Begins just after Satan Pit, ends just before Army of Ghosts. The Doctor watches a Disney movie and realizes that he's going about things all wrong. Now he tries to fix it.
I do not own Doctor Who.
Rose woke up to the TARDIS's simulated morning light and yawned. Sitting up, she turned to glance at her clock and instead saw a note with the Doctor's familiar scrawl.
Remember that time when we took a walk through the park near your mum's? You didn't want to go inside yet, because Jackie had a man in the house and it was really late. So I took your hand and we talk a nice walk through the park at 3 am? It was really nice, just the two of us. I was thinking about that this morning. About how much I enjoy your company. Because I am thinking of you, Rose, always.
Rose giggled as she refolded the note and placed it on the table while she put on clothes. As soon as she was dressed, she placed the note in her jeans' pocket and walked out the door. When she found the Doctor in the console room, she intended to say thank you, but as soon as he saw her he was launching the TARDIS and they were swept into another adventure.
The next unexpected act from the Doctor came a week later when they were in Cardiff to refuel. They had landed in the midst of a violent rainstorm, and Rose sat on the ramp, staring out the doors boredly.
"You could go shopping or something," the Doctor suggested after Rose sighed for what must have been the tenth time that afternoon. Rose turned to look at him. He was sitting in the jump seat, legs propped up on the console, with a book in his hand, and his glasses perched on his nose.
"Not this time. Both times we've refueled, something's happened. I'm staying right here this time," she responded, turning back around.
"I thought you liked the adventure," the Doctor remarked, a hint of insecurity in his voice. Rose turned to face him again, smiling.
"Of course I do, Doctor. But last time we were here, I just lost so much," she told him, a rare hint of vulnerability in her voice. The Doctor's face filled with compassion and he stood up and walked over to sit down next to her.
"I'm so sorry, Rose," he said, looking guilty. Rose gave him a small smile.
"It's not your fault, Doctor. And I still have you, so I'm not doing too bad," she replied, knocking him slightly with her shoulder. He stared at her for a few seconds, his eyes searching hers, then he suddenly stood and grabbed his coat.
"I need to go out. Wait here," he instructed. Rose watched him in surprise.
"Where are you going?" she inquired.
"I just remembered I need a part for the TARDIS. I should be back in about an hour."
"I could come wi-"
"No! I mean, no, you'll just be bored. I'll be back soon." With that, he left, closing the TARDIS door behind him. Rose stared at the door in confusion for a few seconds before standing and walking over to the jump seat, where the Doctor had left the book he'd been reading. She picked it up and began reading.
An hour and a half later, the Doctor had still not returned, and Rose began to worry. She put the book down, having barely made it through the first ten pages, and approached the screen on the console. Just as she started trying to figure out how to work it, she heard a key in the door to the TARDIS and she looked up. The Doctor walked in, one hand behind his back, looking surprised to see Rose next to the console.
"Doctor! You're late!" she accused, striding up to him trying to look angry, although laughter shone in her eyes. The Doctor chuckled.
"It took me longer to find what I needed than I thought," he explained. Rose suddenly noticed that he still held a hand behind his back, and she tugged lightly at his arm.
"What're you hiding?" she questioned, trying to look around him. The Doctor turned, still hiding his arm. He took a step backwards, then revealed his arm, holding up a bouquet of yellow daisies. Rose reached out tentatively and took them, looking at the Doctor in confusion. He looked away, blushing faintly.
"I-I thought they would cheer you up," he whispered. Rose grinned, reached out, and pulled the Doctor into a hug.
"Thank you, Doctor. They're beautiful," she told him sincerely. She turned around and left towards the kitchen to get a vase. After that, the flowers stayed on Rose's bedside table, where she could gaze at them as she fell asleep.
Two days later, the Doctor landed the TARDIS outside of a castle the morning of a huge ball. When Rose walked into the kitchen for breakfast, he was sitting on the table, looking extremely excited about something.
"What's got you so excited?" Rose asked tiredly as she walked to the kettle to make herself tea. The Doctor stood and walked over to lean against the counter next to her, grinning.
"I'm taking you to a ball, Rose Tyler," he told her, watching her face. She nearly dropped her mug in surprise, turning to face him.
"W-what? Why?" she demanded, taking a step back. His face fell, and he stood straight, reaching out to her.
"I-I thought you'd like it. You could dress up and act like a princess," he responded, sounding hurt.
"But Doctor, that's the thing. I'm not a princess. I could never be pretty enough to fit in at a castle." Rose looked down, staring into her tea. The Doctor's eyes softened and he reached out, taking her hand.
