Part 04 - Chapter 13 - Changes
Title: Part 04 - Chapter 13 - Changes
Author: othermewriter
Chapter Rating: PG Series Rating Adult
Characters: 9/Rose
Disclaimer: not mine, and so not making money from this mores the pity :(
A/N: As always my deepest gratitude to my beta lostwolfchats who has stuck with me through the long haul. Happy Birthday a bit early Lady!!
--------------------------------------------
As we head for the kitchen, I watch Rose move. She still seems a bit unsteady and when I ask she blushes a deep shade of crimson and I realize that she is stiff from our previous activities. I can't help but sweep her into my arms for another kiss and I feel a flood of gratitude pour through me for everything she, no they, have given me. I leave her breathless, standing in the middle of the room, as I begin to collect items for breakfast. A moment later, she moves to join me. At her first exclamation, I am a bit concerned; by her second, she has my full attention.
As she explains, I am reminded of the first time I cooked fried eggs around Romana. At her stormy reaction to my amusement, I remind Verity of it and I can tell she is sharing it with Rose as Rose bursts into laughter.
I love watching her delight, and I realize with a smile that it doesn't hurt remembering Romana any more. As her laughter turns to tears and takes on a hysterical tone, I rush forward, catching her just as her knees buckle.
As Rose passes out, and I feel Verity begin to grow more distant in my head, and panic begins to set in. I shout to her even as I scoop up my Rose's unresisting form and head for the Med bay.
As I see the lights in the room around me begin to dim I yell, "Verity, stick with me! I need you to help me with her. What’s going on?"
The confusion I feel coming through in her mental voice terrifies me as much as her words, ‘Flux, everything is in flux.’ I lay Rose down in one of the beds and begin to scan her over for an explanation as to what is happening. I knew I shouldn't have waited! The moment they had told me, I should have brought her in here immediately and checked her out properly. But no, I had to let myself get swept away in their gifts and now, now it's once again time to pay for my stupidity. As I finish the scan, I stare at the results and none of them seem to make sense, as it tells me she should be fine.
Plugging the screwdriver into the one of the diagnostic ports, I feel understanding from Verity and can’t help but shout, “What! What’s wrong? Tell me how to fix this!”
Her response is to materialize a small IV bag of fluids near my hand. I ask nothing further as I quickly set it up but as I do, she visualizes a string of chemical structures. As I finish setting up the IV, it dawns on me what things contain those main components. “Tea, bananas and raspberries? You’re having me give her a liquid lunch?” I ask in complete disbelief.
Even as I ask, I can feel Rose growing stronger and begin to rise toward wakefulness.
Verity’s reply is gentle and only contains a touch of amusement at my pronouncement. “What three things do you always crave right after a regeneration?”
I can only stare in shock as I realize again that Rose really is like me. Even after everything that happened last night, it still hadn’t sunk in completely - Rose is now a Gallifreyan. I am really am not alone anymore, but as such she has our weaknesses as well.
“Wha?” comes Rose’s confused response as she wakes and realizes where she is, and that she has an IV in her arm.
The look on her face is so befuddled that I instantly reach out and caress her cheek. “It’s okay, everything’s going to be all right now.”
“But what happened? One minute icky egg, the next I’m laughing and can’t see straight, then...”
“Bit of a delayed reaction, actually,” I state sheepishly “You see…”
“Regeneration sickness,” she states and I realize Verity has brought her up to speed as to what has happened.
“Yeah, the process is a bit dodgy at times. It doesn’t…”
“Peri, you tried to strangle Peri” She blurts out and then with a look of horror she says quietly. “I didn’t try…”
“No!” both Verity and I proclaim at the same time. “Just some after-affects of your regeneration. Some of us stabilize better after regeneration when certain nutrients are available and you needed them and didn’t have them. I just didn’t think…” I stumble to a halt as I realize that she needn’t have had to go through that if I just done what was right in the first place. I look up at her soft touch.
“Not like we didn’t have a few other things on our mind at the time.” I can’t help but smile at the mischievous look on her face and as the banana-like smell of her pheromones begins to fill the air.
“Yes, well, I ah…” I swallow as I feel their impact and I know that if we don’t go back to the kitchen and get some proper nutrition in her we will be straight back here, and nothing good will come of that. So instead of doing what I would very much like to do, I intercept her hand as she reaches for my waist. “Now Ms. Tyler, I believe you have a date with some breakfast.” Making quick work of disposing of the now empty IV and sealing the puncture, I give her no chance to protest and sweep her from the bed and into my arms, heading for the kitchen.
