Bits In Between

By Lumendea

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Champion of Time's Confusion

AN: This is the Seventh Doctor's POV of meeting Rose. Don't worry, Peramia, I have no interest in claiming your firstborn.

…

Mumbai was hot and humid. Truth be told, he was fond of England for the weather as much as anything else. Thanks to the Gulf Stream, it was warmer than it had any right to be given its artic proximity, even if the locals usually didn't appreciate it. He was hot despite his superior Time Lord physiology, and a headache was stinging the sides of his scalp as he followed the sense of dread gathering in his chest.

He'd known that something was wrong, and yet he had not been prepared for what he found. There was a hole in Time in the middle of the city, tucked away on a back street, and a strange girl who knew far too much. At first, he'd thought she was connected with the attack on Earth, and in a way, she was, just not the way he'd imagined.

She knew his name. This young human woman with her hair bundled up in a mess and wearing a t-shirt knew his name. It had rolled off her tongue easily. She'd kept her eyes on his while naming him. She knew it. She really knew his name. The sound of her voice forming the name echoed through his head over and over. It wasn't possible.

The girl-young woman was waiting for him to process. Something like sympathy glowed in her eyes, and he could tell that she was nervous about what she had just revealed. Good. She should be careful about such things. That was good, and he was horrified at himself for even thinking that. The last thing that he wanted to be was impressed by her. This young woman was so very young and fragile. At least, that was what he could be forgiven for thinking if it were not for the timeline that he'd studied when she stepped out of the shadows.

Golden light surrounded her like the glory of an angel in a medieval painting. She was bathed in it. Time swirled and twisted around, tying knots and anchoring her as if afraid that she would ascend into the sky and be lost to it. He'd never seen anything quite like it and immediately hated not understanding it. He was Time's Champion in this incarnation and yet…. He called her timeline a mess, unwilling to voice his fascination.

But she knew his name, and he regretted the insult.

Twenty-two, but older. He believed it. There was weight in her eyes that told him too much and far too little. She looked young, the body was young, and he feared that he was going through a midlife crisis, but she claimed her mind was older. He hoped it was true.

He'd thought her an Eternal. He'd even suggested that she was an Eternal. The woman had scoffed and remarked that the Master asked her that once. A very old memory of a warning from his former friend taunted him. Was this the same woman that had appeared in that village so long ago? He was inclined to think so and cursed his younger self for not paying more attention then.

She wasn't afraid of him at all. In fact, his gruff manners as he tried to assert authority only seemed to amuse her. She turned his words back on him and assured him that she was his friend. That promise fell short. He had buried his name. Even on Gallifrey, he had changed his records to show his name as the Doctor, as the title that he had taken when he found his place in the universe.

Whoever she was, she was far more than a friend. Regret and a touch of shame plagued him. She knew his name and yet had been rude. It was behavior that he might expect from his last body. Swallowing back his churning emotions, he apologized for the insult.

"Wouldn't be the first time," she told him. Her halo of Time flared when she smiled softly at him, seeking to comfort him in his frustration and confusion. "Let's try this again. I'm Rose Tyler, a future friend of yours."

Rose Tyler. At least, he had a name for his musings. He barely stopped himself from saying too much. His tongue was loose around her, it seemed. She was luring him in with some unknown force that he had no defenses from. Then she revealed that they'd met before when she was trying to pass under his radar. He couldn't help but search his memories, trying to find the woman with temporal radiance around her. Rose listed them off, and yet, he could not recall her. Had some force hidden her, or had he really failed to mind his surroundings so?

The confusion remained, but at least there was a task at hand to be focused on. Thankfully, his… fiancé agreed, and they turned their attention to this Silver Lord. Rose was cautious in revealing details to him, and he was grateful for her care. That was something he could approve of. Life as a mate of a Time Lord was complicated and dangerous for someone who did not respect the timelines, even if Time itself seemed to adore them.

Every moment he spent with her brought more confusion, more things that he needed to forget but feared to forget. She knew the Jacksons and was familiar with some of the nastier threats of the universe. Rose knew dangerous things, too, things that he knew would not pass her lips. Secrets of his future that she would keep.

The Guardians confirmed the seriousness of the situation. Both the White and Black Guardians showed themselves, projecting themselves into his TARDIS. He didn't miss Black's glance at Rose when grumbling about the Doctor being protected. The Doctor could only wonder how Rose would be able to ensure his safety from the Black Guardian. She gave only vague answers leaving him on edge. Rose Tyler was not a trap, but something much more dangerous.

The Doctor was surprised at how easy it was to work with her. He changed from regeneration to regeneration, and it threw his companions off every time. Rose was unbothered. She adjusted. She seemed to understand where to be in regards to him at all times. And she had faith in him. Not the awestruck faith of so many of his former companions. It was something else. It was faith-tempered. Faith that had been hammer and chiseled into a truthful state. It was honest. There were no false or unfair expectations.

He was able to focus until those four words slipped from her lips. "Doctor, I love you." She said them so easily. Even if she had been warning him that she'd be cross if her sword was damaged, he could hear the absolute ring of truth in them. She said them often. His fingers clutched at air, and he was grateful Rose took a moment to realize the impact of her words.

She was apologetic and, thankfully, not horrified at his hesitation. Rose meant the words. What was going to happen that he allowed, even welcomed this situation? She wouldn't tell him. That was good and frustrating. The idea was already growing on him. Rose was highly capable, and it was obvious that Time behaved strangely around her on Earth. She'd never be safe on this planet, not for long.

Then the crisis was past, and the Doctor was aware that it was time for her to leave. The Guardians arrived to take that blasted Silver Lord's mysterious sword. Rose swatted the Black Guardian's hand away from the blade without a hint of fear. The White Guardian revealed that the sword had been made to destroy Rose, and there were too many questions. The Guardians answered none of the important ones, and Rose offered him no answers.

What was he to think? She was young and old at once, a paradox that usually only Time Lords were familiar with, but Rose Tyler of Earth was most certainly not one of his people. Rose knew the Guardians and did not fear them. What was her history? What was her future? Why did Time dance around her?

"You'll meet her properly when you need to," the White Guardian had told him. "You don't need her yet."

What was he to think of those words? What was going to happen that would lead to him tying himself to a human woman? Even one as unusual as Rose Tyler?

He did not know. The Doctor lived for mystery, he sought it out far more than danger, but this time it seemed like a bit of both at once. Nonetheless, he tended to Rose's injury with more tenderness than he had expected from himself in his agitated state.

Despite already knowing the answer, he asked if she truly loved him. Rose answered with ease once again, seeking to reassure him and prevent his panic at the same time. She did know him well then. Surrendering to a future that he would see in a different and presumably much bolder form, he kissed her hand and was rewarded with a soft, chaste kiss before his future fiancé departed.

The Doctor hesitated. Standing at the controls of his TARDIS, his very empty TARDIS, he lingered on the memory of Rose. Her smile and the easy way she told him that she loved him. It was terrifying and exciting. Chuckling, he adjusted the controls of the TARDIS and noted the way that the old girl was humming. He eyed the console thoughtfully, but the TARDIS kept her secrets. As they took flight, he sighed loudly and sat in his chair. Then, he did as he had to and buried the memories of Rose Tyler deep.