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shelwassTitle: That Thing We Never Say
Characters: Ten/Rose
Rating: PG
Genre: Angst
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, its characters, or its universe. It belongs to BBC. Some quotes taken from "The Shakespeare Code" and "Doomsday."
Summary: AU "The Shakespeare Code;" the Doctor and Rose share a bed. Angst ensues when feelings come to the fore.
Word Count: 759
Characters: Ten/Rose
Rating: PG
Genre: Angst
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, its characters, or its universe. It belongs to BBC. Some quotes taken from "The Shakespeare Code" and "Doomsday."
Summary: AU "The Shakespeare Code;" the Doctor and Rose share a bed. Angst ensues when feelings come to the fore.
Word Count: 759
It was a small room in Shakespeare’s house, with a bed barely made for two. The Doctor eyed it suspiciously as they approached.
“Not much room, then,” Rose said. “D’you want the floor or the bed? Or, I dunno, we could...share.”
He swallowed, trying to put thoughts of the dangers of sharing a bed to rest. “We’ll manage,” he said, hopping onto the mattress. “Come on.”
She gave him a tongue-in-teeth smile and lay down beside him. “So...witches an’ stuff. Is it real? Or is it like the Gelth, jus’ pretendin’ t’ be somethin’ from around here, when really, they’re jus’ aliens, too?”
The Doctor frowned. “Good point. There's such a thing as psychic energy, but a human couldn't channel it like that. Not without a generator the size of Taunton and I think we'd have spotted that.”
“‘S gotta be a species that can channel it, then.”
“Yep,” he said, popping the ‘p.’ “But who? Think, think, think.” He sighed.
“D’you have enough room?” Rose asked. They were huddled right up against each other, both keeping their hands firmly in their own personal spaces.
He didn’t seem to hear her. “There’s something I’m missing, Rose. Something really close, staring me right in the face and I can't see it.”
“Is there someone who, I dunno...uses words t’ make things happen?”
“Only in legends from the dawn of the universe. A few species. The Mantequils. The Ludhaboz. And the Carrionites.” He frowned. “But if they do exist, what are they doing here?”
Rose nestled down into the pillow, watching the way his brow furrowed. He stared right past her for a long moment, before his eyes settled on her face.
His hand reached out, brushing the air beside her cheek, but unwilling to settle thereupon. She sighed. “Will you be up all night thinking, then?” she asked.
“Probably, yep. Don’t need much sleep, me.”
“Might help, though,” she said. “When I was younger, an’ there was somethin’ I couldn’t solve, Mum always told me t’ sleep on it. Said things would look much clearer in the mornin’.”
“Rose Tyler.” He grinned. “You are brilliant!”
She laughed. “What’d I do?”
“Oh, just said the right thing. Happens a lot, actually.” Impulsively, he wrapped her in a hug, and she smiled against the shoulder of his suit. “Tomorrow, we’ll seek out these so-called witches. Should give me a much better idea who they are if I can see how they’re doing it.”
She snuggled a bit deeper into his chest. Even through both their layers--his suit and her sweater--she could feel his hearts pounding. “Doctor,” she asked carefully, “Are you alright?”
“Yep,” he said. “Brilliant. Molto bene! Why?”
“‘S jus’...your hearts are beatin’ a bit fast.”
“Just the excitement,” he lied. “We could be meeting creatures that were said to have died out billions of years ago.”
“‘S nothin’ else, then?”
“Nope,” he lied.
She sighed and snuggled deeper against him.
“Rose?” he whispered. “If it, err...if it were something else...”
Her eyes cracked open to look at him. “Yeah? Go on, say it.”
“Wellll...this is the first time we’ve shared a bed.”
“‘S not somethin’ you do with companions, then?”
“Nah--done it all the time, me. With all sorts of companions in all sorts of places.”
“‘S different between us, though, yeah?”
“Yep,” he admitted. “Very different.”
“Different than Sarah Jane?”
“Yes,” he said softly.
“Are we ever gonna talk about it?” she asked.
“Aren’t we?” he replied, baffled.
“‘S more like we’re talkin’ around it,” she said. “But I...” She swallowed, her eyes flickering from his lips to his eyes. “I love you,” she whispered.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Quite right, too.”
She cracked a small, sad smile. “An’ you don’t.”
He swallowed. “And if I did?”
“Then why can’t you say it?”
“You know why.”
“‘Cuz you’re afraid you’ll lose me.” He nodded. “Doctor, ‘m not goin’ anywhere. Not my whole life.”
