Time Can Be Rewritten
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
OoOoOoOo
World War Three
Rose guided Harriet and the secretary back with her as Margaret the Slitheen stalked forwards, claws curling menacingly.
'Anytime now, Doctor!' She thought desperately, nearly slumping in relief as Margaret was suddenly covered in electricity, "Come on!" She shouted grabbing their hands and dragging them passed the convulsing Slitheen.
As they legged it down the corridor, Harriet panicked, "No, wait!" They both looked back at her, "They're still in there! The emergency protocols! We need them!" Just as she was about to run back into the cabinet room, Rose and the young man shared a look before grabbing an arm each and dragging her with them as they continued to run.
"The emergency protocols are useless if we're dead!" Rose shot back just as Margaret the Slitheen came leaping out of the doorway behind them, roaring as she hunted them. They ran through another doorway, Rose closing it behind them.
Margaret once more leapt through it as they arrived in another room, again shutting the door behind them.
Rose threw her weight into a locked door just as the lift pinged open revealing the Doctor. Margaret roared at him as he just smiled and nodded around at them all before greeting pleasantly, "Hello!" The doors shut as the three of them slipped away unnoticed as Margaret the Slitheen was distracted by him.
"Hide," Rose hissed, trying not to groan as they entered the same dead end as last time. She quickly dashed behind the same curtain, as Harriet and the young man hid together behind a screen.
Margaret entered the room and taunted playfully, "Oh, such fun! Little human children… where are you? Sweet little humeykins… come to me… let me kiss you better…" Rose could hear her prowling about the room, "…kiss you with my big, green lips."
Rose closed her eyes, trying to control her breathing and quell the prickle of fear when she heard more Slitheen enter the room.
"My brothers," Margaret greeted fondly.
"Happy hunting?" She could hear amusement in the Slitheen's voice.
"It's wonderful." Margaret sighed happily, "The more you prolong it, the more they stink."
"Sweat…" The other added gleefully, "and fear!"
"I can smell an old girl… stale bird… brittle bones." One of them taunted.
Another cooed, "A young man… so eager to please…"
Margaret giggled, "And a ripe youngster… all hormones and adrenaline, fresh enough to bend before she snaps."
Margaret swept the curtain aside revealing Rose, who pulled it down around her, using all her weight to shover her to the side as Harriet shouted, "No! Take me first! Take me!"
Rose grinned in relief as the Doctor crashed into the room, blasting a fire extinguisher at the two male Slitheen, "Out with me!" She grabbed the young man and Harriet as they rushed over to the Doctor who looked at them curiously, "Who they hell are you?"
"Harriet Jones – MP for Flydale North!"
"Indra Ganesh… we met in the lobby."
"Oh, nice to meet you!"
"Likewise," Indra and Harriet said in unison.
The Doctor blasted the Slitheen again before throwing it to the side and leading the way down the corridor as he shouted, "We need to get to the cabinet room."
"The emergency protocols are in there!" Harriet piped up, "They give instructions on aliens!"
The Doctor grinned, "Harriet Jones – I like you!"
"And I like you too!"
The Doctor opened a door with his sonic screwdriver, quickly heading to the cabinet room as the three of them quickly followed him. Rose stood to his left, Harriet to the right with Indra just behind them as the Doctor picked up a bottle of brandy and held his sonic screwdriver to it, as they stood in the doorway of the cabinet room, the Slitheen opposite them.
"One more move and my sonic device will triplicate the flammability of this alcohol. Whoof! We all go up. So, back off!" He threatened causing them to back up slightly. "Right then. Question time. Who exactly are the Slitheen?"
"They're family!" Rose cut in, "Margaret, she called them her brothers!"
The Doctor glanced at her surprised and grinned.
One of the Slitheen stepped forward, "Well, who are you, if not human?"
Harriet glanced around confused, "Who's not human?"
"He's not human." Rose nodded to the Doctor.
"He's not human?" Indra and Harriet asked, disbelieving.
The Doctor rolled his eyes, "Can I have a bit of hush?"
"Sorry."
"So – you're a family?"
