The Bet - Part Five

Part Five - Tricked by Trickery

It was 3 o' clock in the morning and the Doctor was sweating.

It wasn't too warm around him; in fact, it was always comfortable inside the TARDIS and the temperature never usually bothered him anyway. But today, he was suffering from severe withdrawal symptoms, mainly because he'd stayed away from all forms of caffeine as a precaution, and his body wasn't reacting well to it all.

He was becoming increasingly queasy and fanned himself, loosening his tie at the same time. He briefly thought how easy Rose had it all; she was probably sleeping at the moment, away from all her cravings and thoughts. Lucky human, he grimaced.

After taking another sip of some water, he unbuttoned his suit and sat there in his shirt. It was almost sticking to his chest and he dreaded to think what he looked like; probably almost unattractive.

"Ugh," he muttered, running his hands through his hair. He didn't know if he could stand anymore of this... Cybermen and Clockwork Robots were easy, but surviving without tea... he nearly believed it would be the end of him.

Well, not literally. He wasn't planning on regenerating due to a lack of tea, but he just had a habit of being a little melodramatic.

Exhaling a very heavy sigh, he waited for the minutes to tick by and eventually reached for a random book in order to distract himself. He wasn't doing a very good job, though, and his thoughts kept wandering to what state he'd be in a few hours later. Maybe Rose would walk in after a nice night of sleep and just see a puddle on the floor, because that's what he honestly felt he'd be reduced to.

He gulped. It had never been this bad before...

I'll have to take a shower before she gets up, he thought to himself. Nice and fresh... make it seem as though this is all a doddle.

As he devised this plan, a small smile crept onto his face. Just seeing the expression on Rose's face would be brilliant... not forgetting her reaction when they would arrive on the planet he'd thought of.

Standing up and stretching, he decided to occupy himself with counting the chocolate bar wrappers around him. It was out of curiosity, of course, not out of desperation...

***

Rose's eyelids fluttered open and she groaned a little to herself, rolling over in her bed and checking the time. 9am. Time to get up.

She sat upright and, almost instantly, the Doctor entered her thoughts. What had his night been like? A smile played on her lips just thinking about what he'd been getting up to. Maybe she'd walk downstairs and see a brand new batch of pies for breakfast. Her stomach rumbled at the prospect.

Quickly reaching for her nightgown and clothes, she made her way towards the bathroom, ready for her morning shower. She was astonished, however, after opening the door and seeing the Doctor standing there with a towel wrapped around the lower half of his skinny body. His gaze flickered to her in surprise and he gasped, aware of his half naked-ness. They both stood still, staring silently for a few moments and the Doctor opened and closed his mouth a few times, unable to find any words.

"Now who's the goldfish?" Rose managed, trying desperately to lighten the atmosphere.

"Hi," he said quietly, his face prickling. "Uh... fancy seeing you here."

She swallowed and gathered her clothes that she had dropped on the floor. "Doctor," she murmured, "what are you doing in here?"

"I was baking some pies," he replied bluntly.

Rose raised her eyebrows. "I thought you disapproved of sarcasm."

He grinned, covering his chest with another towel out of self consciousness. "It must be contagious." He added a shudder for good measure.

She couldn't help smirking. "Why are you having a shower anyway?"

He frowned. "Why can't I? It's my TARDIS."

Rose waved her arms around. "It's just that you never have one in the morning... I never see you."

"Yeah, well," he said slowly, shifting about and glancing at the floor. "I felt like one this morning. We've got a long day ahead of us, after all."

She smiled. "Alrighty then. Now shift, it's my turn. I hope you didn't use up all the hot water."

He walked past her, clutching the towel closely to his chest. "Um... could you pass me my suit?" He gestured to the floor. "My hands are... er, preoccupied."

Rose smiled and did as he asked. She handed the suit towards him and frowned, smelling the fabric. "This smells nice," she murmured. "Have you washed it?"

He didn't meet her eyes. "Yeah. I... well, I had plenty of time on my hands."

He headed towards the door, and suddenly remembered something. "Y'know, I never would have believed it to be 45. No wonder I felt sick, I was expecting it to be something like 30!"

Rose frowned. "You what?"

She couldn't get an answer, however, because he had disappeared out of sight. Shaking her head, she stepped into the shower, letting the warm water run over her.

***

"So, where are we off to today?"

The Doctor smiled widely, watching the TARDIS come to life. "It's a surprise."

Rose groaned. "I hate surprises. Y'know, for once it would be nice to have some preparation. It's always the same with you knowing everything and showing about all over the place..."

"That's my job," he replied, pulling a lever, "so stop complaining."

