SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW
Chapter Twenty Nine Rose was feeling like she was on top of the world. She and Alan had spent the day walking around Manhattan, seeing the sights and although it would have been hard for her to believe a fortnight ago, she was having the time of her life and was happier than she had been in a long time. Alan, ever the clown, was keeping her entertained with songs and teasing and general goofiness. They had just left the New York Public Library, which was like Mecca to him and she thrilled to the fact that he seemed to be in seventh heaven as he wandered around looking at the dusty bookshelves with his jaw nearly to the floor. They had visited the Empire State Building, which prompted Alan to ask if King Kong was back and remind her that the Doctor had been to the parallel one with Martha when they battled the Cult of Skaro. He had teased her about hoping for a thunderstorm so he could visually demonstrate how the Doctor survived his barbecuing and laughed when Rose declined. Looking at him, Rose could see that there was a distinct change from the man who stood with her on the beach not too long ago. The fact that they were free and roaming the country, the sparring they had been engaging in and Rose’s influence all helped to lighten his mood and turn him into the version of the Doctor she knew and loved. In fact, she felt he was an improvement over the Doctor. He had such a bubbly personality coupled with a witty way of speaking that he guessed came in part from his contact with Donna. His insistence on not being controlled by the Doctor’s demons also helped to lighten his mood and Rose guessed that Alan was what the Doctor would be like if he wasn’t weighed down by the universe. Even though she loved the Doctor and enjoyed traveling with him, the dour moods he had from time to time had gotten to her at times and there were days when she wished he would either lighten up or stay back in the TARDIS while she went off on her own. But, so far, she hadn’t had those feelings with Alan. He was the perfect traveling companion, filled with knowledge but at the same time willing to be the butt of the joke just to hear her laugh, which she figured was the main point of all the clowning around. In fact, she sensed a lot of the goofiness was for her benefit, to keep her spirits up and help her get past mourning the Doctor. Whatever the reason, she was enjoying every moment of it and was more than willing to pay for things that would help keep the pleasant mood going. The other thing she loved was his childlike way of looking at the world. While they walked along, Alan’s head was almost always looking skyward at the huge skyscrapers and he was making numerous comments about the beauty of them. He was doing this so much that Rose frequently had to tug on his arm and get him to look where he was going before he ran into other people. At one point, she had decided to go to an ATM and get some cash out just in case they needed some and this prompted an entire lesson about how to use an ATM card with Alan as interested pupil. She smiled as he stood by her side soaking up everything she said and did like a sponge. She even let him try it out and beamed at the delighted expression on his face when the door opened and the money came out. This prompted more enthusiastic ramblings about how brilliant humans were and endeared him to Rose that much more. Finally, it was nearing six and Rose pulled out the written directions to the steakhouse and walked with him there. Once they were inside, she gave them her name and was relieved when they didn’t say anything about their casual attire. The hostess led them to a table near the back and once they were settled in, the waitress came over, took their orders for two coffees and a plate of cheese sticks and left them on their own. Alan looked around at the elegant décor, took Rose’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “This was an amazing day,” he said as they picked up their menus. “Yes, it was.” Alan gazed at her over the top of his menu. “You look so beautiful.” “So do you.” She giggled at the incensed look on his face. “Sorry, I keep forgetting you’re not a pretty boy,” she said as he grinned. Alan sighed. “I can’t wait to see the circus.” “Neither can I.” “He met PT Barnum once, you know. PT tried to convince him the Fiji Mermaid was real, but he was having none of that, which made PT angry. Plus, he got even angrier when he insisted on trying to ride Jumbo and kept asking him for a ladder, so he could climb up and then after that, he went with Tom Thumb and his wife to a cast party and danced the night away.” “I’m sorry, but I just gotta ask. All those times he name dropped, were all those real or was he making some of it up?” Alan smiled. “Bit of both. He did meet famous people as did you, but sometimes he just couldn’t help trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes and tell people he did things with famous people that he really had no hand in.” “That’s what I thought,” Rose said as he giggled. “I kept on thinking all these stories about helping Shakespeare with his sonnets or Beethoven with his symphonies was too good to be true. But, this story you’re telling me, is this true?” “Oh yeah, it’s true, trust me,” he said, winking. “The Doctor wouldn’t be the Doctor without a tall tale now and again.” They looked over when the waitress set a plate of cheese sticks and sauce between them. They thanked her and she walked away. Alan picked up a cheese