Return to Memory
Chapter 11: A New Start
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who!
Rose lay awake in her bed that night, the Doctor's quiet snores filtering through the wall into her room. Her plush bed was more than comfortable, and the telepathic décor of the room had her drifting in a calming sea of nebulae. It was not any sort of discontent that kept her awake. She simply couldn't sleep.
Here she was, in her new home. Her love slept only one bedroom away, and everything seemed too amazing to be true. She was surrounded by riches, all of which he swore he would give away for her, if she would only stay. She would never ask him to give anything up for her, and she was excited to experience how the upper class lived. She had explored her closet and it had many of the finest robes she had ever seen, which was more than enough to make her fit in with his co-workers and friends.
She knew that it was late, and she wanted to be awake in the morning to cook the Doctor breakfast. She had once cringed at the idea of being so submissive and domestic as to wake early and cook her husband (or courting partner, as it were) a meal before he went off to work. She had never imagined, however, someone as amazing as the Doctor. And she had never dreamed that she would be in love.
It wasn't nervousness about meeting him for lunch at the Academy that kept her awake, for she had already sorted that anxiety and placed it in the back of her mind. It wasn't longing for his touch, as she had already dealt with those thoughts as well. It was something else keeping her mind occupied. There was something important. Something she couldn't remember.
She closed her eyes and tried to force herself into a sleep cycle. Her mind would just have to try and calm itself as she slept. She had to be awake in three hours.
Tears fell down her face as she looked into the heart of the TARDIS. Everything was gold and it clouded her vision, and there was nothing but the essence of pure time and space. She felt the power flowing through her and she imagined him, her beloved Doctor, surrounded by Daleks. He would face his death. And she would stop it.
She stepped out of her confinement, the heart of the TARDIS safely in her mind. The glow was beginning to burn, but she used that to fuel her anger. The Daleks threatened him. And they would die. She waved her hand and it was so.
Her friend was dead. She breathed and death no longer held him.
Her Doctor was frantic, desperate for her to let go of the power she held. She couldn't hear him, there was a loud ringing in her ears and she couldn't figure out how to let go of a power that could be used to protect him.
"I want you safe, my Doctor."
Those piercing blue eyes once again held her golden gaze. And then he was coming to her. There were words exchanged, but the gold hurt so badly. She didn't know the words anymore. All she could hear was the song of time and the loud ring of death. Her human body was burning.
"I think you need a Doctor."
And then he was kissing her. She felt the gold fade from her, and when the burning stopped she kissed him back. His hands were warm on her back, but his mouth was cool against her lips.
And it all went black.
Rose shot up in her bed, awake and gasping for breath. What kind of dream was that? She had never had such a creative dream before. The man was the Doctor, she was sure of it now. How did she know what his previous form looked like?
She rubbed her eyes tiredly, and noticed that it was morning. The Doctor's snores continued in the next room, and she quickly got up from her bed and hurried into the bathroom. She knew it would be an hour before he had to wake, and so she hurried about her morning ablutions. Her shower, though warm and relaxing, could not stop her mind from questioning what her dream had meant.
Was it related to the strange visions she had been having? That leather-clad man, with the piercing blue eyes and short hair, must be the Doctor. Her dream-self referred to him as such. And how did she remember two meetings? She distinctly remembered their awkward first encounter in her mum's shop, but at the same time she felt the fear and desperation of the vision-meeting.
The dark basement and the creepy mannequins were as strong in her memory as the awkward chocolate bar conversation. The hand in hers, that rough and calloused hand, was so detailed a texture that it could only be a memory.
She stepped out of the shower and began to dry her hair and moisturize her skin with the opulent lotions and creams the Doctor had bought for her. She determined to put the strange dream and visions out of her mind for now. It bothered her greatly, but she didn't want to bother the Doctor about it before his first day of the semester back at work. Maybe she could speak to him about it this weekend?
