Something There

"You reminded me of the Beast, you know," Rose announced suddenly.

"I beg your pardon?" the Doctor demanded, although the words were slightly muffled by his blocked nose.

"I said, you reminded me of the Beast. You know, from Beauty and the Beast?" Rose repeated, looking down at the Doctor.

He was looking rather adorable, with his dark blue duvet tucked up under his chin so just his pale, freckled face could be seen. His usually wild, dark brown hair was flat against his forehead from where he'd been in bed for the past thirteen hours. In a surprising twist of events, an adventure involving a rather unceremonious dunking in cold water had left the Doctor with a chest cold (cueing much angry yelling from the Doctor, who insisted that "Time Lords do not get chest colds, Rose!" and that "such an illness is for humans!"), and so Rose was caring for him. Doctors (alien or not), as it turned out, really did make the worst patients, and for the best part of two hours, the Doctor had continually tried to get out of bed despite running a slight fever and having an awful cough.

"I heard what you said. And I know who the Beast is, thank you." The Doctor ground out, pouting.

The stern look, however, was quickly ruined when he sneezed five times in quick succession. Sighing, Rose reached for the box of tissues on the bedside table, and helped the Doctor wipe his nose.

"What I meant," the Doctor continued as if he hadn't just had a sneezing fit "was how on Earth do I remind you of the Beast?"

"I did say reminded." Rose pointed out, emphasising the last two letters of the word "And I meant your last body. You know, all Northern and leather. Big ears, short hair."

"I am aware of what I looked like, Rose." The Doctor replied haughtily. Again, his blocked sinuses rather ruined the effect of his condescending tone.

Rose rolled her eyes; it appeared that Time Lords- or maybe just the Doctor- were rather grouchy when they were ill. Eventually, curiosity got the better of the Time Lord, and he spoke again.

"How did I remind you of the Beast?"

Rose grinned.

"How about I just put the film on, and we'll see if you can work it out for yourself?" Rose suggested, standing up.

"Disney film time!" the Doctor chimed, chuckling.

Rose grinned, but quickly became concerned when the Doctor began coughing instead. She quickly fetched him a glass of water before putting the film on.

~StormWolf10~

"I still don't get it." The Doctor admitted quietly once the film had finished.

"Well, you did keep falling asleep!" Rose teased as she put the DVD back in its case.

"Yeah, sorry abou' that." The Doctor told her, smiling weakly.

"Don't worry," Rose assured the Time Lord, smiling "you're ill. Besides, I didn't mind."

By now, she was at the Doctor's bedside again, and she reached for a bottle of TARDIS-approved medicine. Eying it distastefully, the Doctor managed to push himself up to a semi-sitting position as Rose poured some of the mixture onto a spoon. As the spoon entered his mouth, the Doctor grimaced, forcing himself to swallow the medicine.

"Tastes like pears!" he complained tiredly.

Rose giggled at that, and shook her head.

"Well, your fever's down, and you don't seem to be coughing as much, so hopefully you won't need much more of this," Rose told him, kissing him on the forehead.

The Doctor hummed in agreement, and patted the duvet beside him. It had been a good four or five weeks since they'd admitted that they both 'really liked' each other (although, the Doctor had since told Rose several times that he loved her), and they'd been sharing a room- and, consequently- a bed for the past two or three weeks.

"Are you sure?" Rose asked in concern "You're still not a hundred percent."

"Rose," the Doctor told her, laughing slightly "us two cuddling is not going to make me any more ill than I am now, nor is it going to make you ill."

Rose smiled, and slipped under the duvet. She gently pulled the Doctor closer to her, and she could tell by his contented sigh and deep breathing that it wouldn't be long until he was asleep.

"You still haven't explained it." The Doctor murmured suddenly.

"Sorry?" Rose asked, confused.

"You still haven't explained how my previous body reminded you of the Beast." The Doctor explained sleepily.

Rose thought hard for several seconds before speaking.

"When you're better, could you…Could you take us back? To…I dunno, when we first met? No! The day after we first met, when you came to my flat, and you told me to forget you? When we were outside?"

"Well, I could, but I'm not sure it's a good idea. What've you got planned, Rose?" the Doctor looked at his companion in confusion, trying to work out what she was thinking.

Rose merely grinned.

"You'll see." She replied.

The Doctor sighed, and flopped back onto the bed.

~StormWolf10~

The next day, the Doctor was feeling so much better, and was up and out of bed. He was still complaining about the taste of pears that the medicine had left in his mouth, but that only proved to Rose that he was feeling much better.

