A/N: Doctor Who's the BBC's entirely and I am just borrowing it all for my fun and hopefully, yours. :D Sorry for the slow update, hope you enjoy- there's not much action (in, well, any sense, honestly) but I'm going more adventure-y from now on. I just had to write this chapter. Reviews mean a lot, they're the closest thing to payment fanficcers ever get, so if you could leave a thought or just let me know you swung through and enjoyed (or, I suppose, didn't ;P) the read, I'd really appreciate. Thanks again to everyone who's read & reviewed the story so far!
Not even Jackie breathed a word when they saw their ride heading towards them down the sandy strip of a road.
The car that came for them was a Mercedes-Benz, like most Bergen taxis. In this universe the make trundling down the beach sloped from a sleek front into a car body that was almost squared-off.
Even from a distance, it was unmistakably boxy.
And it was blue.
Rose had to try extraordinarily hard to hold down a laugh that would have been too close to a heave. She couldn't laugh, not when the Doctor's face sort of collapsed before he caught her looking and smiled with everything but his eyes.
"Aren't taxis usually yellow?" he asked quietly, his breath warm against her ear.
"Not here," she said, and couldn't make her smile reach her eyes either.
They moved nearer, Jackie waving it down as if the driver was likely to miss the only figures on the beach.
Sand spewed out from under the tires in small grainy fountains until the taxi reached the point where the sand darkened and dampened, a good forty yards back from the water at this low ebb. The taxi stopped short, tires impressing a pattern on the sand that wouldn't last minutes after it left. Its tinted window lowered slowly and the driver stuck his head out for a better look at them. "Right where I was told you would be," he said with only a light accent, curiosity turning up the droops in his doughy face. "Tyler party?"
"'Course, do you see anyone else standing about waiting for a lift?" asked Jackie, bee-lining for the Mercedes-Benz. The driver barely managed to hop out in time to open the door for her. "Thank you, luv," she said much more pleasantly, tucking her jacket beneath her and reclining against the comfortable leather seat with an exhaled, "Ahh…"
Without taking Rose's hand and with a distracted expression, the Doctor moved towards the car appraisingly. Rose watched him cautiously as he walked right past the open car door and began to circle the taxi.
"No luggage, then?" said the driver, staring at the air around Rose's feet and empty hands as if expecting bags to materialize.
"We travel light," said Rose absently, her eyebrows lifting as the Doctor crouched down and craned his neck to see the underside of the taxi.
"What's he doing then?" said the driver, mouth slack as the Doctor stood and clapped a hand against the taxi's side, holding it against the slick blue surface for a moment as if in consideration. He strode purposefully towards the hood.
"Just- checking," said Rose vaguely, trying not to show her concern and hooking her hands into her jacket pocket. She forced herself to beam at the driver, catching his attention as the Doctor popped open the hood. "Really, thank you for coming straightaway…"
"No need to thank me, ma'am, your fare's been seen to. At your service," said the driver, glancing over his shoulder at the Doctor with consternation. Jackie was leaning out of the back, gesturing at the Doctor with a crooked finger and hissing, but with his head under the hood he didn't seem to notice. "If you wouldn't mind, perhaps you could get your friend in the suit to stop- checking my vehicle so we might get going?"
"Is this a solar-powered battery pack?" the Doctor said in apparent delight as he prodded at something that doubtlessly didn't need prodding. He lifted his head out, shaking it slightly as if bemused, and closed the hood delicately. "Oh, that's a step up for your-" he caught Rose's eye as he turned, "no, no, our lot. Still primitive, obviously-"
"This is a top of the line taxi, sir," said the driver, shifting uncomfortably.
"Oh yes," said the Doctor, quickly. "It's a very, very nice- blue- car with absolutely no need for any sort of atmospheric omission system- I like it already. Hello," he added, as he strolled over, checking the nametag hanging on the right hand side of the driver's black jacket. He squinted. "Cathby, is it?"
