A/N: I'm sorry it's taking me so long between updates, but here is a really really long chapter to hopefully make up for it!
When he awakens, it is in a nest of warmth he has no wish to ever leave. He settles deeper into it, rather enjoying the sluggishness of his mind in its relaxed state. There is a pleasant weight across his chest and against his side, something soft that seems to generate all this lovely heat and that feels heavenly against his naked skin.
Hmm. Strange. It is not unheard of for him to sleep au naturel, but certainly not common. He had forgotten it felt quite this comfortable. He should do it more often.
He takes a deep breath, his eyes cracking open, and the smell of something flowery and sweet assaults his olfactory sense, mixed in with the faint but distinctive scent of sweat and bodily fluids –
This finishes rousing him with a jolt, the events of the night before rushing back to his mind.
Rose.
He gazes down at the sleeping form snuggled against his side, her head on his chest and an arm draped across his waist. His jerking awake must have disturbed her because she is shifting against him, breathing out words he can't quite make out before she settles again. He feels the ghost of a kiss against his skin and then her breathing evens out, her features once more soft and relaxed as sleep reclaims her.
He stills, drinking in the sight of the woman lying next to him. The blankets have slipped from her shoulders during her sleep to gather at her waist and his eyes linger over her figure, admiring her beauty without the urgency of arousal of the night before.
He wasn't lying when he told her she was gorgeous.
She's all warmth and curves and soft skin, belying the strength he knows she possesses underneath. In the dim light her hair shines like pure gold, and a strand falling across her face makes his fingers itch in an urge to tuck it behind her ear, follow the apple of her cheek down to the elegant arc of her neck and shoulder.
The thought brings to mind the image of him doing just that, hours before. She'd been lying over him, radiant after their lovemaking, and he could feel the lingering trail of her arousal, could almost taste it in the air around her. He'd been powerless to resist it. He'd trailed his fingers down her neck before leaning up to kiss her, her answering moan in his mouth erasing every other thoughts in his head. For a while afterwards his world had narrowed down to her, to her body and her heat, to the glorious experience of watching her fall apart around him.
He exhales shakily as memories of their lovemaking flash across his mind. Her sounds, her taste, her touch, the feeling of thrusting inside her or having her ride him, it all comes back to him in vivid sensory details. He is overtaken by such a powerful wave of lust that it takes everything he has not to reach out and touch her, to roll her over and wake her up with his lips on her skin.
He closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths, trying to calm down and force the urge away. He struggles to do so, and maybe that fact should shock him – with the control he has over his body it should be easy for him to suppress the chemicals linked to arousal – but it doesn't, not really. He has passed the point where he is surprised by the power this woman has over him, even when sleeping peacefully next to him.
Unwilling to disturb her rest and absolutely positive he will do so if he continues to feel her bare skin against his for much longer, he gently disentangles himself from her and slips out of the bed. Rose frowns in her sleep at the sudden emptiness next to her, her arms coming up to wrap themselves around her pillow as a substitute. The Doctor softly tugs the blanket up so that it covers her again, leans in to press a light kiss on her hair, and steps away from the bed to study his surroundings.
The bedroom in which he is standing is unfamiliar to him, although this is far from surprising considering the number of rooms the TARDIS contains. When he had stumbled out of his lab, his arms full of Rose and his thoughts scattered by arousal, he had simply begged his ship for a bed, any bed, which would serve the purpose he had in mind.
She had certainly delivered.
The room is beautiful, conveying a mix of elegance and practicality that he finds extremely pleasing. He looks around at the wooden desk, the plush armchairs, the lavish rug covering part of the floor, before his gaze is drawn back to the large bed throning on one side of the room and the woman sleeping in the middle of it, and this is where it hits him. This isn't just any room. This is the perfect union of them both.
This is their bedroom.
The realization fills him with a mix of elation and panic, and he has to lean against the wall to steady himself. He was being truthful when he told Rose how scared he was of letting himself be with her. If there is one thing he's learned over his long life, it's that the universe is rarely this kind to him. The thought of opening up to her only to lose her afterwards fills him with dread, even after what they've just done, perhaps even more so now.
But maybe… Maybe if he can take things in small, simple steps forward, rather than looking into the far off and frankly frightening future, can help quell his anxiety and accept what Rose is offering him. Small, simple steps like waking up to her sleeping peacefully against him, in a bedroom of their own.
He smiles softly as he looks down at Rose, looking so much like she belongs in this bed, in this room, in hisship that it steals his breath away. Yes, this can work, if he can concentrate on the present. With her help, he thinks he might just learn to do so.
