Unbound

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Chapter Three

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The Doctor sat beside Rose until night had fallen, checking her temperature with his hand as well as bending over her to listen to her breathing, just to make sure she was all right. These actions were done too often to count, but with his guilt at their current predicament, it was literally something he had to do.

"Rose?" he finally inquired softly, his hand at her neck, thumb rubbing her chin. "Rose, it's time to wake up now."

"Don' wanna get up. Wanna sleep," she mumbled, bringing an affectionate grin to the Time Lord's face for a brief moment.

"Come on Rose, time to go home."

"Don' wanna go home. Wanna stay with you."

This time the Doctor did smile, humbled by her sleepy words.

"Oh Rose," he called in a sing-song voice.

Her eyes opened, and she looked at the Doctor for a moment, then smiled at him. "What's got you grinnin' like that?" she asked.

"You. Feelin' better?"

"Yeah, I think so. Is it time to go?"

"Yep. Night's fallen and I don't hear anyone around. Figured we might as well shove off and get to the TARDIS. All right?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Drink this up," he began, handing her a full cup of water, "and then we'll get started."

Rose drank the water and handed him the empty mug, then used her right arm to push herself up into a sitting position beside the Doctor. Though her enthusiasm pleased him, the pain he'd read clearly on her face from the movement did not.

"Slow and easy, Rose. You can't just jump up, thinkin' you're ready for a marathon. You wanna try standin' first?" he asked as he got to his feet, offering a hand to her.

She took his hand as she slid her legs over the side of the camp bed, taking a moment to catch her breath. Then she stood, her legs wobbly at best as the Doctor reached around her, supporting her at the hip with his firm hold.

"All right?" he asked.

Rose nodded, grimmacing at the pain the movement caused her two broken ribs, and trying to hide her discomfort as best she could. She was feeling very grateful that the Doctor was knowledgeable enough not to hold onto her anywhere near her ribs, though it seemed nearly everything hurt: every inch of skin and every muscle beneath it all. But she'd never tell him that.

"Breathe," he told her, and it was then that she realized she was actually holding her breath in an effort to assuage the pain somehow. She did as she was told, but the pain her actions unleashed, now accompanied by dizziness and sudden light-headedness, had her collapsing in his arms almost instantly.

The Doctor pulled Rose closer to him then lifted her carefully into his arms, worry clear in his tone as he called her name. She was unconscious again, but no matter; he'd get her to the TARDIS and heal her wounds. He owed her at least that much.

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The Doctor walked briskly through the woods, moonlight poking through thickening clouds now and then to lighten his path towards the TARDIS.

Rose remained unconscious, which was probably best; at least she wouldn't feel the pain his movement would surely be causing her.

Suddenly the Doctor stopped and sniffed the air. He smelled smoke - but not that of fire, no, this was on an infinitely smaller level. He inhaled deeply. Nicotine. Cigarette smoke. Which meant ...

He heard the booted footsteps and searched his surroundings quickly, ducking himself and Rose behind a thick crop of brush. The soldiers were close: it had been a miracle that they hadn't seen him before he was able to hide. Apparently luck was on his side.

He stayed bent down, Rose secure within his arms, and dared not even breathe when the team walked by. That was when Rose began to rouse into consciousness, a whimper escaping her lips before the Doctor realized what was happening.

The search party came to an abrupt halt, having heard the unmistakable sound of a woman in distress. Thier flashlights began skimming through the bushes and trees, and the Doctor bent down further, completely covering Rose with his body.

"Rose," he whispered. "don't make a sound." His impossibly quiet words were spoken very slowly and urgently, and she nodded, acknowledging him.

The Doctor's luck was apparently still holding after all, for as one of the men moved his beam of light into the wooded brush just opposite of the Doctor's hiding place, a high-pitched scream, followed by a small creature resembling that of an Earth hyena tore through the quietness, making the soldiers first jump, then chuckle nervously. Satisfied that the noise they'd heard had come from the animal, they continued their trek, moving away from the Doctor.

It was a good three minutes before the Time Lord began feeling confident enough to speak.

"It's all right, Rose. I think they're gone." That being said, he finally stood, realizing his injured companion was unconscious once more. It was ironic, that. But no matter. It was simply another nudge of encouragement to get Rose to the safety of the TARDIS and repair her injuries.

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Rose awoke to bright white lights and walls. She looked around the room, soon realizing that she was in the TARDIS Infirmary. At first she was clueless as to why she was here, but then the memories flooded her mind with sights and sounds, and she closed her eyes tightly against the onslaught. When she opened them again, she was face to face with a smiling Doctor.

"Good morning, Rose Tyler! Sleep well?"

"I, um, yeah. I s'pose?"

"You've been asleep for six whole hours and all you can say is you s'pose? Take a deep breath, Rose. A really, really deep breath."

Rose looked at the Doctor for a moment then did as he said, grinning when she felt no pain. Then she lifted her left arm, noting the soreness was gone. "Wow, you fixed me!" she exclaimed.

