Chapter Five-
"Shuttles five and six now docking." An Automated voice announced cutting into their comfortable silence and startling Rose. The Doctor sighed before taking her hand and leading her out of the room to meet the other guests. "Guests are reminded that Platform One forbids the use of weapons, teleportation and religion. Earth-death is scheduled for 15:39, followed by drinks in the Manchester Suite."
"When it says 'guest', does it mean people or aliens?" Rose asked wrapping her free arm around his smiling up at him.
"Depends on what you mean by people." The Doctor laughed, squeezing her hand slightly.
"Well, are they earthlings or from further out." Rose clarified before a thought hit her. "Or would I be the alien since I'm from 21st century Earth?" The Doctor laughed at that as he pulled them to a stop and pulled her into a hug, resting his forehead on hers with a soft hum.
"They will be aliens to you." He told her softly as she began to sway them, loving the feeling of his arms around her. He was so much more open with her this time around, touching her more and telling her more. Rose smiled lovingly at him, she liked this side of her Doctor. "You will look like a human to them. Don't worry so much."
"So what are we doing here? This isn't a spaceship. It looks to me more like an observation desk. So what's this all for?" Rose asked.
"You and your questions." The Doctor teased her before placing a soft kiss on her lips. "The great and good are gathering to watch the planet burn." He told her as he continued to lead her down the corridor.
"What for? Fun?" Rose asked.
"Exactly. Let's go meet the other guests." The Doctor said reluctantly pulling his arm from her to use his screwdriver to open the doors to the observation room.
"When you say 'great and good' you really mean the rich, don't you?" Rose asked as they entered the massive observation room. It was just as beautiful as Rose remembered it, all marble and arches.
"That's right." The Doctor said, beaming down at her, she answered him with her own smile.
"You know." Rose said as they came to a stop at the far end of the room, looking out over the Earth. "I read once about this very thing. They said that the time it would take the sun to expand to this level would take thousands, if not millions of years to accomplish."
"That's true." He said before pointing towards the satellites orbiting the Earth. "You see those little things out there? Gravity satellites holding the sun back. The planet has been property of the National Trust for many years."
"So if they're letting this happen, does that mean that the money has run out?" Rose asked leaning her head against his shoulder. "How long's the Earth got?" Rose asked as the Doctor looked at his watch.
"About half an hour. Then the planet gets roasted." The Doctor informed her.
"I thought that the continents moved. So why does it look like that? Did the Trust move them back?"
"That's a classic Earth, right there." The Doctor told her excitedly.
"What happened to the people?" She asked hoping that the answer would still be the same.
"All gone." He smiled at her reassuringly. "No one's left. You lot have already left to the far reaches of space."
"Who the hell are you?" The steward asked coming into the room causing both of them to spin on the balls of their feet and look at the blue alien dressed in a dull gold suit and cap.
"Oh, that's nice. Thanks." The Doctor said sarcastically.
"But how did you get in?" The steward asked. "This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guest have disembarked! They're on their way any second..." The Doctor quickly pulled out his psychic-paper.
"No! That's me. I'm a guest. Look, I've got an invitation." The Doctor said showing the steward the psychic-paper. "Look, there you see? It's fine. You see? 'The Doctor, plus one.' I'm the Doctor, this is Rose Tyler, she's my 'plus one'." The Doctor told the steward proudly. "Is that all right?"
"Well, obviously." The steward said awkwardly. "Apologies, et cetera. If you're on board, we'd better start. Enjoy." He added stiffly before walking away.
"The paper's slightly psychic. It shows them whatever I want them to see. Saves a lot of time." The Doctor said handing Rose the paper. Rose stared at the blank paper in shock, the last time the Doctor had handed her the paper, it had looked like an invitation.
"But it's blank." Rose told him shocking him. The Doctor carefully took the paper back from her before holding it up to her.
"Are you telling me you can't see anything on this paper?" The Doctor asked and Rose shook her head.
"It's blank." Rose informed him.
"Rose Tyler, you are either really clever, psychic, or not human." The Doctor told her.
"Let's go with psychic." Rose joked causing the Doctor to chuckle.
"I was leaning more towards clever. If you were psychic, I would feel you up here." The Doctor said tapping his head with a smirk and Rose playfully stuck her tongue at him.
"What species?" Rose asked nodding her head toward the steward as he began to make announcements at his podium.
"Crespallion." The Doctor informed her.
"We have in attendance, the Doctor and Rose Tyler!" The steward announced and they waved at him. "Thank you. All staff to their positions." He said clapping before child sized blue aliens began to enter and leave the room. "Hurry now! Thank you! Quick as we can, come along, come along!" Once everyone was where they needed to be the steward continued.
