Return To Memory: Chapter 7
Bad Wolf
A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews! This story still has a ways to go, and I apologize for the long gaps between updates. I'm not giving up on it, I promise!
One evening a week later, Rose sat on her bed in her home. Her skin tingled where he had last touched her- just a slight brush of his hand against her cheek as they said goodbye that afternoon. Her hearts jumped as she pictured his face, so handsome and soft with an expression she still couldn't define. Their first date had been an extraordinary disaster. He had ended up on the wrong planet, gotten them arrested, and he'd exposed her to more danger than she had ever seen in her life. But he had been so caring and amazing. He had saved a planet (with her help) and then they had the best lunch she had ever had. Her hearts clenched again.
Every lunch date since then had been extraordinary. They had gone to see the Purple Mountains of Moori, the beautiful Ice Planets of Menteli 6, the floating diner on the far side of the sun; he even made a picnic in the TARDIS in front of the horse head nebula, just as a star was being formed. Everything they had done had been amazing, and she was quickly becoming far more comfortable with him than she should. She still hadn't even told her mum about him, ducking out of the shop quickly for lunch. She knew her mum was curious about where she kept going, as she usually had lunch with her. She just didn't know how she would react to the man she was going with. The Doctor had a title, and she knew that she didn't have the status to rightly be with him. Her mum would certainly chastise her for her foolishness. She shouldn't be letting herself hope for a future with this wonderful man.
She tried to scoff at herself, but it ended up just being a sigh. She was falling in love with a man she had only known for seven days. He seemed to forget himself occasionally, as if he wasn't used to the rules of their society, and sometimes he accidentally touched her skin with his bare hand, and that was definitely inappropriate. He wore the strangest clothes she had ever seen, and he let her into his TARDIS. He had a familiarity with her that she knew he didn't have with anyone else. He looked at her with such a strange expression when they parted for the day, as if he never wanted her to leave. But she didn't mind.
She wanted to touch him. She wanted to hold his hand- felt that she should, but knew that she couldn't. She wanted to live with him in his TARDIS, not just visit it. She felt more comfortable with him than with anyone she had ever met. She knew she was lost to him now. She just prayed that it wasn't a trick. She was already too far in.
The Doctor stood in the infirmary, next to the Balbox they had saved, which Rose had named Mickey (he had laughed so hard, tears had fallen from his eyes…she was still frustrated because she couldn't figure out why he thought that was so funny). The bird was doing much better, his vitals all stable and his feathers beginning to grow back. He looked down at the creature, remembering the adventure he had shared with Rose just a week ago.
She was brilliant. She still didn't remember him, but she was the same in all the ways that mattered. She was calm in the face of danger, she still delighted in running, and she still loved chips. And the most important thing was, deep down, she still seemed to love him. She just didn't know it yet.
He missed her more than anything at the moment. He was still sad that he couldn't have their forever immediately, but was more than grateful for this opportunity to court her properly. And court her he would. Tomorrow they were going for lunch again, and he couldn't wait. He knew, however, that soon he would have to face one of his worst fears…a Gallifreyan Jackie. Rose couldn't hide him from her forever.
Mothers of his species were very intuitive. The second that Jackie met him for real, she would know immediately that he intended to marry her daughter. He only hoped that she was going to be amenable to that. He didn't want to have to face down Jackie if she determined that he wasn't to have her daughter for his wife.
He was much more determined that he would have Rose for his wife. He just hoped that she remembered him before he would have to ask. He couldn't marry her without her knowing all of their history.
He left the infirmary and set the coordinates on the TARDIS for one of Rose's favorite planets. He distinctly remembered her eyeing a particular item at a bazaar a few months ago. When he landed, he hopped out of the TARDIS and headed straight for the stand. He was going to court her like royalty. He picked up the item and paid for it, going over his request speech in his mind. If it came up, he was going to be prepared to announce his intentions to Rose's mother properly. His Rose deserved an honorable man, and he would be that for her this time around.
Rose sighed as she stood at the register, begging time to speed up so that she could go to lunch. It had been hours since she had seen his face, and that was already too long. (She chastised herself for being so sappy over a man she hardly knew, but then she thought of his smile and was completely melty over him again.) Her mum kept shooting her strange glances, obviously suspicious that something was going on with her. She wasn't quite ready to tell her that she was falling in love with the Doctor- possibly the most famous man on Gallifrey. Her mum would think she had gone mad for even entertaining fantasies of this man loving her.
But, from the look in his eyes, perhaps he already loved her.
