1x13: The Taste of Fear (3/3)
Title: The Taste of Fear (3/3)
Author: gin_and_ashes
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Rose/Ten II
Summary: While on an errand for an injured Rose, the Doctor stumbles across a potentially deadly threat to the planet Earth in the unlikeliest of places.
Author's notes: Thanks to jlrpuck for being a terrific beta and to shinyopals for making sure all the pieces fit together.
Episode 13 of a virtual series at the_altverse, following Ten Minutes last week.
Virtual Series Masterlist
Chapter One | Chapter Two
Darting from shadow to shadow, the Doctor made it back to his hideout in the trees without discovery. He'd just begun to dig into the shopping bag when his phone began to vibrate; apparently Rose wasn't about to wait for his promised return call. He dropped the speaker grille he'd been holding and retrieved his mobile.
"I did say I'd call you."
"Thought you'd want the good news as soon as possible," Rose replied, barely able to contain her excitement.
"The Skimmymars haven't spread past Britain?" He'd hoped, but hadn't wanted to be overconfident.
"Better than that."
"London only?" Things were looking brighter; it'd take some doing, but he could contain this...as long as they hadn't made it to the Thames.
"Better."
He swore he could hear Rose's smile. It was the most perfect sound in the universe. "You mean...?"
"I scanned the whole planet--which was harder than you'd made it sound, by the way--and I checked Britain twice. The only Skimmymars on Earth are right where you're standing."
Now he was smiling. "Rose. Rose, we are going to do this." He upended the sack, sending the parts scattering all over the ground. This would be easy. This would be cake.
...cake. He was hungry. If only he'd burgled the cupcake shop, as well.
"What's next?" Rose's voice brought him back to the cupcakeless present. He tucked the phone between his ear and his shoulder and kept working.
"Next," he replied as his hands flew and his mind raced, "I stay out of sight long enough to finish building a sonic dampener." Rose laughed. "What?"
"I might have known it'd be sonic," she giggled.
"What? No, no, it doesn't use sound, it--well, it dampens it. I can't stop the fear cry, and I can't collect the Skimmymars one by one. Neither approach is even remotely feasible. But, if I get it just right, I can put a sort of blanket over the lake that will muffle the cry. There's still a risk they'll be heard, but it's very very slight. Almost nonexistent, really. An Ude Shur would have to be walking by to hear it."
The first device was complete. He set it aside and started in on the second.
"That still leaves the question of how we're going to get them out of the water, though," Rose said.
"Yes, well, I've been thinking about that."
"And?"
"And assuming the dampener works as it should, and assuming they listen very carefully and do exactly as they're told..."
"Yes?"
Resigned, he sighed. "I suppose this is a task even Torchwood couldn't bungle."
"Why, Doctor! How very open-minded of you!" Again he could hear her smile. It wasn't as delightful a sound as it had been the last time.
"Yes, well, don't expect me to go making a habit of it."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
The Doctor pressed his lips together, bringing out the dimple that only appeared when he was very, very put out. "Oh, go on and laugh," he groused.
He could hear Rose's giggling even after he'd put the phone down to finish the second part of the sonic dampener.
~~~~~
Finishing and testing the dampener didn't take that long, though the Doctor had developed a bit of a headache from squinting at tiny pieces of metal and plastic in the dark. His back and legs were beginning to cramp, as well, no doubt from all the crouching. And he was getting tired. Being part human could be so inconvenient sometimes.
It was a relief, then, when he could finally declare the sonic dampener functional and give Rose the go-ahead to call in a Torchwood collections unit, more so when he saw the team was led by Michelle Issacs. It was a task several steps below her pay grade and they all knew it, but at least he knew his instructions would be followed. Once he was satisfied that the reclamation efforts were proceeding according to plan, he let himself relax, wandering away from the bustling activity at the newly-floodlit lake to stretch his aching back and legs, and to get something to drink. Surely someone had a Thermos of something they'd be willing to share.
He pulled out his mobile. It was getting late, and Rose, he knew, should be resting. But he also knew that she wouldn't be able to do so until she'd been briefed, in detail, on the outcome. Still, it couldn't hurt to try and convince her to sleep a little, at least until he got home. He wasn't trying to shut her out, he was trying to be a good, thoughtful husband. He moved further away from the lake, looking for a quiet spot, and dialled Rose's mobile. She answered on the fourth ring, just before it switched to voice mail.
"Mmmm...ello?"
