The Monk's Altar

Chapter 6

Rose stepped back to allow the Doctor to get closer to where the sensations were coming from.  The sonic seemed to blip out and the Doctor frowned, smacking it against his hand several times and trying to start it up again.

They stood there in silence as he tried to figure out exactly what was going on, Rose watching him intently as he did so.  His brows were furrowed, his eyes focused, and she found herself fixated on the way his tongue stuck out of his mouth slightly.  That was something this regeneration had picked up from her, she had noticed. 

"That's odd," he murmured, almost to himself, and she snapped out of her reverie that had her focused on him.  "It doesn't want me to look at it."

"Does that mean it's sinister?" Rose asked, dragging her bottom lip between her teeth in her worry.  His face was drawn in worry, she could sense his upset, even if he thought she couldn't.  She knew that, that he thought she didn't know when he was upset, but she could read him like a book.   

"Might be," he said softly, tapping the sonic,  "But I can't do anything about it, regardless.  It doesn't want to let me in, but there is definitely some sort of alien tech at work here."

Rose furrowed her brows.  "From this planet or another one?  At this point, alien could mean from Earth," she pointed out.  

The Doctor nodded, allowing her that little bit.  "Possible, but unlikely.  As much as you lot on Earth want to take over the universe in the future, there's always a few pacifist countries that stop you.  And they do a fine job of it too.  Instead of fighting, you just spread out, breed, become something new," he smiled at her, "It's a beautiful thing."

"You mean like, humans and aliens get together?"

"Humans are compatible with most species.  Whether or not that would be desirable is left in the eyes of the beholder."

Rose felt her mouth open slightly at that particular bombshell but knew she probably couldn't or shouldn't say anything about it.  It was hard not to stare at him when he was just standing there, looking gorgeous with his brows drawn together.  She promptly closed her mouth and swallowed hard, nodding her agreement.  "Well, yeah, I guess not everyone wants to marry someone green and slimy."

"You're being alienist," he said teasingly, nudging his shoulder against hers as he continued to fiddle with his sonic.  

"You of all people should know I'm not alienist," she retorted, hoping he could see exactly what she was trying to convey.

The Doctor offered her a soft look, clearly reading her just as well as she read him.  "No, you prove time and time again that you are an open minded, compassionate woman."

She blushed and looked away from him.  He'd really never called her a woman.  'Companion' maybe, 'human' yes, 'friend', but never 'woman'.  She tried not to read too much into it; she couldn't possibly expect anything from him, especially of that nature.  No matter how tenderly he had held her the night before, he was an alien who wanted nothing from her and she was going to learn to accept that.

"Ah!" The Doctor crowed happily, properly shattering the moment as the buzz of the sonic entered the air again.  He pointed it at the air and let it run for a moment, patiently standing, rocking back on his heels every so often with his nature keeping him from standing still.  

He pulled the sonic away after a few moments and seemed to be checking the reading.  "Yes, it would appear to be alien," he told her thoughtfully. "Definitely."

"Bad or good?" she asked. 

"It's the sign of a teleportation device," he said, not really looking at her. "Whoever is making sacrifices at a peaceful altar is sneaking in via teleport to do it.  My question is, why come here?"