Castling
Title: Castling
Author: Froxyn
Pairing: Ten/Rose
Rating: FRM-light
Timeline: S3 pre-Doomsday is about as exact as I can get it.
Synopsis: The Doctor takes Rose on a holiday.
Author’s Note: This was written for emraldeyedauter, who helped out with the Queensland Flood Relief. A very special thanks to her and also to fairygothmum for the beta on it.
The Doctor opened the TARDIS door and poked his head outside. “Well, then...”
Rose stood behind the Doctor, hands on his shoulders as she jumped up to try to catch a glimpse of what was outside. “Where are we?”
The Doctor closed the door and turned around to smile at her. “You haven’t gained one ounce of patience since we started travelling together.”
“ ‘Course I have! It’s not my fault I’m excited!”
“How can you be excited? You don’t even know where we are.” He gestured to the door over his shoulder with his thumb. “There could be anything...or nothing...out there. A battle or a famine. A street carnival or a - ”
“Isn’t that the exciting part?” She interrupted. “Finding out what’s out there?”
“Could be dangerous...”
Rose rolled her eyes. “Where are we?”
“You don’t even care about the danger anymore, do you?” He asked, concern tinging his voice.
She sighed softly and shook her head absently. “Yeah, I do. It’s just...”
“Just what?” He questioned when she trailed off.
“Well...I just feel safe when I’m with you, you know? It’s like...you won’t let anything happen to me, so if I just stay with you then everything’s okay, yeah?”
“Nothing is certain, Rose.” He replied solemnly. “I’d do everything and anything I could to ensure your safety, but...you know that sometimes things just happen. So, you can’t just go running headfirst into something without examining your surroundings and making sure everything is as safe as it possibly can be.”
Rose cast a worried glance towards the door. “Where are we?”
“Huh? Oh...” He smiled brightly and rocked on his heels. “Ireland.”
“There’s a planet called Ireland?”
“No....well, yeah actually there is. In the galaxy called Plazanish. It’s a remarkable planet with remarkable people. The animals are a bit strange, but at least the dogs have noses.”
“So, we’re in Plazanish?” Rose asked, doing her best to follow the Doctor’s ramble.
“No, we’re in Ireland. I said that already...and then you asked if there was a planet called Ireland. And there is, in Plazanish...but we’re not in Plazanish, we’re in Ireland...on Earth. The planet Earth...not the moon.”
“There’s a moon called Earth?” Rose furrowed her brow in obvious confusion.
“Yep. I’ll take you there one day, but for now...what do you think about going on an adventure?”
“What...like looking for leprechauns or something?”
“If you want. I was thinking more about checking out some castles or taking a walk along the coast, but...if you want to go chasing rainbows, we can.” He smiled and reached behind him to grab the doorknob. “But, be warned...there aren’t really pots of gold at the end of rainbows.”
Rose stared at him as he swung the door open. “We’re seriously in Ireland?”
“Yeah...you said something one time about wanting to go, so...” He shrugged a shoulder and scratched the back of his head. “I mean, we can go somewhere else if you want. I’m sure I can find some kind of attack to thwart somewhere...”
“No! No, it’s just...” She smiled and reached out to lightly stroke his tie with her fingertips. “What was all that talk about danger?”
“Oh, just wanted to keep you guessing. It’s no fun if you figure it out...and you’ve been doing that about thirty-two percent of the time.”
“No danger then?”
“Nope. Just us here on the Emerald Isle...well, us and some tourists. I couldn’t really do much about that.”
Rose gazed up at him for a moment and then lowered her voice. “So...what is this?”
He hesitated in his answer for a couple of seconds and then gave her a crooked smile. “I don’t know. A date maybe?”
“A date?” She asked in amused disbelief. “You don’t do dates.”
“No...I don’t do domestic. I do dates. We’ve even been on dates before.”
“Yeah...yeah, I know. I think what I meant was...you don’t do normal dates.”
“Well...I’m not exactly normal, am I?” He countered with a chuckle. “Now...are you gonna argue with me over this for the rest of the day or can we proceed?”
“You’re serious.” She stated, eyes wide.
“Yeah, I am. It’s your mum’s fault really, she made me promise to take you somewhere where you wouldn’t have to run for your life.”
“So you brought me to Ireland for a holiday.”
“Yep.” He grinned proudly.
“Because I’d said something about wanting to go to Ireland one time.”
“Yeah, well...” He wrapped his fingers around her wrist and stepped outside, pulling her with him. “I like taking you places that you want to see.”
She stood next to him, her white trainers looking very bright against the lush green grass. “I don’t really know what to say...”
“You’re welcome.” He beamed a smile at her, his eyes sparkling.
She chuckled and blushed lightly. “Yeah, I guess I could start with ‘thank you’. So...”
She leaned up and brushed her lips across his, and then swung their joined hands between them.
“Thank you, Doctor.”
“Oh, you’re very welcome, Rose.” He sighed blissfully and looked to his left. “Ooh! Clovers! Come on!”
She laughed loudly and, with no other choice really considering that their fingers were laced together, ran after him. “Hey! Mum said no running!”
He glanced over his shoulder at her and grinned. “She said no running for your life. We’re running for a patch of clovers right now.”
Before she had a chance to question him, he skidded to a stop and knelt down. Less than two seconds later, he plucked something from the ground and gave a disappointed huff.
“Well, that was a bit anti-climactic.”
“What was?” Rose asked, crouching next to him and running her fingers over a dark clump of clovers.
“This.” He responded, offering the plucked item to her. “A four-leaf clover...was kinda expecting it to take longer to find one than that.”
Rose took the clover, blew a soft kiss over it, and slipped it into his jacket pocket. When he raised an eyebrow at her in a silent question, she gave him a wink.
“You have to keep it for good luck. You can’t really pass them on to someone else...”
The Doctor smiled and returned her wink with one of his own. “Right then...where to first?”
Rose looked around and then stood up, gently tugging him up with her. “How about we just walk and see where we end up?”
“A plan without a plan...sounds perfect to me!”
Rose shook her head in amusement and together they started off on an adventure of a new kind.
One without danger.
Hopefully.
* * *
“So...” Rose started, carefully stepping over a large rock poking out of the ground.
“So what?” The Doctor prompted, walking around that same large rock instead of stepping over it.
“So...when did Mum make you promise to take me somewhere like this?”
The Doctor paused at the top of the hill they had just climbed and smiled broadly as he looked over the rolling green hills. “I don’t think somewhere like this is what she had in mind actually. She just wanted you to have a relaxing trip.”
He glanced over at her to find her staring expectantly at him. “But, you just meant the relaxing trip part, didn’t you? Not the Ireland part...”
“Uh-huh...but, now I’m wondering what you thought she had in mind.” She stated, a teasing tone in her voice.
“Knowing Jackie, she...oh, who knows really?” The Doctor laughed, shoving his hands into his trouser pockets. “She insisted on it the last time we were there. You had gone off to raid your closet and left me and your mum in the living room.”
He met her eyes and narrowed his as he pulled his right hand out of his pocket and waggled his finger at her. “Don’t ever do that again.”
“Raid my closet?” She asked playfully, knowing full well that wasn’t what he meant.
“Leave me and your mother in the same room together...alone.” He clarified. “Next time she’ll probably want to talk about sex or something. She doesn’t really recognize boundaries...or even knows what they are, actually.”
“Oh, she knows what they are.” Rose countered softly. “She just worries, that’s all.”
“And that’s all well and good. And I think it’s very sweet and motherly that she worries about you...but, I’m not discussing our sex life with her.” He reached over and took her hand into his. “So...you should probably tell her that there are some boundaries that she needs to respect, yeah?”
“Yeah...don’t know how much good it’ll do, but I’ll tell her.” She chuckled and then tried to steer their conversation back to the original topic. “Why did she ask you to do this?”
“Because she loves you.” He answered as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. “She’s accepted the fact that you travel with me...and that nothing she says is going to change your mind about that. She’s accepted the fact that we’re...together. But, I don’t think she’ll ever accept the fact that we’re constantly in dangerous situations. She’s a good mum...that’s why she asked me to take you somewhere safe, just once.”
Rose nodded slowly and looked down at their joined hands. “Why did you agree to it?”
“Because I love you.” He responded matter-of-factly, clearing his throat when her eyes snapped back to his. “Well, it’s not like it’s a huge surprise or anything. You know I love you.”
