FIRST MEAL

"A meal can be an erotic experience in itself." - Alex Comfort

"How was your first day, John?" Principal Holles tracked him down after the last bell, curious how the new teacher had fared with his students. John packed the last of his paperwork away and looked up with a smile.

"Oh, it was brilliant," he responded eagerly – possibly a little too eagerly.

"Really?" Holles replied warily. "Because it's alright if it was overwhelming. I am aware that our students can be challenging, and they're not particularly known for their compassion when it comes to 'fresh meat.'" Both men chuckled at the term, and John relaxed a little.

"They were a bit rough," he admitted, "but I expected that. They've had six different teachers this term alone for this subject, so it's no wonder they responded the way they did. I'm sure it will get better." In truth, his slightly superior senses had picked out a plethora of new insults and phrases that he was sure even the Lady Cassandra herself would be proud of.

"Well," Holles smiled warmly, "I've arranged for a small get together with the staff this Friday for lunch. It's not much, just a small welcome, but it is tradition for incoming faculty." John smiled back and snapped his briefcase closed.

"That will be wonderful. Now, if you will excuse me, I must be off. I promised Rose I would be home before dark." Holles nodded quickly and began to back away.

"Of course, of course. Have a good night, John, and I'll see you tomorrow. Tell your wife she is welcome at the lunch as well."

"I will. Goodnight Gregory." The Doctor watched the older man go, instantly questioning whether he should have corrected his boss or not. It was quite clear to both him and Rose where they were headed – he had practically proposed out on that beach all those months ago – but it was an entirely different thing to actually tell others that they were married when they weren't. Of course, he argued with himself, he hadn't actually told Gregory Holles that he and Rose were married; the man had assumed and John hadn't corrected him.

When the Doctor had strolled through the front doors that morning, Principal Holles had greeted him with all the pomp and circumstance of visiting royalty. The older gentleman had immediately given him the impression of tradition and old-fashioned values, and so when the Doctor had mentioned his new home casually, Holles had inquired further. Upon hearing Rose's name he'd jumped to an instant conclusion – one the Doctor had not discouraged. Unfortunately, he now had to make a decision. He could either come clean to Principal Holles and apologize for the confusion, or he could ask Rose to pretend to be his wife.

Why does she have to pretend?

He frowned at the tiny voice in his head as he buckled his seatbelt and started the car. The sun was setting quickly, and he revved the engine twice before putting it into gear. The entire ride home was spent in deep thought, and he realized as he pulled into the driveway that he was extremely lucky to have a bit of Time Lord left in him after all; his complete lack of concentration on the road would have been fatal for a normal human.

He pulled his keys from his pocket, marveling at the few small pieces of metal that hung on the ring. Rose had given it to him that morning, all grins and bright eyes for his first day of work. He had recognized the spare key to her car and the house key he'd been given by the real estate agent, but there was another one tucked snugly between them. His eyes had filled with tears as he'd realized what it was, and Rose's arms were around him before he could even open his mouth to ask.

"I have you to remember her by," she had explained, "so I want you to keep this with you."

As he stood on the doorstep he stared at her TARDIS key once again, completely in awe of the depth of her compassion and understanding. He hadn't even realized how much he'd been missing the TARDIS until he'd held the small key in his fingers that morning.

"Are you going to stand there on the porch all night or come eat?" He looked up into Rose's eyes, surprise evident on his face.

"Sorry," he mumbled, shoving the keys back into his pocket. He stepped forward to move into the foyer, but Rose didn't budge. With a questioning glance, he halted his progress and looked down at her.

"Pay the toll," she teased, sticking her tongue out between her teeth as she smiled. He heaved a sigh of mock exasperation before leaning down to kiss her. He used the maneuver to push her backward and into the house, and when they broke she gave him a glare. "Cheater."

He just grinned at her as he shrugged his coat off and hung it up in the closet. She took his briefcase and set it in the living room before taking his hand and dragging him to the kitchen.

"You cooked?" His voice was half-surprise and half-worry, having remembered the several occasions on the TARDIS in which Rose had taken it upon herself to feed them. She was a whiz with a tea kettle, but not so much with a stove.

