#we’ve had ghosts that turned out to be cybermen and cybermen that turned out to be dead bodies

[grimark]

my favourite running gag in doctor who is how everyone continues to be sceptical of aliens despite the many, many, many, many times now that earth has been openly contacted by aliens.

[riversofmars]

Instead of chess prodigy au 13 I raise u 13 teaching and playing four person chess w the fam on a game night after they got mad at her during 51st century scrabble for putting Raxacoricofallapatorius. 👒

Time to start working through some of these prompts :D Combining these two, changing both slightly, but hope it works for you. Plus, it’ll be the set up for another prompt that I’ll write at a later date cause it’ll take a bit more work lol. But just so you know, this one will get a continuation! <3

Rating: G

Wordcount: 1800

Read on AO3 or below

Game On

“That’s not even a real word!“ Graham exclaimed throwing over his scrabble pieces in protest.

“Of course Raxacoricofallapatorius is a word! It’s a place. I’ve been there, I…“ The Doctor retorted, feeling put out. It was a perfectly fine word and used up all her letters.

“You could be telling us anything and we’d be none the wiser.“ Yaz agreed with Graham. This should have been fun. Playing boardgames aboard the TARDIS, eating ice cream and popcorn and some weird alien kind of candy floss the Doctor insisted they had to try… But so far they had done nothing but argue over rules and it turned out they were all highly competitive people… this ridiculous game of scrabble was just the last in a long line of arguments.

“But…“ The Doctor protested but Ryan shook his head as well, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Doesn’t seem fair.“ He pointed out.

“Right, okay, how about a different game then?“ The Doctor suggested shoving Scrabble back in its box. “Game of Life?“ She suggested, returning Scrabble to the pile.

“No.“ Ryan shook his head again.

“Monopoly?“ The Doctor held up the game hopefully.

“Definitely not.“ The Fam retorted in unison.

“Our friendship wouldn’t survive that.“ Yaz huffed.

“Four person chess?“ The Doctor picked up another box in a last ditch attempt.

“How do you even play chess with four people?“ Graham threw his arms up.

“Actually, it’s not even that complicated, I can teach you!“ The Doctor exclaimed, excited that it wasn’t a “No“ straight away.

“Sounds like a made up game to me.“ Yaz huffed. “You could be making this up so you can win, you are a terrible loser.“

“No, really, I’ll have the TARDIS pull up the rules!“ The Doctor offered.

“Fine, last chance!“ Yaz decided taking the box off her. “I’ll set it up, we read the rules without you interrupting, offering alternative advice or distracting us. You can get more popcorn.“ She shoved the empty bowl at her.

“Okay, great, yup, just, when it says about turn taking…“

“You’re doing it again.“ Graham sighed and the Doctor held up her hands.

“New bowl of popcorn, coming right up!“ She clambered across pillows and blankets, out of the console room, heading for the kitchen.

“I’m really regretting suggesting this…“ Yaz shook her head to herself and started setting up the game while Ryan unfolded the rules pamphlet.

Suddenly, there was a crack of electrical charge and a woman teleported right into their midst. Her wild curly hair was fizzing with energy and she shook it out like a dog the rain.

“This looks cosy!“ She grinned as she looked around, snacks, boardgames, pillow fords, all in all the very image of wholesome family fun.

“What? How…“ Yaz stuttered, they were at a loss for words.

“Hello Sweetie.“ The woman fixed her eyes on Graham after accessing her surroundings. “New body, is it?“ She sauntered over and before he could protest, she grabbed him by the collar and kissed him. “What killed you this time? Daleks? Cybermen? Don’t tell me it’ll be me at a later date.“ She raised her eyebrows at him and he just looked back at her dumbfounded.

“I’m not… uh…“ Graham started. Did she think he was the Doctor as Jack had done?

“What is it, Sweetie?“ The mystery woman asked with a frown, taking his face in her hands.

“River?“ There was a loud crash as the Doctor dropped the bowl of popcorn upon her return to the console room. She stood in the doorway paralysed, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Ryan and Yaz exchanged confused looks. Did the Doctor know this woman? How was she even able to get in here?!

“Doctor?“ River frowned and let go of Graham.

“Why does this keep happening?“ Graham groaned, wiping the smudges of River’s lipstick off his mouth.

“So sorry, darling.“ River gave Graham an apologetic smile. “Old habits die hard and I did not expect that.“ She raised her eyebrows at the Doctor who now slowly made her way over.

“River, how are you here? What…“ The Doctor tried to wrap her head around her wife’s sudden appearance. She had’t seen her since Darillium and she hadn’t really expected to see her again either. She’d hoped, of course, that she might run into a younger version of her wife again at some point, but she had never expected her to just pop in out of the blue. Her mind was racing, going at a hundred miles an hour trying to work out how River could possibly be here. It was probably a good thing too, because if she had stopped to consider the fact that she was actually here and allowed herself to feel for a second, she probably would have broken down in tears.

“Is that really how you’re going to be greeting your wife when you have those very kissable lips at your disposal?“ River smirked, tilting her head in amusement as she looked the Doctor up and down.

“Your what now?“ Ryan wasn’t sure he had heard her right.

“The old ball and chain. Of course she’s never mentioned me, has she?“ River chuckled shaking her head at her wife.

“You have a wife?“ Yaz exclaimed in shock and Graham huffed:

“Seriously? Even your WIFE mistakes me for you?“

“Why did you never tell us?“ Ryan asked.

“It’s kind of a long story… people usually need a flow chart.“ The Doctor slowly found her voice again.

“Now, how about that kiss?“ River smirked, crossing the distance between them.

“River, you can’t be here.“ The Doctor pulled her sonic out and scanned River before she could get into her personal space.

“She can if she is your wife.“ Graham pointed out. “Have you been hiding from her?“

“No, I mean, you really can’t be here.“ The Doctor insisted as she checked the readings. “You’re older than you should be.“

“Always the charmer.“ River chuckled. “Not bad for three hundred, eh?“ She looked around to the Fam and gave Graham a wink who promptly blushed.

“Three hundred?“ Ryan echoed in disbelief.

“No, no, it’s all wrong, you were two hundred when we went to Darillium, then you went to the Library, so…“ The Doctor scanned her again but the sonic just confirmed it, she was older than she had been the last time she saw her.

“Ahh, now now, spoilers.“ River tutted and took the Doctor’s sonic out of her hand and returned it to her coat pocket.

“What?“ The Doctor said dumbfounded.

“You’ll find out soon enough, you know how it is.“ River gave her wife an apologetic smile.

“Why are you here?“ The Doctor asked slowly, the penny dropping. This was River after she had been to the Library. Not a data ghost, the scan confirmed it. She was alive and older than she had ever seen her. The Doctor couldn’t allow herself to rejoice just yet, even if this meant their story wasn’t over yet. She had to find out what she was doing here first.

“Two things really.“ River replied with a smirk. “I was ever so curious about your new regeneration. When Jack told me, I had to come and see for myself. He wouldn’t tell me what you looked like now, I guess he did that on purpose.“ She flashed Graham another smile who was just shaking his head to himself. This woman knew Jack as well? There seemed to be an awful lot about the Doctor’s past they didn’t know.

“What’s the other thing?“ The Doctor frowned, growing a little suspicious.

“Well, I did pop in for games night on purpose.“ River revealed with a smirk. “You see Jack and I, we’ve both been missing you terribly… and thought how about we also play a game?“ She grinned and pulled a TARDIS blue envelope from within her coat and handed it over. “A little game of chase? Tag, across time and space so to speak?“

“River…“ The Doctor’s voice grew firmer, she had a bad feeling about this, she did not like the look of mischief in her wife’s eyes. A look that she had come to know very well over time. The very idea of River and Jack together…

“Now, now, Sweetie, don’t get cross, we haven’t even done anything… yet.“ River smirked and reached out, straightening the collar on her wife’s coat. “Unless, you know, you being cross with me leads to some form of punishment, cause I’m all for that.“ She hummed flirtily, leaning closer.

“River!“ The Doctor snapped, blushing deeply which only seemed to encourage her wife further.

“I hope I’ll be seeing you soon, Sweetie.“ River smirked and pressed a light, playful kiss to her lips. “It’s a date.“ She tapped her fingers against the envelope in her wife’s hand playfully and gave her another, firmer, kiss for good measure. “See you guys around.“ She turned to the Fam, giving them a quick wave. All three of them just stared at her utterly dumbfounded. When she didn’t get a respond she turned to the Doctor and grinned: “Catch me if you can.“ She hit the button on her vortex manipulator and disappeared into thin air again.

“What was THAT?“ Yaz was the first to speak.

“You’re married?!“ Graham exclaimed still not quite over the fact that he had just been kissed by the Doctor’s wife.

“What’s that she was saying about a game? And what’s that letter?“ Ryan asked trying to make sense of it all.

“This is trouble…“ The Doctor answered as she hurried over to the console while ripping open the envelope. Games night had just taken a very exciting, but also very wrong, turn.

“She said she was your wife but who is she?“ Graham asked as they all hurried to join her by the console. The board games were long forgotten about.

“That was Professor River Song.“ The Doctor answered almost automatically. “Born Melody Pond, daughter of some of my best friends and child of the TARDIS. Also known as Melody Malone. Part-time crime author and detective. Professor of archeology at Luna University. High-end mercenary, trained assassin… The woman who married and killed me in the same day… And somehow managed to defy her own death yet again!“ The Doctor turned to the TARDIS console and punched in coordinates as she read the letter. “And now, she has teamed up with one of my oldest friends to play hide and seek across the universe, causing mischief just to get my attention… God, I love that woman.“ The Doctor laughed. “And I am going to kill her when I find them! Questions?“ She launched the TARDIS into the time vortex and turned to the Fam awaiting their responses.

“I wouldn’t know where to start…“ Graham just shook his head.

“Probably won’t be playing four person chess then…“ Ryan mused.

“I think I’d like to see that flow chart now…“ Yaz sighed, trying to wrap her head around it all as they plummeted through the vortex towards their next adventure.

[apples-r-rubbish]

Institute (13th Doctor x reader) Part 4

Summary:  An adventure with the Doctor leads you the outback, with a mysterious stranger Word Count: 2.8k AN:  2 parts on one night because I’m feeling nice :) hope you enjoy! -L x Warnings: none Tags: @startrekkingaroundasgard @penguinwithitsarseonfire​

(PART 1) (PART 2) (PART 3) (PART 5) (PART 6) (PART 7) (PART 8) MASTERLIST

Travelling in the TARDIS was weird, you’d imagined it handful of times and yet it couldn’t actually compare to it happening

“It’s bigger on the inside. Sorry I always wanted to say that,” You chuckled in awe of the ship

“Any weird burning questions?” She asked flipping a few switches and looking at you over the console

“Is it actually psychic? And are the bunk beds still around? I really want to believe Amy was kidding about both of those”

“Yes, no and no. Yes it is psychic, no the bunk beds aren’t around although I still love them and no she wasn’t joking,” She explained stepping over to you and tapping a few buttons “We’re here, wardrobe is down the corridor, a left then a right then another right. I mean I am assuming you don’t want to wear a work suit on another planet, that is” She said with a small laugh escaping her lips. She was beautiful. 

Eventually you found the wardrobe got dressed and wandered back out, the TARDIS was suspended in the air and she was on the phone, “Just calling to say hi, fam. Where are you? We said an hour. You're late. Very late. All of you. And I picked up (Y/N), on the way we finally matched so we had that date, right see you soon,” 

“You have a group chat?” You asked disrupting her thoughts as she messed with various tubes and cables

“Yeah, just in case. You look nice, I think that’s the most casual I’ve ever seen you, other than New years,” She laughed, helping you out of the box with her surprisingly strong arms. She didn’t notice the black cars pull up behind her, or a few men dressed in all black step out

“We need you to come with us,” One of them stated, in a monotone voice

“Can I finish up first? I'm just draining the water slides. And the boating lakes. And the rainforest floor. Plus, I'm waiting for my mates,” She frowned clearly not pleased by his request 

“Your friends are inside the car. We went to your office to find you Miss (L/N), however you weren’t there,” The agent further explained. At that point Graham stuck a cautious and slightly confused head out of the window “This is the worst uber ever,” He joked

“Please, it’s in your best interest you come with us,” The man urged again. The doctor looked at you, and you nodded and gave a cautious smile, she took your hand and stepped into the car. She got into the front and you got into one of the backseats, greeted by the confused faces of Graham, Ryan and Yaz. You explained the situation quietly to them whilst they nodded at brief intervals. That was until the car got murder obsessed and killed the driver and decided to fire at you until the Doctor managed to fix it and you arrived at M.I.6 headquarters in one piece. 