His facial expression clearly showed how relieved he was from her statement. "Almost. Got rid of your fever, used a bit of regenerative gel on the muscles around your shoulder, and healed your ribs. But I still need to use the dermal regenerator on your cuts and bruises. I was just waitin' for you to wake up. I wanted you to sleep a little before I started that."

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"Machine's a little loud. Didn't want to disturb your beauty rest."

Rose smiled warmly. "We're back," she said, stating the obvious.

"Yeah. You just noticin' that now? Maybe I should check you over a little closer. Might've knocked your head or somethin'."

"I noticed it before. Just was wonderin' how that happened."

"I carried you back here after it got dark. You weren't strong enough to make the trip on your own." His expression darkened for a moment, and then it was gone, as if a memory had troubled him and he quickly tucked it away.

"Thanks."

Rose waited for the Doctor to respond, but he didn't, instead focusing his attention on the computer behind him, his back now facing her.

"Doctor? Are you all right?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Yeah, been better though," she told him honestly, feeling what was likely to be a migraine coming on.

"I reckon so. But you'll feel even better soon, I promise you that." He turned and smiled confidently at Rose, but she could see it wasn't genuine. And he was way too quiet for her comfort as he began using the dermal regenerator on her wrists, removing the ugly bruises and cuts and their lingering pain. "Doctor?"

"Yeah?" he replied, seemingly concentrating on his task.

"So how come they didn't find us? You said before that their technology was close to that on present-day Earth, right?"

"Yep. Close, but not quite there yet, lucky us. They had airplanes flyin' round and soldiers here and there lookin' for us, but luckily they haven't developed heat sensors and the like. So they couldn't actually see us unless it was with their very own eyes," he smiled a bit smugly. "There. All done," he declared, setting the dermal regenerator on the counter behind him. "How's that feel?"

Rose lifted her wrists up above her and looked at them, flexing her hands into fists and twisting them about. "They feel lots better. Thanks."

"Fantastic!" he replied, finished with the last of her injuries. "You're head's gonna hurt, probably already is an' you're just not sayin' anythin' about it, but that's to be expected from that injection they gave you. If it get's to be too much, tell me."

She nodded. "So, Doctor," Rose began, "they didn't have heat detectin' thingies to find us with, but don't they have other stuff, like dogs that could've sniffed out our trail and lead 'em straight to us?" she asked, trying to concentrate on their conversation rather than the throbbing of her head that she wasn't about to mention.

"Nope. Barcelona, remember? Dogs with no noses!" he answered excitedly, talking over his shoulder to her as he skimmed through the readouts on the Infirmary's computer screen. "Shame you won't remember any of this, but no bother, sometime later I'll offer to take you there again, and I'll make sure the date's just right so you'll have better times to remember instead of this one. No more landin' in the middle of their civil war."

The Doctor typed in a few things on the keyboard below the computer monitor, waiting a moment until a bell chimed from its speakers. He then opened a drawer below it and pulled out a syringe. Tapping it lightly as he pushed the plunger in just a little to release an air bubble, he smiled when he turned back around to Rose, who was watching him with abject fascination. Then she frowned.

"Wait a minute. You think that you can just wipe my memories of this and it's just gonna be all better? Just like that? Who died and made you God?!"

"You almost did," he answered quietly, looking suddenly distraught. Just as quickly though, that look disappeared.

"I'm not doin' anythin' to make your memories go away" he continued. "It's the drug they injected you with when you were first captured. I figured out what it was; it's called Urynthium. Usually leaves the system within seventy-two hours give or take a few, and with it, all memories from those three days as well. The way I figure it, by the time you wake up in the morning, after I give you this nice little supplemental cocktail filled with nutrients and electrolytes and just a touch of sedative to ensure you rest properly, it won't even be a distant memory."

He injected her with the solution before she had a moment to voice any objections, and watched as the sedation part of the mixture took effect quickly, her eyes closing before she could form another word from her slightly parted lips.

He gently cupped her cheek, grinning down at her peacefully sleeping face. "I want to give you as many good memories as I possibly can," he whispered. "And I will, Rose Tyler, I promise. Cross my heart."

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Epilogue

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Rose watched as the Doctor transformed before her very eyes, fear ripping through her thoughts as he literally changed from the only Time Lord she'd ever known into someone totally different. He'd told her he was going to change - warned her to stay back while it was happening - but this was far too much for her to absorb. He was alive, but it wasn't him. Her body was literally shaking from the shock of it all; her mind going numb.

He said something about new teeth, this stranger in her Doctor's clothing, and then asked a question to himself before looking directly at her.

"Ah yes!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Barcelona!"

Rose stood there, still as stone, the memories all coming back like a tidal wave, engulfing her with renewed thoughts of fear and pain. All from a little planet called Barcelona, where a civil war thrived and she'd been captured and tortured, then finally saved by the man this stranger had replaced.

Suddenly the sight of her Doctor transformed wasn't nearly as shocking as her memories of horrors long forgotten. It would change her, far more than his transformation ever could.

The End.

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