Rose mumbled sleepily as the golden sun began to illuminate their bedroom. She pulled the covers up and wondered out to the living room, sighing. She'd really hoped he'd still be there in the morning.

It was then that it hit her. The Doctor had opened the sliding doors and was sitting on the balcony, serving breakfast. There were all sorts of little cakes and exotic fruit for her to choose from. The wafting breeze smelt of jasmine and orange and sea-salt.

"Ah, Rose," he drawled, grinning softly. She grinned back, melting at how her name sounded on his northern accent. R-oh-se…

She was a vision in her silk nightdress. He invited her to sit down and poured her a cup of tea.

"It's beautiful," Rose exclaimed, casting her vision across the ocean. It was a most beautiful shade of blue; the silicon sand white against orange cliffs and grassy green plains. Far in the distance was a dusty city.

"The city, it's Lunaire, the capital. This planet, Amour, it's a pleasure planet, some three thousand years into your future. Colonised by the French, hence the names, but frequented by species from all over the galaxy,"

Rose nodded, taking in this information, "And the receptionist, the blue people? She a native?"

"Yeah, peaceful species. Wealthy too. The Keiloran."

"Hmm…"

"Eat up Rose. We'll rent a car and drive down to Lunaire for the day. I booked us into the spa in the afternoon but I thought you might like to get some shopping done first?"

Rose ran her eyes over the Doctor in surprise, surveying him, "You're kidding right? Who are you and what have you done with the Doctor?"

He rolled his eyes, "Just shut up and enjoy yourself."

She grinned and returned her concentration to breakfast. "What's this then?" she pondered, picking up and round, dark pink fruit. It was soft and squishy and completely alien.

"It's called a … oh" the Doctor felt his mouth run dry as she bit into the fruit. Rose's mouth exploded with flavours like she'd never felt before and she let out a moan.

"Oh, God" she exclaimed, lost in the experience. His eyes raked over her, watching the juice dribble teasingly down her chin.

"It's better than sex!"

The Doctor jumped like he'd been struck by lightening, and dashed out of the room. "I'll just get dressed then…" he called.

Rose shrugged and returned her attention to the feast. What was that all about?

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Rose locked up the room and went to meet the Doctor, who was waiting outside in the car they'd rented. She wore a simple pink wrap-around dress and strappy red pumps with her trademark hoop earings. Her blonde hair was set on her shoulders.

"Hop in Rose!" he grinned from the car. She was surprised to note he actually had changed out of his battered old leather jacket, into a light cotton shirt and pant combination, similar in make to her dress.

'Just a sec!" she pulled out a camera like device she'd gotten from the gift shop, "Smile! Thought we might need something to remember this holiday by."

"Right"

The Doctor stepped on the accelerator and they sped through the countryside towards Lunaire, him telling Rose some more of the history of Amour and the Keiloran.

"… Ah, here we are. The marketplace. You up for some shopping?"

"Only if it's on you," she grinned.

'Of course!'

They wandered through the bustling streets for most of the morning, hand in hand, Rose stopping to exclaim over whatever caught her interest. She didn't buy anything though; somehow she was happy just to look around, and take it all in.

It was nearly lunchtime when the Doctor announced he was leaving.

"I'll be right back, I've just got some things to do," he told her, handing her some cash and telling her to meet him back in the car in half an hour.

She managed a fake smile but felt her heart sinking as she watched him dart off into the opposite direction. She should of known; right now he was probably off to pick-up a bit for the TARDIS, or foil some international crime ring, or whatever.

This trip wasn't for her. The Doctor didn't really think she needed a break; he didn't want a nice holiday, just the two of them; and it certainly wasn't a carefully planned seduction. The romantic hotel; the mix-up with the bedrooms, hadn't all been an elaborate scheme because he had finally realised he was head over heels in love with one Rose Marion Tyler, nineteen year old London shop girl.

She cursed herself for hoping.

Rose Marion Tyler was wrong, mostly. The Doctor wasn't trying to seduce her; he'd no idea the way she felt, or how he himself felt, for that matter. But he wasn't here on some errant mission either. He was here for her.

He had left Rose simply to surprise her with a picnic lunch on the beach. He had to go pick it up from a restaurant two streets over, shouldn't have been more than half an hour.

He was snaking his way back when he noticed a necklace in a stall that caught his interest. It was beautiful, just like Rose. He payed and pocketed it.

"You're late," she chastised, "I've been waiting here a good ten minutes! Let's just… oooh, what's in the basket?"

"Picnic lunch! Got your swimsuit on under that dress like I asked?"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Rose popped another chip into her mouth.

"So that's where you went. I thought…" she tried to cut herself off before she said to much.

"Thought what?"

"Well…"

"What?"

'Oh, s'nothing. Just thought you might 'ave had a job to do in town. S'all."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Rose! I've said it before; we are here purely to relax. No business."

She looked down guiltily.

"Oh, and before I forget," the Doctor continued casually, "Bought ya' a little something."

The stone was like nothing she'd seen. It was very alien and very blue, almost the colour of his eyes. It was set on a simple silver chain. Rose gaped.

"You… this is for me?" she asked.

"Yeah," he nodded, turning towards the ocean, "Silly really… just thought you might like it."

"Doctor… I-I love it. It's beautiful. T-thank you…"

The Doctor snapped around towards her. She was looking at him in pure wonderment.

Rose was so overcome with emotion, she couldn't resist. She leaned over and planted her lips on his, kissing him shyly. She was expecting him to pull away when she felt him kiss back, pulling her towards him and deepening it.

TBC