Rose gaped at the view laid out in front of her as she reached the top step of the St. Vitus Cathedral tower, located in the heart of Prague Castle. The frigid air that whipped through the openings in the rampart made her eyes sting, but she blinked the beginnings of tears away as she pressed her ribs against the icy stone, craning her neck to see the ornate palace courtyard 297 steps below.
"This cathedral got its name because the Duke of Bohemia acquired the arm of St. Vitus when the chapel was being built in 930 AD," came the Doctor's voice from behind her, causing Rose to roll her eyes toward the blue Czech sky. "That's right - his actual arm! It was a holy relic. The Duke, you see Rose, was trying to convert the locals to Christianity, so he chose St. Vitus - or Svatý Vít in Czech - because the name sounded quite similar to Svantevit, the Slavic solar deity."
Rose puffed out her cheeks as she felt a long explanation coming on and reached behind her for the Doctor's hands - if he was going to a history lesson on local pagan gods, he could at least keep her warm.[[MORE]]
"Funny thing is, I met Svantevit once," he continued, taking a step forward to press himself flush against Rose's back as she wrapped his arms around her waist. "Wasn't a sun god, of course, but his podule did crash on Earth in the early 7th century in what's now Slovenia. It was a bitterly cold winter that year and the farmers were running out of wood to burn, but Svantevit gifted them a coal-like compound that lasted the rest of the winter. Saved a lot of lives, I reckon."
Rose hummed in appreciation as the Doctor tightened his arms around her and rested his cheek against her ear. Though her pulse had slowed since they climbed those several hundred steps to the top of the tower, she suddenly felt her heart pounding in her chest again as the Doctor's warm breath puffed against her skin.
"Anyway, I heard his pod's distress signal and thought I'd pop over to try to help. We had the ship up and running in no time," he said cheerily, giving Rose's midsection another tight squeeze before stepping away. "Sorted it out, I did."
Rose gave him a cheeky smile and nudged his shoulder with her own, trying to ignore the realization that she could have stood in his arms until her nose froze solid.
"Aren't you clever," she grinned, tongue caught between her teeth.
"The cleverist," he replied, eyebrows dancing.
Once Rose's nose grew so red the Doctor said she was beginning to resemble his favorite reindeer, the two descended the cathedral tower, walked down the castle hill, and crossed the Charles Bridge over the Vltava River, and strolled along the meandering streets of Old Town.
They stopped at a food stall on the outskirts of the Christmas Market, the Doctor insisting Rose try the trdelník, a circular sugar-covered pastry that was rotating on a spit over a flame.
"Mmm, that's good," she remarked, peeling another segment of the flaky dough to hand to the Doctor.
Rather than taking the treat and placing it in his mouth, however, the Doctor kept his hands shoved deep in his pockets and leaned forward. Grinning mischievously, he grabbed the pastry she offered him with his teeth, lips momentarily closing around the tip of her finger.
Rose felt her cheeks redden and she shot him a look, but the Doctor didn't notice, clearly enjoying the trdelník as he chewed enthusiastically, not bothering to close his mouth.
"These cakes originated in Transylvania, believe it or not," he said, reaching to tear another piece off for himself.
Rose dodged his greedy hands, biting a large hunk out of the pastry instead and chewing with exaggerated joy as she beamed at him. The Doctor lunged at her then, sneaking a hand through a gap in the buttons of her coat and tickling her side, causing Rose to squeek and squirm and alarm some passing tourists.
"Fine, fine, take your vampire cake!" she giggled, tossing it at him once he removed his hand from her waist. "Dunno why you didn't just buy your own."
"Better with two," he winked.
After taking a few moments to watch the figurines dance about Prague's famous astronomical clock - which even Rose dubbed as overrated - the two wound their way over to Wenceslas Square. They arrived just as the sun sunk below the skyline, the towering Christmas tree in front of the National Museum illuminating a couple minutes later.
Rose looped her hand through the crook of the Doctor's arm as they strolled, peering in the occasional shop window, wishing they weren't on their way back to the TARDIS.
He had given her everything she had asked for - sightseeing in a city during her own time, traveling just like she had told all her mates back home she was. She wasn't sure if he could do it, could give her a normal day without a single extraterrestrial mishap, but he had pulled it off.
