She’d been looking for him for hours. Well, not searching, not really. But looking around all the rooms he was usually in. The den. The spare room he had converted to a lab. The kitchen, perched on a cupboard with his fingers in a jam jar.

But now the light was waning and she was starting to feel a bit lonely. She huffed, dropped the takeout menu on the counter, and went to the last room in their flat she hadn’t looked yet.

He’d kept their flat relatively normal, on the insistence of Torchwood. (It would take them weeks to undo any of his work should they decide to move, after all.) The only thing he’d managed to sneak was making their library bigger on the inside. After weeks of having towers of books on every available surface, she was grateful that he’d broken the rules.

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"Go on up to your room and change out of those trousers and give them to Hannah before mum sees that grass stain. Hurry on then, up the back stairs!" Her eyes tracked Tony as he scampered across the lawn, shaking her head with a smile. She knew too well Jackie’s righteous indignation at finding a perfectly good pair of slacks ruined by a scuff or a stain. The only difference was that Tony had staff that could help cover for him, where Rose as a child had to face the music eventually.

When a warm body pressed up behind her, she smiled happily and turned in his arms. Her own wound around his narrow waist, slipping into his back pockets.

"That grass stain will come out just fine, as long as they get to it within the next ten minutes." The Doctor kissed the tip of her nose.

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TARDIS Fic-a-thon: Bubble Wrap Room

He cursed as he knelt in front of her, muttering something under his breath that sounded an awful lot like “jeopardy friendly.”

“Hey, it could have been worse, right?” Rose teased, cutting off on a gasp as his fingers probed at her swollen flesh.

She hadn’t meant to, it was just that… well… the ground had been completely uneven. She hadn’t been wearing the forty-third century anti-gravity heels, nor did she have his frankly alien sense of balance (nor the protective heavy-leather boots he went everywhere with). So somewhere along their flight from another angry hoard, she had tripped and twisted her ankle. Her cry had notified the Doctor, who’d wasted no time in scooping her up and finishing their dash to the TARDIS.

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In the Darkness We Create: Chapter 11

Warning: This chapter contains character death.

Rose flinched back as his weight collided against the door, a few more thuds echoing as he pounded his fists against it. Listening to him rage like a trapped animal, like he had used to do every time they’d gotten thrown in some tiny cell before they’d been separated, the weight of everything that had happened flooded into her, she sank against the wall.

Jack. He really was gone this time. And the Doctor… She hadn’t even known to miss him, but now she was trapped with this maniac. Trapped alone, with no avenue of help, comfort, or escape.

She traced a lingering bruise from their last night together on her wrist. “What happened to you?” It was only when her voice broke that she realized she’d begun sobbing.

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In the Darkness We Create: Chapter 10

Warning: This chapter contains character death.

Rose brought her knee up between his legs, connecting hard against him. He let go of her with a grunt, stumbling away before he collapsed. He was blocking the way back to the TARDIS; with only a second’s hesitation, she ran for the black door that hovered a few feet away.

As soon as she stepped through the doorway, the rocky terrain melted away into rolling hills of red grass under an orange sky. She’d stumbled across the Gallifreyan room in the TARDIS once by accident and knew in an instant where she was. A forest of silver-leaved trees caught her eye and she dashed towards them.

Just as she got behind the first row, the Valeyard’s voice echoed after her. “Rose, don’t!”

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In the Darkness We Create: Chapter 9

She let out a squeak of fear, stumbling backwards even as the Valeyard stormed towards her, catching her tightly around the waist. “Leave her alone!” Jack yelled, running towards them. But the Valeyard didn’t even spare him a glance, just hauled Rose into him and off the floor; one hand reached out almost boredly, flipping a switch on the console.

A sizzle ran through the room as sparks ran across the floor. The high voltage caught Jack; his body seized up, eyes rolling back into his head as he convulsed, then dropped to the floor. Rose screamed, thrashing against the Valeyard. But he didn’t even flinch, just held her tighter and walked out of the console room, throwing open the doors.

The planet before them was rocky and uneven. Not even a bird chirped, not even an insect buzzed in the quiet evening. Rose looked up, watching in terror as the stars and planets spun around them.

