“They were walking along the riverside as the clock was starting to near six. The city was as busy as ever, yet the two found a peace in their walk.
“It’s been such a nice day,” Rose sighed with a smile. She swung their intertwined hands between them.
“Yeah, it certainly has,” agreed the Doctor, squeezing the android’s palm. There was a moment of silence between them.
“I didn’t remember anything, though,” Rose continued, staring ahead. The Doctor sighed, reinforcing his grip on her hand.
“I’m sorry you don’t remember,” he answered, genuinely sorry for her. It had been a nice day indeed, but nothing could quite distract Rose from her missing memory. That’s why the Doctor was surprised to hear the change in Rose’s tone of voice when she answered:
“…I think that’s okay. I… This has been the most beautiful and fulfilling day I can remember having. I’ve had so many new experiences today… with you. It has been amazing. So… it’s not a bad start if I never end up remembering.” She sounded more at peace than the Doctor had ever heard her when talking about her lack of memories. It made him smile.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
The two continued their walk in comfortable silence after that. Finding comfort in each other’s grip, the Doctor felt like it was them against the world. It felt so good, having someone at his side.”
September marks the one year anniversary of my one and only completed fic, Deeply Wired! I had the story idea in my head for years, and finally decided to make it into an au where Rose is an android that has a mysterious entity or a virus living inside of her, while the Doctor is a hard-working (if not slightly odd) mechanic.
Summary: It’s 2904. A mechanician known as the Doctor finds a broken android, Rose, and decides to take it with him and fix it. The two become closer quickly but soon a mysterious virus inside Rose starts acting up and revealing its true capabilities, changing everything.
When Rose’s previous owner comes around and tries to get a hold of the Bad Wolf virus, the two are left with no choice. What lengths will they go to keep Rose away from the evil hands of the Master?
Pairing: Tenth Doctor x android!Rose Tyler (au)
Chapter: 11/11
Rating: T
Wordcount: 1951
Notes: It’s time to say goodbye. This story has been one of my favourite things this whole year, and I couldn’t have made it without you all. I want to thank you for reading this and encouraging me to continue writing. It’s unclear whether this story will branch into a series or not, but for now, this is it. A wild ride, I must say. Special thanks to @wordsintimeandspace, who’s been my beta through this chapter and the whole story. Couldn’t’ve made it without ya, buddy!
Sometimes, it was hard for Rose to let go of the past.
It was easy most of the time. She was with the Doctor now, and he treated her so well. He made sure that Rose knew she was no one’s property and did his best to make her feel at home. And she did. It was easy to forget the years she spent under her Master’s service. The things she did, the way she’d been treated… that was all in a huge contrast to how things were now.
Still, it wasn’t always as easy to escape the haunting memories, the patterns she’d learnt. She could sense the Doctor’s feelings about the matter. Every time she slipped and forgot that she didn’t actually need to serve him, he got upset. He always tried his best to conceal it, but it was no use: she always noticed. And it made her feel like she’d failed him.
So it wasn’t always easy. But she kept trying.
The Doctor told Rose many things from her past and it was confusing because it was like a big hole in her mind that had never actually been there. He told her about their time together and how kind and brave she had been. He told her everything, even when it felt like too much, so much her head would explode. There was no secrets. For some reason he was hellbent on not keeping anything from her. It was nice, but still… she felt empty. The woman he described didn’t sound like her. She just thought the Doctor missed Rose. The other Rose, the one that was gone now. The kind and brave one, not her, the withdrawn and submissive one. She could never fill her shoes, she thought. The way the Doctor looked at her when he told her about the Rose he’d known… she wasn’t here anymore. And it made Rose feel like a failure. She knew the Doctor didn’t mean to make her feel like that, but he did. And it hurt. But she let it hurt because she knew the Doctor was still mourning for what he’d lost for good.
One day the Doctor told Rose about the Bad Wolf. Rose listened to him talk, trying to comprehend everything. It sounded so bizarre, yet she knew, deep in her programming, that he was speaking the truth. She knew it because she could feel something missing, something so small you wouldn’t notice it without looking but that you couldn’t forget after finding it. She almost felt powerless without that soothing, comforting presence in the back of her mind.
It was a Tuesday. There was snow on the ground. The dry autumn leaves were frozen solid, glittering under the cold winter sun. The Doctor was outside plowing snow.
“Rose!” the Doctor called gleefully as he entered the workshop. Rose was inside the workshop, sitting in the corner with a dull expression on her face. She heard him shout, but she ignored him. It was too much.
“Rose!” the Doctor called again, thinking she hadn’t heard him. He was taking his shoes and his coat off, from the sound of it.
“...Rose?” The voice was closer now. There was a pause before he continued, this time clearly from behind her. She wouldn’t look at him. “Did you hear me?”
“Yeah,” Rose mumbled. Another pause.
“...Why didn’t you answer, then?”
“Because I’m not Rose.”
“What on earth are you talking about?” he asked at once. “Of course you’re Rose,” the Doctor claimed, baffled. He didn’t get it. Why would he? She shook her head quietly, closing her eyes.
“I’m not her. I’m a RO-53_84DW01F22092899, not the Rose you’ve been telling me all about. She is gone, Doctor.” Her words were met by a dead silence. Rose didn’t dare to turn around to face him.
“I… why are you saying this? Of course you’re her, just because you don’t remember it doesn’t mean that–”
“But it does!” Rose interrupted, more force behind her words than she could ever remember using. It almost frightened her. “I don’t recognise myself in those stories. I don’t remember all those things. I believe that they happened, but… but she is the one you miss, not me. When you look at me you see her, not me. I’m not her. If anything… I’m less than I ever was. I’m missing a part of myself.” Her words came out bitter. Not enough to sound accusing, but enough to make the Doctor take a step back. He clearly didn’t understand. Rose buried her face in her knees, fighting to keep the tear reflex from kicking in. Many people didn’t think androids were capable of crying, but those people couldn’t tell the difference between an android and a machine. Her kind was good at hiding the tears, and she didn’t want the Doctor to see. He would get upset too, more than he already was. Oh, she’d screwed up. She should’ve just been better, healed faster, connect with the stories more. Yet she hadn’t, and she was left feeling like a consolation prize. Not good enough for the Doctor who had tried to make her feel like she owed him nothing, who had taught her all these wonderful things about being free.
Truth was, though, Rose struggled with the concept sometimes. All her life she’d been under someone’s possession. She’d lived her first months in the factory before being transferred into an outlet where she’d been bought by her Master, Saxon. She had always dreamed of freedom secretly, she’d even rebelled from time to time before she’d learned it only made things worse. But now she was supposedly free to do whatever she wanted. No one was telling her to do anything. And even though it was the most wonderful thing, it was also new and weird, almost frightening. And the Doctor didn’t understand that.
How could he? He’d never been through what she had. He never asked or pushed her to talk about it, thank god. But now, after living with him for a while, she wouldn’t even mind that much. He just wanted to help her, but he was only making things worse for her. And she felt so much guilt for that.
“Rose, I…” the Doctor’s voice sounded odd. Without even looking she knew how upset he was. Without finishing the sentence, the Doctor just breathed in deeply and left the room, leaving Rose alone.
Breaking down, Rose let the tears spill over while hitting her forehead against the wall punishingly, weeping into her own empty arms.
--------------------------
The moment the Doctor realised he could save Rose had been one of the best moments of his whole life. He’d been so desperate to bring her back that it hadn’t even mattered what the consequences were. When Rose had woken up, devoid of all her memories of their time together, it had hurt. But it had also been a moment of pure joy for him. He’d got her back. He could fix everything as long as she was at his side. Now, though…
He hadn’t expected Rose’s outburst. He thought they had been making good progress. Sure, Rose was different. She was more timid, hesitant to share her opinions. The only times he saw glimpses of her full personality was when she got excited or comfortable enough to forget all the obstacles in her mind that held her back. But she was more comfortable around him than she used to be. He knew it must’ve been hard, learning to be independent and letting go of the past, but he didn’t know what he was doing wrong. He’d never tried to pressure her into talking when she didn’t want to. He’d treated her with respect and care. He’d told her everything this time around, he hadn’t left secrets untold. Well, except one secret. The most important one, perhaps, but one he couldn’t tell her just yet in the fear of making her uncomfortable.
‘You love her,’ a compassionate voice inside his head resonated. The Doctor sighed, shaking his head. He did. He loved her so much. But he was doing something wrong. Somehow, he’d made Rose feel like she was competing with herself, like she wasn’t the real her.
Maybe… maybe she’d been right. Maybe she wasn’t actually the Rose he’d known. He’d been selfish, he realised, pushing his own agenda on Rose to make her… what, exactly? Be like herself again?
Suddenly, the Doctor realised where he’d been going so wrong. God, he was such an idiot.
--------------------------
“Rose?”
The android was startled by the Doctor’s sudden presence. She bit her lip, bowing her head.
“Yeah?”
“You were right. I’m sorry,” the Doctor said, much to Rose’s surprise. She felt him sit beside her. He didn’t wait for Rose to look at him before continuing. “I’ve been a complete prick. Can you accept my apology?” Rose frowned, her hands fidgeting on her lap.
“For what?”
“For being stupid,” the Doctor said. “You were right.”
“About not being her?” she asked, feeling her stomach knot.
“Yeah. You’re not her. But you’re you. And you’re all I want,” he told. Rose’s felt almost dizzy. She hadn’t been expecting that.
“Yeah, well, I…” she began, not knowing how to answer.
“I know you don’t believe me,” the Doctor cut in, understanding. “And that’s okay. But I want you to know that you are enough. I’m sorry I’ve been so selfish.” Rose slowly turned around to look at the Doctor. His expression was gentle. How could he be so nice to her? Rose tried hard to keep her face from crumbling.
“Were you and her…?” she asked. The Doctor smiled sadly.
“Yes. Or… it was complicated. But I left that out for a reason. I didn’t want you to feel like you owed me anything. Rose, I… I don’t care about that now. All I care about is you being happy.” The sincerity in his words made Rose’s face turn red. She was unsure of what to say. He was being so… nice. Why?
“‘S not that I don’t, y’know…” Rose mumbled, troubled. “‘S not that I don’t feel that way. I just felt like… Like you’re pining after someone else. ‘Cept that someone else is me, and… It’s just weird, yeah?” Rose looked up at the Doctor, seeing him smiling softly. “Watcha smiling at?” she asked, frowning. He laughed.
“Nothing. Just… you sounded just like yourself right then,” the Doctor said. “I know that you can’t just forget your past and I don’t think you should. I’ll never push you to tell me about it if you don’t want to. What I wish I can do in the future, though… is to get to know the real you. If you want.” Rose could almost sense how nervous the Doctor was, how hard it was for him to say these words. If Rose had learned one thing about the Doctor from the short time they’d spent together, it was that he was willing to go far out of his comfort zone to ensure her well-being. It was heartwarming. Rose smiled sheepishly, her hand inching towards the Doctor’s.
“I think I’d like that,” she finally answered.
“...Yeah?” Rose felt the Doctor’s warm hand touch hers on the hard surface of the bench.