She huffed. "At least give me the name of the planet."

"Alright, it's called Fria, otherwise known as 'Planet of the Chips.'"

Rose's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me?"

He smirked. "Yeah." She nudged him in the ribs. "No, we're really going to a planet called Maloa."

"Oooh," Rose smiled. "Sounds exotic."

"Don't go saying that to the people who live there, though," the Doctor said. "They might get offended. I've heard that they're nice people, though, very friendly. Then again, that's a matter of opinion... someone once told me..." He trailed off, noticing Rose's blank face. "But anyway, I think you'll like it... for once I might be able to go somewhere and not make any enemies!"
He grinned goofily and Rose had to smile in response.
"Hold on," he suddenly cried, "this might be a bit-"

He trailed off as the TARDIS suddenly lurched forwards. They were both thrown backwards and fell onto the floor, staying there as the ship settled. After a few seconds, everything went quiet.

"Bumpy."

Rose laughed at the Doctor's understatement and held his hand when he sprinted over to help her upright.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied. "No major injuries. Though one of these days I actually want to see your license to drive this thing!"

"I would show you, but I've lost it," he answered quickly, reaching for his coat. "Now, off we go!"

When they made their way outside, Rose took a closer look at him. "Hey, are you alright Doctor? You look a little peaky..."

He shrugged off her comments. "Yeah, nothing wrong with me!"

They stepped out of the TARDIS and Rose gasped in awe, taking in her surroundings. The Doctor, meanwhile, had a truimphant smile on his face and also looked around in admiration.

"Welcome to Maloa."

Rose couldn't believe what she was seeing; it was like a paradise. The first thing that caught her attention was the sky above; it was a dark purple and it was filled with hundreds of bright stars, all the size of tiny lightbulbs.

"Is it the night time?" she asked in a breathy voice.

"No," the Doctor replied, "strangely not. This is what the sky always looks like, day and night. It's wonderful, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Rose managed, her heart hammering wildly.

Her gaze moved downwards and, in the distance, she could see several ice-capped mountains, standing tall and proud. To her left were rows of beautiful houses, each looking brand new with beige brickwork and shiny windows. They were all large, almost like mansions, and each had a beautiful garden full of flowers, ranging from all the bright colours she could think of. There was even a colour in there that she couldn't quite name.

To her right, there was a vast lake that seemed to sparkle under the light of the stars. She could see some boats on the surface and it looked as though some people were fishing.

Talking of which, the people around here were quite strange to Rose; they looked very similar to the humans but a little bit different. She couldn't quite put her finger on what the difference was, so she turned to the Doctor for an explanation.

"Well," he said, "they look so close to humans because they are more or less of that species, they've just evolved a bit."

Rose didn't reply so he continued.

"Basically, a few years ago, the humans found the technology that allowed them to go this far into space and they eventually found this planet, completely uninhabited. They realised that it was actually perfect for human life and that people could live here easily and so some decided to stay, completely intoxicated by the atmosphere. Can you blame them really?" he grinned. "Anyway, after time these people evolved; tiny little things that are hardly noticeable but that define them from the usual human species."

Rose frowned. "Why don't all humans just live here, then? It's a beautiful new world..."

"Well," the Doctor began, "it takes a lot of money to travel here so only the rich and famous tend to take the vacations. Also, it's not as big as the Earth and can't really support billions of people."

"What year is it?" Rose asked randomly.

"It's 2153," he informed her. "All the technology has improved."

"Why couldn't they find this planet before?" she asked.

"Dunno," he shrugged, "some say it just appeared out of nowhere, but they sure are glad they know of its existence now."

They walked ahead, the Doctor with his hands deep in his pockets and Rose spinning around, taking in her surroundings. Along the way they passed a few people, who all smiled politely and greeted them with a strange gesture. The Doctor returned this and Rose had to copy his actions; she thought she'd done it correctly, though, because the people didn't seem too offended.

"See, told you the Maloans were friendly," he smiled.

They walked along the clean, spotless pavement for a time Rose couldn't measure and it soon became thirsty work.

"Why don't we meet some of the locals?" the Doctor suggested, pointing to a cafe in the distance.

"Yes," Rose replied excitedly, "Sounds fun."

They walked through the doors into the shop and were immediately greeted warmly. Some fellow customers were drinking liquids of strange colours; purple, blue, even red. Rose vaguely wondered if she'd be able to order something she actually recognised.

They eventually took a seat next to the window and Rose sighed, breathing in deeply. "Hey, what's that smell that seems to follow us around everywhere?"

