The Doctor walked out ahead of Rose, rubbing at his temples. Jackie's grating voice continued on behind them as Rose shut the door.

"Sorry bout' that." Rose apologized.

"Your mum can be an insufferable...gnat sometimes you know that?"

"Sometimes you try too hard to be nice when calling her names." Rose said as she diverted her eyes to the side a bit. "You don't cover your meaning's too well, yeah. Believe me, sometimes she deserves what you think...sometimes."

"Not with the things I think..."

"And what is it you think then?" Her gaze turned back to him. He could feel the sharpness of it on his back.

"...right then! Lunch! Fish and chips then?"

Rose moved so she was next to him now as they made their way down the stairs. "Doctor...you didn't answer me."

"Do I really have to?" He grumbled. His voice in an almost knowing manner.

"S'ppose not." Rose admitted. Her mother could be quite infuriating...most the time. "But I am still sorry. Been telling her to fix that lock for the longest time now."

"Only your mum could turn something that was her fault in the first place, to something that's someone else's fault when the act was committed against that person."

"Was a compliment at least, yeah?" She regretted the statement instantly as the Doctor turned about.

"She was staring at my...she didn't turn away as a proper person would...or should..." He trailed off. This was quite possibly right up there on the list of weirdest conversations. "Only your mum,' he began again, "could turn the whole fact of the lock being broken, into my fault!" He voiced a bit louder than intended, swinging his arms out and up over his head for emphases. Then he continued on with the best 'Jackie mocking voice' that he could muster. This turned out to be a mixture of high pitched, gravelly...rubbish. "Well you're here a good amount more lately. Pretty much made yourself the man of the flat. You fix it!" He dropped his arms back to his side and rolled his eyes. "Really?"

"Well with Mickey off in a pocket universe..." Rose started.

"Stop it..."

Rose giggled softly to herself as they headed off to the main walk, taking a left and heading down the street. She couldn't help but think that it was a bit funny when her mum and the Doctor went at it. He may have hated it and to anyone else it may look like they just plain didn't get along. But Rose knew better. Sure, they did both infuriate the living daylights out of each other, but for her mum to act in such a way towards the Doctor; was about the best you were going to get in being accepted by her. So it wasn't all bad. Minus the lack of apology for walking in on the Doctor when he'd just gotten out of the shower, and then not even attempting to look away. To her mum's defense, she had just gotten back from the store. But usually a closed door meant 'occupied'. Typical of her mum really, ignore things in plain sight. For a moment, just a moment, Rose wondered if he would have been just as upset if it had been her that walked in on him. She was quick to squash that thought though. It was getting a bit scary how these kinds of thoughts wiggled their way in so frequently lately. She didn't hate the thoughts by any means, she just thought they shouldn't come as often.

"Rose!"

She shook the thought's, literally, from her mind as she whipped her head from right to left. "Yeah?" She questioned.

"I asked if here was ok?" He said, pointing to a small eatery.

"Yeah, that's fine."

"You alright then?" He asked, a worried look on his face.

"Every time someone gets lost in thought doesn't mean there's anything wrong Doctor, now come on." She said as she grabbed his arm and tugged him inside.

It was one of the smaller places, the kind that probably couldn't fit more than twenty people. But those places often had the best food, and in fact, that was very well the case of this place. They took a seat, not bothering with menus in any way since they were there for primarily one thing. So after they made their order, they sat in mutual silence. The Doctor, being ever so much himself, was taking in the surroundings. Cataloging every tiny thing in the small place. It was like the man could just not even shut his mind off for five minutes. Though after so much time spent with both of his regenerations, Rose actually found it one of the things she liked about him. Intelligent yet somehow still so daft. Give him anything scientific or intellectual and he was all over it. Anything relationship wise, be it platonic or otherwise, he was dumb as a doornail. Both turned their attention back to reality as the waitress returned with their food and they immediately dug in.

It continued to stay quiet for sometime till the Doctor finally spoke up. "So, where should we go next? I was thinking more of a vacation destination. We've been through quite a bit lately."

"Lately?" She questioned, an amused look on her face. "When don't we end up somewhere where we have to be running all the time?"

"Sorry bout' that." He said, wholeheartedly.

"Don't you be doing that now. You know if I had a problem with it I'd have left a bit ago." She reached across the table and gave him a lighthearted conk on the head. "Vacation sounds good though, yeah. I'm sure you know a great place."

Before he could get anything in the way of a response out, two officers walked in and took a seat, continuing whatever discussion they had started outside. They ignored the two men primarily, till the Doctor picked out the word 'mangled corpse' from the conversation, looking up instantly. It was at this moment that Rose knew a vacation was not forthcoming.

"I don't know why they don't just tear that place down" The younger officer said to the older as the waitress brought them coffee. They waited for her to go before the older responded.

"You know it's a bit more a complicated situation when the city buildings pretty much touch each other. Side's, people for the most part stay out of the upper parts due to the stories. And it does have a business inside remember."

