Wake up call.
The door opened the slightest crack without so much as a whisper and he grinned. He poked it harder and the crack grew until a sliver of light slid through the opening. He peered inside and was rewarded with the sight of his prey still blissfully unaware that it was being stalked.
He crouched down and pushed the door until it opened enough for him to slink his way through, his new slim frame allowing him a much easier journey than before.
He edged his way into the room and paused, listening intently for any sign of movement from his quarry but there was nothing.
With a smirk of triumph on his face he tiptoed across the room, his feet making no sound on the plush carpet. He almost felt like he was a jungle cat, prowling across the lush green rainforest, ready to pounce.
He knelt almost to the floor, his body tense and ready, attuned to the slightest change from his victim.
He leaned forward, ready to jump, ready to attack, ready to spring into action. His legs tensed to jump—
"If you jump on me," Rose muttered sleepily. "I'll kick you so hard the TARDIS won't be able to able to remove the boot print."
The Doctor sagged.
Damn it!
Curled up on the plastic chair that had materialised next to the console one evening, Rose snuggled deeper into the Doctor's long coat, glad that the day was over. Running from alien hordes took its toll and her feet were aching like crazy. She couldn't even be bothered to make her way to her room and, to be honest, she was still uneasy about being on her own after being trapped for hours underground alone before the Doctor found her.
She was slipping into sleep, just enjoying the sound of him pottering around in the TARDIS, listening to him walk about on the metal grilled floor, listening to the hum of the sonic screwdriver as he worked, listening to the muted thud as he put the screwdriver down, hearing the tiny creaks as he crept across the TARDIS floor, the footsteps getting closer and closer—
"I'm serious about the smack you're gonna get," she murmured and she almost felt him slump.
"Eyes in the back of your head, you," he groused and stomped back to his screwdriver.
It was the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring—except for the Doctor who wondered how on earth Rose had ever slept when Jackie snored like that.
He hadn't bothered creeping through the hall, Jackie's snores negating any noise he might have made. Rose's door was open and he snuck in, watching as her chest rose and fell in gentle slumber.
She looked so sweet and peaceful when she was wrapped deep in her duvet and the Doctor took a few moments to watch the usually active girl at rest.
Then a wicked grin crossed his lips and he took a step forward.
Nothing.
Closer.
Nope, still asleep.
A broad grin burst over his face and he almost danced with glee.
He made his way over to her bed and leaned down, inhaling warm, sleeping human female. He was so close now, so very, very close.
He opened his mouth—
"What are you doing in there?"
He spun around with a hand-caught-in-the-cookie-jar expression. He had been so intent on Rose he hadn't heard Jackie's snores stop.
"Uh, ah, uh." He scratched the back of his neck. "Just checking on Rose."
Jackie folded her arms. "Hmm?"
The Doctor sighed and made his way back to the hallway under the suspicious eye of Jackie.
Warm in her bed, Rose Tyler's lips curved and she giggled into her pillow.
The sunshine was warm on her face and she was full and happy, their honorary feast all over but for the dancing being done down in the meadow. It was a great celebration of their victory and, although she'd only had a small part, she was being treated like a Queen and who was she to argue with that?
But the heat of the sun was making her dozy and the hammock swung lazily between the trees with the rushing breeze lulling her to sleep, like the old children's rhyme her mother used to sing about babies falling from trees.
Odd and slightly morbid rhyme now that she thought about it; why would a mother leave her baby and cradle in the treetops in the first place? Child services should be onto her for that.
She wrinkled her nose and decided to ignore it and just enjoy the rushing wind, the soft creak of the tree limbs and the—
"Doctor, if you try to tip me out of this hammock, I'll tie you up in it and drag you through the vortex behind us."
"Hmmph!" He huffed and kicked the tree bark.
It was the pressure on her feet that made her realise that someone was pressing down on her bed.
Rose mentally sighed. She was getting fed up with the Doctor's behaviour and having to be on guard for his weird impulses.
She had a good mind to just kick him and get it over and done with, but he was so earnest in his attempts that it was quite funny.
She sighed and waited as his weight crept over the bed, the duvet dipping on her at various intervals where he had positioned his hands.
As his entire weight was on the bed she felt the warmth of her covers pressing down on her, wrapping her in a velveteen cocoon, cosy and wrapped.
She could hear his quiet breathing just near her ear and she braced herself for the noise she knew he would make to wake her up.
She waited for a few seconds, knowing that he was in position and sure enough he inhaled deeply, ready to open his mouth.
Then, Rose felt his breath on her cheek and soft lips touch her own. Her eyes flew open to see the Doctor's face above hers, his eyes closed as he leaned down to place another kiss on her lips. This one lingered and he swept his tongue over the lower lip, catching it between his teeth. A gasp of surprise from Rose enabled him to deepen the kiss and Rose felt a wave of heat travel down her body in a shiver.
The action made the Doctor pull away and he looked down into her startled eyes, a satisfied expression on his face.
"Good morning, Rose."
"What was that?" she squeaked.
"Wake up call." He shrugged and grinned at her. "Been wanting to do that for a while."
"So … all those times you crept up on me you were trying to give me a kiss to wake me up?"
"Yup." He gave her a mock frown. "You make it very difficult to be romantic, Rose Tyler."
"Sorry." She found her mouth curving. "If I'd've known I would've fallen asleep more often!"
He gave her his usual loopy smile and started to move away to allow her to get up. Rose's hand snaked out and grabbed his tie.
He looked from her strong fingers back to her face with a puzzled yet excited air. "Yes?"
Rose gazed seductively at him. "I'm not quite awake yet."
He grinned. "In that case…"