These series of (unrelated) one shots were meant to be pure friendship, showing the development of the Doctor and Rose's relationship and their connection on a deeper level then just attraction and flirting. As usual, the story ran away and the Doctor had other ideas. Thus, I ended up with this, with Jack butting in at the last second, demanding that I give him some attention since I've been too busy mooning over the Doctor and Rose. Personally, I think he's just jealous.
Oh, and a warning for some innuendos. Don't like, don't read.
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. I had a letter come in the other day with a coupon that allowed me to own it for a day, but it's not valid until the year 2389, and expires on May 7, 2015. I don't know how that's possible, but it's all very timey-wimey anyway.
On Birthdays
The Doctor knew something was up when Rose walked in wearing that particular outfit. Made of a shiny, silky material with a floral pattern and spaghetti straps, it accentuated her curves and left little to the imagination. Combined with a barely-there skirt and heels, it did a funny thing to his chest and blood pressure. Clearing his throat and trying not to think of the images currently assaulting his mind, he managed to say in an even tone, "What's with the get up?
Rose smiled beautifully, playing shyly with her TARDIS key necklace. It rested over her chest, and the Doctor tried not to think of that, either. "Well, I've been counting the days since I came on board, and been keeping track of time best I can. Well, this morning I discovered that it's my birthday." Her smile widened. "I'm twenty."
Blinking, he stared for a moment. "Blimey. I've forgotten that those exist."
Rose looked surprised. "How can you forget your own birthday?"
"I'm nine hundred years old, Rose. After a while, you tend to get bored of such things."
Rose crossed the room, sitting down on the jump seat. "I guess. But when is your birthday, anyway?"
Now it was his turn to be puzzled. "Beg pardon?"
"When were you born? Or do they not have a calendar system on Gallifrey?"
The Doctor laughed at that. "Time Lord, Rose. Of course we have a calendar. Mind, it's more complex than yours and is impossible to translate to earth time, but we do have one."
"So when is it?"
He hesitated, and then shrugged. "I don't know."
"What?" Rose looked adorably shocked, lurching to her feet and planting her hands on her hips. "What do you mean, you don't know?"
"Just what I said. I don't know. I forgot a long time ago."
Rose considered him for a second, her eyes trailing up and down his form. Hiding the pleasant shivers that accompanied her actions, he fiddled with the controls, trying not to return the favor (he failed).
"Well then, we'll just have to give you a new one. Not today though, cause today is mine, and it'll give us something to look forward to later." Sitting back down in the jump seat, she smiled at the ceiling. "What do you think, girl? Should we give the Doctor a birthday?"
At the TARDIS's answering chime, he groaned. "Rose, I really don't need..."
"Nonsense," she interrupted. "You need some time off. We can't save the world all the time, yeah? Even super heroes need to relax." She gave him The Smile, her tongue poking out between her teeth. "But if you insist, we'll talk about it later. You don't turn twenty every day, you know."
He smiled the large goofy smile he knew she loved. "Well then, where shall we take the birthday girl? Malu Twelve? They have the best beach resorts in the Falrutik System. Then there's The Seven Planets of Peth, where every day is a party."
"Did I hear the word 'party'?"
Jack strolled into the console room, grinning wolfishly. Rose rolled her eyes, but gave him a fond smile. "It's my birthday, and the Doctor is suggesting a few places we should go to celebrate."
"Seriously?" Jack's eyes gleamed. "Man, Doc, never knew you had it in ya!"
Frowning, the Doctor replied haughtily, "There are many things you don't know about me, Jack." Seeing the Time Agent's suggestive leer, he added, "And many things you will never find out."
"Aw, but I'll buy you a drink and everything!"
Giggling, Rose interrupted. "Jack, stop flirting. It's my birthday; my privilege!"
The Doctor's ears went pink as his mind instantly dove into the gutter. Jack sighed, sitting down beside her with a defeated air. "Alright, fine. But two months from now it's all me."
Not wanting that mental image, the Doctor spoke up before they could gang up on him. "So, The Seven Planets of Peth? I'm sure Rose will have an excellent time, and Jack can shag the locals to his heart's content.
Letting out a laugh at Jack's enthusiastic whoop, Rose grabbed the console. "Sounds good to me!
"Seven Planets of Peth it is! Hold on tight, here we go!"
The TARDIS rocked as they landed, throwing Rose into the Doctor as they staggered to keep their balance. The feeling of her laughing against his chest caused his stomach to flip over, and he looked down at her with a hopelessly smitten look. Ignoring Jack's wolf-whistle, he helped her to her feet, still holding her against him.
Rose pulled out of his arms, dashing to the door, hair bouncing. "Coming, Doctor?" she called, beaming, the sunlight streaming in from the door giving her a golden aura. Laughing, he walked over to her, offering her his arm.
