Chapter 9 Vortex
Fall turned into a mild winter with only a dusting of snow now and again. It was enchanting to watch. Another of the small pleasures this world afforded them. He caught her watching it with such a sad look. She was missing home for the first time since they got here. He realized it was Christmas time.
"You're thinking of your mum, aren't you?" She looked at him and nodded. The tears in her eyes were bittersweet. "I wouldn't change things for all the worlds I've seen, but I miss her a lot sometimes." She smiled and wiped her tears away. "It's just that it's Christmas…" The tears threatened again. He held her close to comfort her.
He started out slowly, "Well…If you want… We could try to go back a few years and see her." She was pleased he had tried, but knew it was impossible. "We can't go back on my personal timeline. How many times have you said that?" He knew it was true, but he wanted to make her happy and was willing to try.
"I know I've said it before, but there may be a way." He thought for a moment, "All I really need is a date in history. If I get us back to that date, and we land in Siberia, we'll just pop over to England. Do you want to try? It can't be for Christmas. We were always home for Christmas and there can't be two of you. It means leaving here and maybe not getting back.
The Tardis can be fickle after sitting for so long. Even if we do make it, you can't tell her what's going to happen." Roses heart skipped a beat to think they would not be able to come back here. "No, Mum is happy where she is. This is my home now. You're the only family I need. I wouldn't lose what we have for anything." He knew she was lying, both to him, and to herself, but he didn't say anything.
"Still, we could use a little holiday spirit. How about we go get a tree?" She smiled at his attempt to cheer her up. "I'd like that." It was cloudy and cold. The wind was bitter, and a few flurries were in the air. It didn't dampen their spirits. In fact, Rose started singing carols and he knew enough to hum along.
This planet didn't have pine trees, but there was one that was similar. It had small, round, evergreen leaves and a triangle shape. They cut one about 6 feet high and carried it home. It looked great in the corner of the den next to the Tardis. Rose had rummaged around the warehouse and was surprised to find some Christmas decorations.
"Really! Is there anything you can't find in this place?" she said, pleased with herself. The box had some lights and garland and ornaments. In the bottom was a silver star that seemed to shimmer and flash in an unnatural way. Rose was almost afraid to handle it, thinking it could be radioactive or something. She handed it to him to place on top.
"It's beautiful, but why is it doing that? Is it alive?" "Oh, just a little bauble I picked up in a marketplace on Gannus Seven. It's not alive, but it reacts to life energy. The stronger the field, the brighter it gets." Rose stared at it captivated.
The whole tree was shining. They even put garland and ornaments on the top of the Tardis. Rose began to cry again. "Rose. Why are you crying?" he asked concerned.
"Nothing's wrong, I'm just happy. Don't you get it? You can be so thick sometimes. It's our first tree, in our first home, in our first year together." The tears were coming fast now. "And it's so perfect!" He smiled and shook his head. He might be able to read her mind, but he could never understand it.
He held her close and kissed her on the cheek, "Yes, it is perfect. I'm so happy Rose. I never thought I could ever be this happy. It's all because of you. This last year has been a miracle. When you're used to spanning centuries, living one day at a time, feeling every moment tick by, it's a new experience for me. To be honest I didn't know if I could do it. But now, every second with you is so very precious to me. I want to live them all."
He thought of the first time they met and grinned. In the basement of a department store, being chased by the Nestine. Living plastic mannequins. It felt like a hundred years ago but was only a little over two in her years. That Dalek they met later on knew he loved Rose, even before he knew it. When he thought it had killed her, he was consumed with guilt and grief. Though he wasn't sure why. Then, that night on the Tardis. The first time he told her he loved her. His life really started on that day. He left it all behind, and gladly too.
"Hey, you're squeezing too hard!" he heard her complain. His thoughts returned to the den. "Sorry love" He let her go. "Just caught up in the moment. Well the tree is trimmed, the snow is falling. How about some music? Tardis my dear," He went over and knocked on the door. "Will you play some Christmas music for us?" Music began to pour out of the Tardis.
He went to Rose and offered her his hand. "Wife, will you dance with me? You know I love to dance." She smiled up at him. "I'd be happy to Husband." They danced the evening away and finally ended up on the couch with hot chocolate and a bowl of popcorn. The music still playing, but softer. He looked over at her face. It was late and she was dozing off. Her golden hair shining in the firelight. She looked like an angel.
He got up to cover her with a blanket, but she awoke. Their eyes locked and he bent down to kiss her. She met him halfway. A sweet gentle kiss that said so much to them both. He picked her up and carried her upstairs. Her arms wrapped around his neck, nibbling his earlobe. Whispering words of things to come.
When winter turned to spring, it was as if their faith in life had been renewed. Rose was always worried he would get bored and want to leave, but he never said so. He knew Rose was happy here, and he wanted nothing more in the universe than to make her happy.
The spring rains were upon them, and everything in their world was turning green and beautiful again. Rose was in the yard planning that garden when she heard the distant rumble of thunder. It didn't register as disturbing at first, but it was steadily growing louder as the wind picked up. She decided it was time to go in and let it go past.
When lightning struck very near and made the walls rattle, she yelped out of surprise. He came running down the stairs from his office to be sure she was safe. "Rose where are you!" She smiled at his over protectiveness, "Over here." she called from the fireplace. He rounded the corner and gave her a hug. "It's nothing" she said. "I was just startled." It happened again and she jumped in his arms. He became concerned, he didn't realize this planet had such violent storms.
