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Chapter 10 - In the Still of the Night

The Doctor sat in a rocking chair with Tony laying against his chest. He was facing the Doctor with both of his tiny legs hanging on either side of the Doctor's hips. The little boy was sound asleep already.

The Doctor had his head laid back in the chair with his eyes shut, humming a tune to Tony very quietly. Both of his hands were wrapped around the toddler's back. Rose stood there looking at the scene in front of her. The two guys that she loved more than anything else in the universe. She had never even imagined the Doctor like this. The Oncoming Storm looked positivity adorable rocking his Comrade.

She realized how amazing it was going to be for Tony to grow up knowing the Doctor. But, then her heart sank when she suddenly realized that Tony would never know anything about traveling in the TARDIS. He would have really loved it. She imagined Tony would be very keen to join them on their adventures when he got older. He was already so clever, reckless, and adventurous.

The Doctor had stopped humming his song to Tony, but continued rocking him. His eyes hadn't opened the entire time Rose had been standing there. She walked into the room and kissed the Doctor lightly on his forehead.

A smile slowly spread across his face. "Hey, love," he whispered as he opened his eyes. She kneeled down in the floor next to the chair, tucking her knee-length skirt with her forearm.

"Were you singing?" she whispered to him.

"No." Then told her seriously, "I'm humming. It's different."

She smiled.

"I had forgotten how relaxing this is," he told her quietly as he lay his head back on the chair. Seeing her puzzled face, he explained. "Rocking a toddler to sleep. It makes you forget about your troubles, and reminds you of your blessings. I've not done this is a very long time."

Rose was sure that she had a very strange look on her face. Him saying that made a hundred questions pop in her mind.

The Doctor held out his good hand. She took it in hers and felt his presence at the corner of her mind.

'I'm sorry I haven't been helping you with your telepathy lately. I promise we will work on that a lot while we are on our trip.' he told her in her head. He waited and watched her closely to make sure she got the message.

'It's alright. We've had a bit going on.' She replied.

He nodded. He was still not sure if his pain pills were interfering with his telepathy.

Rose continued. 'You didn't say that Doctor Brown said you might have to have surgery on your hand.'

"How did you know that?"

"Pete told me, just now."

Instant relief flooded through him. "Oh. Hang on a minute."

He stood up and carried sleeping Tony over to his bed and tucked him in. "Night, Comrade. See you in the morning," he told him as he kissed him lightly on the cheek.

He shut the door as they went into the hallway.

"How did you think I knew?" she asked him quietly.

"We need to talk. We are in your old room here, right?"

He popped another pill as they walked along the hallway. They were about 50 feet from Tony's room, she opened a door.

The room was huge. There was a small sitting area directly in front of them with a couch and telly. Directly behind that, was a large bed with curtains hanging from the corners. Over to the left, there was a large bathroom. It looked like something out of a royal palace, although it did match the rest of the house.

The Doctor stood in the doorway for a moment. "This is your room?" he asked, disbelieving.

Rose walked by him and plopped on the couch causing her skirt to fly out. "Yeah, I never cared for it. It was too posh for my taste."

He stepped in and shut the door. He took his sling off and dropped it on a table.

"Rose." he began. "I don't even know where to start." he admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Just pick a place and begin," she advised.

He raised her legs that were draped on the couch, and moved them so he could sit perpendicular to her, behind her knees. He propped his feet on the coffee table. He sat there for a bit with his head propped on the back of the couch, eyes shut.

Was his hand hurting again?

After few minutes he turned and looked at Rose. "You know I love you, right?"

"This must be bad!"

He laughed at that and rubbed his face with his good hand. "Well, it's not good."

"How about we talk about why you didn't tell me about what the doctor said about your hand? Surgery?"

"Because I'm not going to let any stupid ape do surgery on my hand or any other part of me."

He reminded Rose of when he was all ears and leather at that moment.

"God knows what would happen. Besides, he didn't say I had to have it. He said if the bones move anymore or the cracks get larger, it is a possibility that he will recommend that I have it. But you can be assured I won't!"

Was Rose sensing fear coming from him?

"I don't think it's a good idea either. But, what are we going to do if it gets worse?"

"Well, not have surgery! The only time I ever had surgery in a human hospital, it went so badly that I ended up regenerating. Seriously, I'm not really comfortable with the level of medical knowledge that these doctors with little 'd's have."

"Wait. You had to have surgery before? Where?"

"In San Francisco," he replied as he looked down at his hand rubbing Rose's thigh. Then he brought his hand up to run through his hair as he thought. "No, maybe it was New York. Oh, I can't even remember."

"No, you plum. Where on your body?"

"Oh! I was shot, in the chest. The idiots decided to do exploratory surgery and got the damn camera stuck in one of my veins. I ended up having to pull the cords out after I regenerated."

Rose looked horrified. "Did it hurt?"