“You wanted to ruin the surprise?” His voice was startlingly soft, yet still heated as he stared down at her. Those warm brown eyes holding such cold, distant fury terrified her more than anything she’d ever faced. “Very well, I guess you’ll see my little project early.”

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In the Darkness We Create: Chapter 8

The center of the basin cracked open and Rose shielded her eyes against the blinding glow that spilled out.

“Rose.”

She blinked at the sound of her own name, staring up into the face of a woman. The raggedy dress, mess of curly brown hair, and smudges and creases around her eyes didn’t stop her from recognizing in an instant, “You’re the TARDIS.”

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In the Darkness We Create: Chapter 7

Her head propped on one hand, Rose watched the Doctor move about the room, pulling clothes on. He turned and caught her stare right as his fingers pulled his tie through the last knot. He sent her a sloppy wink and she answered with a grin. “I’ll just be off to do some repairs. You get some sleep.”

She nodded, and he hurried forward to kiss her once more before he left the room. As soon as he was gone, the smile faded from her face.

She slipped as silently out of bed as she could manage, pausing to listen for any signs that he would come back. She tugged a pair of jeans on and slipped a jumper over her head. She stopped long enough to pull her hair back from her face before peeking her head out of the door, glancing both ways, and hurrying away from the console room.

The library was eerily quiet as she shut the door behind her. Her eyes scanned over the towering shelves that disappeared into a labyrinth, and she huffed in annoyance. “Sure would be a lot easier if I knew what I was looking for.”

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In the Darkness We Create: Chapter 6

“So this Valeyard guy is the reason everything’s trashed, and all the people are terrified out of their minds. We have to do something, Doctor. They can’t survive like this.”

He’d had a frown on his face for the last half an hour, and he hadn’t released his vice-like grip on her knee since she sat next to him. “Rose, if that woman is to be believed, the Valeyard is not to be taken lightly.”

“We have to help them, Doctor. We have to overthrow this guy, and get these people their lives back. It’s what we do.”

“Yeah, you’re right. But you have to listen to me, Rose.”

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In the Darkness We Create: Chapter 5

She stretched contentedly, revelling in the soreness in her muscles and in her core. But when she caught sight out of the dark purple mark on her shoulder, she frowned and craned her head down. Her eyes traced the flurry of bruises that ran across her chest, her stomach, her hips, and her thighs. She would have to have a talk with the Doctor about respecting the limits of her human body.

But the thought melted away under the onslaught of warm water as she moved into the shower. She scrubbed the sweat and soot off her skin, loosened her limbs, and carded her fingers through her hair. Despite the horror of yesterday—she knew she’d never forget, but she also knew that her and the Doctor had to continue on—she found herself humming, a smile tugging at her as she remembered the Doctor’s lips moving against her own.

Unbidden, the memory of that empty look in his eyes just before he’d covered it with a grin flitted through her mind and she shuddered. The water felt too hot, the air too cold. She shook herself, shut the shower off, and climbed out, toweling herself off. The TARDIS had an outfit ready for her on the bed, something that was light and comfortable and would draw the Doctor’s eyes down her legs.

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In the Darkness We Create: Chapter 4

This chapter gets into a bit of rough sex. If that’s not your thing, you won’t lose too much by skipping over it.

The Doctor was already at the console, sending them into the vortex. She felt numb all over, a cold wash of horror replacing the heat of the planet. She moved without really thinking and sat heavily on the jump seat, fingers curling into the seat until they started to hurt.

The Doctor sat down next to her silently, shoulder nudging hers and hip sliding against her. “I’m so sorry, Rose,” he began, breaking the silence.

She bit her lip, face turned to the wall, and shook her head.

"No, I should never have—"

"Doctor." Her soft voice silenced him instantly. "I’m tired."

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In the Darkness We Create: Chapter 3

He slipped around her to start at the controls, coming to stand in front of her before the TARDIS started dematerializing. “Rose?” he asked softly, ducking down to try to catch her eyes. His hand slid along her cheek, brushing at the tears falling down it. “I need you to come sit, Rose. The crossing isn’t the smoothest, if you remember, and I’d rather have you safe.”

She swallowed hard a couple times, choking on another wave of tears before she nodded. Small steps and his strong, guiding hand had her sitting on the jump seat and fumbling to clasp the restraints around her. His hands flitted over the bindings, making sure she was safe, before he reached to flip the last lever.

