Jack had saved her that morning, Rose knew. She had spent most of the morning flummoxed. The Doctor had been equal parts distracted and broodily silent. Several times, Rose was fairly certain that she'd caught the Doctor staring at her neck, only to jump guiltily when she cast him a curious glance.
But, from the start, Jack had been his usual, charming self. Napoleon had taken to him in a way that made Rose feel sorry for Josephine.
As the meal drew to a close, Napoleon begged off to attend to affairs of state. He cast a particularly apologetic look at Jack. As soon as he was gone, Rose looked up at the Doctor.
"What d'we do now?" she asked, trying to pretend that she didn't notice how low his gaze was, but she knew that she flushed. Judging from the interest in the Doctor's eyes, he rather liked the effect. Jack glanced over and grinned, turning to face them both fully, crossing his arms and beaming, waiting to see what would happen next as though they were his favorite soap opera. Squirming under the Doctor's scrutiny, Rose cleared her throat. "Doctor?"
He jumped and his eyes slammed up to hers. She raised an eyebrow. If he were any other bloke, Rose would ask if he saw anything he liked, but he was the Doctor. He didn't do domestic. At least he said he didn't do domestic. Then he'd faked a reason to sleep in her room last night. She couldn't chalk that one up to an over-active imagination. Rose didn't know what was going on with the Doctor, but something was changing and she felt herself being unbalanced. Her heart was already so far lost to the man in front of her, and Rose was beginning to fear for its safety.
So, Rose did the safe thing. She withdrew. She crossed her arms and ignored the small frown that marred the Doctor's forehead at her sudden, defensive stance. She tried to divert attention from herself and remind them all of where they were and why. "Doctor, how are we gonna get hold of that crown? And how're we gonna keep him from finding out that we stole it? We've got a two week trip back to Rome, and I don't feel like being chased the whole way in this get up."
Out of the corner of her eye, Rose noticed that Jack cast her a look of disapproval.
The Doctor shook his head sharply. He mouthed the words "Not here." Rose almost resented him for forcing her to focus on his mouth. "How about a nice walk?" he Doctor asked aloud. "The gardens are fantastic."
Rose forced a smile and bright tone. "Sounds lovely."
The Doctor led the way through the palace, and Jack fell into step beside Rose.
"I've taught you nothing," he murmured. Rose glared at him, and he raised his hands in surrender. "Just saying."
"Don't," she muttered firmly. "I don't know what's up with him-"
"Of course you don't."
She continued as if he had said nothing. "But I just…I just wish everything would go back to normal."
"Do you really?"
"Yeah," Rose insisted, ignoring the twinge in her heart at the thought of losing the potential futures that were peeking at her. She told herself it was stupid to hope for any of them.
Despite what she told Jack, and despite what had become an internal mantra, Rose hoped the Doctor hadn't heard their whispered conference. She couldn't look forward to spending the night alone.
This train of thought seemed to weigh down on her. She couldn't tell if she and the Doctor were closer than ever or falling apart. She hurried forward a few steps and grasped the Doctor's hand. Linking their fingers together, the Doctor squeezed her hand tightly, almost desperately, pulling her closer to him, but the smile he threw down at her was gentle and seemed genuinely happy. It was the smile that always stopped her heart and tore her between wanting to snog him senseless and wanting to squeeze him tight.
She grinned back up at him, the grin that he seemed to inspire with her tongue perched in the corner of her mouth, and leaned into him. The silence was companionable as they made their way to the gardens, as long as they ignored the charge that sparked beneath the surface.
The gardens were exquisite as advertised. They were easily the match of the garden they'd been chased through by the giant carnivorous, insect swarm that was infesting Clakarum IV.
The Doctor steered them along a shady, gravel-paved lane to a remote gazebo. While the Doctor and Jack did a quick perimeter check, Rose sank gratefully onto one of the provided benches. Between the corset required by this dress and the shoes she was expected to wear, Rose was surprised she could walk at all; running, she knew, was absolutely out of question. Whenever the TARDIS provided Rose with period clothes, they always managed to be comfortable. Even the grey and brown shifts provided by the monastery required much simpler underwear than what Rose was currently enduring, since they were designed to keep girls from indulging their vanity.
Jack came back from securing the area with a spring in his step. Rose tried not to begrudge him his comfort.
"However, we get that crown it'd better not involve running," she told him with a wry smile. "How do they breathe in these things?"
Jack smirked. "It's just training so they can hold their breath for a long time." Rose rolled her eyes.
The Doctor came up from behind her, then, putting his hand casually on her shoulder. She tried to suppress a shiver. "We do it tonight." He said.
Rose realized that he was shifting uneasily. She laid her hand over his where it still rested on her bare skin. "Doctor?" she asked.
"I don't like it. Crown goes missing and no one notices? Won't happen. And the TARDIS is back in Rome."
"Why does it have to go missing?" Rose asked. "Why not just replace it?"
