A Simple Party
By purplerhino
Five First Sentences Challenge. Prompt by winterda:
The Doctor forgot sometimes that there were certain societies in history that one never introduced their female friends as their companion or something like this would happen.
The party was just the kind of thing Rose had asked for her birthday. Beautiful dresses, elegant dancing and … well… he'd had better food. The food was never really good at these shindigs. Shindig… now there was a word. He liked the sh in the beginning.
Yes, well… the place and party were not really his kind of thing. They even announced your name at the door. The weapon scan was a bit much. And they just kept on announcing people.
But he'd promised her anyplace she wanted and she wanted a party. And he had to dance. In public. The things he did for her. He even put on his tux. And did she appreciate any of it?
Not by the daggers shooting from her eyes right now. He'd left to get them drinks, and apparently she was getting another offer.
Ah well. She did look particularly beautiful in the blue silk gown. Like a Greek goddess, really. The drape accentuated as much as it hid. And the jewels glittered at her throat and ears, drawing attention to her elegant neck. It tempted any heterosexual male of any species to just take a little lick. And he had. Before they left the TARDIS. Might be the last lick he got tonight. He'd probably end up kicked out of their room.
"Excuse me, gentlemen, the lady is with me." He handed Rose her drink and gave the three men the kind of glare few humans could withstand.
They made polite nods and moved away.
"This is worse than Plus One." She took the drink and drank it much too fast.
"Ah, ah. Hardly proper manners for a Companion. Elegant and refined." He grinned and could tell she wanted to smash the glass in her hand over his head.
"Come on. It's not that bad. Think of it as a compliment. All those gentlemen actually wanting your attention. And they all envy me because you're on my arm."
"They think you're paying me." Rose ground her teeth.
"Don't do that. Blunts the molars. You'll need dentures before your fifty," he chided.
"I'm so gonna kill you."
"But there are so many pleasant ways to die." He held out his hand as an invitation to dance.
"Not even if you did pay me." She took the offered hand and allowed him to pull her out onto the floor for a modified waltz. "You are sleeping in the consol room for at least a week."
Hmm, good thing he didn't really need much sleep now, wasn't it? But he smiled just a little bit at what he was threatened with missing out on. At least he was keeping his word, complete with dancing.
"I bet I can have you begging me before the night is through," He whispered in her ear as he drew his fingers ever so lightly up Rose's arm.
"And what's the wager? You never did pay up the five quid you owed me for our last bet." She bit his ear.
It wasn't even a teasing bite. Her teeth actually clamped down.
"Ow. The food isn't that bad here, Ali. I bet there's blood. Is there blood?" He pulled back to look her in the eye.
"There will be." She smiled sweetly.
The Doctor felt a tap on his shoulder.
"May I cut in?" A blond gentleman smiled invitingly at Rose.
"No." Both of them spoke as one and danced away quickly. It was hard to waltz quickly.
"Come on. I'll make it up to you. Then I'll make it up to you. I just forgot what companion meant at this point in history." The Doctor spun her quickly, leaving her momentarily breathless.
"Miss Kaywinnit Lee Frye and escort." The announcer introduced a young woman in a frilly pink dress with too many bows.
"Uh oh." The Doctor muttered.
"Oh, something else?" Rose tried to follow his gaze.
"Sort of. Come on, back to the Tardis. I'll take to another party. And I'll make sure you're introduced as my associate, counterpart, no… partner. Yes, that will do." He was moving them to a side exit.
"Why are we running away this time? No one's chasing us, and no weapons allowed in here." Rose prodded as he pushed open the door to the kitchens.
"Weeelll, that man who just came in… he's Malcom Reynolds. I sortofowehimahundredplatinum." The Doctor tugged his ear with the hand not clasped around Rose's. It was a mistake as it irritated the spot where she had bitten him, the minx.
"Say again?" She slipped past a chef and dodged a waiter.
"I owe him money. Lost a card game. I'm fairly certain he cheated." The Doctor admitted over his shoulder as he pushed through the delivery doors and they made their way down the hall where the TARDIS awaited.
"I know. Fhloston Paradise 2413. Great floating cruise ships filled with anything and everything you could want. Dinner and dancing, all the pampering you could want."
He held open the TARDIS door.
"Doctor. I just want a nice evening out for my birthday. Some dinner, some dancing. No running for our lives, nothing blowing up." Rose wasn't looking so much angry anymore as kind of sad.
Sad was worse. Much worse. He hated to see her upset.
"Right," he started circling the consol, pressing buttons and flicking levers. "Fhloston Paradise 2413. Just what the Doctor ordered. Best ocean views in the universe. They even have a full opera house in each ship. Magnificent acoustics."
"It better be everything you promised, and no one thinking I'm a prostitute. Or it'll be a month you're sleeping out here, mister." The angry was back. She sounded disturbingly like her mother just now.
