Magic: A Hand to Hold

Rating: General Audiences

Relationship: Nine & Rose, hinted Nine/Rose

Other tags: Magic AU, minor hurt/comfort

Warnings: None

Summary: Faced with a future in a loveless marriage and with nowhere else to go, Rose Tyler turns to the mysterious Doctor.

*Shyly waves* Hi, I know, I disappeared for more than a month. I'm graduating with an engineering degree in May. I've been busy.

It also doesn't help that this one was kinda hard to write. Idk why, it just was. *shrug* Hopefully the length of this one will help soften the blow.

Word Count: 1,670

Rose knew the rumors, of course she did. There wasn't a person in the village of Arcadia who didn't know what was said about Jason Lungbarrow. His was a member of the noble Lungbarrow family, but everyone referred to him as The Doctor. He was a wizard who lived at the edge of town, secluded from everyone else. When he'd first arrived, The Doctor frequently helped others. He helped find missing cattle and blessed couples with babies.

But several months ago, The Doctor had been called back to his home: The Citadel, the capital of Gallifrey. When he returned, his magic started to have consequences. Rory and Amelia Williams had the child they'd always wanted, but young Melody was kidnapped by a group of raiders not even a day after she was born. Bill Pots found her true love, but Heather was killed soon after they met. Sylvia Noble found a husband for her daughter, but not before poor Donna suffered a fall and lost most of her memory. Eventually, people stopped going to him. Nothing was worth the price you had to pay.

At least, not until Jimmy Stone came to town.

Jimmy Stone was the lord of the area, and he had a reputation, though not a good one. He was known to be cruel to those who couldn't pay their taxes, no matter how much they were struggling or how hard they worked. He was harsh towards women, no matter how many times they tried to deny his advances. There were rumors of what he did to those who denied him too many times. He was about 4 years older than Rose and had inherited the position half a decade before when his father passed away when Jimmy was only 18.

And Jimmy Stone wanted to marry her.

Her parents had no choice in the matter. How could they, her father was only a merchant. A well respected one, but still just a merchant. When the announcement was made, everyone started giving Rose pitying looks. Those who were involved in helping prepare for the wedding made as many delays and took as much time as they dared to. While Rose appreciated their efforts, she knew that they were only postponing the inevitable. So, as a final, desperate measure, she decided to turn to The Doctor.

As she approached the stone cottage, Rose took note of its appearance. The building itself was small, but the yard was large and was covered in slightly overgrown plants, many of which she didn't know the names of. Rose assumed The Doctor used them to perform his magic. With no one coming by him, they had begun to overgrow in the recent months. Walking through the opening in the low stone wall, Rose hesitated slightly before knocking on the wooden door. It opened with a small creak, but no one was on the other side. She was beginning to wonder if she was doing the right thing, but Rose cautiously entered the house.

The front door opened directly into a small living room, where she could see a pot over the open fire. The cottage appeared to only be two rooms, the other obviously a bedroom, and a second door across the room led to the back of the house. This door opened once Rose was inside, and she came face to face with The Doctor.

He was younger than she'd imagined, though still about twice her age. His brown hair was cropped short, and his blue eyes managed to pierce into her despite the surprise in them. All in all, he struck a rather intimidating presence. Rose was slightly afraid, but her fear of a marriage to Jimmy Stone made her speak up. She stood tall and maintained eye contact as she spoke.

"Hello, Doctor. My name is Rose Tyler. I live on the other side of the village with my parents. I've come to you for help. I'm not sure if you know him, but Jimmy Stone has said he wishes to marry me. Neither of my parents nor myself want this, but we cannot disobey a direct order from the lord. I know the consequences of seeking your help, but I'm desperate. I don't even know what sort of tragedy could befall me that would be worse than a life spent with Jimmy Stone. Please, Doctor. You're my last hope. Please, I'm begging you, help me find a way out of this marriage." For a moment, neither of them spoke, brown eyes boring into blue. Rose started when The Doctor finally spoke.

