"KISS ME, MY LONELY ANGEL." The deep mechanical voice called out as it grew closer.
"Unbelievable." Rose muttered angrily as The Doctor tightened his grip on her hand and pulled her down yet another long hallway within the large factory housing Lumic's army of Cybermen. "Of all the stupid idiotic things… 'I know what M' doin' Rose. S' only one trip and M' perfectly capable of keepin' her safe 'cause M' jus sooo impressive'." she mocked in perfect imitation of his estuary accent.
"Well how was I suppose to know we'd end up in a parallel universe filled with Cybermen?" The Doctor replied in his defense as they ran.
"Well I hope you're happy now 'cause not only is history startin' to unravel but it seems your new and improved metal girlfriend has decided she wants to kill us. Or, well me anyway. Apparently she jus' wants to snog you."
"For the last time she's not my girlfriend." The Doctor bit out, pulling his sonic from his pocket and pointing it at the lock on the door in front of them.
"Oh really?" Rose shot back as the Doctor grabbed her wrist and pulled her through the now open door.
They closed it just in time to hear the heavy metallic footsteps pass by followed by the repetitive monotone cadence of "KISS ME, MY LONELY ANGEL."
"Then maybe you should tell her that 'cause she seems to have a different opinion of your relationship." she said half bitter half mocking. "I thought Cybermen didn't have any emotions but she sure seems to be quite infatuated with you."
"They don't have any emotions Rose." It didn't take long for the Doctor to notice they had ended up in a room with no other exit but a small window. "It's probably a malfunction with the speech subroutines implanted in her brain. Reinette was a strong-willed women and some of her past memories must have resurfaced while she was fighting against the implants."
Rose shivered at the thought. She didn't want to think about the irony here. They saved the poor woman's brain from becoming part of an abandoned spaceship in the 51st century only to have it instead be transplanted into a cold, emotionless metal body in a parallel 21st. For a moment she wondered which fate was worse.
"So you're tellin' me her brain jus' got stuck on some random thought or somethin' which jus' so happens to be you?"
"Pretty much." The Doctor answered absentmindedly while casting the blue light of his sonic on a spot beside the window, making the whole scenario seem oddly familiar.
Rose glared at the Doctor's back knowing full well why he was at the window with his sonic in hand and it wasn't to resonate concrete. She had heard him bragging about snogging Madame de Pompadour after his second trip through the fireplace on that godforsaken spaceship and now he was purposely busying himself with a pointless task in order to avoid her question.
"And of course you didn't do anythin' to put that thought into her head now, did you?" she asked sarcastically.
"Rose…" The Doctor's response was interrupted by a loud banging on the door.
"KISS ME, MY LONELY ANGEL. KISS ME."
Rose threw her hands up in frustration. "Doctor, will you stop tryin' to resonate concrete. We need to get out of here!" The sound of metal fists cracking through the strong wood sent a wave of adrenaline rushing through her and she cried out again. "Doctor!"
"Quick, in here!" The Doctor pulled Rose towards a small supply closet in the corner of the room.
It was little more than a cupboard filled with a variety of strong smelling bottles of chemicals, a couple of mops and brooms and a vacuum cleaner. With barely enough space to even stand straight Rose clambered inside, stumbling over a large bucket as she pressed her back against one of the shelves while wondering just how the Doctor expected them to both fit inside once the door was closed.
The Doctor on the other hand didn't seemed to be particularly bothered at all by their current predicament as he squeezed himself in, pressing his body tightly against hers as he closed the door behind him. "For the record, I wasn't resonating concrete." he whispered in her ear.
Memories of a northern accent and worn black leather filled her mind and she exhaled the rush it gave her against The Doctor's neck. She kept still for a few moments, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dark as the heat in the small cupboard began to increase exponentially.
The Doctor shifted a bit, trying to find a comfortable position. Neither of them were particularly cozy, the short compartment making them both bend awkwardly against one another. Rose attempted to use The Doctor's movement to her advantage as she tried to tug down the skirt of her maid's dress without any success, his leg between hers trapping it against her bum.
"A cupboard Doctor, really?" she asked irritably.
"Shh…" was his only reply and she quickly bit back a snippy retort sighing inwardly.
