Finally; Some smut!
Title: Love is Divine
Series: Solutions-verse
Characters/Pairings: 10/Rose
Spoilers: Journey's End (AU)
Rating: Adult
Disclaimer: Doctor Who is not mine. This storyline is.
Summary: After more than a full day of being reunited, the Doctor and Rose finally get down to business.
A/N: Finally! The long promised smut for the Solutions-verse. Sorry for the major delay. This picks up directly after Remembrance part 2 . The title is from the song by Seal of the same name. I felt that the lyrics effectively illustrated the Doctor's epiphany in this story.
Rose guided the Doctor into the bedroom and once they were inside she kissed him quite thoroughly against the door. She felt his long arms wrap around her and pull her close. She loved the the way he kissed. His lips were so soft for a man and he was so tender and methodical in the way he moved his tongue. It was like he was exploring her. She pulled back and took his hands to guide him to the bed but after a couple steps he stopped. "What is it?" she asked.
He stared at her. Wonder and apprehension crossed his face. "You're here."
She was a little confused. "I've been here," she said.
He laughed nervously. "Yeah. It's just...It all just hit me. This all really happened. I was elated to see you in that first moment on the street, but I was hesitant to think we could stay together. And then the other me happened and I knew I would have to leave you so I didn't let your presence sink in too much." He looked at her with a grateful awe. "But then you came back. And all that with Donna happened, so I didn't really have time to appreciate it. ...But this...Us alone in our bedroom, about to make love. ...Just looking at you there..." He stepped forward and brushed some hair from her face. "It all washed over me at once. You're really here. You're home." He cupped her face in both hands looked her earnestly in the eyes. "And this is how it's gonna stay for a long time."
Rose smiled. She hoped he could finally accept that this was the only place she wanted to be. "I hope so. I wish I could really promise you forever."
"Me too." he said sadly. "You will always be with me though. I'll always love you. For the rest of my life."
"You won't pine over me, I hope," she said.
He looked apologetic. "So long as I don't lose you before your time, I won't mope for too long. I will mourn you. I can't promise to move on, at least not soon. You'll always be the love of my life and I'll always miss you, but I can promise to live on and find happiness again."
"Good," she said "I worry about you, you know," she added, putting a hand to his chest.
"I know," he said. He took the hand that was stroking his chest in his. "I'm sorry."
They stood like that for a moment in companionable silence. Then Rose slowly reached up and kissed him. The Doctor kissed her back gently. He didn't want her to worry about him. He knew that was why, or at least part of why, she came back to him this time. He never wanted to be without her, but he wanted her safe and happy more. She always came back, though. His boomerang girl. Through impossible odds she always came back to him. He realized that, perhaps, the way to keep her safe and happy was not to send her away. She had said once that she 'would rather die in a day with him than live her whole life without him'. So this time when he sent her away, he sent her away with him. But he didn't give her a choice. He didn't ask, and therein lie the flaw in his logic. Rose had her Doctor, but the Doctor didn't have his Rose and she couldn't let that stand. Rose wasn't a porcelain doll. He couldn't put her away when he didn't want her to break. She was a woman. A strong, stubborn as hell, amazing woman and he loved her. He wasn't going to send her away anymore. When she needed to be kept safe, he would ask and he would always come back for her. As he vowed this, he kissed her more deeply.
She ran her hands through his hair as he kissed her. She loved his hair and she knew he loved the feel of her fingers on his scalp. As if for proof, he moaned and pulled her closer, running his hands down her back to round her bum and pull her hips into his. She gasped when she felt the evidence of his growing arousal pressing into her waist. He kissed down her face and neck as he unzipped her jacket. He slipped it from her shoulders, fingertips lightly brushing her neck making her shiver. She ran her hands up his arms, over his shoulders, and down his chest to the two buttons keeping his jacket closed. She worked at them as he licked under her earlobe and whispered her name. Finally she got the buttons through the holes and pushed the jacket off his shoulders.
