A/N: "comes out of the bushes" Um... hello! So, yeh, long time no see! And I'm back. Hopefully.
Okay. Firstly, I want to thank... pretty much everyone. I'll start with the old readers. IF you're still here - you're amazing, you know that? And... I'm grateful for your staying or at least not loosing hope.
Whatever faith I lost, I hope I can regain it back by this or the following chapter :p
For the new readers, I'm pleasantly surprised to find you picking up my story, considering the gap in the latest update. Many thanks!
I know I killed many of you with this lack of updating, but I had a lot of stuff going on, which kinda change my way of thinking. And that caused the disturbance in inspiration for DW. Hopefully I'm good with these new eyes of mine.
One extra thing : if anything remotely similar to this happens again, always read my profile. I'll not post chapter-authors-notes, for the sake of sparing your nerves, so look for news at my profile.
Here it goes! Happy read =} :
#Fear Her
He hated this place.
He hated being here and most of all having any thoughts about it. Regardless.
He stood still inside the room, the strong wind ruffling his always already ruffled enough hair. But he didn't seem to be affected by the pull himself. Only the hair. Weird, that.
He clenched his fists in white grips, anxiously awaiting for the man, named Mr. Pete Tyler, to come back.
Only he was not.
The Doctor whipped his head, looking around the room for any clues what has gotten wrong. Why the picking-up spot was still vacant. "Where's he?" he asked in a thick voice, alarm taking over.
The Doctor watched how his pink and yellow human strained her fingers to keep a better hold on the lever, but they dangerously slipped by. His both hearts skipped a beat, scared.
"Mr. Pete Tyler. Where the hell is he?" he yelled out, eyes filled with desperation. He looked back at the White Hole, just as she...
went inside.
His eyes flew open.
No, he was not getting his sleep today. He could feel his hearts beating wildly inside his chest. Respiratory bypass or not, it was poor aid for heartache. Heartaches, in his case. Double the dose, double the damage. He could feel himself loosing it. Finally starting to go to terms with the Time War only to get this? No. He could not do this. He needed to run. To move, to just do something. Anything! Just... make it stop.
His fingers twitched.
Unnatural body warmth for his relatively cool body temperature passed to his body. There was... something he was missing, something was there. No. Wait. Not something.Someone.
He jerked his head to the side and it was! She was. His... Rose. He twitched his fingers again and finally saw where they ended, where the warmth was coming from. Right arm - completely slack on the duvet, was tightly buried underneath Rose's body. Well. Her... neck, or... shoulder-sort-of, giving the Doctor just enough access to his hand to wrap it around her body.
As if sensing him, Rose chose that particular moment to shift; her right hand blindly searching for a second body on the bed. When she did, she pulled herself closer to him, nuzzling his ribcage and exhaling a content sigh. His hearts soared at the sight. Oh, Rose. What seemed like a vital need of getting far far away, began to gradually leave his body. Even if he was hurting... he would not be calmer anywhere else but here. In this moment. In this completely impossibly given (something he was more than sure he didn't deserve - judging by the evidence how the universe rubbed it in at daily basis), but even so, unashamedly and deeply desired moment. Chance. A second chance.
And that, was something he wasn't given often.
It was dawn already. Well, as much as dawn could be in a timeless spaceship. It was more of a human-time-tracking, mind... The point being, he should really be going now. He should really re-entangle himself from underneath Rose's body, and just go.
He should... do that. Like. Really should. Any other version of him would be already stuffed into the deep ends of the console. Tinkering! That's!... would have been his destination. But he was yet to move even an inch from his spot, and by each second it was becoming more and more clear that he was not gonna move any time soon.
He would stay. He would stay for her. He would stay for himself, because...
He needed her.
So he would make sure she stayed this time. He would fight for her.
A stir of the body, he was leeching the heat for the past couple of hours from, went as a straight impulse to his nervous system, triggering a shiver going for all the length of his body. He swallowed.
