Farm/Ranch: Absolutely Fantastic

Rating: General Audiences

Pairing: Nine/Rose

Other tags: Farm/Ranch AU, Human AU, Modern AU, Love Confessions

Warnings: None

Summary: He doubted her when she first got there, but she quickly proved him wrong. Now, she was due back home the next morning. But before she goes, he had to tell her. She was fantastic. Turns out, so was he.

Hello, Day 11! I love ranches, even though I've never been on one. It's because of the horses. I tried to do research on ranches in the UK, but no lie the first result was about ranch dressing. Guess my Google skills need some work. *shrugs helplessly* So this one is going to be set in some ambiguous location that could be UK or US. Apologies in advance.

Word Count: 1,154

Jason stopped working to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Glancing next to him, he saw Rose concentrating on her own task. When she'd first arrived at the beginning of the summer, he'd assumed she'd be just another rich girl sent to the farm to "learn the value of manual labor." That The Vitex Heiress was coming just for the paparazzi photos and didn't really care about the organization's purpose. He had never been happier to be wrong.

Rose had a strong work ethic and wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty. She was a quick learner and genuinely was there because she wanted to be and wanted to help. As a non-profit that worked with underprivileged children, this was something they needed wherever and whenever they could get it. The two of them, the youngest among the staff and volunteers, quickly became friends. Somewhere along the line though, Jason found himself thinking of her with more fondness than was professional. But she was leaving the next day for her last year at uni, so Jason had resigned himself to seeing her as the one that got away.

"Hey there, slacker. What're you looking at?" Jason was pulled out of his thoughts by Rose's amused voice. She was giving him a tongue-in-teeth grin, the one that made him forget what he was thinking for a moment. Rose dropped the smile and looked at him more seriously. "Jason? Are you ok?" He jumped, startling her. He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed.

"Sorry, I zoned out for a moment. What were you saying?" He grinned as she laughed at him while shaking her head. They both got back to work cleaning the old leather saddles the ranch used.

They carried on with the routine they'd developed over the last three months, each "helping" the other with their assigned jobs. While it made the work go faster, it also made it go slower from their fooling around, so in reality it took around the same amount of time. Their laughter could be heard across the yard, and it often gained the two 20-year-olds smiles from fellow volunteers. It was clear to everyone but the two of them that they were mad for each other.

Sarah Jane, Jason's aunt and the owner of the ranch, watched them with a smile. She had never seen her nephew happier. She knew that Rose was only staying for the summer, but a part of her hoped that she would come back next year or at least keep in touch with them. They needed more people like her around.

Once their work was done for the morning, the pair shared a lunch in the farmhouse kitchen. Jason picked at his food a little, wondering how to bring up his idea. He cleared his throat before changing the subject from the telly program they'd watched the night before.

"So, um. Since it's your last night here, I thought we could do something special. What do you say we have a midnight picnic? Take the horses and go out to the field and stargaze? I checked the weather, it's supposed to be really clear tonight. Almost a full moon too." He tried to sound casual about asking her. He didn't want her to think that he was asking as a date, though he desperately wanted to. He didn't think he was very convincing.

Rose looked at him with an odd expression on her face, probably wondering why he was acting so strange. After a moment, her face broke out into a grin, and Jason couldn't help but grin back.

"That sounds great! What time do you wanna go?"

~~~~~DW~~~~~

Later that evening, just as the sun was setting, they rode out armed with blankets and snacks. They took the horses' bridles off and let them loose, knowing they wouldn't go far. The blanket was set out and they sat side by side, joking and reminiscing on the summer.

"Remember how your first day here, you weren't expecting how fast Auton was going to run? I had to chase after the pair of you! I'm surprised you stayed on the saddle. Now look at you, the best of friends. He's gonna miss you when you leave." Jason paused for a moment. "I'm going to miss you too." Rose gave him a slightly sad smile and grabbed his hand. He squeezed it for a moment before relaxing. She looked at the sky, and Jason marveled at how beautiful she looked.

"I'm gonna miss this place. I love working with the kids here, a lot of them remind me of my brother. Tony would love it here. I think what you and your aunt do here is amazing. You're giving these kids a place to come in the summer to keep them busy. You're also teaching them job skills to help them later on. I know sometimes you wish you could do more, but what you've done is amazing." She looked at Jason. "But I know I'm going to miss you most of all. You were so helpful to me when I first came here, making sure I knew what I needed to in order to get my work done. I would never have been able to do what I did this summer without you." The look of affection in her eye is what gave him the courage to say what he wanted to.

"Before you go, I wanted to tell you something. I think you're fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. You're beautiful, funny, kind, and smart. But you don't let anyone tell you what you can and can't do. You stand your ground for what you believe in. And, well, I wish I'd had the courage to tell you before tonight, but I think I was afraid because you're leaving. But I just wanted you to know. And, if you want, I'd like to stay in touch with you. See where the two of us can go."

Rose's face changed as he spoke. It went from confusion to realization to amazement. He was about to tell her to forget about it and try to keep the rest of the night form becoming awkward when she threw herself at him in a hug. He wasn't expecting it and they fell backwards onto the blanket. Before he could ask her what she was doing, her mouth was on his and he forgot how to think.

Rose pulled back first, giggling at the startled look on Jason's face. "I think you're fantastic, too." Then she leaned down for another kiss.

~~~~~DW~~~~~

They did keep in touch, and she ended up coming back the following year. She balanced her time between helping on the ranch and working for her dad. He supported her every step of the way, taking on extra work when Vitex got busy. It was tough, but they made it work. Their lives were busy, but they were fantastic.