The Doctor quickly loosened his tie and slid it from around his neck, tossing it over his shoulder. Hooking his fingers in the waistband of her jeans, he pulled Rose forward and devoured her lips again. Their tongues danced against each other as she undid the buttons on his shirt. He felt the light brush of her fingers on his bare chest and shivered to know that touch again. Every memory of every night together rushed through his head at once and he pulled her firmly against him and sealed his mouth to her neck. She gasped his name and it only served to further his desire. He ran his right hand up her belly and under her shirt to cover her breast. He had always thought her breasts quite perfect. Made to fit his hands. Or perhaps it was the other way around. This whole body was made to fit hers after all. Rose raised her arms and the Doctor pulled the shirt over her head and threw it behind him to join his tie. Hands splayed across her back, he immediately descended upon her chest. Licking, kissing, nipping and sucking on the soft flesh.
Rose ran her hand up the Doctor's back under the loose unbuttoned shirt. The heat was rising in her veins. She hadn't been touched like this in so long. There were men that had vied for her attention in the other universe, but she barely payed them any notice. She had been too focused on getting back to the Doctor for anything else. And even if she hadn't, how could she ever let another man touch her when her heart belonged to the Doctor? No other man could make her feel this way. It was little to do with his skill and more to do with how she felt about him. The simplest touch from the Doctor could send her reeling. It was like he poured all he felt into every action. He had her bra off now and was gazing at her with a cheeky grin. "Like what you see?"
"Sight for sore eyes," he replied.
"Know the feeling," said Rose, slipping his shirt off his shoulders.
He chuckled as she drew him forward, undoing his belt. She sat down on the bed, eyes never leaving his, and slid the strip of leather slowly from it's loops. Before she could get to his trousers, he took her wrists in his hands and leaned down to claim her mouth in a deep languorous kiss.
The Doctor's lips traveled down her neck to her shoulders and then her chest as he laid her back on the bed. His tongue moved along the underside of her breast and up to take a taut nipple into his mouth. He relished in her moans as he flicked his tongue across the peak and, ever so lightly, scraped his teeth over it. He moved to the other breast and gave it a similar treatment. Slowly, methodically, his lips trailed hungry kisses down her torso. When he reached her jeans he stopped and removed her shoes and socks. He kissed the arch of one foot in reverence and returned his attention to her jeans. He undid them and slid them down her legs at a torturous pace, though he was eager enough that he took her knickers with her jeans.
He ran his hands up her calves and pushed her knees apart. His mouth was already watering. One of the benefits of being so orally fixated in this body was that he loved pleasing her with his tongue. She tasted exquisite and he couldn't wait to savor her again. "Oh, Rose. You have no idea how much I've missed this." He ran his finger along her slit. Already so slippery. He loved the cry that came from Rose's lips and the involuntary twitch of her hips. The Doctor examined the resulting wetness on his finger and then took it into his mouth. He couldn't suppress a moan as he sucked it clean. He wasted no time in diving straight into the source of his delicacy.
"Oh god!" cried Rose.
Rose was quite certain he was better at this than anyone else in the universe. Like everything else for him, it was an exploration. Even though he'd mapped this territory many times before, he still approached it with the same eagerness that he had the first time. He drove his tongue deep inside her, his lips moving around the edges of her pussy and his nose rubbing against her clitoris. His hands ran up her thighs and cupped round her arse to pull her closer. He usually brought her up so slowly, but tonight he was going at it with a frenzy that was to be expected from a man who'd been starved. Eventually he moved his tongue out of her and moved up to focus on her clit. Rose didn't even have time to moan at the loss before a finger was slid inside her. She wasn't going to last long at this rate. Already, she could feel herself climbing towards the peak. Just then, he added another finger and began the stroking and twisting that would be certain to drive her over the edge. Rose saw lights burst behind her eyes when she came. She grabbed at the Doctors hair and she didn't know if she was pulling him away or tugging him closer as she shuttered in a wave of ecstasy. He slowed his pace and slid out his fingers as he brought her down.
