A reminder to the guest reviewers and those of you with private messaging disabled - I can't respond to you.
Oh and I should probably mention, while I do have plans for this story covering up til season 6, as of right now I am not touching season 7 with a ten foot long pole. Except for one episode.
Medicine in the 65th century was remarkable and extremely effective on her system. After just three days of antibiotics, Rose was back on her feet. That was not to say she still wasn't a little weak, but she was no longer hacking up her lungs or losing her lunch, and her fever had all but gone. Everyone was relieved, including the TARDIS.
The only negative was that the antibiotics were designed for a more advanced body and therefore consumed a lot of her energy. She was lucky enough to be awake for eight hours within a twenty-four hour period and when she was actually awake she rarely had the energy to do more than the basics or relocate herself somewhere that wasn't her bedroom.
The Doctor had been tripping over his own limbs to take care of her, fetching food, cuddling, reading with her, keeping tabs on her fever, and playing board and card games that Martha joined in on sometimes. The farthest he strayed from her was to install the parts that had caused all the fuss, but then he was right back to Rose. His presence also served another purpose. Sick as she was, it wouldn't do for Rose to be violently jarred from nightmares. He finally told her what he'd been doing to soothe her mind and they discovered that her falling asleep with the knowledge helped keep the nightmares at bay.
The TARDIS rivaled his coddling. The temperature in Rose's room was strictly regulated, automatically adjusting whenever she got chills. If Rose wanted something to eat, they always found the exact ingredients needed to make it waiting in the kitchen. Whenever Rose settled into bed at night her blankets and sheets were warm but not warm enough to cause her discomfort. She dredged up long neglected board games for them to play, ensured the door to the library always opened to the films section, and relocated the gardens near Rose's room if she wanted some fresh air.
"Blimey, if this is the kind of treatment I'd get, I really need to get sick." Martha joked on the second day while the Doctor was fixing lunch. "Though, I don't think the Doctor would be as panicky."
"Probably not. Besides, it's very difficult for us to get sick."
"What do you mean?"
Rose sighed and leaned back against her headboard. "When you travel in the TARDIS you pick up this bit of background radiation. It's harmless, just sort of there, but it does make it really difficult for us to get sick. Whenever I do, it's never as bad as it could've been."
"But you were really sick," Martha pointed out. "You're saying you should've been worse?"
She nodded.
"Well, you set yourself up for it. Going to all those places with your body's natural defenses low?"
"Yeah, I know. I know," she grumbled.
On day four they left the vortex for the first time. They were all stir crazy. Rose especially. It had been well over a week since she'd left, her brief visit in the hospital notwithstanding, and she wanted to breathe in some fresh air. So they went to Earth, Lake Tahoe, sometime before European colonization began. No questions, no fuss, and no one to bother them—just the three of them, the TARDIS, some sand, and clear blue lake water that had yet to know any form of pollution.
They landed in the early summer on a small stretch of sand on the southern shore and stepped out, breathing in the fresh air of their planet and enjoying the warm sunlight. Rose lingered in the doorway behind them, casting nervous glances at the sky where she could see the tip of the sun peaking across the TARDIS. The Doctor held out his hand and, taking a deep breath, she stepped out onto the warm sand and slipped her hand into his.
She inhaled sharply when she felt the warmth of the sun touch her skin and exhaled shakily. There was no reason to be afraid, she told herself. This wasn't Torajji. This was her sun. Sol. The same one that had kept her alive for her entire life on Earth and had never harmed her except for the occasional sunburn. With the strong sunscreen she'd put on just before coming outside, that wasn't likely to happen today.
Rose wore a light green shirt that hung off one shoulder and a pair of cream capris. The first outfit she'd worn in a week that wasn't chosen with the expectation to fall asleep sometime while wearing it. After so long of visiting cool places and being inside the temperate environment of the TARDIS, she had to admit that summer felt wonderful. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed it. And she was pleased to discover after several minutes of being exposed to it, the heat didn't make her feel trapped or afraid. She buried her toes in the warm and smiled as the breeze from the lake blew against her skin, tickling her cheeks and blowing her hair out behind her.
A pair of cool arms encircled her waist. She smiled and leaned back ever so slightly. "How are you feeling?" he asked
Rose covered his hands with hers. "Happy."
She heard the smile in his voice. "Not what I meant."
"I'm awake," she said, "and I don't feel like I'm about to fall over. Same as five minutes ago."
He pressed a kiss against the top of her head. "Good. Remember our deal, though. Don't go where we can't see you and if you start feeling tired at all, you tell me straight away."
