OKAY! so! no flames lately haha i feel pretty good about that... This chapter's a bit slowcoming because i didn't know what i wanted to put in here exactly, i started working, i've been trying to have a life, i had to finish my school work before tuesday, and i'm reading a bit... yeah... so... SORRY OLIVENAT. i know this sounds like alot of excuses but i was out alot trying to hang out with my best friend before he frolicked off for college . but i'm working! i'm working! it's odd though, i've never had anyone push me to update haha this must be pretty good! haha please enjoy!!

Disclaimer: ... Do I really have to say it?

"...Rose?...Rose, Sarah Jane was just here saying that the Doctor will be coming up soon, so you have to get up and change!... ROSE!"

Rose's eyes snapped open and she sat up in the big comfy bed. It took her a moment to remember the events of the day before. Her father had disappeared, she traced him back to the "cold" lord's castle, met the lord, took her father's place, and was now living in the castle. The castle of the "cold" lord. A man... no... an alien, called the Doctor. She thought it had all been a dream. But the violet-colored, talking wardrobe with something of a face leaning over her bed reassured her that the day before had really happened.

"Finally! I thought it would take a stampede to get you up! C'mon! You need to dress and preen! The Doctor will be here to take you down for breakfast soon!"

Rose blinked a few times, taking a moment to get used to the talking piece of furniture. Then, she let the words sink in. Her eyes widened. "The Doctor? Is he on his way up?"

"Dunno. That's why you should get up now!"

Rose tossed the covers off herself and stepped down onto the floor. It took her moment to remember why she was wearing trousers and the odd shirt, but the sight of something draped on a chair made all thoughts of the night clothes vanish. A lovely sky blue dress that had not been there the night before was suddenly there. Rose turned to Donna.

"How'd that get there?"

"Hmm... dunno, again. Maybe the Doctor snuck in while we were sleeping."

"You all sleep?"

"Well, of course we sleep. We were human once, and we still function like humans. We just don't eat."

Rose nodded and began to change into the mysterious dress. It fit her perfectly, she realized as she tied a matching ribbon around her waist. She spun around to see herself in it in front of a full length mirror. Donna somehow waddled over to see her reflection as well.

"Wow, the Doctor did a good job. You look fantastic in that."

"Really? You think so?"

"Chh, of course I think so."

"Thanks, Donna."

Donna was about to answer, when a sharp knocking was heard at the bedroom doors. Rose snapped around to face the doors. Quickly, Rose made the bed and tidied the clothes on it. Then, she turned back to the doors. "Come in!"

The right door slowly swung open and the Doctor stepped into the room. He was in clothes that Rose didn't recognize. She did know that he was wearing black shoes, trousers, and one of the buttoned shirts, also black, with the sleeves rolled up. He had a peculiar black scarf on that hung from his neck. She stored that in her mind, for she would ask him about it later. She smiled and bowed a little.

"Good morning, Doctor."

The Doctor smiled slightly. "Morning, Miss Rose. I hope you slept well."

"I did, thank you. The bed is lovely."

"And I see you found the dress I brought you."

"Yes, it's beautiful, thank you. I love it."

"Brilliant, now, I believe I am taking you down to breakfast."

"That's what I heard, Doctor."

"Lovely. And good morning to you Donna."

"Morning, Doctor. You all right?"

"I'm always all right, Donna. You know that."

"Even in the mind?"

"Now, Donna, don't start on my sanity again."

"Oh, all right space man."

"Right then, Miss Rose, would you accompany me to the dining room?"

She smiled at the polite question, but noted that he did not offer his arm, as most men normally did. She sighed, now assuming that his question may have been sarcastic. The Doctor began sauntering down the hall towards the stairs, so Rose followed. She glanced back at the closed doors, then back at the Doctor.

"Doctor, what about Donna?"

"What about Donna?"

"Does she just stay in there all day? What does she do?"

The Doctor paused, one foot still in the hall, the other on the first step going down. He turned to face her, a genuine look of guilt on his face. It disappeared seconds later behind a passive mask. "Well, normally she curses my good name. But sometimes she drifts off and other times some of the other people in the castle go up to talk to her. I normally talk to her as well, but since you're around i won't need to as much."