"Rose, you're beautiful. Everyone else there will be jealous," he assured her, smiling. The TARDIS hummed in agreement, and Rose grinned in return.
"How long do I have?"
"About five hours. Meet me in the console room when you're ready." The Doctor smiled, and Rose gave him a quick hug before running off, heading towards the wardrobe room. Once she was out of sight, the Doctor turned and went to his own bedroom, where he had left a tuxedo with black gloves, a top hat, and a silver-handled cane. He picked up the cane and twirled it a few times before changing. Half an hour later, he went into the console and pulled out a book. By the time Rose entered the console room nearly four hours later, he had finished the book and had gotten halfway through another one. He looked up and dropped his book in surprise. Rose was wearing a long, midnight blue dress that shimmered in the light and a pair of white gloves. Her hair was done up in a bun and there were tiny diamonds twinkling from her hair. She held a deep blue clutch bag, and the outfit was completed by a pair of diamond heels. The Doctor stood and approached her, a look of awe on his face.
"You look beautiful," he breathed, taking her hands. Rose giggled, curtsying slightly.
"You're not too bad yourself, Doctor. Who knew you owned anything other than that suit," she joked, fingering his lapels. He reached up and tipped his hat, grinning.
"I am full of surprises, Miss Tyler. Now, I believe we have a ball to attend," he responded, offering her his arm. She wrapped her arm through his and they left the TARDIS, walking towards the castle sitting just a half mile away. Once they approached the grand entrance, they joined a long line of people all dressed up. Some looked beautiful; others looked like they were trying to look beautiful but failing. The Doctor kept sneaking glances at Rose as she looked around at the people and scenery. She held his hand tightly, and every so often she would catch him watching her and she would beam up at him with an expression of absolute joy and happiness.
Once they were inside, the Doctor led Rose to one side of the dance floor and they simply watched for a while, taking in all the brilliant colors and beautiful people. They had been there for nearly half an hour when everyone stopped and turned to face the front of the room. The King and Queen were introduced and began their dance. Soon other couples were joining in, and the Doctor turned to Rose, bowing slightly over her hand.
"May I have this dance?" he asked. Rose giggled, blushing faintly.
"Of course," she managed to get out through her laughter. The Doctor chuckled as he pulled her closer and they began waltzing around the dance floor. After about five dances, they moved to a corner that was bathed in shadows and the Doctor pulled Rose closer and they simply swayed together for a while. After about another ten dances, they stopped, moving back into the light so Rose could watch the lords and ladies around her. They left twenty minutes later, Rose huddling close to the Doctor while he kept an arm wrapped around her waist.
It was after midnight, or at least what passed for midnight on the TARDIS. The Doctor was under his console, fiddling with something. Rose had gone to bed a few hours ago, the day's adventure having worn her out. The Doctor was just starting to pull out some wires to work on when the sound of footsteps echoed through the console room.
"Doctor?" Rose's voice called tentatively. The time lord pushed himself out from under the console, standing up and turning to face Rose curiously.
"Rose? I thought you were asleep," he remarked, furrowing his brow.
"I-I couldn't sleep. I kept seeing you disappear," she replied, walking closer. The Doctor's expression softened and he reached out to her, pulling her into an embrace.
"I'm right here, Rose," he assured her, rubbing her back soothingly.
"But today, you just disappeared. I thought…I thought you were gone for good," she whispered, pulling away slightly to look at his face. He smiled softly and took her hand, turning and leading her down a different hallway, one that looked significantly different from the hallways Rose had been to. This hallway only had ten doors, each one with a Gallifreyan symbol in the center. The Doctor led her to the one at the very end of the hallway, opening the door to reveal a very human-looking bedroom, complete with framed pictures of the Doctor and Rose. On one wall was a shelf with nine framed pictures, each of a different man. The only one Rose recognized was of the Doctor in his ninth regeneration.
"Is this your room?" she asked quietly. The Doctor looked down at her.
"Yeah. I don't come in here much though," he responded, looking around. "You can sleep in here tonight." He led her over to the bed and motioned for her to get in, while he walked through a door on the wall opposite the door to the hallway. When he came back in, he was carrying a cup of tea, which he handed to Rose.
"Thanks," she whispered, taking the cup and sipping the liquid slowly.
"Now climb in and get some sleep," he ordered gently, motioning to the bed again. Rose hesitated, staring at the bed as though it were sacred. "Is something wrong?" The Doctor gazed at the bed as though he expected something to attack him.
"No, i-it's just….it feels odd, using your bed. You probably think I'm just being silly though," she told him, looking away, and blushing faintly.
