Finding His Reason
Chapter 6 - The Long Game
The room was dark, the only light coming from the painted universe that decorated the walls and ceiling. Muted reds, dark blues, and purples - from iridescent to almost black - created the planets and stars and systems, the colors glowing softly in the darkness of the room. The blankets moved as The Doctor stirred slowly. The warmth surrounding him made him feel lazy and peaceful. It was the first time, in a long time, that The Doctor had slept throughout the night. His mind and twin hearts were at peace, a feeling of absolute safety and love infusing his being.
He moved slowly as he drew in a breath, Rose's scent filling his lungs and senses completely. The muscles beneath his skin quivered, his twin hearts picking up speed as he remembered where he was and whose bed he was in. His eyes fluttered open slowly as he flexed his right hand and felt velvety soft skin beneath his fingertips. The woman lying beneath him was still sleeping soundly, a small miracle he was thankful for as he found himself in a more awkward position than he remembered falling asleep in. What he had thought was a sheet covering his right hand turned out to be her sleep shirt instead.
The curve between his fingers and thumb had somehow found itself tucked underneath the pillowing mound of her breast as they slept, her skin almost scalding against his own. Her legs were curled over the backs of his, her left thigh high on his waist. He was content to stay where he was, lying on top of her and in between her legs, as she held him wrapped in her arms. She was holding him close, one of her hands curled around the back of his neck and her other arm wrapped around his shoulders. She was protecting him, he realized. From the monsters that lay hidden in his dreams or memories of the past that served only to haunt him and drive him mad, she would protect him.
"Doctor?"
Rose's voice was soft and muffled, his name slurred on her lips. He turned his attention up to her face, her eyes closed as thick dark lashes dusted the curve of her cheeks. She was talking in her sleep, he noted and smiled as he studied her. Lifting his hand to her face, he touched her cheek and temple, before smoothing her sleep tousled hair back against the pillow. It was true that Gallifrey had been a predominantly male society, though the women had always been revered. They were treasured and respected. A married man wasn't even allowed to sleep in the same room as his wife unless she invited him.
Rose mumbled again, the soft sound pulling his attention from his thoughts and back to her. He needed to get up, he told himself. It wouldn't do well for Rose to wake up with him still in her arms. What would she think? Lifting his hand from the bed and moving to gently grip her leg that was wrapped around his waist, he stilled when he came into contact with bare skin. He didn't think as he slid his hand slowly up to her hip and found that the clothing he expected to have been bunched up was missing completely. How had he not known that she wasn't wearing pants last night? Her sleep shirt was barely anything, just a flimsy bit of cloth that covered her and left only shadows for him to see.
"Blimey," The Doctor whispered, his breath shuddering as it fell from his lips. "You're not wearing any pants," he said, cursing himself for speaking the thought aloud.
"Never wear pants to bed," Rose mumbled as she rubbed her foot against the back of his leg, stretching without truly waking. "Not here anyway. TARDIS keeps m'warm."
She moved slowly, a drowsy pout on her lips as her eyes fluttered opened. He could tell that she was still mostly asleep and wondered how much of this she thought was a dream. She asked him to stay, her hand brushing over his cheek as she petted his face with concern. Kissing her forehead, he teased her that she would sleep her life away if he let her and laughed when she tried to drag him back down to her. Petting her hair as he pulled back and slowly extracted himself from her hold, he promised to have tea waiting for her when she fully woke.
"Chocolate tea?" she asked him, her eyes barely open as she looked at him.
"If you insist," he said, leaning over as he lifted the blankets up around her shoulders. "An hour," he offered her the time and watched as she stretched lazily before turning over to look at him.
"You know, it's not like we actually have to get up for anything," Rose told him as she rubbed her hand against her cheek before reaching up to him.
"And I'm to take that to mean?" he asked her, a teasing grin twisting his lips.
"I was all comfortable and you got up. Come back to bed," Rose said as she reached out for him.
He stood silent as he stared at her. The muscles beneath his skin quivered as he looked upon her and the image she made. Part of him wanted so much to join her in the bed, to return to her embrace. His body tightened in response to her, his hearts and body wishing to return to her even as he knew that he couldn't. Returning to her bed now would be like playing with fire, and Rose Tyler, she could burn him. He drew in a trembling breath when she sat up and moved the blankets to rise up onto her knees.
"It's alright," Rose told him as she looked into his blue eyes and lifted her hand to his cheek. "Go get dressed and be The Doctor," she said, smiling as she framed his face between her hands and tilted his head down to kiss his brow.
