#see actually the second 12&clara season wasn’t too bad but the first one was just 🫠

[moonlite-sunshine]

So I’m rewatching and catching up on Doctor Who for the first time in like 6ish years so I can watch the new specials and like my favorite will always be Tennant, he was My Doctor blah blah but you know what, this rewatch reminded me how much I love 12, mainly his season with Bill.

Capaldi is such a great Doctor. He’s not always nice but he’s always kind and he loves so hard. He’s so funny and I love how he loves playing guitar and he has sonic sunglasses bc he’s just trying to have a good time, he may not be a kooky bow tie guy anymore but he’s still silly. Him and Bill are like best buds and I wish we’d had another season with them and even Nardole bc their relationship was just fun, there was no pre-destined or weird importance placed on her, she was just a normal person who loved learning and was kind and had good vibes. The best of humanity, the kind of person the Doctor takes along bc they remind him that people are important. Bill brought out the best in him and also GAY🦭 anyways his last words are so beautiful and I miss him

[hopevalley]

Season 8, Episode 7: Before My Very Eyes

This episode sure was a rollercoaster, wasn’t it?

Let’s dive right on in. :)

Plotlines:

The Love Triangle & Allie’s Adoption

Ned & The Canfields

Christopher’s Performance

Clara and Jesse

I guess you could say the plotlines were better written together/integrated in this episode than in previous ones. There’s a lot going on but most of the filming and plots just...rolled together?

For example, the saloon as the “gathering place” where multiple plot points take place simultaneously was really cool IMO. It helps the town feel livelier. 

The Love Triangle & Allie’s Adoption

The love triangle is...an enigma. I’m probably in the minority of not really being that invested in who Elizabeth ends up with, but I doubt I’m in the minority regarding my general feelings on the love triangle: I want it to end.

I think we’re at a point where it’s just super frustrating for everyone involved, and we’re stretching the limits of suspension of disbelief when it comes to the audience. 

I don’t think we’d be as harsh on the triangle if we had double the episodes a season. We get a whopping 12 this season, more than we’ve gotten in a long time, so space is limited, and time is limited, and we know she’ll reach a decision toward the end of this season, so there’s that...I don’t know...pressure I guess, on the characters and the episodes to showcase things in a manner that feels natural and moves well.

For what it’s worth I’m fine with Elizabeth’s turtle-pace, but with only 6 episodes left (5 after this episode aired), knowing she’ll pick someone soon (and it will probably be Nathan)... It makes it really difficult to stomach the Lucas scenes—not because I don’t want to see her with Lucas if she won’t end up with him, but because I feel really bad for Lucas!

Especially with the intense fourth-wall-breaking level of awareness Lucas seems to have regarding the situation. Yes, I’m talking about the line he quoted.

“Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not.” 

That’s only half the quote. This is the full quote:

“Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.”

—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Sure, it’s applied to Henry, but it seems almost...too knowledgeable to me? 

So, the quote is from the novel Hyperion: A Romance, published in 1839. Longfellow’s wife Mary died in 1836 after a miscarriage. Overwhelmed by grief Longfellow took trips to Europe and spent seven years trying to woo Frances Appleton. She eventually agreed to marry him.

Hyperion was inspired by this. Paul is the main character. He travels through Germany after the death of a friend, and falls in love with an Englishwoman named Mary Ashburton. She rejects him.

To say this was a thinly-veiled autobiography of sorts is, uh, an understatement. To have Lucas quoting it in When Calls the Heart feels...odd. It wouldn’t surprise me if this was an omen of sorts, but...we can’t forget Lucas’s parents’ history: his mother refused to marry his father for years, just like Frances refused to marry Longfellow.

It’s not a bad quote or anything...it’s just...frustratingly on the nose.

I did appreciate Elizabeth’s admission of not wanting to be one of Lucas’s “secret sorrows.” They’re courting publicly anyway, everyone knows it. It’s time for them to be a little more open about it, at least in little ways. Him squeezing her hand on the saloon table shouldn’t be a big deal at this point.

If this was the storyline we were getting for Elizabeth (her slowly working her way toward something with Lucas) I’d be happy with it. I’m still Team Nathan but I like Lucas a lot this season and would be content with a storyline for him.

THE THING IS...I don’t think that is going to happen, and it makes me feel terrible to see him getting strung along like this. Elizabeth doesn’t come off as “has feelings for Lucas and is just nervous about showcasing it” for multiple reasons. First, she was very PDA-like with Jack, and secondly, that’s just...not how the scenes seem to be written. You can assume her reasoning but she never once is the one initiating and then backing off. He always initiates. She always backs off. It’s unbalanced and makes me feel bad for Lucas.

