Eternal Nights with You

Summary: "It boggles my mind that after nine-hundred years of life, countless death threats and ten regenerations, I find myself at a loss for words when I'm around her. She's shown me I don't know a thing." A collection of "off screen" adventures that reveal the way Rose Tyler changed the Tenth Doctor into a better man. Ten/Rose

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of its affiliated characters. This all for my own enjoyment!

Author's Note: This is a bunch of "off screen" days/adventures with Rose and the Doctor, and will show how their love affair blossoms and shines, changing both of them and fueling their existence. In this story, Doomsday may happen but it will most certainly have a happier ending! I want each chapter to be its own episode, both with the crazy near-death experiences but also some without. I promise there will be a lot of cute fluff and some very romantic "episodes" too. I can guarantee that 99.9% of the places visited will be completely made up. Enjoy!


Chapter 1: A Crimson Blush

The TARDIS felt hot. The Doctor was running his hands along her control panel and wincing as his hand seared in pain. He was concerned and at a loss of what to do. He had checked all the levels and all had been just dandy, and there was nothing in the oxygen supply that was leaking and causing a temperature change. Her thermostat looked great, but the TARDIS still felt like a stovetop to the touch.

"Do you have a fever, is that it? Have I been working you too hard, hmm?" he murmured under his breath as he switched a red lever over to try and travel at a slower speed. Maybe she just needed to cool down. He licked his lips as he watched the levels stay at exactly where they were and he let out a frustrated groan and sank back into a chair. He began to run his fingers through his heap of hair when he heard footsteps coming down the hallway.

"Doctor?" Rose's voice carried through the archway toward him and he couldn't help but smile. He turned his head toward the entryway and saw her appear under the twinkling lights that sat above the doorway. Her golden strands glistened under the small amount of light protruding into the control room and she walked toward him with that Rose-like wiggle, the one that slowly drove him insane. She was smiling at him; her famous tongue smile that gave him shivers and made his hearts beat faster. She sat down next to him and studied him. "What's wrong?" she asked kindly, gently placing a hand on his arm. He masked his racing pulse with a sigh and shrugged.

"The TARDIS is hot." He stated plainly, and Rose placed a finger to his lips, causing his pulse to race even faster.

"Doctor, you know she can hear you! You have to play hard to get if you want to win a girl like her!" she teased, and the Doctor rolled his eyes. He grabbed her finger from his mouth and then took hold of her whole hand, leading her to the control panel.

"Here!" he said enthusiastically. He placed Rose's hand on the edge of the control panel and she jerked it back immediately.

"Ow!" she shrieked and looked at the Doctor in shock. "What'd you do that for? It was a joke!" He grinned.

"I told you she was hot." Rose let out an exasperated sigh.

"What should we do? Should we land somewhere and let her rest? Is there something wrong?" The Doctor shrugged again.

"Probably should land. All the levels and the thermostat look fine. I'm thinking she's just tired!" Rose looked worried. She bit her lip and looked down at the control panel again.

"Don't land anywhere with anybody who would want to kill us. Isolated. Somewhere she can rest and we won't have to make her travel before she's ready." She looked at the Doctor who was already punching coordinates into the machine. He looked at her gratefully and smiled. He knew she could see through the worry that was rising inside of him too, and he was glad she was able to express what he was afraid to. If he let his fears out and let his guard down the TARDIS would be able to sense it. That scared him more than anything, because the TARDIS lived to protect him, and if she sensed he was upset or anxious, she would become that way too. For a moment he almost let his mind travel back to those first few months after the destruction of his planet and how the TARDIS mourned with him but he shook it off. Thinking about that would only lead to what he was trying to avoid. If he made the TARDIS worry she could get worse, and he didn't know what was wrong to begin with. With one last flourish of his hand the TARDIS came to a gentle stop much to the Doctor and Rose's surprise, for the Doctor usually landed rather harshly. He placed a hand on the wall of the TARDIS and smiled.

"Alright, you rest. Rose and I are going to explore. We'll check on you in a bit, okay?" The TARDIS hummed thankfully to the Doctor's words and he patted the wall before turning to Rose. She stood with her hands on her hips and her face cold stone.

"You just want to leave? Go out and maybe grab some food while the TARDIS sits here?" she was amazed at him. She knew he was worried, but he didn't even seem to care that there could be something wrong with his home. He nodded and grinned like a maniac – his usual "Doctor" mask.

That smile. Rose knew that smile. He reserved for one of three things, when he had a brilliant beyond brilliant yet terribly life threatening idea, when bananas were in season, or when he was trying to hide how he really felt and come off as excited as he possibly could. She didn't know where they were, but she knew the first was not the reason for his exuberance. She wasn't sure if bananas were even grown wherever they were but it could be because of them that his face was so elated, but the reasonable part of her knew that the real reason for his smile was the last purpose. He needed to get his mind off his fears and he knew that waiting on the TARDIS to see how she felt would not change anything. With a roll of her eyes she reached for his hand and led him out of the TARDIS, placing a key around her neck as she went.