"But there hasn't been a report in ages now." The younger continued. "Suppose that means people think it's safe to go fumbling about inside."

"Which is probably what happened." The older said as he took a sip of coffee. "Poor old sap."

The Doctor's gaze fell on Rose who already had that look on her face. She was prepared to move as soon as he gave the word. And that came with a tiny spark in his eyes, that spark he got at the possibility of learning something new. They flagged down the waitress for the bill, before getting up and making their way over to the two officers.

They stopped at the table, the Doctor already flashing his psychic paper at them. This time he was a member of Scotland Yard. "Sorry, I overheard. Bit hard not to with so little people in here. Now this is supposed to be hush hush but, I'm sure as men of the law you'll understand to keep it quiet. But, we've been looking into odd occurrence's around the city for a bit now and I was just wondering if you could fill me in a bit on what you've stumbled upon?"

The older of the two gave him a skeptical look before deciding to divulge his information. "Seems some deaths have started up again over at the building on Berkeley Square."

The Doctor raised a brow, so Rose stepped in so they wouldn't get more suspicious.

"Fifty Berkeley Square then, yeah?" The older only nodded.

"Has been a while then hasn't it?" Rose continued. "I suppose the body was found in the same way as the others from past reports then?"

Again the older man nodded. "Found the poor bloke in the basement, all bent this way and that, mangled. Eye's bulged from his head in fear."

The Doctor took over again, tilting his head to the side slightly. "And what are the presumptions this time as to what could have happened to him?"

"Same as before I suppose, though others would tell you something else. But mostly that some unknown aquatic creature got back into the building. Just a bad place for a homeless man to be squatting."

"And what is it that others would think?"

The older officer gave him an 'are you serious' look. "Ghosts or some...magical creature."

The Doctor gave Rose a quick look before nodding to the two officers. "Thank you for your time officers." He was quick to get himself and Rose out before any further questions could be asked.

It was no surprise to Rose that they were heading straight to the building to check it out. Of course this would be something he'd want to check out, but for someone who grew up knowing the stories...she'd rather face an army of Daleks than this. They had walked in relative silence a good portion of the way, until the Doctor's worried voice drew the attention of her ears.

"You seem to be bothered by this..."

"Been hearing the stories since I was a kid."

"...so what's this about then?"

Rose took a moment, drawing in a deep breath before talking again. "Goes back pretty far from what I heard. Not sure how far but, heard mostly that the known stories were in the 1800's. People that stayed in the upper floor, the fourth, though I heard the second as well...were found either contorted in fear or dismembered...all with their eyes almost bulged out of their sockets...The one with the sailors I knew best. They squatted there when they used up all their money or something. The one of them was found mutilated...though I had also heard he was tossed out the window and impaled on the iron rod fence..." She stopped after that, screwing her face up a bit.

"...you don't have to come in with me if you don't want to." He said, not wanting at all for her to push herself to do something she didn't want to.

"No, it's alright. Been wanting to face my fears of the story for a while now anyway. There's a bookstore on the bottom floor of the building now...so it makes me wonder how the bloke got in without setting the alarm off..."

The Doctor thought about that for a moment. Breaking in from any point outside the building would set off the alarm. So how had he gotten in? "...the police said they thought it was something of aquatic nature yes?"

She slowly nodded.

"Well...sewers right under our feet...Lot's of ways to get in there. And if the creature is aquatic and uses the sewers..."

"There has to be an entrance in the basement or something. Somewhere that no one notices it. You wouldn't trigger an alarm then."

"Exactly."

They approached the building at last. A four floor structure with the bottom floor having a white covering while the top floors had a dark black. It was roped off of course with police tape, and a few officers still stood guard outside. The Doctor flashed his psychic paper again and, after a puzzled look, the police let them pass. They made their way quickly to the next floor, trying to get a feel for the whole place. It did feel pretty thick, more so as you got to the fourth floor. But after some snooping around, the Doctor found nothing unusual other than the odd feeling. So instead they made their way down to the basement, being hit instantly by the damp smell mixed with the stench of death.

"...you can wait upstairs if you want. There's no reports of anything on the ground floor right?"

"None. But I'd rather stay with you, yeah."

The Doctor only nodded and continued onwards. The dark patch where the body had been was right at the base of the stairs. The blood of course had been cleaned up but the stain would most likely, forever stay. The spot still had police tape around it as well, tied to the railing and reaching across to a shelving unit at the back of the room. Both out of a sort of respect, and to not damage any clues that could still be left behind, the Doctor crawled over the railing, helping Rose over as well. Her eyes locked on the dark spot for a moment. She may have seen a lot, death included, but it didn't mean she could no longer feel the emotions. Part of it still scared her a bit, as it would any sane person. She diverted her eyes from the spot as a loud 'clang' echoed through the room. She turned her head to see the Doctor searching in a far corner, having pushed some metal barrels a bit too hard as he tried to move them.

"Whoops...sorry bout' that. "

"Let's try to not give me a heart attack, yeah?"

