Author's Note: Written as part of Ponygirl's Summer Solstice Fanfic Exchange. This is for Megoddess2, who wanted 10/Rose, an adventure on an alien planet, and a reference to Jack. A challenge in every sense of the word, since I had only seen one Tennant episode and adventure isn't really my forte. If it sucks, that's my only excuse.

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"It's so 'ot out 'ere," Rose said in amazement.

"Full summer," answered the Doctor.

"Yeh, but it looks like spring. Early spring. Still a bit chilly."

He nodded. "Mm. It's the atmosphere. Quality of the light makes it look colder than it really is. Mind you, the people on Jalorus V would probably step out of a spaceship on Earth in mid-winter and die of frostbite because it looked so hot on the monitor they all went off without their coats. Lesson number 191-stroke-B on never judging by appearances."

"'Sat wha's called? Jalorus V? Definitely an alien planet – look at that blue grass!"

"Either that or we're in Kentucky," he grinned. "And they don't normally have green skies there unless it's a hailstorm. Or purple lakes, either," he added, pointing at an expanse of dark purple water just visible through a grove of trees.

The trees, Rose noted, looked fairly normal. "Green sky and blue grass. Like the whole world's sor'a upside down." She looked towards the lake again, noting how cool the dark water looked.

"Fancy a swim, then?" she suggested.

"Now, Rose, be sensible. We don't even know if it's safe," he answered with a wink. "There could be all kinds of monsters and pollution, and pollution monsters. Due caution at all times, you know!"

Rose giggled and headed back into the TARDIS to change into her bathing suit.

There were, in fact, no bizarre monsters lurking beneath the surface, no excessive amounts of pollution, just a slightly fishy smell. Even the colour was nothing more than an optical illusion, like the "blue" seas of Earth, caused by the combination of rocks and vegetation and reflected sunlight.

And it was cool, at least in comparison with the ambient temperature. The two companions swam and played in the water, splashing one another like children. For the longest time there seemed no other sound in the countryside but the splash of water punctuated by occasional male laughter and shrieks of pleasure from Rose when he threw water in her face, or when she pushed him under.

"Dark soon," the Doctor announced, treading water as he looked up at the sky.

Rose looked up, puzzled. "Thought i' was mid-afternoon."

"Some planets have this sort of instant nightfall. No twilight, just light one minute and dark the next, practically. This is one of 'em. Tell by the sun. Mid-afternoon now, be full dark in an hour or two."

"Wow. That's weird. I love this stuff, Doctor." When he didn't reply she went on, "Alien planets with blue grass, and apple grass, and purple lakes, and instant sunsets. Still, I think I'd miss not having any sunsets, wouldn't you?" Still no reply. "Doctor? Wouldn't you miss sunsets if there weren't any planets that had 'em? Doctor?"

She turned around to find herself alone. "Doctor? Doctor, where are you? This i'n't funny – quit messin' about." She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and scanned the surrounding shoreline in case he'd somehow slipped out of the water while her back was turned. No sign of him anywhere.

"Doctor? Where've you got to? I'm not worried, if tha's what ya think," she said, with a slight tremor in her voice that rather belied the bravado of her words. "Doctor? I mean it, I'm not worryin' about ya. I know all about 'ow you can hold yer breath for days or summing like that because yer a Time Lord. You hear me? I'm not gonna worry."

Another minute went by. Two minutes. Three. To Rose it felt more like three hours. Or three years.

"Doctor?" she called again softly. "Where are yoouuuu...!"

The question ended in a strangled yelp as she felt herself grabbed by the ankle. Her gasp of surprise had the fortuitous side-effect of giving her a lungful of air just before her head went under.

Rose opened her eyes to find the Doctor's grinning face inches from hers, his normally floppy hair floating straight up from his head like brown seaweed. He put one hand on her shoulder and pointed with the other arm, drawing her attention toward a very odd-looking spiny fish, a creature rather resembling a lionfish only colourfully pretty.

When they breached the surface she took a shuddering breath and turned a withering glance on the Doctor. "What the hell did you think you were doin'?" she demanded, smacking him on the arm. "Givin' me a fright like that?"

The Doctor put his head back and spat a stream of water in a graceful arc. "What were you saying before I pulled you under? Hard to hear under water. Lovely down there, though. Looovvellyyy. Wasn't that kebel fish gorgeous? And I think I saw a school of gumblejack down there. I didn't even think they were supposed to exist in this part of the galaxy. Would you believe I used to be dead keen on fishing a few regenerations back? Fishing, then it was cricket the next time, then fishing again, then ... what?"

She was giving him the look he'd seen all too often in his life, usually on the face of a female companion. Her hands were spread out on the still surface of the water and not on her hips, but otherwise, exactly the same. He reacted the way he normally did in the same situation, too – with a flash of his boyishly good-natured smile.

Rose snorted. "Like a 900-year-old kid, you are."

"Oh, well, there's something to be said for stayin' a kid. You get to be, y'know ... childlike. And, erm..."

"Childish?" she suggested, with just the hint of a grin.

"Race you to shore!" shouted the Doctor abruptly, pushing off through the purple water with powerful strokes.

"Yep. Childish."

Half an hour later they were lying flat on their backs on the grass, soaking up the rays of the rather pale-looking sun. Rose's sparkly pink bikini was long since dry, but the Doctor's blue shorts and white t-shirt still clung wetly to his thin form. He'd been back in for another dip already.

Rose kept sneaking glances at him. This was the most she'd ever seen of him, barring the time she'd undressed him following his regeneration, and she'd hardly been in any fit state to appreciate aesthetics then. He was a bit cuter than he had been before, albeit without the overt sexiness of his previous incarnation. And, granted, he didn't exactly look as awe-inspiring as Captain Jack in the tight white shirt, either. The Doctor could be more easily described as painfully thin than toned and buff. When the shirt stuck to him, as it did now, she could see the suggestion of a few ribs underneath. Still ... not bad, she decided. After all, he'd retained every ounce of charisma he'd ever possessed, and the brown eyes glowed with intelligence and enthusiasm. Oh, yes, the charm was still there in full measure.

Her gaze moved upwards to his face and she was caught. The Doctor was not only watching her watch him, but giving her bikini-clad curves a long, appraising look of his own. Rose bit her lower lip self-consciously, but she met his gaze and held it. He smiled at her.

"Fancy another dip before nightfall?"

She shook her head and watched him lope off toward the lake yet again. Suddenly she wondered if the "dip" might not just be a variation on the proverbial cold shower. With a giggle, Rose Tyler lay back and closed her eyes.

She opened them again, moments later, to find the Doctor standing over her, dripping on her. "Watch it!"

He was staring off into the distance, down the gravelled road. "That can't be good," he said quietly. "Villagers carrying torches, that's never a good sign. Never, never a good sign," he repeated.