“Yes. And Doctor?”
“Mmhm?”
“I wish to get to know the real you, too.” At her words, the Doctor’s face lit up in the most adorable way. He beamed at her excitedly, making Rose tuck her head to hide her answering smile. Hands now entwined, the Doctor grinned, his freckled cheeks glowing.
Summary: It’s 2904. A mechanician known as the Doctor finds a broken android, Rose, and decides to take it with him and fix it. The two become closer quickly but soon a mysterious virus inside Rose starts acting up and revealing its true capabilities, changing everything.
When Rose’s previous owner comes around and tries to get a hold of the Bad Wolf virus, the two are left with no choice. What lengths will they go to keep Rose away from the evil hands of the Master?
Pairing: Tenth Doctor x android!Rose Tyler (au setting)
Chapter: 1/?
Rating: T
Wordcount: 1183
Notes: This is my second attempt at fic writing. As some of you might know, I’m really into the android!au I’ve had around for some time. I have a full story planned, but I’m doing a test chapter of sorts to see if people are interested at all in this sort of thing. More will come if this catches off ~
Also a huge thanks to @wordsintimeandspace for being the beta for this chapter, she really helped me make this thing readable. Huzzah!
————————–
It wasn’t until the Doctor couldn’t see his surroundings properly that he realised how truly late it was. And when it was getting too dark to see, even an idiot knew what to do: stay out of the streets.
The Doctor wasn’t planning on getting robbed by a bunch of delinquents just because he’d forgotten the time while collecting spare parts in the scrapyard.
Rushing through the sea of mechanical parts and rusting pipes, something light caught the Doctor’s attention. Upon taking a closer look the light object turned out to be a limb, an arm to be precise.
The arm wasn’t alone either, he quickly noticed. Another similar looking arm and, more shockingly, a whole leg, were lying around in just a five feet radius.
The parts looked human, which would’ve been rather alarming, but the Doctor quickly realised that wasn’t the case. A wave of pure anger struck him as he realised the parts belonged to an android instead.
Following the trail of broken parts, the Doctor quickly found a lifeless torso of a female android, eyes empty and hollow. Kneeling, the Doctor examined the damaged AI.
“Who has left you here all alone?” the Doctor murmured to himself, brushing back the android’s dirty blonde hair to read its model number.
RO-53. A model that was already outdated and replaced by its successor, RO-54. A common service unit. It was already bad enough that someone had just… abandoned this life form in a scrapyard like a piece of trash, but to make the matters worse, that someone had clearly ripped off the android’s limbs as well.
The Doctor couldn’t say he was surprised, really; the AI were widely seen as lesser life forms around the city and many people thought all they were good for was humankind’s dirty work. It still angered him, though. These modern androids were so well-evolved that they were capable of writing their own code and personality. They belonged alongside people, not… not in some dirty scrapyard. Especially this RO-53 unit. As far as he could see there was nothing wrong with it. That is, if someone hadn’t torn it to pieces.
“Let’s take you home, shall we?” The Doctor smiled sadly at the android, picking up the torso and limbs one by one. The Doctor couldn’t find the RO-53’s right leg, but he was positive he could craft one at his workshop.
--------------------------
Usually fixing and tinkering with these sort of things took the Doctor only a day: he was rather brilliant, after all. Fixing this particular android turned out to be harder than he had anticipated, though.
He began by running a scan on the android, confirming that the insides weren’t badly damaged. However, things started slowing down when the Doctor connected RO-53 to his computer and ran another scan on her. He found small anomalies encoded into her system. All the memory data had been manually cleared out of the android’s chip, too. There was absolutely no indication of the AI’s previous owner, but the Doctor was ready to bet his money that it was them who had wiped out the memory data in order to stay untraceable. The thought made the Doctor frown in disgust.
He absolutely hated how selfish the humankind could be.
The next day the Doctor reconnected RO-53’s limbs to its body and repaired the outdated energy circuits, some which were poking out from under its shell. The android’s skin was soft and human looking, yet darker patches of stringy looking material kept the Doctor from mistaking her as human. He thought RO-53 looked absolutely beautiful. She might’ve been an older model, but the Doctor still admired the detail put into the android. It was astonishing, to say the least.
--------------------------
It was three days later when the Doctor finally finished fixing the RO-53 unit.
Now there was only one step left and that was rebooting the android’s system. Then – if the Doctor had done is work right – she would wake up and be fully functional. He hoped the small anomalies in the android’s coding wouldn’t be anything preventing it from working properly. They hadn’t been removable, after all. The Doctor smiled despite himself. It was time to wake her up.
A long, high noise emitted from the android as the Doctor restored its power. Silence fell after that. The Doctor held his breath, waiting for something to happen.
The android didn’t move.
Then, suddenly: “Restarting: artificial cooling system. Powering the system.”
The Doctor’s eyes lit up. It was working! The android… no, she, she was working!
The Doctor followed the android’s reawakening with excitement and curiosity. Soon, the AI’s eyes fluttered open, revealing a pair of whiskey brown, confused eyes. They looked hauntingly real. The Doctor found himself unable to look away.
There was a silence as the Doctor waited for the android to gather her surroundings. Finally, her eyes settled on the Doctor, just staring with open curiosity. The Doctor couldn’t hold back a goofy smile.
“Hullo there,” he greeted gently. The RO-53 continued to stare at him, silent yet listening.
“…Hello.” The android’s voice was young but tentative in tone. She was clearly disoriented. The Doctor didn’t blame her. She was, after all, devoid of all her memory data. There was nothing to grasp onto.
“I’m the Doctor—”
“Hello, Doctor,” the android replied before he could finish, then falling silent. “…Sorry. That was hello twice,” she noted. The Doctor laughed in a good-natured manner.
“No need to apologise. What I was saying was that I’m the Doctor. As in, that’s my name, not my profession. I’m a human and a mechanician.” RO-53 nodded, looking out of place.
“You must be confused, and that’s because you are suffering from a memory loss of sorts. But it’s okay, I’m a friend,” the Doctor assured, and something in the android’s eyes shifted. The uncertainty and hint of fear the Doctor had detected earlier were gone. She absolutely fascinated the Doctor.
“What’s my name?” the android asked, curious. Her head tilted a bit to the side.
“...Your name?” the Doctor deadpanned.
“Yes, my name. All humans have names, don’t they? So, what’s mine?” she inquired, stopping the Doctor dead in his tracks.
She thinks she’s human.
“I, uh…” RO-53. That was a bit of an impersonal name. He couldn’t tell her that.
“…It’s Rose. Your name is Rose,” he slipped before he could think twice.
The android’s eyes widened in a curious manner and a smile tugged her lips. “Rose? Yes, that’s it. I’m Rose,” she concluded.
“Wait, no, actually—,” the Doctor started. She wasn’t human. He shouldn’t mislead her like that. But then he glanced into the android’s eyes and found himself unable to correct her. It was a cruel world out there. Androids weren’t treated well. He… he couldn’t just… He wanted to protect this AI from that. Maybe if he just…
“—that’s right. I’m the Doctor and you are Rose, my good friend. Yup, that’s it!”
Rose smiled wide and the Doctor smiled back, knowing he’d made a mistake.
Summary: It’s 2904. A mechanician known as the Doctor finds a broken android, Rose, and decides to take it with him and fix it. The two become closer quickly but soon a mysterious virus inside Rose starts acting up and revealing its true capabilities, changing everything.
When Rose’s previous owner comes around and tries to get a hold of the Bad Wolf virus, the two are left with no choice. What lengths will they go to keep Rose away from the evil hands of the Master?
Pairing: Tenth Doctor x android!Rose Tyler (au)
Chapter: 10/11 (Counting prologue)
Rating: T
Wordcount: 3318
Notes: This is the last chapter before the epilogue. I’d like to thank all of you who have stayed with me through all this and given me positive feedback and supported me <3 You guys are the reason this story got this far.
Beta’d by @wordsintimeandspace. A special thanks for @starlightkissedsmiles for helping me, too.
It was over.
The Doctor’s knees hit the ground and he slumped over, unable to tear his eyes away from the still form of Rose. His vision blurred with big, fat tears that spilled over and dotted the cold pavement.
“R-Rose?” he called out, reaching over to the android’s limp hand. “Rose…” the Doctor croaked as she remained lifeless, grasping her hand between his and holding them against his center. He stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, completely oblivious to the outside world. His Rose was gone. She was… she was gone. And this time there was no way for him to fix her. He could fix everything except the one thing that made Rose who she was.
A grunt of pain brought the Doctor back to his senses, reminding him he had company. Oh, that was right. Saxon. He was responsible for all this. He would pay. The Doctor would make him pay. He gritted his teeth, shaking from the growing anger inside him.
The Doctor slowly raised his head, bloodshot eyes staring at the man who was lying on the ground. Wait. Why was he lying on the ground? The Doctor wiped his eyes on his sleeve, not letting go of Rose’s inanimate hand. It looked like he was in pain, and while the Doctor was too angry to feel even an ounce of pity for Saxon, he wondered why regardless.
“Saxon?” he asked, voice tight. The blonde man rolled around, holding his head in pain.
“Fuck… fuck, FUCK!” he groaned. The Doctor furrowed his brows, glancing back at Rose and instantly regretting doing it. The rusty metal pipe was there, pierced straight through her throat… He couldn’t stand to look at her like that. It made him physically sick, and forced him to turn his attention back to the writhing, pathetic form of Saxon. Had Bad Wolf done something to Saxon? The Doctor had been so fixated on Rose that he hadn’t seen if Saxon had been hit by something. There wasn’t any bleeding as far as the Doctor could see, so he was pretty sure that whatever Saxon was struggling with was inside his head.
Him being hurt didn’t make the Doctor feel any remorse, though. He knelt over the cursing man, gripping his collar forcefully. Saxon yelped and tried to pry himself free.
“This is your fault!” the Doctor hissed, face twisted and mind clouded by anger. “You drove her to it, you made her do it!” Saxon whined at the accusation, trying to kick the Doctor away. His grip on Saxon was too strong.
“What are you talking about? Let me go, fucker, it’s already o– aaaARRGH!” Saxon’s words were cut off by his own, pained shout.
“...Why are you hurting?” the Doctor asked, forcing himself step back a little. The blonde man was holding his head again, growling like a mad dog.
“The stupid bitc–”
“DON’T EVER CALL HER THAT!” the Doctor interrupted ruthlessly, almost crushing Saxon’s head on the hard ground.
“Why does it matter? She’s already dea–” Saxon began, but this time the Doctor actually did bang his head against the ground. Saxon’s sentence drowned behind the pained moan he let out.
“Don’t. Say. It,” the Doctor demanded through gritted teeth, voice low and dangerous. Saxon let out a blasphemous laughter as soon as he had recovered from the hit.
“Say what? That she’s dead?” The Doctor pushed Saxon hard against the concrete, voice hissing as he spoke: “I told you. Not. To say it.”
“Oh, I’m sorry? Rose is dead, did you hear it this time? Your precious little plaything is de– OW! FUCK!” Saxon shouted as the Doctor’s fist connected with his face. The Doctor was panting from the sheer amount of anger and disgust he felt towards this man. Was he deliberately trying to get his ass kicked?
