Rose cursed as the Tardis shook and the dark blue nail varnish smudged across her little toe. She cleaned it up carefully. She never knew when she was going to be required to wear sandals; surprise beach trips, a civilisation where hiding ones feet was considered offensive- She didn't know. It was always good to be ready. And if the blue happened to match the Tardis exterior and the Doctors pin stripes, Rose didn't notice.
When Roses room trembled again, she glaced towards the door, wondering what the Doctor was up to. Probably messing with the controls again. Rose smiled to herself. He always put on a confident face when he was flying her, but Rose knew inside he was like a 15 year old lad in a Ferrari. In fact, that fake-confident was pretty much his average attitude in every day life and thankfully it was pretty calming and funny in the life threatening situation they always ended up in.
Of course, life with the Doctor was thrilling; but Rose had discovered there's a very thin line between adventure and disaster and that the Doctor enjoyed dancing along that line with very little grace. Somehow she'd adapted a strange calm to panicked and frantic voices when monsters were about, probably because the Doctor was always calm and ready with a solution. But when the Doctor is panic stricken and screaming across the Tardis, well, Rose had reason to worry.
His voice rang down the hall like a siren as the Tardis shook erratically. "Rose! She's- I can't- ROSE!"
So with bare feet hitting the floor hard, Rose ran through the halls to the Doctor. His panic was infectious and soon the distance between them was excruciating. It felt like the Tardis was making the corridors longer, she knew the route from her room to the console room was only short, yet her heart rate was skyrocketing and sweat beaded above her brow. "Doctor!" She shouted, thanking God she hadn't been in the shower when he called.
As she rounded the corner to the console room an alarm shrieked into life and Rose had to physically stop and cover her ears, cursing the Time lords' love of anything sonic. It was painful. Face tensed, eyes squeezed almost shut, she called out for the Doctor again.
He looked over at her with fear etched into his features, his chest rising and falling faster than humanely possible as he leant across the console, frantically twisting switches and pulling levers. Typing numbers and letters into the screen the Doctor shouted, "No, no, no No NO." He couldn't do it, he couldn't let it happen. He promised Jackie. With tears in his eyes, he stopped moving and let his forehead touch the console. Rose stood hunched in the doorway, gripping her temples. He would regenerate, he would survive, he always did. But did he want to survive without his companion? Not 'companion', his Rose. Lifting his fist he slammed it down on the surface, the sound lost under the alarm. The Doctor screamed silently, "Rose Tyler, I-"
A small hand covered his fist and the alarm fell quiet.
She was watching the Doctors lips moving as the woman appeared beside him. Rose stared at him, arms lowering from her hair as her ears rang. What was he just saying? The Doctor didn't give any explanation, he frowned, spinning to face the woman and after a moment of quiet his usual voice travelled clearly across the room. "Why hey-llo, explanation? That'd be great. I mean thank you-" he says, pushing her away from the console screen which she had been tapping "-but I don't believe I invited you in and to be honest the Tardis isn't usually so relaxed and forthcoming to strangers. Are you honey?" His hand lovingly traces a few buttons. "Actually.."
"Doctor?" She whimpers quietly. Feeling delicate and unsure of the sudden change from life and death to casual conversation. Was the danger over? Maybe Rose wasn't completely used to life with the Doctor just yet.
As if he had suddenly remembered her existence, the Doctor ran to Rose and wrapped his arms around her middle. "Sorry," he whispered, his head buried into her neck, "radiation thing, the Tardis- she couldn't regulate it- it was like someone had tweaked the system. I couldn't.." The Doctor's words slipped away into a comforting lull as Rose clung to him and watched the woman near the console over his shoulder.
She was mid twenties, brunette and petite with neat make up and a flattering red dress. She didn't appear very alien, in fact, she appeared quite similar to Roses own time. But then Rose knew not to judge from looks. The woman put her hands on the edge of the console and smiled a little, watching the Doctor and Rose from the corner of her eye.
"..so really it could be a series of factors." The Doctor finished, one hand in Roses hair, "Are you okay?" He asked, leaning away, concerned.
"Yeah," She mumbled, rubbing her eye a little and put on a brave smile as she let go of the hug. "Um, Doctor?" Rose said very quietly, still looking over his shoulder. "... That woman? She's still here."
