The Doctor collapsed against the inside door of the TARDIS, his respiratory bypass working full tilt and a wide, manic grin spread across his face. Another fantastic adventure, that was. Detected an evil plan, overthrew a government and got chased through a swamp by some creatures that vaguely resembled blocks of JELLO.

Well, blocks of JELLO with massive teeth. And claws. And, inexplicably, ray guns. He raised his head to share a joke with his faithful blonde companion (he was thinking something along the lines of "Well...you know what they always say. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach!" from the old Earth commercial) but the sight before him wiped the manic grin away.

She was standing at the top of the ramp, arms crossed and giving him a look that would make his "Oncoming Storm" face run for cover. How she managed without a respiratory bypass, he never would know.

If he hadn't been so worried about the imminent Tyler slap he was sure was coming his way, he would have spared a moment to think that she looked a bit adorable, in a very squelched, bedraggled kind of way. One of the JELLO creatures had met its end rather close to her so, in addition to being covered in mud and other swamp-debris, hair askew and mascara running, she was very thoroughly covered in some thick, sticky green glop.

He opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off. "Nope. No talking for you. I know you. You're gonna say what a brilliant adventure that was and, before we can even had a cuppa, whisk us off to some other planet where you tick off the people in charge, we run for our lives an' I end up covered in something disgusting while you look precisely like you always do."

She glared at him and he opened his mouth to speak but she advanced on him and the words that had been forming immediately turned themselves into a very undignified, unidentifiable grunting noise.

"First, I'm going to have a shower. And then, I'm going to have a bubble bath. And then, I'm going to...well...I don't know. But it will not have anything to do with running, it will have something to do with relaxing and, if you try to stop me, it will involve something painful for you. Got that, Time Lord?"

She poked him hard in the chest and he rocked back on his heels a bit. She rattled all of that off at a very impressive speed (again he was amazed at her lack of a superior respiratory system) and, before he could respond, she turned on heel and stormed off into the bowels of the ship muttering to herself.

Even with his superior Time Lord hearing, all he managed were a few words that sounded like "impressive" "git" and a few other words of which the TARDIS didn't seem to approve.

He sighed and leaned back against the door again, running a hand over his close cropped dark hair. He had been sort of running them into the ground of late, hadn't he?

It was easier that way...keep them busy running for their lives so he didn't have to think about some of the other issues that kept coming up in his mind. The fact that she hadn't really answered him when he'd ask her if she wanted to stay on Earth after that row with her mum. The fact that he had, very childishly, refused the offer and tempted her away from her mother's simple request for tea. The attention she paid to and got paid by pretty boys on every planet they visited. Her incredulous, disbelieving denial of an intimate relationship with him to the Earth officer. The fact that he had shut her in with a Dalek to die. That the Dalek had called her the woman he loved. The burn of jealously he faced when Adam had come aboard. The relief he felt when she had chosen to come with him up that elevator and leave the pretty boy behind and the even more immense relief when the boy had shown himself to be a useless prat and now it was just the two of them again.

He sighed again and raised his jumper to his nose. Despite Rose's proclamation that he was "precisely like he always was" (Oi! Wait a second...had that been an insult?) he was a little bit rank.

Perhaps a shower for him then, as well. That's where Rose was anyway. His thoughts drifted that way and he tried to stop them with a jolt. No, no. Not the same shower. His own shower. Far away from a wet, naked, steamy Rose. Too late. Damn. Cold shower it was. He set off toward his own room.

He peeled off his clothing and left it in a jumble on the floor (the TARDIS would take care of it for him) and stepped into the shower. As the rivulets of water cascaded down his body, he unwittingly returned to some of the previous thoughts he had been trying to block out.

He was a Time Lord. The last member of a race that was mentally, physically and emotionally superior to practically the whole universe. He was not supposed to become attached to anything. Great observers, the Time Lords were.

