I Don't Want to Go
It started like a normal Friday for Joshua Noble. He woke earlier than Rose, which was unusual. They'd had a hell of a week, though, and she'd been out late on a field mission the night before. Joshua slowly got out of bed, trying not to disturb her and began his day.
When Rose finally woke, it was to the smell of toast and tea wafting through their flat. Their breakfast is simple affair of tea, toast and eggs. Since coming here, they had gotten into a bit of a routine. It was terribly domestic, but something he had always longed to have. A Home. A Family. A place to Belong.
~DW~~DW~~DW~
Rose was in her office, compiling her report from yesterday before debriefing the staff of her finds. A hive of Silurians had woken from their hibernation and ventured to the surface. Things had come to a head the day before and Rose had spent the better part of the day trying to make peace with them. Joshua had helped her with some of the things she could use in her compromises. He also showed her some of their customs. With his guidance, she managed to impress them.
Joshua was in R & D. While he was documenting the Vault, he came across some components he could use to build translators. Pete had given him the okay, so he'd devoted every moment he could tinkering. He was in his element here, really. True, he had the equivalent of a Doctorate in several different fields, but Engineering had always been his strongest, especially in this body. He was always inventing things to help him investigate. This was no different.
He was about to wrap things up, when his spine went rigid and eyes wide. Something was happening. Something to the other Doctor. Just as quickly as he tensed, went slack and passed out. Jake barely caught him before he hit the ground.
~DW~~DW~~DW~
The next several hours were chaos. Joshua remained unconscious. An IV was started, but nothing else. Without knowing what was going on, Doctor Martin didn't want to be invasive. So they made Joshua comfortable and waited. Rose sat beside his bed, hand clasped in his. Her eyes were closed and if Pete didn't know better, he would think she were just as out as he was. He watched her eyes flit back and forth behind her eyelids. Joshua was deathly pale, but Rose almost glowed. This wasn't the first time she'd displayed her powers, though. He'd tried to keep it under wraps as well as he could and so far, only immediate family and a few select people knew she was anything other than an extraordinary human.
Jackie and Tony arrived after an hour. As a family, they stood vigil over Joshua. Rose kept her vigil holding Joshua's hand long after her family showed. Jackie had brought a thermos of tea and several Styrofoam cups from the cafeteria. She made sure everyone had a cup, including Rose. Jackie entertained the thought of wafting the tea under Joshua's nose but Rose shot down the idea.
"Whatever the Time Lord has been running from, Mum, has caught up with him. He's so frightened and a bit mad. It's no wonder he pulled Joshua into his mind. I think this will actually kill him. He should Regenerate, but there's some things even he can't live after. I'm just afraid that the mental trauma that Joshua will suffer will be permanent. He's not the one physically going through this, but at the same time, he is currently twined tightly with his twin. Just do me a favor and keep the tea handy for when he finally wakes."
Two hours after Joshua collapsed, his breathing became erratic. Faint cuts appeared on his face and hands. But there didn't seem to be anything anyone in that room could do but sit and wait.
~DW~~DW~~DW~
Another hour and thirty-seven minutes pass before any other activity was noticed by the onlookers.
"I don't want to go" It was low, a whimper. Tears streamed down his face.
He arched his back, as if in pain, splaying his arms and legs out. Rose stepped back, giving him some room. She knew what was happening. Not just from her connection to him, but also because she had seen him do this before. Then he collapsed, and his breathing went back to normal. Rose returned to his side, holding his hand. Nothing had changed. His face was still the same. A small, golden stream of energy escaped his parted lips and Jackie gasped.
"He's done it again, hasn't he?" Rose only nodded. Five minutes later, Joshua turned to his side and coughed. He gripped Rose around the waist, forcing her to sit with him and curled his body around hers. He didn't say anything. There's no need to. But they stayed there, wrapped around one another, and wept. They wept for the man they had known and loved, who was now changed.