I really hope we get to sit inside his head a bit longer/more seriously at some point. Maybe he’s aware of her feelings for Nathan and is willing to try anyway because he believes that to some extent love is a choice? That would be really interesting tbh.

As it is, I just feel sorry for Lucas. Not that I think Elizabeth wouldn’t have hangups with Nathan, too, but I just feel like Elizabeth’s hangups with Nathan are more fear of what she is feeling/fear of what could happen to him in the future/fear of her heart being broken again, whereas with Lucas it’s almost like she’s not feeling it and trying to force that kind of affection with him makes her feel weird/gross/bad. 

I definitely think she has a good friendship base with Lucas, but if the feelings aren’t there, they aren’t there. 

Sorry, my thoughts are muddled. There wasn’t a lot going on with the triangle in this episode in terms of...triangley things. I just wish Elizabeth would choose so that the plotline could go away. I’m tired of seeing people strung along.

Nathan was pretty good in this episode. I appreciated his talk with Allie a lot; choosing to be kind and want good things for someone you like is a good example to set. I feel like in the café Allie’s dialogue about Elizabeth smiling at him was off; she probably should have said something more like, “If she doesn’t like you like that, then why does she smile at you that way?” might have sounded better. (He could have said “what way?” and she could have batted her eyes at him lmao.) Allie already knows Elizabeth is courting Lucas...and if we’re to believe the smile directed at Nathan is what tips Allie’s invite consideration to her adoption ceremony, then that would have been a better way to approach it (instead of “Did you see the way she smiled at you?!”).

I really loved that Lucas got Nathan and Allie a little gift. Honestly I just want Lucas and Nathan to be friends or something because the actors have good chemistry together and there’s a shortage of good male friendships in the show that feel Good. I wonder if we’ll find out what the gift was at any point?

The end with Allie only inviting Elizabeth to the ceremony was hilarious. I wanted to actually see the ceremony (because Nathan promising not to leave her was SUCH a good line, I almost got emotional over that and I wanted to see it put into play again) but the imagery it left us with (it looks like a wedding...) was clear enough haha.

Poor Bill, stuck in the middle of that.

Speaking of Bill, the adoption being “on him” was really sweet. And then of course Bill can’t keep the moment tender because he’s always so Uncomfortable with Feelings, but it’s still very sweet.

--

Ned & The Canfields

I don’t have a whole lot to say here, but I really appreciated this storyline. It wasn’t the best-written surgery-medical-wise, but it felt heartfelt and that’s what matters. 

Florence running around trying to do everything herself while also stressing out about Ned really felt...real. And then of course Rosemary getting appointed to the phones and gossiping forever...hahah.

I’m glad I saw the writing on the wall with Joseph; of course he’s a former pastor! I really am intrigued by what his “plans” are that are not church-related. I like that they tried not to make him exactly like Frank, but boy what I wouldn’t give to see them both pastoring in Hope Valley. Then Joseph could pursue his dream while also pastoring a bit, and so could Frank. It’d be nice, and they’d probably get along swell.

Seeing more faith/prayer in the show has been great. Also, Joseph and Minnie are so cute together... I adore them.

--

Christopher’s Performance

And here we are, talking about the man of the hour... Christopher. Henry’s “secret sorrow” or the product of Henry’s secret sorrow? It almost makes me think he got over Nora with Christopher’s mother and she cut off ties with him and married Jerry the banker.

Henry’s opinion of Jerry is obviously not great, but he’s respectful enough to not talk badly about him. It makes me wonder if Jerry is a worse man than Henry is, though. Maybe so? I wonder if we’ll get more information about it.

They really did a good casting job with Christopher; he manages to look similar enough to Henry and kind of...mimic his way of smiling and movement that’s almost uncanny. 

Of course...as Rosemary says, she knows a performance when she sees one.

I’m wondering if Bill feels similarly...

But boy do we know how Lucas feels! Lee tells Lucas that his pocketwatch has been missing “about a week now.”

Lucas confronts Christopher and instead of Christopher being like, “Oh no! I’ll keep my eyes open in case he dropped it somewhere or maybe the chain broke!” he’s really sarcastic about it?

He then tries for the second time to control Lucas (treats him like...he can order him around/bully him) by asking if Lucas found him a bigger room yet. This dude has a serious ego. The sound of Lucas intentionally shutting the door after this was delicious, though.

“If I find that you’re picking pockets, I don’t care who you are or why you’re here. You’ll be on the next stage out of town.”

Christopher just...almost smiles and stands up. “I didn’t steal any watch.”