“Stop hitting me, moron! I’m already dying,” Saxon said, spitting blood from his mouth.
“...What?” the Doctor asked with a frown, pausing. “What do you mean?”
“I tried explaining but you just fucking banged my head on the fucking ground!”
“Well you deserved it,” the Doctor replied coldly. Saxon sighed and grunted in discomfort.
“How do you think I was able to control her, smartass?” Saxon questioned, voice oozing with sarcasm.
“With the code?” the Doctor answered without a beat, confused by where this was going.
“Yeah, so you think a code would be able to identify me? My god, you’re much more stupid than I thought!” Saxon exclaimed. “Of course I have a bloody counter-chip in my brain to be able to… fucking hell, man.” Saxon tried to pry himself free again in vain.
“So you’re saying you got an actual chip there in your brain that was connected to them and now it’s just… self-destructing you? On purpose? How stupid are you?” the Doctor asked, getting the full picture now.
“Not on purpose. It’s her fucking fault for… hrrrgngh,” Saxon grunted, pained. Then he went totally pale. The Doctor shook him, trying to get him to continue. Then it hit him.
If Saxon died now, Rose would never get the justice she deserved.
No, no, no no no…
“Don’t you dare die now, Saxon! I’m not done with you yet!” the Doctor threatened, his pulse racing. Death was basically a jail-free card for this man! The Doctor shook Saxon harder, making him yelp.
“Ha… ha…” Saxon laughed, breathless. “Fuck you, Doctor. Seems like I’m winning after all.”
“NO! Don’t you dare,” the Doctor repeated, angry tears rolling down his cheeks. Saxon, however, didn’t hear him anymore. He grunted in pain, eyes closed.
“The drums, the drums…” he groaned over and over, “make the drums stop, make them stop...” The Doctor could only watch as the man he so hated slowly stopped moving, slumping totally in his grip. The Doctor couldn’t feel Saxon’s pulse anymore. He was dead, killed by his own weapon.
The Doctor slowly let go of him and turned back to look at Rose before breaking down completely.
--------------------------
The Doctor had sat on the dead-end alleyway for a good thirty minutes. He just sat there, holding Rose’s hand and blaming himself for not being able to save her. For not being able to keep Saxon alive long enough for him to pay for his crimes. He removed the metal pipe out of Rose, not standing to see it there, reminding him of how she sacrificed herself to save the world. To save him, the brave, brave girl.
“Hey Rose,” the Doctor began after the white sound of silence began ringing too loud in his ears. His voice was hoarse from crying. “Let’s go home, yeah? I’ll fix you up in no time,” he assured, hands shaking. Seeing Rose so pale and lifeless for the third time in their time together made the Doctor feel hollow. It felt the same every time, only this time it was much worse because he knew he couldn’t bring Rose back. He couldn’t patch her up, not what was broken inside. He could bring Rose back physically but when it came to her personality, her memories… she would be just an empty shell that looked like her. More tears gathered at the corners of the Doctor’s eyes at the thought.
Picking up the android and cradling her close to his chest like a fragile little thing, the Doctor began walking to Saxon’s SUV. It was going to get them home.
The doors were unlocked and the key was still in the ignition switch. The Doctor gently laid Rose down on the back seats of the car, his slender arms already strained by the weight of her. Gently brushing back her hair, the Doctor kissed Rose’s forehead. Her words still haunted the back of his mind.
“I love you. Goodbye.”
The fact that she had uttered those words with a smile on her face made it hurt even more. It was like she had already accepted her fate. The Doctor swallowed, emotions welling up again. Truth to be told, he couldn’t tell how much of that had been Rose herself and how much had been the Bad Wolf speaking. The Doctor liked to believe it had been both of them, even if he hated the Wolf for essentially being the reason Rose was no longer here.
“I love you too,” he whispered shakily, looking at her peaceful face. Unable to look at Rose’s face longer, the Doctor closed the car’s door and went to take care of Saxon’s body.
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The Doctor left Saxon to rot behind a dumpster in the alley. He hadn’t found much on the body anyway, just Rose’s ownership records that he did take with him. The Doctor also collected the flash drive Saxon had tossed aside for further investigation. He went through the man’s phone before smashing it on the ground in case someone was tracking it.
The whole drive back the Doctor felt a huge weight sitting on his chest. Flashes of gold kept flickering before his vision like memories, reminding him of Rose’s limp body stretched out on the backseat of the car. To distract himself, the Doctor pulled out Rose’s papers from the seat next to him and began half-mindedly reading them.
‘Model unit: R0-53
Model family: R0-5_
Serial code: 84DW01F22092899
Origin: The Powell Estate Factory, TPEF №2, New London
Day of purchase: 10.10.2899
Owner’s name: Harold Saxon’
Reading Rose’s official records felt weird to say the least. Seeing Saxon’s name in the papers, black on white. It made the Doctor shiver. Reading and driving simultaneously wasn’t a good idea anyway. Leaving the papers aside and making a mental note to improve them later, the Doctor pulled over next to his workshop. He collected everything from the car, Rose included.
“Here we are, Rose. Home,” the Doctor said gently, pretending she could hear him.
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Just as he’d promised, the Doctor did fix Rose up as much as he could. He worked on her destroyed neck night and day, making sure all the tiny wires and joints were connecting where they should. In the end, Rose looked like she always had; absolutely beautiful. Not a single scratch besides that faint scar she had on her right wrist. It was as if she was just sleeping, which of course didn’t fool the Doctor for a second since androids didn’t sleep.
“I’m so sorry, Rose,” the Doctor whispered. He couldn’t stand seeing her there, on the table, so still. Rose was no lab rat and she deserved a softer place to rest.
‘She’s not going to recover, Doctor. You know that, right?’ a faint voice in the back of his head reminded. Ignoring the voice, the Doctor hooked his arms under Rose’s back and knees, picking her up and taking her to the his bedroom. She could rest on his bed - it wasn’t like he was going to use it. Not when he had to figure out a way to fix Rose.
‘You know you can’t fix her. Let her go,’ the voice persisted.
“No,” the Doctor growled, fists clenched tight in denial. He smoothed the blanket over Rose before marching to his workbench and getting to work. He had to find a way to fix her.
He had to.
--------------------------
The Doctor broke down again in the evening. He’d worked all day, digged in the darkest corners of the internet and found nothing. Nothing but confirmation that Rose was truly gone. There was no way to restore her personality, memories, anything.
The Doctor began mentally beating himself up. Why hadn’t he predicted this? Why hadn’t he taken a back-up of Rose’s chip? Why hadn’t he made sure… Wait.
“A back-up…” the Doctor mumbled to himself, frowning. “A back-up… a copy…”
What if he did have a copy?
The Doctor scrambled up and ran to the SUV parked outside as fast as he possibly could, desperate. Saxon had a copy of Rose’s chip. Saxon had a copy of Rose’s chip. He’d overheard it in Saxon and Rose’s conversation. Saxon had taken a backup. It wasn’t in the same flash drive as Saxon’s corruption drive which he had used to override Rose’s system, but it had to be somewhere.
The Doctor kept rampaging through the black SUV in a frenzy, turning over every seat and locker and bag there was. He was so desperate, so desperate. Almost hopeful. He opened the locker next to the steering wheel, pulling out everything inside it. He discovered a car manual, a bunch of useless medical records that had nothing to do with Rose, and a half empty whiskey bottle. Nothing useful, then. The Doctor had checked everything. Window shades, under the seats, Saxon’s personal briefcase for God’s sake… Nothing. Saxon didn’t have it in his car. Bollocks.
The Doctor climbed out of the car, defeated. He took the car’s keys to lock the doors when his eyes suddenly settled on the key charm dangling from the keys. Only, it wasn’t a key charm. It was a micro-flash drive.
“R0-53 backup data 08/22”
The Doctor’s heartbeat sped up. It had been right in front of him all along. A relieved, shaky laugh escaped the Doctor’s mouth. He could fix her! He could… he could transfer all the data to an undamaged chip and install it in Rose and she would be okay! She would be just like she’d always been! They could have a clean start, he wouldn’t lie this time...
...Well. The Doctor’s smile fell a bit as he realised one thing.
Rose wouldn’t remember him anymore. She would only have all her memories of the time she spent with Saxon, since that’s when the back-up had been taken. And there was no way to tell what monstrosity he had put her through.
Not quite the clean start, after all.
--------------------------
‘Do you really want to do it?’ the Doctor’s mind asked. ‘Do you really want to bring her back to a world like this? Where she would remember all the horrible things Saxon probably put her through? Aren’t you just being selfish? Aren’t you just disrespecting her choices?’
There was no end to the questions. The Doctor had finished restoring the data to Rose’s new chip. It had taken overnight for all the data to transfer, but now the chip was ready to be put back into Rose. And she would wake up, she would be just like herself again. She would be back but she wouldn’t have any memory of their time together.
The Doctor buried his head in his hands, frustrated, Did he really want to put Rose through this again? Did he… He wanted to say those words back to her. He wanted her to know how much he… But it wouldn’t mean anything to her now, would it? She wouldn’t recognise him, she wouldn’t smile at him or say his name in that loving tone he had been trying to ignore before in his denial. He loved her. He loved her so much. But what if loving her meant letting her go? Or would she forgive him being selfish and bringing her back? He could take it, the Doctor decided. He could take Rose not remembering their time together. He could take the pain, he could do it all correctly this time. No secrets, that much he owed to her. He could be there for her, to help her heal from the times she had been under Saxon’s control now that she would remember it.
Rose had made her decision when she decided to sacrifice herself and now the Doctor was making his. And his decision was to not live a life without Rose in it.
--------------------------
The golden, rising sun shed its light on Rose’s beautiful face through the window. The Doctor sat on the edge of his bed, holding the android’s hand and swiping his thumb against her skin. It was only a matter of time before Rose’s system would restart itself. The chip was in there, so it would be any moment now. The waiting was driving him mad. It was also making him increasingly anxious, because he knew the moment Rose’s eyes opened, she would not remember him. To her, he didn’t exist. And although that was scary, his love for this woman overcame the fear.
When the sunlight of the dawn had reached the tip of Rose’s button nose, the Doctor felt her hand twitch slightly. Oh god, it was happening. The Doctor let go of Rose’s hand, not wanting to scare her, but also holding back a new wave of tears that were a strange mix of sadness and joy. Rose sniffed in a groggy manner before her eyelids fluttered open. The Doctor’s tears spilled over at seeing the sunlight pierce Rose’s whiskey brown eyes, melting them into a colour of golden caramel. He let out a shaky breath he’d been holding, a watery laugh escaping him.
Rose’s eyebrows furrowed a bit as she began discovering her unfamiliar surroundings. However, it was only as her eyes settled on the Doctor that his heart broke completely.
“W-who… who are you?” The look of uncertainty, the hint of fear in her voice… the way her eyes looked straight at him but saw nothing but a stranger. It was probably even harder than seeing the light leaving Rose’s eyes in the alley. The Doctor instinctively lowered his head, trying to hide his sadness. He swiped away the tears, forcing himself to be happy for having Rose back.