"Jocrassa Fel Fotch Pasameer-Day-Slitheen at your service." One of the Slitheen offered.
"But he's got a northern accent?" Harriet asked Rose.
She waved her off, "Lots of planets have a north."
"I said hush." The Doctor scolded, he held the brandy threateningly in front of him, "Come on! You've got a spaceship hidden in the North Sea. It's transmitting a signal."
Rose interjected, "They murdered their way to the top of the government."
"So, what for? Invasion?"
The Slitheen sneered, "Why would we invade this godforsaken rock?"
"Doctor?" Rose asked quietly, he tilted his head towards her, "If they're a family, maybe it's not an invasion but a family business?"
He glanced at her, "So, what profit can the Slitheen find on a godforsaken rock?"
"Ahh… excuse me?" One of the Slitheen questioned politely, "Your device will do what? Triplicate the flammability…?"
The Doctor smiled uneasily, "Is that what I said?"
"You're making it up!"
"Ah well! Nice try. Harriet, have a drink. I think you're gonna need it." He offered her the brandy.
"Pass it to the left first."
He handed it to Rose, "Sorry."
"Thanks," Rose took a swig.
The Slitheen flexed his claws menacingly, "Now we can end this hunt… with a slaughter!"
The Doctor folded his arms over his chest as the Slitheen prowled forwards, "Fascinating history, Downing Street. Two thousand years ago, this was marsh land. 1730, it was occupied by a Mr Chicken," he grinned, "He was a nice man. 1796, this was the cabinet room – if the cabinets in session and in danger, these are the four most safest walls in the whole of Great Britain." He pressed a switch near the door, "End of lesson."
Every entrance to the room was immediately blocked by metal shutters as the Doctor turned to face Rose, Harriet and Indra.
Rose grinned at him, her tongue poking out between her teeth, "About to get killed by aliens, and you just have to give a history lesson!"
"Installed in 1991," He smirked at her, "Three inches of steel lining every single wall. They'll never get in."
She arched an eyebrow, "I found a flaw in your plan."
"What?"
"How do we get out?"
"Ah."
OoOoOoOo
"Right, what have we got?" The Doctor looked around, "Any terminals? Anything?"
"Nah," Rose replied, "This place is antique."
Indra spoke up from where he was sat next to Harriet at the table, "I-if those things – those creatures murdered their way to the top of government. Why didn't they use the Prime Minister's body?"
The Doctor didn't look at him as he started examining the walls with his sonic screwdriver, "He's too slim – they're big old beasts, they need to fit inside big humans."
Rose jumped up to sit on the edge of the table, "But the Slitheen are about 8 feet?"
"That's the device around their necks – compression field – literally shrinks them down a bit," The Doctor explained as he walked to the other side of the room, "That's why there's all that gas, it's a big exchange."
Rose nodded, "Wish I had a compression field. I could fit a size smaller."
"You're perfect as you are." The Doctor replied softly, his ears going red as he went back to examining the walls.
Rose flushed, a smile playing over her lips even as Harriet reprimanded her, "Excuse me, people are dead, this is not the time for making jokes."
"Sorry…" Rose looked back at the older woman, "You get used to this stuff when you're friends with him."
"Well, that's a strange friendship." Harriet looked taken aback.
The Doctor turns to the three of them, "Harriet Jones – I've heard that name before – Harriet Jones. You're not famous for anything are you?"
"Huh! Hardly," She scoffed.
"Rings a bell, Harriet Jones…" He muttered.
She laughed self depreciatingly, "Lifelong backbencher I'm afraid, and a fat lot of use I'm being now – the protocols are redundant, the list the people who could help and they're all dead downstairs."
Rose stared at the Doctor, "Can't we just launch a missile at 'em."
Harriet started, "You're a very violent young woman!"
"I'm serious!" Rose defended, "I mean, they're killing people to turn a profit."
"Well," Harriet sighed, fiddling with the papers, "Whilst we could launch a missile from here, we would need a working phone and I believe the first thing they did was disable communications in here."
"Nuclear strike?"
"Well, there's nothing like that in here. Nuclear strikes DO need a release code, but it's kept by the United Nations."
