Something I wrote for Pauleen.
Rose is about to slip into a peach-scented bath, whole body aching from a day of standing and sitting and smiling for pictures with children benefiting from the Torchwood outreach program she's spent months developing, when her mobile rings on the sink.
Only two people in this universe have such a keen knack for calling her at the most inconvenient of times, and since she's not currently shagging her husband on the kitchen table or against the door to their flat or in their shit of a car, it's not her mother. Which means it's the Doctor. And she can't just ignore the Doctor.
Not with his overactive imagination.
Groaning, she reaches for the Blackberry. "This better be good."
"Interrupting something, am I?" She practically hears his smirk.
"Just a perfectly good bath," Rose replies as she wraps a robe around her body. "But it's not like there's a worldwide water shortage or something. I'll just fill it up again."
He snorts. "For the sake of reservoirs everywhere, I'll try not to ramble much. Well, more than usual." She giggles, leaning against the wall as she sits on the side of the bath and dips her feet into warm champagne bubbles. "How was the event?"
"It went pretty well. Not too difficult to get kids interested in aliens and free ice cream, yeah?"
"Shame Torchwood didn't try for a more hands-on approach to PR before you came around. Great way to build up public support for an organization otherwise seen as frivolous and not a bit daft."
She rolls her eyes. "Is that what the polls were sayin' or just your humble opinion of us?"
"Oh, but you're brilliant, you and your band of misfits are. Just wish you'd get rid of that Jathaa sunglider beam, though. And the grenades. And those horrible submachin--"
"Doctor, as much as I love listenin' to that gob of yours..."
"Right! So the program went well, then. Of course it did, it stemmed from that spectacular brain of yours. I bet Tony's having the time of his life, with all of those other children to run around with, all happy slapping hoodies with ASBOs and ringto--" She laughs at his attempt at concision. "Oi! I'm complimentin' you, Rose Tyler."
"Of course," Rose nods, swallowing her mirth. "I miss you."
"I love you," he murmurs as she takes off her robe.
"Quite right, t--fuck, that's cold!"