[Rose does wonder a bit at the pause and then when his voice doesn't sound quite right.]

Yeah? Somethin' wrong, Doctor? [She stops working on the display and starts to pace, mentally figuring what she'd need to grab when running out of here.]

Erm. Chips, was it? You wanted- you wanted chips? Just... Regular old chips, yeah?

Yeah. 'Less you want a special kind. M'just 'bout finished here so you got good timing.

[She pauses a moment.]

You sure everythin's all right?

Nononononono! I mean, regular ones are... fine. I just... Di-... Di-, did you kn--, did you know that you added some... pictures?

Why would I--[And then she stops because she's going back to look at her device. And you can probably hear her face turn beat red.] How did they even ge-I didn't--Oh bloody...[And then whispered because she's mortified] m'sorry.

[He's still a little on the squeaky side, speech wise.] No! I-I mean, no, they're... fine. Lovely pictures. Just wasn't sure what they had to... do with chips. You want chips now?

Okay. Good. [Now that she knows the pictures are okay. Or at least that he's not angry or upset or...something, the squeaky voice makes her grin.]

Yeah. Chips now'd be brilliant. Meet you outside the shop? Cinna's liable to put you to work if you come inside.

[Nahh, just dealing with about five years of frustration and a reproductive system that he's normally got complete control over.]

Chips then. Chips. [Chips are easy. He can do chips. Chips are-- Cinna? Oh, wait, no.] Erm. Yeah, I'll be outside.

[Great. That'll really help.]

Oh. [She could be wearing just about anything right now and it won't matter; he still just sees the pictures sort of rotating mentally when he looks at her. So he's still a tad on the squeaky.] Hi. Chips? We're getting-, we're getting chips, yeah? Good old chips. Normal... chips.

[Well it'll help Rose. Not so much the Doctor. They've got different goals. At least for the moment. Or maybe the Doctor is struggling with those goals. She's still a bit red faced but the squeaky voice makes her grin and she reaches out to take his hand. There's no way she's going to let minor mortification and a curse ruin their friendship.]

Good, old, normal chips. Though I wouldn't argue if they were fresh chips, 'stead of old ones. Still good and normal though. [And now she feels like they're talking some sort of code.]

[As usual, hands are helpful. He finally calms down a little bit. A little bit.]

Fresh probably is a better idea. Old chips would be stale and cold and possibly also soggy. Altogether not very much happening there for the appetite. Then again the things some people put on even fresh ones can do that. I met someone once who liked chips with peanut butter! Don't even understand how that sort of thing happens. I've never looked at chips and gone, 'You know what these need? Peanut butter.' Then again I haven't looked at a lot of things and gone, 'You know what this needs? Peanut butter.'

[A little bit. He did at least start walking with her to actually procure the oft-said chips.]

[It's a constant with them. A little bit is better than nothing.]

Peanut butter? Really? I mean it's brilliant on lots of things but I'll take my chips with some vinegar and salt. Maybe we ought to try more things with peanut butter on 'em?

[Walking is good. Kind of something they do.]

Yeah! I mean no. Well, no, yes. To the incredulity and the vinegar, and possibly no to trying more things with peanut butter. It just takes so long to eat. Trying more things with marmalade, sure. Even tobasco. Peanut butter's sort of its own... food already though.

Actually that's an idea. Chips with salt and sugar. Kettle chips. Yeah?

Ooooh yeah. We should try that one. [She purses her lips, twisting them to one side as she contemplates the whole peanut butter debate.] Sorta sticks to the roof of your mouth too. Oooh chocolate syrup. Ought to be more things with chocolate syrup.

[Really he'll be okay with just about anything so long as there's sugar involved. And vaguely annoyed by anything that slows his ability to talk.] Exactly! And makes you thirstier than salty things'll do. I mean, it's not a terrible thing, I just don't get putting it on chips. You want to put chocolate syrup on chips?

[It's a wonder she doesn't gain fifty pounds eating the way he does. Must be all the running.]

Mmmm maybe not on chips. We could put it on biscuits though. And fruit. Strawberries are brilliant with chocolate syrup.

[Hopefully she'll get enough running done here to continue preventing that. Particularly if they're going to be modelling.]

Grapes too. I suppose you can put chocolate syrup on just about anything though. It's much more versatile than peanut butter.

[Well her boss was very nice and unoffensive about the pictures. How could she say no? Plus he'll put her in something that'll make the Doctor drop his jaw.]

And pineapple. [Oh...on just about anything. Yeah her brain just reached that place. The Doctor can probably tell by the way she goes bright red. Bright. Red.]

[Drop it again. For very similar reasons, I think. I still can't wait for the conversation where Cinna asks.]

Pineapple! I haven't had pineapple in a while now. Are you saying pineapple goes with anything or tha-- what is it? [Why are you all red like that, Rose? You can't be choking; it must be something he s-- Oh. Well. They probably match now. He's gonna open his mouth to say something and then close it again.]

[Oh yes, I'm looking forward to this as well.]

[She tries to clear her throat, not choking. She looks down at the sidewalk, definitely avoiding his eyes. She holds onto his hand tighter though, almost desperately in a very 'god don't leave me alone in this' kind of plea. When she finally manages to say anything at all, her voice is a bit squeaky as well.] So, chips. Normal, safe, chips.

[Well this isn't seven layers of awkward. He swings their hands back and forth a bit as they walk. They really are developing some sort of code though. He nods a bit.] Chips.

[One of them needs to alleviate things. He really wants to ask when she took the pictures but that's a bit blunt given that they're both bright red.] Pretty though.

[Well that gets her attention. She almost comically swings her head up to look at him.]

Chips? Pretty?

[Oh, right; he'd forgotten he had the entire part of the conversation that mattered in his own head.] Well, if you're... starving, I guess. Meant the pictures though.

[She takes a sharp breath and turns bright red again but this time a slow grin creeps across her face until she's practically grinning from ear to ear.]

Thanks. [She hesitates, not sure what's okay to say and what's not] Took most of 'em a year or so for I met you. There was this photographer bloke.. Couple of 'em were jus' goofin' around. Silly pictures to send.

[you know the kind all the celebrities get in trouble for sending on their cell phones to their boyfriends.]