Rose couldn't say exactly what drew her to the strange man when she first saw him at the park. It was a feeling, a familiar sort of feeling. Like seeing someone you hadn't seen in a long time. There was something familiar about him, but she couldn't place exactly who he was.
He was completely mad and funny and he had great hair and a brilliant smile. He was sad though. She could see that, like a weight he carried. She knew it well because she hadn't been exactly happy herself.
Her life changed, almost overnight and there wasn't anyone she could talk to about it, at least, anyone who wouldn't think she'd gone round the bend. Her mum was gone, just gone. She woke up one day and her mum wasn't there anymore. She tried to report her missing and almost thought she'd wind up in Bedlam after the police informed her that her mum died two years ago at a place called Canary Wharf.
She got out of it by telling them that she hadn't slept much because she wasn't feeling well. They made her check in with a doctor, but after that she stayed pretty clear of them all. Mickey wasn't around either. His flat was being rented by someone else.
She started to think that maybe she'd lost her mind and maybe she had. Maybe she really wasn't on a space ship helping some mad alien, because he had to be an alien, what with the space ship, save the world. Maybe she was Bedlam and this was all some medication induced dream. She shook herself, no best not think that.
John popped his head up from digging through a trunk, a bright smile plastered over his face as he held up a tube filled with greenish liquid.
"Found it," he exclaimed merrily.
"What is it?" she asked, her own smile in place.
He beamed at her as he stood up.
"Anti-plastic."
"Anti-what?"
"Anti-plastic," he repeated as he hurried over to the console. "The Nesting Consciousness is made of plastic. This will destroy it."
"You're going to kill it?" she asked, a bit shocked.
The creature was trying to kill everyone and take over Earth, but still, she wasn't very happy that his fist choice was to kill another living thing.
"I tried reasoning with it once," he replied. "I've done this before. You have too, only you don't remember. Going to have to work that out later-"
"What do you mean, I've done this before? I haven't fought aliens before."
"Rose Tyler, defender of the Earth," he proclaimed, turning around and looking at her, "Of course you've done this before, but something's gone all wibbly wobbly in your head. Not sure if someone altered your memories or if there's something else going on-"
"Altered my memories?" she asked in shock. "Why would someone alter my memories?"
"Any number of reasons."
"And they would be?"
"They could've taken your memories, to get information and you not remembering is a side affect or they were trying to use you as a weapon-"
"A weapon? For what?"
He said it as if it was everyday to him. The thought that someone would mess with her memories was bad enough, but to think that they'd try to make her kill someone horrified her.
"To kill me," he said.
Wait. What? Kill him? Did people really want to kill him? What did that mean?
"Kill you? Do people often try to kill you?"
He shrugged.
"It's happened a few times." He noted the fear in her eyes and stopped piloting long enough to cup her cheeks and gaze into her eyes. "Don't worry. I'll sort it." He kissed her forehead. "But first. Save the planet."
He hit another button and raced over to the doors, throwing them open. She hurried over and saw that they were hovering in the air, down below was a massive creature that looked a lot like a swimming pool fully of melted plastic.
"Hello, again," the Doctor said.
The creature made some strange sounds Rose couldn't decipher.
"At least give it a chance," she begged.
The Doctor glanced at her. She didn't remember their last run in with the creature. He knew it wouldn't leave, but he didn't want her to think he was some monster that went around killing everything.
"I thought I told you to leave," he said, remembering the warning he gave in his ninth regeneration. "Actually, I thought I killed you."
More strange noises emanated from the creature below.
"What's it saying?" she asked.
"He says the Silence brought him back," the Doctor said, fear lancing his hearts. "The Silence? Did you say the Silence?"
More strange noises.
"Stop the signal and leave," the Doctor demanded. "This is your last warning."
The creature seemed to laugh at that.
"What's it doing?" she asked.
"Laughing. I think that's our answer," he replied before dropping the tube of anti-plastic.
Then he shoved her back and closed the doors.
"Is it…?" she asked.
He took her shoulders and gazed into her eyes.
"Yes, and I'm sorry, but he would've killed everyone. He wasn't going to stop. You understand that, don't you?"
She did, but that didn't mean she had to like it.
"Yeah, I do. It's just…"
"I know," he said, pulling her in for a hug. "But sometimes we can't save everyone. Especially those who don't want to be saved."
The TARDIS rocked and he released her to run over to the console.
"What is that?" she asked.
"That would be the explosion."
He hurriedly pushed buttons and flipped levers as she rushed over to the console.
"Explosion?" she asked, fearfully.
"Don't worry, we're safe in here, but," he flipped a lever, "probably better to get out of here before we both wind up in the swimming pool."
