On Healing and Moving Forward ((closed rp, Jack, Rose, Ninth Doctor))

[fantastic-nine.livejournal.com]

There was a soft pop as the Doctor apparated back into a hallway of Gryffindor. He was drained both physically and emotionally; the Master had seen to that. Given the late hour, he had hoped the House would have been quiet. He sensed him before he spoke, that odd sense of permanence.

"Doctor?"

"Hello Jack," his voice was soft, wearied.

Jack frowned and moved to stand in front of the Doctor. He was holding himself all wrong, it wasn't the confident, brilliant Time Lord he remembered. Then he saw the bruises and the way he was favoring one side. "Ah god, what happened?" He moved in, putting his arm around the Doctor's shoulders to help him stand.

"It's all right," he said, smothering a groan. "A catharsis can be rather painful when it's done right."

"Very funny," Jack muttered. "I'm getting you over to the medical wing."

Ten minutes later, a small brown owl left the medical wing with a scribbled note.

<i>Rose,
Medical Wing, now. *He* needs you.
-Jack</i>

Comments

[rose-of-powell.livejournal.com]

Rose's eyes widened as she read the note, and it was discarded as soon as she finished; she dashed to the hospital wing as quickly as possible. When she saw the Doctor, she let out a small, unintentional gasp.

"What happened?" she asked Jack. "Is he gonna be alright?"

[fantastic-nine.livejournal.com]

Jack held her shoulders lightly, pitching his voice low enough so they weren't heard. "He'll be fine, just a little roughed up. Go to him, he needs you. Just.. take it easy on him? I know that look and I'm pretty sure he did something.. well.. just go."

The Doctor looked up as Rose entered, his eyes going wide. His skin was pale, there was a dark bruise along the side of his cheek. "Rose? What are you..?"

[rose-of-powell.livejournal.com]

She really did try to smile, but it was tinged with worry. "Jack, he sent me an owl. He said that... said you needed me."

[fantastic-nine.livejournal.com]

The Doctor grimaced as one of the assistants raised his shirt and evaluated a patch of dark bruises across his ribcage.

"I.." he trailed off. No more evasions. "I do Rose. I have always needed you."

[rose-of-powell.livejournal.com]

In normal circumstances, Rose would have kissed him. Dramatically. But there was too much else going on, something was wrong, he was hurt - much as she would have liked to focus on his words, her eyes kept being drawn to those dark bruises.

"What happened to you?" she asked, her throat tight. "Did - did he hurt you?"

[fantastic-nine.livejournal.com]

There was a sharp hiss of pain as his ribs were examined. "Yes," he managed after a moment, reaching for her hands. "But Rose.. it's all right. It is."

"I don't even know if I can explain. But this is something that needed to happen."

[rose-of-powell.livejournal.com]

"No, it's not!" she said insistently, her worry turning to anger. Why did he have to go and do things like this? "Something bad happened to you and that's never alright. Not to me."

"You better explain. And right now, too. We both know keepin' me out of stuff doesn't work too well."

[fantastic-nine.livejournal.com]

He gave a half smile at that. "No. No keeping you out. I learned my lesson the last time. All right, Rose. But you have to promise to hear it all out. Some of it you're not going to want to hear, and I'm sorry."

"I asked him for this Rose. Back on Gallifrey, when he and I weren't fighting, we.. we were lovers. It was before he was truly mad, and truly lost," he paused, grasping for the right words. He had to be clear about this, he had to make her understand. "This regeneration.. I had seen so much death and suffering. Do you know how sometimes you have to draw poison out of a wound before it can heal? That.. that's what this was, Rose."

He dropped his gaze to her hands, "I needed this so I could be whole again. For.. for you."

And he sat there, vulnerable and terrified that she would run.

[rose-of-powell.livejournal.com]

"So he's your crazy ex. That fits. Explains why he went off on the computer, too. But the rest of it? That just - I understand if you want to work things out with him, but don't go doing something like that for me. Like, like, some sort of twisted penance or somethin'. I don't want you hurting yourself!"

She broke off, trying to find the right words, and they slipped out without her realising. "I love you just fine the way you are."

[fantastic-nine.livejournal.com]

Crazy ex. That was a fairly accurate description.

