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"Rose, hurry up, we’re gonna be late!"
"How can we be late? It hasn’t opened yet," grumbled Rose, taking a long and much needed drink of her tea to finish waking up.
"Not technically, no. But we’re late to get in line."
"Time machine, yeah? You’d think we’d never be late for anything," she muttered, draining her cup and walking it over to the sink.
"Yes, well. I heard that, and if you wouldn’t drag your feet getting ready, maybe we’d be on time once in a while," he teased, poking her in the side as he passed her to head back to the console room.
"Oi! You’re the one driving this thing, don’t put it on me!" she called, doubling her pace to catch up to him and mess up his hair.
"Excuses, excuses. And never mess with the hair, Rose Tyler! Now, let’s get going!"
He grabbed her hand and they scampered down the ramp and to the door, where he opened it and peered out. “Oooh, right. Well, looks like we won’t need the psychic paper. Or the lines, for that matter,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck with the hand not holding Rose’s.
She stifled a laugh, “But I’m making us late, yeah?”
"Come on, this way!" he pulled her along the dark hallway and out of a service door. "I think this is…yep! Right through here!"
Rose peered out and to the right and saw a stone bridge walkway, with flags waving in the morning breeze. “No way….are we really inside of..”
"Yep," he interrupted her. "Not bad, am I right?"
"Not bad at all, Doctor," she said, smiling widely up at him before pulling him into a hug. "Come on! We’ve got to get a picture of this for Mum, she’ll kill me if we don’t!"
Rose spun around and out along the stone walkway before the Doctor could stop her, running down the length of the bridge to turn and snap a picture of him, still back at the entrance urging her to come back. “Rose! Come back, they’re not open yet!”
"Oops!" whispered Rose, turning away from the castle as a young employee approached her from the other side of the bridge.
"Good morning! Welcome to Disneyland! Can I ask you what you’re doing here so early?" said the young woman, giving her a friendly smile, but reaching for her radio just in case.
The Doctor had reached them by this point, and he intervened. “Hi there! This is Rose Tyler, TV star from London, VIP guest. We were told she could come in whenever she’d like and you lot would take care of a tour for her?” He held out the psychic paper for her to glance at.
"Oh, of course! I’m so sorry, Ms. Tyler, there must have been a mix-up. I’ll call in a tour guide, right away!" the young woman said, pulling her radio out and stepping away to take care of it.
"Not at all," Rose said with a smile, then, through her teeth to the Doctor, "A TV star?"
"Owed you one, didn’t I? After that party in the other universe, remember? Made you play a waitress?" he asked with a grin.
"Right then, actress it is! And you can be my manservant."
"Come on, can’t I be your co-star? Manager? Agent? Publicist?"
Rose shook her head after each option. “Nope,” she said, giving him the grin she knew he adored. “But if you’re nice, I’ll let you be my date. How’s that?”
"You drive a hard bargain, Tyler. But I’ll take it."
"All right, you two, if you’ll follow me I’ll lead you over to where your tour guide is waiting for you."
"Thank you very much, uhh…," the Doctor paused, not having checked her nametag.
"Megan," she said with a smile.
"Megan! Lovely name! Thank you very much, Megan!"
"Not a problem. I hope you two have a magical day!" she said, leaving them with the tour guide.
They enjoyed a perfect day in the park, getting to go behind the scenes and skipping lines on the rides. Rose felt guilty over this, as they saw the length of lines start to grow throughout the day, but the Doctor assuaged her guilt by comparing it to a fastpass, then quickly distracting her with other sights around them.
After the sun had gone down and they’d ditched their tour guide, they walked back towards the castle, Rose’s head drooping on the Doctor’s shoulder. They paused in one of the alcoves on the bridge to take one last look out at the park and up and at the castle.
"Thank you, Doctor. Today was perfect. Not that I don’t love running around with you and saving the day. But every now and then…"
"Yeah," he said, giving her a contemplative look. "Every now and then you need a little magic in your life," he said, leaning down to kiss her. Behind them, the first of the night’s fireworks went off over the castle.