The Doctor turned to listen, "Say that again."
"What, about the codes?"
He shrugged, "Anything. All of it."
"Um, well…" Harriet stumbled over her words, "The British Isles can't gain access to atomic weapons without a special resolution from the UN."
"Like that's ever stopped 'em." Rose added dryly.
"Exactly, given our past record – I voted against that, thank you very much. The codes have been taken out of the governments hands and given to the UN." She glanced at the Doctor, "Is it important?"
"Everything's important."
Indra spoke up, "But what do they want?"
"If they're a family, it's for profit – like you said, right Doctor?"
He nodded, "Yeah, it's just a family so it's not an invasion. So it they are out to make a profit, it means they want to use something, something here on Earth… some kind of asset."
"Like what? Gold? Oil? Water?" Harriet guessed.
The Doctor grinned at her, "You're very good at this."
She smiled back, pleased, "Oh, thank you."
"Harriet Jones – why do I know that name?"
Rose jumped then as her phone went off, "Oh! That's me," she slid off the table and pulled it out of her pocket.
"We're sealed off!" Indra said incredulously, "How did you get a signal?"
She grinned at the Doctor, "Frequent flyer's privilege – he zapped it, super-phone."
"Then we can call for help!" Harriet exclaimed, looking to the Doctor, "You must have contacts?"
"Dead downstairs, yeah."
"It's Mickey." Rose cut in softly.
The Doctor rolled his eyes, "Tell Rickey the Idiot we're busy."
She held her phone out to him, showing the picture of the Slitheen, "Yeah, not such an idiot."
OoOoOoOo
"No, no, no, no, no – not just alien, but like, proper alien. All stinking, and wet, and disgusting. And more to the point, it wanted to kill us!" Mickey blurted out.
Her mum shouted in the background, "I could've died!"
"Are you alright? Both of ya?" Rose asked quietly.
The Doctor snatched the phone away with an apologetic glance at Rose, saying quickly, "Is that Rickey? Don't talk, just shut up and go to your computer." Rose grinned at the Doctor paused as Mickey said something then grimaced, "Mickey the Idiot – I might just choke before I finish this sentence but eh – I need you."
"Ooh, that looked painful!" Rose teased with a smirk, the Doctor glared at her, his lips twitching slightly as he put the mobile on speakerphone.
"Say again."
"It's asking for the password." Mickey's voice rang out in the cabinet room.
"Buffalo – two F's, one L."
"So, what's the website?" Rose heard her mum ask in the background.
"All the secret information known to mankind." Mickey replied, "See they've known about aliens for years, they just kept us in the dark."
The Doctor interrupted, "Mickey, you were born in the dark."
"Oh, leave him alone." Rose poked his side playfully.
"Thank you." Mickey said, "Password again."
"Just repeat it, every time." The Doctor started wandering about the room again, "Big Ben – why did the Slitheen hit Big Ben?"
"Spectacle." Rose said.
Harriet nodded, adding, "You said to gather the experts – to kill them."
The Doctor shook his head, "That lot would have gathered for a weather balloon, you don't need to crash land in the middle of London."
"What if it isn't crashed?" Rose blurted out before she could think about it.
The Doctor turned to her, a curious expression on his face, "What do you mean?"
She cleared her throat, "You said, back in the Tardis, that the spaceship was sent from Earth and programmed to loop back down again, so the Slitheen wanted the world on red alert." The Doctor frowned, "So, what if it's not crashed, just parked?"
"Oh, listen to her." Jackie's voice echoed through the room.
Rose rolled her eyes, "Not now, mum."
"Well, I've got a question if you don't mind. Because since that man walked into our lives, my daughter has gone missing off the face of the earth and I have had creatures from the pits of hell in my own living room!"
"I told you what happened," Rose replied softly.
"I'm talking to him!" Jackie cut her off, "'Cause, I've seen this life of yours, Doctor. And maybe you get off on it. And maybe you think it's all clever and smart, but you tell me this – is my daughter safe?"
