Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, if I did i would probably proof read more than once
AN - LAST CHAPTER:) it's a bit confusing tho, coz the doctor and rose are suffering from a lack of communication, so it takes them a while to work out what's wrong with each other. I hope it makes sense in the end!
I hope you all like it:) :) :)
Chapter 16 - A Touch of Paradise:
"Rose?"
The Doctor's call rang out throughout the Tardis, but he got no response. He had checked the control room, the wardrobe, their bedroom, her bedroom, the bathroom. In fact, he checked just about every room he could ever remember, but nowhere could he find Rose Tyler. It began as just frustrating - when he finally wanted to talk, he couldn't find her. Now, however, he was starting to get worried.
"Rose, where are you? I need to talk to you" he called for the umpteenth time.
"We need to talk? That doesn't sound good" came a voice from behind him. He whipped around to see Rose standing there, hands on hips, eyebrows raised. The Doctor engulfed her in a hug which, while it melted her heart, very nearly broke her ribs.
"Can't breathe" she managed to gasp, and the Doctor released her right away. He held onto her shoulders as though afraid that she would disappear again, and looked her steadily in the eye. Rose thought it was an almost disapproving look - as though the Doctor was about to tell her off for something. In actual fact, this was the look that the Doctor was giving to the love of his lives whom he hadn't communicated with for practically two solid days. It was easy to get the two confused.
"Why do we need to talk?" she asked cautiously.
"Hmm? Oh, I wanted to apologise" he remarked casually, letting go of Rose and turning to walk back down the corridor towards the control room.
"Doctor, stop" Rose commanded, "What are you apologising for?". Rose was genuinely baffled.
"I've not quite been with it these past few days. I know you've noticed. I haven't exactly been chatty" he smiled.
"It's okay Doctor, I get it. You have lost your family and everything you hold dear, and I go and stupidly ask to see it. I'm the one who should be apologising." Rose muttered, looking at the floor, finally allowing the remorse and guilt she had ignored overtake her.
"I should have known that it would be difficult for you to talk about Gallifrey, but I pushed you to show me anyway. I was just curious and I wanted to know as much as I could. And, I don't know why, but I thought it might help you move on a bit to see it again. I don't know. I wasn't really thinking" she continued, a tear rolling down her cheek. The Doctor lifted a cool finger to brush it away. As his finger grazed her cheek, she felt a prickle of electricity - the pure emotion of the moment combined with their love for one another - and it made her tingle.
"Everything I hold dear?" he asked.
"What?" Rose looked up, confused again.
"You said I've lost everything I hold dear. I haven't lost you though" he said, smiling. This time it was Rose's turn to hug the Doctor. Unluckily for him, he got a mouthful of blonde hair in the process.
"I love you" she whispered.
"I love you too. But I bet you knew I was going to say that" the Doctor grinned into her hair.
"Now, like I was saying, I have an apology to make" he continued, breaking the hug, and taking one of her hands in his as usual.
"I feel so guilty for ignoring you these past two days. Well, actually, the first day I was staring at you without talking, and the next I was just not talking. So, yeah, sorry about that. I didn't really know what to say. At first I was thinking about Gallifrey and the people I've lost and the places I used to love. All in all, it made me a bit melancholic. So then I decided to think about something which never fails to cheer me up. You!"
Rose smiled at this sadly, for while she was flattered by this admission, she knew that the Doctor had still not been restored to his usual bouncy self after that one day.
"Anyway, I got to thinking about you and I realised how unfair it was of me to put all that pressure on you. I know that you said you wanted to see Gallifrey, but I then thought that maybe you were just being polite, and in showing you I had somehow inadvertently revealed to you what an emotional wreck I am, and then made you sad as a result" he finished, somewhat breathlessly.
"Wow, you can really tell that you haven't spoken to someone else in a while" Rose grinned.
"But seriously, I'm so sorry if me going all hermit-y upset you or something."
"It wasn't so much that. It was more that I was worried for you. I didn't want you to be upset for your family or anything" Rose replied, relieved that the Doctor's sadness hadn't been caused by anything particularly drastic. Although she was a bit upset to hear that it was his concern for her that upset him. Oh what talking could have done to spare their pain!
"Rose, I feel that we are going round in circles" the Doctor said, "Let's just agree that we just worry too much about one another and that, in future-"
"Or past or present" Rose joked.
"-That we always talk about our problems, okay?"
"Agreed" Rose grinned, "Now I have something to show you" she gestured to the silver door behind her. This is strange, thought the Doctor, pretty much everything on this ship's blue or gold. I don't remember a silver door.
"That's because it's new and I chose silver so it would stand out" said Rose, grinning from ear to ear.
"It's back!" yelled the Doctor, picking up Rose and swinging her around him in a big circle, "Hooray for psychic links!"
"Yeah, great, just what I need. I head full of big face" Rose joked. The Doctor snorted.
"Anyway, back to the matter at hand" he set her down, "Why is that door silver?"
"Because, Doctor, behind that door is something very special. I needed the door to be different to those all over the rest of the Tardis, and so it is. Silver's good, don't you think, it kinda blends in but stands out at the same time"
"That's an oxymoron"
"You're an oxymoron" she retaliated.
"You're just a moron" he said, laughing.
"Oh, shut your mouth!" she grinned, feeling relief wash over her again in the comfort of such an easy, if not familiar, conversation.
"Like I was saying, behind this door is something very special. The Tardis helped me get things organised properly, so most of the credit can go to her". Rose gently opened the door for the Doctor, letting him step inside first, before following and shutting it behind them.
The Doctor's jaw dropped.
Around him were the four walls of the courtyard from his orphanage on Gallifrey. He stood on a circle-ish expanse of soft red grass surrounded by silver leaved trees.
"Rose, this is…" he said, emotion rendering him unable to finish his sentence. She walked up behind him and slipped a hand into his. The walked over to the swing hanging from a particularly sturdy tree, and the Doctor plonked down onto it. Rose began pushing his light frame forwards and backwards on the swing, until the Doctor swung higher and higher. He whooped with joy, before jumping off while in the air. He landed with absolute grace regaining his composure immediately, leaving Rose wondering if this was the same man who had just whooped out loud whilst on a tyre swing.
Rose lay down on the grass. It wasn't itchy or wet, it was springy and surprisingly comfortable. Eyes closed, she heard the Doctor lie down next to her.
"I love what you've done with the ceiling" he remarked casually, referring to the swirling sky-like ceiling above them.
"Thought you would" she said, over the moon that the Doctor liked her gift to him, "It's just a touch of paradise, don't you think".
He smiled in agreement.
"Rose?"
"Yes Doctor?"
"Thank you" he said simply, turning to look at her.
"Any time" she said, her tongue poking between her teeth in her trade-mark smile.
They lay for a long time on that grass before the silence was broken again.
"Doctor?"
"Yes Rose?"
"I love you"
"I love you too, Rose"
"And also… I was wondering?"
"Yeah, what is it?"
"Is there a nursery on the Tardis?"
THE END
lol, please dont hate me for the last line. you may interpret it as you wish.
a huge massive thankyou to all my lovely reviewers who have been so diligent and thorough when it comes to boosting my self esteem, lol
in particular thank you to: gaiafreedom21, VampMistress, Doctor-Lost, MontyPythonFan, tylerfan23, NewDrWhoFan, Prospero53225, Wanabee, DeanParker, MythStar Black Dragon - you guys rock my world! thanks so so so much!!
