Chapter Fifty Two
After taking a short walk to calm Rose's nerves, Alan finally got her to tell him about the dream. What he heard sickened him. He had hoped that Rose had finally stopped dreaming about the Valeyard. Knowing that she hadn't and that once again her peace had been disturbed angered him and for the thousandth time, he kicked himself for ever uttering his name to her.
"What are we going to do?" Rose asked.
"We're going to go back inside the room and lay back down. Awinita doesn't need to know about these dreams," he said firmly.
"No, I mean, what are we going to do about the Doctor?"
Alan frowned.
"What do you mean, Rose?"
"We have to save him somehow."
"Rose, we can't."
"What if this is another vision of the future? We can't let him hurt millions."
"And how do we get back there to stop him? We have no TARDIS, no void crosser, the dimension cannon won't work now that the universes are back to normal. Starlight, we're stuck here. Unless the Doctor figures out a way to get back here, there's no way we can reach him."
He put a hand on her cheek.
"Rose, I know you want to help him avoid becoming the Valeyard. It kills me that I told you all this and now you feel like it's your duty to rescue him. But what if this was just a dream this time? What if your fears about him becoming the Valeyard caused you to see this whole nightmare scenario and the Doctor was your own mind telling you to let go of all the worry and be happy now? I told you, all of this isn't a sure thing. It may never happen."
"But, what if it does?"
He sighed.
"Then there's really not much we can do about it. We're trapped on this side of reality and for the moment he's stuck over there. Unless you can find a way to communicate with him, there's no help you can give him. I'm so sorry I did this to you, Rose. I put unfounded fears into your mind and I wish I could take back what I said. Just please, please stop worrying. The Doctor is aware of the Valeyard and he knows what'll happen if he gives in to the darkness. That's the last thing he wants, so I'm sure he'll continue to fight even when there are days he feels like giving up. In the meantime, all we can do is continue to live our lives and hope for the best, which means I want you to stop worrying about the Valeyard. If he does become him and comes over here, then we can worry but right now, you and me and Awinita are having fun and that's what we should be focusing on. Not to mention your arm and back and my ankle need to be healed up. So…will you stop worrying and enjoy life for me?"
Rose nodded and Alan held her close.
"I know him, Amo'tiri and I know that despite all I said, there is an inner strength that allows him to push past the trauma and keep going. It would be a mockery of everything you and him did and a slap in the face to you if he became the Valeyard and he would never do you that disservice. He loves you too much to let that happen, alright?"
"Yes."
"Okay, so how about since we're out here, I treat you to breakfast. Would that make you feel better?"
"You don't have to do that."
"I want to. It's time I paid for something for you and I'm hungry besides. We can go over to the McDonalds and get a couple of cups of coffee and an Egg McMuffin or something and wake up properly before heading back to the room. Sound good?"
She smiled and nodded. Alan gave her a hug and a kiss.
"Don't worry anymore, Rose. The Doctor's a big boy, he can handle himself, trust me. He won't do anything that'll jeopardize the universe, okay?"
"Yes."
"Okay, well, now that's settled, I believe there are some breakfast sandwiches with our names on them."
Rose nodded and took his hand. Alan smiled at her hoping that he was able to put her fears to rest.
I just hope to God the Doctor doesn't prove me wrong, he thought as they headed towards McDonalds.
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Awinita looked over when the door opened and Alan and Rose stepped inside their room.
"There you are. I wondered where you guys went," she said.
"Um…Rose and I just went for a short walk and had breakfast together," he said, closing the door. "We brought you a couple of Egg McMuffins and a Coke."
"Thanks," she said, taking the bag and cup from Rose. "When I woke up and saw you were missing, I figured you might have stepped out for some alone time."
Alan glanced at Rose.
"Yeah, we needed to have a private chat," he said. "Plus, I was hungry."
"As usual," Rose said.
He grinned and gave her butt a playful swat.
"So, we about ready to hit the open road?" he asked.
"I'm ready when you guys are," Awinita said. "Who's driving though?"
"I will," Rose said before Alan could open his mouth.
"What? You still don't believe that I can drive?"
"I want to get us out onto the motorway and then after awhile I'll let you behind the wheel, alright? The car's in my name and I want to make sure we have a safe start."
She held up her hand when Alan started to protest.
"I'm not saying you can't drive it, I just want to be the first since it's my responsibility, alright?"
Alan shrugged.
"Suits me fine. I can rest in the meantime," he said.
"Well, I also wanted to stop at Wal-Mart and pick up a few more supplies and see if they have cheap DVDs. If I can find some, then you'll get to sit there and watch them while I'm driving, how does that sound?"
"Sounds great."
"That's what I thought. Now just relax for a bit while I take a shower and then you can have your shower and after that we can leave."
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After everyone had a shower, they loaded up the minivan and checked out. Rose headed towards the Wal-Mart and after finding a parking space, all of them headed inside. Rose grabbed a shopping trolley and began by picking out snacks and bottles of soda.
"It's a good job you guys thought of this," she said. "It'll be nice to have an extra supply of food for awhile. Now you guys go and pick out some cheap DVDs and I'll join you in a minute."
"Sure thing. Come on, Awinita," Alan said.
They walked away from her. When they were out of earshot, Alan leaned over to her.
"Pssst," he said.
"Yeah?"
He looked around.
"How much are engagement rings?"
"Um, depends on what you get."
"What do they usually cost?"
"Um, if I had to guess, I'd say at least two or three hundred."
