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The tension in the small bedroom in 1143 was tangible. Rose had her back turned to the Doctor and was lying on the edge of the bed, as far from the Doctor as she possibly could.
“You okay Rose?” The Doctor asked worried, he could tell he had done something wrong but he had no idea what. Normally she had no problem sharing a bed with him. It had more than once ended with them talking and laughing until well into the night. But now it felt as if she would rather be anywhere else than in bed with him.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She muttered but didn’t turn around.
“If you don’t want to share a bed with me I can go explore somewhere. I don’t really need the sleep.”
Now she turned around and faced him. “Doctor, if you want to go to the queen’s chambers like she suggested you don’t need to look for excuses. I may be a stupid ape but I get it.”
He looked at her in shock. True, Eleanor of Aquitaine had been using the Doctor all night to make her own husband King Louis VII of France jealous after he had refused a position to one of her supporters. But apparently she had made Rose jealous as well.
“Rose… I have no intention to go anywhere near there.”
“Why not? She’s pretty, educated, royal… she’s a lot like Reinette actually.”
“So you think I have a type and she’s it then?”
Rose turned around and stared at him, it was then that he could see the tears in her eyes.
“Oh Rose.” He said and he moved his hand to her face to wipe away the tears with his thumb. “I have no intention nor any interest in going over there. I’m quite content being here with you.”
“But that’s just it Doctor. I’ve seen you flirting with other women, a lot of other women and I know you’ve done more with them. Beautiful, intelligent women who are way above me and… it makes me feel so small. Especially after you made it clear that you don’t love me.”
The Doctor sputtered in protest at that. “When did I ever tell you that I don’t love you?”
“At the school. You said you wouldn’t leave me behind but that you have done with others because you couldn’t bear watching them wither and die. And then you went off with Reinette…”
He looked at her in shock, she couldn’t possibly have interpreted it like that.
“Rose.. I could never leave you behind because as much as it would pain me to watch you die, not having you with me for every second of your precious life would hurt infinitely more. Those women you’re so jealous of, they’re good for my ego but you, you are good for my hearts.”
She stared at him and he couldn’t quite grasp what she was thinking at that moment “But still, you only think and treat me like a companion right?”
“I might never want to let you go Rose but my life is dangerous and filled with loss and one day… one day you might not bear it anymore, one day you might want to settle down in a house with doors and carpets. If you were to be more than a companion, if you were mine, I couldn’t bear to let you go.”
She stared at him in disbelief and then her lips were on his but only for a second before he pulled back “Rose, did you understand what I just said?”
She nodded “Doctor, the only loss I couldn’t bear is yours. What am I gonna do with a house and a mortgage? Back to working in a shop to pay it off? Nights in front of the tele? Not a single chance. I’m yours already.”
He claimed her lips at that and turned on his back, pulling her with him on top of him, never breaking the kiss. His hands roamed her body.
“I take it that you’re definitely not going to see the queen tonight then.” She said as they finally broke apart.
“Oh Rose,” he said as his hand went to her face “I plan to make love thoroughly to the queen tonight. My queen.”