"You must be tired." The Doctor said once they entered the vortex, set to drift there for a while. He looked at his new companion, fully aware of the smug glee coming from his time ship. After all, he had very adamantly stated, not twenty-four hours before that he wasn't going to take on another.
And yet, here was Rose Tyler, a twenty-first century girl who he could not read a single time line for now that she was with him.
"Bit, yeah." Rose admitted, brushing her hair behind her ear and shifting nervously.
"Not surprising, given everything that transpired today, and the events of the night before. You could probably use a good night's rest. Well, not night. There are no nights on the TARDIS, after all." The Doctor said as he extended his hand to her once more. He'd been very touchy in this body, something that centuries within it hadn't dulled. The frequency with which he doled out affection had lessened over the years, and did so even more during the war, but it had never went away. Yet, with Rose, he found it sparking up again.
Maybe it was because he was alone, and she seemed kind. Maybe because his mind was so empty that the physical contact acted as a placebo for the missing connection. Either way, he found his automatic reaction was to offer her his hand, and he was always pleasantly surprised when she took it.
He led Rose through the corridors of the ship. His hand in hers, he watched as she took in everything with a glint of gleeful wonder. The TARDIS, much to his surprise, opened doors as they moved to show Rose what was behind them, humming as if pleased and lights flickering with each whispered compliment or remark of intrigue from their passenger.
"Something wrong with your lights?" She asked after the sixth time it happened, frowning at the ceiling.
The Doctor smiled. "No. The TARDIS is sentient, and the lights flickering is her way of blushing." There was a drop in pitch of the hum. "Oh, stop it. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Besides, she has a right to know."
"Know what?" Rose asked, a touch of amusement coloring her confusion.
"She's also telepathic. She sort of merges with your mind a little, helps you understand alien languages in the verbal and written form. Unless it can't be translated, like my language." He replied, gesturing to the circular Gallifreyan above each door.
"Wait, she's in my head?" Rose asked, stopping in the middle of the corridor, tightening her grip on his hand.
"I promise, she's not poking around or rooting through your thoughts. She's simply there on the outskirts, merely being present beside you. It's sort of like how we're standing." He said as he let go of her hand but didn't move. "We're close enough to touch, but I'm not invading your personal space. Or, at least, I don't believe I am." He said with a grin.
The unease in Rose's face melted away, replaced by that charming little grin where her tongue poked out. He liked it; it was cheeky, and made him think of secrets between friends.
"You're good." She said, giving him a gentle nudge with her elbow. "Let ya know if you get too close, yeah?"
"Alright. I would just hate for … Mickey?" He asked, inquiring politely. He knew Rickey wasn't right, but it was sticking in his mind. He blamed the frequent bouts of memory problems that came with this regeneration.
Rose's smile faded. "Yeah, Mickey. Not sure … I mean, I did up and leave, didn't I?" She asked, biting her thumb and scrunching her face. "But I mean, 's not like things were good, yeah? I mean, they were good, I suppose, but not … not the way I think it should be. 'S like we were comfortable." She tried to explain, flailing her hands about as they moved at a slightly slower pace. "'S the thing, though. 'S why I was so ready to leap. Was boring. Life was boring. And just …."
"Oh, you don't have to tell me." The Doctor assured. "I ran away from home as well. And a spouse, though I'm not sure I was ever really invested in that marriage. More like a business partnership in order to reproduce optimal off spring."
"You've got kids?" Rose asked, immediately looking around as if Time Tots would just come leaping through the walls.
"I had a child, yes. Many, many, many years ago. And she had a child, and then she …."
"Wait, hold up." Rose stopped him by stepping in front of him so quickly his chest bounced against her arms out-stretched. She stared at him, or studied him more likely, and it left him feeling oddly unsettled. "So, let me get this straight. Your daughter had … so that means that you have …."
"I was a great grandfather, actually."
"Was?"
Oh, she was insightful, this one. "The war I spoke of? It was brutal, and many of my people were lost. Now, my granddaughter remained on Earth where she married a human and had a son."
"Your granddaughter, the Time Lord? An alien?"
"You'd be surprised how much 'alien' DNA is actually mixed with your species." The Doctor retorted.
"No, probably not, actually." Rose smirked.
"No, I suppose not." The Doctor agreed, chuckling a little.
"So, she had a son…." She prompted, and he nodded before continuing.
