While this isn't the first time I've ventured into the realm of Doctor Who, it's the first time I've attempted anything quite so large. Quite a bit of thought went into this project, and while I'm hoping to update it regularly, I'll probably end up getting to it sporadically at best. But, fear not! I'm very much in love with this project, and I absolutely adore the Doctor and Rose. 3
This is not a reunion fic, by the way. Not to be mean to the poor Doctor, but the version we all know and love isn't getting any love in this story. Sorry y'all.
Big thanks to WhoMe2 for letting me bounce this idea off her- you're amazing, love!
And, I don't own Doctor Who or any of the characters therein; BBC owns all of that. I only have title to the people of Kalloway. :)
Chapter One
There was only one place he knew of where he could watch the stars unashamedly. Strange for him, or others might think, to want to stare up at the open skies and watch the tiny pinpricks of light held therein. All of time and space were laid out at his feet, and he still chose to lay back in the grassy fields of Kalloway and stare upward at all of the what if's and could have been's. Those few moments of time when he had the chance to lay back and let time idly pass him by were more precious to him than anything he could have seen or done in the thousands of years he had stretched out before him. Even so, he still felt the effects of his curse pressing down on him, even when he sought to escape it all in a moment of un-tampered bliss. Of course he had the freedom of illusion- time could stand still if he thought about it hard enough- but it never compared to the real thing. He couldn't stop time, or reverse time, or have a do-over. For all the glory and power held up in his being, he still faced the bone-chilling realization of when time had simply run out.
And, as he lay in the gently waving grass of Kalloway, he knew his time was coming. The Cure had come to him at last, and he had already planned out how to use it. After all those years of fruitless searching, he finally had it. And whatever happened after these few, blessed short moments of peace he had left, he was going to end it.
The people of Kalloway, little as they were, carried all the solemnity of the Asgardians and all the ferocity of the Na'vi. Looking at them for the first time, he hadn't seen much of their potential, but over the years the small dwarfish humanoids had proven their mettle again and again. The first two times he had visited the natural planet, he'd kept mostly out of sight, he and the TARDIS. The people were only just used to having strangers visit, but he knew their superstitions regarding anything of a superior build than their own primitive mortar and pestle tools. Never before had anything like the TARDIS come upon their world, and he knew seeing it would tragically shake them to the hundredth generation.
He'd done well enough keeping his TARDIS hidden out of their sight, but the people of Kalloway were perceptive and it wasn't long before the great blue box was discovered and declared a relic of godly proportions. When they discovered he was the owner of the box, they had a shrine built in his honor and named him the first official One Worthy of Respect. He would never admit it to the faces of his worshipers or to those of his peers, but he enjoyed the attention. It wasn't every day one was declared a god, even if he already carried the title of Time Lord. The TARDIS was moved into a special room inside the shrine and the great stone door sealed shut behind it.
The shrine was convenient, even if it was built by such primitive beings. It made for good appearances and disappearances; no one ever ventured into the Sacred Room except for him, and the room was only able to open from the inside. The people's belief in his status as a god was constantly cemented in their minds by his appearing at their most sacred festivals each spaced tens and hundreds of years apart. Of course he was always welcomed there, and he oftentimes found himself more than the center of attention, particularly at the festivals hosted in his honor. More often than not, he was presented by whatever current chief's daughter as a potential mate, even if it was for one night, and more often than not, he gave in to their demands. It was considered a great honor for the women, and he really did revel in the glory of it all.
Since the people of Kalloway were suspicious of strangers (he still laughed at their primitiveness- they had blindly accepted him into their midst all those years ago), he knew it wouldn't be long before some unfortunate being stumbled across the natural planet and was overtaken by the small humanoids. It was his final trip to Kalloway- the five hundredth anniversary of his arrival, to be exact- and he wanted to make it count. Of course there was a festival, but he'd long ago learned to give up keeping track. This one was something about lanterns, but he didn't quite grasp the actual reason. Even so, he smiled and waved when he had to, reclining on dozens of silken shawls and pillows with one of the Kalloway women at his right.
He'd long given up keeping track of all their names, even though he knew they would be offended. Ah well… He tipped his head back, glancing up at the diamond points above him, and then refocused on the festivities going on. It was a smaller affair than some of the others he had been to- the last one he'd attended had been fifteen times this size, and he later learned he'd been drunk for a week straight. Still, the people knew how to throw a good party. He smiled down at the woman in his arms, noting distinctly how she was more than a little intoxicated. Well, he knew how this night was going to end. Shrugging a little, he pulled her a little closer, and she half hiccupped, half-giggled in reply.
The twin suns of Kalloway had just bowed their last, the final light of their bodies disappearing from view beneath the grasslands. The brightness of the lanterns increased, and a great, wordless cheer arose from everyone gathered. He joined them in their gleeful cry, raising his cup toward the darkened sky above. Nighttime was such a strange occurrence on Kalloway; the stars were visible all day long and into the night, even with the two suns eclipsing their light. He exhaled slowly, one hand idly tracing a pattern on his mate's shoulder in feather light touches. She shivered beside him but drew closer all the same. It was a comforting thing; all this heat around him, and he dearly hoped it would help ease the deep cold that had settled within his chest where his hearts should have been. He knew better, of course, but with well over a thousand years stretching behind him, he'd become practiced at pretending the cold didn't exist.
