Rose lay in her bed trying to quell her racing thoughts. The Doctor had just asked her on a date, a real, proper date. She ran their conversation over and over again in her mind, and she was sure that he had meant it as a date. It was not where she thought the day would lead when she woke up that morning. Then again, everyday traveling with the Doctor was unexpected, but she wouldn't trade her crazy life for anything.

Right now though, she needed to rest. The only energy left in her system was adrenaline and caffeine. Deep breaths Rose, she thought to herself, you want to be well rested for tonight's adventure. Again, she reached out to the Tardis for help. The ship hummed softly and soothing waves of relaxation washed over her. Why hadn't she asked the ship for help sleeping the night before? She was still getting used to being able to ask things of the Tardis. The calm humming eased her down into a restful sleep... brilliant, brilliant time ship.

Rose awoke exactly three hours later, as the ship gradually brought her back to consciousness. So much better than an alarm clock, she mused. She sent feelings of gratitude back to the Tardis as she climbed out of bed, feeling refreshed. Upon opening the door to her en suite, she found a warm bubble bath already drawn for her, smelling of her namesake.

"You're going to spoil me, old girl."

...

The Tardis was happy to help her beloved time-kissed human girl. Her Thief may have trouble understanding his feelings for her, but the ship did not. She loved them both tremendously and knew it was only a matter of time until they came together.

After a quick scan of her wardrobe, she found the perfect navy blue dress for the evening. The ship placed it on the girl's bed, where she would be sure to see it after she finished drying off.

Ah, such a beautiful sound... Her Wolf was singing quietly in her bath as she washed her golden hair, it was enchanting. She carried the melody to where her Thief was pacing nervously. Immediately, he stopped in his tracks and cocked his head to one side. The Tardis had given him this gift before, the gift of the Wolf's song. She knew it soothed his wounded mind like a balm. Anything she could do to relax this damaged man she loved, she did. If she could give him the one thing, the one girl he cherished above all else in the universe, she would. But she had to settle for helping them along as best she could.

Her dear friend sorely needed compassion and forgiveness. The two things he never seemed to allow himself, were the two things that were personified by her golden Wolf. A more perfect match for him, she couldn't have imagined. The singing stopped at that moment, and her poor Thief was left bristling with anxiety as he straightened his tie. She had to think of a way to give him some measure of encouragement. Oh yes... A giggle of a hum in his ear, and she placed his glasses on the console in front of him.

"You think I should wear my glasses, huh? Does Rose like the glasses? Why haven't you told me that before?"

If the Tardis could shrug innocently, that was certainly what she would have been doing.

...

Rose wandered into the console room 11.35 minutes later than she said she would, still, not bad for his less than punctual companion. Not everyone could have his impeccable time sense. But whatever she lacked in punctuality, she more than made up for in shear beauty. That night, she was a vision in Tardis blue.

"This alright? Wasn't sure of the dress code where you're taking me."

"Yes... The dress is...er... that is to say, you look...Fantastic."

The strappy gold sandals she wore, accentuated her toned runners calves. Her knee-length navy dress was synched at her slim waist, and swooped up into a halter top neckline that hugged her collarbone. There was a gold clasp in the strap just above the curve of her right breast and a gold bracelet dancing on her left wrist. Rose had kept her blonde hair loose and flowing over her shoulders. Her pouty lips were painted a tempting shade of pink... Golden hoop earrings... Was she trying to tell him something with all those golden accents?

"Doctor... You're staring."

"Umm... Yes, well... Allons-y?" It was more of a bashful question than his usual exclamation. Much to his relief, she took his hand and wound her fingers through his. The warm smile she gave him was incredibly reassuring, and his usual exuberant energy returned at once. "So Dristalline is located in the galaxy you humans call Andromeda, the galaxy next door. You're practically neighbors! Weeeelll, I say neighbors but eventually, your two galaxies will collide and merge. Messy business that'll be, I assure you. But no need to worry, that won't happen until the year four billion A.D... Give or take a few hundred thousand years... Want to go see that sometime? The merging of Andromeda and the Milky Way?"

"Sure... But not tonight."

"No, not tonight... Tonight, the moon lit beaches of Dristalline and their spectacularly tasty seafood." He steared the Tardis out of the time stream toward their destination. The landing was relatively smooth and Doctor looked back at Rose expecting a compliment on his brilliant piloting skills, but she was busy fidgeting with her bracelet. His companions never seemed to comment on the good landings, he noted, with only a slight blow to his ego.