The Doctor shrugged. "It's probably all the flowers on the planet. It's lovely... makes a change from all the pollution back on Earth."

Rose nodded and they were soon greeted by a middle-aged looking woman. She had friendly eyes and a smile was always present of her face.

"Good day, welcome to Maloa. I'm assuming you're not originally from here..."

The Doctor shook his head. "No, we're not, but we must offer our compliments of this beautiful planet."

She smiled, bowing her head. "Thank you. Are you enjoying your stay?"

They both nodded. "Yes, it's fantastic."

She smiled again. "Please excuse me for a moment."

She rushed off and into, what Rose assumed, was the kitchen. She turned towards the Doctor, sighing. "I want to live here."

Just as he was grinning, the woman walked back, taking a seat and pushing two cups of a strange coloured liquid across the table. Rose frowned down at it and peeked at the Doctor, who looked equally confused.

"What's this?" he asked, eyeing her carefully.

"It's our welcome drink," the lady answered slowly, as though it was obvious. "It's a gift from us to you as a welcome to our planet."

The Doctor smiled, turning to Rose. "Told you they were lovely."

He took the cup in his hands. "Cheers." He then downed the drink in one go and quickly frowned. "Wait, this tastes a little familiar..."

"Familiar?" the woman asked. "What is your planet of origin?"

"Earth," the Doctor lied.

"Ah, then I know why you recognise the taste."

Rose looked at her in confusion, waiting for the explanation.

"That drink is Maloa's version of tea," she told them. "It contains all the same ingredients but we've altered it and added a few different chemicals, mainly to improve the taste."

The Doctor lost his grip on the cup and it clattered loudly on the table. "I... I'm sorry?"

"So what you're basically saying," Rose interrupted, a big smile on her lips, "is that you just let the Doctor drink some tea?"

The woman nodded. "What an odd name. But anyway, is there something wrong with that?"

"No," Rose grinned, drinking her own. "That's perfectly brilliant."

The Doctor looked at her in outrage and shock. "But that's not fair! Rose, I didn't know! It doesn't look anything like tea! It's a different colour! I... I... I never knew! No, this doesn't count! Don't you look at me like that, Rose, you know this isn't right! I was tricked by their... trickery!"

"You know full well what the contract says," she smirked. "And now you've lost!"

He ran his hands through his hair. "No, Rose!"

The woman sat next to them looked at the pair in confusion. Rose quickly explained. "Sorry, it's a long story."

"Yes," the Doctor said, standing up, "and I must apologise, but my companion and myself have to go now."

"So soon?" she objected, looking a little deflated.

"Yes, sorry. Thank you for the..." he paused. "Tea."

Rose snorted at his gritted teeth and they quickly left the room, heading back towards the TARDIS. The Doctor strode ahead silently, feeling very cheated. He threw open the doors with a lot of force and flew inside, hastily reaching for the contract. Rose watched him pull out his glasses and re-read the piece of paper several times. After a few moments, he sagged down onto the chair, completely defeated.

"I..." he started quietly. "I guess you win."

He threw his hands up, while Rose clapped hers together. "Yes!"

He took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes. "I can't believe it."

She stood by his side. "You were struggling though, you've got to admit..."

He didn't answer.

"But now," Rose said in a low voice, "it's forfeit time."

The Doctor met her eyes warily, looking a little worried. "Have you got any ideas?"

She put her hands in her pockets. "Oh yes."

***

The final part will be uploaded very soon! Thanks for reading.

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The Bet - Part Four

Part Four - The Timelord Touch

Rose smirked to herself and slowly placed the phone back in her pocket, just in time for the Doctor to start stirring. A long groan escaped his lips and he stretched out, nearly hitting Rose in the face during the process. He frowned and opened his eyes to look at her.

"Oh," he said quietly. "Sorry." After blinking a few times he asked, "What... what just happened?"

"You fell asleep," Rose answered, pressing her lips together with a lot of force in order to stop her smile escaping. Her mouth was tingling from the effort but she kept at it; she certainly didn't want the Doctor to become suspicious.

"No I didn't," the Doctor retorted. "I was just resting my eyes."

"Of course you were," Rose smirked. "That explains why you slumped over onto my shoulder."

His eyes widened comically. "I... No, I didn't."

She grinned. "Alright then. I'll take your word for it."

After giving her a long look, he nodded. "Good."

He sat upright and took a long look at all the empty wrappers still remaining around him. After doing so, he let out a heavy sigh and clutched his stomach. "I still feel ill. The smell of the chocolate is hovering in the air."

"Bless."

"I think I need some coffee, actually," the Doctor murmured to himself, diving into some boxes.

