#I still remember deciding to get back to working on TSP

[anto-pops]

Hi!!!

I just wanted to say your writing is absolutely incredible. You are SO talented.

Im currently reading TSP and I selfishly never want it to end, please tell me theres like 15 more chapters before it closes???? Also your other one shots/fics have become my number one nightly reading and i wish i could squeeze you in person to thank you for fulfilling my endless HL brainrot.

Sending so much love 💚💚💚💚

AKSJHDAKJFH THANK YOU !! That's so sweet of you to say, I seriously appreciate it 😭💕

I'm in the same boat as you honestly ;; Knowing that TSP is reaching the final act is making it harder and harder to get through the newer chapters. That fic has been 1 ½ years in the making. It collected dust for 11 months in the midst of one of the worst bouts of writers block I've ever dealt with. But despite all the hiccups, I'm so glad that I went back to it... I've never written anything so long or so plot heavy, so it was almost a personal goal to see it through :'))

I would guesstimate with how the choppy outline is looking that there's about... mmmm 5 or 6 chapters left ?? I'm sure that might change depending on how I'm able to pace everything, but yeah. The remainder of the story is most likely in the single digits as far as chapters go 🥹

It's my pleasure to provide smutty nighttime reading material to everyone, I'm so glad you're enjoying everything !! Thank you again for the nice message my dear, I'm sending you lots of love back !! 💕💕

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

OC origins

Thanks @paeliae-occasionally here, @the-golden-comet here, @leahnardo-da-veggie here, and @honeybewrites here!

Rules: tell us the origin of the names and personalities of a couple OCs!

I already did Lexi and Maddie here! I also like talking about character design changes so here we go.

Ash:

Ash's first incarnation was in Draft One of TSP. She was Alexia's best friend Aurora Flité. I don't remember how I came up with the name. She was also ten with little personality, although she had more than Alexia. Aurora seemed to be overdramatic, more than anything. She had telepathy, which has remained consistent. Aurora had pale skin and freckles like she does now, but that's about the only thing that has stayed the same. She was originally based on my best friend though I gave her longer hair, down to her waist. I described Aurora's hair as a blackish brown with red highlights, though I just made it brown in Draft Two. Aurora's hair progressively got shorter over time until it became Ash's much shorter hair in Draft Five, where her hair changed to black. Her eyes used to be blue but soon became greener until they were completely green. I'm not sure when I got rid of her glasses. I don't remember defining Aurora's wardrobe, but I remember it being layered and colorful. Now, Ash wears mainly jeans, T-shirt, and a plaid overshirt. In Draft Five, I also gave her rings. In Draft Two, Aurora's surname was Austin, but I changed it to its permanent Hathaway in Draft Three. The name Ash was chosen because when starting Draft Four, I had another character named Aurora in what later became SOTL (her name isn't Aurora now either lol), so I realized I should probably change her name, especially since I was growing less fond of it for her (nothing against the name itself). I felt like she still needed an A name, so I improvised Ashley while I was writing. However, I tried just calling her Ash and I got attached to it right away, so I went back and changed previous mentions (this was while writing chapter one). Ash Hathaway still sounded good so I kept her surname. Personality-wise, Ash has changed quite a bit. She's still super hard to get down, though, so I need to work very hard on her. So this will be hard to describe. Ash isn't overdramatic anymore, that's for sure. She's a lot more reckless than she used to be. She is more curious and prone to liking adventure, which is something I'm trying to emphasize more in Draft Five. Scientifically-minded, I'd say. In Draft Four, I felt Ash's descent into obsession and refining her power and sinking into jealousy etc happened too fast. I'm going to have to fix it, which I'm trying to do. It's hard to describe her progression when I'm in the middle of it!

Gwen

Gwen's equivalent character did not exist until Draft Two. Like most here, she was originally based on someone I knew before I changed her up a bit. In Draft Two, Gwen's name was Andrea Armstrong, though in Draft Three she went by Andy. Andrea never made an official appearance, she was just a planned character, but Andy had one scene at the beginning of Draft Three. In Draft Two, Andrea was planned to have the power to take characters out of books, but in Draft Three I planned it to be invisibility, which it stayed throughout the rest of the series. For her design, Andrea/Andy had light brown skin, hair, and eyes. I'm not sure what her wardrobe was. Gwen still has very light brown skin and eyes but her hair is darker, though she usually wears it in a braid. I gave her glasses when I decided people with invisibility typically need them, but she didn't get them until Part Three of Draft Four, while in Draft Five she got her glasses during Part One. She also now wears boy's jeans (for pockets), a tank top, and a sweater. I think Andrea just came to me and I thought Andy was a cute nickname. Gwen came up because the friend she was based on wished her name started with a G (because her crush had a name that started with a G... Oh, middle schoolers...) so I fulfilled her wish, and Gwen was the first name I thought of. Since she was always meant to have a Mexican mother and Italian father (or equivalent), I looked up Italian surnames because I couldn't think of any off the top of my head, and just said "Gwen [surname]" until something sounded right, and since it's Amante and I assume the list was alphabetical, it didn't take me too long. Personality-wise, Gwen used to come across as a lot more shyer and hesitant than she turned out, despite keeping her introverted nature. Gwen became even more loving and caring and compassionate etc than ever, soon getting a fire burning inside her, which only happened due to what I put this poor girl through in Parts 2-4, or at least what's drafted of them. Starting Draft Five, Gwen had developed so much in Draft Four into a character I love dearly, with many layers to her, so she was easier to write and build up.

Tagging @cherrybombfangirlwrites @dyrewrites @diabolical-blue @winterandwords @paeliae-occasionally

+ ANYONE ELSE

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

@nebula--nix @literarynecromancy @honeybewrites

[tumbling-turmoil]

I'm gonna do a silly & copy paste as to what I typed in the TSP Creator Club vc chat awhile ago, with aome more fixings since I don't remember talking about my lore on Tumblr before. It's a BIG typing, so it's under Keep Reading :3

Nathan & Stanley (Stanley Burrows, Paraverse Alias is Burley, uses She/They/He) are part of an AU of sorts where instead of them being in a video game, they're part of a 1930s TV cartoon show. Nathan Albright (goes by any pronouns besides She/Her), who used to be human, was overjoyed to see that his passion project, & him to an extent, was given the chance to become a fully fledged show & went on over to CrowsCrowsCrows Studio in order to start. Unbeknownst to him, they weren't fully transparent on how the show would be produced. When he thought he was going to be a director for the show, they meant that he'd literally become a TV show. They shoved them into a big machine resembling a film camera & he becomes a cartoon. He creates blank states of the rest of the cast overtime through new powers he gained, though by doing that they've now gotten their own personalities. Those would keep developing overtime, especially when they got thrown into the Paraverse.

After a particular decision was put into Season 1 (I've a drabble for that for more info lol), CrowsCrowsCrows decided to put his show into thin ice. How it was done? For every negative large review, he & his cast would feel head-on, whether it's physically (Nathan w/ his forms) or mentally (Stanley w/ her violence problems).

Since their parable's set in 1935, they're able to get introduced to the Paraverse through a time machine that Tony Vendura (TV/ this parable's TK, goes by It/They) made in its spare time. It actually meant for the machine to just go back for an episode gag, but they ended up getting it to work forwards as well! Originally, it was just Nathan who went, & he stayed in the background most of the time. Now, both he & Stanley go, Stanley being much more social. Seriously, she's got a partner there! That's neat, & she's poly so she's still open for more partners! :)) (/j, /silly, /unless,,,)

The citizens of this Parable follows a religion that's similar to a mix of Christianity & Greek mythology, with an artistic twist.

phew, ok. I could go on still, but not much. It's all just random facts now. Like how Stanley has a voice & like to sing, it's just that she's pretty shy in using it. She only sings in events (that's just in front of those she trusts) & in singular-time running specials. When put into the Fight-Flight-Freeze Mode, Nathan will freeze. However, when in his other form (idk what to call it lol), he'll "haunt" the thing that put him in such a shock, going silent. Speaking of his other form, his eyes will go onto his palms by default, but can morph onto other parts if he's using said hands. They're also his glasses lens, meaning that he cries though his glasses in human form.

TV & the Parable's Conductor (Curator; don't have a name for her yet lol) also have another form since the show change.

[batscatsandwitchcraft]

MY Marriage Mending Pumpkin Pie

Im baking a Pumpkin Pie, but pumpkin isnt the only ingredient..

Im baking a “Relationship Rescue Pie.” I saw someones recipe/spell online, but I decided I wanted to craft my own. I used similar ingredients that will allow me to create a similar outcome that I manifest, and with the help if the spirits.

✨Your magick comes from within, everything else is a tool. You just have to know which ones to use, and who to ask for help.✨

Marriage Mending Pie

(Vegan)

Wet ingredients:

1/2 32oz can of pumpkin purée

1/2-1 cup brown sugar(sweeten to taste)

1 cup almond milk

2 tablespoons vegan butter, melted

Splash of vanilla

Flax seed egg

Dry ingredients

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

1/4 tsp Cloves

1 tsp Cinnamon

Crust (I used a store bought walnut crust)

Magickal Properties

Cinnamon: High levels of spirituality, psychic ability, and works in matters of lust and love.

Cloves: Drive away negativity, cleansing, and bringing prosperity.

Nutmeg: Inspires passion, attraction and irresistible allure, helps with making convincing arguments with someone who doesn’t see things your way.

Almond milk: Encourages lasting and loving union.

Pumpkin: Helps with getting your desired outcome, love.

Vanilla: Calming and strengthening properties, love, friendship, healing, happiness, passion.

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375°F

Step 2: In one bowl, add all of your wet ingredients, and mix until combined.

Step 3: In a smaller bowl, mix your dry ingredients together, and slowly add them to the wet ingredients. Or be chaotic like me and add the dry ingredients one by one.

Remember to be setting your intentions throughout this process!!

Step 4: While mixing the ingredients in a spiral pattern I repeated 3x:

“With every bite, He craves my touch.

With every taste, He remembers the

good memories”.

(You dont have to use the words I said, you can use your own!!)

Step 5: Pour the filling into the pie crust while repeating the above words 3x. Place the pie on a baking sheet. Slightly tap the baking sheet againt your countertop to release any air bubbles in the pie.

Step 6: Close your eyes and use your hands or whatever tool(s) you see fit to harness your energies and your intentions, slowly imagine all of your magick going into the pie. If it helps, imagine the pie slowly starting to glow brighter and brigher. Do this while repeating the words 3x.

Step 7: Cover the pie with foil, make sure the foil doesnt stick to the filling. Place in the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, check your pie, remove foil, and repeat the words 3x while imagining all your magick being baked into the pie. Put pie back in the oven and bake for another 20-30 minutes. The middle of the pie may still be slightly jiggly, dont worry it will firm up! Allow to cool for 20-30 minutes, then draw a heart in the middle with a knife or toothpick while repeating the words 3x. Enjoy and blessed be!! (If possible, get their slice for them and repeat the words 3x while putting all your positive intentions and all of your magick into their slice.)

My thoughths/results:

December 7, 2020: After we had our slices of the pie, he said he thought it tasted delicious!! About an hour later, he said he wanted to come over again tomorrow for another slice! I feel like its working so far😌

Me and my husband are going through a serious rough patch at the moment, so I thought I would use my magick and the help of the spirits to strengthen the love and longing. We are also going to marriage counseling for help as well🖤

December 8th: He made his decision that he wants to stay and work on our marriage! We both agree it will take time, but we both love eachother and are eachothers best friend, and we dont want to give up or lose what we have.🥰

He is still staying with his friend for now, but I say the spell is working!! All in due time😌

December 10th: I brought him lunch and we ate together!! He just kept kissing my cheek and my forehead and me! And he said he loved me! (Which is a big deal right now, marriages are a lot of work. You have to want to choose love even when its hard) When he had to go back on duty(24 hr shift) he sad he wanted to see me again later! So I brought him dinner and we ate again! I sat in his lap and held me and my hand. When I had to leave, he didnt want me too and he kept kissing me goodbye🥺❤️🥰 I say the spell is working wonderfully!!

I will keep my results updated on this post!! My intentions were to help mend our relationship and allow love back into our hearts, but also to help us to decide where to go from here.

[duskdragon39]

Kneaded Cinnamon Rolls

Aka I had half of the yeast I need to make my normal loaf of bread yesterday and was craving sugar. This was knocked together with a couple bastardizations of other recipes I normally make and turned out surprisingly well.

I'm turning this into Science(TM) by documenting this shit. So:

Dough:

1 tsp active dry yeast

about 1/2 cup of water

1.5-ish tablespoons of melted butter

1 egg

1.5 tablespoons of sugar

1/2-1 tsp salt, which I forgot, but they turned out fine anyways.

About 2-2.5 cups of flour, I used unbleached white flour.

Mix the yeast, water, butter, sugar and egg, let stand for a few minutes while you drag everything else out of your cabinets. Mix one cup of flour thoroughly with your mixture, add in the salt somewhere in here. Add flour until the dough comes together, knead for 6 minutes or until stretchy and smooth. Oil your mixing bowl, plop the dough in there, cover with plastic wrap and a towel, let it sit for a good hour or so.

Filling:

Quarter cup/half stick of butter, softened.

Brown sugar (I think it ended being about a half cup)

Cinnamon

Mix the sugar and butter, add cinnamon to taste. You will need more cinnamon than you think you will. You will also want to eat this from the bowl. Do not, you will need it for the actual rolls.

Rolls:

Another half cup of butter, softened. You may not use all of this.

Rolling pin. Did I splurge on a rolling pin two weeks ago simply to use it for something like this? Yes, yes I did. Worth it.

Preheat your oven to 375 F.

Roll out your dough as thin as possible, spread butter over it, fold over, and roll out again. Repeat until you've had enough, the dough becomes unworkable, or you run out of butter. Roll out one last time, spread with cinnamon sugar mixture, slice into approx. 1 inch thick strips. Starting at one end, roll the strips up into squat cylinders of sugar and fat and gluten.

Stick those in the over for 15 minutes while you prep the sauce.

Sauce:

Tablespoon of butter/whatever's left from your buttering and folding

Like a quarter cup of brown sugar

Splash of milk. I used rice milk.

I decided these didn't have enough sugar in them, dumped the above together, and microwaved them for about a minute total, taking it out every 10-15 seconds to stir until it came together into a thick caramel-like sauce. It would probably be safer to do this in a saucepan. Oh well.

Dump that over the rolls, stick them back in the over for 5 minutes. Take out, eat too many, feel slightly sick because there is an unholy amount of butter and sugar in here, save the rest for after your monday nine am chemistry midterm.

Discussion and Conclusion:

Overall I was pleasantly surprised. Very flaky, reminded me a lot of some cinnamon rolls my grandmother used to buy after church Sundays. They also still were good the next morning, which is a point in their favor.

Want to try and chill dough before rolling out/while rolling out since I only have enough counter space to roll out half the dough at a time. I think it might let me cram more butter in there.

Remember to actually put the fucking salt in the cinnamon rolls. In their defense, I didn't actually notice until this morning.

Parchment/Baking paper made cleaning this up surprisingly easy. Would recommend, especially with all the sugar. On the other hand, the stuff that did get on my pans came doff with a bit of judicious scrubbing. Your mileage may vary, etc.

Theoretically this could work with baking soda and some sort of acid or with baking powder. More experimentation is needed. Unsure if doing it this way would still require kneading.

Will update this as trials continue.

