Reaction
by Mojave Dragonfly
"What?" Adam stood just inside the TARDIS door, looking around. Rose looked up at him and smiled, remembering her own confusion when she'd first run through that door.
"Yeah," she said. "It's bigger on the inside. Lots bigger, really."
"But that's not possible," he said.
Standing at the controls, throwing levers, The Doctor snorted.
Ignoring him, Rose asked, "Isn't it?" She smiled evilly. Nothing like having your own eyes contradict everything you think you know.
"Well, it is," Adam said, venturing to step further inside, "but you'd have to be able to bend space-time..."
"It's what we do," The Doctor said, throwing a final lever. The TARDIS engines began wheezing.
"But we have to get out of here," Adam said, sounding much less sure than he had moments ago.
"Oh, we have," Rose said cheerily. "Haven't we, Doctor? Where are we now?"
"I have no idea," The Doctor said, scowling at his controls.
"Then, where are we going?"
"I have no idea." Rather than his words being a joyous statement of high adventure, The Doctor sounded disinterested. He turned away from them and wandered to a bulkhead. Rose wondered for a moment if something were wrong, but put the thought aside. He was probably still out of sorts that Rose had wanted Adam along.
"Well, that's all right, then," she said, uncertainly. "Come on, Adam, I'll show you the house." She gestured grandly. "This is the—control room?" She shrugged, smiling. "And, down here," she led him down a corridor, "is a bunch of empty rooms. We can take you home if you like, but if you want to stay and see the stars, one of these can be yours. I'm just over there."
Still looking stunned, Adam didn't respond to the implied flirt. Rose didn't mind; she hadn't entirely intended it—it was almost automatic. In Van Statten's complex she had flirted with him because he was young and British and might be able to help them. Now she allowed that he was rather cute as well, and smart, but not actually her usual type. Still, he had potential, and Rose was looking forward to being the one who knew things for a change.
"We've really left Utah?" Adam asked. "This is a space ship?"
"Or a time ship. Something like that."
"Same thing." Adam nodded and opened the nearest door.
"How's that?" Rose asked.
"Space and time are the same thing." Adam stuck his head in the room and looked around.
Rose rolled her eyes. "Well, that explains a lot," she said.
"It does? Most people think it sounds crazy."
"Except us nutters who've been in alien space ships." She smiled at him. "Down there is a room like a wardrobe if you need any stuff. There's a kitchen somewhere, too. You get settled in and I'll go talk to The Doctor about where we should take you. Anyplace you want to go? Anywhen? We can fast forward or rewind."
Adam blinked. "Forward," he said.
Rose gave him her most pleased smile. "That was my pick, too."
The moment Rose was no longer playing hostess, she felt tired. She had thought she was dead today. "Exterminate!" she still heard the Dalek's tinny voice screaming, saw the bulkhead door close just in front of her. Too late, too slow. Life over.
She hoped The Doctor was in better spirits; his insouciance was infectious.
She found him seated on some piece of equipment, near where she had last seen him turn away. He raised his head as she came in, gave her a forced smile. "Rose," he said, like a man in a desert might say, "water."
"So," she said, "what's wrong?"
"Nothing! Nada. Everything's peachy. How are you? How's the new beau?"
She had been half joking when she asked, but now she knew real concern. She hadn't seen him look so pale before, and he seldom just sat, particularly when in his TARDIS. She thought of her own weariness and felt sympathy, went to him.
"Was it the dalek?" she asked.
The instant of startled look she got gave her her answer. "It's all right," she said, laying a hand over his, where it gripped the edge of his seat with white knuckles. "It's dead. You win, yeah?"
"It's nothing," he said. "Don't worry."
"Who's worrying?" she asked. This close to him, she saw perspiration on his forehead.
"It's just reaction. It's a human body, you know, or it's based on one. Kind of souped up, really. More redundancy, less inconvenience. But it still reacts. Should work on that. Nothing to worry about."
But he was worrying her. She sat beside him, keeping her hand in place on his.
"I hate them, Rose. Hate them," he almost whispered.
"I know," she said.
"I thought they were all gone." He took a deep breath and let it out. "It said I would make a good dalek."
Rose didn't think she had ever seen him look so upset. "It was just trying to cut you down," she said. "Calling you names."
The Doctor shook his head. "Daleks are very honest, Rose. And I hate them." He closed his eyes.
"They destroyed your planet," she said, carefully. It was too awful to think about. "Of course you hate them."
"You don't understand," he said with a touch of his usual impatient condescension. "Hate is a base emotion. Most advanced life forms evolve beyond it. It's downright embarrassing." He looked at her with an attempt at lightness.
"I won't tell," she said. "Do you need a hug?"
"Always," he said with disturbing earnestness. Rose hugged him tight, but released him quickly.
"You're shaking," she said, still concerned.
"I told you, it'll pass. Don't worry."
"Stop telling me not to worry! What is it?"
The Doctor shook his head and looked down. "I was so scared, Rose. I was terrified that that dalek would get free and kill everyone on the planet." He raised his gaze to her slowly. "That it would do to your world what happened to mine. And then go on to the rest of the galaxy. I was so scared of that, Rose, that I—sacrificed you."
Now Rose saw they had reached the heart of the matter. "I lived, right? You didn't sacrifice me." It was the first thing she thought of to say.
The Doctor just looked at her with an expression of immense pain.
"Okay," Rose bobbed her head and looked around the "control room." "That was luck, okay. Don't think that was a high point of my day, either. But I meant what I said, you know. I meant every word. And it was the right thing to do."
"Was it," he said, distantly, like he was thinking of other things.
"Of course it was. You think I want to have Mum and everyone I love die just so I can stay alive? I can't think of anything worse."
That jolted him. The look he gave her was pure shock, and dread filled Rose's stomach. What had she said? Then he smiled—a big, relieved smile. He stood and put his arms on her shoulders. "You're right, Rose. There isn't anything worse. You're a genius."
"Oh, good, then," she said, confused. "Try not to do it again."
"I should make it up to you," he said, making an expansive gesture toward the heart of the TARDIS. "Name it. What can I get you?"
"Well, speaking of geniuses, we have one on board—"
"This one isn't supposed to be about me, Rose. Oh, you mean what's-his-name."
Rose gave him a dirty look, but inside, she was relieved to see him so cheered up. "He wants to visit the future. Earth future. But not the end of the world!" she added. "Something else."
"Right!" The Doctor leaped to his controls. "Go and get him, then."
"But that's not for me!" she cried. "You wanted to make it up to me."
"What then?"
Rose glanced toward the corridor and stepped closer. "I want you to make me look smart to him."
"To him?!" The Doctor sounded like he thought Adam had the intelligence of a washroom tap. "Rose, he's not worth it."
"This is for me. It's not your call. For once."
"Right then." The Doctor winked at her. "You can fetch him after we get there. I'll tell you what to say."
Rose jumped up and down and clapped. "Brilliant!"
The Doctor touched a lever and the TARDIS tilted and then righted again.
Rose looked at him sidelong. "You okay? Really?"
"Much improved," The Doctor said, grinning at her.
"But you still need a hug, I think."
This time she didn't let go.
The End.