What Would Nine Do: Doomsday Edition
The effort in sending her home had been but half-hearted. He knew she'd find her way back. She always did.
"I made my choice a long time ago." She said decidedly.
He could have kissed her, but it was hardly the time. He grinned brightly instead and held up the weight clamps. "Fancy a work out?"
She tilted her head, laughing. "Let's do it." She hurried to the lever, sticking the clamp to the wall. "Les' save the world."
"Oh, Rose Tyler, you took the words right out of my mouth." His smile faded a second later, his hand ready on the lever. "Hold on, Rose." All traces of humor had faded from his voice. "Whatever you do, hold on."
Her smile was gone, but her eyes twinkled. She nodded almost imperceptibly, then opened her mouth to speak, then stopped. She hesitated, then, "Then you better hold on too, Doctor. Cos I'm always gonna be right behind ya'." He gazed one more infinite moment into her eyes, then they pulled the lever simultaneously.
As the Daleks and Cybermen flashed past, he managed to keep his feet grounded. His eyes never left hers. Out of the corner, he saw her lever shift. His hearts sunk darkly, as she reached out her arm, always the hero, her. Her name died on his lips as horror froze him. From above, it seemed, he watched her lose her grip on the clamp, the lever her only anchor to the universe, to him.
He'd never felt so helpless. "Don't let go!" He bellowed. The fear in her eyes made him angry enough to grip the lever so tightly his bones might crack. He was supposed to protect her from everything. Here they were, feet apart when they might as well be worlds apart for all the good he could do her. "No!" He yelled when she lost grip of one hand. He just might get the 'worlds apart' thing.
Suddenly Rose Tyler was flying backwards right into the void. Her hands reached out to him helplessly. Maybe he couldn't save her from hell, but he sure as hell wasn't letting her go it alone. He let go, reaching towards her. Seconds later, Pete Tyler appeared in and disappeared from thin air, taking his daughter with him. Relief and panic both flooded through him in an instance.
SMACK. He hit the blank, white wall and fell to the ground. It took him a moment to fully grasp reality, which went something like this. The Void was closed. Rose was on one side of it in another universe. He was stuck in a different one. One more second. That's what it came down to. If Rose had lost grip one second later, she'd still be here. If he, the Doctor, had let go one second earlier he'd be an inhabitant of hell right now. If Pete Tyler had been one second later, Rose would be. That was something to be happy about, he supposed. Except, if the Void was closed, that meant he'd never see Rose Tyler again, which made him Hell's number one new resident anyway. Reality sucked.
He leapt to his feet and threw himself against the wall. He could accept the tragic fate of his people. He could accept that the Daleks would simply never die. He could even accept that Madonna was still hip. But he would never accept the idea that he would never again see Rose Tyler.
"Rose!" He shouted. "Rose!" He shouted this again and again, banging the wall with his fist, giving each shout ringing emphasis. "Give her back!" He rammed the wall with his shoulder, shouting her name 'til his voice went hoarse. "Come back!" He was getting her back one way or another, logic be damned.
An idea gripped his mind. "Yes!" He exclaimed. He placed his palms flat on the wall and then half his face. "You wait right there, Rose. I'm coming to get you!" He dashed around, out of the room.
He didn't need a map to find her, his blue box. She called out to him. He was hardly aware of where he was going, of turning the key. Suddenly he was playing with the console, willing time to get a move on. Or back, to be precise. The TARDIS hummed to life, but she suddenly seemed to be out of his control. A light flashed red, and the screen blinked rapid figures at him.
"What do you meant you can't?" He yelled, enraged. His eyes burned with barely contained anger. There it was, the Oncoming Storm they all spoke of. Mild usually, for the most part. Unless you messed with Rose Tyler. Then you were toast. Unfortunately, he was taking it all out on not an enemy but his trusty time machine who was telling him something he very much did not want to hear.
"I don't care about fixed points in time," He shouted, not caring how much of a hypocrite he was at that moment. "I'm telling you. Take. Me. Back." The TARDIS powered down softly. She made noises of sympathy. He kicked a railing. "Don't you dare give up on me, T!" He bellowed. "Don't you dare give up on her!" His voice, hoarse from shouting, broke. He leaned on the console, his entire body heaving for air. "Take me to her." He said softly.
In seconds, she roared to life, the central part sliding down and up. He leapt with delight, a dark smile across his face. "That's what I'm talking about!"
When she stopped, he ran to the door and swung it open. He froze in his tracks, his face falling. Space. They were floating in the middle of space. He turned around, deathly silent. "What's the meaning of this?" He spoke through gritted teeth, rushing to the screen. His eyes widened in hurt shock and anger. "What do you mean, close the gaps? Are you out of your little vortex?! I'm not doing a bloody thing 'til I get her back." He leaned down to the console, sonic screwdriver in hand. "Time to do things my way," he muttered.
