A/N: Now onto the actual story! This rewrite's gonna be even more challenging than S3, so please be kind and patient with me. Right then, allons-y!

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who or its characters (sadly), the BBC does. All rights belong to the owners and writers. No copyright infringement intended. I do, however, own this particular Whoniverse…I guess you could say it like that. Or maybe I own DW in an alternate universe? Well, if so, Moffat wouldn't have taken over and DT and BP would have more seasons. Just because.

Chapter 1: Partners in Crime Part 1

When it came to life in the TARDIS one could easily lose track of time; that is unless you're a Time Lord with supposed superior senses. Despite that fact there wasn't really any reason to keep track of time, given the fact that within the time vortex itself were infinite points in time and space at their fingertips, waiting to be explored and whatnot. Everything that ever was and sealed in place in the yesterdays of the past, and everything that ever will be in the days to come in the future. But advanced humans were also capable—somewhat—of such an ability to keep track of time, and knew how much had passed by.

About a week had passed since the Doctor and Rose stepped out of the TARDIS during their recovery period, which may have seemed a bit odd considering the amount of jittering between the both of them when it came to remaining in a certain spot for so long. But in all honesty there were times where they didn't mind at all. Just drifting across the stars in their little blue box was really either of them could want. It was a part of their life, but there came a time when a ground was needed beneath their feet.

In the console room Rose sat on the jump seat with a book in her hands while the Doctor tended to some necessary repairs beneath the gratings. This has been the occurrence as of lately. If it hadn't been for the Doctor tampering with a certain device on the TARDIS console, they probably would've ended up on another exquisite planet by now. He had finally lived up to his promise to take her to Barcelona and, sure enough, there were dogs with no noses, ranging in different sizes, shapes, and breeds. Odd as it looked at first, they proved to be extremely friendly and acted like a normal Earth canine. With civil rights and the ability to communicate with humans and other species through a device on each of their collars, that is.

When they left that planet he set them to drift in the vortex to make repairs to the console he accidentally tinkered with the Absolute Tesseractulator, which is responsible for keeping track of the TARDIS's dimensional location. As a result they weren't able to land anywhere until it was fixed, since they wouldn't be able to look at the monitor to see what was going on outside. And precautions were to always be taken when it came to them. Trouble was always the bits in between.

So they were left to drift in the vortex for an entire week. Rose had made a slew of comments regarding the Doctor's stubborn decision to throw the instructions manual to the Old Girl long ago, to which he sniffed and made no response. The Doctor may be an alien, but he was still a bloke. And just like a man he refused to believe he was wrong and thought he was always right.

It was a good thing she convinced him thoroughly to teach her how to fly the TARDIS because there were times where she always wanted to learn more about the place that was her home. That and the fact that she wanted to see if she would be able to take them to different places with ease. She's run a few practice sessions in the last number of weeks when everything began to return to normal, and so far she did a decent job. Even though she landed them underwater on the first trial run. But the Doctor praised her for her efforts, and she was progressing.

Not only was she learning how to operate the TARDIS more but there were other things she's been absorbing. Every so often the Doctor would murmur something in Gallifreyan, and she would catch some of their meanings. Over the course of their year long recovery period she immersed herself in the dialect of the Doctor's home, learning a few terms of endearment along with other phrases that she would send through their bond. He stressed it wasn't necessary for her to learn the language, but she always said that she wanted to. Maybe not all of it, but a good amount. He still loved the idea.

Still, in their time of light travels, Rose was itching for another adventure. Something a little more exciting. Not that what they've been doing lately wasn't anything beautiful, because it was. Just being within each other's company was always warm and greatly loved. But she knew that he was impatiently waiting to go back out across the stars and land somewhere.

"Ah, there we go!" the Doctor suddenly exclaimed from his hole.

"Finally figured it out?" Rose asked, briefly glancing over to see his tousled mop spiked up.