"Ready when you are," he said, and together they stepped out into the street and into the gathered masses.
The colors, music, smells, and jovial attitude surrounded them, and Rose threw herself into the celebrations without reservation as Jack ran off to find his own entertainment. She danced, she sang, she drank more than she should and never, not once, left him alone. Even when some young, pretty thing with a wolfish smile and large eyes claimed her for a dance, her eyes would always seek out the Doctor's and let him know that she was still there.
He left once, to visit a booth selling various pieces of jewelry. Rose was chatting with a young girl with iridescent dragonfly wings, exchanging fashion trends and hairstyles while the girl's date tried to look interested. He didn't even bother hiding his envious look when the Doctor excused himself.
Once at the booth, however, the Doctor realized that he didn't know the first thing that came with buying a present. Sure, his past companions had birthdays, but they were always postponed or forgotten during the general rush of adventure and running for their lives. He was pretty certain that a few of the females had hinted about gifts in the past (especially his fifth form; that regeneration was particularly absentminded, however, and tended to forget it had been brought up after a few moments), but none had been like Rose, and Rose was worth it.
Worth everything, really.
He cautiously eyed the jewelry, the shopkeeper currently arguing happily away with another customer. Some fast, rhythmic song struck up, and the customer's partner grabbed her hand and tugged her off, both laughing wildly. The shopkeeper turned to him with a smile. "Can I help you?"
The Doctor was about to say no, he was just browsing, that he would leave soon, when a necklace caught his eye. TARDIS blue with streaks of gold, the charm was looped into a complicated spiral. To most others it would seem like a random design, but the Doctor instantly recognized it: It was the symbol of eternity for the Arcadians, a race that died in the war but whose influence reached over hundreds of galaxies and thousands of years. Swallowing, he picked up the necklace, the charm rotating slightly. "How much?" he asked.
The shopkeeper grinned knowingly at him. "For you, I'll give you a discount. Thirty shells."
The Doctor handed over the money, and the shopkeeper sent him off with a smile and some parting words of wisdom: "It's not often that I see a man who is so in love as you. Whoever the girl is, she must be lucky indeed."
Instead of protesting, the Doctor smiled widely. "Yeah, I suppose she is. I'm luckier for finding her, though."
The shopkeeper chuckled as the Doctor returned to Rose, who was exchanging contact information with her new friend. As a new song started, the Doctor grabbed Rose's hand. "C'mon, let's go! There's so much more to see!"
"Doctor!" she laughed. "What's gotten you so happy?"
He smiled down at her. "It's your birthday. Why wouldn't I be happy?"
Her return smile was absolutely radiant. "Then dance with me," she said, and before he could protest, she drew him into the crowd of writhing bodies.
Rose pressed herself against him, and his hands immediately found her waist as her arms wrapped around his neck. Surrounded by the mass of dancers, there was very little room to do more than sway, but sway she did, and her movements against him caused nearly all rational thought to flee his mind. Warmth pooled through his body, and within moments the atmosphere had invaded his senses and he was matching her movements. It seemed a crime to let more than a few millimeters between them, and as he pulled her tighter, Rose's soft moan let him know that maybe, she wanted this, too.
With her soft body pressed against his and her tight, silky shirt feeling heavenly under his hands, the Doctor nearly forgot how to breathe when her hips ground against his, giving a new definition to earth shattering and causing his brain to fuzz over. Breathing heavily, his forehead dropped to hers, and he felt her arms tighten around his neck.
Eventually, when the feeling of her became too much and he was so agonizingly close to taking her right then and there, he bent over and spoke close to her ear, suggesting they go out to dinner. Hiding the smug smile as he felt her shiver and nod wordlessly into his neck, he grabbed her hand and led her away, bringing her to a nearby cafe tucked into a back alley.
It was a more subdued setting, though the festivities filtered in and set a nice background hum over the sound of conversation, clinking plates and silverware. Ordering them the house special, he looked at Rose with a smile. "Enjoying yourself so far?"
"Am I ever!" She exclaimed. "This is the best party I've ever had."
He chuckled. "And just think, there are six more planets to explore."
They talked about everything and anything over dinner; Rose's past birthdays, parties she had been to, her favorite memories growing up. They even spent a little time trying to pick a date for him to celebrate his own birthday, but nothing felt right. She eventually gave up, but he knew the discussion was far from over.
When their meal was eaten and paid for, they wandered around the streets, hand in hand, experiencing everything that was available but never taking part. As the night wore on and the air grew colder, the Doctor draped his jacket over her shoulders and tried to ignore the fluttering of his hearts as she beamed up at him and settled into the fabric with a soft sigh.
