Chapter 10 – Truth or Dare?
By the time he arrives back at the hotel room, Rose has made her way through most of the food.
"Ahh, that's nice. I go out and spend a fortune on a dress for you, and you sit here stuffing your face and don't even leave anything for me," he says, playing at being annoyed.
"Yeah, well you were a long time. It was getting cold...Can I see it?" she replies excitedly, holding out her hands for the bag the Doctor was carrying.
"Of course."
Rose snatches the bag out of his hands and takes out the dress. She gasps. It was beautiful! She loved this era of fashion, and she was so thrilled that the Doctor had the sense to let her dress in the style of the time. And then she looks at the shoes and her heart melts again.
"It's lovely! They're gorgeous! Thankyou!" she says, and she leans up and kisses his cheek. He grasps her arms as she does so, slipping his hands past the sleeves of her dressing gown, and when she pulls back, he doesn't let them drop to her sides. Instead, he strokes his fingers against her soft skin as he speaks.
"So, what do you want to do now? Down to the casinos?"
"Yes please," Rose replies, nodding, "I'm gonna show you how it's done!"
"Yeah, right..." he laughs, and releases her arms so she can change into her dress.
"I'll be back in a mo."
The Doctor stares after her a moment, then moves over to the bed to nibble at the remainder of her meal.
When she steps back out, the Doctor forgets how to breathe. She looks beautiful. And he thinks he should tell her so.
So he does.
"You look beautiful."
And this time, there is no disbelieving reply: 'For a human?'
She simply smiles.
"Thankyou."
She loops her arm through his, grabs the bottle of wine she ordered from room service, and they make their way to the casino to fritter some money away.
***
During the course of the evening, the Doctor and Rose manage to win quite a bit of money...only to lose it all on his very misplaced luck whilst playing blackjack. But they don't care.
They spend their time chatting to various interesting people, laughing and teasing and drinking a little. After a while, they move away from the crowds and the gambling. And they share the bottle of wine. Which appears to have multiplied into several.
"I love peanuts," the Doctor says, filling his mouth with a handful.
"Eugh, no, they're dis...dis...disgusting," replies Rose, trying to stay coherent.
They are sitting in a little alcove in the bar they'd been drinking in for a bit. She leans her head on his shoulder, and he wraps his arm around her shoulders. He chuckles a bit at her drunkenness.
"Not as good as bananas, though. Bananas are good. They are now the Earth's most popular fruit, having recently taking over apples. And they are the third most bought item in supermarkets right across the World, after petrol and lottery tickets. Bet you didn't know that! Yep, bananas are the best. They're my favourite. Did I ever tell you about the time I -"
"Yep," interrupts Rose.
"Oh." He sighs. "What's your favourite food?"
"Chocolate."
"Ahh, yes of course: the generic female answer, the universe over."
"Well, it is- " she hiccups, "-tasty."
"Yep!" he agrees, popping the 'p.'
He pulls her closer.
"Wanna play a game?" she asks.
He considers this. Really, they've been playing games all night, and not just literally. They'd been flirting a lot. He thinks it's because she's a bit drunk, and got a bit more confident with it. He can't use that as an excuse, though. Time Lords don't get drunk.
"Ok," he decides.
"Truth or dare?" asks Rose.
And really, what a question. What a dangerous question. She was a drunk human female, and this game could have serious repercussions. But he doesn't care.
"Truth."
He realises this could be risky ground. He's rather secretive, as a rule, and she could ask him anything, and it could be uncomfortable. About his past, about his home, about his feelings for her. And he would tell her, now, because she's Rose. But because she's Rose, he knows she wouldn't even ask.
"What's your favourite Disney movie?" she asks. She wants to ask him something else entirely, but she wouldn't do that. She doesn't feel she has the right to ask him stuff about his past, stuff that it might hurt him to talk about.
"Ooh, now there's a question. Um, I think it would have to be...oh, I know! The Lion King!"
Rose laughs, "Me too. Your turn."
"Truth or Dare, Rose Tyler?"
"Truth."
"Erm....do you...aha, I know! Who is the most impressive, good-looking, sexy..." he winks at her, and she remembers the first time he did that, back on the Sycorax ship, when she was still adjusting to the changed him... "...intelligent, brave, time-travelling gentleman you have ever met?" he waggles his eyebrows at her.
"Erm...hmmm....let me think...Cor that's a hard one. Um, I think I'd have to say...Captain Jack Harkness."
The Doctor gives her a look of utter contempt.
She winks at him.
