When I come undone you bring me back again

Back under the stars back into your arms
Rose Tyler is in his bed. They've talked things over and have come to an understanding. They are forever, and nothing will change that.
With that in mind, the Doctor is back to setting his plan into motion. Now that things are better he can go back to being devious. He's much more comfortable being devious than being all conflicted because of relationship issues.
He regards her fondly for a moment. It's morning, and though she's been asleep for six hours, seventeen minutes, thirty-five seconds, he's been awake since she fell asleep.
"Rose," he murmurs. "Rose."
"Mmm?" She makes a noise of inquiry as she rolls to face him.
"Rose."
She opens her eyes. "What?"
"I just got an email from Sally. She's got a house to show us today."
Rose flops over onto her back. "Just one? If we're going to bother it ought to be worth our time."
"One today, three tomorrow," he amends.
"Why tomorrow?" She rolls onto her side and props her head up on her hand.
"Because tomorrow is better for us," he tells her, pulling the covers away from her.
"Better? Better how?"
He's pulled the bedclothes off and is starting on her top, inching it upwards.
She stops his hands by resting her own on top. "Better how?"
He smiles at her and kisses her lips. "We have a previous engagement."
"We do?"
"It's a surprise," he tells her, winning the fight over her top.
Rose considers her options and lets him win.
oOoOo
"So about the house," Rose begins. She's at the sink, brushing her teeth in just her bra and underpants.
"What about it?" he asks from their wardrobe.
"We're still looking for one?"
"Of course we are! I just told you we're meeting Sally tonight." His face appears at the door, wearing a frown. "Didn't I? I might have gotten distracted right around that time but I'm fairly certain that I mentioned it first."
"You did," she assures him. "But you didn't seem to be happy with any of the ones we've seen so far." Forever or not, he was certainly giving the impression of a man reluctant to choose one.
Then again, she wasn't acting much different. Goodness, she thinks to herself. Maybe they're not as happy or as well-adjusted to this new life as she thought.
She is, Rose tells herself. She definitely is. Maybe some people, knowing the whole story, would think she made the wrong choice. Certainly Simon and Ian and Riley, hearing that there was the Doctor, and then another Doctor, had looked confused upon learning that she'd brought back the one that she hadn't spent years looking for.
Jackie doesn't think she was wrong - a human Doctor who will stay put was the best Jackie could ever have hoped for.
He's not the Doctor she started with, but he's hers. Sod all those people, Rose tells herself sternly. She made the best choice she could, and he pushed her into it, pushed her toward the man in the other room with as much coldness as he could muster.
That he wasn't, in fact, really that cold and heartless could break her heart, if she allows herself to think about it too much.
"What's wrong?" her Doctor asks in concern. He's dressed and standing there at the sink, a comb in his hand. He's looking at her with a wary expression.
Rose smiles at him. "Nothing's wrong. I was just thinking how much I love you."
He blinks.
"I do," she says with a smile.
"I know that," he responds. "I love you, too."
"And you're ready to buy a house?"
"As soon as we find the right one. I'm not settling for some inferior place."
She made the right choice, Rose knows. The right one for her. She smiles at him and drops her toothbrush.
He almost always knows what she's thinking. He sets his comb down and wraps her in a hug. His hands are warm against her bare skin. Rose hides her face in his neck and tries not to cry.
"Rose?" he murmurs.
"Sorry." She steps back, sniffing. "I feel a bit stupid."
"What about?" He looks down into her eyes, a gentle smile in his own.
"He wanted this for us, and he said what he thought would push us together," Rose says, trying to explain. "And here we are."
"He knew that I still wanted you," the Doctor says cautiously. "He wasn't trying to hurt you."
"Maybe he was trying to test me? To see what I would choose?"
He shakes his head. "He would never have made you choose between your family and him. Never."
"But what if he wanted me to choose him?" Rose asks. "Despite all that?"
Maybe he did, maybe he wanted Rose to choose him above all. A life with him aboard the TARDIS, until she died.
A life spent watching her fade until he had to say goodbye again.
That's not the life either of them would have chosen for Rose.
"He didn't want you to choose," the Doctor says gently.
"But I did," she says sadly. "I was selfish and I chose you."
He raises his eyebrows. "Don't tell me you did it because you felt sorry for me!"
