#mccartneylennon

The Doctor prides himself on his ability to remain unswayed by beauty. Intelligence, wit, bravery… those are traits that elicit his admiration. But beauty is something that he hardly notices. Or so he tells himself.

As it is, the sight of this particular woman, this beautiful creature, is enough to make anyone turn their head to stare. And from across the hall, she seems to be watching him.

He can’t tell from this distance, but he thinks her dress and her mask must be covered with sparkles, because she positively shines beneath the light of the dozens of chandeliers. Her hair is mostly up, with a few tendrils falling prettily to frame her face… of which he can’t see much, but he can tell that she’s smiling. A smile that grows wider as the Doctor continues to stare.

And the Doctor may believe that he is immovable but there remain few other explanations for why he crosses the hall to her, weaving between dancing couples and chatting groups and maybe snatching up a little nibble just to give him some courage.

When he halts in front of her he bows, and she giggles and curtsies a bit clumsily. “Hello,” he says, sounding nowhere near his manic and enthusiastic self. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say he sounds… timid. “I couldn’t help but notice–”

“Nor could I.”

He frowns. “You don’t know what I was going to say.”

“Oh?” She grins with her tongue between her teeth. “What were you going to say, then?”

“I couldn’t help but notice you watching me.”

“Right, thought so. And again I say, nor could I.” She reaches out and straightens his lapel, which doesn’t really need straightening. “Though I might have said that you were gaping at me.”

The Doctor feels understandably ruffled. “I don’t gape,” he protests.

“And yet…” She giggles and holds out her hand to shake. “I’m Rose.”

He reaches out and turns her hand so that he can bend over to kiss it lightly. When he looks up at Rose, he can see that beneath her mask, she’s blushing. “I’m the Doctor.”

“Doctor who?”

Oh, does he love that bit. “Just the Doctor. Would you like to dance, Rose?”