Wolf Moon: Chapter Thirteen
Feb. 8th, 2008 02:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amberfocusSearch and Rescue
Late afternoon turned into evening and Rose was starting to get a little bit worried about the Doctor. When he’d left her to scout ahead he hadn’t given her the impression that he would be terribly long. Her old tendency to wander off had gotten firmly under control with her Torchwood training but she had a feeling she was going to have to follow after the Doctor. He’d been gone far longer than she was comfortable with. Her skin felt prickly and she felt a faint buzz starting in her head.
If she was going to go and look for him she’d have to do it soon. The light slanting into the canyon would not last more than another ninety minutes or so. She worried at it for a couple minutes more and then resolutely stood up, shoved her still damp clothes into her backpack, and began to make her way in the direction he’d gone. Every few minutes she stopped walking and she’d bellow his name at the top of her lungs. As she walked she began to get the beginnings of a headache niggling in the back of her skull.
It was twenty minutes before she became aware of a faint response to her shouts. “Doctor?”
“Rose.” The sound of her name was so quiet she almost thought she’d imagined it. It took her several seconds to process the fact that she wasn’t actually hearing her name being called out loud. The slight headache and the way her name echoed in her mind made her put two and two together and realize that the Doctor was trying to contact her telepathically.
It wasn’t working very well, either. She stood very still and tried to concentrate, focusing all her thoughts on projecting his name back at him. The connection was made and her own name shot back at her so hard she winced. “Where are you?” She thought as loudly as she could.
Although words did not really come back to her she was overtaken by something she could only describe as a tracking instinct. Very carefully she allowed her senses to be taken over by the feeling and she slowly followed it forward.
She found him in what looked remarkably like a well, although why there would be a well so close to the river made little sense to her. “Doctor?” She called down.
“I’m all right,” he called up to her. “I just can’t get back up. The walls are smooth, no handholds.”
“How’d you fall in?” She asked curiously.
“It was covered. It caved in under my body weight. I think it might be some kind of animal trap,” he told her.
“Does that mean there are animals I need to be worrying about?” She asked with a nervous look around her.
“I don’t think so. We haven’t seen signs of animal life all day. No birds, no scurrying creatures. Just fish in the river. Whatever this is, it’s old. The sides have been worn away by time,” he explained.
“How do I get you out of there?” Rose asked.
“Are there any vines on the cliff face?” He asked. “Maybe you could make a rope.”
Rose eyed the craggy rocks but she didn’t see any vegetation that looked remotely useful. “No. What about rocks? I could pass down enough big rocks to fill in the bottom of the well and you could climb up on them.”
“That would take forever.”
“It would work though.” She sighed. “Let me look around and see if I can find anything else.”
“Be careful, Rose,” he called up to her.
“I’m not the one who fell down a hole,” she reminded him.
“Nope, you’re just the one who fell into the river.”
“I’ll be right back,” she told him. “Don’t go anywhere.”
“Cute, Rose.”
“Aren’t I just?” She asked cheekily. She sighed and looked around her. It did not look promising. She knew if worst came to worst she’d find a way to hike back to the TARDIS on her own and get some kind of rope, but she really hoped it didn’t come to that. Coming down the canyon had been hard enough with the Doctor’s help. Going back up it without it was not something she was looking forward to.
Oh, she’d do it. She’d do anything for him. She stopped for a minute as that thought sunk into her head. She really would do anything for him. She wondered if it was this strange mix of chemicals that was bonding her so quickly to this man. Because Doctor or no Doctor, she was becoming attached awfully quickly.
Rose needed a clear head, she needed to be able to figure things out logically, and she needed to know that her bursting feelings for this man were real and not just chemically induced. Would she ever know that? Ever know it for a true and actual fact?
“Stop it,” she said out loud. “Think.” She scanned the cliff face again and then surveyed the bank. There was simply nothing that would be useful in this situation. With a puff of frustration she glanced angrily at the river, watching as the water fought its way around boulders and a tree that had snagged between them.
What about the tree? Could she move it? Was it too big and too heavy or would she be able to budge it? If she could haul it out of the water and drop it down the hole, maybe the Doctor could use it as a ladder to climb out. Without further thought she ditched her shoes and socks, skimmed out of her jeans again and waded into the river in the bikini and leather jacket. Hopefully the jacket would protect her arms. Her legs would have to fend for themselves. It was either that or wet jeans and she figured she’d need to be warm this evening so dry jeans were imperative.
Rose began to pull on the near end of the tree. It didn’t move and she swore in frustration as her hands slipped along the harsh, wet bark. She dug in, leaned forward and got a better grip then tugged with all her strength. This time the tree shifted and Rose gave out a little yelp of triumph. Agonizing pull after agonizing pull freed the tree from its trap amongst the boulders and slowly she hauled it to the hole.
“Doctor?” She called out.
“Yes, Rose?”
“I’m going to be lowering a tree down into the well. I want you to try to climb up out of there using it like a ladder,” she told him.
“Okay.”
“Stand clear,” she said. I’ll try not to let it fall on you but I can’t guarantee I have much control left.”
“All right,” he said.
A few more fierce tugs got the tree to the edge and then she told him, “Okay, here it comes.” She angled the tree into the hole and it slid rapidly down with the force of gravity. She heard a grunt from the Doctor.