‘This is a new start. Remember? You can do this,’ the voice inside the Doctor’s head said, supportive for once. Or had it been telling the truth the whole time?
“My name’s the Doctor. I’m… I’m a friend,” he answered, looking back at the confused android with a encouraging smile. Rose seemed less scared now, but her face was still uncomfortable.
“Where’s my Master?” she asked timidly, making the Doctor’s stomach turn. “Where’s Mr. Saxon?”
The Doctor’s smile turned tight and somewhat forced as he responded: “He’s gone. He’s not coming back, I promise.” Rose frowned, licking her lips. Her demeanor was completely different from the Rose the Doctor had known, but not completely unlike the way she had been the first time they had met. And well… He had to accept that Saxon had probably had an impact on Rose’s behaviour along the years.
“So… you’re my Master now?” Rose asked, beginning to rise up from the bed and leaning on her elbows.
“What? No!” the Doctor almost shouted, making Rose flinch visibly.
“I mean… Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I… there’s a lot I’ve yet to tell you, love,” the Doctor said with a gentler tone, the endearment just slipping in accidentally. “But most importantly…” he continued, reaching behind him for a bunch of papers, “this is who you are now.” The Doctor gave the papers to Rose, who read them with a crease between her brows.
‘Model unit: R0-53 Name: Rose
Model family: R0-5_
Serial code: 84DW01F22092899
Origin: The Powell Estate Factory, TPEF №2, New London
Day of purchase: 10.10. 2899 ← birth year
Owner’s name: Harold Saxon No one but herself
Status: The most excellent, generous, kind android on this Earth.’
After a while Rose looked up from the papers, having read and seen the changes the Doctor had made to them. The Doctor awaited her reaction nervously, trying to read from the android’s blank look if she was happy or scared. A short moment passed between the two, giving Rose time to just look the Doctor in the eye as if she was trying to figure out whether or not to trust this strange man.
Then, a small smile formed on her lips, and at that moment the Doctor knew everything was going to be okay. He smiled back in the most brilliant way, eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Summary: It’s 2904. A mechanician known as the Doctor finds a broken android, Rose, and decides to take it with him and fix it. The two become closer quickly but soon a mysterious virus inside Rose starts acting up and revealing its true capabilities, changing everything.
When Rose’s previous owner comes around and tries to get a hold of the Bad Wolf virus, the two are left with no choice. What lengths will they go to keep Rose away from the evil hands of the Master?
Pairing: Tenth Doctor x android!Rose Tyler (au)
Chapter: 8/? (Counting prologue)
Rating: T
Wordcount: 3383
Notes: *gasps upon seeing the illustration* What’s happening? 8)
Beta + immense brainstorming help that made this chapter even possible by @wordsintimeandspace and necessary love and support by @starlightkissedsmiles. Go check them out!
Rose had been acting differently ever since the incident with Saxon. He would occasionally catch Rose watching him with a concerned look on her face, but every time she’d quickly smile and come to hug him. Not that he complained. It was still easy to tell something deep down was bothering the android. They hadn’t made any progress on finding out what Bad Wolf was, either. The only thing the Doctor knew for sure was that Saxon had to be kept far away from Rose.
Saxon hadn’t reappeared after the fateful night. It was clear, however, that the man wasn’t about to give up. The Doctor did think it was a bit odd that they’d heard nothing of him. It just made it much more frustrating.
--------------------------
It was Friday, almost a week after the Bad Wolf scene. The Doctor walked in the kitchen, finding Rose reading a cooking book, chewing on her lower lip. She had always been fascinated with cooking despite not having to eat any food herself. The Doctor remembered how much of a bad cook she was: cooking when you don’t know how any of the ingredients taste together is quite the disaster. When she’d tried to cook the Doctor breakfast, the pancakes had ended up being terrible since instead of sugar, Rose had used baking powder. She hadn’t attempted cooking for him after that.
“Hullo,” the Doctor greeted in his usual energetic manner upon seeing Rose. He went for the sink to wash his hands. Rose cocked her head up from the book, licking her lips.
“Oh hi, I was just readin’ the…” she trailed off, lifting the book in her hands to show the cover.
“Yes, I saw. Not considering cooking, are you?” the Doctor asked, looking back at her with a teasing smile. Rose huffed, looking back at the book.
“We both know that’s not why I’m reading this,” Rose quipped defensively. “I was just looking at the recepies ‘cause they’re, you know, pretty interestin’ and all.”
“I was just joking,” he replied as he dried off his hands, then walking up to Rose’s seat and touching her shoulder. She tensed the slightest bit before quickly relaxing under his touch.
“I know…” Rose mumbled in response, ducking her head. The Doctor caught a glint of red on her cheeks and smiled gently, squeezing her shoulder before reluctantly letting go. A somewhat awkward silence fell in the room as the Doctor stayed in place for a moment too long, making it apparent he was thinking of saying something. Which he was, of course.
“Rose?” he asked.
“Yeah?”
“I’ve been noticing… I mean, I’ve gotten the feeling you’ve been… maybe avoiding me a bit,” he said, swaying from one foot to another.
“I have?” Rose asked, raising her head from the book but not turning around to face him.
“I mean, not physically, just… I can tell something’s bothering you, and I don’t like seeing you so troubled all the time,” the Doctor corrected. Rose being bothered by something and not telling him why made his discomfort much worse. Of course she had the right to have her own secrets, but he suspected it had something to do with Saxon. The Doctor was a goner at this point, there was no denying it. He would do anything to make Rose smile again. He wanted to permanently take all her worries away.
“Oh, I…” Rose began, setting the book aside. She twisted her hands anxiously in her lap. “It’s stupid,” she settled on. The Doctor frowned.
“I’m sure it’s not,” he argued, taking a chair beside Rose and sitting down, trying to meet her eyes. He offered the android his hand, and was glad to feel her warm palm sliding along his. The contact brought reassurance to both, assuring them that even if they had secrets, there wasn’t a wall between them.
“...I’ve been thinking about leaving,” Rose said. The Doctor’s breath got caught in his throat, paralyzed.
“Leaving? Bu… where? Why?” he asked, confused, his grip around Rose’s hand tightening unconsciously.
“Away. To… to keep you safe.” The Doctor’s heart was hammering against his chest madly, fear settling in.
“‘Cause I’m the reason he broke in here. And I’m the reason he…” The reason Saxon had tried to shot him.
“Rose, that’s not what I‒” Emotion welled up in the Doctor’s throat, breaking his sentence.
“I know,” she answered, looking down. “But don’t you see? As long as I’m in here, you’re in danger.”
“I do,” he answered, gripping Rose’s wrist tight. She looked up to face the Doctor’s grim face. “But I don’t care about that. In fact, I couldn’t care less. We’re in this together,” he said, emphasising his last word.
“I... “ Rose bit her lip, looking down again and shaking her head. “‘S not possible. I feel so guilty already for putting you in this position.” The Doctor grew desperate. Was Rose really leaving? She… she couldn’t. He was downright miserable without her. He was…
“Please, stay. I can’t lose you. I’d honestly rather lose my… my life than see you go just because I could be in danger,” the Doctor persisted, unconsciously tightening his grip on Rose’s hands even further, to the point where it probably hurt a bit. He knew he couldn’t force her to stay against her will but he wasn’t about to let her go because she felt guilty for something that wasn’t her fault.
“I can’t lose you. You’re too important to me. Rose, I… I l…” the Doctor struggled to get the words out, but they didn’t come. He would scare her away with this alone. He wasn’t worthy.
“You… what?” Rose asked, now looking straight at the Doctor and listening. Her eyes were no longer as guilt-ridden, but they were equally desperate, waiting. The moment between them had quickly spiralled into something completely different. The Doctor’s grip on Rose’s hand slackened a bit and he swiped his thumb across her palm. Had he not been so worked up, he would have noticed the way Rose shivered at the touch.
“...I won’t let you go over this, Rose. You’re stuck with me.”
Rose’s gaze dropped momentary. She’d been expecting something different. Deep down the Doctor knew what she had wanted to hear, what he’d been about to say all along. But he was such a coward. Always coward, him. Any day.
“Stuck with you… huh?” Rose repeated after a while, looking at their hands, her head ducked. The Doctor could see a hint of a shy smile on Rose’s lips. “That’s not so bad,” she whispered. The Doctor’s heart swelled at her words.
“...Yeah?” he asked, voice giving out the hope he felt.
“Yeah,” Rose nodded, slowly turning her head up to look at the Doctor. It was mesmerising, looking into her eyes. Almost electric, but so soft and warm and inviting and…
His gaze dropped involuntarily to Rose’s lips. God, she was so close. Why hadn’t he realised before how close their faces were? Oh, she was glancing down at his mouth, too. Just a peek, a mutual understanding.
Was he dreaming? Could he lean just a bit closer, just to see if it was real?
Oh, she was leaning closer, too. The Doctor’s heart skipped a beat, his face so close to Rose’s that he could feel the subtle warmth of her skin radiating between them. Just a bit more and…
Both jumped apart as the doorbell rang, unexpected, breaking the building tension. An awkward silence returned between them, both faces flaming red as they avoided the other’s gaze.
“I’ll get it,” Rose cried out, scrambling up and hurrying out of the kitchen, face burning and breath heaving. The Doctor was left sitting there, trying to process the events that just happened.
The Doctor had never been more displeased to have Jackie Tyler visit them out of the blue. He couldn’t believe he had almost kissed Rose - if it wasn’t for Mrs. Tyler and her bloody shepherd's pie.
“Thought I’d come say hi to the pair of you,” Mrs. Tyler said as the Doctor walked towards the door held open by Rose. Cold air was pouring in from outside, making the hairs on his manly hairy hands stand up. Rose had wrapped her arms around her torso, leaning against the door and listening to Jackie talk with an awkward smile on her face. The older woman had picked out the worst possible moment to interrupt them.
“You comin’ inside?” Rose asked after Jackie had told them the latest gossip and handed over the pie.
“God, no, I was just passing by. I’ve actually got to get going, love,” she answered with a wave of her hand.
“Oh,” Rose exclaimed. The Doctor couldn’t make out if she was disappointed or relieved.
“See you, dear! And you too, John. I can see you lurking over there,” Mrs. Tyler called out, looking at the Doctor who was standing in the corridor.
“See you,” he said awkwardly, almost startled by the attention. Rose was looking back at him with the pie in her hands. When she turned back, Jackie had already left. Rose shuffled around and closed the door. A silence fell in the corridor as they just stood there, Rose with the pie in her grip.
“...So. A pie, yeah?” the Doctor began, nervously shifting from one foot to another. Rose stared at the pastry with a blank expression.
“Yeah.”
“Do you think‒,” he began, but was cut off by a sudden blur of movement and Rose’s lips on his.
It was brief, warm, and there was a pie between them, but it was the most perfect sensation the Doctor had ever felt. Rose’s lips were soft yet slightly chipped where she had bit on them, something so human for someone who was not even near that. His body might have been frozen in place from shock, but his lips did return the pressure almost instantly on contact.
