Title: Air From My Lungs
Rating: K
Summary: Post Unquiet Dead, but mainly about The End of the World. Rose inquires about the Doctor's "gift" for Jabe.
Disclaimer: I own the TARDIS! (the cardboard model, that is).
Author's Note: It's been a while since I've posted, because I've been working on this fic (and a bit of schoolwork). It was quite a toughie to write, especially since I don't write a lot of 9th Doctor fics (not coz I don't like him, I just can't write him very well). I hope I do him justice.
Air From My Lungs
As the TARDIS disappeared into the time vortex, the Doctor and Rose watched as the image of Charles Dickens slowly disappeared.
"Wow," was all Rose could manage. "I can't believe what just happened." The Doctor watched on, worried.
"Do you want to leave?" he asked.
"No, why are you always asking me that?" said Rose. "I told you after what happened on Platform One – I'm here for you." The Doctor smiled.
"So what do you want to do now?" he questioned.
"I'd really like to have a shower," admitted Rose. "And just go to my room for a bit." The Doctor nodded.
Rose lay down on her bed. The Doctor had only shown it to her briefly before their adventure in 1869, so she hadn't really settled in yet. The room was practically bare, save for the bed she was lying on and the table and lamp next to her, upon which was the cutting of Jabe the tree's grandfather. Despite the terrible events Rose had witnessed, she was glad to have a souvenir. She wondered how many she'd end up collecting from all the adventures she'd have.
That is unless you end up dying, said a little voice in the back of her head. Rose rolled over and just lay there, thinking.
"Rose?" called the Doctor from the door. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah," replied Rose softly. The Doctor cautiously opened the door.
"How do you like your room?" he asked.
" 'S fine," said Rose. The Doctor looked around the room, and eyed the plant cutting on the table.
"Ah, glad to see you've found somewhere to put that," he said. "Although if you want, I could put it in the garden." Rose sat up.
"You've got a garden in here?" she asked.
"Rose, we're in a time and space travelling police box, why is it so hard to believe it's got a garden?" said the Doctor. Rose gave a small laugh.
"I was just thinking," she said. "About Jabe." The Doctor sat down next to Rose.
"What about her?" he enquired.
"You really seemed to care for her," said Rose. "Why?"
"She understood," said the Doctor quietly. "About the Time War. She knew about the Time Lords and how remarkable it was that I was still alive. The Forest of Cheem is one of the higher species who were affected by it. They knew what was at stake. People like that don't come along every day." He turned to Rose. "Although, you seem to come pretty close." Rose smiled.
"So when you offered her air from your lungs, what was all that about?" she asked. "Is that like sex for trees or something?"
"You and your dirty mind Rose Tyler," said the Doctor mockingly. "Nah. I had nothing on me, so I improvised. Gave Jabe a nice dose of carbon dioxide to turn into oxygen. Actually, I'm guessing that breath of air was what made her suspicious of my species in the first place."
"How?" asked a confused Rose.
"Time Lord stuff," said the Doctor simply. "With us, well, me, certain activities that you lot take for granted…"
"Like breathing," interrupted Rose.
"Yes, like breathing," said the Doctor, "are a lot more intense. Oh sure, right now it's nothing special. But if I really concentrate and get into it, it can really seem like a big deal." Rose looked the Doctor in the eye.
"Show me," she said.
"What?" said the Doctor.
"Breathe on me," Rose repeated. "Like you did with Jabe. Come on, do it. Unless … you don't want to…"
"No no, that's okay," said the Doctor. "Just … brace yourself." He slowly picked up her hand and placed it in his own. He looked at her, his icy blue gaze boring into her hazel eyes. Then his eyes fluttered close, and he let out a breath of air.
Rose was immediately overcome. His breath started off like a gentle summer breeze. Rose swore she could see wisps of gold in the air, and she heard a hauntingly beautiful song in the back of her head. Then suddenly, she was hit by an icy edge which she could only describe as an oncoming storm. Her heart began beating faster as she heard loud robotic voices and gunshots. She found herself crying tears that others had wept before her. Countless images flashed through her head, crowding her mind … then suddenly they stopped. Rose rubbed her eyes and realised that the Doctor was looking at her with concern on his face.
