Chapter Text
The Doctor and Rose had taken two zeppelins, a train, and a truck (driven by an old farmer who was every bit the image of a proper country gentleman) to get to the mountainside cabin tucked into a peaceful corner of the Appalachian Mountains. It had been the most inefficient means of transport the Doctor had ever endured. His suit was sweaty and dusty from the truck ride, and he felt every single bump in the rural road radiating up his spine. I’ll need the holiday to recover from the back injury.. . He longed for the day when their tiny TARDIS would be grown and they could go anywhere, and anywhen they chose, in the blink of an eye. He tried to match Rose’s enthusiasm for the little rustic cabin, but it was a challenge. He managed a grin as she jogged to the edge a field leading to a sparkling lake, hurrying to catch up with her.
Rose turned to him, a rainbow of wildflowers behind her, and gave him that smile. Her beauty outshined all the nebulas and alien planets he’d ever seen. In that instant, his melancholy mood disappeared.
He bent down to pluck a flower. The blossom was yellow, tipped with pink, and even if it wasn’t a rose, it suited his favorite human perfectly. Grinning, he tucked the flower behind Rose’s ear.
“Was wonderin’ if you liked it here,” she murmured. “You were lookin’ a bit sad.”
“Not anymore,” he assured her. “I was missin’ our TARDIS. I suppose I’m a bit worn out after our long journey to get here. But you know what?”
“What?”
“I realized, just now, when you smiled at me, all wide-eyed and excited about bein’ here… I have missed seeing the wonders of the universe through your eyes. And it doesn’t matter where we are, as long as I can experience it with you.” He leaned in for a gentle kiss.
As they broke apart, Rose murmured, “You know what else?”
He grinned. “What?”
“It’s been such a long time since I’ve felt all wide-eyed an' excited. An’ that’s ‘cos I get to experience it with you. Better with two, yeah?”
“Quite right,” he said as he stole another kiss..
They’d travel the universe, eventually. But right now, all he’d ever dreamed of was right there in front of him, right here on Earth. And they’d have a fantastic time.