When they stepped outside Rose's eyes widened. It was dusk; the sky was a light pink color with hints of purple and blue swirling through the clouds. A sun was just peeking over the horizon of a mountain range that looked like a handful of peanuts pressed together. There was a river of some sort of crimson liquid flowing to her right, and some beautifully exotic birds flew overhead cooing like pigeons, but more sing-songy. She smiled and looked up at the Doctor who was grinning a genuine smile now and squeezing Rose's hand.

"Like it?" he asked, his eyes twinkling. She smiled with her tongue peeking between her perfect teeth again, and the Doctor felt those familiar butterflies. She giggled and nodded, looking out in utter amazement.

"When are we?" she asked lightly, her eyes following the path of the birds. He loved that question. He began to walk with a fast, excited pace as he told Rose about the planet, most of the words lost on her but she smiled nonetheless and enjoyed the pure joy he had from it, squeezing his hand in encouragement to keep speaking.

"This, my dear Rose, is Arriedney! Year 20456r8! It's the millennium of peace, and all life here is calm and serene! About two centuries ago this land was ruled by a Rabenok named Arwin and –"

"Rebenok?" Rose asked. There were so many different kinds of alien lifeforms, and Rose had no idea what was what. The Doctor nodded.

"Sort of like lions. Big, mane-y, a roar that can be heard for miles but only when they're hungry. Like to eat gillyfish, a type of fungus grown in their native springs. The water is a reddish color because of rare minerals that are actually very good for acne, it's a shame humans don't have it because that would save YEARS of embarrassing school photos and awkward low self-esteem scenarios, but this Arwin fellow was eventually overruled and the land has been peaceful ever since. Come on! The village is this way!" He kept babbling on as he led Rose toward the village, his eyes dancing as he revealed more about the culture and the lives of the people who lives on Arriendney. She couldn't help the feeling of love that encompassed every fiber of her being as she watched him light up. She knew it was a defense mechanism and that deep down he was worried about the TARDIS, and she wanted more than anything to assuage those fears. He led her though the town toward a strip with what she assumed was restaurants, and as they sat down at a table by a café she reached out and cupped his face. He looked at her, a small hint of lust hidden beneath his chocolate eyes, and she felt her stomach do a somersault. That simple gesture had broken his train of thought regarding the planet and he suddenly could think of nothing but the way the brilliant night sky illuminated off of Rose's cheekbones, and the way her face held nothing but compassion for him as she gently stroked his jawbone with her thumb. He felt a strange surge of emotions wash over him. He didn't know why, but the desire to kiss her, to taste her, to see what she would feel like began to etch itself into his mind. His exuberance about the planet and the underlying worry about the TARDIS began to slip away from his as he looked into her eyes, but before he had a chance to lean in she bit her lip and caused his entire body to shiver.

"Are you okay?" she whispered, moving her hand from his face to rest on his wrist. He followed her movements, reality setting back in and rational thought once again entering his head. He looked at her suspiciously for a moment, wondering if she could sense his thoughts about her. Instead, choosing to ignore the embarrassment that was threatening to show on his cheeks he just grinned again – the maniac grin.

"Course!" he said as a woman approached their table. Her skin was furry and her face feline-ish. She reminded Rose of the nurses from New New Earth and she frowned. The Doctor gave Rose a quick wink as he told the waitress he'd like two cuppas and she walked away calmly.

"They have cuppa here?" Rose inquired, smiling. The Doctor laughed and nodded. He began to say something else but Rose stopped him. "You never answered my question. Not honestly." Her eyes spoke seriously, but a small smile of concern rested on her face and the Doctor couldn't help but sigh. Leave it to Rose Tyler to be able to see through his mask.

"After we finish here we should go back. Just to check on the TARDIS." He replied as calmly as he could, and Rose nodded in agreement. She could sense the subtext of that sentence as well as she could sense his discomfort with the whole situation, and before long they were both heading back to the TARDIS hand in hand, but the Doctor wasn't speaking as much.

The twinkling starlight made the TARDIS look like it belonged in a Van Gogh painting. Colors bounced off of the blue frame to create a sort of halo above it, but the Doctor took no notice at the moment and bolted inside to see how the TARDIS was doing. Rose took one last look at the art before her before following the Doctor inside. She saw him leaning against the back wall by the archway that led to the bedrooms, his eyes closed.

"Welp, still hot." He groaned and opened his eyes to look at Rose. "You should get some sleep." He kissed the top of her head as he walked over to the control panel but Rose followed, sleep not a factor to her at the moment.