He hopped up, rolling his Oxford's sleeves up a little more. "Yep. Was only a small glitch in the isometry parallel-busses to transmit into the image translator. Bit rudimentary, to say the least, but it's connecting to the antenna and refreshing."

Rose arched an eyebrow at him. "Took you long enough."

"Oh, c'mon, that wasn't that long," he defended.

"Doctor, you said it would only take a few hours."

"Weeeell…"

"It's been a little over a week."

He sniffed and cocked his head to the side. "More or less."

Rose snorted as she returned to her book. "Whatever you say, love. It was still an off estimate."

The Doctor huffed as he stepped over to the console, fiddling with other controls, grabbing a cloth and running it across the panel. It was nice getting back on track with their normal lives, not having to deal with any pains or ripple effects. It was just them. Just as it should be.

While he continued sprucing up the console Rose returned to her book, crossing her leg over the other and relaxed. Truthfully she could barely comprehend what she was reading as she was finding herself distracted by the pleasant view of her husband's bum in his pinstriped trousers swaying as he wiped. Yes, she's seen it many a times before, but the way he was stretching across the controls was making him that more tantalizing.

Her eyes snapped back down to her page, over the last sentence she remembered she left off on. Or not. She probably read the same line twenty-five times before she finally made it to the next one. Trying to focus was hard as she heard the Doctor grunting when he stretched as far as he could go, one of his knees propped up on the edge of the console as he reached up to wipe the time rotor. Dammit. She couldn't resist. Uncrossing her legs Rose leaned forward to give him a gentle pinch.

He squeaked—quite unmanly, she might add—hopping off of the ground and onto the console as his arms wrapped around the rotor to keep his balance. Rose snickered when he turned to her, his eyes widened and his face feigning shock.

"Rose Marion Tyler!" he said, unwrapping one of his arms from around the rotor to place a hand on his chest.

"What?" she said innocently, contrasting with the wicked grin spreading across her lips. "Like you weren't expecting that. And you say that I'm distracting."

"I was only working on the console," he told her as he slid down to his feet.

"And I was only reading," she countered. "Well, at least I was trying to, but my incredibly gorgeous husband was stickin' his bum out and giving me quite the view."

"I was not!" he protested before pointing an accusing finger at her. "Rose Tyler, for shame." He shifted a bit. "Wait, what're you saying? Are you implying that-that…I'm a bit…" He turned to look over his shoulder, his eyes south.

Rose leaned forward when she burst into laughter, causing her book to fall off her lap and onto the floor. "Vanity, Doctor?"

He sniffed and adjusted his tie. "Of course not. Now, I reckon the Old Girl's got Her bearings now." The ship mentioned hummed in affirmation, making them smile. "That about says it all. So, where to?"

"Wherever you want," Rose said with a smile.

"Kind of a vague answer, innit?" he replied, squinting an eye.

"What, like you know where we're going," she snorted.

"Nope. Always a good feeling though, not knowing. Keeps us going. Out there across the skies, old and new worlds either being built from the ground up or being brought down for reconstruction, stars burning bright for the very first time, guiding the way to unknown—"

"Doctor," Rose cut in. "You're rambling again."

He chuckled once. "That's the curse of this gob."

She rolled her eyes playfully as she turned around and bent down to retrieve her fallen book…only to let out a squeak of her own when a familiar pair of pinchers made their way to her bum, followed by the familiar happy sound coming from the culprit behind her.

Straightening up Rose caught the Doctor eyeing her with that silly grin of his. She reenacted his exaggerated actions from earlier. "Oh, you lecherous old man!"

The grin never left his face. "Insatiable little minx," he responded, booping her nose. "Sorry, but you were also giving me quite the view. With shorts on, mind you. How can I operate the TARDIS with you doing things like that? Can make a bloke lose his train of thought."

"You could always let me drive instead," she said, trailing a single finger up his forearm. "'M already a better driver than you."