The Doctor just scratched the back of his head as he righted the barrels. Nothing was to be found in that corner anyway, so he moved to another part of the basement.

Rose worked her way over to the other side, deciding she should do something other than just stand there like an idiot. As she approached the back wall, her foot slipped on something and she nearly slammed to the floor. Having managed to regain her balance, she turned to try to get a look at just what she had slipped on. "Doctor!" she called out. "Have a light?"

The Doctor tilted his head a bit and pulled a small torch from his pocket, walking over and handing it to her. She flicked it on and pointed it to the spot she had slipped at, her nose scrunching up a bit. A pool of purplish slime covered a small section of the floor, a line of it running along the floor not to far from the puddle.

"What the hell is that?" She asked, disgust in her voice.

"...not quite sure..." The Doctor said slowly as he followed the other trail with is eyes. "But I think I see our entrance." He pointed in the direction with his head, causing Rose to turn around to see where he was looking. On the floor was an open sewer grate, which would help explain the stench she was facing as she reached the back of the room. Thing is it didn't exactly smell as a sewer would, so it threw her off a bit.

"Well we can't just go trudging in there now can we?" The Doctor asked, sighing.

"Yeah, cause' we're not sure what we're facing yet."

"Well, that and...it is a sewer. Just want to go trudging in there with just the clothes you got on?"

Rose looked down at herself, taking in her pink hoodie, jeans, and flat shoes. Certainly not the attire for going in a sewer. Especially with all the different bacteria roaming around down there. "Guess you're right about that."

"Come on then, we'll head back to the TARDIS and get some supplies. We'll head into the sewers in the morning."

She nodded and followed him back up and out of the building. The mutual quietness had returned, which was not at all unusual when they got into situations like this. This was the time for him to go over all the possibilities in his mind. The what if's and the hows. She knew better than to bother him in this stage unless absolutely necessary. Though it did make for lonely times. Even though she didn't understand everything that came out of his mouth, she still enjoyed hearing it. And she couldn't deny that by now she had learned a thing or two. Least she could be helpful on the TARDIS from time to time.

The silence carried on well into entering the TARDIS, and she started to wonder if maybe there was more on his mind. But she didn't ask him about it. One thing you learn about the Doctor is he likes his secrets, even if he trusts you above all else.

"There we go." He said at last after piling some supplies together. "All set for the morning."

"So are we going to stay in the TARDIS for the night or head back to mums flat?"

The look on his face told Rose how much the latter left a sour taste.

"Oh come on. I'll have a talk with mum if you're going to be such a baby about it." She smiled, jostling him in the ribs lightly.

"I don't appreciate being ogled by your mother."

"Can't tell me you're not used to it. Remember you told me she tried to invite you inside her bedroom in your last incarnation."

The Doctor paled considerably at the memory. He had felt less awkward around her in those days. Now stumbling around in a flat with her was just an uncomfortable experience. "Fine, alright." He said at last. "But I'm sleeping on your bedroom floor or something."

The widening of her eyes and the fact her arms dropped from their positions across her chest, told him he said something really wrong.

"...oh no...I didn't mean...uh...well..." He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up further and sending little tufts of it every which way. It was amazing how this man could start completely groomed in the morning and by the end of the day, look like he just got out of bed. "I can sleep on the couch."

"Oh come off it." She said after she recovered a bit. "It's fine with me. Besides, fun way to play with mum's head."

The Doctor tilted his head a bit. "She has that much of a problem with me?"

"Not you per say. Just you being an alien...No wait...not entirely true..." She diverted her gaze a bit.

"Not entirely true?" He crossed his arms over his chest. The man was outright pouting now! "What have I done to her? Well...besides bringing battles to her front door, dropping in unannounced, practically kidnapping her daughter...getting said daughter involved in space battles and other unsettling things..."

She stood with a deadpanned expression for a moment. "...she said none of that...though now I wonder why she didn't...but...she more or less called you a home wrecker."

"A what!?" Rose shifted a bit uncomfortably and cleared her throat.

"For uh...breaking me and Micky up..."

His mouth moved a few times, trying to form a response. His arms fell from his chest, and he stuck his hands in his pockets, for the lack of anything better to do with them. "Oh...right...um...sorry bout' that. Well, I mean.."

And there it was again, his inability to perform in this state. "Well...technically, I mean...scientifically that probably meant by statistics...you weren't meant to make it at all...I'm not helping am I?"

"Not a bit I'm afraid. But you're right I suppose. We did dwindle off at the end. Hard to date someone who'd rather run across space and time." Though she had to admit, it was the Doctors fault they broke up. But maybe he just quickened something that was already coming.

"Well, don't be worrying about it. You're still young Rose. He's out there somewhere."

He set his hand on her shoulder and gave it a light squeeze as he walked passed. It stayed there a bit longer then usual though, and it caused her to hesitate a bit before following him. She slipped her hand in his as she usually did, and they headed back to her mum's flat. Tomorrow would be a long day, best to keep her mind where it belongs.