[missmitchieg]

Father's Day With The Molina Family

Julie woke up a couple of hours earlier than usual and got ready for the day as quietly as possible, pulling on a comfy sweater and lacing up her doodle sneakers. She sneaked out of the house and made a bee-line for the garage, pulling the doors open. "Morning, boys." She said with a smile.

Luke looked up from where he and Reggie were sat on the couch, quietly trying to figure out a melody for their latest new song and grinned, perking up. "Hey, Julie!"

"Hi, Julie!" Reggie smiled and gave a little wave, always happy to see his adopted sister and favorite lifer.

"Morning, Julie." Alex piped up from where he was sat in his chair, content to sit and listen to the music Luke and Reggie were making. "What's up?"

"Do you guys remember what day it is?" Julie asked.

"Uhhh, Sunday?" Luke tried after a few seconds of thinking, eyebrows furrowed and nose scrunched.

Julie snickered softly and pushed her hair off her shoulder. "It's Father's day."

"OH. Sweet!" Reggie nodded with a smile.

"Who wants to help me make breakfast in bed for dad?" Julie grinned as all three boys raised their hands and abandoned their seats, poofing into the kitchen. She shook her head and rolled her eyes fondly, leaving the garage to go back inside. As she walked inside, she was greeted with three ghost boys waiting for her in the kitchen.

Reggie was bouncing on his heels as he opened a pack of bacon, super excited to surprise Ray with some good food.

Luke was busying himself by grabbing ingredients to make pancakes.

Alex was grabbing an egg carton to make some scrambled eggs.

Julie chuckled as she washed her hands quickly and turned on the heat, dropping a few slices of bacon into the pan. She watched Alex wash his hands and crack a few eggs into the pan, handing him the spatula. She googled a recipe for pancakes and put her phone on the counter, pointing to things she couldn't reach for Luke or Alex to grab.

Julie started the coffee maker, having exactly how her father liked his coffee memorized after years of watching her mother make and pour Ray his cup of coffee every morning.

"Ok, instructions say whisk together one cup of flour, two tablespoons of sugar, two teaspoons of baking powder, and half a teaspoon of salt in a small bowl." Alex read aloud as he scrambled the eggs and seasoned them with salt and pepper. "Whisk together one cup of milk, two tablespoons of unsalted and melted butter, and one large egg in a medium bowl."

Luke nodded and grabbed the measuring spoons, tilting his head. "Teaspoon is the small one and tablespoon is the bigger one, right?" He asked just to be sure.

"Yeah, they're both engraved." Julie nodded. "The teaspoon says tsp and the tablespoon says tbsp."

"Oh, I see." Luke smiled and put the dry ingredients in the small bowl while Julie worked on measuring and pouring the wet ones, checking the next directions.

"What are you doing?"

Julie looked up when she heard Carlos, giving him a smile. "Breakfast for dad."

"Can I help?"

"You can grab strawberries and whipped cream." Julie offered.

Carlos nodded and did just that, stealing a strawberry for himself.

Julie chuckled, giving him an 'I saw nothing' look. "The boys said hi."

"Oh, hey." Carlos smiled, waving in the direction Julie pointed.

"Ok, now we gotta mix everything in the bigger bowl, but pour it slowly." Julie carefully poured the dry ingredients in with the wet while Carlos mixed it together.

"Luke, grab a paper towel and vegetable oil for me while I heat up the skillet."

Luke nodded and grabbed what Julie asked for, watching her oil up the skillet.

Julie poured the batter onto the skillet while Alex and Reggie flipped the bacon again.

When they looked bubbly enough, Luke surprisingly successfully flipped the nicely browned pancakes over.

Julie poured the coffee into Ray's favorite mug and poured in sugar.

The group finished cooking and decorated the food with strawberries, whipped cream and jam, sneaking upstairs to Ray's bedroom with a tray of food just as he was waking up.

"Morning, papa!"Julie smiled.

"Happy Father's Day!" The group of kids yelled cheerfully as Julie placed the tray into Ray's lap.

Ray perked up and rubbed his eyes as his half asleep brain registered the scene in front of him. He smiled as he sat up and shook his head at the food in his lap. He really did have the best kids in the world. "You kids made all of this?"

"Well, I grabbed whipped cream and strawberries and helped mix the pancake batter." Carlos shrugged with a smile.

"I love you kids."

"Love you, dad." Julie and Carlos said together and smiled, laughing when Carlos' stomach growled.

"Sounds like someone else needs some food in them." Julie joked with an eyeroll. "Come on. I'll pour your cereal." She told him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Enjoy your breakfast, dad." She said before walking back downstairs to the kitchen, the boys poofing down immediately. "Hey, boys."

Carlos laughed and sat at the counter, watching Julie grab a bowl and spoon.

"Which one do you want today? We've got Cocoa Puffs, Cheerios, Lucky Charms, or Fruity Pebbles."

"Are they chocolate or regular Lucky Charms?"

"Regular."

"Cocoa Puffs." Carlos decided.

Julie nodded and poured the cereal in, Luke pouring the milk. "Thanks, Luke." She smiled as she placed the bowl of cereal in front of Carlos, watching Alex toast more bread. She chuckled as he buttered the bread and placed strawberries and blueberries on top, presenting the plate to her. "Thank you, Alex."

"Having a bunch of ghost friends is so cool."

"I promise you it never gets less cool." Julie assured him and but into her toast. "Hey, how's a park picnic sound to you guys?"

"I'm in!" Carlos nodded before shoving a spoonful into his mouth.

"Me, too!" Alex agreed.

"And me!" Luke grinned.

"Me, too!" Reggie raised a hand.

"Everyone's in."

The kids waited for Ray to finish eating and come downstairs and immediately ran to him, giving their best puppy dog eyes. "Dad, can we go to the park today?"

"Yeah, let's have a picnic!" Julie clasped her hands together, bouncing on her heels. "It'll be fun!"

Ray raised his eyebrows at the sudden ambush, but was touched at his kids' insistence to spend the day together. He smiled and nodded, hugging them both tightly.

The family threw out the trash and put the dirty dishes away to clean at the end of the day, spending a few hours in front of the TV. They marathoned the Star Wars movies together, the phantoms sitting on the floor in front of them.

Later, the family started to prepare some food for the picnic and left the house, heading to the park.

Julie smiled as she found a nice spot to put down the blanket, sitting down in her blue dress. She watched her father and little brother sit down, Ray on her left and Carlos on her right.

They spent three hours at the park, one eating and the next two running and playing.

Later, the family went to a bowling alley, Julie currently having the most strikes.

Julie grinned as she threw the ball and hit her twelfth strike, the ghosts cheering for her. She was getting a little better at not reacting to them in front of people who still thought they were holograms, so she just smiled as she won the game and shrugged, sipping from her water bottle.

"How are you this good at bowling?" Carlos asked, shaking his head.

"Lucky day, I guess." Julie said simply. "Wanna play again?"

Carlos nodded, and the family ended up playing two more times, Carlos winning the second and Ray winning the last.

Eventually, they all decided they were exhausted and it was time to leave, so they went home and ate a quick lasagna dinner before the family crashed on the couch together.

"Woo! Best. Day. Ever!" Julie decided, leaning her head against Ray's shoulder.

"Agreed." Ray nodded.

"Definitely. We should do that every Father's Day."

"I'm down." Julie told them.

"Have I mentioned I love you?"

"Yes, papa." Julie chuckled. "We love you, too."

"Love you, dad."

Luke, Alex and Reggie smiled and high fived as he watched them, Julie discreetly smiling back at her boys.

Yep, this was definitely the best day ever.

[chocolatequeennk]

Forever Timeless, 2/23

Summary: Two months after the Dalek Crucible, the Doctor and Rose are getting used to having the biggest family on Earth. As they visit Leadworth in 1996, Victorian England, a mysterious desert planet, and Elizabethan England, those family and friends often help in unexpected ways. But no matter where they go or who they’re with, it’s always the Doctor in the TARDIS with RoseTyler–just as it should be.

Ten x Rose, Donna x Lee

Betaed by @saecookie, @rudennotgingr, @pellaaearien, and @jabber-who-key

Tagging @doctorroseprompts for Doctor/Rose content

Part 7 of Being to Timelessness

AO3 | FF.NET | TSP 

Ch 1

Chapter Two: Another Year, Another Adventure

Rose glanced at the familiar faces standing around the console as she worked quickly to set the coordinates. She tugged at the bond to get the Doctor’s attention. He checked the destination and immediately nodded.

“Barcelona!” he enthused.

Rose smiled and sent them into motion while he started rambling about the planet.

“Gorgeous tropical resort. We’ve been twice. Beautiful beaches, gorgeous waterfalls to hike, and—”

“Dogs with no noses,” Rose said along with him.

Donna raised an eyebrow. “You’re both nutters,” she said, shaking her head. “Dogs with no noses? How do they smell?”

The Doctor giggled. “Exactly!”

Rose planted her feet and everyone quickly grabbed onto something before the TARDIS landed on Barcelona with a teeth-jarring thud. “Barcelona,” Rose said, waving at the door.

Donna and Jenny exchanged a grin, then ran up the ramp and pushed the door open. Brilliant sunlight streamed into the console room, and Rose could smell the salt tang of the ocean in the air.

“Oh, I have missed this!” Donna said.

“Missed travelling the galaxy, or not spending hours on a plane getting someplace?” the Doctor asked.

“Both!”

Jenny and Donna stepped back inside and picked up the bags they’d left by the door. Before they left, Donna turned around and pointed at Rose, then at the Doctor. “All right, we’re going to leave you to celebrate your anniversary on your own. But you’d better come for us on time.”

“Or you’ll do what?” the Doctor retorted.

Rose groaned and pressed her fist to her forehead. She could hear the scowl on Donna’s face when their friend answered the Doctor.

“Or I’ll tie you down and bleach your hair blond,” she snapped.

Rose’s hand dropped to her mouth to hold back a laugh at the horrified expression on the Doctor’s face.

Donna nodded once, sharply. “Excellent. We’ll see you in a week, then.” She left the TARDIS and swung the door shut behind her.

“But… That’s…” The Doctor ran his hands through his hair.

Rose walked over to him and pulled his hands down, then smoothed over the most sticky-up pieces. “Don’t worry, Doctor. I like your hair too much to let her do that to you.”

He straightened his tie and preened. “It is pretty great, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I love your hair.”  Rose waited a beat, then said, “So I’ll make sure I’m driving when we go pick them up.”

“Oi!”

The Doctor grabbed for her, but Rose laughed and twisted away from him, adjusting the navigation settings as she went. She felt him following her movements and knew the moment he had remembered they were actually on their way to their own holiday destination.

“So do I finally get to find out what your secret holiday plans are?”

“Well…” she said, stretching it out the way he did. “I’m not sure if it’s check-in time yet.”

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. “This is a time machine,” he reminded her. “Which I’m fairly certain you are aware of.”

“Yeah, you might have mentioned it.”

He raised his eyebrows and gestured at the console. Rose laughed, but she finally obliged him. “Prepare yourself for the holiday of a lifetime,” she said dramatically as she threw the dematerialisation lever.

The ship spun into the Vortex, and Rose twirled the opposite direction, dancing around the console until she was next to the Doctor.

“Do you know what?” she asked.

He grinned and pressed a quick kiss to her lips before finishing the familiar line. “Travelling with you—I love it.”

The TARDIS landed, and the lights in the console room flashed. He looked up at the time rotor. “It seems I’m not the only one excited for this trip.”

Rose slung her deceptively small bag over her shoulder. “We’ve been working on this together. She says you’ve never been anywhere like this before.”

“Welllll, I’m not sure about that. Not this exact place, maybe, but—” The Doctor pulled the door open and stopped talking immediately.

Rose stepped up beside him and took his hand. “Welcome to Critias.”

The idea that had come to her while reading to Tony had taken a firm hold of her mind. As soon as they’d gotten home that night, she’d asked the TARDIS if it was even possible.

Is there a planet like Atlantis? Once they found the answer, they’d jumped at the chance.

The Doctor walked down the narrow alley as if in a trance and pressed his hand to the glass, fingers splayed out. A curious puffer fish swam forward to sniff at his fingers, but when he realised he couldn’t actually reach them, he swam away.

“This is…” The Doctor paused, then shook his head. “This is incredible, love. Thank you.”

“We explore the stars, but we never really touch this frontier,” Rose said.

“Another adventure with you.”

“Another year with you,” Rose corrected. “Happy anniversary, Doctor.”

Really, the Doctor reasoned, there was only one proper response when your bond mate wished you a happy anniversary. And so he wrapped an arm around Rose’s waist and pulled her close for a kiss.

“Thank you,” he murmured against her lips. “I love it.”

Rose pulled back and looked up at him, her nose wrinkled up a little. “Enough that it makes up for not getting a present? I didn’t get a chance to get you anything.”

The Doctor rested his hands on her hips and smiled down at her. “Absolutely. Although…” He pressed his tongue to the back of his teeth. “I don’t have a gift for you, either.”

Rose laughed. “You helped my mum and Pete set up their furniture last weekend, and you didn’t start one fight with Mum. That covers you for at least our anniversary.”

The Doctor chuckled. “All right. Now, where is this hotel?”

Rose pointed over his shoulder and he turned around to look at the building. It was positioned against the outer wall of the city, and he could easily imagine the kind of views the rooms would have.

He took a few steps down the alley, but Rose grabbed his hand and pulled him back. “I know I was joking when I said it wasn’t check-in time yet, but it really isn’t. I didn’t want to waste half the day by not getting here until mid afternoon.”

The Doctor nodded quickly. “Excellent decision. So, what should we do first?”

“Walk?” Rose suggested. “I can’t get enough of the view from the edge of the city.”

They moved from the alleyway to the path that snaked around the edge of the dome. “No, neither can I,” the Doctor agreed.

A giant piece of brilliant red seaweed floated by, the current picking up little tendrils and tugging them in different directions. A few more metres down the path, they watched a family of seahorses swim by.

“Why did they build a city under the ocean?” the Doctor wondered as they walked.

“I looked into that actually,” Rose said. “The planet was really struggling with overpopulation.”

He snorted. “So they decided to spread into the ocean? They’d squeezed out everyone on the surface and now they’d move into the fishes’ place too?”

Rose pinched him in the side. “Thought you were enjoying the trip,” she said pointedly.

“Oh, I am!” he said quickly. “Just… You know what, never mind. You’re right. So, there were too many humans on the surface—they are humans, it seems?”

Rose shook her head. “Nope. Critians are humanoid—I suppose you could say they look Time Lord—but they aren’t human. I dunno how they’re different exactly, but they are.”

The Doctor bit his tongue before he could launch into a rant on Rassilon spreading the Gallifreyan body type around the galaxy. There was a time and a place, and this was not it.

oOoOo

Their suite was an incredible underwater oasis. The hotel was situated against the main exterior bubble of the city, and each room actually bulged out into the open sea.

The Doctor watched the fish swim by while Rose slept on their first night there. He finally fell asleep as a jellyfish lazily drifted past.

The view when he woke up was not so tranquil. Several long tentacles were wrapped around their domed ceiling, and a giant eye peered in through the glass.

His quick indrawn breath and suddenly tense muscles were enough to wake Rose up. “Wha’s wrong?” she asked groggily.

The Doctor had processed what he was looking at, and he was a little embarrassed to have been so easily startled. “Just found a Peeping Tom,” he said, trying to deflect from his own reaction.

Rose rolled slightly and looked up at the ceiling. The Doctor could feel her trying to grasp what she was seeing, and then finally she giggled. “Look, he’s stuck on you, Doctor.”

The Doctor rolled his eyes and huffed. “Really, Rose?”

