EXTENDED PLOT: The human Doctor isn't about to give up his crazy lifestyle just yet and as always, trouble seems to follow him. From Rose not accepting him to the return of the life form from the episode of season 4, "Midnight," the Doctor finally learns the truth about what the life form is and has to face the destruction of the Parallel World but this time, he has no regeneration to save him.

A/N: This is my second story and please forgive any spelling errors or odd grammar and such. I do my writing on my iPod touch from about 12am-3am because I'm a rebel. Haha, just kidding but honestly thanks for all the nice reviews left on my other story, "Second Chances," and if you haven't read it, you should go do that :) Thanks and enjoy the story!

THE RETURN OF MIDNIGHT
Part 1

It had been only 3 days, and Rose found herself attending a party. Generously hosted by her attention-hungry mother, a "Welcome Home" celebration was in order for her and the Doctor whom had been staying in a room a floor above her, rarely showing his face other than for dinner.

Rose slid the red lipstick across her lips and slipped into a simple, strapless, floor-length black dress with sparkles and a heart-shaped neckline. She adorned a pair of silver chandelier earrings and grabbed her heels. With one last fluff of her curled hair and a last minute makeup check, she stopped in front of her door and took a deep breath, brushing her hands down her dress.

Just as she opened the door, she saw the Doctor standing before her, dressed in a tuxedo, hair gelled as ever, and eyes more tired than she'd ever seen.

"Hello." Rather than seeing her Doctor, she saw am escourt. Her Doctor would never attend a fancy party with her, let alone be her date to one.

"Hello. So...you look a bit tired," she mentioned casually as he linked his arm in hers. He swallowed.

"Rough night. Still getting used to this. You know, living in a house." Rose laughed and squeezed him closer, trying to force herself to be indifferent with him. He didn't seem to completely buy it, but played along. "So does your mother plan parties for every occasion? Can't imagine what happens when someone has a birthday around here," he teased. Rose grinned.

"Yeah, mum goes a bit overboard with all this. It's almost like she's planning a wedding sometimes." They walked down the long hall of the large mansion.

"Ha, forget birthdays. Imagine what a wedding would be like," he jeered with the same comedic smile she'd seen with her Doctor.

"It's not like she'll have to plan one in her lifetime." Rose suddenly realized what she had said and felt the Doctor droop a bit and his hand that was clenched so tightly in his pocket loosened.

"Yeah, guess not."

The two walked to the top of the stairs in silence and both inhaled, trying to calm their nerves.

"Ready?" the Doctor asked, nervousness slipping through his voice. He didn't do these types of things, considering sleeping in a house seemed to bother him.

"I guess." They walked down the stairs, her mother standing at the bottom and signaling for some photographers to take pictures. Rose tried to cover her face, but failed miserably and had to accept the strange paparazzi flashes. The Doctor not only seemed to hate it, but wore the most terrible smile that clearly described his inability to hide that particular emotion.

They reached the bottom and when the flashes began subsiding, Rose let go of the Doctor's arm and ran through the hall to the backyard. The Doctor watched carefully as she tore the back door open and she trodded into the highly useless but overly expensive hedge maze.

"Gosh, that girl has a complete opposition to cameras, yeah?" Jackie yelled over some music. The Doctor shrugged.

"Wouldn't blame her."

"Oi, have you seen Pete?" The Doctor shook his head.

"Just got down."

"Oh he's probably still driving home. Had him drop off little Toni at a friends. You know Lucy Peddington? My goodness! That woman has more children than she can count and she still wants more! So I said, 'Well, if you're so desperate for more devilish spawn, then you're welcome to watch my Toni tomorrow night,' and she got all excited, let me tell you! And then-" Before the Doctor could handle any more, he quickly cut her off, determined to stay by Rose.

"That's real nice, Jackie, but I've gotta go. Lovely talk." With an irritated humph from Jackie, the Doctor pushed through crowds of endless, unknown faces, finally reaching the yard. It was pitch black except for the moon and stars. And the Doctor sighed, wishing more than anything to fly off to them instead of stay grounded. It was so...human.