Her voice was low and gravelly, and in it he could hear the relaxed disorientation edged with just a touch of annoyance that meant she'd been roused from a very good dream. Possibly one about him. All of a sudden he was desperate to be home, to have her next to him, struggling to focus her heavy-lidded gaze on his before attempting to burrow into both the pillow and his side all at once. She'd throw her leg over his hip in an effort to both pin him down and distract him from whatever it was he'd woken her for. She was really quite good at distraction.
"I woke you," he said, barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry."
"No, 'salright," she half-slurred. He heard the rustle of bedclothes as she rolled over and sat up. "I'm glad you called. It's good." Clearer now--she was more alert already.
"All the same, it's late. Or early, rather. You were sleeping."
"Dozing, not sleeping."
"Ah, yes, enormous difference between the two, of course."
"Doctor, did you wake me up to argue semantics?"
"Sorry, sorry. Just wanted to update you. Everything's going well, and not just by Torchwood standards." On the other end of the line, Rose made a noise somewhere between a chuckle and a groan. "There were a few more than we thought at first, and there will have to be regular follow-up scans over the next few months, rounding up any stragglers or Skimmymars that hatch after tonight, but the problem seems to be well in hand."
"And the Ude Shur?"
"They're not so easily dealt with, I'm afraid. But disrupting this operation of theirs might make them think twice about making a home here."
"Speaking of home," she said, yawning, "when will you get back?"
"Soon, I hope. We'll be wrapping things up soon. And then..." he paused, stricken. "Oh, damn."
"What's wrong?"
The Doctor whirled back towards the Serpentine, where he saw a very angry Michelle Isaacs giving a flustered Torchwood tech a thorough dressing-down. He sighed and scratched the back of his neck with his free hand.
"Bound to happen, I suppose. One of the bright minds at Torchwood brought a bucket of Skimmymars outside the dampening zone before they could be properly secured."
"The cry?"
"Yes. Even I heard it a little. But I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. It's getting on near dawn; the Ude Shur are probably all in their nests by now, if not already asleep."
"You sure?" Rose sounded dubious.
"Of course I'm sure. Even if they weren't, it wasn't much of a cry at all. Barely a whimper. I doubt any of them even heard it. You should go back to sleep, Rose. I won't bother you again until I'm home. Shouldn't be more than an hour or two before I can leave."
"Ooh, the cupcake shop might be open again by then!" Rose said. "You can bring me breakfast."
"Eh...."
"You can't bring me breakfast?"
"I'm afraid not. I, er...I left the money at Strøm and Didriksen. All of it."
"How'd you manage to lose it there?"
"I didn't lose it, I left it. On purpose. With a note itemising what I took and telling them to bill Torchwood for the rest."
Rose laughed. "Of course you did, didn't you? Oh, Doctor."
"I couldn't just nick the stuff! That's--that'd be someone's salary, if I had."
"In the middle of trying to save the world and you're worried about someone getting sacked." Oh, he could hear her smiling again. The good smile, the one that always undid him. "And people wonder what I see in you."
The Doctor froze, mid-preen, his face falling. "What? They what? Who said that?"
"Who said what?"
"That they wonder what you see in me." He tried to sound affronted, but instead it came out as panicked. "Why would someone say that?"
"People say things all the time, Doctor."
"All the time?" Okay, now he sounded affronted. And squeaky.
"Doesn't mean they're true. Or that we should pay attention to them."
"Well no, of course not, but why would anyone wonder...oh dear."
Out of the corner of his eye, the Doctor spotted something moving rapidly towards the lake. He edged closer to the source of the movement, narrowing his eyes to focus on it, then widening them in alarm.
"Rose? I've got to go."
"Doctor?" He'd scared her; he could hear her trying to stay calm. "Doctor, what's wrong?"
"Remember that thing I said wouldn't happen because it was so improbable?" he asked as he strode towards the oncoming figure. A lone Ude Shur, its black eyes flashing, advanced towards the lake. It had heard the Skimmymars' fear cry--and come running. "Well, it's happening, and I need to stop it before Torchwood spot him, otherwise things will get very messy."
"Doctor, wait!" Rose cried.
"No time," he barked back.
The Doctor flapped his coat out wide, trying to make himself look as big and impressive as possible. "Cahud!" he shouted. "Ort madne vox cahud!" His shouting was bound to draw Torchwood's attention, but it was far too late to worry about that. If the Ude Shur got past the barrier and tasted the fear of an entire lake of Skimmymars, his already overdeveloped amygdala would essentially overload, causing him to die a painful and violent death. But first he'd go into a mindless blood rage, unable to stop killing until his nervous system self-destructed. The scope of the carnage would be unthinkable.
