After "The Idiots Lantern"
The Doctor and Rose sat in the Library, her feet tucked under her legs, a heavy book sprawled across her lap. She had changed out of her pink dress and jumper, opting instead for jeans and a t-shirt she bought somewhere on New Earth "I 3 New New York" it read. The Doctor sat on the opposite end of the couch, legs stretched across, his bare feet tapping an unintelligible rhythm against Rose's thigh.

Tap tap tap tap.
Tap tap tap tap.

Rose placed a finger on the page she was reading, closed the book, and promptly swatted it at the Doctors menacing feet.

"Oi! What was that for?" He shrieked.

"You're driving me nutters with that foot tapping thing! I'm trying to read!" She opened her book to the page she was reading, freeing her finger as the bookmark.

The Doctor peeked over his own book at her, noticing how the soft light of the library made her already soft features seem even more delicate. He thought about her beautiful face, her beautiful face that had been stolen from her today. He tried to memorize everything about her. The way her lips pursed when she was concentrating hard on something, the way they jutted out ever so slightly and the way the way she'd bite her bottom lip in just the subtlest of ways. He noticed as she was reading, the way her eyes flew across the page, her brow furrowing ever so slightly when confused. He decided to memorize every curve of her, every dip, every particle of skin.

He thought back to this afternoon, when her face had been stolen from her. His perfect Rose. He was right in what he said to Detective Inspector Bishop, no matter how harshly he said it. If he lost his Rose, there was nothing in this universe that would stop him from getting her back. The Oncoming Storm was nothing compared to the wrath of those who took his silly little pink and yellow human from him.

Rose looked up from her own book, noticing the Doctors focus on her.

"Something on my face?" she touched her cheeks and forehead self consciously.

The Doctor smiled, "No, no, Rose, you're fine."

"Then stop starin, yeah?" she replied, a small grin playing across her face, and shifted her focus back to the giant book.

The Doctor grabbed a nearby sheet of paper, placing it in as a bookmark in Pandora's Box, setting the book on the table nearest him. He moved onto his elbows, observing Rose again. "I almost lost you today" he uttered, almost nervously.

Rose looked up from her book again, finding her bookmark and set it on her current page, placing it on the table next to her. She regarded the Doctor carefully, unsure where he was going with this. "You've almost lost me loads of times, Doctor" she retorted, somewhat bitterly. He grimaced at this revelation. It was true, he had almost lost her, quite a few times. "You've even left me once" she quietly revealed.

"Rose, I-" he shifted off his elbows to sit closer to her. "I'm sorry, I've told you that a million times, I couldn't...I couldn't change history" his excuses were thin, at best. "I never, want to leave you, ever" he continued solemnly.

She looked up at him, her cold stature thawing slightly. "I know" she breathed in deeply, turning towards him now. She smiled a bit, "I guess I was just a bit- " she trailed off, turning away from him.

"A bit what?" he asked, leaning over her body to try to see her face. She noticed him silently, pressing her lips together in a thin line. He didn't like that thin line, it meant she was hiding something.

"Jealous" she finally blurted out. To her surprise, and the Doctors, he started laughing.

"Jealous?" he cried out, exasperated "Jealous of what?" he asked, unable to control his laughter.

"Doctor" she looked pointedly at him, her eyes pleading "Please stop laughing" She turned her head away again.

He bit the inside of his cheek, trying to catch her eyes again, still chuckling. "Rose, Rose, look at me" She was stubborn. "Rose, you are the most...brilliant, perfect thing in this universe." she finally met his eyes, but he withdrew, suddenly very scared of what he had just said.

Unconsciously, she licked the fullness of her upper lip, meeting his eyes.

They sat there, staring at each other for what felt like hours, before the Doctor broke their gaze, jumping from the couch. "Right!" He yelled with a little too much enthusiasm. "Where to next?" he asked, bouncing with fake excitement.

And then it didn't happen.