A Caledonian Curiosity
Upon boarding the train, any ideas of basking in the luxury of first class were quickly forgotten as the attendant informed them that their cabins were almost an entire carriage from each other. And so, after rather a lot of whining from the Doctor and a brief argument with the Conductor, they were bumped down to Standard and so began the race to their room and a battle for the top bunk. Rose didn't particularly have the energy to fight him properly and so resorted to flinging a wet flannel at the smug expression on his face as he reclined atop the covers.
"Oi!" He protested launching it back at her only to miss and hit heavily against the wall behind her. The resulting insult and banging from their neighbour ended any further attempts at retaliation.
The lights above them flickered briefly and a few moments later they could see the station moving past their window as the train pulled out with a rumble, Rose using the blue suit clad knee that hung out over the rail to brace herself.
"The blue's new." She murmured fingering the fabric.
"Didn't particularly feel like wearing the brown after Canary Wharf," He replied softly.
"Yea," She agreed with a small smile glancing down at the purple she had tucked under her jacket, "Haven't touched a shade of pink since then either, much too-"
"Yea," He agreed, watching as her eyes darted between the colour of his suit and her jacket. He hadn't planned that, after all it was the first suit the TARDIS provided him with when he'd left Donna in the console room. It was fitting he thought that they matched, just like the pterodactyls he'd taken her to see after Krop Tor, bound for life, colours matching perfectly with each other, no two quite the same. It also wasn't lost on him that their armour both reflected the colouration of their lost time ship. He watched as she glanced up at the lights flickering again then back to him.
"You alright?" She poked him in the leg curiously.
"Yea course," He replied.
"So," She smirked, "Human huh, how you likin' it?"
"Hmmm it's not so bad." He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Yea, go on." She smirked and he caved.
"Complete rubbish," He sighed dramatically and scrunched his face up in what appeared to be disgust, "One heart Rose, can you imagine it? Me with one heart, it's a wonder this body manages to function in any effective manner at all, the endocrine system is faulty, cardio-pulmonary don't even get me started-"
"Thought you said you were human before-" She laughed at his rant, complete with wild hand gesturing.
"I never said I liked it," He snorted sniffing himself, "And god I have never needed a shower so bad in all my lives, it's gonna take at least three sonic rinses to get the smell of Dalek dust, smoke and wet sand outta this suit and my hair Rose! They don't even have the wax I like on Earth-"
Rose slipped off her boots and jacket and flopped down onto the fluffy white duvet on her bunk, the smell and feel of fresh clean sheets and the voice of the alien above her bringing an almost contented smile to her face.
"Can you smell that?" She heard him interrupt himself, his head appearing over the side. She cracked an eye at the sound of the sonic, sniffing the air deeply as she leant up on her elbows.
"Is that-" She sniffed again, "-Fairy floss?"
"Hmmm," He murmured in affirmation disappearing again. "It's probably nothing."
"With you it's never nothing," She teased flopping back down and turning to snuggle into her pillow. "Will you sleep now too?"
"I slept before," He replied, his tone amused, "But yes, couple hours should do, not as much as you normally need mind-"
"Doctor?" She mumbled grinning as her eyes slid shut again.
"Yes Rose?"
"I missed you."
"Missed you too." She could hear the smile in his voice.
"Night Doctor."
"Goodnight Rose," He reached behind him to dim the lights before tucking his hands under his head. There was still so much to be said but first he would get them home and then, finally after everything was settled they'd have time to catch up. He closed his eyes, for the first time since his regeneration, fully processing the changes not only within his mind and body, but to his current circumstances and how this universe would adapt to his inclusion in it.
He released one had from his head and extricated the sonic from his pocket, silently scanning himself, his eyes still able to focus on the tool despite the dark. His results confirmed what he had suspected, his mind, as he had known was still fully Time Lord, and his human body surprisingly adequate due to the dominance of Gallifreyan genes and the bonus of the background radiation Donna had absorbed.
He hadn't lied to Rose in the chippie, the few mannerisms he'd inherited would subside over the next few hours as the metacrisis stabilised and his mind would adjust to this universe a good deal earlier than that. What was, what is, what will be, what mustn't still as apparent as before, but thankfully now came without the weight of the entire universe pressing down and threatening to crush him.
