Child of Earth

By Lumendea

Chapter Fifty-One: Champion of Time: Sword Edge

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

…

Somehow the Doctor's hand found Rose's as they rushed down the alley. Their fingers slipped into a familiar position to her though it wasn't to the Doctor. But there was no time for a sense of happiness or satisfaction as horrible shrieks behind them made Rose's blood turn cold. No longer was the sensation of being near the rip restricted to the rip. Rose felt it at her back as if it was chasing them.

Up ahead was the familiar blue shape of the TARDIS. An extra burst of energy thrummed through Rose's limbs and she made it to the door. Beside her, the Doctor was reaching into his pocket, but Rose was quicker with the key around her neck. Unlocking the door, Rose pushed the Doctor in first before jumping inside. As she slammed the door behind her, Rose heard the thrum of the console followed by the familiar wheezing sound. Her knees almost gave out in the relief as the icy feeling faded away.

"I'm moving us a few blocks away," the Doctor said. There was almost frantic worry in his voice. "This is worse than the Guardians said."

"You called those things neverweres," Rose asked. She walked up to the controls and looked at the Doctor nervously. "Is that… what it sounds like? They're beings that were erased."

"Most of the time beings that cease to be merely fade away," the Doctor answered. The TARDIS landed with a soft thump that Rose barely felt. It was much smoother than in her own timeline. "But sometimes if an event is traumatic it leaves a scar on the fabric of time and creates neverweres." The Doctor adjusted the hat. "I've never seen so many at once. What could have possibly happened to create so many?"

Rose was silent, feeling the spectre of the future Time War hanging over them. Lowering her eyes, Rose studied the console screen. She didn't trust herself not to give something away. Yet her reaction must have told the Doctor something because a sigh escaped him.

"Well, they complicate things greatly."

The Doctor moved around the controls and reached out to take Rose's right hand. She almost smiled until he turned her arm so he could examine her golden bracelet. Holding back a sigh, Rose stayed still and waited patiently for the Doctor to state the obvious.

"This is a Star Knight blade in its dormant form, correct?"

"Yeah, it is."

"The blade was effective is dispersing the Neverweres," the Doctor observed. His tone was thoughtful and Rose felt that growing hope that happened every time she heard a plan forming in his voice. "The sword was made by the White Guardian correct?"

"Yes." Rose nodded quickly. "But I'm not sure I can fight all of them at one Doctor."

"That would be far too risky," the Doctor agreed. "Far too dangerous for you." There was something in his tone that while guarded made Rose feel a lot better. The Doctor was watching her carefully and Rose guessed that he was once again examining whatever timelines he could see around her. "A Star Knight as well it seems." He released her hand and stepped back. "I'm afraid cannot heal the rip until I can get closer, but fighting our way through will never work. I'm afraid trapping the Silver Lord is now our secondary goal."

Part of Rose rebelled at the idea. Shuddering, she forced herself to nod and did her best to ignore the memory of the Silver Lord kissing her. The memory of his smiling face, while he posed as Richard Becket and how easily he'd taken control, were bitter and left her uneasy. Yet the memory of those strange and vacant creatures made some instinct in her want to fight. Something about them overpowered even her hatred and dread of the Silver Lord. Rose wasn't sure what it all meant and this wasn't the time to examine that. She'd try to sort it out later and if she couldn't then it would just go on the 'might understand someday' pile.

"Okay," Rose agreed. "What do we need to do Doctor?"

"Do you have a way to contact the White Guardian?" the Doctor asked. There was an urgency to his voice and his gaze dropped to the golden bracelet once more.

"No," Rose said. "I'm afraid not." She shifted uncomfortably under the Doctor's blue gaze. "He and the Black Guardian or the White Guardian's disciple just sort of show up when they want to. I don't have a lot of agency in that relationship I'm afraid."

