Rose huddled further down into her blanket her mum gave her for Christmas as she sat in the library on her favorite couch, trying to read a book the Doctor had led her to. It was an Earth book, ironically enough, Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." She had just gotten to the part when Arthur and Ford get picked up in the Heart of Gold before she got the text from Mickey telling her to come back and check something strange out at the school and was now trying to get back into it where she left off, but she couldn't stop thinking about the chips she ate and how they made her all smart.
It sure was weird being brilliant. She mused with a laugh. The Doctor sure seemed amused. I wonder though…her face turned downcast in mid thought. I wonder if he didn't wish I was smarter all the time. If he preferred me to be smarter. I mean, I'm just a shop girl. What do I know? He is so incredibly brilliant and wonderful, and so many things and I'm just a regular old human being. It's like Sarah Jane said. To him, I probably always look or seem like I just dribbled on my shirt. I know she said I'm clever, but I'm sure she was just being nice. I'm nothing special. Just another dull human that can never keep up with his crazy genius alien brain. But maybe if I could somehow get smart again and be able to keep up next time he goes on a tech-speak ramble, I'd really impress him. Then he'd like me for sure. I bet I'd be much more interesting then.
She jumped when the subject of her thoughts waltzed into the room, his chucks dampening the sound of his steps on the wooden floors. "Hello there!" He exclaimed with a smile, his eyes bright and happy, likely chipper from another job well done, the universe safe again once more.
"So how are you enjoying the work of ? I think it's a bit fanciful and quite pretentious at times, but then you can only do so much writing about what you don't know. I mean, I tried my best to help him with the facts, and where do you think he came up with the idea for "Ford Prefect"? It didn't come out of thin air, I'll say that much. But that translator fish, I mean what rubbish! That bit was ridiculous but what can you do? Sometimes even when a person fancies you they refuse to listen to your advice no matter how sound. By the way, are you hungry? I kind of feel like seeing the Big Crunch at the end of the universe, and I know this great place and…Rose? Are you even listening?" He trailed off as he realized his companion was staring off at nothing in particular on the mantelpiece above the fireplace.
"Hm? Oh yeah, sorry. Restaurant at the end of the universe, sounds good." She said uncharacteristically half-hearted, dragging herself out of her reverie, looking at him with faraway eyes. His expression quickly shifted from bright and eager to concerned as he sat down beside Rose. He lifted her feet from their position being tucked underneath her to place them on his lap. "Are you alright?" He asked her.
"Yeah, of course." She said weakly. "Why wouldn't I be?" She smiled, but it didn't touch her eyes. The doctor didn't want to ask this next question, but he would do it for Rose's sake. He stared at her feet under her black and white fuzzy blanket and let out a sigh, trying not to sound too sardonic. "Did you want to talk to your boyfriend it?" He had to stop himself from forming his usual sneer when he said that word in reference to Mickey. His darkened expression lightened when he heard her snort in indignation. "He's not–" she stopped herself. "That's not important." She remained quiet and tried harder to focus on her book. And failed miserably. But she tried to look into it anyway.
After about thirty seconds of her staring blankly at the page and him staring at her waiting for her to elaborate, he broke the silence. Impatient as always. Rose thought to herself with a small laugh. "So what is it then? Come on, out with it!" He encouraged gently. Maybe she wished I hadn't brought him with us? The Doctor thought to himself. I know I wouldn't have minded it staying just the two of us. We've just got settled and used to this new body, and I think one big, massive change is enough for me thank you. I mean, I'm going to have to go out and re-stock the cupboards now with his stuff, and the TARDIS will have to set up a whole room for him, and…Rassilon help me, I'm sounding positively domestic!
Her voice brought him back to the conversation at hand. "Nah, never mind it. It's silly." She attempted to shrug it off and decided to change the subject. "Doctor, has the TARDIS been sounding a bit wonky lately to you?" She tried, hoping he'd start on his usual senseless tech babble. " Well," he started, "I was fiddling with the helmic regulator the other day and,–– Hey wait a second!" No such luck. He could be like a dog with a bone sometimes. "No, come on now. I know there is something." He reached over and pulled her chin up so she was looking at him. "You can tell me anything, you know." He looked her fully in the eyes and said that last sentence with such an earnest and seriousness like she hadn't often seen in him. His eyes gently burned into hers, silently willing her, pleading her to tell him everything. His gaze was so intense she couldn't resist, but she also couldn't bear the weight of it anymore so she looked down at her hands and examined her nails as she mumbled out an incoherent whisper.