Rose shifted closer to him, sliding her leg over his and wrapping an arm over his chest. “I dunno,” she whispered against his neck. “Stuck on you’s not so bad.”

The Doctor hissed and tilted his head back when she kissed the sensitive spot on his jaw, just below his ear. Rose smiled and scraped her teeth over the spot before sucking gently.

“Yeah, I like being stuck on you.”

The Doctor’s eyes blinked open, his gaze still met by the steady curiosity of the squid. He arched an eyebrow, then rolled over so he was looking down at Rose. “I’d rather watch you than our friendly cephalopod,” he murmured.

Rose laughed again, just as he pressed his lips to hers.

oOoOo

The squid was long gone by the time the Doctor and Rose were enjoying breakfast in bed. “What do you want to do today?” the Doctor asked in between bites of a fluffy pastry.

She shrugged. “Whatever you want. It’s a new planet to both of us—it might be fun to just hit all the main tourist spots.”

She bit into a pinkish fruit, and her eyes widened. “Try this,” she insisted, holding a bite out for him.

The Doctor wrapped his fingers around her wrist to hold her hand steady, then he bent to pull the fruit off her fork with his teeth. As soon as the flavour hit his tongue, he knew why Rose had been so insistent.

“Mmmm, banana.” He smacked his lips and immediately selected another slice from the tray. “A sea banana,” he added gleefully.

“Did you know there were other fruits in the galaxy that tasted like banana?”

He scoffed. “If I knew there were other perfect foods in the world, we would have them at home.”

Rose shook her head and laughed. “Of course, why did I even ask? I guess finding some sea bananas to take home is going on the list of must-see attractions.”

“Oh yes!”

They shared bites back and forth, enjoying all the unique flavours of Critian food. Once the platter was mostly picked clean, Rose kissed him on the cheek and slid out of bed. “Why don’t you look up things to do while I take a shower? I bet you can find out what that fruit is and where we can get some.”

The Doctor took the tour guide tablet from the nightstand and made quick work of his research. He learned that kaju, the sea banana, was a favourite food of the Critians. There were several speciality food shops selling it, but only one farm you could tour. He’d just booked two tickets for the morning tour when Rose exited the en suite, wrapped in a fluffy white robe.

“Your turn.”

He handed her the tablet. “Why don’t you find something for us to do this afternoon?” he suggested.

Rose waited until she heard the shower running, then she pulled out the outfit she’d hidden at the bottom of their suitcase. The soft denim of her favourite dark jeans fit her perfectly, moulded by countless wears.

But her top… She sighed when the soft wool jumper brushed against her cheek as she pulled it over her head. The TARDIS had put it in her closet yesterday when she’d been packing, and Rose hadn’t needed help connecting the dots.

She’d just laced up her black boots when someone knocked on the door. “Concierge service!”

Rose walked to the door, leaving her leather jacket draped over the chair. A uniformed employee stood on the other side of the door, a tray in hand.

“Hi!”

The concierge held out the tray and Rose took the envelope. “Your tickets to the underwater garden just arrived,” they said.

Rose blinked, then she shook her head. “I don’t suppose that’s where those delicious sea bananas are grown.”

As she asked, she heard the shower turn off. She started a mental countdown to when the Doctor would appear.

The Critian tilted their head, a hint of confusion crossing their face. “If by sea bananas, you mean kaju… then yes, this the one public farm where it is grown. After the tour, you will be able to buy some of the fruit to take home.”

Rose laughed. “I bet we will. Thank you,” she told the alien. The employee bowed and exited the room.

“Who was that?” the Doctor called from their bedroom.

“Concierge services with our tour tickets,” Rose replied.

“Oooh, excellent! I hope they have a little shop. A little shop to buy all the kaju we want! Can you imagine, Rose?”

“I’m pretty sure I won’t need to use my imagination by the end of the day,” Rose said under her breath.

“I heard that!” The Doctor’s voice was coming closer, and Rose rubbed her palms on her jeans. “I’ll have you know…”

His mouth fell open when he saw what she was wearing. From a man as verbose as him, his silence was extremely gratifying. “Doctor?”

The Doctor slowly lowered his hands from his tie and walked towards her. His eyes were dark, and anticipation buzzed through Rose as she waited for his response. “That jumper is mine,” he said, his voice raspy.

Rose bit back a smirk. “The TARDIS put it in my closet,” she told him. “Think that means it’s mine now—possession is nine-tenths of the law, after all.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed.

The sleeves hung past her wrists, and Rose pressed her wool-covered hand to her cheek. “‘Sides, I like it. It’s soft.”

His fingers twitched, and Rose waited just a second longer before smiling brightly at him. “Come on, we need to get going if we’re going to make our tour.”

The Doctor gaped at her—at Rose, standing just six feet away from him, wearing clothes that used to be his. Rose, who was now giving him a cheeky smile as she waved the tickets in front of his face.

“Don’t you want to go see the kaju farm?” she asked, almost managing to sound innocent.

He growled and moved quickly to pull Rose into his arms. He could hear her heartbeat speed up and his two hearts held tempo with hers.

“Rose Tyler…”

Her pulse was racing now. “Yes Doctor?” She smiled, teasing him with the tip of her tongue.

The Doctor dipped his head down and pressed his lips to hers, following her tongue back into her mouth. Rose slid her hands over his shoulders and a moment later, he felt them in his hair.

He shivered, and before he could lose himself in the kiss, he slowly pulled back. Rose’s eyes fluttered open, and her passion-glazed expression tempted him again.

Instead, he slowly removed his hands from her waist, tugging on the hem of the jumper as he pulled away. “We’ll come back to this later,” he promised.

She blinked a few times, then smiled up at him. “Oh, yes,” she agreed.

The Doctor took her hand. “But for now, kaju!” Rose laughed as he pulled her out of their suite, and he giggled along with her.

Rose hip checked the Doctor as they left the hotel. He glanced down at her, his eyebrow raised in question. She smiled and shifted closer to him, putting her free hand on his arm.

Nothing. Just love you, that’s all.

Yeah? I love you too.

The Critias streets were busier than they had been the day before, and they arrived at the garden entrance just as the tour was starting. “Wait wait!” The Doctor waved their tickets over his head. “Two more!”

A teenager waved at them from behind the counter. “I can take your tickets!” she said, her high ponytail bobbing with each word. She smiled brightly when the Doctor handed them over. “Have fun! Corin will show you all around the farm.”

They joined the queue, and a young man with a shock of black hair draped over one eye scowled at them. “We all ready then?” he asked.

“Oh yes!” The Doctor bounced on his toes. “This is going to be the highlight of our trip.”

The guide rolled his eyes and turned around. “Come on. The entrance to the tunnels is this way.”

“Tunnels?” Rose asked as he led them along a boring hallway.

He shot her a look over his shoulder. “Well yeah. Kaju grows under the sea. How did you think we were going to get there?”

Rose had half a mind to call him out for his surly attitude, but the Doctor started talking before she could. “I bet you love your job,” he enthused. “You probably get all the kaju you want, for free.”

The kid huffed. “Why would I want any of that nasty stuff?”

They reached a glass door in the exterior bubble of the city, and he turned around and held his hand up. “All right, listen up everyone!” he called out, raising his voice to be heard over the hum of machinery coming from the next room over. “We have built glass tunnels in a path around the kaju beds. Along the tour, you will see kaju in various stages of growth. At the end, you will have a chance to taste fresh kaju, and to buy any of the products we make in the factory you hear behind you.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and raised his eyebrows. “Please stay with the group at all times. If you do not, you will be escorted out of the tunnels and asked to leave the premises.”

The whole group murmured their assent, and he grunted and opened the doors.

The light in the tunnel was dim. Rose squinted, trying to get a glimpse of the garden before stepping out under the sea. She and the Doctor were at the back of the line, and she gasped when she finally realised why the light was so eerie.

The glass tunnel had formed an arbor for a network of tangled vines. The artificial lights used by the farm filtered through the greenery, like sunlight through the leaves of a thick forest. Rose pressed her hand to the glass and watched the way the leaves drifted in the current.

“Why don’t you like kaju?”

Rose blinked; that was the Doctor’s voice, but it was coming from the other side of the tour group. She looked around and spotted him standing next to their guide, his eyebrow arched in surprise.

Corin was a good six inches shorter than the Doctor, and he scowled up at him. “Because it’s a disgusting fruit and I don’t know why anyone would eat it.”

Determination pulsed over the bond, and Rose groaned. “Excuse me,” she said as she made her way through the tour group to join the Doctor.

“Have you ever had kaju pancakes?” the Doctor asked. “Or kaju toffee pie?”

The kid sneered. “No, thank you.”

He spun on his heel and addressed the whole group. “What you see above you is an arbor of fully grown kaju. As you can see, the plant is a vine that needs some sort of support to grow on. If you’ll follow me, our next stop is a bed of kaju seedlings.”

The group moved slowly through the tunnel. The light changed as the vines overhead thinned. Finally they entered a large, round room, big enough for everyone to look out at the ocean floor.

“Like most vines, kaju can be grown from starts. However, one of the things we sell as a commercial garden are seedlings. Ambitious gardeners buy kaju plants from us to start their own garden.”

“Oh!”

Corin levelled a glare at the Doctor. “They do have to be grown under the ocean, so unless you have a proper growing environment, don’t even bother.”

The Doctor pressed his tongue to the back of his teeth. “Right. Yeah,” he said slowly.

Rose narrowed her eyes. We’ve got regular bananas, remember? She wasn’t sure the TARDIS could make an underwater room, and even if she could, Rose had no desire to start a kaju farm.

The Doctor pouted, but she shook her head firmly. Bananas are perfectly good.

Bananas are brilliant! he corrected. Rose raised an eyebrow and the Doctor rolled his eyes. All right, you win.

They were given five minutes to watch the gardeners carefully tend to the young plants, then Corin led them down another tunnel into a different open room.

Row after row of vines draped over arbors spread out around them. “These kaju plants are at the height of their production cycle. Much of the kaju you eat comes from plants just like these.”

The group murmured and spread out to watch the workers carefully trimming the vines and harvesting ripe fruit. Rose blinked when she realised the whole fruit was small and round. It looked much more like an orange than a banana.

“What about fried kaju? Or kaju served with ice cream and chocolate?”

Rose debated pulling the Doctor back, but Corin really deserved to be pestered. He had been rude from the moment the tour started. So instead, she rocked back on her heels and watched.

“I can’t stand the smell, or the taste, or the texture,” the kid spat out. “The seeds get stuck in your teeth and if you eat too much, it stains your tongue bright pink.”

The Doctor backed away half a step and blinked several times. Corin nodded sharply and spun around to walk away.

Rose joined the Doctor then and tugged on his sleeve before he could chase after the kid. You can suggest other preparations later, she told him, feeling slightly mischievous. Maybe he should try kaju bread, or chocolate dipped kaju.

The Doctor nodded, then stuck his tongue out for her to examine. “Ish ma tongue bwight pink?” he asked.

Rose laughed. “Nope, just regular pink. Apparently you haven’t had enough kaju yet.”

It was mesmerising to look at the evenly laid out rows of kaju and the careful way the attendants cared for the vines. But after ten minutes, they were directed down another tunnel, back to a door.

“The garden part of our tour is over,” Corin declared dramatically. “Behind this door, you’ll find the factory where we produce kaju jam and other items for sale. Please take a pair of noise cancelling headphones when you step inside. The machines are incredibly loud.”

Rose winced when he opened the door. The entire group pressed their hands to their ears until they passed through the door and could take a pair of the headphones.

How are we supposed to hear the dulcet tones of our tour guide like this?

She needn’t have worried. His grumpy voice came through the headphones, and when she looked at him, she realised his headset had a microphone as well.

“Today we’re manufacturing kaju pie filling,” he said, gesturing at the conveyor belt where empty glass jars were filled with a creamy, kaju coloured filling. “The filling is produced in that large vat over there.” He pointed up at a vat near the top of the production line. “Raw kaju is cooked down and blended, then sugar and spices are added.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Rose saw the Doctor nodding. She shook her head; she had a feeling there was a kaju pie in their future.

They watched the assembly line for a few minutes longer. After the jars were filled with pie filling, lids were tightly sealed on and labels wrapped on the jar. Then they shot down to the end of the line where they were packed in boxes by workers.

“If you’ll follow me.”

The tour group slowly filtered out of the factory back into the blessedly quiet hallway. Two employees were waiting, one ready to take the headphones from them and another with a tray of sliced kaju.

Corin opened the door to the sales room and gestured through it. “That concludes our tour. You are now free to buy as much kaju merchandise as you would like.”

The Doctor sidled up to him. “Have you ever tried kaju bread?” he asked.

The young man’s face turned red, but the Doctor ignored it.

“What about chocolate dipped kaju? Dip slices in chocolate and then freeze them. Fantastic treat for a hot day.” He paused and scratched his sideburn. “Er, is it ever hot here?”

“Listen,” Corin growled. “I do not like kaju. I will never like kaju. It doesn’t matter how it’s prepared, it’s a vile fruit and I refuse to eat it.” He smirked suddenly. “But if you like it so much…”

He ran off quickly before the Doctor could say anything. A moment later he was back with a jar in his hand. “Kaju jam.” He ran off again and returned with two large tubs. “Kaju butter and kaju yogurt.” He left and came back with bags in hand. “Kaju fruit leather, chocolate covered kaju, and dried kaju.”

The Doctor’s arms were full. He stared down at the bounty then up at the guide. “Thank you!”

The uncharacteristic smile melted away into the familiar scowl. “You are an absolute nutter,” the kid growled. Then he spun around and stalked off.

The Doctor heard something rolling on the floor and turned around to see Rose with a trolley. She took a few items out of his hands and they filled the cart with everything the guide had brought.

“What was that about?” the Doctor asked, still wondering what had gotten into the guide.

Rose laughed. “I think he thought that if he brought you enough kaju products, you would realise it was disgusting. Then you’d have to find a way to put it all back.”

“Huh.” The Doctor scratched at his sideburn. “Well, let’s see what other kaju products we can find.”

Thirty minutes later, they left the farm with several bags full of kaju products. By mutual agreement, they detoured to the TARDIS to put it all away.

The ship sang to Rose as they walked through the door, and she started laughing. “Someone’s glad I talked you out of growing our own kaju,” she told the Doctor.

oOoOo

The street lights had shifted from their bright daytime mode to a nighttime setting when the Doctor and Rose finally made their way back to the hotel. Street musicians played beneath the street lights, and stray cats darted into the shadowy corners to hide.

The Doctor swiped their keycard over the pad and the door slid open. It closed silently behind them after they entered the room. Rose tapped the lamp and soft light filled the room.

“So was that a good way to spend our fourth anniversary?”she asked him.

He chuckled. “It was a brilliant way to spend our anniversary,” he agreed as he shrugged out of his coat.

He had just tossed it onto the coat rack when someone knocked sharply on the door. Rose raised an eyebrow, and he grinned at her. “Just a little late night snack I ordered for us,” he told her. “Why don’t you go get settled in the living room and I’ll bring it in.” He waited for her to move into the living room, then tapped the door control.

“Your dessert, sir,” the server said, presenting a covered tray with a flourish.

The Doctor lifted the silver cover just enough to make sure everything was as ordered. Chocolate, kaju, mellora berries, and a decanted bottle of Rigellian wine. Perfect.

“Thank you.” He took the tray and the server nodded once, then walked away.

Rose was curled up on the sofa under a blanket when the Doctor entered the living room. He set the tray down on the coffee table and crossed the room to the fireplace controls. “This will warm things up pretty quickly,” he said once the cheery gaslit flames started.

