Fic: Rainy Day Woman Ch. 1
Title: Rainy Day Woman
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Doctor Who
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Reunion
Spoilers: All Who stuff
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Characters: Ten/Rose, Jackie, Pete, Tyler offspring, Mickey, Jake
Summary: The Doctor makes his way back to a wiser Rose, but things are not as cut and dry as he'd hoped. They have one weekend to decide where they stand, what they want, and where that leaves them.
Under the cut:
1.
He'd been standing outside the Tyler house for a solid hour, and in that hour the weather had gotten increasingly worse. Rain began to patter down softly.
He wondered if anyone had noticed him standing there, hands in pockets, feet flat on the grass. He wondered if maybe they figured he'd knock on the door in his own time. He had hoped that upon hearing the TARDIS someone (Rose) would run out to greet him. Or if someone (Rose) had seen him standing there, they'd (She'd) come out.
No such luck.
The Doctor wondered if the Tylers (Rose) even lived here anymore. He had no idea how long it had been. For all he knew they could have all passed away.
It'd be just his luck to make it across the void and find that he'd shown up 100 years too late.
Still, it all looked just about the same as the last time he'd been there. That boded well for his chances, at least.
What if they'd moved? What if they'd died? What if he knocked on the door and asked for Rose and the person on the other side of said door had no idea who he was talking about?
A million possibilities floated through his mind. Curse of being The Lord of Time, that. Anything is possible and he could see every outcome of each scenario. Under the weight of each possibility he almost turned tail and ran back for the TARDIS, but it suddenly occurred to him that the rain had stopped.
Wait, no it hadn't. It was still raining around him, but not on him. He looked up to find the underside of a black umbrella.
"How long have you been standing out here in the rain?" asked a familiar, slight amused, slightly worried voice. "You'll catch your death like this. And don't tell me you can't get sick, because we both know that's not true."
He turned and grinned at Rose, drinking in the similarities and differences in her from the last time he'd seen her. She looked older by a few years, and her hair was longer, and more a honey blonde than the bleach blonde it had been.
"Well...I don't mind rain," he told her.
She nodded slowly. "Right. So...you weren't freaking out about every possible outcome of knocking on the front door."
He blinked at her. How, after all this time, did she still know him so well? "Me? Nah."
Rose nodded again and then pinched herself. Afterward, she reached out and pinched him.
"Oi! That hurt!"
"Sorry," she laughed a little. "Just makin' sure. Never know when I'm dreaming sometimes."
He winked. "Dream about me often, do you?"
"Git."
"Sometimes."
They smiled at each other.
This went on for a good five minutes until the front door swung open and Jackie walked out onto the porch. "For the love of god! If you're gonna stare at each other, at least stare at each other inside! Sick and stroppy Rose is bad enough! A sick and stroppy Time Lord is gonna get thrown out on his arse!"
Rose chuckled and as the Doctor took the umbrella from her, and then her hand, they ambled onto the front walk and up to the porch.
"Hello, Jackie," the Doctor said.
"Come 'ere you," Jackie said, pulling him into a hug. "Took you long enough, four years."
"Is that how long it's been?" he asked, turning to Rose for conformation after prying away from Jackie.
Rose nodded. "Four years, seven months."
"How long's it been for you?" Jackie asked.
The Doctor opened his mouth to reply but tensed up. "Longer."
Jackie nodded slowly. "Come on you two. In the house. S'getting cold out." She opened up the door and herded them in. "I'll put the kettle on an, you, Doctor, take off that wet coat."
He shed it and hung it on the hat rack, running a hand through his hair.
Rose took the umbrella back from the Doctor and shook it out on the porch before setting it just inside the door and stripping off her own jacket.
Jackie watched the two of them and rolled her eye, nudging Rose a little closer to the Doctor. "I'll be in the kitchen."
The Doctor watched her leave and then looked at Rose.
She gave a small smile. "What? No hug?"