The TARDIS chimes in his head, interrupting his musings to let him know that Czif and Kirif have just entered the console room in search of him. He nods reluctantly with a sigh. He doesn't want to leave the sanctuary of this room, doesn't want Rose to wake up alone and wonder why he is gone, but… he has a duty to the Drazfins to finish what he has started. With any luck he'll be back before she awakens, and she will never know he left.
She awakes feeling happier and more relaxed than she has in years.
The coziness of the sheets against her naked skin makes her smile as she stretches lazily, her eyes closed. Her smile grows when she feels the twinge between her legs, a reminder of the amazing and completely unexpected turn that the last few hours have taken.
From their first kiss to their long-overdue talk, from his declaration that he wants her to stay with him to making love for the first time... it had all been more than she had dared hope for. She had sought him out with the intention of getting him to talk to her, hurt and confused after days of him avoiding her. There was no way she could have expected waking up naked next to him a few hours later, closer than they'd ever been before.
The only shadow in this otherwise perfect picture is her inability to withstand the intensity of their mental connection. He'd had to block out their link completely in order to avoid hurting her, and although at that time neither of them had minded its absence too much, focused as they were on the physical aspects of their newly evolved relationship, she wants to give him this, too. She knows how important telepathic connections are to him, to his species. He had confided in her once, when he had piercing blue eyes and a leather jacket, how hollow his head felt since he had lost his people. Of course, for this him, the Time Lords are still alive, but it doesn't change the fact that she wishes she could be a part of such a fundamental aspect of his life.
Well, they had agreed to practice later, when they had time, and right now her fingers itch to touch him again. Maybe she could wake him up with her lips against his skin and convince him to try again… and if not, well, she is sure they can find other activities that they will both enjoy.
She rolls over to snuggle against his side, and the empty space next to her makes her train of thoughts stutter to a stop and her eyes fly open.
He's gone.
She had been sure that he was still sleeping next to her, and the sight of the empty bed, the empty room, causes a flood of disappointment to rush through her, mixed in with a touch of panic that she does her best to repress. The thought that he could have woken up regretting what happened between them flashes through her mind – but no. She closes her eyes, remembering his touch, his lips on hers, the look in his eyes when they made love, and she feels a bit calmer.
And now that she thinks about it, she can understand his absence perfectly. He needs less sleep than she does, so he woke up first and decided to leave her so as not to disturb her rest. He's probably somewhere tinkering with the TARDIS, or…
The ship sends her the image of the Doctor in the console room, talking with Kirif and Czif, and she almost slaps herself at her forgetfulness. In the flurry of emotions of the last few hours, she had completely forgotten about their current situation: the race against time to cure the ailing population of this world, the tenuous peace so recently established between the refugees and two of the three main factions… Of course the Doctor is with them now, helping them with their struggles, as he should be.
The TARDIS sends a questioning hum, asking Rose if she wants her to let the Doctor know she is awake, but she shakes her head with a smile.
"That's alright. He'd want to come back here, and I've monopolized him enough. I'll just clean up a bit and join them afterwards."
She hops off the bed, looking around her with interest. They had been too caught up the night before to notice anything other than the large bed they had been lucky enough to stumble upon, but observing her surroundings now, she realizes thatluck likely has very little to do with it.
"Thanks, old girl. This room is perfect." she says, trailing her hand on the smooth surface of the carved wooden desk. She can almost touch the bits and bobs that would inevitably cover it, can almost see him tinkering while she reads on the bed, the comfortable silence broken by bouts of teasing conversation until it turns into something more, her book and his latest project abandoned in favor of one another…
The TARDIS thrums warmly in her mind in acknowledgment of her thanks, and her heart fills with love as her thoughts turn to the ship, this wonderful ship that has offered her the most incredible gift. Rose is no fool, she knows nothing that is happening right now is mere luck. The energy from the heart of the TARDIS would not have lingered inside her body, secretly embedding itself inside her until the right moment came to become known, unless the ship had wanted it to be so. It is thanks to the TARDIS that she is reunited with the Doctor, thanks to her that she can be by the side of the man she loves for a forever that now matches his.
Her breath hitches as the significance of that statement suddenly hits her with full weight. Her forever now means hundreds, maybe thousands of years. It's a terrifying number. The concept of such a long life is almost impossible for her to grasp, and she feels a bubble of anxiety rise up inside her, threatening to burst. She leans against the wall and closes her eyes, forcing herself to take deep, calming breaths. She wants this, to be with him, to enjoy the good times and support him through the bad. It's scary now, of course it is, to think of her entire life stretched out ahead of her in a long, dizzying prospect, but if she looks at it one day at a time, one adventure at a time, with him at her side… that's not so bad at all.