Not that he had ever been especially good at that part of the job description. Spent his whole life being banished for something or other that he wasn't supposed to do. And yet here he was becoming dependent on a silly little transient human of all things.

His day started and ended with thoughts of her (and his nights sometimes as well, he thought, blushing a bit). Time Lords didn't feel things like jealousy or lust or love. Simple, base emotions and actions were below them. But he was feeling them...strongly. Along with a myriad of other forbidden things.

She said "forever" and he believed her. She held his hand and the world became more bearable. He was beginning to think of her as indispensable. She was his rock. Rose had brought him back from the darkness not just to the light, she had become his light.

Of course, it didn't matter anyway. She didn't think of him in the same way. Perhaps that's why her denial to the police officer had hurt him so much. She sounded as if it wasn't even a possibility, that there was no way she would ever consider him more than what he was. And then her crazy mum had slapped him anyway.

What was he anyway? A 900-year old battle-scarred, ancient alien with a big nose, bigger ears and a daft old face.

Maybe the next time he regenerated he would be prettier and he could go back and find her again...no. That was impossible because that would mean he would have to leave her now and he couldn't possibly do that. He snorted. Not like he wanted to be pretty anyway. Ginger, perhaps. But not pretty.

He would have to settle with being her friend, her best mate and to do that he needed to make it up to her tonight. What would Rose like to do on a relaxing night in?

His thoughts drifted away for a second to Rose in the bubble bath, pink skin deliciously flushed from the warm water and his hand drifted down before he realized what he was doing...no, no. That may be what HE would apparently like to do on a relaxing night in but that was certainly not what a best mate would do. Turning the water temperature down some he wracked his brain for a suitable option.

_

Meanwhile, Rose was settling down for her nice, relaxing bubble bath. The TARDIS was always very kind in the bubble bath department...lots of bubbles and water that never got cold no matter how long she stayed in (which annoyed the Doctor to no end).

It just hadn't been fair, him standing there against the TARDIS door looking fresh and so damn sexy with that stupid grin on his face while she had looked like a green, bedraggled stray mutt. It was just so wrong for him to be so incredibly sexual and asexual at the same time.

She sighed in frustration and sank down lower into the bubbles. She had thought, in the beginning, that there might have been a spark between them, what with all the hand holding and hugging but she had quickly discovered that that was all he did. Their first few adventures she had felt a jolt every time he took her hand and had searched his face for something more but found nothing. She still felt the jolt..but she had long since stopped searching his face for hints of anything more.

Of late, his hugs had lingered a little bit longer than she thought was necessary but even pressed up against him she had never felt any evidence of his interest beyond that of a friend so that's what she would have to be. She wasn't going to risk getting left behind for wanting more out of this relationship than she could have. She'd take him anyway she could get him.

He could be her friend, a best mate, perhaps. A best mate who she loved nothing more then to stare at his perfect bum, his runner's legs, the lean muscles of his back and shoulders as he worked on the TARDIS console and wondered what it would feel like to run her hands over the taut muscles of his chest, and imagined the sound of that heavy leather jacket hitting the floor as he advanced toward her...nope. That train of thought wouldn't do.

She had already decided that he obviously didn't do that sort of thing. Leastways, not with her. Maybe not at all? She didn't know...he was an alien after all. Maybe he didn't even have the parts.

That's why she had been so angry with the police officer at her mum's. After days and days of frustration she had finally decided that sex was out of the question and then that Bobby had gone and brought it up again.

What if that had made him uncomfortable enough to leave her behind? He was always talking about being superior to humans in every way. Sex was probably just some base, disgusting ape thing to him. He had been awfully quick to deny that anything was happening between the two of them. She sighed and turned over on her stomach, blowing some of the bubbles away from her nose.

_

He'd done it. He had come up with the perfect evening. Hot chocolate, popcorn and a night on the couch in the media room watching whatever she liked. A night in. Terribly domestic of him, but she as worth it, right?

