He had no idea what was wrong with her and she wouldn't tell him. He pled and wheedled, insisted and demanded but she wouldn't say a word. Until he could figure out why she wouldn't fly he was well and truly stuck. It was serious, whatever wouldn't let her move. She'd done away with all the rooms save the console room. Which meant three things: He'd need a place to stay, he'd need to pay for it, and he'd need a job to do so. Few people knew it but he was the best barkeep in Galifrey, and therefore he'd be a bartender. It wouldn't be hard to procure a license for it after all. He could still check on the Old Girl every single day. It would be fine.

After a week of the TARDIS not moving he fell into a rhythm, and he hated it. He had the TARDIS, and he never stayed put. Now he had to, and it just killed him. Here he still was almost a full month later.

Normally, he didn't like to listen to the staff gossip so when he heard there was a new waitress starting, naturally, he shrugged it off. What did he care? Once his girl was up and running he'd be gone anyway.

"This is Rose." The manager announced in his gruff but kind voice. Oh, no. No, no, no. He'd left her on that beach with the metacrisis only hours ago. The wounds were too fresh to deal with the girl herself. He couldn't. A muscle in his jaw worked furiously as he fought to remain calm. Screaming out 'It's not fair!' might come across a bit oddly. Of all the bars in all the cities in all the world she walked into his. "She's working on the bar side so John, keep an eye on her." Of course it would be so. After all, the universe hated him. "Help her out. Cover her back if she messes up. People tend to warm to you. Ladies mostly…" He added teasingly. It was a well-known fact around the restaurant that several women—and a few men—had given him their numbers, and he'd been there just one month.

10Rose10Rose10Rose10Rose10Rose10Rose10Rose10Rose10 Rose10Rose10Rose10Rose10Rose

And Rose could see why. The tall, thin and handsome man was any girl's dream with great hair and a smile that reached his eyes. Many girls would be intimidated by such a work of art but Rose wouldn't be. She'd just come back to her mother's home from an abusive relationship with a man who manipulated her. Not much could scare her, certainly not an attractive man. Although, she did hope they could be friends. He seemed so pleasant.

"Hello." She immediately walked over to The Doctor and held her hand out to shake.

"Pleasure." He returned the gesture. "No need for introductions. We've already been introduced, sort of."

"I know you're John and you know I'm Rose. So near enough right?" His face broke into a genuine grin.

"I think I'm going to like you Rose…" Her heart skipped a lot more than it should have at that statement. Even if he did come to like her in that way, she wasn't dating anybody for a very long time.

"Rose Tyler." He tensed in preparation for her next question: What was his last name? It never came.

"Well, Rose Tyler, allow me to show you around." He emanated a natural charm and Rose was positive she was going to develop a crush on him. Crushes were okay, because she wasn't going to actually date him.

"You've seen the kitchen, but you'll hardly use it. Just the cooks back there. I've been back maybe twice and I've been here for 27 days."

"You've counted?"

"Yeah. I'm a bit stir-crazy" He scratched the back of his neck. "This…was sort of supposed to be a more temporary job. I…my vehicle broke down, see, and I'm stuck. I actually was staying in a motel until very recently. Less ties that way, you know, but," he clenched his jaw, "I'm not getting out of here quite as soon as I'd hoped."

"Lucky for me then. Most people aren't so welcoming of the new employees."

"No?" His brow knitted in confusion. "They were plenty nice to me." Rose didn't bother explaining to him why they were nice to him. Of course they would be. It was impossible to be mean to him, she thought. If she just knew about his home planet, the monsters he came across, certain members of the UNIT task force, for that matter. Rude, is what they were.

"John?" her gentle voice prodded him out of his thoughts.

"Oh. Sorry?"

"I asked if you're a waiter."

"No. Barkeep."

"I'm not old enough yet." That settled it. He had at least five years on her. Older guys were an absolute no-no, at least after Jimmy.

"How about I'll teach you on the sly? Then when you are old enough you'll be great at bartending."

"You the only bartender?"

"Oh no. Donna Noble bartends as well. But…" How was he supposed to explain to a human what had happened that day? He didn't want to lie. The Doctor despised lying. However, she hadn't met him yet, not properly, not at Henrik's, so she wouldn't understand. She'd think he was crazy, or worse, just being an ass. He couldn't stand it if she hated him. Not even the Rose he hadn't traveled with, who didn't know about aliens should ever hate him; no, not even her. "She…found out her fiancée was…cheating on her. She's taken time off."

"That's horrible!" Rose seemed outraged over a woman whom she'd never even met.

"It was. But it happened. Life goes on."

"You sound so callous about it."

"Not at all." It was his turn to be enraged. "She's my best friend. But you can't change the past. Next time she'll listen when she's told that a man is bad news."

Rose's face softened, "I have the inability to listen there, too."

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you, John." The only response he'd receive. He understood. She wasn't thanking him for his heartfelt apology. She was thanking him for not saying, "Why'd you do it?" "Who was he?" "What happened?"

The Doctor understood and she was grateful.