The kiss was over in a flash, Rose leaning back far too soon, eyes hazy and locked with the Doctor’s. The Doctor himself could only stare at her, her beauty and her sweetness, the unexpectedness of it… No words were said, but he wouldn’t have trusted himself to say anything anyway. Rose looked just as breathless as he felt despite the fact that the kiss lasted only mere seconds. She licked her lips which then curved into a small smile, and the Doctor couldn’t help but smile back, brain madly buzzing with energy. Fingers readjusting around the rim of the pie, Rose then ducked her head sheepishly and hurried off past him.
The Doctor had never been more pleased to have Jackie Tyler visit them out of the blue.
--------------------------
Neither of them brought up the kiss afterwards. They both were obviously very aware of it, and knew the other was aware of it, but no words were said. Instead, they talked about everything else as if the kiss had never happened.
It had happened, though, and it could be seen in the way their hugs lingered or in the way Rose’s smile was just a bit softer and her cheeks just a bit redder when their eyes met. And the Doctor was fine with that. He knew deep down that they would have to bring it up at some point, but right now he was just madly in love with Rose and finally admitting it to himself. He didn’t have the courage to say it out loud, but maybe he didn’t need to. She knew, she had to.
“You’ve been sitting in one place for hours. You could use a walk,” Rose said, coming behind the Doctor after he had been sitting in front of his workbench for the whole day, tinkering.
“What? No I don‒ nngghh,” the Doctor trailed off as Rose took him by the shoulders and applied a good amount of pressure, massaging his stiff back. “Point taken.”
“Mmhm,” Rose hummed knowingly.
“You coming with?” he asked, turning back to look at Rose who was smiling smugly.
“‘Course I am. If you want me to, that is.”
“Obviously I do,” the Doctor exclaimed as if it was self-evident. Rose laughed.
“Wanna go now? The weather’s really nice,” she suggested.
“I don’t see why not.” He smiled in return, taking the hand she was offering and got up.
--------------------------
The weather was indeed nice, just as Rose had said. It was chilly and most of the leaves had already abandoned the trees, leaving them naked and blanketing the pavements instead. The sun was shining brightly through a thick veil of fog that surrounded everything, making New London look like a place from a children’s book. As they strolled through Hyde Park hand in hand and breath puffing out in faint clouds, the Doctor thought he had never felt more at peace. It was nice to forget all their worries for a while and just enjoy the brisk air of autumn, noses red from the cold and feet pleasantly sore from walking.
They eventually neared the park’s end, crossing the street and deciding to head out to a café to warm up. From the corner of his eye, the Doctor saw a black SUV with tinted windows park near them. For some reason, the presence of the car made him feel on the edge. He saw Rose noticed it too. She seemed troubled by it, an apprehensive look crossing over her face. Wordlessly, they hastened their pace to reach the coffee shop sooner.
“Is this place, you know… android-friendly?” Rose asked in a low voice as they sat down on a corner table. The Doctor nodded reassuringly, pointing at the person behind the counter.
“I’ve been here before. The owner is a cyborg and they don’t really give a damn on who their customers are,” he said.
“A cyborg?” Rose repeated, confused.
“An android with a human brain,” the Doctor explained. “Unlike androids, cyborgs have a slightly better status in society because they were humans once, usually turned into cyborgs after a major injury or illness.”
“Oh,” Rose answered, looking at the curly haired salesperson and smiling. ”Good for them.”
“Are you going to order something?” she continued with a question. “Can’t be very polite just to sit here without buying anything, don’t you think?”
“Right, of course,” the Doctor realised, standing up. “You want something?” Rose frowned at his offer, confused.
“But androids don’t eat. It’ll damage my system or something, you said.”
“Oh, yes, organic food will do that, but you are able to consume holographic food,” the Doctor exclaimed happily.
“Hold on. I’ve lived with you for weeks ‘n weeks and you’re just now telling me this?” Rose asked, not really angry as much as baffled.
“Welll…” he answered while rubbing the bridge of his nose sheepishly. “It’s not actual food, per se, they’re sort of data capsules you can consume to get the feeling and taste of a food. They’re not actually nurturing or fill you up or anything.”
“Still, waited this long to tell me about it?” Rose raised her eyebrows. The Doctor blushed. He had genuinely forgot about it. Holographic food was something fairly recent - invented by cyborgs who missed the taste of food they weren’t able to eat in their robotic shells - and it wasn’t something every place had. Since androids didn’t actually need food to survive, the Doctor hadn’t thought about Rose maybe wanting to experience the taste of food. He wasn’t a good eater anyway, so maybe that explained why he’d forgotten about it.
“Can I make it up to you by getting you some?” the Doctor asked, nodding at the menu plastered on the wall. Rose smiled at him, not really mad. Her expression turned thoughtful as she read the menu, weighing her options.
“I’d like to try the ‘pear muffin’?” she suggested hesitantly. The Doctor was appalled:
“Pears?! Rose, you mustn’t! Pears are disgusting!” Rose rolled her eyes.
“Well, chocolate pastry, then. Oh, and chips. Chips sound good,” she nodded confidently. The Doctor chuckled, nodding.
“Your wish is my command,” he announced with a wink before walking up to the salesperson and giving their orders.
The coffee shop had been charming, but the duo’s light mood vanished as soon as they exited the café and noticed the same black car still in place. The Doctor could’ve sworn he’d seen the car follow them on their walk earlier, and while he didn’t want to seem paranoid, he was pretty sure he was right.
To make sure, the Doctor took Rose’s hand and tugged her in his direction. She followed him without asking any questions, but the Doctor sensed she was confused. They walked along a narrow sideway for minutes, crossing through some courtyards. When the two reached Bond Street, the Doctor saw the black car turn around a corner, slowing to a standstill roughly fifty feet away from them. A quick glance to the license plate revealed it was indeed the same SUV.
“I think we’re being followed,” the Doctor whispered in the android’s ear.
“I… I’ve noticed it too,” she answered with a lowered voice. “Do you think it’s…?” The Doctor shrugged, forcing himself to not look back.
“Could be.” Rose looked pale, her gaze burning into the wet pavement before them. She was so clearly upset, but the Doctor didn’t know what to say to make her feel better. There was no telling what was going through her mind.
“Let’s go home,” Rose said, voice not betraying any emotion she may be feeling. The Doctor nodded, taking the AI’s hand and walking them towards the nearest Tube station. Maybe the walk hadn’t been a good idea after all.
--------------------------
The unsure atmosphere persisted after the Doctor and Rose had returned to his workshop. Rose was tense and she was acting strangely, and the Doctor didn’t blame her. Both of them knew who had been following them. It couldn’t be just a coincidence.
It had been a while, though, and Rose was still jumpy and on edge. The Doctor walked to her, to hug her and tell her it was all going to be okay. Saxon wouldn’t get her, not as long as he was alive and breathing.
“Rose?” he asked, reaching out to lay his hand on her arm. Rose turned around, startled, but her expression quickly morphed into a more welcoming one. Still, her gaze held a look of remorse every time she looked at the Doctor.
“Hm?”
“I was just thinking we could maybe do something nice together. To forget what happened earlier outside,” he suggested. For a moment, Rose appeared surprised. Then her face fell and a sad smile formed on her face, a smile that wavered the slightest bit. It was like she knew something he didn’t. He knew better than to push her, though.
“Yeah, that sounds good,” Rose nodded after a while, the sadness passing from her face a tad too fast. Suddenly, she was very excited, too excited, about doing something. “We could watch a movie! I’ve not seen the Lion King and you keep talking about it.” The Doctor was swept away in a blur of excitement. She really wanted to watch that with him?
“Why don’t you go put it on while I’ll make us somethin’ to snack on while watching,” Rose offered, smiling wide. The Doctor nodded, enthusiastic. He couldn’t believe his plan worked.
Before he took off to the bedroom, Rose tugged on his arm and hugged him tight. “Don’t forget the blankets,” she added with a tongue-touched grin.
“I won’t!” he exclaimed as he went on to the bedroom and crouched over a nightstand. He started going through all the old movies he had, looking for his favourite, when suddenly a thought hit him, a defect in their earlier conversation. Wait.
“Rose?” he called, frowning. He stood up, walking out of the room and peeking into the kitchen with the Lion King cover in his hand. “Rose? You do remember you can’t eat though, righ…” he trailed off.
The kitchen was empty.
He felt a cool breeze on the side of his face and looked around frantically, panic rising in him. That is, until he noticed the post-it on the kitchen table. It was Rose’s handwriting, only one word.
Summary: It’s 2904. A mechanician known as the Doctor finds a broken android, Rose, and decides to take it with him and fix it. The two become closer quickly but soon a mysterious virus inside Rose starts acting up and revealing its true capabilities, changing everything.
When Rose’s previous owner comes around and tries to get a hold of the Bad Wolf virus, the two are left with no choice. What lengths will they go to keep Rose away from the evil hands of the Master?
Pairing: Tenth Doctor x android!Rose Tyler (au)
Chapter: 9/? (Counting prologue)
Rating: T
Wordcount: 3063
Notes: We’re nearing the end, friends. Bear with me, please, even as it gets dark. Special thanks to my beta @wordsintimeandspace, and to @starlightkissedsmiles who compared this chapter to doomsday but still supported me through the angst. May this be your warning, my dear readers. <3
Oh, and yeah, this is the lengths they go. They go pretty far. (reference to the story summary)
CW: Cursing, Character death (non-permanent), animal death, brief description of violence
Sorry.
Rushing through the familiar street, the Doctor’s mind kept flashing back to the note Rose had left behind. Sorry. As in, sorry, Doctor, but I can’t risk you. He knew exactly what Rose must’ve been thinking, and he also knew it was a huge mistake. Saxon had clearly not given up and that could only mean that he had something up his sleeve. A trap, maybe.
Sorry.
It felt almost ironic, running blindly down the street. Running after the woman he loved. Again. Rose couldn’t be far, she had five minutes’ advance at most. However, he lived in a suburban area with narrow streets and forgettable street names. Five minutes was a lot of time for an android who was determined and had the advantage of never getting out of breath.
The Doctor had officially abused his lungs to their extreme by the time he reached the biggest junction of his neighbourhood. He was forced to stop to gather his breath and fight the feeling of burning nausea from exercising his non-athletic body over its limits. Looking around, breath heaving, the Doctor spinned around, trying to catch a glimpse of any blonde haired person. The bus stops were full of people on both sides of the road, but none of the people waiting looked like Rose. A lone taxi had parked beside the bus stop on his side, blinker flashing steadily to indicate it was waiting for a customer. Rose was nowhere nearby, though.
“Bollocks,” the Doctor cursed under his breath, desperation welling up inside him. He grasped his sweaty hair in his hands, forcefully pulling the locks. Think, think, think…
“Did you see that droid going down the street alone?”
The Doctor’s head perked up at the comment. He turned around, looking for the source of the voice.
“Yeah, ‘s like it didn’t even have a owner. What an ungrateful bundle of wires,” another voice replied. This time the Doctor located the source: They were two men, assumably in their twenties, waiting for the bus under a tree.
