Character/Pairing: Ten/Rose
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: The BBC owns all, I am merely borrowing.
Spoilers: Through Voyage of the Damned.
Author's Notes: Follows soon after Choices We Made. The Doctor, Rose and their daughter settle into life on board the TARDIS. Each part of this story contains a series of connected vignettes that cover the five years between CWM and a sequel.
TIMELINES
The glare of bright lights reflect across the wet pavement and she can almost taste the tang of electricity in the air. A man in a brown pin-striped suit is sitting on the floor a few yards away, cradling a limp body against his chest. She steps toward him, but stops when she sees blonde hair.
Someone touches her shoulder and a familiar voice whispers, "Tell him."
"It's too late," the Doctor states although his voice trembles. He turns his head and she sees that his dark eyes are brimming with tears. "I'm sorry. Hope, I'm so sorry. I couldn't..."
Gasping, Hope woke to unfamiliar surroundings and the thunderous patter of heavy rain. Clutching the rough blanket with shaking hands, her eyes darted to the dark corners of the room, expecting a specter of her dream to jump out at any moment. Then she remembered the storm and the decision to spend the night in a dilapidated barn. Needing to see her parents alive and well, she wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and shuffled into the main room.
"Oh, hello," the Doctor said, spotting her. "You all right?"
She nodded, nervously tugging on her braid.
"No, you're not." He beckoned her closer. "Nightmare?"
She nodded again, but didn't move. She was still cautious around him when they were alone, despite traveling together for several weeks.
"I thought so. First night spent outside the TARDIS. Promised I'd help, didn't I?"
"But you've got to..." She pointed to the scraps of paper scattered near his feet.
"Nah. Had those calculations finished hours ago." He smiled, patting the hay covered ground. "Come on. Hay's plenty soft."
Hesitantly, she approached, carefully sitting on the ground beside him.
"Now, tell me about this nightmare."
She swallowed hard, picking at the fabric of her jeans. "You were there. An' so was Mum. She was...hurt. Bad. An' I needed to tell you somethin', but I couldn't remember. It was so important, but I couldn't..." Sucking in a deep breath, she tried not to cry. "I couldn't..."
"Hey, hush now," he murmured, drawing her into a hug. "It's all right. We're safe. We're all safe. It was just a ripple. A possibility. Nothing to worry about." He kissed the top of her head, rocking her gently as she sobbed into his shirt. "You're safe."
"It won't happen?" she asked with a tremor of hope.
"Well..." Faced with her tear streaked face, he hesitated. "No. Probably not. It's...complicated. Timelines are bleeding into your subconscious. Few barriers an' it shouldn't happen anymore."
"That's it?"
"Yeah...that's it." He kissed the top of her head. "Sit across from me an' we'll get started."
After spending a few hours investigating the small town in which the TARDIS had landed, the Doctor was bored. When they'd first arrived, Rose's golden hair had brought the villagers to their knees with joyous exclamations. They were convinced she was a local goddess and whisked her away for pampering. However there was nothing dangerous and having to entertain a seven year old was diminishing what patience the Doctor had left. As the twin suns began to set, he decided it was time they left. But when they reached the temple, the villagers refused them entrance.
"She's not a goddess!" the Doctor argued. "She's human. Human as they come, really. Well, a bit less after that whole mess with the vortex, but more so than most people in the fifty-second century."
"But her hair is...blonde," a man with a staff murmured with reverence.
"Yes, well, she's not a real blonde. Dyes her hair. Disgusting habit. All that peroxide." The Doctor wrinkled his nose. "But I can't convince her otherwise. And believe me, I've tried."
The entire crowd gasped and the man shook his staff to keep them quiet. "Impersonating the goddess is punishable by...death."
"Impersonating? No, no, no, no, no, no," the Doctor said quickly. "More of a tribute really. Like Cirque du Soleil and the Beatles."
"Sir, are you comparing the Goddess of the Dawn to an insect?! That is an even greater crime."
"Oh, you'd better not visit Bora Bora." The Doctor tilted his head toward Hope, clarifying, "Planet, not the city."
Hope had soon realized that there was no better negotiator in the universe than her father. She always watched him carefully, trying to learn how he managed it. But this time, something was different. As the conversation shifted, her vision blurred, everything overlapping in a dizzying array. It reminded her of a fair ground ride, spinning out of control. Overwhelmed by vertigo, she stumbled, almost collapsing before the Doctor caught her.
"Not that shocking is it?" he commented, pressing his palm against her forehead. "Hope? What's wrong?" Not waiting for an answer, he swerved to face the crowd. "What have you done to her?"
"We have done nothing, Doctor."
"Everything went blurry," Hope whispered. "Then it...wasn't."
"Like it snapped back into place?" the Doctor asked.
She nodded.
"Ah." He ran a hand through his hair. "Are you all right now?"
"Think so." She attempted to stand, but the world refused to remain stationary. "Oh..."
The Doctor gripped her arm tightly, keeping her steady. "Look at me, sweetheart. Just me."
She did and although everything else still swerved oddly, the Doctor was in perfect focus.