"I'm not The Doctor now?" he asked her softly, half teasing her as he tried to hide the want and need in his voice.
"No," she shook her head as her gaze remained locked with his. "Right here, right now, you're my Doctor. Go make us some tea. I'll meet you in the kitchen."
"Rose Tyler," he spoke her name with a breathy, relieved laugh. "I'll make you your tea."
She gave him a wide smile as she watched him turn toward the door, laughing when he turned back to look at her before exiting the room. The door closed quietly behind him as he left her room, surprised when he stepped into the hall instead of into his room as he had last night. He didn't see Adam standing in the hall lengths behind him, the boy's expression unreadable as he watched The Doctor walk down the hall and into his own room. Adam stayed where he was as he watched the door open again, Rose walking out of her room wrapped in a dressing gown and padding across the floor in socks that he thought looked too big for her feet.
She turned down the hall toward him, not seeing him standing there until she was an arm's length away. The smile she greeted him with was full of emotion that he knew wasn't meant for him, but he promised himself that one day it would be. He didn't understand why he was so jealous or why he wanted her. Perhaps it was because she was the only girl he'd met who didn't think him a nutter for talking about aliens and other worlds and the like. Or maybe, he thought, maybe it was for the same reason that The Doctor seemed to keep her with him. Rose was special and anything special would be his. If he had learned one thing from Mr. van Statten, it was to go after what he wanted and be ruthless in his pursuit of it.
"Morning, Adam," Rose said as she smiled and stepped passed him.
"Are you off to the showers?" he asked her with confusion as he followed her.
"No," Rose laughed. "The gardens."
"What's in the gardens?" he asked her, and Rose looked at him with a touch of confusion and amusement.
"Several different plants including," she smiled brightly, "a Frixterran apple tree. The fruit doesn't look or taste like the apples you and I are used to, but they are delicious."
"You're going after them then?" he asked, probing for more information as he followed her in through the doors, stilling as he stared at the vast expanse of the gardens. "God, it's huge."
"I think The Doctor said this covers about forty acres, or something like that," she told him with a smile. "Go on, explore it," Rose encouraged and watched as he walked forward with wide eyes.
Moving to her tea plants as Adam began his exploration of the gardens, Rose gathered two of the long, plump beans hanging down from the plant closest to her. Tucking the beans into the pocket of her dressing gown, she looked back at Adam once more before leaving the gardens. There was so much that he hadn't seen yet, so much that he didn't understand. Her travels with The Doctor were so much more than just seeing the technology of the future, or big events of the past. It was about meeting people, learning about new cultures and species, discovering who she was and helping others where she could. It was beauty and exploration and so much more than she could ever describe.
"You're not calling that dressed, are you?"
Rose looked up at The Doctor and shook her head as she rolled her eyes. She teased him back for wearing the same outfit day after day and laughed when he told her that he'd changed his jumper. Telling him that she still wanted her chocolate tea, she walked passed him and to her bedroom. A shower was in order, she thought as she took one of the beans from the pocket of her robe and split it open with her nail. Eating the sticky pulp from inside it as she turned on the water for her shower, she ate the second bean. Dropping the husks into the bin as she removed her clothes, Rose stepped into the shower and let the spray soothe her.
:::::
She didn't like him. There were things about this boy that set her on edge and made her more suspicious of him with each moment that passed. His future was in a state of flux, his motivations setting her on edge. Following his movements as Adam stepped through halls and rooms, the TARDIS shifted pathways and closed doors before he could get to them. She knew what he wanted. She could read his thoughts and knew his desires. He was a collector, just like the man he had worked for and as long as he got what he wanted, he didn't care who got hurt along the way.
Her anger and suspicion manifested in the temperature of the air, and the boy she was monitoring wasn't the only one to feel it. Rose shivered inside her room as she stepped out of her shower and dressed. While she knew that the temperature had dropped by more than a few degrees, it was the unsettled feeling she got because of it that drew her concern. Brows furrowing as she stepped over to the wardrobe, Rose opened the cupboard door and pulled out the cloth and oil the woman had given her. She hadn't used the items yet, but feeling the TARDIS' upset, she knew it would be as good a time as any.
