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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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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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