What's more, Rose had truly enjoyed herself. When she had suggested this idea a few days ago it was more of a taunt, expecting that either she or the Doctor would get bored before too long, their legs growing restless from a lack of running for their lives. But it turned out every little thing was exciting, with him by her side. And, curiously, the Doctor seemed content with their day off from rolling the adventure dice, too.
"Wenceslas, why does that sound so familiar," Rose mused, tugging lightly on the Doctor's arm to slow their pace. "Oh wait - doesn't Hugh Grant sing about him in 'Love, Actually'?"
The Doctor chuckled, pressing his lips to her temple.
"Yes, there is an English Christmas carol about Good King Wenceslas," he explained, shortening his strides to match hers. "But he was never a king. In fact, he was that Duke I told you about back in the castle - the one with St. Vitus' arm."
"Can we please stop talking about dismembered saints?" Rose shivered, elbowing the Doctor playfully in the side.
The TARDIS was in sight now, nestled between an alley and a newsagent down the road from the main train station. It had started to snow in the last few minutes and a thin frost covered the corners of its wooden panels. Rose smiled, imagining tacking multi-colored fairylights to the door.
"Ah, here we are," the Doctor said, gripping the handle and giving it a tug. "What the-"
The door didn't budge.
"Here, let me try," Rose said, stepping in front of him to insert her key into the lock. But as much as she wriggled, twisted, and turned the key, the lock wouldn't engage. "That's odd."
"Quite," the Doctor said, stroking a bit of the door. "She seems unhappy with us. Have no idea why."
"Well we've got to get inside somewhere while you figure it out," Rose said, hopping from foot to foot to keep warm. "The snow's really coming down now and there's hardly anyone left on the streets."
"Right," the Doctor said, trying his key one last time to no avail. "Guess we should find a room for a night - it's Christmas Eve, hopefully some place has a vacancy."
"What if there's no room at the inn?" Rose asked, managing to keep a straight face for all of three seconds before breaking down into giggles.
"Alright there, Virgin Mary," the Doctor said, draping his arm over her shoulders and steering her back toward the square. "Let's find us a manger."
The Doctor and Rose did manage to locate a vacant room, but it wasn't until they walked all the way back into Old Town and stumbled across a hidden hotel whose name translated to Black Elephant in English.
Rose loved the whimsy of the name; enjoyed how out of place it felt in this old fashioned city, one of the few places the war's bombs forgot. It was something she related to, that feeling of not-quite fitting in.
Curling her fingers around the Doctor's and resting her head against his shoulder as he paid for the room, Rose suddenly felt a wave of weariness waft over her. Surprising, since they hadn't done much in the way of their usual running, though she supposed they had walked for miles.
The Doctor led her up three flights to the room - no lift - and opened the door with, not a plastic card, but an elaborate skeleton key. The door creaked open, revealing a small, cozy room with two large windows and a crisscross of several dark wooden beams protruding from the walls and ceiling.
And the bed. One, singular.
"Looks big enough to share," Rose said, smiling a bit too wide as she plopped down on the mattress, hoping to ghost over any uneasiness the Doctor might be feeling. "Nice and soft, too."
The Doctor shifted from foot to foot for a moment, hands shoved in his pockets again, as he seemed to mull over something in his mind. Rose stood and walked to the window, peering out into the street below, half expecting to see him bolting away from the hotel at any moment.
They had shared a bed before, sure, but not when there wasn't an imminent threat; when she hadn't acquired a virus that could only be cured by body heat or when there wasn't a herd nefarious waldebats looking for them while they huddled on a cot in a dank Neptovian basement.
There wasn't really a choice, those other times. But now, there was a slew of other choices the Doctor could make - he could sleep on the floor, he could book a bunk in a youth hostel, he could venture out into the snowstorm and not come back until he'd figured out how to get the TARDIS to let them back in.
Instead, Rose heard two light thuds as the Doctor kicked off his chucks. She turned just in time to see him get a running start and leap onto the center of the bed.
"You're right, Rose," he beamed at her. "Nice and soft, indeed."
