Missing Scene #3

Title: Home is With You

Episode: Series 2(Any)

Main Characters: Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler

Summary: Written specifically for the fanfic contest over at the Doctor and Rose club on DeviantArt "A story where Rose gets sick or injured and wants to go home to Jackie, but the Doctor discourages her."

"No no no no no!" The door to the TARDIS burst open and the Doctor ran in, carrying his companion Rose Tyler. She moaned and shook violently in his arms. The Doctor picked up his pace towards the Med Bay. He hadn't meant for her to get shot, and for the bullet to be coated with Spirulian Venom, one of the deadliest poisons on this side of the Meltution Galaxy.

It had all started out as a normal day. He had taken her to see the enormous statue of one of the most powerful and influential leaders of the planet Geltor 4. The special thing about the statue was that it was made of sparkling rubies, making it one of the most visited attractions for space travelers. Everything should have been safe there.

But what he didn't know was that an escaped convict had broken into a science lab and had stolen a gun containing bullets highly toxic to humanoids...

"Wow Doctor, that's amazing! I love how the rubies sparkle brighter in the sunlight! Do you think I can take a picture?" Rose grinned as she pulled her camera out.

"I don't see why not. Though why you would want to is clearly beyond me. We can come back any time you want, and whatever you take on your camera is not going to compare to–" They both jumped in surprise as a gunshot rang out. People started panicking and running. The Doctor could see him, a native of Geltor, holding a weapon and brandishing it above his head. His black eyes showed he was clearly insane and desperate.

The Doctor immediately pulled the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and aimed it towards the criminal. Pressing a button, the gun sparked and flew out of the alien's hands. He yelled out in surprise as two security officers came and dragged him off.

"That was a close one." The Doctor said, smiling. That is, until he turned around and saw Rose standing there with a sick look on her face, her hands covering her bloody side. The Doctor blanched and was just able to catch her as she fell into his arms.

"It's okay. I got you. It's just a gunshot wound." Or so he thought. She began to complain of a headache and intense stomach cramps, and as the Doctor laid her on the ground, her skin turned a pale blue. He lifted her shirt up and gasped. He could tell she had been poisoned by the area around the wound. With a quick sniff he identified it as Spirulian Venom, a toxic substance extracted from the deadly vipers of Spirulia. He knew then that she only had minutes to live unless he could get her to the TARDIS in time to administer an antidote.

Rose had just stopped breathing when he reached the Med Bay. He placed her on one of the examining tables and grabbed a vial. He cursed himself for being so slow as he filled it with the specific antidote she needed. He stuck the needle into her neck and drained the vial. After it was done he set the needle aside and waited with baited breath. A few minutes went by which felt like hours. Finally her skin turned back to normal and the Doctor released the breath he didn't know he was holding. She still had a long ways to go to be completely better, but at least she was over the hardest part.

Rose's eyes fluttered opened and she coughed abruptly. She winced and shivered. The Doctor was immediately by her side.

"Doctor." She managed to whisper.

"Yes, I'm here."

"I want...to go home." She coughed again. "I...need to see...my mum." The Doctor immediately frowned. The last thing he needed now was Jackie screaming at him, blaming him for letting her daughter get so close to death.

"No, I think it's better that you stay here." The look on her face almost made him change his mind. "I can take care of you." She didn't reply, only closed her eyes and passed out from the pain. The Doctor ran a hand over his face to wipe the sweat off. That had been close. If he had lost her...he couldn't bear to think about that.

A few hours later and the Doctor was satisfied that she was out of danger. He picked her up and carried her out of the Med Bay and towards her bedroom down the hall. As he laid her in bed and tucked her under the duvet, she began to wake up again. The Doctor grabbed a wet towel and dabbed it over her sweaty forehead.

"W-what happened?" She gasped. The Doctor handed her a glass of water and she drank it gratefully.

"You were shot with a bullet coated in Spirulian Venom. A potentially lethal poison that raids the body in a matter of seconds. Another few minutes and you would have been dead." She closed her eyes at that. "But you're okay now." He continued. "Well, mostly."

"What do you mean mostly?" She frowned. "And why can't I feel my legs?"

"Spirulian Venom takes a few days to be completely flushed out of your system. You won't be able to walk for a few days since it attacked your central nervous system."

"Okay." Rose noticed the strange look on the Doctor's face. "What's bothering you?" She asked him. He pursed his lips and was silent for a few seconds.

"I almost lost you today."

"But you didn't." She retorted. "And your point is?" The Doctor chuckled.

"You see right through me." The smile on his face faded. "You said you wanted to go home."

"I did?" The Doctor was relieved. She didn't remember. "No, wait. I do remember mentioning wanting to see my mum. But what's wrong with that?"

"Well, we've been together so long, I just wanted...uh..."

"Hold on." Rose stopped him. "Doctor, are you jealous of my own mum?"

"No!" He spluttered. "I am not jealous of your mum! I-I guess I just wanted you to look to me to make you better. Because you can't deny that I know a whole lot more about taking care of you than your mum does." Rose nodded.

"Ah yes, the woman who raised me for twenty years versus the alien whose known me for only two. And besides, how is that different than being jealous?"

"Oh, I don't know," He leaned up against her bed. "Doesn't sound so...human." Rose laughed again, pulling the covers of her bed up.

"Come on," She encouraged him."

"You don't mind?"

"Nah. I know you don't look at us humans like that." Ooh, that stung. Nevertheless, he kicked off his trainers and hopped into her bed, snuggling in beside her. She curled up next to him and placed her head on his chest.

"Rose," He began. "You've been here for almost two years. That's 730 days of us being together. Minus the two or three days I was locked in that Kintari cell." Rose groaned at the memory. "Anyway, it may sound selfish but I want this, the TARDIS, to be your sanctuary, the place to feel secure, with me, where nothing can harm you and where you'll always be safe."

"Mmm...that's awfully domestic sounding." The Doctor didn't respond to that. "You don't have to be jealous of my mum y'know." Rose said after a minute of silence. "After all, you are my home now."

"Really?" The Doctor's eyes shot open at that.

"Well, sure." She said it like he should have already known. "I still want to see her though. After I'm better. And don't worry, I won't tell her anything about what happened today.

"Deal." He replied. As she nuzzled in deeper, the Doctor wrapped his arm around her.

"About that thing you said earlier, about me not looking at humans like...that, well, it's not really true and..." He was cut off by the sound of Rose's heavy breathing, signaling she was asleep. Figures.

The Doctor looked up at the ceiling and sighed. He closed his eyes and listened as his blonde companion's single heart beat in time to his two. He caressed a hand through her hair and smiled, pulling the blankets up around them both.

And, for the first time since the Time War, the Doctor slept.

Finè

Let me start by saying it's not very often that I write a story without a heavy dose of romance(not the graphic kind) so I was really surprised when this came out. The first draft of this was absolutely terrible, because no matter how hard I try, I cannot write right off the hip. But after I slept on it a few nights, I was able to come up with this, which I actually really like :) Short and sweet! Please review! :)