Doctor Who: Trees
It was the trees that brought them to the planet. The Doctor had been there before, in the autumn, when the gossamer-leafed trees burned in orange fire. That was the time he had been aiming for, but, of course, they arrived in the spring.
Not so bad, really. The trees were a shade between pink and purple, maybe heliotrope? And there was a nice breeze. Rose gasped and clutched his arm as she exited the TARDIS, her fingers squeaking slightly as his leather jacket compressed under her awestruck grip.
"It's gorgeous!" she exclaimed, her voice breathy.
The Doctor looked down at his companion, fascinated by her reactions to the things he showed her. Even something as mundane as trees' mating cycles never ceased to astound her, and through her he learned to see beauty again.
"Covetous 3, the only place that grows the Asante fruit," His lips quirked up as he finished his sentence, "Arguably the most potent natural aphrodisiac in the universe."
Rose glanced up at him, an indecipherable expression on her face. There was silence for a moment before he led the way down the path towards the small village in the distance.
"Come on Rose, miles to go and all that."
-000-
They had been walking for a few hours, and the sun was beginning to set as they finally reached the small village next to the orchard. The trip had been made in silence, which was unusual for Rose, but the Doctor assumed she was just captivated by the unusually colored trees and their almost overpowering scent. Funny, he didn't remember them smelling before- but that had been autumn, so maybe it was a spring thing. The scent was alluring, he had to admit. It was a strange but pleasant mingling of strawberry, roses and musk.
As they entered the village, the Doctor began to feel as if he was being watched. The dark windows gave no indication of life, and the setting sun lit the town with an eerie red glow. It was a relief when an old man stepped out from the alley between two homes; his shuffling steps unnaturally loud in the sudden silence as the wind died and took with it the low undulation of the trees.
"You must leave," the man said without preamble.
Rose looked shocked and her hand found his, her grip tight. The Doctor frowned.
"What, no hello or anything? Bit rude," he said snidely, put out by the man's words.
The old man looked around, hunched as if expecting attack, "You should never have brought your wife here! Are you a fool?" he said in a whisper, his eyes darting from side to side, "You must run away from here. Hide her in the caves; they will be your only safety now."
"She's not my wife," the Doctor said grumpily, now thoroughly fed up with the old man's cryptic warnings and insinuations about his intelligence.
The man's eyes widened and he looked over at Rose, pity in his expression. He shook his head, his eyes still on Rose, "Poor child," he muttered. He stepped closer and looked into her eyes, ignoring the Doctor completely, "Go. Hide yourself in the caves. Go deep and stay silent. Do not come out until morning. Then run home, young one. Run home." He glanced up at the Doctor and seemed to stand straighter as he finished his warning, "Do not tell him where you are hiding. He is not to be trusted."
The Doctor stiffened as the old man spoke to Rose and bristled as he mentioned home, but telling her not to trust him! The Doctor released Rose's hand, his fists clenched as he took a step forward.
"Doctor!" Rose said firmly, her hand gripping his wrist. She turned to the old man, her expression serious, "Thank you for your warning, but where he goes, I go. I trust him."
The old man sighed, seemingly shrinking back into himself, "Then hide, child, both of you. Darkness releases many enemies. It is almost too late." He gestured towards the thin sliver of sun sinking behind the horizon before turning and shuffling back into the shadows.
The Doctor shook his head. Why did they always come to planets with mysterious danger? Couldn't there be a planet with a simple bad guy, no strings attached?
"Doctor?" Rose asked quietly, "I think we should do what he said… just in case."
The Doctor huffed. Taking the advice of an old codger like that, why it was positively obedient, and that was one thing he wasn't. He took out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the area.
"There's nothing dangerous here," he said, more than a little annoyed at the ghost stories, "Just people and trees, not even any particularly big insects." He turned to Rose, "There's nothing odd about this place at all." He finished proudly, slipping the sonic screwdriver back in his pocket.
"Doctor," Rose said, her voice pitched higher than usual, "I think you might be wrong."
The Doctor started to rebut her seditious words until he followed her gaze to the small but building group of rather unsavory men that stood clustered on the path behind them, all eyeing Rose hungrily.
The Doctor swallowed before seizing Rose's hand and uttering his trademark words, "Rose, run!"
-000-
The caves were, thankfully, not distant from the village, and the Doctor and Rose made it far ahead of their pursuers. All that running paid off sometimes. The collection of caves formed a maze, and made for an excellent hiding place. At random, the Doctor chose the third cave and yanked Rose into it.
It was an apt selection, he had to say. It started out rather narrow, which made it defensible, and then it widened out into a small room. A smaller corridor curved around and connected to another small room, this one with a fist-sized hole in the ceiling, perfect for ventilation. Evidence of scorch marks on the floor and a pile of firewood assured that the room made for cozy overnight quarters.
As Rose leaned tiredly against the wall, sliding down to sit, shivering, on the cold stone floor, the Doctor realized just how cold the night had become. What was once a pleasant spring day had turned into a chilly near-winter night, and Rose's inadequate dress- a light pink t-shirt and a simple denim skirt- added up to a mild case of hypothermia.
"I'll have the fire roaring in a sec, no problem!" the Doctor said, forcing cheer into his voice. Rose's arms were locked around her knees and she looked pale, her eyes unfocused and staring blankly.
True to his words, the fire was popping merrily within minutes, the calming scent of burning wood filling the small space.
Rose didn't stir though, and the Doctor moved to her side, kneeling down, their knees almost touching. When there was no reaction from the light touch he ghosted across her forehead- to take her temperature- the Doctor decided that sharing body heat was the fastest way to warm her up. Without preamble, he sat next to her and drew her close, enfolding her in his leather jacket to protect her from the cold walls.
After a few minutes of listening to the fire crackle and keeping a wary ear out for intruders, Rose stirred. She shook her head as if waking from a trance and looked up at him, unconsciously pulling his jacket tight around her.
"'ello," he said softly.
"Hi," Rose responded, "Have you… heard anything?"
"You making a crack about my ears?" the Doctor asked, gruffly teasing.
Rose whispered a laugh before lapsing into serious thought, "What do you think was wrong with them?" she finally asked, "They looked at me like I was naked." She shuddered and he tightened his arm around her shoulders.
"Don't know," he said, "and don't intend to find out. First light, we're out of here."
Rose shook her head, "But did you notice that there were no women? And the old man that warned us, what was his deal?" Rose looked up at him again, her eyes wide, "You don't think they're keeping the women captive or something, do you?"
The Doctor almost smiled. That was his Rose, always worried about others. "I did a scan of the area and there weren't that many people around. We probably had the whole town chasing us."
"Well, that's normal," Rose said with a relieved smile, which quickly morphed into a huge yawn.
"Had a long day, huh? Well, might as well get comfy, we're spending the night here." The Doctor said, removing his jacket from around her shoulders and laying it like a blanket on the ground next to the fire.
"Chivalrous tonight, aren't you?" Rose said as she crawled wearily over and curled up in front of the fire.
"Prince Charming, that's me," the Doctor said, "Now sleep. I'll keep watch."