Hunger Moon: Chapter Twenty

[amberfocus]

Adaptation

 

When Rose didn’t answer him right away the Doctor quickly raised himself off of her body and looked down at her in concern. “Unless…unless I hurt you. Do you need to go to the infirmary, Rose? Did I damage you?” He started to withdraw from her body but she clamped her legs tightly around him and pulled him back down again.

 

“No,” she said. “No, I’m fine. Don’t pull out. I do want to do that again.”

 

But in his fear that he had really hurt her his usual refractory period disappeared and he softened completely and slid from her body. “Let me go, Rose,” he said.

 

She did and he rolled to the side. His breathing was ragged and she could tell from the tension in him that he was really scared he had hurt her despite her words. She remembered how badly her injuries after the bonding had freaked him out. Immediately she tucked herself into his body and wrapped one arm around his waist, twining her leg across his thigh. His arm curled around her shoulders protectively. 

 

“You didn’t hurt me,” she insisted. “Just… it surprised me is all. And it was good. I just…why didn’t that hurt? I mean, the first time with the…mating, the life bonding…the damages were so bad, I don’t understand. I thought we couldn’t do that again, that you had to control your…size. Even yesterday there was an infirmary trip to do some dermal repairs.” Rose was struggling for the right words, feeling completely overwhelmed.

 

“I think…well, I think you’ve adapted, Rose.”

 

“Adapted?”

 

“The genetic changes that are going to be occurring over the next five years as your DNA is overwritten have already begun. You know that. One of the physical changes is that your…interior muscles would adapt to…well, me and the full size of my penis. You were taking that supplement to help in the meanwhile until the change was fully effective, to strengthen the pelvic structure and tissues,” the Doctor said. “I assume that’s no longer necessary, though I wouldn’t stop taking it if I were you until I’ve had a chance to do a new gynecological exam. Haven’t done one since you healed after the mating ritual and won’t be able to until Pete and Jackie clear out.”

 

“So, all these genetic changes that have to occur and the first one that goes into full effect is the one so that I can take you completely without it hurting me? Wouldn’t have thought that would be first on the agenda for your people, stuffy as they were about sex,” Rose told him.

 

The Doctor fell silent and Rose said, “What?”

 

“Well, but in the establishing of a relationship that will lead to the desire for children, possible painful conception for a human woman changing into a Gallifreyan one would be detrimental. It’s actually logical that it would be the first change. I haven’t recovered all my memories of that time, bits and pieces are still coming back to me, but I think from what I do know that I might have rather insisted it be one of the first things to be coded into the engineered overwriting.”

 

“Oh,” said Rose.

 

“I would have wanted it to be pleasant as soon as possible for you, given what I knew, what I was told.”

 

“Not just because you’re a randy alien who wanted to shag like crazy with his easy Earth girl?” she teased.

 

“I was never a randy man until I met you. My people, well we weren’t asexual, but we’d kind of evolved past the slave to our hormones thing enough that it was easy for outside races to see us as such. And you, Rose Tyler, you may be a lot of things, but you aren’t easy.”

 

“Trying to say I’m difficult, are you?” she teased.

 

“Nope.” He didn’t rise to the bait. “And not easy like you’re meaning it, either.”

 

“Shacking up with you as fast as I did? You don’t think that was a trifle easy?” she asked.

 

“Well, if you are, guess that means I am, too, then. And there were extenuating circumstances,” he told her.

 

“There still are,” she said ghosting her fingers up and down his chest and trailing golden sparks. He shivered a bit beneath her touch. “Do you think…?”

 

“What?”

 

Rose shrugged against him. “It’s not important,” she told him.

 

“No, what? You’re wanting to ask me something. Go on,” he encouraged.

 

“I’m afraid of the answer.”

 

“Have I ever given you a reason to be afraid of me?” he asked her. “I love you, Rose. You can ask me anything.”

 

“I just…do you think that without the Time Lord interference, if…if I’d still ended up in this universe and we’d still found each other, do you think…this ever would have happened?”

 

“This?” he asked.

 

“All of this? You and me together like this,” she explained gesturing to their tangled bodies.

 

“Naked and sweaty in bed all the time?” he asked and she could hear the grin in his voice.

 

“Not just that,” and she tapped him lightly on the sternum. “In love with each other. Bonded. Getting married,” she said.

 

He was silent for a long time. “Doctor?” she queried.

 

“I would have felt something special for you, yeah. Don’t know if I would have acted on it,” he admitted. “But the way you challenge me, the way you compliment my strengths and my weaknesses, the way we fit together as personalities, I would have loved you. If we had acted on anything, it would have taken a lot more time in coming. And you would have had to initiate it. And I hope that you would have.” He sighed. “What’s with the what if, Rose?”

 

“Sometimes I’m afraid if we stripped it all away, the pheromonal attraction and the golden sparks and the chemical romance we’d be left as…as strangers.”

