Chapter 13

Mal and Zoe left soon after that, both looking more than a little shaken. Simon slipped back in the door as the others left, and considered the pair at the table carefully.

"Doctor, I've done as much as I can in here. Mal might be able to open up a bunk for you, if you'd be more comfortable resting elsewhere—and that is the one thing I must insist on. Alien or no, you need more rest."

Rose cleared her throat and fought down her blush as both doctors turned to look at her.
"He can rest in my bunk. I'll be okay elsewhere—"

"You're not leaving, Rose." The Doctor turned to Simon briskly. "Will that do?"

"Well, the bunks are rather small. I'm not sure if they'll fit two people..."

"We'll make it fit." At that, the Doctor turned back to Rose and started to carefully shift off the table.

She stood next to him, clasping his long arm around her shoulders as he stood. "Come on, Doctor. My bunk's right over here."

She led him carefully through the doorway and over to the passenger dorm. Thank god she'd decided against the second story bunk—there was no way the Doctor was in the condition to climb a ladder. They slipped into the tiny room and Rose carefully pulled the door shut behind her.

"Well." She helped him sit on the narrow bed, and gestured helplessly at the little room, her clothes and gear tossed around it carelessly. "Home sweet home, for the moment."

"Rose." She turned to meet his eyes and twitched her shoulders nervously. "How are you here?"

She bit her lip as she sat down next to him. "Doctor... "

"Just blurt it out, Rose. I'll keep listening, I swear." His lips twitched up, and Rose smiled back at him, laughing a little unsteadily.

"I've already told you, actually." She bit her lip and looked at him. His eyebrows were drawn together in confusion. "I'm not sure how this works, but you said you'd lock the memories away until it was safe to access them, which would be when I found this you again." His eyes had widened comically, and she shrugged helplessly at him. "You were in your eighth incarnation, and it was just before…" she swallowed. "Just before you got called back to Gallifrey."

The Doctor closed his eyes, his pale face a mask of concentration. Within moments, they snapped open again, and he stared at her, speechless.

She held her hands up and waved them vaguely. "Surprise."

"Oh, Rose." His eyes were wide. "I'm so sorry."

She lifted her chin. "I'm not. Yeah, my life may not've always been easy, but I don't regret a minute of it."

"But your family!"

"I got to live with 'em for years, Doctor. I watched my parents try to figure out their anniversary together, saw Mickey become head of Torchwood, and got to see my little brother grow into an amazing young man. I've lived through a lot of things, Doctor, and yeah—some of them might not have been easy. But they've made me who I am, so don't wish them away from me." She grinned a little. "Besides, I've learned how to do some useful things over the years." She stood in the center of the room and concentrated, and vanished in a golden glow.

The Doctor scrambled up, panicked. "Rose? ROSE?"

She reappeared a moment later, holding a very familiar brown pinstriped suit and long tan overcoat. She grinned, her tongue poking out between her teeth. "Thought you might like these back—I forgot to get 'em earlier."

The Doctor grabbed her hand and pulled her down on the bed with him, his long limbs wrapping around her as his mouth sought out hers. Rose made a happy little squeak and shifted herself closer to him until there was no space between them, just the warm, heavy heat that was growing with every caress of his tongue against hers. His hands drifted over her shoulders, her back, her waist, mapping every dip and curve of her body. She let her hands explore his frame, dancing over the long planes of his back and running up the ridges of his spine, smoothing over the sharp edges of his hips and the slight roundness of his bum.

She pulled back after a moment, worry interrupting her. He followed her lips, but she rested a finger against his and shuddered when he kissed it. "Are you sure? You only just woke up, and the doctor said you should rest…"

He smirked up at her, all messy hair and insouciance, and she felt her determination waver. "He may be a doctor, Rose, but I am the Doctor. And I am perfectly. All. Right," he continued, punctuating each word with a kiss. At that, she smiled and finally sank down into his embrace.

Later, Rose lay awake, staring at the ceiling as the Doctor snored gently, his head pillowed against her chest. She carded her fingers through his hair, smiling slightly as he made a contented purring noise even in his sleep. If she'd ever been worried about them not knowing what to do when they found each other again, those lingering doubts had just been soundly answered.

