The Doctor positioned himself at the TARDIS controls, then snuck a glance at Rose. He'd fluctuated between happiness and disbelief since she'd called him to pick her up, but she really was back, after being gone for two years.
Rose caught him looking at her and flashed him the trademark smile that had always driven him mad. He was sorely tempted to sweep her into his arms and carry her back to bed, but after a week in the Vortex, she'd asked him to take her someplace—and he'd never been able to say no to her. He restrained his desire with an effort, and judging by the way she arched an eyebrow, she knew exactly what he was thinking.
The fleeting notion that if they had a bond, she would know exactly what he was thinking crossed his mind, but he quickly shoved it aside. He'd wanted a bond with Rose for years, but he could wait until she was settled back at home before asking.
Instead, he returned her smirk and said, "Well, Rose Tyler? You were the one who insisted I take you someplace. Any specific requests? Backwards in time, forwards in time… sideways in time…"
Rose rolled her eyes. "You think you're so impressive."
"I am so impressive!" he protested, though his grin belied the offended tone he affected. "But fine, if Rose Tyler wants to be impressed…" He quickly spun a dial and slid a lever into place, setting the coordinates. The he turned the wheel on the helmic regulator, released the handbrake, and flipped the dematerialisation lever. "Here we go!"
The TARDIS shuddered into flight, and Rose fell to the grating with a shriek of laughter. The Doctor went down too, and when he looked over at her, it was almost like she had never been gone. No one had ever taken to TARDIS travel like Rose Tyler, and he suspected no one ever would.
They landed with a hard thud, and he leapt to his feet before offering Rose a hand. She was still giggling when she stood up, and the Doctor couldn't resist kissing her quickly before he stepped aside and pointed at the door.
"After you."
Rose laughed again, then jogged up the ramp and pushed the door open. The gust of cold air that carried a swirl of snow into the TARDIS was the Doctor's first hint that they hadn't ended up exactly where he'd planned.
"Brrr!" She stepped back and pulled the door closed. "It looks lovely, but I think I'll make a quick stop in the wardrobe room to get more appropriately attired."
"It shouldn't be snowing," the Doctor muttered. He looked at the navigation controls—he had clearly set their landing for spring, not winter. Comparing them to the coordinates for their current location, he instantly realised the ship had landed four months earlier than he'd requested. "Oi! What did you do that for?" he berated her.
"Doctor, it's okay," Rose told him. "She always takes us to the right places, doesn't she?"
The Doctor felt his lower lip stick out. "But I wanted you to see Mandin in spring," he protested. "When everything's in bloom and you can catch a glimpse of the sea on the horizon. You asked for impressive, not… snow and ice."
Rose kissed him on the cheek. "I kinda like the snow," she admitted. "It never got cold enough in Pete's World—even after we closed the breach, they still dealt with global warming. It's been years since I made a snowman."
The Doctor perked up. "Well then, Rose Tyler, what are you waiting for? Go get warm clothes on, and we'll spend the afternoon playing in the snow."
oOoOoOoOo
Ten minutes later, Rose stepped out onto Mandin and blinked as the blanket of white snow reflected the sun into her eyes. She adjusted the scarf she'd wrapped around her face to shield her eyes from the glare, then jumped with both feet into a snowbank.
Behind her, she heard the door latch, and she turned around to look at the Doctor. He'd buttoned his wool coat for once and wrapped a bright blue scarf around his neck. The tips of his uncovered ears were already turning red, and as she watched him, he pulled a pair of mittens out of his pocket and pulled them on.
"Mittens?" Rose questioned, looking at his hands.
"They do a better job keeping your fingers warm than gloves do." He held up his hands, and she could see his fingers wriggling inside their blue woollen protection.
Rose eyed him for a minute, then casually scooped up some snow. "True," she allowed, "but it's harder to make snowballs wearing mittens." She threw the snowball at him before he realised what she was doing, then leapt to the other side of the snowbank and ducked.
"Oh, you've done it now, Rose Tyler!" he shouted, and Rose felt a whoosh of air as a snowball flew past her ear.
She gathered up more snow and jumped up just long enough to pelt him with another snowball. Then she ran for the protection of the trees, about 20 feet away. Behind her, the Doctor laughed, and Rose's heart sang at the sound. He hadn't told her much about the two years she'd been gone, but if they'd been anything like her time in Pete's World, laughter had been scarce.
They played together all afternoon, lurking behind trees and throwing snowballs when it was least expected. As the sun dipped nearer to the horizon, Rose shifted her direction, following the trees back towards the TARDIS.
Finally, she was at the tree line again, with a good thirty feet of unprotected territory between her and the TARDIS. She scanned her surroundings, but didn't see the Doctor, so after taking a deep breath, she made a run for it.
She was halfway there when a Tarzan yell sounded from the trees. Moments later, a large figure knocked her down, though he was careful to send her into a soft snowdrift.
Rose spluttered as snow went into her mouth and stared at the Doctor. He lay next to her, stretched out on his side, with one arm supporting his head and the other tossing a snowball up in the air.
"Gotcha!"