 

“We could never be strangers, Rose. I loved you before I met you.” She gave a tiny snort of denial. “I did, Rose,” he insisted.

 

“Well, I did, too, but it wasn’t this you,” she said. The Doctor stiffened against her. Rose closed her eyes.

 

“I didn’t mean…oh, Doctor.” But his muscles were already slowly relaxing.

 

“I know you didn’t, love.”

 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I shouldn’t have brought him up.”

 

“I want you to be able to talk to me about anything, Rose. And I understand that you need to sometimes talk about him. I do. It stings a bit, but I can take it. You’re my wife. I love you and I know you love me.”

 

“I shouldn’t…it still hurts a little. I have you and I’d never want to go back, I wouldn’t, but it still…I’m sorry.”

 

He pulled her even more tightly into him, both arms wrapping her tight. “It’s okay. Just, know that I would have loved you in any life. Any version of me would be a fool not to,” he told her.

 

“Guess he was a fool then,” she said so softly he barely heard her. He felt her shake her head to clear it and then her hand drifted downwards and grasped his penis in gentle fingers. “Glad you’re not a fool,” she said and with a few firm strokes brought him back to full hardness. “Shall we try this again?” she asked him.

 

He turned towards her. “Should I…should I control my size until I’m inside you?” he asked. “Or do you want to try me just…going in like this?” he asked. He pushed her back from him and his fingers made their way between her thighs to check her for readiness, sank deeply into her with ease.

 

“Umm,” she moaned against him. “Best shrink down until you’re inside. Let’s take this slow.”

 

“Slow it is, Rose. Your wish is my command.” For the first time in ages hearing that phrase did not sting.

 

 

 

After a rather thorough second shower of the night that had led to making love on the tub floor and yet another careful rinsing, Rose and the Doctor made their way out to the infirmary. They helped Jackie and Pete out of the restorative bath and after showering off, got them settled together into bed. Rose brought them food and went to check on the twins who were still sound asleep off the room Suzie shared with Mickey and Jake. She poked her head in on Davin and he was also out cold. It was well after midnight now and the TARDIS had grown quiet.

 

She returned to her parents’ room and spent some time with them while the Doctor went to take the TARDIS out of the Vortex and land her back on Earth. Eventually she excused herself with a yawn, went to her room, stripped off her clothes and crawled into bed and fell asleep. She was vaguely aware of the Doctor coming in later on and his cool naked body tucking itself around her before falling into a deeper contented sleep.

 

When she woke in the morning he was staring at her contentedly. Her eyes blinked open sleepily to his welcoming smile. “Don’t you have better things to do with your time than watch me sleep all night?” she asked him.

 

“Oh, I dozed for an hour myself, but I like holding you at night. You know that. It’s…it makes it peaceful up here.” He tapped his forehead.

 

“Seems like a waste of time for a man who doesn’t need much sleep,” she said.

 

“Well, if you don’t want me to…” He sounded sulky.

 

“Didn’t say that,” she hastily reassured him. “I love waking up in your arms.” She gave him a light kiss then rolled away from him and went to use the loo.

 

When she returned he said, “So are you still feeling okay,” he waved his hand in the direction of her groin, “down there?”

 

Rose thought for a minute. “I’ve got a bit of a stretchy sort of well-used muscle ache, but no pain.”

 

He smiled. “That’s good. Now that your folks are out of the infirmary I can run some more tests and give you that exam.”

 

“Well, just so long as you promise your exam doesn’t end up with us playing doctor in the infirmary again. The TARDIS was not best pleased the last time we made love there,” Rose reminded him.

 

“I can keep my hands to myself you know.”

 

“Not your hands I’m worried about,” Rose told him cheekily. “It’s your penis. Got a mind of it’s own, it does.”

 

“I do not have a sentient penis, Rose! And I’m firmly in control of it at all times,” he told her.

 

“Firmly being the key word there, I think,” she said. She reached out and stroked him and he groaned into the touch.

 

“Rose, stop it.”

 

She looked up at him in surprise. “Seriously?”

 

“Yes.   Not that I want to stop, but it’s best to do the exam before we have sex today,” he told her. She pouted up at him prettily and licked her lips. “Rose, you’re making this hard.”

 

“Oh, I noticed,” she said, her fingers encircling him again.

 

“Minx. Later.”

 

“I get it,” she said. “No actual sex yet.” She tugged him a bit closer.

 

“What have I said about that not being a handle?” he asked her but his tone wasn’t even scolding.

 

“And I always disagree. Besides, that doesn’t mean I can’t do this.” She pulled him a bit closer and then her mouth encased him in wet and warmth and he stopped arguing with her altogether. The exam could wait just a bit longer after all, he thought. And then he stopped thinking completely as Rose did something fantastic with her tongue and he lost himself to the sensations of bliss.

Ch. 21:  http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/134101.html