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The Dimension Cannon
Rose choked back a bitter laugh at the irony of it all. She had finally put her past behind her and had settled into a respected life as the director of Torchwood: Cardiff with a definite plan for her future when the stars started to go out. She had known that something was going to happen, though, ever since she had seen BAD WOLF on the sewer wall. It was a sign that her past was coming back.
Of course, her dear friend Mickey, his friends from the Tech department, and the scientists from R&D had brought the dimension cannon prototype to Cardiff first for testing and implementation. After all, the rift was the perfect place to exploit the expanding weaknesses in the universal walls and it was decided that Rose was the logical one to do the traveling. She had the experience and was the only one who knew enough to find the one person who could possibly help – the Doctor himself.
However, only three of them: her Mum, Pete, and Mickey also knew the other reason why Rose was the best candidate. She was the one most likely to survive the dangerous crossings and the only one who would not mind not coming back if stuck on the other side. In fact, that was their plan! They all knew that she was going to have to leave her family and planet anyway in just couple of years before her secret was discovered by those who could possibly exploit it. At least this way she had a destination in mind and someone at the end of it who could actually help her.
Even if the Doctor no longer wanted the forever she had once promised him, (and she was certainly prepared for that possibility – after all, who knew how long it had been for him since they had been forced apart?) then he would…at the very least…be the most likely candidate to help her figure out what to do in the long run. Therefore, since Rose knew she would not be back, one way or the other, she put her affairs in order and started the tests for the dimension cannon.
After some initial trial and error, where she landed in increasingly random locations, the her team discovered that they could calibrate the “trans-universal hopper” with Rose’s TARDIS key. That way they would be able to focus the next jump to a place where the TARDIS was definitely located. That worked out perfectly, however, because Rose knew that wherever the TARDIS was, the Doctor would not be far behind. There was no way to fine-tune the location, however, so there was no telling where or when she was going to find herself at the end of the jump. She only knew that the Doctor…a Doctor…would be near.
That was the other little hiccup in the plan. Rose knew that there would be no certainty of meeting her tousled-haired pinstripe-wearing Doctor, or even if he was the one whom she actually needed to help with the star situation in the first place. After all, the Time Lord had finally explained the whole regeneration concept to her after that first Christmas together when she was still coming to terms with his new body and personality. Consequently, she knew that there were actually quite a few versions of him out there at any given point in time. She also knew that she was going to have to approach any and every Doctor that she could find and try to convince him to help – even if he did not know her…yet.
What could possibly go wrong? Rose thought with a sigh for the momumental task in front of her.
The First Doctor
Rose popped into existence in front of what appeared to be a junkyard. She shook her head to try and clear the ringing sound in her ears as she also placed her hands on her knees for a moment to dispel the nausea and fatigue that accompanied each transdimensional jump. She knew then that she had been right to insist on making the jump alone. After all, if she was affected this strongly, with her advanced self-healing properties, she honestly did not believe that anyone else would have been able to even survive the experience.
After she had fought down those nasty side effects and felt a bit more like herself, Rose consulted her wristcomp. It gave her the approximate date and location of 1963 / London. Despite the bleak location, the traveler felt a surge of excitement at being back “home” – even if she was about 40 years too early. Since the TARDIS did not seem to be around in the immediate area, though, Rose decided to venture a little further away from the landing zone in order to look for her.
Before she explored any further, however, Rose went ahead and programmed her wristcomp for departure. That way all she would have to do would be to enter the exit code and she would automatically return back to her starting place in the other universe - Torchwood: Cardiff. Setting the program now, instead of later, however, provided her with some small amount of insurance (and a Get-Out-of-Jail Free card) in case she ran into hostiles or trouble of some sort. Knowing her Doctor...and her own reputation for being a bit jeopardy-friendly...Rose knew that such an event was a distinct possibility. Therefore, it was nice to know that her ticket out of danger was just a five digit code away…if she needed it.
Even though she still felt a little sick and disoriented, Rose forced herself to move. She walked slowly through the area as she realized that it was unlike any rubbish yard that she had ever seen before. It was too clean…too orderly…almost as if it was something just pretending to be a junkyard. While she mused upon this subject, however, Rose noticed a movement ahead of her. A petite brunette girl had just disappeared around the corner.
