The Rosette Nebula

"Here we go. The Rosette Nebula. What do you think?" he asked excitedly, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.

Rose stared out of the TARDIS doors in awe. "It's beautiful!" she murmured. "Absolutely beautiful."

He beamed in triumph and held out his hand. "Shall we sit and look at it for a bit?"

"Yeah," she nodded dazedly, taking his hand. They sat down, their legs dangling out of the TARDIS doors.

"So," began the Doctor nervously, clearing his throat.

"Hmm?"

"You mentioned, earlier, about it being..." He sniffed awkwardly. "You know."

"Valentine's Day?" she supplied distractedly, still staring at the nebula.

"Yeah, that," he agreed, then lowered his voice to murmur, "So, um. I thought that this would...well, that it would...it's still sort of cliché, I suppose, being that it looks like a rose and everything, but I just thought it'd at least be a bit better than being unoriginal and giving you a bouquet..." he trailed off, tugging at his ear with his free hand.

Rose's brow furrowed and she slowly turned her head to look at him. Taking in his anxious expression, she started to smile slowly. "Wait a minute, are you saying that this is a Valentine's Day gift?"

He nodded briefly.

"For me?"

He nodded again.

"From you?" she asked, trying not to giggle.

He mock-scowled at her disbelieving expression. "Yes," he clarified firmly. "Is that...alright?"

"Course it is," she laughed, bumping her shoulder against his. "Just never expected you to make a gesture like that. I mean, I know you've shown me stuff like this before, but saying that this one's for Valentine's Day...well, it's kind of romantic."

"You don't think I'm romantic?"

"Not really, no," she grinned, tongue between teeth.

"I'm taking you somewhere else after this," he decided.

"Where's that, then?"

"Belgium."

"Belgium?"

"The planet, not the country. Now that is where you get the best chocolate in the universe, Rose Tyler."

She smiled at him warmly but couldn't help but ask, "Why are you doing all this, then?"

He met her gaze steadily. "Why do humans partake in the holiday?"

"Well, to...to..." Rose started, then swallowed thickly. He smiled sheepishly at her and an unspoken part of their conversation seemed to pass between them in an instant. They shared a quiet, silly giggle, and then she hurried on, "Think it's all got a bit out of hand back home, really. Too commercialised and everything. This is...this is much better. I like your idea of romance."

"Good," he said simply, squeezing her hand. She turned her head to watch the nebula again. He continued watching her.

"People get way too sappy about it, too," she said next. "I mean, who needs a card full of gushy poetry and a massive teddy bear holding a heart?"

He shrugged. "Some people like that sort of thing. Not me. Other people."

"I don't," she murmured. "It's too...in your face. Know what I mean? Like...surely it's just...better to be subtle about it? I got so embarrassed once at school, when this boy gave me an ornament of two bears with their noses kissing, and written at the bottom was 'Be Mine.' It was in front of everyone, and I just wanted to run away," she laughed. "I blush just thinking about it!"

"How old were you and the boy at this point?" he asked, chuckling.

"Seven," she informed him grandly.

He chuckled even more, at that. "You do like bears, though. You have one in your room, I've seen it."

"Yeah, but what seven year old wants an ornament of one? Plus, I think I was a little young to 'be' anyone's back then," she pointed out. "And going back to my earlier point about the massive teddy bear, who has room for one of those? Besides, it'd get lonely. Better to have two little ones that can keep each other company."

"I am in awe of the way your mind works," he retorted good naturedly.

"Ta," she replied, briefly flashing him a grin.

"Well," he declared, as though he'd just been enlightened of something fascinating. "It certainly seems as though for humans, nothing's better for saying 'I love you' than a teddy bear." He let go of her hand and reached into his pocket. When he realised she wasn't quite paying attention to him, he coughed meaningfully and tossed a brown, fluffy teddy bear at her.

She looked down at where it had landed in her lap and laughed. "Where'd this come from?"

"My pocket," he replied, as though she were being dim.

"Yeah, but where did it come from before it was in your pocket?"

"A shop," he replied.

She raised her eyebrows, asking for some elaboration.

He sighed theatrically and explained, "Remember when we stopped off at Cardiff the other day to refuel? Got it then."

She smiled widely. "Is this for me?"

"Well I wouldn't've given it to you if it wasn't, would I?" he scoffed.

"So I have a Welsh teddy?"

He laughed and took hold of her hand again, entwining their fingers. "Yes. You do. It's to keep the one in your room company."

"How'd I never realise you were so adorable?" she teased, tickling his neck with the bear.

He squirmed, chuckling, and warned, "Don't tickle me while where sitting like this, I might end up in the middle of space."

"As if I'd let you fall," grinned Rose. "No but seriously, why have you suddenly gone all...gooey?"