"Yes, Mum." She twisted around in his grip and frowned at him. "Am I allowed to walk in the water or are you worried I might fall asleep and drown?"
"Cheeky." He tapped her on the nose with his forefinger.
Her necklace gleamed in the sunlight and he automatically glanced down at it. Rose stretched her neck up and kissed his still outstretched finger then turned and scrambled down towards the water. He watched her go. She stopped about ankle-deep and stared out at the vast expanse of Lake Tahoe. He noted the way her shoulders slowly relaxed and her hands turned, fingers spreading wide. He wished he could see her face.
Martha appeared beside him with a folded yellow blanket in her arms. She pinched the corners in her fingers and let the rest drop from her arms. It unfurled and she flapped it out into the air, lowering it slowly onto the sand. She slid her palms together, satisfied, then plopped unceremoniously onto it. She stretched out on her back, folding her arms behind her head, and wiggled around for a few moments to get comfortable.
"Alright, I'm ready." she announced, eyes closed. "You may begin now."
The Doctor lifted his eyebrows. What was she on about now? "What?"
She peeked at him. "You're the tour guide of the universe. Tell me about Lake Tahoo."
"Tahoe," he corrected, sitting down on the edge of the blanket, and proceeded to do just that. How it was formed millions of years ago by faults, the people that would live around the lake, what the settlers would make of it, the vacation resorts of her time, what would become of the lake over the 21st century, and how the lake would ultimately meet its end in the 33rd.
He kept his eyes on Rose almost the entire time. She wasn't doing much, just walking up and down a small area of the shallows, no farther than knee-deep into the lake. She bent at the waist and slid her fingers through the water. Cupped her hands and brought water up to her face. Shook off the residual drops. Tilted her head towards the sun and smiled. The ease with which she bared her face to the sun both surprised him and made him smile proudly. She was strong, his Rose.
"Doctor," said Martha. "Doctor?"
He didn't look away from Rose. "Hmm?"
"Didn't you say the Washoe tribe lived on the southern shores in the summer?"
"Mmhmm."
"It's summer. We're on the southern half of the lake."
"Mmhmm."
"What is that it? Just gonna sit there and stare at Rose?"
"Mmhmm."
"Would you please take this seriously? What if they find us? They've probably never seen white or black people before." A thought occurred to her. "What if they try to scalp us?!"
Oh, of all the ridiculous… He did look away from Rose then and frowned at Martha, unimpressed. "Seriously? You're worried about scalping?"
"YES! Not all of us can switch bodies when we die and I like my head intact, ta."
He rolled his eyes in exasperation. Then again, this was the woman who worried about getting carted off when they landed and mingled anytime before the 13th Amendment. "That won't be popular for centuries," he explained as patiently as he could. "And even then it only happens during the wars with the colonials. You're right, the people here probably have never seen other races before, but they also haven't learned to associate other races as invaders who want their land. They probably would consider us spirits, if anything. Especially her."
He nodded towards Rose who was standing in the shallows looking radiant in the sun.
"In any case, they probably don't even know we're here, and if they do they we are clearly are weaponless and nonthreatening. I think we'll be fine."
"If you say so."
Martha sat up and leaned back on her hands. She was tempted to get up and join Rose out there but she got the feeling her friend was enjoying the time on her own. She'd scarcely had a private moment over the past few days. Plus Martha didn't often get the chance to sit with just the Doctor. She was undeniably closer to Rose and sometimes she wasn't sure if she'd gained a best friend or a sister. Did it matter? They were like her family now. It made being away from her real family easier and it made her happy to see them happy.
Every time they snuggled up together on the couch or exchanged any sort of kiss, Martha would smile smugly to herself, knowing she'd helped them get a move on. Speaking of which…she probably wouldn't get another chance at this.
"So, have you two shagged yet?"
The Doctor sputtered and his eyes went wide with shock and something a little like terror. "Th-that's…I d-don't think that's any of your business."
"That'll be a no, then."
"Martha!"
Martha arched her eyebrows and gave him a look. "What's the hold up? Don't tell me you're scared."
He looked away resolutely. "I am not having this conversation with you."
"Hmm…I'm gonna go with 'not scared' on this one. So, are you not compatible?"
"We are not discussing this."
She ignored him. "Do you not have the right bits or something?"
The Doctor's exhale sounded almost like a growl. "Martha, do you recall what I told you in the library a few months ago? The day I took you both to Kataa Flo Ko?"
She had to think about it for a moment but then she nodded. "About Gallifreyan romancing and stuff, right?"
"If that's what you want to call it," he allowed. "Do you remember what I said about displaying affection?"
"Holding hands equals hugging, hugging is like kissing, kissing is serious."