Uncapping the bottle and pouring a generous amount onto the soft cloth, Rose stepped over to the wall by the bookshelf. Lifting the cloth to the wall and praying she didn't wipe away the mural the TARDIS had made for her, she began to smooth the oiled cloth in slow gentle circles. She couldn't speak to the TARDIS like The Doctor could, but the least she could do was try. Closing her eyes as she continued her ministrations, Rose thought of her concern for the TARDIS and focused on her desire to know what was wrong.
She could feel it at a distance at first, someone stroking her and caring for her. It wasn't The Doctor, the TARDIS thought as warmth and love began to break through and distract her from Adam. There was a softness that she could feel, almost as though someone was massaging her and seconds later she heard Rose's soft voice as her thoughts whispered to her. Her Time Lord may have brought this girl on board, but Rose was hers. She had chosen this girl to stay with them and, with each moment that passed, she knew that her decision couldn't have been better.
"TARDIS?" Rose spoke aloud inside her room as she added more oil to the cloth and continued to rub it into the walls. "Are you alright? The Doctor's said that you're telepathic, but I don't know if you can hear me. I'm not like him."
"No, you're not, Rose," the TARDIS responded even though she knew the girl couldn't hear her. "You're so much better and special. My Rose, not even a Time Lord, but you care for me like I was one of your own."
Rose took in a shaking breath and released it in a heavy amused sigh. The air around her grew warm, circling her in a slow spiral until it lifted her hair and toyed with the edges of her collar. Biting her lip as she smiled and closed her eyes, Rose focused her thoughts on the desire to return the TARDIS' embrace and turned back to her bed when she heard the soft trilling of her flower. She wasn't sure what to make of his songs, the flower stretching and reaching up as it fluttered its petals and shook its leaves. He certainly looked happy to her and Rose wondered if the flower could feel the TARDIS too.
She looked down on the girl as her hand stilled on the wall and felt Rose's mood drop suddenly. Looking into Rose's heart, the TARDIS felt the heaviness of her concern and the darkness of her worry. Her heart was wide open, honest and selfless, and the TARDIS knew that she was concerned about The Doctor. Wondering if Rose would speak her thoughts aloud, she waited and warmed the air around the girl to bring her comfort.
"He was hurt," Rose said softly, shaking her head slowly as she resumed her work with the oiled cloth. "The Doctor was hurt by van Statten, but he acts so tough and tries to hide it. Will you help me, TARDIS?" Rose asked, turning her eyes up at the ceiling. "If he has nightmares or gets scared, will you bring him to me? Even if I'm sleeping, just bring him to me and let me hold him, yeah?" she asked of the TARDIS. "I don't want him to be alone with that kind of hurt."
"Rose Tyler, I can see all of you and our Time Lord could never do any better," the TARDIS said as she made the stars on the wall in front of Rose's eyes glow. The planets in the system revolved around the red-gold sun, the air warming around Rose as it closed in thick enough to be felt like a touch before dissipating. She watched as the girl smiled, felt the warmth of her heart as Rose reached out in thanks. They couldn't talk, but still they had found a way to communicate with each other and even as subtle as it was, it worked perfectly.
"Rose." She turned around at the sound of The Doctor's voice and smiled to see him poking his head in the door. "Came to see if you were ready. What are you doing?" he asked as he stepped toward Rose, his eyes fixed on the cloth in her hand.
"The planet," Rose told him with a smile, "the girl I got the blanket from. She gave me oil for living skin, for the TARDIS."
"You're rubbin' her down then?" he asked her with an amused shake of his head. "You're spoiling her, you know?"
"Everyone deserves a bit of spoiling," Rose teased him with a wink. "She said it was safe enough for me to use as well, but I haven't tried it yet."
The Doctor lifted the bottle from the shelf near Rose, removing the cap and bringing it close to smell the oil inside. The oil was made of natural plant extracts, the liquid inside adapting to scent of the person, or thing it was used on instead of covering it up with a different smell. Putting the cap back on the bottle, he told Rose the tea was ready and waited as she petted her flower before leaving the room. He hadn't been certain what to think when he had found Rose with the sentient plant at first, but day after day he watched her care for it as though she had adopted a child. A flower that had been near its end from the sadness of losing the couple it had been with years back thrived and flourished under her care. The sight of its vibrant colors and the sound of its trilling song spoke more about Rose than anything else ever could.
He smiled when Rose took his hand and let him lead her into the kitchen. It was just the two of them, Adam nowhere in sight, and The Doctor was glad for that. There were things about the boy that he wasn't sure he liked. It was even more troubling to him that the TARDIS didn't like Adam. While Rose was the only of his companions that she had plainly said she liked, she had never seemed to outright dislike anyone before. He turned his attention to Rose when he heard her sigh, and watched as she lifted her mug to breathe in the aroma of the tea.