He stuck his tongue out at Rose as he walked back to her. “I suppose it’s a good thing you filched that jumper from me,” he teased. “They don’t exactly keep the ambient temperature of Critias very warm.”

He started to pour two glasses of the wine, while still watching Rose from the corner of his eye. She rubbed her cheek against the jumper again and shook her head.

“That’s not why I wore it,” she said quietly.

The Doctor set the decanter down and turned to face Rose. Her playful attitude had faded into something softer and warmer. “Then why did you wear it?” he asked, genuinely curious. “To turn me on?”

Her eyes twinkled. “A little. But mostly…” She reached for his hand. “This jumper is something from who you were when I met you. Today’s our anniversary and…” She brushed her thumb over his pulse points. “And I married that Doctor, too.”

The Doctor opened his mouth, but he couldn’t push words past the lump in his throat. Instead, he slid closer to Rose on the sofa and reached for her over the bond at the same time.

I love you. He brushed his fingers over her cheek, and when Rose tipped her face upwards, he took the invitation and pressed a kiss to her lips. I love you now and I loved you then. You are my forever, both past and future.

Rose sighed and scraped her fingernails over his scalp. I loved that you, with your leather jacket and jumpers. I love this you, with your suits and Chucks. You have always been my Doctor.

The Doctor moved his hand down to Rose’s waist so he could pull her closer. As she shifted into his lap, the feeling of soft skin under his hand pulled him out of the kiss. He looked down at the bare leg slung over his own and swallowed.

“Are you…” His voice squeaked and he cleared his throat. “Are you wearing anything under that jumper?”

Rose slid her hands over his shoulders and played with the hair at the nape of his neck. “Why don’t you find out?” she suggested.

The Doctor closed his eyes and took several shallow breaths. Then he shifted his weight and pushed himself to his feet, holding Rose close as he stood up. “I think it’s time for a change in venue.”

oOoOo

A visit to Critias was almost like a beach holiday, except in all the ways it wasn’t. Their ocean view room gave them a view into the underwater life instead of the surface. They didn’t see their squid friend again, but several other forms of sea life floated by to say hello.

They rented diving equipment and went out into the water, but they couldn’t feel the sun on their faces. The marine animals around the resort were so accustomed to visitors that they didn’t move as the Doctor and Rose slowly swam past.

But the strangest difference, and the one that helped Rose when it came time to leave, was that there were no sunsets. She loved watching the sun set over the ocean, but they couldn’t even see the sun from who knew how many leagues under the sea.

There were no stars, either, and after a week beneath the surface of the ocean, both she and the Doctor were ready to be out in the open air.

They packed up their belongings and paid their bill, then walked back to the TARDIS.

The Doctor slung his coat over a strut and circled the console, adjusting the navigation controls as he went. “Be careful,” Rose warned as he spun a dial wildly before stopping it and twisting it into place. “Remember what Donna threatened to do if we don’t pick them up on time.”

He clapped his hands to his head, protecting his hair. “That is not happening,” he declared adamantly. “Not in this lifetime. This body would not look good with platinum blond hair.”

Rose nodded. “Then watch what you’re doing while you’re setting the coordinates.”

The Doctor huffed, but he slowed down, being careful to notch each dial in exactly the right spot. Rose watched, and she nodded when he set the last one in place.

“All right, let’s go.” Being closer to the dematerialisation lever, she grabbed it and shoved it into place.

The TARDIS made a grinding sound as she moved into the Vortex, and Rose stroked the console. “Come on, old girl,” she muttered. “I know you’ll take us where we need to go.” The grinding didn’t stop, but a soft hum joined it. Both Rose and the Doctor let out a breath.

The landing rocked them a little, but they straightened up and walked to the door. The Doctor reached it first and reached for the handle. “Come on, Rose. Let’s enjoy the look on Donna’s face when she realises we’ve made a perfect landing.”

The first thing he registered when he opened the door was that it was night. Well, a few hours off, he reasoned, even as his hearts sank into his plimsolls. Maybe we’re early, even.

But not only was it not morning, they were nowhere near a city. He stared at the large house in front of them, trying to make sense of where they were.

Rose patted him on the arm. “I think you’ll look gorgeous as a blond.”

[thesunnyshow]

Name: Kim Age: 26 (27 in September) Writing Blog URL(s): @jinterlude​   

Nationality: Filipino-American Languages: English  Star Sign: Virgo MBTI: ISFJ-T Favorite color: Any shade of blue  Favorite food: Ah, I have so many, but I really do love ramen & this Filipino noodle dish my grandma makes. Favorite movie: West Side Story. A close second is Pride & Prejudice (2005) Favorite ice cream flavor: Rocky Road  Favorite animal: Pandas Go-to karaoke song: Upside Down by A*Teens (I think I just dated myself) 

What fandom(s) do you write for? Mainly BTS, but I have written for SVT, EXO, GOT7, Monsta X, B.A.P, & NCT

When did you post your first piece? Oh dang, when? Hmm… I want to say Oct. 2016 (?) on my first blog (I had deleted and came back to Tumblr).

Do you write fluff/angst/crack/general/smut, combo, etc? Why? I mostly write a combo because it just happens that way! My main genres are: fluff, romance, & humor/crack. 

Do you write OCs, X Readers, Ships...etc? I mainly write OCs stories because that’s what makes me the happiest when it comes to writing, but I still write x reader fics for drabbles and oneshots. 

Why did you decide to write for Tumblr? Funny story. The reason why I started writing for Tumblr is because an old group of friends said that I should write a funny story based on a college class of mine, so I did and here we are. 

What inspires you to write? Usually, it’s my imagination, but other times it’s either the song I’m listening to or even the show I’m currently watching. Right now, my inspiration draws from anime. 

What genres/AUs do you enjoy writing the most? Genre wise, I love writing fluff & romance. AUs wise, I’m a sucker for Royal/Royalty. Mafia/Gang & Soulmate AUs would be a close second. 

What do you hope your readers take away from your work? Oh, wow. I honestly never thought about that before. I think for me, the one thing I hope my readers get from my stories is at the end of the day, please do something that will make you happy. Your own happiness should always be a top priority for you. 

What do you do when you hit a rough spot creatively? I take a break! Instead of forcing myself out of the creativity slump, I just take a break and let my mind recharge. Then, I go back to my outline and look over while listening to music that I know will spark some creativity juices. 

What is your favorite work and why? Your most successful? My favorite works (yes, I couldn’t pick just one) are my Royal!AU Seokjin series (Fight for Me & Our Second Chance). I love the amount of time and effort I put into those two stories, and I’m simply in awe at the world and characters I created. My second favorite is my latest Seokjin oneshot, Protecting Each Other. It’s my first story that exceeded 10,000 words, and I’m just proud of how that turned out. Successful wise, I would say it’s, This Little String. It’s a Soulmate!Taehyung oneshot based around the red-string of fate, and every other month, I see someone like and/or reblog it, so I say that’s pretty successful!

Who is your favorite person to write about? Seokjin hands down. I mean, not only is he one of my ultimate biases, but for some reason my creative banks dishes out ideas and inspiration for him like it’s nothing. 

Do you think there’s a difference between writing fanfiction vs. completely original prose? I personally don’t think so. You are still writing original content that derails from the source material (or adds to it), all you have to do is just replace your idols’ name with an original character name, and there you go. What do you think makes a good story? For me, I’d say that if you’re honestly proud of the end product, then that story is good, and your readers will see that. What is your writing process like? First I get an idea, or I like to call it, “it appeared to me in a vision,” then I outline it (if the idea lingers in my brain), and then I start writing and editing. Sometimes I’d sprint with my fellow writers on a server I’m in, and other times, I’d put on music and just let my brain go wild. Most of the time, I’m sprinting with friends. 

Would you ever repurpose a fic into a completely original story? If I had the time, probably. I can see my Royal!AU series becoming an original story with different characters and an expanded plotline. What tropes do you love, and what tropes can’t you stand? I am a sucker for F2L I (friends to lovers)! I just love the idea of dating someone who’s your best friend, so why not date your best friend, if the feelings are mutual of course! As for tropes, I dislike, I can’t say that I have any. I think it’s because (and I feel so bad for this), I don’t really read much stories other than what my mutual friends have written. 

How much would you say audience feedback/engagement means to you? It means the world to me because I do like knowing if I’m doing something right or if I need to go back and edit something for clarity. Mainly, I get likes and reblogs (with no feedback), and while it’s still nice of someone for taking the time to like and reblog something, I would like some feedback, please. I’m still grateful no matter what, though!

What has been one of the biggest factors of your success (of any size)? I think it’s the support of my amazing group of friends/mutuals! It’s thanks to their support that my work is reaching a wider audience, and it just means the world to me that they read my blood, sweat, and tears. I love them so much, especially my close friend, Jey (softjeon on Tumblr)!

Coffee or tea? What are you ordering? For coffee, my go-to is a Caramel Macchiato with Soy Milk (from Starbucks), but lately I’ve been using my Keurig, so I just Peppermint Mocha and 3 tsps of Sugar (I can’t stand bitter coffee lol). For tea, I really like Mango green tea from Gongcha (another boba place chain). 

Dream job (whether you have a job or not)? My dream job is to be an elementary school teacher, however, I am currently working on becoming a social worker where my population will still focus on children/students. So, it’s a good compromise!

If you could have one superpower, what would you choose?  If I could have one superpower, it would be cryokinesis aka ice manipulation!  

If you could visit a historical era, which would you choose? Oh, that’s a tough one, but if I had to choose one, I would go for the 1960s so I can see the Beatles live!

If you could restart your life, knowing what you do now, would you? No, because it’s thanks to those life lessons that I grow up to be who I currently am. Sometimes you have to go through those harsh experiences to be a better version of yourself!

Would you rather fight 100 chicken-sized horses or one horse-sized chicken? One horse-sized chicken, then I can feed my family for months. 

If you were a trope in a teen high school movie, what would you have been? Oh, hands down, I would be the stereotypical geek/nerd. Though, I was called a “preppy” in 9th grade, so that was a first. 

Do you believe in aliens/supernatural creatures? Yup, especially ghosts! 

Fun fact about yourself that not everyone would know? I can say the alphabet backwards! 

Do you think fanfic writers get unfairly judged? Oh, hands down, especially when it comes to writing smut. I’ve seen other blogs condemn writers who write smut about real people, but my thing is that these idols are merely face claims for a character that the author is writing about. 

Do you think art can be a medium for change? I think so! Every artist has a voice, especially with what’s going on recently, we need to be able to use our voices to spread light on certain issues. 

Do you ever feel there are times when you’re writing for others, rather than yourself? I used to think that way, especially when it came to writing x reader inserts since I know that’s what “sells” to the Tumblr audience. Now, I’m perfectly happy with writing x OC stories, and I’m content with my stories getting at least 5 notes. If it breaks 10 notes, then that’s a success!

Do you ever feel like people have misunderstood you or your writing at times? If they did, then I wouldn’t know. Most of the time, I think my writing is okay with people. 

Do your offline friends/loved ones know you write for Tumblr? Yes, my soul friend managed my old blog once upon a time and actually read one of my smuts. I was so embarrassed! But at least he said it was tastefully written, so that’s a bonus? 

What is one thing you wish you could tell your followers? Always remember that it is okay to take breaks/go on hiatus! 

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers who might be too scared to put themselves out there? My advice to those who want to start writing but are too afraid put themselves out there is to simply go for it. I was that person who was afraid to put their writing out there for the world to see, especially with some already established BTS writers on Tumblr, but I went for it. At first, it might be discouraging but know that your mutuals/friends will always be your number one supporter! Use their support as a motivator to keep writing and finding your groove! Then, eventually, all of your readers will start trickling in and showering you with the love and support you deserve!

Are there any times when you regret joining Tumblr? I wouldn’t say regret joining but more like allowing my life to be revolved around it. At one point in my life, it felt like a second job/chore for me, and Tumblr should never be that type of site! 

Do you have any mutuals who have been particularly formative/supportive in your Tumblr journey? Oh, I have so many! The ones that come to mind are definitely Jey (softjeon), Beanie (jinned), Nina (j-sope), Kenz (parksfilter), Renae (mygsii), Atlas (astraljoon), & Niah (randomkoalablog) to name a few! I love these amazing people so much and cherish their friendship to the moon and back!

Pick a quote to end your interview with: "Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious … and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney

[gerrydelano]

Hello!! The latest chapter of tsp was excellent, and I’m really excited to see it unfold! The early chapters really remind me of the song Children’s Work by Dessa btw!

YES children’s work is on viv’s playlist that she made for it! it’s SO good, i’m glad so many people are all on the same page about The Vibes dkfjdjh thank you!

Before you came along I was a lone cub Fell in love with language, tried to tell the grown-ups About the storm clouds, the weather in my head Hadn't heard the word for melancholy yet Then you came in five years behind We thought you couldn't talk, turns out you were just shy Mom said it was serious, dad said you'd be fine I thought you were the prophet of 1989 You were so tender, we thought something was wrong with you So patient, we thought that you were deaf You were so solemn, so tiny but so ancient Ma took you to see doctors, you scared her half to death And I made you a library of tiny books with spines 2 inches high You didn't say too much But your smile taught me how to quiet down my mind

You slept in my bed, and if I kept quiet I could hear all the voices in your head [...] But you came to, and took my hand, and held my eyes and... Me and you, had a long walk home, so we decided not to cry [...] But I won't pretend I don't remember How unusual we were The little mystic and his handler All some children do is work I've learned how to paint my face How to earn my keep How to clean my kill Some nights I still can't sleep The past rolls back, I can see us still

i genuinely can’t get over this it’s so much like. WAY too accurate i’m shaking

[dailyfoodhunt]

As a child Sunday's used to be exciting... Where the routine was so simple and no hustle... Waking up late as there were no worries of getting late for school.. no tuitions... Life was so simple and stress free... 

On of my Sunday ritual was to go to the market (bazar) with my father to buy vegetables, fish, chicken for the entire week (as the market place was bit far from our house and it was not possible to visit every day)... 

Sunday menu used to be always special as it would either include Chicken or Egg or some other good fish (which were not affordable for everyday consumption like Pomfret, Prawn, Ilish or Hilsa) 

I still remember that I used to sit by my mother's side in the kitchen and observe how she marinated the chicken or fish and kept it aside before finally cooking them to some delicious curry.. Even my father cooks tremendously well (may be I got the trait from my parents) and so do my husband...

Coming back to the reality.. Sunday's are still exiting as I get to spend my entire day with Shivang and Aarav (rest of the days I am so tied up with my office work that I am unable to spend quality time with them... And that's a hard fact)... 

This Sunday we bought Chicken from the market and my father was not very pleased with that as now a days he does not prefer eating chicken much... So I decided to opt out of the regular Bengali Chicken Curry recipe and try something different... So I thought of making a gravy which will look and taste like mutton curry minus the regular potato... 

I came out with an idea of cooking the chicken in an fried onion or Beresta curry... Here is the recipe.. Check it out.. Give it a try and let me know how it came out... 

Ingredients:

Skinless Chicken - 1kg (curry cut) 

Big Onions - 4 to 5 thinly slices (this is going to be the base of the gravy) 

Tomato - 2 (pureed) 

Ginger paste - 1 1/2tsp 

Garlic Paste - 2tsp

Ghee - 5 tbsp

Bay leaf - 1

Cinnamon - 1stick

Clove - 3 to 4

Cardamom - 3 to 4

Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp

Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - To taste 

Method:

Marinated the chicken pieces with salt and keep it aside

Take a kadhai add 4tbsp of Ghee let it heat add the thinly sliced onions and fry them till they become dark brown in colour. 