"He was mostly all human, very little Time Lord. He… he didn't have what would be needed to come with me back to my home world, but… he was a very brave, bright, brilliant young man. He died, saving the Earth, along with a very dear friend of mine."
"I'm so sorry," Rose said, touching his arm.
"It was before the war." He said, "and, in some ways, a very long time ago. I still think of him often, wish he had a chance to travel with me, but it wasn't to be. His mother, my granddaughter, I'm actually not sure what happened to her. Many of us who were away were called back, conscripted whether we wanted it or not. She might have been on Gallifrey when it all ended."
"Gallifrey," Rose repeated. "That's your planet?"
"Was my planet." He corrected without thinking, and he could see the questions forming on her lips. "Enough for tonight. As I said before, you must be tired. If you're going to travel with me, you'll have more than enough time to ask as many questions of me as you want. We are, after all, in a time machine."
Rose snickered. "Suppose. So where on this transdiminsional ship is my room?" A door down the hall creaked open. "Well, we were close then."
"Or she moved your room closer," The Doctor countered, eying his cheeky ship with good humor. "She'll do that, if she likes you. Everything you need for your human rituals will be inside. Head on in, get some sleep. If you need me, I'll be in the console room. The TARDIS will likely move your door closer if that's the case."
"What about you? Where's your room?" She asked him.
"I actually don't sleep much, Rose. It's just the way my biology works. A quick kip in my arm chair usually suffices. Though come to think of it, she got rid of the arm chair when she redecorated." He frowned, realizing all that was in the console room now were those horrid jump seats. The library, which had never had a sitting area before, may have one now. Or perhaps he'd actually use his bedroom at some point when he needed rest.
"Alright then, Doctor. 'Night." She said, giving a quick wave before she backed up a couple steps. She turned and headed into her room, glancing at him over her shoulder again before disappearing through the doorway. Once the latch clicked shut, the Doctor's shoulders slumped, and he headed for the console room.
The first thing he attempted to do was scan for Gallifrey, though he didn't feel he had his hearts in it. He wanted to find Gallifrey, to feel the brush of other Time Lords against his mind just so he knew he wasn't truly alone. Yes, there was the TARDIS, who at least filled the void in his mind. And yes, there was Rose, now, who could provide him company. Another being aside from a sentient time ship to be his friend, but there was still a silence in his mind that neither one could fill. That hum of connection of being near other telepathic beings.
As nothing was coming up for Gallifrey, much like he partially expected, the Doctor started another scan: damage from the Time War.
The Nestene Conciousness was actually a far greater casualty of the war than the Doctor had wanted to admit, but there it was. The Nestene hadn't started as plastic, but it became so as their home world was ripped apart and put back together. Created, uncreated, then created once more, over and over, until finally the Time Lords found reason to move on. They twisted and warped what the Nestene had been into something that couldn't live on its own world anymore. It's home, essentially, destroyed.
And it was going to be far worse, he could tell.
The list was growing, greater and far worse than the Doctor could have imagined. All because they mighty race from Gallifrey though lesser beings to be nothing more than an inconvenience. He'd seen first hand how willing they were to do what was necessary, damn the consequences. And, apparently, not even all that concerned over the dangerous weapons they had, considering that the Nestene wouldn't have gotten to 21st century Earth without a little stolen or re-purposed tech. How many points in time were now in danger of being altered because technology that should have never left Gallifrey had fallen into the hands of the innocents that wanted nothing to do with the Time Lord and Dalek feud?
The Doctor pulled on his curls before turning his face up toward the column of the console, closing his eyes. He would find Gallifrey, one day. But for now, there was a mess to clean up.
He was the Doctor, after all. He fixed things.
With a hearts heavy sigh, the Doctor righted himself and looked at the screen, going through the list made of lines and circles, eyes running over causality, and where they would flee.
"Why Earth at so many points in time?" He grumbled as he read through barely. "What is it about that little planet that draws so much trouble?" He sighed, running his hand over his face. "There are other planets on there, too, so at least it isn't going to be bombarded with this nonsense, but still." He sighed again, feeling much more fatigued than he thought.
He felt a prod in his mind, and peered up at the time rotor.
"Is that a hint? That I'm not as young as I used to be?"
The TARDIS gave a slight lurch, tossing him about just a bit, causing him to frown. "Now, now, there was no need for that. I was calling my self old, not you. No you're not as modern as some of the other TARDISes, but that's why I love you. And don't think because I'm feeling my years that I'm in anyway implying your aging as well." He glanced about, smirking as he felt the smug appreciation coming from his time ship. "You know, I must say, while the new look is elegant and practical, I'm a touch put out that you rid yourself of my arm chair. I really did love that arm chair." He grumbled, eyeing the uncomfortable looking jump seats.