"Captain envy?" she asks, all innocently.
" Weellll. Nothing to envy, really. He's hardly a time-traveller. And he's certainly not a gentleman."
"Oh, I know," Rose can't resist adding in suggestively. The Doctor looks alarmed.
"What?" he screeches, then sees the mirth in her eyes, and decides she's just teasing him. He doesn't quite know why he reacted like that, though. Time Lords don't get jealous or anything. "Alright. I'll alter the question slightly. Who is the most impressive, good-looking, sexy, intelligent, brave, time-travelling alien, you've ever met?"
"Ah, well, that's easy. It has to be that lovely chap we met in that pub on that planet of the wishing wells or whatever it was. What was his name? Oh yeah. Rodrigo. He was nice," she says, feigning indifference at the look he was currently shooting her way. Seriously, if looks could kill...
"Thanks a lot. Save your life, take you away from the mundane necessities of human life like a job and... and bus travel... show you the universe..." he mutters, "Not to mention give you the snog of your life," she blushes bright red at this, and he suppresses a smile, "And you're still not happy. All bloody Rodrigo did was buy you an ice cream. The best in the universe, admittedly, but anyone could've done that. Only I could let you travel in the last TARDIS in existence. I even let you drive the TARDIS if you've been particularly nice..." he rambles, pretending to be extremely insulted.
"Yeah, well, you will ask stupid questions."
"There's no such thing as a stupid question, Rose."
"You only asked it cos you think so much of yourself – I didn't need to answer and enlarge your ego any further..."
"So it's me, then?"
"Of course. Right, truth or dare?"
"Truth."
"Ok...er...right, I don't know if you're gonna wanna answer this, but I'm drunk so at least I have an excuse for asking, right? Ok. How many times have you done this?"
"Done what?" He's puzzled.
"Been so...close to one of your companions? Kissed them so...frequently? It's just that, you said, earlier, that you'd never felt this way before..." she trails off, embarrassed at her assumptions, scared of his reply. She was perhaps taking advantage of the fact they'd both been drinking, as she never would have asked him this otherwise, and he certainly would never answer her.
"Um...well, I suppose sort of...never, really. I have...rules about these things. Keep my distance, you know? Don't get too attached. And it was easy, before, but now..." he goes quiet.
Her breathing speeds up.
"Now?"
"Now I don't know what to do. Cos you, you, Rose Tyler, have come along and made me want to..." he trails off once again, unsure of whether to tell her the truth or not.
"To...?"
"To break the rules."
The truth, then.
"Right. Huh. Well. That's...good?" she stumbles over her words. She doesn't quite know where this conversation is going. The Doctor's never been so honest and straightforward with her before. Not that this...thing, whatever it was between them, is straightforward. Quite the opposite, it seems.
The Doctor stays silent for a moment.
"I don't know," he eventually replies, letting out a sigh, "I just don't know."
Because he genuinely doesn't have a clue what should happen next. He doesn't want to lose her. And if he loves her - or rather, as it's too late for that - if he makes love to her...he may make promises to her that he cannot keep. And things will get so difficult when she leaves.
Rose sobers up a bit.
"Ok. Right, your turn to ask me," she says, shocking him with her acceptance of his reply, and her rapid topic shift. She probably won't even remember this, he rationalises – she's pretty drunk. Everything will be fine.
"Truth or Dare?" he asks her.
"Dare..."
"Ooh, she likes to live dangerously," he says. He contemplates daring her to kiss him. But he knows that wouldn't help things. But just one kiss? They could do that, right? And it wouldn't have to mean anything; it's just part of the game.
He looks at her looking at him expectantly, waiting for her challenge.
No.
"Right...I dare you to... to go over to that man, over there, wearing the, erm, pink cowboy hat – why is wearing that? It really doesn't suit him. Anyway, go up and ask him what his favourite...let me see... ask him what his favourite...cheese is."
"Cheese?"
"Cheese."
"That's a bit random."
"That's the point. Anyway, you can tell a lot about someone by their taste in cheese. It'll be fun to see what he says."
"Really? Well, I like a nice chunk of mature cheddar. What does that say about me?"
"Weeellll, er...it says you are very...brave. Yes, it means you are brave."
"Brave? Really? Cos cheddar's not exactly the most adventurous of cheeses, I mean, it's not as strong as - "
"Just do the dare, Rose."
"Ok..."
She walks up to the guy in question, while the Doctor watches from their little booth.
And he doesn't like what he sees.