She walks around the room gathering her discarded clothes, scattered all over the room by their enthusiasm in undressing each other, but she wrinkles her nose at the thought of putting them on again, all crumpled as they now are. She opens the dresser to see it already filled with clothes and underwear – some new, some she remembers having picked from the wardrobe years ago – and with an affectionate mental wave towards the ship she gathers some in her arms and heads for the bathroom for some much-needed freshening up.
She stops in the threshold, stunned by the sight. The TARDIS really went all out. Even the bathroom is magnificent. She'd never found cause to complain about the ensuite attached to her old bedroom, it had suited her needs just fine, but it definitely pales in comparison to the one she is currently standing in. It is so luxurious that it is almost sinful – spacious counters, wall-size mirrors, a large shower with glass walls and multiple sprays, even a sunken bathtub in an elevated corner of the room that looks more like a small pool than anything else. She walks over it and climbs the first step to peek over the edge. She sees the many nozzles and taps, the low bench covering the entire length of the tub, and thoughts of the many uses the Doctor and her could make of it in the future flash through her head. She walks to the shower, her train of thought bringing her to evaluate its potential for similar activities, and then she notices the mirror directly opposite. They would easily be able to see themselves, if they were to…
She feels herself flush, the urge to find him and spend the next hours exploring every single one of her ideas so potent that she has to grip the edge of the counter to restrain herself. She shakes her head with a breathless laugh. What has he done to her, reducing her to such an uncontrollable mess of sexual desires. It's like she's sixteen all over again.
"Judging by all of this, I take it that you approve of what happened between us, then?" she teases, addressing the ship as she enters the glass stall. The sprays come on by themselves, the water at a perfect temperature being all the answer she needs. She smiles, turning to the array of products on the shelf, her heart feeling as warm as the rest of her body.
"No, this is not an acceptable solution for us. Whereas our people are spread out over a large territory, nearly everyone in Trakhan lives in a large central hub. This will make it easier for their scientists to streamline the treatment process, which will result in a larger fraction of their population cured before ours. Who is to say they won't use this advantage against us?"
"We resent this accusation. We assure you we are of good faith, as we think our conduct so far has demonstrated. This solution does appear to be the best so far. Our people shouldn't be punished for your poor management of your territory."
The Doctor runs a hand over his eyes, exasperated by the continuous bickering of the faction leaders on the monitors. He had been too optimistic before, after their first diplomatic meeting. He had thought things would be much, much easier. He had forgotten the fact that these people had been at war for years. Trust did not come easy to them.
He had joined Kirif and Czif in the console room after leaving the bedroom and found the two in the middle of an argument about the best way to distribute the cure to the two factions. To prevent fruitless debate, the Doctor had suggested contacting the faction representatives with the use of the TARDIS systems, in order to ask for their opinion directly.
Over an hour later, they were still at it.
It had not been so bad at the beginning of the call. Oh, the Drazfins had been argumentative from the start, but he had been surprised by the skill with which Czif had handled them, soothing their worries and mollifying their mutual mistrust. He had already had a high opinion of the brilliant young scientist, this new hidden talent of hers increased his respect for her even more. He certainly isn't known for his diplomatic skills. He usually has very little patience for it.
Which is definitely bad luck for them, because less than a quarter of an hour after the conference call began, Czif's assistant Mavran came panting into the console room, trying to catch his breath as he blurted out that Ariz had awoken, and that since she'd asked to be told when he did –
He didn't have time to finish his sentence before Czif had rushed out of the ship with a hurried apology.
They'd made very little progress since then.
He tunes out the belligerent voices with a sigh. This day had started out so well, too, waking up like that with a soft and warm Rose in his arms. For the hundredth time since he left the bedroom, his thoughts turn to the woman still sleeping there. He wishes he could just walk out of the console room and go back to her. Or better yet, lock everyone out of the TARDIS and spend the next century or so holed up inside with Rose. Then, maybe, he would be ready to come out and endure this torture.
"Well, what do you think, Doctor? After all, it is thanks to your expertise that we are even having this discussion."
"Not my expertise alone," he answers in a weary voice. "Czif deserves a lot of the credit, as does Kaf, the other scientist from that mission to Earth."
"Kaf? But he went back to Kraln, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did. What does that have to do with –"
He interrupts himself abruptly as he hears footsteps approaching the console room from the corridor beyond, his head whipping towards it to see Rose standing there, smiling at him. His breath hitches as he stands frozen, taking her in.
"Doctor?"
