Hot Patootie (Rose)

[The Doctor]

“Diction is done with the tip of the tongue and the teeth. Pay attention my dear Tyler.” Sighing, the Doctor gazed at her for a moment and wondered if she would ever understand a thing he said. Humans were complicated like that. Still the Doctor still adored them and always would as he always had. They made him happy, and feel good about the world. They brought some sort of inner peace, Rose most certainly could cheer him up. “Pasta, stings? Do you see it now? Yes? No? Maybe? Just nod your head and say ‘yes.’ Make a middle aged Time Lord proud.”

Smiling the Doctor was pleased with her question. Rose always asked good concrete questions. “If I told you, you wouldn’t even know where it was. It’s around twenty-eight light years away from here….maybe thirty tops. Hard to say without a map. I’m only estimating roughly, top of my head sort of thing.” Like she would know if he said Mars or Vega anyways. She just always seemed to play along with whatever he told her. He could tell her Bee’s are from New Alpha and she wouldn’t even know the difference. It wasn’t like she was an expert in space. Just an amateur, in his mind. Maybe she did know more than what she let on, the Doctor liked to think so.

“That too, ginger bread world,” he raised his hands like a scale “Pete’s world same thing. Same place, same difference.” Noticing Rose’s smile was wiped off her face he breathed out to try and get loose some of his rude smug boyishness. So this was why she traveled all this way. The rift was acting up. Perhaps it had something to do with why the TARDIS was all down in the blues. There had to be more to it than just the rift. There had to be something beyond just the rift, a reason to all of the odd happenings. Even the Doctor wasn’t himself lately. Something was happening in Cardiff and universally alight. “But your world is ahead of this one. What’s happened over there before you left?”

[Rose Tyler]

Just nod your head and say ‘yes.’ Make a middle aged Time Lord proud.

Rose raised and eyebow and nodded her head with a wry grin.
"Middle aged? Now that's just a little creepy." she giggled. He was over 900 years old and just middle aged? Some things toook a bit of getting used to.

It’s around twenty-eight light years away from here….maybe thirty tops. Hard to say without a map

"You'll have to show me when you get the Tardis going again." she frowned thoughtfully. "We're going to have to start keeping a list. "

But your world is ahead of this one. What’s happened over there before you left?

"We don't know what's happening. That's the whole problem. Torchwood One isn't equipped to deal with the rift. It's never been our problem. Alien weapons, invasions, spaceships, we won't blink, but the rift is way out of our area of expertise. that's always been Three's job, as they're actually on it." She was half amused, in that small distracted part of her brain, to find herself using the terms 'we' and 'us' and 'them'. She'd not realised how much Torchwood had come to mean to her since she'd been involved in the rebuilding.

"We're almost certain it's to do with the rift. More alieans are coming out of nowhere than ever before, right across the counrty and we can't cope with the influx. On top of that, the same thing we think is sending the pyscics, and previously peaceful aliens, shifters and the like on killing sprees, and other not so peacful rampages. It's getting worse by the day, and we're no closer to fixing it than we were months ago. Torchwood Three is in totally lockdown, and we have tried, and tried to get in, to establish communication, but there's nothing. So we had to try this world. And, at least warn you of what's coming."

She frowned again, biting her lower lip.
"People are dying Doctor, and we can't do anything about it." she said miserably.

[The Doctor]

“Yep, middle aged. When I get thousand I’ll still be young. Two thousand is when you start earning your stripes. Rasslion was well over two thousand before…..” He looked down at the place mat and couldn’t think about it. He killed them; he killed them all to save the universe from the wrath of the Dalkes. He already told Rose about the Time War. She knew, his crimes. The thing was the Doctor couldn’t get over what he did. He hardly brought it up but when Rose was in his presence he tended to give in and tell her everything. It wasn’t like that with anyone else sides for Romana or Koschie (before he became the Master and went all evil) but with Rose he could just spill his mind’s content without much thinking about what he was saying. Rose was the sole reason why he was changed for the better.

“Not till I take you to Barcelona. That was a promise I am not about to break.” Then she began speaking about the rift, and Torchwood. The Doctor nodded and looked a little troubled with what she was saying. It didn’t sound too good. Bad news, mal. Whatever word you plugged into the scenario it just didn’t look or sound too pretty. It seemed the Doctor was not about to get a holiday. Maybe the rift and the TARDIS somehow made him come here, like it was supposed to happen. But how could that be right? She would fly, why she wasn’t flying. The Doctor needed his freedom, now he was bound to the Earth like he was back in the seventies when he worked for UNIT. That was his fault thought because he angered the Council and gained a forced regeneration and dumped on Earth like a neglected package.