“Well, yeah, but...” She licked her suddenly dry lips. “You just don’t say it all that often.”
“Doesn’t mean I don’t feel it every single second. Millisecond, even.” He turned his gaze towards the horizon and lifted his free hand to point to a spot in the distance. “Know what that is over there?”
Rose wiped the moisture from her eyes and cleared her throat as she shook her head. “No...what?”
“Dunno...” He glanced back at her, his eyes bright with excitement. “Wanna go find out?”
“You’re looking for trouble, aren’t you?”
“What?” He furrowed his brow, as if trouble were the last thing on his mind. “No. This is a fun trip, no trouble. Besides, if Jackie found out I was looking for trouble, she’d...poison me with her nutloaf or something.”
Rose snorted, not resisting when he started walking. “What are you hoping for then? If not trouble, I mean...”
“Rose, I never look for trouble.” He stated emphatically. “It just...finds me.”
“You never turn it away either.” She countered with a grin, the tip of her tongue held between her teeth.
“Well, that would just be rude...”
“Yeah, and you’re not rude at all, are you?” She teased, rubbing his thumb with hers.
“Nope, not at all. Well, maybe a little...okay, a lot. But, I’ve found that if you’re rude to trouble, it just makes things worse. So, it’s best just to go along and fix things the best you can.” He gently squeezed her fingers between his. “You know?”
“Uh-huh...” She murmured playfully as he led her down the side of the hill and over to the next smaller hill.
He looked over at her, narrowly avoiding tripping over a stone as he did. “You could at least pretend to believe me.”
She laughed loudly and brushed the hair back from her face. “And let you think you got one over on me? No way, Doctor! One thing you never have to worry about is knowing whether or not I believe you.”
“Still not sure if that’s a good thing or not.” He replied jokingly, grinning brightly when she smacked his shoulder. “You know what’s special about this place?”
“Ireland? Well, I would say leprechauns, but you’ve all but told me they don’t exist.”
“Oh, they exist. They’re just not what you’ve been led to believe they are. They’re actually not even Irish...this is just where their ship landed a millennia ago or so.”
Rose stared at him, coming to a stop at the bottom of the hill. “You’re telling me they’re aliens.”
“Nope. Just putting that suggestion out there...believe it or not, Rose Tyler?”
She rolled her eyes and gave a sigh of exasperation. “Yeah, okay...whatever...what’s special about Ireland?”
“Huh?” He asked, narrowing his eyes in confusion for just a moment. “Oh! No...no, not Ireland itself. This place. Right here, where we’re standing this very minute. Do you know why this exact spot is special?”
Rose looked around, carefully studying their surroundings - the trees, the plants, the rocks...the moss growing on the rocks. The Doctor watched her, his amusement glinting in his dark eyes. After a few long moments, Rose exhaled a deep breath and shrugged her shoulders.
“Nope, no clue. What’s special about here?”
“It’s special because something is getting ready to happen that has never happened before...and may never happen again.” He replied cryptically. “Something so beautiful and wonderful...and it may only occur once. How special is that? Pretty special, huh?”
“What the hell are you babbling about now?”
“I haven’t been in Ireland in ages.” His brow furrowed in thought as he attempted to calculate the years. “Twenty-five years maybe? Maybe more. Doesn’t really matter. The point is...you’ve never been to Ireland before...so we’ve never been here together.”
Rose looked over her shoulder, back up the hill that they’d just descended. She could barely make out the lamp on top of the TARDIS.
“We’re not that far from her...” She stated softly, almost as if she were talking to herself.
“What?”
“Oh...I was just wondering if you make less sense the further away you are from the TARDIS. But, we’ve been a lot further than this and you’ve made more sense than you are now.”
“Well now you’re not making sense.” He stated in a worried tone, lifting his palm to her forehead. “Are you feeling alright?”
She brushed his hand away and shook her head lightly. “I’m feeling fine...I just don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”
“Maybe if you’d let me finish, you would. And then...after I’ve finished and you see that I’m making perfect sense, you’ll know why this place is so bloody special.”
“Remember what I was saying about rudeness earlier?”
“Rose...” He sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping slightly. “You’re completely ruining this.”
She recognized his look of utter dejection and offered him an apologetic smile. “Sorry...I was just playing. Wanna try again?”
He nodded slowly and then leaned into her, capturing her lips with his. She responded quickly, parting her lips under his and coaxing his tongue into her mouth. She smiled inwardly at the fact that she really didn’t have to coax him all that much.
When she draped her arms over his shoulders and slid her fingers into his hair, he grasped her hips and curled his fingers into the denim of her jeans. He took a step back and tripped over the same rock he had narrowly avoided just a few minutes earlier.
He broke the kiss as he stumbled, holding her tightly against him as he fell and groaning lowly as he landed on the ground...pinned between her warm body and the surprisingly well-cushioned ground. Rose didn’t move for a second, but stared at him in concern.
“You okay?”
“Oh yeah...I’m fine, not at all mortified by the fact that I tripped and fell while kissing you. How are you?”
She grinned crookedly at his sarcastic reply and leaned back down to press a tender kiss to his lips. “Don’t know why you’d be mortified. What happened anyway?”
He heaved a heavy sigh and rested his head against the ground. “Guess I forgot where I was. Normally I have something to lean against...the TARDIS door, the hallway wall, your mum’s bathroom door...”
Rose shifted to his side, draping her right leg over his as she positioned her left elbow on the ground right above his shoulder. She propped her head up with her hand and smiled down at him.
“There’s some trees right over there...”
He met her eyes and raised an eyebrow at her. “We’re not having sex here.”
“Who said anything about sex?” Rose asked, averting her eyes from his.
Lifting his left hand, he brushed his fingertips across her temple. “Can I?”
“Why? So you can have proof that you were right?”
He chuckled softly and shook his head. “Nope. Already knew I was right...” He gave her a wink when her eyes darted back to his. “You looked away...dead giveaway, Rose.”
“Oh...right. Um...why then?”
He paused briefly and glanced at his fingers stroking her skin. “I like the pictures you give me.”
“The pictures? What’s that supposed to mean? I thought you liked walking around, poking into this corner and that...trying to figure me out.”
“Oh, I doubt I’ll ever figure you out. Humans are the most confusing creatures ever created, I think. You’re just a huge contradiction in every conceivable notion.” He lowered his hand to his chest and sighed. “I admire humans for their arrogance and stupidity.”
Rose barked a laugh. “Oh, that’s just priceless...you admiring a race for their arrogance. Your race pretty much invented arrogance, didn’t they?”
“No. Black holes, yes. Arrogance, no. And I’m not arrogant...well, okay...maybe I am a little. I’m a Time Lord, Rose.”
“And you call me a contradiction?” At his confused look, she quickly continued. “You have the gall to lay there and say you’re only a little arrogant and then use the fact that you’re a Time Lord...in that tone...to justify it?”
He knew that he could ask one question and they’d be here for hours arguing. He also knew that he could say something else and she’d lean down and kiss him and they could continue on their relaxing holiday. It should be an easy decision to make...but he found himself weighing his options anyway. When she sat up and raked her fingers through her hair, he finally made his decision.
“I didn’t mean it like that, you know? I don’t mean to be arrogant...kinda like I don’t mean to be rude. It just...happens. And it’s hard not to be a little arrogant when you can feel every single aspect of time and know in your hearts that you’re the only one anywhere who knows what that feels like.” He looked up into her eyes and licked his lips. “I really didn’t mean to make you feel inferior by what I said.”
Rose exhaled deeply. “I know. Sorry I took it the wrong way...again.”
He smiled as she leaned down and brushed her lips across his.
“Castling or coasting?”
She narrowed her eyes in confusion and pushed herself back up with her hand on his chest. “Huh?”
“Do you want to go explore a castle or do you want to go for a walk along the coast?” He clarified, sitting up just enough to lean back on his elbows.
She glanced at his mouth and reached over to gently wipe a smudge of lipstick from his skin. “Which one is less touristy?”
He successfully fought the urge to pull the tip of her thumb into his mouth. Instead, he jumped up and brushed the loose dirt from the back of his trousers before extending his hand to help her up.
“This time of year, it’s pretty much the same either way.” He pulled her up next to him and then pointed to his left. “Just over that hill is a road...and that road will take us to Carrigafoyle Castle. Or...”
“Or what?” She prompted when he trailed off.