Rose threw herself against the wall. "No!" She shouted. "Take me back!" Her fists pounded futilely against it. "Doctor!" She screamed herself hoarse. She kicked at the wall one last time before collapsing against it, sobbing. "Please take me back," she murmured. She felt something then. She couldn't explain the feeling in words, but it was him. And she remembered all he'd done, all he'd been. He'd always saved her.
"Run." Shop window dummies. A dying sun. The walking dead. The Slitheen. The Dalek. The mutations of time. "Rose, I'm coming to get you." But what she felt was the warm feeling that melted her stomach every time she was safe in his arms again, after the fight. It was a blessed feeling, and she went with it because it just might mean salvation one more time.
She waited for days. Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. They were some of the darkest times, but she never fully lost hope. So when the dream came to her, she wasn't surprised. They packed their things, her a little extra (The TARDIS had the space, after all) and they drove for miles. Then she waited some more on the damp little beach. Hours, it seemed, until something told her to turn, so she did.
There he stood. Not ten feet away, but something was wrong. He looked like an apparition. She approached him slowly.
"Where are you?" She asked tentatively. He gazed at her for a full moment before answering, his voice grim.
"Inside the TARDIS. There's one tiny little gap in the universe left, just about to close. And it takes a lot of power to send this projection- I'm in orbit around a supernova." He smiled weakly. "I'm burning up a sun just to say," he stopped. "Just to see you."
She smiled sadly back. "You look like a ghost."
"Oh. Wait just a tick." He lifted a hand and used the sonic screwdriver, becoming more solid.
She lifted a hand. "Can I-."
"I'm still just an image. No touch," he said matter of factly, but his eyes burned.
Rose caught the look in his eyes, and her vision blurred faintly as tears formed. "Can't you come through properly?"
"The whole thing would fracture. Two universes would collapse."
"So?" They both gave shaky laughs, but Rose found her demeanor beginning to fall apart.
"How long have we got?"
"About two minutes," he replied gruffly.
"I can't think of what to say." Her voice was trembling.
He spoke to distract himself. "Oh, Mickey the idiot still there then?" He asked, gesturing towards the other three on the beach.
She nodded. "There's five of us now. Mum, Dad, Mickey.... and the baby."
He chuckled. "Hat off to Pete and Jackie Tyler. Don't waste time, do they?"
She laughed with him, but her eyes were troubled. "Am I ever going to see you again?" She blurted out, unable to help herself."
"It's impossible." His voice broke, and he had to look down so as to at least pretend composure.
Following suit, she took a deep breath, though tears welled in her eyes. "What are you going to do?"
"Back to the TARDIS. Same old life."
"On your own?"
He smiled with sorrow. "Yes. No one else out there quite like you."
"I-." She started, but her voice broke. She looked down and took shallow breaths. "I love you." Her eyes were so filled with sorrow and love.
He reached up a hand as if to touch her. "Do you know something?" He asked suddenly. She shook her head. "One," he answered. "When I say impossible, I do mean impossible. Two, but we are forgetting…I'm the Doctor! Three, I need you to count to one hundred for me," he grinned hugely, "and just in case, four, Rose Tyler, I-." He disappeared.
Rose started forward in disbelief. Her heart pounded. No, she thought. 'Count to one hundred.' She took a shaky breath. "One. Two. Three…Ninety-nine." Her voice had begun to tremble again. Tears streamed in rivulets down her face. "One hundred." Her voice broke, and she brought her hand to her face to muffle a sob. She turned and began running towards her mum who caught her in her arms. Rose sobbed there for minutes on end, feeling worse than dead.
Her chest felt like it was burning. All of a sudden, she realized that was because her chest actually was burning. She gasped in pain and staggered backwards, her hand flying to her neck where the chain rested on which she held the key to the TARDIS. Using her gloves, she drew it away from her skin to see it was brightly glowing gold. She stopped crying and looked up. Her mum, shocked, was staring at a point past her shoulder. Slowly, very slowly, Rose turned round. There he stood again, looking so solid it couldn't be real. She rubbed her eyes. He held out a hand. She reached forward and grasped his warm, living fingers.
"I'm sorry I kept you waiting."
A/N: What d'ya think? Does the ending work? I know the lines weren't all there, but that was intentional. I hope I did Nine justice. Never can be sure, especially considering he was using Ten's lines. Well, some of them at least. Don't get me wrong. I love Ten to death, but Nine and Rose just had something more. Thanks to all my readers and reviewers! Hope you're enjoying! Special thanks to Tessa, this one's for you!