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Tweak says, "You forgot Poland!"

The Doctor (timelordlastof) wrote in labyrinth_rpg,
@ 2009-04-03 21:18:00

Entry tags:

complete, day four, rose tyler, the doctor

Who: The Doctor and Rose
When: A continuation of this
Where: The TARDIS
What: Catching up
Rating: PG-ish?
Status: Complete

After it was decided that they'd leave the party and go find someplace to catch up in private, the Doctor took Rose's hand and smiled. "Of course you can see her," he nodded, with regard to the TARDIS, where they'd spent so much of their time together in the past. It seemed appropriate, somehow, to rekindle their oddball relationship in such a familiar place, instead of the one they found themselves in at present. That, and the Doctor always felt more comfortable there.

However, after everything that had happened, it was taking a great effort to act normal around her without spilling the beans. But the more that the Doctor saw and experienced in this strange land, the more he wondered whether or not there was any point in keeping it all under wraps.

When they got to the TARDIS, the Doctor grinned happily as he unlocked the door and threw it wide. It was exactly the same, of course, with the notable difference being that the jar with his hand in it was gone. And it wasn't ever coming back.

"Welcome home, Rose Tyler," he smiled, gesturing for her to enter first.

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timelordlastof
2009-04-05 09:34 am UTC (link)

Oh, the TARDIS would have never allowed a companion to double-bunk. She was far more possessive than that, and over the many, many years that the Doctor had been running this gig, there'd never been a problem when it came to room. When each companion left, their room was sealed off, only able to be entered by the said companion, or the Doctor. From Susan to Sarah Jane, from Grace to poor, poor Donna, it kept them all. Especially Rose's.

Grinning at her in that old familiar way, the Doctor wandered down the hall with his hands in his pockets and a rather bemused look on his face, letting her have a moment before he came up behind her, taking her spot to lean against the door jam as she wandered about the room. "Brilliant, eh?" he asked with a little smile, watching her amazed face, drinking her in like it was the last time he'd ever see her. Because no matter how many times they said goodbye, it still killed him. He needed to cherish the time he had left with her.

"Yeah, I did," he admitted with a barked sort of laugh, dragging his hand through his hair on the way back to scratch his neck awkwardly. "You left it on one of the rails...Donna thought I'd kidnapped and disposed of you because of it," he chuckled, shaking his head. The memory was a nice one now. Now. He looked a bit sheepish as he remembered how irrationally angry he'd gotten with the woman for touching it. "I put it in here after it stopped smelling like you," he admitted with a twist of his lips that clearly stated that he was currently feeling like a twelve year old boy.

Moving over to Rose, he looked down at her and then grinned. "You're home," he said almost disbelievingly, and then cupped her face, looked at her for a moment, and then crushed her to his chest in a huge hug. "Blimey I missed you."

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plusone
2009-04-05 10:07 am UTC (link)

Donna? There'd been another one? Hell, how many bleeding people had he picked up? Rose had always had the feeling that time passed differently in her new universe than his, but it'd still only been a few years. Had they all been there at once? Did they just come and go? Who would ever leave this life unless they absolutely had to?

And as she looked up at him as he cupped her face, she also had to wonder. Who would ever let him go? She'd have given her very soul to stay in this place by his side, with the TARDIS watching over them. In a way she had when she'd literally let the Vortex consume her soul in order to return to him on Satellite 5. And now, in a lesser sense, she'd let the cannon consume her, refusing to believe in any sense of the words that it wouldn't work.

She smiled easily when he admitted he'd held on to it because it smelled like her. She'd quite honestly slept with the shirt she'd worn on the day she'd died in her old dimension. It was the last thing she had that had any traces of him to it and she'd only moved it into her closet when Jackie began complaining. But it had still stayed there, the heartbreaking memories that accompanied it mingling with the memories of his smiles and encouragement. "I should wear it for a bit while I'm here, then," she told him, her voice cracking slightly. "Get it all good and Rose-smelling again." Just in case. God, she wished there was more certainty to all of this.