"Hm?" His eyebrows raised almost comically, "Oh yes." He says, jumping away and back to the small brunette by the console, a blur of blue pinstripes. "You. You, you, you, you." He sang, finishing with a point almost touching the woman's nose, "Woman of..." He bent forward from the hips to sniff the woman loudly as Rose walked further into the room, smiling at his ridiculousness. "Earth, England, London.. 2013." He said, looking back at Rose pointedly, "You know her?" He winked.
Rose rolled her eyes, grinning, and touched the console. Not pressing anything or switching, just running her fingers over them, she could feel the Tardis appreciate it.
The girl raises her eyebrow a little, but doesn't comment, merely sticking her hand out as if to shake the Doctors hand. "Clara Oswald." She smiles.
Tilting his head, the Doctor offers his hand before quickly retrieving it and putting his thumb to his nose, wiggling his fingers and poking his tongue. Clara crosses her arms and bites back a smile, as if she expected he would do that, but it still entertained her. With a click of his tongue and a smile, he pulls the Tardis screen in front of himself placed his glasses on his nose and tapped a few times. "Cla-ra Oswa-ld," he says, wrapping his mouth around the sounds and extending them. "How then, Miss Clara, did you lay your little uncoordinated human hands on a radiation stabilising equation that bypasses the main functions for my lovely type 40 Tardis? I mean its an obvious solution which I had attempted, but didn't have nearly enough time to calculate the variables and.."
It was Clara who fixed the radiation problem? Roses head whipped up from her hands to Clara and to the screen and back. On the screen was a very long, very convoluted equation. Rose felt at that moment, like Lennie, from that book she read in school. It didn't help that Clara just shrugged. "It was a simple reversal. Or at least that's what I think you said. You told me a while ago about it." Oh great, another past companion.
The Doctor didn't even remember her. At least he remembered Sarah Jane, not that he ever spoke about her. Maybe I'll end up like Clara one day.
"Me? I- Oh, right." The Doctor had clearly worked something out in his head he had yet to share with the rest of us. Instead, he decided to play house, "Clara, Rose, Rose, Clara. Clara is my companion- well future mes' compan-"
"Rose?" Clara asks wide eyed, interrupting the Doctor, "You're Rose Tyler?"
"Dame Rose, actually, of The Powell Estate," she laughs doing a silly over exaggerated bow as the Doctor huffs a laugh, fiddling with the computer screen, "sorry, yeah, that's me." Rose says, a little bashful.
"It's so good to actually meet you! I've read so much about you and, well, heard so much, I mean I barely show up in his" she jerks a thumb at the Doctor, "and 9ths timeline because you're always around to save him." She laughs. Rose is more than a little lost, but she nods, used to trying to look intelligent while the Doctor is rambling at her. "11th regenerations companion." Clara smiles.
Roses heart drops and she can't help it from showing on her face. "I'm sorry, are you okay?" 11th regeneration. Her Doctor is going to die all over again. "I didn't mean to upset you," She'll be gone. There's no such thing as forever. "Rose?" This Clara is going to travel with him. Rose had discovered something much worse than past companions; future companions.
The Doctor could feel her unease and slid the screen away, turning to face Clara. When he made eye contact with Rose she bolted, straight out of the console room. Probably to the kitchen. He sighed.
"Is she okay?" Clara asked nervously, "Did I offend her or something?"
"She's fine, the Tardis will look after her." He says, eyes lingering on the doorway. He could feel the pull to run after her, but knew he shouldn't leave Clara here, for all he knew she started the radiation overload. "Why are you here Clara? And please, limit the details. I'm not fond of knowing my own personal future." He says seriously, taking his glasses off and thinking on what Rose was upset about.
"Yes, sure," she says, oblivious to his internal struggle. "Trensalore," she spit out as the Doctors face paled, "i suppose that word is enough detail. I'm actually just an echo of Clara, one of many throughout your lives. Rescuing, helping, encouraging certain events that need to happen. And well, reversing the damage The Gre- the bad guy- did." Clara explains, eyes scanning the equation again.
The Doctor nods, though he is only half listening, still wondering about Rose. "Okaaay, Echo. What are you still doing around? Surely you should disappear again now you have completed your function and subverted the threat." He pulled out his sonic and fiddled with it, scanning her quietly and finding that the readings agree with what she said.
Clara shrugged, "I assumed I was here to fix the engine, but I guess I might be here for a less obvious reason too."
Rose was stood staring into a mug when his hand touched her shoulder. "Rose? The kettle is done." She just sighed and reached for the kettle, pouring the water (which could now only be described as tepid) into the navy blue cup. The Doctor choked down a giggle, "You, uh, forgot the teabag."
