Authors Note: I know! I hear all the cries of about time! Believe me I didn't expect a story to take so long to write and its still got at least three to four chapters to go. In this chapter there is a visit though from a special guest. Things are winding up and nearing the end of the kidnapping saga on Gwilgoloth and friends must part. Thanks as always to my ever supportive beta Jer832
From Last Chapter: The Doctor followed the path back to the office where he took up the kidnap victims files and proceeded to look through them while he waited for Griff to return. Soon, very soon this will all be over and Rose and I can go back to the TARDIS and continue on like we always have. Even as the thought ran through his head he knew it to be false. Nothing would ever be the same again.
Entwined within the land of sleep, Rose Tyler dreamt.
She found herself in what appeared to be a Ballroom. The walls were covered in gilded mirrors while chandeliers hung from the ceiling. To Rose's astonishment, the light from each of them came not from mere globes but was made up of sparkling starlight. Feeling nervous, Rose brushed her hands down her shirt, or what had been her shirt when she went to sleep. Now, however, she was dressed in a ball gown made of the softest material she'd ever felt or seen. Despite the chandeliers, it was difficult to decipher the colour, but dotted here and there on the fabric were countless tiny gemstones. Under the starlight the gems glittered and gleamed, making Rose feel like a princess. She laughed with sheer joy as she twirled around on the dance floor, feeling lighter in heart then she had in some time. It was only when she stopped, panting a little from her spinning, that she saw HIM in the doorway watching her.
Her Doctor was there. He always was; steadfast and sure and watching over her as if she was some sort of priceless treasure. Slowly, almost predator like, he left the doorway. It seemed like an eternity to Rose as he crossed the short distance between them. He spoke no words; instead he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into him. At that moment the silence in the room was broken by the strains of an exquisite melody. The Doctor tightened his hold on her before leading her in a dance.
As they swayed back and forth he held her gaze. His steel blue eyes were full of powerful emotions which Rose quickly became lost in. It left her breathless and a little afraid all at the same time. Deep hurt and caged rage were obvious, but it was tempered with a soul-searing love and a passion that she was not sure she could survive if it were to be unleashed. And yet ... to be overwhelmed, surrounded and to become part of him was something that she wanted, craved ... no, needed, almost as much as her body needed oxygen.
The music changed. It was a soft, earthy sound that was meant to inflame and increase desire. The Doctor pulled her closer, as if he was intent on them becoming one entity. She laid her head on his shoulder as they moved to the beat, losing themselves to the heady, sensual rhythm.
"Rose," he murmured softly, as his breath wafted gently near her ear. "Rose, look at me."
She lifted her head, hoping and praying that the Doctor was at last going to give in to his emotions and kiss her. She wasn't prepared for what happened next.
Her Doctor in leather was gone. She was now being held by a stranger wearing a brown pin-striped suit. Confusion and fear swiftly replaced her feelings of desire. Her first instinct was to pull out of his arms, but the fathomless sorrow she saw within the man's brown eyes stopped her. Instead she kept moving, matching his steps as he led her through the dance. Incredibly, Rose noticed that they remained in sync with each other despite never having danced together before. He never spoke, but his grip on her was almost bruising, as if he was terrified of losing her. How long they danced, it was impossible to tell, but eventually the heady music dwindled and faded entirely, leaving her alone with this silent stranger.
It was then he spoke for the first and only time. "Rose! My Rose! Why must you haunt my dreams? I'm so, so sorry. I can't get through the void. I miss you! " A single tear fell, landing on his cheek; a lonely drop that, could it speak she was certain it would tell a tale of such heartbreak and suffering to rival all others.
Rose had no idea what the man was talking about, but all she could think about was trying to console this terribly lost soul. "It's alright," she coaxed gently. With infinite tenderness she wiped away the only physical evidence of his suffering before reaching up to place a chaste kiss on his cheek. Her next words surprised both of them. "You'll find a way. You always do."
