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Chapter 69 – Getting Clean

The Doctor's leg had been wrapped up completely and he had agreed to wear a splint on his leg to keep from bending it. He walked on crutches, which he hated. Rose reminded him it would probably only be for a week. It didn't help his mood. He complained in languages Rose had never heard him use. She was sure he was swearing and complaining how he didn't have time for this.

Genie brightened his mood when she rang and asked if she could stay with Tony and Jacob with their Nanna Jones for the night. "Nanna Jones has the biggest house! It's a castle!" Genie exclaimed.

The Doctor asked Rose. "Is the Presidential Palace, Windsor Castle?"

Rose shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I believe so."

The Doctor lay back on the hospital bed, Rose lay down next to him putting her head against his. "You know, Genie...I think you are in Windsor Castle. Ask Nanna Jones. If I'm right, that's the largest castle in the world! It's larger than some towns!"

Rose looked impressed. "I didn't know that. How big is it?"

"Huge. More than a third of a mile in length, and encloses an area of 23 acres. Have you ever heard of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table?"

Rose nodded, "Of course!"

Genie smiled, "Yes! I know about that!"

He smiled. "Good British ladies. Of course you have! King Edward III rebuilt the castle in the 1400s because he believed that's the same place where Camelot was."

"Was it?" Rose asked him.

He smiled. "I'll never tell. Let it be a mystery. It's more fun that way."

Genie told them that her Uncle Howie had offered to take her to ride horses in the morning. She was so excited because she had never seen a real horse. She was all smiles and giggles. Rose and the Doctor both laughed seeing her wearing Howie's cowboy hat.

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They popped back to their flat right into the sitting room. It was 9:04 pm. Shakes took Zeus.

The diamond glowed blue and then green and illuminated the room. Rose noticed, "No more white?"

"Jack's no longer in this time. I imagine it will start that again when he returns." the Doctor explained.

Rose sat her purse down on the sofa and went to make them both tea. The Doctor went out to the balcony and sat down. He pulled another chair over to himself to prop his leg up. He sat, considering something. Rose brought him out a cup of tea and kissed him.

"Thank you, love." he smiled up at her.

Rose's phone rang. The Doctor quickly said, "I'm asleep. I'm at my limit and not dealing with anything else today."

Rose smiled at him and answered. "Hi, mum. Yes, he is alright. He's asleep."

He mouthed, "Thank you."

Rose smiled as she walked back to the kitchen, leaving him sitting on the balcony. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

Rose made her tea as she listened to her mum. Jackie had gone back to the Presidential palace so she could be with Tony. She planned to stay there for the night.

Rose spoke to her mum. "I'm not sure if he's planning on going to see Dad tonight or not, Mum. I can ask him to text you if he heads over there."

"Yeah, he is on crutches. They wanted him to stay off of it. He's proper cross about it."

"Tomorrow? No, my speech isn't until noon in New Jersey so I'll just get up with him and have breakfast here. Yeah, it will be strange just us here. Jake and Jack went to do something together. The guys even took Zeus tonight. They enjoy playing fetch with him. He needs to run around."

"Jack and Jake? Yeah, I suppose they are a cute couple. I have no idea if they are, but it wouldn't surprise me."

Something caught Rose's eye on the balcony. She saw the Doctor standing up, leaning against the stone railing of the balcony. He was standing only on his good leg. He was holding a glowing, orange ball of light in his hand.

"Mum, I need to let you go. Call you later."

Rose ended the call and ran out to the balcony just in time to see the Doctor say something and throw the ball as hard as he could in the night time sky. It streaked across the sky in a blaze of light, disappearing from view.

He turned and saw Rose. The look on her face said it all.

He held his hands up to calm her. "It's not what you think. Help me back to the chair and I'll explain."

She helped him back in the chair. He propped his leg back into the chair he had put in front of him. She sat down next to him. He grimaced in pain. He took a pain pill and picked back up his tea.

Rose watched him. "I'm here. Whenever you are ready. We agreed you wouldn't do that."

"I didn't do that. My leg is still hurt. It's not that!" he defended himself.

