Chapter 7, everyone! Enjoy! And thank you so much for anyone who has reviewed and kept up with this story! This is for you :)
Rose knelt on the kitchen floor of her new flat, sifting through the icebox beneath the fridge for a bag of frozen vegetables.
The Doctor lounged on a stool at the breakfast bar, peeling a banana and reading the newspaper. The headlines were intriguing to him, featuring politicians and alien anomalies unique to this universe. He reveled in the thought that those figures of state that would have recognized him in the other universe now knew no more of him than a new employment with Torchwood, at least since it had been a month since his last "public" mission. He could bear that though; no one had ever acknowledged his feats of daring and honor back where he came from, either.
He thought for moment, as he often did, if his other self was out there making headlines still; in that vague 'read in-between the lines' way he'd always done. He wondered if he'd found a new companion, if he'd regenerated… but most of all he wondered did the other Doctor think of their world as much as he did of his.
Rose made a clatter in the kitchen situating pots and pans on the stove-top, whistling a low tune. She glanced over at her Doctor, at the far off look in his eyes, as he pondered infinity. The set of his jaw, and the way his eyes seemed to be looking at nothing and everything at once; she loved his thinking face. She hated to break his reverie, but she cleared her throat anyway.
He flicked his eyes towards her, smiling blearily at her. "Hmm?" he answered.
"Peas or carrots?" she asked again.
He sighed waving his hand. "I dunno… peas."
Rose made a mock pout. "Oh, the pressing day in the life of Torchwood agent John Smith…peas… or carrots?" she said, raising the bags emphatically.
"It's a charmed life, for sure." He said, grinning ever so slightly.
It was though; he had Rose and Carla and Jake and plenty of missions and inventions to keep him busy. He had a family for the first time in centuries; and though he never imagined he'd grow fond of Jackie, she'd grown on him immensely. Not to mention Tony and his antics kept him on his toes. But the spontaneity of travelling had been all he'd ever known. While domesticity was deliciously quaint and appealing, he needed something more.
But he shoved those thoughts from his head. He refused to be dissatisfied. Here he was eating dinner with the love of his life in a flat they'd bought together; what more could he ask for?
Rose leaned towards him across the counter, kissing his nose and then his mouth chastely.
"What's bothering you?" she inquired.
"I ain't bovvered." He said with a wink.
Rose smacked his hand. "Nonsense. What's been mulling about in that fantastic brain of yours?"
The Doctor smirked. "Fluff my ego, then, Ms. Tyler."
"It'd be nice if you returned the favor, Mr. Smith." She teased.
He sighed, surrendering the banter. "I- can't we just go away for a while? Paris, Moscow… Barcelona?!" he said, gesturing.
Rose raised her eyebrows. "Barcelona?"
"The Spanish one, Rose." He quipped.
She pursed her lips, thinking of how to reply. "I thought you said you were happy here? Commitment, remember? You said when we bought this flat it was gonna be you and me and no more nonsensical nostalgia."
He reached over to grab her hand. "Rose, I'm perfectly happy… and I'm not bored… just-well, I wish we could see something outside of London and Wales. Make memories for ourselves. Don't you want to look back on our life together and say 'We never gave up, we never stopped being us,' Rose. Because that's what I want… with you."
Rose looked away from him as he squeezed her hand. "I suppose everyone needs a vacation… And there is technically loads of places we've never set foot on, this being a parallel universe and stuff-"
The Doctor watched her as she rambled on, suggesting different places and continents and activities. He grinned at the realization that she'd thought of all of this a thousand times before, and only needed him to bring it up.
"-and I hear Florida is lovely in April, and not just Florida, anywhere on the Gulf of Mexico. We could go and visit Kennedy Space Center! You'd get a kick out of that!"
The Doctor nodded as she smiled at him.
"But… Dad would give me a dirty look if I said we were leaving when everything's so busy." She added. Her face fell, ever so slightly.
She raised her eyebrows. "Or worse… He and Mum will come with us."
"All I know for certain is Carla's bound to be upset unless she can come too. And in all honesty, I don't see why not. I just need to get away from London; I don't care if I have to share my vacation with the Master himself!" He remarked, eliciting a short laugh from Rose.
"But, Doctor, Carla? Honestly?" Rose asked condescendingly.
"She's my best mate! She wants to see the Space Center too!" He argued.
"So we've decided on Florida, lovely." Rose said, leaning across the counter. "I'll talk to Dad tomorrow, first thing… and I suppose Carla can come."
The Doctor beamed, grabbing either side of her face and planting a big kiss on her lips. "Thank you, love!"
He looked over her shoulder. "You might want to check on that pot over there…" he said, and Rose rushed over to the stovetop where the pot was boiling over.
The Doctor laughed at her franticness. "Oh, the pressing day in the life of Torchwood agent Rose Tyler!"