Plus it was a whole night he might be able to use as an excuse for a good cuddle on the couch. As a best mate, of course. Mates cuddled on couches while watching films, right? Of course.

Two mugs of hot chocolate in his hands, he happily strode off to find Rose, hoping she wasn't cross with him anymore. The TARDIS made her door appear directly in front of him and he barged in like he always did. Why should he knock? It was his ship after all.

The sight before him almost caused him to drop both mugs of hot chocolate and revamp his "no-knocking" policy. He hadn't charged into her bedroom...he had charged into her loo. What was the TARDIS playing at?

In front of him, relaxing on her stomach in a forest of bubbles was a very naked Rose. He couldn't see anything for all the bubbles but the knowledge of all the things he couldn't see right there in front of him was constricting his ability to breathe. She turned her head a bit and squeaked.

"What the hell are you doing in here? Don't you ever knock?" she hissed at him.

"I...uh...the TARDIS...ah..." he cleared his throat loudly and decided the best approach here was to pretend he wasn't bothered by this at all and to turn his back to her very quickly so she didn't have the visual evidence of his now extremely tight jeans to contradict it. He cleared his throat again and continued, non-chalantly (he hoped). "I figured out what we can do tonight."

"And you thought you needed to tell me right now?" she asked, shrilly, echoing her mother more than she liked to think about. Despite her decision that he was only ever going to be her mate, the fact that he was acting completely unaffected when she was very obviously completely naked in front of him was supremely irritating. Why couldn't he act like a normal bloke for once?

"I didn't know that you would still be, uh...doing this," he said, indicating to the tub in the mirror with his left hand which seemed to be holding a mug of some sort. He needed to get out of here and get himself under control quickly. There would be no couch cuddling if he didn't get himself under control. In fact, this new found lack of control might prohibit all couch cuddling before it had even started.

"What did you think I would be doing in my loo when you came barging in?" she asked.

"I didn't actually mean to come in here," he responded. "I was looking for you and the TARDIS opened this door so I came in. I didn't know you would still be na...not done," he covered quickly. He had almost said naked. That would not do, even if it was all he was thinking about at the moment. Naked, naked, naked. For a superior Time Lord brain it was amazing how one word could force out everything else completely. Speaking...someone was speaking. Rose. Rose was speaking. He better listen.

"...Mr. Impressive. Tell me what it is we're doing tonight that you thought was so important that you had to come in and tell me while I was naked," she said, watching his back carefully. She couldn't quite see him in the mirror without raising her head further but she was sure she almost saw him tense at the word "naked." He was probably just uncomfortable. She had likely imagined it, anyway. "And remember what I said about the running," she warned, cautiously.

"Ah, right. Tonight. Tonight, Rose Tyler will be the best night of your life," he said. Wait, why did he say it like that? And why was his voice dropping down to husky? What was wrong with him? He cleared his throat and continued. "Tonight, we sit on the couch, eat popcorn, drink hot chocolate an' watch any film you like. An' I will even offer my expert opinion on all the inaccuracies of said film. How does that sound?"

Rose had almost shivered when his voice had dropped and caressed her name. Was he teasing her? That wasn't very nice. He probably didn't even know what he was doing. She shifted a little in the water to look at his back. "I think it sounds a bit domestic," she replied tongue between her teeth.

"Oi!" he replied making the mistake of turning over his shoulder to shoot her an indignant look. His hearts stopped again and his jeans problem redoubled.

Rose's well-toned legs were sticking up out of the water, gorgeous calves slightly flexed, feet crossed at the ankles and taut thighs disappearing into the water. Her tongue was caught between her teeth in a teasing fashion and the bubbles near her back had dissipated leaving him a very clear view of what looked like a perfect, round bum. That image was going to be burned in his brain and would probably fuel his fantasies for the next few centuries.

He panicked. "Right, then. I'll just go make the popcorn and meet you in the media room. Ta!" he practically ran from the room.