MI6 was busy and despite the Doctors lack of faith in them they managed to get the TARDIS to the building in one piece. A heavy looking, important man wandered over to the group and tried to introduce himself to Graham, “Well, well, well. Finally we meet. You actually do exist.”

Graham stood there a confused look clear on his face, whilst an advisor whispered into the man's ear. You recognised him as C due to brief encounters MI6 and the institute had had over the years

“No, I’ve read the files. The Doctor is a man,” was his response. You laughed at that, earning a glare from both C and the Doctor. 

“Some of us have been lucky enough for an upgrade. Hi sorry, I’m the Doctor, the car you sent for us tried to kill us,”

“Oh we tried to escort you here not kill you,” He man laughed

“I swear, we have better tech at the institute and we aren’t ran by the government,” You frowned

“Ah Miss (L/N), lovely to see you again. How’s the institute? Still up to date on conspiracy theories and wasting money I see?” He shot back, a smug smile resting on his face “We need your help Doctor.”

After showing you all, the body of a former human in a coma and various spy gadgets, C explained the situation. “All of the spies that have ended up like this have been assigned to one man, Daniel Barton. Founded VOR.”

“We need skywatcher on this, where is he? I haven’t seen him yet?” 

“We fired him-” He began. The Doctor pulled out her phone, typed a text and sent it, “kisses. Very french isn’t it?” She said another small wink aimed in your direction. Her phone dinged, in response a picture of a fish. She pushed the phone back into her pocket

“I can’t believe you fired the only person with an open mind about aliens-” 

“Can we focus, look, we think Barton may be a double or triple agent he could be working for-” You heard the glass smash first, before C’s head rocked forward revealing a gun wound. You all ducked, running out the room as fast as you could, sprinting to the TARDIS. The Doctor typed away at the console as you stared in horror as something broke through the doors and tried to reach for you as the others were busy arguing

“That’s definitely not supposed to happen!” You shouted as the final button was pushed sending the thing vanishing

“Right, Ryan, Yaz, undercover work, investigating Daniel Barton, anything you can get on him, anything unusual, anything alien. (L/N) you can hack the list and get them in right? You can do it through the console,” 

“On it,” you nodded calming down, and clicking away at a few buttons on the console

“So me Graham and (Y/N) will go and investigate my friend. Me and her, we’ve got the best chance of getting him to listen, I’m literally an alien and she’s my assigned stalker.” You stuck your tongue out at that, as you finished typing.

“I see you decoded my message. Fancy a cuppa?” A man sat in a chair asked, when the three of you exited after dropping off Ryan and Yaz.

“Always. Hello, this is my friend Graham, and my other friend (Y/N), she works for the Bad Wolf institute,” 

“And you’re?” Graham asked

“O,” He responded, standing to greet the you all

“O?”

“O. It was an inside joke, C would always say it when I entered a room and it just stuck,” O explained

“Can I take a nose around your gaff?” The doctor asked, not waiting for a response before heading in

“Sorry to hear about you being fired. I would have offered you a job if I’d have known about your interests,” You smiled

“Thank you, that’s kind. I heard about the attack, I’m so sorry that happened cybermen are especially awful,”

You wandered into your house, a mess of technology and paperwork was strewn about the house

“What is all this stuff?” Graham asked, trying to sound as polite as he could

“The full MI6 record of the unexplained, as compiled by me. Human disappearances, sightings of unidentified objects, mysterious beings, possible alien incursions going back centuries,”

“So basically my department then?” You asked sipping something that vaguely resembled tea

“I’ve read about you,” O began “You’re amazing. A missing person’s case, a ghost but you have all that power, that knowledge.” 

“Had no family left, and a few friends when I joined the institute, no one to miss me. Better that way, connections to the institute make you vulnerable. Especially dealing with aliens and time travel,” You explained

“Still, you appear throughout history, that’s amazing! Even as a missing person,” he rambled, light in his eyes. The Doctor cringed at that, she did not appreciate the way he looked at you or asked questions like that

Panic flooded your system, the two guards were gone, and one of those glowing figures remained. 

“It’s coming through the wall!” Graham shouted

“There’s another trap, it won’t release we need to get it to that spot,” O gestured as he fiddled with controls. Without thinking, you rushed to the spot and made lots of noise, it took steps toward you until the heavy trap glass cage slammed down over it. More typing and shouting between the two of them until the energy had been rerouted. You fell to the floor in relief after it was contained

“You ok?” The doctor asked, waiting for a brief nod before she turned to scan the thing, ignoring you. O helped you to your feet, “It worked, it actually worked. You were brilliant, thank you for doing that. You can stay if you like. It worked,” He buzzed, small excited jumps coming from him as he held you hands for support. You simply laughed at him as the Doctor attempted to interview the being. It had begun glowing

“It’s fighting back,” O announced, suddenly rushing back to the monitor  “It’s trying to overload the systems,” The monitor shocked him angrily. The thing vanished and in its place was Yaz.

After a bit of time hopping you were back, you’d picked up Ryan. It was daytime in the outback. You were sat on a kitchen counter, as Graham and O talked at the table

“How do you know her?” Graham asked O in attempt to make conversation

“I had brief encounter with her once, back when she was a man,”

“Everyone keeps saying that. Even her. She was actually a man?” Graham questioned as you and O laughed

“What do you know about her home planet? They can cheat death, on there,” O started before he was cut off by the Doctor existing the TARDIS holding a large glass jug. More explanations, more confusion, more plans. Barton’s DNA was only 93% human. A vaguely threatening animation. Your head was spinning, you were overwhelmed. O went to talk to you, the doctor stopped him and offered him a trip as you had to break into a party, talk to Barton, she guided him towards the TARDIS. Before turning back to you, “You alright?”

“Overwhelmed, tired. Very different to case files and vortex manipulators,” You mumbled, resting a cautious head on her shoulder. She pressed a finger to one of your temples and the sensation went, “should be fine now. C’mon party to investigate, let’s get dressed up,” She said, tugging you towards the TARDIS as O exited it and rambled about how impossible everything was. 

You were dressed in a suit and at the party, it was crowded and loud. “Is this the time to mention I never did much undercover work?” 

“You said you worked for MI6 didn’t you, son?” Graham asked

“Yeah as analyst,” O responded “I don’t think I did any missions,”

“Breathe, you’ll be fine. Done this loads of times,” You responded, the Doctor frowned, “What? I don’t just use my time in other periods for work purposes, my time travel isn’t too dissimilar from yours.”

You split up, Graham and Ryan going in one direction, Yaz going in another, you nodded at the Doctor before splitting from the others O trailing behind you.

“Sorry, you just seem to make this look so easy,” 

“It’s alright, don’t worry about it, we'll play some games and try to get you relaxed and also look for Barton.” You reassured him. You selected a game and played.  You tossed the dice casually as people cheered

“Did we win?” You asked confusion clear

“No, not remotely, but you know what they say unlucky in dice, lucky in love,” O said, staring at you a small smile on his face

“I’ve never heard that,”

“That’s because they don’t actually say that,” He laughed. The Doctor stormed back into the room, “We have to go now, Barton’s getting away,” You nodded and sped after her. She insisted on stealing motorbikes outfront and insisted you stay with her

“Promise me, you know how to ride this,” You said as you held her waist tightly

“I have a vague idea, I’m sure we’ll be fine,” She said as she started it and sped away the others following closely behind her “I could get used to this you know, you clinging to me,” There was smug element to her voice

“You chose to flirt now when we’re being shot at? And when you’re riding a motorbike,” you hissed slightly sarcastically

“Never a better time, I do some of my best work under pressure,” She laughed

Eventually you arrived at an aircraft carrier and you snuck past what little security there was.

“We can’t let him get away c’mon,” the doctor said chasing the plane, 

“It’s not as if we’re going to jump on the plane- no- you can’t be serious-” Graham muttered. The Doctor threw herself into the plane followed, by you, the fam and O trailing slightly behind, you grabbed his arm and helped pull him into the plane

“It’s alright, I’ve got you,” You said as he caught his breath. The Doctor frowned as she closed the hatch. The six of you headed further into the plane. “Sorry about that, I’ve never been good at sprinting. I was the last one in every race at school” O  explained a sheepish smile stuck to his features

“Sorry what?” The Doctor asked, cogs turning in her brain “I read your file, you were a champion sprinter?”

There was a heavy pause. Followed by a laugh and a shift in O’s demeanor “Got me. Well done.” A sharp clap punctuating his sentence

“I’m sorry what?” Yaz piped up

“Might want to look out the window, a little bit wicked witch, but you get the gist. Maybe. Maybe not.” His house was hanging outside the window suspended in midair.

“No,” was all the doctor managed to say

“Come on Doctor, catch up you can do it!” He pointed a finger at you “And you should be using your pathetic human brain, c’mon you can do it, you’ve read all the files,” 

“Oh,” was all the doctor managed to say. You swore, loudly.

“That’s my name, that’s why I chose it. Oh, so satisfying. Doctor, I did say look for the spymaster. Or should I say spy... Master? Hi. And you, you’ve read countless files upon files about me and yet, you couldn’t figure it out,” 

You sat there stunned, unable to move in shock “But you can’t- you shouldn’t- you- you died-” was all that managed to stutter out of your mouth

“I can be and I very much am, sweetheart,” He replied, cool confidence in his tone

“So, what’s going on? He’s not O?” 

“I’m her best enemy, call me Master. Me and her,” he said gesturing towards the doctor “go way, way, way back,”

“But I met O years ago?”

“I know, I know,” He laughed jumping like a giddy child

“But there was an O? C mentioned him,” Ryan asked clearly still confused

“Yeah, a man very close to my heart,” he said placing a hand on his chest “Not that one the other one. Well, my pocket actually,” He pulled a small matchbox out of his pocket revealing a small miniaturized figure within it “It’s always good to keep a backup of one’s work. Tissue compression it’s a classic. Aw you should have laughed at that,” He nudged you as he said it, “ambushed him on his way to work for the first day, shrunk him down and took his identity. That staff canteen was surprisingly good,” He tossed the matchbox casually to one side “I have had SO much fun!”

The doctor snapped into action, “We have to warn Barton! He’s not here? What did you do?”

He fell into the chair next to you, “I don’t understand what you see in her, she’s not very bright is she, love? Wrong question, dear. Check the seat,” He smirked, you sat there still processing everything. “Oops, made it sonic proof, no parachutes, deadlock sealed. Cockpit bomb, short fuse. I can relate,” The master stood up overdramatically. 

“Where’s Barton then?” You asked

“Called away before take off. Stick with me (Y/N), I control everything.” He clicked his fingers and two of the Kaasavan appeared. You backed into your seat and shook your head violently

“Get back, I can’t stop it!” The doctor shouted, slamming the door as a loud boom sounded.

“Oops. One last thing, Something you should know in the seconds before you die, everything you know is a lie.” And with that, he had vanished. The last thing you saw of the Doctor was her panic filled eyes staring at you.

[arianalilyblack]

The Miracle of Children

Title: The Miracle of Children

Author: @arianalilyblack​

Pairing: 10th Doctor x Reader

Word count: 1904

Warnings: nerdy Doctor

Summary: It's Halloween and there is an alien invasion in London. Kids are disappearing randomly from the streets and a strange spaceship appears above London.The Doctor, his companion (Reader) and Martha Jones tries to solve the problem without any casualties.

(November writing prompt 1, 2, 19: Incompetent, Minutes, Long time no see )

It was Halloween night in London. The streets were filled with costumed children knocking on doors hoping to get some candy. Stars were shining from behind the clouds that were gathering over the city. In the bustle no one noticed the appearing blue box in the alley and the two people stepping out of it.

’We are in London’ you said disappointed. ’You said that we are going to see the creation of a new planet far away from Earth.’

’Well...’ he looked around trying to guess the date. ’The TARDIS works in mysterious ways’ he shrugged while taking out his screwdriver from the long coat’s pocket.

’Yeah, blame it on the poor TARDIS. It’s not like you were the incompetent or anything’ you rolled your eyes and watched him do his thing with the screwdriver.

’Oi! Watch you tone or I will take you home’ he threatened you with narrowed brown eyes, but you knew he wasn’t serious about it.

You traveled with him for a year now. You knew him like the back of your hands. He always tried to scare you with taking you home whenever you scolded or teased him. But he knew that this was your way of saying that you were enjoying his company. You became pretty close, you told him almost everything important that happened with you, how you were struggling to find your place until you met him. He told you things that he’d done the bad things and the good things as well. You trusted each other with the secrets you were ashamed of. All the people you met thought that the two of you were dating, but you were just best friends, but sometimes you caught him staring at you when you weren’t looking and he always was so overprotective whenever you were in danger. You didn’t want to notice these little things, because it was so good to be with him you didn’t want to destroy it by involving deeper feelings.

‘What are we doing now?’ you asked him seeing the masked children roaming the road. ‘What the hell?!’ you shouted when you saw a Dalek in the middle of the crowd.