"It still doesn't look like it does in the paintings. Jack chimed in "Where's that crown?"
The Doctor shrugged. "Probably was never made."
"Then why can't we get it made?" Rose asked, craning her neck to look up at him. He looked down at her and paused. She thought the hand on her shoulder might have tightened. His eyes might have darkened, but then he blinked, and it was gone. Rose looked down to hide her disappointment and realized that from the Doctor's angle, if her head wasn't bowed, be could look right down her bodice. Blushing, she glanced back up at him. He was beaming.
"Rose Tyler," he said in the proud tone off voice that always sent a tingle down her spine. "What have I got in my pocket?"
Rule number 736 for travelling with the Doctor, Rose decided, was never be surprised by the contents of a Time Lord's pockets. They had retired to Rose's room so the Doctor could properly dig through wormholes he called pockets. While searching for God knows what (but he'd muttered about storing it sometime during his fifth life), the Doctor pulled out and passed to
Rose a bylateral stabilizer, a hydraulic transistor for a Kyloc-III (whatever that was) a packet of crisps, dried bits of banana, and what looked to be an unopened condom, which had caused both Rose and the Doctor to blush, and Jack to mutter that he'd underestimated the Doctor.
"I confiscated it from you!" the Doctor snapped at him. "They're illegal in that whole star system, and I didn't need to have to break you out of jail…again."
"Yeah, but that was 37 trips ago," Jack whined. Rose raised her eyebrow and the Doctor flushed. His ears were so red that Rose wondered if they would be as warm as a human's. She forced the desire to suck and nibble on one to find out to a dusty corner of her mind.
Finally, after one of Rose's scarves, 3 buttons, and a bottle of dog shampoo, the Doctor pulled out a rather large blue velvet box that looked like it came from a high end jewelry store.
"Got it!" he crowed, and then began to cram the items back into his pocket. Even, Rose noted, the condom.
"Okay. We have a box," she said blandly.
"Napoleon's crown was commissioned specifically for the occasion. Gold and pearls made to look like laurels. He brought back the Roman look."
"He was retro?" Rose asked.
Jack snickered. "God, I hope so. The Romans were freaks."
"Takes one to know one," the Doctor muttered at the same time as Rose held up a hand in defense.
"Please, don't cite your sources, Jack." She begged.
"Anyway," the Doctor continued, and Rose was glad to have anything to get that mental image from her mind. "A while back I helped Marius during one of his seven times as consul. I only kept this because it's always a good idea to have gold on hand." He flipped the lid open, looking a little sheepish as he did so.
Jack whistled. Rose gaped before smacking the Doctor's arm.
"But I had to buy the chips!" she groused. "Cheapskate."
Jack looked appalled. "Seriously, Doctor, what kind of date are you?"
The Doctor rubbed his arm with pout.
Jack meanwhile was inching closer to the crown that had been revealed.
"Oi!" the Doctor barked. Jack looked crestfallen. He cast a sad look at the golden laurel wreath, a perfect replica of the crown Rose recognized from the paintings. Well, actually, it wasn't a replica since what the Doctor had came first. Maybe it was a preplica. Was that a word?
"But if Napoleon was given this alien death crown, why would he want this one instead?"
Jack perked up. "Leave that to me," he told them with a smirk. The Doctor rolled his eyes. Jack rolled them right back. "I'm a con-man. Persuading people is what I do." Rose crossed her arms and leveled a stare at him. "I don't have to resort to sex, Rose." Jack assumed an affronted air.
"Of course you don't resort to it," the Doctor said flatly. "It's the first thing you try."
Jack grinned. "You know you love me."
"Oh, let him," Rose said, laying a hand on the Doctor's arm. It didn't escape her notice how he relaxed under her touch. Had he thought she was really mad about the chips? It was the best date of her life, even if he would never think of it like that. She realized the Doctor was staring at her, and that Jack was looking hopeful.
"Let him?" the Doctor asked dubiously.
"He'll get it done quicker and easier than we will," she told him, sliding her hand down to take his. "Besides, you didn't let him sleep with the stable master." Squeezing his hand, Rose smiled up at him, letting him know she wasn't angry with him. He smiled back.
"If we get chased back to the TARDIS by the entire French army, it's not my fault," he told her.
Jack took this as his cue and snatched up the velvet box unhindered. "Don't wait up for me," he called as he left.
The Doctor hadn't looked away from Rose since she'd put her hand on his arm. She felt compelled to return his gaze as he searched her face. Was he getting closer? She could've sworn she was being pulled in by his eyes.
"Rose," he whispered.
The door slammed open and Marie bustled in, bogged down by a new dress, even more elaborate than the one Rose was wearing. Fortunately, this meant the little maid didn't see the Doctor jump back, or Rose's disappointment.
"Miss, it's time to get you dressed for dinner."
"Fantastic," the Doctor muttered darkly.