“I can walk, you know.”
“Yes.”
“So you could put me down!”
“Yes, I believe I could.” On saying that I continue the short distance to the kitchen, making no move to deposit her back on her feet, and for that I can feel her slight exasperation that I haven’t. As we reach the table, I pull out one of chairs with my foot and slowly let her down, hugging her close to me, as I can’t quite bring my self to release her so she can actually sit down.
After too brief a time, she states, “You can let go of me you know.”
Pushing back slightly so I can look her in the eyes I state from the bottom of my hearts, “No, I don’t think so, I don’t think I will ever be able to let you go.”
---------------------------------
I stare up at his earnest expression; I feel the same. Hugging him tightly, I state into his chest, “Not going to let you go either; not ever!” For long minutes, we just stand there until a loud banging on the TARDIS door announces my mum’s arrival.
I listen to his deep sigh as I put some space between us, and state, “Guess I should let her in, then.” As I turn to go greet her, he stops me with pleading in his eyes that I know he would never speak, “Stay here - Verity will get you what you need and I will get your mum.” I know he isn’t as reluctant as he is making out to be to have her here, but I also know that he wishes she wasn’t as well.
I stare at him a moment, knowing his disinclination in dealing with my mum is nowhere near the unwillingness he feels at leaving me right now; I can still feel the remnants of the fear that has left him shaken in spite of his attempts to hide it from me. So, instead of fighting him for his high-handedness in telling me what to do, I kiss his cheek
Verity’s quiet thought comes to me. ‘Thank you, Rose.’
‘Anytime, we have to take care of our Thete, even if the best way sometimes to do that is to take care of us.’
‘He has…’ her words trail off as I sense her memories of the desperate loneliness that he has never wanted me to see. I also know she understands that, even in spite of his desires to hide it, I too have seen it in him. Even before I had access to Verity's vast set of memories and experiences of traveling with him, it had been clear to me. Her memories have just made it apparent how much worse it has been since the war.
As I feel a wave of dizziness, I shift. I have to smile though as mum comes in, all bluster at the fact that neither the Doctor nor I have seen fit to make an appearance after his ‘abrupt’ departure the night before. Not that I blame him one bit, mum isn’t one of the best cooks and even before I changed there was more than once that her meals were not exactly very palatable. I was actually surprised he even showed up for dinner with his avowed dislike of domestics, let alone that he stayed as long as he did. I could tell, though, that he really thought he should after her kindness in helping me get him through the worst of the vortex poisoning. I love him for the effort, but neither Mickey nor mum made it very easy on him at first, even if things did lighten up as the evening progressed.
I can see through Verity’s sensors as mum continues to nag at him, and I can feel his frustration building until finally he turns to her and blurts out something we all know will stop her cold. “Rose isn’t feeling well!” he states and turns to head back in my direction. She comes to a screeching halt just up from the kitchen and I hear her shout “What! Is she all right? Can I see her? Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you get me? Where is she?”
As I hear her winding up for more yelling, I get up from the table and move to the door before she can start in on him again.
“I’m here, mum.” With that, I am enveloped in her embrace and I can feel Thete’s relief at being rescued from her anxious questioning. As she continues to hug me, she begins another round of questions and I want to sigh at how predictable she can be at times. I stick my tongue out at Thete over mum’s shoulder as I see him smirking behind her and feel his amusement. A moment later, he relents and gently untangles me from her as he guides us both back into the kitchen while stating. “Rose eat. Mrs. Tyler, I can explain.”
*************************
It is a couple of hours before mum has had enough of her questions answered to assure her that not only is this temporary, but that I should suffer no long lasting effects from the delay in getting me the nutrition I needed. After Thete had made sure I had eaten enough to ensure that I would be fine, he left me to deal with mum. I kept feeling waves of guilt from him and I knew that it wouldn’t matter what I said he would still continue beating him self up about it, so I was more relieved than irritated when he headed off to check on something. ‘Need to check on something’, I long ago figured out, translated to ‘I don’t want to talk about this’ and so it doesn’t really surprise me much when I sense he has gone to the library instead of the control room.
As he begins perusing the huge number of shelves that are contained within, I find myself very curious. I can’t help but wonder what it is that he is looking for, when he moves into the area where he stores the books written in Gallifreyan.
“Rose, are you okay?” comes mum’s soft words and I realize I have lost track of the conversation.
“Sorry mum, what were you saying?”