He smiled widely and took the two steps to envelope her in his arms. "Hello, Rose Tyler."
"Hello, Doctor."
They pulled away and Rose frowned. "You're too skinny."
"I've always been skinny."
"But you're SO skinny."
He quirked an eyebrow. "I didn't come here to have my weight criticized, Miss Tyler."
She tried not to smile. "Sorry."
They stood in silence again.
"You look brilliant," he told her. "I like the hair...and...the...everything."
Rose laughed a little. "Thanks." She bit her lip. "Come on."
He followed her into a large sitting room, lit up by an equally large fireplace that crackled and burned. "How does it feel to live in a house Donald Trump would be jealous of?"
She smirked as they sat down on a couch. "I'm not usually here. You got lucky, catching me on my weekend off."
"Still with Torchwood?"
"I am. Mickey, Jake and I are three of the only agents willing to get our hands dirty. They send us everywhere."
"Sounds exciting."
Rose nodded. "It is. And scary, and really dangerous. Not as exciting or scary or dangerous as travelin' with you, but...I take what I can get."
The Doctor smirked. "It sounds brilliant."
She nodded and looked away from him. "So...let's have it. How did you get here?"
He sighed and didn't answer for a moment. "I...er...navigated through the rift in Cardiff and crossed the void."
Rose looked back up at him, eyes wide with shock. "You...you what?"
He looked down at his shoes, his elbows resting on his thighs and his shoulders slumped.
She shook her head. "You could have...you could have destroyed...everything. You could have...gotten stuck in the void. What were you thinking?!"
He lifted his head to look at the fire. "That I couldn't take it anymore."
She slid closer to him, resting a hand on his arm. "Take what?"
He took a deep breath. "Anything. I couldn't..." He finally looked at her, eyes thoughtful. "Have you ever wanted to quit but knew that you wouldn't-couldn't, unless you had a good enough reason?"
Rose nodded slowly, and stayed quiet.
The Doctor shook his head. "I've gotten to the point where I don't need a reason anymore. I just need to stop."
"Stop what?" she asked quietly.
He sighed. "Me."
She rested her chin on his shoulder, giving him what comfort she could.
He tilted his head so it touched hers. "I recalibrated the TARDIS to function in this universe, and I sealed up all but one breach in the void."
Rose blinked and lifted her chin. "Doctor..."
"If you'll have me...if you want me...I'll stay."
"What about...everything?" she asked. "What about the other universe? And everyone you know there? You must have had other companions since I've been gone."
"I have," he told her. "But they didn't make me less lonely. Not the way you did."
She stared at him, worriedly. "Something's happened to you."
"A lot has happened to me," he told her. "And I'm tired, Rose. I'm so tired."
She stared at him for a moment before speaking again. "How long can the breach stay open before it starts to do some real damage?"
The Doctor sighed and looked up, calculating in his head. "Three days."
Rose nodded, and pulled the Doctor to turn to her. "Tell you what. You stay the weekend with me, here. And you really think about what it is you want."
He gave her a hurt look. "Rose-"
"No." She ran a hand through his hair. "Do you have any idea how drained you look? Think of this as a vacation. If you still feel that you really want to stay here, then...yeah."
"And if not?" He studied her face. "If I decided to go back...would you come with me?"
She bit her lip. "You're not the only one what's gotta think on things really hard."
*****
Jackie sighed heavily as she made up the three cups of tea. She'd listened to the entire conversation, being the busy-body she was. She'd never heard the Doctor sound so desperate or tired. As she finished off the tea, she impulsively reached for a banana and set it on the tray, before carrying it out to them.
She smiled and set it down on the coffee table. "Right." She held up a cup of tea to Rose. "One sugar."
"Thanks, Mum."
She held the other one and the banana out to the Doctor. "Eight sugars and a banana."
He gave her a genuine smile. "Thank you, Jackie. How's the baby?"
