Rose gazed into the eyes of the man she knew so well, and yet at the same time not at all. The worry was evident in his expression, he knew that forcing Rose to be his and grow old with him if she didn't want to was out of the question, but he needed her more than ever at this very moment.

"He didn't even say goodbye." Rose almost laughed at the oddness of it all, her voice however was wavering and thick with emotion. The metacrisis Doctor looked down at her, his one heart aching with love for the pink and yellow being whose hand he was clasping tightly in his.

A few hours later Rose and her Doctor were onboard a small shuttle plane that was heading for London. Neither one had spoken for over an hour, when Rose turned to him and smiled softly, "D'ya remember when we were stranded on Krop Tor and you were horrified at the idea of living in a house and getting a mortgage?" the Doctor laughed quietly and nodded. "Well, I guess this is gonna be your worst nightmare." The Doctor leant over, reaching out to take her hand in his. "Yeah but stuck with you, that's not so bad." he exclaimed, giving her his biggest grin. With that remark, Rose shuffled closer, resting her head on his knees. She looked up at him for approval and he simply brushed a stray hair from her forehead and kissed her nose lightly. Sleep soon consumed her, and for the first time in all the years she had been parted from the Doctor, Rose slept peacefully.

The Doctor however, was far from peaceful. Now going over things in his mind, a wave of panic flooding over him, he hadn't a clue how to do domestic living, or how to get a job. Worst of all, would Rose accept him as the Doctor, her Doctor. Or would she just see him as a cheap copy. That's certainly how he felt at the moment. Yes, that's all he was. A cheap, no good to anyone copy.

Tears threatened to sting his eyes, choking them back he felt bitter and cold, towards himself more than anything. What was he even doing here. The reality of the situation sunk in and there was no stopping the tears that cascaded down his pale cheeks. Cursing futile human emotions, the metacrisis Doctor wept silently, wanting to be anywhere but there.

When they arrived at Rose's flat, it was just what the Doctor had expected. The kitchen was homely and warm, the rich smell of freshly made coffee was still evident in the air. A small vinyl record player was just visible in the corner of the room, behind two large comfortable looking sofas. "Home." Rose said, her voice echoing around the room, ricocheting off of the walls. "And no, I bought this place myself. No help from Mr Tyler." This gained her a crooked grin from the Doctor who walked over and grabbed her into a hug. "Well Miss Tyler, I have to say... This place is brilliant. Simply brilliant! Ha!"

The sheer enthusiasm seemed to shine out of him, making Rose feel completely alive for the first time in a while. Caught up in the moment he pressed his lips to hers. Rose almost melted on the spot, she could get used to this. Kissing him back eagerly, she nipped at his bottom lip playfully. A low growl filled the air, and Rose's laughter bounced around the room, as the Doctor's hands wandered to her waist, tickling her gently.

"Enough!" Rose squealed, bearing her teeth in an excited grin. "We have to find you some suitable nightwear and decide what colour your room is going to be. It's not like you were expected or anything Doctor." That was the first time she had called him 'Doctor' today, and it made his heart leap in his weary chest. So she did think of him as her Doctor, well for the moment anyway. Maybe domestic life wasn't going to be as bad as he first thought...

The constant sounds of laughter were the result of the Doctor modelling several varieties of pyjamas, the first was a vest top and shorts, which made it very hard for Rose to keep her eyes focused on his upper half. Then with a bit too much eagerness on the Doctors part, he strode out wearing checkered bottoms and a plain black top, then with a flourish he pulled out of the pile a dressing gown covered in dozens of cartoon bananas. "Oh my god I'm gonna kill mum." Rose spluttered in between the loud giggles erupting from her lips. "Banana's are good." the Doctor mock frowned, putting the dressing gown on and standing in front of her, arms firmly crossed. "I'm so getting you one of these." He smiled broadly, carefully dodging a pink fluffy pillow thrown in his direction several seconds later.

"You're so different." Rose breathed, after the laughter had died down.

"Good different or bad different?"

"Good different."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

They smiled at each other, all seemed right with the world again. Rose fought back the niggling feeling at the back of her head that this man stood in front of her was not the Doctor. The proper Doctor was out there now, flying around the universe...Without her.

Trying desperately to clear her mind, or at least take her thoughts somewhere else Rose was thankful when she heard the Doctor's stomach growling at an alarming volume. He froze, looking completely and utterly puzzled, "Is it supposed to do that?"

Pizza. Rose had decided. They would order pizza, but there was no way she was letting the Doctor answer the door considering his embarrassing attire. She had to check several times that he was still actually there, and that was not all just a bizarre dream. She'd had plenty of them when she'd lived alone, most involving the Doctor returning but with someone else, someone younger and prettier. How selfish that had been... But Rose supposed she was allowed to be now she had her own Doctor. All to herself. The real Doctor had tried to give her a forever he just couldn't have himself and for that Rose was eternally grateful.

As night descended, the Doctor felt fatigue taking over, looking over at Rose he saw her staring blankly at the remnants of pizza crusts that lay scattered on several plates. "Rose?" He asked, almost timidly.

"Hm?"

"D'you want to, er... I don't know er, sit with me?"

Rose felt a warm smile take over her features, "Sure, you daft thing."

Settling down on the sofa, Rose laid down next to her Doctor, turning to face him she drank in his features. The familiar dark hazel eyes which made her lower stomach lurch slightly every time he fixed them on her, the scatter of small freckles that littered his pale face. He was beautiful, there was no doubt about that, there never had been.

"Oi." The Doctor said, poking her gently on the nose. "Stop staring at me Miss Tyler I'm feeling slightly uncomfortable." Rose blushed furiously, burying her head in the nearest sofa cushion. Only bringing her head up in surprise when she felt his strong arms pulling her small frame closing the gap between them.

"My Rose." Was the last thing he uttered before falling asleep.

"My Doctor." Was the last word that crossed her lips before sleep consumed her.