For now he was content with the assurance that despite an inability to regenerate, his lifetime would still be something impressive even if only by human standards, barring injury of course, but even then he was sure the TARDIS had stored some nanogenes somewhere in the pockets of his suit. And then there was the coral, that little peice of the old girl his brother had gifted him with, dormant now but just alive enough to keep him grounded.
"The Doctor and Rose Tyler in the TARDIS, just as it should be."
He heard his companion shifting in her sleep, today had been hard on her and he had seen Rose's confusion and hurt over the whole situation. He had no doubt she would come through it after all it wasn't the first regeneration she'd bore witness to and the resulting bond that had developed was stronger with his Tenth form. At least he was still the same man, he mused, his thoughts turning again to the one that walked away. He sighed heavily, trust him to be the one person who managed to leave her and stay at the same time. But he was here with her and he smiled at the thought of the woman who lay sleeping peacefully below him as he drifted off.
As he slipped off the bed and onto the floor a bright streak of light flashed across his vision and as suddenly as it appeared it was gone. He recalled the lights flashing earlier and gave the lamp above him a cursory glance and then the wall frowning as he confirmed both appeared turned off. He ducked backwards as another flash zipped across the small cabin and through the bunk, lingering over his companions head until vanishing into the wall as he ducked down to follow it. He slipped his glasses on as he crawled into Rose's bunk completely oblivious to the fact he was now inches from the side of her face and straddling her hips as he soniced the wall beside her excitedly.
"I'm dreamin' aren't I," She muttered squinting up at him through the dark.
"Rose there's something in the wall." He whispered tapping gently against it.
"Nope," She sighed with a sniff, "Not dreamin' then."
"I'm picking up energy spikes of Irradion 12, Seculoise, Metalphoras and Dialthameric Puporinictus." He frowned at the tool and shook it before sliding down her legs to scan the rest of the offending wall. "That combination of particles shouldn't exist on Earth."
"Can't take you anywhere can I." She shook her head watching as he pulled back off the bed as the sonic trailed the components to the door.
"That's it find it, find it," He cooed as the screwdriver blipped and whirred and Rose hastened to pull her boots and jacket back on as he disappeared out the door.
"Wait for me," She hissed dashing after him up the tight corridor as he made his way into the next carriage, "You're a trouble magnet you are."
"I am not," He whined spinning about then arching his back to run the device over the ceiling before taking off again towards the Lounge Car.
"I lost it." He stopped abruptly causing Rose to slam into his back with a grunt, "Where did you go-" He turned back towards her, eyebrows raised into his hair then knitting together as he frowned, finally registering her previous comment.
"You dream about me?" He asked curiously noting the faint blush of her cheeks as she turned her face away from him to peer out the windows and he smirked slightly, "Rose Tyler you naughty-"
The whirring of the sonic ceased his teasing and Rose rolled her eyes as he turned and strode off through the car. All he was missing was the billowing coat, she thought, and it almost felt like the old days, flirting and all. She wondered briefly if they would return to that despite the quite impressive snog on the aforementioned 'shitty' beach.
There was a commotion at the end of the car as he burst into the kitchen, now full of stewards busily preparing this and that in time for the opening breakfast buffet. Rose quickly followed flashing her ID at an irate Chef wielding a meat cleaver menacingly and stepped around him ignoring his muttered, 'bloody Torchwood', to sidle up to the Doctor as he surveyed the trains internal processing grid hidden behind a sealed panel in a corner by the cold storage.
"It's here." He ran his long fingers gently over the panelling before the sonic made short work of the screws holding it in place. "Easy does it." He whispered slowly removing the cover the reveal a blinking bank of green lights and two larger glittering green orbs tucked into a corner.
"It's alright," He soothed holding out his palm, "I can help you."
Rose watched in fascination as the tiny lights rolled onto his hand, long fingers wrapping protectively around them as he dashed back the way they'd came, never stopping or speaking until they finally reached their cabin.
"Doctor wha's goin on?" She hissed as he soniced the door shut behind her.
"These little things are what's causing the electrical interference we observed last night," He replied just as softly, excitement bubbling through him at the discovery, "Can you still smell it?"
"Cotton candy?" She sniffed nodding, smiling as his grin widened, "It's these little ones."
"Come on," He slowly flattened his palm out. "Come and say hello."
The two little balls of light twirled around each other, solidifying until they almost reminded Rose of a Snitch, she gasped as their tiny wings unfurled.