"And now, might I introduce the next honored guest representing the Forest of Cheem, we have trees. Namely Jabe, Lute and Coffa." The main doors to the observation room opened and three human trees walked in. And now that Rose wasn't confused and slightly scared while trying to act as if she wasn't, she could easily see that Jabe was gorgeous.
Do not let her get his breath, My Wolf. It will save her from a painful death. The TARDIS sung to her.
"There will be an exchange of gifts, representing peace." The Steward announced and Rose quickly dug through her bag. She smiled happily when she found the small sowing kit in there and pulled out the scissors.
"What are you doing?" The Doctor asked in confusion.
"Getting ready to exchange gifts." Rose informed him with a smile.
"Next, from the solicitors Jolco and Jolco, we have the Moxx of Balhoon." The Steward announced as a small, chubby light blue alien rode into the room. The Doctor and Rose nodded to him. "And next, from Financial Family Seven, we have the Adherents of the Repeated Meme." A group of tall robots covered in black, head to toe robes walked in as one. Rose felt the Doctor look at her and looked over at him with a smile.
"The inventors of the hyposlip travel systems, the brothers Hop Pyleen! Thank you." The room quickly began to fill up with all the other guests. And even though she had already lived through this once, it still amazed her and slightly overwhelmed her.
"The gift of peace. I bring you a cutting of my grandfather." Jabe said holding out a small sapling. The Doctor took it with a small bow.
"Thank you. And we give you a cutting of myself." Rose said quickly snipping off a small piece of her hair and placing it in Jabe's open hand with a smile. Jabe gave her a smile, but Rose could see she was disappointed.
"You didn't have to give her your hair, I could have figured out something to give her." The Doctor told her grabbing the cut piece of hair that stood out from the longer pieces around it.
"What, like the air from your lungs?" Rose teased nudging him playfully while taking the sapling from him. "No, I'm sorry, that's too intimate for someone you just met."
"And what, a piece of your hair isn't?" The Doctor asked with slightly narrowed eyes.
"Nope. The air from your lungs is much more intimate. Especially for trees." Rose told him.
"The sponsor from the main event, please welcome The Face of Boe." Rose and the Doctor looked away from each other to watch The Face of Boe be wheeled in. Rose blinked, she could have sworn she just saw him wink at her.
"The Moxx of Balhoon." The Doctor greeted as the Moxx rode up to them.
"My felicitations up this historical happenstance. I bring you the gift of bodily salivas." He said before spitting at her, Rose quickly held up her hand and let the spit hit it before it could land on her face like last time.
"Thank you. And I bring you the gift of a High-five." Rose said handing the Doctor the sapling again before using her now empty, spit-free hand to lightly slap the Moxx on the arm. She kept her smile on her face until he rode away and wiped the spit of on the Doctor's maroon shirt. "What it's not like we don't still have his gift." Rose said when the Doctor gave her a look.
"Why my shirt?" The Doctor asked.
"Cause I didn't want it on mine." Rose said giving him the smile just for him.
"Ah! The adherents of the Repeated Meme!" The Doctor greeted when the group of robots got to them. "I bring you air from my lungs." The Doctor said before Rose could stop him and he breathed on them. They said nothing, only holding out the metal ball that Rose knew held the robot spiders that would wreck havoc to the station. Rose took the ball and watched them glide away as her mind raced to figure out how to save as many people as she could. She knew she wouldn't be able to save all of them, but one or two more alive at the end wouldn't been too bad.
"Representing the Torchwood Repository of Blaidd Drwg." The steward said catching both Rose and the Doctor's attention. Rose stared at him in confusion, this person hadn't been here the last time. "The Curator, Matt Smith. The Torchwood Repository was kind enough to donate the artifacts and artwork displayed in today's historic event." The doors opened to show a young man with dark brown hair swept neatly to the side wearing a light brown tweed jacket and a TARDIS blue bow tie. He smiled at the room excitedly as he bounded into the room like an excited puppy. Something about him drew her in, something familiar and safe.
Rose's attention was ripped away from the strangely familiar young man when the Doctor growled dark and low while releasing her hand only to wrap his arm around her and pull her flush against his side. Rose looked at him in concern and found him glaring at the Curator who seemed to be having a nice little chat with the Face of Boe. As if feeling them, the Curator turned his head to look at them, well at her. Something flashed through his eyes as the Doctor's arm around her tightened almost possessively. The Curator smirked before turning his attention back to the Face of Boe.
Rose and the Doctor continued to accept gifts from the brothers Hop Plyeen, Cal Spark Plug, Mr. and Mrs. Pakoo and the Ambassadors from the City of Binding Light. Rose relaxed against the Doctor as the guest circled, but his possessive arm around her never left. Rose greeted them with a smile, like an old pro who belonged in the circles of the great and rich. All too soon, however, the Curator was before them and the Doctor was once again growling dark and low.