In four proud strides he was at the door, and threw it open. There, in front of them, was the shimmering purple beach bathed in the soft light of dusk. The Doctor was starting to let his perfect landing go to his head, until he took a step out the door.

"Bloody Hell!"

"What could possibly be wrong? This is even more amazing than I imagined."

"I missed the time... The planet hasn't been colonized yet. See? No charming shops or restaurants. No place to eat that dinner I promised you." He turned around and kicked the corner of his police box hard enough that he was soon hopping up and down in the sand, holding his foot.

"S'ok. I'll just go make us something in the Tardis kitchen and we can have a picnic, yeah?"

He wallowed in self pity for a second longer before letting himself forget his wounded toe and wounded pride. Then he flashed his considerate companion a winning smile. "Rose Tyler, eternal optimist."

...

While the Doctor busied himself setting up their picnic blanket on the beach, Rose poked around the Tardis kitchen looking for something to cook. She probably should have gotten some more food that morning at the shop, but it was too late for that. There was something wrapped in tin at the back of the fridge, it smelled like a combination of the Doctor's chucks and baby spit up. Blimey, when was the last time they cleaned this thing out? Repressing a gag, she chucked the foil ball into the rubbish bin, along with most of the contents of the Tardis refrigerator.

"There's got to be something here... Any suggestions?" Rose asked the ceiling. The ship seemed apologetic as a small package of banana pudding appeared on the counter. "This'll do. Thanks!"

After she mixed up the pudding and set it in the fridge to cool, she went about heating up their leftover Chinese food from the other night. (From the planet China, not the country, though ironically their culinary styles were very similar) It was a modest spread, but the company and the ambiance were sure to make it better.

The planet really was gorgeous, the moons, the water, all of it. Rose was captivated by the adorable pale blue 'flying-chipmunks' that took turns begging for their food. The Doctor informed her that they were more closely related to Earth's sugar-gliders, but she liked the idea of 'flying chipmunks'. There were also tiny purple hermit crab looking creatures that roamed the beaches, presumably their shells were what gave the sand it's distinctive color. The air was warm and fragranced with something floral that she couldn't quite identify.

The Doctor had laid out a large cream colored blanket for them to eat on, complete with a bouquet of the local flora. Unfortunately though, he was uncharacteristically quiet as he picked out the choice morsels from, what Rose referred to as, 'alien lo mein'. Was he feining shyness after all they had been through together? She fidgeted with her bracelet and her hair in turn, as flashbacks to awkward primary school dates threatened to ruin her mood.

No, she had waited for this for too long to let it fizzle in silence. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Hmmm?... Oh, I guess part of me was hoping that there would be a grand ballroom and an orchestra playing when we were finally ready for this step… Not week old Chinese food." That wasn't the problem, she knew him better than that. They could be perfectly happy together sharing a stale crust of bread tossed to them in a dungeon pit.

"It's us Doctor, you know that doesn't matter. What's really on your mind?"

"Well… I was also trying to remember the last time I was on a proper date. It's been a long, long time for me." His glasses slid down his nose a bit when he looked down at something on his fork. He adjusted them habitually. How could he make adjusting glasses look so irresistibly sexy?

"You were married at one point, right? On Gallifrey? You told me once that you were a father there."

"Yes, but it was more of an arranged marriage, an acceptable alignment of genetics in the eyes of the Council. I never really dated her, so to speak."

This was progress, at least he was being open and direct with her. "But you have been on dates before?"

"I'm over 900 years old Rose, I have been on plenty of 'dates'. I have courted and been courted… but not in a few hundred years, and never with a human counterpart."

"Interspecies 'courting' wasn't very well received by the High Council, was it? S'ok Doctor, I understand." Rose ducked her head and went back to playing self-consciously with her bracelet.

"I don't care about that Rose, honestly." He leaned over and lifted her chin back up so that she was once again looking into his warm brown eyes, feeling his sincerity. "When have I ever cared what the Council thought of my behavior? I'm just not sure how to move our relationship forward. It's not that I don't want to… but I dont know how to tell if you're receptive to my advances… You don't… er… glow."

Deep love for the Doctor and her burgeoning confidence kept the butterflies in her stomach from holding her back at that moment. She took his hand tentatively. "Well, would it be alright if I took some of the initiative? And you can tell me if you start feeling uncomfortable, yeah?"

"Absolutely!... I mean, yes, that seems like a prudent approach." It was endearing the way he was suddenly trying to reel in his enthusiasm.

"Always the romantic, you are." She laughed.