He could pick out the change in her breathing. She was waking up! And he was... here. And... panicking. Because he was here. And that, he didn't do. He loved people. Humans. Those little, stupid but amazing humans. And he participated in a lot more domestic gatherings than his previous leather-incarnation could have ever dream to be part of, but still. He did not do sleep overs. Sleep overs. Was that what this looked like? Them, just... sleeping, in the same room?
And after the whole ordeal with Omega, his memories coming back for good (he hoped), and... and the kiss. Oh, kisses, actually. Which were... weeell, you know. Brilliant was always the word he liked. But coming back to the point... that means... that means. Oh. Changes. Relationship changes!
That was... he was not sure what it was. Okay, if we think rationally about this, every problem has a mathematical solution, so... Bloody brilliant, this was not a mathematical equation.
So that meaaans... the answer was still an "x".
At first, she was not sure what was going on, or what were her surroundings altogether. With a grunt, she rolled over on her back, placing her hand over her eyes. She squinted her eyes tightly shut, not yet ready to face the daylight. She was instigating a full blown protest against waking up. Especially when her bed felt that much cosier than the day before.
A low chuckle reached her ears and she froze. Not yet being able to recognise her surroundings, she let confusion and panic overwhelm her for a few moments, when she remembered that she did not go to sleep alone.
The Doctor. He was here. Or rather, still here. That was... new.
Slowly retreating her arm from her face, she twisted her neck to the side. Opening her heavy, morning lids, she came face to face with a beaming smile.
"Hello," he greeted her fondly.
Instantly a smile spread across her own face, mirroring his. "Hello."
There was a pause, a rather unusual pause and silence as they just stared at each other. The lack of the Doctor's gob was almost deafening.
She could see some weariness beneath his smiles, the tiredness not completely leaving him, if at all. But she knew he needed his space, and she wasn't the one to push him. Shaking the questions and doubts away, for now, she pressed her lips together, shifting in the sheets. "So what's in store for today?" She tried to start it light.
The Doctor shook himself from, what seemed like a deep inner thinking. He then proceeded to roll on his own back. "Weell, I was thinking... well, no. Actually, scratch that. I wasn't thinking about it, or her, because if I was, that would be like... terrifying." He nodded in agreement. "Really terrifying." He laughed a bit, provoking an amused smile from Rose. "Also, way too domestic, and we wouldn't want that, no." He cleared his throat. "Anyway." He turned his head to look at her from above, a small, warm smile on his face. "I reckon we should go visit your mother. Can't let the Absorbaloff stay on the loose for too long." He let a grin slip on his lips.
Her brows furrowed. "D'you think Elton will be there too? Met my mum already?"
"I don't know." The Doctor shrugged his brows. "Probably. Timelines couldn't change all that much. And knowing Jackie... the poor lad would be at her flat by dawn."
Rose braced herself on her elbows. "Poor lad? He's the one who done her wrong. Using her to get to us and all that!"
"Well, that was not nice of him."
She flopped on her back. "Mum's been so upset 'cos of him. He made her believe she had a second chance in life," she sighed.
"And she does!" the Doctor cried. "Just not with the same man. Mr. Pete Tyler is a very nice match for Jackie Tyler. She got quite a literal second chance in life." He took a deep breath in, lowering his voice meaningfully. "And take it from me, they don't come so often."
By the end of his speech, Rose was already grinning all ears at him. "Not a bad life?"
He caught her teasing smile and replied in kind. "Better with you."
"You can't be serious..."
"I'm afraid so."
"But it's..."
"I know."
The TARDIS sat comfortably right in-between two gates, one saying "DANGER - KEEP OUT" and the other saying "NO PARKING IN FRONT OF THESE GATES".
Hands in his pockets, the Doctor stepped outside, a bit to the right side, letting Rose come out fully too. Looking around, Rose came to a stop near Shayne Ward poster advertising his greatest hits album tacked onto a fence.
"It's bad, yeh? Us being here," she said with a furrowed brow, staring at the poster.
