Rose

"Ah, now, isn't this magnificent! The very spot where human heavier-than-air flight was born!" The Doctor spun on his heel, taking in the Wright Brothers Memorial at Kill Devil Hills. The highest stable spot on the barrier islands at all of ninety feet, the hill that launched mankind into the air now sported a gleaming white granite monument to the vision of the two brothers so long before.

He turned back to Rose and held out his hand, smiling at only her – and waggled his fingers suggestively. Laughing at the reminder, she slipped underneath the hand, wrapping her arms around his waist and letting him pull her close to his side. "Mmmmmm," he murmured as he pressed a kiss to her temple. "I got you out of that house so we could talk, and the whole way up here, you never said a word. Cassandra got your tongue?"

She smiled up at him. "Just enjoying the wonderful feeling of having you all to myself for a bit. It doesn't happen all that often any more."

"No, it doesn't, does it? We should sneak out like this more often." He turned to face her squarely then, lacing his fingers behind her back and gazing solemnly into her beloved eyes. "Now. I'm listening. What is it you need to tell me?"

"It's just... I'm just so afraid of losing you. I can't bear the thought of it." She pulled one hand back around and laid it lightly on the side of his stomach, over the new scar hidden by his shirt. "This was just too close. It scared me, so much."

"Yes, it was. It scared me, too, love. That's why I've been avoiding talking about it." He pulled her tight to his chest again and closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of her hair. "So what do you want to do about it? Stop traveling?"

She shook her head. "No. I love traveling, I love our life. I just wish it weren't so dangerous." Pulling back again, she peeked up at him through her lashes, minxlike. "You are, without a doubt, the most danger-magnetic individual in the history of – history."

"Oi! Me? You're the one who's jeopardy-friendly!"

"Hah! I haven't gotten us into a tenth as many scrapes as you have! Besides," she added, diverting him, "not traveling wouldn't stop it. How many times have we been sitting tamely here on Earth and trouble just falls out of the sky on top of us?"

"A lot of times," he agreed ruefully. "You're right on that score. So..."

"So, just try not to be so foolhardy, all right? There wasn't any need for you to go rushing into the king's private chamber, for heaven's sake. Of course his guard took exception, even if you were only trying to warn him about the conspiracy. Please, darling. Just be more careful! Our lives are dangerous enough without you running into friendly swords. Okay?"

"Okay. I promise. And maybe... maybe we should take it easy for a while. Stay places longer, and not move around so often."

"Give trouble a chance to find us instead of us finding it?" she asked impishly.

"Exactly!" he grinned back.

"I like that idea," she said softly, and pulled his head down to kiss her seal of approval on the deal.

The couple spent a thoroughly enjoyable morning amidst the tourists on the north end of the island, taking a long, leisurely stroll around the Memorial grounds while the Doctor described the thrilling scenes from a century before. "Unfortunately, I was already there, so I can't take you now. I would have loved for you to watch them," he told her regretfully.

"What, and ruin the day by bringing down aliens on their heads?" she asked, imp back. "Mankind might never have taken to the skies in that case!"

"Well, seeing as how there were several other teams around the world vying for the same thing, I doubt that. But you have a point," he grinned back.

After lunch in a nearby seafood shack, they started back – but then Rose spotted Jockey's Ridge, the long, high, massive sandy dune that occasionally, depending on the weather conditions, topped out over Kill Devil Hill, and they stopped for another hour to watch the hang gliders and the throng of colorful kites. When the Doctor spied the billboard pointing interested viewers across the highway to Kitty Hawk Kites (billed as the largest kite store in America), nothing would do but they stopped in and purchased several gaudy kites in different designs for their own crew.

After a slow, relaxing drive back down the island, they pulled in through the gate and parked the car under the house, leaving the kites stowed in the trunk for the time being and climbing up the wide front steps to the breezeway. Then they opened the door to the kitchen/great room and stepped into trouble.

Mike, Donna and Sylvia were standing together in the kitchen, deep in discussion. "Hello!" chirped the Doctor, then both he and Rose stopped in their tracks as the others' bleak, angry expressions registered. Never one to back down from anything, the Doctor plunged in, albeit with a bit of trepidation. "What?" he asked bluntly.

Donna closed her eyes, arms crossed over her chest with an air of if I don't sit on my hands I'm going to slap somebody, while Sylvia didn't look too far behind her. Mike turned and gave the newcomers a harried, exasperated look. "She's doing it again," was all he said, jerking his head up and northwards.

The Doctor wilted, sighing, and Rose gave him a small, sympathetic smile, squeezing his hand. "All right," he said. "I'll go talk to her. Again. For all the good it will do."

Mike shook his head. "Well, she sure as hell isn't listening to any humans. Including me."

The Doctor turned to leave, but Donna stopped him. "Doctor! Wait! I..." As quickly as that, her voice trailed off as her expression turned mystified.

He'd turned back to her. "What, Donna?"

"I... can't remember now. That's so odd. I could have sworn for a second I had something important to tell you, but now I can't for the life of me think what it was." She shook her head. "Oh, well, it must not have been important after all. If it is, it'll come back." Waving him off, she added, "Go on, then."

The Doctor shook his head again, and, kissing Rose for good luck, gathered all his courage and went to confront his mother.