Lucas says, “And I should believe you?”

Christopher responds with, “That’s your choice.” 

Lucas leaves, and then Christopher pulls the watch out of his pocket.

He seems to feel a little guilty when he reads the inscription...but still. He’s so skeevy. 

And then he takes the flowers Jesse drops off the ground...to give to...Rachel... Honey, you got a big storm comin’... She knows he’s bad news but I guess she’s into it. Yikes.

And then we have the scene where Mike comes to Henry with a great idea he has, and is interrupted by the arrival of Christopher. Henry tells him he wants him to teach Christopher everything he knows. Mike’s enthusiasm dries up right away.

I think Mike also realizes Christopher is bad news.

And Henry’s just so excited to be “looked up to” and “seen as a father of sorts” that he can’t see what’s right in front of him. Normally he’d be attuned to bullshit just as clearly as Bill and Rosemary and the rest, but...his bias is in the way. He wants to fix his past so bad he doesn’t realize it might not be worth it...

I hope Mike keeps his idea to himself but I have a super bad awful feeling he’ll admit it to Christopher and then Christopher will pitch it to Henry as his own idea. I feel sick just thinking of it!

--

Clara and Jesse

Clara and Jesse were starting to repair things juuust every so slightly and then he gets mad that she’s shortening her skirt and...it all goes to hell.

It’s not that I don’t love a little drama but this is just...I don’t know. Maybe too much? I liked Clara’s discussion with Joseph because he tells her the honest truth (and he’s full of advice, for better or worse, just like me HAHA): you can’t repair your marriage if you’re not around one another to even begin to heal the wounds/talk about things.

I’m not very invested in these two as characters these days, and I’m not sure what would fix it, but this spat being dragged out for ages ain’t it right now. I’m keeping an open mind, though; it could go somewhere interesting...and at least it didn’t get resolved in one episode.

Also, I appreciated Clara venting to Bill in that “I still care about him very much way” while Bill tries (somewhat awkwardly) to support her choice(s). He’s in a bit of a tough spot; he can’t offer advice freely because not many people are going to take marriage advice from a divorced man who didn’t marry for love in the first place anyway. It’s just good to see him trying to act supportive for Clara.

--

Other thoughts:

I see we’re getting more of the plotline where Bill has to give up his uniform, but he actually made a really good point in this episode about that. He did earn it! And then insult to injury...trying to make him give up his horse, too? 

It’s cute that his horse’s name is Hero; I feel like that was stated much earlier in the show (maybe S3 or S4?) but I’d forgotten it, tbh. How wholesome.

“Am I being prideful?” I think this was a good question for Bill to ask, and honestly it probably took a bit of courage for him to even ask Lee about it/admit that maybe he was being a bit prideful. But like, it’s okay to take pride in your work/the work you’ve done. He did earn all of it and it’s not really fair to ask for him to give it all up. The jacket is one thing (it’s a physical item; yes it shows all the hard work he put in but it’s just an object), but the horse? That’s an emotional bond and it’s rather cruel to break it.

Lee excited to try on the jacket was literally the cutest thing, and I loved that Bill folded and let him try it on. Honestly? Lee looked pretty good in it!

That scene was the definition of BOYS WILL BE BOYS, hahaha.

Also, Elizabeth’s line: “Haven’t you ever lost someone so close to your heart that it tears you apart?” was SO CRINGEY. I don’t know how that made it into the finished episode. Please, writers... read this shit aloud before you film the show. READ ALL YOUR WRITING ALOUD TO HEAR THE CADANCE. I’m literally begging you. 

But also, the whole concept is still cringe. You don’t know Dylan, Elizabeth. You didn’t know Colleen. You don’t know if he loved Colleen or not. You don’t know why he ran out on Allie. You’re projecting? Maybe? But even if he did fall to pieces over Colleen’s death, that was no reason to hurt poor Allie who had nothing to do with it and did nothing wrong.

They should have edited the line to say something slightly different. “Tears you to pieces” would have sufficed. And not rhymed on accident.

Last thing for now...the lack of Carson and Faith in this episode was amazing. I know the surgery with Ned will push Carson to either take the fellowship and return to Hope Valley to be of more use there and/or push him to just stay where he is because there’s no one else in the area with his skill level.

I think I’ll be happy with it if he becomes an area surgeon more than a regular doctor... it would help him and Faith both feel necessary for different reasons. And also, he was a surgeon when he arrived in Hope Valley in S4, so it’s clearly his strongest point (and best training/experience).

--

So uh, how ‘bout that preview for next episode, though? WHOA.