"Now, Rose," the Doctor interjected, reaching over to grab his suit jacket and slipping it on. "While I know you're capable of controlling the TARDIS and understand how to work a great deal of the Her functions, you still have a lot to learn."

"So do you," she told him.

"I've had this ship for centuries, Rose, that includes many years of experience. I think that qualifies me as a certified driver."

"Says the man who failed his test and threw out the instructions manual."

He sighed and shook his head, scratching his sideburn. "You'll never let that go, will you?"

She threw him a teasing smile. "You really to have to ask? Even the TARDIS thinks I'm better than you, and I've only been taking lessons for a few weeks."

The Old Girl hummed Her agreement, causing Rose to giggle and the Doctor to groan. Girls always stick together. "Remind me—'cause I can't even begin to fathom—how was it possible for me to allow myself to be outnumbered in my own ship?"

"Because you're a sucker when it comes to us girls working together. You're more like the Oncoming Drizzle than the Storm, I'd say," she added with a nose scrunch.

The Doctor growled when she pulled him down for a brief kiss before Rose's stomach came into the picture and broke the moment. "Honestly, I think we need to chain that creature up," he said when she pulled away with a giggle. "It's always coming out of its cage."

She lightly swatted his chest. "Y'know, it's been awhile since we got chips."

His brows furrowed. "No, it isn't. We picked up some of them a couple weeks ago."

"Those weren't chips, Doctor, they were green and tasted like plums. And they came from…Taha…sim…urg…whatever that place was called."

"Tahasimurggliron," he supplied. "Nice work attempting the pronunciation. And, well, yes, they may have had a different flavor but they still qualify, don't they?" Rose arched an eyebrow at him and he shrugged. "Alright, fine. Can't have you without your greasy potatoes, can we?"

She leaned up and kissed his cheek as he plugged in the coordinates to London then pulled the lever. A slight jerk rocked the ship as they were brought to the ground, laughing like loons until they landed. Rose made another comment about the Doctor's driving skills, to which he replied with an eye roll. Helping each other to their feet he ran over to the coral strut to retrieve his coat, shrugging it on before walking to the door. Taking Rose's hand in his he opened the door for her as they stepped through.

Everything seemed normal enough since the last time they landed on Earth, much to their relief. It was springtime. They've been a bit reluctant to come back here so soon mainly because they know what always happens on Earth. Especially in London. Why always London? There wasn't much of a reason to arrive back. Had this been a couple years ago Rose would pay her mother a visit, but she was still trapped in that parallel world. At least she was safe over there. By now she's had the baby, another child to raise and make her feel like a true mother again since her only daughter was far away from her reach.

Rose felt the Doctor squeeze her hand, bringing her back. She glanced over and saw him giving her a sympathetic look. "You alright?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. C'mon, let's head over to a chippy before I start chewing on your arm."

"Blimey, never thought I'd be married to a cannibal," the Doctor muttered as Rose tugged him along, hearing his words and nudging his mind.

It didn't take them long until they came across a chippy. Rather than eat them inside they decided to wander around and observe the typical lives of the residents. Walking hand in hand, the Doctor reached over and stole one of Rose's chips, plopping it into his mouth just as they passed an open shop displaying televisions in the front window. Something caught Rose's attention as she came to a sudden stop, the Doctor following suit.

"Rose, what's wrong?" he asked, plopping two more chips into his mouth. "Your spidey senses tingling?"

"No," she said, shaking her head before furrowing her brows at him. "Spidey senses?"

He shrugged. "Better than saying twitchy feelings, isn't it?"

"I guess. I was waiting for a different name for them."

"Well, it's a complicated term."

"It got away from you again, huh?" He remained silent and she giggled. "But, no, I didn't feel anything."

The Doctor studied her before perking his ears up. Turning his head back towards the shop he gently tugged Rose along with him. They stood in front of the window, watching the televisions as each of them broadcasted an infomercial for some dieting company called Adipose.

"The fat just walks away…" the Doctor repeated the product's slogan. "Pretty catchy."

