Title: Down Time

Summary: A lil down time goes a long way for the Doctor and Rose.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything unfortunately. If I did, I'd hire someone to do my typing for me ;-D

Distribution: You want it, just ask.

Part 1

"Go on," she said, her lips spread wide in a large smile that flashed all her teeth and rounded her cheeks.

"I'm nine hundred, Rose, not nine."

"So what? Just cus you got a few extra noughts doesn't mean you can't have fun."

Stunning blue eyes rolled as he shook his head. "Childish is what it is, not fun."

"How d'you know it's not fun? Not like you've ever played it before."

"Don't have to," he said with all the arrogance that came with being a Time Lord. "I'm not playing," and pushed himself back under the control support, fully intending to fix a bolt that had been loose since last month. He still couldn't believe that out of all planets and galaxies in the universe, only one shop had a suitable spare part. Oh, the trouble he'd gotten them into trying to get it.

The Doctor grinned up at the bolt as though it could grin back and brought up his trusty screwdriver, ready and willing to get to work. He paused when a soft body dropped down next to him, wavy blonde hair going every which way and an arm squirming around enough to send a bony elbow into his ribs.

"Oops," Rose smiled cheekily when he glowered at her. "Am I interrupting?"

His grip on the screwdriver tightened. Little minx knew she was interrupting. "No," he grouched. "You're not interrupting." Was fixing his ship in peace too much to ask?

"Then you won't mind playing with me."

"Had a game of that Monopoly this morning, didn't we?"

"Till you got bored of losing money. Don't forget you still owe me six grand."

This time he didn't glower, he glared. A full-on, wicked glare that merely caused her to laugh. "You cheated, Rose Tyler." He was absolutely certain of it. "You were sneaking money out the bank. I saw you. Crime like that? Should be doing time, you."

"I didn't cheat and you know it. You're just a sore loser. That why you don't wanna play? In case you lose?"

Him? Lose? Never. "You women," the Doctor sighed. "With your big eyes and your flirty lashes and pouty lips..." He shook his head in mock shame of the female species. "Manipulaters, the lot of you."

Rose's smile only changed size to become wider. She batted said lashes and bit her lower lip. "Is it working?"

He blatantly refused to look at her, focusing instead on securing the bolt. "No."

It'd only been the last week or so when she realised his greatest weakness was his heart. Usually, he tried to do things for her without her noticing, but she always did. She noticed he always asked where she wanted to go before making a suggestion. She noticed the pretty pink numbers on her bedroom door that stated her room co-ordinates in Galifreyen numerals. She noticed how he bought her little trinkets from each place they visited and gave them to her with a fact or two about them.

There were lots of other things he did and each one simply made him who he was, and it was this heart she targeted. "I'm only thinking of you, you know," Rose said, sighing as only a woman could when she wanted her own way.

"I'm not listening." Except he was listening. Listening to how her voice got all breathy and whispery and cute, listening to how her fingers brushed her jeans free of invisible specks of dust and more importantly, he was listening to how she was going to talk him into doing something he didn't want to do. He was hardly able to keep the grin off his face as he pretended to fiddle with a stray wire.

"Bet there's loads of places you don't know about on here."

"Doubt it. The TARDIS an me? Been together for ages we have. Not a thing about her I don't know."

"Sure about that?"

It was getting harder to keep from smirking. "Very."

Rose blinked oh so innocently. "Then you know about that little cupboard near my room? Full of all sorts it is." She paused long enough to ignite his curiosity. "Think I saw a hammer somewhere in there."

The Doctor glanced at his companion and arched a brow. "It's still not working," he insisted, then watched as her full lip popped into a spectacular sized pout. Her mouth was free of lipstick today, leaving the natural candy colour to tempt him into reaching out and tugging on it. "You'll trip over that one day if you're not careful."

Her tongue responded by sweeping across her injured lip, making the candy glisten and shine under the soft TARDIS's light. She gave his hand a playful little swat. "Oi you."

"Oi me what?"

Rose shrugged, her lips falling into a smile she invented just for him. "Nothing just... Oi you."

"Well," he smiled a smile invented just for her. "Oi you right back. Fancy a cuppa tea and a biscuit? Sure there's some Digestives left."

"All done then?"

As a matter of fact, he wasn't done. He still had a few more spare parts to add, but there was so much eagerness in her voice that he couldn't say no. The Doctor grinned a grin that made her heart full and sure she made the right choice to be with him. "All done and all yours."

His words put a pretty smile on her face. Not the same kind of smile he got when she teased him and definitely not the same kind of smile he got right before he opened the TARDIS doors after landing on a new planet. The first of those smiles was flirty and fun and it warmed him down to his toes. The second of those smiles was nervous, anticipating, her excitement infecting him though he'd seen it all before. The smile she had now was different.

This smile was small and sweet, bringing a new meaning to her candy coloured mouth. Sweet, he decided, this smile was sweet and demanded he give her his undivided attention for as long as she wanted. Definitely his favourite smile.

The Doctor tapped her nose once on each side with the sonic screwdriver, enjoying how it wrinkled in response. "All yours," he said and easily shuffled his way out from under the support, standing up to offer Rose a hand and didn't let go until she was steady. "So... Hide n seek was it?"