“Are you sure that you’re all right?” she asks. I notice her aborted move to touch my forehead to check to see if I have a temperature and feel a pang of sadness at this familiar action. “I know he said that you should be fine but he… Well, sometimes I wonder if he is telling me only what I want to hear.”
“Mum, he wouldn’t lie to you,” I protest.
She is quick to state, “Not that I think he would outright lie to me, I just think he might not tell me everything I need to know, everything you need to know. Are you sure you can trust him?”
“Mum! I trust him with my life! I trust both of them with my life, if I didn’t I would have never agreed to the changes. Please trust me on this they are worth every bit of trust I have given them.” The look she gives me is intense, and I know she is afraid for me, and what the future that I have chosen means for my life. My hearts break just a little when I realize how much she loves me and how hard this must be for her. It also tells me I need to tell her about the events of last night to help her understand I am not alone in my feelings of love and trust.
‘Is that wise Rose?’ comes Verity’s soft thought.
‘Wise or not she’s my mum and she is entitled to know her daughter is not going to be abandoned on some planet some place far away from her where I can never get back.’
‘He’s not going to be happy.’
‘No, but he will understand.’
Reaching across the table, I take mum’s hands. “Mum, I have something else I need to tell you." As I feel her tense, I quickly reassure her. "Nothing bad. You asked me if the Doctor really cares for me, yesterday evening we were married."
"You mean you ran off and got married without..." she begins indignantly.
"Mum it was a private ceremony, right here in the TARDIS, in the way of his people. It was just us, no one else, we didn't go anywhere."
"But... "
"Mum, please don't,” I ask as I know she had such hopes for a wedding where she could show off what a wonderful husband I had found. I have shattered so many hopes and dreams she had for my future in these last few days and I can't help but be sad for being such a disappointment. However, all that comes out is, "I just wanted you to know so you wouldn't worry." I know I will never regret my choice to spend the rest of my life, lives now, with the Doctor and I need her to understand that as well.
"Oh Rose." With that she envelopes me in her arms and I know I need to talk to the Doctor as I feel as much sadness from her as I do joy for me as she says, "I hope all the best for you, you know that don't you sweetheart?
I answer, "Yes, mum," as I decide maybe, I can give her back at least this one dream for me if I can get the Doctor to agree.
"But Rose, are you sure? People get married all the time and it doesn't work out."
I want to cry out in frustration at her words and her lack of understanding. "Not like this mum. His mind is bound to mine, as mine is to his - there is no divorce, this is permanent for the rest of our lives."
"You mean he's in your head like the ship?"
"Yes and no." I state trying to figure out how to explain bonding. "It's like the difference between those twins who are stuck together and close mates. Verity and I, we merged, our minds are tied together and we share the same minds and bodies. What she feels so do I, all the time, even as the reverse is true, we can be separate to some extent because Verity has lots of experience as a telepath. She helps me filter out a lot of the stuff that goes on so I don't get too overwhelmed, and as time goes by, I'm sure it will get easier.”
“What I have now with the Doctor, though, is a link. I can touch his mind or he mine and we will always know the other is there, that they’re safe, okay, and it will help us find each other again if we get separated."
With a worried expression she persists "But why, Rose? Wasn't it enough having one alien in your head? I just don't understand, sweetheart."
"He needed this, we need this. Time Lords were never meant to be alone. Every Gallifreyan on some level can always feel the rest.” The expression on her face tells me that she doesn’t think that sounds like something very positive and I try to explain another way. “Imagine always having that comforting hum in the back of your mind coming from being able to sense all the others from the day you were born, never knowing complete silence and safe in the knowledge you were never alone, then one day they’re all gone. Not just gone but ripped from your mind with only silence left behind.”
At this her eyes go wide in horror as suddenly understands exactly what I am saying. “Humans are used to that kind of quiet because it’s all we have ever known, but it’s not natural for Time Lords.”
“Rose, I just worry you have given up so much.”
“Mum, I gave up being human for him do you think I would not give him this small comfort? I know having me with him will never be able to make up for the loss of his entire people and lesser man would have been driven insane by that kind of loneliness. I never want him to feel that again; not when it’s unnecessary!”
I jump as I hear Thete’s quiet words from behind me. “Mrs. Tyler, you never need fear I will voluntarily leave her behind anywhere. She is the most precious thing in the universe to me.” His words are so compelling I know that it will be impossible for me to ever forget them as I feel them reverberate through my very being. I also know without question, based on the expression on her face, that mum finally understands.
