Work Text:
Impressing Rose Tyler
“Where to?” he asked, a hint of a smile on his lips.
Rose cocked an eyebrow and grinned. “Dunno. You’re the tour guide, Doctor. Impress me.”
He straightened his leather jacket and tried to hide his enthusiasm. With a flicking of switches and a pressing of buttons, he landed the ship on Polatrin on the cusp of winter.
“Ready?” he asked her with a hint of a smile.
Rose stepped out of the TARDIS and shivered. The Doctor’s hand pressed at the small of her back and she took another tentative step forward. A harsh wind blew cold and fierce, but she didn’t mind. Snug and warm in a thick jumper, a heavy coat, and fleece-lined boots, she took in the beautiful landscape. Dark green pine trees stood tall in front of them. A few knobby bushes, their limbs twisted and misshapen, poked up through the undergrowth. A thick layer of snow was underfoot, in varying shades of blue and light purple.
“It’s from the minerals in the water here,” the Doctor explained. “Because of that, you’ll want to make sure you don’t eat any of it. Not exactly toxic, but I’m guessing you’d have a bit of a tummy-ache if you happened to ingest some.”
Fresh snow crunched under their shoes as they walked down a slight slope. They rounded a corner and came out of the woods. Rose gasped at the sight before her.
The foothills before them stretched for miles and were coated in an ice-blue snow. Beyond that, far in the distance, towering mountains loomed, their powder blue peaks nearly touching the sky. The orb of a sun hung low on the horizon, turning the sky various shades of pink, purple, and dark blue.
Shivering at the majesty of her surroundings, Rose gave the Doctor’s arm a squeeze. “’S beautiful,” she whispered.
He smiled and winked. “Have I properly impressed you, then?”
Too in awe to even tease back, she nodded mutely.
As the sun sank lower and lower, the colors mingled together into a brilliant rainbow, until they dimmed and finally faded. Stars twinkled in the night sky and the Doctor took her hand in his.
“Best be getting back to the ship, Rose. Don’t want you getting too chilled.”
She squeezed his hand and followed him, her boots squeaking in the fallen snow.
~oOo~
A short time later they sat in the galley, sharing a snack of hot chocolate and biscuits.
“So,” he asked casually, taking a sip of cocoa, “did you like it?”
Her breath caught in her throat. “It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.” She paused a second. “I’ll never forget it.”
A peculiar feeling of warmth, love, and admiration came over the Doctor at the intensity of her feelings. The fact that she’d enjoyed it so much left him endlessly pleased. He popped another biscuit on his plate and smiled. Impressing Rose Tyler wasn’t always easy, but it was, every single time, worth it.