Provence Rose: My heart is in flames

Harry already knew the answer to his question, but it hadn't stopped him from asking. Of course she was disappointed that he wasn't the Doctor. Just the thought that someone would mistake him for his longstanding rival sent shivers through him. He wasn't blind or stupid, and he knew he wasn't the person she had fallen in love with before. Still he held onto a miniscule glimmer of hope that Rose was capable of moving forward and not one to let herself get stuck in the past. A past he was incapable of changing or interfering with.

Closing his eyes for a brief instant, he opened his mind seeking to discover any indications to the future by tracing several threads of time forward. Each thin strand he followed, no matter the path, ended in a golden light that left him slightly bewildered. Staring into the unknown the implication became clear. Neither of them belonged to this reality, and yet here they stood on the cusp of time like two unknown quantities, which left numerous possibilities for a future, their future.

Rose's voice brought him back to the present. "He said it was impossible to return." Rose struggled for a moment, her mouth opening then closing allowing no words to be spoken, her eyes seeming to search for an elusive answer.

"The Doctor?" he encouraged lightly, his lip curling in distaste as he spoke the other's name. Rose lifted her head, nodding in acknowledgement. Her tear filled eyes captured Harry's heart and he forced back a scream at the injustice of the reminder; that everything he touched was tainted.

"It's been so long now that I was starting to lose hope of ever seeing him again," her voice trailed off and she looked back down at their hands. "He said he had one more tear between the worlds to close, and—and then he burnt up a sun just to say goodbye." A sob escaped and Rose hastily wiped tears from her cheeks as Harry thought to himself, typical of the git, always trying to show off.

Harry dropped his chin so that he was looking at Rose from under heavy eyebrows. Here it comes, he mused, knowing the question was inevitable and yet unable to stop her from asking. It didn't mean he had to like it, and with nine hundred plus years of experience behind him he should be able to dance around it.

"If you're here, and you're a Time Lord—" Rose let the sentence hang and dropped her gaze as Harry regretfully shook his head. "You must think I'm pathetic," she sniffled.

Harry crooked a finger under her chin raising her head, although she kept her eyes downward. "You've lost someone that meant a great deal to you, and that type of pain never fully heals." Harry's fingers moved over her jaw and gently brushed her cheek letting the trail of tears flow over his thumb. I'm right here, Rose and I won't leave you, he thought unable to put his feelings into words.

Laying his hand atop hers again he took a deep breath. "Rose, he was right," he began gently. Had he really said that about the Doctor? He must be getting soft in his old age. "Right about it being impossible to travel between realities," he quickly added.

Twisting their hands so the back of his rested on the top of her knee, he continued talking while mesmerized by her index finger as she began tracing the lines etched in his palm, her other hand sliding under and half cradling his.

"There was a time we could travel wherever we had a mind too. Any time, any place, choose a location and without so much as a blink or a second thought you could experience a whole new world, different species, all of time and space to explore. Before the Time Wars jumping between realities was as common as you folks sitting to tea," Harry paused, finding he had to force himself to swallow. He was still a bit light-headed from earlier and watching her fingertips brush across his skin, his hearts skipped a beat as his blood began pumping faster. He licked his lips and suppressed a growl, intently trying to remember the spatial coordinates of Jupiter's moons, while keeping himself from not concentrating on her touch while his eyes tracked the path outlined by her finger, then she stopped.

Her brow furrowed in studied concentration. "He said he would know if anyone else, any other of his kind were still alive. He would be able to feel them, in his head. So how is it you are here?" she demanded quietly, staring down at his palm her finger a feathery touch against his hand while she waited for an answer.

Harry's mind was racing along a different course and he barely caught the words she'd asked. "I – uh." He tried remembering what the question had been, she obviously didn't realize the effect she was having on him.

Harry's free hand clenched the bed sheets so tightly the tops of his knuckles were turning white, and yet he dared not move for fear the cause of his particular distress would be brought to her attention. His need for comfort was beginning to outweigh his thoughts of modesty.

He leaned forward until a fraction of space was all that separated them. He could smell the traces of her herbal shampoo mixed with sweat and her own unique scent. His eyes took in the darker roots at the top of her head that gave way to lighter bleached blonde hair that was typical Rose, and he found it hard not to think about discovering her natural colour.

"He's stuck," snapped Mickey from the doorway, causing Rose to jerk her head up and Harry to fall back against the headboard in dismay.

Nothing like a splash of cold water, thought Harry as he looked up at the ceiling, feeling keenly the loss of Rose's touch as she'd let go of his hand and turned to face Mickey.

"The Idiot awakens," Harry sneered, ignoring the glare Mickey shot him.

"Go on, tell her," prompted Mickey crossing his arms over his chest with a look that dared Harry to contradict him.

"What would you like me to tell her?" He responded simply bringing his gaze down to bear on the intruder.

