They were lying in the grass on a hillside, drowsy and content in the warmth of the sun. The Doctor had his eyes shut, arms behind his head, but Rose was looking around, propped up on her elbows. Taking in the almost eerily beautiful scene before her. The grass was longer than your average front lawn, and the breeze that rustled through it seemed to whisper a strange kind of music. And the colours! The grass was such a deep, rich green, tinged with blue, and the flowers that were dotted around, as if scattered by some giant, were of colours that Rose had never even seen before. It made her head hurt; there was no way she could even begin to describe them. Squinting slightly against the sun, she focussed her gaze on the distance, on fields and meadows that stretched for miles and miles, as far as she could see, sun drenched and dreamlike. And not another person – or alien – in sight. She lay down, turning slightly to face the half-asleep alien at her side.
"So, where are we again?"
"D'baunta. Largely uninhabited."
"I can see that. Why?"
He opened his eyes. "Look around. Why do you think? Area of natural beauty. A bit like the National Trust sites on your planet; it's protected. Permanent sunshine."
He beamed up at the sky happily, as if this state of weather was really the best thing one could ask for.
"Is that even possible?"
"'Course. Not every planet spins round like a frisbee, you know. Other side of this one is covered in ice; I'd steer clear, if I were you. Tribes people there aren't very friendly." Rose wondered if he was talking from experience.
"And they don't half stink," he added after a moment's thought.
She smirked as she rolled onto her back, staring up at the sky, lost for the time being in her own thoughts.
The Doctor had his own reasons for coming here. It reminded him so much of one of his favourite places on Gallifrey. So peaceful, so beautiful… he loved the adventures that filled his life, but he couldn't deny that he'd been secretly relieved at Rose's request that they go and "chill" for a day or two. He hadn't told her why he'd chosen here, though. It didn't even make him sad, being here, not anymore. Not with Rose there, chatting away trivially and uttering occasional exclamations over some beautiful new flower or plant.
He looked at her. She'd moved to sit a few feet away from him, and was writing something in what he supposed to be a diary, completely engrossed in her task. He turned onto his side to watch her, smiling slightly. Through everything she'd seen and done since they'd met, she'd retained an almost childlike innocence that went right to the heart of him. She was so alive, so young, and yet when he looked into her eyes there was a wisdom, a maturity, that fascinated him as much as her innocence did. He watched her laugh to herself over something she'd just written or read. Funny things, humans. They were renowned for being really rather simple, not much to write home about, but he just didn't see it. They were intriguing, to say the least, this one in particular.
He sighed and lay back down, closing his eyes again. Yes, this one was definitely different from all the others. A companion like no other.
A woman like no other?
Was this what this was? This protectiveness he'd begun to feel, this warmth? The feeling that nothing was okay until they were holding hands, a perfect team. Was this what they had come to?
He was rudely interrupted from his moment of self-realisation by a shadow suddenly falling on him, blocking the sunlight. He opened an eye.
"Yes?"
"Do you know something?"
"Strangely Rose, yes, I do know several things."
She rolled her eyes and lay down next to him. Right next to him.
"No, but I mean. I've been keeping track of time –"
"Good to know one of us knows when we are, then."
"I've been keeping track of time," ignoring him, "and it's been a year today. Exactly. Well not exactly, I mean, it was like, night time really, wasn't it."
She waited for a reply.
"Am I supposed to know what you're talking about?"
"Since we met! You remember, 'hi nice to meet you run for your life,' that sort of thing."
He laughed softly.
"So human, noticing something like that." He thought for a moment. "So female, actually."
He laughed again as she hit him good-naturedly on the arm.
"Don't you even care!"
"Of course," he laced his fingers with hers placatingly. "Strange, though. It doesn't feel like a year."
"Shorter or longer?"
"Both," he turned his head to face her, grinning affectionately.
"I'm so glad I met you," he said softly, thinking back to their first few adventures. How she'd just followed him, trusting him blindly, placing her hand in his.
"Me too," she whispered. Neither of them were smiling now.
He reached out to tuck some hair behind her ear, his fingers dancing lightly over her skin.
"Do you regret anything?"
"Nothing. "She paused, and then, "I want to stay with you forever."
He took a moment to process this, just a moment, and then he sat up and pulled her into his arms, burying his face in golden hair that was more precious to him than any gold he'd ever encountered.
To his amazement, he was met with no resistance, and she slid her arms around his neck, clinging to him as though for dear life, and they couldn't quite keep still, because suddenly they couldn't hold each other tight enough, close enough, and they looked at each other and the suddenly his mouth was on hers and it was far more beautiful that anything around them, as they fought with lips and teeth and tongues, and Rose didn't know anymore where she ended and the Doctor began.
She broke away first, breathing erratic, eyes shining.
"Is this us now?" she asked.
He turned his head to look out at the sun, drawing it out. Closed his eyes to it and felt a warmth spread through him. He turned back to her.
"Yeah," he smiled, "this is us."