“Or...” He glanced up the hill that would lead them back to the TARDIS. “Or we could head back to the TARDIS and take a quick trip over to the coast. Up to you.”
Rose laced their fingers together and offered him a warm smile. “I’m thinking castle. And feel free to explain this looking at pictures in my head thing on the way...”
The Doctor merely grinned and started walking, swinging their joined hands between them as he led her up the hill.
* * *
The road turned out to be little more than a pathway. A paved pathway, but a pathway nonetheless. It could easily accommodate one car in one direction, but two cars in opposing directions might prove a bit tight.
Rose lifted her hand in a friendly wave as a car passed them. The driver returned the wave...even though he stared at them as if he’d never seen anyone walking along this particular road before.
“So...pictures?” Rose asked as she turned her attention back to the Doctor.
The Doctor had turned his head just enough to watch the car. When it followed the bend and drifted out of sight, he looked down at her.
“What?”
“Pictures. You said you like the pictures I give you. What did you mean?”
“You know...pictures. Capturing a moment in a still frame with a camera? That’s what I see instead of live action memories or dreams or hopes. I see still frames...captured within your mind.”
“Isn’t that bad? I mean...shouldn’t you see live action instead of stillness?” Rose asked, sounding a little worried.
He shrugged and slipped his hands into the pockets of his trousers. “I think it’s beautiful. And it’s not like every trip into every mind is the same...different people project different things. You project pictures. I like pictures...you get to make up your own story to them.”
“So...it doesn’t mean there’s a problem with my brain or anything?”
The Doctor laughed and shook his head. “No...absolutely no problems with your brain. Unless brain issues are directly related to the consumption of Marmite. If that’s the case, then yes...there is something horribly wrong with your brain.”
Rose rolled her eyes and hooked her left arm around his right. “That just means there’s something horribly wrong with you for not liking it.”
He gave a fairly over-exaggerated shudder. “I’ll never understand it. How anyone, especially you, could eat something that tastes like...” He glanced up and his eyes widened with excitement. “Ooh! Look, Rose!”
Rose followed his gaze and furrowed her brows. “What? That old building that looks like it’s been used for target practice?”
Some of the excitement left the Doctor’s eyes as he looked down at her. “Target practice? Rose...that is Carrigafoyle Castle! It was built...considering we’re currently in the year 2018, it’s over 520 years old!”
He pulled his left hand out of his pocket and pointed at the castle. “That building has so many stories to tell, Rose. Imagine how magnificent she looked when she was first built. All that she’s been through and she’s still standing, more or less...well, that’s just a testament to her, don’t you think?”
She smiled at his enthusiasm and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it is...I guess I was just expecting something...”
“More palatial?” He asked when she trailed off.
“Yeah, I guess. And this...isn’t.”
“This is where the true history is found. Palaces are just showboats. Castles are where it’s at, Rose.”
Rose snorted a laugh which caused him to grin. And before she could say anything else, he pulled his right hand out of his pocket and quickly grabbed her hand.
And then they were running.
Towards a very non-palatial castle.
* * *
Rose had been very surprised at the number of visitors to the castle. But, that surprise had been forgotten when she had started looking around. Her eyes had caught a very odd carving in one of the old bricks and she turned around to point it out to the Doctor.
But, the Doctor had meandered across the hallway and was closely examining a doorframe. He was examining it so closely that Rose was more than a little worried that he was going to lick it. She smiled at the thought and then realized that it had actually happened more than once.
She chuckled softly and read the placard that was posted to the left of the carving. It had apparently been carved by an English soldier during the siege, but no one had been able to figure out exactly what it meant. She smiled, thinking that she had an idea of someone who might be able to provide that information.
Glancing back across the hall, she decided that it was probably best if she got over to him quickly...just in case he happened to examine the doorframe just a little too closely. She picked her way through the handful of tourists and then quietly stood next to him...watching him as he continued to stare at the doorframe.
“If you lick that, I’m leaving you here and denying that I know you at all.”
“I’m not sure licking it would be in my best interest.” His eyes darted to her and then quickly moved back to the wooden frame. “See that?”
She stepped forward and leaned in to look at what he was pointing at. “I see...wood.”
The Doctor sighed heavily and inched his finger closer to the frame. “Very good. I’m glad you can see wood. But, that is what I’m wanting you to see...”
Rose was getting ready to comment on his rudeness, but decided not to when she noticed the slightest movement within the grain of the wood. “What the hell is that?”
“That is an organism that I’ve only seen in one place...and that one place wasn’t here.”
Rose narrowed her eyes as she watched the red worm-like organisms. “You know, with most people you could ask where and you’d get an answer like ‘down at that chip shop on Union’. But, not with you. ‘Cause I’ve got a feeling you’re going to say something like - ”
“Phialis 8.” He interrupted, tilting his head slightly as the organisms began to burrow back into the wood.
“Yeah...something like Phialis 8. What’s Phialis 8?”
“A lake on Ferron.” He replied absently. “And by lake, I mean a lava wood lake.”
Rose shook her head as if she was clearing it and turned her eyes to him. “A lake made out of lava or wood?”
The Doctor turned and stared at her like she’d grown another head. “Lakes are water, Rose. Not lava, not wood...however, on Ferron the lake beds are lined with lava wood. That’s a rough translation...it’s not actually called lava wood.”
Rose stared at him in disbelief. “You’re saying this castle was built by aliens?”
“No. Well...it probably was, but no...that’s not what I was saying. I was saying that this wood came from a lake on Ferron. Completely harmless...just thought it was interesting.”
She started to reply, but was interrupted by a woman sidling up next to the Doctor. The Doctor quickly glanced at the other woman, offering her a slight smile when she grinned up at him. Rose rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm, effectively dragging him away from her.
“Rose...”
“I’m not spending any part of my relaxing holiday watching another woman flirt with you.”
He arched an eyebrow at her and glanced over his shoulder at the other woman. “Her? She didn’t even say anything.”
“She didn’t have to. I know that look...”
He looked back at her, his eyebrow still arched. “What look?”
“The one that says ‘you’re hot, let’s go find an elsewhere to be’...” She stated, looking over at the other woman and staring at her until she scuttled off.
“You give me that look. I know that look.” He jerked his thumb over to the now empty spot where the woman had been standing. “She didn’t give me that look.”
“She did...you just didn’t pick up on it.” She shrugged and gave a heavy sigh.
“Maybe I only like that look when it comes from you.” He offered softly, reaching up to brush a strand of hair back from her face. “Maybe that’s why I didn’t see it.”
Rose’s smile slowly made its way back to her eyes. “Maybe you just know how to talk your way out of domestic situations as well as impending doom of the alien kind.”
He grinned and moved closer to her. “Maybe...”
When his hand brushed over her hip, she smacked his arm and took a step back as she laughed. “Stop that! We’re in the ruins of an Irish castle with people everywhere...”
For a brief moment, he looked as though he was going to protest. And then he smiled in understanding and took hold of her hand.
“Are you hungry? I’m starving!”
Rose shook her head in amusement. “Since I didn’t see a visitor’s lounge or a café...I’m going to guess that you have another idea?”
“Oh, yes...” He smiled brightly and patted his jacket pocket. “Pockets with Time Lord technology...bigger on the inside, Rose. And...I know where there’s an old viewing deck that has been closed off to the public.”
“Oh?”
“Yep...” He waggled his eyebrows and glanced over at a staircase that had been roped off. “What do you say...picnic on the castle tower?”
“What if we get caught? I mean...it’s closed off for a reason, right?”
“Uh-huh...” He replied, leading her over to the staircase. “It became a bit of a ‘Lover’s Leap’...but, neither of us are wanting to leap. Just want to have a nice view while we eat...come on.”
“Tempting trouble...” She muttered, but followed him up just the same.
* * *
“This is nice.” Rose stated as the Doctor handed her a sandwich.
He shrugged a shoulder and leaned back against the outer wall of the castle. “It’s just ham and cheese. Nothing really special...well, not very special anyway. It’s a little special because I was able to track down that Swiss cheese you like. Don’t know why it’s so hard to find it...it’s just Swiss cheese.”
Rose smiled as she unwrapped her sandwich. “It’s not just Swiss cheese. It’s what Mum always got. And that wasn’t what I was talking about anyway...even though I’m pretty sure the sandwich will be nice too.”
The Doctor looked out over the river and crossed his ankles. “It is nice, isn’t it? Especially on a day like this...the water just reflects the sun just right.”