"Well, it's not good," the Doctor sighed, taking in his surroundings. "Skipping ahead in a timeline? That never ends well. Not the ones I witnessed, at least." He inhaled, raising his eyebrows. "But then again." Tilting his head to the side, considering. "This new timeline seem a little bit... more flexible than the rest. Sort of... mend-y... mend-able, mind... a lot like you lot."
"But what about Absorbaloff?" Rose went to stand by the Doctor's side. "This far in the timeline, we've already met him."
"Weeell," the Doctor trailed off, his voice nonchalant. "Probably absorbed half of London by now," he said dismissively. He shifted uneasily on his feet, a sheepish smile on his face, when he saw Rose's piercing stare.
"Or not," he added quickly. He cleared his throat, turning his gaze to the view around. "Anyway, I say... let's go take a look around." He started moving, rounding on the corner towards the 'Olympic street'.
"You think it will show why we've landed here?" Rose asked casually, walking down the street. Somewhere in the middle of their walking, the Doctor's hand fell out of his pocket and linked his fingers with Rose's.
"Could do. The universe is very unpredictable in this New World. New World," he tested the words with his tongue, when an idea clicked for him. "We should probably call it - New Universe. The reset timeline is getting old." He frowned a bit.
"Oi," Rose called out in a playful anger, squeezing his hand. "I've thought of that one."
The Doctor inhaled, momentary not sure how to get out of this one. "Aand, it was brilliant. It suited our situation perfectly. But if we are staying in this universe from now on, a more conversational name would come in handy."
"So, New Universe. Like New Earth."
"Yep."
After a moment, an engine sound echoed from somewhere behind them and the Doctor nudged Rose aside to let it pass. A red car drove past them, the Doctor only sparing it one glance as it draw away.
"That car," Rose said, thoughtfully.
"Mm?" The Doctor turned his head, watching her questioningly.
"That's the same car that broke down last time." She pointed in its retreating bumper. "All the cars stopped there for a week... Spaceship must've messed with the engines or something."
"Oh, but that's a brilliant opportunity," the Doctor cried in delight. "Any other time we'd have to pick our skirts and run as far away as we can to avoid meeting another version of us. But noow..." He hummed, pleased. "We can experience it first hand once more."
""Find" the cause. Meet the neighbours," Rose added.
"Exactly," he beamed at her. After a while he seemed to catch himself. "Not that I'm saying I have skirt." He looked at her meaningfully. "Because I don't." At Rose's amused smile, he added once more. "I really don't." He turned to face the road. "Not for me, at least."
"Look at you. All eager for Olympics," Rose sang with amusement in her voice. She then sobered up, as if thinking of something important. "Mind you... Papua New Guinea."
The Doctor freed his other hand out of his pocket to tug on his ear. "Weell..."
Rose shook her head. "They didn't even compete in shot-put."
He inhaled, interrupting her. "As I said... well..." Rose raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to make something up, but he just stared at her, mouth open. "Well. They couldparticipate this time. In this New Universe. It looks very promising to me. New Universe calls for a New Papua New guinea... That's New twice. New New Papua Guinea," he kept on going, concentrated expression on his face.
She laughed. "Yeh. Let's just keep hoping that."
While the Doctor kept on going about different ways of naming Papua New Guinea and finding connection between it and New Earth, she let her eyes wander around their surroundings. She scanned the road when a poster caught her eye. "Oh!" She pointed at its direction. "That one still there."
The Doctor blinked. "What is?" Looking at her for answers.
"The poster. About the missing kids."
"Oh."
They went over it, scanning it for any differences.
"So, what's the plan? We gonna pick up the spaceship and leave it at Chloe's door?" She pressed her cheek against his arm, one hand holding on as she studied the poster with great interest.
The Doctor swiftly turned to look at her, as if finding her hard to believe. "Rose Tyler! It would be an... offence, a... crime to our time-travelling adventures to just solve the mystery in one go."