"What was that?" Rose asked him.

He rubbed his face, "I had something I had to get out of my mind. It was something...terrible. Something I can't do anything about. I had to hide it away until I'm able to deal with it."

Rose looked surprised. She could feel his determination.

"Can I ask what it was?"

He shook his head. "I don't even know anymore. I just know that if we ever make it back to the other dimension, I will remember it immediately. Then, I can deal with it. It's something I can't allow myself to forget, but something I can't think about anymore. It's something I have to do."

She watched him curiously.

He looked up at her shook his head. "Really. Don't worry about it. Think about something else. Apparently, I needed to."

She watched him drink his tea. "Mum is going to stay with Harriet tonight."

He smiled, "Nanna Jones has a palace full tonight! Our flat feels so empty. I didn't realize how crazy it's been here, lately. I've gotten used to it. Is it alright with you? All of these people here? All of the time?"

Rose sat back in her chair and smiled as she blew her tea, "Oh, I love it! Genie does too. Lots of people she can play with. Get kisses from. I think she's really happy."

He smiled, "She is having so much fun right now. I wonder what they are doing. She's laughing a lot."

Rose looked at his face, "You have mud in your ear."

He laughed, "I am filthy. Just offensive at the moment. I want to take a nice, long shower. But, I can't get these damn stitches wet. I need a laser hydro sprayer. But, it won't be around for another... phhh... hundred years."

"You could invent that." Rose suggested.

"Wouldn't help me right now. Besides. I know the person who invented it. I can't take that away from her. And no. She's just a friend. Don't worry about that." he smiled.

Rose smiled, "You out here watching the stars reminds me of when we used to travel. When did you start looking at them again?"

He sipped his tea. "A few nights ago. Things are mostly peaceful out there at the moment. I don't feel the urgent need to run off and help someone. Granted that can change at any moment."

"Worried about Jack and Jake?" Rose asked.

"Oh, yes. Jack especially. I really hope he can figure something out. I think Jake just went to get out that damn eye exam I scheduled for him in the morning." he complained as he drank his tea.

"You're not really going to make him get his eyes checked, are you?" Rose asked him.

"Oh, hell yeah I am! Maybe a head scan, too. Are him and Jack an item now? Do you know?" he looked at Rose curiously.

Rose giggled as she drank her tea. "Oh, I don't know. They would make a good couple, though. You think?"

He shrugged his shoulders and sat down his tea glass next to him.

Rose sat her tea glass down next to his. She stood up and held her hands out to him.

He looked up at her. "What?"

"We have this entire flat to ourselves and you need a scrub. Come on." Rose told him.

He stood up on his one good leg and grabbed his crutches. "What do you have in mind?" he asked her quietly.

"Oh, a few things come to mind. First, I'm going to clean you up. Then we'll worry about what comes next." Rose teased him as she walked back into the flat.

He smiled and followed her into their bathroom. He stopped him and held her hand to his chest. She went into the closet and brought out two huge beach towels and laid them on the floor of the bathroom.

He looked confused. "What are you doing?"

She smiled, "I went to weeklong camp when I was a teenager. I had to give myself a sponge bath because there wasn't any running water. I got good at it."

He nodded and looked impressed. "You taking a sponge bath? That brings to mind a lovely picture."

She smiled as she walked over to him and kissed him quickly. She told him quietly, "You take off your shirt and lay down on those towels. Be very careful not to hurt yourself. I'll be straight back."

She could feel his excitement. "May I kiss you first? Please?"

She smiled back at him. "Of course you can."

He held his finger up as if to say, "One minute." He leaned on the cabinet and sat the crutches against the counter. He cupped her face gently and kissed her. She held his hips as her tongue danced with his. His hands moved up and down her body. He stopped and cupped her breasts as he continued to kiss her.

'A flat to ourselves. What is that even like?' he teased her.

She smiled and leaned back. "I imagine it's nice. I'll tell you in the morning."

He smiled like a loon and bit his lip. "Okay! Time for me to get clean!" He declared as he took off his shirt and threw it across the room. He sat down in the floor, and then used his arms to walk like a three legged crab to the towels and lay down.

