued, a grin tickling at his lips. "to get you something for your obvious sinus blockage," he snickered. In no time at all, the Doctor was laughing at her again.
Damn, but he hadn't noticed she still had that pillow ...
The End
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