"Cadby, sir," said the driver, now looking at Rose nervously. She couldn't open her mouth or even bring herself to take the Doctor's hand to stop him. Her throat had a tight hysterical feeling, the way it got before a laugh so hard it left her stomach aching or a long good cry and she had no idea which was rising. She felt it wouldn't be an appropriate time for either, particularly not with Cadby present.
"Really?" said the Doctor, slightly perturbed. "Well, good man, Cadby, you have splendid taste in taxis."
"It's standard in Bergen, sir," said Cadby.
"Well, a standard I wouldn't mind seeing around London," called Jackie, from inside the car, and inwardly Rose blessed her mother. "Quite swanky. Now if you lot could be troubled to hop in, we all might actually see London tonight."
"Excepting Cadby," said the Doctor helpfully. Cadby gave him a faint nod of agreement.
Rose shoved down the impulse in the back of her throat, stowed it for later, for a somewhen to herself, and grabbed the Doctor's arm. He was worrying her a little. "Come on," she said, with only a hint of a threat in her smile. He quirked an eyebrow at her as she pulled him towards the car. "Allons-y, yeah?"
"Oh quite," he said, with a rush of warmth, and she wondered if he'd replayed everything they'd said that last day in his head as many times as she had. Or more, perhaps. "Did I mention, Rose," he said, ducking into the car at Rose's prompting as Jackie, sighing, budged over. The Doctor looked askance at Jackie, finding himself in the middle, but relaxed against the seat, turning his head to look at Rose. "I met an Alonzo?"
She felt a rush of warmth as she shut the door behind them. It was him, it was so him. "You didn't!"
"Did too," he said
"Wish I'd been there," said Rose, without thinking, and watched a shade fall across his face.
He didn't say me too and she thought perhaps that hadn't been a day when everybody lived. The taxi started with a rumble before the Doctor said anything at all.
Rose cleared her throat instead. "Seatbelt," she pointed out, clicking her own into place, and in a moment the click of his echoed hers.
"Y'know, Jackie, you had a point- I'm as surprised as you to be saying that- this is rather swanky," said the Doctor, drawing out the word and rubbing the leather seat thoughtfully.
"Oh it's swanky alright, and we're paying through the teeth for it, I'm sure," Jackie said lowly, rolling her eyes and clicking her tongue. They'd gotten used to having money by now but Rose was a bit proud her mother still believed in bargain-hunting above all. "If they had fares like this in London, they'd be rioting in the streets-"
Rose closed her eyes briefly. She'd had enough of rioting in the streets for a good long while. She glanced out the window as they headed up the half-mile of beach back towards something of a real road, leaving Dalig Ulv Stranden, a place as lovely as she might find in the universe and yet so hard for her to even think of, behind again. She remembered this drive, forehead resting against the glass of the window and the taste of salt in her mouth. Years ago now but it felt for a moment as if no time had passed, as if she were still twenty-one and stranded from all she wanted in the universe. She caught the Doctor watching her in the reflection.
"Suppose you're not used to taking taxis," said Jackie to the Doctor, and Rose turned.
"Oh, nah, it's old hat," he said, aware of Cadby watching in the mirror. "If you run too far and need to get back quick, well, there's no better way, is there?"
"What about money?" said Rose, leaning her shoulder against his.
"Money," he said, looking overwhelmed by the very word. "Well, it wasn't a problem, last time. Martha had money, and pockets- always sensible, Martha- weellll, mostly- though there was a bit of a fuss over us bringing the bows and arrows along."
"Can't imagine why," said Jackie.
"Bows and arrows?" repeated Rose, wondering where he'd picked up archery. It wasn't all that surprising after the swashbuckling he'd pulled against the Sycorax, claiming over Christmas dinner that he'd picked up swordsmanship from a captain in Cleo's guards. "Going a bit Robin Hood, were yah?"