The entire ship shuddered and shook, making a horrible noise. The Doctor remained at the side of the console, feet spread to balance his weight as his hands held him upright. She couldn’t help the little bubble of laughter that rose as she watched him bouncing as he had so often done. He caught the sound and turned to look at her, waggling his eyebrows with a grin.

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In the Darkness We Create: Chapter 2

She pushed open the door, stunned to find that the Doctor had landed them right in the middle of Jackie’s living room.

And, even better, Jackie was standing in front of the blue box, mouth open with a shattered bowl of soup at her feet.

Jackie’s eyes shifted from Rose to the Doctor as he stepped out behind her, one hand shoved in his pocket and the other wrapped around her daughter’s.

"Mum—"

"Hello, Jackie." The Doctor dipped his head to her.

"You get away from my daughter."

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In the Darkness We Create: Chapter 1

Warning: This fic contains character death in later chapters. If this upsets you, either do not read, or stop when the warning comes up again.

This is a slight AU set, for the Doctor, about a decade after the events of The End of Time. For Rose, six months after Doomsday.

Heart hammering in her chest and feet slapping against the pavement, she pushed her way through the city. She’d only seen the blip on the map for a moment, but it was unmistakable. Unmistakable and impossible. But then again, she’d long since learned that nothing was truly impossible.

The flow of people thinned until she was alone, skidding around a corner. Out of breath and sure she was half out of her mind, she stared up at the blue box and the smiling, brown pinstripe-suited man in front of her.

“Doctor?” she whispered, terrified that her voice would break the spell as it previously had in so many other dreams.

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Dedicated to fic!anon. You get better soon, darling. I know you’ve cheered up some of my shitty days. I hope this helps you feel better at least a little bit.

The bed was moving. It most decidedly and assuredly should not be doing that, and not at this ungodly hour of the morning. He grumbled low in the back of his throat, punched it once, and tucked farther into the bed, trying to pull the sheets up over his head.

Only they didn’t come.

Swearing under his breath at the light, he cracked one eye open.

And was greeted with the grinning, bouncing face of Rose Tyler.

"Rose, do you know what time it is?" he whined, turning to bury his face in the pillow.

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His heart thudded in his chest, and he couldn’t repress the twitch of muscles that had him straining against the ties at his wrists. “Rose?” he called, grimacing at the whine in his own voice. He heard a rustle next to his hip and turned towards it, even though the fold of fabric over his eyes stopped him from seeing anything.

"Do you trust me?" she asked in his ear. He jumped at how close the sound was. In times past, before… before he came here, with her, he would have been able to pinpoint exactly where she was at all times, even with the loss of one measly sense. But now, surrounded by the scent of Rose, unable to reach out for her, his one heart working overtime to try to make up for the one he’d lost, unable to hear her over the rush of blood and lust through his veins.

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The man with a whirl of color and sass had finally left her alone. It’s not that she wasn’t grateful for rescuing her; she was. But… so much had happened in the past few days, more than she ever thought could have. Oh, her head would never stop spinning.

She’d found her room, or what would be her room, or… ooh, at any rate, she’d found it. Of course it had none of the things she’d gathered throughout her time aboard; she’d fill it soon enough.

But as she stood in the middle of the room with nothing but an old night gown she’d found buried in the bottom of a drawer, still clutched in her hand… Charley’s heart began to ache. Ache for the Doctor who hadn’t come for her. He really must be dead, then.

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Dedicated to Allison, because she’s starting to feel yucky. I hope you get better soon, darling.

"Charley, are you feeling alright?"

She looked up, handkerchief still pressed to her mouth to stifle her coughs, trying to focus on him through her watering eyes. “Oh, I’m…” Another cough racked her frame and she curled in on herself, pressing the fabric into her mouth. “Fine,” she finished weakly. From the clear, concerned look on his face, she pushed back into the couch.

His cool fingers against her flushed face made her sigh and lean into his touch. “Hmm, you may have caught a flu on that last planet. Usually the TARDIS guards against those sort of things, but with the way you two get on…” He shot the TARDIS column a wry smile before focusing back on her. “Perhaps I should vaccinate you before we go to certain places.” His hand pressed more firmly to her forehead before he drew back.

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