This started as just a quick little bit of fluff, but surprisingly ended up being a decent chapter length, so it might even turn into a full story depending on what kind of feedback I get :) Hope you like it! Reviews are much appreciated as this is my first time writing something like this...

Whenever the Doctor went to sleep he saw his memories before his dreams. It wasn't something he did on purpose; it was natural for time lords, a way of documenting memories. Like a back up system. But even though it wasn't something he did intentionally, he usually enjoyed it. Especially since he was travelling with Rose Tyler. Sometimes it could be a draining process – when someone had died, when he couldn't save them, when he had to say goodbye… when he felt the old man who had seen war inside him more clearly than he felt the man he tried to show everyone else.

He could almost hear Rose tossing in her sleep, even though he knew she was rooms and rooms away from him. He imagined what she looked like sleeping. His thoughts were mostly innocent tonight (as they should be, he told himself); today he had felt the need to protect her more than anything else. To comfort her after loosing Mickey to another world. Although she had looked very… soft. With her smooth skin and clean, golden hair. Very… touchable. Soft. There was no other word for it, he decided. Well, maybe beautiful. He pushed out of his mind the thought that most people don't think about how beautiful their best friend is before going to sleep. But then she wasn't just his best friend. He couldn't even try to lie to himself about that. With an image of her lying peacefully, safely, in his imagination, the Doctor started to drift off into his memories.

Rose had smiled at him the same way she always did, but he saw the way she looked at Mickey's jacket, hastily kicked under one of the chairs before they'd stepped into a different world. The world he never came back from. They had stayed with Jackie for a while, well Rose had, and the Doctor had stayed in the Tardis. He'd walked in after Rose had gone to bed, he wasn't sure why, maybe he just wanted to be closer to her. Jackie heard him and walked sharply up to his face. She hadn't said anything when they had explained where Mickey had gone, just hugged her daughter, but that was when Rose was there.

She frowned and whispered, just loud enough that her voice still held some aggression, "you don't know how much they were startin' to love each other. Before you came along. And you don't know how much I needed 'im when you took her away." Her voice cracked a little at the end.

She pulled away, looking sadder now. "Jackie, I-"

"Just save it." She looked down. "Please don't." Jackie walked away, leaving him in the hallway.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Jackie turned around. "I do love you Doctor. Really. And I'll always protect you and my Rose. But you don't know how hard it is to be left behind." She walked away. That memory faded a little.

He had needed to make Rose forget about Mickey for a while. He was standing at the console, running his fingers across the buttons, trying to think of somewhere that would make her happy. Then it clicked. "Gotcha," he smiled. Kartilia.

"We've just landed on the fourth planet of the Quilaxian Colonial Republic, arguably the wealthiest empire of the 56th century," he told her as she walked in. "Kartilia, it's called. Named after the woman who led the Quilaxians into battle in oh… 2020, your time? Kartilia Ameralde. You'd like her. Although now it's not so much a battleground as a palace... Home to what might be the most beautiful ballroom in the universe. And we've got an invitation." He held up the psychic paper with a cheeky grin. Even with Mickey gone, he knew she couldn't help but grin back. And she looked gorgeous.

"You should probably get into something a little less casual," he remarked, eyeing her t-shirt and overalls. She looked down at her outfit and bit her lip. "Right... Aren't you getting changed?"

"I will, I will! You won't even recognize me, Rose." She laughed as she walked away.

His memory swirled again.

He was fiddling with the console screen, bent over in a different suit- black this time, white shirt, and no tie. A little different to his usual attire, but similar enough that he knew he looked good. Ten had his glasses on, squinting at the screen, when she walked in.

"This okay then?" he heard her voice from behind him. He turned around. She was biting her lip in anticipation of his verdict. He let his mouth drop open a little as his eyes looked her up and down. She was wearing a dark blue floor length dress, made out what looked like thin silk, which was clinging slightly to her body, showing her curves beautifully. Its neckline was just low enough to see a hint of her bra, which looked black and lacey. The color made her eyes sparkle. Her hair was down, and just a little messy from pulling the dress on in a hurry.