Rose sighed and turned over, surprised to see that many of her bubbles had disappeared. She had spent an hour in the tub before and the TARDIS had kept the bubbles for her the whole time.

Well, that explained why he had taken off so quickly. She had tried to flirt with him a little bit and he had obviously been disgusted by the sight of so much human skin.

She sighed and climbed out of the immediately cool water, wrapping herself in one of the big, fluffy towels the TARDIS had provided.

Didn't matter what she wore then, she thought as she slathered lotion on her newly-shaved legs and ran her fingers through her still-damp hair. Besides, this was supposed to be her comfy night. She wasn't going to go out of her way to impress someone who had no interest in being impressed. She pulled on a pair of cotton knickers, terry-cloth shorts and a t-shirt.

So...film night with the Doctor. That would be interesting. She had never watched a film with him before. On her second night he had shown her the incredibly well-stocked media room and told her if she was ever a bit bored or homesick she could come in and watch something. She had only used it a few times, preferring to spend most of her free time on the pilot's bench in the console room chatting absently with him or merely watching him (and his perfect bum) tinker with the ship. Maybe she could use tonight to sneak a bit of a cuddle with him. A friendly cuddle, of course. A best mate type cuddle.

She was surprised to see that he was already in the media room when she arrived. She was even more surprised to see that he wasn't in his usual battle armor. Since leaving her room, he had discarded his boots, socks, jacket and jumper, leaving him barefoot in his dark jeans and a rather tight fitting white t-shirt. She stood in the doorway a moment, observing this change in him and memorizing the way the muscles rippled under the shirt since it was the closest she'd ever come to seeing him naked.

"Well, are you coming in or are you just gonna stand there all night?" he asked, making her jump because he hadn't even turned his head in her direction. She plopped down on the opposite end of the couch and resumed staring at him for a moment. "What're you staring at? Never seen a Time Lord before?" he asked, turning his brilliant blue eyes to her, teasingly.

"Never seen this much of one, no," she retorted, teasing him back. His breath caught in his chest a bit at her flirting words. "You don't have much on," she continued.

"Neither d'you," he commented, his eyes flicking casually up and down her body, taking in her short shorts and tight t-shirt (Did she not have a bra on? Rassilon. She was trying to kill him).

She broke his fiery gaze, laughed and jumped up from her side of the couch, sauntering over to the film selection. (Did her hips always swing like that when she walked?) "So anything I want to watch, yeah?"

"S'what I said, innit? You pick and we'll watch. Even if it's one of those daft romances you seem to like so much," he replied, desperately trying to tear his gaze away from her legs which were shifting from side to side as she contemplated the selection in front of her. Legs that ended in her bum. Which he had seen. Naked. There was that naked word again, trying to turn off everything else in his brain.

"Ooo! Perfect!" she turned to him and gave him the mega-watt Rose Tyler smile that lit up his world and then pranced over to the television and turned it on. He had explained to her on that second night that all she had to do was pick the film she wanted to watch and the TARDIS would play it automatically, no need for primitive Earth discs or anything.

The film began and he gave a playful groan. "Pride and Prejudice? Really, Rose? Talk about a daft romance. What's more...I know that you watched this last time you were in here and, on top of that, it's five hours long! You expect me to sit here for five hours and do nothing?"

She collapsed on the couch right next to him, wriggled under his right arm and curled up against his chest, stretching her legs out in front so they were right next to his, effectively pinning him against the arm of the couch. "Yep, I do," she said, her fingers ghosting over his ribcage in an unconscious stroking motion. "You got a problem with tha', Time Lord?" she asked, turning the stroke into a poke.

"Nope. No problem. In fact, it sounds fantastic," he replied honestly and a bit hoarsely as her fingers fell to stroking again. She turned her face up to his and gave him another mega-watt smile before settling down with her head back over his right heart to sigh over Mr. Darcy.