"She was upset," Rose said as she looked up at him with a concerned frown. "The TARDIS."
"Yes." The Doctor nodded.
"Why?" Rose asked and watched him purse his lips, the expression on his face telling her that he wouldn't give her an actual answer.
"Not sure yet," he answered and watched Rose nod slowly.
"Alright, then," Rose said and grinned as she lifted the mug to take a sip. "That just means I get to find out the same time you do."
"Not going to badger me for answers then?" he teased her and listened to her laugh.
"No, that'd be my mum," she teased back.
Rose laughed as she watched The Doctor lift his hand to his cheek, the memory of her mother slapping him still amusing to her. Stepping up to him as he dropped his hand, she lifted onto her toes and kissed his cheek before walking passed him. He stilled as he watched her move, the feel of her lips on his face making his skin tingle. He had kissed her cheek or her brow several times before, so why did her one kiss to his cheek feel so different? Why did it make him have to remain perfectly still just to keep from grabbing her back to him? Why was Rose Tyler so different from everyone else?
"Rose..." The Doctor paused as he turned to look at her. "What do you want to do today?" he asked, frowning as he knew that hadn't been the question he'd wanted to ask.
"Travel." She took in a deep breath as she smiled and set her cup down. "Into the future. Far into the future," she answered.
"How far?" he asked as he grinned, his expression one of delight and adventure.
"Oh, I don't know," she said as she stepped up to him. "You choose, but," she held up her hand and winked. "You let me tell Adam when we get there."
He regarded her suspiciously for a moment before smiling. "Alright then. We'll see how your boyfriend takes it," he told her and watched her roll her eyes as she grinned.
"Think you're so smart," she teased him with a shake of her head.
"I am so smart," he told her, pretending to be offended as he straightened and nodded.
"There you are!" Adam said from the doorway as he stepped into the kitchen, The Doctor and Rose falling silent as they turned to look at him.
"Get lost?" Rose asked and looked at Adam with amusement when he nodded. "How lost?" she asked with a curious grin.
"It's not fair, you know. There need to be signs or something," Adam told her with a heavy sigh, though he tried to play off his frustration with a smile. "I was in the gardens and tried to find my way back to where you and I had gone in, but I got turned around, or something. I found a door near the pepper plants. At least I think they were pepper plants. Looked like peppers anyway."
"Pepper plants?" Rose asked as she turned to The Doctor with a smile.
"Roxtaran peppers," he told her. "Moderately edible."
"Moderately?" Rose teased him with a curious grin.
"Bit hot," he answered as he motioned his mouth. "Make you burn for days."
"Anyway," Adam interrupted them, The Doctor's expression losing his teasing grin and becoming unreadable. "Found myself out by the pool. Didn't see any kind of hall between the gardens or pool, so I walked through until I found another door. Ended up by some kind of storage bay, I think. Room was empty and almost as big as the pool."
The Doctor snorted, but remained silent. The TARDIS had been toying with Adam, having her fun by switching around the rooms until the boy was too lost for words. He listed as Adam continued, telling them of having found himself in the gardens again from another door and then finally being led back to his room. He had spent more than two hours trying to find his way to the kitchen and The Doctor watched as Rose's lips twitched with amusement. She was trying not to laugh, he could see that clearly, but the daft boy she had brought on board thought she was smiling for him. The Doctor rolled his eyes when Adam puffed out his chest and smiled with something resembling pride. Did he actually think Rose was impressed by his getting lost?
"Stop it," Rose whispered to him as she tapped the back of her hand against The Doctor's thigh without Adam noticing.
"Stop what? I'm not doing anything," he whispered back, noticing Rose's grin as she tried to keep her chuckle silent.
"You know exactly what you're doing," she teased him and shook her head. "Now stop it."
"I'm not the one who moves the rooms," he told her with a satisfied room.
"Now, don't go blaming the TARDIS," Rose laughed softly. "She never did anything like that to me."
"Ha!" The TARDIS laughed at The Doctor, her amusement undeniable. "I like Rose."
Old Girl, you only like her because she takes your side, The Doctor shot back telepathically.
"That's because she's smarter than you."
