Chapter Two – Hello, Spaceman
The ride back to London on the zeppelin was filled with chatter from Jackie about their lives since arriving in this universe. About Pete and Torchwood and Tony. About how they would have to create an identity for him here just like they did for Rose three years ago. He had to think about that a bit. He didn't have a TARDIS to just leave in and he couldn't just sonic cash points for the rest of their lives, nor did he want to have them living off of Pete's money. Rose had been working for Torchwood, but he wasn't sure if she wanted to go back to it or if he would want to join her there. They had always travelled. Settling in one place just didn't feel right somehow. Of course, if that was what she wanted, he would find a way to make it work. Something else to add to the list of heavy discussions.
When the zeppelin landed on the roof of the Torchwood building, Pete and Tony were there to greet them. Tony ran into his mother's arms and Jackie kissed him noisily. When she finally let him down, he rushed over to Rose but paused a few steps away to take in the stranger holding her hand. "Tony, I'd like you to meet the Doctor." Rose reached out to take his hand and pull him closer to them.
"Really? The space man from the stories? Are you gonna go away in his box again?" The little strawberry blond boy looked at his sister sadly begging her not to leave with his eyes.
The Doctor took the chance to answer this time, kneeling down to see him eye to eye. "Yes, Tony. I really am the space man, but I left my box behind so that I could stay with your sister. My TARDIS doesn't work here, so we won't be leaving the planet. We'll probably still travel a lot, but we'll always come back to visit you." The Doctor looked towards Rose with hope in his eyes at the mention of travelling and her encouraging smile warmed his single heart.
"For now, Tony, I think mum would like to take you home for cuddles and I need to take the Doctor shopping for some more clothes and such. He didn't have a chance to pack his jim jams and we've both been wearing the same clothes for far too long." She squeezed the Doctor's hand when he rolled his eyes over the idea of shopping, but he nodded conceding that he would probably at least need a few things. The other Doctor certainly hadn't given him any warning to go fill his pockets with necessities before throwing them both out the door.
Pete and Jackie had been watching the conversation nearby and while Jackie would have loved to bundle them all up together, she could never manage to tie those two down. "Alright, Rose, but I expect you both over for supper tomorrow and so Pete can start working on all the papers for that alien of yours. We've hardly seen you at all the last few months."
At that, Rose pulled the Doctor towards the lifts that would take them down to the parking garage where her car was left after her last dimension jump. As the lift travelled down, she nudged him with her elbow and said, "Watch out for the disinfectant." He smirked back at her as she gave him a tongue in teeth grin. When they made it down to the parking garage, she tugged him along happily towards her space. At the sight of her deep blue sports car, his mouth hung open for a moment. She giggled at him and his face broke into his usual manic grin.
"I don't suppose you'd let me drive?" he asked as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Do you even know where we're going?" She jingled the keys in front of him as she danced around the car to the driver's side door. He playfully grabbed at the keys but acknowledged that he really didn't know where they were going and climbed into the passenger seat for now.
Their shopping spree took on the pace of the life they used to lead. Running and laughing through the store, they grabbed suits, pants, socks and new Converse. Rose had her arms full with shirts and ties while the Doctor studied the various brands of hair gel and toothpaste. They could barely fit it all into the car when they were done, but they were fairly confident that they wouldn't need to do that kind of shopping again for some time.
On their way to Rose's flat, they stopped to pick up some food since Rose had emptied her fridge with plans to never return again. She kept the flat just in case it didn't work out. And had she never returned, her parents could always take care of all that later, but she had left very little in the way of food. She had also never really collected much in the way of personal items during her fight to make her way back to him. So, with enough groceries for breakfast and a bag of fish and chips for dinner, Rose unlocked the door to the flat.
The Doctor took in their surroundings as Rose put things away in the kitchen and took out dishes for supper. It was all very neutral... as if she never changed anything from the way it came when she rented it. Her bookshelf was filled with texts on physics, astronomy, and countless other complex subjects. The furniture was sparse and utilitarian and her coffee table was covered in technical schematics and notes. There were a few photos on the wall of her mum, dad and brother, but what caught his eye the most was the bulletin board that was covered in what looked like photos from her phone. Photos from their travels that she had printed. There were pictures of his previous self with her and Jack, pictures from Christmas right after he regenerated, of their trip to the Olympics and that was just to name a few.
Rose walked into the living room with a couple plates of food and a bottle of Vitex under each arm. She settled onto the couch and put the food on the coffee table. Noticing what had caught his attention, she shared with him how important that board was to her. "I was lucky that I didn't erase the pictures on my phone very often and that the technology here was compatible enough to print them. It was my inspiration to keep on fighting. It reminded me what I was fighting for."
"It's lovely." The Doctor touched one of his favourite pictures. One where they were looking at each other lovingly while wearing silly paper crowns. "When you were gone, I'd spend hours sitting in your room on the TARDIS and looking at the pictures you had tucked into the edges of your mirror. I'd just close my eyes in there and imagine you were still with me." He turned toward her with his hands in his pockets and she could see the sadness in his eyes at remembering their time apart.