Rose frowned, last time she had waited, wanting to see how the Doctor would answer, but now she couldn't, she couldn't put that weight on him, he was staring at the phone intently as she replied, "I'm fine!"
"Is she safe? Will she always be safe?" Jackie persisted, "Can you promise me that?"
He glanced up at her and she locked eyes with him as she said, "Mum, that's – that's not fair, you can't ask that!" Rose smiled softly at him, her affection obvious as she continued, "There's doing what's right and there's doing what's safe… they aren't always the same thing and if it comes down to it – he will always do what's right, cos that's who he is, the man who stands up when no one else will."
The Doctor stared at her in shock. That was the third time she'd defended him to her family. He finally broke eye contact when Mickey's voice rang out, "We're in."
The Doctor rushed around the table, "Right then – on the left, there's a tab – an icon – little concentric circles – click on that."
"What is it?"
"The Slitheen have got a spaceship in the North Sea and it's transmitting that signal, now hush, let me work out what it's saying."
She could hear Jackie complaining in the background, "He'll have to answer me one day."
"Hush!" Mickey hissed.
"It's some sort of message."
"What's it say?" Rose asked.
The Doctor shrugged, "Don't know – it's on a loop, keeps repeating?" A doorbell rings in the background. "Hush!"
"That's not me!" Mickey protested, "Go and see who that is."
"It's three o'clock in the morning." Jackie responded incredulously.
"Well go and tell them that!"
The Doctor frowned, ignoring them, "It's beaming out into space, who's it for?"
Rose was about to answer when she heard her mum scream in the background, "It's him! It's the thing! It's the Slickeen!"
"They've found us."
"Mickey, I need that signal." The Doctor said urgently.
"Doctor!" His head snapped to her, tears shining in her eyes, "That's my family."
"We can't get out, it's by the front door!" Mickey shouted through in a panic.
Rose gripped the back of the chair in front of her tightly as her mum screamed, "Oh, my God! It's unmasking. It's gonna kill us!"
Harriet jumped in as she watched Rose try and hold back tears, "There's got to be some way of stopping them!"
"You're supposed to be the expert!" Indra added, shouting, "Think of something!"
"I'm trying!"
They could hear banging through the phone as Mickey said quietly, "I'll take it on, Jackie. You just run. Don't look back. Just run."
"Doctor," Her voice broke as she said his name.
He looked up at her, the girl who had so much faith in him. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears, "Right! If we're gonna find their weakness, we need to find out where they're from – which planet. So, judging by their face and shape that narrows it down to five thousand planets within travelling distance. What else do we know about them?"
"They're green!" Indra blurted out.
"Yep, narrows it down."
"They can smell adrenaline." Rose added.
"Narrows it down."
Harriet shouted, "The compression technology!"
"Narrows it down."
"It's getting in!" Mickey yelled.
"The gas!" Rose blurted out quickly in a panic, "It smells like-"
"Bad breath." Indra cut her off.
"Calcium decay!" The Doctor grinned, "Now that narrows it down!"
"We're getting there!" Rose yelled down the phone.
"Calcium phosphate, organic calcium, creatures made out of living calcium, what else, what else – hyphenated surname – yes! That narrows it down to one planet! Raxacoricofallapatorius!"
Rose grinned as Mickey shouted back sarcastically, "Oh, yeah, great! We could write 'em a letter!"
"Get in the kitchen!" The Doctor instructed quickly.
"My God, it's going to rip us apart!" Jackie screamed.
"Calcium, recombined with compression field – ascetic acid. Vinegar!"
Harriet grinned at the Doctor, "Just like Hannibal!"
"Just like Hannibal!" The Doctor laughed, "Mickey, have you got any vinegar?"
"How should I know?"
"It's your kitchen!"
Rose rolled her eyes, "Try the cupboard by the sink!"
"What do you need?" Jackie asked.
"Anything with vinegar!" Rose yelled back down the phone.
"Gherkins!... Yeah! Pickled onions!... Pickled eggs!"
