The Queen and the Rose

Chapter 12

Sorry for the delay in updating! Here's compensation:)

Rose sat up with a gasp, not having remembered falling asleep at all in the first place.  She was breathing heavily, and she could feel her heart pounding against her chest cavity.  She stared up at the ceiling, trying to calm herself down. 

She must've had a dream, but she couldn't recall it at all.  She shifted uncomfortably on the bed, feeling stiff and sore.  Rolling her neck, she arched her back, trying to get herself back to a more comfortable state.  Next to her, she heard the Doctor roll over on his bed and look blearily over to her. 

"Rose?" he asked softly, his voice gravelly.  "Are you alright?"

Rose hastily laid down on the bed, trying to pretend as though she were just fine.  "Yes, just a dream."

The Doctor got slowly to his feet and shuffled over to her bed.  "Shift."

"What?"

"Shift.  You had a nightmare, didn't you?"

Obediently, Rose moved to the far side of her bed, and the Doctor got up into it next to her.  He cuddled up next to her, laying one arm under her neck and the other around her waist, pulling her side close to his chest.  He laid his cheek lightly on her forehead.  "What was your dream about?" he asked softly. 

She found herself relaxing into his touch, turning her head so his cheek scratched over her skin and her nose was pressed to his neck.  She let her eyes flutter closed and her hands creep up to cover the arm that was over her waist.  "I don't remember, I just woke up and was... Afraid."

The Doctor held her just a little bit closer.  "You're safe," he promised her, his fingers tracing her shoulder from behind, where his arm lay.  "When you're here with me, you're safe."

Something about him made her believe him, believe everything he said, because she could tell that he wanted her safe.  It was that bit of information that made her nuzzle lightly at his neck.  "I know," she said, able to feel her own breath as it bounced off his skin and back to her. 

His breath hitched and she could feel it as much as she could hear it.  She wanted to kiss him, and touch him, and it was all coming out of nowhere and so fast that she could barely breathe.  That bit of gold that she kept feeling, an inkling of something from before, made her want him all the more.  She couldn't stop herself from tilting her chin up and pressing a feather light kiss to his neck before burrowing closer to him.  

She felt his fingers curl into her, and he shifted to kiss her forehead.  "Goodnight, Rose," he whispered.  He was gripping her tighter than he had been before, one of his legs now over hers.  She drifted to sleep again, one of her hands clutching at his arm. 

Rose woke up again another hour later, their positions shifted so the Doctor was on his back with her head on his chest.  She was curled tightly, half on top of him, and she was surprised at how much trust she felt for a man that she didn't even know that well.  

She moved to look down into his sleeping face, and before she could think better of it, lifted a hand to run her fingers through his unruly hair.  His eyes fluttered open and he gazed sleepily up at her.  "Yes, Rose?" He said to her, his voice half amused. 

It was hard to keep her eyes form his mouth, but she managed for her gaze to only flicker down once in a while.  She could tell by the smirk forming on his lips that he noticed.  One of his hands crept up to the nape of her neck and he held her there.  "Rose, I'd very much like to kiss you," he said softly, "And I can't... I can't quite explain why, because we don't really know each other, do we?"

Rose couldn't keep herself from smiling down at him in the dim light.  "We must've known each other before for us to want all this," she replied.

He sat up, dislodging her from his chest but keeping her on his lap.  The hand not on her neck gripped at her waist, one of his feet now hanging off the bed.  "I don't think I've ever felt this way about anyone."

His voice was so quiet and awe-filled that she almost wept with the sentiment.  She rather felt the same way, but she couldn't put together why.  And it didn't really matter, as long as they were doing it together.  She slipped her hand up his chest to cup his cheeks.  Her thumbs stroked him absently, as though it were the most natural touch in the world.  "Doctor," she whispered. 

He leaned forward and nudged her nose with his, his hand keeping her in place, not that she was planning on going anywhere.  Without warning he tipped his chin to kiss her, and she wound her arms around his neck in response.  

Neither of them could ever remember kissing anyone, of course, but what they did know was that the current kissing partner they had was rather fantastic at it.  Rose lifted herself without dislodging from his mouth and sat down fully on his lap.  He moved so both hands were clutching at her waist, encouraging her motions.  

She softened the kiss and pulled away slowly, overwhelmed with all of it, every unexplained emotion she felt for him.  She knew him, she knew she did.  There were parts of him she knew that no one else did, and somehow, deep inside, she knew that. 

The gold pulsed through her and an odd, grinding sound filled her head.  She closed her eyes against it, trying to hold it close to her, but not quite managing it.  The Doctor, however, was not distracted by such sounds, instead he made work of kissing along her jawline and down her neck, pausing to bite at her pulse point.  

She pulled him back by his hair and looked into his eyes and was shocked by what she saw there.  She saw it all, the love and respect he felt for her, and though she didn't know where it had come from, she knew it was reflecting right back to him through her own eyes.

He must have seen it, because he traced her cheek with his fingertips and whispered "Oh, Rose."  His touch was reverent, as though he'd been waiting all his life to touch her.  She could feel his hand shaking with nerves and in hopes of stopping them, she kissed him again.  He smiled against her lips, heaving her closer against him.  Her arms were completely locked around him, and she couldn't stop touching him, running her hands through his hair, across his bare shoulders, down his back.  

On the other hand, he seemed very content to just clutch her as though he'd never hold her again.  Eventually, though, Rose couldn't breathe and had to pull away, and though he was out of breath, he wasn't panting nearly as hard as she was.  

He nuzzled his nose against hers and laughed breathlessly.  "Maybe we were married before all this."

 "I certainly hope we were."

She tipped her head against his shoulder, feeling tired because of the lack of sleep because of her nightmare.  He skimmed his hand up her back, allowing her to cuddle into him.  "You should get some more sleep," he said softly.  

She nodded in agreement and they moved to lay down again, with a bit of uncomfortable shifting and giggling.  They ended up back in the position they woke up in, and Rose didn't know exactly how to describe what they had.  All she knew was that she felt something for him that she was absolutely certain she'd never felt before.  

The next morning when they woke up, he kissed her rather thoroughly before they got to work.