Rose wriggled, trying to straighten her dress once more but immediately stopped squirming when she felt the beating of his hearts begin to accelerate against her chest and his breath catch near her temple. They were very… close. The realization having just dawned on her and she swallowed hard as the temperature spiked another notch.
The sound of the door to the room being broken down was a welcome distraction to the growing intensity between them and they immediately froze in place listening as the last of the wood pieces were sent clattering to the floor only to be crushed to rubble and splinters by the klunk of heavy footsteps as the hollow voice of the metal woman once again called out for her angel.
The Doctor must've noticed Rose's breath getting heavier at the possibility that they could be found at any moment because he suddenly pulled her closer to him.
"Easy." he murmured against her ear and she wasn't quite sure if he was trying to soothe her or himself. This whole situation was a complete mess.
They clung to one another tightly as they listened to 'Cyber-nette', as Rose had begun to refer to the courtesan-turned robot in her head, make her way around the room and after a few moments her cries and thumping footsteps began to retreat. Letting out a breath of relief, the pairs' grip on one another slackened slightly and The Doctor brushed his lips against Rose's ear making her shiver.
"Let's wait a few minutes to make sure the coast is clear and then we'll go okay?" he murmured.
Unsure as to whether or not she could even squeak out a reply from the effect he was starting to have on her, Rose could only nod her head in response. The silence stretched on between them for a few more moments as they listened intently for any sign of Cyber-nette's return when Rose suddenly found herself speaking up, her curiosity having gotten the better of her.
"So what kind of kiss was it anyway?" she asked, slightly shocked by her own bravado.
"What?" The Doctor asked, confusion lacing his tone.
"Well, you said you kissed her yeah?"
"She kissed me." he interjected.
"Okay fine, she kissed you. I was jus' curious as to what kind of kiss it was."
The Doctor released a heavy sigh through his nose before responding. "Does it matter?"
Rose shrugged. "I dunno. I guess not. I mean, I was jus' thinkin' it must of been some spectacular sort a kiss if it stuck with her enough for her to remember it after… ya know."
"Rose, just to be clear, she kissed me. And yes I kissed back out of reflex but it didn't mean anything. It was just a simple kiss, a one-off." he paused, his hands moving up to cradle her face. "Here, I'll show you."
Rose let out a squeak of surprise as his lips captured hers but after a few seconds she slowly began to respond, her hands drifting up his chest to rest over his hearts. For his own part, The Doctor was now beginning to realize his mistake in trying to reassure her. He had forgotten just how dangerous kissing Rose Tyler could be. Usually he was able to control his impulses and reactions to her thanks to his highly evolved Time Lord mind and genetics but now, trapped in this small cupboard with her soft curves molding to his hard planes, he wasn't sure if he could stop himself or if he even wanted to anymore. Moving one hand to cup the back of her head as the other slid to her lower back to pull her even tighter against him, he deepened the kiss and with the first brush of his tongue along hers, his control snapped.
When the need for air became too great Rose broke the kiss, sucking in a breath as The Doctor's lips began to descend down her neck and latch onto her pulse point and she gasped, arching into him.
"Doctor." she breathed.
"Rose." he growled possessively, pressing his hips tightly against hers and allowing her to feel the evidence of his arousal.
Eyes widening in shock, Rose pushed hard against his chest to get him to pull back. "Oh my god. Doctor, did you and she…"
"No." he cut her off firmly, his dark eyes boring into hers as he willed her to believe him.
"But the way you jus' kissed me." she shook her head. "That was a lot more than a 'simple little kiss' Doctor. Not to mention you're…" she drifted off glancing down between them.
A slow smirk began to spread across The Doctor's face. "Oh no, that's just you, Rose Tyler." He grinded his hips against hers, earning him another gasp. "I seem to have lost what little self-control I had left now that you're in my arms like this."
"But I thought… I mean after our talk the other night outside the chippy I figured you didn't want me like that."
"Oh I want you Rose. I've wanted you for a long time. I've tried pushing you away and putting other people between us but it hasn't worked and now the universe is collapsing around us and I'm tired of fighting it."
His mouth descended upon hers once more and this time she didn't stop him.
It wasn't exactly as they had always imagined, trapped in a broom closet, hiding from an obsessed metal woman and yet it was so very them. The Doctor practically ripped Rose's tights from her body in his haste as they pushed aside only the minimal amount of clothing before coming together. It was hard, and it was fast, and it was perfect.
