One Time the Doctor Made a Promise and Five Times He Kept It (1/2)
One Time the Doctor Made a Promise and Five Times He Kept It
Tentoo/Rose, PG, Set a few months after Journey's End, 2,931 words in this part, 6,735 total
Note: Written in 4 days...my muse wants to kill me.
January 1st, 2010
“Ow! Ow, ow, ow, ow!”
Rose glanced up from her book as a series of loud bangs and crashes accompanied the Doctor’s yell of pain.
“Don’t worry!” His voice rang out from the kitchen. “Everything’s under contr-“
Another bang and a whoosh cut him off.
Rose was on her feet and at the kitchen door in two seconds flat.
“Don’t!” the Doctor exclaimed as she started to push the swinging door open.
“Why?”
“Because,” came the sulky reply.
Deciding ‘because’ wasn’t a good enough reason, Rose pushed the door open and gasped. Utter chaos greeted her. Pots and pans were strewn all over the floor. Nearly every kitchen contraption was askew with spoons and spatulas scattered all over the counters. Various spills dotted the walls and counters and something was dripping into the sink.
“What happened? It looks worse than when Tony plays in here!”
“Don’t worry about it,” came the sharp reply.
Rose turned to say something but burst out laughing instead.
The Doctor stood in the middle of the mess covered in flour from head to foot.
“It’s not funny!” he cried out indignantly. He flailed his arms about and Rose doubled over as a cloud of flour rose from his blue suit. The Doctor paused and tilted his head forward, watching a stream of flour fall from his hair.
“Wo-would you like some help with that?” Rose could hardly get out the words.
He shook his head, eyeing the wisps of white powder flying everywhere. “No. Definitely not. I’m not done yet. Please turn around.”
Rose studied him for a moment, trying to memorize his disheveled appearance before she complied. “Mum’s gonna kill you for messing up her kitchen,” she commented, back turned.
He snorted, and then promptly sneezed.
Rose nudged a pot with her shoe. “What are you trying to do in here anyway?’
“Cooking. Well, baking, actually. But you weren’t supposed to know until I was finished.”
“Okay…what happened to the pots and pans?”
“Hit my head while trying to put away the flour and they attacked me.”
“Ah, I see.” Keeping her back turned, she started gathering up the nearest pile of spoons. “What are you making?”
“Can’t say.”
“Because you don’t know what it is?”
“It’s a surprise, Rose Tyler,” he said, exasperation coloring his voice.
“For me?”
“No, for your mother. Of course it’s for you. And it’s nearly finished.”
“Okay,” she said simply, smiling quietly to herself and tried to contain her curiosity.
They worked in silence for a time, each focused on their own task. Rose had nearly finished cleaning up her end of the kitchen when the Doctor cleared his throat.
“It’s ready,” he announced. “Well, I think it is, anyway.”
Rose turned and graced him with a smile. “Where is it?”
He pointed to a cookie rack in front of him and she excitedly joined him. On the rack were rows of cookies colored with red, yellow, or pink icing. Rose grinned widely when she realized the cookies were letters, spelling out:
THIS IS GOING TO BE YOUR BEST YEAR YET
“Do you like it?” he asked softly.
“Yeah…best year yet?”
“Yup,” he responded, putting emphasis on the ‘p’, “because I declare it so. Better yet, I promise. No TARDIS, no Time Lord, no alien worlds, past, or future. Just you and me on planet Earth, having adventures. What do you say, Rose Tyler?”
She fingered one of the cookies. “That sounds brilliant.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” She smiled at him, a merry look in her eyes. Quick as a wink she snatched a bowl of pink icing, dunked a finger in it, and left a streak of pink on the Doctor’s cheek.
“Oi!” He blinked at her in surprise. “What? Why’d you do that?”
“Just putting some color back in your cheeks,” she said with mock innocence as she pinked up his other flour dusted cheek.
“Oh, you’re in for it now,” he growled as he grabbed the red bowl of icing.
When Jackie Tyler entered the kitchen thirty minutes later, she nearly dropped all her shopping bags. Pots, pans, and all manner of utensils were back on the floor. Jackie’s eyes widened as she took in the colored icing all over the wall. “What the ‘ell happened to my bloody kitchen?”
Two sheepish figures rose from behind the kitchen’s island. The Doctor and Rose looked as if they’d been in a war with frosting. The frosting won.
“What have you been doing?” Jackie exclaimed.
