A/N The song the Doctor sings is by Sixteen String Jack and I gratefully borrow it.
Rose pulled the sleeves of the burgundy wool jumper over her hands before climbing back into bed. She snuggled next to the man beside her, burying her face once more in his shoulder, breathing in the scents she was still coming to know so intimately, aftershave, skin, sweat, sex and something so alien, so Time Lord. She never would have believed it possible but she could swear that he smelt like a million stars, a million breezes, a million sunsets. Her Doctor. His gentle laugh rocked her against him.
"Oh I get it," he murmured to her hair, "Sleep with me so you can steal my clothes. That's my favourite jumper."
"Its mine too," said Rose, "You wore it the day I met you, the day I fell in love with you."
"Seriously?" said the Doctor his embrace tightening around her, ignoring his protesting muscles that were currently berating him for their unexpected exercise.
"Hmmm," said Rose, "I think I knew I loved you at… ooh…'Run!'"
"Me too," said the Doctor, closing his eyes against her and enjoying the wonderful closeness. He knew it couldn't last. A brief glance at his watch had told him they would soon be having to meet downstairs for breakfast and attempt to hide the events of the evening from Mickey and Jackie. "Rose, darling?"
"I like that," a sleepy response came at his shoulder, "Darling. You make it sound like the most amazing word in the world. Call me baby."
"Rose, baby."
"Honey?"
"Rose, honey."
"Mmm, that one's good. I like honey, sounds like what it means."
"How about Rose, oh great wanton sex goddess, doom of the Last Time Lord?"
"I could get used to it," mumbled Rose, "Now hush, I want to sleep. Wore myself out last night, doing all the work."
"Cheeky mare!" said the Doctor poking her side and making her giggle, "Seriously though, we need to get up. You need to sneak back to room and change before your mother comes looking for us and renders me unable to ever satisfy you again."
Rose groaned and rolled over to her side before sitting up on the bed. She heard the sheets whisper behind her before he wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed a kiss to her hair. She leaned back against him and shut her eyes as he trailed a finger along the necklace she wore, tracing each of the tear drops that rested against her chest.
"You're an angel, my little honorary Time Lady."
"You're a soppy git," she said, "I really do love you Doctor."
"I know, I love you too. Now come on before I lose all self control and ravish you again."
Rose leaned a little further back into him, reaching her hand behind her and stroking his leg before letting her hand slip onto the beginnings of his arousal. She let a small smirk grace her features, having an alien boyfriend came with some wonderful bonuses, a Time Lord's stamina clearly outweighed a human's. She'd lost tracked of the number of times they'd…a low growl from the Doctor pulled her from her thoughts.
"Fancy a quickie?" he said, deeply pronouncing his accent and making her giggle. His arms around her waist let her know there was no room for argument.
"Mickey! Don't fiddle with that!" said Rose as Mickey randomly tapped a couple of buttons on the TARDIS console. The ship groaned in protest and sent a slight tremor through the floor at Mickey's feet, sending the boy flying. He stood up, rubbing his behind and staring accusingly at the Doctor.
"I didn't do anything," said the Time Lord, tapping in the co-ordinates for the Powell Estate, "Not my fault my ship doesn't like you."
"How can a machine not like someone?" said Jackie from her place on the control room chair, "It hasn't got a brain."
Rose put two hands either side of the central column as if covering the TARDIS' ears, "Don't listen to her old girl. The TARDIS is much more than just a machine Mum, she's family."
"She?" snorted Mickey, "How can it have a gender? Its metal!"
"Actually the TARDIS is organic," corrected the Doctor, "Just alien to you, she's as alive as we are."
"Don't be ridiculous!"
"Mum!" cried Rose, "Don't be rude."
The Doctor shot Rose a gentle smile, telling her not to worry, he could cope with Jackie insulting the ship and they were both sure the TARDIS would design her own pay back. A beeping caught there attention and the Doctor swore in his own tongue. Rose had to giggle at the thought that she'd learnt many of those words in a much different way the night before, her Doctor had a filthy mouth and an equally filthy mind she'd decided.
"What's the matter?"
"Stabiliser has broken loose and I need it to make sure we don't land a couple of centuries off the mark. Won't take me two ticks to sort out," said the Doctor pulling the sonic screwdriver from his leather jacket and waving it for emphasis, "Back in a mo."
Rose watched his back retreat down the corridor and then turned to her Mum and Mickey. She caught the questioning glares and wondered if they'd sussed her already.
"So where did you two get to last night?" said Jackie crossing her arms in front of her and looking like she would hit someone if they all but looked at her wrong.
"We went for a walk in the gardens, the Doctor wanted to the day we got here but we didn't get a chance. Plus we had to get away from the party, too domestic."
"You're starting to sound far too much like him Rose, he's a bad influence."
"No he's not, he's…"
A familiar beeping from the TARDIS console called Rose to its side. She hit the button that answered the intercom, a clever device that linked the entire ship to the control room, something Rose had found very useful in her early days of exploring and getting lost in the giant TARDIS.
"What's up Doc?"
"Very funny," came the response, "Battery on the sonic screwdriver is knackered. You could grab a spare could you and bring it down?"
Rose paused for a moment, the sonic screwdriver didn't take batteries, but Jackie and Mickey didn't know that. Rose glance around the console at all the strange odds and ends that the Doctor kept there and decided on a cylindrical metal thing about an inch in length, "Got one, where are you?"
"Down the corridor, turn left, two turns down on the right behind the fifth door, follow the swearing!"