Hopefully this isn’t too scattered; work has gotten a lot busier since the weather got nicer, so I have less time to write without interruption lmao. 

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Stars Align 5 - 8 | Dr Stone 19 - 21 | Shinchou Yuusha 6 - 8 | No Guns Life 6 - 7 | BnHA 67 | Iruma-kun 7

Stars Align 5

Geepers, I accidentally read some spoilers before watching this episode…so I realised that the person in te clubroom was Toma without his glasses, but it took me a bit to realise still.

“Makimaki”…cute.

Don’t give Maki’s father your name, Toma. Names are weapons for guys like him!

It’s ben a while since I’ve done this type of maths, although the answer appears to be correct.

Huh? The ED went straight to the teachers instead of going to Kinuyo/Ruriha/Kaori (whatever her name is)…

Oh! That heart gesture hints at the fact he has a sister (I’ve forgotten the guy’s name though) – he might’ve learnt some dance choreography from watching idols or magical girls with her. Update: That’s Shingo.

Dr Stone 19

Rule no. 2 of shonen – don’t underestimate the bishonen.

The guy who kinda looks like Kirishima with orange hair is definitely going to be important…(rule no. ???? of anime).

Ooh! The themes I thought would never came back…came back!

Some people do consider underpaying people a modern form of slavery, y’know.

Does Tsukasa always have to be called “the strongest primate”, though…? It’s a badass title, to be sure, but it certainly wouldn’t be said a lot in a normal conversation.

Judging by the flame (homura) she carries, I’d wager her name is Homu-oh, dangit. Her name really is Homura!

Senku teaches Fire Safety 101.

Ginro’s not holding his bokuto (wooden kendo practice sword) anymore…hmm.

I didn’t think Sulfuric Acid lady would be back…ever.

The funny thing is that Tsukasa seems to be a gender-neutral name, so telling the brawny men to “go suck on Mommy Tsukasa’s teat”…LOL.

Hyoga has that mask thing of his anyway, so he’s probably better off than, say, Homura.

Is that a Death Star??????!!!!

Kensaku means “search”.

Cell phone…you’d need extensive knowledge of electronics and/or IT and architecture (for the larger networks, or at least the towers) to get one running.

“…who’ll be our double agent?” – No duh. It’s either Gen (as suggested in the scene just before) or Taiju and/or Yuzuriha.

I never thought a smartphone would make me feel sad for what has gone before, but it just did when all these quotes from the past came through.

Okay, so one of the ingredients is steel (hagane).

I love how Gen gets the wine image. He’s a stage magician, so his fancy suit matches the image of a sommelier.

Byakuya seems to be the one represented in the battery image.

BnHA 67

Yay! Amajiki, my booooooooooy!

Shinchou Yuusha 6

I never thought I’d say this to my seasonal husbandos – I don’t even say this about zaShunina, the random yandere – but…Seiya, you a**hole!

Lemme guess…Seiya’s gonna use some speed seeds?

I read on Leviae’s status earlier that she has an immunity towards fire…*gulp*

A nurikabe is a wall youkai that blocks travel, while a hyosube lives in a river and eats rice plants.

What’s the age gap between Mash and Elulu? I know Mash is hot enough (in the manga) to be compltly within my range, so I’d say he’s about 16 at the youngest, but Elulu is, what, 12…? Update: There’s no real indication as to what the characters’ ages are, but Mash is lvl 16 and Elulu is lvl 8.

Ooh, this is new! Seiya’s thrown caution to the wind for once for the sake of Elulu!

No Guns Life 6

“Strong Smells” (on the can) – Yep, Olivier seems to be proving that name right.

Motor City…I didn’t really care for it at first, but now I’m starting to warm up to it.

Ooh, it seems the implication here is that Olivier inherited the title of EMS commander from her dad.

“…I’m gonna get shot!” - I guess when you’ve got a gun for a head, the assumption is you’re gonna get shot.

Armed Tokisada seems to be this world’s version of All Might…(but then is Juzo Deku? LOL.)

Iruma-kun 7

This OP is a lot more battle-oriented than I remember…

I want a GIF of sparkly Amelie, stat!

Iruma’s voice as Rin is too CUTE! LOL!

Kawaii Comics, LOL.

Ooh! I can recognise Opera by his nail polish now…! His nail polish appears to be purple today.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Opera express his own concern for Iruma until now. Maybe he’s like a surrogate mother to Iruma by now…?

They even have monsters to call out bell noises…LOL wut.

Hmm…I just realised Azz speaks to Iruma rather formally. Not just the –sama, but the keigo as well.