Rose decided to follow the girl discreetly to see if she would lead somewhere interesting…and she most definitely did! As Rose rounded the corner, she saw the distinctive shimmer of a perception filter before her. Once she realized what it was, she was able to focus past the illusion and finally see that her old friend, the TARDIS, stood there in all of her blue police box glory! Rose’s heart jumped up in her throat and her heart hammered in her chest as she reached up to knock on the door. After all, she knew that after all of these years apart, she was finally going to be able to see her Doctor again! Unfortunately, however, as the door quickly opened in front of her, it was the unfamiliar brunette who poked her head out.
“Yes, who are you?” the girl cried out in surprise.
"Just an old friend," replied Rose carefully despite her disappointment at not seeing the familiar face she desperately sought. After all, she did not want to give away too much information too soon – especially since she did not recognize the girl and, consequently, began to suspect that this was not the TARDIS of her time. Consequently, she pulled up all of her Torchwood training, both physical and mental, in order to keep her voice level and calm as she continued. "I have come very far, though. May I see the Doctor, please?"
The girl eyed Rose speculatively as she quickly took note of her hair and clothes and realized that their unexpected visitor was also not from the current time and place. Then she finally nodded. “I will go find Grandfather,” she agreed.
Grandfather! thought Rose with no little amazement.
Her first doctor had never talked about his family, but her pinstriped doctor had reluctantly told her about his children and Susan, his granddaughter, during the Isolus incident. Therefore, she suspected which Doctor she would see even before his white head and scowling face showed at the door.
“Hmm, what are you doing here? What do you want?” The previously unknown Doctor all but shouted gruffly in annoyance.
With those words and harsh tone, Rose felt all of her carefully constructed physical and emotional control snap and her dimension-hopping sickness and exhaustion washed back over her. Consequently, she had just enough time to think one thing as her vision swam. {Why does he have to be so damn rude?}
She saw his eyes widen as he caught the thought that she had unwittingly sent to him in her weakness. Before she could ponder his reaction, however, the world wobbled and the ground tried to rush up to meet her.
Even through her disorientation, she heard his exclamation of surprise and felt him catch her. He then took her, more gently then she would have expected after such a greeting, by the arms and led her into the console room. There the TARDIS amazed them all as she hummed a joyful welcome to the unexpected visitor.
Rose leaned gratefully against the nearest wall (which was not the familiar coral that she had expected, but instead was smooth, white, and covered with round shapes) to regain her equilibrium. She stroked the surface gently and whispered her affection to the ship. After all, she had truly missed the Old Girl – almost as much as she had missed the Doctor himself. Speaking of whom, when her brain cleared, she looked up to see that the current version of the Doctor and the girl stared at her in wonder.
“Just who are you and how do you know my TARDIS?” the man demanded in a calmer and somewhat awed voice as he looked at her with renewed interest.
Taking heart at her cleared head, reassured by his subdued tone, and buoyed by the affection radiating from the ship, Rose grinned and slipped right back into the easy teasing interaction that she had always shared with her alien friend. "It's a long story," she replied honestly. "How about we have a cuppa first, though, yeah? After all, those free radicals are good for the synapses, I hear."
With that cheeky remark, she strolled out of the console room towards the galley. She trusted that the Old Girl would show her the correct way if the layout had changed as much as the console room had. Plus, she could not help but to smile when she heard the Doctor sputter...and Susan giggle...behind her as she led the way in their ship.
Once there, she felt the Doctor’s eyes follow her as she moved around the room with familiarity, put on the kettle, and opened the right cupboard for the mugs on the first try. She then grinned happily again as she saw, against all odds, her favorite pink mug as it sat front and center. It was the same heavy, slightly shimmery, pink one that was made out of some type of indestructible alien material she had picked up years ago (in her time, at least) in a market place after Jack had accidentally broken her previous one during a drinking game. She smiled at both the mug and the memory as she patted the wall again.
“Thank you, Girl,” she whispered affectionately. “I needed that!”