This was wonderful. She was completely wonderful. He felt so at ease, so comfortable. In fact, the only problem that he saw was that he would probably never want to move from this spot again. He lifted his right arm to pull her even closer to him and to run his fingers absently through her wavy, still-slightly-damp hair.

What was the intoxicating smell? An overwhelming combination of Rose, shampoo, soap and something else. Her lotion? In the dim light of the media room he could tell that her legs were a bit more shimmery then usual. Shimmery? Had he ever used that word before?

He allowed his foot to "accidentally" graze against her shin. Oh, Rassilon...she had just shaved and put lotion on her smooth, perfect legs. It was all he could do not to reach over and run a hand up her legs, stopping at the terry cloth shorts and then dragging them down...no no no. Film. It wouldn't do to have Rose discover that he was nothing but a dirty old alien, especially when she was in a prime spot to see his lap.

She might push him away and then they'd never get to do this again. She might even demand to go home and leave him. He tightened his grip on her at that thought and she responded by sighing gently and burrowing into his side a little further.

By the end of the fifth hour, they had shifted so that now his head was pillowed in her lap, eyes shut and his legs were stretched out over the remainder of the couch. She was gently stroking his head, running her fingers through his close-cropped strands and lightly massaging his temples.

She had mentioned that Jackie had once taken a massage class and had taught her some of the particulars. Even as he had shuddered at the thought of Jackie's hands coming anywhere near him, he had to admit that the lessons had paid off. He had never felt so relaxed in his entire life, even with the scent of Rose's strawberry-banana lotion wafting up to his sensitive nose every so often.

The film had ended but neither of them had shown any interest in moving. He was satisfied and Rose seemed lost in thought. Her hands stilled on his temples for a moment and he moved his head to nudge her right hand back into action. She suppressed a giggle. For the past few minutes he had been making a happy, contented rumbling sound deep in his chest that sounded very much like a purring cat and now he was nudging her hand like a cat that wanted to be petted again. Or a panther, perhaps.

"M'not a cat," he murmured absently, his voice keeping a bit of a hum in it and enjoying her soft, gentle hands working their magic. Her hands paused, removing her fingers from his hair. Had she said that cat bit out loud? It was possible. She was feeling so relaxed that anything was possible, really.

She shrugged to herself and her hands fell into her lap for a moment. This all seemed so perfect. She was a little worried that she might be falling in love with the impossible, wonderful, confusing man in her lap, who seemed to be enjoying her attentions but not responding in any manner that she was used to. The experience seemed vaguely familiar to her but she couldn't quite place it.

Oh...she realized with a start. Yes she could. She'd had a friend in secondary school, a wonderful friend with whom she had shared everything. He had been there for her, helped her pick out clothes, shared all of her secrets, flirted with her, touched her constantly but made no real move...and then up and ran off with a guy named Peter.

It all made perfect sense now. She sighed again. What was it her mum always said? "All the good ones were married, taken or gay." The Doctor wasn't married or taken (that she knew of, anyway) so that left...Well, it was worth testing that theory out. She trailed her hands absently down his side, enjoying the way he felt under that tight t-shirt before asking out loud, "So...Colin Firth. Gorgeous bloke, isn't he?"

The Doctor had just been missing her hands on his head when she started to trail them over his torso, coming temptingly close to his nipple before sweeping back to the side and then down near his stomach and the waistband of his jeans.

Did she have any idea what she was doing to him? It was as though he was hyper-aware of every movement of those warm, wonderful fingers. His breathing sped up, his hearts quickened and a rush of arousal that he was barely able to contain swept through his body. A question...she had just asked him a question. He had no idea what it had been, too distracted by her wandering fingers to listen, so he simply replied "Mm-hm..."

He hoped he hadn't promised to take her home to Jackie for tea or anything but in this moment he didn't care really, as long as her fingers kept doing what they were doing. Maybe if he shifted a little he could encourage her to go a little bit lower...but then her fingers vanished and returned to his head with a deep sigh.