Rose evidently asks the man the obscure question, a question only the Doctor would think of, as he raises his eyebrows in surprise. But then he leans forward and whispers something in Rose's ear, and she blushes beetroot. He then grabs her hand and twirls her around so quickly that she stumbles and falls into his arms.
The Doctor doesn't quite understand why, but he suddenly feels very, very sick.
And Rose is giggling in this other guy's arms, and the Doctor realises.
He's jealous. He clenches his jaw and grips the edge of his seat. The pink cowboy hat guy slides his hands down Rose's back, coming to rest over her bum.
Very jealous. The Doctor's eyes pop out of their sockets. She asked the man about cheese for goodness sake! Why, why, is he...groping her? Even the Doctor doesn't risk doing that, and she's his - and with some of the things she's said to him...he changes the direction of his thought halfway through it being thought.
Luckily, Rose seems to be thinking along the same lines, for just as the Doctor is about to bound right over and give the guy what for, she shakes her head and pulls his hands off of her. But the stupid man puts them right back. And that's all it takes.
The Doctor jumps up and marches over to them.
"Excuse me, but I think you've got your hands somewhere upon Rose's anatomy where they are most certainly not wanted," he says, gritting his teeth trying to stay calm.
Rose is amused and somewhat pleased to see the Doctor looking so...possessive.
"What's it to ya, huh?" asks the man.
"She's with me," he says confidently, as if it's obvious.
"I'm with him," she declares, at the exact same time.
"Well, not no more. Maybe ya shoulda danced with her when ya had the chance. She's here with me, now. Sugar, would ya really pick this guy when ya could have me?"
"Firstly, I ain't no one's sugar. And secondly, yes," she states firmly, trying to wriggle away.
"Why's that then?"
"Because I -" they both begin to say, then stop abruptly, avoiding eye contact with each other.
"Because she belongs with me," the Doctor says instead, and with that, he pulls Rose away, and links his hand with hers, the pink cowboy hat wearer looking on in frustration at losing his pretty blonde doll to some jealous freak in a pinstripe suit.
"Right, I now know not to dare you to do anything that requires a conversation with another man from now on. Cheese, Rose. Blimey, you're good," he whispers in her ear as they walk back to their seats.
"Oh, I've got the moves but I wouldn't want to boast," she says, echoing his words from long ago, when he was a different man. The Doctor smiles. She continues, "He did seem to find it a turn-on, didn't he? Who knew you could think of such great pick-up lines, eh Doctor?"
"Oh, I am the master of pick-up lines, actually. Got millions of them all stored in here -," he taps his head, "- ready to be used."
"Ready to be used? On whom?" she asks, and curses her voice for sounding so bothered and possessive about it.
"Weeellll. No one, really. Or anyone," he winks at her, "Or you."
She laughs because she knows he's just joking. Except she also knows that perhaps he isn't. Either way, she'd love to hear him have a go at using one on her. She thinks it would be nothing short of hilarious, but very endearing.
"I'll look forward to it," she replies, and he grins, though he knows she's a bit drunk, so she doesn't mean it. Except he knows she does. "Right," she continues, "Truth or dare?"
"Dare."
"I um...I dare you to...to..." she lifts up the bottle of ketchup that's on the table, "I dare you to drink this. All of it."
"All of it?"
"All of it."
He sniffs. He can do that.
"Easy."
And he unscrews the lid, and starts to gulp it down.
He gets about a third of the way through, with Rose watching in both awe and repulsion, when she can't take it anymore.
"Stop, stop! That's disgusting. Trust you. I knew I should have made it more of a challenge..."
"How could you make drinking ketchup more difficult?"
"Normal people wouldn't like it full stop. But with you...oh I don't know... by making you lick it off of..."
Me, she thinks. "Something else," she says.
"Like what? The table? Y'know I'd lick anything, really, Rose; we've had this discussion..."
She mutters something under her breath.
"...so perhaps stuff to do with food isn't a very challenging dare for me...Hang on. What?"
"What?" she repeats.
"What did you just say?"
"Nothing," she says quickly, but blushes bright red, as red as the ketchup, in fact.
"Righhht," he says, disbelieving, because he's convinced that she said...never mind. He decides to save her from any more embarrassment, so doesn't pursue the matter any further. "So, Rose, next one for you. Truth or Dare?"
"Truth," she says, huddling up against him.
"Right. Rose Tyler...do you, no...what's your..." he pauses, noticing something odd, "...wait a sec, are you wearing underwear?"
Rose thinks she may be about to faint from shock. She chokes on her wine, and it spills down her dress. And the Doctor can't help but notice there is now a trail of wine leisurely drifting down her chest towards her cleavage. He averts his eyes.
