This chapter has been edited slightly for the rating system. The full version can be found on Teaspoon.
Rose's eyes widened, and she jumped. "Oh, God."
The Doctor, having been through this once before now, recognised her reaction. They knew this would be coming. "Okay. Okay." He studied Rose, seeing she was clearly nervous. "Just stay calm," he said, speaking to himself as much as he was her.
"I'm not ready for this, Doctor!"
"Yes, you are!" he replied automatically. "And even if you weren't, it's happening, and there's little we can do about it. The idea is to make yourself ready." As he watched, he could see Rose wasn't taking to his words. She began to hyperventilate, to panic. "Hey. Remember what I said," he implored her. "I release you from any shame. I want this for you."
She nodded genuinely and offered him a pained expression. "I know, but why does it have to be like this?"
The Doctor grimaced, sharing the same pain in his hearts. "I know. Don't think about that, okay? Everything's fine. We're fine. Just relax. Relax." Rose's breathing evened out and she nodded again. "That's it."
"Doctor?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm scared."
Oh, how he hated to have this happen to her. "Quite right you are to be. It's okay to be scared. But I'm here. With you." The Doctor forcefully removed the worry from his voice, speaking calmly and willing Rose to change her perspective. The tone of how they proceeded from here was very important. "...Just you and me. Here, together. Good feelings." He darted his eyes towards the levels on Rose's electronic display.
Rose wanted to tell him the main reason she was scared was because of him, but his voice was soothing, and she nodded again. She had to do this. There was a few seconds of reprieve as the Doctor in the recording left her alone, speaking to Sariel. Rose used the opportunity to get a reign on her fear and her galloping heart rate.
The Doctor watched her as she lay fairly calmly. He really had no idea what he should be doing. "What do you need?"
Rose wet her lips as she considered. "I need... to know you're with me. Need you to talk."
Well, that's a change from last time he thought, but he nodded, eager to do what he could. He could do that. "Okay. Yeah, of course." He had to talk her through it, encourage her constantly, so she knew he was with her on this.
The process started again, and Rose fought to speak. "There's so much... we haven't said..."
"I know. But we'll have plenty of time later after we get out of here. I promise, we'll work it out. Right now, just concentrate on the physical."
It occurred to him that the screen might actually be a distraction at this point. Since Rose was dependent on the Doctor and his approval, the innocent visage of him being completely ignorant on the screen may not match up with his words and actually cause a conflict. If he was right, the first go was shocking enough to leave plenty in her mind to work from.
"Close your eyes, Rose. Just listen to my voice and feel."
Rose closed her eyes. The Doctor thought the screen might very well prove to be useful as a guide to what Rose must be feeling, as a way to know what words he should choose next. At this point first time around for her, the Doctor had been caressing the petals lightly, attempting to coax them open. He watched her closely.
Rose was doing her very best to turn herself around, to make this work. The Doctor was counting on her to get them out of this-only she could. Despite the factors holding Rose back, the Doctor was with her. It was his voice and his touch (however indirectly), and she was in no shortage of experience being aroused by him. That combined with her nonexistent sex life allowed Rose to believe that she could do this, however unfair the situation.
The petals finally opened enough, and the Doctor had started with the strong, circular movements to opposite surfaces of the petals, which had been totally unnecessary for cleaning and purely to encourage the flower to bloom faster. Rose's breathing sped up, and the Doctor could see her starting to squirm. "That's right, Rose. If you want to move, it's okay." He didn't want her to hold back on his account. "More than okay. I want to see you move. I want to see what you're feeling." His own breathing began to reflect hers. He dropped his voice. "Show me, Rose."
Rose whimpered and let go a little more.
The Doctor grinned widely despite himself, watching her begin to slowly move on the bed, almost not believing what he was getting to see, what he was now allowed to see. "Yes, lovely. Oh, you're beautiful, Rose."
Rose laughed.
"You are! You're so beautiful to me. I..."
I love you.
The words caught in his throat, true words but ones he wasn't ready to say. Not like this. Instead, he latched on to something he could admit. In awe, he offered, "I'm loving this."
Rose gasped, the truth of his words and richness of his tone manifesting as raw electricity in her veins.