The Doctor looked put out by her words, but just nodded slowly. There was a thoughtful gleam in his eyes and a Rose could all but see the questions taking over his mind. He pushed it all away quickly and turned back to the console screen.

"This isn't good," he muttered. "I hate to do it, but…" He shook his head and reached for a highly stylised knob on the controls that Rose had never seen before.

"Hate to do what?"

"Call the other Time Lords," the Doctor said. Rose barely held back a gasp, but straightened up in alarm as her eyes widened. Worry hit her in the chest hard and she had no idea if it was safe or even stable for her to interact with any other Time Lords given that she knew their eventual future. "Rose if they ask you are my current companion. Nothing more, do you understand. It is for your own safety."

"Yes Doctor," she forced out. Rose saw relief take over his features, but it didn't ease her own worry.

The Doctor pressed the knob and waited, but nothing happened. "No," he growled. "Too late."

"What's happened?"

"The release of the neverweres has expanded the temporal distortion," the Doctor replied darkly. "I can't contact Gallifrey. We're on our own."

Rose got the impression that the Doctor might have been relieved by that. Something in his voice certainly carried a hint of satisfaction that there would be no other Time Lords. She wasn't sure what to make of that. In his future, he'd speak honestly about his dissatisfaction with his own species and his outright disdain for how they turned out in the end, but there was always a sense of loss and grief. Rose honestly wasn't sure if he would ever fully make peace with the death of the Time Lords. Or their lives as his current self didn't seem to like them much at all.

"So what do we do?" Rose asked. "Any thoughts on how to push them back?" Rose glanced towards the door, wondering just how far the Doctor had moved them. "Doctor I don't mind going out there. Not if it protects Earth. I'm pretty sure I'd be alright."

The Doctor's eyes moved over to look at her in an instant. There was calculation in his stare again followed by a burst of understanding that made Rose feel a bit uneasy. Then he nodded to himself and glanced at the TARDIS console screen.

"You may have crossed your own timeline in your past Rose," he said calmly as if this was a standard sort of conversation. "But we don't need the risk of a paradox on top of things." His blue eyes met hers and Rose saw a flicker of worry. "Or worse you becoming some sort of neverwere." He shook his head as the console screen beeped softly. "There's already far more than I ever dreamed would exist. This Silver Lord has tapped into something terrible and violent."

Staying silent, Rose brought her right hand up to brush some hair from her face. The Doctor hummed thoughtfully and stepped towards her. Holding out his hand, he gave her a small smile.

"May I?"

Rose nodded and the Doctor took her hand once more. He studied the bracelet and ran a finger over the smooth surface. There was nothing marking the bracelet at all and Rose wasn't sure what the Time Lord was looking for.

"Can you summon the blade for me?" he asked.

Once again, Rose nodded and shifted her hand to make sure that the blade didn't strike the Doctor. The bracelet transformed in a moment and Rose kept her hand still while the Doctor studied the sword.

"Yes," he said with a growing smile. "I think I have an idea."

"I'm not sure I like that smile," Rose replied nervously.

He chuckled at the remark and the smile turned much more pleasant. "It would seem that you do indeed know me well Rose Tyler." The Doctor turned back to the controls and flipped a lever making the hum of the TARDIS change slightly. "I'm afraid that you're not going to like my plan."

Eyes widening, Rose gave him a cautious look and her eye dropped down to her bracelet as the inkling of an idea took hold. Her gut agreed with the Doctor. She was probably going to hate this. He gave her what he probably hoped was a reassuring smile.

"I should have what we need in the store room," the Doctor said. "Come along Rose."

The storeroom was largely unchanged from how Rose knew it. Bits and pieces of machines and spare parts filled the round space, covering all the shelves and a couple of worktables. He quickly set to work gathering up some of the bits and bobs, some of which were familiar to Rose while others weren't. She debated offering to help but had the feeling that it wouldn't be welcome by this him. Instead, she carefully removed an old school computer from a chair and sat down to watch him.

