A/N: Just a little fic based off something that happened to ktrosesworld (tumblr) while shopping for groceries.
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or anything related. That all goes to the BBC.
People said she was nuts, spending her lunch break shopping for groceries, but it actually wasn't as bad as people would assume. It was the middle of the week and the majority of the people in the stores were mothers with young children, and the elderly. Though she didn't fall into either of those categories, it was Rose's favourite time to shop. There was something to be said about shopping in the middle of the week that made people friendlier. The mothers loved to chat, desperate for just a bit of conversation with another adult, and the elderly loved to offer their opinions on everything from your choice of outfit to your choice of frozen peas. It never ceased to make Rose smile.
Today though, something was a bit off. There was a tenseness in the air that normally wasn't around. Perhaps it was the miserable weather they'd been having, or that the terror alert in the UK had, once again, been raised, but something was off. The mothers were holding their children tighter and keeping their heads down. The elderly were all sighing and shaking their heads as if disappointed in the world as a whole. Well, all except one. Rose had to hand it to the man, he wasn't about to let anyone dampen his spirits. He attempted several times to start conversations with other shoppers, but most kept going, offering him only an apologetic smile, if that. She'd passed him a few times when he'd finally turned his attentions on her.
Pointing, the old man said, "You. You're following me."
Rose grinned, her tongue peeking out between her teeth. "You caught me. But it's only because you're so good looking."
"Hoohoo!" he giggled adorably, sounding more like a school boy than a man somewhere in his late seventies. "Well, it's been an honour to be followed by someone as lovely as you, and for that I thank you."
"You have nice day," she replied with a blush.
"And you, sweetheart."
Walking out of Tesco that October day in 2004, Rose was sure she would probably never see that man again. Several years later, she was proved wrong.
"Still following me, then?"
Rose frowned for a moment before realisation dawned on her face. "Caught me," she said in disbelief. "You're still just so good looking."
"Well, it's still an honour."
Rose blinked away her tears, now was not the time to get emotional, before heading back to the entryway to collect her things. With her phone to her ear, she reentered the living room. "Control, I need another shift. Lock me onto the TARDIS, now." She grinned nervously at Donna Noble's family. "Right, I'm going to find him. Wish me luck."
"Oh, good luck!" Sylvia Noble told her.
"Yeah, good luck, sweetheart," Wilfred Mott wished, as she disappeared in a flash. "Good luck."