"Excuse me for a moment," he answers, his voice surprisingly calm despite the way his hearts are pounding in his chest. He forces himself to take steady steps towards her instead of breaking into a run like he so desperately wants to, but then her smile widens, a teasing tongue makes its appearance, and he can't resist any longer.
He rushes the rest of the way, grabbing her hand and tugging her past a corner where no one can see them. She opens her mouth to greet him but he doesn't give her the time to speak, pressing her against the wall and kissing her like he has wanted to do ever since he woke up. When he pulls back she is flushed and panting and absolutely gorgeous.
"Good morning," he says, smiling almost smugly down at her, pleased to be the cause of her looking like that.
"Yeah," she answers breathlessly, still a bit dazed from his kiss. "Yeah, it is. I missed you when I woke up, though."
His smile turns into a wince.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to leave, believe me, but you looked so peaceful, and had I stayed longer I don't think I could have left you alone for long, as soft and warm and intoxicating as you are."
"Hmm," she hums, looping her arms around his neck, her fingers playing with the curls of his hair in a way that is entirely too distracting. "You could have woken me up. I wouldn't have minded."
"I had half a mind to do just that. I probably would have, too, if Kirif and Czif hadn't walked into the console room looking for me."
"Everything alright?"
"Yes, fine," he sighs. "They came to discuss the best approach for distribution of the cure to Zayin and Trakhan and I proposed contacting their leaders to have their opinion, something I bitterly regret suggesting now. My morning's been a succession of bad decisions, really. I should have just stayed in bed with you."
She chuckles, raising her head to softly kiss his cheek.
"As pleasant as that would have been, you were right to leave. We can't ignore the Drazfin situation forever. I've taken up too much of your time already."
"Rose, as far as I'm concerned, you can have all of my time."
She smiles that teasing smile up at him again and he can't stop himself from lowering his lips to hers, chasing her tongue back into her mouth. She moans softly as she lets him in, pressing the length of her body against his, and the lust that had never quite left him since he woke up flares up again.
How is it possible that less than half a day before they had never touched like this, and yet now he can't seem to stop?
"You should go back. They'll be waiting for you," she murmurs after a few moments, pulling back just enough to speak. He only groans in response as he captures her lips again, his arms tightening around her. She lets him kiss her for a few seconds longer before she pulls back again.
"Doctor," she insists in a breathless voice. "Later, I promise, when we have all the time we want…"
He relents with a sigh, resting his forehead against hers as he pushes back the urge to drag her back to the bedroom.
"Fine, but I'll hold you to that. Now, come on, come with me. I could certainly use your help handling these people."
He takes her by the hand and tugs her towards the console room. As they approach it they can hear indistinct fragments of a heated discussion, and the Doctor rolls his eyes, exasperated. Still arguing, then.
"…the right move. You know as well as I do that there will be no peace as long as Kraln isn't made to listen. Your utopian idea won't get us anywhere."
He slows down as they near the doorway, incredulity washing over him. This is supposed to be a meeting about peace, and yet these words sound suspiciously like they are suggesting war.
"Everyone here left their homes to get away from the war! I will not send my people to battle against their will," Kirif cries out.
"Then don't. We don't need your people, only the cure for our own. They will be the ones fighting."
"What is this?" the Doctor asks in a hard voice, swooping into the room with Rose on his tail. Kirif whirls towards them, looking both agitated and relieved to see him.
"Doctor, we were just discussing the Kraln situation."
"Yes, so I heard. I must admit to some confusion, however, as to why such talk is even necessary."
"Come now, Doctor, we must be realists," says the same voice he heard before. He turns to face the monitors to see the face to which it belongs: one of the Zayin delegates, which he had noticed before as particularly belligerent. He eyes him for a second, noting the hollowness of his cheeks, the general air of frailty about him. Sick, and still thinking of war. "We cannot simply ignore the matter. We are thankful for the immense advantage your expertise and equipment gave us, but Kirif admitted that Kraln possesses a rudimentary version of the cure, thanks to this Kaf. With every passing day we risk the chance of them perfecting it on their own and regaining their strength. If we attack now, this can all be ended much more quickly and efficiently."
"Efficiently!" the Doctor spits out, outraged. "You talk about efficiently murdering innocents as calmly as if you were discussing the weather. Is this why I helped you people? Is this really what you want, to cure your men one minute just to send them off to battle the next?"
"Innocents! Need I remind you of the lives we lost when they hit our ship? We must retaliate, we must avenge them!"
"And they will want to avenge whatever loss you inflict them in return," Rose exclaims, stepping besides him in front of the monitors, her jaw set as all eyes snap to her. "It's a vicious cycle, don't you see? It can't go on like this if there is to be peace on your planet. I know it's not an easy thing to do, but please, have the courage to be the ones to break that cycle, here and now."
