Unto the Universe
Chapter Forty-One: Seekers of Truth: Great Truths
By Lumendea
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any spinoff material, and I gain no income from this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.
AN: Really long chapter this week. They just kept talking!
….
An odd tension filled the corridor. Rose smiled as her leather-clad Doctor kept looking her way with wide and soft eyes. She wasn't sure what had passed between the two Doctors, but she had some suspicions. Her future self and the future Doctor both kept glancing their way and smiling as if they were a pair of cute puppies. Maybe to them, they were.
"Oi," the blond Doctor huffed. "I know she's beautiful, and you're twitterpated, but pay attention."
"I am not-"
The controls sparked making both Roses jump. There was a small cracking sound. A loud groan escaped the blond Doctor. She pulled something out of the open panel and spun on her heel.
"Okay, a bit of good news and a bit of bad news," the blonde Doctor said, wrinkling her nose.
The older Rose barely reacted, a slight smile tugging at her lips and a sense of resignation around her. "What's the bad news?"
"We activated some sort of defense system," the Doctor said, his blue eyes looking around uneasily. "The telepathic field is getting stronger and well…" he gestured at the grinding walls. "It's moving again."
"The good news is that we also found a map to the main computer system," the blonde Doctor added. She grinned and pointed down the stone hallway that was quickly shrinking. "This way, come on!"
The blonde Doctor grabbed her wife's hand, and they started to run. Rose grinned as her Doctor took her hand, and they rushed after them. Despite being shorter than her previous self and not having as long legs, the blonde Doctor ran faster than them. All around them, the pyramid shifted, and the sound of stone scraping against stone sent shivers down Rose's spine. The floor began to slope downwards, making it difficult to keep her footing.
"Faster!" the future Doctor yelled.
But they couldn't move faster. There was a hum of a sonic; Rose wasn't sure which one as she was fighting to keep her footing and looking around for any handhold. Smooth walls met her frantic grasping, and she slid with the others further below the pyramid. The Doctor pulled her against him, and Rose dug her fingers into the leather of his coat before they hit the ground.
"Alright," the blond Doctor called. "Don't panic."
It was pitch black here. Then a torch was turned on, illuminating a decent-sized stone room. Words were written across the walls, and Rose scanned the phrases as she climbed to her feet. They were all a variation of accusations of lying and statements that liars must be punished.
"I don't like this," her older self murmured. She was the one with the torch and slowly moved it around the room. "Oh, read this one, love. 'Tainted tongues speak only death into existence.' Lovely."
"We should be right next to the main control room," the blue-eyed Doctor said. He was looking at the walls. "But this looks more like a holding cell. Or an execution chamber. There are no air vents, so we don't have much time." He glared at his future self. "This was your best plan?"
"Hey, things happen," the future Doctor replied. "We'll sort it out. Now, if this is a holding cell, then it was probably for the worst troublemakers."
"Sounds like us then," Rose laughed. She shivered. It was cold down here in sharp contrast to the tropical surface. And the pressure was worse than ever. "We do excel at finding trouble."
Before they could explore further, the walls began to move. Rose braced herself for the floor to shift again, but instead, the rolls moved inwards towards them, immediately making the room smaller. Rose gasped, jumping away from the walls only to gasp as the pressure battered at her shields. The others all looked at her, and her older self grimaced in sympathy.
"Rose?" her Doctor stepped closer to her, studying her with worried eyes. "Are you alright?"
"Not really," Rose answered before she could stop herself. "I'm nervous about what will make me forget this and still in a daze about this whole Guardian thing. I understand why I was the candidate intellectually, but emotionally; I'm still thinking it's just a huge joke cause how could a girl from the Powell Estates become the Gold Guardian?"
Her Doctor stopped the ramble of words with a soft kiss to her lips. Rose sighed and focused on the feel of his lips and the smell of his leather coat. She was grateful for the interruption. There were truths that she didn't see a need to speak. When the Doctor eased back from her, Rose leaned against him and tried not to think too hard about what she'd said. The words of her older self from earlier promising that it would be okay rang in her head.
"Don't worry," Rose said. "I won't ask you any questions."
"Thank you," her Doctor replied, relief clear in his voice. "The truth field is stronger in this room." His chest rumbled against Rose's cheek, making her smile. "The question is, how do we get into the control room. This may have been intended as a final test, and there is a time limit."
