Encircled: The TARDIS by elioclya_d
Summary: The TARDIS doesn't have a colour, but she's always there in his mind.
Rating: All Ages
Categories: Ninth Doctor
Characters: Rose Tyler, The Doctor (9th), The TARDIS
Genres: None
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: Colours
Published: 2007.08.02
Updated: 2007.08.02
Encircled: The TARDIS by elioclya_d
Chapter 1: Encircled: The TARDIS
Author's Notes:
The TARDIS doesn't have a colour.
He supposes it's got something to do with the fact that she's a ship, his ship, but it wasn't ever discussed, and now there's nobody left to ask.
She's always there though. Completely distinct, and yet at the same time so intricately connected that it seems like she's just a part of him. A comforting presence, one that he's always aware of.
The link they share can tell him a lot more than the colours in his mind do. The colours give him key information, certain facts about people that he might otherwise take a while to figure out, but they can rarely communicate thoughts or feelings.
The TARDIS doesn't have that kind of limitation. She encircles his mind, and can use that to manipulate his thought patterns into understanding her. She uses his own thoughts to display hers. He'll be thinking about making a mug of tea, and suddenly it will occur to him, completely out of the blue, that he really ought to put some emergency protocols in place, just in case. That's the TARDIS.
He can always tell it's not his own thoughts, because she uses Gallifreyan. He's been travelling with humans for so long that he tends to think in English. The TARDIS seems to feel that it's a good thing to remind him of home. Even if home doesn't exist anymore.
She always knows what he's thinking, how he's feeling. She's good with feelings. When he's feeling particularly miserable she'll send soothing caresses through his mind, letting him know that he isn't really alone, reminding him that he's not the only survivor of their lost civilization. He's got her.
She is, however, definitely female. It's taken a while for her to stop feeling jealous of Rose - there was a period where little ripples of distaste ran through his head every time he thought about her. There's been a bit of a turnaround since then, though, and she's even started to communicate with Rose from time to time. Not much, just gentle touches of the mind, but he's glad that the women in his life are starting to get along.
He'd shut her out once. After the Time War, he blocked her from his mind. It wasn't even deliberate; he was so caught up in the torment that he simply became oblivious to her. When he finally let her back in, she'd been utterly distraught. Another thing to feel guilty about, although she always scolded him when he thought that. She'd just been glad to have him back.
His awareness of her isn't as complete as hers of him. She sees everything in his head, but he only sees what she wants him to see. Her thoughts, he knows, would be baffling even for him, a Time Lord - they're completely unlike his own, utterly alien. But she's tied to him in a way that makes that irrelevant. He's always her priority. She might not always do things exactly as he wants, but she's got his best interests at heart.
And oh, what a heart.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.
This story archived at http://www.whofic.com/viewstory.php?sid=14387