You Are My Home (11/?)
Title: You Are My Home (11/?)
Pairings: pre-Rose/Nine
Genre: Romance
Rating: PG for this chapter
Author's Note: I miiiiight get one more in tonight just because I'm getting to what I think will be the good parts, which I've mostly already planned out.
They’re all sitting in the garden after brunch talking when one of the maids comes running out. “Excuse me, ma’am, Lady Dilys is at the door. She says it’s quite urgent and she must speak with you alone.”
Jackie cast a glance back at Rose and the two men as she stood up. “Oh for Heaven’s sake, mother, you’ve no reason to worry about leaving me here with them. Go see what Lady Dilys wants.” Lady Tyler nods and excuses herself before heading into the house quickly.
“I’m sure it’s nothing, mind you, Lady Dilys has a tendency to overreact,” Rose tells the men once her mother is inside. The conversation becomes even more relaxed now that her mother is gone. Brunch had not gone quite as poorly as Rose thought it could have.
Jack starts in on a story in which part of the terms of his business deal involved escorting his business partner’s daughter to a ball and in no time he’s gotten Rose up from her seat to help him demonstrate a particularly elaborate dance he’d had to learn which quickly has her dizzy from all the spinning and she’s laughing so hard that she’s breathless and her vision blurred by tears. Jack spins her away from him a final time and she stumbles, nearly losing her footing. Her hand slips free from his and just as she catches her balance the Doctor has jumped up and caught her around the waist.
“I do hope you were a bit more careful with your date, Captain,” Rose teases as she leans into the Doctor for a moment to catch her breath.
Jack shakes his head, looking embarrassed. “She wasn’t laughing quite so hard. Took it very seriously actually. My apologies.”
Rose shakes her head. “There’s no need. I’m perfectly fine, if a bit out of breath. I think I need to sit down though.”
“Maybe we ought to stick to stories that don’t require dancing demonstrations,” the Doctor suggests as he helps Rose to her seat. She doesn’t need the help but she sees no reason to protest.
The Doctor takes over telling the stories for a while and Rose finds herself more than a bit mesmerized just listening to the sound of his voice. He tells them about the cherry blossoms in Japan and when he uses the Japanese terms, Rose is surprised by how easily they flow off his tongue. She comments on it and he tells her that one of his degrees was in linguistics. He repeats a few of the easier terms for her slowly and when she gets it right he takes her hand and kisses it.
Rose blushes and isn’t entirely sure why. She thinks her education would have gone far more smoothly if she’d had him instructing her and the thought causes her to blush even more. She looks away quickly when his grin widens as though he’s read her thoughts but he can probably just guess from how red her cheeks must be.
The Captain asks him a question about Japan and the Doctor launches into his explanation. She listens to their conversation, utterly fascinated. She cannot help wondering why on earth the two men have taken any interest in a girl like her. She doesn’t have any of their experience or knowledge but where men like Mr. Mitchell simply talk about how they know all these important things she couldn’t possibly comprehend, they’re willing spending their day entertaining her with their stories when they could both probably be out having marvelous adventures.
She tells them as much, when there is a lull in the conversation, and she’s surprised herself with her honesty but she feels like it needed saying.
“London’s just as much of an adventure as anywhere else when you haven’t spent your life here,” Jack points out. “And we’d be daft not to enjoy the company of a beautiful, charming young woman who is actually genuinely interested in what we’ve got to say.”
Rose nods and then focuses her gaze on her lap, feeling silly for having said anything. She’s startled when the Doctor reaches over to cup her cheek, tilting her head so she’s looking him in the eye. “You’re just as interesting and clever as either of us,” he tells her, sounding quite earnest. “Just because you haven’t studied or seen as much as us doesn’t mean you’re any less. It isn’t your fault you haven’t had the same opportunities. Alright?”
Rose swallows nervously under the intensity of his gaze. “Yes,” she manages to breathe out after a moment and she finds herself far more convinced. The Doctor grins at her and brushes his thumb over her cheek before quickly dropping his hand.
He launches into a story about Berlin as though nothing had just happened. Rose takes quite a bit longer to fully recover her composure. The Captain and the Doctor are without a doubt the most wonderful men she has ever met. She wishes that her father were still alive as she imagines that he would like them more than her mother does. She knows he would understand.
Her mother returns shortly after that, assuring them that it was no serious matter she had to attend to with Lady Dilys, the elderly woman was known to exaggerate quite frequently, the poor dear. The Doctor, Rose notices, looks a bit restless now that her mother has returned. The Captain must sense this as well as he announces that they ought to get going. “As much as we would no doubt enjoy spending the rest of the day here, we have some business to attend to this afternoon, I’m afraid,” he explains.
“Will you be at the Harpers’ party this evening?” Rose asks, hoping very much that they will. She ignores the mild look of annoyance from her mother who no doubt thinks she’s being rather forward for asking.
Jack looks to the Doctor who hesitates a moment before nodding slightly. “Indeed we shall. I hope we shall have the pleasure of your company there tonight as well then?” He asks as he stands up and the Doctor follows suit.
Rose smiles and nods. “Most assuredly,” she replies and stands as well as the Captain bows to her mother and kisses her hand before turning to Rose and doing the same. The Doctor does not use the same dramatic flourish as his friend. His actions are slower and more deliberate as he raises her hand to his lips and holds it there a moment. But then in the blink of an eye it’s over and he’s grinning at her in a way that she can’t help returning before the two men leave.
