He laid her on the grating of the Tardis control room and set course…for anywhere really. The time rotor rose and fell as he looked deeply into the green/blue glow. He had so much rushing through his head. what she had done for him, what would she think? He would change soon and she wouldn't know him, he could already feel his cells dying. He turned to see her starting to wake up, she looked confused, her hand going to her face and rubbing her temples. She looked to him, brown eyes asking for him to fill in the gaps and such happiness that he was alive before her.
"….What's happened?" she asked, hand propping her up as she looked to him. She had forgotten. So he didn't need to worry about the kiss, he felt relief but also sadness.
"Don't you remember-?"
"It's like….there was this singing.
"That's right, I sang a song and the Dalek's ran away!" his manic grin shadowed by sadness and even fear. Rose gave him a strange look.
"….I was at home…..No, I was in the TARDIS, then there was this light, and…..I can't remember anything else" the doctor listened but was not looking at her, for he had seen a flash of gold over his hand. It was starting. He winced flexing his hand, then smiled turning to her.
"Rose Tyler. I was gonna take you to so many places. Barcelona! Not the city Barcelona, the planet Barcelona, you'd love it. Fantastic place, they've got dogs with no noses, imagine how many times a day you end up saying that joke. And it's still funny!"
"Then….why can't we go there?"
"Maybe you will. And maybe I will. But not like this" Rose looked at him and got up with a little jump, her finger pointing in mock sternness as she smiled at him.
"You're not making any sense."
"I might never make sense again. I might have two heads. Or no head. Imagine me, with no head! And don't say that's an improvement. But it's a bit dodgy, this process, you never know what your gonna get-aah" He convulsed in pain as the gold light rippled across his skin, it was there in a moment then gone. He stepped back from the console holding his hand to his stomach in pain. As if the pain emanated from his hand. Rose tried to rush towards him, fear and concern flowing from her.
"Doctor!"
"Stay away!" he looked deep into her eyes, he didn't want to do this to her. But he had no choice so he would make it as easy on her as possible. He looked to her scared face as she held onto to one of the rusty coral struts.
"Doctor. Tell me what's going on"
"I absorbed all the energy of the Time Vortex. And no ones meant to do that." His voice dripping with sarcasm laced with pain, then his face became serious. "Every cell in my body is dying."
"But …..can't you do something?"
"Yeah I'm doing it now" he grimaced in pain again then continued. "Time Lords have got this trick. Sort of a way of cheating death. Except…." The pain flowing through his body no longer mattered, all in this moment that mattered was her.
"It means I'm gonna change. And I won't see you again. Not like this. Not with this daft old face" he pointed to his face, sad smile on his face. "And before I go….."
"Don't say that." Rose interrupted, her voice laced with fear. And he realized again that he didn't want to leave her. He looked at her, eyes intense with the love he felt for her. Trying to let her see what he could never say.
"Rose, before I go, I just want to tell you. You were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And you know what?" he gave her his huge smile as she shook her head. "So was I" and her smile lit his heart, but her tears crushed them. He couldn't leave her, he loved her. Oh by Rassilon he loved her. The pain grew worse blocking out conscious thought. But his mind called out to a part that had been locked off, now opened by the brief touch of the Time Vortex. His mind screamed for help. And he was answered.
Rose looked on as the gold light, like what she had seen in the TARDIS when Margaret the Slitheen had been there. She was so scared, what was happening? Then through the wall burst a golden form, it looked like a dragon that was made with glowing gold dust. It moved quickly over to the Doctor, and then rising on its hind legs wrapped its wings around him. The Dust glowed to blinding intensity. Then there was silence. She looked up to see her Doctor lying on the floor. A memory surfaced, tinged with pain and sadness, but hope also. The dragon was looking at the Doctor. His eyes were open but he looked exhausted. She heard him say one word before he passed out.
"You!"
She slowly walked forward, her shoed feet making a dull clanging sound on the TARDIS grills. The creature seemed sad as it looked at the Doctor. Then his red eyes met with hers.
"I know you….you saved me didn't you? When I fell from that cliff" the creature nodded, it watched her as she knelt beside the Doctor. She softly touched his face. She looked back to those sad red eyes. "Will he be ok?" again the creature slowly nodded then indicated to the clock built into the TARDIS console. It took her a moment to realize. "In time right?" once more it nodded. "Oh I need to get him to bed, but how am I going to do that?" she said with a sigh, scratching the back of her head. She looked at the creature as it became a dust cloud and flowed under the grill under the Doctor. Then it coalesced back into its form, the Doctor now lying on it's back. It started to pad towards the TARDIS corridors then turned back to Rose. She followed then took the lead showing him to the Doctors room.
The room was made of dark blues, the four-poster bed being adorned with blue drapes, the covers matching. Here and there were various bits of metal and brick-a-brack. There were some power cells for the sonic screwdriver. The musical thing from Van Statton's office. She smiled, when had he grabbed that? She watched as the dragon walked through the bed as if it was a ghost and laid down disappearing from view. But that left the Doctor safely on the bed. The Gold dust streamed out from under the bed then became whole again. It sat on it's hunches as Rose sat by the Doctor, taking his slack hand in hers. The creature seemed to sigh then got up as if to leave.
