Happiness

Rose's watch alarm beeped from under her layers of clothing: five o'clock. She regretted having to rely on the alarm but she had needed the layers. A day out with a dog-sled team was always going to be cold. But -15 degrees was just a little too cold. And it was getting colder too, as the sun faded out of view, behind the mountains. Luckily, the Doctor already knew the commands, so all she'd been required to do was sit on the sled and do nothing.

The scenery more than makes up for that though she thought to herself.

Indeed, the recent snow had turned the pine trees frost white, a sea of silver-green stretching out, back towards the mountain ridges beyond.

~oOo~

“Time to go home, eh, Rose?” The Doctor appeared at her side, breaking into her reverie.

“Wha…?” Replied Rose, quietly. She shivered slightly as a breeze wafted through the clearing.

“Rose, come here you’re freezing!” The Doctor pulled a face as he saw her exposed face. He rearranged his scarf and wrapped Rose’s neck with the resulting six foot extra. “Come on!”

They walked hand in hand back to where they’d parked the TARDIS.

“Doctor?”

“Yes..?”

“Why are we wearing a…” She checked the length “a fifteen foot long scarf?”

“Because we can. And because I haven’t worn this in years. It was a favourite of mine when Sarah-Jane travelled with me, and Romana, and who could forget young Adric…”

“Okay, fair do’s!” Smiled Rose inside a fold of scarf.

Together, they opened the TARDIS doors, hand over trembling hand, and quickly went inside.
~oOo~

“Now where?” asked the Doctor as he hung up the scarf and set about warming Rose’s hands in his own. “Somewhere warmer?”

“Can we stay a little longer?” Rose asked “Could we watch the sunrise?”

“Fine by me. Tea?”

“Please!”
The Doctor went off to fetch some cups and the teapot.

~oOo~

Rose tried walking on her rapidly thawing feet. How could she have let them get so cold?

Tripping on a piece of coral, she fell face first towards the console. Instinctively she put out her hand to break her fall, and to her surprise hit a small button tucked away under the rim of the central column.

~oOo~

Several things then happened simultaneously. The Doctor returned just in time to see her impact with the console, she let out a high-pitched noise somewhere between a gasp and a scream, and the console jumped about a foot to the left. The walls receded and became filled with drawers and cupboards, curios and shelves and several dumpy armchairs sprang up in one corner. The steps down to the door became a flight of stairs up and the console turned to wood and metal. Most amazingly, however, was the change wreaked on the ceiling. In an instant the domed coral became clear glass. A perfect planetarium of the sky outside.

~oOo~

“What happened?” Rose picked herself up off the suddenly carpeted floor. “What happened to the TARDIS?”

“Rose,” the Doctor laughed “you’ve just succeeded in changing the desktop theme!”

“Desktop Theme?” Rose was incredulous.

“Yep!” The Doctor set the tray of tea he had been carrying on a small table. “This one’s called ‘Gothic’. I prefer ‘Coral’ though”

“Yes, I know…”

Rose helped herself to tea and a chocolate biscuit. The Doctor took a cup for himself and plonked himself down in one of the squashy armchairs.

“Is this why you invented the sonic screwdriver?” asked Rose, sitting down cross-legged on one of the thick fluffy rugs and eyeing a set of shelves with amusement.

“Not really. But it did prompt me to upgrade it.” He twirled the sonic screwdriver through his long fingers. “But speaking of upgrades…”
He opened a drawer and rummaged around.
“Frequent flyer’s privileges. Number one is the Universal Roaming. Number two is a personal TARDIS key. Number three…Aha!”

He pulled out a thin velvet pouch about six inches long, and tossed it to her.
She opened it carefully to reveal a slender silver handle.
“Number three…your own sonic screwdriver” grinned the Doctor as Rose finished unwrapping it. He pointed out a circle of text. “Complete with Gallifreyan nametag. Although… the nearest match to ‘Rose’ is ‘Freyarnarosalamundar’…”

“WHAT!”

“…which translates to ‘beautiful Gallifreyan flower that grows on a distant world’ so don’t bite my head off! I think it suits you.”

Rose sipped her tea in silence.

“So what’s number four?”

“Dunno, no-one’s ever been past number two before!” The Doctor drained his cup and poured another. “I really couldn’t say!”

He moved to sit beside Rose, and then lay down and gazed at the stars though the glass ceiling above. She lay down too, nestling against his shoulder.

“Thank you” she whispered in his ear.

“My pleasure!” the Doctor grinned, turning his head slightly.

~oOo~

For the next few minutes, the Doctor pointed out constellations and planets. Earth was here by the drawers… Raxacoricofallapatorius and Clom were over by the door… Ursa Major…
Rose listened attentively, but soon her eyelids began to droop. She shifted a little and was soon fast asleep. It had been a long day after all.

When the Doctor looked around and saw her, sound asleep with a contented smile on her face, he sighed happily. Carefully and gently he lifted her in his arms, watching her breathing steadily. He carried her slowly to her room and laid her on the bed, covering her with the duvet after removing her socks, which were still damp where the snow had gone over the tops of her boots earlier.

She turned over, and back onto her back. He kissed her lightly on the cheek, turned and walked to the door.

“Goodnight, Rose” he whispered to the head that poked out from beneath the covers. He took a last look at her before pulling the door closed and clearing off to his own bed.


“Goodnight… Doctor…”            An ethereal voice echoed through Rose’s room.
“Goodnight!”