The Doctor stifled a sigh and averted his eyes from the hunched figure of Rose to once again look out the window. Not that there was much to see outside of clouds but at least they were in a jet and not a zeppelin. No way he'd have been able to sit still for an eight hour trip, three was bad enough.
He closed his eyes and tried not to sulk over Rose burying herself in work. Time Lords did not sulk, thank you very much! Of course, in the honesty of his own mind, and if one couldn't be honest there, well …
She was clearly avoiding him and if her short replies to his queries over her state of health were anything to go by she was still irritated with him. Rasillon! She'd rebuffed him rather thoroughly the last three times he'd tried engaging her in conversation.
What was she playing at? Surely she wouldn't maintain the cold shoulder attitude much longer!
He clenched his fist on the arm of the seat and fought against his urge to try again. He could handle her ignoring him, a little, but refusing to admit she was in pain … who did she think she was fooling? The way she kept squinting and rubbing the back of her neck was a clear indication that her head was aching.
He gulped as images of Rose sprawled in the sand pounding her temples and then her eyes flashing gold in his hotel room crossed his mind. Blimey! She might not remember any of it but he vividly remembered yesterday's events.
His mouth went dry as he replayed the scenes, turning over her words again and again. The common denominator with both episodes had been her head aching and the golden light that reminded him uncomfortably of the vortex energy she had once absorbed.
He scratched his head. He'd taken it from her, or so he thought, but current evidence suggested something remained and based upon the headaches he had to surmise it wasn't good. His examination of her last night, what little she'd allowed, had shown nothing out of the ordinary; pulse, heart rate, blood pressure, temperature all within normal ranges for a human which meant he'd have to convince Rose to let him enter her mind if he wanted an answer to the mystery.
Of course, he could also wait until they arrived at Torchwood and persuade her to submit to a brain scan, though that still wouldn't tell him as much as just looking for himself and his way would be faster too.
He pursed his lips as a thought occurred to him. He wouldn't enter her mind without permission, but that didn't mean … He glanced across the aisle, noting her tense posture and the frown that seemed permanently affixed to her face. Really, he just needed to assure himself that she wasn't in pain.
He closed his eyes and exhaled, lowering his mental shields while soothing his conscious with assurances that he wasn't invading her privacy, just opening himself to any stray thoughts she might be projecting.
Humans routinely broadcast their emotions and even a touch telepath like himself could intercept them without much effort unless he kept his defenses in place but Rose … he'd caught, no been assaulted by Rose's emotions on that damn beach yesterday …
He frowned at the thought of her human mind being capable of projecting strongly enough to break through his mental shields, though to be honest he hadn't bothered with anything but rudimentary protection in years. He sniffed. Bit careless of him really. Still, she'd caused him pain. That was more than just careless surface thoughts from clueless humans. How had she done it?
He exhaled again and let his mind drift. He blocked the hum of contentment coming from Jackie and ignored the faint feelings of the pilots as they worked, concentrating on finding Rose. Sitting so close he should have found her the easiest human to pick up but evidently Rose kept her feelings locked tight, and really, she shouldn't be able to do that; at least not without training.
He sighed and relaxed further, dropping all of his mental armor, and flinched as a jumble of feelings rolled over him. Frustration, anger, confusion, fear, love, sadness; his Rose was an emotional wreck. He gulped and reconstructed his shields. She wasn't currently in physical pain which relieved him of course but her feelings …
Frustration was the strongest feeling and he wondered if it was directed at her work or the current mess between them. He didn't kid himself about her anger and confusion; he knew those could be laid directly at his door, probably the fear and sadness as well, and the love? Well, he hoped so but … she hadn't said it, either on the beach or later in his hotel room.
He rested his chin on his palm and sighed. For a genius he'd certainly made a mess where Rose was concerned. He should have told her his decision concerning the MetaDoctor from the beginning, if not while they were still on board the Tardis then as soon as they landed on Bad Wolf Bay.