He was right; the walls were getting closer and closer. They were moving slow, but they had only a few minutes at best. Rose almost started laughing. This pyramid was too much like a pulp adventure film for her tastes. Suffocation in the pyramid on Earth would have been preferable to being crushed to death here.
"Right," the future Doctor said. She lunged forward and took her wife's hands. "While we're in a truth zone, I'd like to say something."
"Doctor-" the future Rose started.
"Please, Darling. Love of my lives. My hearts," the future Doctor said, her accent thickening with emotion. "I love you. I've said that to you so much that those words have become easy. Bit funny that when I was him, they were so hard at first. But they are so true. I thought I loved you back when I was him, but wow, Rose, all of that was nothing to how I feel now." The walls didn't shift, and the future Doctor smiled. "And I'm scared about leaving you. I know you are scheming something, and I'm probably silly thinking that death can get me out of this relationship, but just in case things go pear-shaped, know that I love you. Know that I'm insanely grateful for the years we've had and the life we've made." She adjusted their hands, curling their fingers tightly around each other. "I'm so glad I met you."
"Me too," the future Rose whispered. There were tears in her eyes. "And yeah, death isn't going to get you out of this relationship if I can manage it. Better with two."
"Better with two," the blond Doctor agreed with a blinding smile. "I look forward to finding out what you're scheming when you're ready."
"Still in the early planning phases," Rose laughed. "So please do try to be careful for me."
"I'll do my best," the Doctor answered softly. "I don't want to leave you."
The shifting stopped. Everyone stopped and looked around. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the walls began to shift back into place, ending the threat of being crushed. Rose exhaled in relief and smiled when the Doctor's death grip on her eased. Their older counterparts both grinned in response.
"Ha," the future Doctor cheered. "Look at that, greatest truth in the universe! The Doctor loves Rose Tyler."
The future Rose still had tears in her eyes and smiled. "Sure, we can go with that."
Around them, the pyramid hummed, and a terrible grinding sound filled the space. The right side of the room shifted, the stones turning to form a staircase up while another stone slid up to create a doorway. The blonde Doctor cheered triumphantly. Then she glanced back at Rose and smiled gently at her. Rose couldn't help but smile back.
"Ready?" Rose's Doctor asked.
"Ready," she answered. She drew back and took his hand with a grin and no small amount of relief.
They climbed the stairs quickly and found themselves in a room that was very similar to the one in the pyramid of Earth, only scaled up. A large humming machine filled the central space, supported by thick buttresses along the interior of the pyramid's slanting structure. Rose lifted her eyes to the top, but it was too far for her to see. On Earth, it had opened when they'd told the truth, so they didn't suffocate. Another staircase led up out of the room, and there was a soft breeze flowing down through it. At least there was a way out. Rose had been getting a little concerned. Both Doctors immediately went to the engine, looks of concentration on their faces. The blond Doctor grinned as she again used the regular screwdriver to pry up a panel.
"Let's see," she cooed. "Oh, this is lovely. Doesn't answer any of my questions about what happened here, but very nice workmanship."
The leather-clad Doctor rolled his eyes. "We don't have to answer all of the questions," he pointed out.
"Oi, you're just saying that because you won't remember anyway!" The blonde Doctor pouted only to grin a moment later. "But mysteries are fun too. Maybe we'll find one of these pyramids again."
"Or maybe you and I can jump back in time a few thousand years," the older Rose teased.
"That would work too."
"We need to shut down the telepathic field," Rose's Doctor said seriously. "At the very least weaken it."
"Or… we could trigger the self-destruct," the blonde Doctor countered. She beamed as she pointed to a series of small levers. "Make sure that none of the locals ever activate anything in the future."
"There's a self-destruct system?" Rose asked, raising an eyebrow. "That makes no sense."
"It does if this had religious significance," the blue-eyed Doctor said. "If this temple of truth was considered holy. Then it might make sense for them to have a way to destroy it rather than let it fall into the hands of other people."
"Also explains why they didn't just raze the place when the problems started," the blonde Doctor added eagerly. "If they originally knew that, it could be blown up around them. That fear could have been passed on even as everything collapsed." Her eyes glinted. "Be ready to run." She pulled out her sonic screwdriver. "Can't give it much of a delay. It's been a while since I blew something up!"
"I find that hard to believe," Rose teased, drawing a laugh from her future self.
