All characters belong to the BBC and I'm not making anything from them.

Rose's eyes snapped open, but she just groaned and rolled over. The events of the day before kept running through her mind as she tossed and turned. It was no use; she was just too young and healthy to sleep for more than 10 hours, regardless of how stressful the day had been. She slowly dragged herself from bed and pulled her duffel from underneath.

"The Doctor showed more kindness than I realized he possessed," she thought, "but I can't expect him to ignore this."

Rose pulled her clothes from the dresser next to the bed and shoved them into the bag, mindlessly disregarding future wrinkles. Once again she relived the worst day of her life. She remembered the pain of watching her father die during her first visit. And then she remembered the pain in the Doctor's eyes when she saved him during her second visit. His dismay at her actions burned through her this morning. She had been too caught up in the moment to notice it at the time, but the disappointment he showed then tinted her checks with shame this morning.

He'd been great afterward, though. In the TARDIS he'd held her while she cried for the better part of an hour. Once she finally calmed, he left for a few minutes only to return with soup and a cup of tea.

"Eat." he'd said. "Then bed."

She'd obeyed without much energy and slept through the night. Mercifully, she'd been too exhausted to dream. He wouldn't be so understanding this morning though; she'd broken his cardinal rule.

She carried the full bag from her room and followed the sounds of banging; smiling in regret at the muttered curses she wouldn't hear again.

"Good morning, Rose," the Doctor uttered from the bowels of the TARDIS. "I'll be finished in just a moment."

"No hurry," she said blankly, "I'll be ready whenever you are." She dropped the bag in a corner and settled in the control room chair to wait.

Moments later, the Doctor emerged from the mechanical guts of his time machine and studied her. She was very quiet and pale; to be expected, he supposed. She wouldn't just bounce back immediately, even if her father was still little more than a stranger to her.

He noticed the bag in the corner at the same instant she realized he was watching her.

"What is . . ?

"I'm ready."

They said together.

"Ready for what?" the Doctor asked.

"To go home, of course."

"Why would you go home?" the Doctor began, but Rose continued in a bleak voice without hearing him.

"I understand." Rose said. "I know you can't forgive what I did, and you'll never trust me again. I won't make a scene when we get back to my time. I just want to thank you for the fantastic things you've shown me these past months."

"Rose, I . . ."

Rose went on as if he'd remained silent. "I won't forget anything, and I promise. . ."

"ROSE." The Doctor finally cut through her monologue. "What ARE you babbling about?"

"Your taking me home. I know you can't keep me now," she answered in confusion.

"I'm not taking you back," the Doctor all but shouted.

"You're not?"

"Well, I mean, I will if you want me to," he said "but I have no intention of leaving you."

Rose shook her head, eyes wide.

"But you dumped Adam the first time he screwed up, and this was MUCH worse than that. I nearly caused the destruction the entire world and got you killed to boot."

"Adam was being greedy; he wouldn't have changed if I allowed him a second chance. You were fighting great emotional compulsion to do something. To be honest, I should have been better prepared. I don't go back to Galifrey for that exact reason. I don't think I could keep myself from stopping it."

Rose stood in amazement. The ten hours of sleep she'd gotten wasn't enough to totally counter the stress of the day and the effects of her crying. She was awake, but her mind was slow and fuzzy.

"I WILL take you home if you want to go, but only if you ask. Right now, you're too tired to make any decisions. You may not be able to sleep, but you're hardly up to anything. We'll stay in the TARDIS; you do whatever you want."

The Doctor returned to the maintenance panel and pulled out his tools. Rose dully picked up her bag and headed toward her room. A glimmer of daylight streaked through the darkness that had descended on her soul. It dawned on her that she hadn't been nearly as upset at the idea of returning home as she had been about losing the Doctor's respect and not seeing him again. She wondered at the relief she felt at his decision, and what it all meant.

The Doctor pounded away randomly on various parts within his reach. He wondered at his reaction to Rose's assumption. She was right; with anyone else he would have immediately set a course for home. He hadn't even contemplated returning her for a moment; in actuality, he'd panicked at the thought that he might never see her again. For the first time in ages, literally, he welcomed each new day, as long as Rose was there.

He returned to work when he realized the joy that thought brought. Fortunately, for his peace of mind, he just accepted that a companion had ended his solitude. He failed to notice it was ROSE he would have missed, not just a companion. He wasn't ready to face the reality that subtle difference presented. For now, just having her would be enough.

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