But then he hugged her close, and Rose realized she couldn't care less. Certain of tomorrow or not, she was going to take advantage of every second she had. Against all the odds, she was there, in his arms. She finally gave into the tears that had been threatening to break all night, and found herself sobbing into the fancy dress shirt he wore. "I missed you so much," she confessed, her arms wrapping around him and clinging as if she feared ever letting him go. And maybe she did. "I was so scared... I hated not knowing what had happened to you. Where you'd gone, if you were alright." Even her last moments with him, with merely his image as a comfort, had been ruined by not truly getting to say goodbye before he was snatched away.

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timelordlastof
2009-04-05 12:00 pm UTC (link)

He saw that little look in her eyes and smiled slightly, shaking his head. "You spoiled me, Rose," he admitted. And it was true. She had made him a better person, but he still needed someone there. Someone to reign him in, to remind him of who he was, to keep him from going too far. And really, Rose had shown him that, more so than any companion before or after.

The Doctor shushed her as she cried all over his shirtfront, rubbing one hand down her back and cupping the back of her head with the other, clinging to her just as desperately as she clung to him. "I'm sorry, sweetheart," he whispered at her blubbering, wishing that he could tell her it all, that he could bring her up to speed. But what would she think of it? Of him leaving her with his doppelganger? Of her - really - being alright with that in the end? He just didn't know that he could take that risk. She could easily hate him.

Stooping, the Doctor caught Rose behind the knees and lifted her up into his arms, carrying his crying love to the bed and sitting with her in his lap, wiping away her tears with his thumb and kissing her forehead. "You're safe now. I'm here and you're safe," he promised, his words mumbled against her hair.

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plusone
2009-04-05 02:26 pm UTC (link)

She'd always hated appearing weak, and even more so in front of him. But, in turn, he was one of the few Rose would ever have allowed to see such a vulnerable side of her. He'd captured a piece of her, whether he'd meant to or not, and for that, she'd give him anything. If he wanted to see her vulnerable, he would, and much more on top of it. She'd already bared her innermost feelings to him; what else could he possibly ask of her?

It was wrong to feel so hurt and so loved at the same time. Who did that? How had he always been able to do that? She remembered being completely terrified of his newly regenerated self, and yet standing by his bedside, urging him to live because she knew how empty she'd feel with him gone. Since the moment she'd met the man, it had been that way. Always trusting him blindly, no matter what scenario they found themselves in.

One hand reached to rest tenderly against his chest, feeling the comforting beat of two hearts resting within him. The first few times he'd hugged her, she'd found the sound appalling. Now, it was the most reassuring feeling in the world. "But for how long?" she whispered. "The stars... I know it sounds crazy, but I knew you were the only one who'd believe me... They're going out, one by one, and there's no time to waste and we're here instead of there..." She shook her head before burying her face back into the warm safety of his chest. "And the worst part is that I almost don't care because at least here, you're with me." Maybe, in the end, she wasn't worthy of the title he'd given her. Defender of Earth, indeed. Defender of Her Own Emotions, maybe.

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timelordlastof
2009-04-05 02:46 pm UTC (link)

"It's alright, Rose," he promised, running his fingers through that blonde hair that he'd missed so much. The little details, the shape of her eyes, the line of her mouth, things that he'd cherished so much and had thought he'd forgotten, were still there. She was still there, warm and safe in his arms. And as far as the Doctor was concerned, he was never going to let her go.

She was so worried, so upset, he just had to tell her something. Anything. "It's alright," he said again, turning her face up to look at his. "I know what's happening, or what happened, at any rate. It's over now, it's all sorted," he promised. "I can't - I can't tell you all the details, you know that, but it's sorted. I promise. Everyone ends up where they're supposed to be." And again, he'd ended up alone.

"But even if I didn't know that," he admitted quietly, cuddling her close again. "I'd feel the same way as you do. I've got you. I just don't care." And really, the fact that he was given this was huge. The biggest price a Time Lord paid was to always be alone. To always be saying goodbye. But here, in this place where they were all trapped and helpless, he didn't have to.

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