Title: Mercurial Rhythm
Chapter: One
Rating: T
Summary: The Doctor, Rose and Jack stop on a planet for little bit of shopping but what starts out as an innocent expedition ends up being a trip full of a lot of interesting conversations…okay, someone else write my summary for me.
Pairings/Spoilers: The Doctor(9)/Rose, OC (Not a Mary-Sue, I hope) and takes place just after The Doctor Dances

A/N: Okay, this is the untitled epic though obviously my beta finally came up with a brilliant name for it. This after she'd spent days and days endlessly trying to fix up a thoroughly broken fic. Now it's all better and I'm rather happy with it. There are a lot of chapters, but I hope you're not put off because they are all finished and will probably be posted daily. So, thank you to everyone who reviewed the now finished (I think) Chemistry series and a bigger thank you to saganmidreams for working so hard on this.

Chapter One

Prior to discovering otherwise, Rose had been rather glad the Doctor couldn't dance. They'd had a fantastic adventure and, on a whim, she'd decided to attempt an exploration of the 'moves' the Doctor had so proudly claimed to possess. He had been so happy when they'd returned to the TARDIS, high as a kite and his mood hadn't faltered when she told him they had to rescue Jack.

She'd asked him once more to show her his moves. He'd smiled, done his thing with the TARDIS and seconds later they were standing uncomfortably as he fumblingly tried to lead. Despite the awkwardness, in the half minute between being grabbed clumsily and Jack realizing there was a blue box parked in his ship, there was electricity sparking between them.

He'd tried to twist her, or something, and it went terribly wrong, his hand ending up on the small of her back, dangerously close to her backside, her own arm twisted behind her. She pulled away at the jolting movement and yelped, perhaps a little too curtly, "Okay…okay, try and spin me again, but this time don't get my arm up my back. No extra points for a half-nelson."

She couldn't help but smile a little at the Doctor's look of confusion over his own inability. When he welcomed Jack with a sarcastic jibe, Rose, in retaliation to the Doctor's bad manners, decided to get a bit of her own back.

She was seriously worried about her lack of attraction to Jack. When she'd first met him, the logical side of her brain told her straight out that he had potential. Funny, romantic, good looking, a hero and he seemed genuinely nice, even if he had later proved to be both completely up himself and a conman. The other side, the bit that was irrational and unpredictable, took one look at the Captain and muttered something suspiciously like 'Not the Doctor,' and chucked out the idea of Jack as anything more than a friend.

But none of that was going to stop her flirting with him. She liked him and she liked flirting. There was music, and she already knew he could dance. With a wicked grin, she invited him to cut in.

In reality, the Doctor was a fairly decent dancer; after 900 years it made sense he'd be proficient. Despite this, dancing with Rose was not something he wanted to try. Every time she held his hand his hearts started pounding; every time she hugged him his knees almost buckled. He dared not imagine what her arms around his neck and her hips swaying against his could feel like. But she kept pushing him. Having run out of distractions, he'd decided he'd best put her off his dancing for good.

But then Jack, smooth-talking, super-suave Captain Jack, had weaseled his way onto the TARDIS and the smoldering emotion the Doctor had bemusedly identified as jealously flared into life. If the Doctor didn't do something Rose was going to dance with Jack, her new playboy. With the flick of a switch and a deep breath, the Doctor bounced towards the pair. "Rose, I've just remembered."

"What?" She looked at him for what seemed the first time since Jack has swaggered in.

"I can dance." He bounced a little more. "I can dance." A wide grin swept over his features as he clicked his fingers in time with the music and bounded over.

Rose looked like a fit of giggles was barely being kept at bay, but he wasn't put off - he knew how good he was. "Actually, Doctor, I thought Jack might like this dance," she explained, slightly patronizing, which he really didn't think he deserved.

Sod that, the Doctor thought and quipped in return, "I'm sure he would, Rose, I'm absolutely certain. But who with?"

