SPLASH!

Although Rose cried out indignantly at being drenched, the Doctor didn't pay her any apology and seemed rather upset himself. "Really, Rose, this water's too shallow for stunts like that. We could've been hurt!

Rose just stared at him.

The Doctor's annoyance flipped over and stretched into a winning grin. "That was fun. Do it again?"

Rose moaned in exasperation. "Centuries-old Time Lord, killed by falling on shallow water rocks."

The water was pretty shallow. If they were standing, it would only come up to just under her bikini top. As the Doctor kicked up and started floating on his back, Rose found that the water was actually quite refreshing. Slowly she sank down, knees bent, until it was up to her shoulders.

Rose wasn't going to admit, of course, that it wasn't so bad. Now that she was wet, however, she decided to make the most of it. She swam around, although refused to put her head under, and watched her bright blonde hair darken in the water and splay around her on the surface.

"Ah..."

Rose looked over at the Doctor, who was now standing vertically in the water. "Wha'?"

"I, em..." The Doctor glanced downward for a second before looking back up at her, the sheepish look turning into an uncontrolled grin of embarrassment. "I seem to have lost something."

Rose stared unbelievingly at him.

"Right. Hold on a tick," the Doctor said in a rush before dipping down out of view. Seconds later, he came up. The Doctor's expression of calm was surface-deep, but begged her to believe nothing at all out of the ordinary had just happened. "There," he said in a small voice. "All sorted."

"Honestly!"

The Doctor couldn't hide a small smile of amusement before he rose up on his back again.

Rose was grateful to see he wasn't 'missing' anything. She decided to change the conversation. "You said this water's safe, yeah? It doesn't look it."

"It's not a pool, it's a natural lagoon." The Doctor pulled up from his floating position to look at Rose. "You're not gonna get sick, it's just not filtered and chemicalised and domesticated like you humans like to do to everything."

"There's got to be someplace in this whole universe with crystal clear waters that even remotely resemble those in Hawaii, yeah?" Rose came to a bank of the lagoon, caked with masses of swampy vegetation. "Why couldn't we go to one of those?"

"I'm telling you, there's nothing wrong with this water!"

Rose barely heard the Doctor, something in the brush catching her eye. Reaching in through the blades of reedy grass, she pulled out an oval white egg.

"Ah, except... maybe its residents. You really should put that down, Rose."

"What's this? There must be some big birds living here."

"Um, that's... that's not a bird egg."

Rustling caused Rose to turn towards the brush again. It grew louder, and Rose hastily put the egg down on the bank and began to back off, her quick strokes breaking up the surface of the water. She didn't get far when the sounds of whatever it was seemed to be right on top of the egg. A second later, a glossy olive snout thrust out from the grass, followed by rows of pointy teeth and two slitted reptilian eyes.

"Rose!"

The crocodile-like beast opened its great jaws, advancing forward with incredible speed towards her.

Rose jumped back, the surface of the water swirling madly around her, and landed against the Doctor, who must have just reached her.

The reptile stopped abruptly, its front feet submerged in the lagoon. Its jaws slowly closed and it remained still, watching them.

"I..." The Doctor purred, as if concentrating on a new and pleasant discovery, "have got a Rose in a swimming costume." Rose could feel his slender fingers against her bare midriff holding her, if somewhat nervously, in place against him as they floated in the buoyant water.

Rose twisted a little to look back at him, her voice raised along with an eyebrow. "Of all the things! There's an alien crocodile snapping its jaws at me, and you're thinking about that?"

A wide grin slowly spread across the Doctor's face as he giggled. "Yeah."

"You git!"

Rose delivered an angry expression, and he immediately sobered, turning educational. "Nothing to worry about, she's only warning you away. Calling your bluff, really. Her jaws are rubbish in the heat of the sun. Night predators, they hunt at night. You just disturbed her nest."

"Oh."

Rose calmed at this news, choosing to believe he was telling her the truth and not just making it up. She watched the crocodile tuck itself back into the brush along the bank, disappearing from view. "Tell me why we didn't go somewhere without crocodiles again?"

The Doctor was staring off at where the crocodile had disappeared as he took in a deep breath and tried, "Best sunset in the universe?"

"Which is when?"

The Doctor squinted toward the horizon. "Oh, I dunno... 'bout half an hour?"

Rose noticed the Doctor hadn't let go of her yet.

"Let go of me, you're tickling."

"Oh. Am I?"

The Doctor's fingers begin to wiggle, and Rose started to writhe furiously in an attempt to get away.

"Stop it, stop!" Rose managed between laughter.

Of course, he didn't.

Bastard.

Unable to free herself from the Doctor's grip, Rose instead grabbed for his thighs and pulled, trying to loose his footing and dunk him. It didn't work, however, and she only managed to pull herself flush with him, still wiggling frantically.

A sharp intake of air near her ear and the blissful ceasing of tickles made Rose look round again. A faraway expression was on the Doctor's face, mixed with surprise.

"Don't do that."

Rose couldn't have been held accountable for the sly grin that grew over her face. Don't do that? Okay, sure.

Rose wiggled her backside, this time with purpose.

"Mm," the Doctor grunted through clenched jaw, his hands rushing to her wrists, trying to free her hold on his legs, but his grip seemed to have gone weak. Rose could swear she saw his eyes glaze over. Curious as to what the Doctor would do, Rose experimented again.

And then they were sinking. Being caught off guard as she almost went under, she let go.

In a blink, Rose was flipped around, her back slamming into the rocky outcropping of the bank. The Doctor's face was suddenly and alarmingly close, his nose almost touching hers. She found that her arms couldn't move, as he had them pinned at the elbows.

"That's not nice," the Doctor breathed huskily.

Rose returned the intensity of his gaze with her own. "Neither's tickling."

His dark eyes flicked to her lips. Rose could see the hunger in them, could feel him restraining himself.

She wished he wouldn't.

"Doctor..."

Lips parting, the Doctor appeared to be having trouble breathing. Eyes still locked on her mouth, he slowly pushed himself away.

Suddenly, the Doctor met her eyes as his face brightened into a maniacal grin and he dove backwards, disappearing into a flurry of sloshing water.