Chapter Four
Several hours later they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Stifling a moan, the Doctor answered. It was Jackie; she was telling him that dinner would be in an hour. She also asked if he knew where Rose was. Before answering, he looked at Rose who was shaking her head. He told Jackie that he didn't but if he saw her he would let her know. Lying in bed, they listened to her footsteps as she walked away, then they relaxed against the pillows. The Doctor pulled Rose in close, he loved having her in his bed and he never wanted to let her leave.
However, now that their passion had been spent, at least for the time being, Rose's brain had kicked into gear. Their lovemaking had been perfect, she'd never been so happy but sex couldn't be the mainstay of a relationship. She needed to know that they had more between them than just terrific sex. Turning to look at the Doctor, she slid away from him and tucked the sheet around her. As she did this, he looked quizzically at her.
"Rose, what's wrong?"
"We need to talk."
The Doctor sat up and leaned on the headboard, crossed his arms and looked at her. He lifted his eyebrows and waited for her to start. Rose sat up as well, ensuring the sheet remained wrapped around her. She licked her lips and swallowed. She looked at him as she gathered her thoughts, although his bare chest was making it difficult. She wanted to run her hands all over that beautiful body as she had done numerous times over the last few hours. Taking control of her thoughts and her body, she focused her sight onto his face. But that didn't help either; she loved looking at his face. Shaking her head, she firmly placed her desires in the backseat and focused on getting everything else sorted. Taking another breath she started to talk.
"What we just shared was fantastic. Everything I'd ever dreamed of but we can't base a relationship on sex. We need to make sure that we share other interests."
"Rose, we've travelled together for two years. You know me as well as anyone and if I seem to recall, we got on very well. Why do you think that won't be the same now?"
"Because, you are a different man. Yes, I know you have all of his memories but you are different. We, you and me, need to find ourselves and each other. Take our time to get to know each other again. We don't have to rush."
"I can do that as long as we are going forward and not back. As long as we are together."
"Or course, although, this, won't happen again. Not until I can be sure that the relationship is working."
"Do I still get to kiss you?"
"Yes, but for now that's all. Now turn around so I can get dressed before mum comes back looking for me."
"But I told her that I didn't know where you were. Why would she come back?"
"Because she knows."
The Doctor turned so his back was to her, although the mirror that hung on the inside of the cupboard door was at such an angle that he had a perfect image of her as she dropped the sheet and proceeded to get dressed. He automatically averted his eyes when she lifted her head. He knew that she couldn't see the mirror but he didn't want to give anything away. As she walked past him she stopped and gave him a quick, hard kiss before grabbing her bag and leaving the room. As she shut the door, the Doctor lent down and picked up her bra that had been hidden under the chair beside the bed. It was all frill and lace; he let it slide through his fingers remembering when he had taken it off. She might have put a stop to the physical side of their relationship but she was right, there was so much more between them. He went for a shower before getting dressed for dinner.
When Rose walked into the dining room, the Doctor was already there, talking to Pete. Jackie was sitting with Tony, who ran over to her and threw his arms around her. Laughing, Rose knelt down and gave him a hug and then proceeded to pepper his face with kisses. She kept going until he collapsed in a fit of giggles. Giving him a final hug, Rose helped him up and walked him back to his chair. When she sat in the chair next to him, he smiled at her and Rose's heart melted. She loved this little guy so much.
When the Doctor looked over at her, she wasn't sure what to expect from him but his smile was there as was the twinkle in his eyes. He wasn't holding her decision against her and she let out the breath that she wasn't even aware that she had been holding. Pulling out a chair, she sat opposite the Doctor and as soon as she sat down she felt his foot gently tapping hers. She covered her smile with the napkin and looked over at him. When he saw this, he winked at her. All through dinner, he rubbed her feet and legs with his foot. He had removed his shoes after the first tap. Whilst he had a conversation with Pete and from what Rose could discern, it was an intelligent conversation, she could hardly put two sentences together. Her mother kept asking her if she was alright and all she could do was nod.
When dinner had finished, the Doctor walked around the table and helped Rose by offering her his hand. When she looked from his hand to his face he smiled and asked her if she'd like to go for a walk in the moonlight. Smiling, she nodded. As they left the room she looked back at her mother and saw her give Pete a knowing look. Rolling her eyes, she placed her hand in the crook of the Doctor's elbow and walked with him into the night. As they walked around the property, Rose pointed out certain places to him. The Arbour Walk, where Pete had proposed to Jackie and the gazebo where Jackie had told Pete that she was pregnant. Finally they reached the lake and Rose thought it best not to tell the Doctor that this was the spot where Mickey had proposed to her. The Doctor picked up a stone and skimmed it across the surface of the lake. Rose was amazed by how far the rock skipped before finally sinking.
"How do you get it to go that far?" She asked.
"Come here and I'll show you." He replied, holding out a hand to her as he bent down to grab another pebble sized stone.
When Rose stepped towards him, he took her by the shoulders and turned her around so that he stood flush against her back. Taking her right hand in his, he placed the pebble in her fingers, telling her to hold it gently. His mouth was next to her ear as he explained what to do. She could feel his warm breath against her neck. She was so distracted that the first few pebbles sank as soon as they touched the water. They persisted for another thirty minutes but still Rose couldn't get the pebble to skip. At least not while the Doctor was standing that close to her. Throwing her hands up in the air after the last pebble sunk, she laughed and turned to the Doctor. However this brought them face to face, almost touching noses. Rose's laughter stopped and she stared at him. Slowly he lowered his head and brushed his lips gently against hers. Just one gentle kiss before taking her hand and leading her back to the house. When they reached the house, the Doctor walked Rose to her room.
"I had a lovely time tonight Rose."
"So did I, thank you Doctor."
"Oh, you are very welcome. We'll have to do it again, soon."
With that, he leant in and kissed her on the cheek before turning around and heading back to his own room. Closing the door behind her, she walked over to her bed and changed into her nightgown. Going into the bathroom, Rose cleaned her face and brushed her teeth then hopped into bed. The whole time, she was thinking of the time she'd just spent with the Doctor. This was what she had wanted, to spend time together, to get to know each other. As they'd walked around tonight they had talked about so many different things. She looked forward to doing it again soon.
Relaxing on his bed, the Doctor looked up at the ceiling. Tonight had gone well. Taking it slow was good. Even though he knew that he loved her and he always would, Rose needed time, he could appreciate that and he would not push her away. Although, when they were down by the lake he had been tempted to throw her on the ground and he knew that she wouldn't have stopped him but he also knew that she would have had regrets afterwards. He would wait, must wait, until she came to him. He would need more dates like tonight to get them to that point. Soft kisses and gentle caresses would get her excited; he had seen it in her eyes tonight. He could take a little, ok a lot, of discomfort to pave the way to forever with Rose.