She laughed at him. "What the hell was that? You freak!"

He lay his arm behind his head. "You like that I'm a freak! Don't even lie, woman!"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm going to turn on some music and get something. I'll be right back."

He heard the Black Key's song, "Tighten Up" start to play. She returned and took off her shoes. She rolled up a towel, and put it under his head.

"Playing my music, again?" he asked.

She smiled as she turned on the tap of the bathtub next to her. "It's Sunday. I thought you probably needed to hear it."

He smiled and pointed at her. "None of my business, but you might want to take off that dress if you don't want it to get wet."

She smiled and teased him. "That's an excellent point. Unzip it for me and I'll take it off."

He rose up and unzipped it for her. She slid it off. He lay back on the towels and watched her.

She put a knee on either side of his hips and sat on him. He was rubbing his beard. She looked at him with her tongue in her teeth. "Do you want me to keep on these knickers? Are you very concerned about me being in wet clothing?"

He rubbed his chin and said something to her in a strange language.

She laughed at him.

"What?" he smiled.

"You are talking crazy, again. What did you say?"

He laughed and said, "Sorry. Whatever makes you happy."

She leaned down and kissed him as he unfastened her bra. He took it off of her and flipped it across the room. "Ha!" he exclaimed as she leaned down to kiss him again.

They snogged until "Your Woman" by White Town came on the stereo in the other room.

Rose sat up and got a sponge and put it in the tub's water. She used soap and washed his chest, arms, neck and face. She rinsed him off and dried him with a towel.

"Oh, this is wonderful." he moaned.

"Okay, I think you are working out. I can see more muscle in your chest and arms than I've ever noticed." Rose demanded.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm a skinny bloke, Rose. I'm telling you! I'm just playing with these rotten children!"

She smiled at him as she had him sit up. She sat on his waist again as she washed his back. He kissed her chest and cupped her breasts. He teased her nipples with his thumbs. She wiped him off and dried him with the towel. He caught her lips and continued their snog. He held her face.

'This water is going to get cold.' she told him.

He smiled at her and stopped kissing her. "Right. What should I do to occupy myself?"

She kissed him quickly and stood up to get a plastic pan. "Tell me something."

"Something? Like what?" he asked.

"You said you would never call yourself a master at something. You can tell me why."

He rubbed his face and sighed. "Yeah, you never met him. You'd agree with me."

Rose went to the tap and put warm water in the plastic pan. She took it to the towels where he sat and had him lay back on his elbows.

"I know this isn't comfortable, I'll try to be quick about this." She told him.

"Nah, it's not bad. Take your time." he told her.

She poured the warm water over his head and ran her hands through his hair. He closed his eyes and exhaled loudly. "Oh, this is the best. Wonderful idea, Rose."

Rose washed his hair. "Anyway. I would agree with you about that, why?"

He remembered what she had asked him. "There's this Time Lord. Was this Time Lord. I don't know. I think he's gone and he pops back up. He calls himself, 'The Master'."

"So, you're not the only one with a secret name. Friend of yours?" Rose asked him.

"Used to be. We were at the Academy together." he told her.

"Used to be. Doesn't sound good."

She ran her hands through his hair more than she normally would. She could feel him relaxing as she did it.

"He is what you would probably call my arch enemy. He is completely mad. I have no idea why. He always claimed that he heard drums beating in his head. A never ending drum beat." The Doctor told her.

She rinsed his hair and put a towel on his head. He sat up and took over drying his hair. "Oh, that feels so much better."

She stood up and poured the water in the sink. "You don't want to see this water. You were filthy!"

He laughed as he sat the towel next to him.

"Now what, my dear?" he asked her.

"Oh, we're not done yet." she told him as she came back and knelt beside him. "I'm going to wash your leg that's not hurt, then we'll work together to take off these pants and shorts. We'll have to be careful of your leg."

He smiled and rubbed his hand through his wet hair. He lay back as he washed his leg and foot for him.

"You've really skinned up your knee here."

