Dear John,

I know it has been a long time since we've spoken, ten years to be precise. I know I've no right to ask this of you, not after everything that happened between us, but I'm afraid I need somewhere to go. I've recently fallen in to a rather dangerous situation with my now ex-husband and I've lost my job. I have nowhere else to turn, John, and I am in desperate need of help. As you may know my father died shortly after we left TARDIS ranch. I've no one else. I wouldn't be writing you if I did. I am not asking for much, just a job and a place to sleep. Please, John, I will do anything. I am hoping we can look past what happened between us all those years ago and remember the good times, growing up together. Anyway, please let me know as soon as you can. I'm afraid I'm losing my apartment in a few days, eight to be exact. Give Donna and Wilf my love.

Sincerely,
Rose Marion Tyler

Donna had read this letter no less than fifteen times since it had arrived in the mail earlier in the day. She didn't make a habit of opening John's mail but when she saw who it was from she knew the chances of him opening it were slim to none. Rose's absence on the ranch was still as strong as it was when she'd left ten years ago, and it had done quite a number on John, so much so that he was still dealing with the effects of it.

Donna had decided showing it to John, at least right away, wasn't the best idea. Instead she sat in the sitting room waiting for Jack. He met her in there most days when she took her break right after lunch. Since they'd hired Jack a few years back she'd grown to love the man and had often talked about her childhood friend Rose, so to say Jack was aware of the things that had taken place would be an understatement, Jack was pretty sure he'd actually been there when they took place due to the number of times he's heard the stories.

Before Jack had time to sit down Donna was handing him the letter, telling him to read it.

"He's not going to like this and, for that reason, I think we should tell her to come." He said, letter held in his hands, flashing Donna his best dimpled smile. "How long are we gonna have to work on convincing John he needs a woman at his side before action is taken? If the things you've told me are true then this may just be the push he needs."

"I know, Jack, the day she left… it was hard on all of us, but John never recovered. He's not going to like it and she's not going to like the man he's become either. He isn't the John she knows anymore. He's just so damn broken, Jack. You know those old romance stories about the two people that are so in love and so perfect for each other that they actually need each other? That's Rose and John… but he blew it. He knows he went and blew it and he hates himself for it but he still thinks he made the right decision." She said running a hand through her fiery hair. "Besides, she said she's in danger, Jack. I'm writing her as soon as we're done here whether John likes it or even knows about it. I'm not telling her she can't come home."

"So we try talkin' to him again, and by we, I mean you, and see where he's at. Maybe he'd be willin' to let her come back. And if not, well, she's coming anyway. " Jack said, folding the letter back up and placing it in the envelope. "We all know how much smoother things would run around this place if John finally got himself a lady or even if there was just another woman on this ranch, you can't keep doing it all."

Donna smiled at her friend affectionately, "Thanks, Jack, don't know where John and I would be without you." she said standing. "I mean it though, Jack, thanks." She said pressing a kiss to his cheek as she left the sitting room to find John. She was going to see to it that their Rose came home, whether John gave the okay or not.

Rose had spent the last week looking for work, coming up empty every time. She was still in a relatively small town so finding work was a bit of an issue. After her ex-husband had come into her last job drunk and looking for her, she'd been fired. She knew she needed to get out of this town before he actually found her this time. She'd been running since the divorce was finalized and hadn't been able to stop.

Only now, as she packed up all the things in her tiny apartment that she could carry, did she start worrying about where she'd go next. Money was tight, very tight, the divorce had taken quite a bit of her money and after losing her job the rest of it had gone to staying afloat while she kept looking for another job. The letter to John had been sent a week ago and she'd hoped she would have heard back by now, but it was obvious to her at this point, he'd probably not even opened the letter. She knew it was a risk, writing him, but she had hoped that maybe everything they'd been through had left some kind of compassion in that heart of his, no matter how things had ended. Rose hadn't seen John in ten years, hadn't heard from him either. She'd tried to keep in touch the first few years she'd been gone. She wrote him about her father and about her wedding but never received anything back from him. She'd eventually given up, figuring he had no interest in continuing their friendship. It broke her heart, but she there wasn't anything she could do about it.

"John, I really don't know how much more of this I can take!" Donna said, not bothering to knock before entering her friend's study. Having grown up with John, Donna knew that they best way to get her ornery friend to listen was to be upfront. And of course, it always helped to be a little angry.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Donna." He said almost in a bored tone.

"Look, I'm not your wife, John, and I am tired of doing all the work around here that a wife should be doing. Have you ever thought that maybe one day I'd like to actually get married?" she asked sitting down in the chair across from his desk.

John looked up from his paper work instantly, his eyes wide with shock, "What? D-Donna, I know we've been friends our whole lives and yes, you do a lot of work that a wife should do, but you need to know that I am not interested in you... in that way."

"I don't want to marry you, you nitwit! What I mean is, how am I supposed to get married when I'm doing a wife's work for another man? You need to get yourself hitched!"

