realmof_themuse March; 2009.10.B.4
Sometimes there’s so much beauty in the world I feel like I can’t take it, like my heart’s going to cave in. - American Beauty
The thrill of anticipation was the same, whether or not his face still was. Never mind that now he was in possession of a full head of hair and a spring in his step that was traded in for his usual hastened, yet slightly downtrodden gait. He wasn't the same, except for the few ways that he was, and it was still not quite possible for her to wrap her mind around the possibility. Hearing of regeneration, that was one thing, but watching, experiencing it, those fell into another category of their own making.
The TARDIS hummed and his smile was bright, vibrant, electric of a force all its own.
"Where are we going?"
"Further than we've ever gone before."
He smiled and she couldn't help it, she smiled back to him, some kind of smile that made her eyes crinkle up at the edges and send the world half unfocused and soft. The surroundings were gentle but his eyes were as brilliant as they had been.
The ground lurched beneath her feet and the TARDIS moved, and all too suddenly everything was still again. It was a disorienting feeling, the world catapulting out of control and then jarring to a sudden, unexpected halt without apology or hesitation. She would never get used to it, and yet at the same time she didn't want to. The unexpected was, somehow, part of the reason she wanted to keep traveling.
The Doctor's voice was behind her, telling her a year and a place and a brief, summarized history about where they were and what had happened to lead this place to this moment but the TARDIS doors were already open and cool, roaring breeze was in Rose's hair, obstructing not only the majority of her range of hearing but her peripheral vision in kind.
" - and this is New Earth."
It was New Earth, the kind of future that people in her lifetime were talking about, with flying crafts and buildings far more elaborate than a skyscraper's wildest dreams, with richness all around and the bright, sparkling, unmistakable hint of progress and life coming from every niche and nook.
And it was beautiful. Rose had seen things of which she had considered beautiful before but the definition of the word seemed to have developed and changed - where Earth was now New Earth perhaps Beautiful was now New Beautiful or More Beautiful, something to follow in stride - and everywhere she looked, no matter how quick the glance, there was beauty to be found.
The Doctor was by her side and smiling - now he was smiling more than he had before - and the wind was in his hair, apple grass was in his fingertips, and in that moment he became part of that beauty. It took her breath away but left her able to speak, and when he took her hand again to run past the water's edge Rose knew, for the first time since his change, that nothing had really changed at all.
Muse: Rose Tyler
Fandom: Doctor Who
Word Count: 505