Revenge of a Time Lord

Chapter 24

When the Doctor entered the TARDIS and dropped down the knife, Rose nearly attacked him when she stormed over to where he stood.

'WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? TELL ME! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO JACK?' she cried, trying to hit the Doctor.

The Doctor grabbed her arms firmly to make sure she wouldn't hit him and he tried to calm her down.

'Calm down, Rose, calm down... I did nothing to him. Okay? Nothing. Jack is still alive,' the Doctor said calmly, and it seemed to reassure Rose a bit.

'Please tell me that you are telling me the truth... please...' Rose said softly.

'I am,' was the short answer.

She was breathing heavily, but she walked away from the Doctor. She knew that he wasn't lying, she would know if he lied to her.

'Don't walk away,' the Doctor said sharply, and Rose turned around nervously. 'I have a question for you now. Because you have been a very bad girl, haven't you?'

Rose didn't answer that. Instead she tried to take a step back. But the Doctor had grabbed her firmly before she could move away from him. And she knew he wasn't very pleased with her.

'Say that you love me,' the Doctor ordered, and Rose was a bit surprised when he said that. And she was afraid. She knew that she had to give him the answer he wanted to hear, she had to tell him that she loved him. There would be consequences if she gave him an unsatisfying reply now. And she didn't want that. But she didn't want to tell him that she loved him either, because she didn't. Not anymore. Not like this.

'Tell me... that you love me,' the Doctor growled in her ear, softly biting her earlobe.

Rose shivered and she knew that the Doctor must have felt that. But for some reason, he took that as his cue to continue. He stroke her hair and pulled her even closer. And Rose could smell blood on him. She tried to push him away from her, but he wouldn't let her.

'Doctor, let go of me,' Rose said firmly. When he didn't do as she asked, she repeated herself. 'Doctor! Let go!'

'I will never let you go. Never. Have you got that, Rose? Never. I will never lose somebody ever again,' the Doctor whispered in her ear.

'Please, Doctor, let me go,' Rose said again, trembling.

'No... You haven't answered my question yet... Do you love me?' the Doctor asked. 'Because I do love you. And I am here to protect you forever. So you will tell me that you love me... I don't know what will happen if you don't...'

'What happened to you, Doctor? You weren't like this. And I am not the only reason why you are so protective over me. Tell me, who have you lost?' Rose asked, seeing the pain in the Doctor's eyes when he looked at her.

'Answer me, Tyler,' the Doctor growled. He wasn't going to show his feelings. He couldn't do that. He couldn't get stuck in his own past. That was just weak. He had Rose back now, he had to keep her, she was the only girl he had ever fallen in love with. He had already lost his best friend, he wasn't going to lose Rose now.

'You will answer me first,' Rose demanded, feeling very uncomfortable in the Time Lord's arms. He just refused to let her go.

'You betrayed me so many times. You have even tried to kill me. Yes, I know about that,' the Doctor said when Rose looked more and more worried. 'And yet there is something inside me that can't let you go. So I guess that that means that I truly love you. Otherwise, after such betrayal, I would have kicked you out already.'