Admitting defeat, he ventured out of the console room. Gallifrey, if found, would not be retrieved now. Those displaced or effected by the time war would not get much help from him if he didn't rest. He had centuries left in this body, he was sure. But it had been through more than any of his others had, and perhaps got more weary. He wasn't tired, not in the sense that he needed sleep. But a cup (or pot) of tea, some music, and a good book would do him a universe of good. But with no arm chair in the console room to relax in, he would have to find another spot.
He headed for the corridor, feeling the very faint sound of doors shuffling about. To his left was now the library, and through the doorway he spotted a very enticing looking sofa. He smirked, took a few steps forward, and found the galley.
He made his tea, stole some biscuits from the pantry, stuffing one in his mouth before making his way back to the library.
He set the tray down on the table beside the couch, finishing his biscuit. Then he heard the shuffle of doors again, and he looked up to see a different on across the corridor. He moved closer to investigate, his eyes not what they used to be. He noted the Gallifreyan on the door first.
"You knew I was going to ask her to bring her door close so she could find me." He commented, edging close to see what it was above her door. A couple feet closer, and he realized the gold marking was actually a rose. "You really like her, don't you?" He smirked, glancing at the ceiling before eyeing the door once more.
The TARDIS didn't dignify him with a response, but he really didn't need one. There were few companions, if any that she treated well right from the get-go, and Rose Tyler seemed to be one of the elite.
~DW~
He was making breakfast when she found him the next morning. The Doctor Had stayed in the library quite a while, relaxing as he hadn't for a very long time. By the time six hours had passed, he felt nearly like he'd slept the whole while. There was a spring in his step as he returned to the console room, getting under the control panel and seeing what might need sprucing up or repairing. He took a mental note of what was needed, then pulled himself up to set about feeding himself and his companion.
As he went about making a decent, Earth breakfast, his mind wandered to Gallifrey, the mess they made of the Universe, and what might happen should he actually find them. He could be heralded a hero, or forced to regenerate for his actions. But since they tried in an underhanded way to force a regeneration without his doing something awful, maybe they'd get more creative? He could see Rassilon wanting to do something terribly inhumane to him for taking away perceived glory. Or maybe the whole lot of them would come to their senses and realized what horrible things they'd done.
It wasn't likely.
So, instead, he focused on food. Eggs, sausage, bacon, hash browns, beans, anything he thought she might want to eat, he attempted to make. He didn't do too bad, all things considered.
"Smells lovely," Rose said, snapping him out of his random musings and partly startling him, though he didn't flinch.
She was freshly showered, the scent of a clean, crisp fragrance lightly floating about her, her hair still a bit dampened. She was still in the same clothes from the day before, but even those seemed to be freshened up. "Didn't see the kitchen on the tour." Rose said as she came up to stand beside him.
"Galley, actually, since we are on a ship." He said with a smile, getting a plate and handing it to her. "By all means, dig in. There's plenty to go around." He said, stepping back and watching her to see if he could pick up on her preferences. She grinned shyly, studying everything, taking small samples with a fork before scooping it on her plate. "What is it? Don't trust that I can cook?" He teased, sliding around her to grab a plate for himself.
She grinned at him, her cheeks turning a deep pink. "'S not that. Just, I dunno, surprise you eat normal food. Well, not normal food. I mean it's normal food, just …."
"Not alien, is that it?" He asked, arching a brow. "I will have you know, Rose, that I eat like you do. Or should I say, you eat like me? Time Lords did come first, after all, and I imagine my more advanced pallet will put me a league above you."
"You mean 'cause you've had alien food?" She said as she finished loading up her plate and bringing it to the small table.
"Well, technically, your food is alien to me." He said, choosing his own favorites among the selection. "But I have sampled delicacies from all over the Universe, and eventually you will, too." He said as he returned to the table.
"Yeah, well, I'll try anything you make. These eggs are gorgeous. Best ones I've ever had, really."
"I also make a mean chocolate martini, though I don't recommend having one with your toast." He commented before making himself a cup of tea from the pot he'd placed on the table earlier. "I know it's not exciting, but I thought your first trip could be a simple one. Back to the past on your own planet. You won't be too overwhelmed by the alieness of change, yet it's not hunting down plastic men in your neighborhood."
