Author's notes: Sigh. The feels.
Secret Door
Chapter 4
Part 1.
The doctor still stood facing Rose, and he held her hands in his own. But he began the incessant talking that sometimes drove her crazy. "We have to go see Tesla. He's working on making me a new bulb for the Tardis. But we have to find out—"
She refused to meet his gaze, looking down at their hands locked together, not hearing his words. He looked over at the brightly lit bulb where her hand had been when they kissed, and he stared at it, distracted. Letting go of her hands, he went to it, and the sonic screwdriver began its familiar whirring noise.
"It's definitely alien technology—humans wouldn't even have access to the materials in this, let alone the knowledge to create it."
Apparently, he didn't notice that she wasn't paying attention, and she stared out into nothing, fighting back tears. From the corner of her eye she could see him circling the bulb and examining it from every angle, oblivious to her pain. She caught the tail end of his babbling discourse, when he said, "—we have to find the secret door."
"Really?" she said flatly. "That sounds . . . interesting."
He returned to her, facing her once more, and now he was silent. He lifted her chin so that their eyes met once again. "Rose? You okay?"
But she was too choked up to answer, and she hugged him instead, burying her face and her emotions in his shoulder. "Yeah, I'm fine."
He pulled away and said, "Well then, let's go see Tesla."
She nodded and said softly, "Alright. Let's go."
Part 2.
"Nikola—that bulb over there," said the doctor, pointing to the lonesome exhibit. "Where did it come from?"
"Oh, so you figured out that I didn't make it," said Tesla. The doctor nodded, but his squared lips told Rose that he was more concerned about it than he let on. Tesla continued, "You won't believe how we found it."
"Found it?" said the doctor, raising one eyebrow.
"Ya. There was an archaeological project near the Great Pyramids in Egypt, and the bulb was found in a box. Here, let me show you."
The lines on the doctor's forehead crowded together, and they followed Tesla to a back room, where the scientist pulled out a small white stone box. On the lid was a simple carving, and the doctor and Rose studied it intently. "A dog," said the doctor.
The face of the carving was a profile with a long, pointy snout, snarling, and spiky dog ears that faced forward menacingly. "Looks ferocious to me," said Rose.
The doctor opened the empty box, which contained nothing but a padded cloth interior. He looked up at Tesla. "And the bulb was in the box by itself—nothing else?"
"Yes," said Tesla, shaking his head. "It's the strangest thing."
The doctor straightened his back and scratched his chin. "How long will it take you to make the bulb for the Tardis?"
"I can have it ready in a couple of hours."
"Then that's when we'll leave."
"Leave to go where, Doctor?" said Rose.
"Egypt. About five thousand years ago."
Part 3.
While the doctor and Tesla talked scientific details about light bulbs, Rose stood at the doorway to the massive exhibition hall and watched the wonders of the fair. All these amazing spectacles, and yet none of them compared to the stunning few moments she had shared with the doctor. But their intimate embrace didn't seem to matter to him, and she wondered now if his feelings for her were real at all, or was all of it just a fun adventure that meant nothing? The thought saddened her.
She sensed his lean frame beside her, heard his breath next to her, just before his long, thin fingers intertwined with hers. "Rose," he said, his tone more of a question.
She pulled her hand away from his, and she sadistically hoped that the motion hurt him as much as it did her. "Rose," he said again, without touching her this time. "Are you ready to ride the Ferris Wheel?"
She smirked at him, glancing at him long enough to see whether he noticed her discontent. She couldn't tell from his stupid stoic doctor's expression. "Yeah, I suppose."
They walked close to each other to the giant wheel, and stood in line behind half a dozen people. Some stared at them in confusion because of their clothing, which must have looked odd in this day and age. Rose stared off into the distance, lost in thought, reliving their glorious kiss, and then falling into a funk over the after-effects of it.
The doctor touched her shoulder lightly. "Rose," he said, his voice heavy and worried. "What's wrong?"
Now that he had acknowledged her misery, she turned to face him. "Are we ever going to talk about what happened between us?" she said.
He paused for a moment. "I don't know what to say."
The line moved forward slightly as the next couple boarded the ride, and Rose inched forward ahead of the doctor. He caught up to her and ran his hand down the middle of her back. She turned to face him again. "I just—" she said, stopping to keep her tears in check. "Was any of it real? Or was it just the special effects of some stupid light? I thought we had something special—something as special as that kiss felt, but now it all seems so . . . artificial."
She had failed to notice that the line had moved forward several feet, until the doctor moved ahead to close the gap in the line and turned around to face her again. Then she saw that there was only one more couple in front of them. The doctor grasped her arms and said, "Rose Tyler, what we have is special."
"Next!" said the ride attendant impatiently.
They advanced to the ride's cabin, and the doctor held her hand and helped her aboard. Then he climbed on and sat next to her, leaving no space between them. There was a moment of disorientation as their car swung back and forth and the wheel hoisted them upwards just far enough to load the next group of passengers.
Neither one of them spoke right away, possibly sensing that their conversation would only be interrupted by the constant starts and stops of the wheel until the ride got going. But the doctor picked up her hand in his, and the warmth of it spread up her arm and into her heart.
After all the passengers were loaded, the ride began to move at a faster clip and swooped them up to staggering heights that made Rose slightly dizzy. "Whoa," she said, gasping at the tiny people below and the enormity of the fair. "This is fantastic!"
She lost herself in the moment until the doctor's voice brought her out of her trance. "It's good to see you smile again," he said.
She turned her head toward him, and forgot the rising and falling scenery spread out below as she got lost in his eyes. "Rose, I care about you very much," he said, and now he had her undivided attention. He shook his head. "That kiss in there wasn't meaningless. It was the most astounding thing I've ever experienced. And I've experienced a lot."
The ensuing silence between them brought them closer than ever, and he brought his face to hers and closed his eyes, and she shut hers tight at the same time. She didn't need to see what was coming next—she anticipated the meeting of their mouths with slightly parted lips. His hand rose to the back of her head, holding her there, as if she would ever pull away. The kiss deepened until their mouths found a hungry rhythm, and all the unspoken words between them were locked up in that one embrace.
Their connection broke with a lurch as the wheel came to a stop, and Rose's heart sank at the thought that the ride was over. But when she opened her eyes, she saw that they were still high in the air and figured they must be waiting for passengers to disembark.
"Rose Tyler," said the doctor, still lost in her gaze. "I—"
Their car lurched again, this time accompanied by a sickening screech from below. "Hold onto that thought," said the doctor, standing carefully so as not to rock their car. Rose stood next to him, and together they peeked over the edge. Far below, a man straddled the ride operator, who was lying flat on the ground, and pounded him over and over in the face. Nearby, another man tackled a gentleman in a suit and tie, knocking him to the ground. As Rose looked around, she saw groups of people everywhere fighting one another—even women, who pulled each other's hair and clawed and scratched and bit one another.
"Doctor, what's going on?" she said anxiously.
"Like I said earlier, something's not right here. We need to get down."
"But how?" She peered nervously over the edge to see that they were still a good forty meters off the ground.
"We're going to have to climb."