"Tell her about the special research you're conducting." Harry locked eyes with the smug young man whose resolute glare began to shift nervously under the Time Lord's intense scrutiny.

Mickey looked to Rose almost pleadingly, dropping his arms to his side. "Ask him Rose." He tilted his head toward Harry, shuffling closer. "Ask him about his little project," Mickey spat out the last few words.

Rose slowly turned back to Harry her eyes questioning and shifting between his as if she might find the answer in them.

Harry shrugged noncommittally and addressed Mickey as one would present end of year numbers to a board of directors. "It's a fairly complex satellite communications network design, of which your feeble brain wouldn't begin to understand even if I were to diagram in its most simplistic detail with tinker toys." Mickey gave him a slightly baffled look and Harry waved it off. "Knex if you will." Still not seeing any form of identification with the children's toys Harry continued. "Lincoln logs? Erector set? Legos?" At last, the proverbial light bulb went off over Mickey's head. "Figures—lot's of blocks," Harry mumbled.

"That's not all it is," Mickey shot back vehemently. Harry raised his hands to show his innocence and raised an eyebrow.

"Share with us, your clever insights," Harry offered with a tinge of sarcasm, allowing himself just the briefest of smiles while his eyes never wavered.

Rose sat quietly observing and giving no indication if she had chosen a side or was content to be a bystander waiting to see the outcome. Either way, Harry didn't doubt she would deal with whatever fallout occurred and was biding her time for now.

"For a species with a higher than average intelligence, you continue to amaze me with your stupidity," Harry taunted, pleased with the reaction as Mickey spluttered indignantly while waving an arm in Harry's direction and addressing Rose.

"Don't you see what he's doing? Everyone's blind to his scheme, I told you he's a fake. He's only been friendly because it'll get him into Torchwood. It would allow him access to advanced technology so that he can continue to build his superior system, which is really just one giant power source," Mickey explained and took a deep breath before continuing. "With that kind of a system and all the power he is harnessing, he's planning some sort of a take-over, or an invasion. And we're not talking just Earth," Mickey concluded confidently.

Harry felt rather than saw Rose's stare and brought the heels of his palms up to cover his eyes, pushing hard against his forehead in an effort to stop the pounding inside.

Then he giggled.

A short sound that quickly vanished, and in an effort to hold back the next one it ended up coming out as more of a hiccupped snort. A higher pitched chuckling ensued that rapidly erupted into gales of laughter, and turned immediately into deep belly laughs that shook his whole body. Harry was unable to remember the last time he'd had such a good laugh.

Mickey looked a bit disconcerted at this unexpected outburst and dared a sidelong glance at Rose who was trying hard to keep her own composure but losing the fight to hold back an amused grin. She turned to Mickey, his puzzled face a cross between suspicion and incredulity and she bit her bottom lip. She stood and took a tentative step towards the end of the bed.

Harry's laughter subsided a bit, his body shuddering with silent laughter. Wiping tears from his eyes with the backs of his hands he tried to focus on Rose who was now moving sideways while attempting to keep weight off of her injured ankle. Harry sobered immediately as the distance closed between her and Mickey. Panic wrenched the breath from him and his thoughts focused sharply. She was siding with the Idiot?

In a blur of movement that startled both Rose and Mickey, Mickey found himself standing directly in the path of a brewing storm as Harry faced him, eyes dark with menace and face set in stony determination, the laughter gone. In a low voice Harry snarled. "You're an id-i-ot." Mickey flinched at the ferocity and back-pedalled deliberately as Harry advanced on him, the wall abruptly halting a further retreat.

Confident he had the arrogantly presumptuous youth's attention, Harry leaned closer, feeling his own breath rebounding off of the other's face. He could smell the fear, hear the elevated heart rate pulsing quicker, feel the heat radiating from the other's body even though Mickey trembled. Relentlessly he pressed himself against the young man unwilling to concede until a breath separated them.

In a voice cold and calculating, barely above a whisper Harry spoke. "If you're going to investigate someone then concoct outrageous theories based on half-assed assumptions, be very, very," Harry let the words stretch out. "Certain you are able and willing to deal with the end results."

Neither man was willing to relent, both staring unyieldingly as if in an unseen mortal struggle. Mickey's eyes took on a glint of triumph, a slow grin beginning at the corners of his mouth. "I'm more than ready," he declared frostily. The unmistakable sound of a gun cocking, punctuated his words.

"Mickey?" Rose interjected softly, a slight tremor to her voice. Harry discerned her concern and thick disbelief at this sudden turn. Backing slowly away from Mickey, Harry conceded and with timed deliberateness raised his arms outward in surrender, not wanting to give the man a reason to pull the trigger. His eyes locked onto Mickey's as his face took on a mask of forced surrender

"Who's the idiot now?" Mickey growled, pushing away from the wall and lifted the pistol until it was pointing at the centre of Harry's chest.