The Doctor raised his eyebrows at Rose who scrunched up her nose and poked her tongue out at him. He let out a small laugh as they waited. They heard a bang after a few moments, and they all breathed a sigh of relief. Rose walked over to the Doctor and wrapped her arms around his, resting her head on his shoulder as she relaxed into him.
Indra asked, "Hannibal?"
"Hannibal crossed the Alps by dissolving boulders with vinegar!" Harriet replied with a laugh.
Rose grinned and nuzzled into the Doctor's shoulder as she said, "Oh, well, there you go then."
Indra filled four glasses and passed them around. They all raised them in a toast and drank. They waited in silence for a few moments before Mickey said, "Listen to this."
The Doctor leaned forward, Rose still attached to his arm as they listened, "Our inspectors have searched the sky above our head and they have found massive weapons of destruction, capable of being deployed within 45 seconds."
"What?"
"Our technicians can – baffle – the alien probes. But not for long. We are facing extinction. Unless we strike first. The United Kingdom stands directly beneath the belly of the mother ship. I beg the United Nations – pass an emergency resolution. Give us the access codes! A nuclear strike at the heart of the ship is our only chance of survival. Because… from this moment on… it is my solemn duty to inform you… planet Earth is at war."
"He's making it up." The Doctor said incredulously, "There's no weapons up there, there's no threat. He just invented it."
"Do you think they'll believe him?" Indra asked.
Rose glanced up at the Doctor, "I think we've discovered why the wanted the world on red alert."
He nodded in realisation, "That's why the Slitheen went for spectacle. They want the whole world panicking, because you lot – you get scared, you lash out."
"They release the defence codes…"
"The Slitheen go nuclear."
Indra and Harriet watched silently as Rose and the Doctor walked over to the door. "You get the codes, release the missiles. But not into space, because there's nothing there. You attack every other country on Earth, they retaliate, fight back. World War Three – whole planet gets nuked."
Margaret the Slitheen walked forward, this time in her skin suit, smirking as she gloated, "And we can sit through it in our spaceship waiting in the Thames. Not crashed-"
"But parked." The Doctor finished curtly.
"But you'll destroy the planet!" Harriet objected, "This beautiful place. What for?"
"Profit. That's what the signal is beaming into space – an advert." The Doctor answered, disgust lacing his voice.
Margaret sauntered forwards, "Sale of the century. We reduce the Earth to molten slag, then sell it. Piece by piece. Radioactive chunks capable of powering every cut-price star liner and budget cargo ship. There's a recession out there, Doctor. People are buying cheap. This rock becomes raw fuel."
"At the cost of 5 billion lives." The Doctor said flatly, glaring at the Slitheen.
"Bargain." Margaret sneered back.
"Then I give you the choice – leave this planet, or I'll stop you."
The Slitheen all burst out laughing as Margaret stepped closer, "What? You?" she mocked, "Trapped in your box?"
The Doctor stared at her, unflinching, "Yes. Me."
Margaret laughed again but her smile dropped, nervousness creeping in as the Doctor fixed her in his gaze before closing the shutters.
OoOoOoOo
"Alright, Doctor," Jackie spoke warily into the phone, "I'm not saying I trust you, but there must be something you can do."
"Mickey, any luck?" Rose asked.
"There's loads of emergency numbers – they're all on voicemail."
Rose leaned against the Doctor against the wall, his arm wrapped curled around her waist.
"Voicemail dooms us all!" Harriet sighed.
"If we could just get outta here…" Rose said desperately, glancing up at the Doctor.
His arm tightened around her as he admitted, "There's a way out," He looked down at her, "There's always been a way out."
She curled her fingers into his jacket as she asked incredulously, "Then why don't we use it?"
He looked away and strode over to the table, his arm still protectively around her waist as she walked with him, he leaned over to speak into the phone, "Because I can't guarantee your daughter will be safe."
"Don't you dare!" Jackie replied furiously, "Whatever it is, don't you dare!"
"That's the thing." The Doctor sounded desperate, "If I don't dare, everyone dies."
"Do it." Rose nudged him gently, he looked down into her eyes, his arm pulling her closer against him.
"You don't even know what it is, you'd just let me?"
"Yeah."