"These things are usually rubbish," Rose commented as the advertisement continued. "Lot of scams they are. Mum once gave in and bought this pressure cooker said to simmer meat in under fifteen minutes. Didn't even work. We ended up with food poisoning."

"False advertising, not much of a rarity in the universe," the Doctor said. "But if your mother was cooking, then that's the standard."

Rose elbowed his ribs. "Oi! She's my mother."

"Sorry, it just slipped out," he told her before tearing his eyes away from the televisions. "I didn't mean to…" he trailed off.

Rose patted his arm. "'S okay."

They continued watching the infomercial with bemused expressions. "Well, that's different," the Doctor commented once it ended.

"What d'you think?" Rose asked.

The Doctor flitted his eyes between his wife and the televisions. It's been a little over a year since they've done any snooping on Earth but now that they were back on their feet, their detective days were coming back into their usual routine. There wasn't any harm in that.

"Fancy a little investigating?"

She bit her lip, barely containing the wide smile from spreading across her face. "Do you really have to ask?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Doctor stood in the console room fiddling with random controls on the console as he waited patiently for Rose to get ready. He had told her that since they would be checking out this supposed diet pill called Adipose, they were to go through the company posing as Health and Safety. It was a simple occupation, and for that they needed to dress formally. While Rose was never keen about dressing in such attire and would rather prefer her casual look of jeans and a top, she was surprisingly looking forward to dressing for the part. Good thing he didn't bet on that. He was already on her tab multiple times.

Twenty-five minutes passed by and he restrained himself from calling her through their bond. Usually he was always antsy when it came to waiting for his wife to get ready before they headed out to whatever it was they were entering, and would tease her for it. But for once he was fine with it. If any and everything that occurred over the past year didn't confirm that then he was seriously out of his element. Rose was his comfort zone, and just being within her company was all that mattered for him.

The approaching sound of heels against the floor got his attention. "All set," Rose said from behind as she came out of the corridor.

"I was beginning to think you got lost in the wardrobe," the Doctor joked, still facing the console for the moment.

"Flattering," she commented.

"Funny thing about this company is that over the last few weeks, they've been…" Turning around he took in her outfit…his jaw dropping in the process and the rest of his sentence was of no importance and slipped from his mind.

Rose was wearing a brown pinstriped ensemble, very much matching his own attire; a jacket, a light blue dress shirt, a skirt that ended above her knees, revealing her toned legs as he raked his eyes down their length that ended with cream colored low heeled shoes. Her hair was poker straight as it fell past her shoulders, the strong aroma of her strawberry banana shampoo heightened as she retouched herself. As much as he admired her hair longer, he couldn't deny that she was utterly gorgeous regardless of her length. She touched up her makeup, which wasn't too much but enough to bring out her hazel eyes impossibly more.

All in all she displayed an exquisite chic of both classy, professional, and dead sexy. Leave it to his wife to take the breath away from him with such ease. How she did it was always a mystery to him, but even the smallest things she did were viable in making him nearly fall head over heels.

"Oh…" he finally breathed out.

"I take it you approve," Rose said with a grin, gesturing at her outfit.

"You're…you're wearing a suit…" he replied gawking at her appearance, even as she came up to him at the console.

She chuckled. "You catch on quick."

He blinked, admiring the way the outfit worked for her. "How did…where did you even find that?"

"The TARDIS picked it out for me a few weeks ago," she said with a shrug. "I've been meaning to wear it should we do another investigation, so I figured I break it in now."

He raised his brows. "Well, I must say you look stunning," he said warmly.

Rose smiled. "But that's not all I've got that I think you'll like."

She reached into her jacket pocket, into the expansion of the interior as she fished around for a specific item. In a flash she whipped out a pair of glasses identical to the Doctor's and slipped them on. The look on her husband's face made her insides warm up as he stepped closer to her.