As they drifted down from their euphoric bliss The Doctor moved his hand to cup Rose's cheek and pressed his lips to hers once more, pouring all the love he felt for her but couldn't yet say into the kiss and she responded fervently, so much so she felt her heart might burst.
"Well that was..." she breathed out when he finally pulled back.
"Yeah..." he agreed, chuckling softly.
They stole glances at one another as they righted themselves and refastened their clothing, unable to keep the smiles from their faces. The Doctor leaned in to give Rose one more lingering kiss and then turned to open the door. The pair began to clamber out of the small cupboard when The Doctor stopped short, causing Rose to stumble against him as he stood gaping at the sight of the poshly dressed Cyberwoman standing in the middle of the room.
"ANGEL?"
"Oh, right." The Doctor nodded to himself, now remembering their original reason for hiding out in the first place.
"Rose?" he said quietly.
"Yeah?"
Reaching back, he entwined their fingers. "Run!" he shouted, yanking her towards the giant hole in the wall that used to be a door.
They legged it out of the factory, managing to avoid any further run-ins with 'Cyber-nette' or any of the other Cybermen, and hurried across the bridge to where the TARDIS sat waiting. Once inside, Rose leaned back against the doors taking a moment to catch her breath while The Doctor quickly made his way up the ramp to the console and began flipping switches.
"She's at full power." he announced, staring at the calculations on the monitor.
"So now what?" Rose asked as she moved to join him.
"Weelll, we could still try to take her back. Maybe they won't be able to tell the difference. I mean, by this time she and the King were no longer..." he tugged his ear. "Well, you know."
Rose rolled her eyes. "Doctor, M' pretty sure the King and the rest of Versailles S' still gonna notice the difference between a six foot seven metal robot in a dress and the uncrowned queen of France."
The Doctor sucked in a breath, eyebrows lifting in thought as he nodded. "Right. Okay, then what would you suggest?"
"I dunno, but there's gotta be somethin'."
"There may be one thing." he paused in thought. "But it's a bit risky."
The color drained from Rose's face in realization. "Oh no Doctor. No. You said crossin' your own timeline was dangerous. What about reapers?"
"That wouldn't happen this time since we already know exactly where we're gonna be. If I make a small adjustment to the timing on the fireplace right after I come through at the five and a half hour mark, then when I try to go back for her it would be years later rather than hours and I'd most likely be too late. The only thing is," he took her hands in his. That means this timeline we're in now will change. We won't remember any of this. Being here, the things we said," he swallowed roughly and met her eyes. "What we did."
Rose nodded in understanding. A small part of her wanted to say no, to suggest they try to find another way but she knew it had to be done, for the sake of the universe. Even if it meant them going back to constantly dancing around their feelings while he continued to try to put barriers between them.
"So," she began somewhat hesitantly, staring down at their hands and hating that she still felt a bit insecure in comparison to Reinette even after all that had happened. "If you were too late to go back for her wouldn't you be... I dunno upset or disappointed?"
The Doctor placed two fingers under her chin and lifted her head to meet his eyes once more. "Only because I would feel bad for not being able to keep my promise of taking her on a trip in thanks for helping me get back to you." He gave her a soft, reassuring smile. "My hearts belong to you Rose. Ever since I took your hand in that basement. No one else."
Rose's eyes sparkled as she tried to hold back her tears. "Doctor, if we're not going to remember this anyway then..." she took a deep breath. "I... I love you."
"Rose Tyler," The Doctor smiled warmly his eyes crinkling in the corners. "I love you too, my precious girl."
They moved together, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss. His arms wrapped around her, crushing her to him as his tongue explored her mouth while she wound her arms around his neck, her hands carding through his hair.
Pulling back, The Doctor reached up and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, his knuckles brushing lightly against her cheek. "You know, as much fun as that cupboard was I was thinking we should take advantage of what little time we have left and do things properly. What do you think?"
"I think that's quite possibly your best idea yet." Rose grinned, tongue in teeth. "So... mine or yours?"
Sweeping her up into his arms, he looked deeply into her eyes as he headed for the corridor. "How about just this once, ours?"