Chapter Text
The jump seat was not the most comfortable place to sleep, but somehow an exhausted Rose managed. At least she got a bit of a kip before the sensation of someone tapping on her nose made her open one eye in annoyance. "Wakey, wakey.....eugh, remind me not to say that again...Rooose....wake up! We've some plans!" the Doctor crooned.
Rose groaned and stretched, sitting up slowly. "We've had nothing but plans for the last forty-eight hours. What do we need to blow up now?"
"Our pyrotechnic engineering genius is no longer needed, now that we've made sure Prince Leander of Luminia will safely reign without a threat from the rebellion. No, we've been invited to a ball. And we're the guests of honor," the Doctor announced proudly.
"Really?" Rose asked incredulously. "And we're going? Usually that's not your style, Doctor. We don't stay for the accolades."
"Wellll....I think the Prince believes he owes it to us for saving him and his planet. So, we'll go tonight, dance, have a lovely time....then we can try for that holiday I promised you."
Rose reminded him, "This was supposed to be a holiday...until the prince's wanker of an advisor tried to overturn the government."
"And Kralgoric is sitting in a prison cell right now due to our quick thinking. And really, anyone with a name like Kralgoric should have rung some warning bells. At any rate.... What say you, Rose? Up for a bit of dining and dancing?" The Doctor was positively bouncing with enthusiasm. That wasn't unusual but Rose sensed an underlying anxiety in his exuberance.
Rose noted his hopeful smile and commented, "You're acting a bit dodgy. What are you on about?"
"I'm not on about anything. It would be rude to decline his invitation."
Rose was about to tell him that it never bothered him before but his hopeful, near manic grin won her over and made her laugh. "I suppose it could be okay. At any rate, raiding the wardrobe room for a ball gown is always fun!"
Once again the Doctor looked nervously hopeful as he revealed, "Prince Leander is sending you a gown."
Rose had seen the clashing colors and odd patterns Leander favored. "I know what he wears, Doctor. I'm not optimistic."
"Oh, you've never seen Time Lords in full ceremonial dress. With the headgear. Leander's positively tame in comparison. The dress should be here soon. I'm sure you'll love it. Just.....give it a chance."
Rose gave him a grin that was pure mischief and taunted him, "They have bananas, don't they. Or some kind of banana- like fruit and you can't wait to get your hands on some."
The Doctor gaped at her in mock outrage. "I'll have you know, they do have a banana-type fruit on the planet. It's called a guamgum fruit and it is very similar to the taste and texture the bananas from the Villengard grove, but.....you think I'm only in it for the bananas, don't you?"
"Sometimes I wonder," she murmured. Rose gazed at the Doctor. "Oh, well...it won't be the first time I've gone native. Sure, Doctor, you know I'm up for anything. Let's go to a ball."
The Doctor pulled her up to her feet and then into a hug. "Brilliant! The ball is tonight, in about three hours. Then we can be on our way, for a proper holiday without explosions."
There was a knock at the door just as Rose commented, "I'm not sure I'd know how to behave on a holiday without explosions."
The Doctor was chuckling as he opened the TARDIS door to reveal two of Leander's assistants, Brinon and Del. They were small men, (as most of the men on Luminia were,) working together to carry a large garment bag. "And here's the dress now, I believe. Thank you both for delivering it."
Brinon seemed to be committed to the elaborate bowing protocol of the prince's court, but was having difficulty. The Doctor tried to reciprocate but just settled for a smile and a wave. Brinon settled on a salute. "Please don't salute," the Doctor mumbled. Brinon lowered his hand awkwardly.
"Would Miss Rose desire to see her dress?" Brinon finally asked.
"I'd love to," Rose agreed.
"We have it on good authority that you'll love it. It was picked personally for you by......"Del interjected, and the Doctor suddenly coughed, shaking his head.
"Y'okay there?" Rose asked.
"Go ahead and unzip the bag," the Doctor requested huskily.
Del helpfully held the bag high and Brinon unzipped it. As the dress was revealed, Rose gasped.
She was simply gobsmacked. She'd never seen a more exquisite dress, and she'd worked in the formalwear department of Henrik's for a while. Not even the frothy bridal gowns measured up to this dress.
It was strapless, with a full skirt. The fabric was dyed the delicate pale blue of a summer's sky underneath a sheet white overlay on the bodice and skirt. It was amazing.
"Oh, blimey," Rose gasped. "S'gorgeous." She reached out to touch it, but she hesitated.
"Go ahead, Miss Rose, the gown is yours," Del encouraged her.
"Oh, no... I can't accept something as.....grand as this."
"You deserve it for all you and the Doctor did to help us," Brinon argued, turning rather pink. He had helped Rose place some of the explosives and he'd become rather fond of Rose. The Doctor had appreciated his help, but of course, here was another pretty boy fancying Rose. The Doctor forced himself not to roll his eyes.
Rose finally gave into her impulse to touch the skirt. "Oh, the fabric is so soft. There's nothing on Earth like this."
"Quite right, Rose. There isn't anything like it, " the Doctor agreed. "Watch this." He said nothing, but Rose knew he'd given a telepathic command for the TARDIS to turn out the lights when the room was plunged into darkness.
It wasn't completely dark, as the dress began to glow. The lights appeared as swirling beautiful colors, taking on the appearance of the time vortex. Rose gasped in wonder.