"They look like-"
"Fairies I know," He giggled as they began to flutter about, "They don't usually come to Earth but those that have are mostly the cause of what you humans know as fairytales."
"They're alien?" She smiled as one fluttered about in front of her face.
"Trillexyn," He nodded, "You are beautiful." He cooed as the other approached his face and placed a tiny hand against his temple.
"Oh Hello," He beamed almost going cross-eyed at the tiny beings close proximity, "I'm the Doctor and this is Rose."
"They're telepathic," He giggled, "It tickles."
"But what are they doin' on Earth Doctor?" She held out her hand as the smaller of the two landed and sat down in her palm. "On a train of all things?"
It appeared to Rose that they could understand English well enough when the other pressed her hand back against the Doctor's temple, his grin slipping away as she flittered down to sit beside the other on his companion's palm.
"The Homeworld was lost." Came his grim response. "The damage Davros had caused was far more advanced in this universe it seems, Poosh-."
"I'm so sorry," Rose's gaze flittered down to the tiny being hugging her thumb, "So there's only the two of you left?"
"No," The Doctor responded softly stepping closer to her, the glow from her hands casting a soft light over their faces, "There are survivors, scattered across the universe, across the planet too I dare say, homeless for now, but not extinct."
"They can't stay on the sleeper," She frowned looking up at the Doctor, "We have to find them a new home."
"I- Not without the TARDIS-"
"They could come with us?" She interrupted softly looking back down at them, "Would they be alright with us?
"I suppose," The Doctor mused, "Nothing much to pick up the unusual energy signatures they produce up there."
"Our new home could be yours too? Lots of space, well not actually Space space but you know, no people for miles, we'd be glad to have you, if you want that is." Her eyes flicked to the Doctor at those last words, almost repeating his offer from the day before.
He grinned as the two tiny creatures glowed brightly, "I think that's a yes," The Doctor chuckled.
"Welcome to the family then," Rose whispered, "Do you have names?"
"Of course," He beamed pointing to the one that had been flitting about his face, "Rose Tyler, I'd like you to meet the last sire of the Royal Trillexyn Family Nelya and the slightly smaller one is her mate Syden."
Rose went cross eyed as Syden reached out his hand as she moved them closer to her face, the small man casting a glance at the Doctor who nodded. Rose grinned as he grew in size, big enough now to reach her temple and she gasped as she heard a deep voice echo through her head.
Thank you.
"Well that'll take some gettin' used to," Rose snorted but smiled and nodded, "You're welcome."
"Now that that's settled," The Doctor spoke digging through the depths of his pockets, "I may just have something suitable for the two of you as a temporary means of transportation so that there's no further energy fluctuations during our trip."
He pulled a small ornately carved wooden box out and began sonicing it with gusto.
"It's not much but it'll keep you safe and undetected until we get home," He told them holding the lid open in invitation, "It's bigger on the inside of course and has an internal dimensional stabiliser so you won't get tossed around, don't worry though, you'll be safe in my pockets."
The tiny woman looked at him curiously and flittered up once more to place a hand on his temple. His smile softened as she hovered a little nervously.
"Yes," He replied sadly, "There are only two of us left now too. Well, in this universe anyway there's only one but-"
She ducked forward and pressed her tiny kiss to his nose then swooped down to take her partners hand and they dropped into the depths of the small box.
"They know about the Time Lords?" Rose asked quietly slipping her hand in his as he gently returned the box to his pocket.
"Trillexyn's are pan-dimensional creatures too," He nodded, "They saw the devastation the war caused, felt the ripples through all dimensions. Anyways-"
"So breakfast-" She offered giving him the out he clearly needed. "Reckon you haven't pissed the chef off enough now for im' not to feed us."
"Oi he got in my way," The Doctor scoffed following her back out into the hall and towards the lounge.
"You barged into his kitchen, you're lucky he didn't knock your ead' off with that cleaver." She shook her head incredulously.
"Dragorians aren't a violent race Rose," He tutted flopping down into a leather sofa, "They're masters of culinary skills."
"The chef's an alien too?" She groaned quietly as the man in question approached them with a tray.
"Oh yes." The Doctor leant forward, resting his arms on his knees, speaking in a hushed tone,
"Duna flora herestandra tialeth tum tractorum diera kuel?" The man's eyes widened and a smile began to curve his lips as he glanced around cautiously.