The massive engine at the center of the room groaned, and a beeping filled the air. Rose's eyes widened in surprise. She'd assumed they'd talk about it a little longer. But the future Doctor spun to her wife, who held out her hand with a grin. They linked hands, and the blonde Doctor beamed.
"Run!"
The pair rushed past Rose and her Doctor. He laughed and grabbed her hand.
"Run," he said, echoing himself in the past and his future self.
Beaming, Rose let the Doctor guide her to the staircase, and they began to rush up the stairs. The shifting of stones urged Rose to move faster. A laugh escaped her. They were running after their older selves up a staircase to escape an alien pyramid that had been set to self-destruct because its telepathic truth field had been suppressing the entire planet. Sometimes the reality of what her life was just hit her. Rose caught her Doctor's eyes, and he started laughing at the top of the staircase, and a narrow opening outside came into view.
They ran outside. It wasn't the same place they'd entered, but they were back at the ground level and exiting a narrow archway that Rose could only compare to a service entrance. Behind them, the pyramid groaned, but it remained upright. The future Doctor huffed and turned back to it.
"Really?" she demanded. "It didn't work?"
"Or you gave us plenty of time to escape," her wife countered. "For once."
The future Doctor pouted at her wife but only held the expression for a brief moment before grinning and laughing. They dissolved into a mess of giggles, wrapping their arms around each other and smiling like maniacs. Their gazes softened, and they stared at each other like besotted fools. Her Doctor squeezed Rose's hand in response, and she shifted closer to him, resting her head on his arm.
Then the pyramid shuddered, and the blonde Doctor jumped away from it with wide eyes. Rose's Doctor laughed at his counterpart and pulled Rose back a few more feet. Except the pyramid didn't explode or collapse or anything so messy. It folded down. The lowest tier dropped suddenly into the earth, shaking the ground and snapping the pillars on its corners. The next layer followed, and then the next. Dust and dirt swept into the air obscuring Rose's view and making her cough.
What was left when Rose opened her eyes was a massive square stone area with distinct lines where the different layers had smashed down on top of each other. The only rubble was the ruined pillars at the corners of the new design. She blinked in surprise, and the future Doctor laughed.
"That is the cleanest self-destruct that I have ever seen!" She laughed and stole a quick kiss from her wife before turning to them. "Right," the blonde Doctor said with a wide grin. "That was fun, wasn't it?!" She didn't wait for an answer before looking at her younger self. Her smile softened. "I'm afraid that you need to forget this little adventure. Or at least most of it."
"Right," the younger Doctor agreed, though there was a quiver in his voice. His hand tightened around Rose's. "Don't want to risk the future."
"No," his older self agreed. "No, you really, really, really do not want to risk it." Her smile brightened again. "It's fantastic!"
"I'd rather forget too," Rose said. Everyone looked at her, and Rose caught her older self smiling softly. Rose figured her older self probably knew what she was going to say. Until this moment, Rose hadn't considered the idea that she'd just chosen to forget. She'd assumed… but that was what it came to so often, despite what people thought, her choosing the Doctor. "For now, at least," she explained. "I don't need to remember this and…, and I'd rather have the surprise of the future."
"Rose?" her Doctor asked.
"I know what your next three bodies look like," Rose explained. "I've dated you out of order, for crying out loud. I know the names of several of our children. Lots to look forward to, but I'd like to look forward to a future where all of it is a surprise and adventure for us both to face together." She felt her cheeks heating up, but it was true. The idea that someday she wouldn't have to hide bits of the future from the Doctor was wonderful. "So, I'd like to forget."
"Rose Tyler," the older Doctor breathed. "You wonderful-"
The older Doctor crossed over to her and kissed Rose soundly on the mouth, clutching her face in her hands. Rose heard her Doctor make a sound of protest and thought she heard her older self laugh. The future Doctor's lips were warm and softer than the Doctor Rose kissed daily. There was even a hint of fruit flavor, so maybe she occasionally used lip balm. But the warm feeling that enveloped Rose was the same. Then the Doctor released her and laughed softly.
"I love you," the future Doctor breathed. "So much, Rose, always."
"I love you too," Rose promised. She smiled at the woman that one day she'd share her life with. "No matter the body."
Then the future Doctor looked over at the current Doctor and huffed. The future Rose, apparently, to distract him, had decided to snog him. Rose blushed as she watched an older version of herself kissing her Doctor.
