The song had a quick, lively beat that was gentle and energetic at the same time. The fiddle made her smile and the man's deep, rich voice made her heart skip a beat.
"Baby, why don't we just turn that TV off?
Three hundred fifteen channels of nothing but bad news on
Well, it might be me, but the way I see it
The whole wide world has gone crazy-
so, baby, why don't we just dance?"
She'd changed into a skirt and was on her feet before the next verse started, spinning and stepping in time with the gentle drum beat and just moving, existing, grinning when she caught her own eye in her bedroom mirror.
"Baby, why don't we just dance
Down the hall, maybe straight up the stairs?
Bouncing off the walls, floating on air
Baby, why don't we just dance?"
Rose's music was loud.
The Doctor paused at her door, hesitating. All he could really hear was the drumbeat, but he was sure it was a lot louder in the room. She wouldn't welcome him coming in just to nag her, but maybe if he made it seem like she was distracting him... He pushed the door open, brows knit in thought, and stopped short.
"Guess the little bitty living room ain't gonna look like much
But when the lights go down and we move the couch
it's gonna be more than enough for my two left feet and our two hearts beatin'
Nobody's gonna see us go crazy
So baby, why don't we just dance?"
Rose was dancing, a long skirt brushing up against her ankles as she twisted and turned and altogether looked a piece of art. She caught his eye when she turned his way and, to his surprise, did not tell him off or look even remotely annoyed. Instead, without breaking tempo, she offered her hand.
"Baby, why don't you go put your best dress on?
And those high heeled shoes you love to lose as soon as the tunes come on?
On second thought, just the way you are is already drivin' me crazy
So baby, why don't we just dance?"
Powerless against her the Doctor accepted, winding both their hands together and stepping in time with her. Unlike the very first time they'd danced they moved in perfect sync with each other, exchanging smiles (and giggles, on her part) when their eyes met. He spent the first minute of the song trying to ignore the giddiness in his chest and the goofy grin tugging at his lips, but she didn't relent and he relaxed in time for the musical outro. He dipped her on the last few beats, and when he pulled her up she leaned into his chest, laughing, and his hearts fluttered.
A few seconds of silence passed in which she caught her breath and then a second song started, something warm and instrumental. She looked up and he looked down, and without a word he snaked his arm around her waist and wound his fingers with hers.
"There's a slow moon rising
It's shining on your skin
The way your body moves me
I know there's no holdin' back
No holdin' back..."
He swayed gently with her in his arms, his hearts fluttering madly in his chest with every breath he took and every brush of her body against his. His eyes fell shut of their own accord and he rested his cheek against her crown, if only to hide the smile he couldn't keep away and maybe, just maybe, succeed in keeping his love for her a secret for just a little bit longer. He couldn't back out now- if he left during this song she would be hurt, and even if he was terrified of opening up to her he was more afraid of damaging her beautiful, human heart.
"I can feel passion flowing
as you fall into my arms
The secret way you touch me
tells me there's no holdin' back
No holdin' back..."
Rose shifted closer and he released her hand, setting it on her waist to draw her even closer. He felt her lips shift into a smile as she settled her head on his chest, and it struck him that she had to be the most oblivious creature in the universe if she couldn't tell how smitten he was with her. Surely it was written all over his face when he looked at her, and why else would he keep going for her hand or a hug? But she wasn't daft- she was Rose Tyler and she was brilliant, she was fantastic, and so he couldn't explain why she didn't know.
"I wouldn't be a man if I didn't feel like this
I wouldn't be a man if a woman like you was anything I could resist
I'd have to be from another planet where love doesn't exist
I wouldn't be a man if I didn't feel like this..."
He was from another planet, one where love didn't exist- but he'd always been a stranger there, hadn't he? Always felt that something was missing, that some then wasn't right. Maybe it was Rose. He'd never believed in soulmates, but Rose Tyler... if she wasn't the missing piece to his shattered hearts, he didn't know what was.
"Roll with me baby all night long
Soul to soul with me baby all night long..."
The song changed keys and she moved her head, dislodging his. He looked down at her, worried that maybe setting was wrong, and the look in her eyes reassured him that everything was right. For the first time in his life, everything was right. Righter than when he'd shared the stars with his granddaughter or when nobody had died. Righter than when he'd first taken her hand and the universe had turned upside down around him.
"I wouldn't be a man if I didn't feel like this
I wouldn't be a man if a woman like you was anything I could resist
I'd have to be from another planet where love doesn't exist
I wouldn't be a man if I didn't feel like this..."
He'd been terrified, that time during the Blitz, that she didn't see him as a man. A physical man, yes, but no more a "man" than her stuffed bear named Mr. Cuddles in that she didn't see him as a partner. Not like she'd seen Jack. He knew better, now, looking into her eyes and brushing a lock of hair out of her face as the song drew to a close. Maybe she couldn't give him the forever he could give her, and maybe their time together would be too short (eternity wouldn't be enough time), but he wouldn't waste any more time than he already had. He wouldn't be a man if he could resist her, and he couldn't. So he was a man. But all he wanted to be was hers.
She rose up onto her toes and he held her tightly against him to keep her stable, meeting her in the middle when she lifted her head- her lips- to his. It wasn't the way he'd imagined it would happen but it was better, it was sweet and it was perfect and he was so in love with her he was surprised he wasn't unsteady on his feet. She locked her arms around his neck and angled her head, pressing back insistently when he went to move away.
Who was he? He was the Doctor. He was a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. And he was Rose Tyler's man.