You started running towards it, the Doctor following you concerned. You went past one child that was wearing a ghost-like sheet and one dressed as a cowboy. When you got close to the alien you noticed that it was a stupid costume. It seems like the kid made a Dalek costume for Halloween. You sighed relieved at the fact that the children weren’t going to be exterminated.

‘This is odd’ you heard the Doctors voice from a distance. ‘Look at the kids, Y/n.’

It was like all of your enemies were gathered in one place. Cybermens, Daleks, Weeping Angels, the Silence, Zygons, Slitheens and so on. The street was filled with children dressed as aliens. The Doctor started to check all the “alien” kids with the sonic screwdriver, and what you saw on his face wasn’t something promising. He jumped from one to the other and you could see that he’s getting nervous with every second. He came back to you after he scanned all the suspicious children.

‘We have a problem here Y/n’ he frowned his eyes while going through his hair with his hand several times. ‘These aren’t human children. They were taken some while ago, but the truth is, I’ve never seen this species before. Uh..’ he grabbed his face nervously. ’You were right, I’m an incompetent person.’

‘Hey! Don’t say that. You are The Doctor, the last Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous.’ You caressed his face gently. ‘You know I was just kidding, Doc. You are a great, kind, generous loving person. Don’t you ever doubt yourself, ‘kay?’ you planted a little kiss on his cheek.

‘Y/n, I don’t know what I would do without you’ he smiled at you kindly. He shook himself a little and put on his nerdy glasses. ‘Okay, than back to business.’

‘That’s the spirit’ you said enthusiastically. You went back to the TARDIS just in time, cause as you were locking up the door the telephone rang.

‘Hello! The Doctor here. Well hello Martha Jones! Nice to hear from you. Yeah, we happen to be here in London. Precisely where? Okay, hang on, we are coming.’ He hung up the phone and turned to face you. ‘Come Y/n, we are going to the Tower.’

‘The Tower? Really?’ You’ve never been to the Tower before. You knew that sometimes the Doctor helped out UNIT, but you never had anything to do with them until now. You took the subway, because sometimes the TARDIS could make mistakes when landing and you couldn’t risk it now. When you arrived the escort was already waiting at the entrance. They notified the superior and after a few minutes a girl appeared and greeted you with a wide smile.

‘Hello Doctor! Long time no see’ she gave him a hug then she turned to you. ‘Hi, I’m Martha Jones, US division of UNIT. Nice to meet you!’

‘Hi, I’m Y/f/n. Pleasure to meet you too!’ you shook hands and went inside.

‘So who are we against Doctor?’ Martha asked. ‘We detected a spaceship above us. We tried to create a communication channel, but we couldn’t reach them.’

‘I don’t really know yet’ he admitted fiddling with his glasses while watching the screens. ‘It’s a roughly new species, I think. They took the children and replaced them with alien costumed humanoids they created. The question is what they want from the children. So let’s see what we’ve got here.’ He took his screwdriver and enhanced the equipment. ‘Now we should be able to contact them.’ He rubbed his chin while Martha pressed some buttons. It wasn’t long till an alien face came on the monitor.

‘Greetings! I’m the Doctor. This planet called Earth is under my protection. I’m a peaceful person and I’m asking you kindly to return the human children unharmed.’

‘We are the Hexxas from the planet of Hexagon. We came here, because our planet was invaded and our food sources were diminished. We need to feed before we can continue our journey.’

‘Unfortunately I can’t let that happen. If you don’t return the hostages in 1,0833 gamma stars, this nice lady beside me will have no other choice but to launch the attack that will destroy your tiny ship. I can tell that you don’t want to jeopardize your people safety.’

‘We will not harm the little creatures. We just need them to give us their happiness. These tiny beings carry an enormous amount of nourishment which could help us survive our extinction.’

‘According to Shadow Proclamation, law no. 23, section 18, paragraph 4, is strictly forbidden to harvest life forms from inhabited planets, and Planet Earth is also out of your jurisdiction.’ At this point the connection interrupted.

‘Gamma stars? What are those?’ asked Martha with a frown.

‘It’s an intergalactic metric unit used in their constellation. It’s the equivalent for five minutes. They wouldn’t understand if I told them in minutes.’

‘What do we do now Doctor?’ you asked concerned. ‘We can’t doom them to extinction. There must be another way to help them without risking the children’s life.’ Your words puzzled him. He ran his hand through his spiky hair thinking hard for another option.

‘Hurry up Doctor, we only have two minutes before the missiles are fired’ Martha warned him.

‘Okay, let’s think. They need happiness. But what is happiness? It’s a mix of hormones: dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and endorphins, also called the feel good hormones. They regime is probably based on these hormones. What kind of food do you humans eat when you feel low?’ he asked with a mysterious smile.

‘Chocolate’ you shout out in recognition. ‘We give them chocolate.’

‘Brilliant! Yes, that’s what we are going to do’ he hugged you tightly. ’Martha gather as much chocolate as you can in one minute and take it to the TARDIS as fast as you can. And please stop that damn countdown already’ he shouted to the soldier responsible for the missiles. He soniced the monitor and the connection was on again.

‘Hello again! The Doctor calling. You can now return the children back to Earth. We came up with the perfect solution. We will give you as much chocolate as you need. It will grant you the same nutrition as the kids’ happiness, I can guarantee you that. I will bring it myself with my ship as soon as possible.’

‘We can’t send them back till we are certain that you are right. Bring us that chocolate thing and then we will return them.’ And the connection was lost again.

‘Martha, did you succeed?’

‘Of course, Doctor. It wasn’t too hard to make it happen. It’s Halloween, everything is filled with sweets. The cargo is ready for shipping’ she answered.

‘Brilliant! Allons-y Y/n! We need to make a shipping’ he grabbed your wrist and started running.

‘We should ask them for a lift’ you shouted to him.

‘Yeah, probably would be better’ he agreed.

You asked a soldier to give you a lift all the way to the TARDIS. The huge package was already at the door. You carried it into the TARDIS and started the journey to the Hexxa spaceship. The blue box landed without any problems and you were greeted by curious faces when you stepped out from it.

‘Hello! I’m the Doctor and this is my companion, Y/n. We brought you some delicious treat. We hope this will provide you the necessary nutriments.’

‘Bring it to me Kynzaro’ said the one who was sitting on the chair in the middle of the room.

The creature named Kynzaro came to you and took the huge package. The leader took out a chocolate bar from the box and he bitten a piece out of it. The expression on his face was promising. His face lit up in excitement.

‘This is exactly what we needed. Return the human minions back to their last location and teleport back to the ship the humanoids.’ He gave the order. ‘Thank you Doctor for helping us. We really didn’t want to make any trouble to the people below. We just had to do something to survive.’

‘You are lucky we were around. If it weren’t for us, you would be obliterated by now.’ He said in a strict tone. ‘But all things turned out well eventually. We will let you continue your journey now people of Hexagon.’

The two of you made sure that the kids were back home and after that you got in the TARDIS and you got out of the spaceship. The Doctor phoned Martha and told her that everything was back to normal and there is no need to worry about the Hexxas ever again.

‘Where do you want to go next Y/n?’ he asked you.

‘Does it matter at this point? It seems like we always end up in other places.’ You shrugged in response.

‘Come on now. Don’t be such a buzz kill. We always have fun in the end tho.’ He poked your waist playfully.

‘True’ you admitted with a sigh. ‘But still, I hope this time we will end someplace peaceful, without any action.’

‘Sounds good to me’ he laughed with a wide smile and pulled a lever. ‘Allons-y!’

[aion-rsa]

The Trouble with Alien Zombies

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Soon we’re going to be watching Zack Snyder leave behind the quest for a “grown-up” superhero movie and return to his old playground, the zombie movie. Army of the Dead looks like a huge amount of fun and leaves us wondering why nobody has made a zombie heist movie before (except for Train to Busan sequel, Peninsula), but one of the plot details that has leaked about the film is that Area 51 plays a significant role.

This suggests that the zombie plague may be extraterrestrial in origin. Like most subversions of the zombie apocalypse genre (although Army of the Dead promises a much smaller and more contained “apocalypse” so that all that cash they steal is still worth something) this is actually a plot twist you can trace back to the earliest roots of the genre.

In Night of the Living Dead, the zombie apocalypse (although again, by the end of the film the “ghouls” seem to have been mostly mopped up) is the result of strange radiation emerging from a probe that has returned from Venus. The trope goes back even further than that.

One of the few films that can make a claim to an earlier take on the zombie apocalypse than Night of the Living Dead is the timeless classic Plan 9 from Outer Space. In that film, which we will not be making any jokes about, aliens reanimate the recently dead and drive them to attack the capital cities of the Earth.

In fact, if you want to find pre-George Romero examples of zombie apocalypse stories, the original series of Star Trek has done two. In the episode “Miri” the Enterprise encounters an exact duplicate of Earth, except that humanity has been wiped out by a deadly pandemic that turns every adult human into a violent, raging monster. It’s a premise explored in more detail by Charlie Higson’s YA zombie series The Enemy, and the Netflix series Daybreak.

Star Trek also gives us the brilliantly titled “Operation — Annihilate!”, where a swarm of spacefaring parasites sweep through the galaxy, infecting humanoids and driving them to a violent rage.

Yes, zombie purists might claim both of these are close to 28 Days Later’s “Rage infected humans” than true zombies, but in truth, the genre is big enough to include multitudes, and anything that A: uses human bodies, to B: create more entities like itself, while C: Not appearing to be intelligent, will usually create a story that looks a lot like a zombie story.

Indeed, Star Trek would come back to space zombies again, once more in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode, “Impulse” and again in the pilot episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks.

Is There Death on Mars?

Star Trek is not alone in drinking from this particular well. Early in its run Dark Matter had a space zombie episode. Doctor Who has done two space zombie episodes in the new series alone, “The Waters of Mars”, and “Oxygen” (which used zombie movie tropes for their intended purpose- bringing down capitalism), and that’s just including the ones actually set in space. Hell, even the primitive bandage-and-hospital-gown-wearing Cybermen from “The Doctor Falls” have a very George Romero vibe to them.

The appeal of putting a zombie in a spaceship for a TV show is easy to see. Zombies are a cool and instantly recognisable monster. Spaceships are a cool and instantly recognisable setting. What’s more, while your production values may vary, zombies on a spaceship is a pretty damn cheap concept to realise on screen. Zombies are just however many extras you can afford with some gory make-up. All you need for a spaceship is some suitably set-dressed corridors and maybe a couple of exterior model shots if you’re feeling swish.

And as with the zombie apocalypse genre as a whole, the audience instantly and instinctively understands “the rules” of a zombie story, allowing you to focus on your characters and the solutions they come up with.

The movies are no stranger to the space zombie either. The most straightforward example being The Last Days on Mars, which is pretty much a note-for-note remake of Doctor Who’s “The Waters of Mars” but without David Tennant. Mars is a popular venue, in fact as we see also Martian zombie apocalypses in Doom (2005) and Doom Annihilation (neither of which I watched to research this article, because there are limits). Even the “Ghosts” in Ghosts of Mars (which I did watch) may resemble more of a cross between Mad Max baddies and Evil Dead’s Deadites than zombies, but still, have a certain zombieness about them.

Most recently, in this last year Bruce Willis has starred in not one, but two movies with sub-Doctor Who production values where he fights space zombie-like adversaries (I have watched Breach/Anti-Life and Cosmic Sin, so don’t know why I thought I could get away with being snobby about the Doom movies earlier).

But Doom also raises another point about space zombies – a really popular venue for the extra-terrestrial undead is videogames.

This is for surprisingly very similar reasons to why space zombies are popular on telly and in film. Videogames will get far more creative in designing the appearance of their space zombies  – with the Dead Space trilogy setting the bar with their gloriously gory Necromorphs – but the AI for a zombie, environmental navigation aside, seldom needs to be much more complicated than that of a Pac-Man ghost. Space has been a popular videogame setting for as long as videogames have been a thing, thanks to the handy black background it offers, and once again, corridors.

We’ve seen them in Dead Space, in all the Doom games, but also the Halo games in the form of the fungal, cancerous looking, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis-inspired Flood. Mass Effect gives us colonists zombified by the sentient Thorian plant, as well as the more technological “Husks”. And of course, there’s that one Call of Duty map.

Even now the makers of the original Dead Space games are looking to get back in on the action with the upcoming game, The Callisto Protocol.

And yet, while the appeal of space zombies is undeniable, by the same token they just don’t feel quite like “proper” zombie stories.

In Space, Nobody Can Hear You Shout “Brains!”

