A/N: *cough* I am aware that it's been two weeks since I updated Watch it Burn but...this has been written for about a month. I promise I'm working on the new chapter. It's just slow going for some reason. I offer you a different Nine/Rose AU in the meantime.
Disclaimer: I own no part of Doctor Who. I am simply playing with the characters because they play with my emotions
DELAYED
That damn word was going to be burned onto her eyelids by the time this ordeal was over. She'd been staring at it off and on for the last four hours and it was starting to look as if the airline was never going to get another plane to put her flight on. It's not like the airport had much to offer in the way of entertainment at one in the morning either so all Rose could do was stare at the word on the screen and hope that by some miracle it would be replaced with an actual time.
Rose just wanted to get to New York and this marketing presentation over with so she could start her first proper holiday in two years. Instead she was shifting in the uncomfortable airport chairs while Gallifrey Airlines, usually known for being prompt, tried to get their shit together.
Leaning back, Rose closed her eyes and started rehearsing her presentation for the umpteenth time.
"I don't know what flight she's on. Don't even know who she is but she's sleepin' so if we could have a bit of hush."
A voice pitched low and heavy with a northern accent is the first thing Rose heard. Waking up was never a smooth process for her so she didn't think to question why she was hearing an unfamiliar voice.
There was another voice too, indistinct, that sounded exasperated.
Rose nuzzled into the soft wool beneath her cheek. Just a bit more sleep, she thought.
"See, now you've done it, she's wakin' up." Rose felt her pillow vibrate as the northern voice spoke again. "Sorry love, it seems like you really need to get some more rest but this idiot needs to know what flight you're supposed to be on."
Rose slowly started to come back to herself, the sleep-scrambled pieces of consciousness finally lining up into something she could comprehend. As they did, she remembered where she was.
And that she didn't have a pillow.
Rose sat bolt upright, blinking quickly at the two men watching her. Her hands flew into her hair, trying to smooth down the blonde locks that probably looked a fright.
"Wh-what? 'M sorry, what was the question?" There had to be a question, she was sure of it. Maybe it would distract them from the blush she could feel spreading across her cheeks.
"What flight is your ticket for?" The man who looked vaguely mousey and sported an airport name badge repeated the question in a monotone.
"Uh, I'm supposed to be going to New York. 'Bout…oh shit, what time is it?" Rose glanced at her watch. "Was supposed to have left about five hours ago but it kept getting delayed. Got the ticket here somewhere…" She trailed off as she dug in the bag at her feet.
She presented it to the employee who took a note of it and told her that her flight should begin boarding in an hour or so before walking off to go harass someone else.
Once he was gone, Rose finally dared to glance at the man next to her. She studied his face for a moment, trying to fight back the embarrassment she felt at this whole situation.
He wasn't conventionally handsome but he had a strong face; planes and angles and a couple overly large main features that shouldn't work together but they did. And his eyes…eyes that icy shade of blue should not be capable of looking that warm.
He opened his mouth to say something but Rose beat him to it.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep and I certainly didn't mean to fall asleep on you." Rose knew she was rambling, talking too fast, but she couldn't stop. "I don't even remember anyone sitting around here."
She glanced around and saw there were plenty of empty seats that weren't directly next to her that this man could have taken.
"I was just wanderin' around looking for something to do and saw you were asleep so I thought It'd come guard your stuff," he said, gesturing to the bags at her feet and answering her unspoken question. He looked a bit sheepish at having to admit it.
"My hero," she teased, tongue sneaking out between her teeth as she grinned at him.
To her utter delight, his ears turned pink.
"Since you decided to keep me safe from thieves and I apparently repaid you by using you as a pillow, I suppose I should introduce myself." Rose stuck her hand out, "I'm Rose. Rose Tyler."
He shook her hand firmly. "I'm the Doctor."
She was a bit distracted by how his hand felt perfect- cool and calloused- in her own but she didn't miss what he said. She gave him a puzzled look at the odd moniker but he offered her a grin instead of an explanation.
"So, Doctor, what are you doing stuck in the airport at two am?"
"Same thing you are. Flight got delayed," he said with a shrug.
Rose laughed at herself. "Give me a few more minutes to wake up and I might stop asking stupid questions." She stretched and spoke through a yawn, "Normally I can't fall asleep for the life of me when I'm travelling."
"Seemed like you needed it." The Doctor quickly continued when she shot him a glare, "I just meant that you were out like a light, not that you looked tired. I'm assuming you don't normally sleep on well-meaning strangers."
"Nope, but I also am not normally in an airport at two am after sixteen hours at the office either," she mused.
"Blimey, no wonder you fell asleep. That's one hell of a day."
"You're tellin' me!" Rose stretched again, catlike, before rolling her shoulders. "I'm just ready to start my holiday. Just have to get to New York and get through this presentation and then I have two glorious weeks to do whatever I want."
Her eyes closed as she though ahead to the luxury of sleeping in and answering only to herself.
The Doctor was rather entranced.
"Sounds fantastic! It also sounds like it's been a bit since you've had a holiday," he said cautiously, not wanting to say anything to offend her.
"Two years. It's been two years since I managed to carve out time for just me."
"What kind of job do you have?" he asked incredulously.
"I'm in marketing. I'm part of the top level marketing team at Vitex. Just made it up to the top last year, still sinking in really. Never thought I'd make it past that entry-level job."
She grinned suddenly, "Now they hang onto my words like each one is made of gold and are paying me to go abroad. Long way from people telling me to keep my mouth shut and do what I'm told if I want to keep my job. Joke's on them, they've got an estate girl tellin' them what to do now."