"Duest drial Time Lord, nueal trulth fortunade trell tiema." The Doctor grinned across at Rose only for his face to fall when he took in her creased brow as she looked between the two men, silently taking the mug of tea on offer.
"Oh right," He shook his head, "Sorry, I-"
He turned back to the chef, "Trihalba srankliet englashiel?"
"Of course," Replied the man, "I am Rushial, fourth son of Humtrius from the fifth moon of Dragoria."
"Pleased to meet you Rushial," The Doctor offered him his hand, "I'm the Doctor and this is Rose." He shook both their hands in turn.
"My apologies for before, I had no idea who you were until the little ones told me. Please enjoy your breakfast, on me of course, but you must excuse me I still have duties to perform."
"Bye," Rose gave him a little wave as he disappeared back into the kitchen, "How did the Trillexyn tell him who you are if they're still in your pocket?"
"Dragorian, just like Trillexyn's are sensitives," He sipped his tea, leaning back into the sofa, "The box isn't sealed so they're still in contact with the outside world, the two species don't need to touch to communicate."
"That's one of the things I missed most about not havin' the TARDIS," Rose murmured softly, "Some things translated, like alien's I'd already met but, the Torchwood translators were rubbish. Sometimes things got more than a little misconstrued."
"It's not the TARDIS," He replied so only she could hear, the gathering bodies in the car moving closer to their corner as the morning went on, "A part of her will always be with you, especially since Satellite 5, but her ability to translate comes from me." She glanced up at his tired smile, "Remember the Sycorax?"
"The regeneration sickness," She nodded in understanding, "Yea I remember it never worked until you woke up."
"Yup." He popped offering her a top up.
"Why don't it work now though?" She watched as he poured the steaming liquid into her mug. "You're here so shouldn't it-"
"Because I remember how much you hated it when I told you she got into your head," He interrupted her with a pointed look, "And we don't have a fully grown ship at our disposal which would mean I'd have to go in directly and you know- translate- and stuff."
"Okay so do that, besides I'd just met you back then." She shrugged looking up at his raised eyebrow. "What?"
"Well," His face scrunched up uncomfortably, "That's good, um- that you'd trust me like that buuut-"
"Spit it out Doctor," She rolled her eyes.
He regarded her seriously for a moment before ducking his head to whisper against her ear.
"What you've just casually agreed to, for me," He swallowed audibly, "Is a little more intimate than you realise."
"Intimate?" She frowned.
"Telepathic species remember, if made the connection to your mind Rose I'd have to tell you my-" His mouth snapped shut and he pulled back and glanced away at the passing countryside through the window, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed.
"Your name." She whispered trembling slightly at his close proximity. "I didn't know-"
"It's fine," He gave an almost imperceptible nod of his head.
"But I'm not telepathic though," She mumbled, "Humans can't, we aren't-"
"You in particular," He assured her hastily, "Are more than capable of sustaining a telepathic bond Rose-"
"A bond?" She frowned.
"Yes," He continued with a hiss, "And it's exactly what it sounds like, now do you really wanna continue this conversation right here?" He huffed and shifted his knees as another group of passengers made their way into the car, one particularly large man stomping his foot before apologising profusely.
"Fine," She sighed pulling her legs up underneath her.
They sat together in relative silence as slowly but surely the train deposited people off at their destinations, Arbroath, Montrose, Stonehaven, the sun rising higher as the morning drew on. In another twenty-two minutes and forty-five seconds they'd finally reach their destination and then another fifteen, traffic detours notwithstanding, and they'd be home. Rose sat with her head rest against his arm, her eyes closed as she hummed softly to the music that played overhead as he flicked through the pages of The Scotsman.
"Will you tell me one day?" She murmured against the fabric of his suit.
"Hmmm?" He turned his attention from the newspaper to glance down at her curiously. "Tell you what?"
"Everything?" She replied softly. "Who you are-"
"You know who I am Rose," He quirked his lip, letting the paper fall to his lap as he brushed a stray hair from her forehead, "But maybe one day, if you're a very, very, very well behaved little human who does as she's told and doesn't wander off," He whispered the last, "I might share myself with you."
"I'd like that." She smiled softly, feeling for the first time that perhaps this universe wasn't quite so bad after all.
Let me know what you think... :-P