The Doctor pointed to Rose. “She started it.”
Rose smacked his arm. “Thanks a lot.”
“And what may I ask were you doing on the floor?”
The Doctor shuffled his feet and bit his lip. “Finger painting?” he finally ventured.
Jackie shook her head wonderingly. “Of course you were. Right, I’m leaving and when I come back I expect all this bother to be cleared up. If it isn’t, then it’s off to bed without any supper for the pair of you. If you’re gonna behave like children then I’ll treat you like children. Is that understood?”
“Yes marm,” the Doctor said solemnly while Rose struggled to keep a straight face.
Jackie gave them both a look, and then stomped off.
The Doctor and Rose burst into a gale of quiet giggles.
“I thought she was going to slap you again!”
“Don’t tempt her!” the Doctor exclaimed with wide eyes. Once their giggles had subsided, he turned thoughtful. “You know, skipping supper is more of a reward then a punishment, if your mother is cooking.”
“True…it would be worth it, yeah?”
He grinned down at her. “Yeah.”
And then they knelt down on the floor and continued finger painting.
~*~
January 20th, 2010
Rose watched a cloud of misty breath float away in the frigid night air. She pulled her dress coat a little bit tighter around herself and rubbed her hands together. “Where are we?”
“Dunno,” the Doctor responded, adjusting his earmuffs with one hand. “Middle of nowhere? Have you noticed, Rose that cars always seem to break down in the middle of nowhere on roads that nobody else is on?” He kicked a ball of snow with his trainer, watching it skip down the frozen road. “I’m sorry, Rose. I’m rubbish at fixing cars…I miss my sonic screwdriver.”
She put a soothing hand on his arm. “It’s okay, Dad will understand.”
He looked down at her hand, sighed, and bowed his head. “I just wanted to go the scenic route.”
Rose glanced around the snowy forest surrounding the road they were on. “Well, I think it’s gorgeous.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, and way better than another stuffy dinner with people we don’t know and don’t like, don’t you think?”
He smiled down at her and clasped her hand with a warm squeeze. “Definitely. C’mon, let’s go find an adventure, Rose Tyler. And possibly a phone. But adventure first, then a phone.”
They set off down the road in companionable silence, snow crunching beneath their feet. About twenty minutes later, the trees began thinning ahead of them and the road split in two. The Doctor studied both before taking the one on the left. “I think this looks a bit like a driveway, don’t you?”
She nodded, adjusting her hat with a free hand.
They rounded a bend and discovered a huge, old house in front of them, silent and brooding.
The Doctor stopped dead in his tracks, his hand instantly tightening its hold on Rose.
“Don’t blink, Rose,” he cautioned in a low, intense voice. “Just look right at them and don’t blink.”
Rose’s eyes widened as she tried to locate what had startled the Doctor. Straight ahead was a frozen fountain with three stone angels leaning over the basin. Icicles dripped from majestic outstretched wings and slender fingers. All three were looking inwards, sightless eyes locked on each other.
“What, the angels? What are they, Doctor?”
“They’re called the Weeping Angels and they can’t move when you’re looking but they’re fast. Faster than you can believe,” he answered, not taking his eyes off them for a moment.
“What do they do?” she asked, struggling to keep her voice even.
“One touch and they send you back in time.” He took a deep breath and dropped her hand. “Stay here.”
He’d only taken one step before she recaptured his hand. “No way. If they send you back in time they I’m coming too.”
“But Rose-“
“No buts, mister. You don’t have to face them on your own. You’ve got me.” She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.
He thought for a moment before realizing arguing was pointless. “All right then,” he agreed and started slowly striding toward the angels.
When they were about ten feet away, the Doctor stopped, scrutinizing the statues with wary eyes. “I think they might be dormant, but best to be sure. Can you feel it, Rose? That prickling at the back of your neck? Their malice? Their hatred? Makes the hairs on the back of my hand stand on end.” Blindly he fumbled in his pockets until he found his spectacles.
“Yeah…” Rose responded, tightening her grip on the Doctor’s hand. “Have you ever noticed how hard it is to try not to blink?”
He perched his glasses on the end of his nose and began studying the statues. “Close your eyes for a moment and when you’re ready, we’ll move a bit closer, okay? I’ll keep an eye on them.”
She took a deep breath, shut her eyes, counted to ten, and then opened them. “Ready.”