Moving his eyes over the full picture was more than enticing. And he thought she was already gorgeous, but then she added a pair of brainy specs to the mix…

"Rassilon," he murmured before pulling her in for a deep kiss, grinning against her lips when she giggled.

"That was…some reaction," Rose commented when they broke apart. "I was expecting a little more, though."

His grin made her melt. "Just you wait 'til later," he husked, sending an extra wave of admiration through their bond, making her shiver.

"I can only imagine how you'd react if I were to get my own sonic screwdriver or psychic paper," she told him with a wide smile.

The Doctor arched an eyebrow at her. "Pushing it a little, are we?"

"Well, you gave in to teaching me how to drive the TARDIS, 'm bettin' you'll come around with some of your other toys."

He smirked. She was very convincing, and he had been meaning to equip her with other items for a short while now. "I'll see what I can do later," he told her. "Now, we'll be going undercover as members of Health and Safety and, since we're a partnership, we'll need another piece added to our little facade."

"Which is?"

Reaching into his trouser pocket the Doctor held out two familiar items in his palm—gold wedding bands. They were slightly larger than the last pair he had made last year during one of their other investigations, the Gallifreyan scripture engraved on both more distinguished and blown up to be easily read; if one knew the language that was. While Rose wasn't fluent, she was able to make out most of the words and phrases written on them in tight burgundy circles and lines.

"When do you even make these?" Rose asked curiously. "Every time I see you you're never makin' anything."

"That's because the rest of the time you're sleeping in your burrow," he answered. "Honestly, Rose, your sleep cycle can easily be pushed back like mine. There's no reason to sleep a ridiculous amount of hours."

She poked him in the chest. "'Scuse me, but I'm still human…mostly. And I don't sleep as much as I used to, you know."

"No, that's true. You've never been a morning person back then. Weeeell…given time you'll be dangerously close to returning to your old habits."

Rose scoffed as a response and he winked at her.

Still possessing the rings the Doctor kept one of them in his palm and held the other out, bringing her left hand up to slip the ring on her finger. Her bracelet glimmered and he smiled. The only facade in this investigation was the business role. Never the marriage. His thumb brushed over the band before he lifted it up to press a soft kiss to it. Lowering it he allowed Rose to take the other as she repeated the same motions.

"So," Rose said. "Allons-y?"

His eyes lit up. "Allons-y!"

Heading down to the ramp the Doctor stopped to shrug on his coat while Rose stood by the door. Taking the opportunity before him he was able to appreciate the way the suit hugged her curves just right.

"Priorities, you old lecher," she teased as she placed a hand on the doors.

He snickered as he joined her by the doors. "Sorry, not sorry."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Walking along the crowded pavements and swerving their way through the passing pedestrians the Doctor and Rose came to a stop in an open spot, craning their necks to take in the scaling building that was Adipose Industries.

A small twitch came to Rose's stomach. Yeah, definitely something wonky about this place. The Doctor nudged her shoulder and nodded in the direction to the side of the building where the fire exit was located. Taking out the sonic he glanced around before aiming the sonic at the lock, disabling the alarm as it popped and sparked.

"Very discreet," Rose commented as he held the door out for her to enter.

"Well, I am good with doors," he preened as they walked down the corridor. A security guard was coming their way as they remained impassive. "John and Rose Tyler, Health and Safety," he said, flashing the psycho paper at the man, who barely paid any attention to them and gave an imperceptible nod.

"'John and Rose Tyler'," Rose repeated curiously when the guard was a safe distance away. "That's a change."

The Doctor shrugged a shoulder. "Well, I figured that 'John Smith' has run its course. I've been using that moniker for a long time. Some change was in order, wouldn't you say?"

She nodded. "S'pose so."

"And it works in your favor as well. There's no need to worry about any records of 'Rose Tyler' post Canary Wharf. You could've inherited my name through marriage for all that lot could know. Good thinking, eh?" he added with a wink.