She proceeded to pour the tea into the pink mug and the other two plain white teacups that she had also pulled out of the cabinet. She allowed herself to glance up at the Doctor, then, as he stared with a furrowed brow at the unfamiliar mug that the mysterious stranger had just removed from his ship's pantry. She had to smile again at the sight of his confusion before she sent a friendly question towards him. {How does this you take it?}
{Just milk, dear.} He answered automatically before his eyes widened again. The mental contact, the unexpectedly familiarity of his affectionate response, and the implication that she knew more than one of him – especially since he had not yet experienced even his first renewal – simply floored him…and he did not like the feeling!
“Who are you? How do you know me? How did you communicate…” he managed to sputter out again before being completely dazzled into silence by the tongue-touched smile that she bestowed on him when she turned around to hand him his tea.
"My name is Rose and I'm from your future," she replied since she had already decided that the honest approach was now best in this particular situation with this particular bloke. "You saved me. I saved you. Now I need your help to save the multiverse." With that unintentionally cryptic remark, she handed Susan (who seemed to be torn in equal amounts between curiosity and amusement) her cup, as well, and suggested that they all adjourn to the library for the obviously necessary explanations.
For his part, the Doctor was actually reassured to find that both he and his ship knew the young woman well…even if their aquaintance was in his future. He could handle that kind of information more than he could deal with simply not knowing. After all, it was not an unusual occurrence for a Time Lord to meet someone out of order. Therefore, he simply paused for a moment to look into her eyes. However, he saw nothing there but honesty and affection. Consequently…even as he wondered about the obvious warmth (for him!) that he had seen…he released his grip on his doubts, chivalrously offered his arm to her, and gestured for Susan to lead the way to the library.
The Explanation
Once in the library, the Doctor settled into his favorite armchair while Rose and Susan sat side by side on the sofa. The Doctor then took that opportunity to study the newcomer as she sipped her tea. He was struck by how the formerly self-assured woman suddenly seemed unsure about how to start the conversation. He was also quite surprised to realize that his former grumpy disinterest had mellowed into curiosity, fascination, and … something else that he could not quite place.
It was a softer feeling, however, similar only to what he felt when he thought about Susan. He had only known Rose Tyler, in the current time period, for less than an hour. However, her warm smile and the expression in her eyes…along with the intriguing feelings that somehow trickled back down his timeline…all combined to prove to him that she was obviously important to his future self. He knew then that he would do whatever he could to help her! That forceful thought came out of nowhere and surprised him greatly – especially since he did not normally go out of his way to assist others. That was not really his way or the way of his people. Accordingly, he knew that the whole situation was probably going to become very interesting, indeed.
{Whenever you are ready, my dear.} The Doctor mentally prompted her and he also sent her a wave of reassurance as his superior senses picked up on her wavering emotional state.
~~~~~
For her part, Rose pondered about where to start – especially since there was just so much to explain! She decided to start with an introduction…of sorts. “First of all, Doctor,” she told him, “I feel that you should know that I traveled…um…will travel…in the TARDIS with you…in my past but your future. Specifically, I know your Ninth and Tenth selves.”
The Doctor started with surprise at that news. Apparently, Rose was from much further in his future than he anticipated. Even that far down the timeline, though, he could not ever imagine changing enough to want to travel with anyone else other than Susan – especially with a human! Perhaps he should consider it, however – especially since he already found Rose to be quite intriguing.
That train of thought was interrupted, though, as the woman continued to explain the peculiarities of their unique situation in a serious tone. “Consequently, I know that I have to be very careful with what I tell you. I don’t want to cause a paradox, but there are some things about the future that you have to know so that we can figure out what to do. I was not exaggerating when I said that we needed to save the multiverse! However, there are also some things that you just absolutely cannot know right now…no matter what!” She made a sound of frustration. “I don’t know exactly what to do here, but I trust you, Doctor. This is your area of expertise and I need for you to help me know what is safe to reveal and what is not.” She spat out the last bit almost desperately.
To his surprise, the Doctor found himself reaching over to take her hand reassuringly. “Don’t worry, my dear,” he said. “Time Lords often find themselves in situations where foreknowledge is temporarily necessary. Therefore, we have determined a way to suppress memories that may be dangerous to our future timelines. Rest assured that anything you say to me will be appropriately handled up here.” He tapped on his forehead lightly with one finger…even while he tried to determine whether he should be impressed or concerned about the fact that she knew the importance of timeline maintenance.