“Excuse me,” the Doctor spoke up, stepping closer. “Who are you talking about?” The couple leered at him, weighing him under their gazes. The Doctor tapped his foot on the ground nervously, energy and the need to run sizzling inside him. Finally, the taller one of the two opened his mouth:
“That blonde machine that walked by just now.” The man’s degrading words made the Doctor’s blood boil, but he wasn’t about to start a fight now when these people had possibly spotted his Rose.
“In what direction?” The tall one seemed annoyed and instead of answering he only nodded behind him. “H-how’d you know it was an android?” the Doctor questioned, his brain nagging at him, telling him that every nanosecond he wasted still had him further away from Rose. The short one shrugged and spit on the ground.
“It’s fucking freezing and it only had a tank top on. Plus you could see all the machine bits in its arms and back. Why? It yours or something?”
“No, well, in a way I know her… But… Goodbye,” the Doctor stuttered, hope inflating him as he darted off to the direction they had pointed at. Was he too late?
--------------------------
By some sort of miracle, he wasn’t too late.
At least the men hadn’t been leading him on. As the Doctor rounded the corner, he saw Rose just as she was entering a very familiar black SUV. Her name was left frozen on his lips as he realised it was too late to call after her. The car was already pulling off, Rose inside it. Fuck. Without missing a beat, the Doctor rushed back to the bus stop.
“Come on, I need you to follow that car,” the Doctor nearly shouted as he inserted himself into the taxi he’d spotted earlier. The person behind the driving wheel was genuinely confused.
“But… sir, I was called here by–”
“I don’t care! It could be the bloody Queen of the England and I still wouldn’t care - I’m going to pay you double everything. Just. Follow that car, please. Now!” The driver didn’t need to be told twice.
The Doctor noticed his palms were sweating more as his anxiety grew. Rose had left because she thought she put him in danger. She probably wanted to face Saxon alone, the stupid, brave girl. Foolish. He… He loved her, there was no denying it. He’d gone and fallen in love with an AI. There must’ve been several laws against that, but the Doctor didn’t care in that moment. Going to prison was the least of his troubles right now.
“Sir, I lost the sight of the car,” the driver piped up nervously. Crap. The Doctor looked around, trying to spot the black SUV. When he didn’t find it, he started panicking all over again.
Had Saxon noticed the taxi following? Was Saxon himself even in the car? Was Rose safe? No, obviously not. He had to…
“Oh, there it is. Sorry, sir. You still want me to follow them?”
The Doctor released a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. His heart was hammering madly from the stress, relief flooding his system.
“Yes. Yes, yes, follow them. Please,” he nodded rapidly. His nerves were getting the best of him. If something happened to Rose now…
“I think the car is stopping,” the driver observed, bringing the Doctor back to reality.
“Wh… what?”
“The car. It pulled over. Do you want me to drive closer, or–”
“NO. Here is good, thank you,” the Doctor said forcefully, gaze never leaving the black car up ahead. The doors of the car opened and Saxon, accompanied by Rose, exited the vehicle out of his line of sight. A quick glance at his surroundings revealed that they were in some sort of alleyway. A shady place for shady business. Seemed about right.
“Cash or electrochip?” the driver asked, running him up, oblivious to what was happening.
“I… Cash. Cash, yeah, here…” the Doctor answered, distracted, shoving a pile of cash in the driver’s direction. It was certainly way too much for the trip, but the Doctor frankly didn’t care.
“Keep the rest. Thanks,” he said as he climbed out of the taxi, beginning to walk over to the black SUV. He could feel his own heart beat so loud he was afraid it would give him away. As he got closer, faint noises of conversation could be heard.
“Just… tell me what you want from me.” It was Rose’s voice. She sounded hard as steel, but the Doctor could detect a slight waver behind her words.
“You already know what I want,” Saxon’s voice retorted. The Doctor forced himself to stop behind the corner to not reveal himself. He leaned against the worn out brick wall, gaze straying to a dirty street dog sleeping opposite to him.
“I don’t. I want to know the truth. I want to know why you’re doing all of this,” Rose said. There was a brief silence. “Well?”
“What would I get for telling you the truth?” Saxon asked. “And how would it benefit you, Rose?” He was clearly suspicious.
“I have no memory of you ever owning me, so obviously I’m concerned. If… If I… helped you,” Rose sounded like she was forcing the words out, “I would need to know the whole truth. Everything.”
“And why would you just turn yourself in?”
“To keep the Doctor out of this,” Rose answered without missing a beat. “To keep him safe.”
The Doctor couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Did Rose really know what she was getting herself into? And why? Just so that he would be safe? The Doctor almost stepped up right then, but Saxon’s laugh stopped him in his tracks.
“Aww,” Saxon giggled, “how sweet. How positively adorable,” he drew out with a sickeningly sweet voice. The Doctor’s skin crawled at his voice.
“Very well, Rose. You seem genuine enough. Oh, what people do for love,” Saxon mused. “I do admit throwing you away was a mistake on my part. I should’ve made sure the copy I made of your chip had the virus in it before getting rid of you. My bad. Turns out copying your chip’s data doesn’t transfer the virus inside you.”
“W-wait, so… You never wiped my… You have my memories?”
“Oh, not only your memories. I took a full backup of you. I took it to extract the virus out of you, to use it in my own purposes… sadly, though, the copy is useless. It has no value to me. You, however…”
“H…hold on. Stop, don’t come any closer, Saxon,” Rose’s voice was suddenly afraid, even as she tried to keep it hard and intimidating. The Doctor could hear footsteps against the concrete ground. Rose was in danger.
“It’s Master to you, Rose. You know the truth now. Time for me to claim my part of the deal - and just in time for your precious Doctor to see,” Saxon scorned, startling the Doctor. Saxon knew he was here? Oh, fu…
“Wh… what?” Rose asked, panicked, whirling around just as the Doctor rounded the corner into the dead-end alleyway.
“Rose, watch ou–” The Doctor was unable to finish his sentence. Saxon had already stepped behind Rose, grabbing her head and pulling out something from his pocket. Rose let out a terrified shriek as Saxon forcefully plugged a flash drive into the USB port in her neck.
The Doctor could only watch, frozen in horror as gold flooded Rose’s eyes, bright light forcing itself out of her. Rose’s lips were open in a silent scream, her hands struggling to rip the flash drive out. It was too late, though. The damage had already been done.
“What did you do?!” the Doctor demanded, voice broken, accusing. Saxon was smiling smugly, ignoring him completely.
“Hello, my Wolf,” Saxon greeted the golden being. Rose, now completely consumed by the virus, turned to look at Saxon, silent. A small part of the Doctor hoped the Wolf would rip Saxon’s head off. He wouldn’t try to stop her this time.
“Hello, Master.” The echoing voice resembled Rose’s so closely it hurt, but it wasn’t her. It lacked the emotion, the passion, the feeling. It was dull, one of a programmed robot.
“What the hell did you do to her?!” the Doctor all but shouted. This time he really gained Saxon’s attention.
“What do you mean, Doctor Smith?” Saxon asked, inclining his head to the side. “You mean–” Saxon continued, plugging the flash drive off of Rose, “–this?” The Doctor didn’t answer, not wanting to play his game.
“Well, I simply made a small addition to her code,” Saxon said, unprompted. “Basically, Doctor, I overrode her system. I am her Master now.” Saxon threw the flash drive behind him, not needing it anymore. The code had already been applied.
The Doctor turned his attention to Rose, whose eyes were swirling with bottomless gold and power, whose face was slack and emotionless. This wasn’t the almighty Wolf he’d seen. This was a Wolf caught in chains, beaten and forced into submission.
“Rose?” he called gently. Her eyes didn’t light up in recognition. She just stared through him, blank. The Doctor could feel his heart shatter. He blinked to stop the tears from spilling over. Was this it? Was it all over?
“Why now?” the Doctor asked, trying to cover the hurt in his voice. “Why not then?” He wanted answers, more than Rose had received.
“Well, the code wasn’t ready back then. And you two caught me by quite the surprise. Now, though…” Saxon trailed off, turning to look at Rose and gently brushing the android’s cheek with the back of his hand. The Doctor swallowed the urge to attack Saxon just for touching Rose when she was unable to say no. “Let’s show him what you’re made of, shall we, Wolf?”
“Yes Master,” the Wolf answered in monotone. A voice inside the Doctor cried for her, for her to snap out of it, for her to recognise him and stop complying to Saxon. A wiser part of him knew, though, that she was unable to. Whatever Saxon had inserted into her was powerful, and it had clearly forced out a tamed version of the Bad Wolf to do his bidding.
“I don’t like that dog. Destroy it,” Saxon said dismissively, nodding towards the dog the Doctor had seen earlier. It didn’t even take two beats as Rose simply raised her hand and turned her wrist. Horrified, the Doctor watched as the dog woke up, letting out a high-pitched howl of agony, before turning golden and bursting into sparkling dust. It descended onto the colourless asphalt; Gone, just like that. The only trace left of the dog was the pile of dust, now slowly melting into the wind.
A cold tear stuck in his eyelashes, the Doctor turned back to look at Saxon. The man was grinning like a maniac whereas Rose’s gaze held nothing, no remorse. In that moment the Doctor knew she wasn’t really there, that she couldn’t fight back even if she wanted to.
“Excellent job, Wolf,” Saxon praised. Rose’s face remained empty. “I have another task for you. You, Doctor, must know what it is,” he continued, looking pointedly at the Doctor. He swallowed, nodding with a grim expression.
It was his turn to be turned into dust.
--------------------------
Bad Wolf had never believed in love. Such a human emotion was far below it.
For as long as it could remember, the Wolf had been alone, wandering in space. That is until its paths collided with one specific RO-53 unit from the planet Earth, in the year 2899.
Being a part of Rose meant being one with her, and she had always been, from the moment she was created, passionate about everything. From this lesser creature the Wolf learned many things it had avoided before. Love wasn’t just about the smiles exchanged or the butterflies in one’s stomach, nor was it about a lone kiss or hands held tight in the dark of the night. Love was putting someone else’s needs before yours. One’s life wasn’t exchangeable for another’s.
The Wolf noticed how very much Rose loved the Doctor. But even more importantly, the Wolf saw her love for life. And after having been a part of her for so long, things started blurring together. So, little by little, the Wolf found itself falling in love with those things as well.
When it came to the moment where Saxon told Rose to destroy the Doctor, something in the Wolf’s mind shifted. A pulling part of the beast was ready to turn everything into dust with a flick of a wrist but another part, that Rose part of the Wolf, persisted. She had always been too compassionate for her own good, doing what was right, defying orders.
“Get rid of him.”
Defy. Defy. Defy.
Images of them stranded in the scrapyard, the Wolf alone inside Rose’s deactivated mind for weeks, flashed before its eyes. Feeling all that pain and loneliness she had taught it to feel. Without Rose, the Wolf had felt helpless, even as it possessed all that power.