Rose grinned and kissed him on the cheek as the continued walking down the corridor. They came up to another door leading into a projection room. The Doctor slowly opened the door, finding that it was currently unoccupied. In the box was a projector conveying a presentation in a lecture hall being held for the press.

"Front row seats," he said as they moved to crouch by the opening. Almost in synchronicity the duo slipped on their specs, giving each other amused looks before bring their attention to a woman with short hair and glasses speaking before the lecture hall.

"Adipose Industries," she was saying. "The 21st century way to lose weight. No exercise, no diet, no pain—just lifelong freedom from fat. The Holy Grail of the modern age." She held up a small capsule. "And here it is. You just take one capsule; one capsule, once a day, for three weeks. And the fat, as they say…"

"The fat just walks away," a computerized voice finished as the words appeared on the screen behind her along with the company's logo. The Doctor and Rose exchanged a look.

"Excuse me, Miss Foster, if I could?" said a woman from the seats, raising her hand. "I'm Penny Carter, science correspondent for The Observer. There are a thousand diet pills on the market, a thousand con men stealing people's money. How do we know the fat isn't going straight into your bank account?"

"Oh, Penny, if cynicism burnt up calories, we'd all be as thin as rakes," Miss Foster said with a plastering sweet voice. "But if you want the science…" she held up a remote and removed her glasses. "I'll oblige."

The projector beside the Doctor and Rose whirred, its light flicking as a reel began to play.

"Adipose Industries," the computer voice said. "The Adipose capsule is composed of a synthesized mobilizing lipase, bound to a large protein molecule. The mobilizing lipase breaks up the triglycerides stored in the adipose cells, which then enter—"

The sound of a man clearing his throat behind them car to their attention as he chose the perfect time to check the projector. The Doctor glanced over to see the man giving them a curious look.

"Health and Safety," he said, holding up the psychic paper.

"Film department," Rose added.

The Doctor inwardly snorted. "Nice one," he thought to her.

"It's a merging company," she said, earning tight smirk from him. The man shrugged as he checked the equipment just as both of them turned back to watch the rest of the video.

"One hundred percent legal," Miss Foster said as it ended. "One hundred percent effective."

"But, can I just ask," Penny interjected again. From where they were Rose could easily see the CEO attempting to mask her irritation. "How many people have taken the pills to date?"

"We've already got one million customers within the Greater London area alone," Miss Foster told her. "But from next week, we start rolling out nationwide. The future starts here. And Britain will be thin."

Rose rolled her eyes while the Doctor sighed, removing his specs. He lightly tapped her arm as they stood up. They nodded at the man, leaving him to do his job before exiting the box.

"That wasn't really helpful," the Doctor said flatly as they took another route in the corridors.

"I told you these things are rubbish," Rose said, slipping off her glasses and pocketing them. "Any thoughts?"

"None. But…mobilizing lipase…" he mused, his tongue pressed to the back of his top row of teeth. "Those are highly sensitive. An enzymatic action like that is a major source of energy…"

Rose studied him, almost expecting smoke to pour out of his ears. She nudged his shoulder. "Still worth investigating, then?"

"Of course," he proclaimed. "That was merely just the basis. Maybe if we dig a little deeper into this company, right down to the central core that's building this place up then we might be able to end up with a little more primaries."

"So, basically we just…learn more about the customers?" Rose drew out.

"Spot on, Lewis!" he said proudly, dropping a kiss to the top of her head as they made their way down to the office workers in their cubicles.

Eyeing them the Doctor sprinted up to one of them, his hand going in his jacket for the psychic paper. The woman occupying the station had a headset on, communicating on the phone. "We deliver within three working days," she was saying.

He took one of the seats and flashed it to her. "John and Rose Tyler, Health and Safety," he whispered.

The woman nodded, eyeing him up and down as she continued her conversation. Rose grabbed a hold of another chair and sat directly beside her husband. She heard him chortling in her mind, and she rolled her eyes before reaching forward to study a gold necklace with a pill-shaped pendant laying on the desk.

