Thanks (always thanks!) for the follows, favourites, views, and reviews.
Some more Rose/10 fluff! I hadn't meant it to be GitF-related, but after Banana Daiquiris got mentioned, it became non-optional. I hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: We all know who Doctor Who and the characters belong to, and it sure isn't me.
The Gift
One hand stuffed into a pin-striped pocket, the Doctor moped as he circled around the TARDIS console, using his free hand to sulkily set the knobs and dials. He made no attempt to hide his sour mood from Rose who sat on the jump-seat, eying him with amused suspicion.
"Not tryin' to worm your way out of goin' to Mum's birthday party are ya? She inquired shrewdly. "'Cause she'd want you to be there."
"Pffft," he huffed in response.
"No, really she would!" she hopped off the bench to stand just behind him. Leaning a hand on his shoulder, she pushed herself up onto her toes and whispered breathily into his ear, making him shiver and his knees go weak, "I think she secretly likes you … well, as long as you stay away from her kitchen."
"Believe me, Rose," he rolled his eyes, "after her reaction to my improvement of her toaster, I won't be inclined to do her any more favours."
Rose stifled a giggle, "Well, that's why we got her a 52nd Century model toaster as her gift, yeah. She'll love it and all will be forgiven."
"My best gift to her would be to steer clear of that party," he wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Rassilon, Rose! Why today?" he whinged after Rose refused to remark on his comment. "That's the beauty of a time machine. We can leave onerous tasks like this until a more convenient time."
"Doctor," she admonished, "you know I like to keep special events in line with my own timeline. What would happen if I showed up to her fortieth birthday party and I was older than she was? Pleeeease …" she implored.
He tried desperately to avoid looking at her, knowing that if he did he would only see appealingly forlorn brown eyes, and an irresistibly petted lower lip … urggh, her beautiful lips. "Nah, Rose," he uttered, eyes staunchly fixed on the console in front of him, "I'll just drop you off and pick you up later."
"And you think I'd let you go gallivanting around the galaxy without me? I think not! You could be gone for months and I'd never know!"
The thought that it was his TARDIS, and that he was in charge flittered indecisively across his mind, and then he felt her hand possessively grasp his. "I give you my word, Rose," he reassured her, "it's no fun gallivanting without you by my side, holding my hand," he turned around to catch her eye so that she would know he was being sincere. That was a mistake.
Rose wasted no time in applying her most bewitching techniques to break down his already shaky resolve. She seemed to know all of his weaknesses. "You mean it?" she beamed at him with that tongue-in-teeth smile that left him quite stupefied. His breath hitched (in a very manly way) as she sidled up to him, allowing her breasts to just barely graze against his chest as she leaned into him. She subtly swayed side-to-side, head tipped endearingly, and gazed up at him through her lashes, "Please, Doctor, we can have fun at Mum's party, too. C'mon … it'll be an adventure," her lips were now parted slightly in a seductive smile.
When she said it like that, weeeell, Jackie's party really did sound tempting … "Urggh, I give up," he groaned. "You owe me for this, Tyler," he threatened ineffectually. She linked her arm through his and sweetly kissed his cheek: "Ahhhh, payment in advance," he mused to himself, dazed. With that thought, he thrust the console lever to send them spinning through the vortex to the Powell Estate.
He stayed a cautious few steps behind Rose as they entered Jackie Tyler's flat, and tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. He winced as Jackie's shrill tones filled his ears when she noticed her daughter's arrival. "Sweetheart! You made it!" Jackie wrapped Rose in an embrace that the Doctor wasn't convinced the younger Tyler would survive. "Wasn't sure the alien git would have found the right time. Oh, don't look at me like that: he does have a poor record for controlling where and when that box of his ends up, you know! Did you bring the great Time Lump with you then?" She looked up from her hug with Rose and noticed the Doctor still standing in the doorway. He hoped he had a sufficiently 'Oncoming Storm' sort of expression on his face, so that Jackie would know that he had heard her derogatory comments, and would hopefully leave him alone to his own devices for the remainder of the evening.
"Hello, Jackie," he grumbled. "Happy Birthday, then."
"Oh, come 'ere, you plum," she pushed past Rose, and to his horror, apparently unfazed by the prospect of the Oncoming Storm, placed a firm hand on either side of his face and pulled him down for a wet kiss on the lips. Rose was nearly doubled over with laughter at the sight. Once Jackie had mercifully released him, and had swept away to rejoin her guests, he vehemently wiped his mouth to Rose's further delight.
"Say nothing, Rose Tyler, I'm warning you," he growled.