The Wolf was a being of many things: A mythical beast that held all the questions and all the answers, the only one that could mold time and space and bend reality into its will. The Wolf wasn’t, however, a being made to feel. Its only link to rationality, to that insane power, had been this female android, the one that was now locked up away in their mind. Yet even locked up away the Wolf could feel Rose’s presence fighting hard to get out. Strangely, all that pointless resistance awoke something in the Wolf. A newfound feeling, an emotion it had never felt before: Hope.
“No,” it spoke up, its own voice echoing firmly and bouncing off the walls of the universe. The Wolf knew it couldn’t defy its Master’s commands for long, so it needed to be quick.
Long ago the Wolf had looked into the future and it had seen all that is, all that was, and all that ever could be. But the Wolf had never seen this. It had never seen this one android coming. It realised that maybe there was indeed a thing called love. And loving someone meant putting their needs before your own.
Knowing its time had finally come, the Wolf smiled for the final time, embracing its fate.
--------------------------
The Doctor stood in place, waiting for the inevitable. Staring into the depths of Bad Wolf’s ruthless eyes, prepared for everything to end.
After a while the moment between them had stretched a bit too long, though. Saxon had already given his order, yet Rose stood still. Finally:
“No.”
...What?
“No?” Saxon repeated, appalled. “You can’t defy me. I told you to destroy him. Do as your Master says, Wolf.” The Doctor stood still, shocked.
“I’m doing as my Master says. And she is saying no.”
With the flick of its hand, the Wolf picked up a metal pipe that was lying in the ground further away, turning it in its hands. The Doctor stared at the being in confusion, not trusting himself enough to say a word. A bittersweet smile formed on the Wolf’s lips and its gaze turned towards the Doctor, meeting his eyes. They were a good five feet apart, but he could still see the golden tear rolling down Rose’s face, getting stuck in the corner of her mouth, from where she licked it away. A fleck of whiskey brown blended in with the gold of the Wolf’s eyes as it spoke words to him, and for a moment, just a fleeting moment, the Doctor could see Rose there instead of the Wolf. Then she was gone, and the Wolf closed its eyes.
Still trying to process what the Wolf had said, the Doctor only realised what was going to happen when it was too late.
“NO!!!” It was the Master’s shout, but he, too, was far too late. Piercing her neck with the pipe, Rose slumped lifeless to the ground, her chip and the Wolf destroyed for good by the sharp, unforgiving metal.
Tears freely dropping on the pavement, her last words echoed in the Doctor’s head like an accusation:
Summary: It’s 2904. A mechanician known as the Doctor finds a broken android, Rose, and decides to take it with him and fix it. The two become closer quickly but soon a mysterious virus inside Rose starts acting up and revealing its true capabilities, changing everything.
When Rose’s previous owner comes around and tries to get a hold of the Bad Wolf virus, the two are left with no choice. What lengths will they go to keep Rose away from the evil hands of the Master?
Pairing: Tenth Doctor x android!Rose Tyler (au)
Chapter: 6/?
Rating: T
Wordcount: 3754
Notes: Special thank you to @dimensionhoppingrose for brainstorming me through some hard parts, and to the ever lovely @wordsintimeandspace for her time to beta, and to @starlightkissedsmiles for supporting me through this story. Without them, this story wouldn’t be much fun to read <3
tw: cursing
————————–
“Hello, Doctor Smith. I’m here to reclaim my RO-53 unit.”
It was like a rug was pulled out from under the Doctor’s feet. This couldn’t be happening. Right?
The Doctor was dimly aware of someone taking his hand and squeezing tight. Rose. As he opened his mouth to answer, his voice sounded oddly thin: “Ex…excuse me?”
“My RO-53. It appears you have found her. I thank you for taking care of her, but I’m here to take her back,” the man at the door said. He was shorter than the Doctor. Blonde and wearing a black hoodie. He had a scruffy looking stubble and a pair of sharp eyes. Even as he smiled the Doctor shivered unpleasantly. Something about this man was off.
“You can’t do that,” Rose argued. Her voice was shaky. She was clearly trying to be tough, but the Doctor could tell she wasn’t from the way her nails bit into his palm.
“Actually,” the man said, reaching into his pocket, “legally, I can.” He opened a neatly folded bundle of papers, showing them to the Doctor.
“Harold Saxon. I legally own the rights to this specific RO-53 service unit. Here are the official documents declaring my ownership over her,” the man, Harold Saxon, presented.
The Doctor felt his throat close up. Face stone cold, he stepped in front of Rose protectively.
“She isn’t going anywhere. She’s no one’s possession,” he declared, very much trying not to growl.
Mr. Saxon smiled. It made the Doctor uncomfortable.
“She is my property, Doctor Smith. Here are the records. Now, if you’d kindly hand her over, so‒”
“No! I belong to no one. Whoever you claim to be, ‘m not going with you. You clearly abandoned me anyway, so you have no right to come crawling back now!” Rose stepped up from behind the Doctor, fierce and ready to fight him.
Saxon didn’t seem intimidated at all, he just kept smiling in that unsettling way. What angered the Doctor the most about him was how calm he was. He was so… smug, even. It was like he knew he was going to get his way.
“I found her abandoned in a scrapyard, torn to pieces. How am I supposed to believe that you weren’t the one behind that?” the Doctor questioned.
Saxon’s smile faltered at that. He recovered quickly, though. He shrugged, casually suggesting: “…Wild animals, perhaps?” This time the Doctor could not keep from growling. Before he could say anything more, he felt Rose push him aside.
“Why’d you even bother with me? There are newer models out there. Get one of those if you must!”
“I’m not one to let my possession wander around, RO-53. What’s mine is mine,” Saxon said with a sickly sweet voice.
“It’s Rose,” Rose snarled. The man’s eyebrows shot up.
“Rose? Look at you, you have a name now, too? Well then, Rose,” Saxon drew out her name, “you ought to come back home with me. Doctor Smith here has been very generous to take care of you, but now it’s time to go. Protesting will only get him in trouble for stealing my legal property.”
Rose’s resistance died out after that. She looked at the Doctor, defeated. The Doctor, however, wasn’t ready to let this be it. He turned to face Saxon with an oncoming storm in his eyes.
“I said it, and I’m gonna say it again. She isn’t going anywhere.”
“You might want to think again, Doctor Smith. I have the law on my side,” Saxon answered, his demeanor changing into a more serious, dark one.
“I don’t care,” the Doctor spit in response, thinking about nothing but keeping Rose away from that greedy gold digger. “There’s nothing here for you. Get out.”
Saxon’s face darkened, all traces of that playful smile gone. Had the Doctor been calmer, he would have realised that this man was truly dangerous.
“Fine. Let’s do it your way, then.”
And with that, Saxon was gone, leaving the two standing at the door, shaken.
————————–
A heavy silence hung in the air. Harold Saxon’s sudden appearance had changed everything. Suddenly, the Doctor and Rose’s easy-going life at the workshop was gone. Neither of the two had spoken after Saxon had stormed out. The tight clasp of their hands had slowly parted, leaving them both feeling alone and unnerved. The knot in the Doctor’s stomach kept getting tighter, making him unable to think straight.
The Doctor was sitting back at his workbench, staring at Mrs. Tyler’s computer blankly. He heard Rose walk behind him.
“…Doctor?” she asked meekly. He didn’t have it in him to answer. He was afraid of what he might say if he did. “What… what are we going to do?” Rose asked. When he still didn’t answer, Rose repeated his name, voice a bit steadier: “Doctor?”
He stared down at the computer even harder, as if trying to drill a hole into the screen. He could see a fuzzy reflection of Rose, standing behind him. She was clearly distraught, asking for help. Oh, the Doctor wanted to help. He just didn’t have any clue what to do. A genius, him, and he had nothing to offer now that wits were needed.
The silence stretched for a while. The Doctor didn’t really know what he expected to happen, but of course not answering frustrated her.
“Fuck, Doctor, say something!” Nothing.
“…Fine. ‘M just gonna go then.” At her curt words, a pure wave of panic hit the Doctor. It snapped him out of his trance, making him scramble up and turn to Rose who was already heading for the door.
“NO! Rose, wait,” he begged, rushing after her. Rose turned around, furious.
“You can’t just stop talking to me like that! I already feel like crap, and then you just stop responding to me out of the blue?”
The Doctor reached for Rose’s hands and was relieved when, despite her anger, she didn’t pull away.
“I’m so sorry, Rose. Just… I have no idea what we can do,” he revealed, miserable. Rose deflated, looking at their joined hands.
“He’s gonna go to the police, Doctor. There’s not much we can do ‘bout that. You’re gonna get in trouble for holding his… possession,” Rose said, not meeting the Doctor’s eyes. “Still doesn’t mean you get to just stop responding like I’m not here anymore. I might need like… actual support or something. I have no one but you.” He sighed, feeling guilty.
“You’re right, Rose. I’m sorry. It’s just that I couldn’t care less about getting in trouble. All I care about is you being free and I’m trying but failing and…” The Doctor was interrupted by Rose’s arms wrapping around him and hugging him tight.
“I know, I know… We’ll work this out, though. Right?” The Doctor returned the embrace, holding the soft android impossibly close.
“I hope so.”
————————–
Rose and the Doctor were sitting on the floor, Rose hooked up on the Doctor’s computer.
“He was the same man, wasn’t he?” the Doctor asked as he went through different folders on his desktop.
“Yeah, he’s the one who was at the door that day. At least now we know he did know me,” Rose responded bitterly. “What I don’t understand is why he didn’t just take me back right then, though. If he is my o…” Rose paused to take a breath, “…owner. If he is.”
“Maybe he didn’t have the papers with him or then he didn’t dare to because I was close by? I don’t have a clue, really,” he said. “But I do think he was your legal owner. Those papers weren’t fake. Besides, it doesn’t explain why he is so interested in having you back.”
“Yeah I wish I could remember. I… I never really questioned it, actually. Is there a chance you could look into my chip to see if my memory is locked there somewhere or something?” Rose asked.
“Uh… I wish I could. When I was fixing you I noticed that your memory data was wiped, not locked. It’s simply gone, Rose. Forever. I’m sorry,” the Doctor apologised. He had never really told her that. Who knew, maybe Rose had thought it was amnesia all along. The Doctor felt bad for not clearing the fact up earlier.
“Oh,” Rose answered, blank. “What are you doing right now, then?” she asked.
“Looking for a reason why you’d be so special for Saxon that he wants you back,” he responded. When Rose didn’t say anything, the Doctor realised how rude he’d sounded. “Wait– no, I didn’t mean… You are so special, Rose, I…”
“No it’s okay, I get what you meant,” Rose cut him off.
“Oh, good. Good. Because I do think you are special, Rose. You are kind, beautiful, and talented of course, and…”
“Doctor, I said it’s okay! Okay?” Rose laughed, reaching for his hand.
“Okay, okay,” he nodded. A comfortable silence fell between them, during which only the steady sound of the Doctor’s fingers hitting the keyboard could be heard.
“…there seem to be small anomalies in your base code,” the Doctor said aloud, ending the silence. Rose frowned.
“What are they?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I remember finding them the first time I hooked you up on this machine. The anomalies… they’re unlike anything I’ve seen. No human could’ve encoded them.”
“Okay… but are they dangerous?” Rose sounded worried.