Encouraged, he went on, his voice steadily taking on a rougher quality that reflected his mounting emotions. "I'm not just there, Rose. I'm everywhere. All over your skin." Rose arced back on her shoulders and sighed, her formfitting top rising up and giving the Doctor a peek at her creamy belly just above the hem of her jeans. Rose was now fully following his suggestions.
God, he wanted to touch her like this.
He glanced at the readout on Rose's bed. It was working. Bolstered by both her acceptance and its seeming success, the Doctor began to get bolder with his words.
His ignorant self on the screen began to delve into the second layer of petals, his fingers never stopping. What did Rose need? She needed to know he was with her, that he wasn't just observing. She needed to know he was feeling. "Oh, I can imagine what I would be feeling now. I want to feel more of you." He watched as Rose reveled in his words and indirect touch. "I love what I'm doing to you," he admitted rather selfishly and thought it perhaps too much, but he was amazed at how well she was responding to his words.
He noticed Rose was peeking at the screen at times, and he was about to tell her to stop, but he reconsidered a moment and finally understood. Rose wanted to see him, too.
The oblivious Doctor on the screen began dipping his tongue into the flower, and the Doctor lying next to Rose realised things were about to progress quickly. He began to breathe deeply as he imagined taking part himself, pleasing Rose directly. The Doctor didn't pant harder for her benefit, but he didn't attempt to quiet himself either, hoping she would hear from him the weight of what this was doing to him, that he was very much aroused and with her in spirit.
The Doctor closed his eyes, remembering the scent of the effigermus, the way it encompassed his whole world in that moment. He had stroked and stroked with his tongue, the rhythm of it intoxicating. Oh, if that was anything like what Rose would be...
And then he sensed the difference. The scent wasn't from his memory. He could smell her.
He opened his eyes and looked to her. The Doctor was startled to see Rose gazing back at him. Her eyes were dilated, dark pools of desire, and a thrill shot through him. The Doctor held nothing back, adoring Rose with his own heated gaze.
Rose had fed from his words throughout, but she had only been looking to the screen when opening her eyes. Seeing him now—chest swelling and falling rapidly, flushed, gorgeous and wild with eyes so dark and without reflection—shattered her restraint. Seeing the Doctor aroused was the most erotic thing she had ever seen. Combined with what the effigermus fed her, Rose cried out and was sent right over the edge.
"Oh yes, Rose!" the Doctor's voice shook as he watched Rose. "Oh, yes!"
Blimey, what had he just done?
He had just made love to Rose from across the room.
Rose took several deep breaths before she could verbalise desperately, "I want you here, Doctor."
The Doctor growled something incoherent and pulled his restraints tight as his eyes raked over her. "You have no idea." He was actually salivating.
There was an alarmed buzz and the Doctor's restraints clicked open. He looked down in surprise, but only for a second—then he was up like a shot, peeling the ends of the tentacles off his head. Rose stared in surprise.
"How did you get free?" Rose complained jealously.
"Safety override. Stuffed it right up!" When he reached Rose's bedside, he extended a hand, running his fingertips down the side of her face.
"Well, what about me?"
The Doctor grinned manically. "Oh, I should think so." Then the humour drained from his face as quickly as it had come and was replaced by an almost desperate hunger. The Doctor descended on her mouth, pouring all his pent-up passion into her. It was a sweet release to finally touch her and in such a profound way he never had before, at least directly. He groaned helplessly into her mouth.
Rose's restraints clicked open. The Doctor pulled back to look before meeting Rose's now amorous expression.
"I must say," the Doctor began, feeling overwhelmed, "this is quite a shock to my system. I... haven't felt..."
Hands now free, Rose grabbed the Doctor's head and pulled him down to her. They kissed again, and the Doctor fought the urge to climb right up into the bed on top of her.
He pulled away from her suddenly, noisily. "What do you say we be rid of this blasted shoppe, hey?"
Rose readily nodded her agreement and, with the help of the Doctor to steady her, slid off the bed.
They made for the door, but stopped when it started to open on its own.
The two guards entered first, and the Doctor and Rose were forced to step back. The Doctor extended a shielding arm, attempting to manoeuvre Rose behind him.
Sariel entered, and she didn't look happy.
The Doctor's body was still humming and he forced down what he could and launched into familiar territory, suddenly all insincere apology. "Erp. We broke your machine. Sorry."
"Apparently, I read you wrong, Doctor. You lied about your relationship and I didn't see it."