"Wait, can't you stay?" the creature shook his head sadly. "Why?"
The creature looked back as some of itself moved and became a chain, and then it looked back at Rose.
"Your bound?" it nodded "The we can help you!" it shook it's head fiercely as if it didn't want to be help. But it's eyes showed it longed for freedom but seemed to be afraid what the cost would be. "Will we see you again" the look he gave her relayed the message of "who knows" but seemed to relay that he hoped not. Not because he didn't want to, but would be better if they didn't. It bowed to Rose then opened its great wings and jumped through the wall. She looked back down to the Doctors face and stroked it softly. Why had he seemed shocked and disgusted when he saw the dust dragon? That simple "You!" had been filled with so much shock and even loathing, as if he hated it more than he did a Dalek. From what she had seen of it, it was kind. It had saved her life before and now seemed to have saved the Doctors. It was then that she thought of Jack. What had happened? She wished she could see him.
She whipped round at the flash of gold. And there, as the gold dust once more left was Jack, he looked shocked but whole. She looked up at the ceiling and whispered "Thank you".
Jack had watched the TARDIS disappear, leaving him behind. He felt crushed as the blue box disappeared. He found himself wandering the hallways, he would not cry, nope not him. No sir-ree. He looked out one of the surviving windows to see a gold dragon come shooting out what looked like the Time Vortex, the tunnels through which all time travelers passed. No one to date had mapped its entirety…well all except the Time Lords. This dragon that did not seem solid beat its wings as if it was in air. It sped towards him, he stepped back thinking it was going to impact into the glass, it was huge like the size of an elephant. The size you would expect a dragon from the tales of Arthur would be. He stood against the wall as it came through the glass like a ghost. It became a cloud of gold dust without shape as it did so, and then reformed to the dragon but smaller. Now it was the size of a horse. It walked to wards him, bowed, and then leapt up grabbing him in its claws. He cried out as it shot for the glass, he expected an impact. Instead it felt like he had been transmatted. He opened his eyes to see he was flying in space…but he could breath. He looked ahead to she a rip open showing the Time Vortex to which they entered. He kept looking forward, all the time wondering what the hell was going on. He gave a cry of joy when he saw the TARDIS spinning through the Vortex. He felt fear a moment. Would the TARDIS let this creature pass thorough? But he dismissed it, for it must have been the Doctor who sent this dust Dragon. He looked on as they approached at great speed, at the last instant the wings closed around him. He got the feeling of being trasmatted again, and then he was blinking his eyes to see Rose before him. The dragon was gone; all that was left was swirling gold dust the dissipated like smoke. He looked to Rose seeing her looking to the ceiling, saying thank you. Then she ran to him, launching into his embrace nearly knocking him to the ground.
"Jack! I am so glad to see you!"
"Me too Rosie, thought you and the Doc had left me. Speaking of which what's up with him?" he followed Rose as she sat back down beside the Doctor, taking back his hand. Jack checked him over quickly with military precision.
"I don't know Jack, he said he was going to die, but that he would still be here."
"Sounds like a regeneration"
"A what?"
"A regeneration, Legend has it that Time Lords to escape death replaced every cell in their body. Their appearance would change, as would their personality somewhat. But he would remember who he was."
"Git, he should have told me about this sooner" she looked at the Doctor's lax face as she said this quietly but with no less meaning.
"So what happened Rosie?" Jack sat on the other side of the Doctor.
"I'm not sure Jack. I can't really remember. The stupid git sent me away. Must have got back somehow. I just remember waking up here and the Doctor going on about leaving. Then the dragon came through the TARDIS and there was a flash. The Doctor was on the floor and the dragon standing beside him. I knew it Jack, it saved me before. The Doctor was awake for a moment. He knew it, and didn't seem that happy to see it"
"A Guardian" Jack whispered in revered silence.
"Huh?"
"It's only a tale Rose," he said trying to dismiss it.
"But Jack, you thought the Time Lords were just a myth remember?" Jack smiled.
"True. It was like a ghost story really. The Guardian of the Time lords would come and get you if you weren't careful. Don't mess too much with time. But they disappeared around the same time as the Dalek's"
"Do you think that was one?" Rose asked, and then yawned.
"Don't think so. They were solid and never heard of any doing that. So no" Jack got up to walk to his room, he was knackered. "I'm off to get some sleep, think you should as well. You look terrible Rosie"
"Oh thanks. No I'm going to stay here." She looked at his face again.
"Don't worry he'll be fine" Jack went over and kissed her on the cheek then left her alone with the Doctor.
"I know he will." She said quietly as she curled up at the end of the bed near the backboard. The bed was very large so she had room to move without worry of being kicked by the Doctor. She looked at his resting form trying to figure out if that was a guardian or not.
She let sleep claim her as dreams surfaced full of gold light and alien song. Shadowed by a wolf.
KITG: so…..what you think so far? As you might have guessed this is for all those out there who didn't want Chris to leave. But don't get me wrong, I like David already. But this has been Tardis-butting me for a while. (Tardis butting Tardis head-butting you till you pay attention.)