Time Rewritten

Chapter 8

She smiled softly at his rambling. "You're really the same, aren't you?"

He stopped and considered her statement. "Consider it like a sideway regeneration, except with a dash of human. Blimey, I'm going to be sleeping away half my life, well, a third. How do you lot manage to get anything accomplished."

"We're very resilient," she responded, grinning her tongue touched grin.

His eyes flickered down to her lips. "Yes, that you are," he murmured. His eyes quickly darted back to her own. Her grin broadened. Maybe she could have a bit of fun teasing him.

"Any other changes? Anything else that feels different?" she asked innocently, starting to peel her jacket off.

"One heart. No regeneration. Still have a Time Lord mind, so memories and feelings haven't changed. Still as brilliant as ever."

"Still as modest as ever," she muttered, yanking off her wet shoes as she sat on the edge of the bed.

He continued, ignoring her jibe. "Might actually need those glasses for real now."

"No complainin' here. I thought they made you look quite sexy," she said, unbuttoning and unzipping her jeans.

He made a pleased sound and she looked over to where he was still standing by the now closed and locked door. And he was watching her, his eyes slightly darker than usual.

"I'm just gonna take a hot bath and we'll need to hang up our clothes to dry. It's not like we have extra to change into. Though, hopefully, mom will have organised some clothes to be delivered here in the mornin'." She stood up and walked to the bathroom, closing the door gently behind her and sighed. There was so much air that needed clearing between them, a lot to talk about. And she didn't know if she had the energy, or the nerve, to do it tonight.

She quickly showered and donned the complimentary robe and wrapped her wet hair in a towel. Taking a deep breath she exited the bathroom and found him sitting on the edge of the bed, minus socks, shoes and jacket. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and he was staring at the television, flicking at a fast pace through the channels. He looked up at her and gave her his famous grin. She couldn't help but grin back.

"You should take a hot shower yourself. I'll organise some dinner for us," she said gingerly.

He nodded and stood, placing the remote by the television. She couldn't stand the tension that was suddenly building up between them. It felt so unnatural and...wrong.

"Doctor!" she called. He turned to look at her, his chocolate brown eyes slightly guarded.

She smiled at him and said, "I'm glad you're here."

His eyes softened and he gave her a toothy grin. "Me too, Rose."

She walked over to him and hugged him. He returned her hug just as fiercely, almost like he was starved for her touch. "I know we need to talk and work through things and that it'll take time. I just don't want things to be uncomfortable between us."

He chuckled. "I was worried you were having second thoughts, you know, about me."

She pulled back slightly and looked up at him. She touched his cheek tenderly and his eyes fluttered closed as he leaned into her touch. "I made my choice, Doctor."

His eyes sprang open as her words sunk in. She saw them almost twinkle in merriment. "You chose me," he said in wonder.

"Of course, you daft alien," she chuckled.