"Nah, that's just me. I'm..." He scratched the back of his head. "Well, spontaneous." He shifted his eyes behind his shoulder at Rose, and they shared a secret smile. "And, well, we're quite the unusual pair." The Doctor resumed the offensive. "Have you even tried this on an actual couple? 'Cause from what I can tell, if you dropped the whole kidnapping lark and kept your volunteers in check," he jabbed a thumb behind him, "these things could be very happy." He grinned. "Just like the people."
"You know nothing, Doctor," Sariel snapped. She motioned to them with her head. "Take them out the back. We're done with them."
The Doctor quickly backed away further, his leg tangling with Rose's and they almost both went down, but Rose kept her feet and got out of the way. As Gelry and Nash advanced, the Doctor gripped the edge of the tank to the creature that had fed from him. "Sariel, isn't it? Are you sure you want to bet on my knowing nothing?" Her guards hesitated, and she held a hand up to stop them. "For example, if I'm not mistaken, this is a silicon-hydrate solution. These creatures have developed a dependency to it, am I right?" He shook the tank a little. The glass gave a satisfying rattle against its stand, the solution sloshing dangerously close to the edge. "Sudden exposure to too much nitrogen, and..."
Sariel's face went slack, her reaction confirming the Doctor's assumption. "Don't you dare."
"Let us go. I'll deal with the Bosthinats myself, but I'll leave you alone to find yourself more honest work. I'll even protect you from them if you fear their retribution if it comes to it. Just let us go."
"You can't stop the Bosthinats!" She laughed. "Their whole operation spans planets!"
Rose looked to the Doctor for his response. He was giving Sariel his "Oncoming Storm" face. "Planets, galaxies, universes, entire histories. That's never stopped me before when I've wanted something ended. I only start what I intend to finish."
Sariel's confidence wavered. "What do you mean, 'histories'?"
"Oh, didn't I say?" he continued. By this point Rose expected his tone to lighten somewhat, but he was still speaking in anger, in warning. No one but Rose would know him well enough to tell, but it was clear to her—they were backed into a corner and the Doctor was afraid. "I'm a Time Lord. You kidnapped the wrong man, Sariel!"
Sariel's mind was clearly racing, weighing her options. Then she narrowed her eyes at the Doctor. "If you're going to stop the Bosthinats, then why should I care at all what you do with the korwi?" She indicated the creature in the tank he was holding on to. "I'll be out of a job before long if what you say is true, and they'll be much more angry with me for letting you go than if I were to let you kill it."
Rose could see the Doctor swallow nervously as his bravado cracked, the thin skin of his throat working in sharp profile from her angle. "Right." His eyes darted from one guard to the other in anticipation. Gelry smirked.
A loud BEEP made everyone in the room start. Sariel turned to a panel by the door and blew out a breath. Before she pressed the button, she shot an accusing glare at the Doctor.
"This is Sariel."
"Our systems show your korwi units have overloaded. Explain!"
"It was the new subjects. They progressed much more quickly than I anticipated, but I can assure you-"
"Those korwi will be useless for the next month, Sariel!"
"But they've produced plenty in just one day. Surely that makes up for it!"
There was a pause on the other side of the communications line as it sounded like whoever had been speaking to Sariel was listening to someone else in the room. Everyone was standing and just listening. The Doctor saw worry in Sariel's dark blue eyes when she briefly met his gaze.
"What are these subjects of yours?"
"The female is human," Sariel began seeming more at ease, probably happy to have something she could offer. "One of the purest I've seen, actually," she added with interest. "The male is, well I thought he was a mutant, but he calls himself a 'Time Lord.'"
An unintelligible female voice could be heard over the comm, and the voice that had been speaking to Sariel continued a few moments later. "Sariel, you're being ordered to deliver the subjects to Bosthinatia Prime."
"What?" Sariel exclaimed.
"I suggest you leave immediately. The faster you get here, the less your pay will suffer."
The comm ended. Silence reigned as everyone looked to Sariel, waiting for what she would say. Finally, she looked up to the guards. "Take them to the back, but not to the disposary." Her eyes settled on the Doctor, her face solemn. "Take them to the ship and fire it up."
-^^-W-^^-
The alley behind the shoppe was private and walled off. Other than a couple of rubbish bins, it was empty. Gelry moved forward to the gate and unlocked it while Nash stood behind the Doctor and Rose, their hands bound behind them and Nash's weapon trained on Rose's back. Gelry swung open the gate and took Rose by the arm roughly.
