It's weird, at first. It's quiet and unfamiliar. And not exactly easy, not like we were before. He's the same, yeah, but then again he's not and... And it's difficult, y'know. It's just odd.

So we go home from Bad Wolf Bay and I swear I'll never, ever go to that place again. Seriously. It's like the number one spot for getting your heart torn straight out of your chest, yeah? But this time, I come back with a... A reward? I s'pose you could say that. I come back with the Doctor. Not quite sure if he's my Doctor, but he...

He looks like him, acts like him, and deep down I know that he is him. I mean, I've already gone through his regeneration. In a way, this should be easier.

Only my Doctor is still out there. With Donna, I tell myself, he's not alone. But then this new Doctor tells me that Donna's memory would have to be wiped. Would my Doctor be all alone, then? When I ask the new Doctor, he doesn't respond, and I don't know what else to say. That's weird, too. We've always had so much to say to each other. He kept babbling on and on about the most daft things, and this one, he's just... So silent in comparison.

It's been a quiet past couple days. I already said that, didn't I? Sorry. 'm a bit of a mess, you know. I kissed his lips back on that beach and well, yeah, it was everything I've ever dreamt of. No, really, it was. But then we got in the car, and then on the zeppelin, and I kept thinking: This isn't right. I wasn't meant to be coming back.

We drove up to the mansion. Goes without saying that he got a room, and it's close to mine, too. Mum and Pete didn't really say anything much about it. They know I'm head over heels. I am, really, I am. Obviously. But I just need a little time.

So that first night, I say good night and he says it back, but I don't run up and bury my head in his chest the way I used to, and I don't joke about him once again getting a borrowed pair of jimjams, and I just... I just don't do anything much, I guess. I look at him and I see my Doctor, but then I close my eyes and I see someone else, even if they look the same.

I fall asleep that night and I feel abandoned. He left me here again, even though he was sleeping two rooms away from me.

Or was he? I'm not so sure of that when I see him in the morning, sitting at the kitchen table, having tea with Pete. Dark circles underneath his eyes, those eyes that I know better than my own, deep, curious, sometimes soft, my favorite pair of eyes in the world. He looks so tired. Pete leaves us alone and I shoot him a thankful glance as he goes.

"Mornin', Doctor," I say with a smile that, most probably, doesn't really reach my eyes. I haven't slept much either. Two hours? Three? Yeah...

"So I am the Doctor, then?" he asks and his smile looks a little forced too, but in his eyes I find the reassurance I so badly need. I sit down next to him and bump his shoulder with mine.

"No arguments from me."

And we talk. A little. I find that I don't know what to say. The more I look at him, the more I sit here next to him, the more I know that he is my Doctor. And it crosses my mind if I could maybe jus' kiss him again, like on that blasted beach, but I don't, 'cos in a way we're still strangers, this him, this me.

So we just sip our tea and talk, and then Mum comes in and we can both be silent, 'cos who'd bother talking with Jackie Tyler around? She can manage herself, she can. So we remain quiet and when we're done, I go up to my room and he doesn't follow me.

And it's really, really quiet.

A few days go by and we co-exist, but don't really spend much time together. I mean, yeah, I see him quite a lot and I want to see him more, but I feel like I'd be... Betraying my Doctor? Does that make sense? It doesn't. He made this man stay here with me, it was his own choice. Obviously he didn't mind. But as I lay on the sofa, staring at the ceiling, it hits me for the first time since we arrived back home:

What if he minds? The newer-than-new Doctor. What if, even though he's said we could grow old together, he doesn't really want to? Oh, he hates staying still. This must be terrible for him.

I sit up. Oh, my god. I've been so selfish. He's stuck here, in this world, without his TARDIS and to top it all off, he's not even a proper Time Lord anymore! Wait. I mean, he is, but he's half human. And he always loved to babble about how Time Lords were superior at this and that and everything... And now he was only part Time Lord, and stuck living a human life. Seriously! I was mourning my other Doctor, but that doesn't mean I don't care about this one. They are one and the same, I just...

I groan, stand up and leap up the stairs, two steps at a time. I bang on his door impatiently. I know he's in there, he hasn't gone out since we came back home.

