In the tiny quarters Ida had assigned to them, the Doctor silently stripped off his Oxford and handed it to Rose. It was an exchange they'd made dozens of times when they were unexpectedly stuck somewhere overnight—his shirts were big enough for her to wear as a nightshirt, and with all the layers he wore, he could easily give one up.

Rose disappeared into the tiny loo to change, and the Doctor swallowed hard when she came back a few minutes later with her clothes folded in a neat pile and his shirt sleeves rolled up to her elbows. It occurred to him then that there was a difference between seeing your best friend (for whom you were harbouring secret romantic feelings) wearing your clothes, and seeing the woman you were in a romantic relationship with wearing your clothes.

"Can I turn the light off?" she asked. He nodded, and a moment later, the room was thrown into semi-darkness, lit only by the emergency lights above the door.

The Doctor felt the mattress shift as Rose crawled under the covers, and then her warm human body curled itself around his. They let out simultaneous sighs—sharing a bed had become a pleasure they both enjoyed since she'd realised he was sneaking in to sleep with her every night.

Rose's finger traced a pattern over and over on his chest, and her delicate touch through his thin vest was driving him to distraction. After a long moment, he reached up and stilled her hand.

"What is it, Rose?"

She flexed her fingers, digging her nails into his stomach. "You're going down with Ida tomorrow, aren't you?"

The Doctor blinked and looked down at the blonde head resting on his shoulder. Why does it surprise me that she figured that out? he asked himself. Rose has always been able to read me.

"It's the best chance I've got to find the TARDIS," he explained. She drew in a shuddering breath, so he squeezed her tight before continuing. "She's down there, Rose. Just waiting."

She nodded, and he felt her hair brush against his chin. "I know. Just…" She sucked in a breath then let it out quickly. "Just promise me you'll be careful."

The Doctor hummed noncommittally. "Oh, you know me," he said.

But Rose knew him too well to be fooled by the breezy answer. "I do know you," she agreed. "An' that's why I'm asking you to be careful." She lifted up her head, and even in the dark room, the Doctor could see the plea in her whiskey brown eyes. "For me."

That was a request he could never deny. He cupped her face with his hand and brushed his thumb along her cheekbone. "For you," he promised.

Rose leaned forward and brushed her lips against his. The Doctor's hand slipped to the back of her neck, holding her close so he could stretch out what she'd intended to be a fleeting kiss. Judging by her hum of pleasure when he scraped his teeth over her lower lip, she didn't have any objections.

Her hand sank into his hair, pulling a low moan from his throat. When she scratched his scalp lightly, he ran his tongue over her lip until she opened her mouth to him. She sighed in approval when his tongue swept inside, but it was her gasp of pleasure when he flicked it over the roof of her mouth that had the Doctor wanting to roll her over onto her back and make love to her.

He entertained the idea for one, no for two minutes, as he continued to kiss her. His hand dropped down to her back, resting just above the curve of her bum and pulling her tight against him.

But as good as it felt to have her body rock against his, there was a mauve light flashing in the back of his mind, reminding him of… something. Probably some stuffy Time Lord rule, but he still eased out of the kiss enough to catch hold of the thought.

Not even a week.

Ah. Yes. They hadn't even been together for a week. And while he was certain that was plenty of time for Rose to adjust and be ready to take their relationship to the next level, he was still getting used to the changes.

Her whimper when he pulled his lips from hers nearly broke his restraint, but he managed to hang on, pressing his forehead to hers while he regained control of his breathing. So much for respiratory bypass, he mused wryly.

Her breath on his lips came in pants and gasps, and the Doctor couldn't deny the feeling of pride that gave him. When her heart rate had returned to normal, she opened her eyes and looked at him. "Too soon?"

He nodded. "Just a bit."

Rose bit her lip, and the Doctor's eyes fixed on the sight. "Then maybe we should get some rest," she suggested, apparently completely oblivious that she was pushing his control to the absolute limit.

"That… that sounds like a good idea," he stammered.

When she smiled at him with her tongue peeking out through her teeth, he realised she wasn't as unaware as she pretended to be. He rolled his eyes and pressed her head down to his chest, even as he longed to suck that tongue back into his mouth where it belonged.

"Go to sleep, Rose Tyler," he ordered, and her body shook slightly with quiet giggles.

Needing to unwind, the Doctor slowed down his breathing and heart rate. He felt some of the tension ease out of his body as he did so, and Rose relaxed into him a little more.

"Doctor, I've gotta tell you something, even if you're sleeping," Rose whispered ten minutes later.

The Doctor thought about letting her know he was awake, but there was something in her voice… whatever she was about to say, she needed to get the words out.

"I know you feel guilty for trapping me here," she continued. "But tomorrow, you're gonna go down that drill shaft and find the TARDIS and get us out of here. You will, Doctor. I believe in you."

It took every bit of the Doctor's self-control to not flinch at that declaration. Rose's unswerving faith in him humbled and scared him, because what if he didn't meet her expectations? He certainly hadn't done a good job of looking out for her this month, letting her face be taken by the Wire and then getting her trapped on an impossible planet.

"But I meant what I said," she added. "Even if we never find her, and we're stuck here for the rest of our lives… I've got you. Being with you, that's not stuck."

She was quiet for so long that the Doctor thought she'd drifted off to sleep. Then he felt the barest brush of her lips against his neck, followed by words spoken so softly, he could barely make them out.

"I'm happy as long as I'm with you, Doctor, because I love you."

If her lips had still been against his neck, she would have realised he was awake by his suddenly racing pulse.

But she wasn't finished. "And… even though you haven't said it, I know you love me, too. And that's enough for me."

oOoOoOoOo

Twelve hours later, the Doctor dangled over the pit. He'd reached the end of his line and the only option left was to jump. There was just one thing he wished…

"If they get back in touch…" He swallowed hard. "If you talk to Rose, just tell her."

The Doctor looked down into the abyss. Could he tell her like this, via a messenger? When he might not ever see her to repeat the words in person?"

He tried again. "Tell her I…"

The words stuck in his throat. He couldn't do it. For a moment, he hated himself for not being able to leave her this small comfort, but then he remembered the night before.

"Oh, she knows," he whispered, feeling a ghost of a smile on his face.