"Doctor!" he heard Rose calling. He was still on the phone with her. Why was he still on the phone? "Get Michelle," she pleaded. "Let her handle this."
"I can't. There's not enough time."
The Ude Shur showed no sign of slowing or stopping. It had tasted the fear cry and was enthralled, hungry for more. There was no other way. The Doctor stepped directly into the alien's path, let out what he hoped was an intimidating growl, and charged.
~~~~~
"Doctor!" Rose screamed into her phone. "Doctor, are you all right?"
She heard the Doctor scream. Then there was a crack, followed by a pitiful groan and a horrifying thud. Somehow the phone connection remained open; she shouted herself hoarse, calling his name over and over again, willing him to pick up, to respond, to tell her everything was all right, that he was fine and on his way home and that they weren't going to leave the house for at least a month. But there was no reply, only the sounds of shouting, running, and chaos in the background.
Rose refused to give in to the panic that threatened to overwhelm her. She didn't know what had happened to the Doctor, and as long as she didn't know, everything was fine. She tried to avoid thinking of him making "Schrodinger's Doctor" jokes; it was too morbid. Instead, she tucked her good leg up, resting her chin on her knee, and continued to call his name. The noise would wake Pete and Jackie, but they'd find out about his overnight adventure soon enough, and right now she was beyond caring if they lost a few minutes' sleep.
"Doctor!" Rose called again, though her voice was losing strength. "Doctor!"
"Over here!" At last, a familiar voice. "I found something."
Rose shouted again. "Doctor!"
"Found it!" There was a shuffling as the phone was picked up from where it had fallen. "Rose?"
It was Michelle. Relief battled with fear in Rose's chest. "Where is he? Is he all right?"
"He's fine. Well, he's mostly fine."
"Mostly?"
"Your idiot husband--and I say that with deep respect and a fair amount of awe, by the way--tried to single-handedly take down a rampaging Ude Shur before he got to the lake. Have you ever seen one, Rose? This one had to be six foot nine, plus they've got needle-like teeth, legs like tree trunks, arms like cricket bats, and the temperament of a pit bull. He barely broke stride, just headbutted the Doctor and kept going. Or he would have, if he hadn't got his foot caught in the Doctor's coat and fallen over. That bought us enough time to secure the thing before he went 'HULK SMASH' all over London."
Michelle sounded more amused than upset; Rose took that as a good sign. "Is everyone all right?"
"The Ude Shur is fine, just sleeping off the fear thing. The Doctor's got a hell of a bump on his head and is probably concussed, no matter what he tells you, but yeah, he's fine. He said he was lucky that the Ude Shur was a juvenile; something about the skull plates not being fused yet, I think."
"A juvenile?"
"Yeah, after we got him restrained, the Doctor actually went and talked to him. Apparently he was doing the alien equivalent of sneaking out after hours, said his mom and dad are going to be furious with him."
Rose relaxed further, even smiling a little. The Ude Shur had assaulted him, and he still wanted to understand it, even if it was an alien hoodie.
"He said he'd dropped his phone, so I had a couple of the boys looking for it," Michelle continued. "Once the EMTs look him over, I'll send him home."
"Thank you, Michelle," Rose said, relieved. "For everything."
"Any time," she replied with a chuckle. "Never a dull moment with you two around, is there?"
~~~~~
The sun had risen fully by the time the Doctor arrived back at the Tyler mansion. Pete met him at the door, eliciting a vague promise for a full briefing once he'd had some sleep and a shower, then headed off to Torchwood to deal with the paperwork (and the bill). Before going upstairs he stopped by the kitchen, where--to his horror--he found Jackie, in her dressing gown, nursing a cup of tea. The sight made him shrink back, his expression as sour as if he'd swallowed a mouthful of cranberries.
Jackie stood, rolled her eyes at his dramatic display, and grabbed him by the lapel, examining the knot on his head through narrowed eyes. Without a word, she walked to a cupboard over the sink, took down a large red box, and withdrew a chemical cold pack before replacing the box in the cupboard. She slammed the cold pack on the counter, hard, three times. The Doctor winced. It felt as though his brain was rattling around loose inside his skull. Jackie shook the cold pack a bit, then returned to stand in front of him. She grabbed his left hand, pressed the pack to his head, then covered it with his hand so it remained in place. It was so frigid against his skin that it almost burned. He hissed and drew back, flinching.
