Hello everybody! Yay! New chapter! Mind you it won't always be this quick. I need something to do over Winter Break, eh? Thanks for the reviews! Never thought people would actually read this, so thank you so much.Merry Christmas to all! This'll probably be the last chapter posted before Christmas. Enjoy!
The Doctor groaned and turned over on his side. No matter how hard he tried, it seemed that his Time Lord body refused to give in to slumber. The hotel room was nice, yes. Of course, he'd given Rose and him separate rooms. It'd be much too obvious to order one for them to share, even if there were separate beds.
The Doctor ran a hand through his disheveled hair and glanced at the digital clock beside him. It was almost three in the morning. The Doctor sighed and sat up. Although he and Rose had retired to their rooms at midnight, he'd only slept one hour. Time Lords did not need as much sleep as humans did, but the Doctor often welcomed slumber with open arms. However, tonight, he'd woken up at one in the morning, surprised to find that he'd only been asleep for sixty minutes. After that, the Doctor found himself unable to sleep once more.
The Doctor got up from his bed and began pacing the room. His eyes fell on his coat, which hung on the red hotel chair on the corner. The pink tips of the Treesap flower peeked from its pockets. He plucked the flower from his pocket and noticed that the bottom of its stem was blackening. As he set it upon the table, a few petals fell off. The Doctor filled a glass cup with water from the bathroom sink and set the flower in the water.
He sat down on the chair and propped his elbows upon the wood, resting his chin on his folded hands. The Treesap flower stared back. The Doctor wondered if it would ever reach the hands of one Rose Tyler.
He loved her. He loved her so much. He couldn't say it enough. Whether it was out loud or in his head, it would never be the same as saying it to her face. Look at yourself, he thought, chuckling, You've sent whole civilizations scurrying with a plain 'Hello', and you're afraid to admit your love to one simple human girl.
Eventually, the Doctor's head began to droop, and soon, his cheek was pressed against the table. This was where Rose found him in the morning, a small bit of drool seeping from the corner of his mouth and onto the wooden table.
"Doctor," Rose said softly, prodding at his shoulder a bit. The Doctor responded with a mere snort. She grinned and poked him a bit harder. With a large intake of breath, the Doctor's head shot up, his eyes wide and awake. His head swiveled around until he saw Rose, who giggled at the Doctor's bewildered expression.
"Whuhappen?" the Doctor blubbered quickly. He wiped the saliva from his chin and raised an eyebrow at Rose.
"We're on Heterica, remember?"
"Oh, yes, Heterica." The Doctor ran a hand through his hair and slowly stood up. He bumped his hand against something cool and felt water on his hand. "Oh, sorry," he said, picking up the water and the Treesap water while wiping the table with his sleeve, "Didn't realize that was there. You want some breakfast?"
"Doctor, why've you got that Treesap flower?" Rose inquired. She straightened the stem of the plant so that it stood at a much more attractive angle.
"Oh… That?" the Doctor asked, flustered. He'd completely forgotten for whom the Treesap flower was for. He floundered for a bit, mouth opening and closing like a fish. "That… erm…"
"You weren't planning on giving it to someone, were you, Doctor?" Rose asked, grinning.
"N-no. It was for myself," the Doctor said awkwardly.
"You bought a flower for yourself."
"Yeah." The Doctor held his gaze, and Rose began to laugh.
"You're so weird!" she said, giggling, "C'mon. Let's go eat." Rose skipped out of the room. The Doctor sighed and followed her, wondering what kind of mess he'd gotten himself into.
o.O.o
"What shall we do today? The concert doesn't start 'til night." Rose smiled at the Doctor as they stepped out of the hotel doors, stomachs full from a delicious breakfast of Heterican bacon and Dromidoe juice.
"How about we take a trip to the Heterican mountainside? Wonderful views. Rippling grass. Purple cows. You'll love it."
"As much as the thought of purple cows intrigues me," Rose said, "I do want to try that Heterican spa we saw last night. Remember? Can I go? Please?"
"I don't know," the Doctor said doubtfully, but Rose silently begged him with those deep, innocent brown eyes, and the Doctor broke down. "Alright, fine. But we meet in the town square tonight, 'kay?"