Rose shifted over next to him and shook her head lightly. “I meant this is nice. Sitting here with you, having lunch...no running or hiding or jumping...”
“I’m missing the running and hiding and jumping a little.” The Doctor admitted, opening a small bag of potato chips and offering them to her. “But, it is nice...for a change. Only a change. Tomorrow it’s right back into it...running and hiding and jumping...possibly stopping the destruction of civilization on one planet or another.”
“Tomorrow we’re back to looking for trouble.” Rose agreed, popping a chip into her mouth.
The Doctor rolled his eyes and pulled a slice of tomato off of his sandwich. “Trouble just finds me, Rose. How many times do I have to tell you? I don’t look for it, it just...happens.”
“Why do you even bother putting tomato on your sandwiches?” She asked. “You always take it off.”
“It adds flavour to it...I just don’t like the texture.” He smiled as she reached over and grabbed the tomato slice. “And I know that you’ll eat it.”
“Lucky me, then.” She grinned and popped the small slice of tomato into her mouth. She gazed out across the lake as she chewed and then swallowed. “You know what would be really nice?”
He let his eyes drop to her chest for the briefest of moments...so brief that he was sure she didn’t even notice. “I can think of a few things...”
She snorted a laugh and tore a piece of the crust from her sandwich. “So can I, but I wasn’t actually talking about the fact that we could probably have a quick shag and no one would know.”
“What?”
She turned her head towards him and met his eyes. Smiling, she slipped the piece of crust into her mouth and chewed.
“Don’t sound so shocked, Doctor. I may not be able to read your mind, but...” She licked her lips and glanced down at his lap. “I know exactly what that means.”
“What what means?” He asked and then glanced down as well. “Oh...that. Well...that just happens sometimes.”
Rose’s eyes sparkled as she reached over to brush a potato chip crumb from his thigh. “Yeah...when you’re randy.”
“Not always.” He stated, grabbing her hand before she could move it from his leg. “Well, I mean...I’m always randy when it happens, but it doesn’t always happen when I’m randy. If that were the case, I’d be like this all of the time. Well, not all of the time, because I’m not randy when it’s just me and your mum in the living room waiting on you. But, if it’s just me and you...then yeah, I’m randy all of the time. And I don’t always have...” He cleared his throat and gestured towards his obvious erection. “...that.”
“It wasn’t just that, you know...” She laced her fingers with his and leaned up to place a soft kiss on his chin. “I could hear it in your voice.”
“Oh...” He whispered, closing his eyes as she brushed her lips across his. “What would really be nice, Rose?”
“Hm?” She murmured against his skin as she slid her lips along his cheek.
“A minute ago...you were going to tell me what would be...” He groaned softly when her lips tugged at his earlobe. “Oh...nice...yes, that’s nice...um...Rose?”
“Can’t remember, but...” She lowered her voice to a husky whisper as she shifted and straddled his thighs. “This is probably nicer than anything else I could’ve come up with.”
He pulled his hand from hers and curled his fingers into a fist. She had just started unbuttoning his jacket when he slammed his fist against the floor of the viewing deck.
Startled, she jumped and leaned back. “What was that for?”
He licked his lips and then smiled, sliding his palms up her thighs to rest on her hips. “This has been here for a while...I was just checking the, uh...sturdiness of it.”
Her lips curled into a smile. “How sturdy does it need to be?”
“We bent the hinges on the bathroom door last week...” He replied with a chuckle, slipping his left thumb under the hem of her t-shirt. “I can only imagine the damage we could inflict on an old viewing deck.”
She shuddered lightly as his thumb stroked her skin. “So...is it sturdy enough?”
He nodded slowly as his eyes darted to her lips. “Is this okay? I mean...here?”
She was barely able to get out a ‘yeah’ before his mouth covered hers. She had just pushed her tongue into his mouth and stroked her hand over his trouser-clad erection when the door to the viewing deck swung open.
Rose tore her mouth away from the Doctor’s and looked towards the door. She cleared her throat and tried to remove her hand from the bulge in the Doctor’s trousers as subtly as she could. When she met the amused blue eyes of a young man, she realized that she hadn’t been as subtle as she had hoped.
The young man smiled at her and then grinned knowingly at the Doctor. “At least the noise wasn’t someone getting ready to do the riverdance. Good to know, but you should probably take your doxie somewhere else, yeah?”
Rose looked at him, obviously confused. Then she looked at the Doctor and immediately saw the anger building behind his dark eyes. She may not have understood what the guy had said exactly, but she had a feeling that it wasn’t very flattering.
“You might very well find yourself in the river if you refer to her in such a way again.” He growled, carefully shifting Rose off his lap.
As the Doctor stood and straightened his jacket, the amusement in the other man’s eyes faded. He cleared his throat and took a step back.
“Sorry, mate...I was just sent up to check out a noise. Wasn’t expecting to walk in on a scon. Surprised me, is all.”
Rose stood next to the Doctor, still looking very confused. “Are you speaking English?”
The young man smiled softly and glanced out at the river before looking back at the Doctor. “Not very safe here. Platform’s sturdy enough, but...it’s closed for a reason. Best take your mot somewhere else.”
“Mot? I’m not a mot!” Rose stated emphatically.
The Doctor’s eyes softened as he looked down at Rose. “Actually...you are. You’re not a doxie, but you are a mot...my mot.”
When Rose merely stared at him, he smiled. “Mot means girlfriend. You’re my girlfriend, yeah?”
“Oh. Well...why didn’t he just say that?”
“Thought I did.” The young man replied, the amusement back in his blue eyes. “Look, I’d be more than happy for you to stay and carry on...but, my boss might not be. And he’s liable to come check to make sure everything’s okay...I think he thinks I’m a bit of an eejit.”
Rose didn’t need that particular word translated for her. She’d ask the Doctor about ‘doxie’ later, but it was pretty easy to figure out what an ‘eejit’ was.
“What’s your name?” She asked, slipping her hand into the Doctor’s.
“Codell.” He answered, shoving his hands into his trouser pockets.
Rose gave him a friendly nod, accompanied by a smile. “I’m Rose...this is the Doctor.”
“Doctor? That’s your name?” Codell asked.
The Doctor shrugged a shoulder and gently squeezed Rose’s fingers. “Mum had a strange sense of humour.”
Codell chuckled and glanced upwards. “There’s a room...another floor up and on the other side. It’s blocked off from the public. I only found it by accident one day...I don’t even think my boss knows about it. I use it for, um...smoke breaks.”
The Doctor smiled. He had an idea that Codell used the room for more than just smoke breaks. He felt Rose’s fingers tighten around his and then he shook his head.
“Thank you for the offer, but...I think we might just head home. It’s been a bit of a long day.”
Codell laughed and nodded in agreement. “Yeah and I guess having someone walk in on you kinda kills the mood as well, huh?”
“It didn’t help.” The Doctor replied cheekily.
Codell’s laughter died down and he cleared his throat. “Sorry about the ‘doxie’ comment...really. You seem to be a really nice couple...just don’t go at it out here, okay?”
Rose snorted as the Doctor scratched the back of his head. Codell slipped back through the door and disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.
“Well, that was...interesting...”
“Mm...” The Doctor murmured, gently nudging Rose through the doorway. “This is why I normally say no to public relations.”
Rose laughed loudly and the Doctor grinned.
He couldn’t help but think about how lovely her laughter sounded as it resonated off the old castle walls. And he couldn’t help but think about how wonderful her cries sounded as they resonated off the TARDIS walls. He swallowed thickly and adjusted his softening cock.
“So...want to head off to find another castle or maybe go down to the coast?”
Rose shook her head and looked up at him. “Thought you said something about going home?”
“Ah...” He leaned down and kissed her tenderly. “More castling and coasting tomorrow then?”
“Yep...definitely tomorrow.” She stated, placing her hand on his chest. “You know...the pictures thing that we were talking about earlier today?”
“Yeah...”
“Well...” She bit her bottom lip and then ran her fingers through her hair. “The pictures come from the dreams...and the dreams come from you. So...maybe we can use the rest of the day to work through that?”
The Doctor studied her for a moment and then smiled brightly, her meaning suddenly clear in his mind.
“Oh, I love the pictures you give me...” He whispered before capturing her lips in another passionate kiss.
As she returned his kiss, she made a promise to tell him about one of the dreams she’d had just a few nights earlier.
In as much vivid color as she could express.