"That'll last you a good six hours," she said, returning to her chair at the kitchen table. "I expect you to keep it there the whole time, you hear me? Headbutting a drunk alien. Honestly."
"Now, be fair, Jackie, he's the one who headbutted me."
"Unprovoked?"
"Well..." Jackie stared; the Doctor grew silent.
"I've learned it's no use telling either of you to be careful," she said with a touch of weary resignation. "So I won't try. You're always going to go running in. Just...don't be stupid about it, please? You may not believe this, but I don't want to lose either of you before I have to."
"Jackie, I--"
"Six hours. I mean it." Standing, she picked up her mug, adjusted her dressing gown, and left the Doctor alone in the kitchen. As soon as she was gone, he took the cold pack off his forehead, chucked it in the bin, and headed upstairs to the room he shared with Rose.
She was waiting for him, of course, and leaned forward when he walked in like she was about to get out of bed and hobble over to him. He held up a hand to stop her, reaching the bed in two long strides and collapsing to lie, exhausted, at her side. He stared blankly at the ceiling, aware of her anxious eyes on him but too worn out to give her the assurances she sought. All he wanted was to roll over, pull Rose to him, and sleep for weeks--but he didn't have the energy. He hadn't even bothered to remove his coat and shoes.
"So, did you meet anyone interesting while you were out?" Rose asked with a casual brightness. The Doctor let out a single, weary huff of a laugh, then closed his eyes.
"How's your head?" He could sense her reaching for him, her fingers coming close but not quite touching the enormous purple knot that had developed on his forehead.
"Throbbing. How does it look?" He opened one eye, watching her as she studied him, head tilted, brow furrowed, her teeth worrying her lower lip.
"Hmm," she said at last. "It's not your best look, I have to say. Sort of a 'Cyclops with a black eye' thing."
"Charming." He let his eyes drift shut again and felt himself falling into a doze. So tired...he just needed a little sleep...
"Really, though, are you all right?"
He replied without thinking. "I'm fine."
"Doctor..." Her voice had an angry edge to it. She'd taken his honest reassurance as a brushoff. Despite the pain and his crushing fatigue, he opened both eyes and sat up on the bed.
"I mean it, Rose. I'm tired, and dirty, and I most likely have an annoying, painful, and very human concussion, but honestly, I'm fine. Better than."
"How so?"
"Because tonight, somewhere between the headbutt and your mother's tender mercies, I realised something."
"Go on."
"We've been the Skimmymars."
Rose's eyes went wide. "Okay, you definitely have a head injury."
"No, hear me out," he said, shifting on the bed so he was facing her. "Whoever's been targeting us--from the thing with your mother and Tony to what happened with the Durannis, to the bomb--they've been winning. Not because of what they've done to us, but because they've made us afraid of the things we should trust the most. Rose, there is a clinic in the seventy-fourth century that can repair your leg and have you on your feet in a matter of hours."
"Really? Hours?"
"Of course. I took J.K. Rowling there once. Where do you think she got the idea for Skele-Gro? But that's not the point. Why haven't we just gone there? Why have we let ourselves sit here in suspended animation? Because we've been too afraid of what might happen, travelling that far...that's the exact opposite of who we are."
"But the TARDIS--"
"Was tampered with, yes," the Doctor conceded. "And that's real. That's not some phantom 'what if.' But don't you see? We know that now. We can take steps to fix it, to prevent it happening again. Bob Charila, whoever he is, tried to make us afraid of him, of the things he could do to us, to our family. But he miscalculated. He was so eager to let us know that he could get to us that he tipped his hand too soon. Now we know. We know he's out there."
"But how does that make anything better? Like you say, he's still out there."
"Yes! And so are the Ude Shur, and the Hoix, Sontarans, Carrionites--all sorts of evils. The universe is full of dark places, yes, but it's even more full of wonder and beauty. The universe--this universe--is a vast unknown, even to me. Bob Charila tried to make us afraid of that, and our fear made him strong. But the unknown doesn't have to be frightening! It can be beautiful and amazing and hopeful." He smiled and took her hands in his. "You taught me that. You're always teaching me that."
Eyes shining, Rose squeezed the Doctor's hands. "I do love travelling with you."
"I don't know about you, but I want to get back out there, right now. I want to see the universe. All of it. But only if I can do it with you."
A beautiful smile--bright, wide, and so eager he couldn't help but mirror it--spread across Rose's features.