Keep the fried onion aside and let it cool down completely 

On the same Kadhai add 1 tbsp of Ghee and fry the chicken pieces slightly (do not over fry as it will become tough once cooked) 

Make a paste of the cooled down fried onion and keep aside 

In the same kadhai add all the whole spice (you will be left with Ghee on the kadhai after frying the chicken pieces. Rest of the cooking will be done with that Ghee only) 

Once the whole spices starts splattering add the ginger and garlic paste and fry till the raw aroma is gone

Add on the fried onion paste and cook for 5 mins

Add on the tomato puree and salt and continue cooking till the rawness of the tomato is gone

Add all the powder spices and cook till the spices leaves oil (you can add some water to avoid burning of the spices) 

Once the spices are cooked properly add all the chicken pieces and keep cooking until the chicken pieces are 80% cooked 

Slowly the gravy colour will change to dark brown then you will get to know that the gravy is nicely cooked 

Add some water at that stage (to your desired gravy consistency) and cover it and give it a nice boil for 10mins

Check the seasoning and turn off the heat 

Garnish with some green chilli and serve it hot with steam rice, fried rice, pulao or roti... Believe me it is such a side dish that goes well with all. 

Enjoy!! 

[sunniebelle]

An Enchanted Night

I got a Bingo @doctorroseprompts! 

Tentoo x Rose, light Teen

A few days after Rose and her Doctor return to Pete's World, Rose is still struggling with worry over her place in the Doctor's life and if she indeed has a future with him. The Doctor is fairly sure he's come up with a fool-proof plan to ease her concerns and show her how priceless she truly is to him.

Note: This is based on a prompt from @skyler10fic to use the words 'party' and 'boat' from Tumblr's @doctorroseprompts' Summer Fic Bingo. Thank you so much @skyler10fic for the prompt! I hope you enjoy the story! :D

A03, TSP

Rose Tyler smiled politely and nodded at what she hoped was an appropriate time to one of Pete Tyler’s Vitex business associates. Her mum was hosting a big, fancy party to celebrate the return of the stars. The mystery of the stars suddenly going out, for seemingly no reason, had baffled scientists the world over. Torchwood had done its very best to gather the best and brightest experts they could find all over the world. The only ones who had known in their gut that something more sinister was going on had been Rose and Pete Tyler.

In the beginning, she had fought tooth and nail for weeks to have her's, Mickey Smith’s and Jake Simmond’s Dimension Canon Project approved for use. She’d spent months hopping dimensions, searching relentlessly for her Doctor.

She had never expected the result of her efforts to end like they had, to wind up back in Pete’s World for good and living life on the slow path. More than anything, she hadn’t expected the surprise of a lifetime, to get to stay with her family and have the Doctor. Though there were some subtle differences between the Doctor she had been separated from and his biological metacrisis, he was indeed her Doctor in every way that mattered.

She could still recall in vivid detail the moments directly after watching the TARDIS and the Time Lord Doctor disappear without any kind of goodbye. With old, incredibly painful memories flooding to the surface of her battered and bruised heart, and her fears of abandonment rearing their ugly heads, she had thrown herself into the metacrisis’ arms and sobbed from too many emotions coursing through her exhausted mind and body.

Rose forcefully pushed her reminiscent memories away, trying to once again focus on what the man—whose name she couldn’t recall now—was continuing to discuss in an almost monotone voice. As soon as possible, she excused herself and went in search of the man that was never far from her thoughts.

After getting caught up in and escaping several conversations with individuals who were definitely not her Doctor, she finally left for the kitchens thinking he popped in there to steal some nibbles and have a rambling discussion with the likely annoyed staff. She could only hope he had not resorted to fiddling with the kitchen appliances. After all, there was only so many times she could talk her mum out of slapping him.

Upon learning none of the servants had seen him and feeling quite baffled at his disappearance, she let out a heavy sigh and decided to take a walk in the gardens that surrounded the back half of the Tyler mansion, thinking the fresh night air might help settle her thoughts.

As hard as she tried, Rose couldn’t completely push aside the fear that tried to bubble up in her. Having been sent away so many times, searching for months and always coming up empty-handed, and finally being abandoned by the Time Lord Doctor on that bloody beach, all of it together had left her wary when she faced moments like this, when she couldn’t find the Doctor. It brought up so many doubts in her, stirring painful memories to the surface.

Oh, she knew full-well the Doctor loved her. She even knew that the fully Time Lord Doctor loved her; but at moments like these, her insecurities had a way of overwhelming her.

Her mind was working over-time to convince her that her doubts and fears were real, not just imagined—that she wasn’t enough for the Metacrisis Doctor and he missed traveling the stars too much to stay with her. Most importantly, though, she wondered if she would ever be enough to bridge the gaping hole that was left behind by the severed connection with his TARDIS.

All these depressing, morose thoughts spiraled in her mind like a viscous whirlwind. She knew she was being daft, but still that knowledge couldn’t make the thoughts go away. They had plagued her relentlessly since that day on Bad Wolf Bay, just a few days ago.

So focused was she on her self-recriminating thoughts, she didn’t see the moonlit outline of her half-human Doctor walking toward her in the dark.

“Rose! There you are, I was just coming to—” the Doctor began excitedly before cutting himself off at her startled gasp. “Oh, sorry. I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.”

Letting out a deep breath and trying to return her heart to its normal rhythm, she ran a hand down his arm to assure him she was fine and he was forgiven.

“Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you everywhere. No one knew where you were.”

Though Rose tried to keep her worry and self-doubts to herself, either her voice or something in her eyes gave her away. Familiar chocolate-brown eyes studied her for several long moments before he grasped her hands in a gentle but firm grip.

Looking deep into her eyes, the Doctor said, “I’m sorry I worried you Rose. I always hate to see you upset, especially when I’m the cause. I know it’s going to take time to prove to you that I have no intention of ever leaving you again, at least not by my own choice.” He stepped closer into her personal space, so close she could feel his warm puffs of air gently grazing her skin.

“I slipped away so I could prepare for the surprise I had planned for the two of us. Would you care to take a moonlit stroll with me?” he asked with a small smile, turning and offering his elbow to her.

He tried to hide it, but she could see the hesitant, vulnerable look in his eye, as though he was preparing for her to decline. As if she would ever miss out on a chance to have the Doctor all to herself.

“I’d love to, Doctor,” she said, giving him a tongue-touched grin.

The Doctor was still awestruck whenever he was graced by one of Rose’s beaming smiles. He didn’t know how she did it, but her smile seemed to make the gentle light of the moon seem to shine as bright as day when she smiled at him like that. He was fully aware that he had a goofy, ear-to-ear grin on his face as he felt Rose’s arm slip into the crook of his elbow. He had felt more genuine smiles cross his face in the past month than he had since the day he lost her in the battle of Canary Warf.

They walked in companionable silence until they reached the edge of the large duck pond that sat toward the back of the Tyler property.

A pleasantly warm wind blew the scents of the night air into their faces, letting them sample the sweet floral but heady smell of honeysuckle and lavender. In the trees and bushes they heard the calls and movements of small animals hurrying about their business in the cover of night.

The gentle warmth of the night air seemed to wrap around them, like a comfortable blanket and he could feel the earlier tension in Rose slowly fade as they took in the beauty around them. Ahead of them, the soft sound of wave after wave of water meeting and lapping at the shore added to the magic of the moment and to the melody of the night noises surrounding them.

The blue-ish white light of the moon illuminated the ground beneath the Doctor’s and Rose’s feet. The Doctor led them around the grassy shore a ways, toward a short wooden dock where, barely visible at the end, two lanterns sat atop the posts waiting to be lit.

He stopped her at the entrance to the pier and asked her to close her eyes and wait there for a minute. Rolling her eyes in feigned impatience and giving him an indulgent but excited smile, she complied.

Waving his hand in front of her face to test that she wasn’t peaking, he darted to the end of the walk and turned the lanterns on high, then quickly returned to her side.

“Keep your eyes closed, but walk with me. I’ll guide you.” He was pleased to see the amused smile tugging at Rose’s mouth, but focused on leading her to his surprise, mostly so he wouldn’t focus too much on his desire to kiss her.

When they reached their destination, he stepped to the side and told her to open her eyes. He watched as her eyes opened and focused on his surprise; a wooden rowboat tied to the pier and in the center of the boat was a large picnic basket. He saw a beaming smile slowly light up Rose’s face and simultaneously warm his single human heart, effectively calming his tumultuous fears about her enjoying his surprise.

“You did all this? For me?” she asked, her voice quiet while her eyes searched his.

“All for you, Rose Tyler. If I may?” he asked, gesturing to the boat. She accepted his help into the boat and was soon seated across from her. He gazed at her for a long moment, then, as though he was just remembering something, he reached behind him and presented her with a beautiful bouquet of pink and yellow roses.

Lifting them to her face to breathe in their wonderful smell, she said, “These are beautiful, Doctor. Thank you, for these...and doing all this.”

“You’re welcome. Only the best for my pink and yellow human,” he said with a grin, which she returned.

He situated his hands on the paddles and made ready to move the boat out onto the water so he could continue his plans for the evening. He suddenly stopped when Rose cleared her throat and looked up at her.

“Um, Doctor, are you forgetting something?”

He looked at her in confusion for a moment, then glanced around them, mentally ticking off everything in his head, then looked back up at her in bemusement.

Shaking his head, he confirmed, “No, don’t think so.”

He could tell that she was holding back laughter and trying to hide a smile behind her hand. He cocked an eyebrow at her, waiting to see what she found so amusing.

Lowering her hand and doing a very poor job of not smiling, she pointed to the rope that was anchoring the boat to the pier. “’S just, think we’ll get farther without being tethered, don’t you?”

His face dropped as he looked at the line. “Ah.”

He turned a beaming smile on her. “My brilliant, Rose! Always seeing what I miss!” he exclaimed with pride, making her smile wider.

The rope tucked safely away and paddles now in hand, the Doctor’s smooth, powerful strokes brought them quickly to the middle of the pond fairly quickly.

After securing the paddles, the Doctor opened the hamper he had prepared earlier. In a short amount of time they each had plates of fish and chips and glasses of wine.

The Doctor had difficulty swallowing when Rose moaned at the taste of the chips. Trying to force his mind to other things than wanting to ravish her, he began rambling about his progress on the TARDIS coral. For a while they ate and drank, their conversation relaxed.

Soon the meal was finished and he brought out a large slice of double chocolate banana cake and two spoons. Rose’s obvious delight caused him to make his happy noise at the pleasure she found in his hard work. They both moaned in pleasure when the first bite of the delicious cake reached their respective mouths, then looked at each other and laughed.

After packing their dishes away in the hamper, the Doctor moved over to sit beside Rose, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. He enjoyed the feel of her leaning into his body and her contented sigh as they felt the gentle sway of the boat drifting in the water.

As they gazed at the night-time scenery around them, Rose smiled when she thought of all the thought, time and effort the Doctor had put into this lovely surprise date he had set up. All of this had shattered through the doubts that had been swirling in her head lately.

As he stared up at the moon and stars that softly lit the midnight sky, she surreptitiously studied him. He was wearing a dark-blue tuxedo; though tonight’s party had been a black-tie affair, he had refused to wear a black one, much to her mother’s annoyance. Rose had always loved how handsome he looked in a tux and tonight was no exception.

His eyes sparkled in the soft light, while the breeze ruffled the strands of his spiked hair. She continued her perusal, forcing her hands to remain in her lap and not wander into his really great hair. Her eyes finally fell to his mouth, specifically his pouty lower lip that continued to taunt her with how kissable that feature made him look.

She startled slightly when his head suddenly turned to her, their eyes locking and bodies stilling.

She felt a bit perplexed when she saw a slightly nervous look cross his face, yet couldn’t help but track the movement of his Adam’s apple as he swallowed. She wondered what was making him nervous and was about to ask him, when he started speaking.

“Rose, I—there’s a reason I did all this tonight, planned it all out. I’m actually amazed one of my plans worked! You know, normally they end up going awry a little bit. Well, yeah, you know that. Don’t need to go into that. I, um, that is. Oh, bugger.” She watched in part amusement, part growing concern as her Doctor tried to tell her something that she instinctively knew was important.

He took a deep breath through his mouth and let it out his nose slowly, then turned slightly so he could face her. “Rose, I don’t know that I, even with all the languages I can speak, could find the words to tell you how much I missed you.”

Her breath caught at that statement and she felt the slight burning sensation of tears beginning to gather in her eyes.

“I was miserable, a completely useless wreck without you. There were so many times I’d ask myself, ‘What would Rose do?’, or ‘What am I missing that Rose would see?’”

As the Doctor continued his ramble, he became more animated and Rose imagined that, were they not in a boat, he would have been pacing.

“And blimey, how many times did Donna yell at me for moping about or sulking? I was a right pain in the arse at times, I’m sure. You can stop laughing, Rose, cause it’s true!” he said, smiling as she tried to stifle her giggles at the pictures he created. Oh, how she could just imagine those scenarios—which of course, was a rather sobering thought.

“The point I’m trying and failing to make Rose is, I was so miserable without you, but a great majority was because of my deep regret. Regret for how much bloody time I wasted holding you at arm’s length. I told myself I was protecting you, from my darkness, from my past. But really, I was scared, a right sodding coward. I was terrified of how much it would hurt one day when I lost you.”

Her throat got tighter as her tears gathered in her eyes, watching him bare himself completely like this. A tear spilled over and slowly rolled down her cheek as she saw his head bow, eyes close and shoulders slump with the weight of his next words.

“And then...I did lose you and it hurt so much more. Because all that time, we could have been honest about our feelings. No, I could have been honest about my feelings for you. And Rose,” he looked up, staring into her eyes, “my regret for the things I didn’t do and didn’t say still runs deep. A chasm of regret. And I vowed to myself, when you chose me that day on that windy beach, after we saved the Earth again—well, the universe...well, the multi-verse—I vowed that I would not hide my feelings for you any longer.”

She watched him take a deep breath, then slide from his seat beside her. Her breath, mind, heart, everything stopped when he knelt before her and grasped her hand. Tears that she had managed to keep at bay now ran unchecked down her face.

“Rose Marion Tyler, from the day I grasped your hand in mine and told you to 'Run', you have fascinated, challenged, inspired me, saved me so many times, in so many ways. You took a bitter, old and broken Time Lord soldier...and you made me better. Your light, your spirit, your compassion, Rose, just...everything about you drew me to you. You were, are, will always be my center of gravity. And I cannot—do not ever want to—imagine a life lived without you. You are my everything. I love you, Rose Tyler, and will spend every single day of the rest of our forever proving it to you.”

He drew out a small TARDIS-blue velvet case from his inner lapel pocket and lifted the lid to reveal a white-gold ring with a beautiful diamond centered between two small sapphires. As he lifted it from the case, she thought she could see his written language, circular Gallifreyan, engraved inside the ring—though she longed for stronger light than the gentle moonlight currently surrounding them to confirm her suspicions.

“Doctor,” was the only word she could get past her lips and increasingly tight throat.

“Will you,” he took a deep breath and she heard him gulp before he continued, “do me the extreme honor of becoming my wife?”

“Yes, Doctor,” she said in a broken whisper.

A beaming smile suddenly stretched across his face making the adorable crinkles around his eyes appear.

As he reverently slipped the ring onto her finger, she giggled in delight and stared at it for a long moment. She then lunged forward to wrap him in a tight hug. He barely kept them upright, both of them laughing as the boat rocked with their movement. For several minutes they were content to stay locked in their warm embrace.