Rose glanced at her companion and saw the stunned look on his face, felt her own heat up again. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I have a tendency to rattle on when I'm tired. First I fall asleep on you and now I'm telling you my life story when you didn't even ask me about it." She glanced away, too embarrassed to look at him.
"Might not have asked, doesn't mean I'm not interested," the Doctor interjected softly as she started to close herself off.
Rose responded more to the honesty in his voice more than his actual words. "Alright, but you've got to stop me when I start talking that much! That's definitely enough about me though, where are you supposed to be heading tonight?"
"Washington D.C. via New York. Think I'm waiting on the same plane as you actually," he said, remembering what she said to the airport employee earlier.
"What a coincidence," Rose replied. She stuck her tongue between her teeth again when she smiled at him to see if it would elicit another reaction.
She was not disappointed as his ears turned pink again.
"Business or pleasure," she purred.
"Wh-what?" the Doctor stuttered, his whole face tinging towards pink now as his eyes shot up from where they had momentarily fixated on her mouth.
"Your trip, is it for business or pleasure?" It was just too easy to wind him up, she thought. It was really rather charming.
"Business. There's a conference in D.C. that runs all of next week and I'm representing my company there."
"What company are you with? I'm finding it a bit hard to imagine you in a suit and tie suffering through board meetings and the like." She swept her eyes over him, taking in the jeans and jumper combination that looked natural on him.
"Perk of owning the company is that I can usually wear whatever I want." He took the time to savor the look of shock on her face before smiling sheepishly, "I own Gallifrey Airlines."
Beyond shocked, Rose gaped at him for a moment before hitting him on the arm playfully. "Your airline stranded us here for hours. I might have to file a complaint or something."
"We take customer service very seriously, I'll be sure to pass it on to the boss." His face was absolutely deadpan but there was a sparkle in those blue eyes of his.
"Really though, you'd think they would have scrounged up a plane by now if they knew their owner was waiting."
"I don't make a habit of telling anyone what flight I'll be on or if I'm taking a flight at all. It's a bit like doing a spot check on how my company runs.
"All they know is that John Smith has a seat in first class and has checked in. They have no idea that it's the John Smith that signs their paychecks."
"So you do have an actual name," Rose teased.
The Doctor grimaced. "Don't like it much though. Prefer just going by the Doctor. S'an old nickname that's stuck with me."
"Alright then, Doctor, how do you propose we spend our time while your airline tries to get its shit together?"
He chuckled and stood up, shrugging on the leather jacket from the seat next to him. He grabbed her hand and pulled Rose to her feet before grabbing one of the bags at her feet.
"Well, Rose Tyler, let's see if there's an adventure to be had in this airport, maybe start your holiday a bit early."
The Doctor grinned before giving her a one word warning: "Run."
And with that he took off, never letting go of her hand. Rose's laughter echoed in the nearly empty space as they dashed down the corridors to find an adventure.
They weren't seated next to each other on the plane but, since they were both in first class, the Doctor managed to convince the person next to Rose to switch seats with him. The two of them chatted for a few more hours, swapping stories about work and their lives.
When Rose started yawning, he cheekily offered his services as a pillow again. She glared at him before taking him up on the offer, claiming her nap earlier had been very restful and therefore he must just have a knack for putting her to sleep.
He woke her up when they landed in New York, glad to see that see looked much more rested.
They parted ways after a long hug and a promise extracted from him to look her up when she was back in London.
Rose aced her presentation and collapsed in her fluffy hotel bed, wondering what to do with her complete freedom. She could go anywhere she wanted; do whatever she wanted with her two weeks.
Her mind kept circling back to one man though. Every time she considered a destination or activity she wanted to know what he'd think about it, wanted to hear the random history lecture or tangential science ramble that he'd inevitably have. What she really wanted to do with her two weeks was get to know John Smith better; wanted to know if his lips were as soft as they looked, wanted to watch the warmth in those blue eyes turn to heat.
Trying not to second-guess herself, Rose booked a flight to D.C.
Luckily, Gallifrey Airlines was running precisely on schedule that day. She picked up her bags and headed straight for the conference center. It didn't take long to locate the Doctor who was indeed looking decidedly uncomfortable in a suit in tie while sitting in a meeting.
He caught sight of her grinning outside of the conference room and excused himself.
"I thought you were on vacation, Rose Tyler," he said when the door closed behind him. He was unable to keep the corners of his mouth from curving upwards.
"Oh I am, Doctor. I thought I'd stop by and see if I could convince you to ditch the meetings and suits and come away with me." She hid her nerves behind a grin and reached for his hand, soothing herself with how their fingers fit together.
"Thought a few more adventures could be found outside of the airport if you'd like to join me. Only if you want though." Rose looked down, unable to watch rejection fill those beautiful blue eyes.
The Doctor reached out and tilted her chin back up. His eyes had caught fire, "Oh, I want."
With that he brought his lips down on hers, sampling and then devouring.
The people from the meeting watched as the stoic owner of Gallifrey Airlines melted into the mysterious blonde woman before she pulled back and grinned at him. She said something that had him grinning back and then they took off down the hall, hand in hand.
The Doctor did not come back to the conference that year but when he showed up the next year he was accompanied by the blonde who had whisked him away. Everyone knew who she was now. Rose Tyler, the new head of Gallifrey's marketing team.
There had been quite the talk when Vitex fired their golden child over "creative differences." Their sales had steadily declined with her no longer at the helm but Gallifrey Airlines was quickly expanding thanks to her vision and dedication.
No one could say that it had been favoritism that led to the Doctor hiring his wife.
What they could say was that it was damn inconvenient for them to forever be pulling each other out of meetings to go on mid-day "adventures" that occasionally ended up lasting a week.