Maintenance Work.
A short while later the Doctor sauntered into the control room to an eagerly awaiting Rose.
"Well let's take a look then shall we?"
He went to the console and started twisting knobs, hitting buttons and pulling levers.
He frowned at what he saw on the view screen and proceeded to check the readings on numerous dials. He looked at his watch 'hmphed' and went on pulling yet more levers, tapping keys and generally looking deeply engrossed.
Rose looked at him in bewilderment as he made his checks on the equipment. After a time he asked her to pass him the mallet from just behind her and started hitting the console very hard in random places and with varying levels of force. After about a minute of violent Tardis bashing, the Doctor dropped the mallet, clutching at his sore rib and whimpering.
Rose immediately rushed to his side, her face that one perfect concern. He brushed off her worry and straightened up frowning at the mushroom dome.
"I'm afraid it's just as I suspected, the entire console is down, not working, caputsky. It won't tell me anything. It's gonna be one hell of a repair job. Will probably take me quite a while. And remind me never to use the word caputsky again; I don't like the way it feels around my teeth."
With a heavy sigh the Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and went to work under the console. Rose watched him for some time before finding herself absolutely bored out of her skull. She hated repair work. The Doctor would never let her help so all she could do was sit and watch him. Sit and watch him writhing on his back trying to reach various wires. Think of how damn sexy those geeky glasses made him look. How she loved the look of intense concentration he would get with his brow furrowed. How the small beads of sweat met at the back of his neck. The way his suit would get ruffled. The way his shirt would rise up slightly, letting her see the dark trail of hair leading down to…
Rose jumped as the console emitted several sparks in quick succession. Not wanting to be hurt anymore today, the Doctor tried to get out of the way as quickly as possible but only managed to crack his head on the console grid above him.
"Ow!"
Rose simply rolled her eyes at him.
"Any joy?"
The Doctor looked at the console contemplatively for a few moments before puling at
his ear and giving a frustrated sigh.
"I can't actually find anything wrong with her. All her circuitry is fine and dandy, nothing fizzing or frying, I don't think anything's come away or broken, but she just wont work. Entire panel is down. But none of the safety protocols have been locked out, the life support is still pumping and I'm very sure that the kettle will work so do us a favour and make a cuppa while I'm being all tough manly and handyman…y!"
Rose scowled to herself as she trudged through to the living area of the Tardis towards the kitchen area. She put the kettle on and sat by the table waiting for it to boil. Her mind flashed back to her previous thought from the control room.
Bad thoughts. Very, very bad thoughts.
She was certain that the Doctor would panic and jibber if he ever realised that she had been checking him out. However, she was eternally grateful that despite his many years, this incarnation at least seemed naïve and at times utterly clueless as to the workings of the female mind. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel uncomfortable in her presence. She also felt slightly guilty. He could be so excitable and childlike at times that even thinking about him in that certain way seemed like a perversion of his innocence.
Her mind continued to work in guilt for the few minutes it took for the kettle to reach boiling point. She absent-mindedly took to making the tea, one sugar for her and two for him. She placed them on a tray and carried them back through the depths of the Tardis up to the control room.
She entered the room to find that the Doctor was yet again underneath the console, pulling out wires and sorting through them, sonic screwdriver in teeth, frown on face. The wires were all tangled around him, making him look like an angry kid who had gotten stuck in the Christmas decorations. He glanced up at her with an embarrassed but grateful grin as she set down the tray and took a spot on the floor next to it. The Doctor fumbled his way through the multi-coloured wires to come and lean beside her. He mumbled his thanks in regard to the tea as they both lifted a cup and took a sip. There was a unanimous 'ergh' before they swapped cups and proceeded to drink the correct ones.
"So Doctor, found out what's wrong yet?"
"Well, funny thing that…I don't exactly know. Everything should be working fine."
"Should be? Is that just I way of saying that you actually have no idea what you're doing?"
Rose grinned at him as he scowled at her.
"I always know what I'm doing."
"You're so full of it."
"I'm telling you that there is nothing wrong with the Tardis. For some reason the console will not work. She won't tell me anything. So were pretty much stuck here until the Tardis somehow springs back, or I have one of my notorious trademark super brainwaves and save the day as per usual, all the while looking suave and debonair!"
"And again I say…you're so full of it!"
He cocked his head to the side giving a manic smile and declared:
"Of course I am…that's why you love me!"
Rose simply laughed him off. He returned to the Tardis tinkering in a bid to make any sense of the current situation. They stayed in companionable silence, the Doctor working and Rose enjoying the sight of him working.
Eventually Rose decided that even Doctor appreciation time was a little bit dull. God knew she thought the world of him and always enjoyed his company, but it was a bit boring when his attention was quite obviously not on her.
She started fidgeting and looking about in a bid to find something to distract herself from the less than pure thoughts running through her mind as she watched his wonderful gifted hands moulding fiddly wires and circuits.
Rose stood up and started to pace, making the occasional 'argh' sound or a frustrated sigh. The Doctor looked up from his work with his eyebrows quirked. He found her impatience quite amusing yet also distracting. Then again, she was always a distraction, albeit a pleasant one. It was worse when she was pacing and jiggling in that way. He was enjoying watching the way she moved. The noises sparked his imagination too. However, this ogling session wasn't technically getting any work done. But she didn't realise that. He thought himself quite the master of subtlety.
"Rose instead of pacing and groaning why don't you go outside and take a look round. I didn't bring you along with me for you to be cooped up in the Tardis watching me perform maintenance. Go…explore…but don't go to far…don't find trouble…and remember to bring me back something funny."
She flashed him a huge smile and bounded to her room to fetch a hoody. The Doctor loved the fact that he could make her smile so much just by letting her share his way of life with him. He adored her enthusiasm and her incessant craving for adventure. He sometimes felt as though she was the other half of him, like they were one soul, split into two. He thanked Rasillon everyday that he had found her and she had agreed to accompany him, making him the not-quite-so-lonely god. She charged back into the console room as excitable as a new puppy.
She ran over to the front doors, giggling to herself in anticipation. She was just about to open the doors when the console started bleeping and flashing wildly. Attention caught, two heads and four eyes whipped around in bewilderment. She moved back into the room in fascination as the Doctor went to the console pressing buttons and gazing at an information screen.
"Oh…um…huh?"
Rose moved around him to get a look at the information screen that she couldn't read anyway. The symbols and diagrams obviously meant more to the Doctor than it did to her because he started looking quite shocked and nervous. He grabbed Rose in a fierce and sudden embrace. She hugged back enthusiastically but was completely baffled by his unexpected cuddle. He kissed her forehead sweetly before he let go of her. Still looking anxious he began to divulge the new information.
"According to the Tardis, the atmosphere out there, wherever we are, is not breathable for a human being. Basically had you stepped one foot outside the force field surrounding the door, I believe your blood would have boiled within your veins and your organs would have imploded."
At that moment the lights all blipped off and the console was left again in absolute silence and darkness, as if the warning had never been given.
Rose and the Doctor both stared at the console, identical frowns and raised eyebrows adorning their facial features.
"Right…the Tardis will reboot the system to give you a warning, without telling us anything else about what happened, why we're here or where exactly here is, but she then switches her systems back down. I get the feeling that she wants us to stay inside."
He turned to Rose as though noticing her for the first time.
"I think the old girl is doing all of this on purpose."