Turning her head, she trailed her lips across his jaw pressing soft kisses to his smooth skin. Making her way to his mouth, she finally gave him a loving, lingering kiss. He was quick to lean into her and when she moved her now-bejeweled left hand to his hair to scratch at his scalp, while also drawing his tempting lower lip between hers, she relished the sound of his moan. He pulled her closer, one arm tight around her lower back while the other snaked into her hair to tilt her head as he deepened the kiss, which pulled a moan from her as well.

The need to breathe finally caused them to separate, their foreheads touching and their breath mingling. Her eyelids fluttered open, warm amber meeting rich chocolate.

Her hands, still tangled in his gorgeously riotous hair, came down to rest on either side of his face and she pulled back to better see him. It took all her will-power not to continue their previous activities, what with seeing his adorable and thoroughly-snogged appearance. But she had something important to tell him as well, something she had not said to him in a very long time.

“Doctor, you are so important to me. So important that I jumped universes to get back to you. I was utterly devastated when we were separated, so lost. I was more lonely than I knew it was possible to be. But because of all I went through, the decisions I made because no one would or could make them, I feel like...like I know you and understand you better. And Doctor, I mean this from the depths of my soul,” she stared into his eyes to make sure he was truly hearing her.

“It doesn’t matter what has happened in your past. All of what you went through, every single bit of it, it made you into who you are. And who you are...is the man I love. My Doctor. I love you, so much.”

Now it was the Doctor whose face was streaked with tears as he stared into her eyes. He looked at her as though he had found the most precious treasure. It was a look of wonder and awe.

Suddenly he surged forward with a hard press of his lips to hers. She poured all her love for this beautiful, wonderful man into her kiss and felt the same being sent to her.

He finally slowed and gentled his touch, kissing her with such tenderness and love that she again felt tears burning behind her eyelids.

Breaking away so there was only a few inches between them, they gazed at each other, memorizing and treasuring everything about this moment. The Doctor stared at Rose with deep, chocolate brown eyes, his gaze so filled with love and hope for their future together.

She looked down between them at their hands, palms pressed together and fingers tightly linked. She knew—they both knew deep in their souls—no matter what the universe had in store for them, as long as they had each other’s hand to hold, they could face it. Together.

[paigenotblank]

nine/rose, secret admirer

tagging @doctorroseprompts for providing the prompt list.

prompt: secret admirer

pairing: nine x rose

AO3  TSP

A Not So Secret Admiration

Rose was browsing through the sci-fi new releases at her favorite bookshop, when she heard a whispered argument from the brother and sister who’d recently taken over the shop from their grandfather. She didn’t want to intrude, but at the same time she couldn’t help overhearing.

“What crawled up your arse this morning?”

“Donna!”

“No, seriously. You’ve been a right prat since I got in this morning.”

There was a heavy, masculine sigh.

“Did you eat breakfast? You know how you get when you don’t eat.”

He mumbled. “Didn’t have time.”

Rose heard a feminine snort. “Mr. I Don’t Need More Than 4 Hours of Sleep, didn’t have time for breakfast? An’ what were you doing this morning instead of eating? Shagging that ex of yours that’s been sniffin’ around, tryin’ to convince you to sell the shop and take her traveling?”

Rose couldn’t resist peeking around the bookcase. John, Donna’s brother, ran a hand down his face. “Was goin’ over the books again last night and fell asleep upstairs. Didn’t wake up ‘til 15 minutes before we opened. An’ for the record, I haven’t seen Reinette since she eloped with Louis.”

“Right. Sorry.” Donna’s expression softened and she patted her brother on the arm. “But you’ve got to take better care of yourself. That’s the fifth time in two weeks that you’ve slept here. You can’t keep-”

“I brought in a camp bed. It’s fine.” He ran his hand over his close cropped hair. “I’m missing something. I know we can turn this place around and bring in a lot more money, I just have to figure out how.”

“John…” Donna bit her lip. “Er, so how bad is it?”

“We managed to turn a small profit this month, but with all the debt Gramps managed to get into, we still don’t have the money to make any new hires. Sorry, I know you’d rather spend more time at home with Gramps and the kids.”

“A profit’s good, yeah? A step in the right direction at any rate. I know how you get when you put your mind to something. If you think we can turn it around, then it’s only a matter of time. An’ don’t worry about me, I can stick around a bit longer. I mean after I get back from my holiday. I’m still plannin’ on going-”

“No. I know. I wouldn’t ask you to cancel. And thanks.”

“That’s me, best sister in Chiswick. Now get your arse next door, and get somethin’ to eat before I have to leave for the school run.”

Rose’s eyes widened and she blindly grabbed a book from the shelf. With a bright smile on her face, she walked around the tall, bookcases toward the front of the shop.

“Rose! Didn’t see you there.”

She shrugged. “On my lunch break and you know I can’t resist checking the new releases.” She handed John her book and credit card and rested her elbows on the counter. “Also, I just wanted to tell you how much I loved the Madman in a Box that you recommended.”

John’s brow furrowed in confusion for a moment, before his eyes took on a glint of mischief. “So much that you wanted to read it again?”

“Oh, yes! Definitely plannin’ on it.” She smiled at him with a hint of tongue poking out the side.

His eyes darted down to her lips and he had to clear his throat. “You know you can reread the copy you bought last week.”

“Huh?”

He held up the book that she’d handed him. The very same Madman in a Box that she’d purchased the week before.

She gaped at it for a second and blushed. “Uh, oh, this one’s for a friend. A, erm, a…a gift for her birthday.”

He grinned a lopsided smile, one that might have looked daft if he wasn’t so bloody handsome, that caused another flush to appear on Rose’s face - although this time it had nothing to do with embarrassment. “I was just teasing.”

“Right. Yeah. I reckoned.”

He handed her the book and credit card back. “I hope your friend enjoys it as much as you did.”

“Thanks. Laters.” She gave Donna and John a small wave and headed out the door.

“My God, just ask her out already.”

John startled and crossed his arms over his chest. “What? I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”

Donna crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes.

John shook his head. “Just leave it. She’s not interested in me.”

“She absolutely fancies you. Ask. Her. Out.”

John moved to fiddle with the buttons and levers of the antique cash register. “I’m too old for her. An’ even if that wasn’t enough, she’s…she’s like a ray of sunshine. An’ ’m a storm cloud. She’d never-”

“John, Rose is one of the most compassionate people I’ve ever met. She had a rough childhood, but she fought all the stereotypes and people telling her she wasn’t good enough and made something of her life. She’s exactly the type of woman you need, one who can understand everything you’ve been through.”

“But what about her? What does she get? A broken old soldier? She deserves better.”

“Oi! That’s my brother your talking about. He’s a brilliant, hard-working, adventurous, and fantastic man. Any woman would be lucky to have him.”

John flushed at his sister’s praise and mumbled, “Thanks.”

“Now get your arse next door, and let Miss Tyler butter your scone.”

“Donna! What- I- What’s that even mean?”

Her peal of laughter followed him from the shop.

–

The few mornings later, John was rushing to open and found a steaming cup of coffee and a white bag of freshly baked croissants complete with little jars of assorted jams waiting in front of the door. He looked around but the early morning street was deserted. He picked up the treats and noticed a message written underneath the Bad Wolf Bakery logo: Hope you have a brew-tiful day! xx

He pushed the door open to the bookstore and scratched his head. Who on Earth sent him breakfast? Oh! Breakfast! Must be Donna’s doing. Knowin’ she can’t keep an eye on me while in Egypt. An’ she always signs her texts with ‘xx.’ I’ll have to remember to thank her when I talk to her later.

In his rush to prepare the store for opening, the thought was soon forgotten.

–

All week, it was the same. He’d taken to sleeping in his office while Donna was away, but without fail, every morning, just before opening, there was a coffee and something freshly baked waiting for him by the front door. Sometimes there was a funny little coffee pun or joke about books written on the cup, other days a simple ‘xx.’

He was sipping that morning’s said coffee, when the bell over the door signaled a customer.

“Rose! You’re here early today.”

She bit her lip and gave him a small grin. “Yeah. My mum got caught up in a work emergency, so I’ve got to pick up my little brother from his créche during my lunch break an’ I didn’t wanna miss our, erm, out on any new releases.”

“Blimey. You must be my best customer.”

“Oh…” Rose blushed and lowered her eyes to the floor.

“Love me an avid reader.” When she’d garnered the courage to look once more at John, he was giving her a soft smile. “I’m the same. ‘S why I run this place.”

“I thought you got it from your granddad?”

Running a hand along the close cropped hair at his nape, his grin turned sheepish. “Aye, but coulda sold it. I love books though, me, and running this place is a dream come true.”

Rose smiled up at him. “Nice neighborhood too.”

John swallowed as his eyes narrowed in on her lips. “Yeah, like the neighbor a lot.” Rose’s lips formed a perfect ‘o’ and his gaze flew up to hers. “I mean, the neighbors! All of them. I didn’t mean to imply- Not that you’d be- I, er, I meant that everyone’s been really great since I got here. You included, of course. Don’t know what I’d do without your breakfasts. Probably starve. Or scare away all the customers. I’m a right grump when I haven’t eaten. And I’m gonna stop talkin’ now.” He covered his eyes with his hand.

“I, er, I’m just gonna go check on those…” She pointed toward the book cases.

Rose ducked into the first aisle she came to and leaned against the shelves trying to calm her fluttering heart. What’d he mean by- Was it a Freudian slip, or just a mistake? I thought he might- An’ he was staring at my lips, but then… Ugh. Get a grip. He’s obviously not interested or he would’ve already asked you out and the sooner you get that through your stupid-

“Rose?”

She pushed off the bookcase and smiled brightly. “Yeah?”

“Biographies today?”

Rose glanced over to the books on her left. “Oh, uh, yeah. Thought I’d change it up a bit.”

John stepped right into her personal space and reached up to one of the upper shelves. One whiff of his cologne and it set her heart back to hammering wildly in her chest. God, he smells good. How does he have any right to smell…that good? She bit the inside of her lip to keep from embarrassing herself with a moan or sigh.

“Then I think you’ll really enjoy this one.”

Rose took the book he’d pulled down for her and stared at it. She couldn’t make her eyes concentrate on the words of the title - his nearness was overwhelming all her senses.

“Y-yeah. Looks great.”

He tilted his head and examined her face. “Are you okay? You look a little flushed.”

“Yup! Never better.” She forced a big smile and tried to hold her breath without being obvious about it. Seriously, what kind of cologne is he wearing? It made her want to push him against the stacks and snog him senseless.

He took a step closer to her, and-

“Well, don’t you two look cozy?”

A squeak of surprise from Rose had John turning around.

“Donna! What are you doing back? I thought you weren’t due back ‘til-”

“Cut the trip short.”

“What? Why?”

“Egypt wasn’t what I expected. You know how I was gonna go barefoot? But it was all bus trips and guidebooks and ‘don’t drink the water.’”

“Let me guess, Lee drank the water?”

Donna sighed and nodded. “He was miserable. I was miserable. So we decided to just come home.”

“Sorry.”

Rose stood clutching the book, trying not to attract the notice of John’s sister. Not that she didn’t like the other woman, quite the opposite. It seemed, though, that more often than not, she was around when Rose was making a fool of herself in front of John. And she always gave her such a knowing glance. God, I must be so obvious.

“Eh, it’s okay. Missed the kids anyway.” Donna turned her sights on Rose.

Shit.

“Hi, Rose. You’re in awfully early today.”

“Hi, Donna. Sorry to hear about your trip.”

Donna waved away her concern and her mouth tilted into a smile. “It’s nothing. I’m more interested in whether my idiot brother finally asked you-”

“Donna!” He hissed at his sister, before grabbing the book from Rose. “C’mon, Rose. Let me ring you up.”

Rose looked from John to Donna and back. “Asked me what?”

The tips of John’s ears turned a delightful shade of red. “Oh, er, whether you, erm, might like to…” Her eyes shone with hope. “Erm, I’ve been thinking about…oh, having a book signing here, if I can manage it, I’d like to get Davis T. Russell.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, you know, the author of Madman in a Box.”

She smiled as she handed her credit card over. “Yeah. That sounds amazing.” Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.

He handed her back her credit card and watched as she walked out the door.

Donna slapped him upside the head.

“Oi!”

“You really are an idiot. Book signing?”

He rubbed the back of his head. “‘S somethin’ I’ve been thinking about doing. What?”

“Just ask her out.” Donna picked up John’s coffee cup and took a sip. She nearly gagged. “Ugh. Cold coffee.”

“Well, yeah. It’s from this morning.”

Donna’s eyebrow rose as she noticed the ‘xx’ on the side of the cup. “Two kisses?”

“Yeah? It’s how you always sign off on texts.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Well, you’ve been buying me breakfast all week.”

“What? No I haven’t.”

“Donna, all week since you’ve been gone, breakfast has been waiting for me at the door with your two little x’s sign off.”

A cheeky grin blossomed over Donna’s face. “Wasn’t me, sunshine. Sounds like someone’s got a secret admirer. Though, come on, not really all that secret, is it?”

“What does that mean? Who?”

Donna rolled her eyes. “It says it right on the side of the cup. Who do we know that owns a place called Bad Wolf Bakery?”

“You can’t mean Rose?”

“She has a huge crush on you to the point that she comes in every single day to see you.”

“Donna…”

“The same Rose that you just let walk out of here even though she was waiting for you to ask her out!”

“She wasn’t.”

“She was.”

John glanced at the door. “You really think…?”

“Yes! Now go after her.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. John rushed out the door and toward the bakery entrance.

He pulled open the door. “Rose!”

She squeaked, hands at her back from tying her apron back on. “John?”

He walked up to her and with his intense stare asked, “Have you been sending me breakfast all week?”

“Er, yeah.”

“Why?”

She bit her lip and her eyes darted nervously around the shop. “Oh, well, I knew that with Donna away that you probably wouldn’t have time, and then when you didn’t come in at your normal time for your coffee… I, erm, just wanted to make sure you had breakfast.” She blushed under his scrutiny. “‘S the most important meal of the day.”

The way he was looking at her had her pulse racing, and she jumped when he finally spoke. “Would you like to go out for dinner with me?”

“Wha’?”

“I, er, a date? I…really like you an’ ‘ve been wanting to ask you out for a while. Just too big of a coward, me.”

“Yeah? I’ve been hoping you’d ask me out for a while. And I’d love to.”

The two stood grinning daftly at each other until Amy threw a dish towel at them for blocking the register.

–

One year later:

John took a sip of his coffee and savored the last of the morning’s quiet moments. He’d be unlocking the shop’s front door in a matter of minutes.

Rose walked through the newly built archway that connected their two stores carrying two mugs. She handed one to Donna and snuggled into John’s side holding the other.

“Thanks, Rose.” Donna took a sip of her tea and asked, “How was the honeymoon?”

“Barcelona was beautiful.”

“Did you two even make it out of the hotel room to see any of it?”

Rose shook her head and raised herself onto her toes to kiss her new husband.

John chuckled. “There may’ve been one or two days of sightseeing.”

Rose slapped his chest. “Oi!”

“Is it my fault I have the most ravishing wife on the planet?”

She stuck her tongue out the side of her smile. “Well, yeah, but Donna doesn’t need to know all the dirty details.” She turned dancing eyes to her new sister-in-law. “And believe me, they were very, very dirty. Filthy even.”

For once in her life, Donna blushed. “Oh my god, you’re as bad as him! Too much information!”

Rose shrugged and primly stated, “You’re the one who asked.”

John stole another kiss from his radiant wife. “Ready, love?”