Before either of them could react to stop him, the Curator had reached out and gently took one of Rose's hands in both of his. His wide, friendly smile turned loving as he lifted her small hand to his lips, placing a kiss on her knuckles. The Doctor growled and snatched Rose's hand from the Curator's while glaring at him. Rose knew that the Doctor was staking his claim over her and couldn't stop the smile forming on her lips. The Curator just smirked at the Doctor before turning his attention back to her.
"My Lady Tyler," The Curator beamed, "Always a pleasure to see you. You look absolutely radiant, but than, you've always looked radiant to me." Rose tried not to show her confusion at his statement as she tried to recall her memories of her first trip with the Doctor. Had they met this man at one point? He seemed to know her quite well.
"And you as well, my good sir." Rose told him politely, trying not to give away that she had no idea who his was. The Curator gave her a secret smile, his eyes dancing with laughter as if they had just shared an inside joke.
"Why thank you, Lady Tyler, it is always so good to hear you praise my look. Though I admit, I did dress up a little. I got a new bow tie and everything." The Curator told her proudly.
"It's lovely. The perfect shade of blue and everything." Rose told him and he preened.
"Your gift, sir?" The Doctor growled out darkly.
"Of course, my gift is the gift of a kiss." The Curator said and Rose's eyes widened in shock. This man was going to kiss her!? The Curator reached out and, shockingly to both her and the Doctor, took hold of the Doctor's face before pulling him down into a chase kiss. And then he left without a return gift. Rose and the Doctor stared after him in absolute shock. What. Just. Happened? The Doctor and Rose looked at each other. And Rose couldn't help it, really she couldn't. She laughed.
"And last but not least, our very special guest. Ladies and gentlemen and trees and multiforms, consider the Earth, below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth the last human." The Steward announced and Rose had to stop herself from tensing up. "The Lady Casandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen."
"Oh, now don't stare! I know, I know. It's shocking, isn't it?" Casandra said as she was rolled in and Rose felt and heard Bad Wolf growling in the back of her mind as memories of everything that Casandra put not only her but the Doctor through flew threw her mind. Rose glared at the piece of skin that was hung on a rack, and Rose nearly gasp when she felt something that wasn't the TARDIS brush up against her mind in a calming manner.
"I've had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference! Look how thin I am. Thin and dainty!" Casandra continued. "I don't look a day over 2,000. Moisturize me, moisturize me!" The two surgeon looking men with Casandra moved to spray the talking trampoline with water as she smiled coyly at the room. Rose wanted to walk over to her and slap her, but right now she had no reason to actually hate the woman, she had yet to actually do anything.
"Truly, I am the last human." Casandra lamented causing Rose to roll her eyes. "My father was a Texan, my mother was from the Arctic desert. They were born on the Earth and they were the last to be buried in its soil. I have come to honor them and say good bye." Casandra's voice broke a little. Rose honestly tried to fight the snort that flew out of her mouth, but she couldn't. And she hadn't been the only one, as a louder snort covered hers. She, along with everyone else, turned to look at the Curator who was now rubbing his nose.
"Sorry, tried to stop it. But you know sneezes." The Curator said with a wide smirk before throwing a wink at Rose. But Casandra carried on as if the small interruption had never happened.
"Oh, no tears. I'm sorry." She said as one of the surgeons gently dabbed her under her eyes with a cloth while the doors opened again. "I'm sorry. But behold, I bring gifts. From the Earth itself, the last remaining ostrich egg." Casandra began to tell them about how the ostrich was a fire breathing giant. Rose was able to keep in her snort this time as she leaned up and teased the curve of one of the Doctor's fine ears.
"She calls her self the last human, and yet she doesn't even know her own history? A fifty foot, fire breathing ostrich? Are we sure she's human, she looks more like what would happen if a human reproduced with a trampoline." Rose joked before snapping her head around to look at the Curator, who was across the room, when snorted once more, but this time including a spit take as well.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. Just finally understood a joke told to me a while ago." The Curator assured the other guests while patting his chest. The Face of Boe, who was next to the Curator, gave a strange sound, almost as if he was laughing. Once again, Casandra ignored him.
The Doctor glared at the Curator as Casandra spoke of her second gift. A Juke box that she called an 'iPod'. Rose, the Doctor, and the Curator giggled at that.
"Play on!" Casandra ordered and 'Tainted Love' began to play. Rose smiled up at the Doctor when he began to dance to the music.
"Refreshments will now be served." The Steward announced. "Earth-death in 30 minutes."