"How's it doin' that? Is it fiber optics? Where's the batteries? Doctor?"
The Doctor startled when she said his name, slightly sheepish at being caught in daydreams of Rose in a ball gown. He cleared his throat and answered her. "There are no lights or batteries, Rose. The glow comes from within the fabric itself. It's bioluminescent."
"It's alive?" Rose asked.
"The glow of the dress comes from a tiny creature....somewhat like a hermit crab. It's called a Starlinius Prevericus. The shell is ground up and infused into the fabric," the Doctor explained. "The glow doesn't fade, and it doesn't have to be exposed to light to glow."
"So loads of these tiny little crabs were killed to make this gown?" Rose asked, aghast.
She could hear the smile in his voice. "No, no...the little Starlinius leaves the old shell behind as it grows. There's a whole farm of millions of creatures, leaving behind bits of shell. But even with millions of them, there's a limited supply of the infusion. So the fabric is very rare and highly sought after," he went on.
"Are the Starlinius well treated, then?" Rose needed to know.
She felt the Doctor squeeze her hand as the lights came up. "They're very well treated. And besides that, there are scientists who understand that eventually the shell supply will run out and they're trying to produce a synthetic version of the Starlinius infusion. With my help, they're much closer than they were a week ago," he boasted.
Rose grinned proudly. "Well, of course they are. And would they...possibly be coming up with other ideas for other uses for the infusion?"
The Doctor winked. "Like making affordable lights for the people doing without? That might have been one of my suggestions."
Rose had been upset seeing that some of the poorer people were going without, using dangerous open flames and torches for light. She had wasted no time letting Prince Leander know her opinion of that.
"I knew there was a reason I kept you around," she quipped with a tongue touched grin.
"You'll wear it then, Miss Rose?" Brinon asked.
"Certainly. I'd love to. But the ball is...wow, just a few hours away. Thank you...and I'll be sure to thank the Prince as well," she assured them. "Can't wait to walk into the ball on your arm, Doctor. Never had such a fancy dress before!"
Brinon cleared his throat. "M'am, we have procedures regarding how you'll be announced at the ball. Protocol requires that the two of you arrive separately, and are announced one at a time," he announced.
"You're not to see each other beforehand," Del added.
"It's not like a wedding, why can't we see each other?" Rose questioned, wondering if the Doctor wasn't getting them accidentally married again.
"It is protocol, and it would be an affront to the prince to go against it," Brinon declared.
"Would you see to it personally that Miss Rose is escorted safely from the TARDIS across the courtyard, Brinon?" the Doctor asked, earning a surprised glare from Rose.
"I will make it my personal responsibility to make sure she is safe," Brinon vowed.
"And she's still in the room, right here with working ears," Rose muttered.
"Of course, if you don't have any objections, Rose," the Doctor back-pedaled.
Rose glanced at Leander's two assistants skeptically. "Seems strange that they'd want us separate, Doctor, don't you think?"
At this Brinon stepped forward. "If I may be so bold, Miss Rose...." He took a deep breath. It was clearly a big speech for the shy man. His ears were already pink. "I think there's no harm in it. Prince Leander knows that his time of royal formality is coming to an end. This past week has shown him things have to change. You've been most helpful in showing him that. But.... I believe he'd like to hold on to the old traditions with this ball, at least this one last time."
"I suppose I can play along," Rose decided. "As long as the Doctor thinks it's safe."
"You will be my personal responsibility," Brinon assured her.
Rose flashed a smile at Brinon. This time the Doctor didn't resist the urge to roll his eyes. Rose saw him and smirked.
"It's just a few of meters across the courtyard," Brinon reassured her.
The Doctor cleared his throat loudly, returning the attention to himself. "Then I suppose Miss Rose should take advantage of the time she has to get ready."
"Right, then. We'll be off," Del agreed.
"I shall return in about three and half hours. Will that be adequate?" The Doctor assured them that it would, even as Rose began to look panicked. He escorted the men to the door, relieving them of the garment. Del and Brinon bowed and exited the TARDIS while Rose began to anxiously pace.
Rose was already ticking off a mental to-do list. "Bath, hair....shoes! Well, I reckon the TARDIS will provide."
"I would imagine she already has. Anything you need, Rose, it'll be there," he said, patting a coral strut fondly." He passed the dress off to Rose.
Rose smiled. "So, what about you? Do you get to glow in the dark?"
He chuckled. "No, all eyes will be on you, I believe. I'm wearing my usual tux and chucks."
Rose hugged the garment bag to her chest. "I can't imagine wearing such a posh gown. This is the dress Cinderella only hoped the fairy godmother would conjure up!"
"You'll be brilliant. Literally and figuratively," he said with a wink.
Rose gave the Doctor a speculative look. "They said someone picked this out for me. I don't think it was the Prince. Did you have something to do with it?"
He looked at her with wide, innocent eyes. "You must have a fairy godmother. Shouldn't you start...dolling up? Have a spa afternoon and all that?" the Doctor replied.
Rose rolled her eyes. Obviously she wouldn't get a straight answer from him at this point. "Well... I suppose I should. If it was you, thank you. My fairy god....alien." Before she could chicken out she quickly pressed a kiss to his cheek, then hurried away, as quickly as she could while carrying the large bag.
The Doctor raised his hand to his cheek, where he could still feel the gentle press of her lips. Blimey, she certainly knew how to stop his hearts.