To Call Our Own (13/36)

[amberfocus]

Chapter Thirteen:  Little Souvenirs

Rose woke on the soft bed made of sea rushes. She vaguely remembered falling asleep on the sand. The Doctor must have carried her in and put her to bed. She stretched languidly, letting her mind reach out for that tiny tell tale spark that meant his presence nearby. She liked having that link between them, had been happy when their bonding had left her with it.

“You’re awake.” The Doctor’s voice came from behind her and she turned to find him standing in the open doorway. “I’ve got breakfast prepared.”

Rose slid out of bed. “Just let me get dressed.”

“Oh, do you have to?” pouted the Doctor.

“This body and this baby,” and she ran her hand across her abdomen, “Need food to sustain us. And if I don’t get dressed, neither of us will get it, now will we? And don’t look at me like that,” she said. “I don’t need the temptation when I’m hungry!”

She padded over to the open air closet and reached up for a pair of jeans. She slipped into them and started to fasten them. She paused, looking down in consternation as they didn’t quite close. Then she smiled and shimmied back out of them and reached for a different pair. Those too didn’t fit.

“What are you doing? Can’t make up your mind?” the Doctor asked as she folded up the two pairs of jeans. She reached for a red, off-the shoulder dress with an empire waist and dropped it over her head. Her bonding pendant hung down a couple of inches above the start of the dress and the tracking jewelry around her neck and wrists turned red with a little shimmer.

“I think we’re going to have to go shopping,” she said lightly.

“Shopping?” The Doctor frowned.

“For bigger clothes. Maternity clothes.” She smiled happily up at him. “The baby’s finally making his presence apparent.”

The Doctor grinned. “Never thought I’d be happy to be dragged around clothes shopping, but for this I am.”

Rose sashayed across the bedroom and gave him a big, wet kiss that made him whimper when she pulled away. “Breakfast first,” she said, “Then shopping. Then whatever you want to do for the rest of the day.” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

It was a simple breakfast of steamed vegetables, mostly what looked like sliced red and yellow courgettes and a pale fish that resembled and tasted like cod. It was marvelous. “You’re becoming quite the master chef,” she said leaning forward and kissing the tip of his nose.

“I had a lot of time to learn when you were…away.” His eyes clouded for a moment at that thought. “Donna taught me a lot of it. She could make shoe leather into a gourmet meal. She pretty much did once.” He shook his head, smiling in reminiscence.

“Do you think we can go back and get Jack and Donna before we go to Kranamar?” Rose asked her eyes flitting away from his and looking down at her empty plate.

“Are you still worried about that?” he asked gently raising her chin so she had to meet his steady gaze.

“Why do we have to go there at all?”

“Vandarian said it would alter history if we didn’t. Our presence there must be pretty important.”

“I don’t want to risk our baby,” Rose told him.

“I think he’s at risk no matter what happens. The time lines have to go the way they’re meant to or we’ll end up in a paradox. I’ll do everything in my power to protect you, Rose. If you feel safer bringing along Jack and Donna, then we’ll get them before we go.” He moved his hand from his chin to gently cup her face. “You’re my life, Rose. My family. You and that precious babe.”

Rose leaned across the table and kissed him on the mouth feeling somewhat better. They stood up and she walked around the table. He hugged her reassuringly for a moment then allowed his hand to trail down over her hip and around to her bum. “After we go shopping!” Rose laughed moving his hand back up to her waist.

“Fine,” the Doctor said with fake resignation in his voice. “Let’s go then.”



The marketplace was filled with brilliant colors, sweet and savory smells and a cacophony of noises as shopkeepers barked their wares. They wandered through stalls, Rose finding several fabrics that appealed to her. Once purchased they found a dressmaker's stall. She stood quietly as a yellow skinned, green-haired woman took her measurements and was made to understand that the garments she would sew would need to have room for expansion because of the growing baby.

They left the stall after placing their order, which was to be delivered by matter transmission in two days. The Doctor slipped off on his own for a few minutes before returning with a secret smile and a soft refusal to tell her what he’d been up to. She’s spent the time apart finding him a present.

They wandered about for a couple of hours and Rose bought an exquisite jade green bottle that was filled with a gelatin that was supposed to prevent stretch marks in pregnant women. It smelled like honeysuckle and she found accompanying hand and body lotions with the same scent and some shampoos and soaps that smelled like apple grass. She hadn’t ever been able to resist that aroma since New Earth.

The Doctor picked out some basic toiletries of his own. “What, you can’t be the only one who smells nice?” he asked when she looked at him askance. She laughed, approving the smell of his choices as he tilted them under her nose. It was a strange and yet very appealing mix of honey and new leather. It almost put her in mind of his previous incarnation, though the honey was something he never would have worn then. She didn’t think.

The Doctor arranged to have their packages delivered to their bungalow and then reached out for her hand and strolled with her over to the food shops. They settled on kebabs of a meat similar to lamb in flavor that had been strung with alternating blue, orange, purple, and yellow vegetables. Then they found some kind of fried pastry sweet that was covered in a dark red berry topping, honey, cinnamon, and what tasted like whipping cream, only it was violet.

Upon completion of their meal they wandered some more, sipping at a layered, multi-colored fruit concoction that they shared between them. Finally Rose began to feel tired and they decided to end the day at the marketplace.

She fell asleep against him in the transport on the way back to the bungalow and again found herself waking up a few hours later on the soft rush bed, though this time she wasn’t alone. The Doctor had lain beside her, watching her sleep. She smiled happily at him. “Do you know how much pleasure I get,” she asked in a husky voice, “Just waking up with you in my bed?”

“Not as much pleasure as you’re about to get,” the Doctor said, his voice low and sensual.

She laughed. “Time to fulfill my promise.”

He made love to her slowly and sweetly and about drove her out of her mind on more than one occassion, though she knew she had returned the favor in kind. As they lay together afterwards, her head against his chest while he stroked her hair, she gave a little sigh of satisfaction.

“I got you something,” she said sitting up and reaching towards the little bag that she’d kept on her wrist during the shopping expedition. She reached inside and handed him a small package. He took it from her and his hands began to work off the little string that held the paper on.

It was a pair of amber garnet and silver cufflinks. “It reminded me of you,” she said. “And it matched my wedding ring.”

“I love them, Rose,” he said his eyes showing his true appreciation for the thoughtful gift.

“I have something for you, too.” And his expression turned to that of an excited little boy as he rolled over and picked up his suit jacket and dug in the pocket. “Here.” He handed her a tiny box.

She lifted the lid and peered inside. On a bed of blue satin sat a pair of silver earrings with intricate white shells about two centimeters long and a half a centimeter wide.

“They’re beautiful,” she gasped.

“The shell comes from the Sandovalian salky. It’s a long thin sea creature that twists and turns inside the convoluted shell. It only lives in its shell a few months before it sheds it and grows a new one. Similar to your hermit crab on Earth except it grows it’s own, it doesn’t take over the abandoned ones of previous occupants. This size is the smallest one. They can grow up to a meter in diameter.”

“They’re lovely.” She went to put them on but the Doctor stopped her. “I’m not quite done nibbling on your ears,” he told her. She smiled and lay back beside him and he showed her exactly what he meant by that remark.

Ch. 14:  http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/69670.html