"What do you need, Doctor?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Nothing we can do. Just gotta sit here and wait it out. Rose, you really should sleep." He turned away from her and she gaped at him for a moment before turning and walking toward the bedrooms. This wasn't like him. He always tried to solve a problem, always. He was never one for sitting things out and playing things by ear. She reached the door to her bedroom but didn't go in. Instead she leaned against the wall and began to speak to the TARDIS.

"Hey, there." She hummed, and she felt the familiar vibration of the TARDIS responding to her. Since the events that led to the Doctor's regeneration she and the TARDIS had a connection, probably because part of the machine still lived inside of Rose even though she didn't know it. "I'm worried about you, you know." She whispered. "Is there….is there a fuse that's bad?" The TARDIS shook, and Rose took that to mean she was saying no to her question. She bit her lip again as she kept trying to narrow down the problem to no avail.

The Doctor sat in the kitchen area of the TARDIS fiddling with his thumbs. He was frustrated with himself for not having the slightest clue what was going on, and he knew that sitting on Arriedney wouldn't solve much. All this planet had were those birds and that red water. Sure, a few Rebenok lived here but what use would they be to fixing an overheating time machine. It didn't work like a car, some coolant and water would not suffice to cool his old girl down. Plus, his feelings of late toward Rose were really starting to mess with his head. All he wanted to do all the time was push her against the wall and kiss her brains out, and it was irritating him beyond measure. He groaned and tried to push Rose from his mind, thinking more about coolant and water just because he had nothing else to think about.

An hour later he was going over levels again and desperately searching for a way to solve this puzzle. He was looking though an array of files when Rose came running into the room straight toward the control panel. She had a smile on her face that would make the Chesire Cat grin for his money, and the Doctor was confused beyond belief.

"Rose, what are you-" He began to say.

"Water." She replied, her eyes sparkling. He raised an eyebrow.

"Water…What about water?" She rolled her eyes.

"The TARDIS needs water!" He laughed at her and reached for her hand, ignoring the spark that he felt as he touched her skin.

"How do you know that, hm?" She smiled her tongue smile one more time and the Doctor had to mentally slap himself to repress the groan that threatened to voice itself. She leaned up right by his ear and whispered very slowly, almost sultrily, although the Doctor chose to believe he was just hearing things.

"I asked her, and she agreed, Doctor." He looked at her in earnest confusion for a moment.

"What do you mean you asked her?" His eyes were dark, concerned. His voice was caked in concentration and all smiles had left his face. The TARDIS cannot communicate with humans. It's impossible. He knows because he knows a TARDIS better than anything in the universe. So, why, then, could Rose speak to it?

"Doctor, we can talk about that later. Right now the TARDIS needs water, she needs a bath!" The Doctor was about to protest but her last sentence threw him.

"A bath?" Rose smiled.

"C'mon, flying around so many hot nebulas and whatever else we've been by, she's tired! Just as you said. Just needs a little rinsing down."

"Rose," the Doctor began, "I already tried hosing her down. There's a button here that washes the TARDIS while we fly. I pressed it four times." Rose cocked her head to the side.

"You didn't use mineral water with replenishing power like the crimson rive here now, did you?" The Doctor's eyes widened.

"Of course! Right, minerals are nature's best assets to cures and remedies of all sorts. Rose, grab me that bucket over there and follow me. Allons-y, Rose, hurry!" He bolted out of the front door to the river. With a swoop he grabbed the bucket from Rose and scooped up some water from the river, splashing the TARDIS with it. The light on top of the box flashed in appreciation, and the Doctor grinned wildly and continued to splash, shrieking in excitement and bouncing with anticipation. Rose helped too with a smaller bucket she found inside the one the Doctor was using, and before long they had rinsed the entire exterior of the TARDIS with the river water. One last swoop from the Doctor and he ran back inside, pouring the mineral water into the TARDIS's water supply, cleansing it of all radioactive material it may have acquired. He ran to the wall and placed his hand on it.

"WELL DONE, ROSE TYLER!" He screamed and ran to where she was standing. He lifted her off of her feet in a moment and spun her around. Both laughed and he set her down slowly, gazing into her eyes. "How did you do that?" She shrugged.

"Dunno, but I can talk to the TARDIS, that much I'm certain. Does it really matter, why don't we spend one more day here and just relax, and then tomorrow we can go out exploring more! Maybe find some weird epidemic we have to save the world from, yeah?" The Doctor smiled and cupped her face in his hands.

"Rose Tyler, you saved the TARDIS. My last remnant of my home and I thank you." She smiled at him and it suddenly hit him again. The urge to kiss her, to taste her. He didn't give in to temptation and instead walked over to the control panel. "Glad you feel better, TARDIS." He said and the machine hummed appreciatively. The Doctor turned back to Rose.

"Where to next?"


A/N: This was supposed to be a sort of boring and anti-climatic chapter to establish the feel of the story. Thanks for reading and please review so I know if I should keep going or not.