stick and scrutinized it. “Hmmm, he never had these,” he said. Rose was gobsmacked. “He never had cheese sticks?” Alan shook his head. “No, the whole idea of melted cheese encased in batter didn’t appeal to him. But what the hell, I’ll take a chance.” He bit down and chewed while Rose watched him. She snickered when a delighted look came over his face. “And he was stupid git for passing these up,” he said. “My God, this is brilliant. Almost as ingenious as the edible ball bearings. Cheesy, gooey goodness that melts in your mouth.” He popped the remainder in his mouth and sighed contentedly while he chewed. “Thank you for getting these,” he said with a mouthful of food. “You’re welcome,” Rose said, smiling. They both dug into them, Rose giggling when she reached for one and Alan smacked her hand and pulled the plate towards him. “Oi, now I’m the one who’s paying for these,” she said. “Give me some as well.” She feigned anger when Alan picked up her hand and placed a crumb in her palm. “There you go, enjoy,” he said. He sniggered as Rose grabbed the plate and put it back in the middle of the table. Grinning, he picked one up, pulled off a bit of it and placed it in her open mouth. He popped the rest of it in his mouth while he resumed his perusal of the menu. “I think I’ll get a steak dinner with the baked potato,” he said. “How about you?” “I’m leaning more towards chicken,” Rose said, reaching for another cheese stick. “Not really in the mood for steak right now.” “Is steak good?” Rose glanced at him. “I mean, I only have his memories and it’s hard to judge from that. Is steak and baked potato good?” “Oh yeah, very good. Get the sirloin. That’s my favorite.” “Okey-dokey, my little food expert. Sirloin, it is.” He glanced up when he noticed Rose shifting in her seat while she made a pained face. “Amo’tiri, what’s wrong?” he said, alarmed. “My back hurts, I’m not used to lugging around rucksacks, not to mention the walking kinda wore me out.” “Yeah, I know how you feel. My back is aching a bit too.” Rose grabbed her purse, reached inside and bought out a tiny bottle of aspirin. She opened it, shook two tablets out on her palm and held it out to Alan. “Aspirin? Might help the ache in your…” She was taken aback when Alan recoiled as if it were a poisonous snake. “Alan? What’s wrong?” “Don’t ever offer me aspirin,” he said. Rose frowned. “Why?” “It’s fatal for me.” “Oh, come on, Alan.” “No,” he said, looking her dead in the eye. “I’m not joking this time. Aspirin can kill Gallifreyans. I may be only half, but I’m not about to take that chance. Anything else is fine, but no aspirin ever, do you understand me?” Rose nodded, dumbstruck. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I mean, the Doctor never told me this.” “I know he didn’t and it’s because he had other pain remedies on the TARDIS that he could take if he needed to, but just be aware that I can’t take that stuff, please.” Rose nodded. He relaxed when she put the aspirin in her mouth, took a sip of water and put the bottle back in her purse. She quickly rubbed the residue off on a napkin. “It’s hard to believe that a little pill could kill you like that,” she said. “It’s kinda like War of the Worlds when the aliens ended up being destroyed by human viruses.” Alan nodded. “Yeah, It’s odd that such a little thing could kill him especially after all the battles he’s been through, but then again, humans can die from beestings or shellfish or a host of other things. It’s just a part of my physiology.” “Well, in future, I’ll be sure to get you a bottle of ibuprofen or paracetamol.” “If you do, let me carry it, so you don’t accidentally get the two mixed up.” Rose nodded. They looked over when the waitress came back. Alan ordered the steak dinner while Rose ordered broasted chicken with French fries. The waitress topped off their coffees and left. After dinner, they headed towards Madison Square Garden. On the way there, they stopped into a little shop and Rose got Alan some ibuprofen and bottled water so he would be comfortable for the rest of the night. Alan took two of the tablets and put the bottle in his pocket. It was a short walk to the arena and after locating the box office, Rose picked up the tickets and they went inside. There was already a ton of people and both of them held hands as they navigated through the throng. There was a miasma of smells from the food and countless souvenir stands lined the corridor. They stopped and got a small stuffed elephant for Tony and a program for them and headed towards their seats. Along the way, Rose stopped at a concession stand. “You want something to eat?” she said. Alan studied the menu on the wall behind the vendor. “Candy floss sounds good,” he said. “Me too and some popcorn as well,” she said. Alan got into line. He stood slightly ahead of her in the line while Rose looked through her purse. “Hey there, baby.” Alan’s ears perked when he heard a man’s voice behind him. He turned and noticed a big, burly man was chatting up Rose while she sighed angrily. “You here on your own?” he purred. “No, actually, she’s with me.” The man’s eyes darted to him and he blushed when he saw the angry look on his face. “Sorry, Mac, I didn’t know she was your girl,” he said, holding up his hands. “Yup, she is,” he said as Rose smiled gratefully. After a few more minutes, they finally reached the front of the line. Rose paid for their food and they hurried on, anxious to find their seats before the show started.
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