Her words ring out in the silence that follows. The Doctor watches her glare at the Drazfins on the monitors, defying them to challenge her, and his hearts swell with pride. He sees a few of the faction leaders nodding their heads in agreement or looking down in shame, but Rose's gaze doesn't flinch from the pale, sickly Drazfin who had spoken.
"I think –" he begins to say but he is cut off by Czif running inside, a small monitor in her hands.
He is cut off by a loud beeping sound coming from the console. The Doctor rushes towards it with a frown, his expression transforming into one of surprise as he examines the readings on the screen.
"We are receiving a wide-broadcast message originating from Kraln's capital city. Here, let me…"
With the press of a few controls he brings up a video on one of the ship's monitors, relaying the display to the two factions at the same time.
On the image is Kaf, looking more worn and tattered than the Doctor remembers him.
"This message is addressed to the leaders of Trakhan and Zayin. My name is Kafazn, and I speak in the name of the people of Kraln. The past few days have been a time of unrest for us. I assume you know who the alien called the Doctor is, and how he came to be involved: a team of which I was a part of met him on a mission to the planet Earth. We had as a goal the development of a cure for the disease ailing our world, using as a starting point the natural immunity of the inhabitants of that planet. The Doctor offered his help, and with this most valuable ally we were well on our way to completing our objective. But our leaders were not satisfied with this. They rewarded his help by betraying his trust, kidnapping his partner in the hopes of a military advantage. This decision has led my people to the brink of extinction. The cure was not complete nor tested when they carried out that act, and as we discovered later it was not potent enough in its current state to be suitable. Without the Doctor's assistance we struggled to improve it while our people kept on dying, people that could have been saved without our leaders' narrow-minded focus on war."
He pauses, his face contorting with grief as he looks down, struggling to maintain his composure. The Doctor remembers Kaf telling him about his family, and his hearts clench painfully at the thought of what might have happened to them. He feels a hand grab hold of his, fingers interlocking and squeezing in comfort, and he looks down to see Rose standing next to him, her face set in an expression of sorrow mirroring his own. He squeezes back, offering her a faint, saddened smile, both turning back towards the screen when Kaf begins speaking again.
"Then a small group of refugees extended an offer of peace to every faction, along with the possibility of an improved and effective version of the cure, and it seemed like a gift from heaven. The offer seemed genuine, and most of us were more than ready to accept it and attend the diplomatic meeting. But not all."
The camera pans to the side, revealing a group of Drazfins bound and gagged inside a prison cell. He feels a grim satisfaction when he recognizes Dzarn among them, the mission leader who had stunned and kidnapped Rose.
"Our so-called leaders – the people who are supposed to have our best interests at heart – decided that this was yet another opportunity for a military action and sent a small number of their dwindling supporters to attack the peace delegation in the hope of capturing the Doctor. This act of war was the final straw. There was already a growing unrest amongst the population, and this only fortified our belief that the current leaders had to be overthrown. By then we outnumbered those still loyal to them, and the uprising was swift and mostly bloodless. Our faction will no longer be ruled by aggression and fear."
The last words are spoken with pride and determination, and he pauses a moment as if to savor them.
"We are contacting you today to tell you that everyone on this planet has suffered enough, be it through countless wars or through this terrible disease. It is time to lay down our weapons as well as our differences. We must let go of the past and start building a future, for the sake of our survival, for that of our children. Of course, that means all of us must swallow our pride and our personal grievances and forgive – forgive the acts of violence committed against each other, the latest in a long line being the attack on your peaceful gathering. Even though the people responsible are already being punished for it, we ask for forgiveness for being unable to prevent it. We hope you will be able to look past it, and let our world be at peace once more."
The message switches off amidst a stunned silence. The Doctor recovers first, taking a deep breath to ease the mix of relief and sorrow weighting on his hearts.
"You were right, Rose. Someone did need to break the cycle. It's just not who we thought it would be."
Everything happens very quickly after that.
In an almost unanimous decision the factions leaders choose to answer Kraln's message with an invitation to talk. The Doctor contacts them using the TARDIS and their response is almost immediate, Kaf and a few others appearing on the screen with ragged and weary but hopeful faces. The first few moments are painfully awkward, the charged history between each faction weighing on everyone's mind – even Rose acutely feels the fat that the last time she saw the scientist, she stunned him – but eventually the awkwardness subsides and they are able to start talking about the best way to move forward.
