AN: I'm doing a kiss/hug meme on Tumblr right now. Each story will be fairly short-500-1000 words-and they will form a series. This one goes directly before the one I posted yesterday, Kisses in the Moonlight.

The Doctor tapped his fingers against his thigh, the same anticipation that had been brewing all day (all month) making it impossible to sit still. The Valoreans had decided to throw a ball after he and Rose had successfully averted a massive flood. Now he was standing in a gorgeously decorated ballroom, talking to their crown princess, though his gaze had wandered more than once to the door.

Where is Rose?

"I'm sure she'll be here in a minute, Doctor."

He swung his head away from the door to look at the princess. "I'm sorry?"

"Your Rose. She'll be here soon."

"She's not… that's…"

The princess smirked, and the Doctor felt himself blush red to the roots of his hair.

"She is, and I suspect she always will be." Her smile widened. "And I believe she has arrived."

The Doctor turned around, and as soon as he laid eyes on Rose, the din of the ballroom faded to a soft hum. Rose stood in the doorway, looking around the room for him. Her silver dress caught the light from the candles, casting a golden halo around her. It teased at his memory, but he couldn't be bothered to think about anything right now except how gorgeous she was.

She spotted him as he started walking towards her, and her wide smile made his hearts turn over. The love in her eyes… Yes, Rose was his, and he was hers. Maybe it was time he did something about that.

Rose must have recognised his decision somehow, because her lips parted slightly and she brushed a strand of hair back over her ear. The motion left her shoulder almost completely bare, and he wondered what she would do if he placed a kiss on that spot where her shoulder and neck met.

He nearly ran over a server in his haste to reach her, and she tipped her head back to laugh at him, exposing her slender neck and leading to more imagined kisses. The Doctor shrugged and crossed the last few yards to stand in front of her.

"Better watch where you're going, Doctor."

He put his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. "I had something much better to be looking at."

Again, her eyes widened, and this time he was close enough to notice her breath caught, too. There was only a hint of smugness in his satisfaction that he could affect her like this without even touching her.

The Doctor let his gaze wander over her figure, before meeting her eyes again. "Rose Tyler," he said, his voice a little deeper than normal, "you are beautiful."

Rose bit her lower lip. "Not just for a human?"

"Oh, no." The Doctor reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. "You are beautiful," he whispered against her skin, closing his eyes for a moment when he felt her shiver.

"You're looking pretty good yourself, Doctor," Rose murmured. She took a step towards him and reached for his bowtie, adjusting it slightly. "Risking the tuxedo of doom?" she questioned.

He had to swallow twice before he could answer. "Well, I figured we've already dealt with the disaster today, so what—"

Rose clapped her hand over his mouth. "Don't you dare finish that sentence," she ordered, her eyes dancing with laughter. "I tell ya, as much as you go on about other people tempting fate, you're the worst, Doctor."

He nodded mutely, and Rose moved her hand away.

Now that he was standing in front of her, the Doctor slowly became aware of the sounds of the ballroom again. When he realised the orchestra were playing a waltz—a Valorean waltz rather than a Viennese waltz, but the difference was minute (or minuet?)—he pulled her close and placed her hand in the crook of his elbow.

"Rose… would you like to dance?"

A moment of doubt overtook him. Would she realise what he was asking? Would she understand that he was finally letting go of all the rules and fears that had held them apart?

Rose held his arm tighter and moved closer to him, close enough that he could feel the silk fabric of her dress brush against his trouser leg with every step they took. "I would love to dance with you, Doctor."