She stepped very close to him, and reaching up a hand to his face, used the pad of her thumb to wipe the corner of his mouth where some of Jackie's lipstick lingered. He shuddered as she allowed it to trail sensually across his lower lip. "Please try to be good, Doctor," she warned, licking her own lips invitingly, "for me? I get an awful earful on the phone when you don't behave."
"I will if she does," he whined petulantly, arms crossed in defiance, but his eyes still trained on those gorgeous lips, imagining how they would feel against his. Allowing his gaze to drift up to Rose's eyes, he was startled back to reality by the firm frown and spark of anger that he found there.
"You sound like a spoiled brat," she shook her head in disapproval, and her lips were now pursed into a little scowl, still lovely but in a more dangerous way.
"I'm sorry, Rose," he sighed. "I just hate this sort of thing. It's so … domestic," he virtually spat out the last word. "It just goes to show how highly I think of you that I'm even here at all. Don't worry. I won't get into any trouble. I promise. You go have fun and see all your relatives. Oh, and catch up on that daytime telly with your Mum's friends."
Rose positively beamed. "Eh, Mum tells me all that on the phone," she quipped. "Thank-you though, Doctor. This really means a lot," she gave him yet another chaste kiss on the cheek. He shut his eyes in pleasure at the contact and wondered how he would manage to maintain consciousness if they ever snogged properly.
As the evening progressed, the Doctor was actually finding the party rather enjoyable, although he would never admit that to Rose. Every time she looked at him sympathetically, he rolled his eyes or stuck his tongue out at a party-guest behind their back, just so he could make his pink and yellow human laugh, but in fact, he was enchanted by humans and their funny, little, primitive minds. He marvelled over how they could turn the most inconsequential matter into a major event, and yet when something of grave importance was staring them in the face, they managed to trivialize it to the point that they were able to convince themselves that they had only imagined it in the first place. He flirted outrageously with Jackie's friends and elderly relatives, and had fun trying to engage them in conversations about particle physics and relative dimensions. Later, he made everyone banana daiquiris, after convincing Jackie to allow him to use her blender with fervent promises that he wouldn't use his sonic screwdriver to increase its efficiency.
"So, aren't you the life of the party," there was a distinct snide bitterness to Rose's voice.
By the Second Sun! Didn't she want him to enjoy himself? Ignoring the disapproving tone he grinned maniacally and thrust a daiquiri toward her, "On the house! Remember what I said before, Rose? Always take a banana to a party! Bananas are good!"
"I remember I wasn't all that happy with your behaviour that time either," she recounted resentfully.
He could sense his chances of getting another little kiss diminishing rapidly. "Rose, I can make you a different flavour, if you prefer," he coaxed, recognizing that this was not the correct approach the second the words had left his throat: him and his stupid gob! He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and frowned at her in perplexed frustration, "Rose, I am very clever, a genius really, but I have no idea what I've done to upset you. Please, Rose, please tell me, so I can make it better," he begged. "I thought that you'd be happy that I was trying so hard to not ruin this evening for you and not get into trouble! I didn't even sonic the blender …"
Tears glistened in Rose's eyes, and her voice became sharper and angrier, "Oh, it doesn't matter! Never mind, Genius. If you are so thick that you can't figure it out –" She never finished her sentence, but instead spun around and ran off to the bathroom, visibly distraught.
He ran a hand over his face in frustration. What had he done? She had been fine until he started making those bloody drinks, those banana daiquiris. "Hmmmm …" he contemplated, "… Banana daiquiris … always take a banana to a party, Rose … 18th Century France … now that was a brilliant party! … Rose was captured by the clockwork droids … I danced with Madame de Pompadour … I snogged Madame de Pomp – oh … and I stranded Rose, leaving her behind without even a proper good-bye, and no way of knowing how I would get back to her … Rassilon!" Clearly, it was time to head back to the TARDIS. He would find Rose, apologize (a lot!) and take her home – he hoped she would still consider the TARDIS to be her home – and then sit her down and talk things through, if she would allow it. And then take her to some lovely planet with a spa so she could be pampered: no running, no monsters. "There, I have a plan: a good plan. Not brilliant, but it should hold up. A lot of gaps to fill in, but short notice and all … weeell, at least it's a start … urrgh, it's rather desperate actually …" he berated himself, a feeling of dread creeping into his hearts.
Despite his sense of urgency to sort things out with Rose, he had another extremely important issue he needed to take care of first, something that he had been planning for a very long time, and, tonight being Jackie's birthday, this was the perfect opportunity. As Rose still hadn't reappeared and he noticed Jackie going into the kitchen alone, carrying some empty dishes, he jumped at the chance to speak with Jackie on her own. After surreptitiously glancing around, to make sure that no one was paying attention to him, he slipped into the kitchen after her.