"Carla, it's Florida not the moon… although considering where we're going there's always the possibility of a detour." The Doctor said, looking at his friend's five bags in awe.
"Yes, you're right, it's bloody Florida with mosquitos and swamp things and UV rays. So, I thought I'd come prepared!" she replied, and looked at the suitcase Rose had propped up on the wall.
"Where's your suitcase, John? I mean I realize you're fond of that suit but…" she chastised.
"That is my suitcase. We're sharing one." The Doctor said shrugging.
Carla sighed. "Perfect; then you can help me with some of my bags!" she exclaimed, depositing three of them into his arms.
Carla sauntered ahead of them, carrying her large leather purse and dragging a pink suitcase behind her. The Doctor shared a pleading look with Rose, but she only scoffed at him. "This was your idea, don't you look at me like that!"
The Doctor limped behind the two women as they proceeded to the terminal. A loud speaker crackled. "Zeppelin number forty-seven now boarding for Orlando, Florida." It said.
"I've always hated airports… Despised them actually. It should be easier than they make it out to be to cram a bunch of people in a flying tin can." He murmured.
Rose turned to face him. "There's this thing called safety procedures, perhaps you've heard of it." She quipped.
"Never liked the idea!" he said back, winking at her.
Carla slid her glasses down her nose, glancing back and forth between them. "Sharing a suitcase, sharing a hotel room… thanks for inviting me to be honorary third wheel!" she said, crossing her arms.
"You didn't have a problem with it before! No complaining, that's what I told you, didn't I?" The Doctor protested.
Carla shrugged, indifferent. "That's a hell of a thing to ask of me, John. But you know what? I might meet a dashing young astronaut or something and leave the two of you on the ground before you can snap your fingers at me."
"It'd be no use to snap my fingers at you by that point." He replied, shifting her bags on his shoulder. "You had just better hope he has room on his shuttle for all of your luggage!"
The three of them boarded the Zeppelin, settling into their seats. Carla whips a magazine out of her purse, and peruses it for a moment before sighing and replacing it with a quantum physics text book.
"I tried to be normal… make a note of it." She murmured to the Doctor's amusement.
The Doctor breathed in the air around him, smiling at the new atmosphere. "Here we are, on a brand new continent. Our feet have never touched this ground before… different air, different people, different-"
"Sides of the road!" Carla exclaimed; interrupting him as a car sped past them on the interstate. It was only a hop, skip and a jump to the car rental, and yet she was already suffering from culture shock.
Rose laughed. "I assure you, Carla, we've been to places far stranger than Florida…"
"I'm not worried about when the two of you were in the Peace Corps or however you met! I'm concerned about whose responsibility it will be to drive." Carla remarked, flipping her hair over her shoulder as they entered the lot.
After the swiping of a card, an 'Oh, you must be from England?' and selecting a blue Honda they were on the road, to the Doctor's enthusiasm and Carla's distress. He busily folds and unfolds his map, reading it upside down and swerving back and forth between lanes to compensate for the mis-direction.
They reach their exit, with some difficulty and pull into their hotel with a halting brake. Carla stumbled out of the car, looking frazzled. "Never again…" She murmurs.
"Never again? But we've only just stopped by to check in, then it's off to the beach!" The Doctor called back to her, practically skipping up to the front desk. Rose giggles after him, glancing back at Carla sympathetically.
"Welcome to the Riviera Resort!" the clerk chirped, looking chipper and sun-tanned in his Hawaiian shirt. On the wall behind him, numerous pictures of cruise lines and natural Florida scenery are hung surrounded a dolphin mosaic; all rather gaudy in Rose's opinion.
She drifted over to the brochure shelves, which were overwhelmingly stocked with Airboat Tours and Put-Put Golfing excursions, with the thicker pamphlets showcasing various iconic theme parks. Rose bit her lip thinking of the Doctor on a roller coaster, and felt it was something she wouldn't want to miss before they went home, provided they had the money for it.
Tucked into a corner was information about the Space Center, of which there was only one pamphlet left. 'Must be their most popular attraction…' she thought, swiping the brochure. She opens it to view the pictures, and look up the address.
She skips back over to the Doctor, who is signing something; Carla has already begun flirting casually with the room service worker in charge of her luggage cart.
"We're planning on visiting the Space Center tomorrow, any idea what the best time to leave would be?" Rose inquired. The clerk swallowed, putting on a smile that extended only as far as he forced it. "
"The Space Center, well, we, uh… we recommend around… seven to get there in time." He replied, extending a hand to grab the brochure which Rose handed him reluctantly.