Alan's eyes boggled.
"Two or three hundred?"
"Yeah, I mean, if you're getting the very cheapest ones with the cubic zirconia. If you want an actual diamond, they probably cost more than that."
"Oh, great."
"Alan, Rose would be happy if you proposed without a ring, it's you she wants."
"Yeah, but it's a human tradition and I wouldn't feel right doing it without some sort of ring to give her."
"Then get a cheap plastic ring from a vending machine. She'd be just as happy with that as she would with a diamond. Trust me, Alan, I haven't known Rose for very long but I know she wouldn't care if she got a ring just as long as she had you."
"Yeah, but still, I wanna offer her something. But, unless I find a way to come up with two or three hundred dollars on my own that's not gonna happen."
"You could always ask her for the money," Awinita teased.
Alan rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, that'll go over well. Rose, honey, could I borrow three hundred dollars so I can buy you a ring? Yup, that's really romantic," he said as she giggled.
They went into the electronics section and found the DVD aisle. Both of them scanned the selections.
"What do you like to watch?" Awinita asked.
"Oh, just about anything," he said. "Except horror movies. I can't stand that trash, it's disgusting."
Awinita nodded.
"I like some of the older horror movies, but not the new stuff like 'Saw' and 'Hostel.' Those are too gory for me."
"I think all of it is gory. It's depraved and mindless and sick. I've seen enough horror through the Doctor to last eternity. I don't need artificial scares."
She nodded.
"Do you like comedy?"
"Very much so."
She grinned.
"Do you like alien movies?"
"If they're done correctly."
"How'd ya mean?"
"If they have an actual plot and not just an alien running around killing everyone at random."
"How about 50's sci-fi movies?"
Alan looked over when Awinita walked up to him. In her hands was a box set. She held it out to him. Alan took it and studied it.
"Sci-fi and Horror Classics," he muttered. "Hmmm…fifteen movies for five dollars, that's not bad."
"Yeah, but they're all old B movies from the 50's, that's why I was asking."
"Yeah, but some of those movies are actually hilarious. At least to me."
He grinned.
"We oughta get this just for a laugh," he said. "I haven't seen any of the ones listed and fifteen movies for five dollars is a good deal."
"I agree," she said, taking the box from him.
They kept on looking. Awinita was studying some cartoon box sets when she suddenly heard Alan giggling. She looked over and smiled as he walked up to her.
"Oh no, what did you find?" she asked.
He turned the DVD case around and grinned. Awinita raised her eyebrow.
"Alien Autopsy?" she said.
"Yeah, narrated by Leonard Nemoy," Alan said, "and it's only two dollars."
She giggled.
"Get it, I dare ya," she said.
"Never let it be said I didn't walk away from a dare."
Awinita shook her head.
"Rose is gonna kill us."
"Why? She said get whatever we want as long as they're cheap. I want to see an alien autopsy. If she doesn't want to see it, she can drive while we watch. Besides, there's a ton of other two dollar DVDs over here in this bargain rack. We can get her Dog Grooming For Beginners or Learn To Make Cabinets if she doesn't want to see this."
"Yeah, I'm sure she'll be thrilled to see those."
He chuckled.
"So, have you found anything else?"
"Nothing that doesn't cost less than twenty dollars. Unless Rose wants something."
"Well, if she does, she can come back here and get it. I'm happy with these two things. This oughta keep us laughing for awhile. So, if you're ready, let's go and find her again."
"You first."
He started to walk out of the aisle and then turned to Awinita with a mischievous grin on his face.
"Is there a jewelry department so I can nick a ring and hide it in the DVD cases?"
"Um…I'm not sure, but I would really advise against it. Rose might not appreciate having to bail you out of jail."
"Just a thought."
She giggled and followed him out of the electronics department.
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"Sci-Fi and Horror Classics and Alien Autopsy?" Rose said. "This is what you picked out?"
"Well, yeah, you said cheap DVDs and these could be hilarious. Nothing like riding in a people carrier watching an alien's guts get ripped apart."
"Yeah, well, you can watch that while I'm driving. I'm not interested in Alien bleedin' Autopsy."
"We kinda figured that."
"Okay, I was ready to go but now I want to get a movie I will actually want to watch so wait a tic and I'll be right back."
Alan leaned on the trolley and watched as Rose sprinted back to the DVD aisle. She returned a few minutes later and put a DVD in the cart. Alan grabbed it and made a face.
"Beaches?" he said.
"Yes, I like that movie."
Awinita laughed when Alan stuck his tongue out.
"Oh God, I'm driving during this one!" he said.
Rose shrugged.
"Suit yourself. I didn't get it for you."
"Horray for small mercies."
He snickered when Rose grabbed the DVD and put it back in the cart.
"Let's get going, shall we?" she said.
"Lead the way," Alan said.
They followed her while she went to the check-out line with the least amount of people in it. As they stood in line, Rose felt Alan nudge her in the back.
"Yes, dear?" she said.
"Rose, did you ever know that you're my hero?" he said as Awinita giggled.
Rose rolled her eyes.
"You're everything I would like to be as well," he added.
"Let me guess, you can fly higher than an eagle because I'm the wind beneath your wings."
Alan feigned shock.
"How'd you guess what I was going to say? Rose, sometimes your ESP abilities amaze me!"
Rose blushed when her friends bent over laughing.
"I don't know you two," she muttered as she started to put the items on the conveyer belt.
