Reign of the World

Chapter 23

The sun rose, as it was wont to do, and Rose found herself feeling oddly well rested, for all of the things that had happened to her.  To all of them.  As the camp around her started bustling, Mr. Kelly and the Doctor slept on under the shelter. 

Tiffany had seemed to gather a lot from Rose's words, discovering what she supposed she had known all along, honestly.  Rose suggested she go to get firewood; that way she could be equal parts helpful and selfish, giving her some time to think and be alone. 

Rose watched the other girl set off into the woods, hands on her hips and having a Jackie-Tyler like worry-fest within herself.  She'd never tried to help somebody with things like this, self-discovery and the like.  That was the Doctor's business, usually.  She could only hope that she'd done some good for Tiffany. 

The Doctor had started to wake up, reaching out for Rose and finding her not next to him startled him awake.  He sat up and looked around for her, finding her sitting in front of the fire that had been built on the beach, helping cook fish for breakfast.  It was obvious that a humanoid with gills had been the one to catch them.

She was laughing, talking with people and creatures that three years ago, she wouldn't have thought possible.  She was able to make jokes about her own species that would make other species laugh, could make references to other planets and universal documents without batting an eye.  If the Doctor was honest, which he usually was, he'd say that he was very much proud of Rose and how much she'd grown since she'd been with him.  Not to say that she hadn't been amazing before, because she really had been. 

He donned his jacket, forgoing the overcoat on the shelter, and moved across the beach to sit down next to her.  She offered him a smile before continuing the conversation she'd been having with the people around her. 

They eventually had enough cooked fish for the entire camp, and the Doctor set off a sonic flare before they ate.  Tiffany returned and woke Mr. Kelly up, who looked very weary and sort of like he was sleep walking anyway.  He sat down next to the Doctor, who immediately started chatting him up.

That was given up on very quickly, however, because Mr. Kelly still seemed dazed, so that Doctor thumped him on the back, told him to eat up, and turned to Rose.  "You were up early," he said quietly.

She shrugged.  "I had a talk with Tiffany."

The Doctor arched an eyebrow at that.  "You had a talk with Tiffany?  About what?"

Rose's face was calm and unguarded when she turned to face him.  "I just helped her learn a little bit about herself, that's all.  Told her that you taught me some things, but there was some stuff you had to teach yourself, in the end."  She smiled at him, "When we get back to the mainland she's going to become a real scientist, not some assistant."

The Doctor returned her smile.  "So you don't hate her anymore?" He asked. 

She looked him up and down and shook her head.  "I won anyways."

He really did have to grin at that.  He slipped an arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple.  She giggled and it reminded the Doctor just how much he really did love that sound. 

It was an odd sense of family, even though most people didn't know each other in this small circle.  Everyone was laughing, carrying on, telling complete strangers all about each other.  The Doctor knew that once they were rescued all that would go away, that everyone would go their separate ways.  But for now, in this moment, there was a beautiful moment of togetherness, a kind of moment he really liked reveling in.

Once they'd all finished eating, however, they'd all started to grow restless, wanting to go home and wondering why the Doctor's sonic flare wasn't drawing in any boats.  What they didn't factor in was that maybe it wasn't going to be a boat that saved them, after all. 

The Doctor and Rose went for a walk down the beach, checking for anyone or anything they could alert to their presence.  Without a word passing between them, their hands found each other and Rose drew close to his side. 

"Do you think anyone is going to come for us?" She asked quietly, almost afraid of the answer she was going to get.

"At some point, someone's got to," The Doctor said confidently.  "New Earth became very in tune to everyone on the planet because of the hospital scare.  It's not overbearing, not all-consuming, but the people of this planet look out for each other.  That's why I think someone's coming."

She tipped her head against his shoulder as they walked, trying to focus on the positivity of his statement.  He sounded so sure, but Rose, somehow, wasn't convinced.  "You sound so sure," she said simply.

He bumped her shoulder gently.  "That's because I am sure.  We just survived and defeated the Daleks again, you and I are getting out of here, because someone's going to come get us and take us home."

It was the thought of home that made Rose smile.  Their home.  Where they lived, more together than ever, now.  She stopped walking and looked up into his face.  he looked confused for a moment until she took her free hand and cupped his face. 

He took the hint and smiled before leaning down to kiss her.  Rose sighed softly against his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck.  He pulled her closer around the waist, allowing themselves to revel in each other for just a few of their precious quiet moments. 

When Rose pulled away, she pulled him into a hug, leaning her chin on his shoulder, facing the ocean.  She felt him bury his face in the crook of her neck as he pulled her closer. 

She would've been content to stay there forever, had it not been for the small shape in the sky.  She tilted her head up and squinted at it for a moment before realizing what it was.  She squealed and jumped onto the Doctor, wrapping her legs around his waist in a full body hug. 

He turned around, confused, to see what she was looking at.

Rose laughed and pointed into the distance.  "Do you see that, Doctor?  I guess you were right, we're going home!"