He stared at her silently as Jackie shouted through the phone, "Please, Doctor. Please! She's my daughter! She's just a kid!"
Before he could say anything, Rose jumped in, "Mum! Remember what I said." She placed her hand over the Doctor's, "There's what's right and there's what's safe – whatever it is the Doctor needs to do, is what's right! If it saves Earth and everyone on it, then how can I ask him to choose me over 5 billion lives? This is what he does mum! He stands up and makes a decision because nobody else will!" She looks up at him, "So, what're you waiting for, Doctor?"
He stared at her in a state of shock, it was like he was seeing her for the first time. She had such complete and utter faith in him – going so far as to let him risk her life without questioning it. She understood, she understood that sometimes he had to make the hard decisions. Because no one else would. Even if no one thanked him for it, even if they hated him, she understood.
His voice was unbearably gentle as he stared down at her, "I could save the world, but lose you."
"Well, I'll decide for you," Rose wrapped her arms around him resting her head on his chest, "Do it, Doctor."
Harriet intervened, "She's right, it's not your decision, Doctor. It's mine."
"And who the hell are you?" Jackie shouted angrily.
"Harriet Jones – MP for Flydale North. The only elected representative in this room, chosen by the people, for the people and on behalf of the people, I command you. Do it." Indra nodded in agreement as he stood beside her.
"You can't argue with that!" Rose said with a laugh, the Doctor grinned down at her, and she added, "So, how do we get out?"
He rubbed his thumb over her waist gently before moving away from her, opening the briefcase containing the emergency protocols, "We don't. We stay here." He shuffled through the protocols before addressing Mickey, "Use the buffalo password, it overrides everything."
Jackie's voice was faint as she asked, "What're you doing?"
"Hacking into the Royal Navy," Mickey paused, "We're in. Here it is, uh… HMS Taurean, Trafalger Class Submarine, 10 miles off the coast of Plymouth."
"Right, we need to select a missile."
"We can't go nuclear; we don't have the defence codes!"
"We don't need it; all we need is an ordinary missile. What's the first category?"
"Sub Harpoon, UGM-A4A."
"That's the one. Select."
Jackie whispered, "I could stop you."
"Do it, then."
The Doctor interrupted, "Ready for this?"
"Yeah."
"Mickey the Idiot." The Doctor sighed, "The world is in your hands. Fire."
"Oh, my God!" Her mum's voice sounded distraught.
Harriet looked around, tapping the steel shutters, "How solid are these?"
"Not solid enough, built for short range attack, nothing this big."
"Alright." Rose interrupted, "Now, I'm making the decision. We're not gonna die, we're gonna ride this one out," Rose opened the cupboard door, "It's like what they say about earthquakes, you can survive 'em by standing under a doorframe. Now this cupboard's small so it's strong. Come and help me! Come on!" Harriet and Indra rushed over to help clear out the cupboard.
"It's on radar. Counter defence 556."
The Doctor commanded, "Stop them intercepting it."
"I'm doing it now."
"Good boy."
"556 neutralized."
The Doctor ripped the mobile off speakerphone and handed it to Rose as Indra and Harriet sat on one side of the cupboard.
"Doctor," Rose trailed off as he turned to face her, 'Now's as good a time as any', she thought as she plucked up her courage and grabbed the front of his jacket, pulling him down to her as she kissed him.
He looked completely startled as she let him go, he stared blankly at her for a few moments completely stunned as Rose flushed and dragged him into the cupboard, she sat down next to Harriet, as the Doctor sat on her other side, her hand still firmly clasped in his.
Harriet grasped her other hand, Indra holding onto the older woman's as well as she said, "Nice knowing you all!" They braced themselves as they waited for the missile to hit. The four of them were shaken around in the cupboard until eventually it stopped.
The Doctor emerged from the wreckage first, leading Rose out by the hand, followed by Harriet and Indra.
Harriet laughed proudly, "Made in Britain!"
"Are you alright?" A police sergeant had rushed over to them.
"Harriet Jones – MP Flydale North," She flashed her ID card at him, making Rose smile, "I want you to contact the UN immediately, tell the ambassadors that the crisis is over, and they can step down. Go on, tell the news!"