They cautiously walked closer and slowly made their way around the frozen fountain. The Doctor considered each angel in turn, examining every detail. Finally, after several agonizing minutes, he let out a relieved breath.
“I think we’re gonna be all right, Rose. They’re quantum locked. Stuck.” He grinned at her, relief etched on his face.
“Are they stuck because they’re looking at each other?”
He gathered her up in a bear hug. “You clever girl,” he whispered in her ear. “That’s it exactly.”
After a moment, he released her and tugged her toward the house. “Right then, let’s find ourselves a phone. We’ll let Torchwood take care of this lot, get ourselves a tow, and still have time for an adventure in the snow. What do you say, Rose Tyler? Do you fancy it?”
“Yes, of course I fancy it. But…will the angels hurt anyone before Torchwood gets to them?”
“Nah, they’re harmless. Well, mostly harmless. Mind you, if I had my sonic I could be completely sure, but I’m reasonably sure. Well, mostly sure.”
They reached the front door and the Doctor grasped the knob, giving it a strong yank. It didn’t budge. The Doctor automatically reached for his jacket pocket, but let his hand fall uselessly to his side. “I really need to build a new one,” he grumbled.
“Hold on a mo.” Rose dug in her own pocket, produced a small bundle, and handed it to the Doctor. “It’s not as good as the sonic, but it might come in handy.”
The Doctor gave her a curious look before opening it. “A lock picking kit?” he exclaimed. “It’s a lock picking kit! Where did you get a lock picking kit?”
Rose batted her eyelashes at him. “I have my ways.”
“Rose Tyler, you never fail to amaze me.” He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and then knelt in front of the door. “Now let’s see if I can remember how to do this.”
Rose gingerly touched her cheek where he’d kissed her and smiled. She felt the blush deepening but didn’t care as the thrill of his touch went all the way to her toes. They hadn’t had a moment like this since the beach when Rose finally heard the end of the sentence. Not knowing had plagued her waking moments. And finally hearing it was a dream come true. But he hadn’t mentioned it since and kissing her cheek was the closest he’d come in the past few months. Despite the cold, snowy surroundings, she felt a warm glow all over.
After a few minutes of struggling, they were inside the house. Finding a phone proved a more difficult task, but they did and soon they were trudging back down the road to the car.
While they waited for a tow truck, they built a small TARDIS made of snow. Rose leaned into the Doctor’s side when they’d finished and were admiring their handiwork. “Do you…do you miss it sometimes? Traveling in the TARDIS?” she ventured. Then she shook her head. “Of course you do. Silly question. Forget I asked.”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her a little closer before responding. “You could never ask me a silly question, Rose. And…yes, I miss the old girl every day. But it’s a lonely life out there…and if I had to choose…I’d always choose you.”
Rose absorbed this in silence for a while before she spoke again. “Do you think…he is very lonely?”
The Doctor studied her before answering. “A bit, yeah. But, above all, he…well both of us, want you to be happy. Alive and happy.” He hesitated before continuing. “Do you think that’s possible?”
She gave him a warm smile. “I think it’s gonna be…fantastic. Best year yet, right?”
“Quite right,” he grinned. “Fancy making a snow angel?”
“Of course!”
When the tow truck arrived an hour later, he chuckled at the sight of snowman and snow angels dotting the side of the road. He shook his head when he saw the man and woman trying to catch snowflakes on their tongues. He watched them for a moment before he got out to help, a small smile on his face.
~*~
February 14th, 2010
“Rose?”
A moan emerged from under a pile of blankets as she tried to develop a closer relationship with her pillow.
“Rose?” the Doctor’s quiet, gentle voice asked a second time.
She pressed her face deeper into the pillow. “Tell me I’m dreaming.”
“Ah, I would, but that would be a lie. Sorry.”
“Prove it,” came the muffled response.
“I’m sorry?”
Rose groaned and edged one side of her face off of the pillow. “Prove that I’m not dreaming.”
“I’m guessing you want to know if you’ve dreamed up the past 24 hours? I can tell you right now that you haven’t. But proving it? Hmmm…that might be difficult.”
Rose felt the bed dip on her left as the Doctor sat down beside her.
“You have a brain. You can work something out, you’re clever,” she murmured.
“Thank you,” he said sincerely. “Pinching is what you usually do to prove you’re not dreaming, but given what you’ve been through….” He sat and pondered for a moment before coming up with a solution. Bending over slightly, he carefully pulled back the blankets to uncover a lone foot. Ever so gently, he rubbed it with warm hands.
