Title:
Full Circle
Author: Shen
Rating:
PG-13
Setting/Spoilers: Post-Journey's End
Teaser:
"We're not going to let this stand, are we?" Rose is not
satisfied with how things turned out on Bad Wolf Bay, but it's a long
path back to 10 and the TARDIS. What discoveries and hardships will
she and 10.2 find along the way? A JE fixit fic.
Author's Note:
Stick with me; I swear I'm going somewhere with this.
Chapter 7: Watch
"Shit! They're slippery wankers," Derek wailed in exasperation. Then, he frantically threw himself to the ground, dodging a gob of fast-hardening mucous. "And nasty!"
Rose ducked another wad of horrific origin and shot the Doctor a despairing glance. Some days, working for Torchwood wasn't worth the pay. Not because it paid poorly but because no one should ever end up kneeling behind a sideways table in an abandoned house, trying not to be glued in place or smothered with mucous launched by swift, demonic-looking, orange aliens.
The nuisances had been using the house as a lair, but all of them had been caught or killed. Except for McSnotty the Tenacious here, who had backed Rose's team into a corner of the living room.
A loud thwack reached Rose's ears, along with a cry of, "Backup!" from the direction of the door. Next, mercifully, came the buzzing and crackling of stunners. The other Torchwood team caught the creature from behind; it never had a chance.
"Thank you," commented the Doctor as he stood up and brushed himself off. "I was deeply disinterested in trying to get the organic version of rubber cement out of another set of trousers." One of his favorite pairs had been a casualty of the hunt the day before. The leader of the other team, Dwayne, gave a thumbs-up and a happy nod. He enjoyed saving the day and would probably be amiably smug about it for the next few days.
"Tell you what; you can pay my next dry-cleaning tab, and we'll be even," he joked. Meanwhile, his team worked on restraining the unconscious beast for transport to Torchwood HQ, wincing all the while at having to touch its sticky skin.
"I'll pay it," said Rose as she walked up to the men, taking the Doctor's hand in her own. "It's worth it. You saved me a lot of whining."
"Hey now!" chided the Doctor without any real annoyance, and she bumped her hip into his playfully. They shared a post-adventure grin, the kind that accompanied an adrenaline comedown and preceded the inevitable paperwork.
"That was the last, right?" asked a put-upon agent that was helping to haul the alien out the door.
"Should be," answered Rose. "We've certainly dealt with enough of them already." The Doctor and Dwayne began to examine the room, and her other team members, Larry and Derek, left the room to do a last sweep of the rest of the first floor.
"Interesting how they made nests with their projectile... substance," observed the Doctor, poking at such a structure with a detached table leg.
"Because nothing says home like moldy clothing, mucous, and- are those animal bones? And fur?" she asked, surprised and disgusted. She hadn't had time to examine the mounds closely earlier. The Doctor shot her an amused glance.
Then Dwayne, who had been poking around like the Doctor, froze and stood up very slowly. And if his unusual actions hadn't caught her eye, his wide, alarmed eyes would have.
"Wait a minute." He looked around the room, backing towards the stairs to get a better perspective.
Concern making her impatient, Rose prompted, "What? What is it?" She sensed that the Doctor had stood up beside her, but she kept her eyes on Dwayne, who finally made eye contact back.
"I count four nests. And that little terror was number seven, right? We don't know that all of these things have mates, but we sho-"
"Look out!" the Doctor cried urgently. Movement flashed on the stairs, Dwayne turning to see, but too slow, far too slow. CRACK as it blew through the wooden railing, REEE as it took brief flight, talons flashing in sunlight that flowed through the open door. Rose rapidly brought her weapon to bear, but another blur of motion was seen even before she could shoot. The Doctor had thrown himself forward and now shoved Dwayne against the stairs. The creature fell where Dwayne had stood, crashing into the Doctor even as Rose began to unload her weapon into it.
In a moment, it went still, and Rose rushed over. She and a recovered Dwayne shoved it off the Doctor, and she couldn't help but gasp at what she saw. The brutal impact had sunk one of the creatures claws into his chest, and though it had been shot in between withdrawing the weapon and attacking again, things did not look good. He lay gasping, eyes wild with pain. She fell on her knees beside him, pressing her hands over the wound.
"Oh my god, you- Just hold on, alright?" she exclaimed frantically. He turned his head and managed to focus on her through the agony. Larry, the physician on her team, appeared and knelt at his other side.
"Not this time. I'm sorr-" the Doctor rasped, cut off by coughing. Rose stared despondently at the blood leaking through her fingers, dying his blue top black as it leeched color from his very skin. This couldn't be happening.
"Don't say that!" she argued. Larry pushed her fingers away to cover the wound with a dressing, but when she made eye contact with the man, his eyes looked haunted. He shook his head, at a loss for words.
"Done it- ten times. Know what it feels like." Speaking was getting harder for the Doctor. She grabbed his hand in her own bloodied ones, squeezing fiercely.
Brokenly, she protested, "Doctor, no, you can't." Real regret poured from his eyes even as they relaxed from their round, wild state. Paradoxically, the thought that he was feeling less pain filled Rose with horror.
Reaching out to stroke her cheek, he said, "I'm sorry... but you'll be okay. More than okay, you have to be fantastic."
"I-" she croaked, suddenly at a loss. Whole segments of her brain were numb. She felt as if on the precipice of catatonia.
"Go on, Rose, and find him. Do it for me."
Finally, it all spilled out, "You need to know, before- I need you to know you're not replaceable. I love you, and all this time together, I wouldn't have missed it. My Doctor. You'll always be my Doctor." Her tone was desperate, needing him to understand. She kissed his fingers, then pressed her lips to his. It had all the love and comfort she could transmit, but it wasn't long. His breath came shorter, now.
Gaze boring into her with earnest feeling, he said, "I love you, Rose. Take this." His free hand fumbled at his open jacket's pocket and pulled out what looked like a watch. Rose gently took it from his hand, keeping their other hands locked. "It-" he stopped and formed a pained grimace, and now Rose couldn't hold back a sob. "Just keep it with you. Show the other me. Promise me." His eyes were wide again, and she could sense how important this was to him even while her heart was breaking.
"I promise, Doctor; I love you and I- Doctor?!" he'd released a rasping breath and not taken another. His eyes froze as they'd been.
"Doctor!" she cried in anguish.