"Mmm," the Doctor hummed in satisfaction as he nuzzled the apex of Rose's thigh and kissed her there. He slowly crawled up her panting body and brushed some hair from her face. "Alright?"
Rose gave a shaky sigh. "I really missed that!" He chuckled and she kissed him hard, rolling over him. He tasted of her and his face was still wet from his feast. She hungrily kissed down his neck and chest, slowing a bit when she got to the sparse trail of hair leading from his navel down into his trousers. She kissed lightly along his waistline and licked the sensitive flesh just above his hips. Rose smiled at the shuttering breath it drew from him. She thought momentarily on teasing him for a while, but she couldn't do it. Not tonight. They'd spent years apart and she couldn't wait. And from the Doctor's soft whimpers and the more than evident bulge straining from his trousers, she was guessing he couldn't either.
Rose undid his trousers and pulled them off along with his pants. She rested her head on his knee and smiled for a moment, seeing his erection standing proud from his body. It's odd to think of a woman gazing fondly at a man's penis, but when it's one you thought you'd never lay eyes (or, indeed, anything else) on again, the sight of it surprises you with it's meaning.
Rose quickly came back to herself and kissed the head of his cock.
The Doctor hissed. "Rose," He sat up and lay his hand on her face. "It's been too long. I need to be inside you. Now."
The last word was almost like a command and, to Rose's surprise, the tone of it shot a heat of lust straight down her spine. She quickly kneeled up and kissed him deeply. Breathing in his scent of honey and time. One hand came up and tangled in her hair, the other sliding up her back, pulling her to him. "I need you," she whispered, straddling his lap.
"My Rose," he whispered back as he positioned himself at her entrance.
They both gasped as she lowered herself onto him, stilling for a moment when he was fully sheathed inside of her, foreheads resting together, unsteady breathing the only sound between them. They savored their reunion. Then, slowly, the Doctor began to rock his hips and Rose lifted up, rolling hers a bit before sliding back down.
As she rode him, Rose threaded her fingers through the Doctor's hair. At this angle, her clit was rubbing against his hips and stomach. As her clitoris enjoyed this constant friction, she felt the Doctor's hands sliding up and down her back, down beneath her bum, and back up into her hair. His hands were in constant motion and his mouth had easy access to her breasts. She pulled back to look at her beautiful Time Lord gazing up at her. It always shook her to the core, the way he looked at her when they were making love. Like he was completely overcome. She kissed him then, as she herself was overcome with love and he returned it with unending passion.
Their movements grew more erratic as their union wore on. Moans and beautiful filthy words whispered or cried out. The Doctor thrust up into her harder, one arm wrapped around her waist holding her to him and the other levered back on the bed to keep him steady as he pumped up into her harder and harder.
Rose could feel her pleasure reaching a crescendo and she threw her head back and screamed as she crashed headlong into pure ecstasy.
The Doctor buried his face in Rose's neck as he felt her convulse in her orgasm, her canal tightening deliciously around his cock as he buried it inside her. A few more quick hard thrusts and he was following her into oblivion. Coming in thick hot spurts inside her, crying out her name to the heavens.
Exhausted, the Doctor fell back into the cushions, pulling Rose with him. She rested on his chest sated and smiling. "I think that was our best" Rose concluded.
The Doctor chuckled breathlessly. "Agreed." He rolled over and she shifted onto the pillows so they were face to face. "I really missed you."
"I missed you too." said Rose. She tried to swallow down the lump that rose in her throat at the memory of being separated from him. She didn't want to cry right now. "I missed you so much!"
The Doctor wrapped her in his arms, pulling her into chest. She didn't have to be strong for him. He knew the pain of separation and how it had made him want to weep. A pain that he had almost inflicted upon himself again. He really was far too defeatist about things that could make him happy. He was never letting her go again, his precious Rose. "I want to know everything, Rose," he said. "Everything about your life while we were apart. I want to know it like I was there with you."