When she was satisfied that her skin was thoroughly pampered and her hair looked decent, Rose wandered over to the closet. Which robe should she choose first?
She smiled at a dark pink one, so deep in its hue that it could almost be red. That would be perfect. She put it on, hardly believing that something so beautiful was now hers to wear. She looked in the mirror and thought that she hardly looked herself. The deep color suited her pale skin, the soft fabric falling over one shoulder and leaving the other bare. The fabric clung lightly in the right places, but was still relatively loose. It fell to her bare feet.
She raised her courting gift to her neck and carefully clasped it in place. She thought that she looked suited for a night out on the town, not for simply making breakfast. She had seen how rich women dressed, however, and she wanted to feel what it would be like to wear such elegant clothing just because she could.
She could still hear the Doctor's snores, louder and more obnoxious now. He would be waking soon. She hurried down the stairs to the kitchen, choosing to remain barefoot. She rummaged around the kitchen and found the ingredients she needed. Tying an apron around herself, she set to work.
The Doctor woke slowly, stretching in his bed. It had been a very good night. He hadn't realized quite how much it bothered him sleeping in a separate house from Rose, but now he saw that it did. He hadn't slept so comfortably since she had last slept in the TARDIS with him, before the Temple and her subsequent loss of memory. The gentle hum of her consciousness brushed against him comfortingly through the House's telepathic field. He basked in the feeling before sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He crawled out of bed, jumping into the shower to get ready for his first day back at work.
Though he remembered teaching at the Academy, he had that new job feeling. This new life Rose had built for him was exactly what he wanted. It's not the way he would have lived if his planet had survived, but now he was grateful to have his home back and couldn't help but feel content. He had his planet back. He had a home; the emptiness in his head was replaced by the gentle telepathic presence of his people. Soon, he would have Rose as his wife. He hoped.
He was so grateful to his Rose for returning to him all that he had lost. The horrible guilt for killing his people was still heavy in his hearts, but the pain was eased by the fact that she had undone the worst deed in his entire existence. It would do no good for him to allow himself to drown in guilt for the things he had done and yet not done. He would focus now on giving Rose everything she could ever want or need.
As he exited the shower and dried off, a delectable scent reached his nose. He had thought she was asleep, but now he was beginning to have other suspicions. Was she seriously cooking him breakfast?
He laughed aloud as he dressed, the light feeling prevailing once again. Oh yes, she would be his wife. And she would be so much cheekier when she regained her memory. This Rose was still getting used to him, trying to learn who he was. Their conversation the previous night told him that she was still insecure in her place in his life. He would have to do everything he could to make sure that she understood that he loved her.
There was something inside him that kept him from just coming out and saying it, yet. Those three powerful words "I love you" meant far more to a Gallifreyan than it did to a human. He had told her before that he loved her, and he had felt it in every corner of his being. He loved her in the human sense, the Gallifreyan sense, and all other ways he could love her. He was just nervous to tell her. Perhaps her love for him was still growing.
He came down the stairs, his trainers squeaking conspicuously on the wood floor. He could hear her voice as she worked; humming what she was probably unaware was a 1990's pop song from Earth. He chuckled lightly. Oh, she would always be the same. And he would always love her.
His mouth watered at the scent of the food she was cooking. He smiled and walked into the kitchen as if he hadn't been creeping around in the hallway.
"Good morning, Rose!" He said cheerfully, sitting down at the large island where she was spooning their breakfast onto plates. She looked up and positively beamed at him.
"Good morning, Doctor!"
She pushed his plate across the counter to him before reaching up to the cabinet to get a cup. It was then that he noticed what she was wearing.
His hearts migrated to his throat and no amount of swallowing would move them back into place.
She was positively gorgeous; her hair shining in the morning light that came in through the large window. Her robes fit her beautifully, and the color accentuated the perfect shade of her skin. He had a strong urge to go up behind her and wrap his arms around her. He would drop a kiss to that bit of exposed skin and inhale the fresh scent of her hair. When she turned around he saw the necklace he had given to her laying elegantly around her neck, the beads sliding against skin he longed to run his lips over.