He finally opens the door. He looks dazed and I realize I must have woken him up, which is bad because frankly, I don't think he's slept a wink these past days.

"Oh... Doctor, 'm sorry, I-"

"Naa, don't be silly," he interrupts me with a grin, the twinkle in his eyes telling me that he's happy to see me. My heart leaps up to my throat, just b'cause. "Still a bit of a Time Lord in there! Don't need much sleep, me."

"But you haven't been sleepin', have you?"

He shakes his head in response then backs out, opens the door wide and gestures at me to come in, so I do.

I sit down at the edge of his bed. He leans against the wall on the opposite of me, looking around awkwardly before finally settling his eyes on me with a sigh. I know I just have to say it. Can't go another minute without saying it. So that's what I do.

"I'm sorry, Doctor. I've been awful, haven't I?" I don't want to cry, but it just... It just happens. And I feel so weak, vulnerable, exposed, but it's alright, because he is my Doctor and I know he won't hurt me. "I mean... I was worried about him. I am. I am worried about him. But I didn't realize how hard this must be for you, yeah? New life, new universe, new everything, and I just... You must hate this," I whisper through my quiet sobs, looking away from him to bury my face in my hands.

"Rose, no, don't cry," he pleads and I know the expression on his face even without looking at him. I know the soft look in his eyes, I know the way the corners of his mouth twitch downwards because he is worried, I know the crinkle between his brows as he looks at me with concern. "I meant what I said. I'll be here, however long you need. After all, I've only got one life this time around and..."

I look at him expectantly. "And?"

"And I'd like to dedicate it to you. No matter where you, err, want me in yours. In your life, I mean."

I smile through my tears, heart racing, and I wonder if he can still hear that with his somewhat-superior part Time Lord ears. I want to comfort him. I know this isn't easy. I know it's not going to be easy. But for the first time since I came back home, I don't care whether it's difficult or not. I just care about him. I gesture at the empty space next to me and after a moment of hesitation, he sits down.

"What can I do?" I choke out after a moment of silence.

"Weeell, there's one thing," he admits as his eyes drift toward the ceiling in a thoughtful expression.

"Yeah?"

He looks back down, looks at me, looks me straight in the eyes. His smile is the most genuine I'd seen for some time, but that too fades for a moment as his expression grows serious. There is uncertainty written all over him, and I don't want there to be any. Gingerly, I scoot over closer and take hold of his hand, relishing the feeling of safety when his fingers immediately become tangled with mine.

"C'mere," my Doctor says softly, letting go of my hand and opening up his arms.

So I do, and it feels like home.

~oOo~

We take it slow. I don't really know why. A few weeks is more than enough to show me that he is the exact same man, and it's not like we haven't kissed yet. But for now, we're back to our old routine of being the best of friends who happen to push their boundaries quite a lot. Don't get me wrong, after that hug in his room, there are still some quiet days. Sometimes, I'll think of the Doctor - the Doctor who stayed behind - and I'll feel awful, because who knows what's happened to him? This Doctor, my Doctor, he says that the Time Lord will be fine. He always is.

I know that all too well. He was always alright.

Sometimes, the Doctor will get upset over the slightest thing. It's hard for him, I know that. He's still the most clever person to ever walk the universe (no, no, don't tell him I said that! Wouldn't wanna boost that huge ego of his, yeah?), same Time Lord brain, but 's not like he's used to all those human things. I remind him to go to bed, every-single-night. Really, he's impossible! Have to remind him to eat, to sleep, to do all these things, and even then he sometimes doesn't. Then again, I think we've got the eating worked out, but he only eats sweets. Wish I could consume so much chocolate and not end up with twenty pounds to lose... Anyway, yeah, I remind him every night, but I don't sleep next to him like I used to with... With my old Doctor. Just sleeping, mind you, officially we were only friends, but yeah. Point is, we don't comfort each other like that, but we do it in other ways. And I know we're both trying.

He started working on the TARDIS. He says it'll be about a year until we can travel, and I look at him and I don't even have to ask, he just knows.