Rose marvelled as she watched the Doctor. Even now he moved the same. The stride might be a bit different, but every movement was deliberate. He loaded a bunch of small pieces onto one of the work tables and became turning and arranging them. Nibbling at her lip for a moment, Rose slipped off her chair and moved to the side of the table to watch. The Doctor's eyes jumped up to her as Rose tried to follow what he was doing.

"So how did you become a Star Knight?" the Doctor asked conversationally. He had pulled out a sonic screwdriver that was longer than she was used to and white in colour with a diamond-like shape on the end. It still made the same sound as he passed it over a piece of metal. "There aren't many of the swords."

"No there aren't," Rose agreed. "I was eighteen at the time and had gone aboard a Durmino ship. It was a thing with UNIT and I was trying to save some people that a rogue Durmino general had taken prisoner. The ship was transporting the sword as an archaeological artefact, but during the final scuffle I ended up touching it. It did a data dump on how to use a sword into my head and I defeated the general." Rose shrugged a little, rubbing at her arms and trying to dispel the last of the lingering chill. "It was a pretty good day overall."

"Eighteen years old and you were already embroiled in such things?" There might have been a hint of disapproval in his voice, but Rose thought it was directed more at the universe in general than just her. "I take it that your adventure wasn't an isolated event."

"No," Rose admitted. There was a smile tugging at her lips now and she rather enjoyed the look of surprise on his face. "I've had fairly consistent adventures for the last couple of years now. I work as a consultant for UNIT. This was just a vacation."

"A consultant," the Doctor repeated. There was amusement in his voice now. "Interesting change."

"Yeah, but that way they can call me in during a crisis to help." Rose watched as the Doctor fit several of the small pieces together and sealed them in a strange looking black tube. "So what are you building? Something to do with my sword?"

"The properties of your sword disrupt the neverweres," the Doctor said. He was excited and glanced at her bracelet again. "I'm not sure what exactly and there isn't time for me to study it fully I'm afraid, but if I can channel that energy outward then we could disrupt the neverweres and get close to the rip again.

"So my sword will go into that thing," Rose said slowly. She eyed the black tube that the Doctor was working on.

"It won't harm you," the Doctor assured her. He looked over at her with softer eyes. "I assure you that-"

"I'm worried about the sword, Doctor," Rose told him. She gave him a smile. "I know you'd never hurt me." Another blended expression overtook the Doctor's face. Surprise, resignation, touched and a bit of a blush. Rose decided to spare him and just gave him a little smile. Taking a deep breath, she leaned forward and examined the device. "Okay then, talk me through what I need to do."

…..

Leaving the safety of the TARDIS and heading out to join the neverweres wasn't high on Rose's priority list. The small side street was completely deserted and the sounds of life in Mumbai seemed far away. More than that the colours were dull like the world was shifting to grey. Frowning, Rose stepped forward and called forth her sword. The golden bracelet shifted in a moment as it dissolved into a soft rush of glittering golden specks and reformed in her hand into a new shape. Normally the sight of the slightly curved blade that moulded perfectly into her palm was comforting, but Rose found herself worried. As much as she trusted the Doctor in any incarnation she knew that his plans sometimes went wrong.

There was a chill in the air and Rose glanced nervously towards the darker corners of the street. It was midday at the latest, but the sun seemed dimmer and the world darker. Rose hoped that the locals hadn't noticed. Given more recent events the last thing she wanted to deal with was a panic. Her footfalls echoed ominously and Rose felt afraid for what might jump out at her.

The door of the TARDIS opened with a soft creak and the Doctor stepped out. He was silent and as he stepped up next to Rose she saw his eyes trace the streets. Whatever was wrong he felt it too and unlike her probably knew the full and proper name of it all. Rose knelt down and set the black tube on the ground. She eyed the small opening nervously.

"Just put the sword inside when the neverweres get close," the Doctor reminded her.

