Chapter 25
The Doctor took them back into the Vortex, and Rose laughed when he added a spin to the normal dematerialisation routine. "In a good mood, Doctor?" she teased.
"Absolutely tops, Rose Tyler," he said. "Now, if the universe would be kind enough not to interrupt again, we have a date to get to."
She raised her eyebrows. "Whatever happened to, 'Never early or late when you have a time machine, Rose?'"
"Ah. Never early or late, unless we have dinner reservations?"
Rose chuckled at his cheeky grin, then pointed toward her room. "I'll just… I'm going to go get ready. Since apparently we don't want to be late."
She ran her fingers along the corridor wall as she walked to her room, and the TARDIS hummed in her head. The sensation felt… smug, and Rose focused on her connection with the ship, searching for a reason.
But she didn't need to look any farther than her own room and the dress stretched out on the bed. "Oh," she breathed. "Are you sure? He didn't seem all that impressed with it last time."
The TARDIS gave her a mental roll of the eyes, and Rose bit her lip. "All right then, if you're sure." She stripped to her knickers, then pulled on her dressing gown to keep warm while she did her hair.
Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Rose tugged gently on one of the braids and shivered when she remembered how the Doctor's hands had felt as they'd moved so gracefully through her hair. There was another reason to enjoy the braids too—her hair would hold a curl better tonight, thanks to the waves being plaited damp had given it.
She quickly shook out the braids, then used a curling iron to create a mass of ringlets. Her hair was barely long enough for what she wanted to do, but the hair clip she'd gotten on Telera was specially designed to hold a style in place and hide under the curls. She used it to gather the fatter curls loosely on top of her head, leaving the tighter curls loose to frame her face.
Back in her room, Rose put on a pair of sheer black stockings, then looked at the dress again. "You're positive this is what I should wear." A matching wrap and shoes appeared on her bed, and she let out an amused sigh. "I'll take that for a yes," she said, and pulled it on, grateful again for the TARDIS' self-lacing corsets.
Her skilled hand did her make up in minutes, and then she slipped the shoes on and picked up the wrap. She caught a glimpse of herself in the full length mirror in her room and drew in a breath. She looked… grown up. Mature. Happy. Some of the tension eased out of her, and she went to join the Doctor.
DWDWDWDWDW
Keeping in mind the suggestions in the article, the Doctor dressed in his comfortable brown suit after his shower. He carefully arranged his hair, remembering that it wouldn't be appropriate to fix it at the dinner table (not that he would do so anyway) and went to the console room to wait for Rose.
He felt a flash of panic when he heard Rose's heels click down the corridor, remembering the article had said to pick the date up at her door. It was too late for that now. I'll just have to do better at everything else, he vowed.
Then she stepped into view and he forgot everything but how beautiful she was. She'd done her hair in soft ringlets pulled up on top of her head, with a few dangling down to frame her face. His gaze lingered on lips that had been painted a rich wine shade, then continued down to the dress he'd seen once before.
The black corseted bodice showed off curves his fingers suddenly itched to touch. Then Rose's hands brushed against the full burgundy skirt, and the hint of discomfort he caught from her pushed the lust to the back of his mind. He frowned and looked up, but she wouldn't meet his eyes. "Is it too much?" she asked. "It's just… the TARDIS had it in my room when we got back from Mum's, so I thought maybe…"
The Doctor reached for her hand and pulled her closer. "She probably thought it was about time I made up for the very first time I tried to distance myself from you."
She peeked up at him through her eyelashes. "Yeah?"
He looked her up and down, taking in the Victorian gown she'd worn when they'd met Dickens. "You, Rose Tyler, are beautiful."
"Not just for a human?" she teased, letting him see a hint of her tongue.
For the first time, he let her see his admiration without any barriers. "For anyone. You are stunning, and I've always thought so."
Her eyes sparkled at him. "I see you haven't changed your clothes, just like last time."
"I put on a clean shirt and tie," he protested.
"Don't worry about it, Doctor." She leaned closer and whispered, "I happen to think pinstripes are sexy."
He tugged on his collar. "Do you now?"
Rose nodded. "Thought jumpers and leather coats were sexy too, if we're confessing things."
The admission floored the Doctor. He'd known, or hoped at least, that Rose had cared for him back then, but he hadn't dreamt she'd found him attractive. Judging by her smug smile, she knew exactly how that admission had hit him.
Unable to resist the urge to even things out a bit, he leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "Someday I'll tell you exactly what I was thinking the first time I saw you in that dress."
He felt the shiver that went through her and pulled back, satisfied. Rose drew in a breath and said, "Don't we have a reservation?"
"Right, yeah, we should…" He hesitated for a moment. Should I take her arm or open the door? The door seemed to make more sense, and a moment later they were stepping out into the cool night air of Glaurus.
The Doctor closed the door behind them, and then offered Rose his arm. "Miss Tyler, would you do me the honour of joining me for dinner?"
