Disclaimer: Don't own, never did, never will.
Thanks to all my reviewers so far, I'm surprised people like it.
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The TARDIS hummed contentedly as she powered down for the 'night'. Not that there was a 'night' in the time vortex, but it made Rose and the Doctor's other companions feel more at home, and she actually quite liked the peace and quiet. It wasn't as if carting the Doctor around the universe was restful, always going on mad chases after mauve objects and being shot at by the natives. Not that she'd complain, it was fun in a mad sort of way, but even time machines needed occasional breaks. That was one of the reasons she liked going back to the Powell Estate. The ground was flat and comfy and very few people cared about the big blue box that kept appearing. Plus it gave her batteries chance to recharge. All that hopping about really took its toll after a while, and 900 years was a long time.
She had to admit, though, life had got better since Rose had come aboard. Before, the Doctor hadn't cared, careening through time and space with no thought for his own safety. Now he had someone to protect, someone whose mum would kill him if he didn't. And Rose had wormed her way through his barriers and melted the ice that had formed around his hearts. She hadn't given up, not even after he regenerated in front of her. She'd kept on caring for him, loving him, and he, being the pig headed fool that he was, refused to see it, despite feeling the same way.
There wasn't much a TARDIS could do under those circumstances, not without help, so when Rose had given her an opening she'd taken it, obligingly putting the girl's skimpy summer clothing at the front of the wardrobes and raising the temperature to keep Rose comfortable. And it had had an affect, oh yes, it had had an affect alright. He'd been practically drooling.
The next stage could be done without Rose's help, although she still had to keep up her end. You see, the Doctor was getting through a lot of cold water with his cold showers, and the TARDIS was getting fed up. It would be easy to make sure that all the Doctors water was warm, totally useless in getting rid of his 'problems'. He would appreciate it later, she hoped, after they'd got together. Until then she was prepared for the silent treatment, or at least, being ignored unless they were in flight. Although, if things went to plan, they wouldn't be flying before they were together. Delaying tactics were an art, and the TARDIS was an expert. 4 day recharge? Try 8 day or more. Or a circuit would break, or she'd overheat and need more recovery time. There were thousands of problems that she'd suppressed while they were moving that could miraculously surface. They wouldn't be moving for days!