In the dim glow of twilight, he took her hand and she followed him, carefully picking her way through the tall grasses. Crickets hummed in the background, their songs hanging in the air as the Doctor and Rose climbed up the slight incline. He selected a space and carefully spread the blanket on the ground, settling down.
Rose smiled down at her leather-clad Doctor, wondering why he'd brought her to this rather remote place. He offered up a hand and she took it, sitting down next to him. The blanket was soft, but the grasses were prickly, and she shifted, trying to find a comfortable place. He wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled until she was nestled in beside him.
"Better?" he asked, smiling.
Her heart skipped a beat. "Y-yeah, good, thanks," she sputtered, breathing in the scent of his jacket.
He nodded. "You were sittin' on a little rise- 's why it wasn't comfortable. Ground's a bit more leveled off over here."
Rose licked her lips and nodded, feeling disappointed. "'Course," she said softly, trying to ignore his arm wrapped tightly around her. She shivered.
He raised an eyebrow. "Not cold again, are you? It's at least 23 degrees right now. Should be rather nice for you."
"'M fine," she mumbled.
The sky had changed from pale pinks and oranges to yellows and creams, and finally had settled to light and dark shades of gray. A few stars peeked out, the dim light twinkling in the early night sky. The air became cooler and the smell of the sun-baked grass wafted through the light evening breeze.
"Doctor," she said quietly, "why did you bring me here?"
He smiled. "Patience, Rose. You'll see in another minute or so. D'you know where we are?"
She started to answer when the night skies lit up with a boom and a colourful burst of light. Her grin widened. "Fireworks!" she said, beaming ear to ear.
He watched her face light up, and as her warm brown eyes sparkled with wonder and awe and happiness as the show continued. It was just a simple little display, some no-name town in America, but Rose didn't seem to mind. She leaned against him, giggling and pointing out her favourites, snuggling close as the night grew chilly.
When the show was over, he turned to look at her, expecting she'd be ready to hop up and get back to the TARDIS but she simply stared at him.
"Thank you," she said sincerely. "It was beautiful. I loved it."
"Thought you might," he smiled. "It's Independence Day in America, and I figured after the last trip, you might like something a bit less traumatic."
She wrinkled her nose, remembering the slimy snake-like aliens that recently had them running for their lives. "Bit better, yeah." She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed.
"You're beautiful," he said softly.
Rose scoffed lightly, then sighed. "For a human."
He cupped his hand to her cheek, tilting her face to meet his. "For anyone."
She blushed and felt her heart flutter against her ribs.
His thumb ran along her cheekbone, and she closed her eyes momentarily, certain it was about to end when, suddenly, his lips were brushing against hers. They were soft and smooth, and he was oh-so gentle as he kissed her, his hand sliding through her hair while he pulled her close.
She felt dizzy and warm and was certain it was some sort of an accident, when he locked eyes with hers and gave her an apologetic smile. "Been wantin' to do that for awhile," he admitted.
Rose caught her breath, and blushed as she smiled and said, "What took you so long?"
A/N: Short, sweet, and hopefully to your liking! :) Thanks for reading!