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The Scene of the Crime

Rose hated being here, even now when the house appeared to be in the middle of being sold. It certainly looked less ominous, but considering what had happened here before she knew it made sense. The Doctor didn't seem to be bothered, talking animatedly with the cabbie as he paid him. When the Doctor finally sent the car away, she avoided his gaze as they ambled towards the old house.

"What if they just send us further back?" Rose whispered her fears aloud, standing still a few feet in front of the gate. "What if the TARDIS comes back here in January, but we aren't here anymore?" she asked, letting her insecurities out. Perhaps she should have told him before they were here, but she didn't want him to go without her. She couldn't bear being separated from him again. Even though things were tense between them right now, it didn't mean she wanted to be parted from him.

"Rose," the Doctor began, turning around and placing his hands on her shoulders. She could tell from his expression that he had also had the same worries. "I won't let that happen," he promised her, pressing a kiss to her hairline. She tried not to stiffen at his show of affection, but was sure she was unsuccessful as the Doctor's smile tightened in response. "But we have to do this if we have any hope of getting the TARDIS back. Sally saw the message on the wall we wrote for her."

"I know," Rose breathed out, knowing that the Doctor was right. She normally was proud of how brave she was, but something about the Weeping Angels just terrified her to the core. The power they had over the Doctor just proved how much harm the monsters could do. "I just…"

"Hey," the Doctor murmured, pulling her into his arms for a hug that she certainly needed right now. It bothered her, she felt like the Doctor was indebted to her enough, being stuck in 1969 with her. And now she was acting like a baby, needing comfort that he was hesitant to give. "I swear if the angel touches you again I'll be there right after you, okay?'

Rose sniffed, knowing that she should tell him not to. She should tell him not to promise her that, but instead to do all in his power to still be in 1969 when the TARDIS arrived. But she was selfish and right now she needed the Doctor. So instead she buried herself against him for all too short of time and stayed silent.

When the Doctor finally took a step away from her she gladly took his offered hand, thankful for this small comfort. It almost felt like old times again.

Once in the old house, Rose felt a bit better. The house certainly didn't feel as ominous since it wasn't abandoned and was well taken care of. There wasn't a multitude of cobwebs and fraying carpets to trip on. Instead it was a nice, big house that didn't feel haunted by stone angels. The furniture looked comfortable and she couldn't imagine a statue making its way down the hallway. Plus, the Doctor was rambling on the whole time, filling the silence with his familiar voice.

"Rose, I'm going to get to work on writing the message right now," the Doctor explained as they entered the room they had encountered the angels in the future. "You'll have to check to make sure it is exactly the same as the picture," he finished, passing her the creased photograph as he sat the can of paint on the floor.

Rose nodded in response, rubbing her arms to combat the chill in the room. She spun around in a circle, not finding anything out of the ordinary. Glancing at the Doctor, she saw him focused on the task of measuring the wall space. She watched him for a moment, feeling a bit useless. She knew he would be done before she knew it, that hopefully she would never have to be in this house again. Unable to get rid of the nagging curiosity, she slowly made her way into the hallway to check on the other rooms. Maybe she should be more careful in checking that her pathways were clear of statues, but she felt safe here with the Doctor's presence in the other room.

She entered an empty bedroom, imagining what would happen many years in the future with Sally Sparrow. And, she supposed, she and the Doctor's abduction as well. It was crazy, to be traveling in time in such a narrow window that this house would still exist. Often with the TARDIS they jumped millions of years or galaxies.

Rose felt movement behind her, a soft smile filling her face at the Doctor coming to look for her. "Have you finished already?" Rose called out, spinning around expecting to see the Time Lord.

However, her heart stopped when she saw what was actually behind her. She was too scared to make a noise, too scared to even blink. Only a foot away stood a stone statue, no longer weeping. Instead, its arms were outstretched towards her and its eyes, its terrible empty eyes, were trained on her.

Thankfully, she remembered the Doctor's words of wisdom: don't blink. With her eyes wide open, Rose took a step backwards, hating the fact that her back was against the wall and there was nowhere for her to run. She was nervous that if she called out for the Doctor she would either accidently blink or alert the other angels of her location.

Just as Rose's eyes were beginning to water, she noticed movement behind the Weeping Angel. Before she could even glance sideways away from the angel to see what it was, she was pulled back by a familiar Time Lord.

"Keep your eyes on it," the Doctor hissed in her ear, pulling her tighter against his chest as he inched sideways. She could feel his hearts beating against her back, so stayed focused on that as she locked eyes with the statue.

Rose wasn't even sure she was breathing as the Doctor slowly led her out of the room, not moving more than an inch a step, to the relative safety of the hallway. He slammed the door shut, his eyes roving down the hallways to check for statues. He didn't say anything to her, just met her wide eyes with his own for a split moment. When they both heard a scuffling noise echo through the house down the hallway, he grabbed her hand, pulling her behind him as he bolted through the house.

As they ran, Rose took his advice and looked around, insuring that no angels were pursuing them. In only a few minutes that felt like hours, they finally reached the gates of the house. Breathing heavily, Rose watched as the Doctor shut the gate behind them, a curse word leaving his lips as he kicked the gate in frustration when it didn't lock.

That done, the Doctor spun around and pulled her in for a tight hug. "Don't," the Doctor murmured against her hair, his arms tightening even further. "Don't do that again," he finished, holding her tightly against him. "What do I always tell you about wandering off?"

"I thought we were clear," Rose whispered into his chest, waiting for her heart to slow down. Though, now that she knew an angel was out there, every second she was here raised her blood pressure. She wanted to be as far away from this godforsaken house as possible. The house that had taken the Doctor away from her.

Without any preamble, the Doctor leaned down and captured her lips with his, the movements frantic as his hands tangled in her hair. It took Rose several moments to respond, so surprised as she was. The Doctor had acted as though he would never touch her in that way again, but now here he was kissing her. But she wasn't about to let this moment go to waste, so she eagerly returned the kiss, teeth clashing with adrenaline. All too short of time later she broke the kiss when she needed to catch her breath, resting her forehead against his.

"Say you're sorry," the Doctor murmured, his hands gripping tightly to her waist. He was slightly out of breath too, his eyes probing hers. He leaned forwards and lightly kissed her lips again, waiting for her to answer.

"I'm sorry," she whispered between kisses, surprised by the Doctor's display of emotions. She knew the Doctor cared about her, even if he wouldn't say it out loud, but rarely did he share his fear with her. "I didn't think they'd be there," she added, inwardly cursing herself for almost making a mistake that would separate her from the Doctor once more.

"We won't be coming back here again," the Doctor said with finality, answering her unspoken question of whether he had finished painting the message on the wall. He loosened his grip on her, moving backwards a bit so they were no longer plastered together.

Rose still hated being by the house, even with the gate firmly shut and being in the Doctor's arms. "Can we leave?" she asked finally, relaxing slightly when the Doctor pressed a light kiss to her forehead in response.

"Of course," the Doctor said as he released her, still keeping their hands firmly clasped together.

Well that was fun, right?

Gabrielle