He raised his eyebrows as he stuttered, "it's, uh, um… well, it's better than… uh, nice. You look nice." He closed his mouth and quickly turned back to what he was doing, trying to regain composure as quickly as possibly. Rose blushed a little. It didn't seem like much of a compliment, but his expressions gave away his intention.

"I like your suit," she said, pointing to him. He grinned at her, smoothing it down a little.

"Well I couldn't have you showing me up, could I?" he said, holding out a hand, which she took almost automatically. He looked down at her, catching a flash of black lace, and felt his breath stop for a second.

His mind went black for a moment, and another memory rose up.

She was sipping on the drink he had just bought her happily, clearly liking the taste of nectar and alcohol. "That's not too strong is it?" he asked with a slight frown.

"What, you don't think I can handle it?" Rose replied with the tongue in teeth grin she couldn't know made him melt.

"Sorry," he nodded with a sincere but begrudging smile, putting his hands up.

Her eyes left his to look around the room again. He couldn't blame her, it really was magnificent. The ballroom looked as if it was made of ice, with long, intricate icicles hanging from the ceiling, covered in what looked like tiny diamonds. The floor looked like what could only be described as a frozen storm. It was flat to stand on, but a Qualaxian optical allusion made it look as if the floor in front of you was as three-dimensional as a rough ocean, with couples dancing between waves. He looked down at her. He loved seeing her so entranced by things. He followed her gaze back up to the ceiling, where a quartz chandelier sparkled beautifully, shining tiny rays of light on the large room's occupants.

"Miss, Tyler, would you like to accompany me in a waltz?" he asked her, doing his best to hold back a grin.

"Why yes Doctor," she replied in the same proper voice, "I would be delighted." He swept her onto the dance floor, making her giggle loudly in surprise. Half the waltz was spent laughing, with Rose jokingly hitting the Doctor as he held onto her waist and spun her around with the other couples. Being so close to her was heaven.

At the end of the song a tall man, almost the Doctor's height, walked over to them. Unlike the Doctor he had gone for a full tux, and was pulling it off wonderfully. He watched Rose's eyes look over him, and felt a tiny pang of jealousy when she blushed at his smile. Although he had to admit- he was handsome. Dark brown hair, swept to the side with a slight wave, high cheekbones and black eyes. He was clearly a bit posh, the Doctor assessed – not his Rose's type of guy, surely. But then again, this one could have given Jack Harkness a run for his money, and she had fancied him… The man smiled warmly, looking only at Rose.

"Can we help you?" said the Doctor, eager to assert his presence. The man didn't take his eyes off Rose. "May I have this dance?" he asked, holding an arm out gracefully. Rose blushed again."I'd love to," she said a little breathily, "but uh, my friend wouldn't have a dance partner." The man frowned a little. "How about I buy him a drink why he waits for you?" he said smoothly, motioning to a staff member, who nodded in understanding and walked to the bar. Rose looked up at the Doctor, as if asking for his permission. He forced a smile at her, it's not like he had a right to be possessive, after all. "Oh go on," he said. Rose smiled happily; giving him a quick wink, then took the arm that had been offered to her.

The Doctor reluctantly walked over to the staff member waiting behind the bar, trying to look as casual as possible. "What can I get for you sir?" the pale blue woman asked him. "I don't know! What's good?" She looked a little surprised for a moment, but then said, "I would recommend the Rizzian Martini. It's one of Mr. Taro's favorites."

"Ah, right. Wonderful. And… who is Mr. Taro?" She nodded to the handsome man who now, much to the Doctor's distain, had his arm around Rose's waist. "Right." The Doctor frowned as he watched Taro whisper something in Rose's ear, making her look at him with a smile that was supposed to be reserved for him. He turned back to the bar. "Could you make it extra strong?" He asked, rubbing on his neck. The woman held back a laugh, but gave him a knowing smile. "Of course, sir."