She has to laugh at the look of affront on his face. "No, 'course not. I chose you because I could. Because you had one heartbeat." She places her palm on his chest. "Because you said you would spend your life with me."
"That's not being selfish, Rose." He places his hand over hers. "That's being human."
She looks up at him, the pain receding. Maybe it will never go away completely, but she can go on knowing that she's done the best she could.
"He would never blame you," he says firmly. "Never."
Rose is silent, biting her lip.
"You might not believe me," he continues, "but I am in some position to know about his feelings. Rose, he could never have given you what you wanted. It wasn't in his nature. But it's in mine."
Rose slides her arms around his waist and holds on tight.
"What about you?" she asks softly.
"Oh, I got what I wanted! Granted, it came along with one heart and an alarmingly brief lifespan, but given that the alternative would have been to exist as a hand in a jar, I got off rather well, wouldn't you say?"
"Stop it." She tries hard not to giggle and almost succeeds.
"Come on." He lightly slaps her bottom and picks up her comb. "I'll buy you a coffee before work."
oOoOo
"Hello!" Sally says cheerfully. "So nice to see you again!"
It's after six in the evening. After a delightful romantic interlude that morning, they headed in to work only to be assigned to a mission to track down a runaway Hawthoran, a small, spiny creature capable of flight and psychic thought that hunted by projecting horrifying images into its victims' minds. Its prey of choice on Earth turned out to be small lap dogs, causing a riot in the elderly communities among those who favored the small creatures.
It had taken all day to catch the alien, and Rose had stepped through more dog runs, dog parks, and other dog-related places than she'd thought existed.
"I don't ever want to see or hear another dog as long as I live," she'd declared, thoroughly put out by the day's events.
"Oh, I don't know," Jake had said, sweeping a tracker around a small garden. "Your kids might want a dog. All kids do."
The Doctor was leaning down to look over the body of a small dog that had been clearly attacked by something with spines.
"Maybe some fish, instead," he'd said. "They don't tend to bite you. Well, they do if they're an Algorquin fillip shark with a taste for human flesh, but generally no, fish don't bite."
"Fish aren't exciting," Jake had protested.
"No," the Doctor had agreed. "But they won't try to kill you, either. If Rose won't have a dog, the other option would be a cat, and we're not having that, either."
Rose had shaken her head. "No cats."
Now, fresh from Torchwood's containment units, Rose and the Doctor are ready to shower and sleep. Instead they're meeting Sally in Maida Vale to look at a house. They both want to find a house to live in. They just don't feel like doing it now.
"Just the one tonight," Sally confirms. "Come on, then." She's in another charming, pretty suit. Rose looks down at her jeans. The knee is ripped and they're streaked with mud. She'd abandoned her jacket somewhere on the street, and her shirt is in a similar condition. She doesn't want to think about her shoes.
The Doctor is relatively unchanged. His jeans are a bit muddy, but his shirt is still clean. Even his shoes don't seem to have suffered.
Rose sighs. "Can't wait."
The house is small and pretty. Rose walks in the front door, taking care to scrape her shoes clean on the welcome mat.
"It's nice," she says, glad to be able to say something positive about a house Sally is showing them. The front room is tiny, but it leads to a nice kitchen.
The Doctor is not impressed with the kitchen. He doesn't do the cooking and wouldn't know what a proper kitchen ought to look like, anyway. He heads up the stairs and comes back a moment later.
"Only three bedrooms, Sally," he says cheerfully. "That's not enough."
Rose and Sally both turn from their examination of the larder.
"Not enough for what?" Rose demands.
"For...what we need," he says. "Obviously."
"What do you need, exactly?" Sally asks, taking out her notebook. "I thought three bedrooms was adequate?"
"It is," Rose assures her.
"Oh, no," the Doctor says. "Is this the way through to the outside?" He heads down the hallway without waiting for an answer.
"I thought this would do nicely." Sally sound a bit upset. Rose hastens to reassure her.
"Oh, it's lovely. Let me just...I'll just pop out and take a look at the garden."
She follows the Doctor outside. He's standing on the edge of the garden, hands on his hips.
"Not enough room, Rose," he says without turning around. "Inside or out."
She waits, afraid another TARDIS episode might be coming on, but luckily it's not.
