Chapter 10: Concequences

Rose woke to a burning pain in her abdomen. She looked down, and saw a white bandage covering half of it. The lamp…

She turned her head, and found the Doctor asleep in a chair next to her bedside, snoring loudly. A small trickle of drool seeped out of the corner of his mouth. Rose smiled. He looked positively adorable.

"He held your hand all night."

Rose turned and found Jack in the doorway. "Hi, Jack."

"How're you feeling?" He asked.

"It's gone." She said with a grin.

It was then that the Doctor stirred. He lifted his head up and seeing that Rose was awake, leapt to his feet and put a hand to her wrist to check her pulse. She had to stop from laughing; his shock of hair looked like a Mohawk. "It's gone." She repeated.

He turned to her. "What?"

"It's gone, Doctor!" And she grinned from ear to ear.

The Doctor whooped for joy, and danced around the room to the amusement of the other two.

"You're serious?" The Doctor asked, and Rose nodded.

Jack bent down and gave Rose a hug while the Doctor celebrated. "I'm so happy you're better." He nodded to the Doctor, "As happy as he is, but he's a much better dancer."

Rose giggled.

(Jack leaves)

"How can I prevent this from happening again, Doctor?" Rose asked.

The Doctor was silent. "I wish I had an answer for you, Rose. The Limidiens live in that place between heaven and hell. It's not like you can avoid it, but since you conquered them once, they'll think twice about trying you again. Not many beat them, Rose. Actually, no one does."

"It was him," Rose explained, "The Doctor before you. He reached into me, and pulled this creature out… like an outline."

The Doctor let out a low whistle. "Wow, he must have really loved you."

Rose smiled at him. "I gave him a dandelion chain, he said it helped him find me."

"You gave him an imprint, oh, this is brilliant!" He grinned again as she stared at him. "An imprint is when we give something to someone in a dream. It's sort of a pathway back to that person."

The Doctor cupped Rose's face. The two stared at each other for a long moment. In the end, it was the Doctor that kissed Rose. No Cassandra controlling them, no dire emergency that needed their attention; this was an act of pure love. And it continued for several very happy minutes until the Doctor pulled away from her. "Rose…"

But she kissed him again.

"Rose." He put a finger to her lips.

She looked at him, bewildered.

"We can't." He said.

"Why?" She asked incrediously.

He turned away from her.

"Why can't you be the one that's happy for once? Aren't you happy with me?"

"More than you know." He said softly.

"Then let me be with you!" She shouted, and tears welled in her eyes.

The Doctor was silent, and avoided her eyes.

"I'm not Sarah Jane!"

The Doctor looked at her again. He saw the pain he was causing her, the tears in her eyes. "I know you're not, Rose."

"You still love her, don't you?" Rose whispered.

"No." The Doctor said with a shake of his head.

"That's it, isn't it?"

"What Sarah Jane and I had is in the past, Rose."

"Forget it," She said, her voice breaking. "Good night, Doctor." She gingerly got into her bed, and turned away from him.

The Doctor watched her for a few moments, and then walked out the door, quietly shutting it behind him. Oh, Rose… it wasn't that he didn't love her; it was complicated. If his enemies found about their relationship, it'd be very dangerous… even more dangerous than it was now. It'd put her in more danger, and he'd never risk that, not once.