The stranger reached up to caress her cheek. The sorrow that had been evident in his eyes minutes ago was now replaced with a look so heated that Rose thought she must burn up under his gaze. The man in brown lowered his head, his intent all too clear. He was going to kiss her and despite her confusion, Rose knew she was going to let him. Closer and closer his lips came and then...
"Let her go! She's mine!" Strong arms wrenched her away from the man in brown and up against the solid lithe frame of her Doctor. "She's mine," she heard him repeat before his lips took possession of hers.
Elsewhere and forward in time, as the TARDIS hovered in the Time Vortex, the Doctor threw himself onto his bed, heartsick and weary. The events at Canary Wharf would haunt him forever.
It had been ten days since he'd lost Rose; how long it had been for her in the alternate universe, he had no idea. In the time since their separation he'd barely eaten and had definitely not slept, driven by the desperate need to find a safe passage through the Void to get to Rose. His attempts had been futile. It all came back to the same thing: worlds would collapse if he tried, and darker things than Daleks and Cyber men would escape. There was nothing to do but accept the jagged, heart-breaking truth. Rose was gone and it would be impossible to get her back.
Once again the universe was toying with him, making him pay the price for who he was. He was a Time Lord who must live on alone, without love, without touch and without Rose.
The TARDIS sent him a questioning hum. He replied he'd be there shortly. The exhausted Time Lord closed his eyes for a moment before returning to the control room. The familiar sounds of his ancient Time Machine were soothing and gentle. As he listened, his eyes grew heavy. He fell asleep and dreamed of Rose.
He could barely breathe when he found her in the ballroom. Dressed in starlight, she was enchanting. He took a step forward so that she would see him, but suddenly, he felt his previous self burning its way through his subconscious to supplant him and dance with Rose instead. It shouldn't be possible, but there was no time to consider the odds. An internal battle awakened as the Doctor became jealous of himself. At this point in Rose's timeline his younger self still had her, so he was the one who had no right to be here in this dreamscape. But it didn't matter; not after the way Rose had been pulled away from him! Ruthlessly, the Doctor overpowered his former self's will, sending him back to the caverns of his mind. Now he was free to dance with Rose.
It should have ended there but Rose looked so beautiful and showed him such compassion, though he was a stranger to her, he had to act on his feelings. It would be heaven to feel her lips under his!
He should have seen it coming but being so wrapped up in Rose as he was, his guard was down. The burn of his desire was something that his ninth body had also shared. The echo of his former self, though beaten earlier, was drawn out like a moth to a flame, ready to fight him. All he heard was a roar of "she's mine," before he was defeated by the determination and passion of the younger Doctor.
He was shaking with fury at his former self's interference and the keen loss of Rose. Angrily, he delved into his own psyche to confront the ghost of his Ninth incarnation. It took little effort to find him.
What the hell do you think you were doing? What right do you have to interfere?
You shouldn't have been there. It wasn't your time, replied the blue eyed Doctor.
Fuck time! You bloody well know we lost Rose...
You mean you lost Rose!
Oh no, we're not doing this again. All that matters is that Rose is gone, lost to me. I know you loved her. I have loved her longer. You're just an echo of my past. I am the one that's flesh and blood.
Fat lot of good that's doing you now.
I'm warning you. Just stay the hell out of my head and my dreams. If you ever fucking try that again, I'm going to banish you to the furthest, deepest, blackest part of my mind.
With that the Doctor closed the connection to his prior regeneration and woke up. He could feel a cool wetness on his cheek but he didn't bother to wipe it away. He always woke up in tears after dreaming of his beloved Rose. He wondered if he would ever stop.
Back on Gwilgoloth, Rose woke up, stretched her muscles and moved to a sitting position on the bed.
Confusion reigned as she tried to remember fragments of her dream but even as she tried they slipped away from her. Her disorientation was compounded by her unfamiliar surroundings and it took her a minute or two to recall everything that had happened since the moment she'd stepped on the planet some untold hours ago.
"Hey sleepyhead!"