"I went back to your mum's flat after you were gone and took all of the photo albums and mementos, just in case there was some way to get them back to you or at least so it wouldn't all be thrown away. I couldn't take it all of course or it would be suspicious that it had been emptied when you both disappeared. But even that is all lost to us now." He didn't bother mentioning the number of times that he slept on her bed or just lay there staring at her ceiling wondering if there was anything he could have done to prevent what had happened.
"It's ok, Doctor. We'll just have to make new memories together. I'm glad those things weren't thrown away, even if we'll never see them again. I'm sure the old girl will take good care of them." Ever since the game station, Rose had come to love the TARDIS almost as much as the Doctor did and the TARDIS loved Rose as well.
"Of course she will." They both settled on the couch to eat their food and chatted lightly about some of the differences between this Earth and the one in their home universe. When they were both done eating, they snuggled close and she settled her head on his shoulder.
"Do you want to go back to working at Torchwood, Rose? I know we need to think about money and be responsible and stuff, but we aren't exactly nine to five type people." He cringed internally at the very idea of alarm clocks and rush hour traffic.
"No, Doctor. I never really fit in there. They'd never trust me to work on my own since I wouldn't carry a gun on field assignments and I spent most of my time working on the dimension cannon." She thought for a moment about what they could do as an alternative. "Maybe we could help them out a bit with sorting the archives and improving their translation software? Save some money that way and then just have them consult us when they need help? We could travel anywhere in the world if you want. I know it's just one planet, but it's ours to explore." She had been studying a lot, but she wasn't technically qualified for anything better than working in a shop. She worked at Torchwood only because they knew about her unique experiences with the Doctor and that knowledge was invaluable.
"I knew we were meant for each other. Neither of us is meant to settle in one place for long. I was stuck on Earth for a few years in my third incarnation. The Time Lords were angry with me for interfering and changed the dematerialization codes on the TARDIS. So, I spent the time working with UNIT as their scientific advisor. I'm sure we could manage as freelance consultants for Torchwood." The Doctor kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair gently. "I know you said yes to bonding with me telepathically, Rose, but do you want to wait until we can plan a human ceremony or would you like to do it sooner?"
"I love you, Doctor. Having you in my mind was a wonderful feeling and I don't think I want to wait to have that closeness with you. We've already waited so long and we both know what can happen when you take that time together for granted." They probably SHOULD wait a while, but they had already waited so long. They knew how they felt, they had both admitted it and she could feel it when he had linked their minds together before. She knew when she started blasting herself across dimensions that there was never going to be anyone else for her.
"Oh, my precious Rose. I never want to waste another day. You need to know that this is permanent. We will always be aware of each other and feel the other's strong emotions, no matter how far away."
"I think, Doctor, that I want that deeper connection you talked about. Where we could always communicate with each other, even when we aren't touching?" When had they ever done anything halfway? They were the Stuff of Legend and they would dive into their new lives together full bore. Tears filled his eyes as he said that musical phrase in Gallifreyan that he had said to her last night. He kissed her reverently as he held her face in his hands. When he pulled away, they both had tearful smiles.
"I only wish that we could have bonding pendants like the ones shared on Gallifrey. They were made from special stones that were only found there, so I guess we'll just have to be happy with rings instead. We'll go look for some tomorrow, my love." She nodded as he placed her fingers against his temples and did the same for her. "Just think of me. Think of all the good times from the moment we met until now. Think about how you feel about me and even though it hurts, think about those harder times and how it felt when we were separated. All of those feelings are important in forming this bond because from now on, we will feel all of those things together."
Once again, Rose felt that refreshing warm hug surround her consciousness and make her feel safe and loved. Memories flashed between both of them from the time he took her hand and told her to run, to the basement in Cardiff with the Gelth, dancing in a hospital while hiding from gas mask zombies and seeing her bathed in golden light on the game station. The images flashed faster and stronger as they progressed from there. There was the joy of travelling together to New Earth. There was pain from their separation from clockwork droids and misunderstandings. They had grown closer after their first trip to Pete's World and memories of werewolves and televisions and Olympics flew by as their thoughts slammed into the memories of the lever room. Tears leaked from both their eyes as they recalled those painful moments. They shared with each other the grief they both felt during their time apart and as they flashed through up to the shared kiss on the beach, they both felt their connection to each other snap tightly into place. Never again would they be alone and Rose heard something echo through her mind. Another musical, ancient something that she was sure was more Gallifreyan.
'That is my name. Known only to my wife and never to be spoken. You may not even feel like you could say it, but it will always be there in your mind.'~
'It's beautiful, Doctor. I wish I had something as special to share with you.'
'Oh, Rose. Sharing your mind, your heart and your life with me is more special than you could possibly imagine.'
They kissed to seal their bond and held each other close. They revelled in the feeling of keeping those warm mental embraces even as they separated and cleaned up their supper dishes. They put away all of his new clothes in their room and smiled at each other through their nightly routine as they got ready for bed.