Title: Holiday
Author: CosmicalMadison
Summary: Rose convinces the Doctor to take a holiday, and the two spend some time alone together. 10Rose
Rating: K
Pairing: 10Rose
Genre: Romance
Author's Note: Partly borrowed from a drabble I once read. If you recognize it, drop me a line, and I'll give you credit.
"Don't you ever go on vacation?" Rose asks him one day. "You know, take a holiday?"
The Doctor turns from where he has been working at the TARDIS consol and shrugs. "Dunno. I guess a few times, a while back."
"How long ago?"
"I don't know, Rose." He turns away again. "There are more important things."
"Not really." She comes to stand beside him, forcing him to look at her. "Come on, let's do it. Let's go somewhere…relaxing. Have some time off, yeah?" She gives him her most hopeful puppy-dog look, the one that always makes him break down.
He smiles back at her. "Oh, all right, if you insist."
A grin breaks out on her face as she watches him input the coordinates and pull the lever that will send them hurtling through space and time.
A few hours later, Rose is having what she thinks must be the best time of her life. The Doctor has brought them to a beautiful planet of waving grasses and blue skies, completely uninhabited except for them. They spend the afternoon wandering around, hiking the beautiful countryside, and enjoying their newfound paradise. When darkness approaches, they return to the site of their landing to watch the sunset. Neither notices how tired they are until they lay down on a grassy hill next to one another.
Rose looks over at the Doctor, laying on his back with his eyes closed. She can't tell if he's sleeping or just resting, only that he looks the same here as anywhere and anywhen else. Even in this paradise, his worry is there. His face holds the look of bearing the burden of the entire universe on his shoulders.
She wants to comfort him and make him forget; that was the point of this exercise. She wants him, for just a short while, to be himself, her Doctor, not the savior of worlds.
She reaches over, slowly, and lets her fingers play through his hair. It is soft between her fingers, just as she imagined it would be. It feels like such an intimate moment, she feels bad that he's not really there to share it with her. But what would he think if he was? What he doesn't share her feelings?
He shifts slightly, and she yanks her hand back, not wanting to find out. Not yet. She doesn't think she could stand it if he didn't.
His eyes slide open halfway, and he smiles up at her. "Don't stop," he says softly. "That feels good."
Her heart soars at the invitation. As his eyes slip closed again, the smile remains on his lips, and she reaches for him again. This time as she strokes his hair, she watches his face carefully. He seems content now, as if he has forgotten everything else but the two of them. After a while her hands move down to his face, caressing his eyelids, nose, cheeks, and jaw. He sighs softly at the attention, and her heart races.
Finally, she can stand it no longer and leans down to touch a butterfly kiss to his cheek. As she straightens up, she watches a gentle frown come over his features, and her heart sinks.
But a moment later his hand reaches up and cups her neck, brings her back down until their lips touch, tenderly and chastely. When he lets her go, he opens his eyes, smiles up at her, and says, "Don't be so shy, my Rose."
She can't help but smile back as she leans in to touch him again.