Well, that explained it then, she thought. No wonder he hadn't show the least bit of interest in her. He wasn't asexual he just wasn't interested in women. That explained the leather, then. Although, she thought those blokes usually tended to dress a bit better...

She yelped as the Doctor shot up out of her lap and nearly tripped over the coffee table in his haste. He stood in front of her looking shocked and offended and hurt and angry. What had she done? Maybe he hadn't like the head massage after all.

"ROSE TYLER!" he thundered. "I can't believe you just said that! I am NOT asexual, I am certainly not gay, I wear leather because it's practical and there is absolutely nothing wrong with the way I dress," he raged.

He was offended at her statement caught up in his hurt and anger but then his brain caught up with the sentiment and he also became deeply encouraged. She cared if he was interested in her? Interested in her how? He decided to take a risk and he took a step toward where she was sitting on the couch looking up at him with shocked, surprised eyes. He swept his eyes up her body slowly, taking time to admire as he had only done when she wasn't looking before. His eyes darkened and took on a feral gleam. "You were right about one thing, though. I'm not interested in women," he said, advancing a step closer to the couch and let his lingering gaze stay on her ample chest before drifting back up to her face.

She gulped and looked up into his darkening eyes, not sure where this was going. Were his eyes like that because he was angry? Or...because of something else?

And she definitely had not said those things out loud.

"You...you're not? But you just said...oh. Not interested in humans then?" she said, dejectedly. He was going to take her home. She had just managed to insult his sexuality, his masculinity, his style and he still just thought of her as some stupid ape creature with an overactive sex drive.

He grabbed her shoulders and roughly brought her into a standing position in front of him, moving his hands to grasp her hips tightly. Now she was confused. She didn't understand what he was doing and she should absolutely not have been turned on by this...he'd just said...but the look in his eyes and the feel of his hands on her hips and now suddenly, her bum, sent a rush of heat down her body and between her legs. She watched as his nostrils flared and knew that he could tell the effect he just had on her.

"No, Rose Tyler, not in humans," he growled, his voice low and dangerous. The smell of her arousal was all around him, blocking out any other thought he had. The way he caressed her name and the deep huskiness of his voice sent another thrill through her body and he brought her close, pressing her against him so she could feel his own arousal against her stomach and he could feel her breasts against him.

"Just in one woman. In one human. Interested in you," he murmured, watching her carefully. For a girl who thought he wasn't interested, she was certainly giving off a lot of pheromones. Pheromones that were driving his senses crazy, pushing him toward taking a step that they would never be able to undo. And she certainly couldn't think he wasn't interested anymore.

He had never wanted anything as badly as he wanted her right now but if she gave any indication of not wanting it, not wanting him he would try to back off. It wouldn't be easy, but he could do it. His questing eyes sought hers and found them as dark with desire as he was sure his own were. Respiratory bypass or no, he was panting and his hearts were racing.

That was enough, for both of them. Lips crashed together with bruising force as she brought her hands up to the back of his neck, pulling him down and his fisted in her hair, holding her to him. They stayed, lip-locked together in a passionate, aggressive battle, until Rose broke away, gasping for air.

"Wow. Don't you need to breathe?" she gaped at him. Her lips were deliciously red and swollen and he was delighted to know that it was because of him. And he wanted to devour them again.

"Nope. Respiratory bypass system," he said, bragging. "Superior Ti..."

"Yeah, yeah. Superior Time Lord biology," she cut him off, teasingly, tongue back between her teeth. "That all you got, Mr. Impressive?"

The sight of her tongue between her teeth was all he needed to set him off again. He captured her mouth with his again, running his tongue along her bottom lip, requesting access to her mouth, which she granted easily and he took greedily. And then his tongue was inside her mouth doing a spectacular dance with her own as they sought out every inch of each others' mouths, battling for dominance, thrusting in and out, a promise of things to come, discovering every nuance of each other.