"Yes. Imagine pulling a cord out of your ….well, … that's why I'm very clear on this. You have nothing to worry about with this Rose. No surgery. Even if I have to cast my entire arm up."

"I'm sure it's getting on your nerves-"

"You have no idea." he agreed with her. "I've never been injured for this long. Used to, I'd just suck off some regeneration energy and heal myself right up. This 'healing the long way round' is..." he grit his teeth to try to find the right word. Then just grunted.

She couldn't help but smile. Poor Doctor. She had no idea it was grating his nerves so much.

"And these pain pills. I'm worried that they are messing with my telepathy," he told her.

"What? How?"

"I think it is making my shields weak. That's why I reacted the way I did back in Tony's room. I was worried you had looked in my head and saw what the doctor had told me."

"I would never look in your head without your permission."

"That's just the thing, Rose. I'm worried I might send you something I shouldn't. Like when you blurt something out. I know that we agreed to not have secrets Rose, but that is our secrets. Like things that affect you and me. There are things I can't tell anyone. Ever. They sit in my head and I'm worried I might just push those in your mind, accidentally."

Rose asked, "How would I know if you had done that?"

"You would know the secret, too."

"Well, what's the worst that could happen?"

"It could destroy the entire universe. All of reality. Everything that ever was, or ever would be."

"You may just be a bit dramatic." After a few moments, she grabbed his well hand. "Listen to me, you alien. You just took that pill a few minutes ago. Make your shields as strong as you can, and let me come in and see if I can see anything. If we are going to destroy the world, we might as well do it now to spare you some pain and aggravation with that hand of yours."

"Sounds reasonable to me."

He made his shields as strong as he could, then he felt her on the edge of his conscience. He didn't let her in at all, but her presence felt wonderful. She kept asking to come in, only to be denied. It was like knocking on a door with no answer. After a few moments of this, he let his shields down very slowly and let her in.

'Is everything alright?' she presence appeared in his mind.

He smiled and she felt relief rush over him. 'I was worried for nothing. Everything is fine.'

He leaned in to kiss her while they continued to be connected.

'Thank you, Rose. Oh gosh, I love it when I can feel you like this.'

Rose smiled, 'It's the best. I love you, my Doctor.'

She leaned in to kiss him. It turned into a long passionate kiss. Still connected together, he Doctor ran his good hand up her skirt and rubbed the inside of her thigh. He could sense through their connection that she wanted him, and she could tell he wanted her.

'Doctor, what if someone walks in?' she said in his head. She hadn't stopped their sultry kiss.

'They will have to beat the door down.' he told her. 'I locked it when we came in.'

She stopped kissing him long enough to smile at him.

He winked at her. "You looked a bit, tired."

She giggled and they returned to their snog.

He moved to lay his body on top of hers. She ran her hands through his hair, making it stand up all over.

'I love your hair.' she told him.

'I love what you are doing to it.' he told her.

The Doctor took his hand that was already under her skirt, and slid his fingers on the outside of her cotton knickers.

'These knickers are wet, Rose.'

'Because there is something in them that belongs to you.'

He dropped his fingers into her opening, and slid them inside her. He repeated the motion as she told him, 'I love it when you touch me.'

She took her hands out of his hair and unbuttoned his jeans. She moved her hand down to this swollen member.

Rose pulled his jeans down off his hips. Then slid his pants down so she could get her hands on him. She pumped his shaft until she felt moisture run out of the tip.

He continued to stroke the inside of her with his fingers. He only stopped to slide down her knickers so he could get at her better.

They both knew how much the other one was enjoying what was happening, which only encouraged them further.

'Rose, I need to be inside you.' he groaned in her head.

'I'm all yours.' she replied.

He took his fingers out of her wet slit, grabbed himself and thrust inside of her. Both of them getting all the friction they could stand.

'Do not make me scream. We don't want to cause any attention.' Rose told him.

'Oh, the things I do for you.' he told her. 'Maybe I'll just scream in your head.' he joked with her.

'That feels so good. Don't ever stop.'

'I adore you, Rose.'

'You are amazing, Doctor.'

He continued to stroke inside of her. He could feel her pleasure. She could feel his. It was unlike anything Rose had ever experienced.

Just then, he erupted inside of her.

She felt his satisfaction.

He felt hers.

He broke from kissing her and pulled back up her knickers with one hand. He raised up and pulled back on his jeans. Then offered her his good hand.

"Come on my love. Let's continue this in the shower." he offered in a quiet voice.

She took his hand and stood up. "How are we going to do that with your cast?"

"What I wouldn't give for some regeneration energy." He looked down at his cursed hand.

Rose smiled at him with her tongue in her teeth. "I have an idea." She led him into the bathroom.

Once there, she went over to a huge, jetted bathtub and turned on the water for it to fill.

The Doctor was surprised. "Good grief, is that a swimming pool or a tub?"