The problem is this: Your archetypical zombie story is ultimately a siege narrative. Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Shaun of the Dead, even twists on the formula like 28 Days Later, Train to Busan, and Pontypool all operate on a similar premise. You and some humans you probably don’t get on with are trapped in a structure (in Train it’s a moving structure, but still counts). Outside of that structure, there are somewhere between hundreds and thousands of zombified humans who want to get in and kill you. The humans keep arguing until the zombies get in and kill everyone.

For this to work you need a structure with a lot of room around it, and a big population of people to be turned into zombies.

Unfortunately the living conditions in space, even in our wildest space future fantasies, tend to be A: Quite claustrophobic, and B: Don’t have many people in.

Even in Dead Space, arguably the best example of a space zombie story, you very often find yourself thinking that if zombies hadn’t killed off this mining ship/space station/mining colony, overpopulation would have.

At the same time, spaceships, space stations and colonies tend to have really good, robust metal doors separating any two parts of the habitat, quickly reducing any zombie plotline to this XKCD cartoon.

But there are workarounds, and ways to use these restrictions to your advantage. Zombies are, by nature, pretty rubbish, slow-moving, stupid, easy to kill in small numbers. Most zombie stories get around this issue by throwing loads of them at you. Space zombie movies can make use of those corridors we mentioned earlier, showing how much scarier a single zombie can be in enforced close quarters.

Zombies also have one major advantage over their living victims – they don’t need to breathe. This is a major plus point in space, offering you the chance to have hordes of zombies crawling along the outer hull of the ship – something we’ve seen in Dead Space and Doctor Who’s “Oxygen”.

At the same time, the space setting also emphasises another key aspect of the zombie story – resource management. In space there is no huge abundance of well-stocked shopping malls or bunkers full of firearms. One of the ways The Last Days on Mars manages to make its very small number of zombies threatening is that their small hab modules have very little that you could use as a weapon.

And yet, space zombies still lack a certain something of their terrestrial counterparts.

It’s Undeath, Jim, but Not as We Know It

The thing is, aside from anything else, zombies are a transformation of the familiar. They look like more beaten-up versions of your neighbours and co-workers. The zombie apocalypse is a scene you can easily imagine on your street, at your pub, your local shopping centre.

Army of the Dead gets this – no matter where you are in the world, the iconography of the Las Vegas strip is familiar and we enjoy seeing it overrun by the undead.

And spaceships just aren’t. You might conceivably end up on holiday in Vegas. You’re statistically unlikely to be an astronaut.

But it’s more than that. Zombies are far more than cheap monsters that require little in the way of make-up or AI programming. The symbolism they carry is incredibly weighty. Earthly zombies have been used to represent capitalism, conformity, Vietnam soldiers, couch potato culture, mob mentality, our instinct towards violence, poverty, our obsession with mobile phones, and our ability to dehumanise one another.

Divorced from our world, from us as we recognise ourselves, that symbolism becomes a lot harder to nail. The zombies in The Last Days on Mars are just zombies. Dead Space’s Necromorphs are maybe a legally-safe satire on Scientology? Pandorum gives us extremely pale evolved human descendants that are extremely zombie-ish, and they certainly exhibit some of the worst bits of humanity, but they also live in a darkened, claustrophobic Hell, so it’s hard to hold it against them.

Zombies rarely represent anything in the way Earth-bound zombies do.

At least, nothing human.

Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of Ruin features a sentient alien slime mould-like creature that, in its curiosity and need to explore, infiltrates and takes over the nervous system of the humans it encounters. To an outside observer, they look extremely like zombies, but the lifeform itself isn’t aggressive, just very, very alien. Andrew Skinner’s Steel Frame gives us not only space zombies, but space zombie mechs, and again the “Flood” (not the Halo one) that infects them is implied to be a kind of hivemind.

Most of the space zombies we’ve seen here aren’t what purists would call “true zombies” but are some manner of hivemind. This is true of Halo’s Flood, Mass Effect’s Thorians and Husks, and if we throw the doors to zombie-dom wide open, while they’re very different in the TV series, the Borg of Star Trek: First Contact come across as alien cyber-zombies.

One book to feature relatively harmless alien-created zombies is Arkady and Boris Strugatsky’s Roadside Picnic. In that book the aliens aren’t robots or little green men, we just encounter their leftovers and garbage, which are artefacts strange and incomprehensible to humans. That these artefacts somehow raise the dead as mindless automata is a minor side issue – the book is about how alien intelligence might be something so different from ourselves we don’t even recognise it as intelligence.

If there is a space for alien zombies and zombie astronauts in the zombie pantheon, maybe it’s there. Space zombies are scary because they look like us but think so differently that we can’t comprehend them, while Earth zombies are scary because we have oh so much in common with them.

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Chris Farnell is the author of Fermi’s Progress, a series of novellas about a prototype FTL ship that blows up every planet it encounters. The latest instalment, Descartesmageddon, features an alien planet undergoing a very different kind of zombie apocalypse. It is available at Scarlet Ferret and Amazon.

The post The Trouble with Alien Zombies appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[chocolatequeennk]

Reconciling GITF with the Ten/Rose arc

Or, “Why the Doctor was definitely a jerk, but not as much of one as we think.”

I’ve had this post rattling around in my brain for months, and @chiaroscuroverse‘s great meta in her author profile and subsequent replies, plus thinking about it for my own author profile, inspired me to finally get it written down. Like her, I don’t like the way GITF has skewed the fandom perception of Ten’s character. In an effort to reconcile his very out of character behaviour, a whole fanon has arisen that makes him out to be commitment-phobic and cavalier with Rose’s safety in a way that does not hold water if we remove GITF from the equation. 

But--much as I wish we could--we can’t just pretend the episode doesn’t exist. In light of that, how can we analyse GITF and come out at the end with a version of Ten that still fits in with how he acts in other episodes?

The first thing you need to know as I write this post is that I will not be looking at other episodes through the lens of what happens in GITF. I go the other way around. When you’re analysing texts, you should always depend on the stronger text to inform the weaker text. I assume that everyone who is still reading this post by this point agrees that GITF is a very bad representation of Ten’s character--so why do we use it as the basis of our meta, rather than finding ways to fit it into the character we see in other episodes?

This is a long post, so I’m going under a cut in a minute. But first, here are the bullet points I’ll be addressing:

Things we know as the audience that Rose does not know

Reinette going into his head is assault, not a sign of intimacy

Mickey’s presence on the TARDIS was not an attempt at space

Mickey is not a reliable witness of the Doctor’s behaviour

The Doctor's drunk act when he arrives is just an act

The Tenth Doctor was no less protective of Rose than Nine

It was wrong of the Doctor to leave Rose and Mickey on the spaceship without any indication that had an idea of how to get back, especially after telling her he’d never leave her behind

My ultimate conclusion after considering all those points

1. Things we know as the audience that Rose does not know 

It was on the seventh or eighth time watching GITF to prep for TMMOT that I had a rather jaw-dropping realisation. Rose did not see the kiss. Rose was not near enough to the fireplace to hear him crow about the kiss. Rose does not know about the kiss unless he tells her.

That... doesn’t make the kiss itself or his crowing about it any less disturbing, and I do hope he told her about it at some point. But it does require a major shift in how we think about Rose’s reaction to the overall story. 

Also, Rose wasn’t there when the Doctor used telepathy on Reinette, so she doesn’t know that Reinette was able to get into his head. She might feel less-than Reinette for other reasons, but not this one. 

2. Reinette going into his head is assault, not a sign of intimacy

Even if Rose knew about it, the Doctor is not at all to blame for this and I really get upset when he apologises for it. What Reinette did was assault. She didn’t know that, maybe, but in every universe I’ve read where there’s telepathy, going into someone else’s mind without permission is viewed as a violation. Why do we get upset with the Doctor for being violated? It’s victim-blaming, and... Ick.

3. Mickey’s presence on the TARDIS was not an attempt at space

I have a whole post just about this point. This is one of the biggest examples of the way we’ve analysed other episodes in light of GITF, shifting how we see things so GITF makes more sense. 

The simple fact is that the way Mickey asked left the Doctor (and Rose) with no polite way to say no. They’d just invited Sarah Jane along, in front of him. Telling him no would make it obvious that it was him, specifically, they didn’t want to travel with. I don’t blame Rose for feeling that way, because Mickey did everything he could up until their foray into Pete’s World to convince Rose to leave the Doctor and come back to him. But even she knew, as much as she didn’t like it, that telling Mickey no would permanently damage their friendship. 

4. Mickey is not a reliable witness of the Doctor’s behaviour

So. One thing that is often brought up is Mickey’s line that it’s been hours and where is Rose’s precious Doctor? This is seen as proof that the Doctor is being very cavalier with Rose’s safety, and on first glance, it is. 

But consider the source. First of all, how does Mickey even know that? They were both knocked out by the tranq darts, and even if we allow for Mickey’s greater body mass to let him wake up a little before Rose, “hours” earlier strains credulity. I could buy that he was awake for 20 minutes before Rose woke up, but no longer. 

Which means he is doing exactly what Mickey has done in every episode previous to this--he is hyperbolising to make Rose realise how dangerous things are with the Doctor/how the Doctor will never love her/how the Doctor doesn’t treat her as well as Mickey does. This is a pattern with Mickey Smith, pre-Cybermen. 

He clings to her legs and calls the Doctor a thing in “Rose”

He tells Rose the Doctor left her in “Aliens of London”

In “Boom Town,” he straight up tells Rose that he resents the Doctor because Rose always chooses him over Mickey

In “Parting of the Ways” he tries to convince Rose to stay behind with him and forget whatever she’s thinking about to get back to the Doctor

In “The Christmas Invasion,” he tells Rose that she can depend on him--Mickey--because he doesn’t go around changing his face

In Feast of the Drowned, he gets angry with the Doctor after they both see Rose waiting for them underwater. I can’t remember the quote, but the implication was that because the Doctor was able to control his reaction to the pull, that he didn’t care as much about Rose as Mickey did. The Doctor counters that fiercely.

In The Stone Rose, he blames the Doctor for Rose getting turned into a statue

In “School Reunion” he purposely pokes at Rose’s doubts after meeting Sarah Jane, telling her this proves the Doctor is just like other blokes (implying the Doctor wouldn’t be faithful, etc.)

And earlier in GITF, he teased Rose again about all the other girls the Doctor has been with. 

With this pattern of behaviour, you can see why I take what Mickey says about the Doctor’s behaviour with a large tablespoon of salt. He has never been fair about the Doctor’s actions or motivations, and he is always ready to jump on any perceived failing on the Doctor’s part to convince Rose that he, Mickey, is the better man. 

In light of that, has it really been hours since Mickey and Rose were taken? Did the Doctor really party it up with the French while Rose was on the verge of being sliced up? I go with no.

5. The Doctor's drunk act when he arrives is just an act

I don’t think many people think he was actually drunk, because we all know that canonically, it’s hard to get a Time Lord drunk. But his demeanour in this scene, coupled with Mickey’s accusation, is often seen together as a sign that he just... didn’t care about Rose. 

But, if we allow for the possibility that it hadn’t actually been hours, and if we consider that 1) he had to go back to the TARDIS and get the anti-oil (possibly even make it) and that 2) he needed some sort of cover that would convince the droids to let him get close enough to use the anti-oil, his behaviour is much more calculated. 

Now. I do think this might have appeared uncaring to Rose, and I have a scene in the fic I’m working on where she rails at him for it and he realises what it looked like. But appearances are not necessarily fact. 

6. The Tenth Doctor was no less protective of Rose than Nine

This is the point at which I really diverge with a lot of Doctor/Rose meta. One thing that’s sprung up as we’ve tried to make sense of GITF is the idea that this is one more instance in a long line of times where Ten allowed Rose to be in dangerous situations that Nine would have stopped. 

But. For a moment, consider a series 2 with no GITF. 

Would you still think that Cassandra manipulating the lift so Rose is trapped with her instead of safe with the Doctor is any more the Doctor’s fault than when Cassandra trapped Rose in a room where she would be incinerated by the sun? I know part of the argument here is that Ten didn’t consider Rose could be put in danger when they were separated, but Nine didn’t know Rose was in danger until he heard her voice on the other side of the door. They were both unaware that she had gotten into danger.

Would you still think Rose noticing that a servant girl was upset in “Tooth and Claw” and getting hit over the head as they talked was the Doctor’s fault, any more than Rose trying to track down the ghost and getting abducted by Mr. Sneed was the Doctor’s fault? I know part of the argument is that Nine chased after Rose immediately, but 1) he saw her be abducted, whereas for all Ten knew, she was getting dressed, and 2) as soon as Ten realised there was danger afoot, his very first thought was, “Where is Rose?”

This life is dangerous, but one of the things I love the most about Rose Tyler is her insistence on being a full partner in it. She hates it when he tries to keep her from dangerous things. She wanders into them herself, and she would honestly be offended by the idea that he’s responsible for her actions. 