Rose rolled her eyes and pushed herself up, shivering as snow went down her back. "Yeah, you got me." A smug smile crossed his face, and Rose hid her own grin. Before he could blink, she pulled his hat off, filled it with snow, and shoved it back on his head. "And now I got you!" she retorted, then ran for the door.
The Doctor sat frozen in the snow for a moment, trying to grasp how she'd so quickly turned the tables on him. He leapt to his feet and chased after her, intent on firing some kind of teasing taunt that would tip the balance back in his favour.
But the sight of Rose shivering in the console room wiped away all desire to "win" their playful game. "Let's get dry clothes on, and then have hot cocoa in front of the fireplace," he suggested instead.
Rose nodded quickly, and they hustled to their room, undoing their soaking wet outer layers as they walked. They towelled off in the bathroom, the Doctor pouting a little when he saw his limp, wet hair, then they got dressed in fleece pyjamas and went to the library, where the TARDIS had cocoa waiting for them.
The Doctor patted the door in thanks when he saw the fire burning in the grate. With the lights low and soft music playing in the background, it was the perfect romantic ending to their day of winter fun. And when Rose curled up next to him under the afghan they found draped over the back of the couch, he couldn't stop a soft sound of contentment from escaping him.
"Thank you," she said softly. Her head was resting on his shoulder, and the breath from the words tickled his neck. "I really missed days like this, where we just went someplace and had fun together."
The Doctor wrapped an arm around her shoulders and sipped at his cocoa. The melting marshmallows left a sticky moustache on his upper lip, and he licked at the sugary coating.
"No snow in Pete's World, you said?"
"No Doctor in Pete's World either." Rose shifted, and a moment later, the Doctor was looking into her golden brown eyes. "No amount of snow or anything else could've made up for not being with you. I told you I was never gonna leave you, and then…"
She sniffed, and the Doctor wiped a tear away with his thumb. "Hey, hey—it's okay. You're back now, and I promise you can stay with me as long as you like."
Rose set her jaw. "I promised you forever," she reminded him, and he could hear the frustration in her voice. "Why do you keep thinking I'm gonna change my mind?"
The Doctor's heart beat rapidly. "I just… you're…" He sighed. "I don't deserve your forever," he admitted. "And I'm always afraid that one day, you're going to realise that."
She rolled her eyes and put her head back on his shoulder. "Well, since it's my forever to give, I get to decide who deserves it. And I think you do."
Hope blossomed, and a wild idea occurred to the Doctor. He lifted his arm carefully so as not to make Rose spill her hot chocolate, then encouraged her to straighten up.
"Wha'? Where are you going?"
He smiled at her as he walked to the door. "Just… have to get something. That's all. I'll be right back." He pointed at Rose. "Don't you go anywhere, Rose Tyler."
The Doctor disappeared into the hallway, leaving Rose staring at the door, blinking back tears. She knew the subject of the future was a touchy one for him, but she hadn't expected him to bolt as soon as she reiterated her intent to stay with him forever. Hell, the first time she'd given him that promise, he'd asked for it.
Since she'd gotten home, he'd made a point of telling her he loved her at least once a day. But apparently that didn't mean he wanted her to hang around.
Before the tears building up started flowing down her face, the Doctor reappeared. The shy smile on his face seemed at odds with his behaviour… unless she'd interpreted his actions wrong.
Rose watched him with a critical eye as he walked towards her. His whole body was twitching with a barely-suppressed manic energy, and his right hand was clenched in a fist. Instead of sitting back down, he stopped in front of her, and the open vulnerability on his face eased the rest of her fears.
"What is it, Doctor?"
He tugged at his ear, then nodded quickly and kneeled in front of her.
Oh my god—is he really…? Then he opened his hand to reveal a ring, and heat swept through her, radiating out from her heart.
The Doctor licked his lips. "Rose Tyler, your forever is all I've wanted from the moment I met you. I thought I'd lost the chance to share those years with you, but you came back to me, even though I said it was impossible."
Tears trembled on his eyelashes, and Rose wiped them away. He nuzzled into her caress for a moment, and then he took a deep breath.
"Will you marry me, Rose?"
The words were quiet, and Rose could hear his nervousness. Her own throat was clogged with tears, so instead of speaking she nodded her head and held her hand out for the ring.
The Doctor's eyes widened, and the smile that stole across his face stunned Rose. She'd thought she'd seen true happiness in him before, but this put every other Doctor-smile to shame. His hand shook a little as he pushed the diamond solitaire over her knuckles, and Rose let out a breathless laugh, which he echoed.
Rose stared at the ring, taking in the way the firelight caught and reflected in the gem. "I love it," she said, finally finding her voice. Then she looked up at him and ran her hands through his hair. "I love you."
The Doctor laughed again and pulled her down onto the floor, into his lap. She looped her arms around his neck and his large hands on her back pulled her close.
He leaned in and brushed a soft kiss against her lips, then whispered, "Forever isn't long enough to love you, Rose Tyler."
"Well," she said as she played with the hairs at the nape of his neck, "then I guess we'll have to aim for forever and a day."