Slamming the kettle down onto the counter, she tips the water into the sink and walked out of the kitchen. She just wanted a brew. Well, she wanted her mother, but a cuppa was the next best thing. She still couldn't wrap her head around herself being a past companion. What was her sob story? Would he abandon her in the Amazon rainforest? Say he was off to fight in another intergalactic war and never return? Her eyes watered and her vision of the hall blurred. He was going to regenerate again and she wouldn't be around for him. Where was she? She would never leave him, so that only left a couple options. She was dead or the Doctor had left her. Rose didn't know which was worse.
She could hear his converse catching up with him, damn his long legs, she needed some time to herself. Rose stepped into her room and shut the door, locking it quickly. Sighing, she leant back against the door and slid to the floor.
The knock on her bedroom door made Rose jump. "Let me in Rose, I'm sorry I laughed." Rose didn't move. "Clara is still here, but i can ask her to leave if you like. I can send her back to her time. If I'm honest i think she'll disappear on her own eventually... Rose please talk to me." Silence. A quiet whizzing noise sounded on the other side of the door and the lock thunked open, but before Rose could protest, the lock clicked back into place. As the Doctor twisted the handle unsuccessfully, Rose sent a quick thank you to the Tardis.
The Doctor frowned at the doorknob, then at the sonic screwdriver, before realising what had happened. Sinking down onto the floor and leaning against the door, the Doctor muttered, "I hate it when you two gang up on me. I mean really you're supposed to be my spacecraft," he said to the hallway, "what, you like her more?"
With no response from either of his girls, the Doctor rested his head on the door and sighed. Of course the Tardis loved Rose, the trusty old girl was an extension of himself after all. He wondered if she understood Rose, if she could interpret the many pheromones and emotions and expressions. He certainly couldn't. Human beings were so complex. Not as complex as Galifreians of course, but still incredibly complicated. For months Rose had been travelling with him and she flirted, she blushed, she practically filled the room with hormones if he stood too close. God did he enjoy that. But she had never said anything, not even in this new foxy body (who ever said that was Cassandra talking). Maybe he was misreading her.
Currently, Rose was radiating sadness and depression. Though familiar with these emotions, the Doctor felt perhaps Rose didn't want to speak to him for good reason. "Should i- do you want to go home to Jackie?" He asked, hoping Jackie could provide some comfort. Immediately Rose replied with a loud, "No!"
Rose felt sick. He was sending her home already. "I already told you, I'm staying with you." She said through the door, face pink as she held back tears.
The hall was quiet for a moment before the Doctor hushed into a worried response that Rose didn't really hear. "I wasn't saying that! I meant together! Visit her and maybe nip to the chip shop. Have a chat with Jackie. But y'know make sure she knows it wasn't me that made you upset because the last thing I need is another great slap from your mother-"
"Clara is from your future, she travels with you. What happens to me?" Rose asks meekly, biting her lip. Jackie always used to tell her off for doing that, it was a nervous habit though, she couldn't help it. It was uncharacteristically quiet on the other side of the door.
"I don't know." The Doctor finally answered, flatly.
"Bullshit." Rose mumbles, turning and kneeling up to face the door. "You know that girl is from your future, you know how she got there and why I wasn't- Doctor I'm not an idiot and I know you. Even through a bloody door. What aren't you telling me?" She asks, pushing hair behind her ears and crossing her arms, as if he could somehow see her pout.
"I'm not lying. I really don't know why you leave me. Or why she becomes my companion," it felt dirty hearing that, like cheating. "She said it was a complicated encounter, details left better unsaid-" Rose could almost picture him pinching the bridge of his nose, "she only told me a brief update about my time- her time. As it turns out, she, she appears not to be 'the next companion' after you. Apparently there are a few in between who-"
Rose stored the information about multiple future companions away in her head, there were more pressing matters. "'Why I leave you'?" Rose asks, confused.
"Um, yes, well, hypothetically of course, there are three very obvious reasons for your departure; Number 1, you... died," he choked out, "Number 2, you decide you want a normal life or you get bored or get scared into staying home. Number 3 is pointless even listing, because I would never leave you behind or send you home. I mean, besides situations where we're about to die." He quickly backtracks.
It suddenly makes perfect sense to Rose. There is a long silence where only the restless movements of the Doctor can be heard, until the door unlocks on its own. Clearly the Tardis understands too. The Doctor bursts through the door and holds her tight, arms locked around her waist. Rose buries her head into the familiar warmth of her Doctor and accepts her fate. She is going to die for him.