~ End
Author: Froxyn
Pairing: Ten/Rose
Rating: FRM-light
Timeline: S3 pre-Doomsday is about as exact as I can get it.
Synopsis: The Doctor takes Rose on a holiday.
Author’s Note: This was written for emraldeyedauter, who helped out with the Queensland Flood Relief. A very special thanks to her and also to fairygothmum for the beta on it.
The Doctor opened the TARDIS door and poked his head outside. “Well, then...”
Rose stood behind the Doctor, hands on his shoulders as she jumped up to try to catch a glimpse of what was outside. “Where are we?”
The Doctor closed the door and turned around to smile at her. “You haven’t gained one ounce of patience since we started travelling together.”
“ ‘Course I have! It’s not my fault I’m excited!”
“How can you be excited? You don’t even know where we are.” He gestured to the door over his shoulder with his thumb. “There could be anything...or nothing...out there. A battle or a famine. A street carnival or a - ”
“Isn’t that the exciting part?” She interrupted. “Finding out what’s out there?”
“Could be dangerous...”
Rose rolled her eyes. “Where are we?”
“You don’t even care about the danger anymore, do you?” He asked, concern tinging his voice.
She sighed softly and shook her head absently. “Yeah, I do. It’s just...”
“Just what?” He questioned when she trailed off.
“Well...I just feel safe when I’m with you, you know? It’s like...you won’t let anything happen to me, so if I just stay with you then everything’s okay, yeah?”
“Nothing is certain, Rose.” He replied solemnly. “I’d do everything and anything I could to ensure your safety, but...you know that sometimes things just happen. So, you can’t just go running headfirst into something without examining your surroundings and making sure everything is as safe as it possibly can be.”
Rose cast a worried glance towards the door. “Where are we?”
“Huh? Oh...” He smiled brightly and rocked on his heels. “Ireland.”
“There’s a planet called Ireland?”
“No....well, yeah actually there is. In the galaxy called Plazanish. It’s a remarkable planet with remarkable people. The animals are a bit strange, but at least the dogs have noses.”
“So, we’re in Plazanish?” Rose asked, doing her best to follow the Doctor’s ramble.
“No, we’re in Ireland. I said that already...and then you asked if there was a planet called Ireland. And there is, in Plazanish...but we’re not in Plazanish, we’re in Ireland...on Earth. The planet Earth...not the moon.”
“There’s a moon called Earth?” Rose furrowed her brow in obvious confusion.
“Yep. I’ll take you there one day, but for now...what do you think about going on an adventure?”
“What...like looking for leprechauns or something?”
“If you want. I was thinking more about checking out some castles or taking a walk along the coast, but...if you want to go chasing rainbows, we can.” He smiled and reached behind him to grab the doorknob. “But, be warned...there aren’t really pots of gold at the end of rainbows.”
Rose stared at him as he swung the door open. “We’re seriously in Ireland?”
“Yeah...you said something one time about wanting to go, so...” He shrugged a shoulder and scratched the back of his head. “I mean, we can go somewhere else if you want. I’m sure I can find some kind of attack to thwart somewhere...”
“No! No, it’s just...” She smiled and reached out to lightly stroke his tie with her fingertips. “What was all that talk about danger?”
“Oh, just wanted to keep you guessing. It’s no fun if you figure it out...and you’ve been doing that about thirty-two percent of the time.”
“No danger then?”
“Nope. Just us here on the Emerald Isle...well, us and some tourists. I couldn’t really do much about that.”
Rose gazed up at him for a moment and then lowered her voice. “So...what is this?”
He hesitated in his answer for a couple of seconds and then gave her a crooked smile. “I don’t know. A date maybe?”
“A date?” She asked in amused disbelief. “You don’t do dates.”
“No...I don’t do domestic. I do dates. We’ve even been on dates before.”
“Yeah...yeah, I know. I think what I meant was...you don’t do normal dates.”
“Well...I’m not exactly normal, am I?” He countered with a chuckle. “Now...are you gonna argue with me over this for the rest of the day or can we proceed?”
“You’re serious.” She stated, eyes wide.
“Yeah, I am. It’s your mum’s fault really, she made me promise to take you somewhere where you wouldn’t have to run for your life.”
“So you brought me to Ireland for a holiday.”
“Yep.” He grinned proudly.
“Because I’d said something about wanting to go to Ireland one time.”
“Yeah, well...” He wrapped his fingers around her wrist and stepped outside, pulling her with him. “I like taking you places that you want to see.”
She stood next to him, her white trainers looking very bright against the lush green grass. “I don’t really know what to say...”
“You’re welcome.” He beamed a smile at her, his eyes sparkling.
She chuckled and blushed lightly. “Yeah, I guess I could start with ‘thank you’. So...”
She leaned up and brushed her lips across his, and then swung their joined hands between them.
“Thank you, Doctor.”
“Oh, you’re very welcome, Rose.” He sighed blissfully and looked to his left. “Ooh! Clovers! Come on!”
She laughed loudly and, with no other choice really considering that their fingers were laced together, ran after him. “Hey! Mum said no running!”
He glanced over his shoulder at her and grinned. “She said no running for your life. We’re running for a patch of clovers right now.”
Before she had a chance to question him, he skidded to a stop and knelt down. Less than two seconds later, he plucked something from the ground and gave a disappointed huff.
“Well, that was a bit anti-climactic.”
“What was?” Rose asked, crouching next to him and running her fingers over a dark clump of clovers.
“This.” He responded, offering the plucked item to her. “A four-leaf clover...was kinda expecting it to take longer to find one than that.”
Rose took the clover, blew a soft kiss over it, and slipped it into his jacket pocket. When he raised an eyebrow at her in a silent question, she gave him a wink.
“You have to keep it for good luck. You can’t really pass them on to someone else...”
The Doctor smiled and returned her wink with one of his own. “Right then...where to first?”
Rose looked around and then stood up, gently tugging him up with her. “How about we just walk and see where we end up?”
“A plan without a plan...sounds perfect to me!”
Rose shook her head in amusement and together they started off on an adventure of a new kind.
One without danger.
Hopefully.
* * *
“So...” Rose started, carefully stepping over a large rock poking out of the ground.
“So what?” The Doctor prompted, walking around that same large rock instead of stepping over it.
“So...when did Mum make you promise to take me somewhere like this?”
The Doctor paused at the top of the hill they had just climbed and smiled broadly as he looked over the rolling green hills. “I don’t think somewhere like this is what she had in mind actually. She just wanted you to have a relaxing trip.”
He glanced over at her to find her staring expectantly at him. “But, you just meant the relaxing trip part, didn’t you? Not the Ireland part...”
“Uh-huh...but, now I’m wondering what you thought she had in mind.” She stated, a teasing tone in her voice.
“Knowing Jackie, she...oh, who knows really?” The Doctor laughed, shoving his hands into his trouser pockets. “She insisted on it the last time we were there. You had gone off to raid your closet and left me and your mum in the living room.”
He met her eyes and narrowed his as he pulled his right hand out of his pocket and waggled his finger at her. “Don’t ever do that again.”
“Raid my closet?” She asked playfully, knowing full well that wasn’t what he meant.
“Leave me and your mother in the same room together...alone.” He clarified. “Next time she’ll probably want to talk about sex or something. She doesn’t really recognize boundaries...or even knows what they are, actually.”
“Oh, she knows what they are.” Rose countered softly. “She just worries, that’s all.”
“And that’s all well and good. And I think it’s very sweet and motherly that she worries about you...but, I’m not discussing our sex life with her.” He reached over and took her hand into his. “So...you should probably tell her that there are some boundaries that she needs to respect, yeah?”
“Yeah...don’t know how much good it’ll do, but I’ll tell her.” She chuckled and then tried to steer their conversation back to the original topic. “Why did she ask you to do this?”
“Because she loves you.” He answered as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. “She’s accepted the fact that you travel with me...and that nothing she says is going to change your mind about that. She’s accepted the fact that we’re...together. But, I don’t think she’ll ever accept the fact that we’re constantly in dangerous situations. She’s a good mum...that’s why she asked me to take you somewhere safe, just once.”
Rose nodded slowly and looked down at their joined hands. “Why did you agree to it?”
“Because I love you.” He responded matter-of-factly, clearing his throat when her eyes snapped back to his. “Well, it’s not like it’s a huge surprise or anything. You know I love you.”