He nodded slowly. "And sex was something else entirely. My people, for the most part, were sterile so many marriages were arranged based on DNA compatibilities and the likelihood the couple could produce a natural child. Every couple, whether Time Lord or not, was expected to attempt to have a child naturally, but almost every time they failed and eventually they each gave DNA samples and infants were created through the Looms."
"Looms?" she asked, picturing the weaving device from Earth.
"That's what we called them. You'd call it being grown in a lab."
"Were you?"
The Doctor smiled. "Sometimes couples were lucky and they actually did conceive. But it was a very rare thing, only five times in the last thousand years. "
"And you were one of them," she guessed.
He nodded. "Yes, I am."
Martha couldn't help but chuckle at the twinge of pride in his voice. It must have been something of a status. She could imagine him bragging about it as he was growing up. "So why are you telling me this?" she asked.
"I told Rose about the Looms months ago, after our visit to a planet called Cekir where babies are literally delivered by the stork. Well, not a stork, they're actually called Yolatva and they're bright green instead of white and—"
"Doctor."
He glanced down at her momentarily. "Sex was only done in an attempt reproduce and most couples ceased when it became clear they could not conceive."
Martha sighed. "Are you telling me you're not—?"
"Let me finish."
"Okay."
"They stopped because most couples in the later days were in arranged marriages. Some did love each other, but they weren't in love. Combined with repressed urges, they usually felt no need for intimacy. But for couples in love, from what I heard, it was different. Telepathy played a part in it and they could form a permanent bond, but I never…" he trailed off.
Martha didn't realize she was holding her breath until her chest started to hurt. She exhaled, drawing in a deep breath of air as she finally got it. She'd already known he was afraid of his feelings for Rose since her life was so short compared to his, but this revelation brought things into a whole new light. She would not pretend to understand the telepathy aspect he mentioned, but the word 'permanent' was clear enough. If he allowed himself to love Rose fully, what would happen to him when she was gone?
As if reading her mind, the Doctor murmured, "You told me to live in the moment, before. Carpe diem. Now answer me this: is it worth it to enjoy something you can only have for a moment if the aftermath will be unbearable?"
She had no answer.
Martha gazed out across the serene landscape again. The mountains were gorgeous and the trees were lush and green. Sunlight reflected off the clear blue water as it danced, rippling and swelling as the wind blew across. She thought she saw smoke in the distance, probably from a small fire from in campsite of the tribe. He was right, they were a long way off; little chance they'd be found out. Her eyes flicked to Rose again. She really did seem to be enjoying herself.
Rose shifted her feet in the sand to find better purchase. The small waves buffet her legs but she held firm. She wanted to see if it would work.
A tiny silver fish swam closer to examine her. Another followed. Then another. And another. She grinned. They swam around her curiously, slowly drifting closer. She felt the light brush of their fins and mouths against her skin as they decided she was not a threat. It was difficult to hold perfectly still, to not wiggle her toes, or twitch whenever they made contact.
If the Doctor was standing with her, this was when he'd start telling her about the limited memories of fish. How they could not hold thoughts for more than a few seconds in some cases. She'd been standing there for several minutes, a small eternity to a fish, and they'd accepted her as a natural part of their environment. She wondered what it would be like to not remember and immediately decided that she did not want to know.
Eventually, though, her limbs began to tire from holding so still and she figured her friends ashore would be wondering if she'd fallen asleep standing up. With one final look at the fish scuttling around, she lifted one foot from the water. They knew from the moment she shifted that there was change, felt the water being displaced around them in an unnatural way, and had cleared off before she even took a step backwards. Rose felt a little bad for spooking them but they would forget she'd ever been there soon enough.
She waded back towards shore, locating the Doctor and Martha, and lifted her hand in a wave. The Doctor was watching her and waved back. Martha noticed his gesture and followed suit a moment later. Before Rose had fully left the water, a strong gust of wind knocked into her. She turned to face it, spreading her arms wide, and inhaled as the power of the wind swept against her body and whipped her hair and clothes. It was thrilling, stimulating the rush she got every time she ran with the Doctor, whether from an enemy or just because they could. She lifted her head to the sky and whooped loudly.
When the wind died down she exhaled heavily and spun around, padding through the sand to the Doctor and Martha. She was stretched out on a pastel yellow blanket and he was sitting cross-legged on his coat.
"Having fun?" the Doctor asked. Then he blinked in surprise when Rose sat down in his lap. She shifted around so she was more comfortable then settled back against his chest, her head pillowed on his shoulder, and her legs stretched out in front of his.
"Yep. What about you? You've just been sittin' here. Figured you'd be climbin' a tree or something by now."