"Well," Harry replied jovially taking another step back as he beamed widely at Mickey. Like a pleased child Harry laughed as he looked down at himself then back up, grinning gleefully. "I guess you've caught me with my trousers down," he exclaimed jokingly and glanced quickly over at Rose wanting her to share in the fun.

Harry's smile faded to a sullen frown as he turned back toward Mickey giving him a pained expression and shook his head sadly as if chastising a wayward child. "Will you never learn?" he asked sorrowfully, languidly uncurling his left fingers and exposing the bullets sitting in his hand. The shells began to tumble from his hand as he turned his wrist over.

He watched in pleasurable satisfaction as Mickey's eyes followed the falling brass, and listened to the muted plinks as they landed on the carpet, giving way to silence that crashed heavily between them.

Mickey's jaw and hand holding the now empty weapon dropped at the same time.

Taking advantage of the situation, Harry grasped Mickey's arm above the elbow and propelled his unresisting form towards the door. Pushing him none to gently through the opening, he offered the stunned man a little parting advice. "Next time," Harry spoke in a low tone. "I won't play fair. Now, Rose and I wish to be alone. Think what you will Mister Smith, and let your imagination run wild," he suggested brazenly, feeling Mickey tense before giving him a harder shove towards the front door. "Good day, good riddance and good-bye."

Harry slammed the door turned back towards Rose and immediately collapsed in exhaustion.

XXXXX

There was a voice.

A familiar voice calling to him and Harry struggled to answer; the darkness pulling him downward once more as the voice faded.

There it was. That same voice again, this time it sounded closer. A whisper that danced in his subconscious urging him to follow, the sound growing less muted as he concentrated and allowed himself to be pulled forward.

He could make out a name, his name.

"Harry," Rose called again her voice coaxing him gently out of the blackness as she pressed a warm damp cloth to his forehead.

He opened his eyes and squinted against the harsh brightness. A dark shadow fell over him and opening his eyes again he saw the outline of her face. She wore a worried expression with the hint of a smile and he blinked trying to focus.

"Welcome back again," she said lightly, backing away so that he could take in his surroundings. He was lying on the floor of the hotel room and the bed seemed an impossible distance away, he found he didn't care. She was here, what else could possibly matter?

There was slight pressure against his chest and he tried to raise his head then quickly thought better of the idea as an explosion of white fireworks forced him to abandon any movement. He let his head drop back aware that the floor was quite soft underneath it.

Rose's face came back into view. "Both hearts beating," she said encouragingly as the pressure lifted from his chest. He would have chuckled if he hadn't been damning his luck.

"Thanks Nurse," he managed to croak weakly. Rose disappeared and was back almost immediately, one hand cradling his head and lifting upwards as she placed the tea cup against his lips. He swallowed greedily then lay back again blinking and trying to focus his thoughts as Rose wiped the spilled tea off his chin.

"I'm not very good with Gallifreyan physiology, so I suggest you lie still for a bit." Harry wasn't about to argue already beginning to feel a tingling in his arms and legs.

"What happened—" he began and Rose cut him off with a finger to his lips.

"Shush you. No talking right now, there will be plenty of time for answers shortly." Rose disappeared from his sight again, but he could hear her moving about the room. "You've suffered a relapse. The drug that Mickey gave you wasn't completely out of your system." She stood over him looking down, the bedcovers bunched in her arms. That explained the soft floor, she'd propped his head up with a pillow.

"Sorry I'm not able to get you back into bed at the moment, so we'll do the next best thing." Harry just watched quietly, mentally assessing himself and enjoying the sound of her voice.

She hadn't left. That was a good sign. The Idiot hadn't been successful in his attempt to steal her away, Harry's breath caught as emotions crashed through him and Rose was suddenly staring into his eyes, hers filled with concern.

He tried to wave her off, but his limbs felt as if they were sunk in quicksand and ignored the message to move. Instead he forced the words out. "I'm okay."

Rose gave him another apprehensive look before continuing her task of tucking the covers around him. "I know this isn't the most comfortable, but at least I can make sure you stay warm." She stopped and eyed him speculatively. "You will tell me if you need anything?" He moved his head in a short nod stopping just before the pain magnified again and that small motion seemed to placate her.

Pulling the other pillow over to his side she lay down next to him. Harry forced his head to turn to the side ignoring the pain of the motion and watched her. Rose looked back at him steadily then reached out and ran a hand along the side of his face. "For superior beings, you can be as normal as any other bloke some of the time," she said softly. "Get some rest, and don't think you don't have a lot to answer for later," she added in a more serious tone and pulled her hand back as far as his shoulder.

Content with that small amount of touch Harry drifted back to the world of darkness that was calling.