Rose gave a little sigh and pushed her other foot out from under the covers. “Thanks,” she wheezed.
The Doctor worked in silence for a while, giving each foot equal attention. The past day had been no picnic for Rose. Her little brother, Tony, had been sick with the stomach flu for days and saw fit to share it with his older sister. His single heart ached for her suffering, but he knew she was on her way to recovery. He wished he had the medical resources on the TARDIS, but that couldn’t be helped.
“Better?” he asked quietly.
“Much,” she whispered and pulled her feet back under the covers.
He smoothed the blankets around her feet so she wouldn’t feel a draft. “Your mother sent me.”
Rose groaned.
A small smile formed at this sign of life. “She made you some tea,” he continued.
Rose burrowed a little further under the blankets.
“I tested it for you and dumped it out when she wasn’t looking.”
She peeped an eye out and stared at him.
“Then I made you tea the way you like it.”
Two brown eyes looked at him from underneath the covers. It was the first time he’d seen them in nearly a day. “Really?” she asked hopefully.
“Really,” he replied and helped prop her up on pillows so she could drink. When she was settled, the Doctor held a mug of tea and let her take a sip.
“TARDIS blue,” she managed to say after the first drop, “and it’s perfect.”
He smiled down at her and helped her drink half the cup before she started to drift off a bit.
“I hate feeling like this,” she muttered as he snuggled her back into her nest of blankets and pillows.
“I know,” he replied, tenderly moving a strand of hair out of her eyes. Then, making a snap decision, he tugged off his trainers and climbed under the covers beside her.
“Don’t,” she protested, “you’ll catch the flu too.”
“Shhh, don’t worry about me. I still have a few Time Lord immunities left.” Slowly he maneuvered himself to his side so he was facing Rose’s back. Tenderly, he wrapped his arms around her and drew her close. He paused to see if he was causing her any discomfort and was relieved to feel her relax under his embrace.
When he felt her breathing slow and he was sure she was asleep, he softly kissed the top of her head. “Happy Valentine’s Day, my love.”
Floating away on dreams, Rose smiled.
~*~
Part Two
Picture Prompts for Part 1:
1.
2.
3.
Tentoo/Rose, PG, Set a few months after Journey's End, 2,931 words in this part, 6,735 total
Note: Written in 4 days...my muse wants to kill me.
January 1st, 2010
“Ow! Ow, ow, ow, ow!”
Rose glanced up from her book as a series of loud bangs and crashes accompanied the Doctor’s yell of pain.
“Don’t worry!” His voice rang out from the kitchen. “Everything’s under contr-“
Another bang and a whoosh cut him off.
Rose was on her feet and at the kitchen door in two seconds flat.
“Don’t!” the Doctor exclaimed as she started to push the swinging door open.
“Why?”
“Because,” came the sulky reply.
Deciding ‘because’ wasn’t a good enough reason, Rose pushed the door open and gasped. Utter chaos greeted her. Pots and pans were strewn all over the floor. Nearly every kitchen contraption was askew with spoons and spatulas scattered all over the counters. Various spills dotted the walls and counters and something was dripping into the sink.
“What happened? It looks worse than when Tony plays in here!”
“Don’t worry about it,” came the sharp reply.
Rose turned to say something but burst out laughing instead.
The Doctor stood in the middle of the mess covered in flour from head to foot.
“It’s not funny!” he cried out indignantly. He flailed his arms about and Rose doubled over as a cloud of flour rose from his blue suit. The Doctor paused and tilted his head forward, watching a stream of flour fall from his hair.
“Wo-would you like some help with that?” Rose could hardly get out the words.
He shook his head, eyeing the wisps of white powder flying everywhere. “No. Definitely not. I’m not done yet. Please turn around.”
Rose studied him for a moment, trying to memorize his disheveled appearance before she complied. “Mum’s gonna kill you for messing up her kitchen,” she commented, back turned.
He snorted, and then promptly sneezed.
Rose nudged a pot with her shoe. “What are you trying to do in here anyway?’
“Cooking. Well, baking, actually. But you weren’t supposed to know until I was finished.”
“Okay…what happened to the pots and pans?”
“Hit my head while trying to put away the flour and they attacked me.”
“Ah, I see.” Keeping her back turned, she started gathering up the nearest pile of spoons. “What are you making?”
