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morgynleriTitle: Dream of a Place Called Home
Rating: PG13
Characters: Rose Tyler, various others
Summary: She's living a fantastic life... or two, or a dozen.
Part I: Never Landing Any Place to Call My Own
Rather Know the Things I Know
82nd century
It tickled at the back of her mind, a sensation she couldn't place. She chased it for months, light-years across space, until she found herself standing in the sun-warmed courtyard of a hospital filled with a hush that chilled her to the bone.
"Can I help you, ma'am?" The young woman was dressed in a pale blue uniform that reminded Rose of nurses' uniforms of the 1940s on Earth, hair hidden beneath a cap the same shade.
"I'm looking for someone. A friend of mine asked me to find his cousin for him." She didn't know where the lie had come from, only that it felt right. What was needed to be said, to track this niggling in the back of her mind that had grown stronger the closer she came to this place.
"You think this cousin of his is here?" The nurse gave her a look of such sympathy that Rose briefly contemplated what would happen if she gave her a Jack-esque smile. "Do you know what his cousin looks like?"
"Vaguely. I lost the photo he gave me. He did say they always looked almost like twins." Rose shrugged, shifting on her feet, trying not to look too restless. "I need to find his cousin. Please. It's important." She met the nurse's eyes again a moment. "It's the least I can do for him."
"Of course." The nurse gave her another sympathy-filled look, and a gentle smile, before leading her towards a gate that opened into a garden as brightly lit as the courtyard they were in. "Most of the patients spend the afternoon out here. I'll let the other staff know you're here, looking for a relative. Good luck, ma'am."
The wrought-iron closed behind her, and Rose shivered slightly before squaring her shoulders, walking deeper into the lush greenery, along a path paved with crushed gravel that reflected sunlight in a dazzling white display. The tug at her mind drew her down one branching path after another, until she found herself in a paved clearing over-looking a lazy river, a dark-haired man sitting in a chair, with another blue-uniformed nurse on a bench nearby.
"Ma'am?" The nurse closed the book she had been reading, standing to greet Rose. She jumped slightly when the chair turned, the man in it peering at Rose through eyes that were feaver-bright, and all too empty.
"Do you know me?" His voice sounded as if he hadn't used it in a long time, creaky and hoarse. "I can hear you. See you. All gold and light and howling in the Void." The last word made her flinch, the man shivering as well. "There's no one else. All alone, you and I."
"Always." Rose stepped forward, crouching down so the man didn't have to squint against the sun to look at her, forgetting the nurse who stood nearby. "You're in here, aren't you?" She tapped her skull, feeling the sense of someone else uncoiling there. Almost like the sense of comfort she'd had around the Doctor, before she'd lost him.
"Should be harmony, all the voices of home. Nothing's there. Not even Time. It's all gone."
"It burned." Rose felt a tear run down her face. "It burned, and the Time Lords and the Daleks burned with it."
"Everyone," he whispered, holding her gaze. There was nothing left there but a broken soul, driven mad from the silence. How long had he been alone here, trapped, never knowing that he wasn't really the last one? How long before he'd reached out, drawn her to him? "I don't remember you. Do you know me?"
"No." Rose reached out to touch his hand, briefly. "I knew the Doctor."
"The Doctor?" A smile crossed the man's face, both hope and despair mingled in the expression. "He was supposed to save us. The President said he would save us all. He killed us, didn't he? Burned Gallifrey."
"Yeah." She didn't know what else to say, didn't try to stop the tears that ran down her cheeks. "He thought everyone was dead."
"They are all dead. He's dead?" The man frowned, puzzled, the presence at the back of her mind reaching out, tenative, as if uncertain. "Not dead."
"I don't know." Rose wrapped one hand around one of his. "It's been a long time since I saw him last. Since I left him."
"Trapped. All alone here, not even Time to sing you a lullaby, howling against the cold." The man reached up his other hand, touching her damp cheek with gentle fingers, pulling back to look at the dampness on them. "He won't come back, you won't let him."
"No." Rose drew in a deep breath, squeezing the hand in hers. "I won't let him destroy two universes just for me. Or anyone else."
"Good." The man pulled his hand back, the wordless voice in her mind drawing back, curling back into itself, quieting, but not vanishing. "You'll come back."
"When I can." Rose stood, watching as the man appeared to fade, the animation going from his face, just a small figure in a chair that dwarfed him. She knew he wouldn't talk anymore today. There was nothing more to be said.
"Ma'am?" The nurse spoke again, drawing Rose's attention. "He's never spoken before. Do you know him?"
"Enough." Rose tugged her top straight. "I need to talk to the person in charge."
"Of course, ma'am."
~ ~ ~
She left late that evening, the hospital already abuzz with plans for the money she'd donated, and a catatonic man settled safely in a new room, left alone. The faint presence in the back of her mind radiated approval, and she smiled, rolling her neck a moment before looking up at the darkening sky.
"You're not alone, Doctor. And neither are we."
Part III: No Regrets, No Looking Back, No Goodbyes
Rating: PG13
Characters: Rose Tyler, various others
Summary: She's living a fantastic life... or two, or a dozen.