"'The Baby' is four," Jackie replied in an exasperated voice. "And he's out with his father, driving him up the wall for once."
"And what is said four-year-old's name?" The Doctor asked, amused.
"Gareth. He's beautiful, but he runs the lot of us ragged," Rose told him.
The Doctor smirked and sipped his tea, and then peeled his banana, taking a bite. "Mickey and Jake about?" he asked with a full mouth.
"Nope, we take turns with weekends off," Rose replied. "Only time we've all got vacation is Christmastime."
"Too bad. Would have liked to've seen Mister Mickey."
"I'll give him a call," Rose said. "If they've got a quiet stint, they'll stop by."
Jackie nodded. "So you're stayin' the weekend then, Doctor?"
"That's the plan," he replied.
"I'll have a guest room made up, then."
"No need, I can stay in the TARDIS," The Doctor said.
"Nope," Rose told him. "This is a vacation. You're gonna stay in the house."
"But-"
"You can stay in my room."
He blinked. "I..."
Jackie raised an eyebrow at her daughter. "Can he, now?"
Rose nodded with a smile. "Yep."
Jackie gave a slight glared.
The Doctor looked from one woman to another. "I would just like to note it right now that this was not my idea. I'm perfectly happy sleeping in the TARDIS."
"And I'm perfectly happy to make you up a guest room," Jackie said.
"And I'm telling both of you I'm perfectly happy to share my room," Rose said. "Come on, it's spacious. It'll be fine. S'not like we've never shared a bed before."
"'Is that so?" Jackie asked.
The Doctor sighed heavily.
*****
Rose opened up the French doors to her room, and walked in with The Doctor behind her. "It's way too big for me, but Mum insisted I should have it. Like I told you, I don't spend a lot of time here."
The Doctor smirked as he looked around. The room was painted a pale, almost white pink. A large bed covered in lavender sheets sat against the far left wall. The wall opposite the doors was taken up mostly by a rather large window with seat under it, topped with frilly pillows. The right wall was taken up by the door to a walk-in closet, the door to a bathroom, and a vanity. Over all the room was beautiful, but didn't look very lived-in. "I can tell. It's so...neat."
"Oi!" she laughed, swatting at him.
He grinned and watched as she wandered over to the bed and plopped down on the edge, lying down with her feet planted on the floor. He walked over and sat next to her.
"One nice thing is that this bed is a whole lot comfier than the cots I usually wind up in," Rose said, staring at the ceiling.
"I bet," the Doctor replied. He looked down at her. "Rose?"
"Hm?"
"Why were you so adamant about my staying here with you?"
She quirked an eyebrow at him. "I haven't seen you in four years. You honestly think I'm letting you out of my sight while you're here?"
He smirked. "Suppose not." He glanced down at her again and sighed. "You know, it occurs to me that last we spoke, I was in the middle of saying something."
Rose sat up and studied him carefully. "You were. But...it's been a long time, and if it's not true anymore-"
"I love you."
She thought her smile might break her face. "How long have you been practicing that?"
"You really don't want to know," he admitted.
They both laughed quietly, but it died down as they stared at each other. They both leaned in at the same time and their noses bumped awkwardly, and both pulled back.
"Very smooth," Rose laughed. "That was the sexiest almost-kiss I've ever had."
"Have I mentioned how terribly not good at this I am?" the Doctor asked, rubbing his nose. "That hurt."
"Baby."
"It did!"
She shook her head with a fond smile, before taking his face in her hands and kissing him. When she pulled away she was smiling again. "I think that went better."
The Doctor nodded. "Yeah. Yeah that went well." He leaned in again, kissing her softly.
Someone cleared their throat from the doors, and the couple pulled away. Rose gave her father a sheepish look and pushed some hair behind her ears.
"Hi, Dad."
Pete smiled. "Sorry to interrupt," he told them. "Just wanted to pop up and say hello to the both of you."