All the confidence her reaction had given him a moment ago evaporated as he waited for her response. He'd been flirting with Rose from the moment he'd regenerated, but to actually push that from teasing into something real was… well, there was a reason he hadn't done it before.
And walking arm in arm was something different for them. They held hands, they always held hands, but the article had specifically said to offer your date your arm. But if Rose didn't like it, he wouldn't do it again, and maybe the article was wrong, and how would he know?
He didn't feel any confusion or disapproval though, just affection and respect. He let out a deep breath as she slipped her arm through his. "It would be my pleasure, Doctor."
They strolled together through the seaside town, nodding at the locals with their lavender skin and violet hair. A few human tourists appeared among the evening crowd, but it was autumn on Glaurus—not exactly high season.
The restaurant was perched on top of the cliff that overlooked the Sea of Sania, and they both enjoyed the view for a moment before the door opened. "Doctor, Rose. We have your table ready," the host said.
"Yes, sorry for keeping you waiting," the Doctor said, wincing a bit. The article had said not to keep the date waiting. Did it also mean not to keep the restaurant waiting?
The host shook his head. "Not to worry!" he said cheerfully. "I can't blame you for enjoying the view on a night like tonight."
They all stepped inside, and the host led them to their table. They were seated by the window at a small table that was hidden in the corner. "I believe this is what you asked for, sir?"
The Doctor nodded and caught a hint of a smile on Rose's face. "This is perfect," he assured the man.
"Very good. I'm Kendel, and your server tonight will be Tarron."
"So you asked for the most secluded table in the restaurant?" Rose asked once he'd walked away.
"Most secluded with the best view," he corrected, nodding to the window. The sun had only set an hour ago, and the blue of the sky blended from almost turquoise at the horizon to indigo at its zenith.
The Doctor reached across the table and took her hand. Rose tried not to shiver at the feeling of his fingers lacing through hers; hand holding wasn't anything new, but somehow it felt different tonight. Maybe it feels more intimate because he's been so formal about everything.
She tightened her hand around his and smiled. "I never thought we'd be doing this."
To her surprise, he smiled softly. "Oh, I think this has been inevitable since, 'Run,' Rose Tyler."
"Really?"
"Really." He stroked his thumb over her pulse point. "I might have fought—" She snorted, and he grinned at her. "All right, I did fight. But I only fought because I knew, deep down, that this was coming eventually, and I didn't know…"
He broke off, and she felt a hint of familiar guilt. "Hey, none of that tonight," she admonished him. "We're here now, and that's all that matters."
The Doctor opened his mouth, but their server appeared before he could argue. "Good evening, and welcome to Glaurus. Can I interest you in some Rigellian wine?"
Rose lit up. Rigellian wine was her favourite, but it was also one of the rarest in the galaxy. The Doctor smiled. "That would be lovely, thank you."
The server turned their wine glasses right side up. "Are you ready to order, or shall I give you a few more minutes to decide?"
Rose and the Doctor both chuckled. "Oh, we always order the same thing," she said, rattling their regular off. "And make sure to bring extra crab cakes," she added, winking at the Doctor.
The server jotted their order down on his notepad. "Very well. I'll give this to the kitchen and be back in a moment with your wine."
"I like having favourite places," Rose said once he'd left. "It makes me feel… I dunno. Normal? Like, that's something people who don't fly through time and space have, right? Their favourite chippy, favourite curry house…"
"A spot of normalcy in our very unique lives," he agreed. "And it doesn't hurt that they really do have the best crab cakes in the galaxy."
She looked at him slyly. "I thought that wasn't really why we came here though."
Their server's return with the wine interrupted his answer. "The crab cakes will be out in a few minutes, and your meal will follow shortly. Is there anything else I can get you right now?"
"No, thank you. That will be all."
Rose raised an eyebrow once he'd left. "Well, are the crab cakes why this is our favourite place?"
He tightened his fingers around hers. "No, they're not. Now, I propose a toast, Rose Tyler," he said, lifting his glass. She mirrored him, and he said, "To second chances. I guess I'm that sort of man after all."
DWDWDWDWDW~*
After they'd eaten and he'd paid (at which point Rose had teasingly pointed out the difference between this and their other first date), he asked, "Would you like to take a walk before going home?"
"Sure. It's too lovely an evening to just rush back inside."
He offered her his arm again and led the way to the cliff walk. "How come we've never walked here before, Doctor?" she asked.
"Well, there's a limit on what I can pretend isn't romantic. Intimate candlelit restaurants? Maybe. Moonlit walks under the stars? That's a little harder to ignore."
Rose laughed again and tightened her arm around his. "And how well did you really do at pretending the restaurant wasn't romantic?" she asked.
He cleared his throat. "Ah."
The breeze carried a hint of salt air up from the ocean below, and Rose took a deep breath. "I love the sea," she said, leaning against his arm.
In all the films they'd watched, this would be where the bloke would say something cheesy like, "And I love you." The Doctor was thankful he'd researched, or he might have been tempted to follow suit.
