Rose woke up with a start, and sighed with relief as she saw herself surrounded by the familiar TARDIS walls. Her dream almost slipped from her, but there was one thing she remembered; her mum, worried sick about her. The dream came flooding back, and Rose felt her throat tighten. Mum couldn't really be worried, could she? The Doctor would go back just after they left, and Mum wouldn't even know they had gone.

But at the same time...what if he didn't get it right? What if the TARDIS acted up and landed in the wrong time, far in the future, and then they couldn't go back because of a paradox or some sort of other thing? And in some sort of alternate future, her mum was worried about her, because she had disappeared in the middle of the night.

Rose swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, steadying herself on the wall as her head swam. A heaviness weighed down on her, and she realized that she must not have gotten near enough sleep. She glanced down at a little clock by her bedside that was set to London time, placed there by either the Doctor or the TARDIS. It read four o' clock in the morning, which meant that she had only had around three and a half hours of sleep.

Still, Rose knew that she couldn't go to bed with that dream in mind. She exited her room, and looked down the long hallway. She wasn't sure where the Doctor's room was, or if he even had one. In her mind, it wouldn't be unusual if he fell asleep in the chair next to the TARDIS control panel. Either way, she wouldn't want to wake him.

Rose tiptoed down the hallway, her stomach emitting a quiet growl. She mentally shushed it and padded into the control room, telling herself that food could wait. The lights in the room were dimmed, though a gentle hum reverberated throughout the floor. She looked around for the Doctor, but didn't see him anywhere.

With muted footsteps, Rose made her way to the TARDIS doors and pulled them open. Outside was the endless expanse of space, drifting by at a slow pace. It was peaceful and comforting somehow, and Rose's dream was momentarily forgotten.

A warm hand grasped hers. Rose jumped, and then looked up to see the Doctor, still dressed in his blue suit, smiling down at her with an eyebrow raised.

"A few hours might be enough to keep me going for a little while, but it's definitely not enough for you." He pressed her hand and frowned. "What's wrong?"

"It's my family," said Rose, looking down and seeing their faces in her head. "I miss them."

"You're afraid that we'll end up in the wrong time." It was a statement, not a question.

Rose nodded. "I keep thinking that my mum is worrying about me..."

"Do you want to go home then?"

She looked up at him. Though he wore an indifferent expression, Rose knew that he would be reluctant to go back.

"Just for a visit, then we can go off again." Rose's stomach growled in the silence that followed, and she shook her head.

The Doctor smiled and chuckled. "Right, then. Your wish is my command. But I think we might need to do something about that appetite of yours first."

Rose looked down at her stomach. "I am pretty hungry..."

"Don't worry. I know just the place." The Doctor jumped to the console, and the TARDIS came to life. The lights brightened, and the contents of the tube in the center of the control panel moved up and down. That familiar whining noise followed, and then came a satisfied thump as the TARDIS landed a minute or so later.

The Doctor glanced at the TARDIS' screen, smiled, and turned to face Rose. He tugged at the bottom of his jacket and his eyebrows furrowed together. "I need to change." And without another word, he bounded off through the door and down the hallway.

"Doctor!" Rose called after him, utterly confused. It was no use. She walked over to the screen, which showed a small Italian restaurant across a blacktop road. People sat around tables in front of the restaurant, all attired in black suits and ties or elegant dresses. It was nighttime, and people were walking up and down the road chatting and laughing. Music drifted from somewhere close by, maybe even from the restaurant.

So it had gone from getting food to a date with the Doctor. It wouldn't be their first date, but it had been a long time. For some reason, butterflies flitted through Rose's stomach, replacing the feeling of hunger. Why was she nervous? This was the Doctor, the man she knew so well, the man she trusted her life to...

And still the feeling wouldn't go away. Rose looked down at her faded jeans and t-shirt. She definitely needed to change. With that, she ran to her room to find the perfect outfit.