Time Rewritten

Chapter 15

She felt him enter her mind, almost gently and she shoved the memory at him, making him gasp. She relived the scene again as he watched and finally he pulled away.

She broke down as fresh sobs wracked her body, her forehead resting on his chest. His arms tightened around her protectively as he cradled her. She was broken and she didn't know if she would ever be fixed again. Exhaustion finally took over and she passed out in his arms, wishing with all her heart that it were the arms of her human Time Lord, the man she would never see again or share her life with again.

She awoke in a strange room, the lights dimmed. Memories of what happened flooded her senses and she felt like she was going to drown in her sorrow and heartbreak. She had always considered herself a strong woman, but now she felt broken, an empty shell.

She felt strong arms pull her closer and she felt the Doctor whisper from behind her. "I'm here, Rose."

She blinked back the tears. Yes he was here, but not really. He would not give himself to her and now she felt that she could never give herself to him. Her shattered heart belonged to her human Doctor.

"Where are we?" she asked. She needed a distraction.

"My bedroom."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I figured that. Are we on Gallifrey?"

"No, we're in the Vortex. I figured we all needed a rest before heading back to Gallifrey."

She turned in his arms and looked at him. His eyes were tired, his face so serious and worn down. He was still remarkably handsome. Her face softened. Yes, she could still see her Doctor in those grey-blue eyes. The same, but not the same. She needed to stay focused. Anything to push those memories deep into the abyss of her mind.

"Cinder?"

"Safe. She's asleep in a room the Tardis set up for her. She was fighting off the Daleks trying to come in and rescue us. I haven't told her it was you who destroyed the Daleks."

Rose nodded. "Well, she is gutsy, I'll give her that." She turned and climbed out of bed, making her way to the bathroom without a backward glance. She quickly showered and when she came out the Doctor was gone and the bed was neatly made with clothes for her laid out. She quickly changed into the black jeans and green tank top and leather jacket. She hastily laced up her black military boots and tied her hair up into a messy ponytail. She looked in the mirror. Her smooth skin belied her age. But her hardened and tired eyes told the truth. She had seen too much, been through too much. There was no more innocence left in her. Her eyes were starting to look like the Doctor's. She steeled herself. They had a war too fight. She could no longer afford to wallow in her grief. She now had to be strong and tough. And as she walked through the door to head to the console, she briefly mourned her youth.

She found Cinder in the console room, dressed in her usual attire. The Doctor was flipping levers. Rose spotted the Temporal Cannon resting on the console and made a wide berth. She didn't want to go anywhere near it. The Doctor glanced up at her and she saw sorrow reflected in his eyes. But he quickly looked down. It looked like neither was going to address the issue and she was fine with that. She really didn't want to relive that again.

"Right, back to Gallifrey. We need to take this to Romana immediately."

Rose nodded and grabbed the edge of the console, preparing for the rough landing. They landed and Rose turned to go towards the door, but a strong hand gripped her wrist forcing her to turn and face the Doctor. After everything they had been through he had always been strong, and even times that were unbearable, he wore a mask, hid his emotions. But now, now grief and sorrow were etched on his face. What she had shown him had truly affected him and she felt her resolve disintegrating, her heart breaking all over again. It was hard to be around him. He was a constant reminder now of what she had lost.