The Doctor had woken up early in the morning, a few hours before Rose would even think of getting out of bed. Today was the day. The day everything changed forever. It had taken him a while to save up enough money to pull it off but everything was finally in motion. He leaned over Rose's peacefully sleeping form and kissed her on the cheek, careful not to wake her. With a practiced precision he slipped out of bed and grabbed his clothes, getting dressed in the bathroom as quietly as he could manage.
Outside the building the air was frigid; the only drawback to his plan, but it had to be tonight. He knew that Rose would understand once he explained it to her. The Doctor's breath hung in clouds just beyond his lips, drifting away from his head in steamy tendrils. The bakery they had discovered together was just opening up, people already queued outside the doors to have a chance at getting their famous pastries fresh from the oven. Rose loved them, but never got up early enough to make this excursion. It would be a nice touch.
Whilst The Doctor waited in line he made a few phone calls to finalize his plans, hoping he could pull this off without raising too much suspicion. Rose was clever, but it had been long enough since they talked about proposals that she shouldn't be expecting anything. A little while later he made his way back inside, arms cradling a warm box of fruity delights. They smelled heavenly; setting the box on the counter he started making them tea, leaning nervously against the refrigerator as he waited for Rose to join him.
It didn't take long for the smells to fill the household, Rose groaning when she woke up to find that it was only 8am, why was The Doctor even up at this time of morning when they didn't have work or anywhere to be? She stumbled in to the kitchen, rubbing her eyes as she tried to adjust to the light. "What are you doing up?" Rose mumbled tiredly, sloppily kissing him before sitting at the breakfast bar, trying to figure out what was going on.
"I just woke up early, couldn't get back to sleep so I thought I might as well make myself useful. And," he said authoritatively, with a smile on his face that was bound to win her over as always. "As your doting boyfriend it is my job to occasionally spoil you." He crossed over to her side of the counter and spun her chair around so she was facing him. "Good morning," he said with a quiet grin, kissing her eagerly.
"Morning, Mister." Rose smiled kissing him gently as she wrapped her arms around him, looking down at the pastries. "You really went and bought them just for me?" She asked softly, touched that he had gone out of the way for her so early in the morning. "Thank you!" She grinned, diving in to the box to pick out her favourites, forgetting how amazing they truly tasted as the pastry began to melt in her mouth.
"Of course I did, I know they're your favourites, I know you! You don't have to thank me," he said quietly, wrapping his arms around her tighter and kissing her again. His stomach was filled with butterflies despite it being hours until he planned to propose. It had taken months of calculation to settle on this day and he could hardly believe it was finally here. He had made her wait far too long but he hoped this would all make up for it. "I was thinking we might go out for dinner tonight," he said casually, "Might as well, right? We're only young once! I heard of a place at work I'd like to try. We could just stay in though, if you'd rather." He hoped she wouldn't, they needed to get out of the house; the dinner wasn't the important part, it was what came afterwards that would really change things.
"Dinner?" Rose asked before nodding slightly, knowing they didn't have any plans for tonight. "Okay sure, sounds lovely. Another date night." She grinned. Every now and then The Doctor liked for them to just go out and spend some quality time together. From the start of their relationship they both promised one another to take time out for one another and to never get too bogged down by every day life and work.
"Great," he said happily, relieved that she didn't find his offer out of the ordinary. "It's a date! Make sure to wear something warm though, it's chilly out there today! And we'll have to drive, it's a bit out of the city...but from what I've heard it's completely worth it. My treat, for the woman I love." he grinned, kissing her cheek as she relaxed against him for a moment. Seeing Rose this relaxed and content was all The Doctor ever wanted in life. The fact that he could do this for her and make her happy was more than he could ever wish for. "Totally worth getting up early for."
"I'm already looking forward to tonight!" Rose grinned, looking at her boyfriend with a suspicious glance. "I thought you were already up early?" She questioned, had he gotten up early just for her? If he had she didn't see why he felt the need to lie about it.
"I was!" He defended, hating that she had already seemed to catch him out on a lie. He had to get better at covering them up as the day went by. The Doctor didn't want anything to accidentally slip out. Everything that happened tonight needed to be a surprise. "But even if I hadn't been I still would have went and gotten them for you. It's worth the lack of sleep to make you happy,"
"You're too good to me," She said, standing up to clear away their plates, which of course The Doctor insisted on getting for her. "Any plans for today then? Breakfast is all done, which was delicious, as always!" Rose smiled, licking her lips free of any crumbs, already excited for the evening they would have together. They both worked at Torchwood, which meant they only got the evening's to themselves, weekends were the perfect excuse to go out and just enjoy their rare time together.
"Only the best for you," he whispered back, a knowing smile etched across his face. "Get dressed, I've got it all planned out for you." He took over her vacated seat and waited for her to emerge, grinning when she did. "Love the coat," he said, walking over to meet her.
For the next few hours they walked around this London copy, visiting every place that had even the remotest bit of meaning to them. He wanted Rose to remember all their past memories together instead of concentrating on now and the future they would have. As exciting as their future was, sometimes it was fun to look back and think about how they first met and the adventures they once had rather than the adventures that had yet to come. They walked past the store Rose used to work at, the London Eye, that little Italian place they had gone so many months ago for their first date in Pete's World. They went to the cinema, which was coincidentally playing the very first thing they ever saw together, and afterwards they walked around the spacious park, absent in the other London but a major part of this one. It was a busy day, and by the time they arrived back at the flat it was nearly time to leave for dinner.
Nerves began to fill The Doctor as he told Rose to go and get dressed for their evening of luxury and decadency. There was no doubt in his mind that Rose didn't want this, but the fear of her saying no was still there in the back of his mind, gnawing away. This was the difficult part, he wondered how he was ever going to make it through the evening without making his plans obvious.
To be continued…what does The Doctor have in store for Rose?