He found himself by the side of the pool watching the other three swim. Ara had been somewhat distant at first, but she was a strong swimmer, and was soon splashing with the others.
Looking at her, the smile on her face, you could almost not see the pain that covered her like a blanket. She was younger than him, by so many years, but those few years she had had been full of torment. Did her youth give her an advantage he didn't have? Did it make her more likely to forge past her wounds, and survive?
Rose suddenly splashed water at him, and he was pulled from his thoughts. He looked at her.
"What'd you do that for?" he said, trying to sound serious, but it was hard with Rose.
She smiled his favorite smile and said, "You looked too…" She tapped her wet finger against her chin. "Pensive"
"Nice one," he said, proudly.
"I thought so," she agreed. "So why are you not swimming?"
He made a gesture to himself and asked, "Do I look like a swimmer?"
She bit her lip, apparently trying to decide. "Yes."
He pointed to the middle of the pool and said, "Go play."
She rolled her eyes and said, "I'm not three."
The Doctor looked over to where Jack and Ara were talking, while keeping themselves afloat. "If Jack asks her out, I'm holding you responsible."
Rose glanced over and shrugged. "They are fine…is it because you can't wear the leather jacket?"
"No, it's not."
Yes, it kind of was.
She stuck out her bottom lip, which was more likely to get her kissed then her way. But since he couldn't do the first, he wouldn't do the second.
What he needed was a distraction, and suddenly he thought of one.
"How would you like me to make us a big dinner tonight?"
She looked doubtful. "You? Dinner?"
He stuck his tongue out at her. Rose Tyler had just turned him into a six year old.
"Yes, dinner. I'm an excellent cook."
"I have to see this."
Thank the gods; he had a reason to leave the pool. Rose looked delicious soaking wet, and his thoughts were border line inappropriate. And by border line he meant so far past the border you could forget it existed.
"All right," he said, standing. "I'm going to go get started. I need about an hour. Keep them occupied."
She nodded and said, "Can do. Say, Doctor?"
He paused and looked at her. "Yes?"
"Do you need an hour to hide the boxes?"
"Rose Tyler, you wound me," he said, with a small smile.
He heard her laugh, and splash away so he left the room. The smell of the pool clung to his jacket, and it made him smile, just a little. He rarely visited the pool, at least not when anyone was around.
It was nice to see it get used, to have laughter echo against the walls. It was good for him and the TARDIS. It made them feel less empty.
He arrived at the kitchen, finding all the ingredients he needed to make his famous- and it really was- lasagna. He set about making the pasta, he had told Rose an hour, and for them that was what it would feel like. In here this was going to take a couple hours at least.
He hummed a tune to fill the silence, and old one from Gallifrey. He was a little surprised when it slipped past his lips, but once it started he didn't want to stop. It wasn't a sad song, quite happy in fact. It made him think of Rose, like the ballad was made for her.
Maybe that was a promising sign. He could learn to see the painful things as something good again. When the song ended, stretched as far as he could make it, he started a new one. This one was a little slower, a little sadder, but still beautiful.
Standing in the kitchen, hands busy making a meal, he felt like he was home. There was nothing that was going to bring Gallifrey back, nothing that could erase what he had done, but this was something.
A few halls away were the others, still having fun in the pool. He wasn't alone, the one thing he had thought he was going to be when he found out he survived.
Then Rose stumbled into his life, or he stumbled into hers. Whichever ever it was, it was undoubtedly the reason he was standing her now. Without her he would have died, would have ended his life. But then she was there, with her persistence questioning and her unwillingness to let him just walk away.
She saved his life, was still saving it.
Thanks to Rose, he could even look at Ara and agree that they would heal to together. Without Rose there was nothing, and he hoped she knew that. He wasn't good at the words, convinced that if he said them he would lose her.
So he held them in, but tried to show her. Wanted her to see in his actions that he was crazy about her, would do anything for her.
It was all he had, so he hoped it was enough.
He finished layering his creation, and slid it to the preheated oven. Then he cleaned his dishes and sat at the table with a cup of tea. The smell started to ooze out at the dish heated, melted cheese and a slightly spicy tomato sauce mingled in the air.
It made his stomach growl, and brought a smile to his face. He still had it. He instructed the TARDIS to un- time lock the room, and knew that the smell would find its way to the others.
Sure enough, the three of them piled in shortly. Hair still wet, carrying the faint smell of soaps and shampoos. Jack tried to peek in the oven and he slapped his hand away and sent him to the table to join the girls.
"That does smell wonderful, Doctor," Rose said, in a very sweet voice.
"Told you," the Doctor said.
When his mental timer beeped he reached in the oven with mitts on, and pulled it out. The slight smell increased and he carried it to the table.
Ara was looking at it carefully, clearly unsure of what it was.
"It's lasagna," the Doctor said. "Pasta, and meat and tomatoes and cheese."
"I don't think I have ever smelled anything so wonderful," Ara said, and her stomach growled loudly.
Everyone laughed, and shortly they were all eating. It was even better than he last remembered it, and it wasn't just him that thought so. The warm food filled his belly, and he felt himself leaning back and watching the others.
He was lost in the haze of good food, and a better environment. Lost in light conversation and the scraping of fork on plate, and he felt better than he had in so long. Ara looked up at him, and gave him a small smile.
It was funny how you could set out to do something for someone else, and end up improving yourself along the way.
Peace reigned around them, his eye lids were heavy. In short, he was happy.