"Yeah I know," Rose said. "Do you think that they'll-"

Rose cut off the question as the chill from before swept through the street. She eyes jumped to one of the side streets as black shapes came rushing towards them. They fell over each other in a racket of disoriented, but angry creatures. Rose tensed and brought her sword up, but they didn't slow. They were at the mouth of the street now and crashes to their right made Rose turn sharply. More were trying to flank them. Their flesh shimmered, the same odd colours as the Time Vortex, but there was no soothing song this time, only a mess of chattering and scratching sounds.

"Rose!" the Doctor shouted.

She moved. Rose thrust the sword down into the tube, bracing herself for claws or the cold to swallow her whole. The blade somehow didn't slice apart the machine. Instead, it felt like it locked into place. A high pitched hum filled the street and her sword began to glow. Bright golden light made Rose slam her eyes shut. Heat beneath her fingertips threatened to burn her, but she held on. Someone grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away.

Her fingers slipped off the sword and the hum became overpowering. Squeals echoed around her and the chill was already receding. Rose forced open her eyes and looked back towards her sword. The hilt was glowing white hot and the hum was getting worse. Dark shapes were drawing back from the sword. The hands tightened around her shoulder and drew her back protectively, forcing her to release the sword. It didn't automatically return to her wrist.

"Shut your eyes!"

Rose obeyed the Doctor's order and slammed her eyes shut again. A wave of heat washed over the area, but there was no sound. In fact, everything went silent. Then the heat vanished and there was the sound of sputtering and sparks. Rose slowly opened her eyes. The neverweres were gone and a smoking black tube stood a few feet away with a cracking metal sword sticking out of it.

"Doctor." Rose groaned as she looked at her poor sword. "I love you, but if you've broken my sword then I'm going to be very irritated with you." Dropping down, she reached out to touch the cracked blade. Then the whole sword shimmered and returned to bracelet form. Rose called it back and sighed in relief when the sword formed once more, completely whole. "Okay Doctor, you're safe."

She turned and smiled at him only to freeze. There was a look of shock and near panic on his face. His posture was tense and his feet shifted a tiny bit. Rose recognised it all. He was fighting back the urge to run. For a moment she was confused before going over what she'd just said. Then she could have hit herself.

"Sorry," Rose apologised softly. She hated to say it, but she did sort of mean it. "Complicated timelines," she added. Climbing to her feet, she dusted herself off and allowed her golden sword to return to bracelet form as she avoided looking at the Doctor.

She loved the daft mad Time Lord. Rose was a big girl and could admit that. Timelines might be confusing, but even her little human mind could wrap itself around the reality that once you loved a Time Lord you loved a Time Lord. Points in time, differences in experiences and honestly the trouble with tenses didn't really matter anymore.

Holding back a sigh, Rose reached up and pulled her hair back into a messy bun. The cold was receding and the natural humid heat of India was quickly returning. Behind her, the Doctor cleared his throat and Rose turned to find him looking at her uneasily. They just looked at each other for a moment and Rose almost laughed as she envisioned taking this incarnation home to meet her mother. His Ninth body would be bad enough when the time came and her mum sorted out that they were an item. This body looked even older than that form.

"What next?" Rose asked as she pushed away her amusement. It had helped to dispel the stress trying to build up behind her eyes, but now it was back to business.

"The Silver Lord," the Doctor said. The unease in his expression vanished and his eyes moved to look down another small alley. "His foot soldiers have been dealt with. Time to deal with their master."

The Doctor turned back to the TARDIS and Rose grinned, all but rushing after him. As he opened the TARDIS with one hand, the Doctor's free hand brushed against hers. But he didn't move it away. In fact, he twined their fingers for a moment and squeezed her hand. It was a silent communication that Rose knew how to read. There was gratitude for her understanding and for not pushing at thing. And maybe, but maybe a little bit of affection. Then again, Rose said herself, she was pretty awesome and he could do a lot worse than her. Probably had in the past.