“Ready.”

Rose walked to the front door of the bakery as John prepared to open his own. They’d merged their lives as they had their livelihoods. Bad Wolf Bakery & Booksellers was open for business.

[coldcanyon-blog]

Cold Canyon- Saison

This is the fourth batch I’ve brewed of this recipe as I try to hone in on my ideal saison. The most recent change I’ve made, which is a big one, is to switch the yeast strain from Wyeast’s French Saison 3711 to their Belgian Saison 3724. I’ve brewed a couple batches with 3724 and although I’m still getting a handle on this yeast I am really happy with it so far. 

I fell in love with 3711 at the first brewery I worked at, it was our go-to for saison and we even brewed our witbier with it. Back then I found 3711 to give a super clean profile with a great balance of punchy fruitiness and spice without being too “hot” with alcohol or muddled like a lot of other saison yeasts. When fermented on the cooler end we found at the brewery that 3711 created a unique orangey spice. People swore that we put orange zest and coriander into our witbier when in fact it was all yeast character they were tasting. When I started doing trials of this saison recipe I started with 3711 but after a few batches was getting a completely different character out of it. Each batch had this astringent bitterness to it that was like a combination of rust and soil. I wasn’t sure at first if what I was tasting was hop-related or perhaps an unhealthy yeast pitch, but after a few batches and some research I decided what I was tasting was the “phenolic bite” that is said to come from certain saison yeast strains. Still haven’t figured out why the character I got from 3711 is so different than how I remember it from a few years ago at the brewery, but at any rate I decided to move on from it.

I had started looking into a new yeast to try when I was out at one of my favorite bars in LA, The Hermosillo. The Hermosillo is the original home to Highland Park Brewery, probably the best brewery in LA, and in addition to HPB beers always has an awesome selection of guest beers which often includes a saison or mixed culture beer from Perennial Artisan Ales from St. Louis. I had a glass of Perennial’s Prism, a dry-hopped saison, and immediately knew that whatever yeast they used in it was exactly what I was looking for. Prism had a great balance of yeast fruitiness and spice that worked well with the heavy hopping and a unique mouthfeel that softer that most saison. From Perennial’s website (http://www.perennialbeer.com/beer-lister/) I found that they use a Belgian saison strain so I took a chance with Wyeast’s option (https://wyeastlab.com/yeast-strain/belgian-saison).

After a few brews with 3724 I am fairly confident that it is indeed the yeast that Perennial uses in Prism. I’m pretty happy with the results so far. I might not be completely sold as it is a bit finicky. The yeast tends to stall out in the 1.020-1.030s halfway through fermentation. It will eventually finish out but it takes some time and/or warming the beer into the 90s Fahrenheit. 3724 also seems to land at a higher FG than other saison yeasts I’ve brewed with. I’ve read it does get down close to 1.000 but I haven’t seen it get that far. (Rather I haven’t been patient enough to see it get that far). But maybe the attenuation will improve as I harvest and re-pitch it a few times. 

Brewed 3/18/2020

Water Profile:

.5 tsp Calcium Sulphate and 1.5 tsp Calcium Chloride into 6 gallons strike water

Yeast:

Wyeast 3724 (2nd Gen)

2 Liter starter. Stirred 48 hours. Refrigerated overnight and decanted. Yeast “bloomed” on brew day with first runnings.

Grist:

Weyermann Floor Malted Bohemian Pilsner Malt- 6 lbs (55%)

Weyermann Pale Wheat Malt- 3 lbs (27%)

Flaked Oats- 2 lbs (18%)

Raw Organic Honey- 1 lb at end of boil

Boil: 60 minute

Magnum Hallertauer (13% aa) - 1 oz @ 60

Magnum Hallertauer - 1 oz @ 15

Wildflower Honey - 1 lb @ 10

Mash pH: 5.17

60 min O2 through aeration pump. Pitched yeast and put in fermentation chamber at 77F with no temp control on it (free-rise)

OG: 1.046 - pH 5.07

FG: 1.012 - pH 3.8 (as I mentioned before, could probably have waited for the yeast to attenuate more fully but the beer tasted clean so I decided to keg as I’m under quarantine and NEED BEER)

Kegged 3/30/2020 w/ ~2oz ground coriander

Notes:

4.5% ABV

Super aromatic, coriander and cinnamon.

Silky mouthfeel, soft on the palette, 3724 give a super unique pillowy-marshmallow-like sweetness that balances well with the spicier notes it also creates.

Overall I’m stoked on this beer as a base saison to continue tweaking. "Farmhouse” (whatever that means) styles are my current brewing obsession. Specifically the lower ABV, refreshing, rustic, I’m about that shit. I feel like the best farmhouse beers have a level of flavor and complexity from letting yeast do it’s thing in combination with adjuncts like wheat and oats, and plenty of hop flavor, that you don’t find in other low ABV styles. To me this beer drinks almost like a dry white wine or cider and as it warms in the glass it just becomes more aromatic and punchy.

Concept:

At least partly inspired by the visuals in this Kanye video: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivCY3Ec4iaU

Been playing with the visual component of beers more lately. Above is something I threw together with this one as I was first tasting it. Something about the smell and mineral flavor of the beer makes me think about winter, COLD AIR, throat chilling humidity, crunchy frozen grass under your feet, river rocks. Thought it was a funny play on the stories about farmhouse beers that they were traditionally low ABV refreshing beers made for the farmworkers in rural Europe. Always thought that was a dope visual. A bunch of tired farmworkers cresting a hill on the way back to the barn at the end of a hot summer day. Sitting down in the shade and tapping a wooden cask of crisp, rustic saison. Imagining how satisfying that would be. With Cold Canyon I’m picturing a solo creekside walk in the afternoon in the dead of winter. The sun is about to set and the ground begins to freeze agin after only having thawed a couple hours prior. You sit on the one dry rock you can find by the barely flowing, almost entirely frozen creek. Pull out the thermos you packed this morning and pour a portion into the lid. It foams and crackles with carbonation despite having sat in your bag all day. It’s colder on your lips now than it was out of the fridge that morning. A light breeze blows through the bushes nearby and as you take your first sip a waft of floral aromatics from the only remaining live blossoms around for miles hits your nose. A perfect moment of solitude.

[pearandpecorino]

Non's Meatball and Swiss Chard Soup

Otherwise known as the soup my grandma makes on Christmas day.

Happy Christmas Eve! I hope you all are having a relaxing and peaceful holiday. Today I wanted to share one of our traditional Christmas day dishes. A comforting soup made with mini meatballs and Swiss chard, making a beautiful broth as the greens cook. Usually served with pieces of toast, alongside pasta with sausages and tomato sauce as well as salad with tomato, avocado, and balsamic vinegar. It’s been our Christmas supper stretching as far back as my memory goes, and serves as yummy leftovers for the rest of the year.

I try to spend a few nights every month at Non’s house. Earlier this month, we decided to make some soup for dinner and I managed to get a few pictures of the process. She isn’t the biggest fan of having her picture taken, so you won’t get to see too much of her. Still, there’s something beautiful about candids, especially with a dish as well-loved as Non's Christmas Day soup that’s been made time and time again.

Also, an update since my last post! The Christmas cookies have arrived safely to family members in Montana. And thankfully, all my Christmas shopping and wrapping is done. I need to remember to start a little earlier next year. But still! I found most everything I was looking for.

My mom and I continued our cooking baking, finishing off her biscotti and two batches of my thumbprint cookies. I mixed up the fillings, splitting the Chocolate Hazelnut thumbprints between a dark chocolate filling and cherry jam filling. I filled the plain pecan thumbprints with mixed berry and apricot jam. I keep making cookies and they keep disappearing! I think the oven might have thrown a fit from all of the baking because it doesn't seem to be working right. Alas, the cookies are down, and Christmas is here.

This is a bit of a shorter post as I want to share this with you all before our Christmas Eve begins. I'm off to help my dad make ravioli!

Wishing you all a safe and joyous holiday season!

Non's Meatball and Swiss Chard Soup

Ingredients

8-10 cups chicken broth

3 bunches of Swiss chard, torn into large pieces, stems removed

1 lb ground beef (at least 20% fat)

1/2 cup grated parmesan

2 eggs

6-8 leaves of basil, torn into small pieces

1/4 tsp salt (for the meatballs)

1/4 tsp pepper (for the meatballs)

1 tsp olive oil

1 yellow or white onion, finely chopped (optional)

Method

In a small mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, parmesan, eggs, basil, salt and pepper. Roll into very small meatballs, a bit less than an inch across.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat, browning the meatballs and cooking the onions until translucent.

*If you want to check for seasoning, cook one meatball and taste!

Add the Swiss chard and chicken broth to the pot and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the greens are tender and the broth is rich and flavorful. Taste for seasoning.

Enjoy with slices of toast.

[perfectlyrose]

Up In Flames: Epilogue (10/10)

Summary: In the year since they decided to become a team, John Smith and Rose Tyler have made quite the names for themselves as Team TARDIS, bank robbers extraordinaire. Newspapers the world over run headlines about The Doctor and the Bad Wolf and their latest heists. They’re practically unstoppable.

Then their world spins to a halt with a phone call. Jack’s in trouble again and a formidable enemy from John’s past has emerged from the shadows to try and destroy the bank robbing couple once and for all. Will they be able to survive this new threat intact or will the life they’ve been building together go up in flames?

A sequel to Watch it Burn, a Nine/Rose bank robbers AU

Note: And here we are at the end, once more. Thank you all for sticking with this fic despite my frequent and lengthy delays in updating it. It really, truly means the world to me ♥ (rest of my sappy author’s note at the end of the fic)

Word Count: 1605

Rating: Teen

Read here: tumblr // ao3 // tsp // ff

“We should go check on Jack,” Rose said as she sipped her cup of tea. John was making breakfast.

“He’s at Amy’s place, yeah?”

“Yeah. Rory’s a nurse and we figured he could patch Jack up since he would refuse hospital.” She looked John over, lingering on all the places she knew he was bruised. “Maybe he could look you over while we’re there, just to be safe.”

“I don’t think I’ve got anything worse than bruises and scrapes,” John said. He slid eggs onto plates and collected the toast.

“Couldn’t hurt, though.”

“If it will make you feel better, I’ll let Rory check my injuries.” He put a plate down in front of her and took a seat across the table.”

“Thank you.”

They finished their breakfast and got ready to leave the flat. Rose texted Amy that they were coming over to see Jack and then they headed out.

Rory answered the door. “Thanks for making sure Amy got home in one piece,” he said after greeting the pair of them.

“Pretty sure she was the one who made sure I got out in one piece,” Rose answered with a smile.

“Damn right I was,” Amy said, stepping into the hallway. “Hello you two.”

“Hey Ames. How’s the patient doing?” Rose asked.

“He’s awake and doing fine,” she said.

“He’s on good painkillers,” Rory said. “At least one cracked rib and some heavy bruising. He’s going to need to stay still for a bit to let himself heal.”

John snorted. “Good luck getting him to do that.”

Rose elbowed him. “Rory, would you mind looking at John’s injuries while we’re here? We don’t think it’s anything serious but I’d feel better with a medical professional’s opinion.”

“Sure,” Rory agreed. He looked at John. “Want to get it over with now?”

“Why not.” Rory led them into another room to do his examination.

Amy turned to give Rose an appraising look. “Looks like the two of you made up. Faster than I expected.”

Rose gave her a small smile. “We actually sat down and talked about things instead of avoiding them.”

Amy made an exaggerated expression of surprise. “Wonder of wonders, I thought I’d have to lock you in a room together or something.”

“Never would have worked.”

“Don’t underestimate me,” Amy said with raised eyebrows.

“Never. And you were right by the way,” Rose said.

“Music to my ears,” Amy cut in.

Rose continued without acknowledging Amy’s words. “We both just needed to lay things out and stop hiding everything.”

“So things really are okay with the two of you?”

Rose nodded. “More than okay, really. We still have work to do but I think we’re in a better place to do it now.”

Amy hugged her. “I’m so glad.”

Rory and John stepped back out into the hallway.

“Clean bill of health,” John said when Rose raised an inquiring eyebrow at him.

“Wouldn’t go quite that far,” Rory said. “Remember to keep icing things and keep the cuts cleaned and bandaged,” Rory instructed.

Rose smiled at him. “Thank you, Rory. I’ll make sure he follows orders.”

She winked at John who just rolled his eyes.

“I’m going to take them in to see Jack,” Amy said. “You’re welcome to come with but we’re going to be talking criminal things.”

Rory held up his hands, wry smile playing over his lips. “I would like to maintain plausible deniability. Let me know if you need anything.”

Amy leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek before leading John and Rose to her guest room where she’d installed Jack.

“Rosie! John!” Jack exclaimed from the bed as soon as they entered the room. “Was wondering if you two were going to come by for a visit.”

“Had to make sure you were alright,” Rose said. She sat gently on the edge of the bed. John took one of the chairs that looked like they’d been dragged in from the dining room. Amy took the other.

“Doing fine, as usual,” Jack said with a broad smile. “Plus Amy’s handsome man has me on the good stuff.”

“I will fight you for him and I will win,” Amy warned lightly.

“I’m open to sharing,” Jack insisted, giving her a good natured leer.

Amy laughed. “You never stop do you?”

“He doesn’t,” John confirmed.

“Are the two of you alright?” Jack asked, looking between his two best friends. “You disappeared last night.”

“We said goodbye,” Rose protested.

“Still disappeared before anyone else.”

“And we’re both fine,” John told him. “You’ve got most of the damage from this whole ordeal.”

“Did UNIT come and collect the Master?” Rose asked Amy.

“Yeah. They showed up about ten minutes after you left. They were over the moon that someone had finally captured the guy red-handed. Apparently they’d been looking for a reason to arrest him for ages. I think they mostly chose to pretend that we weren’t a rag-tag group of criminals. Jenny gave us some credibility on that front.”

“What are they going to do with him?” John asked, voice tight.

“They wouldn’t tell us,” Amy said with a grimace.

“I hope he rots,” Jack said. His nod was decisive.

“I’ll see if I can find out and let you know,” John said. “I’d guess they put him at a blacksite though, especially if they wouldn’t even hint at what they were doing with him.”

“Any chance of him ever escaping one of those?” Rose asked.

“Very slim but not impossible,” John said. “He’s slippery but those places are built to hold people like him.”

“Well, I think I’ll echo Jack in saying that I hope he rots,” Amy said. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “Now, I want the dirt on the fact that the two of you are apparently the bank robbers who’ve taken the world by storm. I can’t believe I didn’t know!”

“Jack’s the only one who knew,” Rose explained. “And that’s only because he was the one who brought us together.”

Jack grinned. “I’m an excellent matchmaker.”

“You are determined, I’ll give you that,” John said.

“I had to put up with the two of you pretending not to obsess over each other for a year after the Agency job.”

“Hold on, that was you two too? That heist was epic.”

“First job we worked together,” John said.

Amy pinned Rose with a look. “So he’s the bloke who had you all steamed for a year?”

“Oh thank god I wasn’t the only one having to put up with them,” Jack said.

“I had good reason to be mad,” Rose said. She shot a glare at John who had the audacity to grin at her.

“So then the two of you got back together to rob a bank?”

“Yeah, Jack needed us to pull the job. It was related to the Agency heist. After that, we ended up deciding to team up,” Rose explained.

“Bit bumpier than they make it sound,” Jack put in.

“Oh, I can believe that,” Amy said.

“If the two of you are just going to poke fun at as, we can leave,” Rose said.

“No, don’t go yet,” Amy said. “How did you come up with your names? What does TARDIS mean?”

