The Doctor leaned back against the console, lost in thought. Rose was in bed, sleeping. Had been for a couple hours. He hadn't scanned her with his sonic like he intended. She'd still been a bit upset when he left and he decided to let her get some sleep, but now he was regretting waiting to run another scan.
He could've been trying to figure out how to stop her from changing while she slept, but he was resigned to looking over the first scan. Without having anything to compare it to he was stuck. A loud popping noise and a flash of light drew his attention. River appeared to his left standing near the console.
"What?" he exclaimed, turning to her.
"Hello, sweetie," she said.
"How the hell did you get into my TARDIS?" he demanded.
She merely smiled and lifted her wrist to show him the device.
"Vortex Manipulator," she replied, offhandedly.
What? He glanced at the device. He knew what they were, but using one to get into his TARDIS…that wasn't possible.
"You can't get into my TARDIS with a Vortex Manipulator," he insisted.
"Obviously I can because here I am," she said with a shrug.
"No, no. It's not possible. There are shields and systems and other things to keep that from happening. Not to mention the fact that she's floating in the Time Vortex."
River laughed.
"I'd say you're wrong about that."
He closed the distance between them. How the hell had she done that? She shouldn't be able to do that. He could get in and out of his TARDIS that way, but no one else should be able to. It didn't make any sense. He eyed her.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
"Spoilers," she said, giving him a smile that he absolutely loathed.
He stared her down for a moment, but she wasn't going to answer him. He stepped back and leaned against the console folding his arms.
"What do you want?" he snapped.
"You're in a mood," she replied, crossing over to the console.
He turned, watching her, not at all liking that she was anywhere near his console. Every time she showed up she complicated things. At least Rose was in bed so she couldn't do anymore of that getting inside Rose's head and giving her ideas thing River liked to do.
"I thought you said we wouldn't see you until the Pandorica opens," he said.
"No, I said I wouldn't see Rose until then," River replied, glancing at him. "You on the other hand could do with my help."
"Help?" he scoffed.
River's help was the last thing he wanted.
"At least, that's what my friend said," she replied.
Wait. What? Someone sent her there? Who would do that?
"Friend? What friend?" he inquired.
She smiled.
"Spoilers. Is this one of the scans you ran on Rose?" she asked, stepping over to the monitor.
"Yes, of course-" He stopped and eyed the woman.
River. She would know what was going on. She was their future. Rose's future. He almost forgot because he'd been wrapped up in thinking about how much he disliked her.
"Must be a very early scan," she replied.
Very early. He glanced at the scan. What did she…wait. So he was right. Rose was changing and she'd continue to change. There had to be a way to keep it from happening.
"How do I stop it?" he asked.
River glanced at him, raising her brow.
"Stop it? Stop what?" she inquired, as if she had no idea what he was talking about. She was obviously being evasive. Maybe she didn't want him to stop it, but he really didn't care what she wanted.
"Stop her from changing," he replied.
She laughed and then paused, eyeing him.
"You're serious," she said.
"Of course I'm serious. She's changing. She's doing things she shouldn't be able to do. It's not right."
Rose was human. At least, she was supposed to be human. He had to find a way to change her back. To stop her from becoming…whatever she was turning into.
"Why?" River asked.
"Why what?" he inquired, not sure if she was asking why Rose was changing or why he wanted to stop it.
"Why isn't it right?"
Wasn't that obvious? She wasn't supposed to change.
"Because she's…she's Rose. She's human," he said.
River laughed.
"She hasn't been human since she looked into the heart of the TARDIS to save you," she explained.
How did she know about that? Then he remembered. River was best friends with future Rose. She must have been told. That reinforced his theory of when it happened.
"But there has to be a way to stop it," he insisted.
"Why would you want to stop it?" she asked.
He already explained that. At least, he thought he did.
"Because she's Rose."
"And?"
"And she's changing." River laughed. He eyed her, growing angry in his impatience. Why wouldn't she just tell him. If she knew what Rose was becoming then she ought to know why he wanted to stop it. "This isn't a joke, River. This is serious. She's changing and she's going to keep changing."
"You idiot," she replied, shaking her head.
"Sorry?" he snapped, anger winning out.
Not only was she refusing to help, she called him an idiot. Who the hell did she think she was?
"You think she's going to change. Become someone else."
"Yes. Exactly, but I'm going to stop it before that happens."
"You can't stop it."
Fear gripped his hearts. Couldn't stop it? He had to stop it. Hang on. Was she saying that because she didn't want him to stop it?
"What?" he asked.
"It's part of who she is now. You can't change that and I wouldn't want you to. You can't take that away from her or from you."
Wait. Him? Why would he be taking something away from himself by stopping Rose from changing? That…that didn't make any sense.
"Me?" he asked.
"Spoilers," she replied, giving him a smile and now, now anger completely won out.
He closed the distance between them, glaring daggers into her eyes.
"River!" he growled. "You can't do that! You have to tell me!" She eyed him defiantly and after a few moments he realized she wasn't going to be forced into revealing more. He sighed, rubbing his forehead and then looked at her. "Just…just tell me what's going to happen to her. What she's going to become."
"She's going to become who she is," River replied.
What was that? Some kind of riddle? He hated riddles. He growled in frustration, slamming his fist into the console, but she didn't back off, didn't even seemed bothered by the display.
"River!" he yelled.
"Doctor," she replied.
Oh, how he loathed her. She knew. He could tell that she did, but she wouldn't tell him what he wanted to know. He eyed her.
"What's she like, in the future?" he asked. "Can you at least tell me that?"
"Rose is Rose. Same as she's always been."
"What the hell does that mean?" he snapped.
"It means, Doctor, she's still the same as she's always been. This…" she gestured at the monitor. "Is you."
Him? What the hell did she mean by that.
"Sorry?" he asked.
"This is all you. Yes, Rose is going to change, is changing now. She's coming into who she is, not what she is, who she is because she's different, not entirely human, but she's still human, still the woman you love, but this fear you have." She glanced from the monitor to him. "This need to keep her the same. That's all you." Need to keep her the same? What the hell was River talking about? "You're trying to find a reason to keep distance between you two, a reason to keep her just out of reach." No, he wasn't…was he? "First it was because she was human, then you thought she was going to die, then you were afraid and there was the meta-crisis, your perfect exit plan, but now you have her back, but you still can't let yourself cross that line. So, here's your reasoning." She pointed at the monitor. "She's changing, but Doctor that's what we do, what we all do, even you, we change. Rose is changing, but she's not becoming something else." Was he trying to keep Rose from changing? Well, he was, but was if for the same reasons River spoke of? "What she needs right now is your help, your support, not your fear. If you're so afraid of losing her that you won't allow yourself to be with her while she's here then, Doctor, you've already lost her."
Before he could question her further she used her Vortex Manipulator and in the next moment she was gone. He glanced at the scan mulling over River's words. He'd gotten his answer. Rose was changing, but in the end she'd still be Rose, only different. He reached up and turned off the monitor. River was right. Rose needed him, not his fear, not his worry, but him. Her new abilities were similar to his. He could help her, had to help her because without someone to guide her, she would change, would become someone else.
Standard Disclaimer.
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