"He only robbed people," said the Doctor. "I had to handle a lizard. A very large lizard, and let me tell you, hitting the soft spot of a fully-grown horned Alamandridian in the middle of its hatching cycle is a good deal more difficult than hitting a bullseye. And no one claps." He cocked his head, reflectively. "Weelll, Martha might have, if she hadn't been the one to hit it. Perhaps I should have clapped…"
Rose could see Cadby's eyes in his rearview mirror, very round and perturbed. He probably thought the Doctor was a madman. It wouldn't be the first time he'd been taken as such.
"What sort of planet was that on?" said Jackie, mouth half-open and shuddering with distaste. Jackie had never been on friendly terms with slimy creatures, unless Rose counted a few of the men her mother had dated.
"Oh, Earth, London, you probably have some here," he said. "There's always plenty in your sewage systems, but that's usually on the males. Harmless, they are, it's female of the species you have to watch out for," he said, and threw a wink at Rose.
"Isn't it usually," muttered Cadby the driver, and Rose thought they probably should see about raising the glass between him and the back.
"What, in our sewers? Like crocodiles?" said Jackie, voice rising.
"Nah, much bigger," he said, gesturing the length of the car. "And you're thinking of alligators, Jackie. That's just an urban legend. Though I ran into a few crocodiles in the sewers of Constantinople…"
"And what were you doing in the sewers of Constantinople?" Rose asked, her knee pressing against his as the car turned.
He noticed, and seemed distracted for a moment. "Oh," he said, scratching his head. "That's a bit of a story…"
"We've got a bit of a ride," said Cadby, a little loudly, and they all jumped. Drat, did this taxi even have glass to raise?
"Fair point, Cathby," said the Doctor, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head and stretching his legs out as far as he could. The seats were roomy, but Jackie and Rose both still had to scoot away from his elbows. He was so bony they felt sharp.
"And I think you mean Istanbul," added the driver, glancing back at them for a moment, his meaty face attentive.
"Oh no," said the Doctor, very seriously. "I meant Constantinople."
So the Doctor talked and they interrupted, even Cadby- who Rose would make sure got a hefty tip even though that wasn't usually done in Bergen, just to make sure none of this touched the tabloids, she'd had quite enough of that with being the mysterious Vitex heiress. Apparently he'd gotten along quite well with some actress turned empress named Theodora, which Rose didn't like one bit, not the way he said actress.
"Exactly how well did you know her?" she asked, looking out the window and trying to sound casual.
No answer. Oh, that boded terrifically. Not that she was jealous of a woman dead for a thousand years anyway.
"Doctor?" she said, glancing over when he didn't elaborate.
His mouth was half-parted, but his eyes were closed. Rose thought for a moment he was thinking, but then his head nodded towards his chest.
Jackie leaned forward to look across him, her blue eyes reflecting two miniscule upside-down and very nervous Roses back at the original. "His head isn't imploding again, is it?"
"Sshh," said Rose, touching the Doctor's face lightly with one hand and reaching across with the other to feel his pulse.
"Everything all right back there?" said Cadby, who was really annoying Rose by now. She hadn't had to deal with anyone half so curious in a while; people tended not to ask questions when she walked about with a gun half her own size.
"Peachy," snarled Jackie, watching carefully.
His breath was steady, his pulse was steady, his temperature was still just a touch cool. Not hot.
Then he wuffled.
There was no other word for it, really, a drawn-out snorting puff of air with what was almost a humming sound. The Doctor stirred, shifted to the left, and readjusted himself.
"Was that a snore?" said Jackie, looking almost offended.
"Well – yeah," said Rose, breaking into a surprised smile and settling back into her own seat.
"Oh, I like that," said Jackie, in a tone that made it clear she very much did not. "You and I've been our feet for days' worth by now- when's the last time you slept, sweetheart? – and here he is, not even alive that long – that's meant euphemistically, Cadby-"
"Metaphorically," amended Rose.
"- out like a light! How's he sleeping- 'scuse me, Cadby, but you could try to avoid at least some of the potholes-"
"I'll do my best, ma'am," he said, nodding, just as the Doctor's head nodded its way onto Rose's shoulder.
