Now on to the fun part! Let the bonding begin :D
Rose's mind poured easily into the Doctor's head the second she touched him. She felt his mind in front of her, his essence surrounded her but his light was weak. His mind failed to come to her on its own so she he reached out and grabbed it pulling him towards her. But even as she pulled it towards her it seemed to resist her, falling out of her touch as soon as it was there. It did not linger or stay with her as it should. Such a thing had never happened before. Even the very first time they were together, the connection between them had been easy to make. It had always required so little encouragement to happen.
It concerned her to feel it not happen instantly. She had expected this might happen but actually feeling it happen was upsetting. Part of her had hoped it would be easy and that when she reached out his mind would awaken and join her. She massaged his temples with her fingers, to encourage the connection and focused even more to initiate it. She felt her own mind instantly respond and be drawn in with ease. She felt herself going even deeper than before, her mind very willing to do its part. But when she reached out for his the connection she sought still eluded her.
Physically, she could feel the Doctor reacting to her touch but his mind still remained unmoving. She could feel that he enjoyed the touch but it did not have the usual or desired effect like there was a barrier between them, keeping him from experiencing it fully. She felt him will his mind to respond but it would not obey him. After waiting so long for each other, it felt bitterly cruel that even though they were together again that they should still be prevented from having this. Frustration threatened to get the best of her but she pushed it away, knowing that it would not help to solve this problem. She could not have expected the Doctor to come away from his attack entirely unscathed. This was not nearly as bad as many of the things that could have happened to him, that she had feared would happen to him. It was a mere obstacle that they would have to overcome.
She took a deep breath and paused for a moment to collect herself. The Doctor was patient and silent, waiting on her and she was grateful. Even without a connection to her he still knew so much about her and could sense more than anyone else would be able to. She desperately tried to think of what she else she could do. She had never had this problem before and it was something even the Doctor didn't have experience with. She was lost about what to do. But she did know she was not going to accept defeat. They were had come too far to give up now.
Her fingers were still on his temples and she left them there as she leaned down pressing her forehead to his, using as much physical contact as she could to try and force their minds to join. She felt the Doctor reach his own hands up to the back of her head, encouraging her along and pulling her even closer down to him. Her face was completely against his now, her chest pressed against his and she could feel their three hearts beating hard in determination against each other. His fingers wound their way into her hair causing her head to tingle.
She focused on it all, taking in every detail of to make herself aware of the Doctor and his presence with her. There was so much of him around her. She could hear and feel the unique beat of his hearts. His breaths continued to fall against her face and his scent was in every breath she took. She focused on his hands on her and the effect they had on her, encouraging her own mind even more for this. She made herself highly aware of all of it and hoped it would give her mind a new strength and power that it had never had before. It was more than ready but it would have to strong enough now for the both of them. Everything in her wanted this to happen. Her head tingling and her mind was now spinning, building with unreleased energy. She concentrated, pushing all of her strength into it, hoping it would revive his damaged mind.
Finally, a tiny spark seemed to ignite and she felt a pulse of life back in his mind. The connection was finally made between them but there was no time to celebrate it. The second Rose held his mind in her grasp she was blinded by an intense pain like she had never felt before. It was so unexpected and powerful that she found herself in shock. Their connection had never brought pain to them before and though the Doctor had warned her it might happen she still had not expected it to be this bad. After a moment, when she was able to get a grip on what was happening, she was able to see that it was not the connection itself that brought the pain; the pain was coming from the Doctor. His mind was now awake again but it was injured. It was broken and they were not both very aware of how it felt.
"Rose! Are you there?" the Doctor cried out desperately. "Are you alright?"
Rose could hardly hear him over the chaos between them. Everything felt like pain. It was agony. She squeezed her eyes shut and willed herself not to let go of the hold she finally had on his mind though it hurt so bad. "I-I'm f-fine," she managed to sputter out through clenched teeth.