"It's fine, Rose," he assures me, "Got a whole life to spend here. I'm not going anywhere, weeell, at least not for a while. And not without you."

I nod and hook my arm through his, embracing it, and I look up at him. He makes this happy sound at the back of his throat, and again, I wonder if I shouldn't just kiss him now. Heaven knows I want to, and if he really does love me like he said on the beach, then I think he'll want me to, too.

But then Pete comes in and I don't kiss the Doctor, but I don't let go of him either, and he does nothing to stop me.

I come home from work, four weeks after Bad Wolf Bay, and I find him in the living room again. He's reading the newspaper, occasionally marking an interesting advertisement, and scribbling on the sides of the paper as he reads. He's been doing that for the past days and I sigh heavily as I sit down next to him. He scoots to make room for me, then embraces me and pulls me close. I breathe in his smell, cinnamon, strawberry jam, a hint of musk and him.

"Doctor, you really don't have to work," I say, "Pete's swimming in money and he adores you. Take your time, yeah?"

"I do have to work," he protests as he lets go of me abruptly. I feel abandoned, again, and I don't like it one bit. "I'm useless like this, I need to do something. You're out all day and your mother said that if I ruin another kitchen appliance she will slap me again, and I'm not very keen on that." He tries to make it sound light, but I know that he is brooding. Work has been a sensitive subject for him.

"Why don't you just work at Torchwood? They'd be up on the Moon if you'd agree, y'know."

"I can handle myself."

"I know, but..."

He stands up and tosses the newspaper on the floor. The crumpled pages fall apart, covering the coffee table and the sofa. There is thunder in his eyes and it keeps me in place.

"I'm still clever, Rose," he says with a raised voice, "I'm still clever, and my brain's fine. Mind you, I sleep more, but that's just how it is with you lot, sleeping your little lives away, but I'm still capable! I will find something."

He starts pacing around the room and he reminds me of a caged animal. I force myself to remain calm; I'm used to this, yeah, this boring day-to-day life, but he's not. I take a few deep breaths before I speak.

"I know, but I just want to help you," I say weakly and scold myself for the way my voice sounds so small. I hate when he pushes me away. I hate when I push him away.

I'm tired of it. I want more.

He freezes in place, eyes turned to the ground, and doesn't say anything for a full minute, at least I think it's a full minute. In the silence around us, I hear him exhale once, twice, thrice before he looks at me again, his expression both more subdued and more emotional.

"I know," he says simply, "I know, I do. Bit used to handling these things myself, though."

I stand up and walk over to him. I look up, meeting his eyes effortlessly, and feel my breath slip away from me as his gaze locks on mine. My hand finds its way up to his one and only heart, and I rest it there, where it belongs.

"We're a team, yeah? You and me. A team."

He brightens considerably at this, and I know that it's genuine.

"Course we are! Rose Tyler, we are the best team of them all! The stuff of legends, that's what we are." He grins and I smile back.

"Then let me? Let me help you? If you don't like it, you won't have to stay. But maybe you will? And... And I could have you around more, too. If you worked at Torchwood."

His expression tells me that I've just presented my winning argument. His hand covers mine, keeping it in place, and it feels just right.

"Eeeeh, very well then," he says with a feigned resignation, "Do it. H... Help me. A bit. That is if, err, if you like."

He surprises me. Not one to ask for help, my Doctor. So I say no more, I just wrap my arms around him and rest my head against his chest, and both of his hands are traveling up and down my back, and I'm filled with so much comfort I just never want him to let go. He kisses the top of my head, so very lightly, and I wish he'd just...

His heart is racing against my ear, no doubt just as fast as mine is. I pull away from him a bit, our bodies still so close that I can feel every breath of his against my skin. It feels as if we've both been struck by electricity.

His mouth is slightly agape and he is drawing quick, sharp breaths. Me too, course I am. We're very close and it's like we both just came to realize that fact. I know I don't mind.

His eyes grow darker and his tongue slips past the zip of his mouth to moisten his lips. He doesn't have to say it out loud. For once in my life, I know what goes on in that daft, gorgeous head of his.

Kiss me.