He wished he could say that he didn't know why he'd not told her earlier but being honest with himself … really, that whole honesty thing was becoming a bit rubbish. He scrubbed his hands down his face and closed his eyes. He'd been a fool. An old and very foolish alien was what it boiled down to. He'd pretended to be the MetaDoctor to see if Rose loved him even without the whole of 'time and space', to see if he was what she loved or …
Gah! He clutched his hair and slammed the door shut on his wayward thoughts. This, THIS was why he didn't do domestic! Although, he snorted, he'd rather committed himself to the slow path, at least for now, and wouldn't that just be the height of irony if, after deciding to give himself fully to a relationship with her, Rose was the one that pulled away?
He scrubbed a hand down his face and glanced across the aisle. She was so beautiful and he'd missed her more than even his considerable brain could have imagined. Being so close to her now …
He allowed his gaze to roam over long legs, curled onto the plush seat, passed the indent of a narrow waist, lingering at the swell of more than bountiful breasts, up an elegant neck that just begged for open mouthed kisses … he stifled a groan and shifted, tugging on his trousers in an attempt to relieve the sudden tightness.
Rasillon! Where had his much vaunted Time Lord control gone? He snorted. No doubt it was drifting in the winds of Bad Wolf Bay. Having made his decision to stay and seek a life and relationship with Rose Tyler, his body must have made a decision to go for broke, without informing his brain.
Was this constant awareness and arousal going to be a permanent thing now? On the one hand it was an exciting prospect but, if the object of his hearts refused to thaw it was going to be a major problem.
He wiggled in his seat and glared at his crotch, sighing when the pressure dropped a few notches. Nice to see he still had command over his physiology, though it certainly took more effort than usual.
He glanced back at Rose. Really, she was being just a tad bit unreasonable. So he'd mislead her, let her think he was leaving her with the MetaDoctor. He'd apologized! Even tried to explain his reasons for the subterfuge but Rose had turned all 'Torchwood Commander' on him and refused to listen! Honestly, a most stubborn woman.
Torchwood. He smiled. Just the distraction he needed … the Doctor crossed his leg and turned his body toward the window, slowly pulling out his sonic screwdriver. Hidden by his body, he aimed it at Rose's laptop.
"So, Jackie Tyler …" he searched for a topic to engage Jackie in conversation to hide the buzz of the sonic. "What have you found to be different in this universe?"
The Doctor smiled as Jackie launched into a rant about the lack of decent telly. He nodded and clucked his tongue in all the right places and flicked the switch on his sonic, glancing down occasionally to see that the download was working.
The Doctor grinned as a flash of light signaled the completion of his task and forced a yawn to stop Jackie's prattle. "It's certainly too bad about there being no Eastenders, Jackie. I'm going to relax a bit and contemplate, see if I can figure out a way to modify your television reception to pick up some intergalactic channels. I seem to recall a thirty-fourth century program from a human colony on Hestrex 4 that was similar. Rose was addicted to it anyway."
Wincing at Jackie's shrieks of joy and the fact that Rose had not once lifted her head from her computer, the Doctor reclined his seat and pulled his jacket across his lap. Once camouflaged, he settled back to read his purloined information.
Scrolling past a handful of emails and memo reminders of upcoming Vitex functions, the Doctor zoomed in on a report on Torchwood's latest projects and investigations. His eyes widened. Rose was correct the communications department was likely a very unhappy bunch right now; losing an AEHF satellite tended to do that.
He skimmed down the page seeking what had caused the highly sophisticated equipment to burn out. He frowned. An unknown energy signature, point of origin undetectable, pulsed five times at point seven three second intervals at thirteen hundred, yesterday afternoon. AEHF Lupus Major intercepted said signature culminating in circuitry malfunction to sectors four through six of data interface. Critical repairs underway but further assessment suggests –
The Doctor sniffed and considered Torchwood's latest problem. From Rose's end of the conversation he'd learned scientists were considering the unknown signature to be a result of the dimensional retro-closure, likely basing that hypothesis on the simple fact that both occurred nearly simultaneously.
