Summary: It takes a lot of love to forgive a man that has caused so much personal pain of such an intimate nature and a lot of courage to trust him to touch you again. There's a bouncy little bambi of a Doctor that joins her after Sat Five...and despite her unsurety about the new form, she takes his hand once more...and fortunately for the Doctor's general safety, Jackie passes off Rose's nervousness as being over the new form.
Pleasure in Reverse -
Recovery, part 2
"Further than we've ever gone before." He told her, tucking Rose under his arm as he'd used to do before he'd hurt her so badly. She was willing to give his new body a chance, it seemed. He'd never quite gotten the closeness back that he'd once had with her in the old body after that, for all that she had clung to his hand as before and become Bad Wolf to prevent his erasure from existance. She was treating his new form with a certain amount of posessiveness, though...and seemed willing to trust again. Possibly, this was because of the silly look of the trainers with the suit but mostly, he rather thought it was because his physical appearance was less threatening.
"A bit at a time, though, yeah? We'll get there, but take our time?"
"What do you mean?"
"What about somewhere warm, quiet, private and on Earth...just you and me, yeah? Somewhere isolated. South Pacific, maybe? Some island somewhere?" She sounded hopeful and he realized that other than the TARDIS he hadn't allowed them to really be alone since That Day. He'd kept Jack there as a buffer for months and had done the same with Jackie more recently. Rose wanted to finish healing...she wanted to trust her Doctor...and she needed him to help her do that. She was very nearly broadcasting it though after a moment he realized that the TARDIS was picking it up and amplifiying the mental thought.
"Yeah." He nodded, then pulled her into his arms. "Just you and me, for as long as it takes." He realized that in this new body, he could do that. He could take that final step to bring her fully into his arms and stop the memories of that afternoon that caused nightmares even now, by replacing the memory of pain with the knowledge of pleasure. But there could be no drawing back or turning away once he began. He had to bond to her fully without hesitation. She deserved nothing less from him, not now. Not with her actions on the satellite and his own horrible act. He kissed her atop her head and cradled her against himself. "This new oral fixation will be useful." He told her quietly and smiled at the giggle that answered him.