"Yeah, sliding on that pitch. Oh, that was so much fun!" he told her.

She continued their conversation. "So, he's completely mad?"

"Oh yes. He wants to rule the universe. Kill me. Steal my TARDIS. He's done all of these things, several times. Granted, sometimes he's been my greatest ally. He's mad I'm telling you."

Rose laughed at him as she dried his leg. "Sounds like you both are."

He chuckled, "Maybe you're right. Okay, how do we need to do this?"

She sat up and looked at him. "I think the best thing to do is have you lay back, and arch your back. I can slide your shorts and pants off and wash you."

"Alright. Do you want to take them completely off?" he asked her.

"Yeah. They are probably proper dirty like the rest of this. I'm telling you. This water is black."

He lay back and slid down his shorts and pants. Rose carefully pulled them off of him. She finished washing him.

He noticed her smiling at him, "Why, Rose Tyler. I think you are blushing."

"I am surprised. I thought you would be ... um..."

"Lots of self control at the moment. Oh man. This is so wonderful. I've never felt cleaner."

She dried him off and sat back on his waist and kissed him.

'You go back into the bedroom. In those lovely, silk sheets. I'm going to take a quick shower, and I'll join you in there.' Rose told him in his head.

He smiled under her kiss. "Yes ma'am. I'll be waiting for you."

She stood up and helped him onto his good leg. He leaned on the cabinet and rubbed his beard, watching her take off her knickers and turn on the shower. It steamed the bathroom up almost immediately.

He laughed at her. "You could cook something in there when you take a shower!"

She laughed at him as she stepped into the shower. After she finished washing her hair, she looked out of the glass door and saw him still leaning on the cabinet. He was standing there with a towel around his waist with his arms crossed.

"Old Man! I thought you were going to meet me in the bedroom?" She reminded him.

"Old Man is enjoying the view. Besides. He's a frail, old man. He might slip on this wet floor and break his neck. He needs to ensure your safety and his."

Rose laughed at him. "Frail my ass. Hurt, but not frail."

"Old, and not young." he smiled.

"Now, what is that about?" Rose asked him.

"Oh, nothing. I hate being hurt." He inhaled deeply. "Rose. What is that smell?"

She laughed, "What you do you think it is? Vanilla soap."

He ran both of his hands though his wet hair. "Oh yes! Vanilla soap! My Rose is going to smell like candy! My leg feels better already!"

Rose laughed at him.

"Where did you even get vanilla soap? They make that in this time?" he asked her.

"Of course they do! They even make your other favorite." she teased him.

He smiled, "And what is that?"

"Pear." she laughed.

He made a face of disgust. "Oh, that's gross. Why would anyone want to smell like that?"

"It might smell nice." Rose told him.

"Doubt it. Tastes terrible." he complained.

"See, I didn't remember that about you. Is that something this mouth just doesn't like?"

"No. I've not liked pears for a while." he told her.

"I know your favorite thing, and I bet you didn't know it was even in the kitchen."

"What is that, sweetheart?" he asked her.

"Well, besides bananas. Those little edible, silver cake decorations."

He laughed, "Edible ball-bearings! Rose, nowhere else in the entire galaxy, in all of time makes those except here. It's crazy! I have always loved those things. I remember offering them to K9."

Rose laughed, "What did he say?"

"He found it offensive and asked me not to mock him." he laughed. "Who ever thought of those things? Genius!"

"They are not called ball-bearings for real, are they?"

He laughed, "No. They are called... um... dragées. They are terrible for your teeth though. Might as well call them ball-bearings. I don't want Genie eating them."

Rose laughed, "More for you then, right?"

"Exactly! Did Michelle get those?"

Rose laughed, "Yes. They have been here the entire time we have."

"She's a mutant, Rose. I'm telling you. No one is that damn good." he complained.

She finished washing herself and turned off the shower. She stepped out and he hopped over to her and put a towel around her to dry her off.

He kissed her quickly, "Thank you, Rose. I feel so much better. I'll let you finish in here and I'll get the bed warm." He wagged his eyes at her as he took his crutches and went back into the bedroom.

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