She grinned at that. "Well, I can agree to that," she said, tongue between her teeth smile. The Doctor kept on staring, his disbelief melting from his face. When a small grin appeared on his face, Rose patted on his arm and straightened up towards the road.
The Doctor leaned in to her. "I think, we should blend in. Treat it as any other trip. Bit of trouble in between and... fun."
"Oh, that won't be too hard to do." She turned around to face him, a wide smile on her face. "We always do that," she half-whispered lovingly.
"That's us." They beamed at each other.
A sound of forced engine disturbed their bubble. They looked ahead of themselves and saw how a black man and the driver of the same red car were cooperating in pushing the car from the spot. The black man from behind, straining, whilst the driver was pushing from the driver's side.
Rose patted the Doctor's arm, nudging him with her shoulder. "Come on. Let's give 'em a hand."
"Here we go," the black man exhaled some deep puffs of air while trying to push the car.
"D'you need some help?" Rose offered with a smile on her face.
"No, we're all right, love."
"That doesn't look all right to me," the Doctor duly noted.
The help took a glance at the Doctor, scanning him from head to toe. The Doctor raised his eyebrows in slight amusement, but otherwise appeared calm.
"Alright then. Your bloke can help," the man finally yielded. "Come on, mate, push it from behind."
The Doctor smiled but then it froze on his face. He rounded on a circle, looking in all directions and sniffing the air. He had an expression as thought something was bugging him. He took a moment, but then it passed just as quickly as it started. Shrugging himself out of his coat, he went towards Rose.
He offered her his Janis Joplin's coat, bringing the material to her hands. She collected it with an amused smile on her face. To her surprise, the Doctor didn't reciprocate, only stared at her with a tight-lipped smile. She furrowed her brows in question.
Just before passing by her shoulder, the Doctor stopped. Inches from her ear, he whispered in a low voice, "Someone's watching."
The wariness in his voice sent Rose to turn her head back in the street's direction, searching for anything that meets the eye. She squinted her eyes when she couldn't pinpoint anything out of the ordinary. Once she turned back, the Doctor was already bouncing on his heels, wide smiles and all - ready for action.
It took only a few push for both of them working together when the engine suddenly sprang to life, causing Kel to promptly fall over. He stood up, brushing himself down.
Rose went over to the Doctor, helping him put his coat back on. "Now I know I got native. Pushing cars in broad daylight? That's almost as bad as pushing a trolley in a packed hour of Westfield."
"Cheers, mate!" the driver called out, driving off. The Doctor waved at him with a small smile.
"Hold on. What's Westfield?" Rose asked.
The Doctor inhaled, raising his eyebrows. "A shopping centre in Stratford, London. Will be opened somewhere in... September, 2011. Your mother will love it." Rose chuckled at him, giving a few sweeps along his coat arm.
Once the Doctor was properly groomed, he straightened up, hands in pockets. "So...um..." the Doctor trailed off. "Er... sorry, what was your name?" One hand flew out of his pocket to tug on his ear.
The man looked him over, a bit taken aback. "Me? Oh, I'm Kel."
"Nice to meet you, Kel. I'm the Doctor. Now, could you tell me - this thing." He gestured towards the road. "Cars breaking down, motor giving way... this happened a lot down here?" He let an innocent smile slip on his face.
"On this road?" Kel waved his hands around. "God, yes. Been doing it all week!"
"Since those children started going missing?" Rose suggested, concealing her growing grin.
"Yeah, I s'pose so."
The Doctor turned to Rose, who had a grin on her face, nodding at her with a small smirk on his own.
"So, let me make a guess, Kel," the Doctor started, a concentrated expression plastered on his face. "The cars stopping by around..." He span around, one finger of his hand motioning all over the place. "Round round round... round round round your boat," he sang in absentminded whisper. Rose couldn't stop her chuckle escaping her lips.
"Wasn't it row your boat?" Kel asked, confused.
"Naah, it's 'round' on every civilised planet. Not that I'm saying Earth is uncivilized. 'Cos it is! Well. Reasonable. Just... bit behind from others...eh. Doesn't matter. Anyway. Arouuund... aha!" He bounced on his feet. "There! Right over this spot."