While everyone agrees that there is much to discuss before peace can be truly achieved, they are also of one mind that the most pressing matter at hand is curing the population, regardless of faction. It is therefore decided that while the faction leaders will meet in a neutral grounds – the refugee base is quickly suggested and accepted as a location – to begin diplomatic negotiations, a small team composed of Czif, her assistant Rizi and the Doctor will travel to each faction and teach their teams of scientists how to produce and administer the cure.
Rose expects to go with them, but Kirif suggests that she stay and assist in the diplomatic meetings as an unbiased moderator, and she has to agree. She has some experience in situations like these, from her previous travels with the Doctor and her time at Torchwood, and if she can help move things along… it would be selfish of her to refuse. After that there is only time for hurried goodbyes before the Doctor leaves with his team, taking the TARDIS for faster travel, and days pass in an unending succession of peace negotiations.
She trudges back from another long meeting, tired and irritated and ready to catch a bit of well-deserved sleep. It's not that things aren't progressing, on the contrary. There have been a few missteps, of course, as was bound to happen when bringing people together who had been used to hating each other for decades, but overall the negotiations are going better than expected. The terrible losses suffered by everyone during the epidemic have awakened the Drazfins to the necessity of peace – with a few exceptions. There are some voices of dissension, chief among them that of the sickly Drazfin who had been arguing for war just moments before they received Kraln's message, and they are the ones sapping all of her energy.
She is ruminating on the best way to deal with that Drazfin in a tactful but firm way at the next meeting when she passes by the door of the recovery ward and decides to stop there for a few moments to take her mind off things.
The patients who have been treated and cured of the disease were moved there a few days ago to be closely monitored, and among them was Ariz, who has become his healthy and enthusiastic self once again. Rose has been to see him often over the last few days, whenever she could find time between two endless meetings, glad to have someone to talk to that isn't prone to quarrel with everyone else about some perceived slight in the negotiations. She enjoys his company, too, even more than she had during their brief time together on Earth – the fact that she is not a prisoner and that his people are no longer on the brink of extinction certainly helping in that regard.
Ariz's brother Azan is with him when she enters the room, and he rises to leave despite her protests that he should stay.
"No, no, it's alright. I'll let you two chat. Ariz, think about what I said, ok?"
Her friend nods uncertainly, and his brother walks out of the room with a parting wave. She settles down in the chair he has just vacated, looking quizzically at the Drazfin on the bed.
"What was that about?"
"Oh, nothing…" he answers dismissively. He fidgets with his covers for a second before raising his head back towards her. "It's just… now that the war is almost over, he is thinking of leaving the base and settle down somewhere with his family. They've been down here for so long, they're eager to be on the surface again."
"Well, that's understandable. Will they go back to their old home?"
"They're not sure. With the way things are shaping up, there will be less restrictions on our lives than there used to be, on what we choose to do or where we choose to live. I think they'll want a fresh start to go along with that."
"I'm glad for them. And you, what will you want to do? I remember how much you wanted to explore new worlds," she says with a small laugh, thinking back to their long conversations, back in that dingy room, about her travels with the Doctor.
"Yes, I do, but… I don't know. My brother wants with to come with them, that's what he was telling me just now. We haven't seen a lot of each other since the war, so it would be nice to be a family again. But then there's also… And I can't decide what until I know what she's…"
He trails off, blushing as he looks down, and she immediately knows what he means.
"You can't decide until you know what Czif wants to do?" she asks, smiling at his bashful nod.
The first time she had come to visit him, a blushing Ariz had admitted to her that upon waking up Czif and him had finally worked things out, or rather she had thrown her arms around him and his stammering brain had caught up after a while. Rose had laughed and hugged him, teasing him playfully until he reversed their position by asking her about the Doctor – Czif had clearly said something to him. They had bonded over their newfound relationship, and how much they now missed the other half of it.
"You know what would help solve your problem?" she asks, chuckling. "The same thing I told you to do before: talk to her!"
"I know," he answers with a small laugh. "And I will, when she comes back. Which should be any day, now," he adds in a wistful voice.
"Did you hear anything from them?"
"Only that all three of them are supposed to be back soon, bringing in some new people for a meeting with Kirif before they leave again."
Rose nods her head with a sigh. She'd heard as much, too, unfortunately. It means more time apart from the Doctor, as there was little chance she would be included in this next trip: Kirif seemed to consider her diplomatic skills completely indispensable, now that she'd started helping.
Ariz watches her thoughtfully, his brows furrowed.