At her admission, his head snapped up, his eyes wide. "You.. Rose.. you.." all he could do was hold on to her hands tightly and stammer, his eyes bright with hope. When his brain was finally able to process what she had said, he stopped stuttering and reached out to cup her cheek. "Rose Tyler, I love you. I have always loved you."

From the doorway, Jack shook his head at the exchange. "About damn time," he whispered to himself before leaving them alone.

[rose-of-powell.livejournal.com]

"Why didn't you just say something?" Rose said, but that was all she got out before a much better idea occurred to the part of her that didn't quite consult her brain before making decisions. Without ever really making a conscious decision to do so, she leaned forward and kissed him soundly on the lips.

[fantastic-nine.livejournal.com]

She was kissing him.
She loved him and she was kissing him.

His arms came around her, holding her lightly against him. The Doctor tilted his head until their foreheads touched. "Because I was afraid. I was afraid that you'd say no, or want me to take you home and I needed you Rose. I needed you so much."

[rose-of-powell.livejournal.com]

"But..." Rose's usually indefatigable reasoning failed to come up wiht a counterargument. "I couldn't tell you, because you'd say no, and send me home." She let out a little laugh. "Pretty dumb, isn't it? Maybe things would be easier if we were all psychics or something."

She pulled back gently, smiling at him. "Now you need to get rest and heal up."

[fantastic-nine.livejournal.com]

"Stay," he said softly. "Please. Rose, there's more that you need to understand about the Master."

With a grimace, he shifted, allowing her to sit beside him. "He's a part of me, as much as I am of him. His madness.. it was my fault; that makes him my responsibility. There are times he'll need to lash out, and I have to let him to keep others safe. Do you understand?"
Meaning : this will almost certainly happen again.

He gripped her hands tightly, "Rose you must always be careful around him. He hates humans. If he had any idea how much I love you, the Master would go out of his way to hurt you. He can hurt me, but not you. Never you."

[rose-of-powell.livejournal.com]

"I keep forgetting," Rose said. "You haven't changed, not a bit. I mean, I thought I wasn't..." She sighed. "I'm not just your mascot, your, your pet or something. If we're going to do this, it's gotta be an equal partnership. And I don't want you to get hurt anymore than you want me to. Besides, I'm not helpless - am I a witch or not?" She smiled, there, hoping to cheer him.

"There has to be something else we can do," she added. "Get him to stop. Maybe the hat - it can turn you into popcorn, can't it? Maybe it can turn him, I dunno, sane."

[fantastic-nine.livejournal.com]

"Rose, I've never treated you like that," he said sharply. "It's dangerous out there, humans can get hurt so easily, I had to keep you safe. I can regenerate you.. you can't," he added in a quiet voice.

The Doctor let out a frustrated breath and grimaced. "It'd have to be sane in the first place."

"I've already destroyed my people. I don't want to be responsible for any more death, Rose. I don't want to kill. But if he hurt you.."

[rose-of-powell.livejournal.com]

((Okay, first, I'm sorry this is so late. My computer began generally failing about the same time finals hit. You can backtag if you want, or not, I don't mind either way.))

Rose was immediately sorry. "I know that. It's just... I finally get you trained to let me help, and then I've got to go back and do it all over again.

"I'm not gonna go pickin' fights with him. I'm not crazy. But you don't have to keep hurting yourself!"

[fantastic-nine.livejournal.com]

((No worries! I know how it can get!!))

The Doctor put an arm around her, part of his mind still quietly marveling that she would allow him to do so. “I know, Rose. And I am so sorry.”

He sat there for a moment, just enjoying the closeness. “’fraid I’m not in any shape for much, but.. can you stay? Please?”

[rose-of-powell.livejournal.com]

And the more things change, the more they stay the same. "Of course I'll stay. I'll stay as long as you need me to."

[fantastic-nine.livejournal.com]

The Doctor stretched back on the bed, shifting to allow her sufficent room. "We never did make it to Barcelona. What say we stop by the Floo room in the morning and take a little trip? Just the two of us?"

[rose-of-powell.livejournal.com]

Rose leaned over, sneaking a kiss on his cheek. "That's be wonderful," she said sincerely.

((Wanna wrap this up here, then?))