It was Rose's favourite room at moments like this, although it was firmly inside the TARDIS it was designed as an outdoor garden. The ship had created a midnight garden that was full of the heavenly scent of nocturnal flowers and trees, and overhead was the most beautiful night sky of stars interspersed with hazes of space dust that were glowing a whole magnitude of different colours.
She was still wearing the heavy gown that she had worn to the eighteenth century masquerade ball that she and the Doctor had just got back from. Rose hadn't even bothered to remove her sequined mask or pulled her hair down. Truly a Cinderella in a midnight garden, although, she mused, at least she still had both her shoes.
Rose hitched the skirt of her dress and started walking though the garden, occasionally pausing to sniff the scent of an unfamiliar flower or to look back up to the swirling heavens. She had danced with nearly every man at the ball, except for one, the man, alien, downstairs who was now setting the co-ordinates for their next adventure.
He didn't dance, not with her, anyway.
Rose lost herself near a tall jasmine bush, breathing in its heavenly scent. Her fingers brushed over the delicate white petals, releasing more of its fragrance into the air. She withdrew her hand and it was captured by another hand, his hand. The Doctor. Rose's breath caught in her breath as he rested his other hand on her hip, and she looked down at their joined hand; the Doctor's long thumb tracing circles over the top of her hand. Rose looked over her shoulder and up into the chocolate eye's of the Doctor; she was still hiding behind her sequin mask.
The Doctor twisted her around so she was now facing him. Rose's eyes never left his; they were so dark, yet they sparkled. The Doctor's expression was uncharacteristically serious, but somehow loving as he let go of her hand, and brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. Rose looked away from him, but he lifted her face; her eyes following so she was looking at him again.
Their lips met in a slow, passionate kiss. The Doctor's arms snaked around her waist, pulling her so close that she could feel both his hearts beat against her own chest. Rose cupped her own hands around the Doctor's jaw line, with it the kiss deepened as one of Rose's hands moved its way around to the back of the Doctor's neck.
The kiss broke and Rose slowly exhaled, her lips forming a contented smile on her face. 'What…?'
The Doctor pressed a finger to her lips. 'Shh.'
Rose smiled to herself, being told to 'shh' by someone who could not normally shut up and had spent all of the party arguing with various noblemen on every possible subject. The Doctor moved both his hands to her mask and gently removed it, throwing it gracelessly to the floor. 'Dance with me, Rose Tyler,' he whispered huskily in her ear and then taking her by the hand he led her to a clearing.
'My fairy godmother tells me I have to be home by midnight,' quipped Rose, as her free hand hitched the skirt of her dress. The Doctor glanced back at her, a smile in his eyes.
'I should then remind you, that we have all the time in the universe.'
The clearing was lined with trees and planets, with a perfect view of the simulated sky. The Doctor stopped in the middle of the clearing and turned back to Rose. 'Now, if I remember this correctly, this hand,' said the Doctor, taking Rose's left hand and placing it on his should, 'goes here and this one,' he continued, resting his right hand on her hip and capturing her other hand in his, 'here.'
'But,' said Rose, listening carefully, 'there's no music.'
'There doesn't need to be,' whispered the Doctor, as he started to move himself and Rose in circles around the clearing, 'just follow my lead.'