"Seven? But I thought it said it isn't even open for visitors until-"
"The traffic, ma'am, is awful. The best way, I always tell our guests, to get anywhere on time is to leave as soon as the sun shines. Of course, there is plenty here at the resort to occupy your time if you'd like to sleep in," He said, placing the brochure on a mail pile, "And as you can see, there are plenty of other places to visit that would be more convenient." He countered with a terse nod.
The Doctor raised a brow, but handed in whatever he'd been signing. The clerk smiled, and with a quick "Enjoy your stay!" they were dismissed.
Rose shared a look with the Doctor who laughed a little at the clerk's behavior. "Hmm, is it just me or did it seem like he was trying to discourage us from going to the Space Center?" Rose asked, linking arms with him as they headed into an elevator.
"Discourage us, don't be daft Rose. He was the nicest, most sincere clerk I've ever met." The Doctor responded, his voice thick with sardonic jest.
Rose elbowed him playfully, and he laughed, as the elevator 'dinged' their arrival on the third floor.
"Now let's go find our suite." He said, bouncing out the elevator.
Rose followed him as he rushed down the hallway. "Doctor, what about the Space Center?" She asked.
The Doctor stopped in front of their room, turning to face her. "I'm not about to turn down an adventure, especially if someone doesn't seem to want us there. All the more reason to go, I should say." He answered, grabbing her face to kiss her forehead before bursting into the room.
Rose grinned after him. "I was hoping you'd say that."
Rose and the Doctor waited for Carla downstairs; the Doctor's feet tapping, and knuckles knocking impatiently.
"Calm down, you look like a nervous wreck." Rose said, as she flipped a page of her travel guide, highlighting their route. The Doctor sighed, stretching out laterally on the sofa and peering up at Rose through his spectacles.
"What do I look like your therapist?" Rose teased. "You're the Doctor, not me."
He grinned, putting his hands behind his head. "But while I'm here, why don't I regale you with one of my many life stories…" Rose laughed, hitting him lightly with her travel guide, to which he promptly overreacted.
Carla rounded the corner, covered in sunblock.
The Doctor swung his feet down, biting his lip to keep from laughing. "Mitsy… what did you do, sink into a tub of that stuff?" He teased.
She scowled at him, putting her sunglasses on. "Come off it… or would you rather me blister up like a tomato? No, I thought not. Now, let's go and try not to die tragically on the motorway thanks to your quote-unquote 'driving'." She retorted, already hurrying out the doorway.
Rose and the Doctor snorted to contain their laughter as they followed after her. But other than the humor in the situation, Rose was kind of taken by surprise with Carla.
She'd never seen her without a lab coat and her black attire. She strutted ahead of them in red shorts and a flowery blouse, complete with bright yellow sunglasses and a wide, floppy sunhat. She looked festive enough, but that wasn't what put Rose off-guard; instead it was the excessive body art she'd never before laid eyes on, thanks to the black tights and long sleeves. There were birds, musical notes, flowers, Chinese symbols, silhouettes; she was like a walking-gallery.
The Doctor didn't seem the least bit fazed. Perhaps he was simply used to unexpected things. But frankly, all it did was make Rose very curious about her. What had she been like before Torchwood and what had life dealt her? She wondered if any of it had influenced her snarky remarks and cold wit. She went on to wonder how cloudy her past must seem to Carla, with "John's" being even more cryptic.
Once they'd reached the beach, and the Doctor and Rose lay under an umbrella sipping iced tea, it felt much more like a vacation. The sand here was so foreign, and Rose ran it through her fingers like a sieve.
"Doctor, what's your most favorite place on planet Earth? Honestly? I mean, we both know how much aliens like London, but, there's got to be somewhere more beautiful than that." Rose asked.
The Doctor sighed, rolling over to face her, taking a sip of tea from the straw.
"Hard to say… on any given day I'd have said London, because of the memories I'd made there… with UNIT and fighting off aliens and meeting some amazing people. But now that I live there, there's this sort of disenchantment about it. I still love it, but… my most favorite place? Hard to say. Paris maybe… in the 1880's. Peru… natural, real Peru. Santorini, Venice, Cairo… in its hey-day." He answered.
"A place, Doctor, not a city or a time… something unique to this planet not this race. Like this beach. This beach is gorgeous because nothing created it. It formed over time and became… this all on its own." Rose explained.
The Doctor looked over at her, his Rose; and decided she looked the most beautiful when she was admiring something, in awe of it. That was something he'd noticed long ago, a reason he'd wanted to keep travelling with her for as long as he could. He was selfish, because every time he showed her a new galaxy, a new planet, a new civilization lost to time, he saw her when she was at her most breath-taking.
