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Twinkling
The crisp cold hit Rose first, the absence of wind and sound as startling now as it was the first time. Her boots crunched against the frozen ice (she could still hear her first Doctor snorting in derision when she’d squealed and laughed about snow. ‘How can it snow when there’s no wind? No clouds? Naw, it’s frozen clouds, frozen ice from that moment when everything got caught in the time ripple.”)
Walking slowly out to the frozen ocean, she reached out and touched the clear ice, frost blossoming out from her fingers and obscuring the ancient inhabitant staring back at her. She looked behind her to see if the Doctor had followed and he did, the TARDIS door was closed, but he’d only taken a few steps, giving her room.
“Doctor? What’s a matter?”
He smiled tightly and shrugged, his long brown trench coat brushing the ice. “Nothing. Just thought you might want some time alone with your memories is all.”
“Whadda ya mean? I came here with you after all.”
He scratched the back of his neck, a gesture she was fast becoming acquainted with.
“Yeah, but not this me.”
“Oh.” She’d asked him to change back. Right before he brought her home. Before she realized how sick he was from changing in the first place. Plus, she was sleeping in a couple of her favorite jumpers of his. They smelled of him, still did, minus the leather.
Rose held out her hand and the Doctor moved forward to take it. She tipped her head back and looked up at the sky, crowded with stars and streaky galaxies twinkling in the blackness.
“You are you, Doctor, I understand that now. It was just a shock for my puny ape brain to see you change your face right in front of me, yeah? Up until then, we hadn’t had a good run with shape shiftin’ aliens.”
She squeezed his hand and looked up to see him looking down at her. “I want to travel through space and time with you, you daft alien.”
A real smile broke across his face.
“The Doctor and Rose Tyler in the TARDIS.”