Rose looked at him somberly. "It's not the fantastic life you wanted for me," she warned. "Some of it was good. Some of it was great. But a lot of it was awful."
He knew that. He saw it in her eyes. Saw that she had seen battles without him. Terrible battles that had hardened her. And he ached for her. "I know," he said gently. "You don't have to tell me the bad bits until you're ready. It wasn't all sunshine for me either. One year in particular was hell."
"The whole year?" She thought --hoped-- he was exaggerating.
"The whole year," he confirmed very seriously.
Suddenly Rose found herself wondering just how awful things were for him. She hadn't thought it had been easy, of course. No way was she self-centered enough to think it had been harder for her. Even as she crossed through terrible parallel worlds, worlds of famine, of perpetual war, worlds where humans had been wiped out, she always kept the Doctor in mind and how hard things might be for him. But a whole year of nothing but suffering, without one moment of happiness? What could have happened? "When you're ready to tell, I'm ready to listen," she assured him softly, laying a hand to his face.
He turned his face into her hand reveling in the comfort. He didn't want to deal with all that now. He just wanted to bathe in the joy of her being here, of having Donna back and having a sort of family again. "We can give each other the sugar-coated versions for now. Did I tell you I met Shakespeare?"
He transitioned into the last sentence seamlessly. Rose knew he what he was doing. Sidestepping the heavy stuff before she could object. "Did you really?" She would let him. She didn't want to talk about their traumas right now either.
"I did," he continued. "And Agatha Christie and Gandhi."
"What, did you go on the Historical Star Tour without me?"
They would have to have that talk eventually, but not now. Now they would just be happy being together.
END
Previously in the 'Solutions' series:
Solutions and Sacrifices (And More Solutions)
Clone For Clone
Remembrance Part 1
Remembrance Part 2
Existentialism in a Human Life
Series: Solutions-verse
Characters/Pairings: 10/Rose
Spoilers: Journey's End (AU)
Rating: Adult
Disclaimer: Doctor Who is not mine. This storyline is.
Summary: After more than a full day of being reunited, the Doctor and Rose finally get down to business.
A/N: Finally! The long promised smut for the Solutions-verse. Sorry for the major delay. This picks up directly after Remembrance part 2 . The title is from the song by Seal of the same name. I felt that the lyrics effectively illustrated the Doctor's epiphany in this story.
Rose guided the Doctor into the bedroom and once they were inside she kissed him quite thoroughly against the door. She felt his long arms wrap around her and pull her close. She loved the the way he kissed. His lips were so soft for a man and he was so tender and methodical in the way he moved his tongue. It was like he was exploring her. She pulled back and took his hands to guide him to the bed but after a couple steps he stopped. "What is it?" she asked.
He stared at her. Wonder and apprehension crossed his face. "You're here."
She was a little confused. "I've been here," she said.
He laughed nervously. "Yeah. It's just...It all just hit me. This all really happened. I was elated to see you in that first moment on the street, but I was hesitant to think we could stay together. And then the other me happened and I knew I would have to leave you so I didn't let your presence sink in too much." He looked at her with a grateful awe. "But then you came back. And all that with Donna happened, so I didn't really have time to appreciate it. ...But this...Us alone in our bedroom, about to make love. ...Just looking at you there..." He stepped forward and brushed some hair from her face. "It all washed over me at once. You're really here. You're home." He cupped her face in both hands looked her earnestly in the eyes. "And this is how it's gonna stay for a long time."
Rose smiled. She hoped he could finally accept that this was the only place she wanted to be. "I hope so. I wish I could really promise you forever."
"Me too." he said sadly. "You will always be with me though. I'll always love you. For the rest of my life."
"You won't pine over me, I hope," she said.