"Here we are," the Doctor announced reluctantly "the Powell Estate. March 27th 2005, five past ten in the morning."

Rose grinned, and began to tug the Doctor out of the TARDIS. Across the other side of the Estate, near the park, they could see nineteen year old Rose and the Ninth Doctor, currently having an argument about Rose going to the Police. The Tenth Doctor, however, was watching his Rose carefully, still unsure why she'd wanted to come here. They watched in silence as nineteen year old Rose was told to go home, which, soon after, she did. Of course, the Tenth Doctor was rather shocked when his Rose then set off after his previous self.

"Rose!" he whispered furiously, hurrying after her.

They were under the cover of some trees, but there were only a few, and they were almost at Nine's TARDIS now. Rose was evidently ignoring her Doctor, even though she could hear him furiously whispering about Reapers as he followed her.

"Hello, Doctor!" she announced to Nine, causing him to spin around, a frown on his face.

"I thought I told you to go home?" he asked, folding his arms.

In the cover of the last few trees, Ten cocked an eyebrow. Had he really looked like that when he spoke to Rose? He looked like a father berating a young child…

"Ok. I'll go." Rose answered Nine simply, smiling.

Nine nodded, seemingly satisfied, and Rose walked back over to her Doctor.

"Finished?" he asked.

"Not quite." Rose replied "Now we go to just after Ten Downing Street. While I was upstairs with Mum."

~StormWolf10~

Nine looked up in shock as he heard the sound of another TARDIS. He hurried out of his own TARDIS just in time to see one materialise opposite. Immediately, he was suspicious. No. More than suspicious. He would never do so stupid as to come somewhere he'd already been… Rose Tyler stepped out of the TARDIS, followed by a tall man in a pinstripe suit.

"Hi." Rose greeted him, smiling as she headed over to him.

Nine's eyes narrowed, and he looked Rose up and down. Then his eyes widened.

"Look, I don't know how you managed to be here without me flying the TARDIS, but go back to your own time." He told her "Go on, off you pop."

Ten gave a squeak of surprise when he watched his former self actually turn Rose around by the shoulders and nudge her back towards the TARDIS. Nine stilled immediately, and looked over at Ten.

"Hello." Nine greeted, although he evidently wasn't pleased to see him "I don't know how you managed to get here, but I suggest you go home. And you'd better not have messed with my TARDIS. Off you go."

Nine then grinned and gave a sarcastic wave. Ten's eyes narrowed.

"Really?" Ten spluttered "Did I really sound like that?"

He looked around his leather-clad former self to Rose, who nodded back.

"I?" Nine asked, frowning "Oh, great! So, not only do I turn into a pretty boy when I regenerate, but I also become an idiot!"

The Doctor sniffed and straightened his tie, drawing himself to his full height. Certainly not intimidated, Nine only cocked an eyebrow.

"And why exactly are you here?" Nine asked Ten.

"Rose told me that you- we- reminded her of the Beast." Ten announced.

Nine frowned, and turned to look at Rose, who waved back.

"Really?" Nine asked, slightly disgusted.

Rose shrugged.

"You're not doing a very good job of convincing me otherwise at the moment," Rose told him seriously.

Nine glowered and turned back to Ten.

"And you decided to risk Reapers for that?" Nine asked.

Ten shrugged.

"I didn't know what she had planned!" Ten protested.

Nine turned back to Rose at that.

"Care to explain?" he asked Rose.

Instead of replying, Rose smiled sweetly, and began to sing softly.

"There's something sweet, and almost kind. But he was mean, and he was coarse and unrefined. But now he's dear, and so unsure. I wonder why I didn't see it there before."

Both Doctors looked up, brows furrowed slightly. Almost subconsciously, Nine began to sing the next verse, thinking back to watching the Earth die, holding hands in the basement in Cardiff, earlier in Downing Street when Rose- his Rose- let him risk her life to save the Earth…

"She glanced this way, I thought I saw. And when we touched, she didn't shudder at my paw. No, it can't be, I'll just ignore…But then she's never looked at me that way before."

Ten's eyes widened, as did Nine's, almost in unison as they realised the significance of the lyrics.

"Oh." they murmured.

"Yeah." Rose agreed quietly.

The three fell into an uncomfortable silence, and in the distance, they heard a door open. Nine looked up suddenly, and glared.

"That's the kid who spray painted my TARDIS!" he muttered.

"You wanna get him to wash that off." Ten replied nonchalantly.

Nine nodded, and began marching over to the kid who was across the courtyard, not noticing Ten beginning to steer Rose back into the TARDIS. When he turned round again, they were gone.