"Hello, Pete," the Doctor nodded, getting up and shaking the other man's hand. "Good to see you."
Pete nodded back. "Jacks says you're staying for the weekend."
"That's the plan," Rose said.
"And you told him about the President's ball tomorrow night."
Rose pursed her lips. "I...was going to mention it."
Pete smirked and addressed the Doctor. "President's annual ball. We're having it here."
The Doctor sighed heavily. "Bad things happen when I wear a tuxedo, y'know...maybe I shouldn't come."
Rose frowned. "Nothing bad will happen. All the Cybermen have been destroyed. I'll have a couple of task forces keep a lookout and-"
Pete raised an eyebrow. "You will, will you?"
Rose gave another sheepish look. "With your say-so, o'course. Wouldn't wanna go over your head or anything."
Pete smiled. "You've gone over my head more times than I can remember. You do what you think is best, love. I trust you." He nodded to the both of them and began to walk out before stopping. "Rose, will you call Mickey and Jake and make sure they know they've been requested at the ball?"
"They'll hate it, but I'll let them know."
Pete nodded once again before walking out and closing the doors behind him.
Rose sighed heavily and glanced at The Doctor. "Angry?"
"No," he replied. "I was, however, hoping for a quiet weekend."
"I could beg off," Rose said. "We could stay up on the second and third levels...put Gareth t'bed early an just..." She shrugged.
"Do you want to go?"
She smirked a little. "Usually the answer is no, because I never have a date...then again, it's usually just Mickey, Jake and I, standing in a corner, discussing our next destination...Most blokes are a bit too intimidated to ask me to dance let alone be my escort."
The Doctor grinned at her and shook her head. "Well, you don't scare me, Rose Tyler. I've faced much scarier women than yourself. Especially in recent years."
Rose quirked an eyebrow.
"If you'll allow me, I'd like to be your escort to the President's ball this weekend."
She smiled. "What happened to bad things happening when you get into a tux?"
"We'll just have to hope for the best."
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Doctor Who
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Reunion
Spoilers: All Who stuff
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Characters: Ten/Rose, Jackie, Pete, Tyler offspring, Mickey, Jake
Summary: The Doctor makes his way back to a wiser Rose, but things are not as cut and dry as he'd hoped. They have one weekend to decide where they stand, what they want, and where that leaves them.
Under the cut:
1.
He'd been standing outside the Tyler house for a solid hour, and in that hour the weather had gotten increasingly worse. Rain began to patter down softly.
He wondered if anyone had noticed him standing there, hands in pockets, feet flat on the grass. He wondered if maybe they figured he'd knock on the door in his own time. He had hoped that upon hearing the TARDIS someone (Rose) would run out to greet him. Or if someone (Rose) had seen him standing there, they'd (She'd) come out.
No such luck.
The Doctor wondered if the Tylers (Rose) even lived here anymore. He had no idea how long it had been. For all he knew they could have all passed away.
It'd be just his luck to make it across the void and find that he'd shown up 100 years too late.
Still, it all looked just about the same as the last time he'd been there. That boded well for his chances, at least.
What if they'd moved? What if they'd died? What if he knocked on the door and asked for Rose and the person on the other side of said door had no idea who he was talking about?
A million possibilities floated through his mind. Curse of being The Lord of Time, that. Anything is possible and he could see every outcome of each scenario. Under the weight of each possibility he almost turned tail and ran back for the TARDIS, but it suddenly occurred to him that the rain had stopped.
Wait, no it hadn't. It was still raining around him, but not on him. He looked up to find the underside of a black umbrella.
"How long have you been standing out here in the rain?" asked a familiar, slight amused, slightly worried voice. "You'll catch your death like this. And don't tell me you can't get sick, because we both know that's not true."
He turned and grinned at Rose, drinking in the similarities and differences in her from the last time he'd seen her. She looked older by a few years, and her hair was longer, and more a honey blonde than the bleach blonde it had been.