But for a minute, Rose wasn't sure that she really was going to be alright. She was not a lightweight when it came to pain or challenges but this one felt like it might just be insurmountable. She thought she could do anything that he needed her to, that she could be anything they needed. But for a terrible second she doubted herself. The pain of it shook her so much it nearly knocked her out of his head and she had to hold on with everything she had to stay connected to him.
"I know you can do it," the Doctor said. The desperation in his voice brought her back to herself. There was pain and fear in his tone but there was no doubt or despair. She knew that he was feeling the same hurt that she did. She had awakened his mind to the trauma it had faced but he wasn't letting himself feel defeated. She couldn't pull away and leave him here alone with this. She must overcome this; she had to do it for him.
She pushed through the pain, barreling past it in a blind anguish until she reached his mind again. Instantly, she felt something that gave her even more drive and determination for what she had to do. Right away she could feel it: someone else's presence here. She had never felt anything like this before and as long as she lived she hoped never would again. Someone had invaded this place where only she should be allowed. She felt the cold and dark touch left behind and she shuddered at the ugly nature of the mind that had been here. For a second, the pain felt as if it was dulled to nothing as her anger flared within.
Not only did this person's dark presence linger behind but their handiwork was clear to see. She hated to see someone else's touch besides her own on the Doctor's mind. That would have been hard enough to see. But this was not touch alone; this was abuse. This was the mark of someone who had come in without invitation, who had come inside to steal everything the Doctor had until there was nothing left. Their movements had been careless, without regard for the Doctor's safety or a thought of the consequences for him. It killed her to see how anyone would hurt him like that with their touch and she threw the remnants of that person touch away. She covered his mind in her touch and prints and let her light burn bright and hot to cast away the dreadfulness that had been left here.
She surveyed the damage on him and it was massive. The first time she'd ever looked upon the Doctor's mind there had been the damage of neglect upon it. His mind had been barren and dry from being untouched. Just her touch upon him then had healed that damage. But this was nothing like that had been. This destruction surpassed that entirely; it made years of neglect look like nothing. He was burnt and raw and ripped apart on the inside. Terrible gashes and holes covered the surface of his mind where he had been torn into.
She felt sweat start to break out on the Doctor's forehead and his breath started coming out in short pants as he tried to keep from screaming at all the pain he was feeling. She felt him clench his jaw shut and his whole body tensed under her. She could feel it too. She felt the ripping and tearing, the pulling and stealing that had happened in his mind. It was everything you shouldn't feel from a telepathic connection. He hadn't felt it when he was asleep but now that he had reclaimed his mind and was awake he was aware of it all. It throbbed with the memories of what had happened.
She felt him move his hands from her head and grab her by the shoulders "It hurts. Rose, it hurts," he cried pitifully.
"I know. I know," she soothed. "You can scream if you want to. It's alright."
She started to let herself sob as she saw what had been done to him, as she felt it for herself. There was no reason or need to hold back from it now. She needed the release and he seemed to want to join her in the openness of it as he let himself go too. There was no need for the appearance of strength here; real strength was what they were striving for and there was no reason they should be dishonest in their reactions. From time to time he did let himself cry out or moan in pain. She encouraged him when he did so that he would know she was not afraid of it or deterred by the sound of it. This would not be easy and they didn't have to pretend it was.
Now that she had taken it in and overcame the initial shock, Rose began to work at healing the Doctor. There was so much damage she was almost overwhelmed with where to start. His mind was complete dissonance. It was so messed up he would have never been able to right it himself. She was struck once again by how amazing this thing they shared between them was. She knew that at times he had wondered if he had done the right thing when he'd brought her into this. But she had never doubted that this was what was meant to be between them and she'd never been more sure of it than she was now. The Doctor needed her to heal him; she was the only one that could. What a privilege that was. She was meant for him just as much as he was meant for her. She gained strength from their bond knowing how powerful it was and what it was capable of overcoming.