7. It was wrong of the Doctor to leave Rose and Mickey on the spaceship without any indication that had an idea of how to get back, especially after telling her he’d never leave her behind.

Okay. I’m not going to argue this point at all. This is the key to my complaint with the episode, outside of the kiss which... ick. I personally believe he had a plan to get back, because I cannot believe he would leave the TARDIS even if he would ever really abandon his companions. I think that whatever the plan was, it was one that would take a long time, which is why he was resigned to the slow path, until Reinette showed him the fireplace. 

But even if he had a plan, the expression on Rose’s face after he went through the mirror makes it clear that he didn’t tell her what it was, and that’s wrong.

8. So, ultimately, what’s my headcanon regarding this episode? Why did the Doctor get so caught up in things that he ignored Rose like that at the end?

First, I think there were a lot of timelines falling apart and he panicked. He needed to make sure Reinette didn’t die, and he got tunnel vision, thinking about that and nothing else. 

Second, I think Reinette was his celebrity crush, and he was flattered by her obvious interest in him. I mean. If you met your celebrity crush, and they treated you like the most fascinating person on the planet, wouldn’t that feel pretty good?

Third, I don’t think his grief over her death was any more profound than his grief when anyone he’s fond of dies. He grieved for Astrid... and cutting this short, there’s a whole montage in Journey’s End when Davros is mocking him that shows he always takes these deaths very personally. Him being upset that she died does not mean he loved her. It means he has a heart... er, two hearts.

Fourth, I think the laughter and teasing between the Doctor and Rose at the beginning of the next episode means they talked this out and came to an understanding--one which Pete’s World very nearly unravelled, but that was solidified in the conversation RTD says definitely took place between that adventure and Idiot’s Lantern.

And that conversation is the fanfic I’m working on for this week. 

[lastbluetardis]

Journeys End in Lovers Meeting 1/2

This was written for the incredible @chocolatequeennk. Happy Birthday, Nancy!! I hope you like it! Chapter 2 should be ready later this week! <3

Ten x Rose, ~1.8k

After being separated shortly after agreeing to a marriage bond, the Doctor and Rose find their way back to each other and try to pick up their relationship where they left off—after saving the multiverse from a Dalek attack, of course.

AO3

Rose was flushed and breathing raggedly beneath him as he pillowed his head against her breasts. God, he loved making love with her. He’d loved making love to her before they’d added telepathy to their intimacy, but feeling her in his mind, literally infiltrating every thought… It was indescribable.

“Love you,” he mumbled, reluctantly lifting himself off of her.

He flopped heavily onto his back and opened his arms for her, humming happily when she crawled into them.

“Love you, too, Doctor,” she murmured, nuzzling her cheek atop his left heart.

Her mind buzzed blissfully around his, and he was loath to break the connection.

“Not yet?” she asked, recognizing the shift in his mind that meant he was about to dissolve their connection. “Just… not yet? I—I like having you here.”

The Doctor hummed happily at her shy admission.

“So do I, Rose,” he said earnestly. “More than you’ll ever know.”

They lapsed into silence, each of them basking in the love and warmth they were both exuding, until finally the Doctor broke the stillness.

“You know,” he said nonchalantly, carding his fingers through her hair. “There is a way for us to keep a more permanent mental connection. If that’s something you might want?”

“Yeah?” she asked, turning to look up at him. His mind felt nervous, now, and she tried to lessen that. She never wanted him to feel anxious or unsettled around her, so she focused on how much she loved him, and hoped he could feel even one iota of what she felt.

“Oh, Rose.”

His sharp gasp and trembling of his hands made her optimistic that she had succeeded, and she tilted her head to brush her lips across every patch of skin she could reach.

He rolled towards her, displacing her from his chest, and cradled her cheek in his palm to press a tender kiss to her lips. His mind flared in hers, and she gasped into his mouth when she felt the utter love and trust and happiness he was projecting.

“You-you were saying?” she prompted shakily as his lips grazed across her jaw and down her neck.

“Hmm?”

Rose broke out in goosebumps as his hot breath tickled her skin, and she bit back a moan as she tried to focus.

“You were saying we could have a more permanent connection?”

The Doctor froze, and some of the warmth of his mind chilled back to nervousness. Rose reached out to stroke his hair until his worries had calmed.

“Right, yes. Well, you see, my people were all telepathic,” he began, settling his head back against his pillow. “As you know. Obviously. And there was not only the physical aspect of a relationship—which they sort of looked down on anyway—but there was also a mental one. It was fairly rare, though, at least during my time on Gallifrey. You see, Gallifreyan relationships weren’t what you’re used to. They were built around societal stability and advancement. A match was made because it was logical, not because the two parties actually loved each other. But there were stories of the rare few who were matched out of love, and formed what was called a marriage bond. It’s a literal melding of the minds. What we’re sharing right now—” His mind brushed warmly against hers, and Rose shivered at the tenderness behind the caress. “Well, a marriage bond would be… more.”

The Doctor must have felt her incredulity—how could anything be more than what they were already sharing?—and he chuckled.

“What we’re sharing now still leaves us some semblance of privacy in our heads,” he explained. “We have our individual thoughts and emotions that we have to consciously choose to project to each other. Well, except when we’re overwhelmed by a very strong emotion.” The Doctor’s touch on her mind turned undeniably sultry and passionate, and Rose shivered when she felt a deep ache swoop through her stomach.

“It sounds beautiful,” Rose began, and she hesitated before admitting, “but it sounds invasive. Like we’d have no privacy anymore.”

“Well, it’s sort of meant to be like that,” the Doctor said, rubbing a hand across his jaw as he stared at their ceiling. “I mean… it’s the epitome of intimacy. But if you don’t want…”

He trailed off with a shrug that broke Rose’s heart. She could feel the yearning he was radiating beneath his nonchalance.

“But you want a bond like that with me,” Rose said.

“What we’ve been sharing has been more than I could have ever hoped for,” he answered. He leaned over and pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead. “Honestly. Being able to share in your mind like this… being able to make love to you… it’s perfect. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want you in my head on a more permanent basis. However, I will not bond with you if you don’t want it. And don’t you dare agree to it just because you think it will make me happy, Rose. A marriage bond is permanent, only broken by the death of one of the partners.”

Rose nodded, and she bit her lip against her next question. But she had to know… “And you’re not just asking because of yesterday, are you?”

The Doctor had given Rose her annual check-up, and when he’d analyzed a sample of her blood, he’d been astounded by what he’d seen. After nearly an hour of the Doctor poking and prodding her as he took various other samples from her, she finally got him to assure her she wasn’t dying. Quite the opposite—he’d found that her cells were decaying exponentially slower than they should, and that she was riddled with Huon particles and Artron energy, presumably left over from when she’d merged with the TARDIS.

“No, Rose,” he vowed fiercely. He cradled her jaw in his palm and brushed his thumb across her cheekbone. “We’ve been intimate for nearly six months… the very first time you allowed me into your mind, I knew it was only a matter of time before I asked you for a more complete bond.”

Rose nodded and nuzzled her nose into his chest. Her eyes fluttered shut as she was shrouded in his contentment, and she threw hers into the mix to make a cocktail of lethargy. It felt so right to have the Doctor in her mind. Even the first time they’d tried it, the alienness of their telepathic connection had disappeared almost instantly, leaving behind a comfort and familiarity that made Rose ache with love for her Doctor.

“There are still ways to keep your mind private,” the Doctor murmured, his voice slurring slightly as he tugged their duvet around them. “I could teach you. And there’s always the common courtesy of allowing your partner their privacy. If there’s anything else you want to know about a marriage bond, please ask me. Or the TARDIS. I’m sure she could guide you to a whole shelf of books in the library. But like I said, don’t agree just to appease me. I’m more than content with the way things are between us now.”

Rose nodded into his chest, feeling a nervous anticipation creep over her. The more he talked about the bond, the more her yearning grew. She loved feeling him in her mind now, and had done ever since they first added telepathy to their relationship.

“Can we stop by Mum’s later today?” she asked, strumming her fingers up and down his ribs.

“Your mum’s?” he asked with a wrinkled nose.

“Yeah. I suppose I ought to tell her I’m engaged, don’t you think?”

Rose held her breath as she watched the Doctor’s emotions play out across his face, and across her mind. They morphed from confused shock to tentative hope and back again as he blinked rapidly.

“You want—?” he squeaked.

“I want,” she confirmed, reaching up to cup his cheek as she tried to project to him the surety she was feeling. “I want that so much, Doctor.”

His breath caught in his throat, and suddenly his lips were on hers. They were hot and uncoordinated, and Rose giggled into the kiss as she tried to assert some semblance of order.

“Oh, Rose,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around her shoulders to tug her closer. “Oh, love…”

He buried his face into her neck and Rose was nearly overwhelmed by the utter joy he was projecting. Tears prickled behind her eyes as she felt how loved she was by him.

“So loved,” he whispered raggedly, pressing his lips to her neck. “So completely, utterly, eternally loved.”

Rose turned her head and caught his lips in a kiss.

oOoOo

They made it to Jackie’s eventually, for a quick little trip to check in on her after the Elton debacle, and to share their good news.

“And I got you this,” Rose said, pulling the Bazoolium out of her pocket. While her mum still fretted over her travels, Rose found that Jackie could be quite easily placated with little trinkets she found across the universe. She had hoped a new gift for her mum might butter her up before she and the Doctor shared their news…

“I’ve got a surprise for you and all,” Jackie exclaimed, barely looking at the weather divinator Rose handed her.

“Oh, I get her Bazoolium, she doesn't even say thanks,” Rose mumbled. The Doctor giggled beside her, and she couldn’t help but share a smile with him.

She and the Doctor followed her mother into the kitchen to see what surprise she had for them, even though they were itching to get back to the TARDIS so they could finally complete the bond they were both so eager for.

And that’s when their quick little jaunt to Jackie’s turned into the worst day of their lives. That was when they discovered the ghosts that weren’t ghosts, and Torchwood, and the Cybermen and the Daleks.

But even when it seemed that all hope had been lost, Rose had faith. She believed in her Doctor, and in them. She believed they would both survive the day, and save the Earth while they were at it.

She stayed with the Doctor, reaffirming her promise of forever—“I made my choice a long time ago, and I’m never going to leave you.”—and Rose was so proud of him when he nodded at her and let her stay with him to man the computers.

It was all going perfectly…

…Until it wasn’t. Minutes passed in a blur of hazy white and echoing screams and the insurmountable tug from the Void they’d opened.

And what should have been the happiest day of their life ended with them both making the forty-five storey walk down Torchwood Tower without the other, both trapped on the wrong side of a transdimensional white wall.

[chasingthecosmos]

Two Words to Keep

Fandom: Doctor Who Rating: T Pairing: The Doctor/Rose Tyler, Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Chapters: 17/18 Read on AO3 here.

“This new body was all about words, but in that moment, the Doctor found himself struggling to find the right ones to say. He knew already that there were really only five that he absolutely needed to tell her - five words that would change their lives forever.”

A (sort of) season re-write centering around the Doctor’s touch telepathy and the many inconvenient ways that it gets between him and his companion, Rose Tyler. This work is based around Season 2 and the Tenth Doctor. It’s a sequel to “A Hand to Hold”, but can also be read as a stand-alone. This is NOT going to be a Doomsday fix-it fic, but there will be a separate Journey’s End fix-it sometime in the future.

Chapter Seventeen: Army of Ghosts & Doomsday (Part Three)

Stage one of the Doctor's plan: retrieve the magnaclamps that he had spotted in one of the Torchwood warehouses when he had been traveling around with Yvonne earlier in the day before everything started to fall apart. Easier said than done when a full-on war was being waged around them - two separate armies and four armed daleks all fighting to wipe each other out of existence.

However, his handy 3D glasses gave him hope as the Doctor covertly ducked his head back into the firefight and noticed the tiny floating particles of void stuff that seemed to track every movement that the daleks and cybermen made. Stage one of the Doctor's plan: successfully completed.

Stage two of the Doctor's plan: find out what was in the "genesis ark" that the Cult of Skaro was toting around like a trophy. To do that, he had to drag the entire Tyler family, Mickey, and Jake all up to the top floor of the tower. Back in Yvonne's office, they all watched in wide-eyed horror as the device floating above London slowly slid open and then began to spin, spewing out more daleks at every turn.

"It's bigger on the inside," the Doctor breathed in quiet disbelief. "It's a prison ship."

"How many daleks?" Rose asked warily, flashing him a concerned, sideways glance.

"Millions."

Stage two of the Doctor's plan: successfully completed, though the end result was far less than ideal.

Which brought them all to stage three of his plan: don't let Rose catch on to what was going to happen next.

