*Author's Note: Written for the prompt "Rose x Tentoo: The first time he could be hers and she could be his" on Tumblr. Hope you enjoy!*
Once Jackie arranges transport for herself back to London, the Doctor and Rose borrow a car from the local pub owner and drive.
When the Doctor suggests it Rose doesn't ask why because there's something desperate in his eyes, mirroring the look he had between "I could spend it with you, if you want" and the moment her lips found his.
Maybe the newly formed molecules surging through his body won't let him stay still; maybe he can feel the walls of the universe closing and he has to chase them down; maybe he's just running away.
At least he's running with her.
So they fill the old Volkswagen's tank with petrol and set off, with the Doctor behind the wheel and Rose stealing glances at him from the passenger seat, flinching when she forgets they're driving on the other side of the road.
When they hit the motorway her hand settles over his on the gearshift. She leaves it there for 100 miles.
As the sun sets on the sloping Norwegian countryside the Doctor smiles at her, squeezing her hand. Rose falls asleep somewhere in Germany.
When she wakes up the road signs are in French. The sun is barely peeking above the horizon and after a while Rose realizes they're still driving south.
"Where are we going?" she asks, cringing at how small her voice sounds.
He grins at her brightly. "On our first adventure."
They stop for breakfast near Chaumont, eating baguettes with blackberry jam on the grass below the castle. The Doctor proclaims his new part-human taste buds are an improvement on his old ones. He smears a dollop of jam on Rose's nose so he can lick it off.
When Rose notices his eyelids drooping she buys a blanket from a nearby shop. He protests, but eventually lies down, suit jacket folded beneath his head. When his breathing evens out Rose takes off his trainers and curls against his side.
Soon they're on the road again. The Doctor seems revived from his nap, bantering and carrying on like his old self, telling Rose about the adventures he'd wished she could have seen. He leaves out the sad bits.
After a while, the road signs change from French to Spanish and a smile splits Rose's face.
"Doctor…" she says, gripping his arm.
"Yes?" he beams back at her, because of course she would figure it out.
"Barcelona?"
"The city!"
The Doctor parks the car by Parc Guell and they walk all the way to the beach in Barceloneta, stopping to toss alien coins into fountains, to watch children laugh at street performers, to eat the best paella the Doctor has ever tasted.
The sun is low in the sky as Rose spreads the blanket a few yards from the water, both pairs of feet sandy from dipping their toes in the ocean. The Doctor had held her hand and said something about a baptism.
He waits until the beach is empty to kiss her.
She tastes salty, like the sea that's roaring in his ears – or is that just his blood? He rolls her onto her back and can't quite believe how perfectly her body fits beneath his, like puzzle pieces forged by the universe.
When she touches him it feels like a solar flare.
As he makes love to her, the Time Lord part of him can sense that the tide is rising. The waves are lapping at his heels by the time he makes her come.
When they're both spent the waters recede, washing away at least some of their pain, the earth leaving behind its blessings for the lovers who don't belong here.
They dress, clothing lightly battered with sand, and twine their limbs together beneath unfamiliar stars.
"S'about time we made a good memory on a beach," Rose says as her eyelids grow heavy.
"Quite right too," the Doctor smiles into her windswept hair.
"How long you gonna stay with me?" she asks, because she can't help it.
"Forever."