"Oi! You! Out of my kitchen, Martian!" Jackie chided as he closed the door behind him. "And keep that sonic thingamiwhatsit away from my appliances!"
"Jackie, it's a screwdriver," he moaned. He turned and pulled the pass-through shutters closed, to ensure privacy.
"Well you're not screwing anything around here, Doctor, just you remember that! You may be over 900 years old, but you're not too old for a slap."
Grimacing, he raised a hand to his face, reflexively rubbing the spot where she had slapped him in his previous regeneration. He swore he could still see feel the sting from it sometimes. He huffed in exasperation, "Jackie, please, I just need to talk to you for a mo."
"Alright then, I'm listening," her tone indicated that she would chase him with a wooden spoon should the conversation turn in a direction she didn't like.
The damage she could inflict with such a weapon made the Doctor very careful about how he proceeded. "Jackie, I just wanted to say 'Happy Birthday' properly," he reached into his pocket and drew out a tiny package, neatly wrapped in TARDIS-blue paper. He held the gift out to her. She eyed the package suspiciously, and seemed frozen in place, so he stepped forward, and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, nestling the little box into her hand. "For you, Jackie," he reassured her, "Happy Birthday."
"What's this about? Rose is pregnant, isn't she? Is this your way of butterin' me up before you spring the news on me? Where has she gotten to anyway?" she picked up a spatula that was lying on the counter, gesturing with it threateningly, "When I get my hands on her … oh, you're both goin' to get such a slap -"
"What? What? Jackie!" the Doctor interjected in alarm, "She's not! We're not! I swear! Really it's just a birthday gift. No ulterior motives. Just a gift."
"Well that's a relief then! But be warned …" she narrowed her eyes at him and gave the spatula an intimidating shake. "So, I can open it then? It's safe?"
"Very safe," he smiled ruefully. "Actually, it's something I've been meaning to give you for some time … and then, weeell, the toaster," he tugged his ear, "but when we were coming here tonight, and since it is your birthday … Oh just open it Jackie. I promise you'll love it!" He smiled toothily and watched as she tore the paper and opened the little box. Inside was a little platinum pendant in the shape of a rose. It was suspended from an intricate platinum chain.
Jackie held it up, in admiration. "Oh, it's absolutely beautiful, Doctor! A rose! For me? Really?"
"Open it: it's a locket. Hold it flat in your hand once it's open, though, otherwise, weeell you'll see," he instructed.
She fumbled a bit with the catch, but managed to pull the little pendant open, and laid it in her hand as the Doctor had directed. A beam of colourful light streamed up out of the locket, causing Jackie to gasp. Gradually, the beam coalesced into a little holographic image of Rose, about six inches high. The image grinned and waved at her, "I love you, Mum!" it said cheerily.
Tears started to roll down Jackie's cheeks. She just looked up at the Doctor mutely with an expression of ineffable gratitude on her face.
"I know how much you miss her, Jackie," he said quietly, "and how much you must worry about her. I don't blame you. I made this for you to have when you just need to see her and hear her voice. And, I just wanted to let you know, again, that I promise I will do everything and anything in my power to keep her safe and protected, always. I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to her. I just don't know how I would … if she …" his voice trailed off, as he found himself unable to bring the words to his lips.
"I need to know, Doctor: do you love her?"
"Yes," he breathed.
"But, do you really, really love her?"
"Yes, more than anything in this universe and any other. So very much, Jackie," his voice sounded strangled. He was unsure why he was confessing all of this to her, but just hearing himself say the words forced him to acknowledge that the sentiments he was expressing were very real. And he knew that Jackie needed to be reassured that his intentions were sincere. "I don't know how I could go on living without her. She's everything to me, she really is."
"Then I know you'll keep your word, sweetheart. C'mere, give us a hug." This time when she embraced him, he didn't try to pull away, but instead, gratefully returned the gesture.
"Doctor?" a small voice from the kitchen doorway startled them. They turned to see Rose standing there, leaning against the door frame, eyes sparkling with fresh tears. He knew by the way she looked into his soul that she had heard every word of his declaration, and his hearts began to thunder in panic. He found himself staring at her, his mind emptied of everything but thoughts of her, his Rose. Oh, everything would be different now: now that she knew. But she had always known, hadn't she? She knew she could make him tremble with desire… but maybe she hadn't known just how much he really cared about her… until now.
He felt a sharp jab in his back that broke him from his reverie, "Go to her, you daft thing!" Jackie admonished. "Go on, then!"