"That's it. Close your eyes if you have to. It should pass in a minute." He stretched, reaching into a pocket to find his sonic screwdriver. Finding it, he pointed it at the sky and there was a sudden rumble of thunder.
The crowd gasped, in fear this time, pointing at the dark clouds gathering above.
"Oh, did I forget to mention I'm the Goddess of Dawn's lover?" the Doctor remarked casually. "And if I'm not mistaken, she doesn't like being kept waiting."
As soon as they returned to the TARDIS, the Doctor whisked Hope into the study, hoping the familiar room would be more reassuring than the difficult explanation.
"Am I sick?" she asked, nervously tugging on her braid.
"No," he said firmly. "No, of course not. It's perfectly natural. For a Time Lord, well, Time Lady."
"What was it, then?"
"It's possibilities. Lots of them. You're seeing what is, what was, what could be, and...what must not. All at once, well, it's a bit of a mess to the untrained eye." He ran a hand through his hair. "Of course, you've got a natural talent for it. Hard wired, you know. Every time it happens it should get easier. You'll be able to sort through 'em before long."
"Then what?"
"Well, you'll learn how to influence things. How to make events happen the way they should." He slouched against the back of the sofa, crossing his ankles. "Some things are fixed points. We can't change those."
"Like Jack?"
He grimaced. "Yeah. Like Jack. But other things...lots of other things are in flux. They can change. And a little nudge here or there, nobody's the wiser. Except us."
"That's what you do?"
"Sometimes," he murmured, years of regret apparent in his tone. "Of course, you can't ever see your own future. If you're lucky, very very very lucky, you might get a brief glimpse, a snapshot of sorts, every hundred years or so. But even that can be unreliable. Things change all the time." Lost in his own thoughts, he shook himself, straightening and taking her small hands in his own. "Sometimes the TARDIS takes us places we need to be. To fix events before they get out of control."
It was late. Very late. Time might be relative on the TARDIS, but Rose knew the Doctor had been missing for more than ten hours. He often lost track of time while fussing with the mechanics of his ship, but it wasn't like him to miss telling Hope a bedtime story. Insisting something was wrong, Hope was restless, only falling asleep when exhaustion claimed her. Worried, Rose pressed a kiss against her daughter's forehead and hurried to the console room. That was when she discovered they were parked on an alien world. And had been. For hours.
Rose lacked the ability to read the complex circles on the monitor, but the parking brake was engaged and the indicator light was flashing orange. She took a deep breath, trying to think clearly despite the evidence in front of her. As she began to consider going after him, the door swung open and the Doctor wearily stepped inside.
"Where have you been?" she demanded, spinning to face him. "S'been hours and--"
"Out. There was something that..." He stumbled, grabbing the railing for support.
"Doctor!" She rushed to his side, gasping when she noticed the dark stains on his clothing. "You're hurt! What happened?"
"Complications," he grumbled, wincing as she unbuttoned his suit jacket.
"Complications? What were you thinking, going out on your own?"
"Well, I certainly didn't anticipate a booby trapped trail with ang--GAH!" he shouted when she lifted his arm. "Fracture."
Her frown deepened as she removed his coat and jacket with shaking hands.
"It was too dangerous. For you," he said quietly when she'd finished. "I can regenerate."
She tossed the soiled clothing over the opposite railing. "Don't be foolish."
He sighed. "I'm fine, Rose. Perfectly fine."
"Obviously," she stated tartly, guiding his arm over her shoulder to help support him. "Infirmary, yeah?"
They were half way down the hallway when one of the doors creaked open.
"Dad!" Hope shouted, running up to them and throwing her arms around her father's legs. "I knew something was wrong. I just knew it. I told Mum, but she said I was being silly. You're okay, aren't you? Aren't you?"
"Oh, sweetheart, I'm all right," he murmured, kneeling and hugging her tightly with his good arm. "Just a few scratches. Nothing to worry about."
Tentatively, Hope touched his stained shirt. "But..."
"Off to bed with you," Rose interrupted.
"But..."
"Listen to your Mum," the Doctor instructed, pulling back to look her in the eye. "You can ask all the questions you like in the morning. All right?"
Hope wanted to argue, but she bit her lip instead, nodding slowly.
"Good girl." He kissed the top of her head and gave her a small push in the direction of her room. "Off you go."
They waited until she disappeared from sight, her bedroom door firmly shut, before continuing to the infirmary.
"You're going to answer all her questions are you?" Rose inquired, pushing open the door and leading him inside.
"Welllll....some of them." He attempted to open a drawer and winced.
Rose sighed. "Sit down. Let me find it."
"The bone matrix stabilizer," he instructed, sitting gingerly on the examination table. "And that salve from Chromos 14."
She nodded, opening a drawer and squinting at the labeled jars. "Hope knew you were hurt. Does that mean she's gettin' better with..."
He shrugged, struggling to unbutton his shirt with one hand. "Possibly."
"What if she doesn't?"
"When I was eight, I looked into the untempered schism. We all did. Part of the initiation for the Academy. Staring at all that raw power..." Absently, he raised his arm to rub the back of his neck, stopping with a hiss of pain. "Put a lot of things in perspective."
