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!