"Alright, enough of that," the future Doctor grumbled. She grabbed her wife's hand and gently tugged her away. Rose's Doctor blinked, a bit dazed from the kiss, while Rose's future self gave him a cheeky smile and winked. "Rose!" the future Doctor whined.
"It was only fair," the future Rose laughed. "Besides, it was nice to snog that incarnation of you again." She gave Rose's Doctor a soft smile. "I sometimes miss that smile."
It echoed their conversation about regeneration and drew a grin from the blue-eyed Doctor. He took Rose's hand and squeezed it, drawing her closer to him. Rose couldn't help but grin. She just wished that they could have time to talk about what he'd learned… but she understood why it wasn't safe.
"We'll stick around and monitor things for a few days," the future Doctor offered. "Monitor things. Though…" she gestured at the flat slab that had been the pyramid and beamed. "I don't think it'll be a problem anymore. Still, we can have a tropical holiday. I like the sound of that." Her beaming grin made Rose smile. "What do you think, Darling?"
The future Rose nodded with a barely contained smile. "I think that's a lovely idea. I'd like to spend some more time in the villages and see how they cope. They must have developed a rather complex system for training children since they can't rely on verbal or signed language."
"Or they have the children watch them really, really carefully."
"Or that," the older Rose agreed.
The pair beamed at each other. Beside Rose, her Doctor made a soft sound that she thought was supposed to be annoyed or disgruntled, but he didn't manage it. Then, they turned to look at each other. The Doctor's face reddened again, and Rose felt her own skin heat up.
"Aww, we were so cute then," the older Doctor teased. "Just look at them, Rose. Should we get a picture for the kids?"
"Doctor, leave them alone," the older Rose laughed. That was it for Rose's Doctor. He nodded to his future self before his gaze lingered on the older Rose. She rewarded him with a gentle smile. "Go on then," the older Rose urged. "Lots of adventures waiting for you. Lots of living to do."
They hesitated for a few moments before slowly turning away under the encouraging gaze of the older Doctor. Rose wasn't sure of where they needed to go, but the Doctor seemed to have a fix on the TARDIS. He located a pathway leading away from the pyramid through the trees. They walked in silence until the voices of their older selves laughing and talking faded out of view. Rose exhaled loudly.
"That was… something."
"Yeah," the Doctor chuckled.
They noted some of the natives in the jungle around them, but no one attacked them, and they stayed silent on the way back to the TARDIS. The Doctor spared a thought for Rose's future self and wished her luck in keeping her Doctor quiet around the locals. He doubted that they'd immediately get over their cultural taboo of speech, and his future self didn't seem the sort to be quiet. Granted he usually wasn't, but he fancied he was better at it than the hyper blonde he would be someday.
Soon enough, their brilliant blue box was in sight. He knew that when they reached the TARDIS, he'd need to deal with their memories. Rose's earlier words about synching up their timelines echoed in his brain and warmed his hearts. His grip on her hand tightened. She looked up at him curiously.
"No truth field," he said softly. "But we have to forget anyway. But I'm wondering about what you said earlier."
Rose's brow furrowed. She was adorable, and he was tempted to kiss her forehead.
"I said a lot," Rose laughed. Her cheeks reddened. "What are you wondering about?"
"You said that you dated me out of order." He almost regretted the question when Rose grimaced. "You don't have to answer."
"No, it's okay. Since we have to forget." Rose swallowed and took a deep breath. "Your next self and I dated during my college years. I go missing for a bit at some point after you regenerate. Not sure how long in your timeline." The Doctor sucked in a sharp breath, and his eyes widened. "I come back," she promised. "I know that. With what I know now, I figure that it's some kind of Guardian emergency, but I suppose I'll just have to live through it."
"Rose…"
The Doctor had no idea what to say to her. Those little hints about her dating in the past were actually about him but out of order. She really couldn't do anything in order. But it sounded like it was his fault after all. There was so much in what she had told him.
"I told you that I'd been in love with you for a long time," Rose said softly. Her smile was gentle and warm, and the Doctor nearly collapsed at the sight of it. "Now you have some idea."
"Rose." The Doctor had billions of languages in his head, and yet, he couldn't manage anything over than her name.
But Rose understood. She always seemed to. That soft telepathic connection that they'd been slowly building over the last couple of years reached out for him at the same time that she stepped closer to wrap her arms around him. The Doctor welcomed both embraces and held onto Rose tightly.