She counted the minutes carefully in her head until lunch, when she saw him appear in the shop. He was more handsome than he was yesterday, though he was still wearing the same thing. (She had started wearing her best clothes to work, which had increased her mum's suspicion even more. It had been worth it because she wanted to look beautiful for him.) He was right on time, as she expected him to be. She quickly checked out the last customer in her line and hollered to her mum in the back "Going to lunch, see you later mum, bye!". Before her mum got a chance to say anything, Rose grabbed the Doctor's sleeve and hauled him out of the shop. He chuckled at her antics.
"What?" she asked, offended.
He shook his head. "You're hiding me from your mother."
"Well, she would ask questions." She defended.
He lifted his hand as though to touch her face, but aborted the motion and worried his hair with it. "Is that really a bad thing?" he raised an eyebrow.
They began to walk toward the TARDIS and she resisted the urge to slip her hand into his. "I don't really know the answers to the questions I think she would ask."
As they approached the blue box, the key on her neck warmed her skin again, a sensation that was growing increasingly familiar. Curious, that it would happen every time she neared his ship. Perhaps her key had been to a TARDIS? A chime sounded in greeting as she walked through the doors and up the ramp, still feeling that strange sense of belonging in a place that wasn't hers. He started around the console, changing the settings to wherever he was taking them now. "And what questions would she be asking, Rose?" he asked gently.
She looked up at him, the questions her mother would be asking suddenly far less important than the question she had herself. She was already in far too deep, and she needed assurance from him that what they were doing wouldn't end in heartache. He was far above her in social status. She didn't understand why he would even be talking to her. What interest could he really have in a shop girl from the lower class? "What are your intentions, Doctor? Why are you taking me out for lunch and all of this? You don't even know me. Not really. And we're from two very different parts of this society. You shouldn't even be talking to me like this."
He wanted to laugh off her question, because he really did know her. Not in the biblical sense, of course, but he knew her and loved her more than she knew. Her unintentional accusation stung, but he couldn't let on. He kept having to remind himself that her mind didn't remember him, and the ease of their relationship was probably frightening for her. And as for the class difference? That was her own fault, really. She didn't have to make him a hero. He flipped the brake off and walked to her, standing in her personal space, but not so close as to frighten her away. He would be direct with her, so that she would have no doubts in her mind as to his feelings for her. This second chance was not to be wasted. "I am courting you, Rose."
She blinked. It wasn't as if she hadn't known he was courting her. He was doing all of the things a Gallifreyan man should do when courting. He walked on her right side (family and friends walked on the left, courting partners walked on the right- though she hadn't noticed until this moment), he bought her food, he opened doors for her, he paid her the utmost respect in every way. She just hadn't expected him to be so blunt. Something told her that he was more of a 'skirting the issue' kind of man. "Oh." She replied, after a somewhat long silence. She tried to hold back a smile, but it stretched across her face just the same.
He stepped just a bit closer and raised his hand to almost touch her face. She could feel the heat from his skin, just millimeters away. He wanted to touch her, she knew, but he was holding back out of respect for her. The problem was that she wanted him to close the gap between her skin and his hand. She wanted him to fully touch her, so that she could feel the electricity that was sparking in his eyes. She saw a depth in his gaze that promised forever, though how he could feel this way about her after such a short time was incomprehensible to her.
Oh, screw it. Her hearts knew this man. This was the kind of love she and her friends had dreamed about when they were little girls. This was a fairytale, and she had found her prince.
His hand remained there as he looked into her eyes, searching for something. She offered everything she could to him with her own eyes. "And then, Rose, if you can find yourself loving me, then I intend to marry you and spend forever with you in my arms."
Forever in an orange sunset, his hand in hers and their eyes meet.
She blinked and she was back in the TARDIS, so close to being in his arms but so far away. Her hearts beat furiously in her chest and her lungs strained to move. His breath brushed her lips and she wanted to kiss him. Briefly horrified at this incredibly inappropriate thought, she drew in a slight gasp. His eyes were warm…
His eyes were warm, lit by the glow of the dying sun across the ocean. The creatures flying above them dove and sang gracefully, and he smiled.
"How long are you gonna stay with me?"
Her own lips replied "Forever"
She reeled back from the force of the vision, the spell broken by the TARDIS's landing and the reality of his proximity. He stayed where he was, though he wanted to reach out for her and hold her.
For a brief moment, there had been recognition in her gaze and her lips had breathed 'forever'.
She would remember him, he thought as he moved away and pulled the brake. He just hoped it would be soon. They spun into the vortex, and as he glanced over at her dazed expression he hoped he hadn't been too blunt. She had seemed a bit…worried for a moment.