Rose nodded, and the Doctor, sensing that she was satisfied with the answer, turned and continued down the stairs. Rose followed as quickly as she could- with his longer legs and seemingly manic, yet subtle excitement, he took the stairs two at a time. She managed to catch up with him at the bottom and decided, to slow him down a bit, to ask the first of her questions.

"Doctor, I wore something odd last night that I wanted to ask you about."

"Fire away."

"The shirt, sir. It was oddly made and shaped, and the picture on it was strange. What's 'expelliarmus'?"

Rose jumped a bit when the Doctor let out a bark of laughter. "So you wore that one did you?" He looked obviously amused. "It's from a book from the 20th century. It's a magic spell from the story. I got old Will Shakespeare to say it and to remember the moment, I put it on a shirt."

Rose had mainly focussed on the comment on the book. "So you can travel in time."

The Doctor froze, a comtemplative look on his face. "Did Sarah Jane tell you I did?"

Rose, frightened that he would be angry, simply nodded. The Doctor continued to stand still, reading Rose's face. She was about to say something when he closed his eyes, sighed, and nodded. "Yes. That I do, or did." When he opened his eyes, Rose noticed that he had a faraway look in them. He was looking over head at something she knew she would never see. She knew the look. She saw it in all the adventurers who stopped in town for supplies, mainly the injured ones who could not continue on- wanderlust. "Oh, the things you can see. It's absolutely wonderful."

Rose smiled at him, and slowly reached out to touch his shoulder. Just as her fingers brushed the soft material of his shirt, he snapped out of his trance and stepped back from her. Rose slowly lowered her arm and watched as he shifted uncomfortably. He cocked his head in the direction that they had been heading. "Shall we move on, then?" He headed down the hall, the strange scarf swaying as he turned. Seeing that reminded Rose that she had wanted to ask him about it.

"Doctor, another question."

"Wow, you're quite curious. Shoot."

"What kind of scarf is that about your neck?" As she asked, she reached out and gently took a hold of the article. The Doctor blushed slightly as Rose ran the fingers of her other hand down the smooth material.

"It's called a tie. Men wear them around their necks to look a bit more formal."

"In the future?"

He hesitated. "Yes."

"Amazing..."

A fond smile flitted across the Doctor's face, but quickly disappeared. "Right. Breakfast. C'mon, I'm starved."

--

As Rose followed the Doctor back to the main hall after breakfast, she thought back to the sort of odd events in the dining hall. First, the Doctor had led her in, opening doors for her and pulling out her chair. Then, he went into the kitchen and brought out the trays of fruit, muffins, meats, eggs, and drinks and set them on the table. After that, he grabbed a chair and moved it over beside her. At her inquisitive look, he said "I don't normally eat with people. I'm normally in the library or the study by myself." And Rose accepted the excuse.

Rose had seen how much the Doctor was like a child in a man's body as he ate. He stuffed at least three bananas in his mouth, spread something from a jar (the Doctor called it marmalade) all over his toasted bread, and ate four muffins filled with chocolate chips. All of this was done with the enthusiasm of a young child. Rose found it rather adorable, and at one point grabbed his chin and insisted on wiping stray marmalade from his cheek. She remembered how he had blushed once again as her soft hand made contact with his scruffy, not-yet-in-need-of-a-shave skin.

The Doctor turned to Rose as they reached the foot of the grand staircase. He straightened his tie and held his hands together behind his back. "Right, well. Breakfast was lovely. Right now, though, I have a few things to do up in the study. Sarah Jane should be down here in a few moments to take you around the castle so that you know where things are, and where you are allowed to go. There are some areas I like to keep to myself." He added at her defiant look.

Rose nodded and the Doctor bid her goodday and said he would see her around dinner time. With that, he sprung up the stairs, leaving her to wait in the main hall for the teapot.

--

RIGHT! there is is folks! this chapter was dedicated to Olivenat, who pushed me to finish . there was more i wanted in here, but it'll all be in the next chapter.! so, Next time, Rose adventures away, finds a sleeping Doctor, and finds something she wasn't meant to see.

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