"Blimey," Rose said. "No wonder Jabe was suspicious of you. I never thought so much could be shown, heard and felt through a single breath." The Doctor cocked his head to the side.
"Shown? Heard? Felt?" he asked. "What do you mean?"
"I thought you knew," said Rose. "I saw all these flashes of scenes and images in my head. Stuff that I'm assuming was from your life." The Doctor stopped dead.
"Rose, that wasn't what I was talking about before," he said. "When I said Time Lord breathing was intense, I was talking about the smell of it. It has a strong metallic smell, which some people don't like."
"I didn't smell any metal," said Rose. The Doctor scratched his head.
"Could it be?" he murmured. "Rose, breathe on me like I did then."
"Nah, no point in that Doctor," said Rose. "The only thing you'd get from that is really bad breath."
"Rose, I'm serious," insisted the Doctor. "Concentrate, clear your mind and breathe." Rose did as she was told.
The Doctor didn't know what he was expecting. The first thing he was hit with was the smell of the chips Rose had eaten earlier. Nothing unusual about that. But then he noticed other things. There was a slight hint of, no, it couldn't be…
Roses, realised the Doctor. But it didn't stop there. Rose's breath was warm and soft. It carried a soft pink hue. It revealed Rose's compassionate nature and bubbly spirit. It was calming, soothing… the Doctor's eyes snapped open.
"That's impossible," he said. "That's totally impossible."
"Wha'?" asked Rose.
"You should not be able to do that," said the Doctor, standing up. "To transmit so much energy to another person through a breath … that's something only Time Lords can do. Time Lords or people…" He trailed off.
"What Doctor?" asked Rose softly. The Doctor took a deep breath.
"People with a very strong emotional connection with each other," he finished. Rose's mouth slightly opened as she took in what the Doctor had said. It did seem impossible. They'd only known each other for about 24 hours, so how could they have this connection? And yet, as the Doctor sat back down and Rose looked into his eyes, suddenly the idea didn't seem so ridiculous after all. She seemed drawn to him, so much so that she started moving closer towards him. The Doctor responded by once again breathing on Rose. This time his breath was cooler and far less intense, and yet it still reached Rose's soul. She gave the Doctor a breath of her own, and it was in that instant that he looked perhaps more vulnerable and human than ever before. He reached out to cup her cheek, and slowly brought her face towards his. Their eyes closed as their lips lightly touched, but as neither seemed satisfied with this, they went back for another kiss, hungrier and more passionate this time. The Doctor's hands ran through Rose's golden locks, while Rose massaged the Doctor's scalp through his closely cropped hair. And instead of drawing back for breath, they breathed into each other, as if giving one another a small piece of themselves. It was the most amazing kiss Rose had ever experienced. Her mind was soon filled with more images, but these weren't of the Doctor's memories. They were of swirling colours and bright lights, of magic and beauty and … love. The Doctor was having a similar experience. He recalled the time he kissed Grace. That seemed empty compared to this. Something about Rose's lips on his just felt so right. He saw flowers blossoming and ice melting and plants growing, and he realised what this meant. With Rose, he was given a new chance at life.
Finally they stopped, drawing back to examine one another. In this new light, they both looked more beautiful to each other than could ever be imagined. The Doctor was about to go back for another kiss, when Rose cleared her throat.
"If I'm going to stay around, I'll need to pick up some clothes and stuff from home," she said. "Could you take me?" The Doctor was slightly taken aback. No companion had ever picked up clothes from home before. But then again, no companion had ever snogged him before either.
"Your wish is my command, Rose Tyler," he said. He extended his hand towards Rose, who grinned as she took it.
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This ended really different to how I was planning. They weren't originally going to kiss, but then my imagination set off … anyway, I hope you liked it. I've got a few more ideas for other fics, so you guys should see more of me soon.