He looked apologetic. "So long as I don't lose you before your time, I won't mope for too long. I will mourn you. I can't promise to move on, at least not soon. You'll always be the love of my life and I'll always miss you, but I can promise to live on and find happiness again."
"Good," she said "I worry about you, you know," she added, putting a hand to his chest.
"I know," he said. He took the hand that was stroking his chest in his. "I'm sorry."
They stood like that for a moment in companionable silence. Then Rose slowly reached up and kissed him. The Doctor kissed her back gently. He didn't want her to worry about him. He knew that was why, or at least part of why, she came back to him this time. He never wanted to be without her, but he wanted her safe and happy more. She always came back, though. His boomerang girl. Through impossible odds she always came back to him. He realized that, perhaps, the way to keep her safe and happy was not to send her away. She had said once that she 'would rather die in a day with him than live her whole life without him'. So this time when he sent her away, he sent her away with him. But he didn't give her a choice. He didn't ask, and therein lie the flaw in his logic. Rose had her Doctor, but the Doctor didn't have his Rose and she couldn't let that stand. Rose wasn't a porcelain doll. He couldn't put her away when he didn't want her to break. She was a woman. A strong, stubborn as hell, amazing woman and he loved her. He wasn't going to send her away anymore. When she needed to be kept safe, he would ask and he would always come back for her. As he vowed this, he kissed her more deeply.
She ran her hands through his hair as he kissed her. She loved his hair and she knew he loved the feel of her fingers on his scalp. As if for proof, he moaned and pulled her closer, running his hands down her back to round her bum and pull her hips into his. She gasped when she felt the evidence of his growing arousal pressing into her waist. He kissed down her face and neck as he unzipped her jacket. He slipped it from her shoulders, fingertips lightly brushing her neck making her shiver. She ran her hands up his arms, over his shoulders, and down his chest to the two buttons keeping his jacket closed. She worked at them as he licked under her earlobe and whispered her name. Finally she got the buttons through the holes and pushed the jacket off his shoulders.
The Doctor quickly loosened his tie and slid it from around his neck, tossing it over his shoulder. Hooking his fingers in the waistband of her jeans, he pulled Rose forward and devoured her lips again. Their tongues danced against each other as she undid the buttons on his shirt. He felt the light brush of her fingers on his bare chest and shivered to know that touch again. Every memory of every night together rushed through his head at once and he pulled her firmly against him and sealed his mouth to her neck. She gasped his name and it only served to further his desire. He ran his right hand up her belly and under her shirt to cover her breast. He had always thought her breasts quite perfect. Made to fit his hands. Or perhaps it was the other way around. This whole body was made to fit hers after all. Rose raised her arms and the Doctor pulled the shirt over her head and threw it behind him to join his tie. Hands splayed across her back, he immediately descended upon her chest. Licking, kissing, nipping and sucking on the soft flesh.
Rose ran her hand up the Doctor's back under the loose unbuttoned shirt. The heat was rising in her veins. She hadn't been touched like this in so long. There were men that had vied for her attention in the other universe, but she barely payed them any notice. She had been too focused on getting back to the Doctor for anything else. And even if she hadn't, how could she ever let another man touch her when her heart belonged to the Doctor? No other man could make her feel this way. It was little to do with his skill and more to do with how she felt about him. The simplest touch from the Doctor could send her reeling. It was like he poured all he felt into every action. He had her bra off now and was gazing at her with a cheeky grin. "Like what you see?"
"Sight for sore eyes," he replied.
"Know the feeling," said Rose, slipping his shirt off his shoulders.
He chuckled as she drew him forward, undoing his belt. She sat down on the bed, eyes never leaving his, and slid the strip of leather slowly from it's loops. Before she could get to his trousers, he took her wrists in his hands and leaned down to claim her mouth in a deep languorous kiss.