The Doctor quickly crouched down, his hand hovering above the tarmac. His face immediately lit up once he felt the sensation going right through his hand. He giggled, wiggling his fingers. "Tickles."
"How d'you guess that?" Kel asked, impressed.
"Heat. This place emits a huuge amount of heat. Right from underneath all this tarmac."
"What, are you saying something from inside's disturbing all my work here?" he asked, worked up.
The Doctor didn't reply, just continued wiggle-waggling with his fingers.
"Everything the same down there?" Rose bent down, watching the Doctor's 'work'.
"Yep. Weell, the heat appears just the right degrees for Isolus species." He hummed in delight of the feeling.
Suddenly two feet appeared in the Doctor's peripheral vision.
"What's your game?" a dubious voice asked. The Doctor span around, finding the same man who chased him away from his yard, by mini football goal.
The Doctor blinked, floundering. "My... um... Snakes and Ladders?" He bent down his head back to the road, thinking deeply. "No. Hold on. We already had that conversation before..." He shook his head out of it. "And you said...!" He stood up, pointing his finger in the man's direction but was yet to face him. "You said... Or not. Hold on. Was it something that I said?" He brushed his cheek, thinking. "Something about... face... facetious...?"
When the man's patience visibly snapped and he was ready to round on the Doctor, Rose stepped in. "Hello." She smiled at the man, bright grin on her face. He seemed to be taken aback, considering Rose. "We were just... talking with this..." She casually pointed at Kel. "Kel, that's him, yeh?" She grinned at Kel, who smiled back.
"That's me."
"We're just travellers... um, for the Olympics? I'm Rose. And that's the..." she trailed off, turning to catch sight of the Doctor who was walking in a circle, deep thoughts and all that. "Doctor," she ended.
"Doctors won't help us."
Rose turned around to find a granny stepping outside from her home. "It takes 'em when they're playing. Danny... Jane... Dale... snatched in the blink of an eye. The police have knocked on every door - no clues, no leads, nothing."
"Look," the man cut in. "Kids run off sometimes, all right? That's what they do-"
But granny talked on. "Dale Hixon in your garden, playing with your Tommy, and then...!" She mimicked something disappearing. "Right in front of me, like he was never there! There's no need to look any further than this street. It's right here amongst us."
Rose swallowed, a good natured smile on her face. "Look, why don't we-"
"Why don't we start with him?" A random neighbour joined the circle, and accusingly pointed at Kel. "There's been all sorts like him in this street, day and night."
"Fixing things up for the Olympics!" Kel shot back indignantly.
"Yeah, and taking an awful long time about it," the man said, doubtful.
"Doctor?" Rose whispered, trying to get his attention.
"You don't- what you just said, that's slander!" Kel shouted out.
"I don't care what it is!"
Rose screwed her face at the raising octaves. "Shouldn't we stop 'em? Or do you want me to?"
"Is that a ball bearing cake there?"
"Wha-?" She whipped her head around just to see the Doctor's back; him already climbing inside a random house, through the window. Rose turned around at the group.
"Yeah, stop picking on me!"
"And stop pretending to be blind! It's evil!"
After scanning her sides she slowly started going backwards.
"I don't believe in evil."
"Oh no, you just believe in tarmackers with sack loads of kidnapped kiddies in their van-"
"Ay, ay, ay, that's not what she's saying..."
She rested her hands on the window sill, taking one last look around the street and climbed in.
She found herself in a rather small but cosy kitchen. The air was filled with recent cooking. She breathed the scent in. Just seconds later, a giggle reached her ears. She glanced around the room and then spotted the Doctor's back facing her, while he seemed very busy, and too immersed into something ahead of him to notice her.
"What're you doing?"
He span around. "Rose! Take a look!" He stepped away to show what was sitting on the table. "An entire 8.5 inches width banana cake with ball bearings on top of it! Masterpiece!" He took a quick swipe of the cake, pulling the finger in his mouth. He hummed in content, eyes closed.
