After seeing an action film about superheroes fighting off aliens, the Doctor asked Rose for her car keys.
"What for?" She asked, dubious. She had travelled in the TARDIS enough not to trust the Doctor's abilities when it came to transportation, and she had just finished paying off her little blue Bug that she'd fallen in love with when she first arrived in that world. Something about the colour, the personality, and the amazing ability to fit a large number of things in the seemingly small boot had drawn her to it, and she was now very fond of what she affectionately called "Teddy" - a play off of TARDIS.
But the Doctor simply slipped the key from her grasp with one hand, the other pulling a handkerchief from his pocket which he tied around her eyes. Blindfolded, Rose let herself be led to the car and giggled as the Doctor drove them through the city, having her guess where he was taking her. While a much smoother ride than the TARDIS, the drive was not quite as easy as it should have been, owing to the Doctor's tendency to get distracted by Rose's tongue-in-teeth smile and her playful teasing. Arriving safely at their destination, Rose took off her blindfold and gasped. They were at a five-star restaurant, one of the most expensive in the city.
"Well, Rose, I've got a reservation for two tonight. Shall we go in?" She slipped her hand in his as they walked in and were seated by a waitress at a small table in the corner, with two lit candles and a bottle of champagne. The Doctor pulled out a chair for Rose and, once they had both sat down, poured them each a drink. They smiled at each other over menus, Rose flashing a bemused smile as the Doctor struggled over what to order, still not accustomed to human food. Settling on the salmon, the Doctor ordered for the two of them and they spent the meal chatting about this and that, Rose's curiosity growing with each moment.
"So? What's the occasion then?" She couldn't wait any longer. The Doctor's faraway mind that morning, his enthusiastic greeting after work, and the indecipherable look that had passed over his face when Rose accepted his invitation were knocking at the back of her mind, just waiting for an explanation. "Are we celebrating something?"
"Well, yeah. In a way, we are," replied the Doctor. "You see, for the past few months I've been working odd jobs during the day. You know, temp jobs, substitute teaching, that kind of thing, and saving up my money. Funny stuff, money. Never needed it before."
"Is that how you managed to afford this place?" Rose was impressed that the Doctor had managed to keep his work a secret from her. She was, after all, a Torchwood agent, and usually prided herself on her skills of observation. But something about the Doctor always gave her pause, puzzled her. He was one mystery she wasn't going to solve easily.
"Well, yes ...with a little help from Pete. But anyway, I had an interview with the school I've been subbing at and I got a permanent job. Teaching. Grade 8 history."
Rose was surprised, then her face broke into a dazzling smile. He's finally finding his place!
"That's great! When do you start?"
"Next Monday. But, um, that's not the only reason I brought you here tonight." His eyes widened and he leaned forward, reaching across the table to take Rose's hands in his own. It's funny, she thought, staring at his right hand. That's all he was for a while, a hand. Weird.
"Rose… Well, I really don't know what to say, or how to begin. When I first met you in that shop, you were just another stupid human who needed saving, and I was happy to oblige, but I didn't think anything of it. But I was wrong. Oh, so wrong. You're amazing, you are. You're brilliant! You've faced Daleks and Cybermen, and you didn't even blink! That's the thing about you humans. You just run into danger, just like that, you don't even think. But you…Well, what… What I mean to say is… I love you."
Rose blinked. Had she really just heard the words she'd been imagining him saying for months? The words she had heard only once before, whispered in her ear on a beach as her heart tore between two men who were the same yet different. Her mind searched for a response, processing a thousand thoughts and emotions, and she remembered everything she'd gone through to find her way back to this man that she loved, but never quite knew where she stood with. Waiting for months, searching with Mickey and Torchwood for a way back to the place that held her heart. Finally finding her way across the stars, across the universe, fleeing the darkness and searching for the one man who could stop it, only to find the Doctor dead and his would-be companion travelling a foreign timeline. Her determination as she jumped through time, repairing the past and ultimately finding the Doctor. Her despair as she watched him struck by the Dalek's laser, and her ferocity after being kidnapped and held hostage by the Daleks as they tried to end the universe. She had endured all this, finally reunited with her beloved Doctor and living again with her family. The days had passed and she'd waited for the Doctor to reaffirm the feelings he'd whispered on that beach, but each day ended with nothing. Now, to finally hear the words she'd been preparing herself for months to hear, she was rendered speechless. But the Doctor continued his speech, words bubbling out of his mouth as they always did when he got excited, his mind racing and his one human heart working double time.
"There you go. I said it. I love you, Rose Tyler, and I always will. Ever since you stepped into the TARDIS that first time, I've known you were special. Oh, Rose Tyler, you're the most special human being on this planet - in this universe! In any universe! You saved my life, Rose, more times than you know. I'll never forget Satellite 5 - the glow of the time stream running through you, what you did was amazing. And even after we were apart… and I never stopped looking, I couldn't. But you figured it out, Rose. You did it. My brilliant Rose Tyler! And now I've found you again - Oh, I'm never letting you go!" He leapt up from his chair, keeping hold of both her hands with one of his and fishing in his coat pocket, where he usually kept his sonic screwdriver. That's what she expected him to pull out, but instead, in his hand there was a small black box. His energy beaming off him like the sun, he knellt down in front of Rose and said six little words, the last six words in the universe that she was expecting to hear:
"Rose Tyler, will you marry me?"