The Doctor's lips traveled down her neck to her shoulders and then her chest as he laid her back on the bed. His tongue moved along the underside of her breast and up to take a taut nipple into his mouth. He relished in her moans as he flicked his tongue across the peak and, ever so lightly, scraped his teeth over it. He moved to the other breast and gave it a similar treatment. Slowly, methodically, his lips trailed hungry kisses down her torso. When he reached her jeans he stopped and removed her shoes and socks. He kissed the arch of one foot in reverence and returned his attention to her jeans. He undid them and slid them down her legs at a torturous pace, though he was eager enough that he took her knickers with her jeans.
He ran his hands up her calves and pushed her knees apart. His mouth was already watering. One of the benefits of being so orally fixated in this body was that he loved pleasing her with his tongue. She tasted exquisite and he couldn't wait to savor her again. "Oh, Rose. You have no idea how much I've missed this." He ran his finger along her slit. Already so slippery. He loved the cry that came from Rose's lips and the involuntary twitch of her hips. The Doctor examined the resulting wetness on his finger and then took it into his mouth. He couldn't suppress a moan as he sucked it clean. He wasted no time in diving straight into the source of his delicacy.
"Oh god!" cried Rose.
Rose was quite certain he was better at this than anyone else in the universe. Like everything else for him, it was an exploration. Even though he'd mapped this territory many times before, he still approached it with the same eagerness that he had the first time. He drove his tongue deep inside her, his lips moving around the edges of her pussy and his nose rubbing against her clitoris. His hands ran up her thighs and cupped round her arse to pull her closer. He usually brought her up so slowly, but tonight he was going at it with a frenzy that was to be expected from a man who'd been starved. Eventually he moved his tongue out of her and moved up to focus on her clit. Rose didn't even have time to moan at the loss before a finger was slid inside her. She wasn't going to last long at this rate. Already, she could feel herself climbing towards the peak. Just then, he added another finger and began the stroking and twisting that would be certain to drive her over the edge. Rose saw lights burst behind her eyes when she came. She grabbed at the Doctors hair and she didn't know if she was pulling him away or tugging him closer as she shuttered in a wave of ecstasy. He slowed his pace and slid out his fingers as he brought her down.
"Mmm," the Doctor hummed in satisfaction as he nuzzled the apex of Rose's thigh and kissed her there. He slowly crawled up her panting body and brushed some hair from her face. "Alright?"
Rose gave a shaky sigh. "I really missed that!" He chuckled and she kissed him hard, rolling over him. He tasted of her and his face was still wet from his feast. She hungrily kissed down his neck and chest, slowing a bit when she got to the sparse trail of hair leading from his navel down into his trousers. She kissed lightly along his waistline and licked the sensitive flesh just above his hips. Rose smiled at the shuttering breath it drew from him. She thought momentarily on teasing him for a while, but she couldn't do it. Not tonight. They'd spent years apart and she couldn't wait. And from the Doctor's soft whimpers and the more than evident bulge straining from his trousers, she was guessing he couldn't either.
Rose undid his trousers and pulled them off along with his pants. She rested her head on his knee and smiled for a moment, seeing his erection standing proud from his body. It's odd to think of a woman gazing fondly at a man's penis, but when it's one you thought you'd never lay eyes (or, indeed, anything else) on again, the sight of it surprises you with it's meaning.
Rose quickly came back to herself and kissed the head of his cock.
The Doctor hissed. "Rose," He sat up and lay his hand on her face. "It's been too long. I need to be inside you. Now."
The last word was almost like a command and, to Rose's surprise, the tone of it shot a heat of lust straight down her spine. She quickly kneeled up and kissed him deeply. Breathing in his scent of honey and time. One hand came up and tangled in her hair, the other sliding up her back, pulling her to him. "I need you," she whispered, straddling his lap.
"My Rose," he whispered back as he positioned himself at her entrance.
They both gasped as she lowered herself onto him, stilling for a moment when he was fully sheathed inside of her, foreheads resting together, unsteady breathing the only sound between them. They savored their reunion. Then, slowly, the Doctor began to rock his hips and Rose lifted up, rolling hers a bit before sliding back down.
