The Green Soul

Chapter 25

He watched her with nothing short of reverence, his hands going tentatively to her hips, as though he wasn't quite sure she wanted him there, so close to her skin.  She wrapped her fingers around his wrists and pressed his hands harder against her.  His eyes fluttered closed at that and she tried to repress a grin.

"You shouldn't have stopped me, though," she said lowly, running the fingers of one hand up into his hair. 

He looked up at her.  "I don't want you to get hurt.  Ever.  You could've been hurt."

She nodded, feeling that he was being painfully honest.  She smiled slightly at him and accepted it.  "I know."

He seemed to breathe out a sigh of relief and stood up to pull her into a hug.  She wrapped her arms around his neck and breathed him in, but abruptly pulled away to wrench his button down off of him.  "You are far more clothed than I," she told him.  He grinned and aided her efforts.

"I agree," he announced as they continued to unbutton the shirt together.

She pulled the tails of his shirt out of his trousers and shoved the shirt so it fluttered to the floor.  She examined him, still wearing a tshirt underneath all of that.

"You really do wear too many layers."

"Maybe I should stop that."

"Maybe you should."

Before they could get any further, they were kissing again, his mouth on hers, demanding but gentle, keeping her safe, always keeping her safe.  It was something she felt sure about, like she would never doubt him again.

It was so different from their first coming together, banishing the cold from Rose's body, her mind in a haze.  This time she felt everything, every twitch of his fingers against her waist, every stutter of his lips against hers when she did something particularly naughty. 

He whispered words to her that she had no hope of understanding, but reveled in all the same, knowing that he meant something lovely.  In the back of her mind, she felt the whisper of a presence that was not the Entity. 

"You and me," she'd repeat to him over and over.

He laid her gently on the bed, holding himself over her with infinite care, and watched her for a moment.  "Forever," he whispered, lifting a hand to stroke her cheek.

She nodded, agreeing with him, and tried not to choke on the words as she repeated it back to him.  "Forever."

***

She woke up what felt like hours and hours later, her arm around the Doctor's waist and her head pillowed easily on his chest.  She lifted her head and blinked at him.  He'd stayed there.  Her eyes lifted to the bedside table and her lip twitched.  In addition, he'd also left a note.

Rose,

Am I less awful now?

Yours,

The Doctor

She smiled down at him and laid her head on his chest again. "Mine."  Liking the way the word sounded in her mouth when directed at him, she grinned wider.  "Mine."

He stirred underneath her, cuddling into her, his face firmly in her hair.  He hummed against her head and she could feel that he was definitely awake.

"You know, I think I might like waking up this way quite a bit," he remarked, his voice muffled by her hair.

"Do you, then?" Rose asked teasingly.