So I do, and it's slow and it's urgent and it's familiar and new and it's every bit as perfect as it was the first time.

~oOo~

He ends up loving his job at Torchwood, course he does. I do know him a fair bit, yeah? I do. And he's every bit the same as he always was when he waltzes all around the office, bothering everybody with his rambling about the temperatures on Woman Wept and the cell structure of a Sycorax male and all sorts of other things that nobody else really understands. 's okay, though, they don't mind. And I get to spend every day with him, just like we did back when we could to travel. We'll travel again, we already agreed on that, soon as we can we're out of here, back among the stars. He made himself a new sonic screwdriver and he says he'll make me one too, since we're a proper team now, Rose Tyler, same race and all. Weeell, sort of. But yes, don't you want a sonic of your own? Think of the possibilities, Rose! You could instantly fry your chips. One switch, one button and it's all done! Instant chips. Isn't that brilliant?

I smile at him cos yeah, it is pretty brilliant. Not so much the chips, though. I mean, chips too, I love me some chips, but being around him and being able to just stand on tiptoe and kiss him, well... Talk about brilliant and seeing stars and things...

We still take it slow. Our kisses grow heated and blimey, is it hard not to just pull that shirt off his back, but I don't do it, not yet. I want it to be perfect, completely perfect, so even though his eyes grow darker by the minute, we still part ways at night. And I have to take care of it myself, if you know what I mean. He's rather gorgeous and I've had a fair bit of sexual frustration pent up over the years, I did. The Doctor has always been an outrageous flirt in this incarnation.

It's not easy, all this, but frankly I could hardly imagine having better issues than holding off shagging the Doctor just because I want it to be perfect.

So I have this whole plan, yeah? We're both sick of living in the mansion. I mean, it's nice enough, but we're used to being on our own by now. So I've rented a flat, as a surprise for him, and I'm taking him there Friday after we're done with work, and there'll be ice cream because he's going through a banana ice cream phase, and there'll be wine cos we both like wine. And there'll be me, in a killer dress I just bought, and some lingerie.

Yeah, I've got it all planned.

So by the time Thursday rolls around I'm basically this knot of nerves that can't wait to be untangled. Thoroughly. He doesn't make it any easier, the cheeky devil, I never did have an easy time hiding how he affects me, so now it's just... Yeah. It's difficult to wait.

But then after work, he insists that I follow him somewhere, so I do. Why not? We've always liked a bit of an adventure, yeah? But I start to wonder when we drive up to a pretty unordinary street filled with white, yellow and blue blocks. Block as in apartment complex. And then he inputs the code down at the gate, and we take the lift up to the tenth floor, and he produces a set of keys out of his endless pocket.

And, of course, the flat is the most gorgeous thing in the world. I was proud of the place I got for us, yeah, but this was just... Perfect. The living room is like the media room on the TARDIS, there's this huuuge telly and such a cozy little sofa, it's lovely. It's just for us two, I smile when I notice that. Well, I'm smiling the whole time really, 'cause I can't wrap my head around the Doctor renting out a flat to live in with me.

I launch myself into his arms and kiss him, and he spins around as he holds me up in the air. I'm not mad that he destroyed my surprise. His was better.

"So now we've got two," I mumble against his mouth, his breath hot against my lips.

"Hmm?"

"Two flats. I've got one too. Was meant to show you tomorrow. I've had this whole, um, plan."

His eyes widen in surprise and he says, "Well well well, look at that. Great minds, Rose Tyler! Great minds think alike!" He sets me down and inquires, "So what else did that plan consist of?"

I go through the whole list in my mind, the wine and the lace knickers and the whole seducing thing that I was never any good at. I wrap my arms around his waist and pull him closer as I bite down on my lip. There isn't an inch of space between our bodies, not an inch.

"Oh, I dunno. Jus' things. Was there anything more to your plan then, Doctor? Or is this all of it?"

His Adam's apple bobs in his throat as he swallows nervously and it takes all I have to not just kiss his neck.

"Thought I'd show you around, I did," he finally manages to say, and I love how even the tips of his ears are red. I'm flushed too, I can feel it. And I can feel him. "See if you, err, like it. All of it. For example the, uhm, the bedroom I'm not-I'm not so sure about."