"Oi!" The Doctor shouted his retort and pursed his lips when Adam and Rose regarded him with confusion. "Enough with all this talkin'. You humans just jabbering away." Rubbing his hands together, he moved to the door of the kitchen. "Time to go see the universe!"
:::::
The Doctor looked down at the controls of the TARDIS as the ship landed and studied the coordinates shown. He looked back at Rose before glancing at Adam and rolling his eyes. She laughed quietly, her eyes sparkling with humor as she looked back at Adam and watched as he looked around at the TARDIS with wide eyes. Turning back to The Doctor with an amused shrug, she jogged forward to take his hand and followed him out of the ship, the doors closing behind them. He told her when they were, explained to her where they were and nodded to the gate across from them.
He knew the technology that would be found here would be far beyond anything Adam was used to. Rose had seen different worlds several times over. She'd been far into the future, farther than this place and The Doctor had never once had any doubts about her. But Adam was another story. He didn't know if he could trust the human boy, doubted very much that the TARDIS ever would, and knew that this would be his test. He met Rose's smile as she rapped her knuckles on the TARDIS door and bid Adam to come out.
Rose stood aside when Adam emerged out of the TARDIS, telling him when they were and walking around as she gave evidence to her answers of where they were. She led the way across the room and through the gate, looking out at the Earth below with The Doctor, and feeling more annoyed than disappointed when Adam fainted. She had never meant to form any deep kind of relationship with him, though she knew that Adam thought differently. No man - human or otherwise - would ever be able to compare to The Doctor in her eyes.
:::::
He had known it would be dangerous in some manner, even warned her to stay back when they got to floor five hundred, but she wouldn't have it. His Rose was tough, always fighting and staying by his side. She refused to let him battle alone, refused to let him face anything dark or dangerous alone. As much as it worried him, it thrilled him as well. She was strong and courageous and... The Doctor looked away from her, turning his attention to the computer screens and trying to banish the thought that wouldn't be silenced. She was his Rose, but she would never be his. She could never be his. Not like that, there were too many things keeping them apart.
He looked around the room, the corpses disturbing in their own right, but the living dead worse still. People kept working by the computer chips implanted inside their brains while their bodies decayed slowly in the frigid cold. He looked over at Rose, watching as she went to Suki and tried to get a reaction of any kind from her. Telling her that the woman was dead hurt him if only because he knew that it hurt her. Her rage fueled his, her will to fight making him stand tall in defense of her. It was her willingness to defend him that made him brave when he wasn't sure that he could be. Other incarnations had been warriors, but him? He had always been more of a coward. It was Rose who made him strong.
He tried to leave, only to find both himself and Rose captured. What had been curious and somewhat dangerous before, was made worse by the creature in the ceiling above them. The Mighty Jagrafess and the foolish human who believed he was powerful because of the master he served. His rage burned hotter the moment that he and Rose were confined by the manacles, his mind screaming at him because he knew what they were. He tried to distract the man that was holding them, talking as it was what he did best, but the man would not be swayed.
Rose hadn't known what to expect from their forced bondage, never knowing that the manacles were anything but cuffs to keep them restrained. She followed the man with her eyes as he moved around in front of them, wanting to yell at him for what he was doing. How could he betray, not only the people on Satellite Five, but the whole of the human race like this? He demanded their identities from them, snapping his fingers when he didn't like The Doctor's answer and Rose cried out as the electricity slammed through her.
Her wrists were on fire, her arms and shoulders aching as the electricity shot through her. She gritted her teeth as she tried to keep from crying out, but the pain was too much. It only lasted for seconds, not even a full minute, but it felt like hours to her. The Doctor shouted at the man to let Rose go, the sentiment making her angry even though she knew he was trying to protect her. He began to talk, his statements directed though he spoke no one's name and with a quick glance she saw what he did. There was no reason to believe that the woman would help them, but if The Doctor had taught her anything, it was to have hope.
The man in front of them stilled, his blue eyes widening with amusement, and something that almost looked like gloating. He appeared to have discovered the answer to a secret, something that no one wanted him to know. A Moment later he began to reveal The Doctor, pulling back the layers as he gave claim to his knowledge of who and what The Doctor was. He tried to deny him, but with a snap of the man's fingers a screen came to life.
