The Doctor was so eager, making it impossible for Rose to tame her own enthusiasm. She was quite certain her grin rivaled his as they took once more to the dance floor. On the way there, they stopped by the cords and switched theirs out for one of shorter length. The minute they were back in position she turned again to face him. Her grin promptly slipped, her eyes captured and held by the intensity in his own staring back. She licked her lips. "So...umm...closer this time?"

He was passing the cord through his loose fist, stopping at the end and offering it to her. "Do you remember what you did before?"

"I think so, yeah." Rose took the outstretched cord in her right hand, looping it twice.

"This time, when you get your right hand to my hip, pass the cord behind my back and hold it with your left hand, your fingers through those of my right hand."

Rose nodded, picturing the position in her head. She stepped back until the cord tightened, a shorter distance required this time, then spun to the right, winding back toward him until they were practically chest-to-chest. Rose swallowed, lifting her eyes to his, now a few inches closer tonight thanks to her sultry red heels. She wove the cord behind his back and passed it to her left hand. "Umm...good so far?"

The Doctor gazed down into Rose's eyes and her expression of sought approval, her face now close to his. With his hand holding his end of the cord behind his back, he entwined his fingers with hers, securing both ends between their hands and completing the infinity loop. "Very much like that." With her right hand now free, he clasped it gently with his left and brought it to the small of her back, completing the intimate embrace.

Rose felt her temperature spike. Considering their proximity and his heightened senses, the Doctor no doubt felt it, too. That thought only served to up it another few degrees. The exotic pulse of the music filled her ears, the alluring scent of the Doctor filled her lungs, and the beat of her heart matched the rhythm of the dance as they began to move as one, back and forth, the pattern creating a slow, sensual circle. "I think I like this version," Rose affirmed, her tone a pitch lower than intended.

His hearts were beating up-tempo of the music, and Rose's voice only served to strengthen it. He could feel the vibrant heat from her body, and he couldn't take his eyes off of hers. Her breath mingled with his, and it was all he could do to keep his feet sure so as not to ruin the mood. Keeping their gazes locked, the Doctor felt through the tension of the cord how to move, keeping in sync with Rose. Attempting to clear the husk from his throat, he replied, "You and me both."

They continued this way for several intimate moments, eyes connected, bodies interlocked. Needing a break from the rising intensity she was feeling, Rose briefly shifted her gaze to their surroundings, paying closer attention to the other participants. She frowned, puzzled as she saw some trading partners. "How come some are trading off? I thought everyone had a specific partner. I mean...you kinda have to already be in-tune with the one you're dancing with if it's gonna work." She ducked her chin and smiled. That was the case for her and the Doctor, at least. Rose couldn't imagine falling so easily in-step with anyone else.

The Doctor turned his head to see what Rose had been looking at. Caught off guard as he was by her observation and how he would have to respond, he lost track of his footing and stumbled slightly into Rose's side. Quickly looking down between them to recover, he pulled his best poker face.

"Whoops, sorry about that. Amazing what a simple turn of the head can do, isn't it?" He coughed. "Right, trading off! It's actually quite routine here." The Doctor nodded in attempted effect, but it started to throw him off again so he stopped. Instead, his attention to their fluidity only seemed to make the words that followed lack the nonchalance he was going for. "Unbonded individuals of a multitude of species, especially those more galactically-savvy, come here to look for prospective mates. If they're selective enough, they'll learn the dance and find the one they synchronize best with."

Rose felt her eyes go wide. This time it was she who stumbled, his revelation momentarily disrupting her concentration. She tightened her grip around the Doctor's back, attempting to steady herself. Did he just admit to bringing them both to a...a mating ritual? A mating ritual in which they were participating? "You mean this dance is some sort of...of mating practice? That's what it's for? And we...um...we're…?" Her words broke into fragments, Rose unable to piece together what she was trying to ask. Even still, he likely understood the obvious question.