He tapped his screw driver against his lip and allowed his mind to consider an alternate and much more puzzling theory; one that the Torchwood scientists would not come close to stumbling upon because they were unaware of it.
The Tardis. Based on the times documented in the report, the Doctor couldn't help but draw the conclusion that the answer to the damaged satellite hinged on the dematerializing Tardis but as much as he wracked his frankly brilliant brain, he could think of nothing within the normal operations of the Tardis that would have such an effect on what was clearly inferior technology in comparison to that of the Time Lords.
If only he could analyze the energy signature … he blew through the rest of the report but found nothing pertaining to the readings Rose mentioned. Huffing, he closed the file and pondered the best way to get the information he sought.
"Rose?"
Rose sighed but didn't look up from her computer. "Yes Doctor?"
His lips curled at her annoyed tone but then again, if she was already irritated with him he had nothing to lose …
"I was just wondering what you were working on." He leaned across the aisle, resting his hand on the back of her seat and peering over her shoulder. "Wouldn't have anything to do with that unidentified energy signature you were talking about last night, hmmm?"
Rose snapped the lid of her laptop closed and whipped her head around. The frost in her glare would have frozen a lesser man; lucky he was a Time Lord.
"That is classified information, Doctor."
He flashed what he knew to be a charming smile. "Yeees, well you and I never bothered with rules before ..."
Her lips pursed. "Rules are in place to protect people, Doctor, and … those were different times."
His eyes widened. Oh Rose, what has doing domestic done to you?
Burying his disappointment behind another bright grin, he waggled his eyebrows at her. "Weeell, lucky for you I'm a Time Lord then, hmmm? No one better at changing time …"
Rose stared into his eyes for several seconds, no expression on her face. The Doctor resisted the urge to fidget, wondering what her response would be.
Holding his gaze, she slid the laptop onto the seat next to her and turned to face him, a smile that didn't match her eyes twisting her lips. "So Doctor, we're almost back to London. What are your immediate plans?"
He blinked and leaned back in his seat. Had she just – yep she had. His Rose had just deflected him like a pro. He couldn't take much joy in the fact that she'd learned all she knew from him.
Drawing a deep breath he released it with a sigh and decided to go for disarming and boyish. A sure fire way of wheedling information from reluctant females if ever he'd found one.
Widening his eyes and grinning in a way he knew flashed his dimple; the Doctor pitched his voice higher and whined. "Roooose, I'm expected to have plans? I never have a plan. Pleeease tell me you're joking!"
He smiled as her lips twitched and her eyes showed a hint of a twinkle. Yep, still had it!
"Nope!" Her grin widened as she popped her 'p'. "No joke. No Tardis means you'll have to think about a job, which means you'll need a name and assorted documentation too! Oh,"
Her eyes were definitely twinkling now; clearly she was deriving a great deal of pleasure in the topic. The Doctor began to feel uneasy and the thought briefly crossed his mind that Rose was on to his frankly genius ruse to gather information.
"And you're going to have to go shopping because you can't wear the same thing day in and day out while you're working from nine to five at your job."
Ah, here he could certainly out maneuver her. "Shopping Rose? Oh, surely not! He reached into one of his bigger on the inside pockets and searched around until his fingers brushed wool. "Ah hah!" He pulled the corner of his brown pinstriped jacket out and grinned. "You didn't think I came unprepared, did you?"
Rose smirked. "Well, I'll give you that one, Doctor. But …" her smile widened. "Let's not forget the epitome of domestic living." Her voice took on a sing song quality. "You'll have to get a mortgage!"
The minx! The Doctor choked on a laugh, clearly remembering their past conversion underneath a black hole. Leaning forward he met and held her gaze as he shrugged and pitched his voice lower. "Or, I don't know, we could share … if you want."