She'd last caught sleep more than seventy-two hours ago, tossing back sleeping pills to catch a catnap in the blacked-out room they had set up for her in Control and as much caffeine as she could stand before hefting her gun and cannoning again through the howling whiteness of the Void for the horrible split-second between places.
She supposed she could begrudge him sleep if she'd wanted. Half a day, maybe, this body had existed, if she didn't count the hand, and he was worn out already.
With 900 years of sleepless dreamless days packed into his head, it was no wonder. Speaking of, they never ceased- a Time Lord, or half-Time Lord anyways, asleep on her shoulder.
She could get used to this.
"Shhh," she said to her mother again, this time softly, and stared at the window at the pinking sky, as the hours turned towards vesper.
He didn't look boyish asleep, or old and tired either, only troubled, brow creased all the way down to his shut eyes. If they'd have been alone she'd have done what she could to smooth it, but as it was she only shifted her shoulder when he seemed uncomfortable or about to slip.
They reached the Clarion Hotel attached to Bergen's Flesland Airport just shy of two hours from the blue taxi's arrival. Jackie'd checked in with Pete on the superphone, quietly- well, quietly, for her- and they had tickets waiting for a flight out in five hours, with rooms reserved to catch up on sleep in the meantime.
Rose had already made up her mind when they pulled in.
"Wake up," she said in his ear, and he didn't right away. She had to shake his shoulder lightly before he snapped to.
"What?" he said, looking around, startled. His eyes darted like he was ready to bolt.
"We get out here," she said, stepping out of the taxi.
"Already?" said the Doctor, looking disappointed. Cadby seemed sorry to see them go. He even honked at them and waved as he pulled away.
The Doctor, still blinking, looked rather longingly after the boxy blue car. She didn't think he was missing Cadby, particularly since he still hadn't gotten his name down.
"I'll check us in, we can get out tickets there on our way out, too," said Jackie brightly, and taking in the Doctor, who was hanging onto Rose's sleeve and catching his foot on the pavement as if dazed, lowered her voice. "Don't go losing that one," she said, "he wanders off, we'll be trying to drag him back all night instead of catching a decent rest. I know full well how he can be."
"What?" said the Doctor, muddled, and running his hands across his face. "Is she going somewhere?" he said, as Jackie strolled towards the front desk.
They stood in the crowded lobby, the two of them alone amidst the bustle. "Yeah," said Rose. "She's going back to London in a few hours. Got zeppelin tickets for all of us waiting."
"Oh," said the Doctor, almost apprehensively. "I suppose that means peanuts and juice boxes for us too," he said, and she wondered what he'd run into lately that would make him mention relatively innocent food with such distaste.
"If you want," said Rose, shrugging.
He blinked the haze out of his eyes. "Don't you?"
"I could use a vacation," she said frankly. "And like I said, all the girls at work said Pompeii's lovely. This girl Lisa, she honeymooned there." She regretted that last sentence instantly, and quickly added, "There's a lot of fuss over some masterpieces from the Pompeiian Renaiisance, and the theaters are big. Oh, and snorkeling."
"Love the snorkeling," he said vaguely.
Jackie came back, waving their room keys. "Fourth floor, let's go up and get some shut-eye then."
"Is she joking?" said the Doctor, looking horrified.
"No," said Rose, surprised.
"But I've just slept," he complained. "Hour of my life, gone, like that," he snapped for emphasis, "I haven't even recovered from that yet and you think I ought to try some more of it?"
"I haven't slept," said Rose.
"Oh- well," he said, deflating. "Can't have that. Lead on, then, Jackie."
She didn't, quite. The Doctor spotted the escalator and sprang ahead, apparently rejuvenated. Jackie caught her arm before she could catch up.
"Pete got you a room with two beds," hissed Jackie. "Told him a big one for you and him, I figured, but- well- he's your father, you're lucky he didn't get three. S' that alright?"