The Doctor hadn't been looking forward to this response, but he had been expecting its eventuality. "It can be, yes, but it doesn't have to be." Pleased at how rational his ready reply seemed, the Doctor went on instructively as they moved together. "From what I understand, the Infinity Dance was developed by a young, four-armed lass that sought to not just coexist with her partner, but to physically express her desire for them to flow seamlessly together." He paused his words for only a moment as he began a gentle lunge towards Rose and, as expected, she moved with him, keeping their distance measurable but intimate. "To show their understanding of one another, in an artful form that was socially acceptable."

"That's beautiful," Rose murmured. Knowing the deeper meaning behind the dance made participating that much more significant, even if she was the only one who saw it in such a way. As the Doctor said, it didn't have to serve the purpose of discovering or showcasing one's harmony with another. He himself had been here before and likely participated simply for the new experience. And that, she disappointedly told herself, was why they were here now. Nothing more. Even still, look how well they were moving together, how in tune they were with each other. Didn't they exemplify the dance's purpose? She wished she had the courage to point that out. She wished he had to courage to agree.

While managing to keep his concentration, the Doctor took in the nuances of Rose's face, as if his own words challenged him to unravel her mysteries. A yearning from within pulled at him to connect with her mind, to read her very thoughts as they formed in her own personal realm where no lie could exist, but he didn't dare. Instead the Doctor cleared his throat softly, moving sinuously as she mirrored him. "Anyway, the dance caught on, especially with those courting others. It wasn't exclusive to them, though. It certainly wasn't my intention last time I was here. My interest was purely academic." And I never got past the beginner's version of the dance, he added to himself. It was his turn to arch backwards as their sinuous mirroring continued, but due to his height over her, he didn't have to bend back his head as Rose had needed to. The Doctor managed to crack half a grin. "And needless to say as most species don't have four arms, the dance was...slightly modified."

Rose smiled back as they continued to glide across the dance floor, but the gesture was forced. Academic. That confirmed what he reduced this to. She didn't object to that being his purpose the first time. Far from it. But now? Now, as they stood quite literally wrapped in each other's arms, bodies moving as one, she wanted to challenge that assessment to its core. She wanted to challenge him. And she was just bold enough to try, if the Doctor's eagerness to proceed into the advanced dance was anything to go by.

"So tell me, Doctor. In this academic study you've conducted, I'm curious…" Forgoing practiced technique and creating a modification of her own, Rose tightened her hold around his back while pulling her end of the cord taut, effectively eliminating the small space between them. They were now pressed from chests to hips, bodies fused as she dared to look in his eyes, her words a breathless challenge. "What have you learned this time?"

The Doctor's eyes widened, his mind racing as he attempted to discern the full meaning behind Rose's words. Even with his superior capabilities of concentration he found this difficult, considering she had quite intentionally pressed up against him in a rather pleasant way, and the Doctor failed to keep the broad smile from flashing across his face. Their closeness wasn't entirely conducive to the continuation of their dance, however, not without causing friction in ways he wasn't prepared to handle. If anything, it would most certainly not be socially acceptable.

"I, erm..." While Rose's front wasn't unfamiliar to the Doctor from their frequent hugs, coupled with the motions of the dance forced him to slow their pace. "Well for starters, I'll have you know that I didn't actually get past the beginner's version last time I was here. This...close is new to me, but I really can't say this time 'round I'm interested in academics, Rose."

For the span of several rapid heartbeats, Rose's mind struggled with the question of whether she'd actually heard him correctly. She'd misunderstood. Surely. Because the Doctor wouldn't say something like that in a situation like this, knowing how it would be interpreted. Or…would he? She was surprised to discover that this level of the dance was new to him, too. So, whoever it was he had danced with before had not gotten the opportunity. It was a bit silly perhaps, but the thought that she was the only one made her feel a lot better. It also meant he had not fallen in step so perfectly with anyone else but her. That realization alone both assured and awed her.

Her question had been intended to challenge him. It seemed he had risen to the challenge. Her challenge now was to get her voice to function so that she could actually respond.

Rose breathed deeply, the expanding of her chest a distinct reminder that space between them no longer existed. They were so close that her breath caressed his face as her words whooshed out. "Neither am I. But there is something I'm anxious to learn. If you're not interested in academics, then why are we here?" There was a rather attractive bloke just over the Doctor's shoulder, the iridescent quality to his skin catching Rose's eye just long enough to give her a wicked idea. While the Doctor grappled with answering the first question, she upped the challenge. "All these eligible aliens… Did you teach me this dance to help me find a mate?"

