Disclaimer: I write fan fiction for fun and relaxation. I own nothing, and I am not making money.Everything within this chapter belongs to BBC. (all hail BBC!)
ROSE
I watch my husband as he tinkers with the TARDIS, cursing in his home language as sparks fly. His fingers are a pale blur as he tries to fix what he had done. I step over to him, sitting down onto my bottom. For one brief moment his skin touches mine as he goes about his work.
His skin is cold to the touch and pale like snow, his eyes sharp as from wintery ice. Deep in the night, when we are entwined, I feel like I am embracing winter itself as I kiss his lips, feel his breath against my face, feel him inside me, a biting but wonderful cold.
In contrast to his wintery skin was his soul, summer warmth and cruelty. Warmth because he would do anything to help someone, he always tried to do what was right. Stick up for the people that were being stepped on. Cruel because, like a summer storm, he'd sweep in, fast and furious. He has no mercy for bullies of any kind. Only a fool would go against a summer storm and its fury.
My heart skips as he gives me a light kiss before leaping up.
"Want some late night tea, then?" he asks brightly. I only smile and nod, following him into the kitchen.
His voice reminds me of autumn. Summer is gone, making way for winter. His world is gone, making way for nothing at all. His voice held reflections of all he had seen, and yet, it still was bright and cheery, like the colours of leaves before they fall. Vibrant and resistant, the look of fire on the trees. Fire and resistance, pride. His voice held these, even if he was hanging upside down in nothing over a chocolate syrup pot, waiting to be nibbled by giant dust bunnies.
"Rose, love, no!" he exclaims, rushing over and taking my cup. "I'll get you your tea, I told you, go sit down, go on."
I'm eight months pregnant, so he thinks I'm incapable of doing things. Sweet old man, but really. Women have done much harder things when pregnant, or even while giving birth. Not that I wanted to fight off a nutter who wants to take over the universe while bringing our child into the universe.
I sit at the table, watching him make my tea. He is quietly humming, and making the tea perfect. I stiffle a giggle as he drops an extra lump of sugar into his tea, trying to hide it from my view so I don't know he is having more sugar.
Spring. His wonder of the universe, wanting to explore everything, wanting to touch, to see, to taste, to hear, to live. Everything to him is new even if he's done it before. It seeps into me, making me love the universe insanely, like he does. He can be so childish, so young and innocent in terms of love and commitment - the first time we kissed his eyes were large and lost, almost like a little boy.
He sits down across from me, giving me my tea. My beautiful, wonderful, alien. My Time Lord. And as he smiles at me, I wonder what he would think of me compared to the seasons...
THETA
I lay on my back, tinkering with the TARDIS's wires. She had been acting up lately; yesterday I went to the loo to discover it was an ice cube. Needless to say, I went to a different one. The day before that Jack came to me complaining of his room being neon orange. And just a few hours ago the floors decided to be uneven for a few minutes.
What's wrong Old Girl? I pat her fondly before hearing my wife shuffle in, half asleep. I smile to myself as I remember what I plan on doing to her, erm, giving her tomorrow. Anniversary, you know.
That's when my fingers slip, and instead of pulling out a wire that doesn't belong where it was hooked up, I pull out a whole mess of wires that I WAS going to get to eventually - they concern mainly oxygen, toilets and the like. Unfortunately for me that meant I had five minutes to fix it - properly - before the TARDIS's life support flicks off.
I swear loudly, hoping in the back of my mind the TARDIS doesn't translate my Gallifreyan to English. If Rose ever finds out what I say when I mess up, then she'll never let me near our children.
Rose slides down onto that perfect bum, watching me with growing awakeness. She smiles softly and I briefly touch her hand to let her know I know she is there. Not that I wouldn't know anyway, unless I was half-dead and not caring.
As I work I notice that look on her face, the one that says she is thinking hard. Curious, I shamelessly but gently look into her mind.
'-his eyes sharp as from wintery ice. Deep in the night, when we are entwined, I feel like I am embracing winter itself as I kiss his lips, feel his breath against my face, feel him inside me, a biting but wonderful cold...'
Biting? Is my skin that bloody cold? My poor Rose...no wonders she likes the sex more then the cuddling...I always thought that was odd, since she was a human...
I again listen in to her thoughts.
'-his soul, summer warmth and cruelty. Warmth because he would do anything to help someone, he always tried to do what was right. Stick up for the people that were being stepped on. Cruel because, like a summer storm, he'd sweep in, fast and furious. He has no mercy for bullies of any kind. Only a fool would go against a summer storm and its fury.'
Is she comparing me to the seasons? What an odd little ape . . . hmm. Seasonal Time Lord. What a strange concept.
My fingers put the last wire in place. Done! I leap up, giving my beloved a quick kiss on the lips. Don't want to freeze 'em off.
