Scotland's Mist

Chapter 10

The Doctor pushed against Rose's hips, breaking the kiss and making her back up. "Rose, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"But you did," Rose cut him off, "And let's be honest, we both wanted you to."

He gazed at her, obvious longing behind his eyes. "Yes," he said quietly. He licked his lips and sighed heavily, "Listen, I shouldn't have let it get control of me."

Rose grabbed him by the lapels and shook him gently. "It obviously did this to get into our heads. If we, say, give in," she shrugged, trying to be nonchalant, "We'll be stronger up against them. It's not like it was anything you didn't want. Or nothing I didn't want," she added quietly.

He stared at her, and she could see the thoughts whirring in his head. He studied her eyes for a moment, then lifted a hand to cup her cheek. "Alright, then," he said so quietly Rose almost didn't hear it. He leaned close to her and pressed his lips to hers, gently this time.

Rose sighed against his mouth and set her hands on his waist, the most tender kiss she'd ever experienced in her life. After a moment, the Doctor pulled away. "This is alright with you?" He questioned, touching his forehead to hers.

"Yeah," she replied, "Yes. I've wanted this for a long time, alright? Now, let's figure out this mist, yeah?"

"Alright!" The Doctor said, his voice suddenly loud, giving Rose a start. As they walked out of the room, Rose noticed the Doctor's coat and jacket strewn down the hallway towards her room. The Doctor picked them up, not addressing it or looking at her, nor noticing how she was grinning to herself.

"So, it can make you lose inhibitions," the Doctor began, reaching for Rose's hand after pulling his coat on. "It can make you more aggressive. And it senses heat to trap you." He stopped right before the door, almost making Rose run into it. "But why would it want a person?"

"I don't know, Doctor," Rose said patiently.

The Doctor turned and grinned manically at her before pressing down to kiss her firmly.

"What was that for?" Rose asked, smiling at him as they exited the TARDIS.

"Well, apparently I can do that now," the Doctor said simply. "And I'd like to keep doing it as often as possible."

Rose made a note to say thank you to the mist whenever they officially met it.

The dark mood was still settled over the forest, and it wasn't much later than it had been when they had run to the TARDIS, possibly an hour at the most.

The Doctor pulled Rose along to the exact spot where the hole had been. "Right back where we started," he murmured softly, tracing his thumb over the back of her hand.

She walked over the spot again, drawing the lever up and making the hole appear. The two of them started to tear the grass away to allow enough room for the both of them to slip into it. Rose cleaned out the underside of her fingernails as the Doctor licked a blade of grass.

"Find anything?" She asked, half amused and half disgusted.

"There's definitely a taste to it that's not of Earth," the Doctor told her, sounding very sure of himself, and very sure of the hand on her leg. "But I don't know what it is."

"Is it the mist?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. I have a feeling the mist isn't toxic, but it obviously does something and I don't think I'll put myself into that willingly, if it's all the same to you."

Rose laughed. "Alright, do you think it's safe then? To go down there?"

The Doctor switched on his sonic screwdriver and pointed it into the hole. "It's a straight drop down," he said, shutting the light off of pocketing the device. "No way to say if it's safe, but my guess is that anyone that's taken, they want alive."

Rose studied his profile. "What do you think?"

"I think we should try."

"I thought you might."

He beamed at her. "What do you say, Rose Tyler? Are you up for it?"

She laughed as he reached out his hand for her and swung his legs over the edge of the hole. She did the same, lacing their fingers together. "I'm up for it. If we do it together, that is."

His gaze turned tender, and he couldn't resist leaning in to kiss her again. "Always together," he murmured softly.

That was all she needed to nod resolutely before they both shifted into the black abyss below them.