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Chapter 11

Only a few minutes after the Doctor had become completely blind, Pete and Mickey came back, holding several bags containing fish and chips. Jackie met them by the door, explaining in a low voice, which the Doctor could hear anyway, what had happened.

Understandably, neither of the men really believed her 'til they'd seen the Doctor's eyes for themselves. And then they started demanding explanations… or Pete did anyway.

While Rose was explained to Pete what she knew, Mickey crouched down in front of the Doctor and waved his hand in front of his face. When the Doctor didn't react, Mickey grinned and started silently pulling faces at him.

The Doctor sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose where he could feel a headache coming on. Humans, he thought. However, out loud he said, "Stop it, Mickey, the wind'll change."

Mickey scowled slightly and asked, "How'd you know what I was doing?"

"Because you're a typical little predictable human, that's why," the Doctor replied, a sharp edge to his voice. He was in no mood to deal with Mickey right now.

Frowning at the Doctor's irritated answer, Mickey didn't stop, but carried right on what he was doing, thinking that the Doctor would think that he'd stopped.

But the Doctor knew, and he'd had enough, "Mickey the idiot. Stop it, or so help me, I'll throw you in one of the giant slime pits of Malodaan."

Suitably chastised this time, Mickey backed off and went over to where the others were still all arguing about whether they should take the Doctor to hospital or not, whether he was better off in the TARDIS or at the flat and generally what they should do about his problem.

At one point, the Doctor did try to interrupt, saying, "I am still here you know. I can speak for myself!" but no one took any notice of him, so he gave up.

As the others talked about what should be done, the Doctor found himself zoning out again. He'd didn't mean to, he just found it pointless to discuss the inevitable. Instead he found himself trying to adjust to this strange cloudy world that he was now banished to.

Of all the things to happen to him, this was possibly one of the worst that the Doctor could think of. If this was permanent, then he was now cursed to never see Rose's loving face ever again.

But as he sat, isolated from the others by his inability to see them, the Doctor found something very out of the ordinary. He had this strange… awareness of the vicinity around him. He couldn't see anything, but if he concentrated, he could… sense what was where.

What was this? Was it another expansion of one of those psychic powers that he wasn't supposed to have? Or did this happen to all blind people? Hmm… somehow he doubted that the latter was the answer.

Interrupting the others, the Doctor said bluntly, "I seem to have developed a sixth sense."

When nobody said anything, he added, "And I don't mean like the film with the 'I see dead people' thing, although that was a good film, but nowhere near as good as the remake they did in 2178 when people started getting fed up with the dodgy special effects of the first one and—"

"Doctor," Rose interrupted, "What do you mean, 'sixth sense'?"

"I mean…" the Doctor began, wondering how on this side of Raxicorricofallapotorius he was going to explain it, "I mean that I know where everything is," he said, "I can't see anything, but I just… know."

Taking in this newest revelation, silence fell. But having seen too many strange things since they'd known the Doctor, it take long for Rose's family to accept it, take it in their stride and move on to finding solutions.

"We could try to contact Torchwood I suppose," Pete suggested, "They might know—"

"No," the Doctor said, no emotion in his voice, "I know where I have to go."

"Are you sure?" Jackie asked.

"Yes."

Pete, Mickey and Jackie all glanced at Rose, looking for her confirmation that they would be alright.

Rose nodded and said, "We'd better be going then."

"And there's absolutely no way I can persuade you both to stay?" Jackie asked, almost desperately.

"No," Rose said, looking at the Doctor, "Sorry Mum. We'll come and visit soon, yeah?"

Seeing that she couldn't win this argument, Jackie gave up and hugged her daughter goodbye, "Take care of yourself, sweetheart. And you'd better be taking care of him an' all."

"I will, Mum," Rose replied before saying goodbye to Mickey and her 'dad'.

Mickey and Pete were a little awkward around the Doctor when they were saying goodbye to him and Rose, but Jackie wasn't. She reached up and hugged him just as tightly as she had Rose, "Be safe," she whispered before adding, "And for God's sake eat something."

The Doctor didn't say anything, but nodded almost imperceptibly. Then he and Rose left the Tyler's.

Rose held the Doctor's hand tightly on the way back to the TARDIS. She didn't want him to be wrong about this new-found ability he'd acquired along with his blindness and accidentally walk into something, or trip over or something.

Once they reached the time ship, she wouldn't even let him open the door of the TARDIS, rummaging in his jacket pocket herself and unlocking the door, despite his half-hearted arguments that he could do it.

Entering the always-welcoming ship, Rose hesitated, "D'you want to go to the med bay?" she asked, surveying her lover.

"No," the Doctor answered as wearily as he felt, "We already know what's wrong, and that there's nothing we can do about it."

Silence fell after this remark, both of the pair trying hard not to think about what the future may bring, and both failing terribly.

After a minute, unable to bear the silence any longer, Rose said briskly, "Come on, kitchen. You're going to eat something."

When the Doctor opened his mouth in disbelief to make an excuse, Rose saw it coming and interjected, "No, I don't want to hear it. I didn't say you had to eat a lot just that you had to eat something. Please…for me?"

It was the last two words that did it. The Doctor could practically see her 'begging' face, the one she'd used so many times before to get what she wanted, and it was a face he couldn't say no to, no matter how hard he tried. Rose had him wrapped around her little finger, and she knew it.

"Oh, alright then," the Doctor sighed, reluctantly letting Rose pull him down the corridor to the kitchen. And although he couldn't see it, he knew that she was grinning in triumph at her victory.

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A/N: And here's the next chapter! Don't know how long it'll be 'til the next one though…

Anyway, nothing can ruin my mood today! It's nearly my birthday and I just passed my driving test (first time too!) so I'm am over the moon! (and trying not to think about all the work I have to do…)

Hope you're all enjoying this story so far, and that no one's too confuzzled, because to be honest I'm starting to confuse myself with what I've said and what I haven't! So, please review, and ask me any questions you want if you're as confuzzled as I am! lol!