"Want some late night tea, then?" I ask brightly. Her smile widens and she nods. Make the best tea in the universe, me.
The kitchen is welcoming, a soft golden hue like sunlight flowing into it.
"I'll make the tea, love, go sit down." I go to start the kettle but Rose beats me to it. "Rose, love, no!" I exclaim, rushing over and taking her cup. "I'll get you your tea, I told you, go sit down, go on."
She pouts a little but does as she's told. I hurry about, wondering how I ended up in this domestic life when a year ago I was dead set against it. I begin to hum an old love song, and then realise I just answered myself.
I hear her stifle a giggle and know I have been caught adding that extra sugar into my tea. Oh well. It's my tea.
Sitting across from her, I take one last peek into her mind while giving her her tea.
'I wonder what he would think of me compared to the seasons...'
I'll just have to answer that, then.
ROSE
I woke up to light, cold kisses on my lips that trailed down my neck and around to my other ear. It took all I had not to burst into giggles - which happens anyway.
My husband grins at me.
"Mornin'," he greets.
"Mornin' yourself." I take this opportunity to yawn. He watches me curiously, then takes this as his cue to kiss my tongue. When I yawn I yawn like a cat - tongue goes out and everything. I'm a weird one.
I wrinkle my nose. "Ruined a perfectly good yawn," I complain before being attacked by kisses again. I squeal, being defenceless and loving it.
Of course, if I didn't have this big belly he'd be the one defenceless. I know exactly were he's ticklish - but I really don't want to try it.
"Rose." He grins. "Lovable little ape Rose..." He trails off, gazing into my eyes. I feel myself blush. Stupid, isn't it? I've only had sex with him, and I blush because he's looking at my face.
How does he do that?
"Theta," I answer, though I'm cut off since he kisses me again.
"Winter," he murmurs, to himself I'm thinking. I blink questioningly at him and he grins.
"Winter?" I repeat.
"Your stubbornness, it's like winter. It refuses to leave until the jobs done."
I blink at him and then it dawns on me - he was listening to me thoughts, and now he was trying to compare me to the seasons. I laugh and snuggled into him.
"Rose?" he wonders, a little lost.
"I love you," I giggle. "And please continue." I look innocently up into his eyes - at the moment they were unsure, but upon my request they light up. He begins, softly, looking away in shyness. My heart melts. My poor Theta...he doesn't do romance well, this must be difficult for him.
Which makes what he is about to say priceless and pure gold, even if he messes it up. Which I believe he could never do, not really.
"Winter is the longest, most stubborn season. Winter comes in and does exactly what it needs to do, and it doesn't listen to anyone - not Prime Ministers, not school teachers, not the weather person. People may want it gone, but the truth is, winter is the best season. It refuses to admit defeat. It doesn't lie or pretend that everything will be all right, but it does its best."
He looks up into my eyes, and I feel myself blush slightly. His crystal blue eyes show what he is obviously trying to hide: He's frightened. I smile, hoping to get it across that I want him to say this, I want him to open up - even after a year of being married, he is still afraid I will leave him.
"Rose Tyler-Sigma, you are the strongest, most stubborn person I have met. You come into a situation and you do what needs to be done to get it right. Nothing can get in your way - Daleks, over-bearing mothers, Reapers - a Time Lord that refuses to be domesticated." This makes me laugh softly and he grins briefly before continuing, "Some people want you to change, but the truth is, your perfect the way you are. You never say 'I give up' or 'you win.' You never lie to anyone - worrisome mothers and people trying to take over the universe non-withstanding. You don't cheat, and you always try to do whats right.
"Autumn is cooling off from the summer. It lends a hand to cooling off the heat, making everyone ready for winter, for the cold and the harshness.
"Rose, you keep me sane. With you behind me, beside me - in front of me, sometimes, foolish little ape - I'm ready for anything the universe will collide into us. You keep my head from spinning off, keep me from doing foolish things. I should listen to you more often, my little Rose.
"Spring is cheerful most often. It heals damage done by the harshness of winter. Spring melts the coldness in the land, brings life to a seemingly lifeless landscape. It heals everything it touches - it believes everything should have a chance.
"Rose, when you came into my life I was a bitter old man." He swallows a nervous lump. "I hated the universe even as I saved it. And then you came; your wonderful little ape way of looking at things; with you I wasn't so dead. Like spring to a winter-battered plain, you brought me back. And not just me, love. You changed a Dalek, not because you set out to but because you believed it had a right to live."
I am crying, and he wipes the offending waterlines away. He pounders over the last season, looks at my tears, and grins.
"Summer is hot...and so are you."
I blink at him, registering what he said and bursting into a giggle fit. He looks damned pleased with himself. After I calm down, I realise something very important.
"Theta, my water broke."
THETA
She looks so peaceful, my Rose. Too peaceful.