Not knowing any other way to start and not even sure there could be a better way, she focused on her feelings for the Doctor. She pulled from within her everything she could for him. All of the strength and energy she had in her she poured that into him hoping to replace everything that had been drained from him. She pulled every bit of love and affection that she felt for him and took it in her grasp. She took those feelings, all of the feelings that she had for him, and laid them on him. Hate and selfishness had caused these wounds upon him but she would help him recover with much better and stronger emotions than those. Her feelings for him were strong and she was sure that they were more powerful than the greed that had driven whoever had been here last.
She made sure she was careful in every touch. The surface of his mind was so raw she made sure all of her movements were very calm and gentle as she focused on tending his wounds. It was hard to move at a slow pace because the pain still burned her own mind and she longed to end it as soon as possible for them both. But she continued to remind herself that it was important to do this right. She knew the nature of the mind and knew the delicate way it had to be cared for. A job like the one in front of her couldn't be rushed.
She focused all of her love in her touch and made it soft and cooling. She gently brushed it back and forth covering every inch of his mind soothing the red and beaten surface. Everything was so inflamed but her touch was like water putting out the remnants of the fire. She tried not to focus on the pain she felt but it was still with her enough that she felt that it was lessening slowly as she worked. Her attentions to his mind was relieving the pain that they were in.
"Thank you," the Doctor whispered, encouraging her on as his own strength grew. "You're amazing." His words alone meant that his pain was dulling enough to make room for him to be able to speak; he was no longer incapacitated by it. Just her touch had helped.
Some of the time she didn't even know what she was doing but it didn't matter because it was working. She touched every part of his mind that she could see. She wanted every reminder of the intruder gone, leaving only traces of herself upon him, reclaiming him for herself. She felt his emotions, felt him responding to the touch and the affection even if his mind still didn't. It still didn't react or move on its own but it no longer retreated from her touch and that was progress. His light was slowly getting brighter and the pain gradually dimming. He was gaining energy as she poured all of hers into him. She was getting weaker by the second but she would continue to give until she had nothing left.
Once she had calmed his mind with her touch enough that she felt he was strong enough to go on she focused the deeper marks. There were deep marks where he had been cut into and open holes where the invader had tried to extract information. The Doctor had regained all of the information and memories that the intruder had tried to steal but it hadn't taken away injuries. She reached out to them, touching each one and, with everything that was in her, encouraging them to heal back up. It took a lot of effort on each one but eventually they all responded to her care. One by one they vanished and his mind became closer and closer to how it should be.
It was getting harder now and she was tired. She let out a breath and a shudder shook her body with the exertion it was taking to heal all the damage left behind. She pulled back only slightly, pausing to catch her breath. She wondered for a moment if she could go on. She had done so much already but it was taking its toll on her. They were getting closer and closer to where they needed to be but she was exhausted and questioned if she had enough left in her to get him all the way there.
Then she felt him reach up to her and place a very brief but meaningful kiss on her lips. It was full of encouragement and thankfulness for what she was doing for him. She felt it pouring out of him into her and she knew he was getting close to being fully restored. He knew this was what she needed; he could feel it even again if he hadn't known he could feel it. She didn't have much left but with this encouragement she knew that she could keep going. She eagerly leaned her head back down to his to finish.
She pressed on, the bulk of the injuries gone now gone, and focused on the last few blemishes on his beautiful mind. There wasn't much now but she wanted make sure he was completely mended and back to the way he had been before. The pain he'd felt was nearly gone and she only struggled now with the exhaustion she felt. But even that was lost from her focus because it was going to happen soon, she could feel it. His mind was nearly healed and she started to shake with the anticipation that his mind would reach out and touch her again any minute now.
She felt him reach up and place his fingers on her temples preparing for just that. It felt so incredibly right it was like she'd never been touched before in her whole life. She had been so lonely, this kind of lonely, and this touch was one she'd longed for the most. He started to stroke her temples with his fingers and she was so overwhelmed she lost sight of what she was doing. She still worked, finishing what she was doing, but all she was aware of was his touch and everything it did to her mind.