John sighed and ran a hand over his face, "Look, I am not interested. I've been engaged once before and I'm sure you remember how that turned out. Traded me in for someone with more land, didn't she? I'm done, Donna, I can't do that anymore. I've got a ranch to run; I can't waste time tryin' to find someone that won't run off."

"Once upon a time you had a beautiful young woman that was more than willing to marry your sorry ass! And what did you do? You rejected her before she even finished telling you she wanted to marry you!" Donna said shaking her head. "Don't go blamin' all your brokenness on the fact you got dizzy with some dame that played you. She wouldn't have even come 'round if you'd been brave and married Rose."

"Don't… don't bring Rose into this. That was ten years ago Donna. She was young and was willing to marry me because the death of my parents called for it, I couldn't have asked her to do that, now stop bringing her up. Last I heard she married some man and was plenty happy."

Donna let out a sigh, "Don't expect me to stay around forever, John. One day a man may come along that thinks I'm worth marryin' and you had best believe I'll get out of here faster than you can blink." She said, though with a kind smile. "John, I am asking you as your friend, please just give marriage another go." She stood and made her way to the door, stopping just outside. "Oh, and for what it's worth, I heard she's divorced." She said and continued back to her duties of the day.

"John, mind we talk?" Jack asked as he stood in the large doorway of the barn. He'd searched everywhere for his friend before finding him brushing his horse.

"If you're here to talk about me gettin' hitched, you can forget it… I've already had this talk with Donna once today." He said running the brush over the horse's back.

"Johnny, come on. You know how much good it would do for the ranch. Besides you need to think of Donna. You're gonna wear her out! She can't keep doing everything for you." He said moving to stand closer to his friend, leaning against the gate of one of the horse stalls.

"She could leave if she wanted to, she could quit!" he said, doing his best to keep his temper in check.

"What and leave the man she considers to be a brother? You'd fail without her and you know it. There'd be no one around her to take care of anything, she wouldn't do that to you. You owe it to her to find yourself a wife. You owe it to yourself too, John. You ever consider that finding someone you love you might just make you happy?" he asked.

"I don't need to be happy… I just need to keep this ranch up and running. With all these ranches shutting down around us we have a chance to do a lot of expanding. Land is going for less than 50 cents an acre. I don't have time to waste on a damn woman. In case you haven't noticed the draught and depression did a number on most of the ranches out here."

"Oh, I've noticed… I've also noticed that we're still doing as well as we always have. You have time to spare for a woman; the only thing is you don't want to. You're so damn scared of getting hurt that you can't look past that. I only hope you come to your damn sense and stop actin' like a jackass. Again, you know full well havin' a wife would be good for the ranch. "

John let out a sigh, "I'm just tired, Jack… I don't enjoy being alone but I've always screwed things up and I'm not willing to risk everything for some woman again. I can't do it." He said, his shoulders dropping in defeat. "I just can't."

Jack knew then he and Donna had made the right decision, not only for Rose, but for John as well. Rose was going to be safe and maybe John would finally come to his senses. It was so painfully obvious John had no intention of doing anything about getting married himself, so in Jack's mind that left things up to him and Donna.

Rose had all her belongings packed neatly in two suitcases that now sat by the door. It was her last few hours in her tiny flat. She had to be out by 4pm, 4 hours until she was without a home, 4 hours to figure out what to do with her sad excuse for a life. It was times like this she missed her mom and dad to the point of pain. Her mother had died when she was still very little but Rose had always loved her because Pete spoke of her often.

She checked her mailbox one last time in the hopes maybe, just maybe, John had simply taken a while to respond to her letter. When she opened her mailbox and retrieved the letter that waited inside, she'd never felt so relieved in her life. She didn't yet know what the answer was but to have an answer was enough to relieve some of the weight that had been sitting heavily on her shoulders for the past few weeks.

At the sight of the familiar sloppy hand writing on the envelope Rose couldn't help but smile. She truly did miss TARDIS ranch, she'd grown up there, it was more her home and any other place had ever been.

Dear Rose,

To say I was shocked to receive your letter would be an understatement; however, it was still a pleasure to hear from you. I am pleased to say that we are in fact in need of help around the ranch. Donna is currently doing all the caretaking and overseeing on the ranch and I'm sure she'd be very pleased to have some help. Enclosed is a train ticket due to leave the day your apartment contract is up. I am truly sorry to hear about your marriage and most of all of the fate of your dear mother and father. I will be expecting your arrival any day and will prepare your old room.

Yours,
John

Rose didn't waste any time, gathering up her bags as soon as she put the letter back into its envelope. She was going home. She wiped the tears from her eyes and hailed a cab to take her to the train station. She'd missed TARDIS ranch, she'd missed the smell of the land and the excitement of riding a horse. But, Most of all she'd missed the people she'd left behind. She knew the moment she returned Donna would give her a stern talking to about the lack of letters over the last 10 years. She knew Wilf would be so happy to see her he'd easily forget that she hadn't written and wrap her in a warm hug. She hoped John would do the same, that their past would be forgotten, that he'd forgiven her for suggesting they marry and then for running away and never looking back.