Part I: Never Landing Any Place to Call My Own
82nd century
It tickled at the back of her mind, a sensation she couldn't place. She chased it for months, light-years across space, until she found herself standing in the sun-warmed courtyard of a hospital filled with a hush that chilled her to the bone.
"Can I help you, ma'am?" The young woman was dressed in a pale blue uniform that reminded Rose of nurses' uniforms of the 1940s on Earth, hair hidden beneath a cap the same shade.
"I'm looking for someone. A friend of mine asked me to find his cousin for him." She didn't know where the lie had come from, only that it felt right. What was needed to be said, to track this niggling in the back of her mind that had grown stronger the closer she came to this place.
"You think this cousin of his is here?" The nurse gave her a look of such sympathy that Rose briefly contemplated what would happen if she gave her a Jack-esque smile. "Do you know what his cousin looks like?"
"Vaguely. I lost the photo he gave me. He did say they always looked almost like twins." Rose shrugged, shifting on her feet, trying not to look too restless. "I need to find his cousin. Please. It's important." She met the nurse's eyes again a moment. "It's the least I can do for him."
"Of course." The nurse gave her another sympathy-filled look, and a gentle smile, before leading her towards a gate that opened into a garden as brightly lit as the courtyard they were in. "Most of the patients spend the afternoon out here. I'll let the other staff know you're here, looking for a relative. Good luck, ma'am."
The wrought-iron closed behind her, and Rose shivered slightly before squaring her shoulders, walking deeper into the lush greenery, along a path paved with crushed gravel that reflected sunlight in a dazzling white display. The tug at her mind drew her down one branching path after another, until she found herself in a paved clearing over-looking a lazy river, a dark-haired man sitting in a chair, with another blue-uniformed nurse on a bench nearby.
"Ma'am?" The nurse closed the book she had been reading, standing to greet Rose. She jumped slightly when the chair turned, the man in it peering at Rose through eyes that were feaver-bright, and all too empty.
"Do you know me?" His voice sounded as if he hadn't used it in a long time, creaky and hoarse. "I can hear you. See you. All gold and light and howling in the Void." The last word made her flinch, the man shivering as well. "There's no one else. All alone, you and I."
"Always." Rose stepped forward, crouching down so the man didn't have to squint against the sun to look at her, forgetting the nurse who stood nearby. "You're in here, aren't you?" She tapped her skull, feeling the sense of someone else uncoiling there. Almost like the sense of comfort she'd had around the Doctor, before she'd lost him.
"Should be harmony, all the voices of home. Nothing's there. Not even Time. It's all gone."
"It burned." Rose felt a tear run down her face. "It burned, and the Time Lords and the Daleks burned with it."
"Everyone," he whispered, holding her gaze. There was nothing left there but a broken soul, driven mad from the silence. How long had he been alone here, trapped, never knowing that he wasn't really the last one? How long before he'd reached out, drawn her to him? "I don't remember you. Do you know me?"
"No." Rose reached out to touch his hand, briefly. "I knew the Doctor."
"The Doctor?" A smile crossed the man's face, both hope and despair mingled in the expression. "He was supposed to save us. The President said he would save us all. He killed us, didn't he? Burned Gallifrey."
"Yeah." She didn't know what else to say, didn't try to stop the tears that ran down her cheeks. "He thought everyone was dead."
"They are all dead. He's dead?" The man frowned, puzzled, the presence at the back of her mind reaching out, tenative, as if uncertain. "Not dead."
"I don't know." Rose wrapped one hand around one of his. "It's been a long time since I saw him last. Since I left him."
"Trapped. All alone here, not even Time to sing you a lullaby, howling against the cold." The man reached up his other hand, touching her damp cheek with gentle fingers, pulling back to look at the dampness on them. "He won't come back, you won't let him."
"No." Rose drew in a deep breath, squeezing the hand in hers. "I won't let him destroy two universes just for me. Or anyone else."
"Good." The man pulled his hand back, the wordless voice in her mind drawing back, curling back into itself, quieting, but not vanishing. "You'll come back."
"When I can." Rose stood, watching as the man appeared to fade, the animation going from his face, just a small figure in a chair that dwarfed him. She knew he wouldn't talk anymore today. There was nothing more to be said.
"Ma'am?" The nurse spoke again, drawing Rose's attention. "He's never spoken before. Do you know him?"
"Enough." Rose tugged her top straight. "I need to talk to the person in charge."
"Of course, ma'am."
She left late that evening, the hospital already abuzz with plans for the money she'd donated, and a catatonic man settled safely in a new room, left alone. The faint presence in the back of her mind radiated approval, and she smiled, rolling her neck a moment before looking up at the darkening sky.
"You're not alone, Doctor. And neither are we."
Part III: No Regrets, No Looking Back, No Goodbyes
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-11-30 09:42 pm (UTC)I'm liking this:)
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Date: 2007-11-30 09:55 pm (UTC)*grins* I'm glad you're liking this. It's something new for me, and it's being a little weird to write...
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Date: 2007-12-01 12:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-01 02:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-01 08:22 am (UTC)Eek. My mom's working the night shift tonight too. Never a nice shift.