"Sorry?" He asked. "I didn't quite catch that." She look up, now into the blazing fire in the fireplace. "itscuzimstupid." She clarified, still not looking at him. Affter a pause she blurted, "Aren't you supposed to have superior Time Lord hearing or something?" Rose said with misplaced irritation seeping into her sarcastic question. "Of course." He replied simply. Okay, maybe not so misplaced. This time she moved her head towards him so he could at least see her eye roll. "But sometimes," he continued, "sometimes I don't quite catch nonsense questions." This time she stared at him with true incredulity. He sighed, "I just don't get where this is coming from. You are just about the brightest and self-confident human being I know."
"Well," she began, " you remember those chips I ate that made me smart?" She asked him. "Of course." He nodded sagely. "They were covered in Krillitane oil that worked as a conducting agent making the kids, and you, cleverer."
"Yeah," she nodded, "well what if I had kept eating them, or like, found something else that made me clever again. Like the chips." She paused when she saw his dumbfounded expression then continued. "So I could be smart all the time, and I could understand when you babble on about the TARDIS or spacey stuff, and I'd get it all! You wouldn't have to waste time explaining stuff and I wouldn't slow you down." She looked down again at her busy thumbs, suddenly very interested in the seam of the blanket. For about a full minute and three second he was quiet.
"Is that really what you are on about?" He asked her quietly, looking up from the spot in space between him and the floor he had been focused on as she explained herself. Then he turned to face her. "Rose, I–I like you just fine as you are. I wouldn't change a single thing about you." Well, maybe one thing. He thought to himself. A century is too short a lifespan. Rose looked towards him again, still not wanting to meet his gaze, but gathering up courage to say one of her biggest fears. "But you'll get bored of me."
His sudden laugh took her off guard and she wasn't sure if she should be relieved or annoyed. "Sorry," he apologized when her confusion was obviously more mixed with the latter emotion. "it's just that…gosh, just when I think you couldn't surprise me any more." He paused and turned to face her completely, making it clear that he required her full attention. She slowly turned so she was facing him completely and was looking him full on into his deep brown eyes, which were so much like an open book. They clearly betrayed his laughter, joy, contentment, happiness, affection, mischief, amusement, and something much deeper, buried from the outside world. Sadness? Hope? Despair? Love? No one could really know but himself.
"Rose," he began, "when I told you that you were brilliant, I absolutely meant it. I can't even begin to describe how important you are to me. You helped me to realize that I don't know everything, and I need to always try harder to be better and help others be better as well." He rested his hands on her feet and she maneuvered her feet around, trying not to giggle when his hands inadvertently tickled her. His mood suddenly shifted to more somber and she stilled. "I –" he stopped when his voice broke. "You are my family, Rose. I have no one else. You could live a hundred thousand million years and I would never ever grow tired of you. You, with all your wonderful human emotions, and thoughts, and feelings! You will never cease to surprise and amaze me, and I love every second of it." He gestured with his hands as he spoke, probably without him realizing it, and he gripped her feet tighter as he finished, his face erupting into a huge grin.
She couldn't help but reciprocate, and was still having to think through everything he just said. She gave him her warmest, most genuine smile and said, "Thanks. I really needed that." After a few seconds and the somewhat intense atmosphere had passed, she added, "Well it's just as well that you think you can put up with me that long, 'cause you sure as hell are gonna have to live with it! I am not going anywhere." When she shot him her signature tongue in teeth grin he knew she was going to be fine.
"Now Doctor," Rose said, "I'm feeling a bit peckish. How about we check out that restaurant you mentioned earlier?" She closed her book and sat upright. He started to reply, "Sure, I'll get her ready to g–" "Nah," she interrupted him. "I'll drive!" And with that she leapt up and ran out of the room towards the console. He couldn't help his chuckle as he sat there in disbelief, shaking his head at her. I love that crazy human. He thought to himself. I mean, I love having her around. He caught himself and blushed at his thoughts. He smiled and rose to follow her. "I don't think so!" He called out to her. "Don't you remember what happened last time I let you drive?!" As if in answer to his question, the TARDIS suddenly lurched to the side, causing him to loose his balance. "There, you see?" He said to no one in particular. He let out one last laugh and quickly followed suit to the console room after her. His Rose.