Surprising her, he laid a tender kiss on her temple before answering. "You know there is this one place, when I think about. A little retreat of mine; in the mountains of Zakopane, Poland, and in the spring the land is so green and lush… it looks like a place where time can't touch it, and there's a lake like a mirror in the valley. Sometimes I landed the TARDIS at the peak, and just looked down on it all. I… sort of forgot about it, to be honest. There were tons of places I'd been to that I'd revisit from time to time, just to appreciate the scenery. But this place was so distinctly… Earth that is sticks out in my memory."
Rose closed her eyes, leaning into him and letting him wrap his arms around her. She laughed a little bit to herself at his lack of shame. Recently his displays of affection had been flamboyantly public, and as much as she enjoyed being the recipient, it was certainly a new sensation.
'What can I say… he's even snogged me in front of himself before,' she thought with a chuckle.
"What's so funny?" The Doctor asked, pinching her arm.
Rose turned to give him a noxious smile. "You, what else?" She answered.
The Doctor gestured to himself, mock frowning. "How could you say such a thing? It certainly can't be the way I look… I mean I'm the portrait of desire, after all."
"Of course, the utter definition." She bantered. He laughed. "No, that's you… I'm simply the portrait."
She gave him a loving peck on the cheek, feeling his smile and his blush as she nestled her head under his chin. They watched the people on the beach, the Doctor's eyes scanning everywhere for Carla. She'd split the scene a little over an hour ago. And while he'd been more than happy for time alone with Rose, especially when he wouldn't be harassed by his friend whenever he stole a long gaze at Rose – she was impossible to resist clothed, in a bikini it was even more distracting- but he'd begun to wonder what had happened to her. There was only a wisp of daylight left in the sky, and the nightlife surrounding this area didn't seem too friendly to someone like Carla.
'She certainly looks like the nightlife type without that lab-coat and layers,' the Doctor thought, rolling his eyes.
As soon as he'd thought so, he saw Carla come stumbling towards them in the sand, stepping over towels and sunbathers. "Oh, that was depressing…" she muttered, collapsing underneath the umbrella. Despite the gallon of sunblock, her shoulders appeared tinted pink and the backs of her legs were an entirely shade from the front.
"What was, dare I ask?" The Doctor responded, tossing her a bottle of water from the small cooler they'd brought with them.
"Well, there was this cute guy over by the pier, and I decided, 'alright Carla, romance lies before you like an endless highway, you just have to pull out onto the road'-" "Lovely analogy. Very fitting." The Doctor interjected. "Thank you, now, so there he was and I walked up and said 'hello' and he looked like I'd poked him because of my accent, I suppose, and then he said 'hey yourself', but Christ he was hard to understand! We stumbled through some introductions and he kept talking about Alabama, and well, I couldn't understand him at all! So, I thought 'abandon ship', and I told him I had to go… but then as a reflex I said 'call me' and I nearly slapped myself until he said 'yeah, sure' and I'm thinking… he didn't have a bloody idea what I just said. So, it stands to reason, our love was not fated to be. I can't just speak everything like you and Rose. Thus, I am depressed." She recounted.
The Doctor cringed at her story, giving her an apologetic look. "Sorry, Mitsy… but you know, we can't all be as ready to take a hint as some people." He said, mildly gesturing to himself.
Rose scoffed. "Yes, some people are Mr. Thick Thick Thickety Thick-face from Thick-town."
The Doctor avoided her gaze, swallowing. "Sorry. About the… well, what did I do?"
Rose raised her brows. "Yeah, you know, it doesn't surprise me that you don't remember. You were drunk and you swapped saliva with a French aristocrat."
Carla snorted, trying to avoid laughing at her friend as he squirmed. "Oh, John, this second-hand embarrassment is atrocious." She said with a condescending laugh.
"That… was- well, I can't say I regret it." The Doctor stammered. Rose socked him firmly in the arm. "Oi! I never told her I loved her though, did I Rose Tyler?" He countered.
"Touché." Rose replied coyly, elbowing him lightly. Carla rolled her eyes. "At least the two of you make up… would be one hell of a vacation if you didn't." She opined. Rose shrugged, tilting her head as if to agree.
"He's a hard one to hold a grudge against." Rose remarked, winking. The Doctor blew air up to rustle his hair which had fallen into his eyes. "I couldn't dream of holding anything against you, Rose." He confessed, only a slight bit of irony in his voice. He held her gaze for a moment, until she broke it to stare out at the sunset.
It was magnificent, an explosion of orange, sinking and burning into the horizon which melted up into purples and reds and the hints of blue from the last breath of daylight. The ambiance of waves lapping the shore and crashing over each other made it all the more breath-taking. And with the Doctor's hand in hers, his laughter ringing in her ears she decided, for now, this was her new favorite place on Earth.
Welp! That was part one :) Next chapter= Space Center, and whatever delightful disaster awaits them there ;)
Once again, thank you for those that reviewed, and I'd really prefer to hear your opinions this time around as well. Hope you enjoyed it!