No Time Like the Present

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A/N This is part of a snapshot series - I wanted to drop in on a few important days along the course of their relationship, so there won't be a big involved plot arc running through it. Just so you know. :)

Instead of making it one chaptered fic, I'm going to leave them as individual stories because basically they'll all stand alone and this way only one will have to end unhappily, which means it can easily be avoided.

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'It wouldn't work between us, Rose. I can't offer you what your little boyfriends can, you know that – no forever with me, no till death do us part, cos I don't even do that. What I will do is change, become someone else, someone who might not remember any of this. Fancy waking up to a stranger in your bed, do you?'

The palm that was cupping his cheek slid away, and Rose sank down from her tiptoes until her head was level with his shoulders once more. Only then did she realise her hand was still firmly clasped in his, and she pulled at it. Despite the harshness of his words, he seemed reluctant to release her. She gave another, firmer, tug and felt his grip loosen, although his fingers still held tight, clinging until there was nothing left to cling to.

Free of his touch, Rose didn't immediately move away and instead stood staring silently up into the face bare inches from her own, examining the familiar features one by one; the ears that not even the most loving mother could deny stuck out a fraction of an inch too far, the cropped hair that would always reveal a high forehead even if he didn't practically shave it off, and the startlingly beautiful blue eyes that could change from amused to tender to manic to icily dangerous with barely a blink in between to warn the unwary that another lightning fast mood change was coming.

Overlarge ears and all, he was beautiful to her. He was also an arrogant, annoying, know-it-all pain in the arse, and it was still something of a mystery to her why she loved him. More often, though, the mystery was how there had ever been a time when she hadn't.

'So,' she said, clearing her suddenly croaky voice. 'D'you know when you'll be, what was it, regenerating?'

'Do you mean do I know when I'm gonna die?' the Doctor asked with a rather unfriendly smile. 'What are you after here, exactly? Time, date and mode of death, perhaps? Or maybe just the general messiness of the unfortunate event on a scale of one to ten? Sensible girl – that way you can plan ahead and not have to worry about getting a stain on your favourite top.'

The unexpectedness of his verbal attack took her by surprise and she flinched, turning away from him on a sharp intake of breath. The Doctor grimaced, his jaw clenching and his face turning to stone.

Rose straightened her shoulders and lifted wounded eyes to his. 'Sarkiness aside, yeah.'

'No,' he said, jerking abruptly away to pace across the room. 'Doesn't work like that.' When he reached the edge of the console, he turned back towards her, his expression unknowingly softening at the sight of her drooping shoulders and downbent head. As if drawn there by a force stronger than his own, he retraced his steps back to her side, ignoring as he always did the concept of personal space between them.

'So you you,' Rose said, waving a hand in his general direction, 'could be gone tomorrow, or in a week or in another hundred years from now?'

He frowned down at her. 'This body ages, Rose, just like yours.' He jabbed long fingers into his chest to emphasise the point.

'Fair enough,' Rose said. She let out a deep sigh and then gave a shrug. 'Well, you can rest assured that if tomorrow's the big day, I'll be utterly heartbroken.' Her casual tone didn't match the words, and the Doctor's frown deepened.

'Glad to hear it,' he said shortly.

'But don't go expecting a lengthy mourning period if it's in another 100 years time – doubt I'll be up to prolonged weepin' by then.'

The Doctor made an impatient huffing noise. 'I've told you, Rose-'

'I suppose it's all a question of time, innit? Being relative an' all that. Your area of expertise,' she said with a too bright smile. 'So as usual I'm in way over my head and I should just shut up, Rose.'

'I wasn't gonna say that. Look-'

'What about you?' she interrupted.

'Eh?'

'Will you be heartbroken?' He shook his head, confusion obvious. 'If it's me tomorrow I mean; will you be heartbroken?'

'Rose–'

''Cause it could be, you know?'

'It isn't the same,' he said harshly.