His gaze drifted to the laptop. "You know, working together too … in fact, we could get started on that part right away."
Rose smirked. "Or not." She pulled the computer back onto her lap before meeting his eyes again. "Because Torchwood has rules and we both know how you feel about those, yeah?" She flashed him a cheeky grin, winked, and then returned to her work.
The Doctor blew out a breath and scrubbed a hand across his face. Had he? He stifled a groan and admitted it; Rose Tyler had just out maneuvered him. He slumped in his seat and prepared for landing.
"ETA nine minutes, if traffic isn't jammed."
The Doctor stared out the window and pretended interest while he listened to Rose's phone call. His lips twitched. Seemed eavesdropping was becoming a regular pastime for him.
"Yeah, I looked over the reports on the flight. Nah, nothing jumped out at me …"
He stifled a sigh and wondered at the changes in Rose. What little conversation they'd had during the trip from Norway had been unproductive in putting their relationship back to where it should have been or in solving the mystery of the satellite.
He searched Rose's face as she concluded her call. His Rose had changed in the years they'd been apart and he was fast concluding that he didn't like those changes.
Oh he was proud of her, she'd obviously risen to a place of rank and respect at Torchwood, but she kept everything of herself walled off, hidden behind a mask of calm efficiency. That was not his Rose.
He shuddered. Was that what living on the slow path did?
The car stopped in front of a tall glass and steel office building and Rose gathered her things as the driver opened the door. She stepped out and he moved to follow only to be stopped short by her hand pressed to his chest.
He sat back and quirked an eyebrow.
Rose's lips twitched. "Sorry Doctor, remember what I said about clearance? You don't have a name or id, I can't get you in." She looked at Jackie. "Mum, do you mind getting the Doctor settled?"
Jackie waved her hand. "Sure Rose, though how I'm supposed to keep him from blowin' something up when he gets bored –"
"Oh, he'll be fine. Tony will keep him occupied."
Jackie snorted. "Oh yeah, just what I need, two toddlers runnin' amuck."
"Oi! He is right here and –"
"Look, I've got to run, they're waitin' on me." Rose backed away.
"Rose! You're comin' over tonight, right?"
Rose met Jackie's eyes and shook her head. "I'm not promisin', depends on how long the meeting runs." She dragged a hand through her hair and glanced over her shoulder. "I really have to go." Her gaze met his but quickly skittered back to her mum. "I'll … I"ll call you but if we work late I'll probably just go home."
His mouth dropped open as she turned and entered the building. Had she just – he looked at Jackie. "She just … like I'm a bloody pet! She –"
"Yeah, I see that." Jackie shrugged and motioned for the driver to close the door. "Well, looks like you're with me, Sunny Jim." She chuckled. "At least until you figure out how to win back my daughter."
The Doctor flopped back against the seat. Win her back? He frowned. He refused to believe he'd ever lost her. The look on her face when they'd met on that deserted street and their reunion, albeit brief, on the Tardis after he'd healed himself told him all he needed to know about Rose's feelings for him.
Her current behavior stemmed directly from his actions on that damned beach and while he would allow that said actions deserved a bit of Tyler ire enough was enough, time to remind his Rose that he was the Lord of Time not the Tin Dog.
He tapped the glass divider and motioned for the driver to pull over.
"What are you doing?"
The Doctor stepped out of the car and grinned at Jackie. "Going to win back Rose." He winked at her and jogged off toward Torchwood.
Rose smiled and nodded acknowledgment to people as she hurried down the hall to the lift, trying her best to pull her wayward emotions under control. The doors slid shut and she let her mask fall. She'd left the Doctor. Left him with her Mum! God! He must be furious.