"On my way," she cut their connection and then turned to her guests, "I won't be a minute. Don't touch anything. She bites when she gets cranky." She giggled as Mickey noticeably stepped back from the central column and folded his hands behind him. Springing up the steps she followed the directions the Doctor had given her and true to his word, she was soon able to follow the swearing. Yes, such a filthy mouth.
She leant against the door frame and watched the Doctor as he manoeuvred himself out of the small work space. He flashed her his customary grin and stood up. Rose raised an eyebrow at him and took the sonic screwdriver from his hand.
"Where exactly does the battery go then?" she said pulling out her little cylinder and holding it up.
The Doctor took both items from her hands and returned them to his pocket, "Saw through me then did you?"
"Was the stabiliser actually broken?"
"Yes, that was the truth but I could have quite easily fixed it in the control room," he said wrapping an arm lazily around her waist, "Guess I have an evil streak somewhere." Without warning he slammed her against the wall of the TARDIS, kissing her fiercely. Rose felt herself trembling under his touch, the danger and his passion fuelling her more than ever. She felt the TARDIS hum at her back and nearly yelped in surprise.
"She likes you" said the Doctor against her lips.
"Kinky," said Rose gripping his backside and pulling his hips closer.
"You bet," he said, pulling one of her legs up to wrap around his hips, "You wait till we really get going."
A familiar groaning started up and the Doctor looked from Rose's lips to her eyes in horror, "Is that..?"
"The control room!" cried Rose pulling out of his embrace and running as fast as she could back to the TARDIS' heart, "Doctor we're moving!"
The TARDIS lurched violently as they entered the room, sending them both tumbling down the stairs. The Doctor was on his feet first, moving menacingly towards a very guilty looking Mickey.
"I didn't mean to," cried the boy, throwing his arms up to defend himself.
Rose grabbed the Doctor before he could inflict any damage and pulled him up to the console. He turned to the task in hand, attempting to get a read out from his distressed ship. They were flying blind and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Sparks flew out of the console, catching Rose's arm and causing her to cry out in pain. The Doctor ran over to her but she pushed him away.
"Don't worry about me, just land us somewhere. What do you need me to do?"
"Hold that red lever down and don't let go whatever you do," he said dancing round the TARDIS, pulling lever and pressing buttons. The TARDIS continued to lurch and groan. Rose held on with all her might, defying gravity it seemed. A deep rumble echoed from the centre of the ship before it gave a final hiccup sending its entire crew careering into the nearest wall. Then there was silence and stillness. The entire room was black, not even the emergency power kicked in. Rose groped wildly for the console and heaved herself up only to cry out in alarm when the familiar vibrations failed to meet her fingers.
"Rose?" came the Doctor's voice in the dark, "Are you alright?
"I think so, I can't see you."
"Stay where you are, don't move. I'll find you."
"Mum? Mickey are you ok?"
Jackie's voice echoed from across the room, "I'm alright, I think I'm by the door, do you want me to…"
"No," came the Doctor's response, "We don't know what's out there."
Rose felt a hand on her shoulder, "Doctor?"
"No its me."
"Mickey," she said, barely able to keep the hiss from her words. She turned round and her hand connected with his cheek in a loud slap, "I told you not to touch anything. Now look what you've done. If you've hurt this ship I'll…"
"Rose," said the Doctor, taking her other hand, "I need your help."
They traced their way to the computer screen with their hands and the Doctor busied himself trying to get it to work. A good firm slam with his fist seemed to do the tricked and the strange alien symbols began to move on the screen.
"How bad is it?" said Rose, standing as close to him as she could without causing suspicion, "Is the TARDIS ok?"
"Its bad. That hurt her. If we want to go anywhere again I'll have to shut her down totally for at least forty-eight hours. Let's just hope outside is hospitable."
"Where are we?" said Rose, linking there fingers beside the console, concealed from the others, "And, you know, when?"
"Give me a second," said the Doctor, tapping away at the keyboard, "Well, its Earth at least, London, hey we might be lucky. Bit out, Whitechapel, not far from yours really. Oh no!"
"Oh no's not good Doctor."
"Whitechapel 18…Fantastic! Ricky Boy I love you! Whitechapel 1888!"
"What's so special about 1888?" said Jackie making her way to them by the light of the screen.
"Call yourself a Londoner? Whitechapel 1888, dank, dark, mirky London. Ladies of the night, drunks, conspiracy and one man who would go down in history as the most cold blooded killer in the world. Unsolved for eternity," said the Doctor almost whimsically, "And my dissertation at Oxford but that part doesn't count, I'm just showing off."
"What are you babbling about?" said Jackie, giving Rose a filthy look in the process.
The Doctor ignored her and began to whirl Rose around in a waltz, singing away to himself, "Watch out all you ladies, mind who you talk to, here comes Jack and his black bag looking for you, gonna kill you!"
Rose pulled away as all the information began to fit together, "Jack the Ripper! Whitechapel 1888. Don't you remember Mickey, we did it at school? Jack the bloody Ripper!"
"Fancy solving the greatest case in history?" said the Doctor, his eyes lighting with the familiar light of adventure, "According to this its September 29th outside, the day before two of his most brutal murders and I know where they happen, we can find out who he is. Follow me all, for once I'm even going to blend in with the local colour. Ha Ha, this is a committed Ripperologists dream"
"A what?" said Jackie,
The Doctor merely rolled his eyes and made off into the TARDIS.