Her words faded away, and the image of the bar behind her swirled into black. He was glad to leave the memory of Rose dancing with another man behind. Slowly a new moment appeared to him, quickly becoming clear in his mind.

Rose looked over curiously at his drink, which was slowly turning a bright orange color. "Rizzian Martini, apparently," he told her, "sort of tastes like honey, but spicier." He took another sip, feeling the flavors on his tongue. "Your Mr. Taro has some interesting tastes," he said. She blushed a little before frowning at him.

"He's not mine- we only had one dance!"

"Yeah, well…" the Doctor's voice was a little high. Rose traced the outline of her lips absentmindedly, making him stare a little. She sighed. "Something wrong?"

"No, it's lovely. Really. I love it." "But?" He questioned her. "Nothing. It's perfect." They smiled at each other a little giddily, Rose moving her straw around her second drink. The Doctor had only just noticed she had one. "What's that?"

"Oh… Taro." She said, with another little blush. The Doctor was getting sick of not being the cause of those. He nodded. "Hold on a minute," he said, suddenly sensing one of those sparks in his brain, "Taro… where do I know that name?" Rose shrugged, eyes finding her former dance partner across the room."Taro… Taro, Taro, Taro. Did he say what his first name was?"

"Um… Damie, I think. Yeah that's right. Damie." She was looking at over him, watching him talking to an older man. The Doctor put his hand through his hair as he thought. Rose's eyes hadn't left Damie, which disappointed him. She usually liked his hair. "Oh!" he said, a little loudly. "Damie Taro!" He looked at Rose with a smirk.

"What?"

"Your boyfriend's the future prince."

"Seriously?" She asked incredulously.

"Seriously. Bit of a step up from Mr. Mickety-Mick." And me, he thought silently.

"Blimey," Rose replied, obviously impressed. "Maybe I should go and talk to him again," she said leaning in. "You know, be the Camilla," she finished with an exaggerated accent, grinning at him.

"Nah, we've got more important stuff to do!" said the Doctor, moving back. Rose raised an eyebrow at him and took another sip of her drink. "Like what?"

"They've got a photo booth," he said wiggling his eyebrows. She looked disbelieving. "The 56th century and they've got photo booths?"

"Of course! It's vintage! Very chic." Rose turned her head to the side a little as she spoke, "Well then, lead the way, Doctor!"

The Doctor smiled at the memory of taking her arm again. Even this close to sleep he couldn't help smiling at the thought of her. He felt his body getting heavier, and knew, hazily, that this would be the last memory before he began to dream.

They looked down at the black and white picture of them. The Doctor frowned. "Not my best photo," he muttered.

"Oh I love it!" said Rose, taking it from him. "You look cute," she said, pointing to his confused face. The Doctor smiled at her compliment, but then frowned again.

"I'm trying to work out if it's taking a photo! And look, you're laughing at me!"

Rose grinned at him, giggling. "Not my fault I'm more photogenic," she said with a cheeky grin. He smiled down at her for a few seconds, and then pulled her into a big hug. "What's this for?" she said, wrapped up by him, feet almost off the ground. He put her down again, hands in his pockets.

"No reason," he shrugged, looking at her fondly. She smiled back, a little bemused by him. "Come on," she said, "let's go dance – you can show me ya moves." The Doctor grinned. Take that princey boy, he thought to himself smugly.

He rolled over as his mind went blank again, more than content to have his final memory of the night be one with her. Haziness was all around him, and the Tardis hummed softly in his ears. "Good night old girl," he muttered, gliding easily into his dreams.

The Doctor woke up earlier than Rose, which was normal. It was no secret that fully-grown time lords needed much less sleep than nineteen-year-old humans. He paced around the console room contently, letting his mind wander, running his fingers lightly over the buttons. The Tardis hummed peacefully. He could tell she liked having Rose with them. Especially since he regenerated. She had always liked Rose, but he suspected the Bad Wolf had made her connection to her stronger. And Rose had said a few times she could feel her, which was more than any other companion had ever experienced. Of course it still didn't come close to the Doctor's connection, but then he was a time lord, so that much was obvious. The Tardis spoke quietly in the back of his mind. It was more a feeling than words, but he understood her perfectly. She was telling him not to underestimate her connection to Rose. He smiled to himself and leant against the console. "I told you she was special," he said happily.