"Of course!" Rose jumped up and down excitedly as the Doctor reached into his pockets. Being bigger on the inside, he was literally up to his elbows looking for Heterican change.
"That was the tea set I got from ancient China," the Doctor said, wincing as quite a loud crash resounded from the inside of his pockets. Finally, he managed to produce a handful of Heterican money. Rose squealed, snatched it from his palm, and ran off in the direction of the spa.
"Don't spend it all at once!" the Doctor cautioned, but Rose was already out of sight. Shaking his head and chuckling, the Doctor wheeled around and went to the marketplace.
o.O.o
"Doctor! Doctor!" a familiar voice called. The Doctor turned and found that the caller was Arked, the young florist he and Rose had met yesterday. The Doctor hurried over and shook hands with the shopkeeper.
"You are a very welcome sight for sore eyes, Doctor," Arken said as he allowed the Doctor into his stall. Arken pulled out a chair for his customer to sit on and began to water some rainbow petunias in a corner. "So, Doctor, have you given your lady friend the Treesap yet?"
"No, not yet," the Doctor admitted wistfully.
"Why not?"
"I'm waiting for the right time," the Doctor said, fiddling with the stem of a flower, "I can't simply go up to her and say 'Here. I have a flower. Oh, and I love you.' I couldn't do that."
"But Doctor, it is the Festival of Nuptials. If you want a miracle in love, now is definitely the time." Arked leaned against an enormous flowerpot housing a giant daisy. He raised an eyebrow at the Doctor, who simply sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Arked! M'boy! Arked!" a voice from the marketplace called. Arked straightened and peered over the heads of the people shopping amongst the stalls. He began to wave ecstatically.
"Grandma Krishna! Papa Krishdee! Over here!"
"Oh Arked. It's been months. Much too long. I cannot wait for you to come home. Oh, your customer seems familiar!" Two familiar faces emerged from the throng of people. The Doctor quickly stood up. It was the elderly couple he and Rose had met at the concert last night. He shook hands with Krishna and Krishdee.
"Arked, how do you know this man?" Krishna asked.
"The Doctor? Oh, we met yesterday. He and his companion are here visiting."
"Ah yes. Doctor. Where is that blonde young woman of yours?" Krishna asked, smiling. Arked ushered the two aliens into chairs and began to pour tea.
"She's at the Heterican spa. I'll see her tonight, though."
"Doctor, I was under the impression that you were going to leave. What made you- oh, thank you so much, Arked- What made you stay, Doctor?"
"He and his companion are going to stay for the Festival of Nuptials! He's going to give her the Treesap flower and admit his love for her," Arked recited. The Doctor became very, very red. He was not expecting Arked to announce his plans to these two people he barely knew.
"So, Krishna, Krishdee. How do you two know Arked?" the Doctor asked, trying to wheel the subject away from his infatuation with Rose.
"Oh, Arked is one of our grandchildren. We have an adopted child," Krishna explained to the Doctor's bemused expression, "My husband and I are here for the festival. We have not come for over nine-hundred years."
"I wasn't aware your race lived so long."
"Ah yes. We are nearing our prime, though. I'm afraid my husband cannot go much longer with his injury."
"His injury?" The Doctor turned to Krishdee, who continued to remain in his quiet, silent state. His eyes, however, watched the Doctor with interest and curiosity.
"The Krandaskilans were allies with the Time Lords in the Time War," Krishna explained, "I'd expect a space-traveling human like you would know of the war. Krishdee wasn't killed, praise the gods, but the war has rendered him unable to speak.
"I-I'm not human," the Doctor said quickly. He'd thought that the two aliens would recognize a Time Lord. "I'm Time Lord."
With this, the two aliens' eyes widened and stopped their happy banter with their grandchild. Krishdee narrowed his eyes and hobbled into a standing position.
"You are the Doctor. We've heard rumors, but…" Krishna's words drifted off, but her husband continued to hobble to the Doctor, his eyes gleaming. The Doctor was surprised to find a tear fall upon his leg. Krishdee reached for the Doctor and brought the Time Lord's face to his own. Their foreheads touched and the alien's skin was cool to the Doctor's skin.