“But there’s an after, Rose. After your life. And then there’s just me.” His eyes brimmed with unshed tears, and he violently blinked them back. “On my own. Alone. Utterly, and completely alone.”
She screwed up the courage to press a soft, deliberate kiss to his lips. When he didn’t respond in kind, she pulled away, turning and blinking back tears of her own. “Good night, then,” she managed, blowing out the candle.
“Good night, Rose,” he whispered sadly into the darkness.
“Not much room, then,” Rose said. “D’you want the floor or the bed? Or, I dunno, we could...share.”
He swallowed, trying to put thoughts of the dangers of sharing a bed to rest. “We’ll manage,” he said, hopping onto the mattress. “Come on.”
She gave him a tongue-in-teeth smile and lay down beside him. “So...witches an’ stuff. Is it real? Or is it like the Gelth, jus’ pretendin’ t’ be somethin’ from around here, when really, they’re jus’ aliens, too?”
The Doctor frowned. “Good point. There's such a thing as psychic energy, but a human couldn't channel it like that. Not without a generator the size of Taunton and I think we'd have spotted that.”
“‘S gotta be a species that can channel it, then.”
“Yep,” he said, popping the ‘p.’ “But who? Think, think, think.” He sighed.
“D’you have enough room?” Rose asked. They were huddled right up against each other, both keeping their hands firmly in their own personal spaces.
He didn’t seem to hear her. “There’s something I’m missing, Rose. Something really close, staring me right in the face and I can't see it.”
“Is there someone who, I dunno...uses words t’ make things happen?”
“Only in legends from the dawn of the universe. A few species. The Mantequils. The Ludhaboz. And the Carrionites.” He frowned. “But if they do exist, what are they doing here?”
Rose nestled down into the pillow, watching the way his brow furrowed. He stared right past her for a long moment, before his eyes settled on her face.
His hand reached out, brushing the air beside her cheek, but unwilling to settle thereupon. She sighed. “Will you be up all night thinking, then?” she asked.
“Probably, yep. Don’t need much sleep, me.”
“Might help, though,” she said. “When I was younger, an’ there was somethin’ I couldn’t solve, Mum always told me t’ sleep on it. Said things would look much clearer in the mornin’.”
“Rose Tyler.” He grinned. “You are brilliant!”
She laughed. “What’d I do?”
“Oh, just said the right thing. Happens a lot, actually.” Impulsively, he wrapped her in a hug, and she smiled against the shoulder of his suit. “Tomorrow, we’ll seek out these so-called witches. Should give me a much better idea who they are if I can see how they’re doing it.”
She snuggled a bit deeper into his chest. Even through both their layers--his suit and her sweater--she could feel his hearts pounding. “Doctor,” she asked carefully, “Are you alright?”
“Yep,” he said. “Brilliant. Molto bene! Why?”
“‘S jus’...your hearts are beatin’ a bit fast.”
“Just the excitement,” he lied. “We could be meeting creatures that were said to have died out billions of years ago.”
“‘S nothin’ else, then?”
“Nope,” he lied.
She sighed and snuggled deeper against him.
“Rose?” he whispered. “If it, err...if it were something else...”
Her eyes cracked open to look at him. “Yeah? Go on, say it.”
“Wellll...this is the first time we’ve shared a bed.”
“‘S not somethin’ you do with companions, then?”
“Nah--done it all the time, me. With all sorts of companions in all sorts of places.”
“‘S different between us, though, yeah?”
“Yep,” he admitted. “Very different.”
“Different than Sarah Jane?”
“Yes,” he said softly.
“Are we ever gonna talk about it?” she asked.
“Aren’t we?” he replied, baffled.
“‘S more like we’re talkin’ around it,” she said. “But I...” She swallowed, her eyes flickering from his lips to his eyes. “I love you,” she whispered.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Quite right, too.”
She cracked a small, sad smile. “An’ you don’t.”
He swallowed. “And if I did?”
“Then why can’t you say it?”
“You know why.”
“‘Cuz you’re afraid you’ll lose me.” He nodded. “Doctor, ‘m not goin’ anywhere. Not my whole life.”
“But there’s an after, Rose. After your life. And then there’s just me.” His eyes brimmed with unshed tears, and he violently blinked them back. “On my own. Alone. Utterly, and completely alone.”
She screwed up the courage to press a soft, deliberate kiss to his lips. When he didn’t respond in kind, she pulled away, turning and blinking back tears of her own. “Good night, then,” she managed, blowing out the candle.
“Good night, Rose,” he whispered sadly into the darkness.