Then he heard something that made his blood run cold. The Tardis cloister bell. He knew it meant only one thing, mortal danger. "Rose," he shouted, "Into the Tardis, NOW!" The Time Lord pulled her behind him to the Tardis doors. He pushed her inside and then jumped himself, just in time.
They rode out the storm on the floor. Looking up, they saw the bright flashes of light through the Tardis windows and the loud crash of thunder that followed. The wind and driving rain were howling, and the Tardis doors clattered with it. It sounded like a train going through their home. There was the sound of trees snapping and breaking glass. Rose was afraid, though she knew they were safe in the Tardis. It seemed to last an eternity but was only a few minutes.
When the storm seemed to pass he opened the door to look outside. Rose was imagining the worst. It had sounded like the house would be in ruins and she was already heartbroken. When they stepped outside she was relieved to see the house was still there. There was some minor damage. The front door had come open, and a large window was broken. The rain had come in. The floor was strewn with shards of glass, water and debris.
There was devastation outside. The larger trees in front and back had either limbs broken or were over on their side. The solar panels were damaged, and they were without power. That also meant the water filtration system from the river was down.
Neither of them had ever experienced a tornado before. It had come close but spared them. Leaving a clear path of destruction through the woods. As if some enormous animal had come through and left claw marks. It was beyond belief that they had been spared.
The river behind the house came from a high cliffside that had acted like a buffer, pushing the worst of the winds away from the house. The home repairs would take a few days but were relatively simple. The beautiful stained glass window could be replaced from one of the buildings in the village. The rest were electrical parts that could easily be found in the Tardis storage. They both breathed a sigh of relief when inspecting the glass dome in the living room. It had a protective shell on the outside, except the clear center, but there was no damage.
Rose went to the back door and stood silent. She had been making plans for a garden with a swing only thirty minutes before. Now the yard was completely ravaged, and the tree she had hoped to put the swing on, was on its side.
He came up behind her to view the devastation. He tried to make her feel better. "It could have been so much worse" He said. "Yes, I know. What if we had been asleep in bed? What if it hadn't missed us?" Feeling the slightest bit of fear, he pulled her close protectively. Not having an answer for her, or himself. All he could do was be grateful they were spared, and try to come up with a warning system of some kind.
"I don't think it happens often." He said confidently. "If they did we would have seen evidence of it before now. These trees have been here for decades. And I don't remember seeing a lot of old fallen trees in the woods." Rose was forlorn. "It's so sad to see it this way when everything was so perfect before" He tried to cheer her. "The forest will repair itself. Old things fall so new things can grow in their place." He wanted to take her mind off her sorrow. "Come on, let's get started. There's a lot to do."
Rose nodded her head and got a mop and broom from the closet. "I'll get the broken glass, you try to get the power back on." "Right." He said, "Shouldn't take a tick. Please be careful with all that glass." He kissed her quick and then pushed the brush away that had piled up at the back door and managed to pick his way through the debris to the power station.
He reached into his pocket out of habit for his sonic screwdriver to test the electrical connections. It wasn't there. He laughed remembering it was upstairs in his office, he didn't really carry it very much anymore. "I guess I'll have to do this the old fashioned way."
One of the solar panels was completely crushed and the others tossed about. After collecting them he determined they were still mostly functional and managed to restore some power. Enough to restart the water filtration and give some power to the house. It was a temporary fix, but enough for now.
When he got back, Rose was just giving the floor a second go over for the smaller pieces of glass, and had lit the fireplace to try to dry things out. She looked up when he came in. "We'll need to cover that window frame or it's going to get very cold tonight. I don't suppose you have any plywood in the Tardis?" "As it happens I have something that might work." He said cheerfully.
He gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Be right back." He came back with a piece of thick white board and nailed it into place. "There, Good enough for now." He came and sat next to her on the couch. She had a candle lit just in case his repairs didn't hold.
"Too late to go to the village today. Tomorrow will have to do." He grinned at her while switching off the lamp, "Sooooo, What can we do by candlelight all evening?" His eyes became very intense. Pausing only a second, he was on her. Pushing her back into the cushions. Crushing his lips to hers faster than she could see. She responded by giggling, unbuttoning his shirt and pulling out the tails from his pants. "Oh, I don't know." Rose said between hushed breaths as he traveled down her jaw line to her neck. "What did you have in mind?" With one hand down her slacks trying to get them past her hips, and the other unclasping her bra, he answered in her ear.
"I was thinking of taking up knitting." Rose laughed imagining him with a ball of yarn and a puzzled look, while she struggled to unzip his fly. It finally released and she pulled them down. He kicked all the loose clothing onto the floor without missing a beat. "Sounds like fun," she panted. She began doing wonderful, unspeakable, things to him, and he lost patience with the buttons on her silk blouse. He grabbed the seam in back, tore the garment in two and threw it away, exposing her body to his gaze.
Entranced as always, he lay between her thighs in full body contact at last, kissing her sweetly. "Unless you think rug making would be more my style." Rose pulled on his hips as he thrust forward into her, "Yes!" she screamed.
There wasn't a lot of room on the couch, but they managed the rest. When it was over, he held her close as their breathing slowed. The Time Lord looked at her sweet satisfied face and said smugly,
"Then we're agreed….rug making it is."