Azz is rather observant too…(Seriously, I swear he’s been teetering on the edge of being my husbando from this show, but since he’s so subservient, it’s a bit of a hard concept to grasp. Not to mention the guy is, what, 14…?)

Even the shadows of background characters are blue and pink…

The little arrow over Clara really sells the moment.

The bird is so cute~!

I only realised it this year, but boba is really in, all over the world, for young people. *stares at all the boba shops that have appeared around my area lately*

I think Ameri = watashi and Iruma = boku. It’s politeness all the way ‘round. I think Sabro might’ve used ore.

“Don’t let go. Desire is your life.” – Sarazanmai ad <- I think this quote is appropriate for this episode.

Oh! We see Kuromu the Akudol in the ED…I didn’t realise that. (<- knows about her due to spoilers)

Oh! I think next episode might be Clara’s seduction class! Ooh! Interesting…

Dr Stone 20

Come to the dark side, we have candy…amirite???

Dr Stone 21

The pun here is that tou is a way to pronounce “copper” and “steal”, so Chrome copped copper in the Eng subs.

Couldn’t Ginro just use the word “s***” instead? That would’ve made the pun a lot better, tbh.

Thy translated all the dialogue in the fake menus! Yay! (<- translator’s brain showing up) For instance, Senku’s attack is listed as 1 while Suika’s is 3 and Gen’s is 5…LOL. The one that really made me laugh was “Runs away the second he knows he’s at a disadvantage. You’re scum, Ginro!”

Magma wasn’t in the fake game menu…!!! (I like how Magma questioned how Senku suddenly started calling him a “friend”.)

No Guns Life 7

I feel like the length of time between distracting the guard and Tetsuro conveying his plan was a bit much, but…okay.

Shinchou Yuusha 7

LOL, Beel Bub…y’know, Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies.

If Seiya were watching No Guns Life, he’d freak out…

Is that Cerceus in the back-yep, thought so!

Shinchou Yuusha 8

I almost expected Rosalie to woof…that’s how doglike she is!

Why do I get the feeling we’ll 1) find out what the Warmaster looks like next ep and 2) find out Rosalie’s armour is actually the armour Seiya’s meant to look for…? I could be wrong, but my intuition has some chance of being correct, even if I think up stuff that’s pure speculation…

Stars Align 6

Does Yonex sponsor this show, like Mikasa for Harukana Receive…?

LOL, Mitsue’s reaction.

If this were the Amazing Race, the hometown advantage would suck…but this is Hoshiai no Sora, so this could go either way.

“How to Soft Tennis” indeed…sic.

Wait, who’s Takada…? Update: She’s on the girls’ team, IIRC.

The Takenouchi/Souga pair is a bunch of trolls…LOL.

Oji seems to be the leader, full stop. Same way Katsuragi has been running things.

It’s been a few weeks since I last watched this show, but…is Oji the guy who threatened to punch them all…? He is, isn’t he…?

Stars Align 7

I feel like Mitsue’s bitterness is fuelled by personal experience in the manga field…

Well, the guy’s name isn’t Arashi (storm) for nothing! Update: The guy’s name is in katakana, which may or may not prove my point…

Arashi’s surname sounds like the Japanese word for “prince”, if you’re wondering.

I LOLled so hard at the line “Versus Arashi?” Y’see, there’s this game show with a group called Arashi. Therefore, its name is “Versus Arashi”.

I learnt most of what I know about tennis from Wii Sports, LOL.

I mentally cringed when I saw Itsuki’s burns again…

“…years and experience.” – That’s two things, Tacky!

Souya from Planet With would be in heaven here…what with all this meat.

Doesn’t “Kamuy” mean “god” in Ainu…? That Ouji, so conceited! *huffs at how arrogant the boy is*

Girls do eat like fiends…LOL.

I can’t believe 7 episodes in real life time was only a month in Stars Align time…

Yuta’s really sensitive to Toma’s mood…probably because the former likes the latter. (Yeah, I’m a derp for saying what we already know.)

Stars Align 8

I-I wanna cry…you do realise I gave up piano halfway through high school, only to become an absolute bum when I got into higher levels because I can’t use my piano lessons to demonstrate I can manage my time responsibly anymore???? I quit Chinese the same year and now it’s the one thing that’s preventing me from getting a bunch of beneficial opportunities because now there are so many Chinese people in my region! Studies are not your life! (distant crying can be heard in the background)

I kinda get where the mother’s going with this, but knowing what I know…please compromise, you two.

“The handsome half” – I wasn’t sure what that meant until I saw the image…”half” meaning ha-fu, or a person who’s half Japanese half something else. It’s like calling someone gweilow in Cantonese –it’s vaguely derogatory at the very minimum.