He looks both terrified and filled with lust, and to be honest, I feel both of those things too. There is fire in his eyes and I don't even realize it when his fingers slip underneath my blue top, nor do I realize when mine shakily attempt to remove his jacket. Like most things with us, it just happens. It's not really planned, and it's not very expected, but it's always right.

"Show me," I say and his lips seize mine for a very, very hot snog, and we bump against the walls as we find the bedroom, and I have no idea what it looks like, but I couldn't care less.

Suddenly, we're in a hurry. The bed is big and comfortable and that's all that I really notice. I close my eyes when his lips lock onto my exposed neck, leaving mark after mark. He's no longer terrified and I like that. I like him more in control.

He looms above me, shirtless, and I can't decide between reaching out to wrap my arms around his neck to pull him in for another snog or letting my fingers run down his chest, to the edge of his boxer shorts. In the end, I get to do neither.

He looks me right in the eye with a satisfied grin and his kisses move down. He stops at my breasts and it's...

oh

and then he moves on, trailing wet, open-mouthed kisses all the way past my bellybutton. I've only got a pair of regular cotton knickers on, and when his fingers pull them down my thighs, heat coils within my stomach and I'm so, so, so impatient. I gasp when he begins, light kisses all across my most sensitive area, I arch my back in a mute plea for more, and he gives me more. His lips are replaced by fingers and hnnngh

it's

just

Doctor

His fingers move in circular motions, so painfully slowly and I need more and I want that tongue of his to-

He stops. I open my eyes, panting for breath, my hips bucking up in anticipation. Why did he stop? I look down and the sight of his delightfully messy hair between my thighs makes me gasp. I know what I want. I want him to know, too, but most of all to just NOT STOP AND-

"Show me," he says, his voice husky and somewhat strained, his eyes darker than I've ever seen them before.

So I do. His tongue replaces his fingers and he doesn't stop, no, no he doesn't and I hold him down and

And

And.

...

And neither of us goes to work the next morning.

~oOo~

The next time I see him, I'll be wearing all white.

It's been months since Bad Wolf Bay. Weeks, months, and they weren't easy; no, really, they weren't. But that doesn't mean they weren't worth it.

We live on our own, in that flat that he's picked out for us. I gave up the one I've rented, some friend of Mum had a daughter who was looking to rent, and yeah. And we work at Torchwood, and the TARDIS is soon ready, not in time for the honeymoon but we really don't mind, we're goin' for a little trip to France, and the Doctor is so giddy about the whole thing, it's adorable.

He asked me to marry him out of the blue one night when we were both working on the TARDIS. The coral had to grow, but the whole thing around it had to be built too, so I was helping here and there, handing him tools and listening to his technical babble. He was trying to make it nearly identical to our old TARDIS, so I was down below the consoles with him picking out the right shade of blue for the exterior shell, and of course, being the daft alien that he was, he managed to get paint all over himself. Like, literally all over. In his hair, on his hands, even a spot of it on his nose. I was poking fun at him about it, course I was, who wouldn't be?

"You're goin' to become a TARDIS yourself at this rate, Doctor." I giggled and smeared even more paint across his cheek. He hadn't shaved that day; his scruff felt rough against my fingers, and suddenly I had other things on my mind than painting and color palettes.

"Don't mind if I do. You'll still love me, won't you?" he asked and he looked so smug that I was pondering dumping the whole bucket of paint on him. He was right, course he was. Daft, he may be, blind too, but I do make it pretty obvious.

"Not if you look so smug I won't," I said, teasing him and enjoying his petrified expression immensely.

"Oh, you say that now, but keep in mind, Rose Tyler, there are serious risks that may follow if you neglect your Time Lord here."

"Yeah, what's that, then?"

Next thing I know, we're both dipping our fingers in paint and a few moments later, we're both a proper mess and I was laughing so much, clutching my stomach with one hand, the other attempting to draw a blue mustache above the Doctor's lips.

