Elliot closes his eyes and waits for the slit of the knife across his throat.
It does not come.
Something clatters on the stone floor in front of his feet, and Elliot starts, opens his eyes, blinks.
The soldier has dropped the knife, has sank to the floor and is sitting with his knees drawn up, face blank, eyes vacant.
Elliot waves his hand in the man's face. He does not blink.
All across the cavern, men are staring absently. Some have fallen down, some wander aimlessly, some clutch their heads, but they are all distant, all empty, all silent.
Elliot shudders and crosses the room, eager to leave the center of the sea of men.
The Doctor wheels around sharply and stares at her, still gripping Dex's hand. He blinks and pales, eyes widening. They stare at each other for a moment, not moving. Rose feels as if the air is thick, charged with the anticipation of the moment, though she cannot think why. She smiles at him, and his expression instantly hardens, gaze dark and thunderous, face etched with disbelief and horror and regret. Something sharp and detached and clinical pokes firmly at her mind, and she withdraws instinctively, solidly slapping her shields into place.
He blinks, strides toward her purposefully, does not return her tentative smile.
Her breath catches as she notices the TARDIS for the first time, notices she can feel a slight hum in the back of her mind, just a hint of his presence, and she realizes, abruptly, that this is the Time Lord.
She shrinks back, thinks that he is not at all happy to see her. His expression is one of barely contained fury. She wonders absently why he is wearing the blue suit that she'd come to associate with the human Doctor.
He reaches her, stops and gazes at her darkly, and it startles her, the rage behind his glare. She is face to face with the Oncoming Storm. There is a moment where she thinks his breath catches, when the anger burns away and all she can see is a deep sadness in his eyes. It passes between them, the awareness, and his face shutters instantly, is so blank and detached that Rose wonders whether she'd really seen any emotion in his eyes at all.
He circles her, and she hears the whirring buzz of the sonic screwdriver as he whips it out and waves it around her. The realization crashes over her suddenly, and her hearts sink in her chest. He doesn't think I'm me.
"Doctor-" she starts softly, but he cuts her off, gripping her wrist painfully. He leans close and she flinches back instinctively, has never been afraid of him, but finds that she is, now.
"Not in front of my son," he hisses, voice low and gaze deadly.
She closes her eyes and nods, knows that right now is not the time to argue with him. She can feel the warmth of his skin and the hot puffs of his breaths, catches a whiff of chai and time and something wilder, more alien. His eyes are impossibly dark and deadly, but Rose can see the shadows beneath them, the age-old weariness and regret. She wonders how long it's been since he's slept. His hair is disheveled, standing ridiculously on end, as if he'd been running his hands through it, and his freckles stand out deliciously on his pale skin. She catches herself before she reaches to run her fingers across his cheek. She shivers, struck by just how different he is from the human, different but the same, struck by the intensity of her need for them both. He pulls back, releases her hand as if burned, and she feels bereft at the loss of contact.
Dex watches the carefully, sighs when he sees his father pull out the sonic and circle Mum slowly, face hard and cautious. He leans against the TARDIS, feels her pulse of concern in his mind.
"It's alright, girl," he says, lovingly running his hand over her rough wooden door. He glances back to his parents. "He'll figure it out, eventually."
Dex had hoped that the Doctor, having 900 years of experience on him, would have known immediately that Mum was Mum. Dex rolls his eyes. Sometimes, Dad really is thick.
He decides he can't be too judgmental. He hasn't thought Mum could be real, be from his timeline, either. He'd seen her die, after all.
He realizes abruptly that he has no idea how she survived, how she got here, but now is not a good time to ask. Dad is stalking to the TARDIS, eyes dark and expression unreadable, and Mum follows meekly behind him. Dex gives her a reassuring smile, and Mum meets his gaze, widening her eyes and looking pointedly at the Doctor's back, as if to say, 'yeah, tell me about it.'