As she rode him, Rose threaded her fingers through the Doctor's hair. At this angle, her clit was rubbing against his hips and stomach. As her clitoris enjoyed this constant friction, she felt the Doctor's hands sliding up and down her back, down beneath her bum, and back up into her hair. His hands were in constant motion and his mouth had easy access to her breasts. She pulled back to look at her beautiful Time Lord gazing up at her. It always shook her to the core, the way he looked at her when they were making love. Like he was completely overcome. She kissed him then, as she herself was overcome with love and he returned it with unending passion.
Their movements grew more erratic as their union wore on. Moans and beautiful filthy words whispered or cried out. The Doctor thrust up into her harder, one arm wrapped around her waist holding her to him and the other levered back on the bed to keep him steady as he pumped up into her harder and harder.
Rose could feel her pleasure reaching a crescendo and she threw her head back and screamed as she crashed headlong into pure ecstasy.
The Doctor buried his face in Rose's neck as he felt her convulse in her orgasm, her canal tightening deliciously around his cock as he buried it inside her. A few more quick hard thrusts and he was following her into oblivion. Coming in thick hot spurts inside her, crying out her name to the heavens.
Exhausted, the Doctor fell back into the cushions, pulling Rose with him. She rested on his chest sated and smiling. "I think that was our best" Rose concluded.
The Doctor chuckled breathlessly. "Agreed." He rolled over and she shifted onto the pillows so they were face to face. "I really missed you."
"I missed you too." said Rose. She tried to swallow down the lump that rose in her throat at the memory of being separated from him. She didn't want to cry right now. "I missed you so much!"
The Doctor wrapped her in his arms, pulling her into chest. She didn't have to be strong for him. He knew the pain of separation and how it had made him want to weep. A pain that he had almost inflicted upon himself again. He really was far too defeatist about things that could make him happy. He was never letting her go again, his precious Rose. "I want to know everything, Rose," he said. "Everything about your life while we were apart. I want to know it like I was there with you."
Rose looked at him somberly. "It's not the fantastic life you wanted for me," she warned. "Some of it was good. Some of it was great. But a lot of it was awful."
He knew that. He saw it in her eyes. Saw that she had seen battles without him. Terrible battles that had hardened her. And he ached for her. "I know," he said gently. "You don't have to tell me the bad bits until you're ready. It wasn't all sunshine for me either. One year in particular was hell."
"The whole year?" She thought --hoped-- he was exaggerating.
"The whole year," he confirmed very seriously.
Suddenly Rose found herself wondering just how awful things were for him. She hadn't thought it had been easy, of course. No way was she self-centered enough to think it had been harder for her. Even as she crossed through terrible parallel worlds, worlds of famine, of perpetual war, worlds where humans had been wiped out, she always kept the Doctor in mind and how hard things might be for him. But a whole year of nothing but suffering, without one moment of happiness? What could have happened? "When you're ready to tell, I'm ready to listen," she assured him softly, laying a hand to his face.
He turned his face into her hand reveling in the comfort. He didn't want to deal with all that now. He just wanted to bathe in the joy of her being here, of having Donna back and having a sort of family again. "We can give each other the sugar-coated versions for now. Did I tell you I met Shakespeare?"
He transitioned into the last sentence seamlessly. Rose knew he what he was doing. Sidestepping the heavy stuff before she could object. "Did you really?" She would let him. She didn't want to talk about their traumas right now either.
"I did," he continued. "And Agatha Christie and Gandhi."
"What, did you go on the Historical Star Tour without me?"
They would have to have that talk eventually, but not now. Now they would just be happy being together.
END
Previously in the 'Solutions' series:
Solutions and Sacrifices (And More Solutions)
Clone For Clone
Remembrance Part 1
Remembrance Part 2
Existentialism in a Human Life