"Mummy?"
A sliver of light appeared as Jackie's bedroom door creaked slowly open. Half-asleep, Jackie rolled over to face the door, shielding her eyes from the light that wasn't silhouetted by the tiny frame of her only daughter.
"Rose?" she murmured sleepily. "Whassamatter?"
"I had a bad dream," Rose said quietly, almost sounding ashamed. She was seven now – too old to be having bad dreams. She tugged at her nightie and sucked at her thumb nervously, edging slightly into the room. "Can I sleep in your bed tonight?"
"Course you can, sweetheart," Jackie enthused, waking up slightly. "D'you wanna tell me what the dream was?"
Nodding slightly, Rose shuffled into the room and closed the door behind her. Jackie heard Rose inch her way across the dark room before finding her way to her bed and climbing up onto it. Jackie pulled the cover back slightly and patted the bed next to her. Rose snuggled in close to her mother and pulled the duvet tightly around her.
"I had a dream about Daddy," Rose said in a small voice. "I dreamed that I was there when that car hit him." She swallowed the lump in her throat that threatened to climb up her throat ad she hugged her mother close to her. She wouldn't cry. Shouldn't cry. Mummy didn't like talking about Daddy much, she knew that. Talking about Daddy made Mummy cry, and Rose didn't want to make Mummy cry – not when she needed Mummy to keep her safe from the dream she was sure would return as soon as she closed her eyes.
Jackie sighed slightly. She had been expecting this to happen. Maybe she should have waited until Rose was a little bit older before telling her exactly how her father had died. Nevertheless, it was her duty as a mother to make Rose feel safe. She curled her arm protectively around her young daughter and kissed the top of her head.
"It was only a dream, sweetheart," she whispered. "It wasn't real. Daddy's in heaven now, and I know he's watching you and making sure his brave girl doesn't have any more bad dreams." Rose nodded sleepily and shuffled closer to Jackie. "Are you Daddy's brave girl? Are you, sweetheart?"
"Mmhmm," Rose sighed. Jackie smiled.
"Sweet dreams, sweetheart."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Doctor?"
The Doctor looked up from his bed, where he was currently sitting and re-reading a copy of H. G. Wells' 'The Time Machine', to find Rose standing in his doorway, tousled hair and pyjamas telling him she'd clearly just woken up. She took a couple of steps into the room and the Doctor noted, with great concern, that her eyes were extremely red and puffed up. She'd been crying.
"What's wrong?" he asked, a hint of urgency in his voice. Rose took a deep, shuddering breath and sniffled a couple of times. He put his book down and crossed the room in two strides to be by her side. Rose lowered her head slightly, not wanting to appear to be weak to the Doctor.
"I had a … bad dream," she said quietly. She shook her head gently and sniffed again. Now she felt silly. "It was nothing, honest, just a dream."
"Just a dream?"
"Yeah."
"Just a bad dream?"
"Yeah."
"Rose, if it was 'just' a bad dream, you wouldn't have felt the need to wander the corridors to try and find my room. If that was 'just' a bad dream then I'm 'just' an alien."
Rose gave a weak smile and glanced at the Doctor. He simply raised his eyebrows at her in concern.
"D'you wanna tell me what the dream was?"
"Ok," Rose said, nodding slightly. The Doctor led her over to his bed, where he settled Rose down, propped up on three feather pillows and curled up under a large, snuggly duvet. He grabbed the chair next to his desk and sat astride it backwards, leaning over the back of the chair to be able to give Rose his undivided attention. Rose took a deep, steadying breath as she fidgeted around on the Doctor's bed. The bizarreness of the situation – her in the Doctor's bed – suddenly struck her, and to the Doctor's surprise and obvious chagrin she burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?" he asked indignantly.
"Didn't think I'd end up in your bed cause of a nightmare," she giggled, still sniffing slightly. Catching on, the Doctor grinned.
"Can't keep away from me, can you?" he said, winking cheekily. "Certainly not if the whole Cassandra incident is anything to go by …"
"You weren't supposed to remember that," Rose muttered quickly, blushing furiously.
"What, and you didn't remember anything?"
"Not everything. Vague notions of things, I s'pose. But not full memories."
"S'pose that's your little human mind. Not big enough for two of you."
Rose stuck her tongue out at him.
"Anyway," he continued, ignoring Rose, "it's not like you hide it. You practically throw yourself at me."
"Says the man who almost begged me to come back aboard the TARDIS," Rose sniffed.
"You're dodging the issue," the Doctor said matter-of-factly. "What was this dream of yours?"
"It … well, it's silly, really …" Rose said, not looking at the Doctor. "I dreamed … I dreamed that I – we – were back on Satellite Five when the Daleks were there. I dreamed that I couldn't get back in time to save you from the Daleks and … and you … you didn't …"
She couldn't go on. She wanted to carry on, to tell the Doctor her dream and to show him that she wasn't going to let something as trivial as a dream get her down, but the words just wouldn't come out. They stuck in her throat, and when she tried forcing them out they became sobs of absolute despair. Burying her head in the duvet, more out of shame of crying in front of the Doctor than anything else, she cried gently, hiding herself from the Doctor as best she could.
After a minute or so, she stopped just as abruptly as she'd started. She had to be imagining this. Lifting her head to look at the Doctor, she noted that he wasn't actually there any more. Turning her head slowly, she blinked in surprise as she saw the Doctor sitting on the bed next to her. Under the duvet.
"Doctor, what are you –"
"You're upset," he said simply. "And I know that when humans get upset, they like company." Rose just blinked again.
"Firstly, if you're going by what Jack has taught you, I don't need that sort of company. No offence," she added off his look. "Secondly, you didn't let me finish."
"What were you going to say?"
"What are you wearing?"
"What?" he said, looking down. Having discarded the suit and trainers, he was dressed simply in a pair of boxer shorts and a t-shirt.
"I thought you were more of a pyjama bloke," Rose teased.
"They weren't mine," he protested. "And they itched." Rose giggled as the Doctor stole one of her pillows and shoved it under his own head. Sniffing, Rose rubbed her eyes tiredly and buried herself deeper under the duvet. She sighed gently and laid her head down on the pillow, letting the tiredness wash over her. She supposed she should feel embarrassed about being in her nightie and without makeup in the Doctor's bed, but she just couldn't summon up the energy.
"You gonna be OK?" the Doctor asked gently.
"Mmhmm," Rose nodded. "Can I stay here? Your bed's comfy …"
"No problem," he said, smiling to himself. "Sleep tight."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
I can see everything.
The Doctor. Daleks. Life and death. Light and dark.
All that is.
Daleks kill. Rodrick was dead. Lynda-with-a-Y was dead. Jack was dead. The Doctor would be joining them soon.
All that was.
Rose wasn't there to save him.
All that ever could be.
The Doctor could have died…
"Rose?"
Rose mumbled fitfully in her sleep and tossed her head back and forth on the pillow. Frowing down at her, the Doctor bit his lip nervously. What would Jack do? No, scrap that. Rose would probably slap me. What would Mickey do? Slowly, tentatively, not wanting to wake her, he gently snaked his arm protectively around her waist. He moved closer to her and tightened his grip on her, trying to let her know without words that she was safe.
Gradually, Rose relaxed. Gently moving a piece of hair off her face, the Doctor placed a chaste kiss on the top of her head and settled himself back down, clutching her tightly against him.
"Just a dream," he whispered into her ear. "You're safe here. I won't let anything hurt you."
Keep her safe. Look after her. I can do that. It's just a dream.
I think you need a Doctor.
Just a dream.