Rose shook her head, warding off the images that flashed through her mind. She had only known the Doctor for a week, and he had never taken her to anywhere like that. He certainly never held her hand like that. He had only shown her the utmost respect, and he would never dishonor her virtue by touching her skin so casually. The few times they had touched (though even the smallest touch was wildly inappropriate, regardless of the fact that she wanted it, too) he had done so gently and quickly; a fleeting brush of his fingertips to her face, or an accidental graze of his elbow. Her vision disturbed her, and she wondered at what kind of person she was if her imagination was bringing something so intense to her mind.
There was something so incredibly right about it, though. If he asked her now, she would have the same answer. She would undoubtedly stay with him forever. He had only to ask.
They landed at their destination, and the Doctor hopped excitedly to the door. "Rose, you are going to love this!"
She joined him excitedly, having shaken herself out of her brief trance. "Where are we?" she asked. He only smiled and opened the doors.
They stepped outside into a beautiful garden, with flowers everywhere. They were red, pink, and yellow, and colorful butterflies fluttered about. She had never seen something so beautiful, but the place was very familiar. The Doctor watched her expression hopefully, looking for a glimpse of recognition.
"What is this place? It's beautiful." She breathed, touching one of the flowers.
"We are on Earth." He said softly, guiding her around a hedge, where a large fountain trickled gently and the water glinted in the sun.
"Earth?" she said, feeling the word roll off of her tongue. There was something about it…something so familiar. But she was sure she had never heard it before, and he had never brought her here.
He grinned at her confusion, knowing that she recognized the place, deep down. "And these" he said, as he gently brushed his fingers against a flower "are called Roses".
She smiled at that, touching the flower he already held in his fingers. It was blood red and beautiful. She leaned in gently to smell it, and its fragrance reminded her of coming home. "They're beautiful" she said, smiling softly up at him.
He brought his hand up as if to brush her face, but did not. She felt the warmth of his hand as she had earlier, and she gazed up into his eyes. "They're named after you," he said.
She blushed at his flattery and they continued down the path. Soon they left the relative quiet of the garden and she began to hear the chatter of children. There were strange sounds all around and delicious (and some not so delicious) smells met her nose. They stepped out of the maze-like rose garden and into a large square. There were tall trees that stuck out through the concrete, providing shade to the various passersby. She heard a loud roar off to her left, and she jumped, startled. The Doctor chuckled and put his hand on her back (the electricity from his touch zinged through the fabric of her dress, but they both pretended not to notice) to lead her over to the source of the noise.
She stared at the beast behind the bars of the cage; its golden mane shimmered in the light that filtered through the trees. "What is that?" she asked. She was amazed at this place; she had never seen anything like it.
He chuckled. "That is a lion. King of the jungle!" He laughed, clearly delighting in his own private joke.
She laughed with him, though she didn't know what was funny. His delight was contagious and she couldn't help but rejoice with him. "So, what is this place called?"
He led her to another cage, where a tiger stood proudly. He answered her. "This is a zoo. They have hundreds of animals native to this planet here."
She watched the tiger in awe, the strength and beauty of the creature making her breath catch as its eyes glittered in the sunlight. "A zoo. Are the animals happy in those cages?" she asked, eyeing the small enclosure.
He pointed to a sign, which read "Tiger will be returned to its habitat area after one hour." She smiled and they continued through the zoo. He told her unusual facts about them and told magnificent stories, which earned them a few glances from passersby. They got to the wolf cage, and Rose stepped up closer to the cage. There were three of them in the enclosure, one sleeping against a rock.
She looked at them carefully, feeling a bit strange. Then the visions came again.
Golden light, power, all of existence in her head.
"That wolf." She whispered. The Doctor heard her, and placed his hand on her shoulder. "What is it, Rose?"
A man in a leather jacket, from the north. His blue eyes piercing and afraid as she lifted her hands. She took his enemies and brought life to his friend.
'My Doctor', she had cried.
His lips were warm and the piercing gold faded to a calming black.
"That wolf" she repeated. His fingers tightened on her shoulder, but he remained silent.
"It's bad." She said softly. The vision faded and she shook her head. Turning to look at the Doctor, she stepped back at the look on his face. It was hopeful, and yet it was afraid. She could see the man in her vision within his eyes. It had felt so real, like a memory. But it couldn't be a memory.
She wondered what the Doctor's previous regeneration looked like, and if he had worn a leather jacket.
A/N: So, what did you think? I'm already working on the next chapter, so hopefully it will be up soon. Reviews always help me write better!
With love,
doctorrosetyler