Therapy by Wendy Richards (NC-17)

[gardendoor.livejournal.com]

Fandom: DOCTOR WHO
Pairing: Rose/OMCs Nine/Jack/Rose
Author on LJ: wendymr
Author Website: WMR on A Teaspoon and an Open Mind
Why this must be read:

I have a weakness for hurt/comfort, and this is a great story for it. (Although, be warned, it starts off with a description of an assault.) After Rose is raped, both Jack and the Doctor think they know what she needs. Rose disagrees.

The Doctor loves her. She has no doubt at all about that. But, despite his displays of possessiveness when other men show any interest in her - and he's only just stopped growling any time Jack lays a finger on her - he's not interested in her in a sexual way. Their relationship isn’t like that. Even though he'll flirt with her from time to time, and they touch all the time, there's a line he won't cross - a line she's very conscious of.

She tried to tempt him across it once, when she talked him into dancing with her, but he very carefully did it all on his own terms, ignoring the looks of invitation she was giving him. She'd even tried to take advantage of his jealousy over Jack to tip her hand, but that hadn't worked either.

If she asks him to make love to her, to help her get over being almost raped, he will withdraw behind those barriers of his quicker than she can say Time War. Oh, he would be kind, would offer alternatives to help her sleep, but all from a paternalistic 'I know better than you what's good for you' approach.

Besides, he is pretty shaken up by what happened to her. She'd noticed that he hadn't touched her when he and Jack rescued her. He'd wanted to, but she'd seen the wariness in his eyes. Had worked out later that he'd been worried that she might be afraid of him.

Jack had no such worries. He'd come to her, laid his hand on her shoulder in a gentle, comforting gesture, reassuring her that she was safe. Completely confident that she'd know she was safe with him.

Therapy