The plane ride over was more than slightly awkward for both parties involved for several reasons. First; there was still a bit of tension between the pair, the lingering sparks were still present from their interrupted kiss from that morning. Secondly; the plane itself was the giant aircraft charier designed so that it would fit Ginormica's huge stature in it with ease as well as several army vehicles at any one time. As Susan was currently, well Susan sized it left the aircraft feeling rather empty, the space between the pair feeling like a giant chasm of despair. Thirdly; General Monger had been sitting in the aircraft charier with the pair, painfully aware of the awkward tension between them. He wasn't quite sure what had happened between the two monsters but it was pretty evident that Susan was pissed off. It might have had something to do with the fact that Doctor Cockroach kept stealing glances at her every few minutes like a love-sick schoolboy. After a few hours, it all got a bit much for the General who quickly made his excuses and went to go sit with the pilot instead.
The fourth and final reason was the fact that Susan had purposefully decided to sit as far away from the Doctor as she could, avoiding eye contact with the large bug man throughout the whole flight. Even though it pained her to do so. Giving him the cold shoulder was a little cruel perhaps but it was a way of silently making her feelings quite clear about the subject of 'them'. As far as Susan was concerned what had happened between them was a momentary lapse in judgement. She had just been happy to be back to almost normal and she had wanted to thank him. He was a man and she was a woman, so a kiss seemed an appropriate way of showing her gratitude towards him. However, it had changed things between the pair and started the wheels in motion that would change their friendship forever. They could both feel it. Both parties secretly wanted it but neither of them would own up to it. After all, it had only been one short-lived kiss, surely that couldn't change that much between the pair could it?
The plane landed and Monger straightened his jacket taking a deep breath of the overly stuffy air in the ship before he addressed his 'monsters'.
"Now Doctor Cockroach, Susan we have arrived. Doctor Cockroach you will find that we have arrived a few minutes away from your home estate for a reason. It's been a long flight and I suggest you two get some sleep and sort out whatever it is going on between you. After all, I need you at your best this weekend if you are going to save London from and the world from Jellantor. Remember people, Performance Review" Monger barked in his usual way putting extra emphasis on the last part of his speech. Try as he might he was unable to keep the tiredness he felt out of his voice. Everyone at the 'institute' knew that it was only a matter of time before Doctor Cockroach and Susan got together officially. He just hopped this weekend away from the others and would give them the boot up the backside that they sorely needed.
The walk up to Dr Cockroach's family estate was a long and frosty one. Not just because it was below freezing point in the middle of British winter either. The tension between them was unbearable and Susan was quietly seething about something. Finally, after well over half an hour it was the Doctor who finally chose to break the silence.
"Welcome to my humble abode my dear" He said with a warm smile. It did help ease the tension a little but not by much. Susan was pretty determined to continue giving the Doc the cold shoulder until that morning's little incident was well and truly forgotten. As Susan looked up she was awe-struck to find herself standing in front of an elegant 18th-century manor house that was indeed very grand and fitted the Doctor down to a T. Half of the house was covered in a dense layer of ivy; the tiny tendrils sticking to the brick and woodwork making the house blend into the background almost as if it was trying to keep itself a secret from anyone but its master. The white paintwork on the front of the house had been aged and weathered by time and now was a dirty slightly yellow colour but it seemed to add to the character of the house. It had history to it, a story to tell and Susan realised that the story of the house included the man she was currently trying her hardest to ignore. Somehow in the presence of such a beautiful piece of history, Susan felt her little show of giving the Doc the cold shoulder was rather petty; in the grand scheme of things. After all, she had wanted to know about him since the moment they had met. Her intrest was piqued even further when she found out he had once been human like her, rather than being born as a monster. She wasn't going to waste this once in a lifetime opportunity to find out about the man inside the monster on her own insecure pettiness.
"It's beautiful" Susan whispered her words barely audible yet the Doctor still heard them and a huge grin began to spread across his face.
"Ah, so she does speak," He said warmly "I was beginning to fear for a moment that the serum had made you lose your beautiful voice. It would have been a shame if you had as it would be like a nightingale losing its song," he said smoothly hoping that it would somehow coax her into a friendlier mood.
It worked like a charm just as he had hoped and Susan found herself blushing.
"My voice isn't beautiful Doctor but your house certainly is, I have never seen anything quite like it" She stopped for a moment taking it all in before she continued.
"It's perfect and quirky, I couldn't really be anyone's house but yours," she said with a smile proving that her frosty streak was in fact gone for good. She had wanted to add 'and old' but that was pretty obvious. She hoped that she would finally find some clue alluding to the Doctor's real age. She could always do some investigating while she was here to find out about him. If she was truthful what she really wanted to know above all else was what he had looked like before the 'accident' she wasn't really sure why but she felt compelled to know everything about him. After all the old charmer of a cockroach knew almost everything about her and she knew so little about him that it was finally time to even the score between the two.
The Doctor decided not to peruse the issue of Susan's voice, which he thought sounded angelic on the best of days. But, there was just something about her being out in the open that made it even more beautiful.
"Well if you think the decaying exterior of this place is beautiful then why don't you step inside and have a look? I promise not to disappoint you, the inside is rather breathtaking or at least it used to be back in the day". The Doctor said his dark brows knitting together into something that resembled a frown as he held the door open for Susan. In truth, he was ever so slightly worried about how the old place had held up without him there to provide the much-needed maintenance against the constant effect of time.
"Cheer up Doctor i am sure it will be fine," Susan said cheerfully, running a finger along the Doctor's jaw as she walked past him giving him a 'come hither' look as she entered the place he had once called 'home'. The Doctor felt weak at the knees as soon as he felt her skin touch his, he thought it was unfair that she was teasing him like this. Yet he had the advantage, she was going to be staying in his house for the next few days and the sexual tension between the two was still evident. In those few moments their skin had touched it had changed the game yet again. The tension between the pair had changed from frosty and awkward and had heated up becoming the bubbling excitement of sexual tension. It was going to be an interesting weekend, and not just because the pair had to stop a giant, most likely mutated jellyfish. The Doctor smiled to himself a plan forming in his brain as he slowly closed the weathered front door behind him. Oh yes, the game was afoot and he was confident that he would win no matter the outcome.