Decorator by Sian

Synopsis: Rose and the Doctor get reacquainted, and there's the possibility of redecorating the TARDIS.
Characters: Rose and the Doctor (ten)
Episode/Spoilers: Post Christmas Invasion
Rating: G
Notes: None, nothing at all to say. Except I do know it's Beetle not Beatle (it was late, what can I say ;-) )

The TARDIS was still parked up on the Powell Estate, taking a rest before they left Earth. Rose wasn't sure why. She suspected the Doctor still wasn't feeling a hundred percent and is was him taking a rest, but whatever. She was happy to be back sitting in the console room with him. In a way, today had been like getting to know a new person, for him too she imagined. This new Doctor was different from his old self. He was more laid back, more easy going, bouncy even -- on the surface at least.

They had been reminiscing on past adventures they'd shared, but now they were sitting in an easy silence.

"It's good to be home," the Doctor said, tipping his head backwards and looking around the console room.

Rose watched him with a smile. She'd been worried being with him would be different now he'd changed, and it was, but in a nice comfortable way.

"Don't get me wrong," the Doctor continued. "Your mum's flat's lovely. In a partially destroyed by a murderous Christmas tree kind of a way. But it's good to be home." He looked around again. "I might redecorate," he suddenly said.

"I like it like this," Rose replied.

"But I always redecorate after a regeneration. It's a tradition. Although, usually it's more than a year between regenerations and I've had time to get bored with the decor. Plus, I have only just found my way around."

"How would redecorating affect that."

The Doctor grinned and jumped to his feet. He pulled Rose up and led her to the console. "See," he changed to monitor's programme, "the layout of the ship can be altered any way I want. I can add rooms, move existing rooms, get rid of rooms, or I could make the whole ship one big open-plan room." He thought about that for a second. "Actually that could be a little awkward with guests."

His enthusiasm was infectious. "I love this ship," Rose declared.

"Me too. And to think they were going to scrap her."

"Who was?" Rose asked with a note of anger in her voice.

"Calm down, it was 900 hundred years ago. She was being decommissioned when I salvaged her."

Rose grinned, "By salvaged you mean stole?"

"That might be another word for it, yes. I prefer salvaged, rescued, saved from a life in oblivion. But yes, some people might also say stole."

"That would explain why half the systems don't work."

"Hey! It's only about a quarter that don't work and none of them are needed. Well, I say none, I mean most... some... anyway, she's never... hardly ever, let me down."

Rose grinned, he really did love this ship. He was worse than Mickey with his Beetle, and don't think she didn't know why Mickey had borrowed a Mini from work to try and open the console, he wouldn't risk his pride and joy. "It's a man thing," she decided.

"What is?"

"Love of cars, or in your case time travel ships, and calling them she - it's a man thing."

"I'm not actually..."

"Male thing then."

"Also, she's living and she is a she."

"Yeah, I'll give you that." Rose joined the Doctor back on the seats. "Don't redecorate."

"You don't think this is a little... I dunno, grungy?"

"Yes, and it's great. I've got to ask though, why is she bigger on the inside?"

"Can't believe it's taken you a year to ask me that."

"I was trying to avoid you giving that look."

"What look?"

"That look. The one that says, 'my God Humans are so stupid. How do you even manage to dress and feed yourselves'."

"I don't do that."

"You're doing it now," Rose laughed. "So in words of one syllable, two if you must, why's she bigger on the inside?"

"The inside exists in a different dimension to the outside."

"Well that sounds... how?"

"Using the same technology that lets us travel through time and space. She isn't really shaped like a police box for one thing."

"Good point."

"The outside is just an illusion." He closed his eyes and sighed.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine ... a little tired."

"Regenerating takes it out of you, eh?"

"Just a bit," he agreed. In truth he was exhausted. This had been the toughest regeneration yet. Not that any of them had been pleasant. After each one he'd wondered what had possessed him to leave Gallifrey, where regenerations were planned with military precision, where you got to choose your new body, where the fear and the pain of regenerating didn't exist. Or so he'd been led to believe anyway.

"Go and lie down for a while. I'll make us some dinner," Rose offered.

The Doctor opened an eye and looked at at his companion. "You want me to leave you alone in my kitchen?"

"I can cook."

"You can microwave," the Doctor corrected.

"Yes, but it's called a microwave cooker, therefore I can cook."

"Umm. Yeah okay, you make dinner and I'll have a look where we can go tomorrow. Your mum does know we're leaving tomorrow doesn't she?"

"She wanted us to stay 'til the new year, but I told her we'd come back for that. That's alright isn't it?"

"Yeah. Can't guarantee which new year we'll arrive at though," he joked. "Go and microwave the life out some poor ready meal."

He was at the console, when his senses alerted him. He took the psychic paper out of his jacket and read the message -- 'Ward 26. Please come'. He stared at the message for a minute or more, trying to decide what to do. The last time he'd responded to a call for help he'd ended up stuck in a room with a Dalek. He knew his curiosity wouldn't let him ignore it though, he'd just make more thorough scans before leaving the TARDIS this time. Okay, he thought, New Earth seems like an appropriate place to start my new self's travels.

END