Hey there! I finally updated the story, and I think it's looking much better this time around! What do you think? (Hint, hint: J'aime examens)

Also:

I don't own Doctor Who. Or old creepy Chinese ladies.

"Hi! I'd like General Tso's Chicken with rice and 2 egg rolls, and she'd like Chicken Lo Mein with an egg roll, thanks."

Rose smiled. She thought it was a bit romantic that he was treating her to some Chinese food and even ordering for her, though of course she knew he didn't mean it in that way. Besides, it was a bit of an early birthday present; her birthday was tomorrow.

"Nine pounds, dear," said the cashier, an old Chinese woman.

He fumbled through his pockets and pulled out the money and handed it to the smiling old Chinese lady. She then motioned them both to sit in a booth nearby.

"Thanks, Doctor, this is lovely!" gushed Rose as the lady left.

"I thought you'd like this place," he informed her, "So, what do you want to do tomorrow for your birthday?"

She shrugged.

"Well, so far I know that Mum and Micky want to take me to this new pub they heard about for dinner. Do you want to come too?"

"The pub, ehh? Well, as long as I can still get a banana daiquiri there, I'll have a great time," The Doctor declared.

The lady brought 2 glasses of water to the table. She lingered for a second, staring at Rose with an uneasy glint in her eyes, which made both The Doctor and Rose feel a tad uncomfortable.

"What's up with that lady?" Rose commented quietly while sipping on her water.

The Doctor shrugged and looked to see where she went. Apparently, she went towards the counter and was whispering to the lady at the counter. She was pointing at them anxiously. That's not good.

"Well, what about presents? What else would you like for your birthday?" questioned The Doctor, changing the subject.

"Well...I don't want anything in particular, really. I mean, you don't have to get me anything, the trips you take me on are enough presents for a lifetime. Besides, this dinner is good enough for me!" she pointed out.

The Doctor sighed. For the past month, he had been trying his hardest to find the perfect present for Rose, but she was no help. She never dropped hints for anything, and when he'd ask, she'd just give him vague answers, or do exactly what she just did and say nothing.

An awkward silence slid upon the pair. Rose didn't want to look him in the eye, which would make it even more weird between them, and he didn't either. So, instead, she looked at her surroundings. He had taken her to a pretty nice Chinese restaurant by the Thames River, and the window their booth was by gave an excellent view of it. The restaurant itself was a bit posh, with burgundy carpet and a floral rose and carnation wallpaper. There was plenty of Chinese art on the walls, giving it an Oriental vibe. She could tell the restaurant didn't have many tourists in it, which was wonderful, mostly because it was usually swamped with them.

Finally, their eyes caught and they laughed awkwardly.

A few moments later, their creepy waitress returned with their food.

"So, your birthday tomorrow?" she asked Rose as she handed her the Chicken Lo Mein.

"Yeah...How'd you know?"

"Ahhh, I have gift," she explained.

The Doctor and Rose both nodded.

"Interesting," he replied, "What part of China are you from?"

"Western, towards Taiwan," she declared proudly.

He nodded again, and then smiled.

"Well, that's nic-"

"Wait! I get you present!" she interrupted.

"No, that's okay, really," Rose muttered modestly.

Before Rose or The Doctor could stop her, she ran off to the kitchen.

"Seriously, what is going on with that lady?" exclaimed Rose.

"There's something about her...I don't know, she seems...different," The Doctor surmised.

"What do you mean?"

"If she's from western China, she couldn't possibly live near Taiwan, because it's an island off the coast of the eastern side of China."

Rose nodded in agreement as she twirled the Lo Mein noodles on her fork.

She didn't come back for a while. Rose and The Doctor both were able to finish before she returned.

She handed them two cookies.

"These special cookies. Magic. They make your birthday good. Eat before bed."

The Doctor looked at the lady doubtfully.

"Nah, I think we're go-"

"Take them!" she demanded.

"Why am I constantly getting interrupted?" he wondered to himself.

The lady looked like she was getting extremely angry. Quickly before the situation got out of hand, Rose grabbed the cookies and motioned to The Doctor to leave. They both ran out of the restaurant before the lady could bother them anymore. But, since they both left, they didn't see the lady fall into a trance and a gold mist fly from her fingers to the cookies.

Rose yawned. It was getting pretty late, and she knew her mum would have a fit if she didn't get there first thing in the morning.

"Doctor, it's been 3 hours. I think those cookies are fine."

She had found him in the TARDIS' control room, staring at the cookies underneath a microscope. From what he could see, there was nothing wrong with them. Absolutely nothing. Well, that crazy Chinese lady probably just gave them normal fortune cookies for free. Wow. What a special birthday treat.

"Well, here, Rose," he said, handing her one of the cookies, "Happy birthday."

They both cracked open a cookie, and read the fortune. Strangely enough, they were both the same.

A journey soon begins,
its prize reflected in another's eyes,
What you see is what you lack,
Then selfless love will change you back

Suddenly, the TARDIS began to shake violently.

"Rose!"

She grabbed on to him; both holding on for their lives. Sparks began flying all over the place. Not a good sign.

With Rose still latched to his right arm, he ran over to the control panel and started pressing buttons and pulling levers.

"There's something wrong with the TARDIS!"

He rubbed it gently.

"What's wrong with you, old girl?"

Another tremendous quake shook them.

Sirens began blaring, and the scariest part was that The Doctor knew that there was nothing that he could do.

He grabbed Rose tight and looked into her eyes, and whispered "If we die and I don't regenerate, I just wanted to tell you-"

The Doctor was cut off by a deafening bang. She squeezed him tighter (which secretly, they both enjoyed.).

All of a sudden, they weren't in the TARDIS anymore. They were falling quickly into what seemed like a blinding light below. Rose screamed.

"Doctor!"

"Rose, I'm here! I'm right here!" He yelled, as she grabbed his hand.

She gazed into his big brown eyes and suddenly felt calm and safe. Well, as safe as you can feel when you're freefalling.

He returned the gaze into her eyes. For all he knew, this could be the last time he ever saw her. He had to tell her.

"Rose! I...I..."

Darkness.