Rose's hand flew out from under her duvet to reach across her nightstand and slap the off button on her alarm clock. She rolled over and opened one eye to see the blaring red numbers that told her it was 5:00 in the morning. She groaned and dragged herself out of bed and down the hall towards the bathroom.
She turned the faucet on in the sink and splashed her face with water. As she craned her neck upwards to look at herself in the mirror, she grimaced. Her eyes were puffy and her hair an awful mess. Rose really hated when she had to go in to work early. After brushing her teeth and hair she trudged downstairs to the kitchen.
Rose stopped and looked at the date on the calendar that was hanging on the refrigerator door. August the fifth. Exactly one month since the Doctor had been left in this universe with her. She wondered if he'd noticed. Rose stayed deep in thought, still standing in front of the refrigerator. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a voice calling her name.
"Earth to Rose! You there? I'd just like to get a juice box, if you don't mind."
Rose returned to reality. She turned her head and saw the Doctor standing near her, wearing his glasses, blue and white striped pajama pants and a white T-shirt. His hair was a complete mess. He'd obviously just woken up as well.
"Oh, sorry, Doctor." She stepped away from the refrigerator and then told him, "You know, those juice boxes are meant for toddlers. Mum buys them for Tony."
The Doctor grinned. "Yes, I know. I just love them, though. They help me think." He pulled open the refrigerator door and grabbed a juice box. After quite a pathetic struggle, he finally managed to poke the straw through the little hole at the top. He sipped out of the straw. Suddenly, his face contorted and he spewed juice all over the kitchen floor.
"Doctor, what's wrong?" Rose asked him, alarmed. The Doctor glanced down at the juice box he was holding. He cringed as he read the label.
The Doctor looked up at Rose. "This juice is pear flavored! Has Jackie gone mad? Pear juice is the worst thing you could give your four year old son! Ugh, I hate pears!"
Rose just stood there, still a bit in shock. Then she laughed so hard she snorted. "Oh my gosh, you should've seen your face! It was like you'd swallowed a bug!"
The Doctor just glared at the box in his hand. He crumpled it up and tossed it in the rubbish bin. He stomped over to the cupboard and pulled out a glass, which he filled with water. He guzzled it down to try and wash the pear flavor off of his tongue.
While the Doctor was upset, Rose was still standing in the kitchen giggling at him. "Oh, stop your laughing", he muttered. "Pear juice is nothing to laugh about. It's an abomination! I'm going to have to speak with Jackie about this."
About that time, Jackie came storming through the kitchen door in her pink, fluffy bathrobe. "Oi! It's five in the morning! What's with all the racket down here? I'm trying to catch up on my beauty sleep!" she raged.
The Doctor opened the refrigerator and pulled out another juice box. "What is this, Jackie?" he asked her as he held it out in her face.
"It's a juice box! I buy them for Tony", she replied, irritably.
"It's not just a juice box", he told her. "It's a pear flavored juice box! You can't give Tony pear juice! What happened to the grape and cranberry juice?"
Jackie rolled her eyes. "The pear juice was half off, so I decided to get that instead because it was cheaper! I didn't know you'd have a little hissy fit over it. I didn't even know you drank them! They are made for children, you know."
The Doctor just sighed. "Yes, I know they're for children! But I like them, too. Just don't ever buy pear juice again. I can't let you give poor Tony pear juice."
Jackie huffed at him. "Alright, then! No more pear juice. If you don't mind, I'm going back to bed. And clean up this mess all over the floor!" she snapped as she gestured to the juice spattered on the floor. With that she stomped away through the kitchen door.
Rose was still obviously trying to hold in her laughter. The Doctor frowned at her but couldn't help laughing himself. "Oi, knock it off, will you?" he told Rose with a grin. He grabbed a mop from the cleaning supply closet and began to clean up the juice.
"So", the Doctor began to ask Rose. "What are you doing up this early?" Rose grimaced as she plopped herself into a kitchen chair. She sighed.
"Going to work", she told him. "Torchwood has been busy nonstop lately and it's killing me. Gotta get up at five this week to get some of my work done."
The Doctor frowned. He hated that Rose was overworking herself. "You know," he said. "I've actually been thinking lately. Figured now that we won't be traveling for a while, that I should probably stop living off of what you and your family make. Especially since Jackie was so considerate as to give me a room here in your home." At this they both cracked up. Jackie would have done anything to keep him out of her house. "Anyway", he continued, "so I've decided to get a job."
Rose turned her head towards him. "A job? That sounds like something you'd hate. So regular and... normal."
The Doctor nodded. "Yes, I would hate a normal job. But I still need the money, so I thought I could maybe get a job somewhere that would entertain me a bit. Something up my alley."
Rose lifted her eyebrows. "Oh. Are you implying Torchwood?" she asked him. "I mean, I haven't got a problem with that. Just you know, didn't think you liked it all that much. Considering what happened in our universe and all..." she stopped herself from finishing her sentence.
The Doctor winced, remembering all too clearly the pain and heartache of losing Rose back in the cyberman invasion, which was thanks to Torchwood. He shook off the feeling. It was all okay. He had her now, and she was safe. Sitting right in front of him. He smiled at her. "Well like you said; this Torchwood is much better, right?"
Rose nodded and smiled, showing off the tip of her tongue as usual. She really loved the idea of him working with her. They could spend more time together. She probably wouldn't mind getting up earlier if she had him with her. "Would you like me to ask my boss about an interview?" she asked the Doctor.
He grinned at her. "That'd be fantastic! Well I guess I should get ready, then." He dashed up the stairs and Rose heard his footsteps going down the hall. She smiled to herself. She thought it was kind of cute how happy he was to go to work with her. Then she left the kitchen to go get ready for work herself.