A/N: Right, given that this story hasn't been THAT successful, and because she's brilliant; I am formerly dedicating this saga to Lizzle09. Yeah, people! She reviews! And, so do other people, but I hear from her a lot, so this and its four other parts are offically hers!

Three: The Singing Trees (2)

"Uh, hi." Rose tried, her voice hoarse. She swallowed; her nervousness making her throat thick. The six pairs of eyes blinked silently in unison, but they held no anger or hostility in them, which gave Rose some courage. The Doctor smiled encouragingly when she glanced at him, and she half-smiled in return, but inside she was shrieking- why is it always me who has to deal with the aliens?!

"I shall speak on behalf on the Circle, if you do not protest." Twig That Shine in the Sunlight bowed, his voice servant-like. The Doctor nodded once, and Twigs turned to the Vixi. Although Rose heard no words, she could tell Twigs was communicating with the trees. After moments of silent exchange, Twigs turned back to them.

"You are welcome, Doctorrose." Twigs said, his voice taking on a flat, tape-like quality, and Rose realized she wasn't talking to Twigs; she was talking to the Circle. Twigs was only replaying the message. "Sing with us."

Rose blinked and looked at the Doctor questioningly. Sing? He winked.

"Oh, did I mention that the primary greeting of the Vixi is to involve all of the visitors in singing?!" he chuckled. "Bet those singing lessons when you were seven aren't looking so pointless now, are they!"

Rose stared at him, aghast (hardly pausing to contemplate how the Doctor knew she'd taken singing lessons when she was seven) before grinning as realisation struck her. The Doctor's smile slowly slid off his face as he noticed her sly, evil expression.

"…what?" He asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously. Rose tilted her head innocently, but then gave up as her evil grin broke through.

"Never mind me having to sing- you're gonna have to sing as well!" She crowed, delighted. "Bet those singing lessons when you were a hundred and twenty aren't looking so pointless now, are they?!" the Doctor huffed, his hands on his hips irritably.

"Hey, I was a hundred and four, lady, so don't mock me!"

Rose blinked at him, incredulous.

"I was joking." She laughed. The Doctor looked uncomfortable.

"Er, yeah, so was I…" he coughed and avoided her gaze, his attention fixing once more on the Vixi. "Anyways! … Shall we get back to the Circle?" Rose giggled.

"I can't believe you had singing lessons…" she muttered, and she could have sworn there were slight pink patches on the Doctor's cheeks as he studiously ignored her.

Twigs That Shine in the Sunlight interrupted before Rose could continue. "Shall we?" Immediately, Rose quieted, and followed the Doctor's lead; she padded forward over the soft, springy grass and sat cross-legged on one of the two silk blankets that had been laid out for visitors.

"What are we gonna sing?" She whispered.

"It'll all become clear, trust me." The Doctor replied, his voice soft and pleasant in her ears. Suddenly, Rose's ears were filled with the creaks and groans of the twelve trees as the Vixi slowly lowered themselves to the floor, so that she and the Doctor were now part of the Circle. The Doctor twitched slightly on his rug, trying to get comfortable- his, Rose noticed, was noticeably bigger than hers, as if it were meant for two. Not pausing for thought, she wriggled over onto his, and he put an arm round her without hesitation. She moved slightly closer and rested her head on his shoulder- she'd never noticed before, but it was the perfect height for her to do it. Rose felt some satisfaction from knowing that she was stealing all of the Doctor's warmth- half an hour later and he'd be shivering!

"They're going to sing first, and then we're expected to join in." he murmured in her ear. "They'll let us know. I'm really looking forward to this; I've been told you're very good." Rose scowled- she's was never letting him near Jackie again. Ever.

She was about to reply when the Doctor closed his eyes, and she looked around, noticing that the Vixi had done the same. Trying not to feel idiotic, she followed suit, waiting for something to happen.

And waited.

And waited.

A full two minutes had gone by before Rose cracked open one eye, looking around the Circle dubiously- each of the trees seemed to be in a deep trance, and the Doctor's head was bowed, his chin almost touching his chest.

"Oi!" She hissed, but he didn't move- she tried again, but got no response, so elbowed him hard. He jerked and glared at her.

"What, woman?" He whispered, his eyes flashing. She tried to be taken aback by his hostility, but his expression only made her laugh, because she could see his normal warmth and humour behind it.

"What's going on? Is something meant to be happening?" She whispered back, and the Doctor looked at her blankly. Suddenly, he brightened.