"Gooey?"

"Yeah. First the rose-shaped nebula, then planning a trip to Belgium the planet for some chocolate, now the teddy bear..." She arched an eyebrow suspiciously. "What's next? A massage in a bath full of rose petals?"

His eyes widened. "No!" he assured her. Then he tilted his head to the side, contemplative. "Hadn't thought of that, actually."

"Doctor," she said slowly. "Has someone taken control of your mind?"

"Nope," he denied. "Completely and positively me."

"Completely and positively mad, more like," she joked.

"I drew the line at gushy poetry, though," he pointed out.

"Yeah, that would've been going overboard," she agreed, smirking.

"I just..."

"What?" she prompted softly.

"I s'pose I just got this silly idea into my head and I...wanted to counteract it."

"What silly idea?"

He swallowed hard and admitted, "You're going to think I'm daft."

"I already think you're daft, remember? Just tell me."

"Alright, alright. Well. The other night, see, I was asleep."

"Really?" Rose gasped, in mock-wonder.

"Hush, I haven't finished," he moaned. "Anyway. I had this dream. And in this dream..." He paused.

"Yeah? Come on, Doctor; the suspense is killing me," she teased.

"You got married."

"Blimey, sure this wasn't a nightmare?"

"Well exactly," he agreed. "You were married to this human bloke, don't know who, he wasn't important, really, but he was human and he was normal, and thus by default boring, obviously, and still you married him and the reason why you married him was because...because..." He trailed off again, staring at her with this sort of hopeless look on his face that told her he really didn't want to say his next sentence.

"Because what?"

"Because there was a challenge, you see...kind of a, I dunno, competition or whatever. And I wouldn't...and he would...and so you..."

"Doctor, you can't keep leaving words out of your sentence, it makes no sense."

"You know what I'm trying to say," he insisted. "Really, though, you do. Just like you knew what I was trying to say earlier."

Rose sighed heavily. "Fine, if you're not gonna tell me," she replied ruefully, and looked back out at the nebula, refusing to meet his gaze. He tugged on her hand and said her name a few times to try and regain her attention. She ignored him.

"Rose," he whined. Still no response. He huffed under his breath, "Don't see why it should be me doing all the work, anyway..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped, looking back at him finally.

"Well, here I am giving you romantic gifts and trying to tell you romantic things and all you're doing is sitting there! You could help me out a bit and actually say something yourself for a change."

"Me?" she laughed. "Me?"

"Yes, you," he replied. "How am I supposed to get the courage to tell you how I feel if I have absolutely no clue what you're going to say in response, hmm?"

"You're the one who's a time travelling alien hundreds of years older than me," she retorted. "You're the one whose spaceship I live in, you're the one who takes me to all these places. As much as I'd like to think of us as equals for the good of my dignity, the fact is, you're the one who is the position of utmost authority and you're the one who sets the boundaries of our relationship."

"Yeah, and you're the one who's made me completely disregard those boundaries since the very first day you stepped on the TARDIS!" he countered.

"Well you're the one who's supposed to tell me whether that's okay or not, or whether it would be better to just...stay as we are."

"Trouble with that is, I've got no idea what 'stay as we are' means, Rose Tyler. What even are we? How in the universe could either of us ever begin to describe what we are?"

Rose opened her mouth to answer then promptly shut it. She glanced at the teddy bear in her hand and couldn't think of a single thing to reply with.

"Exactly," he said.

"I know what we aren't, does that help?" she mumbled.

He raised his eyebrows. "Ah, the old via negativa approach. Go on then, what aren't we?"

"Well," she began, once more looking into space rather than his face to feign nonchalance. "We aren't just Time Lord and pet human. At least, I hope not." He scoffed quietly and her lips quirked up. "We aren't just acquaintances or travelling companions. We aren't even just friends...but then, we aren't lovers either, nor are we married, arch enemies, or relatives."

He laughed softly. "Perish the thought. The relative thing and the enemy thing, I mean," he added hurriedly, in case he'd offended her.

She glanced back at him with a wry smile. "I don't think the marriage thing's particularly your cup of tea, either, is it?"

"Well actually, Rose, we did sort of get married already, remember?"

"Oh, you mean that pagan festival thing on the planet Ferdoro?"

"That's the one."

"They made nice cake," she recalled.

"Very nice cake," he agreed. "Odd rituals, though."

"Yeah, I never thought my groom would have to wade through a lake of treacle to prove his worth..." she mused.

"I tasted a bit of that treacle, though; it was delicious. Made its unpleasant stickiness which ruined my poor converses worth it."

"We aren't though."

"What's that?"

"Married. I mean, I know we stumbled into that ceremony and everything, so in a way we did get married, but one of the old women warned me that if we didn't, ahem, consummate such a ceremony before sunset, the marriage wouldn't be legally binding," she smiled, waggling her eyebrows.