*Yuta’s sisters suggest clothes for him to wear* “Don’t tell mom about this.” – Oh, I have a bad feeling about this…(Then again, I got vaguely spoiled for this point by the This Week in Anime segment…that’s why I decided to watch 3 episodes in one shot.)

Maki’s shirt says “to continue”, as if it’s echoing his nonchalance. Like, “Yuta, please continue” or something like that.

To be real with you, the first resource I consulted to start thinking about the LGBTIQ+ spectrum (outside gender-bending fiction) was a book about an FtM person, so I guess I’m the most used to that sort of thing.

This is why empathy is so good, Maki.

Go, Mitsue! Be the diversion!

Who’s “Kanacat”? Kanako?...Oh, it’s Mitsue. Rigggggggggght.*facepalm*

Why do I get the feeling Mitsue wants to join the soft tennis club…?

Sakurai-sensei’s glasses are all fogged up, LOL.

Ohh (sounds down). These kiddos are soccer nuts.*grumbles about soccer nuts*

Update: To be honest with you, I’m fine with not making hard gender decisions too…Just so you know.

[chasingthecosmos]

Call Me But Love

Fandom: Doctor Who Rating: T Pairing: The Doctor/Rose Tyler, Twelfth Doctor/Rose Tyler (The Doctor/Clara Oswald, Twelfth Doctor/Clara Oswald) Chapters: 12/40 Read on AO3 here.

“‘Oh, dear. Looks like we might have picked up an extra passenger,’ the Doctor grumbled to himself. His gaze raised to Rose’s once more and she was struck by the sheer intensity of it and the way that he managed to look at once so familiar, and yet so different from what she was used to. ‘Best find something to hold on to,’ he warned her ominously.”

A Season 8 & 9 AU centering around Rose Tyler and her newly-regenerated Doctor as they both struggle to maintain their relationship in the face of some unknown force that seems to be drawing them together. Will they be able to solve the mystery of who is pulling the strings before it’s too late?

This is a direct sequel to “By Any Other Name” and might be a bit confusing if you haven’t read that first. Tags will be updated as I go.

Rose caught herself staring after they had finally returned Orson to his home and retreated back into the safety of the vortex once more. She knew that the Doctor was very aware of this fact - perhaps even more so than she, herself, was - but he dutifully kept his eyes on the controls and his mouth shut as he checked the readouts coming from his ship and attempted to ignore her intense appraisal.

After a long moment of silence had passed, the Doctor finally raised his gaze to hers with an expression that was both apprehensive and searching as he slowly reached out and asked, What ...?

A wide smile instantly broke out over Rose's features in response and she rushed forward without warning to throw her arms around him in a tight, bracing hug. The Doctor jolted in surprise, his entire body flinching away from her on instinct even as his mind tentatively pressed deeper into hers in eager response. "Er, what are you doing?" he grumbled irritably. "I'm sure I remember telling you that I'm not a hugging person."

Liar, Rose teased, reaching up to press her lips against his cheek before she finally released him and slipped into the small space that remained between him and the TARDIS console. His expression had gone all soft again, and Rose knew that she was grinning like an idiot as she eagerly let her eyes roam over his features, attempting to memorize this look of his and store it away somewhere close to her heart where she could cherish it forever.

She was so lost in her own dazed thoughts, that she very nearly startled when she suddenly felt the Doctor's fingers against the underside of her chin, gently tilting her face up to meet his gaze head-on. Rose's smile immediately dissipated into wide-eyed wonder as she looked directly into his deep, blue eyes and felt the telepathic bond between them flare and grow brighter.

Before she knew what was happening, Rose could feel the Doctor's presence in the back of her mind swell and suddenly she was listening to her own words echoing back to her in her head as he silently replayed his memory of her from just a few moments ago. Please don't be afraid, love. Just trust me ...

She had said the words in hopeless desperation, not knowing for sure if he was actually going to heed her command and place his trust in her hands, but by examining the memory through the Doctor's eyes, Rose could see that she had never really had any reason to worry. He had put his full faith and trust in her long ago, and nothing so simple as a regeneration was going to change that any time soon.

However, before Rose had the chance to question the Doctor or react to the strange experience of hearing her own voice parroted back to her, she was completely overcome by the sensation of the last of the Doctor's mental barriers finally falling away, leaving nothing at all between their two minds as he completely filled her thoughts in a way that he hadn't done ever since he had regenerated.