“Are you okay?” She asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Moments later he was crawling up out of the hole and wrapping his arms around her. “Thank you, Rose. You are one clever woman.” She whimpered at his tight hold.
“What’s wrong?” He asked solicitously.
“I wrenched my shoulders and arms pulling on that tree,” she said.
“Here, take off the jacket,” he said. As it slid past her hands she hissed. When if fell clear he picked up her hands and looked them over.
“Oh, Rose.” She glanced down at her palms and tried to look dispassionately at the bloody abrasions.
“The bark was rough,” she said softly. The Doctor took a handkerchief out of his pocket and went to the river to wet it. Very carefully he cleaned her hands and then pulled out the sonic screwdriver.
“Fixing your hands is getting to be a habit,” he said as he set the device to dermal repair.
“Sorry,” she told him. “I don’t suppose there’s a setting on that thing for destroyed muscles?”
“No,” he said. “But I can help with that. He led her over to a strangely shaped boulder and had her sit on the lower portion of it. He climbed up so he was behind her and slightly above her. Gently he began to knead the muscles in her arms.
“Let me know if I hurt you,” he said. His breath was warm against the back of her neck but it still made her shiver. His large fingers worked against the horrible knots that had developed while she tugged the tree into place. When he had finished with her arms he began to work on her back, his fingers sliding under the back of the bikini ties as necessary.
Rose shivered again. “Cold?” He asked her.
“No, not cold,” she told him softly. His fingers stilled against her back and after a moment she turned to look up at him. She saw the look in his eyes and it was like he couldn’t help himself. He leaned towards her, one hand cupping her jaw and he put his lips on hers.
She had expected him to be demanding. Everything about his flirting and teasing had been dominant and demanding but his mouth was not. Though there was no hesitation he was slow, running his tongue along her bottom lip and then gently pushing his way into her mouth. She felt him flick across her teeth and then his tongue was cool and strong against hers, sliding in slow languid circles around her own, as if he had a lifetime to spend just kissing her.
Rose allowed herself to get lost in the kiss, her body shifting around until she was facing him more fully and he had slid down the rock to allow more even access. She found herself lying against his body as his tongue continued to gently explore her mouth. A wave of pleasure flashed from groin to breasts and she gave a full body jerk against him in its wake.
She felt his hands coming down to caress her bum and he was pressing her firmly against him. Desire rose up in her and she could feel her breathing begin to get out of control. Slowly she broke the kiss, burying her face in his shoulder, her arms lying against his chest. His hands slid off her bum and up to her waist, then he encircled her within his arms. She stayed there, regaining her breath and waiting for her heart to stop racing.
“I think, Miss Tyler,” the Doctor said his voice rumbling in her ear, “That as delightful as you look in nothing but that bikini, you ought to put the rest of your clothes back on if you don’t want me take you right here.”
Rose hesitated. She actually considered staying right where she was and letting the Doctor do just that. “Rose?” He asked gently. “What do you want?”
She sighed and pushed away from him then moved to put on the clothes she’d stripped off for the second time that day. “You asked me what I wanted,” she stated when she returned to his side.
“I did.”
“I want to take it slow, Doctor. A kiss like that, it makes me want to go too fast and lose control and I want to take it slow.” She reached out and touched his hand, watching the warm glow between their digits.
“I really want to build something with you.”
“I want to build something with you, too, Rose.” He looked at her for a long time. “But I can’t help how I’m feeling. I have a need to touch you.”
She looked down at her feet. “I know. I have a need to touch you, too. And I don’t want to stop. But I don’t want to mess us up either. You’re my second chance, Doctor. I don’t want to screw it up.”
“You won’t,” he said. “And we can take it slow. I’ll have you know that I can kiss you without taking things any further than that.”
“Those weren’t your hands I felt on my bum, then?” She asked.
He smiled. “Guilty. But I…oh, hell.” His voice turned odd.
“What?” Rose asked startled.
“We have company.”
Ch. 14: http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/10005.html
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no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 11:18 am (UTC)More soon!!!!!
no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 05:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 01:35 pm (UTC)More, please!
no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 05:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 05:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 02:07 pm (UTC)*Guh's at the UST*
*gulps at the last line*
Some things never change, do they?
As an aside - I just read all of Vortex last night - and I love it! Can't wait to see how everything resolves.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 05:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 06:04 pm (UTC)I'm a nutter like that!
Actually, I hadn't intended on reading the whole thing in one shot, but I got so engrossed I was on chapter 24 before I knew it!
no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 11:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 04:52 pm (UTC)The UST continues to burn. Very sexy. But who's company?
no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 05:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 05:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 05:33 pm (UTC)Chapter 13 (of 40?)
Date: 2008-02-09 02:54 am (UTC)Re: Chapter 13 (of 40?)
Date: 2008-02-09 03:06 am (UTC)But you will be very happy to know I've finally made the decision that I'm going serial with this one. Just wrote a big entry in my journal about plans for the series, which will be called Better With You, you being alt!Nine. Each story will take its name from a full moon. And I've set up the series with the summary at Teaspoon so I've committed it to reality now.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-09 06:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-09 08:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-09 06:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-09 07:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-09 07:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-10 05:54 am (UTC)