The Love Doctor
The Doctor lay back on the hot sand of the Barcelona Beach and gazed up at the night sky, jet black and covered in sparkling stars that were like diamonds cast across a black velvet background. Rose stood a couple of meters ahead of him, bathing her feet in the cold sea that lapped against the shore.
"At last," Rose sighed, "Barcelona. The planet mind, not the place!" She added quickly before the Doctor could correct her. The Doctor raised his head and grinned at her before resting his head back on his hands.
"It's so warm," Rose continued, "even at night. And the stars, my god, I've never seen anything so beautiful before."
"I'm pretty sure I have." Grinned the Doctor and he closed his eyes and breathed deeply.
Rose looked at him and smiled.
"Oh really?" She asked, "Like what exactly?"
"If I said that would be telling." The Doctor murmured, sounding half asleep.
"That's the whole point, in case you never noticed!" Rose laughed and she padded out of the sea and walked towards the Doctor, plonking herself down promptly beside him.
"So go on then, what's more beautiful than that sky up there?"
"Hmmm…there are so many answers to that question," the Doctor replied softly, still with his eyes closed, "it would take too long to answer. When you've seen as much as I have, you begin to make lists on how many beautiful things there are out there."
"Well narrow the lists down then!" Rose grinned.
"Ok, well, there is the Oridian Comet that's been flying around for decades. I chased it for three days running once, because its tail was so beautiful, lilac, blue, green, red, every colour of the rainbow it was."
"And what else?"
"The shores of Lake Majonea, lined with willows and wild roses. You would have loved it there. Oh, and standing on top of a glacier in the middle of the Arctic just to see the Northern Lights? Well, that was well worth the cold. Beautiful, really beautiful."
Rose smiled and looked at the Doctor, lying there with his eyes shut as though without a care in the world, for once. Suddenly the Doctor turned his head slightly and looked at Rose, staring at her deep brown eyes. Rose shuddered as the piercing blue eyes focused on her lips, just for a split second.
"Though," continued the Doctor, "there is something else I've seen that is more beautiful than any of these sights."
Inside him his hearts thudded, pounding against his chest. He felt the emotion welling up within him, an emotion which was known to be man's strongest weakness. It's now or never, the Doctor thought.
"What is it Doctor?" Rose persisted, smiling all the time. She began to tense slightly, feeling a strange sensation inside her stomach, butterflies, a feeling which made her want to almost throw up. But she controlled her voice as well as she could, trying not to sound shaky and trying to sound relaxed. Stay calm, just stay calm, don't build up your hopes, she thought, but the excitement rose within her.
"This beautiful thing, well…I mean, uh..." The Doctor stammered and choked on his words, "…I mean that, um…well, more of a person than….this beautiful human, a young woman, with long blonde hair and deep brown eyes, a soul mate, more than a soul mate in fact, oh, god Rose, what I'm trying to say is, you're the most beautiful person I've ever come across and I love you…"
There, said it, I've done it now, she'll either leave or…no, she'll leave; she'll make me take her home…
Rose swallowed hard. Oh my god, oh my god! He's said it, he means it! He loves me!
"Wow," Rose managed to say after a pause, "W…wow! Doctor, I…"
"No, don't say it, I know, it's foolish! I knew it would be!" The Doctor spat, jumping up and turning towards the TARDIS that stood nearby, "I don't even understand love, it's a human thing, nothing to do with aliens, 'specially not with this nine-hundred year old alien, no, I knew this was a bad idea!"
The Doctor marched back to the TARDIS, fuming, but only with himself. You idiot, he thought, you utter idiot. Why did you do it? You should have left it, you prick.
Rose burst in through the TARDIS and looked around the control room. The Doctor was not there.
"Doctor?" She called anxiously, "Doctor, you there?"
Silence.
"Doctor!" More irritated now, "Doctor, don't do this! Speak to me Doctor!"
Rose ran past the control room and followed the long and winding corridor that led away from it. Left here, right there, left again, a maze of corridors, so many doors that led to god only knows where.
Finally Rose halted in front of one door at the very end of a particularly long corridor. It was ajar, and a pale slither of light shone through the gap. What was behind it Rose did not know, but she was desperate to find out. She closed her eyes and reached out, gently pushing the door with the tips of her fingers. The door creaked on its ancient hinges and she winced, hoping that there was not a raging mad Doctor behind it. Rose leaned forward and peered round the corner. The room was small, cupboard-sized even (like her own room) and had very little within it, apart from a desk with a strange lava lamp-like light on it which emitted the eerie pale glow and a bed, upon which the Doctor lay, stretched out and gazing at the ceiling.
Rose stepped back, hoping the Doctor had not noticed her…
"I know you're there, Rose." the Doctor said quietly.
"Doctor," Rose began as she pushed open the door and stepped into the room, "I just want to tell you that what…"
"If you want to go home," the Doctor cut in sharply, "I'll take you back home, just say the word and we're there, ok?"
"No, Doctor, what you said on the beach, it wasn't stupid, you weren't being a total, well…idiot…in fact, you said to me what I've wanted to say to you for a long time, just not using the word 'beautiful'."
The Doctor sat up instantly and looked at Rose.
"You think I'm handsome?" He asked quickly.
"Yes!" Rose laughed. "All that and more!"
The Doctor got to his feet and ran over to Rose, spreading his arms wide and engulfing her in a hug. Rose grinned and nuzzled into his neck, hugging him tightly back. The Doctor was beaming when he pulled his head back and looked at her. Rose smiled and looked him straight in his big blue eyes. She glanced at his lips….and leant in. The gap between them narrowed and their lips touched. The Doctor was tense, but as he kissed her, he became more confident, and Rose noticed this as the Doctor pressed his body harder against hers and kissed her deeper and stronger. It was like they were glued together, bodies becoming one as they kissed more vigorously.
Neither the Doctor nor Rose could think of anything else as they kissed, tongues coming into play, hands clamped together tight. The Doctor suddenly let go of Rose's hands and brought them down around her hips. He felt Rose smile slightly and he continued to kiss her…wrapping his arms around her hips and letting his hands slip a little lower…
"Whoa! What in holy hell is this!" Captain Jack yelled as he came into the Doctor's room (knocking first never crossed his mind).
"I just came in to chart our next space adventure and I see this? Geeze!"
The Doctor and Rose pulled apart and faced the grinning Captain standing in the doorway.
"I really can't leave you two alone for on minute!" He grinned, "And I bet you didn't even think about offering me some of the action!"
The Doctor and Rose never spoke, just stood motionless, arms still wrapped round each other.
"I detect a look of surprise here! Maybe I should just leave you two to it, but then again…"
The Doctor finally ripped himself from Rose and straightened himself out.
"Uh, Jack," he began to say, trying to sound as authoritive as he could, "go and sort out the control panel, I think one of the levers could use a bit of oil. Oh, and the scanner's gone a bit haywire, maybe you could try and sort that too."
"You're the boss Doc!" Jack grinned, "Oh, and by the way," he called back as he walked out the door, "your barn door's open!"
The Doctor frowned, looked down, noticed what Jack meant and hastily zipped up his trousers. Rose laughed cheekily and skipped towards the door.
"Coming Doctor?" She winked back at him. "Jack can't sort the controls by himself; you know how stupid he is!"
"Uh, Rose!" The Doctor called, "maybe later…?"
"Sure Doctor, what ever you want!" Rose laughed then winked at him.
The Doctor grinned and walked towards her, gave her one final kiss and walked down the corridor to the control room, whistling happily.