When she placed his drink in front of him, he coughed lightly and tried to rid himself of the feelings coursing through him right now. It wouldn't do to arrive at work in such a state.
She sat across from him, smiling and silent as she waited for him to eat.
Oh, right. He should be eating. Not staring at her like some sort of wild dog.
He glanced down at his plate and laughed with delight before stuffing a bite in his mouth. "Golanka waffles with bananas! Bananas are good, Rose, did you know that?"
She laughed and took a bite of her own food. He was so rude.
And not ginger.
Ah. So her strange thoughts weren't going to be quiet today after all.
"I did. You have an unhealthy obsession with those things. I would bet there are two or three in your pockets right now."
He stuffed more waffle in his mouth to avoid answering that. It would only end in mocking.
"My obsession is not unhealthy! Bananas are very good for you! All that potassium and…banana…ness…" He trailed off for a moment. "And you know, you should always take a-"
"Banana to a party, I know, Doctor." She laughed lightly and took a sip of her drink.
His mind leapt with hope once again. She remembered that!
They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes. The Doctor soon realized that he needed to leave for work in only two minutes. He didn't want to leave, though. He would have to leave Rose all day long. He wouldn't see her until five that evening. He wasn't looking forward to such a long separation. Only one way to fix that, really.
"So, Rose, do you want to come have lunch with me at the University?" He asked hopefully.
Rose considered that for a brief moment. Of course she wanted to have lunch with him, but was she ready to meet all of his fancy colleagues and students? She had been rejected from that very place. She remembered the judgmental eyes following her down the hallway as she went in for her interview, the hushed whispers and giggles from the girls in fancy robes that looked on her modest clothing as rags. But it would be different this time. She wasn't applying. She didn't care about their acceptance anymore. She just cared about the Doctor's acceptance.
"Sure, Doctor. What time do I meet you?"
He grinned widely and told her to meet him at noon, before shrugging on his coat. He ran his hands through her hair gently before he went, giving Rose a loving look.
As he walked down the drive, he realized he was running very, very late. There was nothing for it, then. He would have to take the TARDIS. Maybe he could take her to their favorite chippy for lunch. Rose would like that.
He hurried to his ship, which he had parked outside, and was greeted with a telepathic hug. It seems like she had missed him as much as he missed her. It was such an impulse to travel that it felt very unreal to be in one place for so long- to have a home.
He set the coordinates for his office and arrived on time, for once.
Unfortunately the TARDIS thought it would be hilarious to land it one room over. In The Master's classroom. Bloody brilliant. Now he was going to have to put up with the teasing all day.
A/N: Hello, lovely readers! I know that this is a somewhat short and uneventful chapter, but the next one will be very interesting, I promise! I sort of rushed this one a bit because there is something very important that I think all people should be aware of (Whether you live in the US or not!). At this moment, the US Congress is considering a bill that could fatally damage the internet itself. It is called SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act). These Acts are meant to target piracy sites and are mainly spearheaded by the Entertainment Industry. Its main goal is to stop piracy by blocking foreign sites that are connected with piracy. The problem with the way they are going about this, however, is by giving big corporations the ability to shut down websites without due process of law! This means that sites like youtube and facebook will be shut down if any one of their users posts copyrighted content. This affects everyone, even if you live outside of the US. Today, January 18th, there is an internet-wide protest happening against these acts. Wikipedia has blacked out its site for 24 hours, along with other websites. Because I don't have a website, this is my protest against SOPA and PIPA. If you have time, my beloved readers, please take a moment to educate yourself about this law that could potentially take away your First Amendment Rights and start a trend of government censorship that can only end badly. If you feel the way I do, sign the petition at /
Thank you very much for reading and I hope and pray that this bill is stopped and that the people retain the freedom to write fan fiction and post youtube videos.
With Love,
doctorrosetyler