Right when he thought the fire in his belly couldn't get any warmer, the chieftain of the clan stood up. Everyone straightened, forgetting their food and drink- himself included, because it was the polite thing to do- and the man began to speak. The language of the Kalloway people was really a series of guttural clicks and grunts, but the TARDIS was good about translating. Even so, it hadn't taken him very long to make sense of their words.
"Gathered friends, we are here to once again celebrate the arrival of our esteemed guest, who continually seeks to grace us with his eternal and holy presence." The man turned, arms extended, and the blue tinted scales around his eyes glinted in the fire light.
He leaned back against the pillows once more, letting his arm drop from around the shoulders of his mate. She edged forward- chieftain's daughter was expected to pay strict attention to her father's words- completely ignoring him. He'd heard this type of speech before countless times; it happened every year at these events. Truth be told, the speech making was getting a little boring. So why did he keep coming back? He smiled lazily. Only because the Kalloway people knew how to throw a good party.
His gaze flicked over to the great bonfire in the center of the wide circle. The chieftain's shadow rose up in the flames, dark and menacing. The heat from the flames was comforting, matching the heat in his belly from whatever concoction they had provided him with this time. The flames danced, and he felt his eyes getting heavier. Not a good time to go to sleep, but he could be excused…later. The embrace of the heat from within and out was too much; he felt it closing in on him like a welcome cocoon. Ah well…let it take him. After today, he wouldn't have the luxury of feeling any kind of warmth for a long time.
He woke up to the sound of something oddly familiar, but his sleep and alcohol-drugged mind couldn't quite place it. The next instant, he could feel the atmosphere change around him. No longer were the friendly little people listening intently to their chief's speech or laughing at drunken jokes, nor were they calling out for more food or drink, or whatever else it was they could possibly want or need at these events. Cracking an eye open, he looked toward the chief, but the small man was looking at something else just out of his line of sight, one of the fiercest scowls he'd ever seen on his face. The chief was holding a spear now, the shaft raised high and waiting. Around him, the warriors present had tensed and looked ready to spring at his call.
His gaze flicked across the great bonfire in the center of their festivities and did a double take. There were precious few things left in the entire universe that could honestly surprise him, but this… This was something else entirely. He ignored the annoyed squeak of his mate as he got up, pushing her away in favor of staring at the figure in the flames. He immediately placed the noise that had woken him, wondering why he hadn't recognized it instantly. There was only one TARDIS in all of the universe that made that sound.
His movement caught the chieftain's attention, and the little man gave him a sharp nod. Walking up as close as he dared to the fire, he tucked his hands inside his suit pockets and stared for a moment. "Oi there, old girl, what are you about? Get out of that fire before you burn yourself to a crisp." He glanced back and around at the tense and waiting people, fully intending to have a serious talk with his TARDIS much later. Glaring at the familiar blue box covered in red, he folded his arms. "What are you doing in there when you're supposed to be inside?"
At that moment, the double doors flung open, cutting off the flames on either side to create a solid and clear path, and a woman tumbled out straight into him. The force of it knocked him back with her landing square on top of him, and for several seconds, he was staring into the hazel eyes of what he then considered the greatest enigma to ever cross his path.
"What are you?" he breathed out, and then the woman was pushing away, a look of shock and disbelief crossing her features. Human, definitely, he could tell; pushing off the ground, he kept his gaze trained on her.
"Abomination!" the chieftain cried out, lowering and raising his spear with great gusto. The warriors responded in kind with a wordless shout, some of them surging forward toward the woman. She finally tore her gaze away from him long enough to realize the danger she was in, but the people were already surrounding her and grabbing onto whatever they could hold. They pulled at her roughly, and her voice lifted to mix with theirs, but the words were lost in the general noise.
"ENOUGH!"
The chieftain froze and turned slowly, eyes wide and the blue-tinted scales at his neck flaring. He raised the spear slightly, and the cacophony of voices died suddenly, all eyes trained on him. His attention was fixed solely on the woman, and her brown eyes couldn't have been wider. He slipped his hands in his pockets and took a few steps forward.
"As your Official One Worthy of Respect," he said, turning his gaze to the chief, "I decree this woman and her relic to be neither an abomination nor a disturbance. She is my mate."
As with anything else, none of the Kalloway people questioned his word. They backed away from the woman, some cowering in what he could consider respectful fear. The chief narrowed his eyes but still didn't speak. He walked forward, extending one hand, and fixed her hazel orbs with his own. She continued to stare at him, moments bleeding away painfully slowly, and then something in her eyes changed and she slipped her hand in his. He would say later the electric shock he'd felt when their hands met hadn't startled him at all, but most everyone knew by then he was fibbing.
"Doctor," she said softly as he pulled her closer, wrapping his other arm around her waist. "Rose Tyler-Smith."
He nodded once and looked back to the chief. "As my mate, I hereby declare Rose Tyler-Smith to be shown the same hospitality and respect I have been shown, therefore making her your second official One Worthy of Respect, one more of the female variety."
He grinned at her, ignoring the pained expression that crossed her features when the people let out a great cheer. He didn't bother to notice his previous mate's huff of frustration and the pure jealousy registering on her face.