“That’s good to know.” Rose replied aloud with obvious relief in her voice even as a silent thought slipped out. {However, there are things that I can’t tell you. I won’t tell you! I just don’t want to hurt you!}
It was obvious that she did not mean for him to hear that particular thought. Nevertheless, the Doctor was a bit surprised by the force of it and the accompanying emotions, as well. He was also amazed that she cared enough about him…well…future him…to try to protect him from apparently painful knowledge. Suddenly, he could not help but to wonder exactly what their relationship was like in her personal timeline. Whatever it was, though, the sheer emotional state behind it allowed her thoughts to leak around her mental shields.
Wait a minute, he thought, mental shields…
That brought up the question of her telepathic abilities. He looked at her even more closely. She appeared to be human – from around the 21st century, if he was not mistaken. She seemed to be young, too – early 20s, he calculated…even though there was something in her eyes that made her seem much older. At any rate, abilities like hers were quite unusual in her species and time period – especially with the control that she seemed to have over it. She had obviously experienced some sort of psychic training, as well. Maybe it even had something to do with why they traveled together in the future. At the very least, she certainly was not trying to hide the ability from him, though, and that was reassuring. In fact, it might even make her explanations easier. Therefore, maybe that was the first issue that should be addressed between them.
“Rose,” he said. “I can see that you have telepathic abilities that are unusual for someone in your situation and that you have had quite a bit of training. Will you tell me about that first?”
“It would probably be easier just to show you, Doctor,” she replied thoughtfully. “In fact, it might be easier than trying to explain period, yeah? Maybe you should just have a look at the whole story in here first,” she paused to tap at her forehead this time, “and then ask any questions that you might have. That way I won’t get sidetracked or forget anything important.”
He agreed that it would be an efficient way to transfer the necessary information. However, he needed to be absolutely certain that he had her permission first…and would not be violating her mental privacy. {Are you sure, my dear?}
She nodded with hesitation. {Do it, Doctor. I trust you.}
The Doctor just looked at the woman for a long moment, amazed again at the thought of what their relationship must be like in the future in order for her to trust him so implicitly now. After all, she did not know him at all - not really. He had not yet become the man she knew eight incarnations from the the current moment in his timeline.
He glanced over at Susan to see what she thought. He noticed that while she looked between them with obvious curiosity, she showed no suspicion or amazement. He then realized that their last exchange had not been spoken aloud. Her last words of trust were meant for him only.
That thought warmed his hearts for some reason and he leaned over to her to press his fingers against her temples. They looked deeply into each other’s eyes for a moment and then both sets closed as the information and memories that she had directed towards him started flowing. They started in a department store basement, encompassed everything including the Gamestation and Bad Wolf Bay, and ended with a blue box in a junkyard …
After what could have been just a few minutes…or an eternity…the Doctor slowly lowered his hands to grasp hers as they lay quietly in her lap. They looked at each other and found that both set of eyes were moist with unshed tears. Without breaking eye contact, he whispered hoarsely to his granddaughter.
“Susan, dear, I think that we are going to need more tea.”
He felt, rather than saw, Susan’s concern then. She did not question him, however, and went to make all of them a fresh cup. After all, even though she had not been part of the connection and could not see what had passed between them, Susan could tell that her grandfather and Rose needed a few minutes alone to deal with whatever it was.
As she left the room, the Doctor leaned forward to rest his forehead on hers. “Oh, Rose, my dear,” he whispered. “All you have gone through, for me…all of the pain you have experienced, even indirectly, by my hand… and yet you still feel that way for me. Not only that, but I can tell that the…feelings…are shared…mutual. I just don’t know what to say. This is all highly…unusual…for my people. We don’t normally engage in those types of relationships.”
He took a deep breath and continued, even as he noticed the tears that slipped down her cheeks. “You have had to be strong for so long now. I am very proud of you, what you have done…and what you are going to do. I can see it all in here, you know.” With that, he mimicked their actions from earlier as he gently tapped her on the forehead and smiled.
The little action seemed to reassure her and she jumped up in order to wrap her arms around him and hug him tightly - content in the knowledge that he was her Doctor and would always be her Doctor – no matter what form he took. Unused to such acts of physical affection, though, his arms hung loosely by his sides, but he continued to allow the contact from her. He could not deny that with Rose Tyler, it felt…nice.