“Well, yeah, but...” She licked her suddenly dry lips. “You just don’t say it all that often.”
“Doesn’t mean I don’t feel it every single second. Millisecond, even.” He turned his gaze towards the horizon and lifted his free hand to point to a spot in the distance. “Know what that is over there?”
Rose wiped the moisture from her eyes and cleared her throat as she shook her head. “No...what?”
“Dunno...” He glanced back at her, his eyes bright with excitement. “Wanna go find out?”
“You’re looking for trouble, aren’t you?”
“What?” He furrowed his brow, as if trouble were the last thing on his mind. “No. This is a fun trip, no trouble. Besides, if Jackie found out I was looking for trouble, she’d...poison me with her nutloaf or something.”
Rose snorted, not resisting when he started walking. “What are you hoping for then? If not trouble, I mean...”
“Rose, I never look for trouble.” He stated emphatically. “It just...finds me.”
“You never turn it away either.” She countered with a grin, the tip of her tongue held between her teeth.
“Well, that would just be rude...”
“Yeah, and you’re not rude at all, are you?” She teased, rubbing his thumb with hers.
“Nope, not at all. Well, maybe a little...okay, a lot. But, I’ve found that if you’re rude to trouble, it just makes things worse. So, it’s best just to go along and fix things the best you can.” He gently squeezed her fingers between his. “You know?”
“Uh-huh...” She murmured playfully as he led her down the side of the hill and over to the next smaller hill.
He looked over at her, narrowly avoiding tripping over a stone as he did. “You could at least pretend to believe me.”
She laughed loudly and brushed the hair back from her face. “And let you think you got one over on me? No way, Doctor! One thing you never have to worry about is knowing whether or not I believe you.”
“Still not sure if that’s a good thing or not.” He replied jokingly, grinning brightly when she smacked his shoulder. “You know what’s special about this place?”
“Ireland? Well, I would say leprechauns, but you’ve all but told me they don’t exist.”
“Oh, they exist. They’re just not what you’ve been led to believe they are. They’re actually not even Irish...this is just where their ship landed a millennia ago or so.”
Rose stared at him, coming to a stop at the bottom of the hill. “You’re telling me they’re aliens.”
“Nope. Just putting that suggestion out there...believe it or not, Rose Tyler?”
She rolled her eyes and gave a sigh of exasperation. “Yeah, okay...whatever...what’s special about Ireland?”
“Huh?” He asked, narrowing his eyes in confusion for just a moment. “Oh! No...no, not Ireland itself. This place. Right here, where we’re standing this very minute. Do you know why this exact spot is special?”
Rose looked around, carefully studying their surroundings - the trees, the plants, the rocks...the moss growing on the rocks. The Doctor watched her, his amusement glinting in his dark eyes. After a few long moments, Rose exhaled a deep breath and shrugged her shoulders.
“Nope, no clue. What’s special about here?”
“It’s special because something is getting ready to happen that has never happened before...and may never happen again.” He replied cryptically. “Something so beautiful and wonderful...and it may only occur once. How special is that? Pretty special, huh?”
“What the hell are you babbling about now?”
“I haven’t been in Ireland in ages.” His brow furrowed in thought as he attempted to calculate the years. “Twenty-five years maybe? Maybe more. Doesn’t really matter. The point is...you’ve never been to Ireland before...so we’ve never been here together.”
Rose looked over her shoulder, back up the hill that they’d just descended. She could barely make out the lamp on top of the TARDIS.
“We’re not that far from her...” She stated softly, almost as if she were talking to herself.
“What?”
“Oh...I was just wondering if you make less sense the further away you are from the TARDIS. But, we’ve been a lot further than this and you’ve made more sense than you are now.”
“Well now you’re not making sense.” He stated in a worried tone, lifting his palm to her forehead. “Are you feeling alright?”
She brushed his hand away and shook her head lightly. “I’m feeling fine...I just don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”
“Maybe if you’d let me finish, you would. And then...after I’ve finished and you see that I’m making perfect sense, you’ll know why this place is so bloody special.”
“Remember what I was saying about rudeness earlier?”
“Rose...” He sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping slightly. “You’re completely ruining this.”
She recognized his look of utter dejection and offered him an apologetic smile. “Sorry...I was just playing. Wanna try again?”
He nodded slowly and then leaned into her, capturing her lips with his. She responded quickly, parting her lips under his and coaxing his tongue into her mouth. She smiled inwardly at the fact that she really didn’t have to coax him all that much.
When she draped her arms over his shoulders and slid her fingers into his hair, he grasped her hips and curled his fingers into the denim of her jeans. He took a step back and tripped over the same rock he had narrowly avoided just a few minutes earlier.
He broke the kiss as he stumbled, holding her tightly against him as he fell and groaning lowly as he landed on the ground...pinned between her warm body and the surprisingly well-cushioned ground. Rose didn’t move for a second, but stared at him in concern.
“You okay?”
“Oh yeah...I’m fine, not at all mortified by the fact that I tripped and fell while kissing you. How are you?”
She grinned crookedly at his sarcastic reply and leaned back down to press a tender kiss to his lips. “Don’t know why you’d be mortified. What happened anyway?”
He heaved a heavy sigh and rested his head against the ground. “Guess I forgot where I was. Normally I have something to lean against...the TARDIS door, the hallway wall, your mum’s bathroom door...”
Rose shifted to his side, draping her right leg over his as she positioned her left elbow on the ground right above his shoulder. She propped her head up with her hand and smiled down at him.
“There’s some trees right over there...”
He met her eyes and raised an eyebrow at her. “We’re not having sex here.”
“Who said anything about sex?” Rose asked, averting her eyes from his.
Lifting his left hand, he brushed his fingertips across her temple. “Can I?”
“Why? So you can have proof that you were right?”
He chuckled softly and shook his head. “Nope. Already knew I was right...” He gave her a wink when her eyes darted back to his. “You looked away...dead giveaway, Rose.”
“Oh...right. Um...why then?”
He paused briefly and glanced at his fingers stroking her skin. “I like the pictures you give me.”
“The pictures? What’s that supposed to mean? I thought you liked walking around, poking into this corner and that...trying to figure me out.”
“Oh, I doubt I’ll ever figure you out. Humans are the most confusing creatures ever created, I think. You’re just a huge contradiction in every conceivable notion.” He lowered his hand to his chest and sighed. “I admire humans for their arrogance and stupidity.”
Rose barked a laugh. “Oh, that’s just priceless...you admiring a race for their arrogance. Your race pretty much invented arrogance, didn’t they?”
“No. Black holes, yes. Arrogance, no. And I’m not arrogant...well, okay...maybe I am a little. I’m a Time Lord, Rose.”
“And you call me a contradiction?” At his confused look, she quickly continued. “You have the gall to lay there and say you’re only a little arrogant and then use the fact that you’re a Time Lord...in that tone...to justify it?”
He knew that he could ask one question and they’d be here for hours arguing. He also knew that he could say something else and she’d lean down and kiss him and they could continue on their relaxing holiday. It should be an easy decision to make...but he found himself weighing his options anyway. When she sat up and raked her fingers through her hair, he finally made his decision.
“I didn’t mean it like that, you know? I don’t mean to be arrogant...kinda like I don’t mean to be rude. It just...happens. And it’s hard not to be a little arrogant when you can feel every single aspect of time and know in your hearts that you’re the only one anywhere who knows what that feels like.” He looked up into her eyes and licked his lips. “I really didn’t mean to make you feel inferior by what I said.”
Rose exhaled deeply. “I know. Sorry I took it the wrong way...again.”
He smiled as she leaned down and brushed her lips across his.
“Castling or coasting?”
She narrowed her eyes in confusion and pushed herself back up with her hand on his chest. “Huh?”
“Do you want to go explore a castle or do you want to go for a walk along the coast?” He clarified, sitting up just enough to lean back on his elbows.
She glanced at his mouth and reached over to gently wipe a smudge of lipstick from his skin. “Which one is less touristy?”
He successfully fought the urge to pull the tip of her thumb into his mouth. Instead, he jumped up and brushed the loose dirt from the back of his trousers before extending his hand to help her up.
“This time of year, it’s pretty much the same either way.” He pulled her up next to him and then pointed to his left. “Just over that hill is a road...and that road will take us to Carrigafoyle Castle. Or...”
“Or what?” She prompted when he trailed off.