The smile faded as she considered their situation. The Doctor was separated from the TARDIS, and from comments Mal had made earlier, Ariel wasn't just a quick jaunt away. Niska was hunting for them, and Blue Sun had to be aware by now that one of their most dangerous—to them, at least—prisoners was now on the loose. Rose swallowed heavily, unconsciously holding him more closely to her. She wasn't going to lose him again. She'd never traveled tandem in the Vortex before, but if she had to try it, she would—even if it meant leaving the crew of the Serenity behind.

"Rose." She blinked and looked down to meet the Doctor's eyes. His gaze was a bit bleary from sleep, but he was watching her anxiously. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She tried to smile, and he snorted.

"I know you better than that. Something's bothering you." His eyes softened. "Tell me, Rose."

She gasped in a breath and realized belatedly that she was crying. "I just… I'm so afraid of losing you again. I've been looking for you for so long, and I just found you, and now all these other people are hunting for you… what are we supposed to do?"

He shifted up and rolled over, pulling Rose into his chest. She curled into him with a shudder, and he smoothed a hand over her hair. "We'll do what we always do, Rose. Expose the bad guys and save the day." He paused, considering. "Oh, and we'll probably run. Can't forget the running." She laughed a little damply into his chest and he smiled. "We'll be all right, Rose. After all, if you managed to find me again, what can't we do?"

She sighed, calming as he played with her hair. "It took me long enough."

"Still. You found me, Rose." He smiled and wrapped his hand around hers. "I should really know better than to use the word 'impossible' around you. You just go about proving me wrong." He glanced over at the suit that was tossed over her desk and cleared his throat. "Rose, can you reach my suit jacket from there?"

She blinked and sat up, shivering in the cool air. She had to stretch to reach the desk from her bed, but the Doctor certainly didn't seem to mind. She glanced down at him and smirked. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

The Doctor just grinned, his eyes decidedly not on her face, so she giggled and dropped his jacket on his head. He groaned, his voice muffled through the light wool. "Now, why'd you have to go and ruin a perfectly nice view?"

Rose rolled her eyes and settled against his chest again, tucking the blanket back around them both. "'Cause you asked me to, genius."

He pulled the jacket off his head, his hair looking somewhere between a bramble and a porcupine. "Technically, I only asked if you could reach it." At her look, he subsided and began digging through the pockets, a look of deep concentration on his face. Rose watched him, amused, as he stuck his arm shoulder-deep into the small pocket inside the front. "Ha!" He grinned triumphantly and began pulling his arm out, only to stop before it was fully free. He looked down at Rose and swallowed. "Do you remember the market on Hylos?"

She frowned thoughtfully. "That was where I picked up the Bezoolium for Mum, right?"

"Exactamundo." He made a face. "Wait, no. I'd said I wouldn't use that word anymore."

She raised an eyebrow. "Doctor? You goin' somewhere with this?"

"Right. I found something there while you were shopping for Jackie, only I never really worked up the courage to give it to you." He swallowed. "Then Canary Wharf happened, and I lost my chance."

Rose's eyes were wide and disbelieving, and he smiled nervously. "The Hylans aren't just able to predict weather with their trinkets. They can show almost anything, really." He cleared his throat. "But I saw this, and I thought you would like it."

He pulled out his fist, letting the jacket fall to the floor, and opened his hand to reveal a slender silver ring, intricately carved and set with a cluster of small, multi-colored gemstones. He swallowed and looked down at her left hand, resting against his chest. "May I?" Rose nodded, too overwhelmed to speak. The ring fit on her finger as if it was made for her, and as soon as it was settled, the stones shifted in color to a clear golden shade. The Doctor grinned down at it, enthralled. "Can I take that as a yes?"

She stared at the ring, blinking back tears. When she spoke, her voice was hoarse, but she couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. "Wait, did you seriously get me a mood ring for an engagement ring?"

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably and reached up to tug on his earlobe. "Well, I thought you would like it, and this way it'll be useful, too."

She giggled and dropped her forehead against his shoulder. "You know you can just ask me how I'm feeling, right?"

He shrugged. "Where's the fun in that?"

Rose grinned and sat up, bracing herself above him. "You could get answers like this."

Asking questions, the Doctor reminded himself later, was always a good thing.