"We're going home," Pete Tyler stated definitively, outfitting each of the humans in the room with one of the yellow button-pendants that would transport them back to his parallel world and out of harm's way. "Doctor?" he asked, casting the other man a pointed look to let him know that it was his turn to do his job and save them all.

The Doctor was only too happy to oblige, and he turned to face them all with a wide smile, making sure to keep his own doubts and fears buried deep within where no one would be able to see them. "Oh, I'm ready," he stated eagerly.

And then, he was off like a shot as he quickly and efficiently implemented stage three and explained to them all how he was going to pull every single last dalek and cyberman back into the abyss of nothing that awaited them in the void. But Rose - good, strong, beautiful, impossible, painfully clever Rose - instantly saw the gaping hole in his plan that he was fighting so desperately to conceal.

Stage three of the Doctor's plan: horrible disaster.

"But, it's ... like you said - we've all got void stuff. Me, too, cause we went to that parallel world," she muttered slowly. "We're all contaminated, we'll get pulled in."

The Doctor stepped closer as she examined her own hand curiously through his 3D glasses. When she finally took them off and looked up at him questioningly, he forced himself to meet her gaze as he replied simply, "That's why you've got to go."

This last leap of logic seemed to be the only one that his clever Rose couldn't force herself to make, and she watched him in wary confusion as the Doctor attempted to busy himself with the magnaclamps that he had nicked from the Torchwood warehouse. "I'm supposed to go ..." she murmured in disbelief.

"Yeah," he replied, pointedly not meeting her gaze.

"To another world, and then it gets sealed off ..."

"Yeah." The magnaclamps were out of his hands now, so the Doctor moved to the controls that operated the breach and busied his fidgeting hands with that instead.

"Forever." Her tone had taken on a sort of desperate helplessness, and the Doctor instantly felt all the rest of his words dry up and die on his tongue. Every other time she had spoken that word to him, it had been a promise, a sacred oath, a declaration of love and eternity. Now, it was a plea, a cry for help, and he had no answer for it.

"That's not going to happen," she insisted, breathing a small, disbelieving laugh as she shook her head at him in stubborn refusal.

"We haven't got time to argue," Pete reminded them all sternly. But he really should have known better - the Tyler women were not to be bossed, and emotions began to run high as the three members of the small, broken family argued about what to do next, as though any of them really had a choice.

But Pete and the Doctor both knew that the choice had already been made - it was say goodbye forever, or face eternity in a timeless, empty abyss. Rose's desperate, teary words still cut the Doctor to his hearts, though - and each step that he took closer to her was more painful than the last as he deftly slipped the chain of the dimension-hopping device around her neck, and then watched as Pete ejected them all back into safety.

The Doctor's last glimpse of the love of his lives was of her wide brown eyes as she turned on him in surprise, and then her precious voice was cut off mid-sentence as she shimmered out of view and out of his life forever. He supposed that he should have been grateful to Jake for taking him to the parallel world against his wishes earlier - with their bond already broken, the Doctor didn't have to suffer the pain of a severed connection again as Rose disappeared for the last time.

However, he still felt her loss from this universe like a punch in the gut and the Doctor stood frozen, staring blankly at the empty space that Rose had inhabited just a moment earlier.

Unfortunately (was it unfortunate? He still couldn't quite seem to decide between his traitorous hearts and his head), he wasn't left waiting for long before Rose was suddenly blinking back into existence in exactly the same spot where she had disappeared just moments before. She was murmuring to herself as she looked around in wide-eyed confusion, trying to get a grip on her bearings.

As soon as her whiskey-colored eyes landed on the Doctor once more, she frowned, narrowing her eyes in a look of frustration that he had (unfortunately - definitely unfortunately) grown accustomed to seeing over the years.

The Doctor immediately rushed to her side, intent on having a good row and then forcing her back to the parallel world where she belonged, but he didn't have the chance to get even a single word out before Rose had her hands around the back of his neck and she was pressing a hard, angry kiss to his lips.

Their bond snapped back into place immediately - the shields that the Doctor had attempted to construct against her instantly dissolving into ash as though they never were. He grunted against her mouth and Rose gasped at the quick stab of pain that shot through both of their minds as the open wound of their bond was seared shut and their connection was abruptly reestablished.

Rose's thoughts came rushing back to him like a whirlwind, filling the Doctor's head with her presence and immediately drowning out all else. How dare you? her mind demanded, her own hurt stinging him as he automatically embraced her. The Doctor welcomed her anger and chastisement without argument - it was nice to have a second voice in his head that wasn't his own confirming to him what an idiot he was. Besides, it wasn't as if he didn't deserve every last bit of it.

So the Doctor swallowed Rose's bitterness and echoed it with his own, kissing her back just as hard until the rush of their rejoined bond finally dimmed and he felt as though he could breathe normally again.

As soon as he was certain that they were securely linked together once more, the Doctor quickly removed his arms from around Rose's waist and grabbed her roughly by the shoulders instead as he stepped back to meet her eye with a heavy, severe look.

"Once the breach collapses, that's it," he snapped angrily, quickly reminding her of her poorly-made, rash decision. Why had she chosen him over her own family? Why did she always have to choose him? Didn't she know how useless he was? Hadn't she realized by now that he would only ever let her down? "You will never be able to see her again - your own mother!" he added bitterly.

"I made my choice a long time ago," Rose replied evenly, her voice low and serious as she stared him straight in the eye, not allowing any room for doubt or misinterpretation between them, "and I'm never gonna leave you."

The Doctor's hearts stuttered to a stop, and with their bond freshly renewed between them, there was no hiding from her his breathless awe as he stared down at the precious human girl who had saved his life so many times and in so many ways that he didn't even deserve.

"So what can I do to help?" she offered quietly.

The Doctor's fingers tightened around her arms as he glared down at her and silently begged Rose to rethink her decision and go back where it was safe. However, he knew from experience not to argue, and he couldn't deny the foolish, reckless part of him that was so, so satisfied to have her back within his reach again.

"Better with two," she had told him, back when she still hadn't even really known who he was. The Doctor hadn't been able to deny the wisdom of her words then, and he certainly couldn't deny them now. So he resigned himself to Rose's stubborn will and told himself that he was angry about it as he snapped out orders and told her what to do next, but he knew that he wasn't fooling anybody - least of all himself - as he flooded her mind with love and gratitude and silently begged her to stay.

[asarahworld-writes]

The Silver Separation Chapter Six

Read it on AO3 | Read from the beginning

What happens when the Doctor and Rose Tyler accidentally land on a planet where aliens are taken into custody?  And humans are subject to societal re-integration?

Inspired by trope bingo from…long ago… by @timepetalscollective

Chapter Six

The Doctor flattened himself against the wall and motioned for the others to do the same.  “There are at least a dozen Cybermen on the other side of that corridor,” he said, sotto voce.

“And they would just as soon kill us before letting us go,” Ramón interjected in the Doctor’s pause, who scowled, but said nothing. The other man was right.  “We are useless to them and the only reason why we are still alive is that we were too stubborn to give up and die.”

“Let us lead a strike against them in the heart of their operations!”  Toruk declared.  “Such an attack would be unexpected and gives us the advantage.”

“And how would that be advantageous?  They more than outnumber us, Toruk.”  The Doctor didn’t entirely manage to refrain from rolling his eyes.  “No, that would entirely squander the element of surprise, it’s no good.”  Even as he voiced opposition to the proposal, the Doctor yearned to execute Torlel Toruk’s plan.  At least then he wouldn’t be sitting around, squabbling with a ragtag group of aliens.  He felt a sharp tug on the leg of his trousers and looked down at Hannaloffamoffatoff.

“Follow.  Now.” Hannaloffamoffatoff was holding a small, nondescript door ajar.  “Door not on map.”  He disappeared.

“Han, wait-” If the door wasn’t on the map, that meant that the Cybermen didn’t know that it existed.  Possibly.  “I suppose we’d better follow him,” he muttered, crawling through the small opening. It was a tight fit, but there was enough room for the Doctor to worm his way through.  Ramón stuck his head in experimentally and followed them.  The Voord was, as ever, silent.

“How’s your enviro-suit holding up?”  The Doctor called back, finally voicing his rising concern for the alien.

“Functional,” it hissed, climbing into the shaft after Hannaloffamoffatoff.  Torlel Toruk was quick to follow, muttering to himself; the gist of which was bringing glory to the Sontaran Empire.

“And that’s everyone,” the Doctor counted the aliens as they exited the small, cramped passage.  Ramón was staring up the tunnel.

“What is the plan?  There were Cybermen at the end of the last tunnel, and there is nothing to suggest not to expect the same thing here.”

“If I am ever going to find Rose, I need to get out of here,” the Doctor said quietly.

“If we are going to find the humans, we need to get into the Rehabilitation Centre,” Ramón corrected him.

The Doctor felt a sudden pang of guilt.  He’d only been separated from Rose for nine and a half hours.  Thus far.

“The humans in the Rehabilitation Centre will be at least partially converted Cybermen.  There is nothing that we can do for them.  If they were someone you knew, they might not kill you immediately.” Stranger things had happened.  “We need to get to Processing.  We’ve travelled approximately two miles down this tunnel, which has been fairly straight.  We need a left-hand turn-off.”  The Doctor extended his screwdriver, still scanning.  “According to my readings, there’s a fork around the next corner.  And the Cybermen are still advancing.”

The ragtag band of aliens hurried down the tunnel.

“Left,” the Doctor hissed.  “Hurry!”  He could clearly hear the tell-tale heavy thud of the incoming Cybermen.

They surfaced from the tunnel.  “It is a ghost town,” Ramón noted.

“Probably what’s left from after the Cybermen invaded,” the Doctor quickly crossed the deserted street to stand against a building. Surreptitiously, he scanned the area, looking for brain activity that wasn’t warped by emotion inhibitors.

“Raoul,” Ramón muttered suddenly, breaking away from the group.

“Ramón, wait,” the Doctor was barely able to hold the taller man back.

“The worst they can do it kill me.  But Raoul…” Ramón reminded the Doctor through clenched teeth.

“Wait,” the tone underlying the Doctor’s words made Ramón reconsider.  He stayed. “Everyone, turn the corner on my mark.” He waved his hand and the aliens charged the corner, finding themselves face to face –

“Rose,” the Doctor choked, his arms outstretched and already reaching for her.

Eyes wide, she ran into his open arms, pressing her head to his chest.  The Doctor’s arms wrapped tightly around her, quickly moving to caress her face.  Rose ran a hand through his curls and the Doctor pulled away ever so slightly.  Warm blue eyes looked lovingly into amber, and the Doctor bent down, cradling her face in his hands.

“Hello.”  Rose’s smile shone more brightly than he’d ever seen before.

“Rose,” and how he savoured the way her name rolled off his tongue.  He ghosted his thumb against her lips, his eyes watery as Rose cupped his hand to her cheek.

“Are we planning on escaping this place or shall I launch a grenade at the approaching Cybermen?”  Toruk interrupted the couples’ reunions.

“Shush,” the Doctor mumbled, his forehead resting against Rose’s.  She trailed her hand down his face, then pulled away.

“It’s right.  Not about the grenade, obviously, but we can’t stay here.”  Rose reached up, placing her hand over the Doctor’s before bringing them down from her face.  She looked at their collection of companions, smiling at the many, happy reunions. “How far are we from the TARDIS?”

“Let me guess, you’ve promised transportation offworld to those who want it,” the Doctor swept her from her feet.

“And you didn’t?”  Rose responded teasingly, still smiling hopefully.

“I missed you,” the Doctor said, his voice muffled by her hair.

[timeagainreviews]

Classic Baddies for the Thirteenth Doctor!

As a fan of classic Doctor Who, one of my favourite elements of the new series has been the anticipation as to which classic villains will make an appearance. Not only is it cool to see more of these older monsters, but it’s also exciting to see how they update their look. Some really nail it too. Keeping the classic design of the Daleks while making them look more tank-like and utilitarian in 2005 was a masterstroke. I liked that they embraced the Ice Warriors’ original look as well. While I may not be as hot on the updated Silurians, or Autons, it’s always fun to see classic villains regardless.

When Chris Chibnall mentioned that there would be no classic villains in series 11, my heart sank a little. Are they necessary for Doctor Who to be successful? Not hardly. But it’s fun dammit. Even if they were cameos like the Macra or the Movellans, these were moments I looked forward to. I have a sort of checklist I like to go through with each series of new Who. Are there classic villains? Check. Does the Doctor meet a figure from history? Check. Series 11 has one of those.

It’s been no secret that a major criticism of series 11 has been its lack of compelling villains. I myself have been vocal about this disappointment. So I thought I would make up a list of 10 classic villains I would like to see the Thirteenth Doctor go up against. I’m basing these off a few factors. Personal favourites, Jodie’s vibe, the era, etc. Enjoy! And feel free to add your own!