"Mum taught me," she said in a warning tone, and she could practically see him physically holding back a witty retort. Choosing a safer route, he lifted the lid and sniffed cautiously.

"Beef stew?" His brow lifted in question, and she shrugged as she picked up a spoon and stirred the thick stew around in the pot.

"It's just about done. Can you grab a couple of bowls?" He set to his task immediately, falling into the familiar routine as easily as they had on the TARDIS. She poured their drinks as he pulled bowls and spoons from their respective places. When that was done he set to slicing bread as she dished the stew out. They sat at the same time, looking over the table at each other with contented grins.

"Just like old times, huh?" she watched him attack the bowl with gusto, and her excitement over their first official dinner in their house caused her to miss the fleeting hesitation that seized him as he took in the first spoonful. He hummed in response to her question and continued to eat heartily. Rose smiled at him and lifted her own spoon to her lips, blowing softly on the hot stew before slipping it into her mouth.

She stifled the impulse to spit it back out again, forcing herself to chew the stringy meat and hard potatoes. She grimaced at the saltiness in her own stew, racking her brain to remember how much of the spice she'd put in. Had it been tablespoons or teaspoons in the recipe? She couldn't recall, but she knew whatever it was had been too much. When she finished her first bite she looked back up at the Doctor. He was still shoveling it in at an alarming rate, but now that she was looking for it she could see the tension in his jaw muscles and the twitchy constrictions of his throat as he strained to eat the horrible food.

"How is it?" she asked, glancing down at her own bowl. He swallowed thickly and looked up at her with a grin.

"Brilliant," he answered quickly. "Just brilliant. Your mum must have taught you well. It has just the right blend of flavors, and the meat is so tender it just melts in your mouth. And the potatoes! The potatoes are just...just..."

"Stop," she dropped her spoon into her bowl, causing little droplets of stew to splatter all over the tablecloth. He paused mid-sentence, another spoonful of stew already halfway to his mouth. "It's awful."

"No it isn't!" he shoved the bite into his mouth, using every ounce of self-control he had to chew it happily and swallow. "See?" His attempt to assuage her was thwarted by a violent coughing fit brought on by the overpowering saltiness, and she glared at him knowingly. With a disgusted sigh, she threw her napkin on the table and shot out of her seat, pushing his glass of water toward him a bit more forcefully than necessary. She grabbed their bowls and dumped them both into the sink as he took several long drinks to clear his tastebuds.

"Rose," he stood up and moved to her quickly, placing his hands on her shoulders as she stood over the sink. "It's...it's not a big deal." Her shoulders began to shake underneath his fingers, and he tightened his hold in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. "Hey, we'll make sandwiches and curl up on the sofa. I'll even let you pick the movie." He fought for something else to say, something that would make her feel better. He'd faced down countless enemies in battles so harrowing that seasoned warriors would run screaming, but he'd fight them all at once if it stopped Rose's tears. "Come on, Rose." He was beginning to panic as her trembling increased, and he spun her around with some effort in order to comfort her properly.

Except she wasn't crying.

Her face was red with the strain of containing her laughter, and he frowned at her. He'd once read that humans could react to overwhelming levels of stress in a variety of ways before they broke down completely, and he lowered himself until he was eye level with her.

"Rose?"

A burst of laughter escaped her, and she leaned back to get a better look at his face. "I'm sorry," she wiped her eye free of tears and took a deep breath. " I was just remembering some of my failed attempts at dinner on the TARDIS. Guess not much has changed, huh?" He smiled at her then, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he gazed down at her lovingly.

"Oh, I don't know," he quipped. "I think this is better."

"Why?" She allowed him to grab her hands and pull her against him completely.

"Because I can do this now," he whispered, brushing his lips across hers in a soft caress. Just as he pulled away she stepped forward, deepening the kiss. His arms came around her fully as hers lifted into his hair, and the delightful groan that reverberated in her throat sent a shiver straight down to his toes. They hadn't made love since that first time, having spent the rest of the weekend getting their house in order. But the way she was pressing into him left him no doubt as to what she wanted now.