Rose took her time washing her face and brushing her teeth with her finger and the small tube of toothpaste the Doctor had in one of his pockets. The Doctor had used the bathroom first and she wanted to make sure he had time to get settled before she came out.
As she opened the door she saw the Doctor climbing under the covers, wearing only a plain t-shirt and a pair of navy boxer shorts. He had turned the overhead lights off and now only the dim yellow glow from lamp on the bedside table lit the room.
Rose hesitated - she had kept most of her clothes on in order to help him feel comfortable, but now that he was stripped down to his skivvies she worried that now her state of dress would have the opposite effect.
The Doctor raised his eyebrows at her as she stood in the doorway and Rose shook her head slightly, quickly turning off the bathroom light and walking into the room. She figured it was important that she seem completely at ease, or else it may throw him off, too.
"The snow is really starting to pile up," she said, hoping to distract him by looking out the window as she reached under her t-shirt to unhook her bra, quickly threading the straps through her sleeves and pulling the garment off, dropping it on the floor.
"Should've thought to check the weather report before we left the TARDIS," the Doctor replied, and Rose could almost hear him running a hand through his hair. "Hope we don't have to shovel our way to the door tomorrow."
Rose turned back toward the bed and found the Doctor's eyes on her, steady and friendly. They didn't waver as she unbuttoned her jeans, shimming her hips as little as possible as she shoved the denim to the floor. She could practically feel the Doctor's gaze crest her thighs as she jumped under the duvet.
"What d'you think's the matter with her?" she asked.
"Ehm, what?" the Doctor replied distractedly.
"The TARDIS…" Rose giggled nervously. "You know, your ship, your home, your one true love. Why won't she let us in?"
"Dunno," he said, turning on his side to face her and resting on one elbow. "She's been a bit agitated with me for a few weeks now - ever since I found her in the pit on Krop Tor. No idea why."
With that the Doctor turned off the lamp, the room plunging into darkness for a few moments until Rose's eyes adjusted, faint light from the streetlight allowing her to just make out the Doctor's features.
The lack of light made her feel bold and Rose scooted closer to him, tentatively reaching out to rest her hand on his side on top of the blankets. Her breath hitched when the Doctor responded, curling his arm around her back and pulling her into a sort of horizontal hug, his chin resting on the top of her head.
"You never did tell me what happened in the pit," Rose said quietly, hoping she wasn't pushing the Doctor's intimacy boundaries too much. "Ida said you'd mentioned me."
"I did," the Doctor confirmed after a long moment.
His hands began to gently caress Rose's back, bunching her t-shirt with each upward stroke and smoothing it on their way back down. Rose closed her eyes at the occasional touch of his fingertips on her skin.
"So, what'd you say?" she breathed.
She instantly regretted the question when the Doctor's hands stilled and he pulled back to look at her, his brow knit and conflicted.
"I said…" he started, one hand drifting up from her back to cup her face. "I said that you knew."
Rose's eyes began to sting as he said it, because she did know, of course she did, but she needed more than words.
"Show me."
The Doctor leaned forward, his nose nuzzling hers as he contemplated the risks, as he teetered on the edge of the abyss. It was Rose who ultimately tipped him over, lifting her chin to softly press her lips against his.
They were both falling then, lost forever as they grasped at each other's skin, sweet kisses growing wet and needy, teeth and tongues spelling out the words both of them were afraid to say.
When they finally broke apart because Rose needed to catch her breath, the Doctor's knee was between her thighs and her hands were buried in his hair. Rose laughed richly at the absurdity of it all, at the extent of her dumbfounded happiness.
"We should probably get some sleep," the Doctor chuckled, kissing a line from her earlobe to her chin. "Need to wake up early to figure out what's wrong with the TARDIS."
"I have a feeling she'll let us back in now," Rose giggled, turning over in his embrace and smiling as she felt him nestle in behind her, the front of his knees pressing into the backs of hers.
As she clutched the Doctor's arm to her chest and nestled into her pillow, a thought struck Rose that made her grit her teeth.
"If I have any nightmares about 10th century saints and their holy-relic arms I'm gonna kill you," she warned, pressing her lips to his fingertips.
The Doctor chuckled loudly and kissed the side of her neck.
"Don't worry, I'll be right here if you do."