“Can’t say.”
“Because you don’t know what it is?”
“It’s a surprise, Rose Tyler,” he said, exasperation coloring his voice.
“For me?”
“No, for your mother. Of course it’s for you. And it’s nearly finished.”
“Okay,” she said simply, smiling quietly to herself and tried to contain her curiosity.
They worked in silence for a time, each focused on their own task. Rose had nearly finished cleaning up her end of the kitchen when the Doctor cleared his throat.
“It’s ready,” he announced. “Well, I think it is, anyway.”
Rose turned and graced him with a smile. “Where is it?”
He pointed to a cookie rack in front of him and she excitedly joined him. On the rack were rows of cookies colored with red, yellow, or pink icing. Rose grinned widely when she realized the cookies were letters, spelling out:
THIS IS GOING TO BE YOUR BEST YEAR YET
“Do you like it?” he asked softly.
“Yeah…best year yet?”
“Yup,” he responded, putting emphasis on the ‘p’, “because I declare it so. Better yet, I promise. No TARDIS, no Time Lord, no alien worlds, past, or future. Just you and me on planet Earth, having adventures. What do you say, Rose Tyler?”
She fingered one of the cookies. “That sounds brilliant.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” She smiled at him, a merry look in her eyes. Quick as a wink she snatched a bowl of pink icing, dunked a finger in it, and left a streak of pink on the Doctor’s cheek.
“Oi!” He blinked at her in surprise. “What? Why’d you do that?”
“Just putting some color back in your cheeks,” she said with mock innocence as she pinked up his other flour dusted cheek.
“Oh, you’re in for it now,” he growled as he grabbed the red bowl of icing.
When Jackie Tyler entered the kitchen thirty minutes later, she nearly dropped all her shopping bags. Pots, pans, and all manner of utensils were back on the floor. Jackie’s eyes widened as she took in the colored icing all over the wall. “What the ‘ell happened to my bloody kitchen?”
Two sheepish figures rose from behind the kitchen’s island. The Doctor and Rose looked as if they’d been in a war with frosting. The frosting won.
“What have you been doing?” Jackie exclaimed.
The Doctor pointed to Rose. “She started it.”
Rose smacked his arm. “Thanks a lot.”
“And what may I ask were you doing on the floor?”
The Doctor shuffled his feet and bit his lip. “Finger painting?” he finally ventured.
Jackie shook her head wonderingly. “Of course you were. Right, I’m leaving and when I come back I expect all this bother to be cleared up. If it isn’t, then it’s off to bed without any supper for the pair of you. If you’re gonna behave like children then I’ll treat you like children. Is that understood?”
“Yes marm,” the Doctor said solemnly while Rose struggled to keep a straight face.
Jackie gave them both a look, and then stomped off.
The Doctor and Rose burst into a gale of quiet giggles.
“I thought she was going to slap you again!”
“Don’t tempt her!” the Doctor exclaimed with wide eyes. Once their giggles had subsided, he turned thoughtful. “You know, skipping supper is more of a reward then a punishment, if your mother is cooking.”
“True…it would be worth it, yeah?”
He grinned down at her. “Yeah.”
And then they knelt down on the floor and continued finger painting.
~*~
January 20th, 2010
Rose watched a cloud of misty breath float away in the frigid night air. She pulled her dress coat a little bit tighter around herself and rubbed her hands together. “Where are we?”
“Dunno,” the Doctor responded, adjusting his earmuffs with one hand. “Middle of nowhere? Have you noticed, Rose that cars always seem to break down in the middle of nowhere on roads that nobody else is on?” He kicked a ball of snow with his trainer, watching it skip down the frozen road. “I’m sorry, Rose. I’m rubbish at fixing cars…I miss my sonic screwdriver.”
She put a soothing hand on his arm. “It’s okay, Dad will understand.”
He looked down at her hand, sighed, and bowed his head. “I just wanted to go the scenic route.”
Rose glanced around the snowy forest surrounding the road they were on. “Well, I think it’s gorgeous.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, and way better than another stuffy dinner with people we don’t know and don’t like, don’t you think?”
He smiled down at her and clasped her hand with a warm squeeze. “Definitely. C’mon, let’s go find an adventure, Rose Tyler. And possibly a phone. But adventure first, then a phone.”
