Fic: Five Ways Rose Knew the Doctor Loved Her, and One Way He Told Her
Yes, I know I should be working on Adventure. And I am, I swear. But this one would NOT leave me alone.
Title: Five Ways Rose Knew the Doctor Loved Her, and One Way He Told Her.
Author: aibhinn
Pairing: Ten/Rose
Word count: ~ 1000
Rating: Call it PG for implied sex.
Spoilers: Doomsday
Author's notes: This fic owes a good deal of its current state to the awesome beta-ness of larielromeniel, who betaed at an ungodly hour because I couldn't get the fic out of my mind, and to malaleen, who stopped me doing something fairly stupid and was quite gentle about it. Anything you don't like is entirely mine, though. :) Comments and/or concrit are love.
I
Derlein III, 14,923
This world was all blues and greens. Blue sky, blue ocean, green trees, green grass. They were her favourite colours, blues and greens. Restful. Soothing.
He'd brought them here to cheer her up after Mickey's decision to stay behind in the parallel universe, and they'd spent a few days exploring and laughing and running for the sheer joy of it, not because anything was chasing them. She caught him watching her several times; at first, he'd turned away, pretending he'd not been looking, but just before they left, he smiled at her and brushed a wayward strand of hair away from her face. She took his hand and smiled back. "Better?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said, and meant it.
II
London, 2006
Teatime at Jackie's. It was becoming a ritual now; every time they stopped so she could visit her mum, he'd come along for tea. He didn't even monopolise the conversation; he let Jackie natter on about neighbours and blokes she'd met and things that the Government were doing, and he nodded and asked questions that showed he'd really been listening, not just pretending to. This time, he'd brought along a little figurine he'd picked up on one of their stops: a rose, carved of a stone that looked like tourmaline. Jackie seemed gobsmacked by the gift. She held it in both hands, as though it were so fragile a breath of air might shatter it, and stared at him with her jaw hanging open. "You brought this for me?" she asked.
"Who better?" He grinned and kissed her cheek. Jackie flushed and looked at her daughter, clearly pleased. Rose beamed.
III
The Time Vortex
They'd been in the Vortex a couple days while he made repairs on the TARDIS, and now they were ready to leave. Rose had asked to see Egypt at its height, when the buildings were still painted and the pyramids were still sheathed in brilliant white limestone. He was just reaching for the controls when he paused, pulled his hand back, and turned to her. "Would you like to learn to pilot the TARDIS?" he asked.
"Would I what?" she said, startled.
"Like to learn to pilot the TARDIS," he repeated. "She likes you, you know. Quite a lot. I think she'd fly well for you. Come here." He held out a hand, and she placed hers in it and let him guide her to the spot where he'd been standing. He stood behind her, pressed against her back, long arms reaching around her to point out controls as he explained what they did. Rose leaned backward into him, nodding at intervals and trying hard not to be too distracted to pay attention. Though when she moved against him slightly, shifting from one foot to the other, she noticed he seemed a bit distracted as well. She grinned to herself.
IV
Arctic Circle, 1903
Rose and the Doctor finished chivvying the last of a-herd? Pod? Flock?-of rescued baby harp seals out of the TARDIS, watching their white furry bodies scooting away through the powdery white snow. "This doesn't guarantee their survival, you know," the Doctor said. "There are still polar bears and orcas out there."
"Yeah," Rose said, wrapping her arms around herself against the cold. "But that's nature. I don't mind killing for food, but they were being hunted just for their fur. That's wrong. We couldn't just let 'em get killed, not if we could save 'em."
"Oh, I agree." The Doctor slid his arm around her, and she leaned against his shoulder. "But you know, I wouldn’t allow a horde of small, furry, incontinent creatures on board the TARDIS just for that." He turned to look down at her, his eyes very, very dark.
Rose smiled up at him. "I know."
V
London, 1895
They stumbled hand-in-hand through the TARDIS doors in Victorian evening dress, still giggling. "I never knew Oscar Wilde could be so funny," Rose said, wiping her eyes.
"Never knew Oscar Wilde could be funny?" the Doctor repeated, aghast. "How can you not know he was funny?"
"We had to read The Picture of Dorian Gray in school, and I hated it. It was creepy and depressing." She grinned, hugging his arm close to her. "Good job I've got you to educate me, innit?"
"Indeed." He turned to face her, releasing her hand only to take her waist between his hands. "I've a talent for … education."
She looked up at him, brow furrowed slightly as she contemplated his words, his expression, and their combined meaning. He smiled and bent his head, touching his lips to hers. She sighed and leaned into him, and the kiss deepened as they explored each other.
After a long, sweet moment, he pulled away and looked down into her eyes. "Tell me what you want, Rose Tyler," he said quietly. His gaze was hot, intense.
She ran her hands over his shoulders. "You," she said just as quietly. "Jus' you."
He smiled. "Me too," he said, and led her deeper into the TARDIS.
VI
Alternate Earth, 2009
A familiar sound made Rose look up from her book. Her heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be. Could it?
She rose and went to the window, trying not to hope too hard. She'd thought she'd heard the sound before, after all, and it had always been nothing. But this time, the sight that greeted her made her gasp and push herself away, pelting for the door.
She'd barely made it outside when the TARDIS opened and the Doctor, her Doctor, stepped out. His suit was blue and his hair was longer and he looked a little more worn, a little wiser, but the grin was still his. He bent his knees slightly and held out his arms and she hurled herself into them, throwing her arms around him as he swept her off her feet and swung her round and round and round, both of them laughing and crying at the same time. He set her down and kissed her breathless, and when she broke away, gasping, leaned his forehead against hers and said, "As I was saying when I was so rudely interrupted: Rose Tyler, I love you."