"No room for a shed or anything out here," the Doctor is saying. "You couldn't grow a TARDIS inside or out here. Plus all the neighbors, peeking out their windows and watching us. I don't think I'd fancy that. Sally! Thanks, but we'll see you tomorrow."
Sally nods slowly from inside the doorway. "I'll cross it off the list, then. I do have an unexpected engagement tomorrow, though. Can we reschedule?"
"Yes," Rose says, desperate to get home and wash up. "Call when you can. We'll see you later."
She doesn't pay attention to anything the Doctor says until she's in the bathtub in their flat, up to her chin in hot water and scented bubbles.
"I have never been so filthy in my life," she complains.
He's stripped off his clothes and taken a quick shower. Dressed in clean trousers, he perches on the edge of the tub.
"Oh, you've been dirtier. That time on Alpha Four mark Nine, for example."
She throws a fistful of suds his way. "Never mention dungeons to me again."
He scoops up a handful of suds and blows them at her face. "Mmm, is this peach?"
Rose looks lazily at the bottle of bubble bath. "Peach," she confirms.
"Smells pretty good." He smells his hands. "Nice."
She smiles slowly. "I bet I smell nicer."
He grins at her. "I bet you do."
oOoOo
"I have a surprise for you," he says later. They've fallen asleep in their bed, tangled together in scented soap.
"What is it?"
"We have to get up to show you."
"Then I'll wait." Rose stretches and sighs in contentment.
"No," he insists, blowing kisses onto her neck. "We have to get up but you'll love it."
"Don't want to get up." Rose pulls the sheet up to her chin. "How about we stay here and eat takeaway instead?"
"That sounds lovely, and we will do it soon, but we do need to get going." The Doctor stands up and starts collecting clean articles of clothing.
"Love, there is nothing that we need to do right away."
He kneels by the edge of the bed and smiles down at her. "No, Rose Tyler, there definitely is."
So Rose gets out of bed, grumbling as she goes. A quick shower to wash the dried up soap bubbles out of her hair is first, of course.
"Where are we going?" she calls out from the bathroom.
He pokes his head in, grinning like a loon. "It's a surprise."
"Well, give me a hint."
"No hints."
"A small hint!"
"Nope." He disappears and shuts the door.
Rose does her makeup and dries her hair. Wrapped up in a towel, she steps back to the bedroom and finds him reading a magazine.
"I thought you said we had to go!" she says in outrage.
"We do! I was waiting for you." He jumps up. "Are you done? I really should wash my hair again."
"Never mind your hair! Where are we going? What should I wear?"
"You're beautiful in anything, Rose Tyler." He draws her close and kisses her forehead.
"Thanks, but how do I know what to wear?"
"Casual is fine," he says after a moment of deep thought. "Although something slinky underneath would not be unappreciated."
"Really? Who would be appreciating it? If I might ask?"
"Me, of course, and no one else." He pauses in the act of heading to the bathroom. "I like your hair that way."
He's gone before she can reply. Rose's hand goes to her hair, and then she turns to get dressed. He's certainly in a cheerful mood tonight. Sometimes he gets moody and silent and it's a bear to talk him out of it. Granted, they've gone through a lot recently - their injuries alone would take up a few days - but he is in a very happy mood.
Rose decides to enjoy it and be happy herself. She dresses in black trousers and a dark red blouse that is casual but also clingy and just a bit lower-cut than she normally wears. Her hair looks the same as always - blonde and straight. It falls to below her shoulders these days, and he's told her repeatedly how much he likes it long. She brushes it back and puts on small silver hoop earrings. She has to dig around for shoes - the ones she was wearing today were a gift from Jackie, but she'll never wear them again, not after running after so many small dogs.
"Are you ready?" he asks.
Rose turns. He's still damp from the shower and doesn't bother to finish drying off. He drops the towel and starts getting dressed with an efficiency that Rose doesn't remember from before.
That is, before she fell through the Void and through to this world. He was a bit of a fussy dresser back then, with his suit just so and the (usually) perfect tie to match. Tonight he's pulling on jeans from the floor and a green t-shirt that Jackie and Pete brought back from a trip to Spain.
"We don't exactly match," Rose says innocently, drawing his attention to her.
He looks at her carefully and smiles. "You look beautiful."
She smiles back, absurdly pleased. "Thank you."
"For a human," he adds. "What d'you mean, we don't match?"
