Gold.
Part eight: Echoes.
Jack is sitting cross-legged at the end of her bed. His hands wont stop moving, picking at the sheets or pulling at the strings of his pyjama bottoms, or running through his already messy hair.
The Doctor sits closer to her, leaning against the headboard, silent and calm in a way that frightens Jack. He's stroking Rose's hair gently and staring intensely into empty space.
She looks for all the world like she's sleeping, still and peaceful, her deep breathing the only real sound in the room. They both know she is not merely sleeping. The Doctor senses a faint gold light drifting around her, and he wonders if Jack can see it. He looks up at the younger man, seeing the dazed, fearful expression on his face. Funny how an army of Daleks fails to phase him, but a situation like this…
"Why don't you go and have a shower, get dressed. You'll feel better. I'll call you if she wakes up or… anything."
Jack nods silently, understanding what the Doctor needs, and climbs off the bed. He leans down and kisses Rose gently, chastely, and meets the Doctor's eyes with a smile before turning and leaving them alone in the darkened room.
Somehow the silence that floods into the room now is heavier than when Jack was here with them. The Doctor sighs and slides down the bed so that he's lying parallel to her, taking her hand firmly in his. He feels time is suspended in this room, drifting around aimlessly, the TARDIS' spirit covering them, protecting and hiding them. It feels like the room, the world, is spinning around faster and faster and there they lie, still in the centre of it all. He is so painfully aware of the human laying by his side and her every breath that he can't think of anything else. He closes his eyes, forcing calm through his body.
There, sure enough, is Rose. She's faint, weak in his mind; so much of her strength is being spent on whatever it is that's happening to her, but she's there all the same. He can sense her smiling reassuringly, but he knows her better than she thinks and he feels the fear that she is trying to keep from him.
Rose…Rose, leave it. Let it go and walk away and wake up. Please.
His words hang between them for a moment and then fade, and he can't be sure that she's heard him. He reaches for her, sensing chaos and fear and lights that burn far too brightly, but every time he begins to think he's close, she flickers out of sight and seems to be somewhere else entirely. Something is pushing him now; he can feel her, insistent and evasive, forcing him back.
Rose, please…Give me more time. You can't follow me here, Doctor. This is all my fault.
She echoes through his mind for a moment and then she's gone, and he's left with nothing but his own racing thoughts. He opens his eyes slowly, silently thanking the TARDIS for having further dimmed the lights in the room. Rose is still next to him in the exact same position, the only change being that a slight frown rests upon her features, and her hand is holding his tightly. He wonders how much time has passed, realises that he feels strangely disorientated.
He moves slowly as he drags himself up and then stands, pulling his hand from Rose's grip. Standing over her, he feels guilt and fear and love wash over him; he knows what she's doing, and he knows that the visions the TARDIS can show are dangerous to those who don't know how to shield, how to keep their distance. Rose could never keep her distance from anything important, and now he can hear whispers in the air, blaming him, taunting him.
When he opens the door and looks out into the corridor he sees Jack coming out of the kitchen, whose door has been placed conveniently opposite Rose's. They stare at each other for a moment and then Jack follows him back into her room, a mug of hot tea in each hand.
"Is she -"
"No change." He stands by the side of her bed, arms folded defensively, and Jack can feel the change in atmosphere despite the Doctor's words. He can see the darkness in his eyes.
He sets the tea down on Rose's bedside table, realising how out of place it now is, and watches as the Doctor runs his sonic screwdriver over her still body, setting it to monitor her and act as an alarm should there be any change. The blue light is garish and unsettling, and Jack feels a horrible and long forgotten stinging feeling in his eyes.
"What's wrong with her?" His voice comes out small and afraid, and he wraps his arms around himself pointlessly.
The Doctor sighs, rubbing his hands over his face as though in an attempt to clear his mind.
"Why does she always have to be so headstrong?" He looks at Jack, eyes piercing and troubled. "She's…" he trails off, sighing again.
"You mean this is a conscious thing?"
The Doctor nods. "Not at first, but now… she could pull herself out, leave it alone. And she won't."
"Can't you…" he waves his hand in her direction, struggling to find the right words. "Y'know, go in there and get her?"
"Tried, she pushed me out. She said something about it being her fault."
"But what?" he demands heatedly. "What's her fault?"
"I don't know!" Jack knows his anger isn't directed at him, but they descend into a tense silence that is almost unbearable. He realises that his own frustration at the situation must be nothing compared to the Doctor's.
After a while the Doctor turns abruptly and heads towards the door without a word.
"Where are you going?"
"Talk to the TARDIS," he says quietly, the strong self-control he is exercising clearly audible in the tightness of his voice.
"She can help?"
"She started this. She and Rose think they can find out what we need on their own; I'm not going to let it happen."
"Rose is…" he doesn't finish his question, but the Doctor answers anyway.
"It's too dangerous for her. And if she won't stop it, I will."
And with that, he leaves Jack alone with the dreaming Rose.
Thank you for reading.