Her words made him freeze in his seat. Killing spree’s, that meant he wasn’t safe either as Time Lords had some physic abilities. It was a popular form of communication back home. He gulped and was about to tell her all of this when the waitress retuned with the food. “Shay, shay.” He told her as she put it down on the table and left. “Rose….I dunno if I can this time. I need you to promise me something. If I start acting weird or anything lock me up. I’m serious. It might be for you own good, or for all those people out there. Promise me.”

He took her hands in his own. "Please."

[Rose Tyler]

Rose frowned, just the tiniest hint of, well, panic, showing in her brown eyes. What was he talking about? Lock him up? Why would she do that. Why would she ever have to do that?

"What are you talking about?" she asked, looking down at their joined hands, and covering his with hers. The food sat on the edge of the table, forgotten.

She realised what had her freaking out. The Doctor was never stumped, never beaten, and never gave up. And that's what this sounded like, resignation. Defeat. He sounded like he was stepping down from the fight. She'd always relied on him to have the answers when no one else did. that was who he was, what he did. After everyone else gave up in confusion, he saw something new.

[The Doctor]

Seconds later he acted like nothing had happened and was dipping his spoon into the golden soup. It was so good that it didn’t last too long. The last time he ate was several hours ago but he did a lot of work in the mean time to keep him on his toes. In fact he was always doing something. Nothing to him was just lying down with a book or just pondering. The Doctor was like hyper twenty-four-seven. He couldn’t help it as it was due to this current bouncy regeneration of his.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s a chance less than a billionth. Basically in plain British English really really small.” The Doctor showed her with his index finger coming close toward his thumb. Then he picked up his chopstick and fiddled with them in his hands. He never was really good with them even though he went to Asia and other planets where they were a part of the culture. Something about clashing sticks together and using them as utensils just didn’t seem work for him. “I just want your word just in case something does happen, I mean it can. This time things are different with the rift and the TARDIS and all…… Besides I am not giving up if that’s what this sounds like. The Doctor never gives up.” He told her matter of factly as he always leapt before he looked. “It’s just, I don’t want to hurt or lose you again.” Maybe that was because of the underlying reason of love which he had yet to confess to her. He just couldn’t come to do that. Love and relationships never seemed to go well with the Doctor and if he was to lose Rose again, he might lose it.

Eventually, the chopsticks and the lo-mein clashed and settled down to his stomach where chyme could be produced to break it down into useful nutrients for the body. After yet another mouthful and swelling he beamed up at her. “Come on look on the bright side, the worst that can happen is…well I dunno that. It’s a flex and you know how I feel about spoilers.”

[Rose Tyler]

I just want your word just in case something does happen, I mean it can

Rose frowned. "Even if the chances are really, really, infinitley small, could you still please tell me what your talking about. I'm not going to promise to do who knows what when I don't even know what for." She knew that she'd changed from the last time the Doctor saw her, although she wasn't sure if he'd realised it yet, or would. She was less likely to just be the sidekick now. She'd had to become more independant, after the Doctor had left her. Grudgingly, yes, but left her all the same. But it had hurt, and she'd had to toughen up. Torchwood had only helped the process, responsibility.

It’s just, I don’t want to hurt or lose you again.

She took his hand again. "You won't." she promised. "You're not getting rid of me that easily." This last sentence was said with a flash of a smile, but her eyes were more serious.

Come on look on the bright side, the worst that can happen is…well I dunno that. It’s a flex and you know how I feel about spoilers

She grinned again, just a small one. "You may hate spoliers, but this is one situation where I wouldn't mind one in the slightest. Just a little hint would do. After all, it's only the world we're talking about."

[The Doctor]

“See I don’t even know that Rosie.” The Doctor looked down at his plate of lo-mien. It didn’t seem as appetizing now since Rose told him of the ill news. She was no longer the same person he knew when he was with her. Rose grew up, his Rose was growing up. She changed him and he apparently or something had changed her. The Doctor didn’t mind though, that was nature. Things happened. “The thing with the rift…. The reason why your here… I might go mad. I might become like…..” his voice trailed off as he thought of the Master and how his childhood friend became mad. “Oh never mind him, it doesn’t matter. He’s dead now.”

