Title: Slightly Psychic
Author: Shen
Rating: PG-13
Setting/Spoilers: Latter half of season 2, no spoilers
Word Count: 838
Characters: Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler
Teaser: Exactly how much did the Time Vortex change Rose Tyler? And how did it get her and the Doctor in trouble this time?
Author's Note: An interlude in my Peril-verse (which began with "Flirting and Peril"), sometime after "Mickey in the Middle" and before Doomsday. I'm warming back up to this universe so I can hopefully write my reunion!fic!

Rose and the Doctor slammed the TARDIS doors behind them and stood panting.

"They move fast on three legs," remarked Rose raggedly. The Doctor nodded and swallowed.

"Their screeching's even louder than your mum's. We should-" he coughed, "-take her here so she knows how normal people feel around her when she's in a huff." Rose tiredly tossed a glare in his direction but did not deign to counter his insult. However, after a few more moments of rest, Rose did round on her lover.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" she demanded.

"Tell you which?" the Doctor countered, clearly not willing to admit fault anywhere she wasn't already laying blame.

"Anything!" she yelled, obviously stressed. "I didn't know they were a psychic species, and for that matter, I didn't know I was one, either." Her tone had grown calmer, but her eyes narrowed.

The Doctor crossed his arms and stubbornly asked, "What would you call what we do, then?" Rose relented in her glaring, but only slightly.

"That's the thing; I've only ever communicated with you. I thought it was just us filtering... empathic energy or whatever through the TARDIS, since we were both connected to her." That was, after all, how the Doctor had explained it initially. Perhaps he'd rushed it, however, seeing as he was trying to get her into the bedroom at the time. Typical.

"Well," began the Doctor, using his signature head toss and glance to the ceiling, "think of the TARDIS as training wheels. Or those bumpers they put in the gutters of bowling alleys for children."

"Doctor."

"What I mean is, when this change in you started, we wouldn't have been able to feel each other telepathically without our connection to the old girl, especially not as strongly as we did. But you've practiced, learned control and blocking, and you've gotten stronger. It's no longer limited to you and I; you yourself are slightly psychic."

"Like the paper."

"Yep!"

"Did you know that before today?"

"Nope!" Rose sighed, but then her face scrunched up in confusion. It was making more sense, but it didn't all add up either.

"They sensed thoughts even you didn't. Specific thoughts. Shouldn't my communication with you be strongest?" At this query, the Doctor fell into lecture mode.

"When we're not concentrating, you and I just pass emotions back and forth. Maybe a vague concept if we're really keyed up about something. Anpons live half their lives in their minds. Without the strong telepathic field created by groups of them living together, they can actually pine away and die. That's part of why we haven't run into them before; they don't leave their planet much. So, one of them stepping close to you would would blunder right into your apparently unshielded field and see directly into your thoughts."

"You could have mentioned."

"Like I said, I didn't know you were so psychic! And even if I did, how would I know you'd be thinking dirty thoughts? Typical randy human!" Now the Doctor's tone was obviously teasing.

"Oh no, I'm not taking sole responsibility for that. I was thinking about the things you did to me last night." Rose immediately regretted this admission due to the broad smile and twinkling eyes it produced in the Doctor. Like she needed to help his egomania.

"No wonder they wanted to put you away for indecency!" he exclaimed delightedly before shaking his head. "A mother and child seeing that out of the blue. Or, on this planet, out of the pink."

Rose buried her face in her hands and groaned before lamenting, "I didn't show it to the kid on purpose! I'm not a pervert or something."

"Rose Tyler, corrupter of children and Time Lords." The Doctor's cheeky grin was not fading.

"I'll corrupt you," she threatened.

"Promise?"

"I meant corrupt your face. With my patented Tyler palm of steel." The dire threat was ruined by Rose's growing smile and come-to-bed eyes. She couldn't stay mad at him for long, and it i was /i at least a good memory that had gotten her in trouble. Finally looking more serious, the Doctor stepped closer and put his hands around her waist.

"You told me you liked this face," he said in a low voice.

"You'd grow a new one eventually," explained Rose, playfully leaning away from the Doctor as he leaned in to kiss her. Denied her mouth, he pulled her body closer and tasted her neck instead.

"You'll forgive me eventually," he said conversationally, at odds with his intense ministrations.

"Yeah?" Rose managed.

"Mm-hm," replied the Doctor as he languidly kissed down to her collar. He then slid a hand to her jaw and made her look at him. She forgot to offer even token resistance when she saw how dark his eyes were.

"Give me a few minutes, Rose Tyler, and you won't even remember why we were running for our lives," he stated, his tone making it a promise. Finally, he kissed her properly.

To be concluded tomorrow, in smutty sequel form! Look out for "Of Arrogance and Ties."