Rose sucked in a breath of air on a gasp, her eyelids drifting shut completely against her will and making her miss the moment when the Doctor finally leaned forward and sealed his lips over her own in a solid, confident kiss that she felt all the way down to her toes.

With his entire mind bared before her, Rose was at last able to see all of the things that he had been attempting to keep hidden from her ever since he had died and come into this new body. She could see the deep, abiding fear that he held onto - a fear that maybe she wouldn't want him anymore, a fear that she might leave at any moment. He also had been concealing a lingering, bitter frustration with himself for all that he had put her through and the pain that he had caused. But beneath all of those dark thoughts sat a deep well of love and devotion that he guarded jealously like a secret treasure close to his hearts - an overwhelming, consuming emotion that was all completely for her.

Rose was positively drowning in it all - drowning in him - and it wasn't until the Doctor's lips finally released hers that she remembered how to breathe again. The two of them stood there for a moment - frozen in time as the Doctor patiently waited for Rose's response, and Rose, for her part, attempted to make sense of the dizzying flurry of emotions going through her head that were both hers and his combined.

When she finally blinked her eyes open once more, she found herself confronted by that same, soft expression of his, and she knew that she didn't have any real choice in the matter as she immediately reached up and greedily pulled his mouth back to her own. Rose knew from past experience how different the Doctor could be after each new regeneration, so she took her time in slowly mapping out the line of his mouth, the taste of his lips, and the way that this new body fit against hers.

The Doctor, for his part, was still being ridiculously tentative with her, with one hand tenderly brushing the side of her neck, and the other resting awkwardly against her waist. It took Rose a moment to find the right button to press - it was different with every new man, after all - but she quickly discovered that it was her fingernails along his scalp and the back of his neck that made him shiver and growl into her mouth and instantly turned him into putty in her hands. Once this tactic had been utilized, she knew that she no longer had to worry about him being nervous or hesitant with her anymore as both of his hands immediately found their way into her hair and he pressed her up hard against the console behind her.

Rose hummed lightly against his lips in approval, and he quickly filled her head with all of the desperate, pleading apologies that he had been holding back from her for far too long. Sorry, so sorry ... I didn't want to lose you, my Rose, I could never ... I didn't want to force you into anything that you didn't want ...

I want you, Rose reminded him simply, tilting her head in an attempt to get better access to his hungry lips. That's all I've ever wanted, you daft old idiot.

Missed you, the Doctor thought desperately as he sighed against her, his breath warm against her cheek and making her heart melt with fondness for him.

However, Rose didn't immediately return the sentiment for fear that he might incorrectly assume that she was missing some sort of past version of himself that she could never have back. She didn't want the Doctor to think for a second that she wasn't appreciating the wonderful gift of a man who was here with her now. So instead, she forced their lips apart so that she could meet his gaze once more as she silently filled his mind with promises of commitment and devotion that would long outlast whatever forms the two of them carried.

"I love you," she told him simply, needing him to know that the sentiment existed outside of his many regenerations, but that these three words, this one time, were meant specifically for him.

She could feel the way that the tender declaration hit the Doctor hard right in the space between his hearts. He had spoken the same words to her before, of course - but it was a rare, indulgent secret that had remained between the two of them ever since Bad Wolf Bay. More often than not, it was whispered into her head over their bond rather than spoken out loud. It didn't bother Rose, though - she knew how deep the sentiment ran, and in all the years that she had been married to the Doctor, she had never once doubted his sincerity for a second. But in that moment, he seemed to understand that she needed to hear the words out loud rather than just sense them.

"I love you, too," he replied, his voice little more than a whisper, though his tone was confident and sure as he met her gaze evenly and made sure that she knew that he meant it. It was the first time that she had heard the words from this man's voice and lips, but the feeling behind them remained the same, and when he leaned down to kiss her gently again, the sensation that flooded through their bond was both familiar and comfortable.

"I should probably be cross with you, you know," Rose reminded him as his lips trailed across her jawline and his arms wound tight around her. "You made me wait a long time for you to come around." She sighed as she hugged her own arms tight around his neck and whispered silently, Did you really think that I wouldn't want you anymore?

She felt more than heard the Doctor's responding sigh as he pressed his lips hard against the side of her neck, just below her jaw bone. I wasn't doubting you, love - I could never do that, he muttered silently. I was doubting myself.

With his mind fully open to hers once more, Rose didn't have to ask him to elaborate. She could see as clear as day the way that he had spent the time since his regeneration silently testing himself and worrying over whether he could still be considered good enough for her. He had pushed her away in the beginning in an attempt to keep her safe and give her time to adjust, but that plan had quickly backfired, and he had been punishing himself for it ever since, questioning whether he even really deserved to be with her and constantly worrying that she might finally realize that she'd be better off without him and leave him behind just like all the others had ...