Betrayal warred with disbelief as she stared at the screen, The Doctor shouting beside her as they watched the info spike flow into Adam's brain. She was furious with him, her anger such that she felt surprisingly calm. He hadn't just betrayed her trust, he had betrayed The Doctor's. Heat began to cycle through the room, the ice and frost melting in short moments as the plumbing was reversed. She gasped and flinched, the sound unheard in all the commotion as her manacles were released, her skin burning from the electricity that had shocked her once again. Working as quickly as she could, Rose dug The Doctor's sonic screwdriver out of his jacket pocket and followed his directions in using it to release him.
He was as mad as she was, his emotions almost palpable to her and Rose knew that neither one of them would come out of this ordeal unscathed. She moved with The Doctor, following him through the room as they ran to escape the Jagrafess, the heat killing it and those trapped beneath it. Time passed in moments that seemed to jump from one to the next without her remembering anything in between. She frowned as she looked at the people around them, trying to recall how they made it from the chair they'd found Cathica in back into the main area of floor one-three-nine, but she couldn't remember. Looking up as The Doctor passed her, she saw what held his focus and followed after him as he moved to confront Adam.
What he had done wasn't something that could be ignored, and Rose was doubting very much that it was something she could ever forgive him for. Regardless of what he had done to himself, it was what he had done to The Doctor that made it so much worse. She remained silent as Adam talked to her in the TARDIS, ignoring every attempt he made to convince her that he wasn't at fault. Shaking her head as she glanced at The Doctor, Rose stood from her seat and moved to stand beside him at the console, working the controls he pointed to and following his instructions.
The TARDIS landed with a jolt, The Doctor gripping Adam by the shoulder and leading him out of the ship the same way he had led him into it. He spoke to Adam, the displeasure written on his face as he walked over to the table and pointed his sonic screwdriver at the telephone and machine. It exploded seconds later, sparks and smoke coming from it as the information Adam had recorded was destroyed. Rose looked at Adam with a frown, still unable to believe that he couldn't see anything wrong with what he had done. He couldn't see the harm in any of it and, in the moment that he begged her to take him with her after The Doctor had told him no, she understood that she was also to blame.
Stepping back inside the TARDIS, she looked at The Doctor, the man already working the controls. Her lips parted as she took in a breath, the words she intended to speak dying before they were ever given sound. She had been the one to invite Adam on board in the first place, and because of it she felt somehow responsible for what he had done. Did The Doctor feel the same, she wondered. Did he blame her the same way she did herself? She wanted to apologize, but the words had been spoken so often in the past few hours by Adam that she wondered if they even held meaning anymore.
"I - I'll make us some tea," Rose said, stumbling over the words as her mind fought with her emotions.
She moved passed him, stepping through the console room and into the hall as she made her way to the kitchen. Taking the tea kettle from the stove and filling it with water, she set it back and turned on the flame beneath it. She wanted black tea, but also wanted her chocolate tea. Too tired to decide between the two, the idea of mixing them together seemed the best option and she moved from the kitchen as she stepped toward the gardens. Lifting her hand to her forehead, she rubbed the space between her brows as the headache caused by the electrified manacles grew worse.
Stepping into the gardens, Rose frowned as the air thickened and swirled around her, the temperature growing colder instead of warmer as it usually did. Taking in a shaking breath as her steps grew slower, she nodded to herself as she believed that the TARDIS was mad at her, never realizing that the ship was doing her best to help her instead. Blinking slowly as she moved to walk up the hill toward the tea plants, Rose frowned and tried to understand why it was growing darker. Intending to ask the TARDIS to turn up the lights, her request died on her lips as she lost consciousness in the grass.
The TARDIS turned the air around Rose in a circle, making it swirl faster as it grew colder, anything if only she could wake the girl. Her efforts were fruitless, Rose remaining unresponsive on the ground and she did the only thing she could to make her comfortable. Gold light shimmered in a circle of sparkles next to Rose's shoulder, her sentient flower appearing by her side. Warming the air over her, the TARDIS left Rose as she moved her attention across the ship, running to The Doctor as she called to him frantically.
"Oi!" The Doctor shouted as he moved the TARDIS into orbit around a binary system, his hand moving to cover his eyes as he shook his head. "I'm paying attention, Old Girl! Blimey, turn the alarms off. What's wrong?"
"Rose!" She cried the girl's name inside his mind. "Rose! In the gardens, go now! Go!"
"Rose?" The Doctor spoke her name aloud and stilled as he turned his attention toward the hall.
"Go!"