"Who's special?" The Doctor turned around to see a sleepy Rose smiling at him. "Oh, no one," he said, smiling back at her. Rose rubbed her eyes, smudging mascara.

"I was too tired to take my makeup off," she explained. He looked at her for a minute. She was wearing pink pajamas, and her hair was a tied up in a messy bun. Rose yawned, almost squeaking a little. He smiled to himself. She was adorable sometimes.

"So," he began, full of energy, "how about we go out for breakfast?"

"Where to?" Rose asked, gaining some of his energy.

"How about… Barcelona?"

Rose grinned. "Spain Barcelona or dogs with no noses Barcelona?"

"Oh, dogs with no noses Barcelona for sure," he replied, with the sort of charisma only the Doctor had. She jumped a little excitedly.

"I'll go get dressed!" Rose turned and half-ran back to her room, leaving the Doctor grinning after her.

She returned wearing one of his favorite t-shirts, he said he liked the color, but really it was down to the way it hugged her waist like that, and one of her normal pairs of jeans. Her hair was in plaits, something that he hadn't seen her do often, but he liked. But then he liked anything she did.

"You ready?"

"Yup!" she said, popping the p in a very Doctor way as she took his hand.

The Doctor loved taking her to new places. They had a little routine worked out, although he didn't know if she was conscious of it in the same way he was. First, he would tell her something about where, or when, they were. Then she'd look up at him like it was the best day of her life and he was Father Christmas (who says he wasn't). He'd give her another fact, and she'd say something cute and funny and so Rose, and he'd look at her with that big grin that was only for her. He liked their rhythms. The little habits in a life that was constantly changing. "Better with two." She was right when she'd said that, the Doctor mused as they walked through Barcelona, holding hands the way they always did. He couldn't imagine doing this alone anymore. And he knew Rose couldn't either. She might be better off without him, sure, away from danger and fire and the dark parts of him that seemed to fade with her. But neither of them could do that. And in this moment he was sure he would never, could never, let anything separate them. He grinned down at her with that thought, and she smiled back.

"Happy?" she asked.

"Happy," he replied with a nod. "Ah! Here we are then!"

They came to a stop outside what would have looked like a thin, Earth like, villa-style café, had it not been made of pink glass, and what Rose assumed was an… organic type of brick. As they walked in she touched the wall tentatively, and was sure she heard it purr. The Doctor pulled her inside gently, smiling at the waitress who greeted them. Rose jumped a little when she saw her, but travelling with the Doctor had made her good at playing cool in surprising situations.

After they had been led to a table and left alone, she leaned into the Doctor and whispered, "I thought it was only the dogs that had no noses..." The Doctor chuckled at her in response, tossing the Barcelonan equivalent of a complimentary peanut into his mouth.

They waiting for food chatting as they usually did, when suddenly the Doctor got the feeling Rose was holding something back.

"You all right?" he asked, continuing to eat peanuts.

"Yeah… yeah I am. I was just thinkin' about Mickey again is all. He would have loved this."

The Doctor reached out and took her hand. She held his back, and looked up at him. That look told him she would be okay, she just needed this moment. He gave it to her, stroking her hand without thinking. "He's okay, Rose. He's happy and alive and with family. And I'm sure he misses you just as much."

"Yeah. Yeah you're right… Anyway. I was meaning to say, last night was wonderful. Thanks."

"Oh you never have to thank me! We're like shiver and shake- we're a team! I'm shake, by the way…" He finished with a wink. She snorted a little.

"I still can't believe I danced with a prince." She said with some amazement.

"Yeah well you also danced with a lord of time." He smiled at the end, playing off what had been a somewhat bitter comment off as a joke.

Rose fell for it, laughing, "You're full of it!" and nudging him under the table playfully. "I'm just going to the bathroom," she said, "I'll be right back."