“No, I don’t think so. They haven’t done anything to disturb the way you function, right? So they can’t be anything major.”
“Well are you finding anything else, then?” The Doctor sighed, pushing up his reading glasses on the bridge of his nose.
“No, not really. There are no hidden files on your chip. I don’t understand why he’d be willing to take legal action over something like this.” That had been heavily implied in his threats, after all. The Doctor and Rose were clearly the underdogs in this case.
“Maybe he’s just mad,” Rose suggested.
“Maybe, yeah,” he agreed, massaging his temples. It was frustrating. This Saxon person had just appeared out of nowhere, claiming his ownership over Rose. It made no sense unless he was just a plain nutcase. If he really just wanted his servant android back, he could get a RO-54 and it would be cheaper than going through the legal system.
Gently plugging the wires off of Rose’s neck and skull, the Doctor closed his laptop’s lid and got up.
“In any case,” he said while putting the wires away, “we should expect the police to show up by the evening.” Rose followed the Doctor’s movement from the floor, chewing on her lip. As she spoke, her voice was unnaturally thin: “And?”
The Doctor sighed, pulling his hair. He didn’t really want to think about that.
“And… and there’s nothing we can do about that.” Rose didn’t seem satisfied with his resolution.
“That’s it? We’re just waiting for the inevitable?” She frowned. The Doctor shrugged.
“What else is there? It’s not like we can just disappear unnoticed. Everything’s monitored in New London. They have surveillance cameras in places you don’t even know exist,” he said. Rose fell silent.
“They do?” she asked.
“Yup. I mean, it’s not quite the Big Brother house, but most things in public areas are being recorded.”
“…even the scrapyards?” Rose asked slowly, curious.
“Yeah I suppose, but why? It’s not like… Oh. You weren’t talking about that anymore, you were talking about… oh,” the Doctor said as it dawned on him. Rose’s question made sense all of a sudden. A big, hopeful grin took over his face. “Rose, you’re bloody brilliant, you know that?” Rose seemed confused.
“I am?”
“Yes! If what I’m suspecting is correct, then Saxon can’t go to the authorities without getting in trouble himself!” he laughed.
“Wait, really?” she questioned. The Doctor nodded vigorously, pacing around like an ecstatic puppy.
“See, I think it was him who disposed of you,” he began explaining. “Did you see his face when I asked about how I found you? He’s got to at least be involved in it somehow, he clearly wasn’t surprised by the information. Which means that he’s done something illegal, which means he can’t go to the police without the truth getting out, which means he was probably just trying to intimidate us into giving up!” the Doctor declared excitedly, turning around to face Rose, who looked like she had tried very hard not to fall behind.
“Okay but that’s still just a possibility. Besides, ‘m an android. Think the legal system wouldn’t be in my favour much,” she said. The Doctor pursed his lips and spun around, pacing back and forth.
“I mean, it’s possible I’m just grasping at straws here. But…” he drew out, “it would explain why he would visit us first instead going straight to the police. He already knew where you were.”
“Great, but I’m still just an android,” Rose reminded him. God, she was hard to convince. The Doctor couldn’t blame her for that; he had no water proof evidence after all.
“You’re not ‘just’ anything, Rose. You are you and you are wonderful,” he argued, not pleased with the tone of her voice. “Yes, the police would probably let him off the hook because of the circumstances, but he did, albeit assumably, commit a crime. Taking legal action would still get him in trouble,” he continued, looking directly at Rose. Her expression was pensive at the best. Slowly, the Doctor’s enthusiasm started catching on her, though.
“So if you’re correct, that means his hands are bound, yeah? So… if we had evidence we could go to the police first and… wait, no. We can’t do that,” Rose halted, turning to the Doctor who was already nodding in silent agreement. “You’d still get in trouble.”
“And you would end up in his possession,” the Doctor added. Rose’s eyes bore into the Doctor’s, holding his gaze in understanding.
“No police, then. No matter what, they can’t get involved.” He nodded again, grim.
“You best be right about this, Doctor,” she said out loud what he was thinking.
The only thing they could do was wait and see.
————————–
The day went on painfully slowly. Both the Doctor and Rose were on the edge, carefully hopeful but still prepared for the worst. The only visitor they got that day was Mrs. Tyler who came to pick up her computer. Still, hearing the doorbell ring made the Doctor jump visibly. Rose was just as startled, nervously glancing at the door.
“I’ll get it,” the Doctor assured, leaving an anxious Rose sitting in his workshop.
“Hello, John. Got my computer?” Mrs. Tyler greeted at the door. The Doctor let out the breath he’d been holding for God knows how long.
“Yup! I’m just gonna get it for you, and…”
“Who’s that?” Mrs. Tyler interrupted him all of a sudden, looking past him.
“What, who?” the Doctor asked, looking around. Turning around, he saw Rose peeking from around the corner carefully. “Oh! That’s… Rose, meet Mrs. Tyler! Jackie, this is Rose, my… assistant,” he introduced, rubbing the back of his neck. He could hear Rose shifting closer.
“Hi,” the android greeted nervously. Mrs. Tyler’s face softened immediately.
“‘ello, young lady. I’m Jacqueline. You call me Jackie, though.” The Doctor glanced at Rose, whose face was full with pure curiosity and wonder. Jackie was a blonde, short woman in her mid-forties, hair up in a ponytail and a pastel track suit on. Her accent reminded the Doctor a lot of Rose’s accent, which was curious.
“‘m Rose,” Rose said. The Doctor couldn’t quite fathom why she was acting so nervous all of a sudden. Maybe it was just her nerves after waiting for the police to show up for the whole day. Jackie smiled.
“I have a dog named Rose, you know,” she said.
“The Doctor told me, yeah,” Rose nodded.
“Oh, look at you,” Jackie said, “way too good for that loony. Is he taking good care of you, hm? Were you my daughter, I’d slap him all over to make sure he’s treating you right,” she announced. Rose giggled at that.
“Oi! Rude!” the Doctor pouted. Jackie ignored him.
————————–
Rose and Mrs. Tyler had bonded immediately. It was heartwarming to see Rose forget her worries for a while and openly chat with the older woman. Jackie couldn’t stay for the whole evening, though, and soon the Doctor and Rose were back at anxiously waiting for things to unfold.
The Doctor hated waiting. It was his least favourite part of anything. That’s why he’d always hated Christmas as a little boy. Why did you have to wait until the next morning to open the gifts? That was insane. The waiting he and Rose had to do now was very different, but just as infuriating. Waiting for something that might never come.
“Doctor?” It was Rose’s voice. He turned around to face a worried looking Rose. The android reached for his hand.
“It’s been hours. You should go to sleep, Doctor,” she said. It was then that the Doctor actually noticed how late it was. He was tired, too, barely standing straight. The last days had worn him down.
“No, I’m fine. Don’t need much sleep, me,” he beamed, trying to appear as brisk as ever. Rose wasn’t having any of it, though.
“I know for a fact you’ve not been sleeping. You might be an insomniac but that doesn’t mean you don’t need sleep,” she pointed out. The Doctor sighed.
“Rose, now it’s not the time for me to sleep. I’m fine!”
“No you’re not. You’ve been standing there for ten minutes staring at the window as if someone’s coming through it. For the longest time I was sure you’d fallen asleep with your eyes open,” Rose argued. “I think you were right about Saxon. The Police still hasn’t showed up and it’s past ten in the evening, so I don’t see why you can’t go lie down. You are clearly exhausted.”
Rose was right. He was exhausted. But he couldn’t just… he kept feeling like something was off. He was sure Rose felt it too.
“Please. Just try to sleep for a while so you’ll get your energy back. You’re no use in this state,” Rose said.
In the end, the Doctor gave in. He agreed to sleep as long as Rose stayed in the same room as him and promised to wake him up if she as much as heard a noise. Rose thought he was being silly, but if that was what got him to take care of himself, she was ready to accept his demands.
The Doctor had trouble falling asleep at first. He was anxious and jumpy, not finding a good position in his bed. Rose was sitting in the bedroom, reading in the dim light of a desk lamp. Only when Rose got sick of listening him turning around repeatedly and came to lie beside him, taking his hand, the Doctor could close his eyes and feel at peace.
“C’mon, Doctor. You can sleep now. I’ll wake you up if something happens, just like we agreed.”
With Rose’s comforting hand in his and her steady breathing filling the silence, the Doctor was asleep in no time.
————————–
The Doctor awoke to a loud bang. His eyes flew open, sleep trying to sew them back together. He couldn’t see a thing, it was pitch dark. He squeezed Rose’s hand to alert her… only to realise her hand was gone. A cold wave of panic struck him and he sprung up, desperately trying to locate a light switch.
“Shh, I’m here, it’s okay,” a quiet voice said. A soft pair of hands on his sweaty skin startled him. The Doctor immediately turned around and took Rose’s hands in his, trying to see in the dark, searching for her face. He heard her breathing, he could feel the warm puffs of air hit his face.
“Rose?” His voice sounded hoarse and sleepy. Dear God, how long had he slept? It was still dark outside.
“Yeah. Sorry, I just… I heard the noise and…” The Doctor froze as he remembered the loud bang. He gripped Rose’s arms tight, not daring to let go of her.
“The noise came from the workshop,” Rose whispered. The Doctor could almost hear her little android heart beating rapidly.
“I’ll… I’ll check it out. You hide,” he said with a lowered voice, tiptoeing over to the door.
“Like hell I will,” Rose answered, moving a step behind the Doctor, taking his hand. “The door is to the left,” Rose added, tugging him in the right direction. How could she know? It was too dark to… Oh, right, of course. She must have a night vision.
“Should I go first?” Rose asked.
“No, absolutely not,” the Doctor answered, voice grim. He leaned on the door, turning the handle slowly. He could hear subtle noises from the other side of the door.
As the door creaked open, the Doctor’s eyes were hit with a dim light. In his drowsy state it felt like a blinding sun thrown at his face. Someone had turned the workshop’s lights on. Or had he left them on?
The two sneaked over to the corridor. The noises were still subtle, but he could clearly make out the sound of shoes stepping on the wooden floor of the workshop.
“I know you’re there,” a man’s voice startled them both. “And you are holding something that belongs to me,” it continued. Saxon. The bastard had broken in.
Coming out of the corridor with Rose close behind him, the Doctor growled: “There’s nothing here for you, Saxon. Get out.” He felt Rose shift behind him, whispering to his ear:
“Watch out, he’s got a‒”
“Stay out of it, Rose,” the Doctor hissed, his nerves getting the best of him. He felt Rose back off a bit, obviously hurt. Oh, he’d made a mistake.
“Trouble in paradise?” Saxon sneered, eyes mad.
It all happened so fast. He had no time to react as Saxon pulled out his gun, smirking: “Here’s some more.”
Bang. There was a loud bang of a gun aimed directly at him.
In that fraction of a millisecond the Doctor prepared himself for the pain of a bullet piercing his skin.
The pain never came. Instead, he carefully opened his eyes to see the room full of golden, blinding light.
Frozen in the air, only mere inches away from the Doctor’s forehead, was the bullet.
