Hide and Go Seek
By Sonic Jules
Disclaimer: Doctor Who and the characters of said show do not belong to me, no matter how hard I've wished for it. No infringement meant on the owners, nor BBC. Honest.
A/N: My thanks as always to Catharticone, who is always graciously giving of her time and suggestions and beta services, no matter how much I muck things up.
Chapter One:
Play Time
Rose stood in front of the mirror, applying her make-up as she normally did every day. It was a part of her routine, just as her make-up was a part of her, who she was, what she looked like. It made her feel good, even if she did nothing but stand around the console all day, watching the Doctor as he worked on his ship. If they went nowhere all day, it mattered not. She wanted to look her best.
Not for him.
It was for her.
She wanted to look her best because anything could happen.
Not with him.
It was just good to look your best - sort of like being sure you had on clean knickers in case you were in an accident.
Nothing more.
They could end up going somewhere on the spur of the moment, and she wanted to exude confidence. It wasn't for him. It wasn't to be the pretty girl at his side. It wasn't because he'd be proud to have her there looking her best. It was only to have that extra boost of courage or pride because you know you look just that damned good.
It was the 'keep up your best appearance syndrome'.
Even if you don't really feel like you look your best.
Because really, if you looked that good, someone would notice, right? Pay closer attention, perhaps comment on how good your effort was?
But, there was only one other person with whom she traveled. He was just one male, one other being, who could, perhaps would, comment on her effort. But day after day, he did not.
It soon became the 'why bother syndrome'.
He didn't seem to care. Why should she?
Three days. Three days, four hours, and twenty-two minutes and she'd finally decided. If he didn't care how much effort she put into her appearance, well then, neither did she. The next day, she'd save tons of time and effort by bypassing those pesky personal routines that some might say were to lure a mate.
She didn't want to lure him in any way.
Not him.
The Doctor? A mate? Certainly not.
OoO
Rose walked into the Console Room the following morning, wearing jeans and a shirt and absolutely no make-up. Her gaze fell on the Doctor, working (always working) on the center console. His short stubbly hair had little streaks of grease running through it, and at any other time she'd have pointed it out to him. Not this time, though.
The Doctor looked up from the jumble of wires in his hand and observed her for a whole two-and-a-half seconds before returning his gaze to the mess he was working on.
"Mornin', or whatever it is. Sleep well?"
Yep. The mess in his hair could stay there indefinitely. "Yeah. You get any rest?" she asked, sitting down on the jump seat and retrieving the magazine she'd been reading the day before.
"A bit, yeah." He stopped right in the middle of fusing two wires together with the sonic screwdriver to look up at her. "You all right?"
Rose nodded, flipping through the pages of the tabloid. "Yes," she answered, not looking up.
"Should have us up and runnin' in another day or so," the Doctor told her with a lilt in his voice, obviously hoping to engage Rose in conversation.
"Mm hmm," she replied skeptically, still not looking up.
She'd heard that before, after all. Three days ago, as a matter of fact. Just before the little fire below the console that stopped their trip to the promised white sands of Grand Dameron, a resort area that he'd talked up for eons. When his enthusiasm became contagious, the ship suddenly couldn't move out of the Vortex.
"What, you don't believe me?"
She looked up at him then. "Course I do." She promptly returned her attention back to her reading.
"You're sure you're feelin' all right?"
Rose rolled her eyes. "Yes," she answered pointedly.
"Hmm. Short answers. An' a bit tart with 'em, too. That time of the month?"
The magazine fell to the floor as Rose stared, no, gawked, at the Doctor.
"What?" he asked with utter ingenuousness. "Menstrual cycles are a normal function of the human female body. What are you blushin' for?"
"I'm not blushin'. And no, it's not that time. Any other personal questions you feel the need to ask?" Rose picked up the magazine and found her page quickly.
"You forget to put on your war paint?"
She audibly sighed. "No."
"No?"
"Jus' didn't bother. Is that all right?"
"Fine. Whatever you want to do. Or not." The Doctor went back to working on his wires. Rose went back to trying to pretend she was actually reading the London gossip.
When the Doctor said nothing for a good ten minutes, Rose decided it was time to go to her room. It was either that or walk up to him and thump him one, which would serve no purpose, but she was sure she'd feel better. Since he was the 'designated driver', she felt it best that she left the Console Room. Without hitting him.
OoO
Standing in front of her bathroom mirror, Rose finished applying her mascara. She looked herself over. Much better. She even felt better.
He had noticed, after all.
Walking back into the console room, Rose hesitated for a moment. She felt as if a spotlight should suddenly be shining down upon her. Perhaps a chorus of "Hallelujah" should be sung as well, announcing her presence, complete with 'war paint'.
She casually walked by the console, watching the Doctor working on his whatever as she made her way back to the jump seat.
"You're back," he said, lifting his head as he wiped his hands on a cloth. "Feelin' better?"
Rose grinned at him. It was a bit fake, but she was sure it would do in a pinch. "I felt fine before, if you'll recall."
The Doctor strolled over to her then promptly sat beside her, a tad ungracefully as he plopped down.