Rose's glance over his shoulder had hardly drawn the Doctor's attention at first, but as her last question dropped his movements almost to a complete stop, he looked behind him briefly before staring at Rose in shock. She had certain tells when she was teasing him, like the cock of her jaw or a subtle twinkle in her eye, but he saw none of them now. Surely she didn't think he was trying to match her up with someone else? The Doctor didn't do domestics, and if he were to feel she needed to settle down for her own good, he would take her back to Earth and her mum. Rose seemed to be going on what he had told her of the dance and his spirits fell. The Doctor had thought he and Rose had been synchronizing quite well together. She had even said so. Why did she think he couldn't possibly be a good match for her that his reasons here would be to find her another bloke? Was it just that she liked him as a friend but nothing more?

He had thought he had done quite well in giving her an out in the beginning. Best of friends (but that was all), trying something new and alien, as usual. It had seemed quite quickly, though, that Rose was agreeable to more, but he was apparently wrong.

There was silence for too long. Rose was waiting for his response. The Doctor cleared his throat softly and swallowed past the lump in his throat. "Not as such, no. I just thought...you might find it as interesting as I did." Unless of course, that "mate" was him, but he didn't think Rose wanted to hear that. "Do you...want to dance with someone else?"

Rose stared back at his wide, uncertain eyes, the tone of his question surprising her more than the question itself. He sounded so unsure. Almost…dejected. She'd asked a provoking question in hopes of getting some sort of confession out of him - a confession that maybe, just maybe, this had meant more to him, too. And, all right. Yes. She'd also hoped for perhaps a touch of jealousy. Nothing like a show of possession to let a girl know where she stood with a man. Or Time Lord, in this case. But she hadn't meant for him to question where he stood. Where they stood. She supposed the only way to answer such a question was with complete honesty.

Her eyes held fast to his, conveying the conviction of her words. "No, Doctor. There isn't anyone else I want to dance with. There isn't anyone else I could dance with like this. Just you."

His relief was palpable, shining back at her in a slow, luminous smile. But it was short lived. Just as the Doctor opened his mouth to respond, just as Rose was holding her breath in anticipation of his words, the man she'd taken brief notice of earlier approached them.

The man dipped his head in greeting, his eyes on Rose. In his hand was a silver cord, held out as if in offering. "May I seek the privilege of your partnership for the next sequence?"

Irritation flashed through Rose. He was cutting in? Now? She supposed it was her fault for pressing in so close to the Doctor they'd been forced to stop dancing. Rose made to pull back, to resume her correct position with the Doctor with the intention of declining the offer. To her surprise, she couldn't move. It seemed a certain Time Lord had tightened his hold. She looked up at him, her pulse racing as she noted the thunderous look being directed at the other man.

"She's mi-she's with me," the Doctor bit out a little too strongly. In fact, the young man visibly flinched back, his skin twinkling in the wash from the overhead lights.

"Right...can see that now," he replied meekly.

Rose looked from the retreating man and back to the Doctor. The rigid set of his jaw had not relaxed, nor had his hold of her. He had, for all intents and purposes, just claimed her as his. Rose would have given anything in the universe to know what the Doctor was thinking, what he was feeling, at this moment. She looked into his eyes, and his locked to hers. Rose swallowed. Maybe she already knew.

The penetrating joy that came with Rose's admission fought against the Doctor's anger that someone, anyone else could presume to dance with her, but in a way it also fueled the strength of his reaction. She wanted only him. It was more than pride burning within him, though. While his instinct was to keep Rose to himself, he knew that he could never own her. She was so much more than him, life and love that couldn't be contained. The Doctor could only hope to bathe in her light. Gazing into her eyes, his stony expression erected at their interruption cracked just a little at the privilege of being chosen just to be at her side.

The Doctor dropped his eyes to check their feet and began to sway and lead them back into their dance. He wasn't going to stay stopped and let that assumption be made again. What should he say now? He cleared his throat softly and looked back to Rose, finding it impossible to predict her motions without looking at her, and settled on the less threatening bit of his thoughts to lighten the mood. "I suppose stopping isn't an option."