"Doctor," Rose let out warningly. He opened his eyes, looking at her, curious. "You just practically ruined granny's entire cake right there!" She gestured with her hand towards it.
"Who says it's a granny's cake?" he pondered casually, leaning against the edge of the table while finishing of the remains of cream off his fingers.
Rose gave him a steady look. "That's where I got your mini-cake last time from."
"Oh." The Doctor's finger slid out of his mouth with an audible pop.
With a sigh, she walked over to watch the damage the Time Lord did. She grazed the side of the plate on which the cake sat. "She was making it for all the kids in the street."
"Well... they're not back yet."
Rose gave him a look. "But we're getting 'em back. And then where will they get their cake from?
"Yeeaah," the Doctor stretched the word out. "But. This is more fun. And I can never resist a banana cake." He gave her a mischievous grin, his head joggling to the sides.
A wet, dripping feeling reached her cheek the next moment. She furrowed her brows, reaching out with her right hand just to come back with a handful of said cake. "Oh, you didn't."
He giggled in amusement. He then bounced back on his heels, making a few steps away from Rose. All ready for her next move.
"We can't ruin the granny's kitchen," she tried protesting while circling after him around the table with a bursting chuckle on her lips.
"I'll leave the sink clean!" He pointed hurriedly.
She laughed, failing to remain upright. "Fine. You brought a war on, mister!" She pointed at him with her finger, giving him a fierce look. She dug her both hands in the cake fully, coming out with a quite a bit of it, holding them out threateningly.
"Ohoho!" the Doctor laughed. "Got a bit... cake-d, aren't we?"
"Shut up." She grinned, making an advance on him to which he briskly leapt out of the way. Then he made a circle around her, watching her puff and huff in amusement. "Come here you. You gonna have a taste, you are."
He side-stepped her just in time as she dove for him, making her hand collide with a window curtain. "Urgh!" she let out a desperate sound.
Chuckling silently he crept behind her, folding his hands around her but not enough to crush her to him. "A bite?" he offered, a piece of cake moving right in to her open mouth, ready to ask the question.
A few seconds passed as she chewed on it. "Mm," she hummed after her receptors recognised the taste. "It's gorgeous!"
"It is, isn't it?" His voice breathing right through her ear. It sent shivers down her spine. And she could feel him right close behind her. She jumped slightly, spinning around. The Doctor barely made it in time to avoid the threat, which her hands still occupied. "Woah!"
She nipped on her lower lip with her teeth, watching him with expectant eyes. At once a transformation showered the Doctor's face. Previously happy-go-lucky grin on his face, melting into something tender and making its way towards something deeper. Without breaking the eyes contact he took a step forward, making her take one back, until she was cornered between him and the table. She extended her hands to the sides, welcoming him in closer as his fingers grazed her face.
"You have a bit of cake left," he said, his voice sounding deep.
"What?" she breathed out, her breathing coming irregular.
"Just..." He bent his face closer. "Right over there."
By each inch he was getting closer, her eyelids started closing down, feeling his breath on her face. Just as she was expecting his lips... well, it was normal to expect a kiss in this situation, right? She felt his tongue dart out and take a taste off her cheek. She crunched her face, leaning back to give him an unimpressed look.
The Doctor, on the other hand, appeared his calculating self. "A bit different taste, yeh. Coming from human skin. All those hormones dancing in between the natural banana taste." He licked his lips off the remaining cream.
She frowned. "Hormones? You're tasting my hormones!?" She was giving him a dangerous look but he seemed oblivious.
"I'll let you know, Rose Tyler, that hormones for us, Time Lords, have each a different taste. Adrenaline can be a bit... suppose it depends on the sauce you have with that. And what can be better than a banana cake. With ball bearings! It has a click to that, yep."
She hit him with her calf. Well, as much as she managed in her very much trapped state. "If you say one more word," she warned him.
