A Place in Time (17/30)

[amberfocus]

                                                                                                  Banner by Megz33

Chapter Seventeen:  A Day In Paris

Rose sighed in happiness as she and the Doctor walked along the Champs Elysées. They had seen the obelisk at the Place de la Concorde and were walking towards the Place Charles de Gaulle, or was it still called the Place de l'…toile in this time? She could never remember when it had changed. They’d be ending at the Arch de Triomphe. It was only two kilometers and they’d often run that easily being chased by someone or something. It was nice to be doing it at a leisurely stroll.

Eventually she had had her fill of impressive monuments and they turned instead to some of the luxury shops along the avenue. They popped into a couple and the Doctor picked up some specialty food items. Mostly they simply window shopped.

Rose wandered off into a clothing store with instructions to meet him again in a half an hour. He wandered about a bit and found himself stopped in front of a jewelry store, his eyes drawn to a necklace that looked like it was either made from silver or marcasite with lots of fiddly filigree work. The stones in it were an orange garnet with just an undertone of red. The color moved him as nothing had in a long, long time. Nothing but Rose anyway, and she moved him in an entirely different way.  A way that it was becoming entirely likely he was going to be doing something about and fairly soon.  He forced his mind away from how it had felt to wake up wrapped around her, how it had felt to have her playing footsie, or rather legsies, with him at the breakfast table.

He entered the shop, not quite aware of what he was doing and asked to see the necklace. As the shopkeeper brought it out of the front window he was convinced it would be the perfect gift for Rose. A reunion present. He’d made sure he had plenty of the proper currency before they’d set out.

“Would you like to see the matching ring?” the shopkeeper asked him. She didn’t wait for his answer, pulling it out to show him. The four oblong stones came together in a cross shape, tapering to a point in the center. It was a tall ring and it would stand high on her finger, but at the same time it would look very right on her hand.

Before he knew what he was doing, he was standing outside the shop with two small boxes in his pocket, about a quarter of his currency left, and seeing a smiling Rose approaching him from across the way, 3 shopping bags dangling from her arm. She reached for his hand and he dropped a quick kiss on her lips.

“I’m hungry,” said Rose.

“There’s any number of café’s to choose from,” the Doctor said. “Or do you just want to get chips?”

Rose laughed. “I’m sure we can find a café that also serves chips,” she told him.

“Don’t know if it’ll be around here then, bit upscale this section.”

Rose shrugged. “We can walk for a bit, take one of the side roads.” They decided to do that and had not walked far when Rose stopped. “This place looks promising,” she said. As it happened they didn’t serve chips, but after Rose gave a little moue of disappointment they settled on it anyway. They had a lovely meal and as they were waiting for some kind of chocolaty mousse concoction to be brought out, the Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out the larger of the two boxes.

“I erm…I got you a little present,” he told her. She looked at him, a surprised and pleased smile on her face.

“Thank you,” she said.

“You have to open it first before you thank me,” he said. “You might not like it.”

“I somehow doubt that.” She pulled away the fine cerulean paper that had wrapped the gift and took the lid off the little box. Her mouth dropped open and in shock. “It’s gorgeous,” she said.

He moved to put it around her neck, kissing against her skin softly when the clasp was fastened, and then sat back down across from her. “The skies of my planet were that color,” he said softly so only she could hear him. “It’s gone now, but you and the TARDIS, you’re my home. It’s fitting, somehow.”

Tears appeared in her eyes as she realized the extra significance of the gift. “Thank you,” she breathed her throat tightening. “Oh, Doctor, thank you.” She reached out and held his hand across the table.

“I love you very much, Rose Tyler,” he said intensely squeezing her hand.

“I love you.” The tender tableau was broken by the waiter putting their dessert down in front of them. They were sharing and a good thing, too. They must have found the only café in France with ridiculously large portions.

“Ummm,” Rose said in a near moan, her eyes rolling back in her head. “I think that may very well be the best thing I’ve ever had in my mouth. Just like velvet.”  She scooped another mouthful in and rolled the spoon over her tongue.  "So good."

The Doctor suddenly had a coughing fit as his imagination got the better of him. When he’d cleared it, with some water and much concern from Rose, he called out, “Cheque, sil vous plait.”

“But what about dessert?” she asked hastily shovelling another spoonful of the lovely chocolate concoction into her mouth.

“I’ve changed my mind about what I want for dessert,” he growled at her, his eyes dark. He stood up, shoved an inordinate amount of money, all that he had left in fact, at the waiter, grabbed her hand as she pushed in yet one more bite and then hurried her out of the café. They ran all the way back to the TARDIS. A bit more fun actually than running for their lives.

The moment they were inside the doors, he grabbed her and started kissing her. When he broke off he looked her in the eye and said, “You, Rose Tyler, are a little tease.”

“No teasing here, Doctor,” she said seriously, walking backwards and tugging him across the console room by his tie. “I’m all about the follow-through.”

They kissed again in the doorway to the corridor and Rose managed to get his tie off him and loosen his collar without breaking away from him. They kicked off their shoes as they made their way towards the bedroom, the Doctor also losing his jacket. Rose bumped into a few walls but was not about to stop kissing him.

It was only when they reached the bedroom door that she pulled away from him for just a second to tell him she loved him. It was then that she caught sight of the bedroom and started giggling uncontrollably. The Doctor who was facing backwards stared at her puzzled.

“Okay, this wasn’t exactly the reaction I was hoping to invoke in you,” he said. Rose sank down to the floor holding her stomach and pointing behind him. He turned around to look at what was causing her howls of laughter and soon he was joining her on the floor. The song “Somewhere” from the musical West Side Story swelled dramatically around them. When they finally got a hold of themselves they staggered into the bedroom that the TARDIS had redone while they were gone. It was all in red and gold velvet.

“It looks like a Texas bordello,” the Doctor said.

“And when were you ever in a Texas bordello?” Rose asked, raising her eyebrows in inquiry.

“Well, I was hiding from this wealthy landowner, you see, late 1800’s, I think. I’d landed in his daughter’s bedroom by accident and when he saw me sneaking out her bedroom window, well one thing led to another and I ended up concealing myself in a house of ill repute. Fortunately the chameleon circuit was working at the time. I don’t know how I would have explained a big blue box with a flashing light on top to anyone, let alone him--.”

“Doctor?”

“What?”

“Forget I asked.” And she shut him up the best way she knew how.

Ch. 18:  http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/52953.html