InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "NERF THIS!"

The Tenth Doctor (dominustemporis) wrote in wariscoming,
@ 2011-07-23 15:29:00

Entry tags:

rose tyler, the doctor (10)

Who: Rose Tyler and the Tenth Doctor
What: Rose heads out to pick up the Doctor and bring him back to the apartments since he refuses to live with his other self in the TARDIS.
When: Friday night
Where: A gas station somewhere off of the Kansas Turnpike
Warnings: Possible (probable?) angst and a beaten up Doctor.
Status: In progress

The Doctor, in this particular incarnation, had always been the sort of person who had difficulty keeping still. He rarely sat when he could pace, rarely left his hands idle when there was something with which he could fiddle. These habits became more pronounced the more anxious he became, and just at the moment, he was about as anxious as it was possible to be and not have a heart attack. Rose was here. Rose was here and she was coming to get him and oh, was she angry with him. Rightly so, he realized. He'd been an idiot to leave her like that on Bad Wolf Bay, such a fool, and she would be no happier with him now. Not once she found out what he had done, how far he had fallen in the wake of losing her a second time.

He was pacing just inside the doors of the shop to which he'd walked after finding himself stranded just off the road in Kansas, Kansas of all places! The proprietor had yet to kick him out, although the man was watching him closely, and every now and then seemed to make an aborted grab for the phone. The Doctor, fortunately, had had a cell phone on him when he'd arrived, Martha's cell phone, and had quickly discovered and tapped into the communication network that had connected him with other displaced individuals. Now, he was flicking through various entries, trying to get a better idea of what he'd gotten himself into, and filling the time until Rose arrived. He tried to keep his pacing contained to one small corner of the store. The few patrons who came in nevertheless gave him a wide berth. He supposed he would have, too, were he a local. His suit was torn and ragged, and there were still scrapes and cuts and bruises on his hands and face from where he'd fallen through the ceiling to reach the Master.

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plusone
2011-07-24 04:49 pm UTC (link)

Oh, she shouldn't. Considering the circumstances, it was almost mean. But Rose couldn't help the tiny smile across her face. It was so rare that she knew something when he didn't. What would he think if she gave him that look like he'd just dribbled down his shirt? It would certainly make up for all the times he'd done so to her. Just because he was completely brilliant and a literal genius and had more knowledge in his head than the whole of the Earth combined. Typical.

"When Ron asked you if you'd ever been told you looked like that what's-his-name from Harry Potter? Same actor, I'd assume." Oh, fine. She'd go home and look him up later. Just to see if there were any fun ones to throw in his face. After all, she'd found out she could also be mistaken for a freaking call girl. Was there really any comparison after that? "Every moment we had, all the ones you've had before and after me, every minute of our lives played out for the world to see."

Including her, looking like a fool, sobbing her heart out with confessions of love to only an image. And, worse, her being played by him leaving her on that same damned beach. When he could have just as easily taken Jackie home and taken the two of them with him. Or...something. There had to be a solution. It didn't have to be that way. And realising that the whole of Earth could have seen it happen made her angry all over again.

"I like to think, in our world, we really do exist. But here, someone created us. It just makes it easier to be alive that way."

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dominustemporis
2011-07-24 05:07 pm UTC (link)

The Doctor was poleaxed. He was fiction. He was fiction. Rose was fiction. Their entire lives were entertainment. At any other time, he might have thought that brilliant, but his life of late had hardly been something of which to be proud. How much had they seen? How much had total strangers seen? How much had Rose seen?

Of course, he'd heard theories that all stories came from a source, that fiction itself was born in part from the writers' imaginations, but also from bits and pieces of parallel universes bleeding through to each other. If he thought of the situation that way, it made a sort of sense. Still ... How many private moments weren't private at all now?

"Have you seen it?" he asked. "The series or the movies or whatever it is we're in?"

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plusone
2011-07-24 05:30 pm UTC (link)

His reaction made her wish she had seen it. What was it he was so afraid of? What sorts of things had he said or done that would make Rose look at him any differently than she already did? Then again, she'd thought she'd known him so well and was, apparently, wrong.

But she hadn't wanted to watch. Particularly not the episodes with her in them because she wasn't a big fan of seeing someone who was her but wasn't her on the screen. And to be honest, she couldn't stand to watch the ones after she'd been pulled into the other dimension, either. What if he'd been all but happy that she was gone? What if he'd told Martha or Donna that she'd been clingy or annoying? It would have broken her completely. And at that point, it was just easier not to watch the ones from long ago, long before he'd taken her hand in Henrik's.