Startled, Rose turned her head in the direction where the voice had come from. "Oh, It's you, Darcia," she said in relief.
"Yeah. Hope I didn't scare you. You've probably had enough of waking up in strange hotel rooms with mad geniuses who want to sell you to the highest bidder."
"Well," admitted Rose. "I've had my fair share at least for a few days. It's nice to see you again, though."
Darcia grinned. "Of course," she teased. "I'm known to be very good company."
"Absolutely."
"But not who you were hoping to be here, right?"
Rose opened her mouth to contradict what her new friend had said but closed it again when she saw the knowing look in Darcia's eyes.
"He's downstairs with Griff." There was no need to elaborate who 'he' was. "He stayed with you for a bit while I headed out to get this stuff." Darcia pointed to the equipment on the table. "I don't think I've seen a man be tenderer with a woman than your Doctor. He sure is something special."
Rose blushed at her words. "Yeah," she said. "He sure is."
Seeing Rose's embarrassment, Darcia changed topics. "Do you want to see what I've done?"
"Yes. I'd love too."
"Okay; well, pull up the other chair. Oh, and here's some food that Griff brought up earlier. The Doctor said not to wake you so we put it aside for you. He figured you'd be hungry since you'd not eaten in a while."
"I'm starving." Rose dragged the other chair over to the table and wolfed down her sandwiches. She was so hungry she did not even register what the fillings were. There were also some berries and an exotic type of fruit that tasted very much like a banana. Rose wondered if the Doctor had picked that out.
While Rose ate, Darcia told her about the updated plan to help Griff.
Although Rose felt a little uncomfortable about letting the man go free, she knew her Doctor well enough to know that he would have had good reasons. This was another instance where 'a different morality' held. Therefore she'd accept it as well.
"I'm almost finished with the editing," said Darcia. "Probably need another ten minutes, but I'll play you what I've done so far. The Doctor didn't want his name mentioned, so it's been a bit tricky. I have to say, though, I think I've done justice to the truth despite that."
Rose laughed at Darcia's gentle bragging, though as she watched the film, she had to agree that the young journalist had done a wonderful job. When Henry Van Statten appeared on the screen, Rose wanted to smack him. She hoped that the Judoon troops and the Shadow Proclamation would ensure he served many years locked away for the pain he'd caused so many. "Good riddance to bad rubbish," she murmured softly as she continued to watch the evidence gathered on Darcia's camera.
Afterwards, Rose went to the bathroom to clean up a little. While she desperately wanted a shower she refused to use the one in the hotel room. Although her ordeal was over, she wasn't taking any chances that even one camera in the room might still be operational. She found what appeared to be a hand towel. After wetting it with warm water, she used it to wash her face and neck. It wasn't exactly what she wanted but it was enough to make her feel refreshed enough to carry out the Doctor's plan.
By the time she left the bathroom, Darcia had also completed her task. Together the women gathered up all of the journalist's equipment then left the room. It wasn't long before they rejoined Griff and the Doctor, and an even shorter time before Rose had her arms around the Doctor hugging him tightly. They were totally oblivious to the others in the room, who gave each other a knowing look and moved themselves to the opposite side of the room to give the pair some privacy.
"Sleep well," he enquired. He didn't really need to ask the question. It was obvious by Rose's increased energy and good humour that she had.
"Yeah, I feel so much better. I had a really bizarre dream but I can't remember any of the details except you and I were dancing." She thought hard for a moment but then decided it didn't matter. "It's no biggie. I probably just dreamed about that ball we went to on Flutzel."
The Doctor smiled down at her. "Well considering the life we lead, it would be more worrying if you didn't have weird dreams."
"Life is never dull with you."
"Course not! So, you ready for the next part of this adventure?"
Rose sported her cheeky grin. "Always."
With that Rose and the Doctor walked over to Darcia and Griff.
"So what now, Doctor," asked Griff.