"All right… Watch out for the mirrors! They're a little enthusiastic..." She looked at him confused, but walked away. Oh well, she'd find out soon enough.

"I danced with a prince." The Doctor drummed his fingers on the table impatiently. He didn't like being alone when there was nothing to do. Especially when he had images of Rose dancing with another man, boasting about being with another man, unwilling to leave him alone. He scowled a little. He was being immature. Stupid. Rose didn't belong to him! Although, he thought, it would be nice if she did. He quickly swept aside the thought of Rose, stepping towards him in last nights dress, pushing off one of the straps, "I belong to you." Nope. He refused to think like that. He cleared his throat and straightened his tie. "Just about enough of that," he muttered to himself. But he really couldn't help it when he heard her voice saying it again, hands on his chest –

"Doctor?" He jumped a little, looking up. Rose was back, looking at him with an amused expression. "You okay there?"

"Yep. Yep. Fine. Absolutely, completely fine."

"Very convincing too," she said with half a smirk, sitting back down. "You know," she said, "when you said the mirrors were enthusiastic, I didn't think you meant my reflection would try and fix my hair." She shook her head in amazement.

The Doctor reached out and touched her hair lightly, "it doesn't need any fixing, it looks lovely." Rose blushed. He drew his hand back quickly. "Anyway," he said, eager for her to forget that little intimate moment, "food should be here soon. I just ordered standard breakfasts. Should be good. Could be terrible. Hope not."

Rose laughed internally at him. It was obvious he was eager to please her. She touched her hair and smiled. She hadn't been sure about it today, but she would definitely be repeating this hairstyle now.

They ate their food happily; back to chatting normally - half-laughing and half-flirting, and walked back to the Tardis arm in arm. It was funny, Rose thought to herself, how this level of intimacy was okay with the Doctor, walking around like a couple, that he was fine with; but anything more than their hugs or the odd kiss on the cheek and he would withdraw. He had been finding it harder lately to do that though, not that she could tell. Especially today, after last night. He had been trying to keep his mind off it, really he had. Men flirted with Rose all the time, usually it didn't bother him. Well okay, it did, but he knew they were no competition, and he didn't give them a single thought after he had whisked her away. But this time it was different. Maybe it was because he had been good looking, royal, charming even. The way he held Rose, the way she blushed in his arms, was sticking to his mind like the most infuriating post-it note in the universe. "Terrible analogy," he muttered under his breath as he closed the door behind him.

Rose was already walking around the console in the same way he had this morning, feeling the buttons like he had. "Oh, are you driving?" he asked teasingly.

"I might be great at it," she teased back, "much better than you anyway, always getting the date wrong."

"Oi! I try my best! I always get us there in the end!"

"Mhmmm sure you do," she said, tongue in teeth.

"Stop bullying the designated driver," he said, in a mock stern voice.

"Or what?" she laughed playfully.

The Doctor's imagination raced for half a second. "Or I'll make you." He walked over and took her into his arms, pulling her in close. He tucked the fly away strand of hair behind her ear, looking deep into her eyes. She bit her lip. He leaned in.

He blinked. "Or… I'll just have to take you home." She laughed again, pretending to be shocked. "Never!"

"Never say never ever…" She rolled her eyes. He noticed one of the chairs wasn't sitting properly, and bent over, brainy specs now on, to sonic it back into place.

"Doctor?"

"Mmm."

"I know you like to go to new places…"

"Mhmm."

He continued to sonic the chair, which was slowly bending back into place.

"But I was wondering, can we go back to that ball?"

He stood up, putting his glasses into his pocket. "Why'd you want to go there?" He asked, ignoring the heavy lump in his stomach.

"Well it was so beautiful," she said, and he breathed a subtle sigh of relief, "and I never actually thanked that… well, prince, for buying me a drink. Seems rude since he's royalty an' all."

The Doctor smiled at her, but groaned internally. Rose Tyler was going to make him go insane, and she had no idea.