They set off down the road in companionable silence, snow crunching beneath their feet. About twenty minutes later, the trees began thinning ahead of them and the road split in two. The Doctor studied both before taking the one on the left. “I think this looks a bit like a driveway, don’t you?”
She nodded, adjusting her hat with a free hand.
They rounded a bend and discovered a huge, old house in front of them, silent and brooding.
The Doctor stopped dead in his tracks, his hand instantly tightening its hold on Rose.
“Don’t blink, Rose,” he cautioned in a low, intense voice. “Just look right at them and don’t blink.”
Rose’s eyes widened as she tried to locate what had startled the Doctor. Straight ahead was a frozen fountain with three stone angels leaning over the basin. Icicles dripped from majestic outstretched wings and slender fingers. All three were looking inwards, sightless eyes locked on each other.
“What, the angels? What are they, Doctor?”
“They’re called the Weeping Angels and they can’t move when you’re looking but they’re fast. Faster than you can believe,” he answered, not taking his eyes off them for a moment.
“What do they do?” she asked, struggling to keep her voice even.
“One touch and they send you back in time.” He took a deep breath and dropped her hand. “Stay here.”
He’d only taken one step before she recaptured his hand. “No way. If they send you back in time they I’m coming too.”
“But Rose-“
“No buts, mister. You don’t have to face them on your own. You’ve got me.” She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.
He thought for a moment before realizing arguing was pointless. “All right then,” he agreed and started slowly striding toward the angels.
When they were about ten feet away, the Doctor stopped, scrutinizing the statues with wary eyes. “I think they might be dormant, but best to be sure. Can you feel it, Rose? That prickling at the back of your neck? Their malice? Their hatred? Makes the hairs on the back of my hand stand on end.” Blindly he fumbled in his pockets until he found his spectacles.
“Yeah…” Rose responded, tightening her grip on the Doctor’s hand. “Have you ever noticed how hard it is to try not to blink?”
He perched his glasses on the end of his nose and began studying the statues. “Close your eyes for a moment and when you’re ready, we’ll move a bit closer, okay? I’ll keep an eye on them.”
She took a deep breath, shut her eyes, counted to ten, and then opened them. “Ready.”
They cautiously walked closer and slowly made their way around the frozen fountain. The Doctor considered each angel in turn, examining every detail. Finally, after several agonizing minutes, he let out a relieved breath.
“I think we’re gonna be all right, Rose. They’re quantum locked. Stuck.” He grinned at her, relief etched on his face.
“Are they stuck because they’re looking at each other?”
He gathered her up in a bear hug. “You clever girl,” he whispered in her ear. “That’s it exactly.”
After a moment, he released her and tugged her toward the house. “Right then, let’s find ourselves a phone. We’ll let Torchwood take care of this lot, get ourselves a tow, and still have time for an adventure in the snow. What do you say, Rose Tyler? Do you fancy it?”
“Yes, of course I fancy it. But…will the angels hurt anyone before Torchwood gets to them?”
“Nah, they’re harmless. Well, mostly harmless. Mind you, if I had my sonic I could be completely sure, but I’m reasonably sure. Well, mostly sure.”
They reached the front door and the Doctor grasped the knob, giving it a strong yank. It didn’t budge. The Doctor automatically reached for his jacket pocket, but let his hand fall uselessly to his side. “I really need to build a new one,” he grumbled.
“Hold on a mo.” Rose dug in her own pocket, produced a small bundle, and handed it to the Doctor. “It’s not as good as the sonic, but it might come in handy.”
The Doctor gave her a curious look before opening it. “A lock picking kit?” he exclaimed. “It’s a lock picking kit! Where did you get a lock picking kit?”
Rose batted her eyelashes at him. “I have my ways.”
“Rose Tyler, you never fail to amaze me.” He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and then knelt in front of the door. “Now let’s see if I can remember how to do this.”
Rose gingerly touched her cheek where he’d kissed her and smiled. She felt the blush deepening but didn’t care as the thrill of his touch went all the way to her toes. They hadn’t had a moment like this since the beach when Rose finally heard the end of the sentence. Not knowing had plagued her waking moments. And finally hearing it was a dream come true. But he hadn’t mentioned it since and kissing her cheek was the closest he’d come in the past few months. Despite the cold, snowy surroundings, she felt a warm glow all over.
After a few minutes of struggling, they were inside the house. Finding a phone proved a more difficult task, but they did and soon they were trudging back down the road to the car.