Rose's fingers curled around the phone in her pocket and she clamped her free hand over mouth, stifling her laughter. Everytime she thought about earlier, a wave of hysteria passed through her; it was like wanting to laugh in a really inappropriate situation, in a church for example. Not that she'd ever been in one; Jackie had made her thoughts on religion very clear during Rose's childhood.

"I'll have one as well, if you're boiling the kettle," she said after a while, eventually sorting her thoughts out. The Doctor popped his head up from a box with a jar in his hand and he grinned.
"Missing the chips, yet?"

Rose's smile vanished. "Nope. Not even thought about it, to be honest." She picked at her fingernails nonchalantly for some extra emphasis.

"That's good, then, 'cause I'm not even missing my tea."

Rose snorted and received a strange look. After composing herself, she coughed. "Why did you ask, anyway? Feeling worried?"

"Nope."

"No," Rose laughed. "Of course you're not. You've got a substitute, anyway, and it's not really fair, but still," she shrugged, "Whatever you say."

He smirked, rushing off towards the kitchen. "Won't be a mo."

She smiled after him. It was going to be one of the greatest moments of her life when the Doctor watched her video, and she was going to be there ready with her camera, taking a photo to preserve the memory forever.

Turns out he was right; she did have an evil streak, after all.

***

The Doctor paced back and forth in the kitchen, wincing to himself. Had he really just fallen asleep next to Rose? Argh! He ran his fingers through his messy hair in despair; for someone so clever, how could he have been so stupidly stupid? He knew that he tended to talk or act out elaborate scenes during his sleep - Sarah Jane Smith had kindly pointed that out to him a few years ago, resulting in eternal embarrassment and humiliation.

And he'd slipped again today, in front of Rose. Rose. Of all the people, it had to be her.
He was an idiot.

The kettle boiled and he sighed, absently pouring the water and feeling the warm steam on his face. There was a pot of teabags just a few inches away from him and his hand was willing him to stretch out towards it and...

He blinked rapidly, reaching for the coffee. If those chocolate bars made him oddly drowsy, he'd have to stay away from them. He couldn't risk falling asleep again.

So he'd just have to frazzle his mind with some coffee instead. Despite his situation, he smirked to himself. Frazzle. What a great word!

He then sighed, taking the cups in his hands and heading back towards Rose. "Remember,"he murmured under his breath, "just deny everything and you'll be fine."

***

"I actually really hate coffee," the Doctor declared, finishing the last drop from his mug with a lot of effort. "Ugh. Horrible."

Rose looked at him, her eyebrows raising. "You what?"

"It tastes disgusting," he grimaced. "Like... like..."

"But Doctor, why did you buy so much of it if you hate the taste?" Rose asked, giving him an odd look.

'Because I'm desperate' was the first thought that popped into the Doctor's head.

"I've got to win this bet somehow," he managed.

Rose leaned forward, blowing out a long breath. "What's the time, anyway?"

"It's about 7pm," the Doctor answered, not even looking away from her. Rose promptly frowned, making the Doctor grin. "It's a Time Lord thing, y'know. Being able to tell the time. Comes in handy."

"Are you being funny?"

The Doctor looked innocent. "No. I just have a natural ability of always knowing the time." He paused. "And I tend to show off in the process."

She sighed. "Anyway, can we actually go somewhere tomorrow? It's been a while, after all."

"Oooh, I know just the place," he beamed. "You'll love it."

She smiled. "Great. But it's too early for me to go to bed right now... so what should we do?"

He shrugged. "I hope it doesn't involve any more chocolate or coffee, otherwise I might throw up."

"Or fall asleep again," Rose added helpfully.

"I don't know what you mean," the Doctor said quietly. "But anyway, did you have anything in mind?"

"Not exactly." Her stomach then rumbled very obviously. "Oh God," she muttered, clutching at her belly. "That's embarrassing."

The Doctor smiled crookedly. "Salad not doing it for you, then?"

"Don't go there," Rose snapped. "Hey, how about you cook me something?"

His eyes lit up automatically at the challenge. "Ooh, actually I have just the thing." He stood up and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the kitchen. "You'll never guess what I've got planned."

"Is it pie?" Rose asked, closing the door behind her.

The Doctor's face fell. "Perhaps."

"That's a yes, then," she laughed. "What filling were you thinking of?"

He thought for a moment. "That depends. Are you thinking of sweet or savoury?"

"Savoury," Rose answered quickly. Anything that vaguely resembles some chips, please!

"How about..." the Doctor continued, poking his head into the fridge freezer, "some chicken?"