He gave her a wink and laughed, which made her laugh.
"You have a swimming pool?" she asked.
"Yeah, it was in the library, but I think it's moved."
She leaned on the console and couldn't help smiling at that. He was completely mad. He glanced at her and smiled back, which made her smile wider.
After materializing back at the park he stepped away from the console and looked at her. Rose Tyler. She was actually, really there and not Past Rose, but proper time Rose.
"Nesting Consciousness sorted, the Earth is safe and I haven't crossed my own timeline so all that past saving the world from the Nesting Consciousness still happened." He clapped his hands together and smiled, liking the way it made her grin. "Now, to get you sorted."
"Me?" she asked, confused.
"Altered memories, remember?"
She hesitated, not because she was afraid of him, although she didn't really know him, but that familiar feeling was there and she couldn't help, but feel comfortable around him. It was that she wasn't sure exactly what he was going to do.
"Will it…will it hurt?" she asked.
The Doctor's hearts nearly broke at the fear in her voice. He closed the distance between them and cupped her cheeks, gazing into her eyes.
"I could never hurt you. Not you. Not ever," he said.
She couldn't help smiling at that.
She was giving him THAT smile, which was really not good, what with them being that close. His eyes darted to her tongue poking out. Stop it! He mentally slapped himself before he could do what he really wanted, which was kiss her. He had to sort her. A smile crossed his face. No, no! Not like that!
She giggled, not entirely sure what he was doing, but he looked about to have a brain aneurism.
"All right in there?" she asked.
"Yes, fine. Sorry," he said, leaning back a bit, but still cupping her cheeks. "Where was I?"
"It won't hurt," she supplied.
"Right. Yes. It won't hurt, but it is a bit…um…" his cheeks flushed a bit. "Personal."
"Personal?" she asked, not entirely sure what he meant.
"I'm going to have to look into your mind."
"You can do that?"
"It's not something I normally do, but yes, I can."
"Then you are an alien."
He smiled, he couldn't help it. She'd always been clever.
"Is that all right?" he asked, asking the same question he did all those years ago.
She gave him that tongue touched smile.
"Yeah."
He knew if she kept doing that he was going to lose complete control of himself. He raised his hands to her temples.
"Close your eyes." She did and he closed his. "Ready?"
"Yeah," she whispered.
He leaned his forehead against hers and reached out into her mind. He saw that she'd been there for two weeks. Alone. Her mum wasn't there. She believed that she'd always been there, but woke up one day and everything was different. He could see that wasn't the case, even if he hadn't known that she'd been in the parallel universe he would've seen it. Everything changed two weeks ago because that's when she was pulled back. Pulled?
Noooooo! The word tore through his mind, burning him. Immediately he dropped the link. He opened his eyes, but hers were still closed. How is that possible? The word was in her voice, but not her voice. A voice he heard a long time ago aboard a game station. I want you safe, my doctor.
But he took it out of her. How was it there? In her mind? This was bad. Really not good. Had it come back? Had it somehow taken her memories. Had she almost burned and he wasn't there to help her?
He left her. Well, his previous regeneration had. Stupid! Stupid Doctor! This regeneration never understood why the other left her. The only woman he loved. Here was proof, definitive proof that the other had made the biggest mistake of their lives. He left her alone. Vulnerable. After everything she'd done to save him he abandoned her. Never again.
"You can open your eyes now," he whispered.
When she did he looked, really looked. There were gold flecks dancing in her hazel eyes. Small, almost unnoticeable, but he could see them. What did that mean.
"So, what happened?" she asked.
Yes. Right. Answers. That's what she wanted.
"Um…I'm not sure, but I don't think anyone did this to you."
"Then how'd it happen?"
"I…um…" he released her cheeks. What to tell her? "I need to run a scan."
He pulled out his sonic.
"A scan?" she asked.
"It won't hurt," he said, pointing the sonic at her and running it the length of her. Then he ran over to the console and plugged it in. The TARDIS could do a much better scan with the information.
He pulled down the monitor and she joined him. He gave her a sideways glance, not sure if he wanted her to see the results, depending on what they were.
"This may take a while. There's a kitchen if you want to make a cuppa," he suggested.
She grinned.
"A cuppa would be brilliant," she replied. "Where's the kitchen?"
"Just head down the corridor," he said, indicating the entryway. "The door'll appear."
She stepped toward the corridor and then paused.
"You want one too?" she asked.
He smiled back.
"That would be great."
She turned back and headed down the corridor. He waited a few moments and then bought up the results.
Standard Disclaimer.
Thank you to all my brilliant readers!
If you have time reviews are always welcome. :)