1. Autons

First Appearance: "Spearhead from Space" (1970)

I know they have already returned. I know I said I didn’t like their update. That’s exactly why they’re on this list now. I didn’t exactly hate the updated Autons when I first watched them. At the time, I didn’t have any classic villains to compare them to, as they were new to me. I thought they were pretty corny and not very scary, even as they did openly murder people in the streets of London. But when seeing "Spearhead from Space," for the first time, I was supremely creeped out. The newer Autons remind me of the movie theatre scene in “Human Traffic.” Just a bunch of dancers doing the robot. Not very scary. And turning the Nestine consciousness into a big vat of CGI goo, as compared to a giant plastic space squid seems like a crime. They’re due an update.

2. Voord

First Appearance: "The Keys of Marinus" (1964)

These guys creep me out. Their costumes are really stupid, and I still find them creepy. They’re like spiky fish men mixed with Egyptian gods. Ignoring the weird "Voord became Cybermen," storyline, and focusing on the fishman aspect would be the way to go. Could you imagine their costume if updated correctly? I picture a mix between Edward Scissorhands and a scuba diver. I’ve wanted to see Jodie encounter these guys ever since "The Ghost Monument," reminded me of "The Keys of Marinus." Something about First Doctor villains with the first female Doctor kinda works for me too. Speaking of First Doctor villains…

3. Zarbi

First Appearance: "The Web Planet" (1965)

Ok, so this one is a bit of a cheat. I know the Zarbi aren’t really a villain by their own doing. In many ways, these oversized ants are just dumb animals. But the biggest way this is a cheat is because I just want them so we can have the Menoptera! I love those stupid moth cuties. I think an updated one of them could look really fun. Think the aliens from the queue scene in the "Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy," movie. Something between realistic, and fantastical. They would also add a much-needed sense of levity to the Chibnall era.

4. The Dominators

First Appearance: "The Dominators" (1968)

The Dominators are a race of men whose name pretty much describes their modus operandi. Having long ago developed beyond the need for women, these guys seem an obvious choice to go up against a female Doctor. Their look is simple enough to update. They need only to look armoured and militaristic. Their robot drones, the Quarks, would be the real challenge to update, but I’m sure they’d nail it. I would be interested in seeing a more bureaucratic ruling class of Dominators as well. Perhaps instead of having a male and female population, they have the soldiers and the suits. Could be a really interesting way to talk about the insular nature of toxic masculinity. This would fit in well with Thirteen’s villains being chauvinistic shitbirds that don’t like women much.

5. Axons

First Appearance: "The Claws of Axos" (1971)

I’ve heard the Axons get a bit of flack in the past, which is bananas to me. There’s so much potential there. They have a rather psychedelic look, and then they get super gross. I’ve always seen them as very retro style monsters. Jodie’s costume has a real 1970’s "Godspell," look about it, so I always picture her going up against monsters that look the part. They wouldn’t be hard to update either. I would make the golden lines on their humanoid forms slightly raised, like a system of fibres across their skin. And of course, their squidgy red form could be a tangled mass of CGI that kinda bubbles up from the gold lines. The transformation scenes could get very visceral. They’ve got a sneaky nature about them. Like anglerfish, their beautiful golden appearance conceals a horrific monster. They’re known for making Faustian deals with people fool enough to believe their lies. How could we resist?

6. The Mara

First Appearance: "Kinda" (1982)

Many people love the Kinda/Snakedance storyline. I wasn’t sure what to make of either serial, as the quality of both waivers. Over time, though, I’ve come to really appreciate them as stories. I have a love for characters that exist as a sort of gestalt. There’s something very unsettling about a hive mind. As The Doctor has three companions this time around. There’s lots of room for one of them to go off and become possessed by an evil snake god for a while. Either Graham or Ryan becoming hosts for the Mara could be an interesting way to explore their relationship. While the DVD release saw an updated version of the Mara’s snake form, I’m sure the modern show can do one better. They’ve already done giant spiders, now let's see them do a giant snake!

7. The Rani

First Appearance: "The Mark of the Rani" (1985)

While I am aware many people dislike the Rani, and the idea of Chris Chibnall choosing a character created by Pip and Jan Baker is unlikely, I still don’t care. Any character can be made good in the hands of a competent writer. All it takes is one good idea. Personally, I’ve never really gotten the guff she’s been given. As a woman capable of cruel scientific experiments, the Rani is a ruthless Time Lady with more guile than the Master. People want to see Thirteen with Missy because they’re both women now, but we’ve had an evil Time Lady for years, and I’d be interested to see what regeneration might bring for her… or him?

8. Rutans

First Appearance: "The Horror of Fang Rock" (1977)

First Mentioned: “The Time Warrior” (1973)

The Rutans are long enemies of the Sontaran race. I would love to see them amp up the danger by getting stuck in the middle of a skirmish between the two races. I would like to see the Sontarans presented as formidable once again. The Doctor Who video game "The Gunpowder Plot," did update their look, to a decent degree. Either way, modern Who could make a Rutan look much more imposing with CGI, or even practical effects. I’d imagine something like a green man o’ war. Jodie’s Doctor’s tendency to mediate during conflict could land her trying to broker peace between the two races. Could she be successful or would she have to count her losses?

9. Drashigs

First Appearance: "Carnival of Monsters" (1973)

Here we have yet another Robert Holmes creation! (The other two being the Autons and the Rutans) While mostly just mindless monsters that can eat through anything, I’ve always loved these horrific beasts. With heads the size of a Volkswagen bug, and an appetite for anything in their way, these guys could really add in a danger element. I doubt they could really carry an episode by themselves, but they’d make a great threat! They may be alien snake monsters, but you may have a creeping familiarity when looking at them. This is because the puppets used were constructed around the skulls of real dogs! While I’m sure these pups died of natural causes, the information has always given them an air of creepiness and realism. As Third Doctor era baddies go, these toothy terrors were some of the more believable creatures yet! They wouldn’t need much of an update, looks wise. Part of me would still want them to be puppets. I’d imagine Thirteen’s compassion for misunderstood creatures would send her on a danger defying attempt to save their lives!

10. The Scorchies

First Appearance: "The Scorchies" (2013)

Ok, so this one is another cheat. Technically these aren’t "classic Who" villains. They come from the audios, but I’m counting them because they’re from a Third Doctor era storyline! If you count the mention of the Rutans in "The Time Warrior," this marks the fifth baddie from the Third Doctor era. What is it about that period that is so mineable? Originally a species with bodies, they lost their corporeal form when their planet was invaded and they were transported to safety via television broadcast waves! In their new puppet bodies, they go from planet to planet hypnotising their inhabitants and burning them! Why? Because they’re salty. So why them?  Well, for starters, look at these guys! Jodie’s Doctor has always reminded me as a bit of mad kids’ show presenter, with her bright colours and friendly appearance. Seeing her with puppets almost feels natural. I love the idea so much that I photoshopped it! It would also make Doctor Who history. While the Eighth Doctor mentioned his audio companions in "The Night of the Doctor," no audio characters have ever made an appearance in the show (at least to my knowledge). Appearance wise, they’d be easy to create. If they wanted to go the extra mile, they could partner with the Jim Henson Creature Shop for an added distinction. I feel like no matter what you do, these little critters could draw a crowd. People would watch just to see if Doctor Who has lost its damn mind! If done right, it could be a fun romp! Who says Doctor Who villains always have to be serious?

Well, that’s it for my list! Did you agree? Do you think poor Natalie needs to get her head checked out? Feel free to reblog with your own additions! I’d love to read what you think! Expect the review of this weekend’s Doctor Who either Sunday or Monday. I’ve not yet re-watched Marco Polo, which I might actually do today, but it’s on my list to write it next week! It’s going to be the first reconstruction I’m doing, so it should be interesting! I’m not sure if I will supplement any of it with the Target novelisation, but I am thinking not. We’ll see! It’s still early into the series!

[chocolatequeennk]

A Fight for Love and Glory

This is for the kiss/hug meme. I used several off the list, including 64. ‘’Don’t let go’’ hug 65: I thought we’d never see each other again hug 44: Then there’s tongue 34: Hot, Steamy kiss.

This is part of As Time Goes By, my series following the canon progression between the Doctor and Rose in a series of hugs and kisses. It follows Phasmophobia. It’s also a Doomsday fixit! 

"They keep trying to split us up, but they never, ever will." That's what the Doctor had said a few weeks ago, during the Olympics. Now they were going to find out if his words were a prophetic claim, or a dare the universe couldn't ignore.

I did a commentary track on this story for my Birthday extravaganza.

AO3 | FF.NET | TSP

Daleks swarmed like locusts in the skies above London. Watching them pulled painfully at the Doctor’s time senses, and he finally understood. The ghosts—the Cybermen—were only the harbingers of the storm. With Daleks in the sky and Cybermen on the ground, both threatening the extinction of the human race, a temporal storm had broken. The paradox that would result if Earth were destroyed was unthinkable.

“How many Daleks?” Rose slipped her hand into his, and he clung to her.

“Millions.”

She stepped closer to him and ran her hand over his arm. “But you know how to stop it, yeah?”

The Doctor smirked when he overheard Pete Tyler trying to convince Jackie to leave this universe and go back with him. For a man who claims she’s not your wife, you’re awfully determined to stay with her.

He glanced over at his own wife, who had her bottom lip between her teeth and was staring at him with wide, worried eyes. “Maybe,” he said in answer to her question. “I hope. But you could…”

She was already shaking her head. “I told you—I’m never going to leave you.”

The Doctor sighed, then pulled his hand away and put his 3D glasses on again. His whole plan hinged on the presence of Void stuff, and he grinned victoriously when he discovered the Daleks were coated in the stuff.  

“Doctor?”

He spun around at Pete’s call. “Oh, I’m ready.” He ran to the nearest terminal and started the reboot protocol. “I’ve got the equipment right here. Thank you, Torchwood. Slam it down and close off both universes.”

The computers acknowledged they were being rebooted, and he watched for a moment to make sure it was rebooting the entire network, not just the one terminal.

“But we can’t just leave,” Rose protested. “What about the Daleks? And the Cybermen?”

“They’re part of the problem, and that makes them part of the solution.” He pointed his finger in her face for a moment, then swung it through the air triumphantly. “Oh yes!”

Rose was grinning along with him, but everyone else stared at him with little furrows in their foreheads, like he was some sort of lunatic.

“Well?” The Doctor pointed at his paper shades, surprised not one of the humans had asked why he was wearing the cheap cardboard toy. “Isn’t anyone going to ask what is it with the glasses?”

Rose bounced on her toes and chuckled. “What is it with the glasses?”

“I can see, that’s what.” The Doctor pointed at the ceiling, then nodded once for emphasis. “Because we’ve got two separate worlds, but in between the two separate worlds, we’ve got the Void.”

As he laid out the plan, he couldn’t ignore the inherent danger any longer, and he talked faster and faster, trying to distract himself.

“That’s where the Daleks were hiding. And the Cybermen travelled through the Void to get here. And you lot, one world to another, via the Void.” He rocked back on his heels and looked up at the ceiling. “Oh, I like that. Via the Void. Look.” He took the glasses off and clumsily set them on Rose’s face. “I’ve been through it. Do you see?”

The computer kept counting down to the reboot while he danced in place, getting the particles to buzz around him so Rose could see them easily.

Rose’s eyes widened when she saw the halo of dancing red and green particles surrounding the Doctor. “What is it?”

“Void stuff.”

His grin was bright, but Rose recognised the tightness in his jaw and knew he was terrified. Still, he’d gone to a lot of effort to keep that from everyone else, so she continued to play along with his manic act.

She stared at her own hand, covered in the same particles. “Like um, background radiation,” she suggested, remembering how she’d explained artron energy earlier to Mickey.

Genuine pride flickered in the Doctor’s eyes. “That’s it. Look at the others. And the only one who hasn’t been through the Void, your mother.”

Rose stared at the solid outline around her mum, so different from the floating particles that surrounded everyone else.

“First time she’s looked normal all in her life,” the Doctor added, not quite as under his breath as he maybe thought he had.

“Oi!”

The Doctor ignored Jackie’s cry of protest and ran for the high wall that rested right against the breach in the Void. “But the Daleks lived inside the Void. They’re bristling with it. Cybermen, all of them.” He stretched his arms out over the invisible tear, then turned around and looked back at his captive audience. “I just open the Void and reverse. The Void stuff gets sucked back inside.”

“Pulling them all in!” Rose cried.

The Doctor grinned at her. “Pulling them all in!”

“Sorry, what’s the Void?”

The Doctor blinked and looked at Mickey. For a moment, he’d almost forgotten he and Rose weren’t alone. “The dead space. Some people call it Hell.”

Mickey draped his hopper over his head with a small smile on his face. “So you’re sending the Daleks and Cybermen to Hell.” He looked over at Jake, one eyebrow raised. “Man, I told you he was good.”