"I know," she said, and breathless or not, kissed him again.
Title: Five Ways Rose Knew the Doctor Loved Her, and One Way He Told Her.
Author: aibhinn
Pairing: Ten/Rose
Word count: ~ 1000
Rating: Call it PG for implied sex.
Spoilers: Doomsday
Author's notes: This fic owes a good deal of its current state to the awesome beta-ness of larielromeniel, who betaed at an ungodly hour because I couldn't get the fic out of my mind, and to malaleen, who stopped me doing something fairly stupid and was quite gentle about it. Anything you don't like is entirely mine, though. :) Comments and/or concrit are love.
I
Derlein III, 14,923
This world was all blues and greens. Blue sky, blue ocean, green trees, green grass. They were her favourite colours, blues and greens. Restful. Soothing.
He'd brought them here to cheer her up after Mickey's decision to stay behind in the parallel universe, and they'd spent a few days exploring and laughing and running for the sheer joy of it, not because anything was chasing them. She caught him watching her several times; at first, he'd turned away, pretending he'd not been looking, but just before they left, he smiled at her and brushed a wayward strand of hair away from her face. She took his hand and smiled back. "Better?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said, and meant it.
II
London, 2006
Teatime at Jackie's. It was becoming a ritual now; every time they stopped so she could visit her mum, he'd come along for tea. He didn't even monopolise the conversation; he let Jackie natter on about neighbours and blokes she'd met and things that the Government were doing, and he nodded and asked questions that showed he'd really been listening, not just pretending to. This time, he'd brought along a little figurine he'd picked up on one of their stops: a rose, carved of a stone that looked like tourmaline. Jackie seemed gobsmacked by the gift. She held it in both hands, as though it were so fragile a breath of air might shatter it, and stared at him with her jaw hanging open. "You brought this for me?" she asked.
"Who better?" He grinned and kissed her cheek. Jackie flushed and looked at her daughter, clearly pleased. Rose beamed.
III
The Time Vortex
They'd been in the Vortex a couple days while he made repairs on the TARDIS, and now they were ready to leave. Rose had asked to see Egypt at its height, when the buildings were still painted and the pyramids were still sheathed in brilliant white limestone. He was just reaching for the controls when he paused, pulled his hand back, and turned to her. "Would you like to learn to pilot the TARDIS?" he asked.
"Would I what?" she said, startled.
"Like to learn to pilot the TARDIS," he repeated. "She likes you, you know. Quite a lot. I think she'd fly well for you. Come here." He held out a hand, and she placed hers in it and let him guide her to the spot where he'd been standing. He stood behind her, pressed against her back, long arms reaching around her to point out controls as he explained what they did. Rose leaned backward into him, nodding at intervals and trying hard not to be too distracted to pay attention. Though when she moved against him slightly, shifting from one foot to the other, she noticed he seemed a bit distracted as well. She grinned to herself.
IV
Arctic Circle, 1903
Rose and the Doctor finished chivvying the last of a-herd? Pod? Flock?-of rescued baby harp seals out of the TARDIS, watching their white furry bodies scooting away through the powdery white snow. "This doesn't guarantee their survival, you know," the Doctor said. "There are still polar bears and orcas out there."
"Yeah," Rose said, wrapping her arms around herself against the cold. "But that's nature. I don't mind killing for food, but they were being hunted just for their fur. That's wrong. We couldn't just let 'em get killed, not if we could save 'em."
"Oh, I agree." The Doctor slid his arm around her, and she leaned against his shoulder. "But you know, I wouldn’t allow a horde of small, furry, incontinent creatures on board the TARDIS just for that." He turned to look down at her, his eyes very, very dark.
Rose smiled up at him. "I know."
V
London, 1895
They stumbled hand-in-hand through the TARDIS doors in Victorian evening dress, still giggling. "I never knew Oscar Wilde could be so funny," Rose said, wiping her eyes.
"Never knew Oscar Wilde could be funny?" the Doctor repeated, aghast. "How can you not know he was funny?"
"We had to read The Picture of Dorian Gray in school, and I hated it. It was creepy and depressing." She grinned, hugging his arm close to her. "Good job I've got you to educate me, innit?"
"Indeed." He turned to face her, releasing her hand only to take her waist between his hands. "I've a talent for … education."
She looked up at him, brow furrowed slightly as she contemplated his words, his expression, and their combined meaning. He smiled and bent his head, touching his lips to hers. She sighed and leaned into him, and the kiss deepened as they explored each other.
After a long, sweet moment, he pulled away and looked down into her eyes. "Tell me what you want, Rose Tyler," he said quietly. His gaze was hot, intense.
She ran her hands over his shoulders. "You," she said just as quietly. "Jus' you."
He smiled. "Me too," he said, and led her deeper into the TARDIS.
VI
Alternate Earth, 2009
A familiar sound made Rose look up from her book. Her heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be. Could it?
She rose and went to the window, trying not to hope too hard. She'd thought she'd heard the sound before, after all, and it had always been nothing. But this time, the sight that greeted her made her gasp and push herself away, pelting for the door.
She'd barely made it outside when the TARDIS opened and the Doctor, her Doctor, stepped out. His suit was blue and his hair was longer and he looked a little more worn, a little wiser, but the grin was still his. He bent his knees slightly and held out his arms and she hurled herself into them, throwing her arms around him as he swept her off her feet and swung her round and round and round, both of them laughing and crying at the same time. He set her down and kissed her breathless, and when she broke away, gasping, leaned his forehead against hers and said, "As I was saying when I was so rudely interrupted: Rose Tyler, I love you."
"I know," she said, and breathless or not, kissed him again.