Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who or any of its characters… sigh…
I really hope people like this. I would obviously love to see some reviews – but I'm loving writing it anyway. Okay, I've already got the first few chapters sort of where I want them so I'm posting them up now.
Chapter 2
Rose was stunned and alarmed to see the blood blossoming on her tee-shirt. She'd heard a sort of 'fizz' as the gun had gone off but she hadn't felt anything… but now, seeing it, it was like a switch had been flicked in her brain suddenly turning the pain to ON. She gritted her teeth. Somewhere, midway up her ribs on the left side, it felt like somebody was pressing a white-hot brand to her skin.
The Doctor quickly released his iron grip on her arms, and without paying any mind to the fact that they were in a shopping centre full of staring people, he whipped up the side of her tee-shirt to assess the injury.
"Doctor!" Rose squeaked in alarmed protest, blushing hot crimson and trying to tug the tee-shirt down to cover her exposed skin, mortification winning out over pain for a moment.
"Keep still!" he commanded harshly, as he scrutinised the wound. "Looks like it just grazed her, but it'll need cleaning up and stitching, and she'll need antibiotics." His address was aimed at Jack, he didn't look at, or even acknowledge, Rose as he clinically and unemotionally assessed her. Rose trembled a little – he was so distant and detached from her, ever since Canary Wharf. It was like she wasn't even a person anymore.
But it wasn't her fault! She couldn't be held responsible for the actions of her future self… How could she be?
Although the Doctor clearly thought so. His reaction when she'd told him what her future self had said to her had been truly terrifying. She'd had a sudden insight as to what it must feel like to be a Dalek coming face to face with the Doctor in the middle of battle. At that time had almost wished that she was a Dalek, and that she too could crawl inside a metal casing and hide from his rage.
She winced and hissed, being brought sharply back to the present as the Doctor applied a wad of gauze dressing to her injury. "Sorry." He murmured quietly, his eyes very briefly flickering to hers, making her heart race for a second. "I've got nothing to secure it with, so you'll need to hold it there."
She raised her left hand to comply, but he wouldn't move his hand to let her hold the pad. She was baffled for a few moments until, with an exasperated sigh, he reached for her right hand with his other hand. For a second she was overwhelmed with relief, if they were holding hands again, maybe he had started to forgive her… but instead he pulled it against her abdomen, unlinking her eager fingers from his as he did, and placed it against the dressing so she was holding it across her body. "Like that." He told her, almost seeming to bite the words out, barely suppressed rage snapping in his eyes.
Oh, right… of course. She'd thought for one glorious second that he might be about to hold her hand like he used to. Stupid Rose! She flushed in embarrassment and tried to blink back the hot tears that were spilling out of her eyes as she looked away, hiding her face from him.
dwdwdwdwdwdw
The TARDIS wouldn't let her in. The Doctor had opened the door and gone through but as Rose had started to step over the threshold a wave of energy had exploded out of the TARDIS doors and flung her across the room. The Doctor had turned, stupefied, to see her slithering ungracefully along the floor.
"Rose?" he ran back towards her. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah." She gasped, struggling into a sitting position. "What was that?"
"I dunno." The Doctor looked bewildered. "What happened?"
"I was just going through the door, and it was like I was hit with a blast… I dunno, I jus' got thrown backwards." She frowned in confusion. Her confusion morphed very quickly into panic when she saw the expression change on the Doctor's face.
"Doctor?!" she cried urgently as he stared at her in something akin to terror. "Doctor, what is it?"
He was silent for a moment, just looking at her and rubbing his palm down his cheek.
"It's you, Rose." He said eventually, his voice quiet. "It's the TARDIS she…." He swallowed and took a breath. "… she doesn't want you near her."
dwdwdwdwdwdw
"Let's get out of here." The Doctor urged, bringing Rose back to the moment as he put his hand very briefly against the small of her back to hurry her along.
"What about them?" Jack asked, gesturing towards the two gunmen he'd disarmed and knocked unconscious.
"We know who sent them." The Doctor's voice promised vengeance as he glared across at the two men. "And their perception filters will keep them hidden well enough. Just leave them."
He looked at Rose for a second; she was pale and sweating, trying so hard not to cry out with the pain. His expression softened for a moment and he looked as though he was about to reach out to her but then seemed to stop himself. "Help Rose." He said, instead, looking at Jack, then turned and led them to the exit.
"Come on Rose Tyler." Jack sighed, scooping her up and carrying her out into the sunlight.