Rose shook her head, and the Doctor knew she’d figured out what no one else had even considered. “But it’s like you said. We’ve all got Void stuff. Even you and me, because we went to that parallel world.”  

The Doctor picked up one of the magnaclamps while she stared at her hand.

“We’re all contaminated,” she murmured, taking the glasses off to look at him properly. “We’ll get pulled in.”

In answer, he held up the magnaclamp. “That’s why I got us these.” He dropped the heavy magnet to the floor and the clang made everyone flinch. “Everyone else will go back to Pete’s World.” He looked at Pete, Mickey, and Jake. “Hey, we should call it that: Pete’s World.” Rose rested her hand on his wrist and he looked back at her. “Meanwhile, you and I will hang on tight, watching the Cybermen and Daleks fall into the Void.”

His stomach twisted at the thought of Rose in that much danger, but as if she knew what he was thinking, she lifted her jaw and met his pleading gaze head-on. The Doctor nodded; message received.

“And then you close it, for good?” Pete pressed.

The Doctor shook his head. “The breach itself is soaked in Void stuff. In the end it’ll close itself. And that’s it. Kaput.” He clicked his tongue slightly to emphasise the t.

Jackie suddenly pulled the hopper off. “Hold on a minute!” She planted her hands on her hips and glared at Pete. “Is this thing what you use to get to that other world you’re all talking about?”

Pete pressed his lips into a thin line and nodded. “Yes, and we’re going. The Doctor’s plan will work.”

Jackie snorted and tossed the button on the floor. “Well, I’m not going without Rose.”

Something hit the building, reminding them all of the imminent danger. “Oh, my God. We’re going!” Pete grabbed her hand but she pulled away from him.

“I’ve had twenty years without you, so button it. I’m not leaving her.”

Rose felt her throat close up. She knew she should convince her mum to go—this was the second chance she’d been wanting for years. But if she went to that parallel universe, Rose would never see her again.

She put a hand on Jackie’s shoulder. “Mum… this is your last chance to be with him,” she whispered.

“An’ apparently my last chance to see you, if I decide to go with him,” Jackie retorted. “If I leave, what will there to be to bring you home? And don’t tell me that box is your home—you need something to keep you grounded, Rose. You know you do.”

Rose hugged her mum tight. She’d never said anything about how much she appreciated having the touchstone of an ordinary life in the middle of the extraordinary one she shared with the Doctor, but somehow, her mum had figured that out anyway.

“I love you, sweetheart.” Jackie squeezed her once, then turned to Pete, who was running his hand over his balding head, looking dejected. “I’m sorry, Pete. I really am. I’d come with you if it didn’t mean I’d never see my daughter again, but I can’t do that.”

Pete swallowed, and Rose remembered what he’d told her the first time they’d met, about how his Jackie had never wanted to have kids. Seeing a Jackie so fiercely devoted to her daughter must be odd, and painful at the same time.

“Of course you can’t,” he said, his voice even. “But we can’t stay here, either. Mickey, Jake—are you ready?” The two men nodded, and Pete Tyler hit the button his chest, taking them all home to Pete’s World.

The shifting timelines momentarily made the Doctor dizzy, and he had to blink twice before he could focus on Jackie Tyler.

“Right, that still leaves us with the question of how to keep you safe, Jackie. Because even if you aren’t covered in Void stuff, this room is going to be full of Cybermen and Daleks in less than five minutes, and I think Rose and I would both rather you weren’t here for that.”

“Reboot in one minute.”

Rose jumped at the computer’s announcement. “Too bad there are hundreds of Cybermen between here and the TARDIS,” she mused. “She’d be safe there.”

The Doctor started to agree, then he remembered one more resource they had. “That’s it!” He pulled out the hopper Jake had given him and pointed the sonic screwdriver at it. “If I can just find a way to reverse the polarity, make this a teleport instead of dimension hopper…” He pressed his tongue to the back of his teeth, hoping against hope this would work. The sonic always had the coordinates of the TARDIS, so it would be easy enough to get the device to lock onto the ship, if he could just make this switch…

“I don’t know what you’re going on about,” Jackie complained while he worked. “Reversing the polarity? Bunch of science fiction rubbish, if you ask me.”

“I didn’t.” The faint hum the device emitted changed pitch, and the Doctor cheered. “Got it! Are you ready, Jackie?”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “How do I know you aren’t tricking me into leaving Rose behind?”

Rose wrapped an arm around her mother’s shoulders. “Because he wouldn’t do that to me,” she said.

The simple trust in her words hit the Doctor hard. He wouldn’t, now. But that was only because he wanted to be the man she thought he was—not because he was that man on his own.

Rose took the button from him and pressed it into her mother’s hands. “Please, Mum. I need to know you’re going to be safe.”

Jackie blinked back tears, and the Doctor could only imagine what it must feel like to be protected by your child, rather than the other way around.

“All right.” She took the button and sniffed. “But don’t think I’ve forgotten about that our conversation from before.” She pointed at the Doctor. “You and me are gonna have a talk about your intentions, Doctor.”

It was probably a good thing she pressed the button before the Doctor could respond to that. “Did she… was… I…”

To his surprise, Rose threw herself at him and locked her arms tight around his waist. “Thank you for not sending me away again,” she mumbled, the words muffled by his chest.

The Doctor almost asked what she meant by again, then he realised she was referring to his trickery with emergency programme one, sending her back to Earth alone. He sighed and held her close, the way he’d wanted to all those months ago.

Then he dared to look at the timelines surrounding her, hoping they’d settled into the array of possibilities that were typically present for a human time traveller. Instead, he saw one event looming ahead, so important it overshadowed almost everything else in her life. He moved around it, trying to get a better angle so he could tell what exactly happened, but the outcome remained opaque.

“Systems rebooted. Open access.”

The computer’s voice broke into the Doctor’s daze, bringing him back to the moment. He pointed at the closest terminal that had the right program open. “Those coordinates over there, set them all at six.” Rose nodded and walked towards the computers, and they worked quietly for a few seconds.

Then Rose called out to him. “We’ve got Cybermen on the way up.”

The Doctor jogged over to her side and looked at the video image over her shoulder. “How many floors down?”

“Just one.”

He ran back to his own work station where he was trying to get the levers to turn back on, but he knew they were in a race against time that they were bound to lose. There was no way they could have the Void open in the time it would take the Cybermen to reach them.

“Hang on!” Rose said. “One of the Cybermen has stopped them in the stairs… she’s shot them all down. We can still do this, Doctor,” she said.

The Doctor grinned and entered the final command. “Levers operational,” the computer announced.

“Are you ready for this, Doctor?” Rose asked. “The old team.”

He hefted a magnaclamp and jogged towards her. “Hope and Glory, Mutt and Jeff, Shiver and Shake.”

“Which one’s Shiver?”

“Oh, I’m Shake.” The Doctor dropped the clamp into Rose’s arms. “Be careful; it’s heavy,” he told her as he turned around to pick up his own.

“Bit late for a warning, Doctor,” she muttered.

“Sorry.” He pressed his clamp to the wall by the lever on the left side of the room. On the other side, Rose had copied him and was waiting for instructions. “Press the red button.” The clamps attached to the wall, giving them an anchor to hold onto when the breach was open.

The Doctor took a deep breath, then looked across the room into Rose’s wide eyes. “When we push these levers up, the breach will open. Then we’ll grab onto the clamps.” They moved into position in front of the levers while he finished explaining. “When it starts, just hold on tight. Shouldn’t be too bad for us but the Daleks and the Cybermen are steeped in Void stuff. Are you ready?”

Rose nodded, then gestured towards the window. “So are they.”

The Doctor ground his teeth together. Daleks were converging on the window. “Let’s do it!”

Rose pushed her lever up, then ran to the clamp. Wind was already whipping through the room, blowing her hair in her face and trying to suck her into the Void. Bright white light entered the room through the breach, and she stared into it as she hooked her elbow around the clamp.

Behind her, she heard glass shatter, and a moment later, three Daleks shrieked as they soared through the air, into the open breach.

The force tugging them towards the breach was more powerful than Rose had expected, and she looked across the room to see how the Doctor was doing. A fierce smile stretched across his face as he watched more Daleks fall into the Void.

“The breach is open!” he crowed. “Into the Void!”

Rose laughed along with him, but a minute later, the universe reminded her that it was always best to save your laughter until the day was won. Something electrical crackled, and she watched her lever move just slightly, so it wasn’t in the upright and locked position.

“Offline.” The computer’s unemotional voice didn’t hint at the unwelcome news it imparted. Rose’s heart sank when the stream of Daleks and Cybermen flying overhead slowed. She bit her lip, and without looking at the Doctor, she stretched for the lever, hoping she could pull it back into position.

I can’t reach it! But the tug of the Void on her own body had lessened too, which gave her an idea. Letting go of the clamp, she threw herself at the lever. If she could push it upright and then get back to the clamp before the Void opened fully again…

“What are you doing?” the Doctor yelled.

She looked over at him. Terror was drawn in stark lines on his face, and somehow, that helped calm her own fear. “I’ve got to get it upright!”

The lever kept moving towards the off position, but Rose got in front of it and planted her feet firmly on the floor. A few Daleks moved slowly through the room as she pushed, grunting from the exertion. Finally, she felt it click into place.

And immediately, the current pulling her to the Void picked up again. Rose held onto the lever, but as her body was lifted off the ground, she could feel her fingers slipping.

“Rose, hold on! Hold on, love!” The Doctor let go of his clamp with one hand, reaching out for her.

Rose clenched her jaw; she couldn’t leave her Doctor like this, but the Void was stronger than she could resist. Every second it tugged her closer…

Every second.

Timelines snapped into place. This was the reason she’d wanted the Doctor to teach her how to slow down the flow of time.

Rose adjusted her grip on the lever, then closed her eyes and reached out the way the Doctor had taught her. She could feel time moving around her, and if she concentrated hard enough, she could see her place in the current. Once she’d homed in on her presence in time, it was easy enough to create a bubble of calm around herself, so time would continue to move around her, but not affect her.

She knew the moment she succeeded, because suddenly, she could move on her own again. Being outside of time also meant the suction from the Void disappeared. Rose scrambled for her clamp, knowing she could only hold back time for a few moments before she lost her grip on time.

With the temporal storm raging around them, the Doctor’s hearts had stopped when his brave, brilliant Rose had let go of her lever. Then he’d felt her reach out and create an eye in the storm, just like he’d taught her. This was it—the event he’d seen in her timelines just a few minutes ago. He watched in astonishment as she let go of the lever and grabbed onto the clamp.

A second later, time in the lever room started flowing properly again. The Doctor sucked in a huge breath when the timelines around Rose settled into a long, golden cord twined with his own.

Her laughter caught his attention, and he met her gaze. “I told you that would come in handy one day,” she hollered at him over the din of Cybermen and Daleks whooshing into the open Void.

The Doctor laughed breathlessly as the wind pushing them towards the Void slowed, then dissipated altogether. For just a moment, he could see the walls between the worlds as the breach mended itself, then disappeared.

The moment his feet touched the ground, he ran for Rose, meeting her in the middle of the room. “Rose!” he cried as he clutched her to him, bending down slightly so he could nuzzle into her hair.

He felt her fingers in his hair and her lips brushing kisses along his forehead and temple. “You said it, remember Doctor?” she whispered in his ear. “They keep trying to split us up, but they never, ever will.”

A glimmer of an aborted timeline tugged at his senses, but the Doctor looked away. He didn’t want to see what his world would be like without Rose in it, didn’t want to know how much different this moment could have been.

Instead, he threaded his fingers through her hair and tilted her head back so he could press his lips to hers. He channeled all his desperate fears of the last hour into the kiss, sucking and nipping at her lips and then finally, sweeping his tongue into her mouth.

The Doctor felt Rose’s groan when he swiped his tongue against the roof of her mouth. Before he could feel too cocky about her reactions to him, she scraped her nails over his scalp, making his whole body tingle with pleasure.

“You’re here,” he mumbled against her skin as he trailed kisses down her neck to her clavicle. “We made it through the storm, and you’re still here.”

Rose arched her back when he found her clavicle and laved at the sensitive spot. The Doctor pulled her close, but when he realised he was ten seconds away from pressing her against the wall and making love to her right there, he loosened his hold with a regretful groan.

Her impatient whine tempted him, but he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips to soothe her instead. “Come on, love. Let’s go home.” Rose blinked a few times, and he couldn’t deny the surge of pride he felt when he saw her passion-glazed eyes.

Three words were on the tip of the Doctor’s tongue, but he knew if he said them now, her response would break what was remained of his restraint. Later, he promised himself. He’d almost lost Rose today; he wouldn’t hold back any longer. But for now, he simply took her hand and led her home.