Dex stifles a giggle and reaches for her, but Dad notices. He swoops down, snatches Dex's hand before it can clasp around Mum's. He bends and looks at Dex, eyes full of contrived enthusiasm. "Dex, there's someone I want you to meet," he says in his fake, distract-the-child voice that Dex has learned to dread. He unlocks the TARDIS, swings the door open with a flourish. Dex looks questioningly at Mum, wants to know that she's alright. She is watching attentively, eyes dancing with amusement, but Dex can see the sadness, the hesitation and the fear hovering below the surface. He sighs, supposes that he cannot expect better.
The Doctor pulls Dex up the grating with him. "Nathan!" he calls cheerfully, and Nathan pokes his head from around the console, nearly tripping as he hops out of the jump seat.
"Nathan, this is Dex." The Doctor pauses, gently lays a hand on Dex's shoulder. "My son," he says happily, beaming, eyes sparkling with pride.
Dex looks at Nathan curiously. He is older than Dex, a teenager, small, with sandy brown hair. Dex is immediately drawn to his deep, startlingly blue eyes. "Your Torren's brother!" he gasps, wide-eyed.
Nathan blinks. "Yeah," he says absently. H smiles slowly, and his voice is louder now, more confident. "Yeah, I am."
Dex's face lights up. "Fantastic!" he breathes, looking at his father appreciatively.
Dad squeezes his shoulder gently, and there is a moment of awkward silence. Nathan is looking curiously at Dex, and Dad is glaring icily at Mum, who is casually running her hand up a coral strut. Dex gazes between his parents, wondering briefly if he should speak, realizing instantly that it would be unwise. They need time alone, he decides firmly.
Dex moves toward Nathan, pulls his hand and whispers, "Come on." Nathan follows him obediently and they slink down the grating. The Doctor's eyes fleet briefly to Dex as he lays his hand on the door, but instantly dart back to Mum. Mum is watching Dex now, face questioning. "Where are you going?" she asks, amused.
Daleks, thinks Dex, cringing. He'd been hoping to get away unnoticed. "Well," he drawls, thinking of just how to phrase it. Rose's fade splits into a warm grin at the sight of her son, leaning casually on the door of the TARDIS, body tensed and positioned to slip outside on a moment's notice.
"We were just going to go find Torren," he says innocently, scratching his neck with his free hand. " I'm sure she'll be happy to see Nathan."
"No," his parents say in unison. Mum is still grinning, but her eyes are cautious, and Dex knows that she is wondering just what else might be waiting in the dark tunnels.
Dad, on the other hand, is staring at Dex intently, eyes wide and dark with fear, and Dex can see that he ins near the end of his emotional rope. Dex sighs, feels his heart break a little for his father, knows instinctively that it will be long time before he willingly allows Dex out of his sight.
"Right," he says meekly, stepping away from the door.
The Doctor sighs tiredly and rubs his hands into his cheeks. All he's wanted, from the very beginning, is to get his son off this planet, and now this. He is tired, so tired.
"I'll take you," he says, turning to the console stoically, lacking his usual enthusiasm as he programs the flight.
The TARDIS lands with her usual thunk, and he adjusts the view screen, sees people milling about outside.
Dex is watching over his shoulder. He turns to his son, sees the compassion in his bright green eyes, sinks down and pulls him into a fierce hug.
Dex instantly feels the tension that has settled deeply into the Doctor's body. He sighs, smiles sadly into his father's shoulder. "It's gonna be alright, Dad," he says seriously, and the Doctor feels his hearts break, feels the burn of tears building behind his eyes. Dex had called him Dad.
He smiles as best he can at his son. He does not answer, lays a hand on his shoulder instead. "Take Nathan. I'll be out in just a minute," he says lightly.
Dex nods solemnly, reaches for the Doctor's hand and squeezes it reassuringly. He walks down the grating, pausing to glance questioningly at Mum as he passes her. She smiles at him, a small real smile, and Dex nods, follows Nathan outside and shuts the door behind him.
He can feel the TARDIS's exasperation in his mind. He turns, smiles at her. "Ten quid says its longer than a minute," he tells her seriously, and he can feel her waves of amusement pulsing through him.
He turns to Nathan, who is staring at him wide-eyed. Dex just beams at him, knows that Dad will - eventually - work it out, knows that everything is going to be fantastic. "Come on," he says cheerfully to Nathan. "Lets find your sister."