"Well...I don't mind rain," he told her.
She nodded slowly. "Right. So...you weren't freaking out about every possible outcome of knocking on the front door."
He blinked at her. How, after all this time, did she still know him so well? "Me? Nah."
Rose nodded again and then pinched herself. Afterward, she reached out and pinched him.
"Oi! That hurt!"
"Sorry," she laughed a little. "Just makin' sure. Never know when I'm dreaming sometimes."
He winked. "Dream about me often, do you?"
"Git."
"Sometimes."
They smiled at each other.
This went on for a good five minutes until the front door swung open and Jackie walked out onto the porch. "For the love of god! If you're gonna stare at each other, at least stare at each other inside! Sick and stroppy Rose is bad enough! A sick and stroppy Time Lord is gonna get thrown out on his arse!"
Rose chuckled and as the Doctor took the umbrella from her, and then her hand, they ambled onto the front walk and up to the porch.
"Hello, Jackie," the Doctor said.
"Come 'ere you," Jackie said, pulling him into a hug. "Took you long enough, four years."
"Is that how long it's been?" he asked, turning to Rose for conformation after prying away from Jackie.
Rose nodded. "Four years, seven months."
"How long's it been for you?" Jackie asked.
The Doctor opened his mouth to reply but tensed up. "Longer."
Jackie nodded slowly. "Come on you two. In the house. S'getting cold out." She opened up the door and herded them in. "I'll put the kettle on an, you, Doctor, take off that wet coat."
He shed it and hung it on the hat rack, running a hand through his hair.
Rose took the umbrella back from the Doctor and shook it out on the porch before setting it just inside the door and stripping off her own jacket.
Jackie watched the two of them and rolled her eye, nudging Rose a little closer to the Doctor. "I'll be in the kitchen."
The Doctor watched her leave and then looked at Rose.
She gave a small smile. "What? No hug?"
He smiled widely and took the two steps to envelope her in his arms. "Hello, Rose Tyler."
"Hello, Doctor."
They pulled away and Rose frowned. "You're too skinny."
"I've always been skinny."
"But you're SO skinny."
He quirked an eyebrow. "I didn't come here to have my weight criticized, Miss Tyler."
She tried not to smile. "Sorry."
They stood in silence again.
"You look brilliant," he told her. "I like the hair...and...the...everything."
Rose laughed a little. "Thanks." She bit her lip. "Come on."
He followed her into a large sitting room, lit up by an equally large fireplace that crackled and burned. "How does it feel to live in a house Donald Trump would be jealous of?"
She smirked as they sat down on a couch. "I'm not usually here. You got lucky, catching me on my weekend off."
"Still with Torchwood?"
"I am. Mickey, Jake and I are three of the only agents willing to get our hands dirty. They send us everywhere."
"Sounds exciting."
Rose nodded. "It is. And scary, and really dangerous. Not as exciting or scary or dangerous as travelin' with you, but...I take what I can get."
The Doctor smirked. "It sounds brilliant."
She nodded and looked away from him. "So...let's have it. How did you get here?"
He sighed and didn't answer for a moment. "I...er...navigated through the rift in Cardiff and crossed the void."
Rose looked back up at him, eyes wide with shock. "You...you what?"
He looked down at his shoes, his elbows resting on his thighs and his shoulders slumped.
She shook her head. "You could have...you could have destroyed...everything. You could have...gotten stuck in the void. What were you thinking?!"
He lifted his head to look at the fire. "That I couldn't take it anymore."
She slid closer to him, resting a hand on his arm. "Take what?"
He took a deep breath. "Anything. I couldn't..." He finally looked at her, eyes thoughtful. "Have you ever wanted to quit but knew that you wouldn't-couldn't, unless you had a good enough reason?"
Rose nodded slowly, and stayed quiet.