"I-I understand," the Doctor said. Krishdee wanted the Doctor to feel what he felt. The Doctor opened his mind and was hit with only one phrase: Thank you for living.
With that, Krishdee straightened and gave the greatest honor a Krandaskilan could. Krishdee brought the fingers of both his hands to his lips and then brought them to his temples. After that, Krishdee swept into a low bow. This act represented reverence, respect, and most of all, enormous thanks.
"Thank you," the Doctor said, giving Krishdee a good embrace, "Thank you so much."
o.O.o
The Doctor nervously shifted back and forth on the balls of his feet. Rose was fifteen minutes late. With a sinking feeling, the Doctor wondered if Rose had gotten lost and was wandering in the alleys of the city somewhere, lost, confused, and totally alone.
"Doctor!" He heard Rose calling for him and searched for a blonde woman in the crowd. He found Rose standing a few feet behind him and swept her up.
"Doctor!" Rose said, laughing. Her skin was luminescent from the spa treatment. The Doctor put her down and smiled at her. "The spa was absolutely wonderful. You know they use sea slugs in their treatments? I didn't try it, of course. What'd you do?"
"Oh, I just hung around the marketplace with Arked. You know Krishdee and Krishna are his grandparents? I spent the day with them. Terribly interesting." The Doctor continued to recount what he'd done during the day, purposely leaving out the exchange with Krishdee. That was his own small private moment.
"You made it just in time," the Doctor said, "It's starting." The Doctor pointed to the stage. This time, instead of a band, it was a string orchestra, with the exception of two musicians with wooden recorders in their hands. The conductor took the stage and took a microphone from a small table next to him.
"Welcome, everybody, to the Festival of Nuptials!" His announcement was met with a series of excited applause. "We'll be continuing the tradition of the festival tonight with a special song. I do hope you all like dancing, because we'll be playing the Kingdom's Step Song." Everybody began clapping wildly, the Doctor included. When he realized Rose wasn't as enthusiastic as everyone else, he turned his head to stare at her.
"Doctor, I don't know how to dance the- the… What was it?"
"Heterica's famous Kingdom Step Song. It's terribly popular. Don't worry, you'll learn quickly. The Doctor pulled Rose away from the middle of the crowd and into the sides. Anybody who did not want to dance ran to the edges of the crowd, where a circle was quickly forming.
"Dancers to the middle. Find a partner!" the conductor instructed from his stage. Pairs formed within the circle and waited for the music to begin. As soon as the crowd quieted, the conductor tapped his baton at the end of his podium and the musicians picked up their instruments. As soon as the conductor brought his baton down, the musicians began to play.
The song had a slight medieval air to it, a bit like the songs from the olden days of shining knights and peasants. The couples within the circle instantly took up the beat. The dance, like the Doctor said, was simple. It consisted of two heavy stomps of the foot, then for quick claps of the hand as the two dancers faced each other. They did this two times. Then, the music would take on a more flowing tune for a few seconds. During this portion, the man took the woman and the couple would dance through the crowd quickly, almost like a waltz, only quicker with skipping and jumping. Then, the process began again, except this time, instead of waltzing, the man took the woman by her waist and lifted her into a wonderful lift.
"It's wonderful," Rose breathed. Colorful fabrics melded with another as the dancers twirled and danced and stomped their way through the song. Those on the perimeter of the circle clapped to the beat, smiling at the laughing couples in the center.
"How long does it go on?" Rose asked in wonder after ten minutes of the continuous dancing.
"That's the fun of it," the Doctor said, "The longer you stay dancing, the better your love with your dance partner will be."
As the Doctor explained the Kingdom's Step to Rose, a couple in front of them collapsed in laughter. The female giggled, placed a kiss on the male's cheek, and scurried away into the crowd. The man turned a full three-hundred and sixty degree circle before his eyes fell on Rose, who was currently bouncing up and down to the beat of the cheery music. The man's eyes brightened and he neared Rose. The Doctor watched warily.
