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The Doctor was an idiot. This, unfortunately, was not news to Rose. But the current reminder of this fact was hugely irritating.
“I'm supposed to go.”
“Yeah.”
“To another world, and then it gets sealed off.” She said slowly hoping he’d realise the stupidity of his plan without her having to point it out to him but presently he wouldn’t even look at her.
“Yeah.”
“Forever.” He still wasn’t looking at her, not even as she tried to provoke him with the promise she’d made him. Coward , she thought nastily at him, the least he could do was look at her for what he thought was their last moments together. “That's not going to happen. The TARDIS is covered in void stuff too, what’s to stop her from being pulled through again?”
“The TARDIS can control her own mass. Once she's locked onto a spot in space and time she won’t move - unless she chooses to - even if the area she landed on was to move out from underneath her.”
“Fine. Then I’ll stay in the TARDIS.” She snapped at him, frustrated with his continued idiocy and cowardice.
He finally turned to look at her, recognising the stubborn tone for what it was. After all, the last time he’d sent her away she’d torn open the TARDIS and flown into a massacre rather than let him die alone or take her choices from her and tell her what to do. He knew better.
“There’re Daleks and Cybermen out there. I can’t let you do that.”
“You’re not ‘letting me’ do anything. You still got that teleport from Cinzara?” She asked, holding out her hand with a scowl, it wasn’t a question really. She was staying whether he let her or not.
“Yes.” The Doctor said through gritted teeth as he reluctantly rummaged through his pockets.
Neither wanted to concede but Rose knew she’d cornered him on this one. The Doctor pressed the teleport into her waiting hand once he’d keyed it to the TARDIS with the sonic.
“We haven't got time for this. The plan works. We're going.” Pete spoke up as the building rumbled.
“I'm not going without her.” Jackie argued.
“Oh, my God. We're going!”
“I've had twenty years without you, so button it. I'm not leaving her.” Jackie snapped back.
“You've got to.” Rose told her mum softly, she didn’t want her mum to lose the chance to have the life she’d always wanted - the life she deserved - because of her.
“Well, that's tough.”
“Mum.”
“Reboot in one minute.” The computer chimed.
“I've had a life with you for nineteen years, but then I met the Doctor, and all the things I've seen him do for me, for you, for all of us. For the whole stupid planet and every planet out there. He does it alone, mum. But not anymore, because now he's got me. I made my choice a long time ago, and I'm never going to leave him. I’m staying.”
“But-” Jackie's reply was cut off as Pete pressed the button on the dimension hoppers and they disappeared in front of her.
“You will never be able to see her again. Your own mother.” The Doctor tried to reason with her even though they both knew it would do no good.
“She deserves to be happy instead of stuck in that flat constantly worried about whether I’m coming home. She hasn’t been the same since Elton.”
And it was true Jackie barely left the flat these days, paranoid that her penchant for gossiping and need for companionship would lead to another situation that put her or the Doctor in danger. She was too wary of people now and it wasn’t right. That wasn’t who Jackie was. This was what she was due. The universe owed Jackie this.
“Do you need any help or should I head to the TARDIS before you try and change your mind and send me away,” Rose added as she stared at the teleport in her hands rather than meet his gaze as she made her accusation.
The Doctor ground his teeth together behind her and Rose knew she’d been right in her assumption.
“I’ll be fine, you should go before that lot realise what we’re up to.” The words were stilted, pushed out from behind gritted teeth.
Rose nodded and pressed the button on the teleport, the white walls of the lever room fading to be replaced by the golden organic coral of the console room. With a sigh, Rose headed to the monitor. It was strange to think just this morning they’d been laughing in this very room joking about ghosts and now they were avoiding each other’s gazes.
Rose knew, in the end, they’d be fine, they always were. Everything was as it should be, Rose and the Doctor in the TARDIS, next stop everywhere. But she knew the next few days were going to be tense, especially if they both decided to continue avoiding the other.
But Rose didn’t regret her decision for a second.
She watched on the monitor as the Daleks and Cybermen were pulled from the room outside the TARDIS towards the lever room and the breach in the universes. Watched as the Doctor all but sprinted across the room towards the TARDIS, pausing outside the doors to collect himself.
“You’re here.” He breathed in relief when he saw her standing there at the console.
Rose gave a confused half-smile at the statement. Where else would she be?
“Remember that storm I sensed in our timelines, I felt it pass. And I feared something had happened to you.” The Doctor told her as he strode across the length of the room to wrap her up in a hug as he spoke his fears into her hair.
Rose returned the hug with equal fervoured desperation.
“I’m right here. We’re both here. We survived the storm.” She reassured him in that gentle tone they used for when the other had awoken in their shared bed from nightmares.
“We survived.” The Doctor repeated breathily as if he could hardly believe it.
They’d survived the storm just as they would everything else because they were the Doctor and Rose Tyler, and together they were the stuff of legends.