"Mum, I'm tired. And really, please don't – just- don't. Especially not in front of him."
"'S not like he's in ear range," said Jackie, mollified anyhow. "It's only for a couple of hours, we'll be back before-"
"About that," said Rose, facing her mother and stepping onto the escalator backwards. Jackie stepped after, lips pursing, face clearly saying she wasn't going to like this.
"I thought him and me might drive back," she said, adding hastily, "he's good with cars."
"But there's no need-"
"No, there is," said Rose, looking behind her to see the Doctor was already waiting at the escalator top, tapping his toes. "We're gonna need this."
"At least come home and pack-"
"I'll have my phone and Dad can wire me money, Torchwood owes me all kinds of money- there's all sorts of rental agencies right out of the airport, and you saw him, the Doctor likes cars- not sure that he's ever needed a license…"
Jackie lifted her chin and Rose found it hard to meet her mother's eyes. "And I don't suppose you're driving straight home."
"… Sorry, Mum. Not quite."
Her mother's face looked old to her for a moment, drawn and resigned. "Same old life," she said, like each movement of her mouth pained her. "I shouldn't be surprised. It's not like you were any different without him- always at one Torchwood or another, and me not knowing if you were in Glasgow or Cardiff or even in this universe."
Rose felt the escalator end beneath her. She hadn't been paying attention and her step faltered for a second as her heel hit the flat metal platform at the top, but he was in just the right spot to slide his arms under hers and even pull her out of the way for Jackie.
He smiled, tiredly. "It isn't fair," he said, setting her all the way back on her feet and taking her hand. "I actually feel like I could do with more shut-eye. Is this what being human is? Being tired all the time? It's awful."
"Better get used to it," said Rose teasingly, though her eyelids felt suddenly heavy. "If you're going to do this human thing the right way, that'll mean sleeping every night…"
"Not all night," he protested. "I mean, really, I've traveled with you lot enough, you get up to more than that at night- you all right, Jackie?" he said, suddenly all innocent concern.
Jackie stopped choking, holding up her hand for him to give her a moment. "Fine," she said, and Rose wasn't sure who her glare was meant for.
Same old life, her mother'd said.
But it wasn't looking out that way, Rose thought, and figured it was good thing she was tired since she wasn't ready to think out sleeping arrangements yet. At least they weren't sharing a room with her mother and wouldn't be under her father's roof at first, that was a start.
It was something brand new flavored with the way it had been, déjà vu all over again and undoubtedly trouble but it was all streets they hadn't turned down before, all risk and change she wasn't sure if she liked or not yet. And hurt it a little, because this wasn't the man she'd fought her way across the stars to get back too, the man somewhere in his magical blue box with Donna Noble and his own new new life.
But he was almost and he was hers and he was better maybe with her than he would be without, and maybe they could be happier than she could ever be with the Time Lord who looked at her and saw so much dust slipping through his fingers.
Her time and his were twined together now. Even the hours they spent dreaming.
"C'mon, you," she said, when her mother finally handed her the key and let her go for now. She knew Jackie would wake them up in the morning just to check if they'd changed their minds and would fly after all, come home, but they couldn't yet. They had to work out their own home, and especially with the TARDIS gone, it had nothing to do with walls or even England.
There were two beds and they didn't even think about it, didn't take off their clothes or turn down the sheets. He flopped down, head propped back on the pillows, and tilted his head at her as if it were a question. She shut off the light and chose and moved towards the faint glimmer of light reflecting off his eyes. She laid her head on the bed, her arm on his chest, and felt him slide his head down and closer.
He laid his hand over hers. Between his chest and his wrist Rose could feel his one pulse beating in time with hers, their heartbeats twinning as their breathing settled and grew slow.
"I'm so glad," he whispered, and yawned, unable to finish his sentence.
It didn't matter. She was, too.
They fell asleep in moments to the sound of two heartbeats. Hers and his, side by side.
Rose's last thought for a while was that it wouldn't be so hard to get used to this.