"I'm clearly far better-dressed than you," she points out.
"My jeans are clean." But he covers his green t-shirt with a black sweater. "How's this?"
She shakes her head. "That is an awful sweater. Where'd you find it?"
He looks down at said sweater. "I don't know. Must have come from someplace, though, eh?" He pulls it off and looks at the label. "Of course. Your mum picked this out."
Rose takes the sweater and peers at the label. She does remember Jackie picking this out now, the day they took him to Henriks for new clothes.
"Last time I let your mother take me shopping," he adds. "Next thing you know I'll be dressing like Pete." Most of his clothes are dirty at the moment. He decides to stick with the t-shirt.
Rose sighs. The clothes may look silly, but he looks utterly handsome. How does he manage that at the same time?
"Are you ready?" he asks.
"Yeah, I'm ready. For what?"
He smiles at her, a wide, excited smile that shows a dimple and makes her itch to kiss him. "You'll see."
oOoOo
"This is the university, right?" Rose asks as she gets out of the car.
"Correct, Rose Tyler."
"What are we doing here?" As far as places to visit, this is really the last on her list.
"I have something to show you." He locks the car and holds out his hand. Rose takes it, feels his fingers wrap around hers, a firm, comforting grip.
She lets him lead her through the buildings. It's dark and classes have already let out for the night, leading Rose to a surprising discovery.
"It's later than I thought. We haven't had dinner yet."
"We'll get some after."
"After what?" she demands.
He's led them to the planetarium. Swiping his employee card, he unlocks he door and ushers her inside. "Here we go. Right through here."
The place is empty. Rose knows that he sometimes comes here at night to consult with the other scientists, but she doesn't see anyone at the moment.
"Love, there's no one here."
"There's us, Rose. Up these stairs, please. Watch your step."
He urges her upwards, ignoring all her demands for information. "Keep going. Keep going. Ah! Here we go."
They've stepped onto a platform. Rose looks around and then turns back to him. "This is a telescope."
"Isn't it beautiful?" He rubs the telescope with an affectionate hand. "Not quite as ornate as Queen Victoria's, though, eh?"
"Have you got a massive diamond hidden away somewhere?"
"Of course not. That's in a museum. But here, Rose. This is what I wanted to show you."
He makes some adjustments to the telescope and then flicks a switch. The dome of the building starts to open, and Rose finds herself gaping at the night sky.
"A nice clear night," he says in satisfaction. "Perfect. It wasn't easy to get this place to ourselves tonight, you know."
"You arranged this? To have this empty?" Rose isn't sure she understands.
"Not so much a matter of money as it was scheduling," he says, peering through the telescope as he eases it upwards to look out through the roof. "It's amazing how many scientists here have no home life."
"Not to me," she murmurs. She's met a few of them.
"But some are amazingly romantic," he finishes. "Come here."
Rose walks over to him.
"Here." He shows her where to look on the telescope. "Take a look."
Rose looks and gasps. The night sky has swirled into stars and constellations, all winking in the dark.
"It's beautiful," she says in awe.
"They're not the ones we know," he says. "But they're close. And someday maybe we can fly among them again."
"It's gorgeous." Rose straightens up and smiles at him. "I love it. Thank you."
"Here. A little modification I made." The Doctor flips a switch somewhere on the telescope and takes off his jacket. Laying it on the ground, he sits down and motions for her to follow suit. Rose does.
"Wait just a minute...ah! Here we go." The dim lights leading the way to the telescope turn off, and suddenly the dome is lit with the images from the telescope.
"Oh!" Rose breathes, leaning back to take it all in.
"This way we don't have to stand at the telescope," he explains, pleased at her reaction. "We can watch them blink and move from here." He settles onto his back and watches the stars complacently. "Lovely, isn't it?"
Rose leans back as well, resting her head against his. "Watch them move?"
"A shooting star, right there." He points and she follows his finger.
"I see it!" she says in delight.
"Just for you. Make a wish."
Rose doesn't have to, but she makes a wish anyway. The she turns to kiss him.
"Did you make a wish?" he asks quietly.
She smiles. "You'll see."
They lay there for a long time, watching the stars and whispering plans for their future.
"New New New Earth," Rose says softly.
"New new new new us," he agrees.
Her hand finds his. Bringing their linked fingers to her chest, Rose raises her eyes to the stars again.