Title: I Get By With A Little Help (inspired by the Beatles song)
Author: PrincessOfQuestionableMorals
Genre: Adventure, Romance, Friendship?
Characters/Pairings: Rose/Doctor (10th), Donna, Sarah-Jane, Captain Jack, Torchwood, Martha...
Summary: The quintessential Rose-returns-pre-s4 story! Will Rose be reunited with the Doctor? Will she be able to save the world if the Doctor isn't there to help? Did I write this fic just to use the word "quintessential" in the summary? Read on to find out.
Author's Note: It's not crack. Really. Just another "what if" story, that will end up Doctor/Rose, unless the plot bunnies decide to rampage in a different direction.

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Chapter One: ...From Sylvia Noble

Rose Tyler woke up freezing and laying on sand, with something wet and cold attacking her face. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted by the sight of what appeared to be a rather large golden bug.

She closed her eyes, and opened them again.

Nope. Still there.

Realizing upon further observation that it was not actually a bug but rather a rather overeager dog, she sat up, pushing it away. As the world spun dizzily and her body protested against the movement, she put a hand against her head and tried to focus.

Her concentration was interrupted by a squeak from a woman, who was, Rose supposed, the owner of the dog. The woman's eyes widened in shock as they looked at Rose, before softening with pity.

"Are you okay? How did you get here?" The woman asked softly.

"I don't remember," said Rose, honestly. "I was…" She tried to think. "Mickey was there, and Jake…"

"Oh, honey." The woman looked on the verge of tears. "We'll get this figured out, but first we need to get you some clothes."

That was when Rose realized that she was naked.

And that the sky was free of zeppelins.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Sylvia Noble (which is what the woman's name was, Rose learned) found out that Rose didn't remember anything except her name, she offered her a place to stay for the night. Dressed in an old and rather tight sweatshirt and jeans that Sylvia had brought out, claiming that her daughter wouldn't mind sharing, she curled up on the couch with a cup of tea.

Rose could tell from the way the older woman watched her that Sylvia believed that Rose had been raped, and though Rose wanted to tell her that it wasn't rape, if only to ease her mind, she knew that the real explanation made no sense to anyone except her.

"You look surprised to be alive," Wilf, Sylvia's father, informed her. She shot a smile at the man and shrugged.

"I've been away from London for a long time," she replied cryptically and Wilf frowned, though he didn't press the subject

The two sat in companionable silence, and Rose stared up at the stars through the window, thinking of him and where he was and if he had another companion.

"Looking for aliens?" asked Wilfred, following her gaze.

Rose started giggling. "You have no idea."

Wilf opened his mouth, but whatever he was going to say was interrupted by the opening of a door and a loud voice questioning the whereabouts of Wilf and Sylvia.

A ginger-haired woman appeared in the doorway to the living room. "Who's this, then?"

"Her name is Rose," said Sylvia. An expression of surprise, unnoticed by all except the Rose, flashed in the woman's eyes. "Rose, this is my daughter, Donna. Rose lost her memory, so she's staying here tonight." She directed the next words towards Rose. "Tomorrow, you should go to a doctor, lady." Sylvia reminded Rose of Jackie in a lot of ways, and she felt a pang of regret.

She pushed the feeling down angrily and forced a smile. "I'm sure all I need is the right kind of Doctor." She saw Donna jump, but chose to ignore it. "I remember someone—um, Sarah-Jane…Smith, I think. I want to try and find her tomorrow." She picked at a loose thread on the blanket covering her.

"Oh—the investigative reporter?" Wilf said. "Best thing in the paper, these days, while everyone else is busy trying to cover up the alien—"

"Dad," said Sylvia warningly.

"Well, look at Donna! I saw it, on her wedding day, just up and vanished! And that man, the one who brought her to the party—if he wasn't an alien, I'll eat my socks. And that Christmas tree almost killed us!"

Rose's eyes widened. "What?"

"Rose!" Donna smoothly interrupted before her grandfather could speak. "I think I have some clothes that might fit you better."

Abandoning her tea, Rose got up to follow the other woman to her bedroom. When she got there, Donna was already rummaging in her bureau, muttering under her breath.

"I know it's here…It was just…Ah!" Donna grinned triumphantly, and held out a sweater to Rose, watching her carefully. Rose took it without looking at first, but the feel of the fabric was familiar so she looked down at what she was holding.

A blue sweater. She shoved it away from her, dropping it on the floor. "Where did you get that?" She stared at Donna accusingly, though the older woman took no notice, or, rather, Rose's reaction made her grin larger.

"I knew it!" Donna trumpeted. "You're the Doctor's Rose!"

"You know the Doctor?" Rose asked, confused.

"Crashed my wedding, saved my life, drained the Thames, skipped out on Christmas dinner—oh, he is going to be thrilled."

"Donna, do you know how to get in touch with him?"

The smile vanished from Donna's face. "I've been trying to find him, myself."

"There's an old companion of his, Sarah-Jane…" Rose trailed off. "She might know how to find him." She bit her lip. "She lives near here. Well," she amended, "in Ealing."

"Then we'll find Sarah Jane," said Donna confidently.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Rose knocked on the door of Sarah Jane's house nervously. Donna stood beside her, hands shoved into pockets against the chill that still permeated London, even in April.

When the door opened, they were greeted by a young boy. Rose, biting her lip, decided to take the plunge.

"Hello, is Sarah-Jane here?" The boy's eyes glanced over both her and Donna, before he turned and yelled into the house.

"Mum!"

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Yes? No? Press the pretty button?