So Rose simply shook her head, using her free hand to brush her hair out of her eyes. "It's a television program. Been around since the sixties, apparently, you're quite the popular guy, you know. But I haven't watched. Didn't think it'd do me any good, really. Besides, I was a bit distracted by what other projects my actress was apparently up to."

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dominustemporis
2011-07-24 05:45 pm UTC (link)

"Other projects?" His voice squeaked a little, the way it did when he was caught off-guard. What other projects could Rose possibly be talking about? His mind was racing, filling up with possibilities from the bizarre to the terrifying, and quite suddenly, his own life as fiction didn't matter. They could do whatever they wanted to him, but if they did anything that called Rose's character into question in any way ...

Only, did he still have the right to be angry on her behalf? He'd left her behind, like all the others, when he'd told her that she was different. Things weren't right between them. They might never be right between them again, and she didn't need him to protect her anymore. His hearts broke a little more at the thought.

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plusone
2011-07-24 06:06 pm UTC (link)

Again, the wrong reaction to have, but Rose grinned. Finding out about Ms. Piper's other work didn't bother her so much once admitting had caused the compliments to come in. "Oh, yeah, apparently I can just as easily be mistaken for a high priced hooker. Who, at some point, hooks up with your other self. The newer one." Her expression was, admittedly, a little smug. Oh, well. Too bad for him, wasn't it? He'd given up any right he had to be concerned about her when he'd abandoned her, despite her tearing apart space and time to be with him again.

Hmm. Maybe he really did just think of her as a clingy hanger-on. She'd thought he might, maybe, feel the same as she did, but he was a nine-hundred plus alien. She was simply a shop girl he'd plucked out of nowhere as a teenager. God, she'd been kidding herself all along, hadn't she? Dammit.

Biting her lip, she simply shrugged as she nodded towards the car heading in their direction. "Your chariot awaits," she said simply, releasing his hand and getting to her feet. Why had he come along at all? She'd finally begun accepting how it had ended, and now it was like someone had ripped open an almost healed scab.

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dominustemporis
2011-07-24 06:16 pm UTC (link)

The Doctor had nothing to say to that. He felt as though something had caught in his throat. He was taken aback by how casually Rose had relayed the information, how at ease she seemed to be with the idea of someone with her face doing ... that. She seemed to relish telling him about the relationship the character had with someone who had his successor's face, and it hurt. How could it not? He would rather it have anyone else, anyone but a man who looked like his replacement.

When she stood, it took him a moment to follow suit. He felt more lost than ever. You deserve this, he thought. After all the things you've done. You gave her up, and she moved on without you. You don't have the right to be part of her life anymore. It was only Rose's generosity, her genuine kindness, that had brought her here. Not him. Not any ties between them save, perhaps, the coincidence that she happened to know him.

He was silent, getting into the cab. There was nothing else to say.

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plusone
2011-07-24 07:12 pm UTC (link)

Rose would never intentionally hurt the man next to her. As she settled into the cab at his side, she wondered about that. Quickly, she gave the driver the address to the Complex and then leaned silently back into the worn seats. A part of her was tempted to nestle into his arm, but the other part of her, the part of her desperately wanting to complain to Anna or whinge about idiot blokes with Ginny, prevented her from doing so. Why had she felt the need to rub that little bit of information in his face? She'd actually been pretty upset on finding it out for herself, though they'd both ended up laughing about it in the end. Maybe that was why. She was taking out the succesor's behavior on the predecessor. Or maybe it was just because he was a bloke and blokes did complicated things.

It really wasn't fair. Amy's Rory was the most loyal, most loving man and the seal had taken him away. Rose was just finally starting to put her life back together and it had gone and dropped this man in front of her. Unfair. Totally unfair.

"Like I said, though," she finally spoke after a few minutes of silence, "most everyone's really nice here. You'll fit in well, I think." Which was a safe enough conversation for the unsuspecting cab driver to listen in on. And she knew he would be. She would, were she driving strangers around all night. "Just watch the rudeness. Though you were getting better about that."

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dominustemporis
2011-07-24 07:25 pm UTC (link)

The Doctor nodded at her advice. His manners had never been the best, not when he was around humans, quite often not even when he was with his own people. This incarnation had a particular problem with overlooking social niceties, not because he didn't value them, but because he honestly didn't think of them. It went hand-in-hand with his rather poor ability to control his impulses.

"Might have been," he agreed absentmindedly. "Think having Donna ready to smack me one if I forgot helped. Had an arm on her, she did." Not to mention a mouth, and an uncanny ability to stand in front of him and shout him down when he was making a mistake. How she would have yelled at him if she could see him now.

"I'll try to remember," he said, "about the rudeness."