Never severing their connection, he spun them around and began marching them toward the bedroom. Halfway there she stumbled a bit, sending them both crashing into the wall. He let out a low chuckle as she took advantage of their position to hook one leg around his waist. His lips moved from her face to her neck, and he hummed contentedly as he tasted the soft flesh where her neck met her shoulder. He continued to taste her, moving his lips and tongue across her throat to the other side.

"Mmm," he murmured against her skin. "You are delicious." She laughed then, using her grip on his shoulders to pull him against her fully. With her lips next to his ear, she nipped him softly before taking a deep breath.

"Are you sure you've got enough of a sample to judge properly?" He lifted his head to stare at her, completely dumbfounded by her sudden boldness. If she was suggesting what he thought she was suggesting, he had a feeling his oral fixation was about to be completely sated.

"Rose." It was growl from deep in his throat, filled with his absolute desire for her as well as the tenous control that kept him from taking her against the wall. She lifted herself up onto her toes, connecting their hips in just the right places to cause them both to shiver with delight. His left hand snaked down and clamped around her thigh, using his considerable strength to haul her up further. Her legs wrapped around his waist then, and he bucked against her instinctively.

"Oh," her breathy moan was enough to shatter his control, and he pulled her away from the wall to walk the short distance to their bedroom. Clothes were lost in a frantic rush, and he paused just long enough to gaze at her perfect body laid out before him. In the dim twilight filtering in through the blinds, he could just make out the blush that creeped up her chest and neck under his unabashed stare. As he descended upon her, he let out a soft huff of laughter.

"What?" she asked, feeling a bit annoyed at his odd timing.

"Nothing," he shook his head, letting his nose brush against her cheek. "I just thought you ought to ruin dinner more often."

"What?" Her frown deepened, but his lips across her forehead erased the wrinkles.

"If it means I get to have dessert first, then I'm for it." She relaxed into the mattress as his meaning washed over her, and his mouth began its tortuous exploration of her body. She had noted his odd fixation with tasting things ever since he'd regenerated into this body, but it hadn't gone past a quick observation on her part. Now, she realized how many fantasies she'd missed out on by neglecting his obvious delight at tasting absolutely everything.

"This alright, Rose?" he whispered against her stomach, and she could little more than hum her affirmation as his tongue traced delicate patterns on her skin. She lost her senses as he continued the exploration of her body, and she cried his name loudly as he worshiped her. In all of her experiences with men before, she had never felt so loved - so cherished - and together they discovered heights of pleasure she'd never known.

Afterward they lay tangled in the sheets, their chests heaving with satisfied exhaustion. As she rolled to her back in an effort to calm her still-trembling muscles, she heard a low rumble. Staring at the Doctor, she realized she had never heard his stomach growling in hunger before that night.

"I believe you said something about sandwiches and a movie?" She dragged herself to her feet, slipping her shirt back over her head. He watched as her beautiful body was hidden beneath the cloth, and held back a moan of disappointment.

"That I did," he hopped to his feet and pulled his trousers on, not bothering with his underwear. "Why don't you jump in the shower and I'll put them together." She hummed her approval as he stopped to kiss her languidly. After a few moments he forced himself away from her, and she smiled at him as she slipped into the adjoining bathroom. With one last longing look at the closed door, he set to the kitchen to make their dinner.

Well then...

I hesitated to write two chapters in a row that ended a bit steamy, but then I remembered how most couples are in those first few weeks of a relationship. Adding in the deepest of friendships and a love that literally stood the test of time and well...I apparently couldn't not write it.

My apologies that these last few chapters are so spaced out. I hate to cite the over-used excuse of "life's been hectic recently," but it has. There's also the small problem that my attention has been split over several other fandoms, and the little plot machine in my head will not stop churning out ideas. It's a pleasant switch from my usual writer's block, but it also means I'm having difficulty focusing on one thing. I guess this long post is mainly to thank those of you still reading. You are the dedicated, and this is for you.