She bit her lip and watched the numbers flash as the lift climbed. She pulled out her phone, finger hovering over her mother's number. She really should call him and apologize, admit she hadn't been thinking clearly and she'd see him later, bring him credentials …
She snapped her phone shut as the memory of his cocky grin flitted into her mind. No, she wouldn't call him. Let the Doctor stew for a bit; see what being left behind felt like.
He'd tried to pull that flirting crap on the plane just to see what she was working on … she snorted. Really, why had she been surprised? Manipulation was standard operating procedure for the Time Lord.
And maybe, just maybe she'd had enough. She was a Torchwood Commander, not some nineteen year old shop girl, and it was time he saw her that way. She straightened her jacket and smoothed her hair as a ding announced her floor.
She strode toward the Dimension Cannon lab but was derailed by another round of hugs and congratulations. She glanced at the clock and gave only curt replies but the detour still took ten minutes.
Rose sighed as the last colleague drifted away letting her continue on to the lab. Apology on her lips, she stepped into the room and skidded to a stop. Her mouth dropped open as she stared.
"Oh, hello, Rose! Glad you could make it. I was just telling Malcolm my theory on what killed your AEHF satellite."
Rose's mouth opened and closed several times before her brain caught up. She marched over and grabbed his arm, hissing. "What are you doing here? You don't have clearance and –"
"My clearance." He winked and held up the psychic paper and his screwdriver.
Rose saw red. How dare he? Honestly, this was just too much! She had to work with these people and there were rules and protocols –
"Ah Rose, welcome back, sweetheart!" She allowed Pete to pull her into a hug and whispered in his ear. "I'm so sorry, Dad! I told him - but he just thinks he can –"
"Oh, no problem, Rose." Pete chuckled and nodded toward the Doctor. "Smart thinking, bringing the Doctor with you. We'd of never connected the Tardis dematerialization to our burned out satellite."
Rose gaped as Pete moved away, joining the Doctor, Malcolm, and the rest of her team as they discussed the energy signature that had wreaked havoc on their AEHF. She leaned against a workbench and tried to follow the discussion but her anger was only letting bits and pieces of the conversation through.
"So, while the retro closure was a good theory I don't think it is the root cause. But, until I've analyzed the energy signature I can't confirm that the Tardis …"
"Oh, I've got the readouts right here, Doctor. The team and I haven't been able to ascertain what the chemicals are but we've managed to isolate two of the highest concentrations and conclude that that seem to form a compound. I'm sure you'll be able to tell us what they are in record time though."
Rose grit her teeth as her chief scientist, Dr. Malcom Taylor, the wonderkin, renowned in scientific circles all over the globe, fawned over the Doctor like a fanboy. She glanced at her other team members and saw similar looks of awe.
Really, every one of these people were the best in their fields, their device had assisted in saving the multi-verse and here they were bowing and scraping before the Doctor like he was …
She shook her head. She had to admit that he was a bloody genius and ate the impossible for breakfast but still …
What was wrong with her? She'd always teased the Doctor, but he was in fact impressive and worthy of respect from every species in the universe, multi-verse actually, so why did it bother her to see her team –
"Rose?"
She blinked and met the Doctor's eyes. What had he asked her? "Um, sorry, I didn't catch –"
"No matter, understandable you'd have trouble focusing. Not like you got much sleep last night, hmm?"
He flashed his cheeky grin and Rose frowned as her colleagues hid knowing smiles. "No that's not …" her gaze darted around the room looking for something to explain her lack of attention. She heaved an internal sigh as she noticed the bronze looking cube that she'd read about on the plane.
"No, I was just wondering if this piece of alien tech could be involved." She walked over to the table and reached for it. "I mean, we documented that it entered the atmosphere in the same time period as both the energy signature and the Tardis leaving so –"
Rose gasped as her fingers closed around the cube. A jolt of mind numbing pain shot through her temples as she was blinded by a bright light. Howling winds enveloped her making her ears ring but a whisper of sound pierced the storm. A haunting melody joined the raging winds and ribbons of glittering gold dust began to form from the center of the light, dancing and weaving around her clenched fingers …
"Oh, that is a possibility we should consider, very good Miss Tyler!"