"Well, Doctor...what are we waiting for?"
Author: gin_and_ashes
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Rose/Ten II
Summary: While on an errand for an injured Rose, the Doctor stumbles across a potentially deadly threat to the planet Earth in the unlikeliest of places.
Author's notes: Thanks to jlrpuck for being a terrific beta and to shinyopals for making sure all the pieces fit together.
Episode 13 of a virtual series at the_altverse, following Ten Minutes last week.
Virtual Series Masterlist
Chapter One | Chapter Two
Darting from shadow to shadow, the Doctor made it back to his hideout in the trees without discovery. He'd just begun to dig into the shopping bag when his phone began to vibrate; apparently Rose wasn't about to wait for his promised return call. He dropped the speaker grille he'd been holding and retrieved his mobile.
"I did say I'd call you."
"Thought you'd want the good news as soon as possible," Rose replied, barely able to contain her excitement.
"The Skimmymars haven't spread past Britain?" He'd hoped, but hadn't wanted to be overconfident.
"Better than that."
"London only?" Things were looking brighter; it'd take some doing, but he could contain this...as long as they hadn't made it to the Thames.
"Better."
He swore he could hear Rose's smile. It was the most perfect sound in the universe. "You mean...?"
"I scanned the whole planet--which was harder than you'd made it sound, by the way--and I checked Britain twice. The only Skimmymars on Earth are right where you're standing."
Now he was smiling. "Rose. Rose, we are going to do this." He upended the sack, sending the parts scattering all over the ground. This would be easy. This would be cake.
...cake. He was hungry. If only he'd burgled the cupcake shop, as well.
"What's next?" Rose's voice brought him back to the cupcakeless present. He tucked the phone between his ear and his shoulder and kept working.
"Next," he replied as his hands flew and his mind raced, "I stay out of sight long enough to finish building a sonic dampener." Rose laughed. "What?"
"I might have known it'd be sonic," she giggled.
"What? No, no, it doesn't use sound, it--well, it dampens it. I can't stop the fear cry, and I can't collect the Skimmymars one by one. Neither approach is even remotely feasible. But, if I get it just right, I can put a sort of blanket over the lake that will muffle the cry. There's still a risk they'll be heard, but it's very very slight. Almost nonexistent, really. An Ude Shur would have to be walking by to hear it."
The first device was complete. He set it aside and started in on the second.
"That still leaves the question of how we're going to get them out of the water, though," Rose said.
"Yes, well, I've been thinking about that."
"And?"
"And assuming the dampener works as it should, and assuming they listen very carefully and do exactly as they're told..."
"Yes?"
Resigned, he sighed. "I suppose this is a task even Torchwood couldn't bungle."
"Why, Doctor! How very open-minded of you!" Again he could hear her smile. It wasn't as delightful a sound as it had been the last time.
"Yes, well, don't expect me to go making a habit of it."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
The Doctor pressed his lips together, bringing out the dimple that only appeared when he was very, very put out. "Oh, go on and laugh," he groused.
He could hear Rose's giggling even after he'd put the phone down to finish the second part of the sonic dampener.
~~~~~
Finishing and testing the dampener didn't take that long, though the Doctor had developed a bit of a headache from squinting at tiny pieces of metal and plastic in the dark. His back and legs were beginning to cramp, as well, no doubt from all the crouching. And he was getting tired. Being part human could be so inconvenient sometimes.
It was a relief, then, when he could finally declare the sonic dampener functional and give Rose the go-ahead to call in a Torchwood collections unit, more so when he saw the team was led by Michelle Issacs. It was a task several steps below her pay grade and they all knew it, but at least he knew his instructions would be followed. Once he was satisfied that the reclamation efforts were proceeding according to plan, he let himself relax, wandering away from the bustling activity at the newly-floodlit lake to stretch his aching back and legs, and to get something to drink. Surely someone had a Thermos of something they'd be willing to share.
He pulled out his mobile. It was getting late, and Rose, he knew, should be resting. But he also knew that she wouldn't be able to do so until she'd been briefed, in detail, on the outcome. Still, it couldn't hurt to try and convince her to sleep a little, at least until he got home. He wasn't trying to shut her out, he was trying to be a good, thoughtful husband. He moved further away from the lake, looking for a quiet spot, and dialled Rose's mobile. She answered on the fourth ring, just before it switched to voice mail.
"Mmmm...ello?"