"Nope. None." He smiled at her cheekily. "My lips are sealed," he whispered and bent down to capture her lips.
She hummed at the feel of his lips against hers, meeting move after move as his fingers tightened around her hips. She crossed her hands around her wrists, folding him in a hug in need to get closer to him. That proved to be a bit difficult.
Her fingers twitched to rummage in his great hair, but the cream in her hands forced her to put them away, bending her wrists in awkward angles to not get any dropping all over the Doctor's back. He seemed to be thinking the same and stepped just that bit closer to her, feeling the natural and increasing heat radiating to his always cooler to the human's touch skin. His arms gradually brushed along her back until they were enveloping her in his tight embrace, holding her close.
"What're you doing here?"
They froze. The firm voice making them break the contact between their lips, leaving them to stare at each other.
"How did you two get inside?"
This time the Doctor turned around, his hands sliding from Rose's back, along her sides, a sheepish smile on his face. "Oh. Hello! We were just... er..." He tugged on his ear, searching for words. Not like it was not obvious what they were doing but not that anybody else needed it hearing either! "Um, we got in through the window!" he exclaimed, pointing rather obviously at the open object, in desperation to shift the conversation from the pleasant, very pleasant, in fact, activities him and Rose were indulged in just a few moments ago.
The granny squinted her eyes as if in deep thinking. "You... I remember you! You were that doctor. The one on the road."
"That's me." He wiggled fingers at her with a wave. Rose was already near the sink, trying to wash the cake once and for all off her hands. The water the only sound coming in the room.
"Dear God. My cake!" The granny came to stand next to the table, completely ignoring the Doctor's presence there. She picked up the plate. A saddened emotion passed by her face.
The Doctor's hand shot out to brush alongside his neck. "Er... the cake... um... weee had a bit of a taste of that."
While the Doctor was sure that now they were in trouble, the granny only sighed in resignation. "Oh, might as well. All the children gone from their homes. Who else would eat that?"
The Doctor inhaled, taking her attention back to him. "Actually." He took a quick glance at Rose, who was just about coming back to stand by his side. "We're here for that," he breathed out. "We're here to help."
"Surprised she didn't turn us in when we wrecked her kitchen like that."
The Doctor and Rose were pacing by Tom dad's (the man's who's chased the Doctor away for two times now) yard; the Doctor sniffing the area, while Rose had her phone against her ear.
"Oh, domestics," he grumbled. "We're getting the children back! No need to worry about a small mess in a kitchen."
"Yeh," Rose breathed out absentmindedly, her concentration focused on the screen of her phone. He turned to look at her.
"Anything yet?"
"No, nothing. I keep trying but... she must be off somewhere, I don't know. Maybe at Bev's? She told me she wanted to make a visit."
"Well then!" the Doctor sang. "No need to fret over one Jackie Tyler. She can handle herself. And him." He then considered. "And I'm sure you would hear if Jackie accidently went down the aisle and became Jackie... what was it again? Pepper? Powder?.. Po...?" He scratched his cheek in thought.
"Pope," Rose deadpanned. "Jackie and Rose Popes." She turned her head towards him, risking a glance. The Doctor's mouth twitched and seconds later he burst laughing. Rose just stared at him.
They passed down the narrow alleyway, picking on the smells, when they came out into an open of front lawn. The Doctor went a step further than Rose, her catching up right after him.
"Oh, you beautiful boy!" Rose exclaimed, full adoration in her voice.
A brilliant smile almost spread through the Doctor's face. But he did say almost. Remembering, he turned his neck to watch how Rose crunched down next to the ginger tom cat.
"The second time being here and you still prefer the cat more," the Doctor said in a disappointed voice.
Rose whipped around to look at the Doctor. "What? No, I don't." She turned her back to him again. "Just, they're nice. All that... fluffy hair to ruffle your hands through." She gestured with her fingers, making a 'rawr' sound.
"I have enough fluffy hair! Look!" The Doctor's hands shot out to his hair, tugging on them from all sides. "More than enough. Just take your pick!"