When his mind finally touched hers she couldn't help but cry out. Her whole body seemed to cry finally! She collapsed to the ground, exhausted, having spent all her energy on his healing and overcome by the sensation of his mind again.
She realized she must have passed out for a minute because a bit of time went missing. When she opened her eyes she found herself looking up at the broken ceiling of the greenhouse and the night sky just beyond it. She looked up at the Doctor and he smiled down at her. His mind was temporarily withdrawn from hers and he cradled her head in his hands. "Are you alright?" he asked.
"Someone sure is better," she said with a smile, gasping for breath.
"Well, I did have a very good doctor."
She laughed lightly. "I learned from the best."
"No, Rose. That was all you. I've never done anything like that. That was amazing and you did it all on your own. You are so brilliant," he said awe in his voice and pleasure clear in his face.
"So, you're all better now?" she asked.
"I have never been better," he said genuinely placing a hand on her face.
"And we can be together now?"
"Yes."
"Good," she said and she reached a hand up eagerly to his head but he reached out and took it in his own.
"Hold on now," he said, laughing slightly, and squeezing her hand. "Just give yourself a moment to recover."
She relaxed and closed her eyes, realizing that she really was quite tired. Her head was dizzy and she was still catching her breath. She rested for a few minutes, recovering and then opened her eyes to look up at him. There was concern in his face and she felt him worry a little.
"Don't worry," she said with smile. "I'm fine."
"Are you really?" he asked concerned. "I can feel how tired you are. We don't have to do this all at once if you're not ready for more."
She smiled, so glad that he could feel what she was feeling once again. Just the simple intimacy of that was a gift in itself and she was glad she had worked for it; she was thankful they had both fought for it. But she also wasn't about to stop there.
"Don't you dare," she said desperately needing him. She reached a hand up to his head, burying her fingers in his hair. She felt her mind tingle with anticipation. Though it was tired from all she had just done, it was quickly gaining energy from the interest of what they could now have. "You know me better than that," she added with a tongue in teeth smile.
He seemed to melt at the sight of it. He gave her a mischievous grin as he stroked the sides of her head with his fingers. She closed her eyes and focused on the beauty of feeling his mind so strong. She could feel the readiness of their connection just under his fingers, just waiting for her. He was so much better he now had to hold himself back from touching her.
"There's no way you can tempt me like this and then try and act like we're going to stop now," she said smiling her eyes still closed and focusing on the touch. "Just give me a couple of minutes and I'll be good as new."
"Rose," he said seriously. "We'll need to reconnect our bond first."
She opened her eyes and looked at him questionably when she heard the grave tone of his voice. They were each just a breath away from touching each other, their hands temptingly close yet excruciatingly far from the mind they wanted to touch. They couldn't make that connection fast enough for her taste and she didn't understand why he had anything but excitement in his voice.
"That's a good thing?" she said, questionably at him.
"Of course," he answered quickly with feeling. "It's just going to hurt at first."
"But I thought you were all better now?"
"I am," he said quickly. "Thanks to you. This has to do with our bond being broken because of our separation."
"But we're supposed to be together. That's the way it's supposed to be. Why would it hurt?" she asked confused.
"Our separation is something that is never supposed to happen. It happened so suddenly and completely and lasted for so long. We'll need to reconnect the bond and it will just hurt at first until we overcome the trauma of that. But it won't last long and I promise it's going to be worth it."
"Oh, I'm counting on it," she said with a smile but it faded as she turned serious. She delighted in having him here, hovering so close above her. She placed a hand on his cheek as she marveled that he was here. For a few moments she just focused on the way his body pressed against her and the way their breathing seemed to match each other as she reflected on everything that had happened.
"I almost lost you," she said a waiver in her voice. "When I looked inside your head and saw everything that had been done to you, I realized just how close I came to losing you forever."
"It's O.K. now," he reassured her. "Thank you for healing me. Thank you for coming back for me."
"Come here," she pleaded passionately.
He was quick to oblige and in an instant his hands wrapped around her head firmly and his mind finally entered her just as it should always be.