Finally, we laid down on the cold, grated floor, short of breath from laughter and running around with that (now empty) bucket of paint. I burrowed my face in the crook of his neck, still giggling, he wrapped his arms around me and he too was chuckling happily, and I just felt really good. I closed my eyes, content to just lie there with him, but soon snapped them right open when he spoke.

"Marry me?" he said more than he asked. "Daft human custom, that. But I've found myself thinking it could be, err, nice. Yup. Rather nice. You in a fancy dress, your mother will love that bit, and me in a proper suit and tie - or is it bowtie? I don't know, Rose. You pick. But, weeeell, anyway, d'you... D'you want to?"

I looked up and found him staring at me. He had a small smile on his face, but it wasn't enough to cover that look of sheer terror that accompanied it, and I just... I felt like my heart would burst and I'd just sort of, y'know, melt into this little happy puddle. Yeah. I may have done, but my poor, silly alien deserved a response.

So I said: "Yes."

And he kissed me; I was on top of him now, both arms at the sides of his head, his arms on my waist, and...

"On one condition," I breathed out in between the kisses.

"Mmm?" he mumbled against me.

"You never try to cook again. You're a tad miserable at it, Doctor."

He laughed out loud and pulled me closer, crashing his lips onto mine for a moment before breaking the snog.

"That's an easy one. Yup! Deal, Rose Tyler. You've got yourself a deal."

So, that's how it happened. It was unexpected, but then again, I was used to that. Now I've got my Mum fussing all around me, adding finishing touches to the project of a lifetime which was my wedding dress, helping me with the veil and everythin', and we're heading out. I wonder how the Doctor is getting on. I left him with Pete and this universe's version of Jack, who we're both friends with and who works with us at Torchwood, but in all fairness, all three of them were a little bit rubbish when it came to these things, so I just hope they don't end up setting his suit on fire or something.

When I walk inside the church, I find that no, they didn't set his suit on fire. And he looks very smart as he stands there, hair in a controlled mess, the black jacket and pants fitting him perfectly, the smile on his face brighter than a thousand suns. Not that I've ever seen a thousand at once, but even if I did, I'm sure his face would shine brighter. Perhaps it's because I love this man more than anything else in the universe, this or any other.

As I walk slowly, my Dad (I've grown to accept that Pete is my dad and he treats me like his own daughter) holding my arm, I see my past and my future. I see the man who found me at Henrik's and told me to run, I see the man whom I've fallen in love with all those years ago. I see my first Doctor, my second Doctor and just him - always the Doctor. Always my Doctor.

The moment Dad lets go of me, the Doctor grabs both my hands and holds them tight in his. We've added a little touch to the usual ceremony, a Gallifreyan tradition, and before we say our vows, he joins our hands with a long piece of TARDIS blue cloth. Tears form in my eyes and I silently thank Mum for insisting that I get waterproof make up.

We say our vows and he never lets go, and his eyes never leave mine. I've never seen him look so happy, and I know he doesn't even care for all those domestic things, but he does them anyway. Because it's me and it's him and we do what we want and it's never something that can be categorized just like that. Domestic? No. Just the Doctor and Rose.

Memories flood my mind as I look at the man I love. I've never thought it'd turn out this way, not really. When I left Pete's World to find him, I thought I would never come back. I thought he'd likely never tell me how he felt, and I was alright with that, because a broken heart was a price worth paying for being with the Doctor.

Never thought I'd have him like this, much less marry him. A lump forms in my throat as I silently thank the Doctor - the Time Lord Doctor - for giving me this chance. I know I'll always miss him, in a way. They're two and the same, but they're still two. And I love them both dearly. But the man that stands before me is my future, and I will never doubt that again.

When it's time to answer the question, the question that shouldn't even need an answer, there is only one way to respond.

"I do."

And although people keep talking, I only hear my Doctor.

"Kiss me," he says lovingly, his eyes a little moist.

So I do.

A/N: Been in a little Tentoo/Rose mood lately. If you're waiting for the update of my multi-chapter story, it's coming very soon, I just had to get rid of this plot bunny. :p This was my first attempt at (semi?) smut, I hope it turned out okay. Thank you for reading, and please let me know if you liked this :)