"Rose Tyler, of the three people sitting on this beach, I am the least likely to be climbing any trees. Not descended from apes, me."
His voice rumbled in her ear and she smiled, her eyes sliding shut. "Of course."
"I was telling Martha about Lake Tahoe earlier. Would you like to hear?"
She nodded and he launched into his lecture. She was able to follow along relatively easily. There weren't any scientific terms she hadn't heard before and she liked hearing about cultures. But after a few minutes she stopped paying attention to the words and just focused on the way his voice rumbled in his chest. The way his cheek was pressed against her head and his lips would occasionally brush her temple. The way his arms felt around her. It was bliss.
Before long she felt the all too familiar tug of exhaustion pulling at her. She'd had more physical activity in the last hour than she'd had in days and she was used to falling asleep with his voice in her ear. And the sunlight felt quite nice…
Martha noted the sudden silence and looked around in surprise. The Doctor had stopped talking and Rose appeared to have fallen asleep. She knew they were sleeping together—or, well, sharing a bed while they slept—so this couldn't be the first time he'd seen her asleep, but he was studying her with intense curiosity. Brushing the hair from her face and lowering her onto the blanket that Martha had vacated.
Half an hour passed and Martha had walked around the small beach four times and found two interesting rocks to keep as souvenirs. It was around then she decided that she was bored and returned to the blanket where the Doctor sat next to the sleeping form of Rose in silent vigil.
"Ready to go?" he asked when she got near.
"Yeah."
He gently lifted Rose from the blanket and cradled her in his arms. Martha folded the blanket messily, picked up his jacket, and led the way up to the TARDIS. Balancing them both in one arm, she maneuvered her other hand under her shirt and pulled out her key.
"I answered my own question," he told her quietly.
Martha unlocked the door swiftly and nudged it open with her shoulder. "But was it the right answer?"
"I think so."
Days passed and Rose got better. The last of the antibiotics worked through her system and she was left tired, but healthy. She was given teas to boost her strength and replenish the energy the medicine had used up. They took her somewhere on Earth every day. They'd spend hours outside so she could get more comfortable being out in the sun and absorb some much-needed vitamin D. They always brought an umbrella so if she ever grew panicked she would have something to retreat under.
One time they brought a television outside to watch movies. Another time they brought cards, and the time after they brought board games. Whenever she fell asleep—and it was always when rather than if—the Doctor would make sure she was comfortable on a blanket or his coat then continue on with the game with Martha or resume the film.
Then one day she didn't fall asleep at any point during their excursion.
So the next day they actually went out. He took them to a large village in Germany, sometime during the 1600s and they spent hours walking around. Rose stayed alert the entire time and enjoyed every minute of it. She fell asleep earlier than normal that night, though. They went on similar excursions for the next week with Rose regaining more of her strength every day, so that by the end of the week in 1868, when they had to get the hell out of Dodge, Rose was able to run on her own two feet back to the TARDIS. They laughed for a long time afterwards.
She was able to eat hot meals again and she no longer recoiled at the sight of a candle. The weight she'd lost came back. Her skin lost its sickly pallor, darkening to a healthy tan helped along from hours basking in the sun. Martha helped her bleach her roots. She applied makeup, slipped on her favorite pair of jeans, a pink t-shirt, black loose vest, and trainers. And for the first time in weeks Rose Tyler felt like herself.
She bounded into the control room with a smile on her face that the Doctor mirrored.
"Okay. Let's go save the world," she said.
His smile dropped into a concerned frown and he reached for the monitor. "What?"
"You heard me. Let's go!"
"Wha—but…" he looked at the display screen. "There's nothing wrong? No distress signals or anomalies screaming for attention. Do you know something I don't?"
"No, I just want to save the world."
The corner of the Doctor's mouth twitched upwards. "Wake up this morning with a craving?"
"Yes, actually. I've been rather useless for ages now and I'd like to dosomething."
"You're not useless."
She frowned at him. "Doctor, I could barely walk to the loo on my own half the time. That's about as useless as I can get. I want to help someone. And I'm not talkin' about helpin' an old lady across the street."
"Yeah, but…save the world? Are you sure your up for anything on a world-saving scale?" he fretted and she rolled her eyes. Coddling had been nice when it was necessary but it was getting frustrating. Her ire did not escape his notice. "How about something smaller instead? We can save a town. There's always a town that needs saving on Earth."
Rose rolled her eyes again. "Alright, fine. Let's go save a town."
But of course they ended up saving the world anyway.
Because that's how things work for them. This brings us to the end of our interim. Up next is... not what you think.
Review pretty please? :3