That was an understatement as the Master was very much alive. He never had died and the Doctor knew nothing of this fact yet. Positively nothing. He was naive and had a lot of things to catch up on. The poor Doctor. She took his hand in hers. The Doctor let her and watched her with deep round brown eyes. “Maybe you can get the TARDIS to work. She likes you.” Laughing he let go of her hand. “Rose, I just got finished explaing I don’t even know what that is because it’s a flux.”

[Rose Tyler]

I might go mad. I might become like…..Oh never mind him, it doesn’t matter. He’s dead now

Rose raised an eyebrow.
"Like who?" she pressed. "Did something happen while I was gone? Something important?" She had a feeling that lots had happened while she was gone, and most of what the Doctor got himself into was important, but he would know what she meant.

Maybe you can get the TARDIS to work. She likes you
Rose scoffed. "She likes you too, but that doesn't seem to be helping. I doubt there's much I can do with her that you can't." Her knowledge of the Timelord's ship was to say the most, rudimentary. The Doctor had been beginning to teach her the functions of the hundred different knobs and levers, but Rose had a strong feeling that she would need centuries to fully grasp the concept, maybe even longer.. And a time lords brain wouldn't go astray either.

Rose, I just got finished explaing I don’t even know what that is because it’s a flux

"I know, I know. I know you can't give me the spoiler, I'm just saying that if we could get one from somewhere, god it would be nice. You have no idea how many hours we've been wroking on trying to prevent this back at T1, or how damned frustrating it is when everything crumbles despite your efforts."

[The Doctor]

For a moment he almost did not want to remember. The Doctor closed his eyes and couldn’t help but to see flashes of the Master from the begging to the end of his life. Tears formed in his eyes and he looked down at the red and cream place mat with the Chinese Zodiac. He remembered, the memory of a Time Lord was eternal, the Doctor could not forget he had to bear the burden of remembering the good as well as the bad. It hurt and was a part of the curse of the Time Lords. A curse which would drag him away from being with Rose for till the end of his days, she could travel with him forever yet he would one day move on when she perished. The thoughts of the Master hurt and he couldn’t --- no he didn’t want to burden Rose with this. Shaking his head he continued starting blankly down at the table. “You missed a lot of things Rose. I prefer not to talk about this one, not today. Maybe another day… or later just not now… I can’t… it hurts too much.”

“Yeah? Then care to explain why she opened up and showed you her very sole? She doesn’t do that for me but she did that for you. I think maybe if we gave it a go together she might be able to get a jump start,” he mused. The Doctor was too optimistic for his own good. It was unlikely but something about Rose being there gave him the strength to carry on. Rose made everything better, even the Doctor so he thought maybe if she was to aid him with the TARDIS she might work.

Smiling he nodded looking back up at her. “I know Rose, you truly are and always will be my plus one.” This he meant with both his hearts that beated in his chest. It was his little way of saying 'I missed you and I want to show you the rest of the universe.' What he was really trying to express his forbidden love for the blond haired bombshell.

[Rose Tyler]

“You missed a lot of things Rose. I prefer not to talk about this one, not today. Maybe another day… or later just not now… I can’t… it hurts too much.”

Rose bit her lip, her brow furrowed inn worry for her beloved doctor. She knew he carried way to much on his shoulders, and it killed her to see that yet more had been added, especially while she could have been with him to help. "Another day." she agreed. "But you have to make sure you do. Talking does help you know, as much as you deny it does." She meant the words, but she knew that the chances of the Doctor actually geniunely talking to her about his feelings were probably slim. He'd grown so much since they first met, as had she, but this was one area that he still had trouble with. But hey, wasn't thayt a problem with most men, never lone a timelord who had probably been emotionally crippled for hundreds of years. If she kept working on him, gently of course, she might still teach him it was okay to let it out.

“Yeah? Then care to explain why she opened up and showed you her very sole? She doesn’t do that for me but she did that for you. I think maybe if we gave it a go together she might be able to get a jump start,”

Rose grinned. "That was because Mickey attacked her with a tow truck. We could always try that. But maybe we should try more...conventional methods first. If theres conventional methods when your working on an alien space ship." she added with another grin.

“I know Rose, you truly are and always will be my plus one.”

She smiled, oushing her blonde hair out of her eyes as memories strirred of when he had first said that, back on their very first trip together, to the end of the Earth. She'd been shocked with their adventures then - if she had of known what was to come, she may have very well demanded to be taken back home. How glad she was that she hadn't all those years ago. Life was so much better now, despite the hardships.
She smiled a crokked smile. "And I love you to." she said, knowing what he was trying to say.