Her voice was low and gravelly, and in it he could hear the relaxed disorientation edged with just a touch of annoyance that meant she'd been roused from a very good dream. Possibly one about him. All of a sudden he was desperate to be home, to have her next to him, struggling to focus her heavy-lidded gaze on his before attempting to burrow into both the pillow and his side all at once. She'd throw her leg over his hip in an effort to both pin him down and distract him from whatever it was he'd woken her for. She was really quite good at distraction.
"I woke you," he said, barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry."
"No, 'salright," she half-slurred. He heard the rustle of bedclothes as she rolled over and sat up. "I'm glad you called. It's good." Clearer now--she was more alert already.
"All the same, it's late. Or early, rather. You were sleeping."
"Dozing, not sleeping."
"Ah, yes, enormous difference between the two, of course."
"Doctor, did you wake me up to argue semantics?"
"Sorry, sorry. Just wanted to update you. Everything's going well, and not just by Torchwood standards." On the other end of the line, Rose made a noise somewhere between a chuckle and a groan. "There were a few more than we thought at first, and there will have to be regular follow-up scans over the next few months, rounding up any stragglers or Skimmymars that hatch after tonight, but the problem seems to be well in hand."
"And the Ude Shur?"
"They're not so easily dealt with, I'm afraid. But disrupting this operation of theirs might make them think twice about making a home here."
"Speaking of home," she said, yawning, "when will you get back?"
"Soon, I hope. We'll be wrapping things up soon. And then..." he paused, stricken. "Oh, damn."
"What's wrong?"
The Doctor whirled back towards the Serpentine, where he saw a very angry Michelle Isaacs giving a flustered Torchwood tech a thorough dressing-down. He sighed and scratched the back of his neck with his free hand.
"Bound to happen, I suppose. One of the bright minds at Torchwood brought a bucket of Skimmymars outside the dampening zone before they could be properly secured."
"The cry?"
"Yes. Even I heard it a little. But I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. It's getting on near dawn; the Ude Shur are probably all in their nests by now, if not already asleep."
"You sure?" Rose sounded dubious.
"Of course I'm sure. Even if they weren't, it wasn't much of a cry at all. Barely a whimper. I doubt any of them even heard it. You should go back to sleep, Rose. I won't bother you again until I'm home. Shouldn't be more than an hour or two before I can leave."
"Ooh, the cupcake shop might be open again by then!" Rose said. "You can bring me breakfast."
"Eh...."
"You can't bring me breakfast?"
"I'm afraid not. I, er...I left the money at Strøm and Didriksen. All of it."
"How'd you manage to lose it there?"
"I didn't lose it, I left it. On purpose. With a note itemising what I took and telling them to bill Torchwood for the rest."
Rose laughed. "Of course you did, didn't you? Oh, Doctor."
"I couldn't just nick the stuff! That's--that'd be someone's salary, if I had."
"In the middle of trying to save the world and you're worried about someone getting sacked." Oh, he could hear her smiling again. The good smile, the one that always undid him. "And people wonder what I see in you."
The Doctor froze, mid-preen, his face falling. "What? They what? Who said that?"
"Who said what?"
"That they wonder what you see in me." He tried to sound affronted, but instead it came out as panicked. "Why would someone say that?"
"People say things all the time, Doctor."
"All the time?" Okay, now he sounded affronted. And squeaky.
"Doesn't mean they're true. Or that we should pay attention to them."
"Well no, of course not, but why would anyone wonder...oh dear."
Out of the corner of his eye, the Doctor spotted something moving rapidly towards the lake. He edged closer to the source of the movement, narrowing his eyes to focus on it, then widening them in alarm.
"Rose? I've got to go."
"Doctor?" He'd scared her; he could hear her trying to stay calm. "Doctor, what's wrong?"
"Remember that thing I said wouldn't happen because it was so improbable?" he asked as he strode towards the oncoming figure. A lone Ude Shur, its black eyes flashing, advanced towards the lake. It had heard the Skimmymars' fear cry--and come running. "Well, it's happening, and I need to stop it before Torchwood spot him, otherwise things will get very messy."
"Doctor, wait!" Rose cried.
"No time," he barked back.
The Doctor flapped his coat out wide, trying to make himself look as big and impressive as possible. "Cahud!" he shouted. "Ort madne vox cahud!" His shouting was bound to draw Torchwood's attention, but it was far too late to worry about that. If the Ude Shur got past the barrier and tasted the fear of an entire lake of Skimmymars, his already overdeveloped amygdala would essentially overload, causing him to die a painful and violent death. But first he'd go into a mindless blood rage, unable to stop killing until his nervous system self-destructed. The scope of the carnage would be unthinkable.