He remembered again the warmth and affection that enveloped him when she welcomed him into her mind. He did not remember emotions that strong being directed towards him from anyone – anywhere – ever. He also thought about the “doors” that she had thrown up in front of some of those memories - just to protect him.
{Please don’t look, Doctor.} Her mind had murmured to his softly as he had inspected those barriers.
He shook his head and brought his thoughts back to the present as he surprised himself when he actually brought his own arms up to gently return her embrace. He then offered her his handkerchief to wipe her eyes. “Alright, my dear,” he struggled to make his voice sound normal as Susan came back in carrying a tea tray as she eyed them curiously. “We obviously have work to do. The stars are going out and we have a multiverse to save!”
They all stayed in the library for the next few hours. The Doctor decided to explain the major problem of the stars to Susan, but he chose not to mention the more personal aspects of the relationship between Rose and Future Him. He just did not think that his granddaughter would understand. In fact, he was not even sure that he really understood himself, but that just did not matter at the present moment. He had to focus on helping Rose…um… helping the multiverse, instead.
Together, they all started to work out a rough plan, but after a time he could feel the TARDIS hum with concern. He was not the subject of her distress, though, and consequently he looked directly over at Rose instead. She was pale…and clearly physically and emotionally exhausted from all of the stresses of the day. He remembered how she had almost swooned hours earlier when entering the ship.
If she had been that exhausted then, how must she feel now? he wondered.
He realized that, after seeing her memories, he had almost forgotten that she was just a human - a human who had traveled across dimensions for weeks with very little rest, in fact. Regular unshielded time travel was difficult enough. However, unshielded travel across a dimensional void – that was unheard of – even for his people! Rose probably should not have been able to survive it...and yet somehow she had. It was inconceivable, but perhaps the answer lay behind one of those closed doors in her mind.
Hopefully, they could discuss all of that later. What was important at the moment, though, was that the TARDIS had recognized the woman’s distress…and had alerted him to it. The Doctor had seen her memories of the Gamestation and Bad Wolf. Therefore, he was no longer surprised at her connection with the TARDIS. He was amazed, yes, but not surprised. However, it was still unusual to find that the TARDIS was concerned about someone else’s welfare. Therefore, he paid attention to what she was tried to tell him. He stood up quickly and surprised both Rose and Susan when he announced that it was time to call it a night so that they could be rested enough to tackle the problem at hand.
After Rose had bid the others good night, the TARDIS directed her to an empty room near the library so that she would not have to travel far in her exhausted state. Rose sent the ship a soft, but earnest {Thank You} after she saw the comfortable, but generic, room that had been provided…as well as the cozy looking pajamas that were folded up on the bed. After she had found her personal future mug earlier, Rose was a bit afraid that she would find her old room and belongings, as well. She did not know if she could have handled such a personal experience on top of the other raw emotions that she had unexpectedly had to face that day.
Instead, Rose visited the bathroom, grateful again for the thoughtfulness of the TARDIS who had supplied her with all of the necessary nighttime toiletries. She then went through the motions of a few basic bedtime preparations before she slipped under the covers of the inviting bed. Before she allowed herself to drift off to sleep, however, she spared a thought for the kindly version of the Doctor whom she had found in this time and place.
He was not what she had expected after his harsh greeting during their first meeting. However, it was obvious now that he was indeed her Doctor – especially after the link they had shared - along with the memories. Her feelings for him were certainly not as intense as they were for her later Doctors, but she had been with them for a couple of years, after all. Somehow, though, she knew that she would love every version of her Doctor. She also knew that she would definitely think back on this one with warm fondness.
All of a sudden she swore and jumped out of bed. After all of the excitement of finally finding the Doctor again, sharing the memories, and making plans, she had completely forgotten to get in touch with Control. She did not know how much time had passed for them since she had jumped - because time flowed differently in all of the dimensions that she had been to. However, she had to let them know in Pete’s World that she was okay and had reached her target. She grabbed her wristcomp and typed in a short message.
Made contact. Have help now. Breathe easy. Love to all.
That simple missive did not give much detail. However, it was extremely hard to push messages across dimensions. In fact, she knew from past experiences that she only had one chance at it, so it was better to keep it short and sweet. Nevertheless, she knew that those ten words would still give her family, Mickey, and the rest of the team in Pete’s World enough information to know that she was alive, alright, had found the one whom she sought, and was working on the problem.