Hours or perhaps minutes later, they came across a quiet corner where several couples were slow dancing, rocking slowly in place and oblivious to the world around them. Rose eyed them with a wistful little smile, and before he realized what he was doing, the Doctor had led her over to the group and gathered her in her arms, her head on his shoulder and his chin on her hair. Content, they swayed to the soft rhythm around them, letting the moment lead them where it would.
"Happy birthday, Rose," he finally said as the song ended, pulling back to look into her eyes.
Dreamily, she smiled up at him. "Thank you," she murmured, her voice causing his hearts to flutter again.
One of his hands trailed down her back before reaching into his jacket pocket. Rose gave him a curious look, but he merely shrugged. "A birthday girl needs a present," he explained, before showing her the small box the necklace was packed in. Rose, her eyes wide, accepted the present, her hands shaking slightly as she held it.
"Oh, it's beautiful," she breathed, holding up the charm to let it spin softly. The light seemed to gather around it, causing it to sparkle and glow with an internal fire.
He gently took the hand holding the necklace in his. "May I?" he asked, and she nodded, mutely, turning around and brushing her hair over her shoulder. If his hands lingered longer than was necessary on her neck after clasping it shut, neither of them protested.
Rose turned back around, and he smiled at the sight of her. The necklace was shorter than the chain she had the TARDIS key on, which was currently hidden under her top; the charm rested just above the shirts neckline, rising and falling with her breath, glowing softly.
"It suits you," he said, finally.
Rose nodded, her face slightly pink. "There's...there's one more custom about birthdays that you're forgetting," she finally said, fidgeting nervously.
The Doctor frowned. "There is?" internally, he began to panic. He had gotten her a gift, had thrown her a party (relatively speaking), and had even grudgingly sang that stupid song over dinner when Rose had ordered a dessert. What had he missed...?
"A kiss," Rose mumbled, blushing. "The birthday girl gets a kiss."
Ah.
Suddenly, the air got really, really hot.
Speechless, the Doctor tried to find the words to respond, mouth falling open and refusing to form words. Rose, taking his reaction the wrong way, hurriedly spoke again. "Um, look, forget I said anything. It's...it's a stupid tradition, really, no one ever follows it anymore..." she turned, tears forming, intent on finding the TARDIS and hiding in shame.
She was pulled to a stop when the Doctor grabbed her arm. With a gasp, she turned to him, freezing at the look in eyes.
"Nothing," he said seriously, in a voice that sounded like desire and reverberated through her entire soul, "Is a stupid tradition with you, Rose."
His voice made her knees go weak, and if his hands hadn't been supporting her, she would have fallen to the ground then and there, a puddle of want. Instead, she watched for a breathless moment as his face drew nearer to hers, and her eyes closed on their own accord.
His lips were the barest pressure on hers, but before she knew what was happening, her arms were around his neck and she was kissing him fiercely, passionately, and he was kissing her right back. His arms were steel bars, pinning her to him, and Rose would have been quite happy to be stuck like that for eternity.
When the need for oxygen finally overcame her need for him, she pulled away with a shuddering gasp and buried her face in his neck, trembling. If his ragged breathing was anything to go by, he was just as affected as her, or probably more even more so (there was no way that was his sonic screwdriver). Clinging to him, Rose asked breathlessly, "I think that was the best present I ever received."
His laugh was low and delicious. "There's more where that came from," he murmured into her ear, and the shiver that raced up her spine tingled with expectation.
She gave him a coy smile instead. "Still set against birthdays then, Doctor?" she asked slyly, one hand trailing down his chest. His eyes darkened, and the shiver ran through her again.
"You know, Rose Tyler," he said, taking her hand and pulling her towards the TARDIS, "I think I may have just remembered the date after all."
"Oh?"
He gave her a suggestive smile that made her weak at the knees. "One thing at a time, Rose. After all, it's still your birthday, and there's one more present I have to give you."
The look in his eyes was all then information she needed. Grinning, she dashed past him. "Last one back is on bottom!"
She wasn't certain, but she thought he let her win on purpose. But, seeing as how this was the best birthday present she could have dreamed of, Rose couldn't find it in herself to complain.
Jack was eventually found four planets and several celebrations later, roaring drunk and in the middle of a game of strip poker. Whining the entire way to the TARDIS as they led him off, Jack leaned heavily on the Doctor as he half-dragged, half-carried his companion away. Head lolling, he gave the Doctor a glassy-eyed look and said, "Doctor, don't tell Rose, but I think there's a hickey on your neck."
If Jack had been sober enough to care, he would have been highly amused at the Doctor's bright red face and Rose's delighted smirk at her lover's obvious embarrassment.
Erm, yeah. Tell me what you think. This is an experiment, so chapters are based off of the amount of reviews that are given. -hopeful look-