“Or...” He glanced up the hill that would lead them back to the TARDIS. “Or we could head back to the TARDIS and take a quick trip over to the coast. Up to you.”
Rose laced their fingers together and offered him a warm smile. “I’m thinking castle. And feel free to explain this looking at pictures in my head thing on the way...”
The Doctor merely grinned and started walking, swinging their joined hands between them as he led her up the hill.
* * *
The road turned out to be little more than a pathway. A paved pathway, but a pathway nonetheless. It could easily accommodate one car in one direction, but two cars in opposing directions might prove a bit tight.
Rose lifted her hand in a friendly wave as a car passed them. The driver returned the wave...even though he stared at them as if he’d never seen anyone walking along this particular road before.
“So...pictures?” Rose asked as she turned her attention back to the Doctor.
The Doctor had turned his head just enough to watch the car. When it followed the bend and drifted out of sight, he looked down at her.
“What?”
“Pictures. You said you like the pictures I give you. What did you mean?”
“You know...pictures. Capturing a moment in a still frame with a camera? That’s what I see instead of live action memories or dreams or hopes. I see still frames...captured within your mind.”
“Isn’t that bad? I mean...shouldn’t you see live action instead of stillness?” Rose asked, sounding a little worried.
He shrugged and slipped his hands into the pockets of his trousers. “I think it’s beautiful. And it’s not like every trip into every mind is the same...different people project different things. You project pictures. I like pictures...you get to make up your own story to them.”
“So...it doesn’t mean there’s a problem with my brain or anything?”
The Doctor laughed and shook his head. “No...absolutely no problems with your brain. Unless brain issues are directly related to the consumption of Marmite. If that’s the case, then yes...there is something horribly wrong with your brain.”
Rose rolled her eyes and hooked her left arm around his right. “That just means there’s something horribly wrong with you for not liking it.”
He gave a fairly over-exaggerated shudder. “I’ll never understand it. How anyone, especially you, could eat something that tastes like...” He glanced up and his eyes widened with excitement. “Ooh! Look, Rose!”
Rose followed his gaze and furrowed her brows. “What? That old building that looks like it’s been used for target practice?”
Some of the excitement left the Doctor’s eyes as he looked down at her. “Target practice? Rose...that is Carrigafoyle Castle! It was built...considering we’re currently in the year 2018, it’s over 520 years old!”
He pulled his left hand out of his pocket and pointed at the castle. “That building has so many stories to tell, Rose. Imagine how magnificent she looked when she was first built. All that she’s been through and she’s still standing, more or less...well, that’s just a testament to her, don’t you think?”
She smiled at his enthusiasm and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it is...I guess I was just expecting something...”
“More palatial?” He asked when she trailed off.
“Yeah, I guess. And this...isn’t.”
“This is where the true history is found. Palaces are just showboats. Castles are where it’s at, Rose.”
Rose snorted a laugh which caused him to grin. And before she could say anything else, he pulled his right hand out of his pocket and quickly grabbed her hand.
And then they were running.
Towards a very non-palatial castle.
* * *
Rose had been very surprised at the number of visitors to the castle. But, that surprise had been forgotten when she had started looking around. Her eyes had caught a very odd carving in one of the old bricks and she turned around to point it out to the Doctor.
But, the Doctor had meandered across the hallway and was closely examining a doorframe. He was examining it so closely that Rose was more than a little worried that he was going to lick it. She smiled at the thought and then realized that it had actually happened more than once.
She chuckled softly and read the placard that was posted to the left of the carving. It had apparently been carved by an English soldier during the siege, but no one had been able to figure out exactly what it meant. She smiled, thinking that she had an idea of someone who might be able to provide that information.
Glancing back across the hall, she decided that it was probably best if she got over to him quickly...just in case he happened to examine the doorframe just a little too closely. She picked her way through the handful of tourists and then quietly stood next to him...watching him as he continued to stare at the doorframe.
“If you lick that, I’m leaving you here and denying that I know you at all.”
“I’m not sure licking it would be in my best interest.” His eyes darted to her and then quickly moved back to the wooden frame. “See that?”
She stepped forward and leaned in to look at what he was pointing at. “I see...wood.”
The Doctor sighed heavily and inched his finger closer to the frame. “Very good. I’m glad you can see wood. But, that is what I’m wanting you to see...”
Rose was getting ready to comment on his rudeness, but decided not to when she noticed the slightest movement within the grain of the wood. “What the hell is that?”
“That is an organism that I’ve only seen in one place...and that one place wasn’t here.”
Rose narrowed her eyes as she watched the red worm-like organisms. “You know, with most people you could ask where and you’d get an answer like ‘down at that chip shop on Union’. But, not with you. ‘Cause I’ve got a feeling you’re going to say something like - ”
“Phialis 8.” He interrupted, tilting his head slightly as the organisms began to burrow back into the wood.
“Yeah...something like Phialis 8. What’s Phialis 8?”
“A lake on Ferron.” He replied absently. “And by lake, I mean a lava wood lake.”
Rose shook her head as if she was clearing it and turned her eyes to him. “A lake made out of lava or wood?”
The Doctor turned and stared at her like she’d grown another head. “Lakes are water, Rose. Not lava, not wood...however, on Ferron the lake beds are lined with lava wood. That’s a rough translation...it’s not actually called lava wood.”
Rose stared at him in disbelief. “You’re saying this castle was built by aliens?”
“No. Well...it probably was, but no...that’s not what I was saying. I was saying that this wood came from a lake on Ferron. Completely harmless...just thought it was interesting.”
She started to reply, but was interrupted by a woman sidling up next to the Doctor. The Doctor quickly glanced at the other woman, offering her a slight smile when she grinned up at him. Rose rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm, effectively dragging him away from her.
“Rose...”
“I’m not spending any part of my relaxing holiday watching another woman flirt with you.”
He arched an eyebrow at her and glanced over his shoulder at the other woman. “Her? She didn’t even say anything.”
“She didn’t have to. I know that look...”
He looked back at her, his eyebrow still arched. “What look?”
“The one that says ‘you’re hot, let’s go find an elsewhere to be’...” She stated, looking over at the other woman and staring at her until she scuttled off.
“You give me that look. I know that look.” He jerked his thumb over to the now empty spot where the woman had been standing. “She didn’t give me that look.”
“She did...you just didn’t pick up on it.” She shrugged and gave a heavy sigh.
“Maybe I only like that look when it comes from you.” He offered softly, reaching up to brush a strand of hair back from her face. “Maybe that’s why I didn’t see it.”
Rose’s smile slowly made its way back to her eyes. “Maybe you just know how to talk your way out of domestic situations as well as impending doom of the alien kind.”
He grinned and moved closer to her. “Maybe...”
When his hand brushed over her hip, she smacked his arm and took a step back as she laughed. “Stop that! We’re in the ruins of an Irish castle with people everywhere...”
For a brief moment, he looked as though he was going to protest. And then he smiled in understanding and took hold of her hand.
“Are you hungry? I’m starving!”
Rose shook her head in amusement. “Since I didn’t see a visitor’s lounge or a café...I’m going to guess that you have another idea?”
“Oh, yes...” He smiled brightly and patted his jacket pocket. “Pockets with Time Lord technology...bigger on the inside, Rose. And...I know where there’s an old viewing deck that has been closed off to the public.”
“Oh?”
“Yep...” He waggled his eyebrows and glanced over at a staircase that had been roped off. “What do you say...picnic on the castle tower?”
“What if we get caught? I mean...it’s closed off for a reason, right?”
“Uh-huh...” He replied, leading her over to the staircase. “It became a bit of a ‘Lover’s Leap’...but, neither of us are wanting to leap. Just want to have a nice view while we eat...come on.”
“Tempting trouble...” She muttered, but followed him up just the same.
* * *
“This is nice.” Rose stated as the Doctor handed her a sandwich.
He shrugged a shoulder and leaned back against the outer wall of the castle. “It’s just ham and cheese. Nothing really special...well, not very special anyway. It’s a little special because I was able to track down that Swiss cheese you like. Don’t know why it’s so hard to find it...it’s just Swiss cheese.”
Rose smiled as she unwrapped her sandwich. “It’s not just Swiss cheese. It’s what Mum always got. And that wasn’t what I was talking about anyway...even though I’m pretty sure the sandwich will be nice too.”
The Doctor looked out over the river and crossed his ankles. “It is nice, isn’t it? Especially on a day like this...the water just reflects the sun just right.”
