Title: Just to Rest

Author: Sasusc

Fandom: Doctor Who

Character: Eleven, Rose

Words: 661

Summary: Bone-weary and tired, the Doctor takes a time out.

Weary of the world…of the choices hidden behind every consequences…of the deeply engrain sense of fix events…of balancing and tipping the scales…the Doctor closed his eyes as he rested on a park bench. He was glad his companions had chosen to leave him alone as they went off to explore this luxury world. He shrugged off the pretense that he was fine. There was too much…everything following him.

He felt slender hands cover his eyes, and the woman tried to disguise her voice as she spoke. "Guess who!"

He inhaled deeply, taking in her scent: innocence, a hint of bubblegum and cotton candy, hope and new beginnings, sunshine, and the overwhelming smell of shifting timelines.

"You shouldn't be here," he told her.

She slid her hands off of his eyes and combed her fingers through his hair. He kept his eyes closed and savored the comfort she was giving him. It had seemed like a lifetime ago since he allowed himself to lean on someone else. She played with his hair for a few more minutes before tracing his neck down to his shoulders.

"What must I do to ensure your health, Doctor?" she whispered into his ear.

"This," he moaned as she loosened the tight muscles. He could feel the worry, the doubts slipping away under her skillful fingers.

"Or maybe this?" She slid into his lap, reaching to adjust his bowtie, before pressing a kiss on his forehead.

He sighed. "Why are you here?"

He could hear the smile in her voice. "As a doctor takes care of everyone else, there must be someone to take care of the Doctor."

"And you just nominated yourself for that position?"

"I can see no one better than the Bad Wolf."

He opened his eyes at that statement. The creature before him was all golden and smiles-a reminder of yesteryears and mistakes and the beginnings of love. She was a fearful vision from his past…an awe-inspiring beauty with hints of time flowing around her. She was an impossible being sitting in his lap, this Bad Wolf contained in the body of a young Rose Tyler. He tucked a long strand of hair behind her ear, leaving his hand cupping her face.

"Oh, Rose," he said softly. "Always looking out for me."

She smiled. "You're my Doctor…who else should be looking out for you?"

"Your time for looking out for me is long gone."

She placed her forehead against his. "My time is now, wherever I may be. And I exist everywhere and nowhere."

"That you do," he agreed. He could feel her pulsing with time, the tiny fluctuations like a beating heart against his own. "And I think it's time for you to leave me once again."

She smiled sadly at him. "You're forever sending me away as if you have forgotten that I will always find my way back to you." She smoothed his hair away from his face. "You're companions will be okay. They won't come out of this for the better, but neither will they come out of this for the worst. Don't dwell too much on it. Trust in yourself."

He watched her fade from his eyes, traveling the vortex in a manner that made his whole body ache with the wrongness of it. Her visit both hurt and helped him. She reminded him that not all things were under his control…her very being exposed that belief. He could only do what he could to protect others, as he knew they would do whatever it takes to protect those that they loved.

He stood and stretched his muscles. He felt like he had been sitting on that bench for too long. The Doctor smiled. There was sure to be an adventure on this world for him, and he was going to find it…a shout and a child running past him… Well, when did an adventure ever not find him? He took off running, grinning all the while.

AN: I feel like this is a bit of a cheat with my 365 Days of Drabble series. I wrote the first half of it awhile ago and added to it. In my defense, I've been sick and thus haven't been up to writing much.