Title: Old Married Couple

Title: Old Married Couple

Author: Gail R. Delaney

Series: The Unseen and In Between

Settings: Somewhere between The Doctor Dances and Boomtown. Not long after my story I like bananas, bananas are good.

Summary: Jack sees just what kind of relationship the Doctor and Rose have. They do more than dance well together.

Rating: Anyone

Disclaimer: Not mine. If I owned Doctor Who, Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant would be my own private little playmates.

--

Jack had spent the better part of the last two days getting familiar with the Doctor's ship, which wasn't easy since things kept changing on him. Just when he thought he had the route from his little bedroom to the console room completely figured out, he'd turn the corner and hit a wall.

He had heard about ships like this, practically alive and amazing with the whole 'bigger on the inside' technology. If he didn't know better, he'd think this ship was trying to prove a point.

This morning, it took him nearly half an hour to find the kitchen. And that was only because his sense of smell and growling stomach overrode the ship's trickery, leading him right to fresh coffee and baked bread.

With a triumphant 'Yes!' under his breath, Jack bounced into the wide arched doorway of the massive kitchen, and stopped short.

The Doctor and Rose were already in the kitchen, and Jack couldn't help but remember watching them dance in the console room his first night on the TARDIS. There was no music this morning, and their steps weren't the jitterbug, but they were synchronized all the same.

The Doctor said something that Jack couldn't hear, and Rose tipped her head back with a light laugh. She was beautiful when she smiled, and even more beautiful when she laughed. A toaster popped and the Doctor removed the bread, one white slice, one dark. As he slid behind Rose to retrieve two mugs from a cupboard, she pulled a knife from a drawer. On the white slice of bread, she spread butter, and for the dark slice, she retrieved what looked like a jar of old fashioned peanut butter from behind another cupboard door.

The Doctor poured coffee from a carafe into the two mugs, and scooped two spoonfuls of sugar into one mug, his spoon clinking against the mug as he stirred the sugar in. Rose turned and set the two plates on the table. The white bread was set beside a blue bowl and a box of Weetabix.

The Doctor turned with the mugs in hand, and said something else that garnered a wide smile from Rose and a bump of her hip against his. As he set the mugs down — the white toast and cereal getting the mug with sugar, and the dark toast getting the unsweetened coffee — Rose went to the stove and flipped a ham steak and two eggs from a pan onto another plate.

"Rose, you could you get the—" the Doctor said as he sat.

"Got it," she said as she set the plate in front of him. He looked up as she pulled a banana from behind her back and held it to her nose. "Mmmm… I like bananas."

The Doctor pushed his chair back, and with a soft squeal from Rose, he pulled her into his lap, snatching the banana from her hand before he kissed her. "Bananas are good."

Jack cleared his throat and stepped into the kitchen, his arms crossed over his chest. "Got room for one more?"

"Always room for one more," The Doctor said as he let Rose stand, swatting her backside. For which, she giggled and swatted his shoulder. "Cupboards are full, coffee is over there. Eat up, we've got things to do."

Rose sat down at her bowl of cereal. She poured milk into the bowl, topped off her mug to lighten her coffee to a creamy tan, and added just enough to the Doctor's mug to create a light cloud the dark brew. "What're we doing today?"

"Rechargin' the TARDIS. Gettin' a bit low on fuel."

"How do we do that?" she asked, drawing one leg up to set her heel on the edge of the chair, hugging her knee to her chest as she poked her cereal with a spoon. "What's it run on?"

"Lots of things, really. In this case, we're going to fill up on transdimensional overflow radiation. Thanks to one young girl named Gwenyth." The Doctor arched his eyebrows and stared at Rose.

She tapped her spoon on the side of her bowl. "We're going to Cardiff?"

"Yep."

Jack wanted to join in the conversation, but he got the definite feeling that more was going on in the conversation than just words. The way Rose smiled and touched her lips with the tip of her tongue, and the way the Doctor grinned back before taking a bite of his breakfast.

"Maybe I'll ring up Mickey?" she said tentatively. "Be nice to see 'im."

"Who's Mickey?"

"Rickey the Idiot," the Doctor corrected, and Rose rolled her eyes. "Her boyfriend."

"Stop it," Rose scolded, but there was only a smile on her face.

"Is it Mickey or Rickey?"

"Mickey—" Rose said simultaneously with the Doctor's "Rickey—" Rose pointed a finger at the Doctor. "You're gonna get a slap."

"Promise?"

Rose smiled, beautiful color staining her cheeks. The Doctor stood, laying his hand on Rose's shoulder as he walked by. She watched him before turning back to her cereal. The Doctor returned, setting another bowl and spoon in front of Jack.

Jack poured the cereal and milk, poking at it as he looked between his new travel companions. Rose was beautiful, and the Doctor… well, there was just something about the Doctor that intrigued Jack. Occupied his head. But, he also saw the way they looked at each other.

"So," he said, motioning between the two of them with his spoon, drops of milk falling on the table. "You two…"

"Yeah," The Doctor said quickly. "And I don't share well, so don't be getting any ideas."

Jack looked at Rose, flashing his best grin. She huffed a laugh and shook her head. "And I don't share at all."

"It's a shame," Jack said with a shrug, taking a bite of his Weetabix. "I've looked my whole life for the kind of thing the two of you have going. Shame for me, not you. You two… you're the lucky ones."

Rose looked at the Doctor, and he looked back. And Jack hoped someday he could have someone look at him like that. He smiled and went back to his cereal.