When she didn't reply he looked up, seeing her stare at him with a flabbergasted expression but excitement glittering in her eyes. "The past?" She eventually got out.
"Yes. The eighteen hundreds, to be more precise." He said, noting how she frowned and glanced down at her clothes. "There's a wardrobe. The TARDIS will show you where it is, and she'll likely even help you find something era appropriate. I would hate to see you cause a riot because you're dressed like a man yet are showing too much skin to be considered appropriate."
"I suppose you'd fit right in." She countered, though not unkindly.
"I would." He acknowledged. "Admittedly, probably better in the clothes I used to wear, but I am much more comfortable in this. And I have been known to change to fit the culture where needed."
Rose hummed and nodded, her mouth twisting in amusement that the Doctor figured likely came from her disbelief.
They finished their meal in silence, then parted ways in the corridor. As Rose went off to change, he set the coordinates and sent the TARDIS on her way.
They landed smoothly enough, though he glanced at the corridor for fear he'd hear her yelp or curse or both. When none came, he relaxed, looking at their location.
So, they were on the tail end of the 1860s instead of the beginning he shot for. And while he'd hoped for the romantic scenery of Naples, they'd landed in Cardiff. Still, he hadn't been that far off of the year, and it happened to be Christmas eve, so that was bound to mean something. Humans, and himself he could admit, really did love the winter holiday.
Still, he thought he'd become a better driver than this. Missing his mark wasn't as common anymore, so what had he done wrong? He glanced about the console, trying to figure out if maybe the dials and levers shifted about when she changed the desktop.
The sound of shoes clicking on the floor alerted him to Rose's approach, and he darted his glance to the corridor to see her shadow.
"Didn't take long," He said, noting one of the dials he was pretty sure wasn't that important had inched its way lower. Or, maybe, he had just never paid attention to where it was before.
Rose cleared his throat, and he glanced up briefly, only to do a double take and stare.
"This alright?" She asked shyly, licking then sucking in her lips as he looked her over.
She was exquisite. He had traveled with many women, all beautiful in their own way. Some were even attractive by his standards, but it had been a long, long time since he felt his hearts flutter at the sight of a companion standing before him in anything. Charley was the last, and it seemed like so much time had passed since he had last seen her. But Rose, she was something else.
While acting or maybe even being shy, Rose had a confidence in that dress that she hadn't in her denim and sweats. The corset set off her feminine assets, but the dress itself was modest in a very complimentary plum. Her shoulders were bare beneath the cloak on her shoulders, signifying the dress not being perfectly accurate to the time period, but it could be passed off as the new French style should anyone ask. She'd pulled her hair back in loose, intricate knots that showed her slender neck in all its glory. The earrings she'd replaced her large rings with drew attention back to it should the eye try to wander.
Not that his would, of course.
But still, she was ….
"You look beautiful." He said after what felt like too much time had passed. "Exquisite, if I were to be completely honest."
She giggled softly, a blush rising to her cheeks. She lifted the little hat in her hand to try and hide behind it, but her eyes kept darting over the brim as if she waited for him to add something less complimentary.
He extended his hand toward her instead.
Rose took it gingerly, seeming wary of him.
The Doctor's smile faltered at the first real sign of mistrust between them. She'd accepted his story of the Autons with ease, hadn't blinked when he revealed his alien nature to her. He'd held her hand a couple times already, and had found himself in a slightly compromising position in her living room, and she never said a word. Never flinched. But a compliment without an added fault seemed to throw her off.
She didn't hold on to him for long, stepping past him and heading toward the door.
"'S alright if I go out first?" She asked, gesturing to the exit. "Mean, you've done this before."
"Absolutely. Please, go ahead." He said, forcing himself to smile in spite of the strange shift.
The Rose he'd expected came back in full force, her tongue between her teeth as she smiled before darting for the door and opening it, stepping outside.
So, kindness made her wary, or at least kindness in compliments? His mind immediately went to the bumbling Mickey. He recalled how he constantly clung to her, how he begged her not to go. He remembered the hint of waver in Rose as she debated joining him because Mickey had clearly made her believe he needed her. But that was the thing, he needed her. He doubted, though could not rule out, Mickey being the reason for her reticence.
There was something else there, something much worse to make a woman as lovely as Rose retreat a bit into herself at a compliment. It would have to wait until later to solve. For now, there was an unknown problem of a different kind lurking about, waiting to be put right.