He moved in the next instant, running over the grated floor and through the hall as fast as his feet would carry him. The TARDIS helped as much as she could, The Doctor watching the halls ripple in front of him as she moved the rooms until the door to the gardens was opening in front of him. He stepped inside only to still, his hearts each skipping a beat in turn at the site of Rose lying in the grass. He called her name as he moved closer to her, falling to his knees by her side as he reached out to touch her face. She was warm, her breath deep and even. Closing his eyes as he listened close, he only calmed when the sound of her heartbeat was strong in his ears, his twin hearts beating in time with hers.
Sighing when he knew that she would not be happy if he left it behind, he lifted her sentient flower to lie on her chest, resting her hand on top to keep it in place. Gathering her close as he lifted her from the grass, The Doctor stood slowly and carried Rose from the gardens, her body cradled tightly to his chest. Regardless of anything he had said to her mother, he had promised Rose that he would never let her be harmed and yet she had been hurt all the same. Kissing her brow as he carried her through the hall, he stepped into the medical bay and laid her carefully down on the bed.
"I shouldn't have waited," he berated himself quietly as he turned away and activated the medical scans, focusing on her heart. "Your wrists," he said as he read the secondary scan and opened the drawer to his left.
Taking the dermal regenerator from the drawer and turning around, he stepped up to Rose's side and set the medical tool down by her hip. Lifting her left arm, he pulled at her clothing carefully as he pushed her long sleeve up her arm. The skin around her wrist was reddened where the manacle had restrained her, smaller sections burned darker and even blistered where the electricity had been concentrated. He hadn't heard her cry out, nor had she said anything of being in pain when her manacles had sprung open, but from the look of her skin it hadn't simply released. The manacle had malfunctioned and sent a concentrated shock to her because of it.
"Don't be so brave for me," he whispered to her as he kissed her damaged skin and picked up the dermal regenerator.
The scans told him that she would be fine, that all she needed was rest, but she didn't wake at all while he tended to her. Returning the dermal regenerator to the drawer, he lifted Rose from the bed and carried her into the hall, for once not fighting what his hearts demanded of him. Cradling her closer as he stepped into his room, he carried her over to the bed. Lying her down before moving to his dresser, he never took notice that he'd left her flower in the medical bay. Returning to her side with the same jumper the TARDIS always seemed keen on giving Rose, he sat down next to her on the bed and lifted her from the pillows.
It didn't take him long to change her into the jumper, her clothing set neatly aside on the chair by the bookcase. He wasn't certain if she would be upset that he had removed her clothes, but at the same moment found that he didn't care. She was important, her comfort was important, and that was all that mattered. The sound of her whimper drew his attention, her voice speaking his name in a broken whisper. He was by her side with his next breath, reaching out to catch her hand when she lifted it from the bed.
"Did I fall asleep?" Rose asked as she looked up at him, frowning at the concern furrowing his brow. "Doctor?"
"What do you remember?" he asked her, helping her to sit up when she began to move.
"Remember?" Rose shook her head as she looked down at her hand he held. "We dropped Adam off," she told him, pouting as his frown deepened. "What's wrong?"
"Dropping Adam off," he said as he studied her. "That's the last thing you remember?"
"That and tea," she said and rubbed her brow in confusion. "Why do I remember tea?"
"Never you mind about that," he told her, smiling as he forced away the worry and hid it behind a bit of humor. "How do you feel?"
Rose took in a deep breath, humming softly as she released it. "A bit tired, kind of wobbly like I've been spinning in circles. What's with you then?" she asked as she lifted her hand to his face. "Don't think I didn't see. You were all concerned like something happened."
"Nothing to worry about," he told her, covering her hand on his cheek with his and holding it in place for a moment before bringing it down. "I was thinking we're in for a bit of a rest. Know a great little planet full of beaches and meadows. You'll love it there."
"So something did happen," she told said and gave him an amused stare. "Something you don't want to tell me if I can't remember it on my own. Didn't set the TARDIS on fire, did I?" she asked, half teasing.
"No," he grinned, chuckling as he looked at her "No, you didn't do that."
"Where's Blue?" Rose asked as she looked to the table by the bed, frowning at the objects she didn't recognize.
"Blue?" The Doctor asked her, frowning when he realized he had no reference for the name.
"Blue," she repeated and smiled at his frown. "My flower," she reminded him. "Can't just call him flower all the time."
"You named it?" he asked, smiling when Rose laughed and lightly slapped his arm with the back of her hand.
"Him," she emphasized the pronoun, "and yes." Her humor faded as she studied him, flinching at the memory of the electrified manacles. "Are you alright? The manacles..."