"Rose, can I tell you something?" he begins hesitatingly. "Don't take this the wrong way, because I love having you here, but… There will always be something else, you know. Something more for the Doctor and you to do, as long as you stay here. But I think… I think you've done more than enough already. If you want to leave… you shouldn't feel like you can't. You've shown us the way, I think we'll be able to follow it from now on. You must be eager to go back home, to Earth."
Back home.
She doesn't correct him that the TARDIS is her home, now, the TARDIS and the Doctor. Her mind is brought back to before this adventure started, back when home was an empty flat, a London in which she never truly felt like she belonged. She'll have no problem leaving that behind.
But… back then, home was also her family. Pete, who she has come to think of as her father. Her little brother, who can be as much an angel as a terror and who she loves to bits. And her mum, who's sacrificed so much to raise her by herself, who's always given her everything she could, who's always loved her with all her heart.
She'll have to say goodbye to them.
She's not regretting her decision to keep this energy inside her, could never regret staying with him. That choice had been made a long, long time ago. And she'd known, all those years she'd been looking for a way back, that she'd have to leave them behind if she were ever successful. But knowing this in an abstract, immaterial kind of way and facing it as a hard, cold fact… it feels very different.
Her heart clenches painfully as she tries to figure out of what she will say to them, when she visits them for the last time. She's ashamed at how little they have been in her thoughts since this whole thing started. Her more than unexpected meeting with a past Doctor, and then the adventure with the Drazfins, both of those events overshadowed everything else. But now that she takes the time to think about it, she realizes that the last thing anyone has heard of her, back on Earth, was her being pursued by unknown, armed aliens. She yelled at Mickey to get the prisoners safe, and then she just vanished.
They must be so worried.
"Rose?"
She jerks her head up and is about to say something when there is a whoosh in her mind, accompanied by the sensation of something falling back into place, something she hadn't noticed had been missing. It feels nothing like the Doctor's presence. It gives a sense of immensity bound in a small space, of being eternal and yet imbued with time, and suddenly she knows what it is.
The TARDIS.
She rushes to her feet under the perplexed gaze of her companion, and a second later the unmistakable whirring of the ship materializing nearby reaches their ears.
"Your ship!" Ariz exclaims, struggling to push back his covers and rise off the bed. Rose takes a hurried step towards him, stopping him from getting up with a hand on his shoulder.
"You shouldn't. You're not strong enough yet."
"Then please help me – I want to…"
She nods reluctantly, not having the heart to deny him this. She lowers herself to allow him to slip an arm around her shoulders, steadying him with a hand on his back.
"Lean on me," she instructs him, and together they start a slow walk out of the room and down the corridor, guided by their ears – and, in Rose's case, by the feeling in her mind.
The sound of the TARDIS materializing stops before they can reach it, but Rose confidently leads her companion down a side corridor, when voices reach them from an open door a few meters away.
"Alright everyone, follow me. Kirif wanted me to bring you to him the moment we arrived. I'll find someone to give you a tour later."
Rizi steps out in front of them, followed by a number of wide-eyed Drazfins. She gives them a tired smile when she sees them.
"They're still in there," she whispers, gesturing vaguely behind her.
Rose and Ariz wait for the group to pass before stepping into the room they have just left. The TARDIS is inside, its doors half-open, and Rose's heart jumps a bit at the sight.
Home.
They make their way towards the ship, Rose forcing herself to go slowly for Ariz's sake despite her desire to run the rest of the way. She is close enough to feel the TARDIS perfectly now, thrumming a happy welcome, and with a pounding heart she finally pushes the doors open the rest of the way.
The Doctor and Czif are in the console room, bent over one of the monitors, discussing something in quiet voices. The Doctor's head whips up as they take a first step inside the ship, a startled Czif looking up alongside him.
"Ariz! You shouldn't be up!" she protests half-heartedly, recovering from her surprise to rush around the console and help support him. Rose lets go and steps aside once Ariz has an arm firmly across Czif's shoulders, and his now free other arm wraps around the scientist's waist, pulling her to him in a tight embrace.
Rose smiles at the sight for a moment before her gaze slides to the Doctor, and then all other thoughts fly out of her mind.
He is standing a few steps away, his eyes roaming her face with an intensity that makes her breath catch. She doesn't think she'll ever get used to this, him looking at her so openly like this, like he's never seen the like of her before, like he'll never tire of the sight.
She slowly walks the distance separating them, pulled towards him like a magnet, her heart accelerating with every step. She stops in front of him and reaches for his hand, feeling shy after days of absence, almost uncertain whether she is allowed. His fingers entangle with hers as he brings his other hand up to cup her cheek, and she marvels at how her heart jumps from only his touch.
