"Finally!" Rose Tyler laughed brightly, lingering in the TARDIS doorway. "It's snowing!"
Her leg was poised over the snow; so thick that she felt that her foot'd disappear if she landed on the ground too quickly. She glanced up to the blinding sky, shielding her eyes with a gloved hand and smiling.
"I promised you snow, and I always keep my promises," The Doctor responded smugly, shrugging on his long brown coat and watching his companion loiter. He sighed. "You gonna go out there then? I didn't bring you to a whole other galaxy for snow just so you could stand and watch it."
"But you've got to!" Rose protested, shifting her head to look at him, "Snow is one of those rarities in England that the whole country stops for. I mean, it's all over the news, you get a day off school, and you sit by your window and just stare at the pureness of it all. It's so...." Rose's face creased as she tried to think of a word. She shrugged, "...beautiful, I guess."
"It's alright," The Doctor agreed, his tone desultory. Rose folded her arms and looked at him. He noticed her inquisitive gaze that read 'explain'. "Well, I've seen snow that would take your breath away. The purest, most dazzling snow in the entire universe. It shone so brightly in the sunlight that you could hardly look, and yet at the same time you couldn't take your eyes away." His eyes were faraway, a slight smile playing on his lips. A smile that showed memories and regret and endless reams of time.
"Why didn't you take us there, then?" Rose asked quietly, tugging on her sleeves. The Doctor blinked at her.
"It doesn't exist anymore," He replied, his jaw set hard with restrained emotion. Rose felt intense guilt bubble in her stomach as she watched this tortured man, and opened her mouth to say something, anything. But he managed to speak first. "Come on then. This is the next best thing, I guarantee it!"
Rose inhaled deeply and pushed one foot to the floor. The satisfying crunch that came with it made her grin. She pressed the other foot to the ground also, and shuffled along so the Doctor could join her.
"Oh my god!" She whispered, "This is..beyond perfect!"
The Doctor stuffed his hands in his pockets and observed his companion look in awe at the glittering scenery, a smile fixed onto his face.
"This snow is so much better than England! At best, we'll get about 5 centimeters of snow fallin', but rarely over that. But this....god, this is...this is....I don't even know!" She let out a delighted laugh.
"You know, I've never seen you get so excited over something as trivial as weather before, Rose," The Doctor remarked, leaning against his ship. Rose looked at him sharply.
"Trivial? You obviously don't appreciate the simpler things in life, Doctor," She retorted happily. Her face became thoughtful, her mind whirring. "I remember my mum tellin' me that every snowflake that fell on me represented love. The more snowflakes that fall on you, the more you are loved by everyone around you."
"That's a nice thought," The Doctor mused. Rose nodded, wrapping her red scarf tighter around her neck.
"She told me that my dad was up there," She continued, "Creating the snowflakes with his hands and pouring them over London, just to tell me who much he loved me. Obviously I don't believe that anymore, but I suppose that's why I get so excited around snow. When I was younger, I'd stand outside for hours on end, just counting the snowflakes. I got loads of colds, but it was worth it," She smiled, "To know I was loved."
The Doctor scuffed his trainer against the deep snow as he contemplated on how clever Jackie Tyler really was. He knew more than anyone how magical snow was, especially to a child. Especially to a child like Rose.
"Right then!" Rose's tinkering voice interrupted his thoughts, "Are we gonna explore?"
"What's there to explore? It's all just snow!" The Doctor commeneted, approaching her. Rose's mouth fell open.
"Hey, you may be cynical about snow, but I'm not. Come on, have some fun! For me?" She fluttered her eyelashes, which, the Doctor noticed, where sprinkled with tiny snowflakes. He rolled his eyes and resigned himself to her. She giggled and dragged him from the TARDIS.
They strolled along together for a while, before the snowflakes began to scatter to the floor again.
"Uh oh, seems to me that Pete's up to his old tricks again," The Doctor stated dryly, cocking an eyebrow at his companion.
"Shh!" Rose commanded, "I'm counting. Try it."
"I'll pass. I'll help you, though," He offered nonchalantly. Rose glanced at him, concerned. "12, 13, 14..." The Doctor peered at her jacket, avoiding her intent look. "OK, I give up. You are loved by way too many people to keep count."
"Yeah, I lost count too," Rose affirmed. She scrutinized his jacket and laughed, "Hey, look at you! You're practically drownin' in it!" Rose was right; his coat was covered with thick snow. He brushed it off and moved to his hair, wet with melted flakes. "Mum said that snowflakes represented all types of love. You're obviously more popular than you think."
The Doctor exchanged a smile with her.
"So maybe the snow's not so bad after all...?" Rose hooked onto his arm and proffered cheekily.
"I never said I didn't like it, I just think that..it's overrated," The Doctor muttered, "Like you said, in places like England, the whole country stops because of this stuff," He held out his hand and caught a few snowflakes, "Is it all worth it? Yeah, it's pretty to look at and is very poetic and stuff, but honestly, what's the big fuss? There are places in the universe where people live under constant cover of snow."
"But it's so romantic!" Rose gushed.
"I'm not one for romance, Rose, you must know that by now."
"I reckon you love it just as much as I do."
"What, romance?"
"No, snow!" Rose giggled, slightly exasperated. "It's exhilirating! You never know how much you're going to get, and you never know what's beneath your feet."
"You're always looking for trouble, aren't you, Miss Tyler," The Doctor smirked. They fell into silence as they crunched companionalby through the paths of snow.
"Thank you for bringing me," Rose piped up, surprisingly serious, "Even if you do hate it."
"I told you I keep my promises," He countered, squeezing her hand and lingering on the hold longer than anticipated. "Right then. Onwards and upwards!"
As the Doctor tinkered with the console later that afternoon, he pondered over Jackie's words.
Yes, maybe snowflakes did represent love, or even someone you loved. But if you held onto a snowflake for too long, it'd disappear.