"Rose," he stammered, stepping uncertainly toward her. Rose reached out and clutched his hand, anchoring him. He looked down at his feet in an attempt to hide his emotions, "I … I, uh, never meant for you to hear all that, Rose." Oh his stupid head! His stupid gob! What a stupid thing to say! She would be devastated.
"Don't know that I would have believed it anyway," she responded sadly. "Don't know that I even believe it now. Not after … well … banana daiquiris …"
He pulled her into an embrace, resting his chin atop her blonde head, "Rose, I'm so sorry."
"Would you ever have told me … what you just told Mum?" she asked expressionlessly.
"I dunno," he winced at his blunt reply. She twisted away from him, obviously hurt, and he instinctively grabbed at her arm, to turn her back to him. "Doesn't mean I don't feel all that, though."
Jackie cleared her throat behind them making them jump. She smiled at them significantly, "I've got party guests to tend to. And you two need to go somewhere to talk this out, yeah." As she pushed past them through the doorway, she gave Rose a quick peck on the cheek, "I love you, sweetheart. And he loves you, too. Any fool can see that. Not so long between visits next time, yeah, love," she added as she rejoined the party.
"Let's go home, Rose Tyler," he wiggled his fingers, inviting her to take his hand, and desperately hoping she would. He sighed in almost painful relief as he felt her tentative fingers interlace with his. Their eyes locked and he tried speak but found himself tongue-tied. Instead, he led her out of Jackie's flat, down the stairs, and back to the TARDIS. Standing outside the familiar blue wooden doors, he was finally able to articulate some of the emotions he was experiencing. "I can face Daleks and werewolves and monsters of all sorts, but facing you, Rose Tyler, confessing how much I need you – that scares me to death."
His eyes drifted to her lips. She pressed them together nervously as she processed what he was saying, and as he watched, they curved into an endearing, pouty, little smile, "Am I really that scary?"
"Weeell … you need to calculate in the fact that I'm a complete coward, that you once had the Time Vortex in your head, and that every little look or touch from you leaves me completely defenceless, and –" he hesitated as she licked her lips, her smile hitching to one side engagingly. "And, uh, gaaaaah …" She stretched up and gave him one of her not-so-innocent little kisses on his cheek.
"You were saying, Doctor?" she prompted cheekily.
"Oh, you are gorgeous! Terrifying, but absolutely beautiful!" he grinned impudently as he found his voice. How lucky he was to have found this brilliant little pink and yellow human! She had saved him and healed him at a time when darkness and despair would surely have destroyed him. His thoughts abruptly turned darker and he became solemn again, "I just don't deserve you. I don't deserve to feel the way you make me feel. And you certainly deserve better than me."
"Doctor," she smiled, quietly reproving, "everyone deserves to feel loved, especially you. You do so much for other people. You've done so much for me. You've given me the chance to live a better life. And what you did for Mum, tonight: that hologram necklace."
"Oh, you saw that, did you?" he scowled in chagrin.
"Why'd you hide it from me, Doctor? That was a lovely thing to do for her, that gift."
"Weeell … a bit domestic that, don't you think? A bit … human," he ran a hand uncertainly through his hair. "I thought you'd never let me hear the end of it if you found out."
"Yeah, you're probably right!" she chuckled. "But, I still really appreciate it. I know how sad you are inside that big brain of yours, and you have so many more important things to deal with, but you still were willing to do that for me, for my Mum, and for that you deserve so much, just so much happiness, Doctor. I just don't know if I will ever be good enough for you. I don't know if I can make you happy, a shop girl from London … not when you could have the likes of Reinette."
His hearts lurched in sorrow for his Rose. How could she ever not consider herself worthy of him, when he was the one who was not worthy of her? He had been wasting so much of her precious life worrying about loving her too much, afraid of the pain that he would feel with her inevitable loss. Now he realized that he was only causing them both pain by not allowing himself to love her openly, pathetically living for brief moments of physical contact: heartfelt hugs, provocative teasing, and those (rather wonderful) little kisses.
He reached out to cup her cheek, and felt her lean into his palm, her eyes closing and her pink mouth parting in a sigh of pleasure as she did. Urggh, those lips looked so soft, so enticing. He could resist no longer, and he didn't want to. He wanted to show her how much she meant to him, to prove that the words she had heard him say earlier were honest and true. Tilting her face up toward his, he leaned in and tenderly brought his lips to hers. She whimpered in response, and he deepened the kiss. And when she ran her tongue sensually along his lower lip, he was very pleased to note that he had managed to remain completely conscious throughout the entire experience.
"It may not be my birthday," he hummed in her ear as the TARDIS door swung open, "but you, Rose Tyler, are a gift to me, the best gift I could ever imagine. I could never ask for more."