"Of course!" He cried softly. "Oops, sorry Rose- I completely forgot about you being human…" Without pausing to explain, he placed his hands on either side of her head- she had a briefly moment to reflect on how big his hands were, before a bizarre feeling washed over her. The sensation of a vat of boiling water being tipped over Rose's head -followed so quickly by an ice cold one that she almost missed it- swept over her skin; leaving it tingling. The Doctor took his hands off her head and leaned back slightly. "That should do it…"

Rose looked at him questioningly. "What?"

"Listen." So Rose listened, and realised she could hear a faint but lovely sound playing softly in the back of her head.

It was like what she'd heard before, in the TARDIS- it was music, but far surpassing humans standards; celestial and utterly, obviously, not of Rose's world. "What is it?" She breathed.

"It's the song of the Vixi." He explained, murmuring so softly that she had to strain to hear. "They're singing- on a telepathical level, of course. That's why you couldn't hear it before- you needed your subconscious channels unlocking. The only reason you could hear it in the TARDIS is because you were once linked with the Time Vortex and it was being channelled through the TARDIS; anyone else and they would have heard nothing." He winked at her. "See? You're one special thing, Rose Tyler."

"I was that already, thank you- Time Vortex or no." the Doctor seemed ready to reply, but acceleration in the song's tune stopped him.

It continued to rise- getting even nicer as she listened. The rhythm increased until Rose's heart was beating in time with it; racing ahead of it's usual pace and making her muscles tense and her ears pound. It seemed whatever song the Vixi were 'singing', it was reaching its climax.

Without warning, the song stopped completely, and Rose's heart skipped a beat, making her chest ache. It restarted mere seconds after stopping and continued getting softer and gentler, until it faded completely, and there was only the sound of hers and the Doctor's heavy breathing.

"I think this is where we come in." The Doctor muttered, shaking himself, grinning. "You ready Tyler?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Rose took a deep breath. She felt the Doctor's hand slip into hers, and instantly she felt another consciousness enter her mind. The Doctor's mind was like a doorway to the Vixi- she felt them through him. The trees didn't talk as such, but immediately Rose knew what they were trying to say.

But the Vixi weren't really that important now- Rose was more interested in the consciousness that was holding hers. The Doctor's mind was… brilliant. Vast, byzantine, complex; the words sprung to Rose's head, but she paid them no attention. But his was so much bigger, so much more… Rose couldn't think of the word. Intelligent? Developed? She didn't know, but that's what it felt like to her.

Inside the mind of a Time Lord is an interesting place, she mused, and felt the Doctor chuckle next to her, even though she couldn't see it.

Ah Rose- you have no idea. He whispered to her, the words holding a hidden meaning that she couldn't understand.

You're mind is so much bigger than mine! She accused, and felt him laugh.

Jealous, Tyler? He taunted, his voice mocking.

A little. She admitted.

I'm a Time Lord- you haven't seen the half of my mind, Rose. He laughed. There's a lot in it. Nine hundred years worth of memories, not to mention a truckload of other things.

Show me? Even though Rose asked, she already knew what the answer would be. But you can't, can you?

No. Time Lord and human consciousnesses can't mix, Rose- you won't be able to take the strain. You're mind is so small! She tried to be insulted, but she knew what he meant- compared to his, her mind was completely tiny.

But… we're connected now, aren't we?

We are, true- but I am shielding most of my mind from you; letting you see enough to communicate- so you're only hearing my normal voice-

How many have you got? She muttered, but he didn't hear her.

- But not so much that there is a threat to your mind. I wouldn't let that happen. His tone became dark, determined, and she shivered.

She was going to reply, but suddenly Rose became aware again of the Vixi's consciousnesses, pushed to the back of her head whilst she'd been talking to the Doctor. So, are we singing then or what?

Yep, come on then- show me what you got, Tyler. His tone changed again; mocking her- her pride growled, inviting the challenge and she hissed competitively.

Bring it on, Time Lord.

Ooh, are we getting personal now, Rose Marion Tyler? He retorted, and she growled, the voice she heard sounding so unlike herself she stopped, surprised. The Doctor took advantage of her silence and turned to the Vixi.

Shall we? He asked politely, and Rose felt the Circle sort of… mentally nod. Abruptly, Rose felt a sudden urge come over her- it was unexplainable, but she knew what the Vixi wanted her to sing. Using simple mental communications, they'd told her an entire song in less than a heartbeat.

Oh, the joys of telepathy.

One more for Part Four and then off to the ending part! And I just LOVE the one coming...

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