"Mmm!" Rose said a little loudly, frightening him momentarily. "Sounds fantastic!"

He smirked. "Molto bene."

***

About half an hour later the meal was well under way. Rose was certainly impressed with the Doctor's culinary skills; half of the time his face was contorted in concentration and his tongue poked out of his mouth on regular occasions. She was once again having a tough time keeping a straight face.

He had just started work on the pastry, asking Rose to pass him the flour. She did so, but handed it to him with a bit too much force, leaving him showered in a cloud of mist. After coughing for a few minutes and waving his arms around, he scowled.

"Blimey, Rose, can you please stop assaulting me?" he frowned. "You nearly dropped the chicken on my foot earlier and now I'm being gassed by flour."

Rose snorted, watching him making the mixture. "You seem pretty good at this, though."

He grinned in pride. "Yeah. I had a few tips from Delia."

"Oh, you bought one of her books?" Rose asked in interest.

"No," the Doctor said, looking surprised. "I met her."

Rose tutted. "You're always name-dropping. You're like some Z list celebrity trying to have a claim to fame."

"That was a low blow, Rose," the Doctor teased. "You have most definitely offended me."

She smiled to herself. "When's this gonna be ready, anyway? I'm starving... couldn't you have just bought a ready-made one and bung it in the oven?"

He scowled once more. "This one has the special Time Lord touch."

She nodded slowly. "Of course. Sorry."

They stood in silence for a few moments and Rose looked around the cramped little kitchen. She still couldn't really fathom how there was so much space crammed inside such a small box. She was just pondering this when something suddenly caught her eye. She leant over towards a small metal pot and opened it, holding a few teabags in her hands.

"Hey, Doctor," she said in a low voice. "Missing the tea?"

He didn't look at her; just sorted out the pastry with a bit more force.

"It's calling out for you, y'know," she continued, holding a single teabag between her thumb and index finger. "It's missing you!"

"Right, the pie's ready," he said loudly. "Let's get this baby in the oven."

Rose put the teabags back, feeling a little stupid. She caught a smug grin on the Doctor's face as he put the pie in the oven, and the heat flooded her cheeks.

"That'll be ready in just over an hour," he said, rubbing his hands together. He turned towards her and raised a single eyebrow. "Nice try."

She averted her eyes to the oven and tried to focus on the smell surrounding her. This bet was certainly becoming more and more intense...

***

"Oh. My. Gosh!" Rose sighed, clutching her plate to her chest. "This is amazing..."

The Doctor smiled triumphantly. "I'm not going to brag." He paused. "Much."

"Is there a special ingredient or something?" she asked, taking another mouthful. "Oh no, you haven't smuggled chips in here, have you? Doctor, that would be-"

He laughed. "No. I wouldn't cheat like that! Like I said before, it has the Time Lord touch."

She nodded slowly, eating some more. "Ugh, I could live off these pies."

"I already do," he smirked, taking his own bite.

Rose looked down at her plate in surprise; only one half of the pie was waiting for her. "Argh, half of it's gone already!"

"Optimism, Rose!" the Doctor grinned. "You still have half of it left."

"Pfft," she replied.

A few minutes later and both plates were clean. The Doctor let out a satisfied sigh, whereas Rose yawned. She was pleased, though, because she was now full and had no desire whatsoever for a plate of chips. Thanks very much, Doctor, she thought to herself.

"Tired?" he asked, catching her attention
.
"No," she replied. "I'm just yawning for fun."

"Rose," the Doctor warned. "The sarcasm isn't attractive."

Her face prickled. "Maybe you should have an early night?" he suggesed. "I'm sure we'll be busy tomorrow."

"Yeah. I think I will actually." She stood up. "Can I trust you on your own?"

He made a strange noise. "I'm not a five year old."

"You act like it sometimes, though," she countered at lightning speed.

"True."

"But seriously?" Rose asked. "You'll admit it if you cave, won't you?"

"You don't have to worry about that," he said carelessly. "Do you want to monitor me with some CCTV just incase?"

"Shut up."

He grinned. "No. You can trust me, honestly."

"Alright then. See you in the morning, then."

He smiled. "Will do. Have a good night."

When she had disappeared he let out a very long sigh and paced back and forth for a few moments. He certainly wasn't looking forward to this night alone... in fact, he was dreading it. The night's were the worst; too much time to think...

He reached for a random book he had on top of the TARDIS console and sat down, flicking through the pages.

"Stay strong," he murmured to himself. "You're a Time Lord... you can do this."

It was a shame he didn't believe a word of his pep talk...

Part Five will be up soon!

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