"Well why didn't you say so!" he joked.

They laughed for a few seconds and then stopped abruptly, unable to meet each other's eye, the atmosphere quickly turning a little awkward. They simultaneously cleared their throats.

"Rose," he murmured, after a short period of silence. "You know that I..."

"Don't do that sort of thing. Yeah," she filled in for him.

"Oh. Actually, that wasn't what I was going to say."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"So...wait, you do do that sort of thing?"

"What sort of thing?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know what sort of thing."

"I...could be persuaded - " he answered carefully.

"That doesn't sound particularly promising," she muttered.

" – providing you don't think it would, um. Ruin things."

"Wait, what?"

"Well. Doesn't that aspect sometimes...destabilise other aspects?"

"Only if you're rubbish," she joked, before she could stop herself. She felt a bit guilty, however, when she realised the Doctor was blushing. "That was just a joke. I'm sure you aren't...and if you are, I mean, what would it matter, really? Our friendship is strong enough to withstand anything, even that, and oh god I'm babbling like you now, just ignore me." She felt all flustered, and broke his gaze.

There was a tense silence for a few moments, before the Doctor let out a deep breath and spoke determinedly, "What I mean is, Rose, we have something...indescribably, unimaginably, fantastically brilliant. I don't want us to lose that. Ever."

"Me neither," she replied quietly.

"So..."

"So...?"

"So...do you think there's a risk of that? Losing what we already have if we try and..." He paused, and cleared his throat, evidently very embarrassed and out of his depth. "Take things further?"

"I don't know, Doctor," she answered honestly. She met his intent gaze. "Do you?"

"I don't know either," he admitted.

"Right."

"Yeah."

"So we're kind of stuck, then."

"Yep," he agreed, popping the 'p.'

They both let out a sigh, and stared back out at the nebula again. "This really is very beautiful," Rose whispered. She squeezed his hand. "Thank you for showing it to me."

"You're welcome," he replied, stroking his thumb over hers. "Shall I set the coordinates for Belgium, then?"

"The planet not the country?"

"The planet not the country," he confirmed.

She gave him a dazzling smile. "Yes please."

He beamed back at her and jumped up, tugging her up with him. "I actually should warn you about something, though."

Rose arched an eyebrow, curious. "What's that, then?"

Holding onto her elbows to keep her steady, he leant forwards to murmur in her ear, "The chocolate there is so good that you might not be able to resist."

"Resist what?" she asked, a bit breathless.

"Taking a few risks."

"Thought you didn't want to risk it?" she whispered back.

"Perhaps that's why I need you to do it for me."

Rose lifted her arms up and looped them around his neck, tilting her head back to look him in the eye. "Doctor."

"Yes?"

"I would love to be your risk-taker."

He wet his lips and then smiled slowly. "Then I suppose..."

"What?"

"You could, perhaps, maybe, start now."

"Taking risks?"

"Yep. If...if you're so inclined."

She stood on her tiptoes and leant closer to him. "You want me to kiss you?"

His hands slipped down her sides to grasp her hips gently. "Yes."

"What about Belgium?"

"We can still do that."

"But...after I've kissed you," she checked for clarification.

"Yes," he whispered breathlessly. "After...that."

"What if the kiss feels weird?" she teased, still inching closer.

"Then we stop and pretend it didn't happen and things won't be ruined."

"What if we don't realise that the kiss feels weird until tomorrow?" she pointed out.

"Then...well, that could be awkward."

"Okay. Well. Only one way to find out, I guess."

"Exactly," he replied.

"Here goes," she added, sliding her hands into his hair.

"You don't have to make it sound as though you're bracing yourself for something unpleasant," he huffed, but she ignored his whining and pressed her lips to his the instant his last adjective had been spoken.

And once she'd started kissing him, she couldn't really bring herself to stop. He certainly wasn't complaining. As the kiss grew from an uncertain, tender passion to an altogether more intense heat, he slowly guided her backwards until he'd pushed her up against a coral strut. With the Rosette Nebula their backdrop, they continued to kiss for a rather significant amount of time; in fact, about the time it took for Rose to run out of air and for the Doctor's respiratory bypass to need to kick in.

She finally tore her mouth away, panting for oxygen. "Well then," she murmured, her voice shaky.

"Indeed," he replied, just as breathless.

"It didn't...it didn't feel weird, to me," she said hurriedly. "Did it feel weird to you?"

He was already leaning in for another go. "Definitely not," he answered, before closing the distance between them again.

A/N: Google image the Rosette Nebula. Seriously, it's staggeringly beautiful. I wish I could go into space and see it for real, I really do.

Reviews much appreciated, as always :)

love, Laura x