Rose nodded, unable to take her eyes from his. Not when he was looking at her like that. Like she was something rare and precious to him, as if he saw her the same way she saw him. "No more stopping," Rose agreed. No stopping. She only wanted to progress forward. "And no dancing with other partners," she continued, "since you've sorta claimed me as yours." The instant the words were out, Rose worried she'd pushed it too far, speaking what was meant to remain unsaid between them. But part of her wanted to push too far, wanted to settle this one way or another and be as synchronized in mind as they were in movement.

"I…" The Doctor wanted to shake his head, to refute her words, that he hadn't meant to impose himself as being worthy to claim her as his. He could only spare a glance away from her before he needed to mirror how she moved, and his eyes returned to hers. There had been no irritation in her voice or expression. If anything, she seemed a bit...self-conscious? If the way she bit at her glossy lip just now in a most distracting way was anything to go by, he'd say Rose didn't dislike the idea at all. Thankfully his peripheral vision gave him enough information to stay perfectly synced to her as his eyes seemed to be transfixed to her mouth. If she wasn't opposed, there was no point in denying what he had obviously done, was there? He realized he hadn't finished his sentence and admitted, "...Sort of did, didn't I?"

Rose felt her heart accelerate. She had all but dared him to admit it, and both knew it was true. But hearing him actually say so was...incredible. Her feet carried her of their own accord, mirroring the Doctor now on instinct as she smiled up at him, a slow, all-consuming grin that lit her entire face. "You did," Rose was quick to affirm. There was just one more thing to confirm, and if she didn't have the courage to ask this now she knew she never would. "Was that your plan all along?"

"To...claim you?" The Doctor couldn't help but slow a bit in surprise. This was what Rose thought? He of course originally had hopes of possibly wooing her by taking her to this planet's prized dance hall, fascinating and challenging her with the complexity of its Infinity Dance, and maybe enchanting her with a bit of its history. All right, maybe the "enchanting" bit was more specifically to show just how well they could sync together and make him more attractive to her, but had it been his intention to claim her?

Yes, if he were honest. Yes, it was. It shouldn't have been his intention as he didn't have the right, but the Doctor couldn't help himself. It was as if he were made for her, his Rose, and everything in the Universe would be wrong if she wasn't his. This dance was a test of sorts, one he could share with her as merely a curiosity if that's all she wanted from it, but he wouldn't lie to himself and say that's all it was to him.

And he wouldn't lie to her, not anymore. He wanted her, and she was practically asking him if that was true. The Doctor was terrified to admit it, but being this close to her, gazing into her beautiful honey eyes as he and Rose moved as one, it was as if the dance wouldn't allow deceit. He had to take heart in that gorgeous smile of hers when he agreed to his claiming her as his own.

In a bold lunge towards her that had his arm supporting Rose's weight at her back, the Doctor gazed knowingly down into her eyes. "That all right?"

If the Doctor wasn't supporting her, Rose's knees might have buckled. She felt the breath escape her lungs on a single rush, and his words, spoken with such passion and intensity, momentarily rendered her incapable of producing words of her own in reply.

The Doctor was asking if it was all right for her to be his. If she could get her voice to function properly Rose would tell him she already was. She had been for quite some time. He had captured her heart the moment he captured her hand, and that had not changed, even when he did. If anything, her feelings for him were only growing stronger with each new day, each new adventure. Every time he smiled that gorgeous smile of his or took her hand within his own, she felt herself fall a little farther. This shared experience had further demonstrated how right they were together.

But who was she to claim or be claimed by him? He was ancient and powerful, the Lord over Time and the last living paradigm of a mighty race. She was just…Rose. Yet the one thing she had to offer him was the one thing that every living being required in order to feel whole: love. Rose felt as if she had always loved him, almost as if she had been made for this purpose.

I create myself.

Maybe she had. Maybe they had always been destined for this. Maybe this moment here and now was not a result of circumstance but of the inevitable. Maybe…she should finally answer him.