"I'm fine, bit tougher than you lot," he teased her, his lips turning up in a lopsided smile when she yawned. "You rest."
"Doctor, where am I?" Rose asked curiously when he stood from the bed. "It looks like my room, but some things are different. The white blanket's gone missing, The things on the table aren't mine..."
"My room," he interrupted her comparison, unable to meet her gaze. "You're in my room."
Rose nodded quietly, looking down to see that she was dressed in the same dark jumper that would occasionally appear on her bed or in her closet. Was she dressed in his clothing, she wondered. The sight of it made her curious, but not enough to say anything. She knew he would take her words in the wrong manner if she voiced the question. Releasing a deep breath as she scooted back down to lie on the pillows, she smiled softly at the way his scent surrounded her. Did he have any idea how safe and happy it made her?
"Stay with me?" she asked when he moved to the door. "Just until I fall asleep again?"
The Doctor turned to look at her, one side of his mouth pulling up in a half grin as he returned to her bedside slowly. Sitting down next to her, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as she snuggled into his side. This was as close as they could ever be, he told himself as he tried to remember that she wasn't his to keep. Her hand wrapped around his bicep, the manner of her hold gentle, as though she were trying to keep him with her. Resting his cheek on her hair as he pulled the blankets up around her shoulders, he breathed in deeply of her scent.
"Rose Tyler," he spoke her name in Gallifreyan, the girl never knowing what he was saying, but finding the words beautiful all the same. "May you never know the power you have over me."
"Will you speak more?" Rose asked when he fell silent, turning her head up to meet his curious gaze. "I love the sound of it, the only language the TARDIS won't translate."
He smiled at her teasing, the way she said his language without ever calling it by name. His thoughts turned to a story he'd once heard as a child, a simple fairytale of his people from a time when love was still something they sought as much as his people had sought knowledge. He meant to move, to get up and get her flower, but the TARDIS bid him to stay where he was as she moved the flower for him. Rose smiled at the spiral of gold light, the sparkles that she had grown used to seeing and thanked the TARDIS when her flower appeared on top of the blankets covering her lap. Moving the flower up to lie in the place where her body rested against The Doctor's, she bid him to speak once more and smiled when he did.
The flower began to trill softly, the sound softer than The Doctor's words. It ruffled its petals as it shifted and preened, lying down between The Doctor and Rose. She petted the flower's petals, rubbing her thumb slowly back and forth over the curve of the large bulb as she grew tired, The Doctor's hand resting on the plant's spherical pot. This wasn't domestic, at least not in any way that The Doctor would ever admit to. This, he thought as he told Rose the story from his childhood, every word of it spoken in a language she would never understand, this was just how it was between him and Rose.
He knew the moment that she fell asleep in his arms, but even with all the intentions he had of returning to the console room, he found himself curling closer to her as he chose to hold her instead. He would keep her safe from her demons tonight. No nightmare would dare trouble her while he guarded her. Looking down when the flower moved and brushed against him, The Doctor lifted his hand and brushed a finger over a few dark blue petals. The TARDIS warmed the air as she watched them, her Time Lord, the girl who mended his hearts, and her flower. There were some things that even the Gods of Gallifrey could never have foreseen, she thought. Things that even they wouldn't have been foolish enough to try interfere with. Her attention turned to The Doctor when he sighed, his momentary frustration making her curious.
"I can never remember it all," he said aloud as he frowned and began to recite the last bit of the poetic legend once again, the words Gallifreyan. "Should a time come that a TARDIS finds what has been hidden..." He sighed heavily as he once again returned to speaking English. "Why can't I remember the rest?"
The TARDIS smiled as she knew the legend he was trying to remember. She spoke the words to herself, never reciting them through their bond for him to hear.
Should a time come that a TARDIS finds what has been hidden, the legend will rise once more. When a Time Lord finds himself complete, his being made whole by another, the TARDIS shall become a guardian of souls. There will be nothing strong enough nor any power great enough to stand in the way of a TARDIS that protects a Time Lord and his true mate.
The Doctor didn't remember the words, she knew, because long ago back before he had regenerated the first time, the legend had been hidden away from all who knew it. One by one, the children of Gallifrey had had the words of the legend taken from them, the memories buried inside their minds until they were all but forgotten. Though his people had long since been lost, The Doctor was the only one who had ever chased after the memories just to remember the legend. He was one who, for all he had seen and all he had done, still believed in love.