Rose handed him the container of salve. "Well, can't she...?"
"Doesn't exist anymore. It's gone." He tried to smile. "She'll be fine."
"I didn't even believe her," Rose murmured, opening a cabinet and reaching deep inside.
"You didn't have a reason to." He inspected his shirt and tie. "I don't think even the TARDIS can save these."
The stabilizer banged against the counter, startling the Doctor into looking up at her.
"How can you be so..." She sucked in a deep breath. "I know there are things you need to do. Champion of the universe, you are. But you can't keep sneaking off like this. What if...what if...?"
"That won't happen," he stated firmly.
"How do you know?"
He pursed his lips, avoiding her gaze as he finished undressing.
"You don't. I know you don't."
He settled back on the table, opening the salve. "Set the stabilizer to forty-two."
"Just, promise me, you'll tell me when you're gonna run off an' do somethin' stupid."
"Why? So you can wander off and complicate things?" he retorted.
"No. So I can tell the TARDIS to lock you up 'til you come to your senses."
"Rose, that hardly seems...OW!" he yelped as she lifted his arm toward the stabilizer. "Careful."
"Always." She turned a dial and the device hummed as it started to work. "You, on the other hand..."
With a sigh, the Doctor set the salve aside and reached for her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I promise, Rose. I'll tell you next time."
Sometimes, it hit her like a train. The possibilities and consequences spiraling out of control, while all Hope could do was focus on remaining upright. Whether they were having tea or running for their lives, the Doctor always noticed.
"It'll get easier," he said, over and over, each time with a little less certainty.
"I've had a talk with the TARDIS. Well, not really a talk. I mean, she can't talk, not in words, but you know that." The Doctor rocked back on his heels, smiling in a way that wasn't quite encouraging.
His eight year old daughter tilted her head, giving him a skeptical look that reminded him strongly of Rose when she'd first travelled with him. "A talk about what?"
"Oh, just about you having a quick little gander at the vortex. Turns out your mother was right to suggest it. Now that you're the appropriate age, it should be safe. You're still too young to be influenced and it will help your focus."
"No more dizziness?"
"No more dizziness," he agreed.
"Did you...?"
"Sort of." He hesitated for a moment. "On...on Gallifrey we had the untempered schism. This won't be quite the same. Couldn't possibly."
She tugged on her braid while studying her shoelaces. "What'll happen?"
"Well, the TARDIS will give you a peek inside the console, only for a second or two, but it'll feel like a lot longer." He knelt in front of her, gently cupping her chin, encouraging her to meet his gaze. "You'll see all of time and space."
"Will it...hurt?" she asked, worrying her lip.
He shook his head. "Not a bit." Reaching out, he tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "It's the only time we can view our personal timeline in any capacity. Any other time and it just slips away. Like oil on water."
"What did you see?"
"Suffering," he admitted with a sad smile. "And I could help."
Time.
It was everywhere. A part of everything. And she was a part of it.
It welcomed her in a golden embrace that was present and past and eternal. It was in her blood. An inheritance that stretched back to a distant world she would never know.
The ebb and flow surrounded her, showing her the expanse and how it could be influenced.
How she would be a vessel for what must come to pass.
Just as her father had. The Oncoming Storm. The Doctor. Always running.
He had chosen his name, but it was her name that had chosen her.
Hope.
And that was what she would be.
"Doctor, what do you think about takin' a holiday on..." Rose stopped short, almost tripping over an unexpected object on the console room floor.
"Hmm?" the Doctor prompted, voice garbled from his position under the central console.
"There's a...hand," she stammered. "A hand. In a...in a..."
"Hermetically sealed container with vicinity tracking? Yep," he confirmed. "Had to move it to get at these couplings."
"What's it tracking?"
"Me." He pushed himself out from under the console. "Well, it was. Jack had it."
"Jack?" she repeated, looking even more confused. Suddenly, her eyes went wide with comprehension. "That's your hand!"
"Hello!" He waved, wriggling the fingers of his fighting hand.
Tentatively, Rose reached out to touch the container, but paused to ask, "What was Jack doin' with your hand?"
"Oh, he thought I might need it one day. Kept it safe for me."
She glanced up at him, eyes narrowed. "That doesn't sound like Jack."
"He's a different man than he was before."
"Not that different."
The Doctor sighed. "He wanted to know what he'd become. What had happened to make him...timeless. He thought I could fix him." His jaw clenched as he added bitterly, "I can't."
"You never said, how you met up with him again."
"I didn't?" he asked, trying to sound surprised. "Did you say something about a holiday?"
"Yeah. Just, thought it'd be nice after everythin' that's happened lately. Hope's feelin' better."
"Yes, well, splendid idea. It has been rough lately, hasn't it?" Frowning, he tapped something on the console. "Only...can it wait?"
She moved to stand beside him, leaning against his shoulder. "Why?"
"I'm about to go do something foolish. On my own." He glanced down at her with a shaky smile. "That all right?"
She sighed. "Just...be careful, yeah?"
"Always," he murmured, pressing a brief kiss against her lips as he swiftly turned to the controls.