"Rose…"
"Hi," she breathes out with a chuckle, her voice shaking. Her heart fills with his presence but suddenly it's not enough, she wants her head to feel him, too, and without thinking she nudges their link open, despite all of his mental defenses that should have made it impossible for her to do so.
His eyes widen in surprise as she brushes her mind with his, this hint of a connection with him enough to make her heart sing. She is hesitant to do more, remembering his fear of losing control, but then she feels him return her touch, slowly, softly, his eyes darkening until he leans forward with a choked sound and crashes his lips to hers.
She sighs in pleasure, letting go of his hand to thread both of hers into his curls, tugging on them to encourage him as she flicks her tongue against his lips. He groans and deepens the kiss, one hand spreading across her back to pull her body to his, and she's beginning to think that they're rather in a too vertical position for where this is leading when a throat clearing behind her makes her jump away from him.
She had completely forgotten about Czif and Ariz, and she feels herself blushing to the roots of her hair under their amused glances. The Doctor looks around dazed for a moment before he recovers, and with an unabashed smile he reaches for her hand to tug her back to him.
"Sorry to interrupt," Czif teases. "We'll let you get back to it, but first we wanted to say goodbye."
The Doctor frowns in confusion but Rose looks at Ariz, who is nodding at her encouragingly, and her mouth twists into a sad smile.
"Are you sure? It wouldn't be a bother to stay longer…"
"No, as I told you before, you should go. Otherwise, who knows how long Kirif would have the Doctor running all over the planet while you help him out of every single diplomatic misstep," Ariz jokes, but she sees he is as sad as she is, and she lets go of the Doctor to engulf him in a hug.
"Thank you for everything," he whispers, and her eyes fill with tears. Behind her the Doctor has caught on, and is asking Czif whether she is certain they will be fine.
"Yes, Doctor. Ariz is right, you've done more than enough. You've held up every promise you've made, even the ones that seemed too outrageous to believe – who could have thought two people could singlehandedly bring peace to an entire planet?"
"It wasn't singlehanded," Rose sniffles as she lets go of Ariz. "You two were brilliant, really. Without you, I don't know what…" she trails off, her voice too uneven to speak. She laughs through her tears as Czif steps forward to hug her in turn, her own eyes glistening.
"The same can be said of the two of you. I'm so glad you convinced me to help you, Rose. The thought of what would have happened if I had refused will likely haunt me for a long, long time."
"Don't – You have too big a heart. You could never have stood by and let your world suffer."
"I hope you're right," she replies, pulling back.
"She is," Ariz jumps in, wrapping an arm around Czif's waist to pull her back to him. They exchange such a warm look, so clearly full of love, that Rose can't help a happy giggle from escaping her.
"I'm so happy for you two," she says, and her smile widens even further when she sees them both darken with a blush.
"I could say the same for you," Czif retorts, and Rose looks back towards the Doctor, who is being uncharacteristically silent, to see him hunched over the console, frenetically typing away on one of the monitors. They all watch him as he pulls a data chip from it and steps back towards them.
"Here," he says, handing it out to Czif. "I put a few things on here which should be helpful: ideas I meant to share about the treatment, the technical specs of some of the equipment – you can keep what we took out of the TARDIS, by the way, you need it more than I do – a few suggestions I think could improve your energy production… It's not much, but it's all I could think of on short notice."
She takes the chip from his hand, looking at him with a stunned expression.
"What – You didn't have to – This will be… invaluable, I –" She shakes her head, giving up on words and wrapping her arms around the Doctor instead.
"It's my pleasure. Rose is right, you two are brilliant. Your planet is in good hands," he says, laying a comforting hand on both of the Drazfins' shoulders.
They smile at him and thank them again before walking back slowly towards the doors, Czif supporting Ariz in something that looks more like a walking hug than anything else.
They are almost at the door when Rose can't stop the question that has been burning her lips for the past few minutes.
"What about one little trip in the TARDIS with us? As a thank you?"
They stop and look at each other for a moment before turning back to Rose.
"Thanks, but I think we've seen enough excitement to last us for a while."
She nods back sadly, and a moment later the two Drazfins have stepped out of the ship.
The Doctor walks forward to quietly close the doors before going back to the console, flicking a few controls as he prepares their departure.
"When you said that their planet is in good hands, you didn't just mean in general, right? You saw something in their future, didn't you?"
The Doctor smiles at her, extending a hand that she takes without hesitation. He pulls her to him, wrapping her in his arms as she rests her head against his chest, listening to the soothing sound of his double heartbeat.
"Hmm," he hums noncommittally. "They'll be great, don't worry."
And with a final flip of a lever he sends them away into the vortex.