Rose shifted over next to him and shook her head lightly. “I meant this is nice. Sitting here with you, having lunch...no running or hiding or jumping...”
“I’m missing the running and hiding and jumping a little.” The Doctor admitted, opening a small bag of potato chips and offering them to her. “But, it is nice...for a change. Only a change. Tomorrow it’s right back into it...running and hiding and jumping...possibly stopping the destruction of civilization on one planet or another.”
“Tomorrow we’re back to looking for trouble.” Rose agreed, popping a chip into her mouth.
The Doctor rolled his eyes and pulled a slice of tomato off of his sandwich. “Trouble just finds me, Rose. How many times do I have to tell you? I don’t look for it, it just...happens.”
“Why do you even bother putting tomato on your sandwiches?” She asked. “You always take it off.”
“It adds flavour to it...I just don’t like the texture.” He smiled as she reached over and grabbed the tomato slice. “And I know that you’ll eat it.”
“Lucky me, then.” She grinned and popped the small slice of tomato into her mouth. She gazed out across the lake as she chewed and then swallowed. “You know what would be really nice?”
He let his eyes drop to her chest for the briefest of moments...so brief that he was sure she didn’t even notice. “I can think of a few things...”
She snorted a laugh and tore a piece of the crust from her sandwich. “So can I, but I wasn’t actually talking about the fact that we could probably have a quick shag and no one would know.”
“What?”
She turned her head towards him and met his eyes. Smiling, she slipped the piece of crust into her mouth and chewed.
“Don’t sound so shocked, Doctor. I may not be able to read your mind, but...” She licked her lips and glanced down at his lap. “I know exactly what that means.”
“What what means?” He asked and then glanced down as well. “Oh...that. Well...that just happens sometimes.”
Rose’s eyes sparkled as she reached over to brush a potato chip crumb from his thigh. “Yeah...when you’re randy.”
“Not always.” He stated, grabbing her hand before she could move it from his leg. “Well, I mean...I’m always randy when it happens, but it doesn’t always happen when I’m randy. If that were the case, I’d be like this all of the time. Well, not all of the time, because I’m not randy when it’s just me and your mum in the living room waiting on you. But, if it’s just me and you...then yeah, I’m randy all of the time. And I don’t always have...” He cleared his throat and gestured towards his obvious erection. “...that.”
“It wasn’t just that, you know...” She laced her fingers with his and leaned up to place a soft kiss on his chin. “I could hear it in your voice.”
“Oh...” He whispered, closing his eyes as she brushed her lips across his. “What would really be nice, Rose?”
“Hm?” She murmured against his skin as she slid her lips along his cheek.
“A minute ago...you were going to tell me what would be...” He groaned softly when her lips tugged at his earlobe. “Oh...nice...yes, that’s nice...um...Rose?”
“Can’t remember, but...” She lowered her voice to a husky whisper as she shifted and straddled his thighs. “This is probably nicer than anything else I could’ve come up with.”
He pulled his hand from hers and curled his fingers into a fist. She had just started unbuttoning his jacket when he slammed his fist against the floor of the viewing deck.
Startled, she jumped and leaned back. “What was that for?”
He licked his lips and then smiled, sliding his palms up her thighs to rest on her hips. “This has been here for a while...I was just checking the, uh...sturdiness of it.”
Her lips curled into a smile. “How sturdy does it need to be?”
“We bent the hinges on the bathroom door last week...” He replied with a chuckle, slipping his left thumb under the hem of her t-shirt. “I can only imagine the damage we could inflict on an old viewing deck.”
She shuddered lightly as his thumb stroked her skin. “So...is it sturdy enough?”
He nodded slowly as his eyes darted to her lips. “Is this okay? I mean...here?”
She was barely able to get out a ‘yeah’ before his mouth covered hers. She had just pushed her tongue into his mouth and stroked her hand over his trouser-clad erection when the door to the viewing deck swung open.
Rose tore her mouth away from the Doctor’s and looked towards the door. She cleared her throat and tried to remove her hand from the bulge in the Doctor’s trousers as subtly as she could. When she met the amused blue eyes of a young man, she realized that she hadn’t been as subtle as she had hoped.
The young man smiled at her and then grinned knowingly at the Doctor. “At least the noise wasn’t someone getting ready to do the riverdance. Good to know, but you should probably take your doxie somewhere else, yeah?”
Rose looked at him, obviously confused. Then she looked at the Doctor and immediately saw the anger building behind his dark eyes. She may not have understood what the guy had said exactly, but she had a feeling that it wasn’t very flattering.
“You might very well find yourself in the river if you refer to her in such a way again.” He growled, carefully shifting Rose off his lap.
As the Doctor stood and straightened his jacket, the amusement in the other man’s eyes faded. He cleared his throat and took a step back.
“Sorry, mate...I was just sent up to check out a noise. Wasn’t expecting to walk in on a scon. Surprised me, is all.”
Rose stood next to the Doctor, still looking very confused. “Are you speaking English?”
The young man smiled softly and glanced out at the river before looking back at the Doctor. “Not very safe here. Platform’s sturdy enough, but...it’s closed for a reason. Best take your mot somewhere else.”
“Mot? I’m not a mot!” Rose stated emphatically.
The Doctor’s eyes softened as he looked down at Rose. “Actually...you are. You’re not a doxie, but you are a mot...my mot.”
When Rose merely stared at him, he smiled. “Mot means girlfriend. You’re my girlfriend, yeah?”
“Oh. Well...why didn’t he just say that?”
“Thought I did.” The young man replied, the amusement back in his blue eyes. “Look, I’d be more than happy for you to stay and carry on...but, my boss might not be. And he’s liable to come check to make sure everything’s okay...I think he thinks I’m a bit of an eejit.”
Rose didn’t need that particular word translated for her. She’d ask the Doctor about ‘doxie’ later, but it was pretty easy to figure out what an ‘eejit’ was.
“What’s your name?” She asked, slipping her hand into the Doctor’s.
“Codell.” He answered, shoving his hands into his trouser pockets.
Rose gave him a friendly nod, accompanied by a smile. “I’m Rose...this is the Doctor.”
“Doctor? That’s your name?” Codell asked.
The Doctor shrugged a shoulder and gently squeezed Rose’s fingers. “Mum had a strange sense of humour.”
Codell chuckled and glanced upwards. “There’s a room...another floor up and on the other side. It’s blocked off from the public. I only found it by accident one day...I don’t even think my boss knows about it. I use it for, um...smoke breaks.”
The Doctor smiled. He had an idea that Codell used the room for more than just smoke breaks. He felt Rose’s fingers tighten around his and then he shook his head.
“Thank you for the offer, but...I think we might just head home. It’s been a bit of a long day.”
Codell laughed and nodded in agreement. “Yeah and I guess having someone walk in on you kinda kills the mood as well, huh?”
“It didn’t help.” The Doctor replied cheekily.
Codell’s laughter died down and he cleared his throat. “Sorry about the ‘doxie’ comment...really. You seem to be a really nice couple...just don’t go at it out here, okay?”
Rose snorted as the Doctor scratched the back of his head. Codell slipped back through the door and disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.
“Well, that was...interesting...”
“Mm...” The Doctor murmured, gently nudging Rose through the doorway. “This is why I normally say no to public relations.”
Rose laughed loudly and the Doctor grinned.
He couldn’t help but think about how lovely her laughter sounded as it resonated off the old castle walls. And he couldn’t help but think about how wonderful her cries sounded as they resonated off the TARDIS walls. He swallowed thickly and adjusted his softening cock.
“So...want to head off to find another castle or maybe go down to the coast?”
Rose shook her head and looked up at him. “Thought you said something about going home?”
“Ah...” He leaned down and kissed her tenderly. “More castling and coasting tomorrow then?”
“Yep...definitely tomorrow.” She stated, placing her hand on his chest. “You know...the pictures thing that we were talking about earlier today?”
“Yeah...”
“Well...” She bit her bottom lip and then ran her fingers through her hair. “The pictures come from the dreams...and the dreams come from you. So...maybe we can use the rest of the day to work through that?”
The Doctor studied her for a moment and then smiled brightly, her meaning suddenly clear in his mind.
“Oh, I love the pictures you give me...” He whispered before capturing her lips in another passionate kiss.
As she returned his kiss, she made a promise to tell him about one of the dreams she’d had just a few nights earlier.
In as much vivid color as she could express.
~ End