The Doctor shook his head. "I've gotten to the point where I don't need a reason anymore. I just need to stop."
"Stop what?" she asked quietly.
He sighed. "Me."
She rested her chin on his shoulder, giving him what comfort she could.
He tilted his head so it touched hers. "I recalibrated the TARDIS to function in this universe, and I sealed up all but one breach in the void."
Rose blinked and lifted her chin. "Doctor..."
"If you'll have me...if you want me...I'll stay."
"What about...everything?" she asked. "What about the other universe? And everyone you know there? You must have had other companions since I've been gone."
"I have," he told her. "But they didn't make me less lonely. Not the way you did."
She stared at him, worriedly. "Something's happened to you."
"A lot has happened to me," he told her. "And I'm tired, Rose. I'm so tired."
She stared at him for a moment before speaking again. "How long can the breach stay open before it starts to do some real damage?"
The Doctor sighed and looked up, calculating in his head. "Three days."
Rose nodded, and pulled the Doctor to turn to her. "Tell you what. You stay the weekend with me, here. And you really think about what it is you want."
He gave her a hurt look. "Rose-"
"No." She ran a hand through his hair. "Do you have any idea how drained you look? Think of this as a vacation. If you still feel that you really want to stay here, then...yeah."
"And if not?" He studied her face. "If I decided to go back...would you come with me?"
She bit her lip. "You're not the only one what's gotta think on things really hard."
*****
Jackie sighed heavily as she made up the three cups of tea. She'd listened to the entire conversation, being the busy-body she was. She'd never heard the Doctor sound so desperate or tired. As she finished off the tea, she impulsively reached for a banana and set it on the tray, before carrying it out to them.
She smiled and set it down on the coffee table. "Right." She held up a cup of tea to Rose. "One sugar."
"Thanks, Mum."
She held the other one and the banana out to the Doctor. "Eight sugars and a banana."
He gave her a genuine smile. "Thank you, Jackie. How's the baby?"
"'The Baby' is four," Jackie replied in an exasperated voice. "And he's out with his father, driving him up the wall for once."
"And what is said four-year-old's name?" The Doctor asked, amused.
"Gareth. He's beautiful, but he runs the lot of us ragged," Rose told him.
The Doctor smirked and sipped his tea, and then peeled his banana, taking a bite. "Mickey and Jake about?" he asked with a full mouth.
"Nope, we take turns with weekends off," Rose replied. "Only time we've all got vacation is Christmastime."
"Too bad. Would have liked to've seen Mister Mickey."
"I'll give him a call," Rose said. "If they've got a quiet stint, they'll stop by."
Jackie nodded. "So you're stayin' the weekend then, Doctor?"
"That's the plan," he replied.
"I'll have a guest room made up, then."
"No need, I can stay in the TARDIS," The Doctor said.
"Nope," Rose told him. "This is a vacation. You're gonna stay in the house."
"But-"
"You can stay in my room."
He blinked. "I..."
Jackie raised an eyebrow at her daughter. "Can he, now?"
Rose nodded with a smile. "Yep."
Jackie gave a slight glared.
The Doctor looked from one woman to another. "I would just like to note it right now that this was not my idea. I'm perfectly happy sleeping in the TARDIS."
"And I'm perfectly happy to make you up a guest room," Jackie said.
"And I'm telling both of you I'm perfectly happy to share my room," Rose said. "Come on, it's spacious. It'll be fine. S'not like we've never shared a bed before."
"'Is that so?" Jackie asked.
The Doctor sighed heavily.
*****
Rose opened up the French doors to her room, and walked in with The Doctor behind her. "It's way too big for me, but Mum insisted I should have it. Like I told you, I don't spend a lot of time here."
The Doctor smirked as he looked around. The room was painted a pale, almost white pink. A large bed covered in lavender sheets sat against the far left wall. The wall opposite the doors was taken up mostly by a rather large window with seat under it, topped with frilly pillows. The right wall was taken up by the door to a walk-in closet, the door to a bathroom, and a vanity. Over all the room was beautiful, but didn't look very lived-in. "I can tell. It's so...neat."