"The box comes with twenty-one days' worth of pills," the woman said through the phone. "A full information pack, and our special free gift, an Adipose Industries pendant. It's made of 18 carat gold, and it's yours for free. No, we don't give away pens, sorry. No, I can't make an exception, no."

Rose handed the object over to the Doctor to let him inspect it for a bit. He leaned back in his chair, entwining the necklace through his fingers as he studied it.

"Important key, right?" Rose thought to him."Maybe more than just an accessory."

"Could be," he agreed. "If I could just analyze this back on the TARDIS, I'd be able to see its properties." The woman pressed a button on her phone's machine as her conversation ended. "Right, well, we're going to need to keep this," he said out loud, dangling the necklace before placing it in his pocket. "Uh, classified tests are to be taken. Nothing too serious."

The woman hesitantly nodded. "Sure thing."

"Oh, and can we have a list of some of your clients?" Rose added.

"Sure, I'll just print that out for you."

"Thanks," the Doctor said, nodding at Rose before standing up from his chair and looking around the room. "That the printer there?"

"By the plant, yeah," the woman told him as she turned to her computer.

"Brilliant," he said, sitting himself down only to pop up again. "Has it got paper?"

"Yeah, Jimbo keeps it stocked," the woman said.

"Good," he said, sitting down again. Rose arched an eyebrow at him. "What?" he asked through their link.

"What are you, a prairie dog?"

"What?"

"No, better yet, are you Tigger?"

His brows furrowed. "Tigger?" he repeated indignantly.

She shrugged. "Yeah, 'cause you're all bouncy."

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Does that make you Winnie the Pooh, then?"

She smiled and shook her head while he nudged her foot with his.

"Excuse me, everyone," Miss Foster suddenly called out from the room. "If I could have your attention." Everyone stood up, save for the Doctor and Rose. He kept a hand on her arm, patting it before slowly standing up to furtively peek over the cubicle. "On average, you're each selling forty Adipose packs per day. It's not enough. I want one hundred sales per person per day. And if not, you'll be replaced. 'Cause if anyone is good in trimming the fat, it's me. Now. Back to it."

The workers sat back down, returning to their jobs as the woman walked away. The Doctor took his seat again. "Anyway, if you could print that off. Thanks," he said to the woman in the cubicle.

"Just sending it to the printer now," she said.

"Ta," Rose said politely as she stood, heading to the printer.

The Doctor smiled at the woman and made a move to follow his wife when the woman handed him a small piece of paper. "Oh, what's that?"

"My telephone number," she told him.

He looked at her, confused. "What for?"

"Health and Safety; you be health, I'll be safety."

His eyes widened. "Oh, no, t-that's…you see, I'm—"

"Sorry, sweetheart, that position's already filled," Rose said, grabbing his hand and exposing her ring as well as her bracelet before tugging him out of the cubicle and over to the printer.

"Someone's possessive," the Doctor said with a smirk.

She snorted, and threw him a tongue-in-teeth smile. "Damn straight. No other woman's gonna come onto my husband as long as I'm around."

"Not my problem this body's pretty," he said, nudging her shoulder.

"I've got no complaints," she told. "But seeing another woman make a move on you when you're obviously taken is way out of line."

"Always," he snickered.

Reaching the printer they were about to take the necessary papers…only to find it completely empty. The Doctor lifted up the pan to check to see that it was filled with paper. It was. Checking the rest of the copier he saw it was perfectly fine. Maybe there was a glitch in the system during the printing. He reluctantly looked back at the woman's cubicle, biting his lip. Looking back at Rose she rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand.

Coming up to the cubicle he tried not to blush and laughed nervously. "Us again," he said with a smile. "Uh, sorry about…err…that…" he cleared his throat awkwardly, reaching a hand to tug his earlobe.

"Sorry," Rose said, smiling innocently as the woman stared at them, silent. "But could you print that out for us again? Thanks." She looked back at her husband, whose ears were a violent pink. "Coward."