Rose raised an eyebrow at John who smiled slightly and shook his head.

“That’s a secret I think John and I will keep,” Rose said.

“Spoilsports,” Amy pouted.

Jack’s eyes were starting to flutter shut. “I was hoping they’d tell you,” he said. “I still don’t know what the hell it means either.”

“Get some rest, Jack,” Rose said quietly. “We’ll come visit again soon.”

“You better,” he said.

“Get better soon,” John said, resting his hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Yes, sir.” Jack gave him a cheeky salute and John rolled his eyes, letting out a huff of laughter.

“Still never going to convince me you were actually a captain,” he said.

Jack just smiled. The expression was still on his face when he drifted off to sleep.

The trio tiptoed back out into the hallway.

“So, dinner soon? After Jack’s out of our guest room, of course.”

“Name the date and we’ll be here,” John promised.

Rose looked at him, surprise registering on her face for a moment at his enthusiasm for the dinner party he’d reluctantly agreed to before.

“Perfect,” Amy said, grinning. “Now, off with the pair of you. I’m sure you still have some making up to do and I want my fiancé to myself for an hour or two while Jack is sleeping.”

“Yes ma’am,” Rose said with a laugh.

Amy gave both of them quick hugs and sent them on their way, promising to pass on their farewells to Rory.

Back out on the street, John and Rose twined their fingers together and set off towards Rose’s flat and a future that looked brighter than ever.

//

Four months later a bank in Brussels found an embossed card taped to the front door of their establishment.

The ivory card had a blue police box embossed on the front along with the words “Team TARDIS.” On the back, in flowing gold script, the familiar names of “The Doctor and the Bad Wolf” seemed to wink up at whoever read them with a mischievous glint.

The famed duo were back in business for the new year and the authorities who had hoped they’d stopped grimly dusted off the files on Team TARDIS. They were starting to get the feeling that chasing them was a useless endeavor.

The Doctor and the Bad Wolf were unstoppable and they were just getting started.

.

.

Author’s Note (cont’d): It's an odd feeling knowing that I'm done telling this story. I've lived with this story for over four years (Yes, four years. Watch it Burn started posting in April 2014, back when it was a short one-shot. Look how that turned out!) and I'm both relieved that it is finally now out in the world in its entirety and sad that it is over. This series, this verse, will always have a very special place in my heart. It represents the first time I stepped out onto that limb of writing a big multichaptered project and the John and Rose that inhabit these stories will forever be my very favorite pair of idiots (as I affectionately refer to them). I find myself stealing bits of them for some of my other Nine/Rose AUs, even.

It saddens me to be saying goodbye to them, but - BUT - it's not a forever goodbye. Not yet. While this is the last big fic in this verse, I do plan to add two or three short one-shots, still. So, if you're also dreading saying goodbye to this pair of criminals and their motley crew of friends, keep an eye out. They'll be back to say hello a time or two more. And of course, they're always here to welcome you back into their drama whenever you want to see them.Thank you all so much and also for putting up with my dramatic author's note here. I love you immensely.

(also, if you ever need to yell about this verse, you know how to contact me. i love yelling about it.)

[lirlovesfic]

5763

Doctor Who fanfic

Summary: Stuck in a hotel in Bergen on the parallel world, the metacrisis Doctor and Rose Tyler have some things to discuss before they can move forward.

Characters: Tentoo, Rose Tyler

Genres: Angst, romance

Pairings: Tentoo/Rose Tyler

Rating: Teen (rating may go up)

Warning: brief mention of the death of a minor canon character, and extremely minor spoilers for BF audio: Flight into Hull!

a/n: Still not entirely sure how long this is going to be, but I'm now guessing 4 - 5 chapters rather than 2 - 3. Also, I don't usually do warnings, but I'm going to give a warning here for the brief mention and minor description of the death of a minor canon character that some people might find upsetting. If you are worried about it, message me. Finally, one line in this chapter is based on something Billie Piper said at a convention. Kudos and virtual Jammie Dodgers to the first one to spot it!

Part One:  tumblr, AO3, TSP, ffnet

Part Two: AO3, TSP, ffnet

 Part Two

Rose Tyler, former time traveler, current Torchwood agent, and traverser of universes, sometimes called the Valiant Child, Defender of the Earth, and Bad Wolf, was hiding in the bathroom.

Oh, it hadn't started out that way. She hadn't lied about needing a shower. After the last group of stars had disappeared and they'd found the timelines focusing on Donna Noble, there'd been a final push by the joint Torchwood/UNIT taskforce to find the Doctor, realizing that if they didn't find him now, not only would they never find him, they probably wouldn't need to because their whole universe, and by extension each and every one of them, would no longer exist. Everyone, from the Joint Chiefs down to the catering staff, had been on double shifts and subject to recall 24/7. Even her mother had been volunteering as a dinner lady. She'd discovered a hidden talent for it too, not only recalling everyone's name but each and every food and beverage preference, from the way General Stewart took her coffee to the fact that Pete's assistant Todd liked barbecue-flavored crisps and didn't like mayo on his ham sandwiches.

Rose, for her part, had spent the last three weeks—at minimum, since with the dimension cannon, it was almost as difficult to track personal linear time as it was on the TARDIS—working nonstop, taking catnaps in her office and showering when she had the chance in the Torchwood gym's locker room. Emphasis on "when she had the chance". With the insanity of the last few days, she couldn't remember when she'd last had the chance. Maybe the day before yesterday? Maybe the day before that? Whenever it was, it had been a while.

For a moment, when she saw the luxuriously appointed bathroom and its generously sized tub, a pleasant surprise considering the age of the building, she considered a bath rather than a shower. A long soak in a tub would feel so good. But she didn't want to fall asleep, a very real possibility given past history and how exhausted she was. No, she decided, she couldn't risk it, not with the man she'd left in the other room.

She peeled off her damp clothes—leaving them in a heap on the floor—climbed into the tub, and turned on the shower. After turning up the heat on the water three times—showers at the gym always felt a little cold no matter how high she turned it, what with the draft caused by people walking in and out of the locker room all the time, so this was absolutely lovely—she switched the lever to change from the handheld to the rain showerhead. For several long moments she just stood there, allowing the water to chase away the chill caused by getting drenched at the beach. She sighed. It felt like the height of decadence to bathe somewhere where she didn't have random people—often total strangers—walk in on her. And not just the shower. If she had a fiver for every time someone from the scientific branch, man or woman, followed her into the Ladies with a tablet and tried to debrief her while she used the toilet…

But eventually, standing underneath the steaming water, after she'd scrubbed every inch of herself, shaved using the razor from the hotel's complimentary toiletry kit, and washed her hair twice, she realized she was hiding.

From him.

Oh, Lord, what had she done?

When she'd been woken up that morning—or possibly yesterday, was it after midnight yet?—by the science team with the urgent news that they believed they'd located the Doctor, she'd hoped that by now she'd be back in the TARDIS with her Time Lord, or at least back in her home universe. Of course, as with every trip with the dimension cannon, she'd been prepared for the possibility that she'd be accidentally stranded on a different parallel. She'd even been prepared for the possibility that her mission would fail and she'd be dead. But in all the possible scenarios she had envisioned, once the confirmation had come that they'd found him, returning to Pete's World, and permanently, hadn't even been on the radar.

Particularly with someone who both was and wasn't the Doctor.

God, what had she been thinking? The Doctor himself had warned her of gingerbread houses, of parallel people who weren't who they seemed to be. And he'd been right. Pete Tyler, her stepfather, wasn't the same person as Pete Tyler, her real father. As her father had been, this Pete Tyler was a good man, and over the years they had developed a father/daughter relationship, but it hadn't been easy. In marrying her mother, he hadn't been prepared to take on an adult daughter, especially one who was grieving and didn't want to be in his world and made that fact known every chance she got.

Oddly, it was the fact that she was grieving that was the catalyst for improving her relationship with the parallel Pete. After yet another emotional display that culminated with a shouting match between her and her mother, she'd stormed out only to realize she had nowhere to go, no friends to stay with, no Bucknall House roof to hide on. For a lack of anything better to do, she'd spent the afternoon aimlessly wandering the grounds of the Tyler Estate. She'd discovered they were enormous, consisting of formal gardens and vegetable patches, woods and lawn, ponds and fountains, rivaling the size, if not the scope, of Kew Gardens in her own world.

Finally, exhausted as much from her emotional outburst as from her walk, she'd sunk down on a bench overlooking the flower garden. To her surprise, within moments, Pete had joined her. He'd listened silently as she'd railed, yet again, against the unfairness of it all. When she was finally finished, in quiet tones he told her that he understood, that in addition to his first wife, he'd lost his entire extended family and most of his friends to the Cybermen, and that he'd give anything, his company, his riches, even his own life, to have the past few years undone.

Even the dog Rose had been killed, he told her with a rueful chuckle that was entirely without humor, a dog he'd thought he hated. It wasn't until he'd found her broken body in the wreckage of his home, crushed and kicked under a piece of furniture, that the enormity of the losses struck home and he'd finally allowed himself to weep.

As he described holding the tiny animal in his hands, his eyes had glistened with unshed tears, and her own prickled as well. And for the first time she saw him as an individual, a person separate and complete in himself, with hopes and dreams and pains and losses of his own, not just as a parallel of her father. Instinctively she'd reached out and took his hand. He'd blinked in surprise at the gesture. And then, with her father's lopsided grin, he'd suggested dryly that perhaps one of the reasons she was having trouble adjusting to the parallel world was that she was spending too much time with her mother. And she'd laughed, for the first time since she'd been trapped there.

Then, in his lowkey way, he'd asked if she'd be interested in helping out with a small project he was working on with Mickey and Jake.

Small was an understatement. He was trying to rebuild an old organization that had dealt with the odd, the inexplicable, the bizarre. Ghouls. Vampires. Werewolves.

Aliens.

He was rebuilding Torchwood.

It was this Pete Tyler she was thinking of when confronted with two Doctors on the beach at Dårlig Ulv-Stranden: Pete Tyler, the multi-billionaire founder of Vitex; Pete Tyler, the freedom fighter who led the fight against Lumic and the Cybermen; Pete Tyler, the head of the newly-revived Torchwood who held the rank of Captain (strictly honorary, he insisted) in UNIT. How different he was from her own father. Her father had never done any of those things. Perhaps he could have done if he had lived, but the hard truth was he hadn't and no one would ever know one way or another. There was every possibility that he wouldn't have. Because when you came right down to it—regardless whether it was due to nature or experiences—they were different people. Similar, but not the same.

Just as this one-hearted man who wore the Doctor's face was.

Similar—oh, so similar—but not the same.

She'd argued that herself, to the both of them, even as the Doctor insisted that this new Doctor was still him.

But then he'd said what he'd said and she'd kissed him and he'd kissed her back and…

And the TARDIS had left.

Without her.

Taking all her hopes and dreams with it.

At the memory of an empty square pressed deep into the sand where the TARDIS had stood only moments earlier, she sniffed and wiped at her face. If the Doctor didn't want her anymore, he should have just said. She was a big girl. She could have taken it.

As soon as she realized she was hiding, Rose snapped the water off and grabbed one of the fluffy white towels that hung on the warming rack. This wasn't who she was anymore. She wasn't a girl who cried in the shower over a disappointment, no matter how earth-shattering, and she wasn't a woman who hid in the bathroom, avoiding the consequences of her own actions. She'd stood up to presidents and prime ministers, military leaders and royalty. She'd faced off against werewolves, ghosts, zombies, and vampires. The list of aliens she'd dealt with was as long as her arm. She'd even absorbed the Time Vortex and destroyed the Dalek Emperor. She could face one human/Time Lord metacrisis of her former lover.

The butterflies in her stomach didn't agree.

Rose vigorously toweled off, rubbing hair and skin with a vengeance before rehanging the towel and wrapping herself in the smaller of the two hotel robes that hung on the back of the bathroom door. Then she glanced at herself in the mirror. And grimaced. Her hair was a mess. She really needed to do something about it before it dried that way.

She quickly sorted through the remaining toiletry items in the basket on the counter. Soap, more shampoo, lotion, a shower cap... Nope, no brush, and no comb. Oh, well. She hadn't really expected one to be there. She'd been lucky to find the razor.

Looking in the mirror again, she slowly and carefully combed out the knots in her hair with her fingers.

Still hiding, a tiny voice inside her head singsonged.

"Shut up," she said to her reflection, unable to deny the truth of the statement. Her reflection stared back accusingly, reminding her that he was out there waiting for her, and urging her to get a move on.

Giving up on her hair, she turned back to the door.

Well, she'd made her bed, she'd lie in it, Rose told herself firmly as she tightened the belt around her waist. She took a deep breath.

When she opened the door, she was met with a blast of cold air, and the Doctor half-hanging out the window.

"What on earth?" she exclaimed. She rushed to the window and hauled him, head and shoulders, back into the room. "What do you think you're doing? You'll catch your death!"

"Just needed a little air," he said, his teeth chattering.

"So you thought you'd hang out the window in the middle of a rainstorm?"

"Well…" The accompanying shrug turned into a violent shiver that shook his thin frame.

"You're freezing!" She huffed and shook her head. "We've got to get you out of these wet clothes." She started pulling the bottom of his T-shirt out of his trousers.

"Not exactly how I pictured you undressing me,” he told her.

She shot him a look. "Seriously? You been taking chat up lessons from Jack?"

"Why?" he asked curiously. And then added, "Is it working?"

The latter was said in such a hopeful tone that she had to bite the inside of her mouth not to laugh.

"No," she said firmly. She yanked upward, and he cooperated by bending over and holding out his arms. The shirt came off with a squelching sound, and she dropped it in a heap on the floor. "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"You are going in the shower," she said as she tugged him into the bathroom. He sat down on the toilet and began to untie his shoes. Or tried to. His hands were shaking too much to be successful. She knelt down in front of him.

She sighed. No wonder he couldn't undo his laces. The knots on his Converse were a stuck, sodden mess. With a little effort, and hard-won experience undoing Tony's shoes, they eventually came loose. She pulled off his shoes. When she pulled off his socks, his toes wiggled, as if happy to be free from their confinement.

"Care to join me?" he asked as they stood again. "Looks big enough for two."

"I've already showered, thank you very much. Now, I've done your shirt and your shoes; you can do your own trousers."

"Oh, you're no fun," he said, still shivering.

"You HAVE been taking lessons from Jack."

He unfastened his trousers and dropped them to the floor. Along with his pants. She tried very hard not to stare. "Not exactly. Spent a year imprisoned with him; you pick up a few things."

"Now that's a story I want to here. But later." When he didn't move, she gently shoved his shoulder. "Get in."

"Yes, ma'am." He gave her a mock salute and climbed into the shower. As the water began to flow, he closed his eyes and stepped under the rain showerhead. He dropped his head forward as it poured over him, running in rivulets down a wide, toned chest and flat abs, down a tight arse and long, runner's legs. He groaned. "Oh, that feels so good." Pushing his hair away from his face, he opened one eye and looked at her.

Oh my god, she was staring. And he had caught her.

One eyebrow arched in an oh, so familiar expression. "Sure you don't want to join me?"

Yes, I do. The words came unbidden to the tip of her tongue, and she had to force herself not to say them. Gingerbread houses, she reminded herself silently.

"No, thanks," she said instead. She grabbed both their clothes off the floor and fled the room, pulling the door closed behind her.

Rose leaned with her back against the bathroom door and closed her eyes. She suddenly felt very, very warm. She tugged on the collar of her robe, tempted to hang out the window herself. "Oh, boy."