First Date

The Doctor and Rose spent the day organizing his carefully crafted lie. With his immense knowledge, it should have been simple to craft his new identity. They quickly became aware, however, that this would shape the rest of his life. His name, Rose quickly found, was the easiest part of the entire ordeal.

"Joshua Donald Noble." She read the name off the piece of paper with a bit of awe. "You made your name into Donna's."

"Well of course I did. She helped create me."

"That's nice. Why Joshua, though?"

"I wanted something that was unique to me."

"Ah." Rose and the Doctor (Joshua) spent the day getting his paperwork together. When he went to Torchwood, he would have everything together.

~DW~~DW~~DW~

They stopped at around 4pm. Both their backs were hurting from being bent over the table all day. It was a new sensation for Joshua. As a Time Lord, he didn't succumb to the aches and pains the way most humans did. It took quite a lot to make him sore. With this part-human body, he wasn't quite sure how far he could push it.

Rose suggested they go out for the night. Out, like in a date kind of way. And suddenly, Joshua was nervous. Sure, he'd taken her to exotic planet with strange meals and entertainment. But a simple customary Earth date seemed overwhelming. His confidence was always solid when he was fully Time Lord. Did being human really affect him that much?

Joshua took a deep breath and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked the same, mostly. His eyes seemed to be a bit lighter. The weight of the universe no longer sat on his shoulders. He poked and prodded at himself, feeling where the differences could be. For all outward appearances, he was the same man. He had all the same knowledge. For all intents and purposes, he was the same man. Now, if only he could believe it. Better, could he get Rose to believe it?

~DW~~DW~~DW~

Joshua dressed in his black pinstriped suit with a blue tie. He was fidgeting in the living room when Rose stepped out. He sucked in a sharp breath, taking in her appearance. She was dressed in a knee length, TARDIS blue dress that matched beautifully with his tie. She wore matching flats. She had no jewelry on to speak of, and no makeup either. Joshua thought she looked stunning. Rose blushed when he mentioned how she looked. They eyed one another nervously for a moment before Joshua held out his hand. He wiggled his fingers, just like he had after his regeneration. Rose immediately took his hand and off they went.

~DW~~DW~~DW~

Rose and Joshua ended up at a pizzeria. Joshua, in true Doctor style, had one piece of everything. He spent the entirety critiquing the pizzas while Rose laughed and joined in.

Supreme pizza was out.

Meat-lovers wasn't too bad.

Ham and pineapple. That one was pretty good.

Rose enjoyed watching him eat. He hardly ever stopped to eat when she'd traveled with the Doctor but Joshua? He was excited to try new things. To taste new things. When he didn't like something, he'd spit it out and hang his tongue out and use a napkin to scrape the taste off. She'd giggle at him and tell him how silly he was being.

Pepperoni was average.

Cheese was dull.

Chicken with white sauce wasn't bad at all.

Spinach was ok. You had to watch out for the burnt pieces, though. Those were horrible.

He enjoyed watching her reactions. Sometimes he'd go overboard just to make her laugh. He knew he was being ridiculous but he loved to see her laugh. And when she smiled, so did he.

He couldn't decide which was his favorite. But it definitely wasn't the one with everything on it. He thought maybe he went to far asking for the anchovies. Too much salt. Next time he'd leave those off and see if the taste improved any.

~DW~~DW~~DW~

The movie itself was average. With this being a new universe for him, it was something he hadn't seen before. The movie replayed the legend surrounding the death of Queen Victoria. The legend was exactly what they had lived through, minus them. The monarchy, Rose informed him, was a topic of curiosity for most people. Very similar to King Arthur in their home universe. That particular legend wasn't that big here, but the end of the monarchy definitely was.

They sat in the back of the theatre, away from most of the other patrons. They giggled and pointed, comparing what they knew had happened to what was depicted. Obviously, some details were different. Joshua felt that the comparisons made Rose feel even more like he was the Doctor. It put him more at ease.

He tensed and relaxed at the same time when Rose snuggled into his side. He struggled for a moment before laying his arm across her shoulders and pulling him tight against him.

~DW~~DW~~DW~

They were both giddy by the time they arrived home. Sexual tension was crackling between them, but neither made a move on it. There was an unspoken agreement that they were not ready to go down that road yet.

Rose settled into Joshua's side again as they sat on the couch. They weren't watching anything on the telly. They were just basking in the closeness they'd reacquired since they were left here. For now, they were both content. Rose almost fell asleep. Joshua gently nudged her awake. They slowly made their way to their bedroom, Rose leaning heavily on Joshua. The weekend was upon them and with the exception of going to the mansion Sunday, they had no plans. So the weekend was devoted to acquainting Joshua with this new London.