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plusone
2011-07-24 09:08 pm UTC (link)

"I knew I liked her," Rose said easily enough. And she had, she really had. It's what had drawn her to Anna so easily, realizing how similar she probably was to a younger Donna. She wished she'd had the chance to get to know the older redhead better. She wondered what had happened to her. If anyone else had come between her and Amy. But she didn't want to ask. Any wrong comment could upset him all over again, and that was the last thing she wanted. It was impossible for her to want to hurt him, even if from time to time she inadvertently did.

It wasn't far to the Complex and she thanked the driver and tipped him well enough considering he didn't exactly have a tough trip. The smile she offered the Doctor was more welcoming than it migh have been earlier in the evening, but it was still wary. She wanted to take care of him, but she also sort of wanted to push him in the pool and leave him there. Men. "We need to get you an amulet, and a key to one of the spare rooms. This place was set up as a shelter of sorts. A way for the displaced to be here without being more put out than they already are." Which was, in actuality, quite a bit, considering. She had said she'd have helped out with this war if only they'd asked first, but it was still terrible being trapped alone with nothing of your own. "There's a welcome kit, too. Just a few little odds and ends to make you more comfortable. And a laptop, obviously. That computer network is genius for communication."

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dominustemporis
2011-07-24 09:58 pm UTC (link)

The Doctor summoned another smile for Rose when she mentioned that she'd liked Donna. He'd thought she would. In fact, he thought Rose would have gotten on brilliantly with most of his companions, though perhaps not all of them. She had always been one for people. It was remarkable. No matter where or when he took her, she found a way to make friends.

He followed Rose into the complex at a polite distance, not so far back that she might feel he was trying to avoid her, but far enough that he wouldn't inadvertently crowd her, either. He didn't want to presume. The information about the amulet and a key he took in with a nod of understanding, as well as the description of the welcome kit.

"What's the amulet for?" he ventured, after a moment. "Do you mean a proper magical amulet?" Quite honestly, he didn't much care for the idea. It reminded him of the Carrionites, though he supposed Rose would have spotted any fishy business and put her foot down about it well before now if the amulet were more likely to do harm than good.

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plusone
2011-07-24 10:59 pm UTC (link)

He was probably right. She'd adored Donna from the moment she met her, and, though there'd been some jealousy issues, she'd grown to love Sarah Jane just as much. Frankly, she considered Jack hers, first, but she could see his point. Martha had seemed bright enough, and Amy had saved her life, not to mention she was a brilliant pub companion. He'd once told Adam he only took the best. Rose trusted that with her entire heart. Even if, sometimes, she still had trouble believing that included her.

But then he was standing back from her, making her look a bit foolish, if she was being honest. It looked like she was leading him there, all he needed was a leash. Especially since she had to keep glancing behind to make sure he was still there. For all she knew, he wouldn't be. The man had severe wanderlust. For all her tendency to wander off (rule number one broken as usual), he was worse about it. And she wouldn't blame him for not wanting to be there. Who would?

"Not magical," she corrected as they walked. She glanced around, hoping they didn't run into anyone. Not that new arrivals were hard to explain. But new arrivals who caused the reaction in her that he did? Much more difficult. "Supernatural. They're for guarding against demons. If you wear them, you should be safe enough." She found the room where the box was kept and pulled out an extra, handed it to him. "Wear it under your clothes. The building is protected against them, too. A mix of what the Winchesters know and some spells the magic doing people put on it."

He thought half of what she said hadn't made sense before? Now he'd think she was downright barmy. Not her fault, though. Blame the bloody seal, she certainly hadn't asked to see him again.

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dominustemporis
2011-07-25 12:27 am UTC (link)

"Winchesters?"

The Doctor gingerly took the amulet from Rose and slipped the cord around his neck before loosening his tie so he could tuck the amulet under his shirt as advised. Coming from anyone else, he might have thought this whole affair ridiculous, but no matter how angry she might be at him, he knew that Rose wouldn't lead him on, not in a situation as serious as this. He winced as he inadvertently brushed against a bruise from his long fall and made a quick mental note to do something about his injuries before they became a real problem. As much as he abhorred the idea, he suspected he'd have to ask his other self for directions to the TARDIS so he could use the facilities there. He wasn't all that fond of the idea of letting human doctors he didn't know poke and prod him.

"What else should I know about all of this?" he asked. "How much is actual fact here and how much just ghost stories?"

It had been a long time since he'd dealt with the supernatural, and as a general rule, what was regarded as supernatural in his dimension was in fact merely science that the culture writing the tales didn't yet understand. The ghosts in Cardiff, for instance. Oh, he could easily see how the locals had mistaken them for spirits, but they most certainly hadn't been, just as the so-called werewolf at Torchwood House hadn't been a werewolf at all, not in the way the old Earth tales meant.