Instead, he stopped and pulled her close so they were both looking out at the ocean and sky. She shivered and he wrapped his arms more tightly around her. "Cold?" he whispered in her ear.
She shivered again. "No."
The implication shook his resolve, and he couldn't keep his lips from brushing against her ear, then traveling up to place a kiss on her temple. That's not the kind of kiss the article meant, he told himself.
It did occur to him that not kissing on the first date might be a bit of a moot point when they'd spent a good portion of the afternoon snogging on the couch. But this was their official first date, and he wanted to get it absolutely right.
Her hands stroked his arms and he leaned closer on a sigh. "I love you."
She tilted her head back so she could look him in the eye. "I love you too, Doctor."
They watched the moonrise and enjoyed looking at the stars together. It was always a fun activity to point at the ones they'd been to and the ones he'd take her to next. He didn't notice the night air getting colder until she shivered again, her wrap not offering much protection from the breeze.
"You're cold, I'm sorry," he said, pulling his coat off and settling it on her shoulders. "Let's go home and warm up."
Rose slipped her arm through his and fell into step beside him. "I wish we could stay forever," she said, filling her lungs with the salt air. "Of course, it wouldn't be a week before I'd be itching to travel again, but still…"
In front of the TARDIS, he dropped her arm for a moment to unlock the door. "We can always come back for a holiday someday," he suggested as they stepped inside. "Stay for a few days, enjoy the local atmosphere." She hummed in agreement.
The Doctor took Rose's hand and led the way down the corridor. It only took a minute to reach her door, and she wished the TARDIS would have cooperated by moving it farther away from the control room. She held her breath, waiting for the Doctor's kiss… but instead, he raised her hand and brushed his lips against it. "Good night, Rose," he said and stepped back.
All right, that's taking the formality a bit too far. She grabbed his elbow before he could turn to walk away. "Hang on," she said lightly. "Where's my good night kiss?"
He furrowed his brow. "I thought… the article said not to kiss on the first date."
Her eyebrows flew up. "Do you have a copy of this article available for me to read?"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of A4 paper. The title was the first thing she saw when she unfolded it: "The 33rd Century Human: Dating Rules for a Modern Era."
Oh, this might explain a lot. She read, mouthing words at times when the antiquated ideas struck her as particularly funny.
She'd just reached the end, and the admonition against kissing, when she registered his embarrassment. "No, no, it's okay!"
"Then why are you laughing?"
She folded it back up and stuck it in his jacket pocket. "It's just… this reads sorta like something from the 1950s."
He closed his eyes and groaned. "I forgot, Earth went through a bit of a nostalgia period in the 33rd century. I just saw the word "modern" in the title and figured it was right."
"I hafta admit, I wondered why you were offering me your arm and everything."
"Then why didn't you say anything?"
Now it was her turn to be embarrassed. "Well, I thought… I dunno, you're not usually so formal, but I thought maybe it was the way your people… courted."
He wrinkled his nose. "Time Lords didn't court much," he said. "Gallifreyans either. Relationships were arranged according to mental compatibility and what was politically expedient."
Rose frowned. "That doesn't sound like much fun."
"Words which sum up my people pretty accurately. Why d'you think I left?"
"So there's nothing I need to know about dating a Time Lord?"
His Adam's apple bobbed. "There are a few things, but they're mostly…" He raised a hand and ghosted it over her temple, and they both closed their eyes and sighed at the fleeting connection.
"But I don't understand, Doctor. Why'd you research what to do on our date? You know me."
"That's why the TARDIS hid all the books," the Doctor said, his face turning even redder than it had been a moment ago. "Because I didn't need to do research to figure out what would make you happy."
Rose hummed in agreement. "Smart girl, our TARDIS."
"I just wanted everything to be perfect, and I realised that for all that I've spent most of my life surrounded by humans, and even watching human films, I don't know much about the actual mechanics of human courtship."
Even though the result had been a little off base in places, the thought that the Doctor had cared enough about their date to go to all that effort meant more to her than a by the book perfect date. Now to get him past his embarrassment. She leaned against her door, her smile deepening. "Maybe that's true, but there's one thing I know you understand the mechanics of."
Never one to miss an invitation, he slid his arms around her and pulled her close. "I wanted to do this earlier, on the cliff," he admitted when their lips were only a breath apart.
"And I wanted you to," she breathed, then closed the gap.
After several glorious minutes, she pulled back, relishing the way his eyes glittered with lust. "I think it's time for bed," she said, putting her hand on the door knob.
He nodded several times before speaking, and she felt a thrill go through her at the obvious indication of her power over him. "Probably. I'll see you in the morning, Rose."
Rose watched him go, biting back the invitation that sprung to her lips. She wanted him, and she knew he wanted her, but the last thing she wanted was to chase him off by moving too quickly.
She brushed her fingers against her lips. Besides, she thought with a secret smile, a few weeks of kisses like that, and the anticipation will be more than worth the wait.