just a short thing outside of my normal style written for the doctorwhofest going on over on tumblr. For those of you reading Watch it Burn as well, I promise I'm working on the next chapter of that!
prompt: seasons
unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine.
It was autumn when they found themselves together on Bad Wolf Bay watching the TARDIS disappear. The Doctor could feel the bit of coral weighing down his pocket but his attention was on the woman clutching his hand, still staring at empty space. A breeze that warned winter was coming blew in off the sea, making them both shiver. Rose turned to face him, smoothing down the lapels of his blue suit. She questioned his shiver since he'd always seemed impervious to changeable weather in their travels. Now it seemed this human-ish body was more susceptible to the whims of Mother Nature. Rose wrapped an arm around him and together they walked down the beach to make their way back to London and start their life together. When he looked out the window of the flat they were to share the bright leaves were falling already; dead plants making way for new growth.
Winter was difficult. Both Rose and the Doctor had changed in their time apart. The love, the connection between them, was as strong as ever but they were searching for their balance. Anything and everything he said was the wrong thing. Nothing about his new body worked the way he expected it to and it just added a layer to his frustrations (which unfortunately were taken out on Rose more often than not.) So there were fights and tears and screaming. But there were also makeup sessions when lips and tongues and skin sliding on skin took the place of words. There were nights where they cuddled on the couch and had adventures in the city and that helped keep them both sane while they tried to figure out life on the slow path. The good moments didn't make everything okay though. Rose walked out after an argument one night, saying she couldn't take this right then. When she didn't come back that night, the Doctor panicked. Everything good about this new life of his was Rose. She was his warmth and his light and he needed her to make it through. She came back the next morning and after the tearing down of the last few walls between them, it became obvious that despite the challenges, their love would make it through this winter stronger than they had ever been before.
Spring brought on the honeymoon stage (without a wedding, much to Jackie's dismay.) They had worked out their major problems and now Rose and the Doctor couldn't keep their hands off of each other. The years of restraint in the other universe were now regarded as lost time and they were doing their best to make up for it. Their lives were growing together, intertwining as they worked cases for Torchwood and saved the world whenever they found it in danger. The TARDIS coral was growing as well. The Doctor had found a basement with the perfect growing conditions in the middle of London so they bought the house (no mortgage) that was on top of the basement and moved in; setting up a home for themselves while their future one grew. Smiles were more frequent than tears now and fights were trivial for the most part, just growing pains instead of fissures in their relationship.
Sunshine and warmth weren't the only good things summer brought. The Doctor was carrying a ring around in his pocket, waiting for the perfect moment to ask Rose to officially spend forever with him. He had decided that trying to explain what Rose was to him when talking to aliens was too difficult. He wanted everyone to know that she belonged to him and that he belonged to her. Rings and a ceremony could do that so that's what he wanted. They were lying in bed basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking when the words just slipped out of his mouth. Rose gaped at him before nodding, her smile putting supernovas to shame. He jumped up and dug in the pocket of the trousers he'd flung across the room earlier to present her with the ring. The diamond glinted as she pulled him down into a kiss to seal her promise. (They made up a more appropriate proposal story to tell everyone else, keeping their perfect moment to themselves.)