"I would never think that, Rose. Come on, I'll sit on it while you get in. That way we'll both be using it." The Doctor plopped down, grinning, and patted the bed next to him. Rose put her tea cup on the bedside table and climbed under the blankets, trying to maintain some distance between herself and the Doctor. He smiled down at her, then suddenly hopped up, going through another door. When he returned, he was wearing a pair of pinstriped pajamas, and he climbed into bed next to Rose. He reached out and pulled her against him, and after a moment of surprise, Rose snuggled against him, breathing in his scent.
"Don't leave me, Doctor," she pleaded, looking up at him.
"I'll be here when you wake up," he promised, tightening his hold on her. Rose began to drift off, but suddenly began to hear singing, and she could feel the Doctor's chest rumbling as he sang softly. She looked up at him, startled to see his eyes half open and full of love.
"That's beautiful," she whispered. He looked down at her, smiling gently.
"It's Gallifreyan," he told her quietly.
"What's it about?"
"You." He kissed her forehead gently, and she smiled up at him, snuggling closer. Soon she had fallen asleep, and he soon followed. After that, Rose fell asleep in the Doctor's arms more often than not, in whichever room they happened to be closest to when she needed sleep.
Rose awoke one morning to find the Doctor already in the console room, landing the TARDIS. As soon as the shaking had stopped, he turned to her, grinning, and Rose couldn't help but laugh. Under his usual brown suit, he was wearing a bright pink shirt, and his converses for the day were a matching shade of pink.
"Doctor, what's with the pink?" she inquired through her laughter.
"Isn't this your favorite color?" he asked back, smiling.
"Well yes, but why are you wearing it?"
"I thought it would make you happy." The Doctor's face fell as Rose continued to laugh, and she finally took pity on him. She walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"Doctor, you don't need to wear hot pink to make me happy. You make me happy," she told him, grinning up at him. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head.
"Well, we're in a marketplace on an asteroid. I thought you could get something for your mum," he said, looking towards the doors. Rose smiled and stepped away, taking his hand.
"Let's go then. Wouldn't want to miss it," she responded, moving towards the doors. After that day, the Doctor would still occasionally wear hot pink, although it was usually only when he and Rose had decided to spend the day in the TARDIS.
Rose was confused. When she'd woken up, the Doctor had already left the bed, and she'd not been able to find him in the console room. She had just decided to head to the library when she realized that hallway had been sealed off, as had the kitchen. Confused, and wondering what the Doctor could possibly be doing, she sat down on the jump seat and waited for him to appear, reading one of the books the couple had decided to keep in a compartment under the grating that made up the floor. It was around two in the afternoon when the screen on console made a beeping sound. Rose stood and walked over to it, finding a message on the screen telling her to put on her best dress and meet the Doctor in the library in three hours.
Three hours later, Rose wore an indigo dress with a pair of black heels. She nervously made her way to the library, wondering what the Doctor had planned. He opened the door before she even had the chance to knock, then stepped back, taking in her outfit. He was wearing the same tuxedo he had worn when he'd taken her to the ball, only this time his tie was dark pink, almost magenta.
"You look beautiful, as always," he told her, placing a hand on her lower back and leading her towards the large fireplace on one side of the room. In front of the fire, he had spread out a blanket, on top of which sat a roast with mashed potatoes, gravy, and corn. They sat down and the Doctor served her.
They finished eating almost an hour later, and Rose leaned against the Doctor, while he wrapped an arm around her and kissed her hair. They sat like that in silence for a while, just enjoying being near each other, when Rose suddenly turned to the Doctor.
"This is really nice, Doctor. Thank you," she whispered, smiling. "Though, I can't help but wonder. In the last month or so, you've suddenly begun doing all these really sweet and nice things for me. I mean, you've always done sweet things, but it's like you stepped it up lately, and I just kind of wonder why." The Doctor looked down at her, looking as though he was trying to decide something.
"When we were on the planet that was orbiting that black hole, there was a time when I thought I might die. I was going to ask Ida to tell you that I….well, I couldn't say it. I told her that you knew so it didn't matter. But then the next day we watched that movie, and you seemed to like it so much. And that song, all about how I shouldn't just assume that you know, that I should show you. And I thought, that maybe, since I can't bring myself to say it, I could at least show it. So that's what I've been trying to do." The Doctor looked away, blushing, while Rose gave him a soft smile.
"Of course I know, Doctor. Even if you can't say it, I can. I love you. I always will," she told him, reaching up to cup his face with her hands. She drew him into a slow, sweet kiss, and after a few seconds of surprise he responded. They spent that night in front of the fire, proving their love.
Okay guys, minor contest time. First person to figure out what Disney movie they watched gets to request a story from me. Hint: It's a post-2000 movie.
Leave me an answer in the review section.