"So, you come here seeking help. Yet you knew what happens to those to turn towards me. You should just leave now. You don't know the consequences, even I don't, of what you ask." He sighed before entering the room, turning to stroke the fire. He kept his back to her as he spoke. "My magic works in strange ways. I'm not sure what powers it or how it works. All I know is that I have lost favor with the beings that provide it." He sighed before settling in the chair next to the fire. After a moment, Rose took a hesitant step forward.

"I know that everything changed when you returned from The Citadel. But what —" Rose would have continued, would have asked what happened, but the look of pure anger on The Doctor's face gave her pause. He turned away from her again. The outline of his face was surrounded by shadows, and Rose couldn't help but notice how, for just a moment, The Doctor looked dangerous. Then his expression crumpled, and he instead looks completely defeated.

Rose thought for a moment before starting to talk again. It was clear The Doctor didn't want to talk about what happened to make his power stop working as they should. But maybe that wasn't the problem that needed to be solved.

"What is it that grants you your abilities? Is it a spirit that you can go to for help? Or maybe the spirit is ill and needs your help." Her hope faded however when he shook his head at her words.

"No, it would be impossible for Idris to be captured or otherwise hindered." The Doctor got up and started pacing. "However, it wouldn't hurt to check with her." He suddenly stood up, startling Rose, and went into the other room. While his voice was muffled, she could still hear it clearly. "I'll have to make the journey to see her. It'll take a while, I'm not sure how long." He came back into the main room with a bag over his shoulder, a jar in his hand, and a traveling cloak on his back. He pointed to the fire, and a few flames rose and went into the jar. They burned brightly, despite the fact there was nothing in the jar for them to burn. The Doctor turned back to Rose.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, and if I'm able to I will help you. But unfortunately, at this time I cannot guarantee my ability to help. If you wish, you may hide here until I come back. It could be days, it could be weeks. I have a garden in the back and meat in the icebox. You're welcome to any of it. The cow in the barn is named Bessie." He stopped, noticing that Rose was standing with her hands clasped in front of her, looking nervous. "What is it? Is there something else?"

Despite herself, Rose shifted nervously. She wasn't quite sure how to make her request. "Well, I was wondering if you might need a traveling companion. You see, I'm worried that Jimmy might come looking for me. It would only be a matter of time before I would be discovered here. But, if I were with you, you could protect me, if he found me at all."

The Doctor stared blankly at her for a moment before a small smirk graced his face. "You really thought this through, didn't you? Cleaver girl." He walked out the back door, beckoning Rose to follow. She saw the spacious garden that he had mentioned, as well as the cow Bessie and several chickens. She followed The Doctor to the barn, gasping in awe when he opened the door to reveal a beautiful palomino mare. He started speaking as he began tacking the animal.

"This is Arkytior. Ironically, it means rose in the ancient tongue. We'll be slightly slower with two of us, but only a tick. She's a nice sturdy girl." He was about to help Rose get on the saddle when he paused. "Do you need to stop home and tell your parents where you are?" Rose shook her head with a grin.

"I intended from the start to go with you if I had to. I left a letter on my table saying that I've gone traveling. I couldn't tell them before I came here or else they would've tried to stop me." The Doctor stared at Rose, and she thought for a moment that he was going to make her explain in person anyway. Then he laughed and helped her up.

"Well, aren't you a woman who thinks ahead." He got up on the saddle behind her. "Let's get going. Geronimo!" The last word was directed not to Rose but to Arkytior, who walked forward at the command. Once they were out of The Doctor's yard, she started to pick up speed, getting to a gentle canter as they left the outskirts of town.

Rose couldn't help but laugh out loud at the wind on her face and the soft thuds of Arkytior's hooves on the dirt path. She wasn't yet sure whether or not she'd made the right choice, but she knew that she would've regretted it if she hadn't tried. Here she was, off with a strange man that she'd just met, yet she already knew she wouldn't've missed it for the world.