Chapter 14 - New New
Moving Forward Story Index 1
Author: othermewriter
Chapter Rating: PG Series Rating Adult
Characters: 9/Rose
Disclaimer: not mine, and so not making money from this mores the pity :(
A/N: As always my deepest gratitude to my beta lostwolfchats who has stuck with me through the long haul. Happy Birthday a bit early Lady!!
--------------------------------------------
As we head for the kitchen, I watch Rose move. She still seems a bit unsteady and when I ask she blushes a deep shade of crimson and I realize that she is stiff from our previous activities. I can't help but sweep her into my arms for another kiss and I feel a flood of gratitude pour through me for everything she, no they, have given me. I leave her breathless, standing in the middle of the room, as I begin to collect items for breakfast. A moment later, she moves to join me. At her first exclamation, I am a bit concerned; by her second, she has my full attention.
As she explains, I am reminded of the first time I cooked fried eggs around Romana. At her stormy reaction to my amusement, I remind Verity of it and I can tell she is sharing it with Rose as Rose bursts into laughter.
I love watching her delight, and I realize with a smile that it doesn't hurt remembering Romana any more. As her laughter turns to tears and takes on a hysterical tone, I rush forward, catching her just as her knees buckle.
As Rose passes out, and I feel Verity begin to grow more distant in my head, and panic begins to set in. I shout to her even as I scoop up my Rose's unresisting form and head for the Med bay.
As I see the lights in the room around me begin to dim I yell, "Verity, stick with me! I need you to help me with her. What’s going on?"
The confusion I feel coming through in her mental voice terrifies me as much as her words, ‘Flux, everything is in flux.’ I lay Rose down in one of the beds and begin to scan her over for an explanation as to what is happening. I knew I shouldn't have waited! The moment they had told me, I should have brought her in here immediately and checked her out properly. But no, I had to let myself get swept away in their gifts and now, now it's once again time to pay for my stupidity. As I finish the scan, I stare at the results and none of them seem to make sense, as it tells me she should be fine.
Plugging the screwdriver into the one of the diagnostic ports, I feel understanding from Verity and can’t help but shout, “What! What’s wrong? Tell me how to fix this!”
Her response is to materialize a small IV bag of fluids near my hand. I ask nothing further as I quickly set it up but as I do, she visualizes a string of chemical structures. As I finish setting up the IV, it dawns on me what things contain those main components. “Tea, bananas and raspberries? You’re having me give her a liquid lunch?” I ask in complete disbelief.
Even as I ask, I can feel Rose growing stronger and begin to rise toward wakefulness.
Verity’s reply is gentle and only contains a touch of amusement at my pronouncement. “What three things do you always crave right after a regeneration?”
I can only stare in shock as I realize again that Rose really is like me. Even after everything that happened last night, it still hadn’t sunk in completely - Rose is now a Gallifreyan. I am really am not alone anymore, but as such she has our weaknesses as well.
“Wha?” comes Rose’s confused response as she wakes and realizes where she is, and that she has an IV in her arm.
The look on her face is so befuddled that I instantly reach out and caress her cheek. “It’s okay, everything’s going to be all right now.”
“But what happened? One minute icky egg, the next I’m laughing and can’t see straight, then...”
“Bit of a delayed reaction, actually,” I state sheepishly “You see…”
“Regeneration sickness,” she states and I realize Verity has brought her up to speed as to what has happened.
“Yeah, the process is a bit dodgy at times. It doesn’t…”
“Peri, you tried to strangle Peri” She blurts out and then with a look of horror she says quietly. “I didn’t try…”
“No!” both Verity and I proclaim at the same time. “Just some after-affects of your regeneration. Some of us stabilize better after regeneration when certain nutrients are available and you needed them and didn’t have them. I just didn’t think…” I stumble to a halt as I realize that she needn’t have had to go through that if I just done what was right in the first place. I look up at her soft touch.
“Not like we didn’t have a few other things on our mind at the time.” I can’t help but smile at the mischievous look on her face and as the banana-like smell of her pheromones begins to fill the air.
“Yes, well, I ah…” I swallow as I feel their impact and I know that if we don’t go back to the kitchen and get some proper nutrition in her we will be straight back here, and nothing good will come of that. So instead of doing what I would very much like to do, I intercept her hand as she reaches for my waist. “Now Ms. Tyler, I believe you have a date with some breakfast.” Making quick work of disposing of the now empty IV and sealing the puncture, I give her no chance to protest and sweep her from the bed and into my arms, heading for the kitchen.