"What?" she asks, because she can hardly speak, "What kind of question's that?"
The Doctor realises his mistake. He hadn't actually meant that to be the question. It's just that as she just huddled up against him she got up slightly to straighten her dress, just as he put his arm around her. He'd consequently ended up having his hand in a rather precarious position, from which he could tell that she wasn't....you know...and he just said the first thing that came into his mind at the time. He thinks she must've ignored his hand, as a simple mistake – which it most definitely was – but that accompanied with the rather odd question...things could be about to get awkward.
He scratches behind his ear nervously.
"Erm, sorry, I know that was a bit...rude. That wasn't actually your 'truth' question, that was just me asking..." he caught the look on her face, "...nonono, that's not what it was meant to sound like. What I mean is, you weren't supposed to hear that. I wasn't supposed to say it out loud. Or in my head. Or at all, really. In any way, shape or form. Just ignore it. Forget I said anything...anyway, erm, where were we?"
"No."
"Listen, please just let's forget it, yeah? You know I wouldn't mean to ask that, really...Back to the game..."
"No, I mean 'no' – as in, the answer to your question. I'm not." She didn't quite know why she was admitting this, but suspected it was to do with the fact that she'd had a little too much wine. And vodka. Ooh, and those pink cocktails with the swirly umbrellas that she kept on insisting the Doctor should buy for her.
His mouth goes dry. For once, he is rendered utterly speechless. And very, very fascinated. But he knows she's only saying it because she's consumed too much alcohol.
"Erm..." he begins.
"It's because of the change in outfit, you know – you bought me a new dress, and some lovely new heels," she lifts her legs up in front of her to show her footwear off. Seeing Rose's lovely toned legs as the skirts of her dress hitched up a bit were by no means the best thing for the Doctor to be staring at now, when he was trying to keep focus; trying to keep from snogging her senseless. "...but no new underwear...." she trails off. The Doctor feels a bit faint. They've never had this sort of conversation before.
"Ah, yes of course. Right." He looks her up and down, very slowly, for a few seconds.
"Doctor?"
"Hmmm...?" he says, clearly distracted by his examination of her body – dress! Examination of her nice, new dress, he tells himself firmly.
"Back to the game?"
"Back to the game," he nods his head quickly, taking a deep breath, "So...I know a good question: what's been your favourite adventure that we've had so far?"
"Oh god that's too hard. I don't know. Everything. Christmas in Cardiff. The Blitz with Captain Jack. Christmas in London. Applegrass. Mauve Mountains of Morii. Everything. As long as it's with you, it's always fantastic."
That's how she feels about it all. She loves what he shows her – the universe, either in all its glory, in all its darkness. But it would mean nothing if he wasn't the man showing it to her.
The Doctor smiles, and pulls her in for a hug. He brushes his lips across the top of her head and feels her breath on his neck catch. He loves this. Being with her. Seeing it all with her. He has the keys to the great wonders of the universe, but it would mean nothing if he didn't have her to share it all with. Better with two. He wonders how he'll feel when she's gone. Lost. Alone. Bored. Empty.
He shudders. That's exactly why he can't let things get too...complicated, isn't it?
"Your turn," he whispers in her ear.
"Truth or dare?"
"Truth."
And she decides its time.
She asks the question she's wanted to all night – all year -
"Erm...have you ever...wished that you could maybe...change something...possibly for the better, maybe for the worse, but...you're too scared?"
He stiffens, but doesn't pull out of their most-definitely-more-than-just-good-friends cuddle. He holds her a bit tighter, his fingers drawing patterns on her back.
"Yes," he barely says, so quiet she could have missed it if he mouth wasn't so close to her ear, his breath blowing strands of her hair, making her skin tingle.
"Oh. What did you do?"
"I haven't done anything yet," he replies softly.
She takes in what he just said. She still realises he's had a bit too much to drink. He's provided her with an awful lot of revelations tonight, which he never would have done had he been completely sober. But then, a drunk mans' words are a sober mans' thoughts, right?
Her breath hitches once more.
"Oh," is all she can say. And then – "What will you do?"
"I'm not sure. I just don't know, remember? Maybe...this...?" he says pulling away, only to tenderly grasp the sides of her face in his hands, and his head gravitates towards her again - so, so slowly, giving her time to pull away if she wants to, though he knows, deep down, that she won't.
Her questions are finally answered. So are his.
He gently presses his lips to hers, and time stops once more.