"Doctor!" he heard Rose calling. He was still on the phone with her. Why was he still on the phone? "Get Michelle," she pleaded. "Let her handle this."
"I can't. There's not enough time."
The Ude Shur showed no sign of slowing or stopping. It had tasted the fear cry and was enthralled, hungry for more. There was no other way. The Doctor stepped directly into the alien's path, let out what he hoped was an intimidating growl, and charged.
~~~~~
"Doctor!" Rose screamed into her phone. "Doctor, are you all right?"
She heard the Doctor scream. Then there was a crack, followed by a pitiful groan and a horrifying thud. Somehow the phone connection remained open; she shouted herself hoarse, calling his name over and over again, willing him to pick up, to respond, to tell her everything was all right, that he was fine and on his way home and that they weren't going to leave the house for at least a month. But there was no reply, only the sounds of shouting, running, and chaos in the background.
Rose refused to give in to the panic that threatened to overwhelm her. She didn't know what had happened to the Doctor, and as long as she didn't know, everything was fine. She tried to avoid thinking of him making "Schrodinger's Doctor" jokes; it was too morbid. Instead, she tucked her good leg up, resting her chin on her knee, and continued to call his name. The noise would wake Pete and Jackie, but they'd find out about his overnight adventure soon enough, and right now she was beyond caring if they lost a few minutes' sleep.
"Doctor!" Rose called again, though her voice was losing strength. "Doctor!"
"Over here!" At last, a familiar voice. "I found something."
Rose shouted again. "Doctor!"
"Found it!" There was a shuffling as the phone was picked up from where it had fallen. "Rose?"
It was Michelle. Relief battled with fear in Rose's chest. "Where is he? Is he all right?"
"He's fine. Well, he's mostly fine."
"Mostly?"
"Your idiot husband--and I say that with deep respect and a fair amount of awe, by the way--tried to single-handedly take down a rampaging Ude Shur before he got to the lake. Have you ever seen one, Rose? This one had to be six foot nine, plus they've got needle-like teeth, legs like tree trunks, arms like cricket bats, and the temperament of a pit bull. He barely broke stride, just headbutted the Doctor and kept going. Or he would have, if he hadn't got his foot caught in the Doctor's coat and fallen over. That bought us enough time to secure the thing before he went 'HULK SMASH' all over London."
Michelle sounded more amused than upset; Rose took that as a good sign. "Is everyone all right?"
"The Ude Shur is fine, just sleeping off the fear thing. The Doctor's got a hell of a bump on his head and is probably concussed, no matter what he tells you, but yeah, he's fine. He said he was lucky that the Ude Shur was a juvenile; something about the skull plates not being fused yet, I think."
"A juvenile?"
"Yeah, after we got him restrained, the Doctor actually went and talked to him. Apparently he was doing the alien equivalent of sneaking out after hours, said his mom and dad are going to be furious with him."
Rose relaxed further, even smiling a little. The Ude Shur had assaulted him, and he still wanted to understand it, even if it was an alien hoodie.
"He said he'd dropped his phone, so I had a couple of the boys looking for it," Michelle continued. "Once the EMTs look him over, I'll send him home."
"Thank you, Michelle," Rose said, relieved. "For everything."
"Any time," she replied with a chuckle. "Never a dull moment with you two around, is there?"
~~~~~
The sun had risen fully by the time the Doctor arrived back at the Tyler mansion. Pete met him at the door, eliciting a vague promise for a full briefing once he'd had some sleep and a shower, then headed off to Torchwood to deal with the paperwork (and the bill). Before going upstairs he stopped by the kitchen, where--to his horror--he found Jackie, in her dressing gown, nursing a cup of tea. The sight made him shrink back, his expression as sour as if he'd swallowed a mouthful of cranberries.
Jackie stood, rolled her eyes at his dramatic display, and grabbed him by the lapel, examining the knot on his head through narrowed eyes. Without a word, she walked to a cupboard over the sink, took down a large red box, and withdrew a chemical cold pack before replacing the box in the cupboard. She slammed the cold pack on the counter, hard, three times. The Doctor winced. It felt as though his brain was rattling around loose inside his skull. Jackie shook the cold pack a bit, then returned to stand in front of him. She grabbed his left hand, pressed the pack to his head, then covered it with his hand so it remained in place. It was so frigid against his skin that it almost burned. He hissed and drew back, flinching.