She had said her personal goodbyes before she left. However, the act of sending off that last message was still a bittersweet moment for her…even though it felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders at the same time. She loved her family and Mickey, but she knew that she would not have been able to stay with them anyway because of her differences. Being here with the Doctor…any version of him…and the TARDIS was infinitely better than taking refuge on a strange planet for the rest of her life. Consequently, she jumped back in bed, nestled under the covers, and fell asleep quickly – but not before she unintentionally unshielded and sent out a subconscious wave of relief, happiness, gratitude, and affection at finding herself back at home.
The Doctor, who had decided to retire to his own bed, as well – even if it was just to ponder the events of the day…as well as a certain human down the hall… received the mental wave. His normally lined and weathered face broke out in a smile and he returned the wave back to her – even though he could tell that she was already asleep. Meanwhile, the TARDIS just hummed back happily at both of them.
~~~~~
Rose did not know how long she slept, but she awoke refreshed and happier than she had been in a long time. She patted the wall and sent a cheerful {Good Morning} to the TARDIS as she arose to attend to her morning business in the loo. She found that she desperately needed a shower after the events of the previous day, so she handled that. Then she dressed in some comfortable clothes that the TARDIS had provided for her when she realized that her normal dimension hopping outfit was nowhere to be found. Afterwards, she wandered out of her room and stumbled right into the Doctor.
The Doctor, much to his surprise, had slept deeply after he fell asleep to thoughts about Rose. He still did not understand the implications of his future relationship with her, but he thought fondly of her now, and was eager to see her and help her. Without even realizing it, he found himself passing by her door several times after his own awakening as he wondered just how much sleep she needed. Then he remembered all she had been through on the previous day and felt a little bit guilty about such a selfish thought. He had just decided to head to the console room to wait for her when her door suddenly opened and she tumbled right into his arms.
“Good morning, my dear” he said as he looked down at her brightly while he led her towards the galley. “Shall we get some breakfast?”
After a light meal that they shared with Susan, they all headed back to the library to work out the final details of their plan to save the multiverse.
The Plan
The Doctor had checked the star maps, ran scans, and had done some complicated mathematical calculations. The end result of all of that work was the final determination that, unfortunately, he was not the incarnation of the Doctor who could help Rose the most. In fact, they needed to find the Doctor in the timeline that correlated with the disappearance of the stars in this universe, instead.
However, he simply could not pinpoint exactly which Doctor that would be. It might be Rose’s second future Doctor…or a later one…or it could even be an earlier one who had suppressed his memory of the event because of the subsequent time loop that would need to be closed. He just did not know…and since it dealt with his personal timeline…and was therefore a fixed point in his own existence…he just could not take the easy route and simply use the TARDIS to go and find out.
Consequently, he determined that Rose would need to visit each and every one of his future selves, in order, until she reached the right one. From their own scans and tests, that particular Doctor and his TARDIS would be able to confirm that she was in the right place at the right time and would be able to handle it from there. First, however, the current Doctor would reprogram her wristcomp to function like a Vortex manipulator – with the addition of some of his own DNA. That would allow her to jump along his timeline. Since the TARDIS was multidimensional herself, and existed in all times simultaneously, the ship would direct each jump from the console room to insure that Rose’s journey would be as controlled and as safe as possible.
The Doctor did not know exactly how much time would pass between her visits to the different versions of the man whom he would become. Therefore, in order to maintain the timelines, he realized that each Doctor, himself included, would have to suppress the memories of her mission…and their relationship…between each visit until they were unlocked by the next Doctor. Her presence alone should be enough to trigger the memories, but Rose could also manually unlock them through mental contact, if necessary. Each Doctor would then collectively recall the memories of all of the previous interactions between Rose and his former incarnations. That would save her from the exhausting process of having to gain the trust of each individual Doctor first and it would also keep her from having to relive all of the emotional memories of her past visits with every one of them over and over again.
The Doctor realized that he would be sorry to forget about the time he had spent with her…and those new fresh feelings that she inspired. However, he also knew it would be best for everyone involved…as well as the timelines…if he did not remember anything about her – until they met again. The separation would not be permanent, however. He would get to be with her again. That was all that really mattered.