'No, it isn't, cos I won't be coming back – not with a new face, not with a new body and not with slightly dodgy memories that're still better than none at all.' She watched without any real satisfaction as the Doctor shuddered deeply and ran a not quite steady hand over his face.

'Rose, please…'

'I know I'm just a blip to you, probably more hassle them I'm worth most of the time,' she said abruptly, her voice cracking. 'I mean, you've already lived nine hundred years, God knows how many more you'll be knocking around for. Don't Time Lords have a pension plan?' She shook her own question impatiently away when it looked like he might be about to answer. 'Doesn't matter! The point is, to you, our time together'll feel like it was over in the blink of an eye. Not worth stressing over; that's why it's so easy for you to be sensible.' She spat the word out as if it was offensive, and sniffed back the tears clogging her throat.

'A blip?' He grinned suddenly, and Rose felt a rogue tear make a bid for freedom. 'A thorn in my side. A hump on my back. The light of my life, maybe, but you, Rose Tyler, could never, ever be a blip,' he announced grandly.

He reached out his hand to rub a thumb under her lower eyelid and capture the glistening tear lying there. 'I just don't want to be the cause of any more of these.'

Cautious hope flooded through her, and Rose pulled his hand towards her, kissing away the trembling teardrop, and then placing another tender kiss on the thumb pad where it had sat.

'I'll cry them anyway.' She looked up at him through gleaming eyes. 'Or you will.' He nodded his bleak acceptance of that. 'Rather we didn't miss anything now cos of what might happen later.'

The Doctor looped his arms lightly around her hips and angled her body towards him, his hands clasped together at the base of her spine and a lazy smile playing on his lips. 'Anyone ever tell you you're one of the more brilliant and perceptive inhabitants of this tiny green planet, Miss Tyler?'

Rose gave a muffled laugh of relief and buried her head in the familiar warmth of soft wool and fragrant leather. The sensation of lips tenderly nuzzling at her temple had her leaning back in his hold to gaze blissfully up at him.

'Yeah, think I might've heard words to that effect once or twice.'

The Doctor's head began to lower towards hers, and Rose arched her neck in an attempt to keep him in focus. She felt a pleasurable jolt in her stomach at the hot and hungry look burning in his eyes.

'Just so we're clear,' she said, not above wanting to see him suffer a little of the frustration he'd caused her over the past few weeks, 'no more avoiding me or tryin' to convince me to get out more and meet people?'

The Doctor nodded. 'Stupid idea in the first place,' he agreed affably.

Rose relaxed back in his arms, a smile on her lips, allowing him to take most of her weight now. 'And no more arguments, either?'

'Oh, I'm sure there'll always be a few of those.' He bent down to drop a kiss on the tip of her nose. 'Not that I'm complaining – keeps things interesting. But no, no more arguments about the two of us.' He paused and grinned beatifically back at her. 'I've seen the light.'

'Hallelujah!'

'You've got that right,' he murmured. She gave a little shiver as he trailed moist-mouthed kisses down the exposed column of her throat, and then began nibbling his way back up the side of her neck.

'God, you know what this means?' Rose said, struck by a sudden thought and struggling to get the words out before she was beyond speech altogether. The Doctor reluctantly lifted his head to reveal eyebrows raised over curious, and slightly unfocussed, eyes. 'You were tellin' the truth all along,' Rose continued, reaching out to walk tormenting fingers up and down his chest, and monitoring his reaction closely through lowered eyelashes. 'You really are a genius!'

The Doctor gave a wicked grin and entwined her exploring fingers in his. 'Well,' he said, with absolutely no attempt at modesty, 'amazing though you are compared to most humans, Rose, you've still got a very long way to go before you're even within shouting distance of being the most brilliant and perceptive person in this relationship.'

'Yeah,' Rose agreed serenely, tugging her hand free to set inquisitive fingers exploring once more. 'But as long as you've got that face, I'll always be the prettiest.'

Her punishment came in the form of a swooping mouth, and a serious depletion in her oxygen levels for long, rather fantastic, minutes.