Title: Out of Line
Summary: Rose makes her way through the first hallway of the Doctor's darkest secrets with an unlikely escort. Book 2 of 8.
Rating: R
Warnings: Adult situations, light implications of slash, mild violence, tasteful sex. (ie rating will increase)
Disclaimer: I don't own Dr. Who. Additionally, several of the stories contained in this book have been alluded to in canon but not explicitly depicted. Some of these ideas, as referenced, are not my own although their depiction is. It is not my intention to plagiarize a story that's already been told, but to bring out the issues I'm specifically focusing on even if that was not the original writer's focus.
A/N: This is intended to be the second book in an eight book series exploring the secrets and memories of the Doctor. Starting here would be rather like starting Lord of the Rings in the second installment - you can do it, but you will be a bit confused to start.
A word about canon: Elements strewn throughout "strict canon" (defined by me as Classic and New TV series AND mainline Big Finish audio dramas) and "sub-canon" (books, comics, etc) are utilized, though sub-canon will not be strictly adhered to. The author assumes reader knowledge of the 2005 reboot, Series 1-6 (not 7, because I started writing before series 7 and frankly, I don't want to deal with the Skaro/Dalek mess). All references to Classic canon and Big Finish (and there will be many) will be self-explanatory.

*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X *X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*

PROLOGUE

Previously...

"Something's wrong. And I need your help."

River thought for a moment that she must be dreaming. The Doctor was here, waking her up in the middle of the night, asking her for help?

"It's happening, River. Right now, it's happening. I can feel it. So can the Tardis."

"What's happening?"

"History is happening."

*X*X*X*

"Rose! Rose, it's okay! It's okay. I've got you."

Rose stopped screaming, collapsing instead into sobs as she fell through the door and into her Doctor's arms.

"It's okay. I'm here. You're safe."

She was gasping for air as if she'd nearly run out of oxygen, locked inside of the former control room she'd wandered into. Where she'd been screaming, as if she were in excruciating pain, while he'd tried to find her down the Tardis hallways.

"We can't go back! There's no time! We have to seal it off!"

"Seal what off?"

"Doctor!" She pulled back and grabbed his shirt with both fists, eyes wide and panicked. "You have to leave him!"

Confused, he looked from her, to the empty room, back to her again. "Rose, you're dreaming."

"I am not dreaming!"

*X*X*X*

"Has the Tardis ever made you... hallucinate?"

The Doctor raised a brow at Rose. "No."

"Could she?"

"Probably. Actually, yes. Definitely. But no. Why?"

"When I was in that room... those flames were everywhere." She shifted uncomfortably at the memory. "I could feel - literally feel - my skin burning. It wasn't just a vision, wasn't just a dream. It hurt. A lot. And more than that, it felt like... like dying.

*X*X*X*

"I know you don't want to hurt her. But you are hurting her."

The Doctor ran his hand slowly over the curves of the Tardis' structure. It warmed under his touch, immediately responsive. She couldn't talk back to him with words, but she could still communicate.

"And you would know that," he mused, watching his hand as he gently stroked her. "You would feel it. You would feel her fear and it wouldn't feel good so why would you do something masochistic? What is it you're trying to say that's worth feeling so much negative energy? And why say it to her and not me?"

*X*X*X*

"You know, it's funny," the Doctor said bitterly, watching on the scanner as the young boy whose grandfather had been a Time Lord disappeared from range of the Tardis. "They were so worried about preserving the pure Time Lord race, cross-breeding with other species was a mortal sin. Now the closest thing in existence to another Time Lord is that boy. And all he has is bits and pieces of mind and memory. He doesn't even know about Gallifrey."

Rose stood by, quiet and concerned as the Doctor tipped his head back and stared for a moment at the ceiling. "Why?" he said quietly. "Why this? Why now? I don't want to think about these things. I don't want to remember them."

*X*X*X*

"Tell me to stop," the Doctor breathed - a plea and a question at the same time. His body was already responding to Rose's in force, and he couldn't stop it without her will to force him.

"No," she gasped. "No, don't stop."

He groaned as he buried his face in her neck, giving up the fight. "You smell... amazing." She gasped, her back arching to get closer to him as he closed a hand gently over her breast. "Hot pheromones and adrenaline... That dark, sexy smell that's just you. You have no idea, Rose..."

*X*X*X*

"Doctor? Are you alright?"

The Doctor had stopped walking, and he squeezed Rose's hand before letting go and reaching up to rub his forehead. "Yeah, I'm just... Something's not right. Do you feel that?"

She stepped closer to him, watching her footing carefully on the foreign planet's uneven ground. "Feel what?"

"Must be something in the air or... No, it can't be. I've been on this planet a dozen times before and the air composition's no different from... You really can't feel that?"

*X*X*X*

"Doctor!"

It only took Rose a few seconds to realize he was unconscious.

"Oh, Doctor, please wake up. Come on..."

But whatever he'd felt, whatever it was that had sent them racing back towards the Tardis, it had taken its toll. She would have to drag him the rest of the way to safety.

*X*X*X*

"Who the hell are you?"

"Professor River Song. I'm a friend of the Doctor's."

As the woman pushed her way into the Tardis, Rose nearly fell over backwards. The strange woman who'd responded to the panic call the Tardis had sent out paid her no heed. She only knelt beside the Doctor, stroking a hand across his forehead and back through his hair.

"Oh, sweetie, what did you do to yourself this time?"

Rose nearly choked. "Sweetie? I'm sorry but where did you come from?"

"That's a very long story, and I'm afraid there isn't time to tell it. How long has it been?"

"How long has what been?"

"Since he was infected?"

"Infected with what?"

*X*X*X*

"It's called a Quiescenary," River explained quickly. "It's a very primitive consciousness of pure psyonic energy that latches onto the oldest, most powerful thing in its peripheral area and drains it dry."

"Alright so what do we do?"

River turned her attention to Rose. "We're going to have to go inside, drain its current food source and see if we can force it out of the Doctor and into the Tardis Matrix."

"Wait, what! What happens if it latches onto the Tardis?"

"The Tardis Matix is far too powerful for it to feed off of. It will be incinerated instantly the moment it tries. But it doesn't know that. It'll go after the meatiest thing in the room."

"So why isn't it going?"

"Well, right now it feels no need. It's content. It's already inside of the Doctor's brain. Why move from where it's comfortable?"

"So how do we make it uncomfortable?"

"It feeds on dormant memories. You need to wake those memories up, starve it."

"The Doctor's memories. The things he never talks about."

"Yes, that's right."

"Like his secrets."

"Oh yes. The scariest skeletons in the darkest closets."

Rose swallowed hard at the thought of rummaging around behind the doors the Doctor had constructed to hide his secrets. It was an invasion of his privacy on a massive scale. Could she even do that?

"It's not an option, Rose," River said firmly, as if sensing her hesitation. "He will die."

"But he... he trusts me."

"Yes, that's rather the point." River sighed as she sat back. "Look, I would do it myself but he wouldn't let me in. He doesn't know me yet; he doesn't recognize me. All his defenses will be raised against me. But he might recognize you."

Rose studied him for a long moment, her stomach clenching in knots as she chewed her lower lip. She had no time to think about what she was being asked to do. And even if she did, would it make any difference? She already knew she would do anything to save him. The same way she knew he would do anything for her...

"Alright," she finally answered with a deep breath. "What do I do?"