"Yes, ma'am!" He hurried away again.
"Someone's got a hell of a job sorting this lot out. Oh, Lord! We haven't even got a Prime Minister!"
Rose grinned, "Maybe you should have a go?"
"Me?" Harriet laughed, "I'm only a backbencher."
Indra chuckled, "I'd vote for you."
"Me too." Rose added.
She looked at them sternly, "Now, don't be silly." Rose and the Doctor grinned at her. "Look, I'd better go and see if I can help," She headed off, Indra nodded at them before following after her, "Hang on!" She shouted over the crowd, "The Earth is safe! Sergeant!"
The Doctor beamed after her, "I thought I knew the name. Harriet Jones – future Prime Minister. Elected for three successive terms – the architect of Britain's Golden Age."
Rose laughed as they watched as Harriet and Indra rushed over to the people, "The crisis has passed! Ladies and Gentlemen – I have something to say to you all! Mankind stands tall – proud – and undefeated. God bless the human race."
The Doctor tightened his grip on Rose's hand as he led her away, his voice was quiet as he asked, "So, are you going to tell me why you kissed me?"
"I- I…" She stumbled over her words, she didn't really know why she's kissed him, she knew they had been getting closer, he had given her a key without prompting and he cuddled up with her, pulling her close to him like it was second nature for him, finally she blurted out, "You didn't stop me!"
The Doctor snorted as he stopped walking, making her look up at him, he gently cupped her cheek, "I didn't expect it, even so, why did you?"
She looked away from him, trying not to lean into the warmth of his hand, "Does it matter?"
"Yes."
He tilted her head up, her eyes met his. She gently placed her hands on his shoulders and gripped his jacket, keeping her eyes locked with his as she leaned up on her tip toes to press her lips softly against his. Her eyes fluttering shut as she attempted to pour all her feelings into the kiss, her affection, her love, everything, hoping it would be enough.
She was about to pull away, when finally, he responded, one hand gripping her waist and the other pressing gently against her neck before tangling in her hair, pulling her closer, her arms slid around his shoulders as his own hands moved down to her hips hoisting her up, her legs wrapping around his waist as he deepened the kiss, completely and utterly dominating her.
Rose let out a noise of disapproval as he pulled away, leaving her breathless.
"Well," She could feel her heart racing, it felt like it was going to burst from her chest, "I think that answers your question?"
The Doctor shifted, protesting weakly, "We shouldn't do this."
She grinned, "You should have thought about that before you kissed me like that. I'm still breathless."
He chuckled, "This is what you want?"
"I want you," She blurted out, dropping back down to the ground, her hands curled around his jacket as her legs were still a little shaky from this kiss. Before he could object again, and before she could think better of it, she tried to reach out with her mind, pushing all her love forwards. The Doctor started a little and she could feel the Tardis hum a gently in her own mind. She repeated, "I want you, Doctor," she hesitated then, "Do you want me?"
The Doctor stared down at her for a moment, her thoughts were practically screaming at him, all he could feel was love and affection, warmth and comfort, it enveloped him, and he couldn't help as his eyes closed, relishing in the feel of her pure emotions. Finally, when he looked back at her, he decided to give in to this weakness, just this once, "I want you, Rose Tyler."
OoOoOoOo
They parted ways at the Tardis, the Doctor pressing a gentle kiss to her lips and Rose couldn't keep the grin off her face to save her life. Her smile widened as she pulled her mum into a hug before heading over to the TV and watching a repeat of Harriet's speech.
Jackie walked in and looked at the TV contemptuously, "Harriet Jones. Who does she think she is? Look at her! Taking all the credit. Should be you on there." She addressed the TV, "My daughter saved the world!"
Rose huffed out a laugh, "I think the Doctor helped a bit."
She sat down, "Oh, alright then, him too. You should be given knighthoods."
Rose smiled, remembering Queen Victoria knighting her and her pinstriped Doctor for a second before replying, "That's not the way he does things. No fuss, he just… moves on." She looked at her mum, "He's not that bad, if you give him a chance."