"That'll last you a good six hours," she said, returning to her chair at the kitchen table. "I expect you to keep it there the whole time, you hear me? Headbutting a drunk alien. Honestly."
"Now, be fair, Jackie, he's the one who headbutted me."
"Unprovoked?"
"Well..." Jackie stared; the Doctor grew silent.
"I've learned it's no use telling either of you to be careful," she said with a touch of weary resignation. "So I won't try. You're always going to go running in. Just...don't be stupid about it, please? You may not believe this, but I don't want to lose either of you before I have to."
"Jackie, I--"
"Six hours. I mean it." Standing, she picked up her mug, adjusted her dressing gown, and left the Doctor alone in the kitchen. As soon as she was gone, he took the cold pack off his forehead, chucked it in the bin, and headed upstairs to the room he shared with Rose.
She was waiting for him, of course, and leaned forward when he walked in like she was about to get out of bed and hobble over to him. He held up a hand to stop her, reaching the bed in two long strides and collapsing to lie, exhausted, at her side. He stared blankly at the ceiling, aware of her anxious eyes on him but too worn out to give her the assurances she sought. All he wanted was to roll over, pull Rose to him, and sleep for weeks--but he didn't have the energy. He hadn't even bothered to remove his coat and shoes.
"So, did you meet anyone interesting while you were out?" Rose asked with a casual brightness. The Doctor let out a single, weary huff of a laugh, then closed his eyes.
"How's your head?" He could sense her reaching for him, her fingers coming close but not quite touching the enormous purple knot that had developed on his forehead.
"Throbbing. How does it look?" He opened one eye, watching her as she studied him, head tilted, brow furrowed, her teeth worrying her lower lip.
"Hmm," she said at last. "It's not your best look, I have to say. Sort of a 'Cyclops with a black eye' thing."
"Charming." He let his eyes drift shut again and felt himself falling into a doze. So tired...he just needed a little sleep...
"Really, though, are you all right?"
He replied without thinking. "I'm fine."
"Doctor..." Her voice had an angry edge to it. She'd taken his honest reassurance as a brushoff. Despite the pain and his crushing fatigue, he opened both eyes and sat up on the bed.
"I mean it, Rose. I'm tired, and dirty, and I most likely have an annoying, painful, and very human concussion, but honestly, I'm fine. Better than."
"How so?"
"Because tonight, somewhere between the headbutt and your mother's tender mercies, I realised something."
"Go on."
"We've been the Skimmymars."
Rose's eyes went wide. "Okay, you definitely have a head injury."
"No, hear me out," he said, shifting on the bed so he was facing her. "Whoever's been targeting us--from the thing with your mother and Tony to what happened with the Durannis, to the bomb--they've been winning. Not because of what they've done to us, but because they've made us afraid of the things we should trust the most. Rose, there is a clinic in the seventy-fourth century that can repair your leg and have you on your feet in a matter of hours."
"Really? Hours?"
"Of course. I took J.K. Rowling there once. Where do you think she got the idea for Skele-Gro? But that's not the point. Why haven't we just gone there? Why have we let ourselves sit here in suspended animation? Because we've been too afraid of what might happen, travelling that far...that's the exact opposite of who we are."
"But the TARDIS--"
"Was tampered with, yes," the Doctor conceded. "And that's real. That's not some phantom 'what if.' But don't you see? We know that now. We can take steps to fix it, to prevent it happening again. Bob Charila, whoever he is, tried to make us afraid of him, of the things he could do to us, to our family. But he miscalculated. He was so eager to let us know that he could get to us that he tipped his hand too soon. Now we know. We know he's out there."
"But how does that make anything better? Like you say, he's still out there."
"Yes! And so are the Ude Shur, and the Hoix, Sontarans, Carrionites--all sorts of evils. The universe is full of dark places, yes, but it's even more full of wonder and beauty. The universe--this universe--is a vast unknown, even to me. Bob Charila tried to make us afraid of that, and our fear made him strong. But the unknown doesn't have to be frightening! It can be beautiful and amazing and hopeful." He smiled and took her hands in his. "You taught me that. You're always teaching me that."
Eyes shining, Rose squeezed the Doctor's hands. "I do love travelling with you."
"I don't know about you, but I want to get back out there, right now. I want to see the universe. All of it. But only if I can do it with you."
A beautiful smile--bright, wide, and so eager he couldn't help but mirror it--spread across Rose's features.
"Well, Doctor...what are we waiting for?"