Steampunk: The House on the Hill

Rating: General Audiences

Pairing: Nine/Rose

Other tags: Steampunk AU, Human AU, Established Relationship

Warnings: None

Summary: The Doctor used to be a figure feared by those in the village. Rose Tyler is one of the only people to know the whole story.

Hello, everyone! Three weeks in, almost there. I used another joker today, partly because I'm not big on the "enemies to lovers" trope (though that's changing thanks to Avatar: The Last Airbender. Seriously, how is Zutara not canon?).

I really enjoyed writing this one. I got some inspiration from the story "The Clockwork Castle" by TimeLadyoftheSith. The story is published on Archive of Our Own.

Word Count: 1,200

Rose shivered in the cold winter air and pulled her coat tighter around her body. She slowly climbed towards the house at the top of Bannerman Hill, hoping to get this delivery over quickly, return home, and start a warm fire. This had been the worst winter in decades, worse than any Rose could remember from her twenty-five years. As cold as it was, this was the first time in three days that it was warm enough to be safe to make the journey up the large hill and deliver her message. Well, not her message. The message from King Graham and Queen Grace to The Doctor.

The Doctor lived on the top of Bannerman Hill, completely by himself. Rose remembered the numerous rumors that used to go around, ranging from claims he experimented on people to that he hid herself due to a disfigurement. Rose didn't believe any of them. For one, a lot of them had been circulated by Jack Harkness or Amelia Pond, both of whom would find spreading such rumors a joke. For another, Rose had met The Doctor before. As a village messenger girl, she was responsible for taking letters to him.

The Doctor was unusual sure, but not frightening. And certainly not dangerous. He simply spent the majority of his time working on his various inventions and rarely came down into town. He'd long ago requested that all his needed supplies be regularly delivered to his doorstep, and those who delivered it never saw her. The only people Rose knew The Doctor directly interacted with were Jack, Amy, and herself. Only they knew the truth.

It had taken Rose years to learn The Doctor's history. Months of attaching a message to a closed door, before she met him in person by chance one day. She'd arrived while The Doctor was outside, and Rose had managed to pull him into a quick and awkward conversation. From then on, messages were handed directly to the inventor. Slowly, over hundreds of messages and countless hours of conversation, The Doctor admitted to Rose why he kept herself secluded.

The Doctor, or, as Rose learned that day, Jason Smith, had the biggest guilt complex of anyone Rose knew. Years ago, he had lived in the palace as the royal inventor. He even had two students studying under him, Martha Jones and Adric Alzarius. Five years ago, he had left an experiment unattended, and it went wrong. The workshop had exploded with both Martha and Adric inside. Neither one had survived the destruction. No matter how much everyone said otherwise, Jason blamed himself for the death of his students. As a personal punishment, he exiled herself from the palace and came to this town, vowing to live excluded from the rest of society. King Graham and Queen Grace just barely convinced him to continue his duties as royal inventor.

Then came the day that Rose kissed him. It happened mostly by accident. Jason had taken her inside, a rare occasion, and excitedly showed her the newest invention: a machine that kept food cold so it didn't spoil. Jason showed it off to her with fanfare and a proud smile.

"This is fantastic, Rose! Think of how this will revolutionize food storage. Plus, since it's made out of metal, it keeps insects, rodents, and other animals from getting into the food." Rose couldn't help but laugh. She reached forward to hug Jason, but they both miscalculated the movements of the other. The hug turned to an embrace and a kiss. They'd jumped apart, but soon after, Rose found herself a suitor.

A suitor who was currently waiting for her in the front lawn despite the weather. Rose raised an eyebrow as Jason met her halfway for a hug. She didn't realize he'd been expecting her. In the past year he'd started going into town occasionally for supplies, though he kept his regular deliveries through Jack and Amy.

"What're you doin' out here for? You're going to freeze!" Shy started pulling Jason towards the house. "Come on, we're going inside. I'm going to sit in front of your fire and you're going to share the big blanket with me."

Once they were doing just that, Rose realized Jason had never answered her question. "So, what were you doing out there? Jason made a strange sound in the back of his throat, somewhere between realization and surprise. He jumped off the sofa and ran out the room. A minute later he was back, a scroll in his hands. Taking it from him, Rose unrolled it.

The King and Queen of Sheffield cordially invite you to a celebration of the recent birth of Prince Ryan Sinclair, their grandson.

Below this, the time and date of the celebration was listed. It was only a week away. Rose looked up, confused.

"This is very exciting, and I'm you'll have a nice time. But I thought you were trying to stay out of the public eye. I didn't think you'd be quite so excited about all this." Jason looked at her oddly for a moment before a look of realization appeared on his face. He hit his forehead with his palm.

"Oh! I'm so thick! I'd like you to come with me." When Rose just stared blankly at him, Jason continued. "I want to introduce you to Graham and Grace. They're really fantastic people, and they're gonna love you. Or, well, they will if you come with me. You don't have to." Jason became withdrawn, and Rose felt bad for even hinting that she wouldn't want to go.

"No! I want to go! I just wasn't sure if you were so sure about being in the public. And I know what it would mean for you to bring a woman to court." Jason was quiet for a moment before turning to look at her.

"I am. You helped me realize that I can't spend the rest of my life cooped up here. I need to honor Martha and Adric by continuing the work we loved. And I want you by my side as I do that. Come with me, darling. Let me show you off to the court. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. It can be here, or it can be at the palace. Anywhere you want, just give me the word."

Rose started at Jason, mentally comparing the man before her to the one she'd met years ago. While it wasn't a complete shift in personality, Jason was much happier and open now than he used to be. He still didn't go into town very often, but people no longer shred away when they saw him on the street. She was proud of the person he'd become, and she realized that she wanted to be by his side.

Instead of answering, she reached up, grabbed Jason's shirt, and pulled him down for a kiss. His arms went around her, and she was pulled flush against him. As soon as she got home the next morning, Rose started packing her things. She still wasn't sure where she wanted to live, but she knew that she wanted to be by Jason's side.