I carefully climb the bed, gently positioning myself above my wife - then plant a kiss on her lips. It turns into another one, and another...I abandon her lips in favor of her neck and ear. She's trying hard not to giggle, and she doesn't succeed.
I grin down at her. Thinks she can hold off against me, does she?
"Mornin'," I tell her, knowing I sound like a damn cheery fool.
"Mornin' yourself," she answers before yawning. I watch her with curiosity. Rose yawns like a cat, something I never thought humans did.
I smile. It is a good opportunity to kiss a part of her body I don't usually kiss.
She wrinkles her nose. "Ruined a perfectly good yawn," she whines. Oh really? I attack her with kisses again. Teach her to choose a yawn over me.
She squeals, trying half heartily to get away before giving up and just giggling. I know if she wasn't pregnant I would be the one defenceless. She knows exactly were I'm ticklish - but I suppose she doesn't feel like fightin'.
"Rose." I grin again. "Lovable little ape Rose..." I brake off, gazing into her eyes. All my words tumbled right out of my head, gone as my tongue freezes.
How does she do that?
"Theta," she answers, her voice saying my name waking up a desire to kiss her all over. I refrain from more then one kiss.
"Winter," I murmur to myself. She started with winter, I guess I'll start with winter, then. I notice her blinking at me with questions in her eyes. I give her a grin.
"Winter?" she echoes.
"Your stubbornness, its like winter. It refuses to leave until the jobs done," I explain, mentally kicking myself. Yes, Theta, that was exactly what she had in mind when she thought, 'I wonder what he would think of me compared to the seasons.' Thats right. She's a stubborn donkey.
I hate myself sometimes.
Rose laughs and snuggles into my side.
"Rose?" I wonder, hoping I didn't ruin the whole effect by screwing up. Should I continue? What if I kill this even more, and she goes back to her mother?
"I love you," she giggles. "And please continue." She looks up into my eyes, hers soft and hoping and, well, innocent.
For a brief moment I am confident, but as I start to talk I look away. I can't look at her while I say what I have been practicing all night. What if she doesn't like it?
Rose shifts positions so she is slightly above me, absently playing with my jumper.
"Winter is the longest, most stubborn season. Winter comes in and does exactly what it needs to do, and it doesn't listen to anyone - not Prime Ministers, not school teachers, not the weather person. People may want it gone, but the truth is, winter is the best season. It refuses to admit defeat. It doesn't lie or pretend that everything will be all right, but it does its best."
I look up into her eyes, and she blushes slightly, turning into the most beautiful little ape that was ever born.
I try to appear like I know exactly what I'm doing, but its so hard. Harder then I thought. Nine hundred and fourteen years old and I'm scared of telling a girl how I feel. A girl, who is actually a young woman, and my wife and pregnant with my child.
What is wrong with me?
She smiles, her brown eyes telling me she wants me to say this, wants me to speak to her. I'm shaking inside as I tell her why I fell in love with her,
"Rose Tyler-Sigma, you are the strongest, most stubborn person I have met. You come into a situation and you do what needs to be done to get it right. Nothing can get in your way - Daleks, over-bearing mothers, Reapers - a Time Lord that refuses to be domesticated." This makes her laugh softly and I grin briefly before continuing, "Some people want you to change, but the truth is, your perfect the way you are. You never say 'I give up' or 'you win.' You never lie to anyone - worrisome mothers and people trying to take over the universe non-withstanding. You don't cheat, and you always try to do whats right.
"Autumn is cooling off from the summer. It lends a hand to cooling off the heat, making everyone ready for winter, for the cold and the harshness.
"Rose, you keep me sane. With you behind me, beside me - in front of me, sometimes, foolish little ape - I'm ready for anything the universe will collide into us. You keep my head from spinning off, keep me from doing foolish things. I should listen to you more often, my little Rose.
"Spring is cheerful most often. It heals damage done by the harshness of winter. Spring melts the coldness in the land, brings life to a seemingly lifeless landscape. It heals everything it touches - it believes everything should have a chance.
"Rose, when you came into my life I was a bitter old man." I swallow a nervous lump. "I hated the universe even as I saved it. And then you came; your wonderful little ape way of looking at things; with you I wasn't so dead. Like spring to a winter-battered plain, you brought me back. And not just me, love. You changed a Dalek, not because you set out to but because you believed it had a right to live."
She is crying, my beautiful little Rose is crying. I wipe the tear streaks off her cheeks. I wonder if I should tell her of summer, how it compares to her beauty, but I don't want her to cry. I never want her to cry.
I take in her tears, and grin. Fantastic.
"Summer is hot . . .and so are you."
She blinks at me, not registering what I said at first and then bursting into a giggle fit. Most brilliant bloke in the universe, me. After she calms down, she gets a slight worried look. She informs me calmly,
"Theta, my water broke."
Why didn't I notice that, she's nearly on top of me...
Wait. Water broke . . .baby!