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plusone
2011-07-25 03:35 am UTC (link)

She held her breath when he winced, waiting to make sure he was okay. He needed medicine. And a doctor. But they both knew the dozen reasons he couldn't exactly go see a human one. His entire physiology was different. They'd have him locked up and studied first thing. The same problem she'd had after his last regeneration. But this time it was different. Simon knew that people here were different. It wouldn't be a complete shock, or at least, he wouldn't turn the Doctor over to the world's scientists. If he wouldn't do that, though, she'd have to beg him to see the other Doctor. He couldn't go on like that.

She didn't want to nag, though. She'd made the suggestion already and he hadn't brought it up at all. Seeing as she was already determined he thought her clingy, forcing him to get help wasn't really an option, was it? The least she could do was make sure he had somewhere comfortable to sleep.

"Mmm, the Winchesters," she said easily enough. "Dean and Sam. Dean's a bit rougher around the edges, Sam's a bit angsty, but they're both damn good at what they do. They're demon hunters. Of the professional sort." They were good guys, really, and she liked them, especially Sam. "They set up a lot of the stuff around here, including classes on how to fight these things. The demons and stuff. And ghosts and vampires and things."

And Rose said it so matter-of-factly that if the Doctor thought she was pulling his leg, he didn't know her at all. It had taken a bit of time, but she accepted it. It hadn't taken nearly as long as it might have if she'd never met a man from another planet who had shown her to the ends of the universe and back and from this side of time to that one. "Not like the ghosts we've seen," she pointed out. Especially the bloody cybermen, but she didn't want to say it out loud. It just felt like she was asking for trouble. "I don't know, maybe it's the dimension thing. But this is the real deal. Lucifer is out there, walking the earth, looking completely human."

She knew how he tried to write things off in a more rational way than what it sounded. If she didn't sound completely serious about this, he'd probably assume it was something else entirely. Which would be dangerous. And he'd been through enough. She wouldn't be able to stand it if this place did something to him.

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dominustemporis
2011-07-25 04:42 pm UTC (link)

"That's new." The Doctor didn't think he'd ever met professional demon hunters. Not real ones, anyway, or at least, real ones in the sense that they actually hunted demons. He'd known plenty of individuals who had a thing or two to say about hunting vampires, real vampires, however, so that part wasn't quite as exciting. There'd been a time, in the ancient history of Gallifrey, when vampires had been a true threat. His people had waged war against them, with a good deal more success than their campaign against the Daleks. Still, he thought, the vampires here were probably quite different, more in keeping with human legends. Which, actually, were entirely the fault of the vampires his people had fought, or at least, they had been in his proper dimension. Oh, this was going to be confusing, wasn't it?

"I don't suppose there's a manual." He was only half-joking. It would have been nice to sit down with a book filled with all sorts of useful information and simply process all of it. He liked books. Books were a perfect medium for sharing information. There was so much a person could do with the right words in the right order in the right place. "I'm sure I'll manage without one," he hastened to add, to show that he hadn't been entirely serious. "Like you said ... We're not alone in this. Plenty of people to show me the ropes." You're here to show me the ropes, he'd wanted to say, but he didn't want to presume. Rose shouldn't feel obligated, if she didn't want him anymore.

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plusone
2011-07-26 01:55 am UTC (link)

He was joking, but Rose turned to him with a serious expression. For a long moment, she simply looked up, hazel eyes searching brown. She wanted to believe he'd be alright here. She was determined that every single person was brought here for a reason. There were kids, teenagers, people who'd never fought more than a parking ticket in their entire lives, and yet they had all been pulled here for some reason. It wasn't up to her to question why or how. If Anna were to be believed, and Rose had full faith that her friend was, it could simply be the amount of humanity they'd bring with them. Living day to day lives that Lucifer would hate so greatly that he'd be pulled to his breaking point.

The man in front of her, alien though he may be, was more human than so many she'd met. And he loved this planet. He'd fought for it time and again, had even died for it more than once. For however weak he might think himself now, she believed in him. The seal had made the right decision. And, if it was smart, it would bring every other regeneration of him as well. Because no one else would give this fight as much heart as he would. No two hearts pun intended.

Reaching out, she rested a hand against his shoulder. The small touch, however simple, sent her reeling, but she didn't move. "There is, actually," she said quietly. "A frequently asked questions guide, a website that Sam's set up, all sorts of books and things in the library. We're not unprepared here. We have angels on our side, and for that matter, we have demons, too. All working together. We're not alone." He wasn't alone. There was Romana, of course, and Leela though Rose had only talked to her a time or two, and even if the two of them fought like cats and dogs, he had himself, as well. And, for better or for worse, he had her.

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