The man was handsome, yes. Being over nine hundred years old, the Doctor certainly had had the problem of attracting some males (Captain Jack, anybody?). He knew what was handsome to women, and this man certainly fit the description.
The man wasn't human. His skin was so pale that it was albino, and when he extended his hand to a bewildered Rose, the Doctor took note of three fingers. The man also had a fox-like tale that waved lazily back and forth like a pendulum. His hair was pale blue and had a slight glow to it. The Doctor recognized his species. He was a Smatho, from the planet Andresian.
"Hello," the man said, flashing the Doctor and Rose a very bright and white smile, "My name is Thesno. I was wondering if your boyfriend would release you for a small dance with me."
"Oh. W-we're not dating," the Doctor corrected, even though he wanted to say the exact opposite. Something about Thesno made the Doctor neck tingle.
"Oh, that makes things much less complicated," Thesno said, grinning. He took Rose's smooth hand and gave it a soft kiss. "Would you like to accompany me for a dance?"
"O-of course," Rose said, sounding surprised. She shouldn't be surprised, the Doctor thought, She's so beautiful, she could attract anyone. He watched as Thesno led Rose by the hand and began the Kingdom's Step Song with her. She caught on quickly and began to laugh.
The Doctor became annoyed. One could say he was jealous, but the Doctor wouldn't use that word. What was so good about Thesno, anyway? That tail constantly got in the way of things, and what was with his skin? Was he asking for sunburn? The Doctor grumpily watched as Rose and Thesno twirled through the crowd. He seemed to cast an aura of anger, and those near him took a small step away from the man.
Eventually, Rose tired and stopped dancing. Thesno looked disappointed, but he quickly regained his composure when Rose gave him a small kiss on his cheek. She skipped back to the Doctor, absolutely beaming. The Doctor, however, kept his grumpy expression evident on his face.
"Doctor, what's wrong?" Rose clung to the Doctor's arm and smiled.
"Nothing. It's just this night air. A bit too chilly, if you think about it," the Doctor said.
"Dance, Doctor. It'll warm you up."
"Sorry, Rose Tyler, but I only dance in special occasions," the Doctor said, smiling at her.
"Like that time we had to stop a whole invasion of gasmask zombies just to ease a small dance out of you?" Rose teased, "Sorry Doctor. No gasmask zombies here."
"Well them I'm not dancing," the Doctor declared. Rose merely giggled and watched the dancers dance with their partners. The Doctor glanced down at Rose. His beautiful pink and yellow Rose. He wished he could be the one dancing out there with her. He wanted to be the one to twirl her in the air. He wanted to be the one she kissed at the end of the dance, and not just on the cheek, mind you, but the Doctor's wishes were merely useless daydreams and by the end of the night, Rose had already danced with three different men, but the Doctor had refused to dance, even when a Heterican female walked up to him and asked him to dance.
When the music finally eased to a stop, the crowd groaned and begged for more, but the conductor insisted that there would be more dancing tomorrow. This placated the crowd a bit and everybody went back to their homes and hotels.
"C'mon Rose. Time to go back," the Doctor said, taking Rose's hand and leading her away from the tangle of people. Rose turned her head to look back pensively, but she then turned back to the Doctor and smiled at him.
"Thank you, Doctor, for bringing me. It was quite wonderful." The two remained silent for a while, until the big doors of their hotel came into view.
"I do wish they'd have such fun festivals on Earth," Rose wished. She and Rose went up the stairs and into the hallway where their rooms were located.
"Well, g'night, Doctor," Rose said, smiling. She gave his hand a squeeze before disappearing into her room. The Doctor stood in the hallway for a second. He half-hoped that Rose would come back outside. After few minutes, the Doctor turned and went into his own room,
The Doctor stripped off his clothes and slipped into the pajamas he'd retrieved from the Tardis. As he got ready for bed, the Doctor's eyes fell on the Treesap flower that sat in the glass cup. Despite having spent the whole day in water, its step was beginning to droop and some of the petals had fallen. It wouldn't be long until the flower was dead. Would it reach Rose's hands before so? The Doctor sighed and slipped into bed and turned out the lights. It was still quite a while before he managed to quiet his thoughts and fall asleep.