Rose quickly put an end to that particular train of thought as she released her hold on his neck to place her hands on either side of his face and firmly forced him to meet her gaze. "I hate to break it to you, Doctor," she muttered as she smoothed her thumbs gently over his cheekbones and let her eyes roam over every single detail of his face, "but when I promised you forever, I wasn't lying. The sooner you manage to get that through your thick, alien skull, the better."

Her confident words were rewarded with another one of the Doctor's small, heartfelt smiles, which Rose gladly traced with her fingertips, wanting to memorize the shape of it. When she followed her fingers with her lips and gently kissed him once more, she was pleased to find that there was no more hesitation between them as the Doctor easily and eagerly matched her efforts to claim his sincere expression of adoration as her own.

Rose had lost track of time long ago, but she knew that their kiss didn't last nearly long enough before they were suddenly interrupted by the loud, muffled ringing of her cell phone once more.

The Doctor groaned in frustration as he brought both of his hands to either side of Rose's face and stubbornly refused to let her break away from his lips. Let it go to voicemail, he begged silently as he tilted her head closer and did his very best to distract her from the intrusive noise.

Rose breathed out a small huff of laughter against his cheek as she continued to return the press of his mouth against hers, while at the same time reaching into her pocket to retrieve the ringing device. She hadn't been able to stop the Doctor from throwing her phone across the room earlier, but she wasn't about to let him try and do it again. She was still curious as to who could have possibly gotten her number, after all - and she was determined not to be distracted from the mystery, no matter how hard the Doctor tried to convince her otherwise.

When she finally forced the Doctor to release her, Rose could feel his childish disappointment and remorse, but she didn't have the chance to reassure him before her gaze caught and held on the small device in her hand.

She furrowed her brow down at the glowing phone screen as she examined the unknown caller and muttered out loud, "It's the same number as before ..." Her quiet concern immediately shook the Doctor out of his gloomy mood, and he, too, glanced down at the ringing phone that Rose was holding up between them.

Rose didn't manage to answer the call in time before it went to voicemail, but as soon as the alert appeared on the screen to let her know that there was a new message waiting for her, she immediately pressed it and held the phone up to her ear to listen. The Doctor remained standing with his hands resting gently against Rose's sides as he watched her carefully, his gaze searching as he waited impatiently for her to explain who had interrupted them yet again.

"Er ... that was the school ..." Rose finally muttered haltingly as she hung up the phone and returned it to her pocket once more. "They ... want me to start Monday morning."

"Start what?" the Doctor asked, his brows screwing up into a look of dubious confusion.

"Start teaching," Rose sighed exasperatedly, rolling her eyes at him before nervously dropping her gaze to her fidgeting fingers. "Do I really have to do this, Doctor? I don't know the first thing about teaching!" she protested.

"It's the best way to figure out who's behind all of this," he muttered slowly, his gaze also dropping to her hands in quiet consideration. "We'll have to play into their plans for a little while - just until we can find out who they are and why they're doing this."

"But ... does that mean that I can't travel with you anymore ...?" Rose asked quietly, her heart breaking at the very idea of not being able to constantly be at the Doctor's side. In the vast expanse of her long, long life, the only time that she had ever truly been separated from the Doctor had been those two, torturous years when she had worked with Torchwood in her parallel world, and she had spent almost every waking moment of that time throwing herself into a dimension cannon and launching herself into the Doctor's timeline in an attempt to get back to him.

Rose felt a quick flash of furious denial rush through the Doctor's mind in response to her pleading question, but he didn't get the chance to properly answer her before his words were cut off by yet another loud, ringing noise - though this time, it was coming from the TARDIS doors rather than Rose's pocket.

The Doctor's scowl had somehow grown even darker as he stared hard at his ship's closed doors and growled ominously, "Hardly anyone in the universe has that number ..."

"Do you think ...?" Rose breathed quietly as the two of them slowly separated and faced the door together. "I mean, could it be the person who's behind all of this?"

"There are very few people that it could be," the Doctor replied darkly.

Rose turned slowly to meet his eye, and despite the deep furrow in his brows, she could feel her lips turning up at the corners as she tilted her head towards the door and muttered wryly, "Go on, then."

The Doctor didn't need to be told twice. A sly smirk of his own was quickly spreading across his features as he eagerly darted towards the ringing phone. Rose followed close behind him as they once again set aside the deeply pressing matters that were attempting to corner them in on all sides in favor of running off after a new distraction instead.