They needed to forget. Well, he needed to forget, and Rose was choosing to forget so that someday their timelines could sync up. So that someday, their future could be a surprise to her. That was for the best. Not only in regards to the timelines, but the Doctor was feeling that urge to run. Stupid, given how scared he was of her leaving. It was just… it was a lot. And Rose had known for years.
"I'm wondering how you coped with this," the Doctor said. Then he chuckled, a bit embarrassed at saying that out loud.
"It was a process," Rose admitted with a tongue touched smile. She shrugged. "It was hard some days and easy on others. There was this person in my life who was brilliant and so good and who could love me and who I could love." Rose shrugged and seemed to be struggling for the right words. Oddly, that made the Doctor feel a bit better. "I decided that I wanted that. Knowing parts of your future is strange, but knowing that you'll be happy, knowing that you'll love and be loved, is a wonderful thing. I chose to stay on the path that would see me have that kind of love and be happy. You handed me a seed and gave me a choice. I always had a choice, and I chose to plant that seed and tend it, to help it grow." Tears were misting up her eyes. "And besides, I only know some of the things. Some of the points and people on the road, but not the road itself. Our travels and how it all unfolds that was still an adventure I've gotten to live. With you."
Oh, he liked that. He smiled, and Rose grinned up at him. They were probably smiling at each other like besotted idiots. In his case, that was very accurate, and, well, it seemed that maybe Rose did love him as much as he loved her. That was a terrifying and wonderful idea. And there was that itch to run. But somehow, he stayed still as Rose took his hand and squeezed it. He unlocked the TARDIS and stepped into their home, keeping Rose close to him.
"I'm not sure how to suppress memories," Rose said. "Never done it before."
"I can do that, if you don't mind me in your head."
"You're acting like we don't telepathically connect all the time," Rose retorted with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, well, important to ask still."
That earned him another smile. Rose raised his hands to her temple and exhaled. Her warm amber eyes met his, and the Doctor hesitated. As much as all of this overwhelmed him, he also didn't want to forget. Those smiling faces in the photos represented the sort of life he'd never imagined he would have.
"Ready?" the Doctor asked softly. "If you change your mind-"
"It's fine, Doctor," Rose assured him. "I trust you. And I've made up my mind."
"You mentioned the children… you've met some of them?" The Doctor's voice was barely a whisper.
"Yes." Rose smiled as he rested his fingers against her temples. "Athena, Alistair, and Astra. They're brilliant." She grinned as the Doctor slipped into her mind like a cool stream of water running over the ground. "Adam Tyler, the man on Platform One and New Earth is our grandson."
"What? Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"Fantastic!" The Doctor laughed. "Glad he didn't let Jack flirt with him." Rose laughed again, but the laugh was weak, and she looked panicked. "What is it?"
"Nothing we have time for," Rose said. "You'll find out someday."
The Doctor blinked at the words but focused on the task at hand. The soft hum of the TARDIS around him was comforting. Rose's mind, a brilliant golden colour that now made perfect sense, welcomed his presence. Ohlia's question about bonding with Rose rang in his mind, but he shoved it away and focused on his task.
…
Blinking, Rose looked around the TARDIS in confusion. She had the strangest feeling….
"We've lost time," the Doctor said in front of her. "We're on a planet, but I'm missing a few hours of memory. Do you remember anything?"
"I…." Rose trailed off. "I don't think so. I feel like I'm missing something too." But there was an odd warm feeling in Rose's chest. She felt better right now than she had since Karn. It was subtle, a slight ease in the tension that had been hanging over her. "Something must have happened."
The Doctor was studying her. Then he nodded and turned back to the controls. A message flashed up on the screen in twisting Gallifreyan. Rose was at his side in a moment.
"What does it say?"
"All our love to the past," the Doctor answered. "I sent it; the message came from the TARDIS." He glanced towards the doorway. "I sense another me here. We must have crossed my timeline. Probably the future since I forgot." He looked back at Rose. "I wasn't sure if you'd erase your memory in a situation like that. Given your history."
There was a hint of curiosity in his voice. Rose shrugged. That was a bit surprising to her too. Still, she focused on that warm feeling in her chest. Leaning against the Doctor, Rose wrapped her arm around his.
"Must have had a good reason," Rose said. "And I have a feeling that it was a good adventure." Looking up at the Doctor, Rose leaned up to kiss him. "Something to look forward to."
The Doctor grinned. "Fantastic." Then he closed the distance between their lips, kissing Rose.