While they waited for a tow truck, they built a small TARDIS made of snow. Rose leaned into the Doctor’s side when they’d finished and were admiring their handiwork. “Do you…do you miss it sometimes? Traveling in the TARDIS?” she ventured. Then she shook her head. “Of course you do. Silly question. Forget I asked.”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her a little closer before responding. “You could never ask me a silly question, Rose. And…yes, I miss the old girl every day. But it’s a lonely life out there…and if I had to choose…I’d always choose you.”
Rose absorbed this in silence for a while before she spoke again. “Do you think…he is very lonely?”
The Doctor studied her before answering. “A bit, yeah. But, above all, he…well both of us, want you to be happy. Alive and happy.” He hesitated before continuing. “Do you think that’s possible?”
She gave him a warm smile. “I think it’s gonna be…fantastic. Best year yet, right?”
“Quite right,” he grinned. “Fancy making a snow angel?”
“Of course!”
When the tow truck arrived an hour later, he chuckled at the sight of snowman and snow angels dotting the side of the road. He shook his head when he saw the man and woman trying to catch snowflakes on their tongues. He watched them for a moment before he got out to help, a small smile on his face.
~*~
February 14th, 2010
“Rose?”
A moan emerged from under a pile of blankets as she tried to develop a closer relationship with her pillow.
“Rose?” the Doctor’s quiet, gentle voice asked a second time.
She pressed her face deeper into the pillow. “Tell me I’m dreaming.”
“Ah, I would, but that would be a lie. Sorry.”
“Prove it,” came the muffled response.
“I’m sorry?”
Rose groaned and edged one side of her face off of the pillow. “Prove that I’m not dreaming.”
“I’m guessing you want to know if you’ve dreamed up the past 24 hours? I can tell you right now that you haven’t. But proving it? Hmmm…that might be difficult.”
Rose felt the bed dip on her left as the Doctor sat down beside her.
“You have a brain. You can work something out, you’re clever,” she murmured.
“Thank you,” he said sincerely. “Pinching is what you usually do to prove you’re not dreaming, but given what you’ve been through….” He sat and pondered for a moment before coming up with a solution. Bending over slightly, he carefully pulled back the blankets to uncover a lone foot. Ever so gently, he rubbed it with warm hands.
Rose gave a little sigh and pushed her other foot out from under the covers. “Thanks,” she wheezed.
The Doctor worked in silence for a while, giving each foot equal attention. The past day had been no picnic for Rose. Her little brother, Tony, had been sick with the stomach flu for days and saw fit to share it with his older sister. His single heart ached for her suffering, but he knew she was on her way to recovery. He wished he had the medical resources on the TARDIS, but that couldn’t be helped.
“Better?” he asked quietly.
“Much,” she whispered and pulled her feet back under the covers.
He smoothed the blankets around her feet so she wouldn’t feel a draft. “Your mother sent me.”
Rose groaned.
A small smile formed at this sign of life. “She made you some tea,” he continued.
Rose burrowed a little further under the blankets.
“I tested it for you and dumped it out when she wasn’t looking.”
She peeped an eye out and stared at him.
“Then I made you tea the way you like it.”
Two brown eyes looked at him from underneath the covers. It was the first time he’d seen them in nearly a day. “Really?” she asked hopefully.
“Really,” he replied and helped prop her up on pillows so she could drink. When she was settled, the Doctor held a mug of tea and let her take a sip.
“TARDIS blue,” she managed to say after the first drop, “and it’s perfect.”
He smiled down at her and helped her drink half the cup before she started to drift off a bit.
“I hate feeling like this,” she muttered as he snuggled her back into her nest of blankets and pillows.
“I know,” he replied, tenderly moving a strand of hair out of her eyes. Then, making a snap decision, he tugged off his trainers and climbed under the covers beside her.
“Don’t,” she protested, “you’ll catch the flu too.”
“Shhh, don’t worry about me. I still have a few Time Lord immunities left.” Slowly he maneuvered himself to his side so he was facing Rose’s back. Tenderly, he wrapped his arms around her and drew her close. He paused to see if he was causing her any discomfort and was relieved to feel her relax under his embrace.
When he felt her breathing slow and he was sure she was asleep, he softly kissed the top of her head. “Happy Valentine’s Day, my love.”
Floating away on dreams, Rose smiled.
~*~
Part Two
Picture Prompts for Part 1:
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