She grabbed the front of his shirt, spinning him around and pushing him backward so the backs of his knees came in contact with the couch and he collapsed onto it.

In a second she was on top of him, straddling his lap and their teeth clacked together. In any other moment, they might have laughed at that contact, so like awkward teenagers, desperate in their need for each other but now the frenzied action only seemed to increase their need. He moaned into her mouth at the friction she was providing on his lap and she whimpered back at him, the most glorious sound he had ever heard.

That is until he brought his hands up to run his thumbs over her pert breasts, nipples pebbling instantly against the tight cotton of her shirt (he'd been right, no bra), and, in a voice laced with desire, she moaned his name. His hips bucked against hers involuntarily and his now painful erection strained against its denim cage. He wanted more. He needed to hear his name from her lips like that again. And maybe higher pitched and louder. Screaming. Screaming would be good.

Her hands were moving now too, up and down his ribcage like before but with obvious intent now. She wanted to touch every inch of him as desperately as he wanted to touch her. Finally with a gasp, they broke their kiss long enough to pull off each other's shirts and both moaning with the sudden expanse of skin on skin.

The Doctor managed to manouver them back onto the couch (which was suddenly wider then he remembered it being — he was going to have to have a talk with the TARDIS about her involvement in these things...and thank her) so that Rose was beneath him and he had undeniable access to those gorgeous breasts. He immediately transferred his mouth from hers to latch onto one, letting his teeth nip at the soft tissue there and his tongue to roam over the sensitive underside. He continued to nip and suck there until Rose's clever hands and insistent whimpering became far too distracting.

She had been busy with her wonderful human hot hands while he'd been exploring her, running her hands over his spine, letting the nails dig in slightly on his back and causing his hips to jerk forward. At that contact, she had very determinedly set about freeing his painfully caged erection despite his preoccupation with her chest. Finally, once she had managed the belt, the button and the stubborn zipper to caress him through only his boxers, he'd become too distracted to ignore her own intentions.

"Trousers. Pants. Off," she commanded.

"Bossy, aren't we?" he said, raising himself off her with his forearms slightly to cock an eyebrow at her.

"Yes," she said simply then reaching down to cup him against the fabric, kneading him. Oh, that wasn't fair. That was simply not fair.

He groaned and reached down to comply and then paused, looking at her with momentarily clear, icy eyes. "Rose, are you sure? Because once we start, I can't stop. Is this what you want?"

Instead of answering, she brought her hands up to grab the back of his neck, knocking his forearms down and pulling him against her in a deep, universe shattering snog. Pressed so deeply against her, he could feel the dampness between her legs in contact with the thin fabric separating them, slightly damp with his pre-cum as well.

"Uh, yes, well," he stammered when she finally broke to breathe, looking smug. "Didn't really answer my question, Rose," he said, although after a kiss like that there was very little chance of going back now.

"Didn't it?" she asked impishly.

"Minx," he said back, his hands still on the sides of her face, brushing her temples. "But seriously Rose. I need you to say it. Please." He looked at her and suddenly he was overwhelmed with a rush of love and desire so strong that he gasped. Had that come from her? How had she managed to do that?

"I want you, Doctor," she said and with that, his control broke. Their clothes disappeared before she had even realized he'd moved and suddenly she had a very hard, throbbing Time Lord erection pressing insistently on her thigh. He kissed her fiercely and when she pulled away to look him in the eyes, she saw that they were completely black, overwhelmed with passion and desire so dark that she shivered. Hers probably looked like that as well. She reached down to touch him finally with no barriers but he caught her hand.

"No," he commanded. "Next time."

"Next time?" she looked at him with timid, hopeful eyes and for a moment, the darkness receded, replaced by the warm, vulnerable light she only ever saw briefly in his eyes, usually when he thought she wasn't looking at him.