Since they did not know what kind of situation she would be jumping into, (After all, Rose was very well aware that the Doctors were not really known for quiet down time), they decided it would be best if she waited to jump in the morning after another good night’s sleep. The decision suited both of them perfectly since neither of them were ready to part company quite yet.
Consequently, they decided to spend the evening in the library with Susan. This time Susan took the chair while the Doctor with very little reluctance shared the sofa with Rose. After a while, she asked him to read aloud to them. After all, she had always enjoyed it very much whenever her two future Doctors did so.
Sometime later, however, Susan excused herself to go to her room and the Doctor found himself alone in the library on the sofa with Rose. A small unfamiliar thrill shot through him at the physical contact when she leaned her head on his shoulder while he read. For her part, however, the position felt natural Rose relaxed completely as she simply listened to the timbre of his voice (so different from her other Doctors), while she also sent thoughts of comfort and contentment to him.
He returned the feelings, almost subconsciously, and continued to read to her until she peacefully drifted off to sleep. The Doctor felt it the moment her breathing changed and he stopped reading to simply look at her instead as he realized those unfamiliar confusing soft feelings that had surprised him so much on the previous day were even stronger at the current moment than they had been. He then debated whether he should wake her up and send her to her room (as he would for Susan) or carry her to her room and put her to bed instead. For some reason, that particular thought caused another peculiar feeling to almost overwhelm him and he decided to just leave her where she was.
He allowed himself to savor their physical contact for just a moment longer before he slid out from underneath her. Then, as she reclined more naturally, he covered her up with a fuzzy pink blanket that he had just realized was draped over the back of the sofa. He knew instantly that the TARDIS must have placed it there for just that purpose. He had never tucked anyone in like that before, however…not even his own children since that was not how it worked on Gallifrey. Therefore, he just stood at her side for a moment since he did not know what to do next.
Since he had just slept the night before, and Time Lords needed only a fraction of the rest that humans required, he was not tired. Consequently, since he also felt an odd reluctance to leave his guest, he decided to stay in the library and finish the book he had just been reading to her, instead. Decision made, he moved back to the armchair where he could keep an eye on her and settled in to enjoy her company while he could, even though she was soundly asleep – especially since he knew that he would not be able to remember her past the morrow.
~~~~~
Rose awoke the next morning to a cool hand on her cheek, dark sad eyes focused on her, and a soft voice in her mind. {Good morning, my dear. I hated to wake you, but it is time.} Rose reached up to stroke the back of the hand resting on her face gently and then quickly left the library to get dressed and prepare for her adventure. The white haired Doctor quietly watched her go and then left to find Susan.
They all met in the galley for a cup of tea and a quick bite to eat before they shuffled reluctantly to the console room. Rose wore only her wristcomp and the “jumping” clothes that the TARDIS had apparently cleaned and pressed for her. She needed nothing else because she knew the TARDIS would continue to provide for her. After all, the Doctor had determined that the jumps should be made from the console room so that the sentient ship could exert greater control over the next destination. That would insure that Rose arrived either in or near the TARDIS at the end of her jump…and, consequently, close to the next Doctor’s location, as well.
Rose was both nervous and eager to meet the next Doctor, and she could not help but to wonder how different he would be from the rest of hims that she had known. However, she found that she was very sad to leave this one behind, too. After all, the past two days had been such a pleasant way to become reacquainted with the Doctor and the TARDIS again. Nevertheless, there was a multiverse to save. Therefore, Rose hugged Susan tightly as they said their goodbyes. Then she reached over to take the Doctor’s hand.
{This isn’t goodbye. We’re about to see each other again, yeah?} she sent the mental message out to reassure both him…and herself, as well.
{Yes, my dear.} he agreed, as he lifted her hand, supposedly to shake it. At the last moment, however, he raised it to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of it, instead.
She returned the gesture as she reached up and surprised him with a kiss on his cheek. “Until then,” she said out loud as he smiled at her. She then reached out to touch her mind to the TARDIS and hit the jump sequence on her modified wristcomp at the same time. In just a moment, the air shimmered around her and she was gone. The Doctor simply sighed at her disappearance. Then, before he could change his mind, he took a moment to modify Susan’s memory of the encounter before he locked his own away, as well - until the time came for Rose to appear in his next life.