Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.
A/N: Just a very brief thing I came up with for the first time in weeks, so thought I might post it on here. It's a one-shot, but if I get a lot of interest, I could possibly continue it. Reviews very much appreciated! Xoxo Anyways...
Allons-y!
The first time they enter the shop is just after Christmas. They leave the flat together in a hurry that day, eager to get away from the stacks of boxes piled high all around them. She takes him down a street she's known since she was a kid, and the Doctor suspects that secretly she's a little thrilled to finally be able to show him some new place instead of the other way around. Her arm is linked in through his, and he loves the feeling of her leaning into him as they pad along the sidewalk, her shivering just slightly next to him because of the cold. And he's thinking that life could not get much better than this, and wishing he'd always feel this way.
"Me and Mickey had our first date over there." Rose points to some shop across the street, lips curving upwards slightly at some forgotten memory. "It was really sweet, actually. He spent his allowance that he'd been saving for, like, weeks on these flowers, only to have them crumpled in his backpack a couple minutes later."
"Sounds like your boyfriend."
"Oi! First of all, we're not together anymore; you know that. Second, it was the best he could do. We were only 14, and it's not like we got together officially until a couple of years later."
"Alright, alright. Point taken."
"Oh, Doctor, look at that little place over there!" He follows her gaze to a small chip shop with a small sign above it. "I don't remember that. Can we go take a look?" The Doctor's just about to protest because they've already been away for quite a while now and he'd really like to return to the TARDIS soon, but then Rose is looking at him through her eyelashes and doing that special Rose-smile with her tongue poking out through a small gap in her teeth and, really, who could blame him for not being able to deny her anything. Then he's taking her hand in his just like that Christmas night when everything was just as perfect as it is now, and they dart past the cars crowding the street into the spot Rose had spotted.
"Rose, do you smell that?" He asks, whiffing the air as he opens the door for her(rather gallantly, if you were to consult him). "It chips! Ooh, I love chips!" She stares at him with a puzzled expression on her face as she walks through the door, and he wonders what he's done wrong until she finally spoke.
"I thought you hated chips. The last you, anyways. You were always complaining about how bad the stench was." And it feels like she's just punched him in the stomach. So she still doesn't see him, still doesn't know that he's the same. Rose is looking at him, and the Doctor is trying to stop himself from removing the mask of indifference that's on his face.
"I-Rose, I'm-" He pauses, unsure of what to say, and runs a hand through his hair. "I'm him. Really, properly, we're the same person. There's little differences, yeah, like the chip thing or the fact that I may tend to run my gob a little more, but him and me, we're the same. I know-" his voice breaks and he has to clear his throat before continuing. "I know it's hard, but please just...believe me." They stand there for a while in silence, and he's not breathing but his hearts are thudding out of his chest. She suddenly looks down at the ground, embarrassed for some reason he can't comprehend.
"Yeah, you're right. Gosh, I'm so sorry, Doctor. I didn't mean...I-it's just hard, you know. I'm with you and I'm happy, happier than I've ever been, but I feel guilty. Because I shouldn't be happy, I should be missing him, or the other you, rather." She tucks a hair behind her ear and looks up at him. "I just...I don't want to forget."
"You're not going to forget me." The Doctor says softly, taking a small step closer. "You can't forget me when I'm right here." Then, their little moment is over, and they're both pretending like nothing happened, like that was a normal conversation to have in the middle of a chip shop. Rose buys their food, grumbling about how he'll have to pay for it one of these days and he swears that he will remember to get some cash next time. They sit down at a table near the window and stay there for an hour, just chatting about one random thing or another. Once when she's about to put another chip in her mouth, he grabs it from her and makes a show of savoring the flavor until he realizes that she's drenched it with vinegar, which leads to him promptly spitting it back out. Rose can't eat for a whole minute after that because she's laughing so hard, and at one point, the Doctor is concerned for her safety.
It's during their first visit to this chip shop that he realizes that he's in love with her, has been since the very beginning. He's not about to tell her that; oh no, he can't do that. But what he can do is remember these moments, their memories that will only ever be theirs, because he knows that one day, time will run out for them and not even the Last of the Timelords can stop it. Now, though, they are safe and things are as they should be. The Doctor and Rose Tyler, together. Just as it should be.