"You said you were fine. But you weren't really actin' it."
"You were busy, so I was just tryin' to do a little readin'."
"Feelin' a little left out, were you?"
"What? Don't be silly. I can entertain m'self just fine."
"Yeah, but it's been days that we've been stuck here. I've been busy with repairs. You've been, what? Decidin' whether or not to put your make-up on?"
Rose stood, suddenly filled with anger. He really had hit the nail on the head, so to speak. But there was no way she was admitting to it.
"I've been readin', and restin', and explorin' the ship a bit. I'm not bored!"
"Oh go ahead. Admit it. Rose Marion Tyler's gotten a little bit tetchy sittin' 'round in the TARDIS. It's in your blood now, it is. Drivin' you batty that you couldn't just go somewhere and get in the thick of it. Am I right?"
She opened her mouth to defend herself, then promptly closed it. Damn. He was spot-on.
"Just as I suspected," the Doctor said a little too smugly. He stood, smiling down as he looked her in the eyes. "Guess we'll just have to find somethin' around here to get your blood pumpin' while the TARDIS finishes up her repair cycle." He leaned down closely, his lips a breath away from her right ear. "I wonder what we can do for the next twelve or so hours. Jus' us two, here on the ship. Are you thinkin' what I'm thinkin', Rose?" he asked with a husky whisper.
"Charades?" she whispered back, turning to look at him with a straight face, proud of herself for doing so and hoping he couldn't see the rising blush she felt.
"Nope. Hide and go seek. I'd be the one hidin' but that'd be too unfair, what with my knowledge of nooks and crannies all round. So you hide, and I'll come look for you."
She looked at him as if he'd grown another head. "Have you knocked your head or somethin', workin' underneath there?"
"What? Don't think you'd win, do ya?"
"That's a child's game. 'M not a child anymore, in case you hadn't noticed."
"Oh, I've noticed. Plenty," he stated, sitting down beside her again. "But we need a bit of exercise and the TARDIS isn't goin' anywhere for at least another twelve hours. She needs a rest after all the work's been done to her now. So come on, let's have a little fun."
"You can't be serious."
"Course I can. You hide, and if I don't find you in, oh, say an hour - that'd be fair I think given the size of the ship, then you win. But if I find you before the hour's up, then I win."
The Doctor's face beamed as if he'd come up with the most wonderful distraction in the universe. Rose wanted to slap the smugness right off of it.
"Win what?"
"The game, of course. Unless you've got somethin' else in mind." He raised his eyebrows and looked at her with a silent dare.
"If I win, we stay a whole week at that beach you promised to take me to."
"Okay, sounds fair," he began, "but what do I get when I win?" Oh, even he looked too cocky for his own good.
"What d'ya wanna win?"
"Hmm. I don't know. Tell ya what - I'll give you an answer after I've won."
"Hardly seems fair. You can ask the ship where I am an' she'd tell ya. You could go an' - wait a minute. When did I agree to actually play this silly game, anyway?"
The Doctor laughed. "When you got bored enough. Come on," he began as he stood up, pulling her up with him. "Off you go. I promise not to cheat. No using the TARDIS locators. Scout's honor," he said holding up his hand.
"When were you ever a scout of any kind?"
"Oi! Don't have to be one to know the rules. Now you've got ten minutes before I start huntin' you down. If I were you, I'd get a move on."
Rose stood, feeling the adrenaline coursing through her system. It had been a while, and it felt good - familiarly good. And she was so going to win this game. She knew just the spot to hide, too: In plain sight, right above his arrogant nose.
OoO
Rose breathed heavily; her blood pumping from the quick jaunt down the corridor as she entered the library. She'd been in here several times before, but never to hide. Still, she was always watchful, and she'd seen the spot up high long ago. It was about nine feet up, according to her estimates. A nice big ol' cubby right in the middle of all those shelves, empty and just waiting for her to get in. It had cabinet doors that stood half open and it looked to have held something grand at one time, but now it just sat gathering dust inside, waiting for her to clean it with the bottom of her jeans.
She checked her watch. The Doctor would start looking for her at any time now, give or take a minute. She could wheel the wooden ladder in front of it and go up, but there'd be no way to wheel it back far enough away from her location, and she wanted nothing to give away her clever hiding spot.
Knowing what she had to do, Rose began clambering up the shelves, one at a time, grateful that she kept in shape thanks to the lifestyle she now had.
Carefully balancing herself, Rose reached the cabinet doors and pulled them open all the way, giving herself enough room to get inside. There were no shelves within it, and it was slick with thickly applied wax. But she could do it. All her gymnastic training would not be in vain on this day.
What she didn't account for was the slickness of her hands from sweat, and suddenly Rose found herself dangling from the very landing she'd hoped to be hidden inside of. Trying to seek purchase with her feet, she instead found nothing and her hands slid further towards the edge. Then she was suddenly falling backwards. She flung her limbs out wildly, reaching for anything to grab hold of, but found nothing to stop her descent.
Rose landed with a terrible thud behind one of the couches, her head colliding with the decorative table that stood behind it, making a cloud of dust rise with her impact.
OoO
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