"We go to the authorities, or rather you, Darcia and Rose will. No point me being involved since I don't appear anywhere on the video. Seeing Griff about to argue the Doctor said, "I mean I'm there thanks to Darcia's gift but I'm not there."
"Yeah that really clears things up," chortled Rose.
"Oi!"
Darcia stepped in to explain. "What the Doctor means is that his real face is not shown anywhere on the video. All the authorities will see is the illusion that I created. The one we used to gain access to the hotel and when we first met Henry."
"Exactly," agreed the Doctor. "Don't think we need to make this too difficult. Darcia has all the evidence the authorities need, including the psychic paper for identification; and you, Griff have the files to locate the other missing people. I'm not keen on sending Rose with you but since she was a victim, it will give credence to your story."
"What will you be doing, Doctor?" said Rose.
"Oh I don't know. Might grab myself a milkshake or two ..." He laughed heartily at his friends' faces before continuing. "Nah, I'll be around, just to make sure you lot pull this off. I'll hang around here for a bit until you're done."
"Well then," said Griff as he gave Darcia a small slightly fearful smile. "Let's get this over with." Together they walked to the entrance.
Rose was reluctant to leave the Doctor but she realised the importance of her role in what was to happen next. Besides, the sooner this was sorted, the sooner she and the Doctor could be off this planet. Rose pressed a kiss to her Time Lord's cheek. "See you soon," she whispered, before dashing after the other two.
The Doctor watched them leave. When he was certain they were gone, he went back to Van Statten's office and private chambers intent on carrying out another search for anything that might help restore his lost regenerations. He held little hope, but at least it was something to keep him active rather than wondering what the hell he was going to do without them.
In the courthouse, matters were going to plan. As the Doctor had predicted, the trio's psychic paper 'qualifications' were scrutinized but accepted by the local authorities. Though somewhat surprised by the intervention of a 'higher authority,' the Polizmenn (similar to an Inspector) in charge was only too happy to speak with them.
They spent at least three hours with the Polizmenn. It was carefully explained that Rose had been recruited to play a victim because she fit the profile for what the kidnappers were looking for. Now that her work was done, she would have no further involvement in the case. Darcia and Griff gave evidence that they were recruited to go undercover and infiltrate the slave ring. Darcia, being a reporter, was to film what she could, whilst Griff was to make himself invaluable to Henry Van Statten as an experienced kidnapper. As Darcia's evidence showed, their 'sting' went to plan. Van Statten was captured and taken away to be convicted by the Judoon of the Shadow Proclamation for his crimes here and possibly elsewhere. In the aftermath, Griff had managed to secure all the documentation for the missing victims; that same documentation was now sitting on the Polizmenn's desk. Griff also explained that due to knowledge 'picked up' during his undercover operation, he was in a position to be very useful to Gwilgoloth authorities in helping to reunite those taken with their families.
The Polizmenn was neither a dishonest man nor a stupid one. He suspected that there was possibly more to what he was being told but his force was small and resources limited. When Griff gave him the complete files, his face nearly cracked from smiling so widely. Solving a case this big, and rescuing the kidnap victims would be a major coup and could potentially lead to a decent promotion for everyone involved. Many of his men and women had families to support so it would be a win/win situation for everyone.
Finally, after many questions, plan-making and decisions on how to proceed further, the Polizmenn stood up and warmly shook hands with Griff, Darcia and Rose. He thanked them again and bid them farewell before returning to his desk to open the first of the files he'd been presented with. He'd been in service for many years, but it had been some time since he'd had a case which excited him so fully. With a soft chuckle of delight he began to read.
Rose, Darcia and Griff raced back to the hotel, their hearts and minds full of relief and pride in their success. Rose and Darcia chatted amiably, while Griff silently contemplated the possibilities of his future now that the threat of imprisonment was gone. As they reached the door of the hotel, the Doctor strode out to meet them. He'd long given up the search of Henry's rooms for anything that might help him regain his regenerations. All he could do was wait until he returned to the TARDIS. Still the joy on his friends' faces and the obvious success of their mission gladdened his hearts and he soon found he was grinning madly.