12. The Adventurer
Pairings: pre-Rose/Nine
Genre: Romance
Rating: PG for this chapter
Author's Note: I miiiiight get one more in tonight just because I'm getting to what I think will be the good parts, which I've mostly already planned out.
They’re all sitting in the garden after brunch talking when one of the maids comes running out. “Excuse me, ma’am, Lady Dilys is at the door. She says it’s quite urgent and she must speak with you alone.”
Jackie cast a glance back at Rose and the two men as she stood up. “Oh for Heaven’s sake, mother, you’ve no reason to worry about leaving me here with them. Go see what Lady Dilys wants.” Lady Tyler nods and excuses herself before heading into the house quickly.
“I’m sure it’s nothing, mind you, Lady Dilys has a tendency to overreact,” Rose tells the men once her mother is inside. The conversation becomes even more relaxed now that her mother is gone. Brunch had not gone quite as poorly as Rose thought it could have.
Jack starts in on a story in which part of the terms of his business deal involved escorting his business partner’s daughter to a ball and in no time he’s gotten Rose up from her seat to help him demonstrate a particularly elaborate dance he’d had to learn which quickly has her dizzy from all the spinning and she’s laughing so hard that she’s breathless and her vision blurred by tears. Jack spins her away from him a final time and she stumbles, nearly losing her footing. Her hand slips free from his and just as she catches her balance the Doctor has jumped up and caught her around the waist.
“I do hope you were a bit more careful with your date, Captain,” Rose teases as she leans into the Doctor for a moment to catch her breath.
Jack shakes his head, looking embarrassed. “She wasn’t laughing quite so hard. Took it very seriously actually. My apologies.”
Rose shakes her head. “There’s no need. I’m perfectly fine, if a bit out of breath. I think I need to sit down though.”
“Maybe we ought to stick to stories that don’t require dancing demonstrations,” the Doctor suggests as he helps Rose to her seat. She doesn’t need the help but she sees no reason to protest.
The Doctor takes over telling the stories for a while and Rose finds herself more than a bit mesmerized just listening to the sound of his voice. He tells them about the cherry blossoms in Japan and when he uses the Japanese terms, Rose is surprised by how easily they flow off his tongue. She comments on it and he tells her that one of his degrees was in linguistics. He repeats a few of the easier terms for her slowly and when she gets it right he takes her hand and kisses it.
Rose blushes and isn’t entirely sure why. She thinks her education would have gone far more smoothly if she’d had him instructing her and the thought causes her to blush even more. She looks away quickly when his grin widens as though he’s read her thoughts but he can probably just guess from how red her cheeks must be.
The Captain asks him a question about Japan and the Doctor launches into his explanation. She listens to their conversation, utterly fascinated. She cannot help wondering why on earth the two men have taken any interest in a girl like her. She doesn’t have any of their experience or knowledge but where men like Mr. Mitchell simply talk about how they know all these important things she couldn’t possibly comprehend, they’re willing spending their day entertaining her with their stories when they could both probably be out having marvelous adventures.
She tells them as much, when there is a lull in the conversation, and she’s surprised herself with her honesty but she feels like it needed saying.
“London’s just as much of an adventure as anywhere else when you haven’t spent your life here,” Jack points out. “And we’d be daft not to enjoy the company of a beautiful, charming young woman who is actually genuinely interested in what we’ve got to say.”
Rose nods and then focuses her gaze on her lap, feeling silly for having said anything. She’s startled when the Doctor reaches over to cup her cheek, tilting her head so she’s looking him in the eye. “You’re just as interesting and clever as either of us,” he tells her, sounding quite earnest. “Just because you haven’t studied or seen as much as us doesn’t mean you’re any less. It isn’t your fault you haven’t had the same opportunities. Alright?”
Rose swallows nervously under the intensity of his gaze. “Yes,” she manages to breathe out after a moment and she finds herself far more convinced. The Doctor grins at her and brushes his thumb over her cheek before quickly dropping his hand.
He launches into a story about Berlin as though nothing had just happened. Rose takes quite a bit longer to fully recover her composure. The Captain and the Doctor are without a doubt the most wonderful men she has ever met. She wishes that her father were still alive as she imagines that he would like them more than her mother does. She knows he would understand.
Her mother returns shortly after that, assuring them that it was no serious matter she had to attend to with Lady Dilys, the elderly woman was known to exaggerate quite frequently, the poor dear. The Doctor, Rose notices, looks a bit restless now that her mother has returned. The Captain must sense this as well as he announces that they ought to get going. “As much as we would no doubt enjoy spending the rest of the day here, we have some business to attend to this afternoon, I’m afraid,” he explains.
“Will you be at the Harpers’ party this evening?” Rose asks, hoping very much that they will. She ignores the mild look of annoyance from her mother who no doubt thinks she’s being rather forward for asking.
Jack looks to the Doctor who hesitates a moment before nodding slightly. “Indeed we shall. I hope we shall have the pleasure of your company there tonight as well then?” He asks as he stands up and the Doctor follows suit.
Rose smiles and nods. “Most assuredly,” she replies and stands as well as the Captain bows to her mother and kisses her hand before turning to Rose and doing the same. The Doctor does not use the same dramatic flourish as his friend. His actions are slower and more deliberate as he raises her hand to his lips and holds it there a moment. But then in the blink of an eye it’s over and he’s grinning at her in a way that she can’t help returning before the two men leave.
12. The Adventurer