"Next time," he repeated quietly and then the blackness was back and he plunged a long finger into her wet heat, checking to see if she was ready for him. She was. She had been for ages. It felt like she had been for months. He groaned at the dampness he found there, all because of him, for him and she felt his steel erection twitch against her thigh.

He moved so he was poised at her entrance and his body shook with the effort at holding back. "No going back, Rose," he growled. With a determined motion, her hips surged forward to suddenly engulf him and the sudden feel of her spectacular velvet warmth around him almost made him come immediately like an overeager teenager. He had waited so long.

"No more pretty boys," he growled again. In a long, slow motion, he pulled out from her almost all the way before surging forward again to bury himself inside her completely again. Nothing had ever felt like this before. Nothing had ever been so good, so wonderful, so right. She was writhing and moaning underneath him, offering him filthy encouragements that he certainly didn't need but appreciated the sound of nonetheless and he barely recognized the sounds coming from himself, grunts and growls of possessiveness to accompany each hard, full thrust into her body.

His movements were becoming faster, more erratic and her words had turned into incomprehensible whimpers of pleasure mixed with his name. He pulled back almost fully out once more and, once again trembling with the effort of holding back, of fighting against his overwhelming biological imperative to come into her like freight train, he used his hand to tilt her chin so she was looking straight into his dark, fathomless eyes. "You are mine," he said.

"Yes," she said, returning his fierce gaze. "An' you're mine."

"Forever?" he asked.

"Forever," she replied and with that his pelvis surged forward once more, finding completion in her in more ways than one. Their bodies exploded with pleasure and their minds melded and, for one brief moment two souls became one. It was so much more than he had ever expected, more than he had ever hoped for. After their aftershocks had subsided, he rolled off her carefully to the side, holding her tightly up against him and sighing into her hair.

"Rose Tyler," he sighed again. "You impossible little human."

She gave him a brilliant smile and pressed a kiss into his chest. She gasped slightly then and he chuckled. "I can feel you!"

"I should hope so," he responded teasingly. "I am rather impressive," he continued, wriggling his hips against hers to demonstrate his rapidly renewing desire for her.

She raised a hand to smack him lightly. " S'not what I meant. I can feel you in my head," she said, wonder and awe in her voice.

"Yep. Told ya there was no goin' back," he said, trying not to let his nerves shine through. He hadn't really explained this part to her...of course, he hadn't thought it was possible, either.

"So this is permanent, then?" she asked, running her left hand up his spine to place it on the side of his face. They both sighed with the contact and closed their eyes for a moment.

"Yes," he said softly. "Forever. We're...bonded. As long as I'm alive you won't be able to ever...be with anyone else. Love anyone else. And even if something happened to me, moving on would be...very difficult."

"An' the same for you?" she asked and he felt her concern for him radiate across their link. He looked closer and saw a deep sadness in her. Frowning, he examined it closer. Oh, sweet, caring Rose. She was worried that he would be alone when her abysmally short life span ended.

"Don't worry about me, Rose. I'll be fine," he said. Actually, he wasn't sure how fine he would be. She was now the center of his universe, the light in his darkness...how would he ever be able to let her go?

He knew the answer. He wouldn't.

It didn't matter. They had now and they were done wasting time. He would give her everything.

"I will love you forever," he whispered. "All of time and space, Rose Tyler. All of time and space."

"I love you, too," she said in return, offering him a sweet kiss. "Forever."

_

He pressed his body against the immovable white wall. He could feel her on the other side, doing the same thing. Her mind was so far away and without it in his he felt barren, desolate. Incomplete.

He never thought it would be like this.

"I will love you forever," he whispered against the wall, hoping that she could hear him.

It could have been his imagination but he thought perhaps there was a brief, distant caress on his mind and a whisper of "Forever" across the Void expanse.

This was not their end. It couldn't be. He would get her back. Even if it took... "All of time and space, Rose Tyler. All of time and space."