“I can walk, you know.”
“Yes.”
“So you could put me down!”
“Yes, I believe I could.” On saying that I continue the short distance to the kitchen, making no move to deposit her back on her feet, and for that I can feel her slight exasperation that I haven’t. As we reach the table, I pull out one of chairs with my foot and slowly let her down, hugging her close to me, as I can’t quite bring my self to release her so she can actually sit down.
After too brief a time, she states, “You can let go of me you know.”
Pushing back slightly so I can look her in the eyes I state from the bottom of my hearts, “No, I don’t think so, I don’t think I will ever be able to let you go.”
---------------------------------
I stare up at his earnest expression; I feel the same. Hugging him tightly, I state into his chest, “Not going to let you go either; not ever!” For long minutes, we just stand there until a loud banging on the TARDIS door announces my mum’s arrival.
I listen to his deep sigh as I put some space between us, and state, “Guess I should let her in, then.” As I turn to go greet her, he stops me with pleading in his eyes that I know he would never speak, “Stay here - Verity will get you what you need and I will get your mum.” I know he isn’t as reluctant as he is making out to be to have her here, but I also know that he wishes she wasn’t as well.
I stare at him a moment, knowing his disinclination in dealing with my mum is nowhere near the unwillingness he feels at leaving me right now; I can still feel the remnants of the fear that has left him shaken in spite of his attempts to hide it from me. So, instead of fighting him for his high-handedness in telling me what to do, I kiss his cheek
Verity’s quiet thought comes to me. ‘Thank you, Rose.’
‘Anytime, we have to take care of our Thete, even if the best way sometimes to do that is to take care of us.’
‘He has…’ her words trail off as I sense her memories of the desperate loneliness that he has never wanted me to see. I also know she understands that, even in spite of his desires to hide it, I too have seen it in him. Even before I had access to Verity's vast set of memories and experiences of traveling with him, it had been clear to me. Her memories have just made it apparent how much worse it has been since the war.
As I feel a wave of dizziness, I shift. I have to smile though as mum comes in, all bluster at the fact that neither the Doctor nor I have seen fit to make an appearance after his ‘abrupt’ departure the night before. Not that I blame him one bit, mum isn’t one of the best cooks and even before I changed there was more than once that her meals were not exactly very palatable. I was actually surprised he even showed up for dinner with his avowed dislike of domestics, let alone that he stayed as long as he did. I could tell, though, that he really thought he should after her kindness in helping me get him through the worst of the vortex poisoning. I love him for the effort, but neither Mickey nor mum made it very easy on him at first, even if things did lighten up as the evening progressed.
I can see through Verity’s sensors as mum continues to nag at him, and I can feel his frustration building until finally he turns to her and blurts out something we all know will stop her cold. “Rose isn’t feeling well!” he states and turns to head back in my direction. She comes to a screeching halt just up from the kitchen and I hear her shout “What! Is she all right? Can I see her? Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you get me? Where is she?”
As I hear her winding up for more yelling, I get up from the table and move to the door before she can start in on him again.
“I’m here, mum.” With that, I am enveloped in her embrace and I can feel Thete’s relief at being rescued from her anxious questioning. As she continues to hug me, she begins another round of questions and I want to sigh at how predictable she can be at times. I stick my tongue out at Thete over mum’s shoulder as I see him smirking behind her and feel his amusement. A moment later, he relents and gently untangles me from her as he guides us both back into the kitchen while stating. “Rose eat. Mrs. Tyler, I can explain.”
*************************
It is a couple of hours before mum has had enough of her questions answered to assure her that not only is this temporary, but that I should suffer no long lasting effects from the delay in getting me the nutrition I needed. After Thete had made sure I had eaten enough to ensure that I would be fine, he left me to deal with mum. I kept feeling waves of guilt from him and I knew that it wouldn’t matter what I said he would still continue beating him self up about it, so I was more relieved than irritated when he headed off to check on something. ‘Need to check on something’, I long ago figured out, translated to ‘I don’t want to talk about this’ and so it doesn’t really surprise me much when I sense he has gone to the library instead of the control room.
As he begins perusing the huge number of shelves that are contained within, I find myself very curious. I can’t help but wonder what it is that he is looking for, when he moves into the area where he stores the books written in Gallifreyan.
“Rose, are you okay?” comes mum’s soft words and I realize I have lost track of the conversation.
“Sorry mum, what were you saying?”