"Easy!" the Doctor cautioned.
They exited the alley to a back lot. Several personal spaceworthy craft were parked, probably belonging to the nearby businesses. No one was around, and people probably never were unless needing to access their own vessels. They were marched toward a shiny red one.
"A car park for spaceships," Rose said. "A... spaceship park."
The Doctor shrugged. "Lots of interplanetary travel through this place. Lots of different species, lots of trade. I'm sure everyone on Chosthu's got a space hopper."
"Enough talk," Nash said, pulling the Doctor by the arm.
Gelry climbed a small ramp followed by Rose, the Doctor and Nash bringing up the rear. Gelry threw a few switches in a panel. The lights blinked on and the ship began humming to life.
"Back here," Nash instructed as he pulled the Doctor towards the rear of the vessel. They approached a doorway. "In there."
The Doctor looked over Nash's shoulder, keeping Rose in sight. "Not without her."
"Relax, lover boy, she's coming," Gelry called from behind Rose.
"I enter with her or not at all," the Doctor worded clearly.
Rose caught up, and the guards allowed them to enter the small room together. It was empty, some sort of utility room. They were made to sit, their restraints unlocked and rebound around a pipe running horizontally about the Doctor's chest height along one wall.
"I'll go get our stuff," Nash said. "I don't think we'll be coming back for a while."
"Yeah, get mine, too. Don't forget the box under my cot."
"Don't hurt them, Gelry," Nash warned.
"I'll behave," Gelry jeered at Nash. "Get going."
Nash's heavy footfalls could be heard bounding down the ramp as he exited the space hopper. The Doctor repositioned himself to face Rose, and they slid their cuffs along the pipe until Rose could intertwine her fingers with his.
"So!" the Doctor began brightly. "Ever been to Bosthinatia, Gelry? What's it like? You'll have tell us the hot spots, the must-sees."
Gelry smirked unpleasantly, clearly not taking to the Doctor's small talk. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, making a point to stare at the Doctor.
"Right then," the Doctor muttered. "Suit yourself. Gonna be a long trip for you."
"Were you really gonna kill that thing, Doctor? That... korwi, yeah?"
The Doctor dipped his head as she pronounced it correctly. "No. You know I wouldn't have."
Rose nodded in response. A moment later, she asked, "Doctor, what about the TARDIS?"
"I know," he said dejectedly. "Nothing we can do now. It's not going anywhere, though. Don't worry about it, we'll get it later."
Rose nodded again, accepting this, and squeezed his hand.
The Doctor rewarded her with a small commiserative smile. The two of them being in trouble was nothing new, and despite the circumstances, he found himself wanting to kiss her again. They were close enough, but Gelry stood above them watching their every move. He didn't think Rose would like it if he advanced on her with an audience.
The Doctor squinted curiously at Rose. Then again, she might. He really didn't know.
He was looking forward to the possibility of finding out someday.
Besides, if he tried and she refused him, not only would she be embarrassed but his male pride would be irreparably dented.
The Doctor consoled himself that someday he would know Rose well enough to know what she would and wouldn't like, and if he was patient he just might get the opportunity.
Rose studied the Doctor. He was thinking something mischievous, but she didn't know what it was. She returned the look, teasing her upper lip with the tip of her tongue. In response, the Doctor flashed his eyes suggestively at her. Rose felt suddenly hot and broke first, looking up at Gelry.
As the mirth drained from her expression, the Doctor followed her line of sight. Gelry was doing very little to hide the lecherous look on his face.
"I distinctly remember Nash advising you very intelligently to behave."
Footsteps alerted them to someone boarding the ship. A moment later, Sariel appeared in the doorway.
"We'll be off shortly," she told Gelry. Her eyes caught on the two of them sitting closely together and clasping hands. She narrowed her eyes. "If they do anything... 'inappropriate,' you have my permission to give the crafty one a swift kick."
-^^-W-^^-
A/N: ^-(Time Lord ECG, like it? The first two tones of the heartbeat are the "W" and the last two are the following two carets)
Many thanks to all who have reviewed. If you haven't yet, I invite you to comment on Section 1. Feedback encourages me that the story is being well-received and gives me a reason to keep posting! For those that don't wish to, please enjoy the rest of the story. =)
