Rose's eyelashes fluttered as she adjusted to the sharp gleam of sunlight that had appeared through a crack in the red velvet curtain. Groaning slightly, she shifted under the covers stretching her legs out and took in her surroundings.

The room was large and decorated so elaborately that Rose felt very much out of place. A room so far from her own messy one back on-board the TARDIS and the other in the Powell Estate where clothes and magazines would be strewn across the floor and empty tea cups lay everywhere.

Rose was in Versailles.

She remembered back to the previous nights events in which the Doctor had rescued Madame de
Pompadour from the clockwork droids. Rose had been terrified that the Doctor had left her and Mickey with the TARDIS and had been trapped in the 18th century himself. Away from her forever. She couldn't bear the thought of it, even now. But the Doctor always finds a way.

He had come back through the fireplace and had beckoned Rose and Mickey to join him in a celebration in Versailles. The trio had partied away the night, laughing and joking together, Rose barely leaving the Doctor's side all evening. Never wanting to lose him again

Rose smiled at the thought of the previous few hours and turned over to find the soft sleeping form of the Doctor lying fully clothed on the bed next to her.

She let out a sigh and brushed his warm cheek with her fingers. The Doctor's eyes suddenly snapped open at her touch.

"Morning," he said, flashing her a grin.

"Should've known you weren't asleep," she said, poking him in the chest with her finger, "do you ever sleep?"

The Doctor scrunched up his face. "Weeeeeell, sometimes when my head's all.....fuzzy."

Rose giggled. "You're head's always fuzzy," she said in a low voice, ruffling his hair playfully.

The Doctor grinned and turned to face her.

The pair were silent for several moments, merely content with staring at each other.

Finally Rose broke the comfortable silence. "So why did you stay here, with me?" she said pointing to the bed and raising her eyebrows.

"Why wouldn't I want to stay with my favourite ape?...OW!" Rose punched him hard on the shoulder. "OK, OK companion."

Rose poked her tongue out between her teeth, grinning. The Doctor rubbed his bruised arm.

"You Rose Tyler are trouble, you know that," he said before leaping towards her and tickling her ribs. Rose let out a laugh and a shriek before almost tumbling off the bed. Just at the last moment, the Doctor caught her around her middle and pulled her towards him.

Rose settled her arms around the Doctor's neck and brushed at the back of his collar absent mindedly.

"So why did you stay here?" she asked smiling, continuing her interrogation.

The Doctor paused for a moment before staring into Rose's eyes. "Because I thought I'd lost you."

The pair moved closer,hugging, the Doctor resting his chin on Rose's shoulder as she did the same.

"Rose Tyler, you are brilliant and perfect and just wonderful and I realised last night that I would be lost without you if I ever let you go."

Rose leaned back so that her face was level with the Doctor's and stared at him in disbelief.

"Y-y-you mean that?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly.

"Yes Rose Tyler, yes I do," he said, beaming at her.

Rose felt a slow single tear roll down her cheek but vanish as the Doctor swiftly brushed it away with his thumb. She breathed deeply before leaning forwards and pressing a soft kiss to the Doctor's lips.

Seconds later she pulled back and smiled at him nervously before his face cracked into a huge grin, happiness spreading over his features.

"Come on," he said in a sing-song voice, grabbing Rose's hand and dragging her off the bed and towards the door, "We need to find Mickety-Mick-Mickey before he gets himself into trouble in 18thcentury France. The man could not handle his banana daiquiris last night, the last time I saw him he was riding towards Paris on a horse, my horse in fact!"

"We are not keeping the horse!" shouted Rose as she ran after the Doctor.