A muffled giggle escaped her but she walked, without further hesitation, into his arms. He was suddenly grateful for the upbeat music; it hid the upsurge in his heartbeat the moment his hand grasped hers. The earlier sparks had transformed into rivers of electricity, coursing through his body.

God, but she was beautiful. Not just in the silly human scope of the word; she was so much more. From the first time she'd challenged him, thinking quicker than he as she recognized the London Eye as the transmitter, then raced alongside him, headlong into danger, he'd known she didn't really fit into that twentieth century world. He'd known she was a rarity amongst the mediocrity, a lovely being not worthy of the planet. He swayed while resisting the urge to pull her closer to him, just to feel her against him again.

Until she saw him glance at Jack, Rose honestly believed the Doctor's new-found ability was just that. Glancing at Jack herself, she noticed he looked highly amused and just a little put out. She saw in the Doctor's eyes an unidentifiable emotion, shading them greener before it melted away into something close to delight.

Rose came to two conclusions as she danced across the TARDIS. One, the Doctor really was experiencing Captain Envy. Two, he could definitely dance and he'd tried to hide it from her, even after he'd bragged about his moves.

Being twirled across the floor of the greatest space and time ship that had ever existed by a man who was so impressive (though she'd never tell him so), and being a girl with her priorities in the right order, she filed her conclusions away for later consideration.

He was talented, not in the way people on television are talented, gliding effortlessly and doing amazing lifts and such, but those few minutes of dancing were the most alive she could ever remember feeling. His grin and the pressure of his hand wrapped around her own, the gentle touch at the curve of her waist as he maneuvered around the consoles and wires, separating from her fully at one point only to rejoin still perfectly in synch.

And then he did something she didn't expect. As the music peaked he deftly positioned his leg behind her, dipping her down over it and sending her hair flying; turning her whole world upside down. She let out a shriek of excitement, both from the suddenness of the movement and her giddiness at the fascinating feeling of resting safely in the curve of the Doctor's body. And then, just as suddenly as he had begun he pulled her back up, the music was gone and she, not prepared to lose the contact or the resulting blissful feelings, let out a contented sigh and a giggle and draped her neck over his shoulder, never once letting go of his hands.

She did catch the look of triumph the Doctor flashed towards Jack, however, and added it to her list of things to consider.

Jesus Christ, was all Jack could think; what on earth had he gotten himself into? When he'd met Rose he'd been interested in her; when he'd laid eyes on the Doctor, he'd been interested in him. After about three seconds in their combined presence he'd doubted he had any chance with either of them. Now, adrenaline-filled hours later, watching them dance, he was absolutely certain he had no hope. It wasn't what they were doing but how they were doing it and the free flow of emotions filtering over their faces.

Yep, they were so far head over heels in love with each other Jack knew he had more chance of having a rewarding relationship with a fried chicken than of getting anything other than platonic out of these two.

The Doctor sent him a grinning look of ownership as he pulled Rose back into his arms. Jack didn't have to be told twice not to touch, especially when the one doing the telling was a Time Lord. He quickly decided that he could, at a maximum, indulge in a little harmless flirtation and that it would have to be divided between them in equal measure. Not that it would be any great hardship. He'd accepted that, as potential lovers, they were both useless, but he wasn't about to give up flirting all together.

It was odd; as far as he could tell the pair in front of him had, on a physical level at least, a strictly companionable relationship. He couldn't believe that with so much tension they hadn't at least shared a kiss, which he was sure would have quickly led to a whole lot more. Briefly, he wondered which of them was to blame and then decided he'd have to ask Rose about it. Rose, because he was pretty sure asking the Doctor would result in him stranded somewhere.

He was struck suddenly by the thought that playing matchmaker to these two totally oblivious but besotted fools could be highly entertaining; upon further contemplation, he realized he was rather looking forward to it. If he could just get them to act, they might be inclined to avoid situations of almost-certain death. Not to mention, with access to all of history's most decadent and luxurious resorts, he might be able to find some more accommodating companionship.

Tell me what you think, I'm desperate for feedback after working on this for so long…this is me begging for reviews. I loves them.