To celebrate they went to the cafe and ordered jumbo-sized milkshakes whilst Darcia filled him in on everything that had occurred during their time with the Polizmenn. Griff then informed him of what plans had been made to help the victims, an event that was to start within the next two days. He told the Doctor, somewhat shyly, that the authorities had treated him with utmost respect and given recognition for his important role in this high profile case.
Throughout the conversation, Rose just smiled. She didn't feel the need to say anything. Her new-found friends were supplying more than enough information and the Doctor, for once, seemed genuinely interested instead of doing his usual 'let's swan off' routine.
Eventually, it was time to leave. Though reluctant to part with their friends, both the Doctor and Rose were keen to go home.
Rose eagerly exchanged hugs with both Darcia and Griff, thanking them both for saving her and wishing them well at the same time. Rose knew that life with the Doctor meant that she might not see either of these two again but she insisted on exchanging contact details with Darcia. It never hurt to have a good friend even if such friendship was between two people worlds apart.
The Doctor also said his goodbyes, firstly to Griff, whom he couldn't be more proud of.
"You've made the right choice," he said to the other man as they shook hands. "I believe this is where your life takes a turn for the better."
"No Doctor. My life took a turn for the better the moment you caught me in that store room alongside Ert. I just didn't know it then," said Griff with a rueful laugh. "I do now though and I mean to keep being better. You showed me how."
The Doctor raised his hand and rested it on Griff's shoulder. "Griff, you showed yourself how. The desire was always there, locked inside. You made the choice to be a better man. Go be the good example to your daughter that you wanted to be. Goodbye." With those final words, the Doctor turned and walked over to Darcia.
"Where did Rose go?"
"She said she was taking the empty glasses back to the counter."
"Ah, okay. I ... uh... I just wanted to say... well you know for your help. Just wanted to say..."
Darcia smiled as she watched the embarrassed Time Lord try to say thanks. She couldn't help but tease him one last time. "Doctor, the words you want are 'thank you.' What for though? Could it be for putting up with you when we first met or for bringing down Henry Van Statten or for helping you rescue Rose?"
"All of that and more," answered the Doctor in a quiet voice.
"You don't need to thank me, Doctor. But there is something I'd like you to do."
The Doctor jumped a little as Darcia rested her hand on top of his. "What?"
"Tell Rose how you feel," she said softly.
The Doctor looked at her sadly. "I don't think I can do that, Darcia. Besides why would she want me?"
"You said Rose saw through the illusion. She saw the man who she wants and I am certain loves. It seems to me that outward appearances don't matter. Rose saw only your heart and the good man you are inside." With that Darcia threw open her arms and hugged the Doctor with everything she had.
Even then he was not convinced. "But I'm not a g..."
"Yes, Doctor. You are. Tell Rose. Think about it, please."
"Think about what?" said Rose from just behind them.
Darcia pulled away from the Doctor and hugged Rose instead. "I was just telling the Doctor that you should definitely come back for a visit, and soon."
Rose returned the hug and gave a cry of joy. "Oh that would be wonderful. Maybe we can come back when Griff has helped return everyone. What do you think, Doctor?"
Rose's enthusiasm was infectious as always. "Yeah, that would be fantastic."
After a few more hugs and promises to return, the Doctor and Rose, holding hands, finally departed. Griff and Darcia watched them leave. "May your souls be united and happy be your hearts. As time weaves its pattern, so will you never part," whispered Darcia.
"What's that mean?" asked Griff who had still heard the words, despite the softness in which they'd been spoken.
Darcia turned to him and smiled. "It's a blessing," she replied as she took his hand. "It's usually spoken during marriage or bonding services but where those two are concerned it's certainly true."
"And what about us?"
Feeling bold, Darcia leaned forward and placed a brief kiss on Griff's mouth. "I don't know," she answered truthfully, then with a grin she said, "but I'm willing to find out."