Rose returned to him and helped him take off his clothes, then she took off her own. She returned to his lips and breathed, "Don't let your cast get wet."

"Oh, this won't end well. " the Doctor mumbled. But then continued kissing Rose with renewed passion. His hand rubbed her breast, then placed his hand on the middle of her back to pull her close to him.

Then he dove back in her head. 'You are so amazing, Rose.'

'You are incredible, yourself.'

They snogged themselves silly, running their hands all over one another's bodies until the tub filled halfway up. Then the Doctor helped Rose inside. Carefully they sat down in the water. Rose faced him, as she sat in his lap. Her legs wrapped behind him.

"Mind your cast." she reminded him. So, he propped it up on her shoulder.

"I hate this damn cast."

"It's not forever."

Rose washed them both while they continued to enjoy a snog. The Doctor almost dipped his hand in the water more than a few times, which made Rose wonder if he was doing it just to tease her. When they had finished, Rose helped the Doctor dry off and get dressed in some pajama bottoms and a red t-shirt, while she put on her dark cotton knickers and pajamas.

"Do you want some tea before we go to sleep?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I'll pop downstairs and get us one. You can't carry two cups with one hand." she reminded him.

When Rose returned, the Doctor was putting the lid on the metal 'bigger on the inside' box that they had built together.

"Experiment looking alright?" she asked.

"Oh yes!" he exclaimed. "Looks great. I'm surprised it likes the box."

She laughed at his excitement as she handed him his cup of tea. "Still not going to tell me what it is?"

"Nope." he said, popping the 'p'.

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It was the middle of the night. The bedroom was dark and quiet. The Doctor lay in the middle of the bed and Rose was curled up on his chest. They had gotten so used to sleeping like this, that they had figured out how to lay their pillows to give the Doctor the most comfort. Meanwhile, the Doctor was Rose's pillow. The Doctor had his good hand ran up the back of Rose's pajama top. She had fell asleep with him stroking her back with a feather-light touch. Since they had discovered that his pain pills wasn't effecting this telepathy like he feared, he had kept his shields down. They had been talking in one another's heads as they went to sleep.

The bedroom door opened, and the Doctor woke to a little figure standing next to the bed.

Tony whispered. "I had a bad dream."

He motioned for Tony to climb into the bed. It woke Rose up, but she kept her eyes closed and continued to lay on his chest. Tony climbed into the bed on the opposite side of the where Rose lay and curled up in the bend of the Doctor's arm. He lay facing him. The Doctor's head was turned so he could see the little boy's face.

After Tony was all settled in under the duvet, the Doctor whispered to him, "What was your dream?"

Rose listened.

Tony whispered. "I was flying. Like a bird. But then I fell. It scared me when I hit the ground."

The Doctor hummed, then whispered. "I've had that dream. It is scary."

Tony thought for a minute. "Doctor. Do you love my Rose?"

Rose could feel a smile go across her face. The Doctor still had no idea she was awake.

"Let me tell you something extremely important, Comrade," he whispered to the young boy. "And never forget this. Love is not just an emotion. It's a promise. A promise that you will always take care and protect someone. So, yes. I love our Rose very much. I have always loved her. And I will always love her. And she loves me."

"And do you love me?" he whispered, innocently.

"Yes, I do." he smiled. "Now, go to sleep. I won't let you have any more nightmares. Remember, monsters are scared of me."

Tony snuggled into the crack of the Doctor's arm. And started to go to sleep. After a few seconds. The Doctor heard his voice again. "Can you sing it again?"

Rose thought to herself, "Does this kid know he can't carry a tune in a bucket?"

But then she heard the Doctor begin to sing. It was in a language she was sure she had never heard. It was really low and very quiet. The perfect lullaby sung in the most beautiful way she had ever heard. She recognized that it was to the tune he had been humming when she found him rocking Tony to sleep earlier that night. She was impressed.

He then whispered, "Good night, Comrade."

Tony whispered sleepily back, "Good night, Doctor. I'm glad you're real."

"Me too." he chuckled. And sang the beautiful lullaby a little more until he was sure Tony was asleep.

There he lay, with a Tyler in each arm. He couldn't help how happy he felt at the moment. He closed his eyes to go back to sleep when he heard Rose speak gently in his head. 'How come I've never heard you sing like that before?'

He looked shocked and leaned back so he could look at her. She rose so she could see his face. He looked positivity laughable with embarrassment. 'I've known you for years. You sing all the time. Badly I'll add. But that was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard.'

He laughed quietly as he laid back down. 'Well, there's a good reason for that.'

'And what is that?' she asked him smiling.

'I know you hate it, so I did it when I didn't want you to bother me. I was probably busy working on the TARDIS or an experiment or something.'

'You're ridiculous,' she told him with a playful smack on his chest.

'Do I need to sing you a lullaby, Rose Tyler?'

'Maybe another time. Good night.' she told him.

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