Rose blinked and stared down at the cube she could have sworn she was just holding as Malcolm continued to prattle on about connections and coincidences. She rubbed her aching head and then jumped as a cool hand fell upon her shoulder.
"You all right?"
Rose met the Doctor's eyes and nodded. She frowned at the worry evident on his face. "Is something wrong? I could have sworn –"
"Not here." He squeezed her shoulder and stepped away, joining the team's conversation.
Rose pretended to listen but her headache was starting to become insistent and she didn't protest when the Doctor called a halt to the meeting and directed her toward the door.
She let him lead her to the lift. They were alone but she waited for the doors to close before asking. "Did something happen in the lab?"
"What makes you ask that? You were there …" The look he gave her was curious but casual; Rose didn't buy it.
"I remember picking up that cube and then –"She gasped and grabbed her head as a shooting pain rendered her speechless.
The Doctor's arms closed around her and she allowed herself to lean into him until the pain lessened. "Oh my God, my head is killin' me!"
He stiffened. "Don't try to remember now. Let's get you home and then –"The doors opened onto the lobby, cutting his words off.
Rose nodded and stepped out. They were halfway to the front entrance when a loud, gruff voice boomed. "Rose Tyler!"
Despite her aching head and desire for nothing so much as her bed, Rose grinned and turned, squeaking as strong arms enfolded her, spinning her around in a joyous hug.
Giggling, she squealed to be put down but stayed within the man's embrace. "Pop!"She smiled at the daft grin that split the big man's face.
"So glad to see you're smilin' face again!" He squeezed her again and laughed. Thought you weren't comin' back, Dot."
She grinned. "It's good to see you too, Pop. I wasn't planning to return but, well, plans change." She gestured behind her to where the Doctor stood scowling. "Helped save the multi-verse and found what I was looking for so … here I am!"
He laughed and kissed her cheek. "So you are and I for one am grateful." He glanced toward the Doctor and held out his hand. "I'm guessin' yer our Rose's Doctor then? Colonel Chris Michaelson, Tactical Training Commander."
The Doctor took Pop's hand, for which Rose was grateful, but the look on his face was anything but friendly. She tuned out his lack luster greeting, wondering what his problem was but her head felt like a brass band had taken up residence so she dismissed the thought, no telling what had the alien in a funk.
"So, Dot. Since you haven't swanned off to another universe after all are we still on for our Thursday night chippie run? I'll even treat this time."
Rose frowned and rubbed her temples. "Umm, probably. Let me get back to you. I've got to get the Doctor settled and I need –"
"I need to get Rose into bed."
Rose gaped at the Doctor as a warm flush spread across her face. "Uh …"
He smiled and took her hand as he met Pop's eyes. "She hasn't had much sleep and her head is aching. I'm sure you understand. Traveling dimensions, saving all of creation …"
Pop nodded at the Doctor. "'Course." He took Rose's chin in his hand. Blue eyes searched her face for several minutes before he released her. "You're lookin' peaked, Dot. Best do as this chap says and get yourself home. Nice cuppa and a soft mattress, that's what you need."
"All right, I'm outvoted, but I'll call ya, 'k?" Rose smiled and allowed the Doctor to pull her toward the door.
Hailing a taxi, Rose gave the address of her flat and then slumped in her seat. The surge of energy she'd felt at seeing Pop had fled and she found herself almost too tired to yawn. She closed her eyes and leaned her aching head against the cool glass but didn't protest when the Doctor pulled her close and began to gently work the knotted muscles in her neck.
She gave in and allowed herself to pretend that all was right between them. Just for the moment she would revel in the comfort his presence had always and would always bring her. She snuggled closer and he pressed a light kiss to her forehead. Rose sighed, the ache in her temples eased and within minutes she was fast asleep.