If she was honest with herself, she knew it would come to this at some point. For once, the Doctor, who often times called himself clever and brilliant and many other wonderful words, was tied to a boulder. A boulder that the people of this civilization were going to push off of the cliff and into the ocean below. Even if he wasn't killed on the fall, he would be drowned. And what then, would he regenerate into a fish to save himself?
She sighed heavily and adjusted the tunic she was wearing. The people of Echnodi had seemed so kind. They'd fed them and given them clothes and a place to stay the night. Then the Doctor had offhandedly mentioned what was apparently a touchy subject and everyone wanted them both dead. Moreso the Doctor, Rose at least, they could use.
Rose walked out to where the ceremony was taking place, her hands shaking at her sides. She didn't know if she could save him this time. There had never been doubt before, there had always been a way, but here and now, she was terrified. He came into view, his jacket gone, oxford ripped, and tie loosened. They'd beaten him, she could tell from the marks on his visible skin, especially his face.
She felt a surge of courage as she saw what they'd done to him. It was, in a word, unacceptable. Her blood boiled and the people cheered, waving torches and dancing as primal drums beat a backbeat that thrummed through her chest.
Finally, Rose held up a hand and said in her strongest voice (Which turned out to be surprisingly strong) "Stop!"
The tribe silenced, staring wide-eyed at the beautiful stranger who had no right to question them. The Doctor lifted his head and looked at Rose, a pleading look in his eyes. She knew that look. He was telling her to go back to the TARDIS, telling her he had a plan. She shook her head. Not this time. He wasn't doing this alone.
"How dare you!" A man dripping in ornate jewels scolded her, approaching her. Rose lifted her chin in defiance.
"Let go of my friend. He's done nothing wrong," Rose said firmly.
The man, who she recognized as some sort of prince, burst into laughter. "Oh, our pretty here wants her pet back. Now, don't you belong to him, sweetheart? He can claim you, but not the other way around."
"I don't belong to him," Rose said firmly, "He belongs to me."
Chatter started up in the crowd, even the drums stopping as the people playing them listened to what the stranger had to say. However, she'd already stated her piece and was looking at the prince, whose eyebrows had climbed into his hairline.
"You are very unusual," he remarked. "A man belonging to a woman. Why, that simply isn't done!"
"I'll remind you that although I respect your culture, ours is very different. I expect you remember that we're from a different place. We are not locals."
She looked over at the Doctor and bit back a grin when she saw his mouth was hanging open in shock. She'd never been terribly good a public speaking, especially not to aliens, though these people were perfectly humanoid. Rose leveled her gaze back to the prince and looked at him expectantly.
"You are from far away," the prince said simply. "If you truly believe that he belongs to you."
"He does," Rose said firmly, "Now, let me have him."
"Well," the prince said, "You'll have to claim it."
"And just how would I do that?" Rose asked, trying to hide her nervousness through an airy tone. The prince's lip twitched up in a smile.
"You really are from far away."
Barely before any of them could blink, they were holed up in a hut together with the demand to claim one another. And it was now very clear what 'claiming' would entail. Rose flexed her hands and tried to open the door, but it was stubbornly locked. She pressed her forehead against the door for a moment, gathering her courage. She turned around and looked at the Doctor, who was sitting at the end of a small but rather sturdy bed. He glanced up at her, a shocked expression on his face.
She approached him and ran her fingers along a bruise on his cheek. "They hurt you," she said quietly.
He covered her hand with his, pressing her palm against his cheek. "Safe now," He told her gently, a smile curving his lips.
"Not quite."
He dropped his hand and she dropped hers, and they remembered exactly what they had to do to be safe.
"Might as well get it over with."
She stiffened at his words and recoiled. He looked confused at her reaction and they stood (And sat, in his case) in a deadlock.
"That's what it is to you?" She said, more of a statement than the question it was posed as. "Getting it over with?"
The Doctor swallowed audibly. "Rose, I just... I don't want you to feel as though... I'm taking advantage."
"You wouldn't be," she replied blandly, "But I guess they don't have a way of knowing we did it or anything, do they? We can just, I dunno, get rumpled enough, and they'll believe it?"
He nodded. "Probably, yes. But that would still include-"
"-Contact?"
"Yes."
She approached him again, his seat on the bed bringing him to eye level. It really was a high bed, because the people here believed that good spirits came to cuddle on the dirt beneath your mattress on cold nights. Carefully and slowly, trying not to upset him, she pushed her hands into his hair and ruffled it. She'd expected for him to keep eye contact and a bland expression. What she hadn't expected was for his eyes to fall shut and for him to groan.
"Doctor?"
"Sorry, sorry." He opened his eyes, which were now considerably darker, and without warning shoved his hands into her hair, mussing it quite beyond repair, the little ornamental clips they'd given her hanging onto the strands for dear life.
She stared at him in surprise but he wasn't finished. Once he'd thoroughly knotted her hair, he dragged his hands over her and down to her hips. He pulled her closer to him looked up at her, begging for permission or forgiveness, she wasn't sure. She only nodded.
At her nod he lunged forward and bit her neck, hard. Her knees buckled and she reached up to grasp at his shoulders, fisting the material of his oxford in her hands. He made an odd sound when she made contact of her own but continued his blessed assault on her skin. It felt like time had slowed around them, and when he pulled back to look into her eyes, it stopped completely.
"I love you," she blurted out, unable to keep it from him when he was so close, when they were so close, and if he rejected her or accepted her it would be here in this tiny hut on a foreign planet.
His eyes widened in shock and his hands came up to cup her face tenderly. "Rose," he whispered softly, but he choked on her name. He wrapped his arms around her, bringing her close to him. She placed her arms around his neck, not knowing what to think of his reaction. He lifted her up and shifted them so she lay on her back on the bed.
He leaned down and kissed her properly, a sweet promise upon her lips. He was breathing heavily, his respiratory bypass having kicked in. He kissed her over and over again, deeper on each pass, yet somehow more reverent and gentle as well. Finally, he pulled away and pressed his face into the crook of her neck. She settled one of her hands on the back of his head, her fingers threaded through his hair. She only tugged him back when she felt his tears on her skin.
"What's wrong?" She asked anxiously, her gaze searching his. His eyes were wet and he was desperately trying to contain himself.
"I'm not supposed to be love anyone," he whispered.
"You didn't say you did," she reminded him, a little teasingly.
He looked surprised. "You think I don't?"
That sent her into silence very quickly. They were both breathing quickly, staring into each other's eyes. "What?" She breathed out.
"I just... I'm not supposed to, because I'm Time Lord, not since the War, I could list a ton of reasons why I shouldn't. And I'd kept them, but then you come along and you're like no one I've ever met." He cupped her face softly, holding himself up by his knees. "You are perfect."
She didn't know what to say. "Doctor," She said instead of any long, meaningful droning she could do.
He pressed his foreheads to hers, and whispered reverently, "I love you."
She kissed him, picking them right back up where they left off, and any thought of fake rumpling was firmly cast aside.
They were released without any more questions and quiet apologies to the Doctor. He took her hand, lacing their fingers together, and pulled her along back to the TARDIS and into a new life.