He entered the maze and walked through, not sure how to find Rose in such an ominous space. As the path darkened by the overwhelming hedges, the Doctor still heard the booming of base from inside the house and sighed. He wasn't even quote sure what the party was for. They had never even heard of him before and Rose hadn't been gone all of that long. Had she?

Pushing his way through some untrimmed branches, the Doctor thought about his time here. He had spent a good percentage of his short stay in his room, tossing and turning, trying to sleep. But he couldn't get over the fact that he was on the ground, not circling the sun or about to crash on some never before seen planet. Without the stars right by his side, he seemed ten times as lonely and to make things worse, Rose didn't seem to want him quite the way she had indicated on Bad Wolf Bay. She was always rejecting his motions, and staying locked up didn't exactly help either. He didn't feel like the Doctor anymore. He felt more like a ridiculously cruddy boyfriend.

He felt like Mickey.

Because the real Doctor was out there somewhere, and she was diligently waiting while the stuck-to-earth Doctor was willing to come when she called, whether or not it was because she wanted just to see him. All he wanted was to see her.

He crept through the shrubbery, still trying to find Rose. When a small cry lept from behind another bush, he knew he'd found her. But the problem was the tears. He'd only ever seem her cry once, and it tore him to pieces. He walked past the bush and saw the slumped shape of Rose, keeled over her knees and face in hands. What was she crying about anyway?

"Um, Rose?" the Doctor croaked. He had absolutely no idea on how to approach the situation. She stopped sobbing, but he could tell that she was still desperately trying to stop the tears from falling. With an awkward nod, she declared that she was fine.

"I never asked. And 'fine' is a very subjective word." The Doctor came and sat down next to her on the cold stone bench that was placed tactfully in the middle of the maze. With a sigh of distaste for awkward silences, the Doctor pressed his palms into the stone, leaned back, and stared up at the stars. "I was going to take you to so many places," he said. "Starting with," he pointed into the dark nothingness as if she could tell which star he meant, "there. Right there. Magnificent place. Purple gems cover more than half the city and the other half is plated in gold. And they recently declared planetary bankruptcy! Ridiculous..."

Rose suddenly put a hand on his heart, almost gripping the fabric a bit too tightly. His eyes widened and traveled to where her hand was placed. She let herself drown in the steady beat but like always, there was something missing. Oh yeah, a second heart. The Doctor, running on instinct and adrenaline, took hold of her hand and held it there, not wanting to let go.

"I don't know what I'm doing. I'm just...I don't know...and my mum is driving me mad!" Rose gritted through her teeth. The Doctor supressed a grin, seeing as her face was still serious and straight. "I'm just 'fine' because I don't know what to do with myself anymore." The Doctor laced his fingers through hers and squeezed tightly. He had no knowledge of what he himself was doing or why he was doing it. His former self prior to his confession would have never savored Rose's touch or taken in every word with such a care. Perhaps he'd hear what she had said but shrug it off and explain what new species had recently arrived in the universe.

But he was different.

And Rose was completely right to hate him for it. She'd fallen in love with a man who was in love with the stars. He still was, but couldn't reach them. In losing traveling, he'd lost half of himself. And now, he was losing Rose...

"Rose, tell me," the Doctor said, struggling to say the words he'd never spoken, "what's wrong." He choked on every syllable, dragging out each vowel. It was a personal level he'd rather not cross, a boundary left untouched by what little timelord sanity he had left within him.

Her eyes pierced his and he felt her hand lightly slide up his left shoulder and graze the skin of his neck on the path to his face. Her fingers landed on his left cheek and they simultaneously leaned in. The Doctor's lips brushed hers and she pushed in for a rough and strained kiss, her lips moving against his violently.

What happened next happened very quickly. The ground in front of them cracked and Rose cringed, her fingers scraping against the Doctor's skin and teeth ripping across his lower lip. She leaned back and covered her head, curling into a semi-ball as if something had pierced her midriff.

"Rose? Rose!" the Doctor cried, grabbing her shoulders. Several minutes passed before she slowly raised her head and looked at him with horror-stricken eyes, empty and colourless. "Rose, are you alright...?" he half-whispered, cocking his head to one side.

And to his surprise, she did the same. What she said next took every bit of human breath from his lungs.

"Rose, are you alright...?"