Jackie sighed reluctantly, "He's good in a crisis, I'll give him that."
"Oh!" Rose laughed, poking her tongue out, "Now the world has changed, you're saying nice things about him."
"Well, I reckon I've got no choice," Jackie snapped back, "There's no getting rid of him since you're infatuated."
A blinding smile came to her face as she remembered the kiss, "Not infatuated, I love 'im."
Jackie paused, if he could make her daughter smile like that, maybe he wasn't so bad, "What does he eat?"
"Mum, no." Rose shook her head, "He doesn't do… domestic."
"Well, since you're so in love with him – I want to learn about you and him and this life you lead."
"I know, but-"
Jackie cut her off talking about what she could cook as she walked into the kitchen, Rose looked down as her mobile rang, the little Tardis icon on the caller ID making her bite her lip to fight the smile, heat pooling in her stomach as she remembered the kiss, "Doctor?"
"I'll be a couple of hours, then we can go. I've just got to send out this dispersal… There you go. That's cancelling out the Slitheen's advert in case any bargain hunters turn up."
"My mum wants us to stay for tea." Rose said quietly.
The Doctor hesitated, "What do you want?"
Rose grinned to herself, "Entice me, Doctor."
The Doctor paused for a moment, his voice low and seductive when he spoke again, "Right now, there's this plasma storm brewing in the horse head nebula," Rose listened to him intently, "Fires are burning 10 million miles wide. I could fly the Tardis right into the heart of it then ride the shock wave all the way out – hurtle right across the sky and end up anywhere."
Rose bit her lip hard to stop any noise escaping, how could he make it sound so incredibly sexy.
She could hear the smirk in his voice as he finished, "Your choice."
Rose shot up quickly and headed over to her room and started packing her bag. She didn't need as much as the first time, her tastes had changed since then, but she wanted pictures, memories more than anything else, especially if she was going to change Canary Warf.
She jumped as her mother spoke, "I was wondering if he drinks or not."
"Yeah, he does." She replied absently as she continued stuffing things into her bag, only turning around when she heard her mum speak again much quieter.
"Don't go sweetheart." Jackie pleaded, "Please don't go."
"I'm sorry, mum, but I have to, I-"
Jackie nodded, tears welling up in her eyes, "You love him."
Rose kept packing, her mum a silent presence next to her as she finished, she didn't object like she did last time as they walked out of the flats and towards where Mickey and the Doctor were waiting.
She took the backpack off and threw it into the Doctor's arms as he asked sarcastically, "Got enough stuff?"
She grinned as she saw the amusement dancing in his eyes, "Last time I stepped in there, it was spur of the moment! Now I'm signing up. You're stuck with me. Haha!"
The Doctor chuckled; his eyes soft as they looked at her.
"Good luck, then." Mickey interjected quietly.
"Yeah," She hugged him tightly, "You better have someone when I next visit!"
"Yeah…" He smiled back a little sadly.
They both turned back to the Doctor as Jackie turned on him, "You still can't promise me! What if she gets lost? What if something happens to you, Doctor? And she's left all alone standing on some moon a million light years away – how long do I wait then?"
The Doctor just stood there awkwardly for a moment, hugging Rose's backpack, not knowing how to respond before Rose cut in, "Mum, as long as the Doctor's alive, he'll make sure I'll come back to you! So, stop worrying." She hugged her as the Doctor used the distraction to step into the Tardis.
Rose followed him quickly, giving them a small wave before shutting the doors behind her. She leaned back against the doors as the Doctor smiled at her softly from the console. She grinned back at him and walked up to him, kissing him hard and wrapping her arms around his shoulders.
"What was that for?" He asked when she finally pulled back.
She looked away shyly, "Making sure before wasn't a one off."
Her cheeks flushed as he tilted her head up and brushed his lips over hers, muttering, "Wasn't a one off."
The Tardis hummed happily as her Heart and her Thief kissed. She knew all her Heart had suffered, had seen all the denial of her Thief, so she had ensured they would have their happy ever after. Even if she had to nudge them both in the right direction.