Rose stared into the Doctor's eyes, open windows to his soul, and poured out her own. "Yes. Yes, that's all right," she breathed, words whispered yet resonating between them. Then, because she couldn't contain herself or the joy bubbling up inside her, she added on a breathless laugh, "It's about bloody time!" which earned her a broad grin from the Doctor. One more question flew into her head then, begging to be spoken, and Rose was feeling just daring and giddy enough to ask. Their bodies were so deliriously close now, the words slipping from her lips to caress his own, low and potent and only half teasing. "So…does this mean we're engaged?"

"I...does it?" The Doctor was caught off guard, his eyes widening as he puzzled at Rose's significant question. "Um, there's no requirement, no custom at the end of the dance or anything." The Doctor couldn't concentrate any longer on his movements and slowed to a stop until they were simply facing and holding each other. His hearts were hammering in his chest, and he swallowed heavily. "Is...that what you want?"

Rose could feel her heart thudding against the Doctor's chest, so fast it was practically a double rhythm. Or maybe she was feeling his. It was as if they were now dangling from a perilous precipice and terrified of making the wrong move and plummeting. But having climbed so high, she couldn't turn back now. "That depends…" Rose licked her lips, her mouth having gone dry in anticipation of her next words. "Are you offering?"

"I…" The Doctor wasn't accustomed to being without words. He glanced around, feeling uncomfortable now standing on the open dance floor, and released the cord to herd Rose to one side towards the pillars. Once out of the brighter lights, he was able to take a proper breath and gazed down into Rose's eyes. She looked back up at him with eager anticipation, hanging on the words that wouldn't seem to come. The Doctor's eyes dropped from hers, and he ran the fingers of one hand lightly up and down her arm and softly cleared his throat.

"I've loved dancing with you tonight, Rose. It's...as if we just...fit." The Doctor brought his eyes back up to Rose's. "And I think it means something, too." He glanced away. "Not that I didn't know before, because I did, because we're always complementing each other. I rescue you, you rescue me, et cetera. But tonight was, well…"

"Amazing," she exhaled, the word falling effortlessly from her tongue.

He grinned, and again brought his eyes back to hers where they belonged. "Yes, it was." The Doctor glanced down only momentarily to grasp both of her hands with his. "I love just...moving with you. It's almost as if you're reading my thoughts, and...I want more of that." He squeezed Rose's fingers with his. "So, am I offering?" The Doctor gave Rose a small smile, but he could feel it in his eyes. "Yes, I am."

Rose opened her mouth to respond, but lost her words on an escaped breath. How on Earth – how on any planet in the Universe – could she adequately respond to that?

"I…oh, Doctor…I…" Her hand trembled within his own, her voice equally shaky. "I don't know what to say." His smile faltered at her seeming indecision. Rose twined her fingers more tightly with his in reassurance. "No, that…that's not true. I know exactly what to say, I just didn't think I ever could." She was utterly gobsmacked by the Doctor's open confession. And yet, the truth of such feelings between them was an unspoken fact. Unspoken, that was, until now. "What you said, that's how I feel, too. Always have. I want…everything with you, not just this, not just tonight, but for as long as we can have. I want forever. And so…" They were each still holding an end of the silken silver cord in one hand and, perhaps fittingly, it was this Rose used to draw his willing body into hers, her face tipping up to his as she whispered, "Offer accepted."

The Doctor couldn't hold himself back any longer. With their dancing no longer dividing his concentration, his full attention was on Rose - her declaration, her proximity, her lips. Now flush against her once again, his next move was instinctual and, at last, uninhibited. He bent his head. Still perfectly in-sync, Rose inclined her own. They met halfway in a kiss suffused with mutual pent-up passion. With his free hand he encircled her, not quite believing just how extraordinarily their night had turned out.

Even though centuries old, the Infinity Dance was new to the young that discovered it. The Doctor and Rose chose to learn a far more ancient dance together, one they were both eager to perfect and make their own.

"So, Rose Tyler," the Doctor asked between pants to catch his breath. "What's the verdict? Impressed?"

Her dazed smile blossomed into a full-blown Rose Tyler grin. "That depends… What are your plans for the wedding?"