“Are you sure that you’re all right?” she asks. I notice her aborted move to touch my forehead to check to see if I have a temperature and feel a pang of sadness at this familiar action. “I know he said that you should be fine but he… Well, sometimes I wonder if he is telling me only what I want to hear.”
“Mum, he wouldn’t lie to you,” I protest.
She is quick to state, “Not that I think he would outright lie to me, I just think he might not tell me everything I need to know, everything you need to know. Are you sure you can trust him?”
“Mum! I trust him with my life! I trust both of them with my life, if I didn’t I would have never agreed to the changes. Please trust me on this they are worth every bit of trust I have given them.” The look she gives me is intense, and I know she is afraid for me, and what the future that I have chosen means for my life. My hearts break just a little when I realize how much she loves me and how hard this must be for her. It also tells me I need to tell her about the events of last night to help her understand I am not alone in my feelings of love and trust.
‘Is that wise Rose?’ comes Verity’s soft thought.
‘Wise or not she’s my mum and she is entitled to know her daughter is not going to be abandoned on some planet some place far away from her where I can never get back.’
‘He’s not going to be happy.’
‘No, but he will understand.’
Reaching across the table, I take mum’s hands. “Mum, I have something else I need to tell you." As I feel her tense, I quickly reassure her. "Nothing bad. You asked me if the Doctor really cares for me, yesterday evening we were married."
"You mean you ran off and got married without..." she begins indignantly.
"Mum it was a private ceremony, right here in the TARDIS, in the way of his people. It was just us, no one else, we didn't go anywhere."
"But... "
"Mum, please don't,” I ask as I know she had such hopes for a wedding where she could show off what a wonderful husband I had found. I have shattered so many hopes and dreams she had for my future in these last few days and I can't help but be sad for being such a disappointment. However, all that comes out is, "I just wanted you to know so you wouldn't worry." I know I will never regret my choice to spend the rest of my life, lives now, with the Doctor and I need her to understand that as well.
"Oh Rose." With that she envelopes me in her arms and I know I need to talk to the Doctor as I feel as much sadness from her as I do joy for me as she says, "I hope all the best for you, you know that don't you sweetheart?
I answer, "Yes, mum," as I decide maybe, I can give her back at least this one dream for me if I can get the Doctor to agree.
"But Rose, are you sure? People get married all the time and it doesn't work out."
I want to cry out in frustration at her words and her lack of understanding. "Not like this mum. His mind is bound to mine, as mine is to his - there is no divorce, this is permanent for the rest of our lives."
"You mean he's in your head like the ship?"
"Yes and no." I state trying to figure out how to explain bonding. "It's like the difference between those twins who are stuck together and close mates. Verity and I, we merged, our minds are tied together and we share the same minds and bodies. What she feels so do I, all the time, even as the reverse is true, we can be separate to some extent because Verity has lots of experience as a telepath. She helps me filter out a lot of the stuff that goes on so I don't get too overwhelmed, and as time goes by, I'm sure it will get easier.”
“What I have now with the Doctor, though, is a link. I can touch his mind or he mine and we will always know the other is there, that they’re safe, okay, and it will help us find each other again if we get separated."
With a worried expression she persists "But why, Rose? Wasn't it enough having one alien in your head? I just don't understand, sweetheart."
"He needed this, we need this. Time Lords were never meant to be alone. Every Gallifreyan on some level can always feel the rest.” The expression on her face tells me that she doesn’t think that sounds like something very positive and I try to explain another way. “Imagine always having that comforting hum in the back of your mind coming from being able to sense all the others from the day you were born, never knowing complete silence and safe in the knowledge you were never alone, then one day they’re all gone. Not just gone but ripped from your mind with only silence left behind.”
At this her eyes go wide in horror as suddenly understands exactly what I am saying. “Humans are used to that kind of quiet because it’s all we have ever known, but it’s not natural for Time Lords.”
“Rose, I just worry you have given up so much.”
“Mum, I gave up being human for him do you think I would not give him this small comfort? I know having me with him will never be able to make up for the loss of his entire people and lesser man would have been driven insane by that kind of loneliness. I never want him to feel that again; not when it’s unnecessary!”
I jump as I hear Thete’s quiet words from behind me. “Mrs. Tyler, you never need fear I will voluntarily leave her behind anywhere. She is the most precious thing in the universe to me.” His words are so compelling I know that it will be impossible for me to ever forget them as I feel them reverberate through my very being. I also know without question, based on the expression on her face, that mum finally understands.
Chapter 14 - New New
Moving Forward Story Index 1