"Oi!" she laughed, swatting at him.
He grinned and watched as she wandered over to the bed and plopped down on the edge, lying down with her feet planted on the floor. He walked over and sat next to her.
"One nice thing is that this bed is a whole lot comfier than the cots I usually wind up in," Rose said, staring at the ceiling.
"I bet," the Doctor replied. He looked down at her. "Rose?"
"Hm?"
"Why were you so adamant about my staying here with you?"
She quirked an eyebrow at him. "I haven't seen you in four years. You honestly think I'm letting you out of my sight while you're here?"
He smirked. "Suppose not." He glanced down at her again and sighed. "You know, it occurs to me that last we spoke, I was in the middle of saying something."
Rose sat up and studied him carefully. "You were. But...it's been a long time, and if it's not true anymore-"
"I love you."
She thought her smile might break her face. "How long have you been practicing that?"
"You really don't want to know," he admitted.
They both laughed quietly, but it died down as they stared at each other. They both leaned in at the same time and their noses bumped awkwardly, and both pulled back.
"Very smooth," Rose laughed. "That was the sexiest almost-kiss I've ever had."
"Have I mentioned how terribly not good at this I am?" the Doctor asked, rubbing his nose. "That hurt."
"Baby."
"It did!"
She shook her head with a fond smile, before taking his face in her hands and kissing him. When she pulled away she was smiling again. "I think that went better."
The Doctor nodded. "Yeah. Yeah that went well." He leaned in again, kissing her softly.
Someone cleared their throat from the doors, and the couple pulled away. Rose gave her father a sheepish look and pushed some hair behind her ears.
"Hi, Dad."
Pete smiled. "Sorry to interrupt," he told them. "Just wanted to pop up and say hello to the both of you."
"Hello, Pete," the Doctor nodded, getting up and shaking the other man's hand. "Good to see you."
Pete nodded back. "Jacks says you're staying for the weekend."
"That's the plan," Rose said.
"And you told him about the President's ball tomorrow night."
Rose pursed her lips. "I...was going to mention it."
Pete smirked and addressed the Doctor. "President's annual ball. We're having it here."
The Doctor sighed heavily. "Bad things happen when I wear a tuxedo, y'know...maybe I shouldn't come."
Rose frowned. "Nothing bad will happen. All the Cybermen have been destroyed. I'll have a couple of task forces keep a lookout and-"
Pete raised an eyebrow. "You will, will you?"
Rose gave another sheepish look. "With your say-so, o'course. Wouldn't wanna go over your head or anything."
Pete smiled. "You've gone over my head more times than I can remember. You do what you think is best, love. I trust you." He nodded to the both of them and began to walk out before stopping. "Rose, will you call Mickey and Jake and make sure they know they've been requested at the ball?"
"They'll hate it, but I'll let them know."
Pete nodded once again before walking out and closing the doors behind him.
Rose sighed heavily and glanced at The Doctor. "Angry?"
"No," he replied. "I was, however, hoping for a quiet weekend."
"I could beg off," Rose said. "We could stay up on the second and third levels...put Gareth t'bed early an just..." She shrugged.
"Do you want to go?"
She smirked a little. "Usually the answer is no, because I never have a date...then again, it's usually just Mickey, Jake and I, standing in a corner, discussing our next destination...Most blokes are a bit too intimidated to ask me to dance let alone be my escort."
The Doctor grinned at her and shook her head. "Well, you don't scare me, Rose Tyler. I've faced much scarier women than yourself. Especially in recent years."
Rose quirked an eyebrow.
"If you'll allow me, I'd like to be your escort to the President's ball this weekend."
She smiled. "What happened to bad things happening when you get into a tux?"
"We'll just have to hope for the best."