Rose smiled at him, biting her lip with a grin. She stood up with a sigh, when the cat went towards the cardboard box and disappeared with a yowl. "Oh, be fair. You know you're beautiful."
"Well... maybe... yeh... still, it's nice to hear it sometimes. From... you." He looked at her approaching him, a sheepish smile on his face.
"Very beautiful," she purred in his ear and left a peck on his cheek. The Doctor raised his eyebrows at that, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.
"So, what now?"
"Um... sorry, what?" The Doctor blinked, momentary fazed.
Rose stifled a chuckle from coming out. "What're we gonna do now? Should we take a look at Chloe's?"
"Nah. Tell you what. I'm going to go... take a look around. It seems like there's more than one residual energy out here..." He looked around, sniffing the air of any clues.
"What d'you think it is?"
"I haven't the foggiest... But! Going to find out. So. I'm going to check that and you go sort the scribble creature." He put his hand in his pocket and pulled his sonic out. "Here. Take this. The setting's already on. Deactivates the living scribble."
"Meet you in a bit, then?" Rose beamed at him, taking the sonic from his hands.
"Keep your eyes peeled, Lewis," He gestured with his two fingers, signing 'I'm watching you' and ran off, his coat flapping to the sides as he went. With a grin Rose turned around and went down the road.
Rose was walking down alone what appeared to be a dead end. The neighbourhood was eerily quiet except from a dog barking. She went straight towards the doors of the garage, already knowing where to go, when something crashed from inside. The initial crash was followed by several smaller ones as she approached the door.
She stood before it, gripping the sonic screwdriver just a bit tighter with her fingers. With a gulp of determination she bent down to pick on the handle, when something moved in her peripheral vision. Still leaning down, she turned her head sideways just as a shadow hid behind the corner of one of the buildings.
She straightened up. The Doctor said something was watching them. She took a few furtive steps into the direction of the stranger phenomena and stopped just a few steps away from it. She took a deep breath in and prepared herself for the worst. Well... she didn't expect a Dalek to be there. Or Cybermen.
Either way. She rounded the corner just to make an abrupt stop. She blinked and exhaled in relief, one hand on her racing heart.
"Scared me to death." She chuckled a bit. Whacking him on the arm. "Don't do that!" She grinned at him, lifting her eyes up.
He watched her wide-eyed, his mouth falling slack and trying time after time to find words. "Rose..." he breathed in the most heartbroken and longing way she had ever heard his voice sound like. His eyes were full of anguish and desperation but she couldn't pinpoint the cause of that. They have just seen each other!
"Doctor?" Rose asked warily. "What is it? What's wrong?" She tried cautiously to extend her hand towards him. He visibly froze at that move, making Rose stop her hand mid-air. She blinked at his reaction, a frown creeping on her face. But then she noticed something. "When d'you change your suit? I've never seen you wearing a blue." She formed a small, amused smile on her lips.
Once she lifted her head up, the smile froze. The Doctor was tense, she could she him clenching his fingers into tight fits as he watched her with haunted, frightened eyes. He swallowed.
He opened his mouth, ready to talk when a sound reached her ears.
"Roooose?"
She stiffened. And she saw that the Doctor stiffened together with her, his eyebrows raising.
"Roose? You there?"
The voice called her again and she, with a gulp, glanced over the edge of the house to look at what she already expected was true. And it was! The Doctor, brown suited Doctor with his Janis Joplin coat was running, half skipping in circles around the garage where the scribble resided.
A loud bang echoed in the alleyway and the Doctor stopped his dancing around. He made towards the garage doors, lifting a hand to it. The sound repeated, making the Doctor retreat his hand and look at the doors with a frown on his face.
Rose ducked her head back before he could spot her and prepared herself to face the Doctor. Well. The other Doctor, you know. With a bit of a nervous smile on her face, she regarding him. "So, a future version, I take it, yeh?"
to be continued...
Well. I think I'm in desperate need to hear from you again. Would be grateful for reviews!