It was a good dream. She knew it was a dream, she was completely aware that she was dreaming, but she didn't want the dream to end. He was holding her. Kissing her the way she had wanted him to kiss her for a year now. When she pulled away, the sunshine was bright on his smiling face, the wind gently blowing his always-tousled hair. He looked like a god, but he wasn't. He was a Time Lord, her Doctor.

And that was when the dream changed.

The sky was filled with hundreds of daleks, and she was being pulled away from her Doctor by some unseen force. "Doctor!" she screamed.

Right before they killed him.

The ground underneath her began to shake, and she couldn't stop the ringing screams in her ears…

"Rose, wake up!" A voice broke through her brain as she found herself shocked into opening her eyes and bolting up into a sitting position, completely and utterly confused. "Rose, you're okay, you were having a nightmare…" Her eyes locked with his, and she felt immediately calmed. He was here. "I had to use the sonic screwdriver to shock you awake, I couldn't get you to stop screaming, I'm sorry. You may feel a little disoriented from being thrust so quickly from that part of your REM cycle…" He was sitting on the edge of the bed next to her, very carefully not touching her sheet-wrapped body. "The TARDIS alerted me when your heart started racing, and then I heard your screams."

"You weren't here?" She couldn't remember him leaving her.

The Doctor nodded. "I was running a blood analysis on myself, to make sure...I would have been back before you woke, but…" The Doctor averted his eyes from her body as the sheet slipped down, showing the creamy skin of her bare shoulder.

Rose grabbed the sheet, covering herself. She was even more confused now. He had most certainly seen more of her than just her shoulder. The memory of how he touched her sent shivers up her spine, which the Doctor noticed. "I'm sure you want to get dressed so that we can go out for supper. I'll go land the TARDIS while you dress, yeah?" She nodded lightly, and he left the room without looking at her, leaving her naked and confused in his bed.

"Get a grip, Rose," she murmured to herself, pulling the sheet around her tighter as she stood, not feeling quite comfortable at the thought of trodding to her room naked. As she dressed herself, she couldn't keep the images of the Doctor out of her mind. How he had looked at her, as though he wanted to devour every inch of her. His closed eyes and open mouth as he finally gave her his release. The sound of his moans in her ear. She could almost feel the trail of kisses on her neck.

And then the sudden picture from her dream. The Doctor, dead.

She squeaked, pressing the back of her hand to her mouth before she could control it. She thrust the image as far from her mind as she could, but the residual fear still lingered. The dream had been so vivid, the nightmare worse than anything she could imagine. She didn't want to lose him, she couldn't lose him. How would she be able to keep going? How could she survive knowing that she was alive and he wasn't? Not when she had finally admitted her feelings about him to herself. She loved him.

There was just the slight problem of what happens next.

Sure, they had shagged, and it had been AMAZING, but it didn't mean anything unless it MEANT something. Did it mean something to him? She couldn't get a read on his feelings after he woke her up, but she had a general feeling that something was off. Maybe supper together would be a perfect time to discuss their relationship - if there was even one.

She didn't want to get her hopes up - the Doctor had never shown any romantic interest, no signs of wanting to deepen their relationship beyond best mates. She wasn't sure if she could handle the crushing pain that would surely come with a rejection from him.

Rose looked at herself in her bathroom mirror as she swiped on some red lipstick to match her simple red tee. She looked like her normal self, but she felt so different. This time 24 hours ago, she hadn't felt pleasure so powerful that it was almost painful, she hadn't known the touch of his hands exploring her bare skin. His touch had transformed her, and he had consumed her. She felt brand-new, and she couldn't reconcile this feeling with the same-old image in the mirror.

She huffed at herself. So many feeling jumbled up in her body, and she needed to pull herself together. Tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, she set off for the console room, where she found the Doctor typing on a keypad with one hand and waving the sonic screwdriver at a screen with the other.

Rose cleared her throat. "We ready for takeoff, cap'n?" she asked, attempting to joke but her voice failed to completely cover up the distress she was feeling inside.

The Doctor didn't seem to notice, having his attention split between screens. "Powering her up now...should be leaving the vortex in a second…" He looked up at the glowing center column as the TARDIS began whirring through time and space, a grin spreading on his face. "Good girl," he said, patting the TARDIS console. He turned to look at Rose, trying to contain his earlier worries and act normal. Once he found himself looking at her, though, it became harder to do. She looked beautiful, as she always did, but there was a glow to her skin that he had never noticed before. Curious, he let his senses reach out to her. Her heart was normal, as was her breathing. Her temperature was in the normal range. Maybe it was just him having once again not taken full notice of something extraordinary about her.

Before either of them could speak, the TARDIS was powering down, which meant they had arrived. The Doctor walked over and opened to TARDIS door, and held his hand out to her wordlessly. Her smile brightened, and she entwined her fingers with his as they stepped out into the fresh evening air of the year 2314. He tried not to be too cheerful about the fact that she was holding his hand. They had held hands all the time, this was nothing different.

Except it was. These were the same fingers that had dug into his back as he had thrust himself into her…

No, he couldn't think of that now. He had promised her supper at her favorite diner, and if he kept thinking of her naked body opening for him, he would end up taking her again in an alley, and that was NOT going to happen.

They reached the diner having not said a word, although Rose was able to stammer out a thanks when he held the door for her. They sat across from each other in a booth, and a veil of awkward tension fell over the both of them. Rose fiddled with the glass of ice water the waitress sat in front of her, and the Doctor's gaze drifted to the window beside them. The silence continued after they ordered until Rose finally put her hands flat on the table. "So, are we hanging around here or did you have someplace or time in mind to go to?"

"I thought maybe we could take a weekend at the beach. Bit of a break from the fast lane, recharge." The Doctor finally looked up at her. "Unless you'd like to stay here for a bit. Your choice."

"The beach sounds lovely…" Her eyes drifted back down to her ice water, and she twirled the straw absentmindedly. Her face was unreadable, and this frustrated the Doctor.

"We could go somewhere else, if you're not on for the beach," he suggested.

"No, the beach is fine, I'd love to be able to lay out in the sun for a bit."

"Maybe remember your sunscreen this time?" he teased, remembering the last time she had laid in the sun while he worked under the TARDIS' console and had come back in a few hours later looking like a lobster-human hybrid. She had gone through three bottles of sunburn remedy before her skin was back to its natural color.

"Mmm…" She still twirled her straw, not looking at him.

"Rose, can I ask you something?"

She looked up, and then nodded.

"What were you dreaming? I only ask because...well, I don't think I've ever heard you scream so badly in your sleep…"

"You've heard me before?" Rose asked, surprised.

"Well, yeah. After the daleks and the whole BadWolf/TARDIS/regeneration thing...it obviously shook you up pretty badly, and I don't blame you - the daleks are the worst thing out there, and you took them on, and you absorbed the TARDIS and….well, it would have been a lot for any creature to handle, but humans are particularly susceptible to post-traumatic….well...anyways, I heard you the night we left your mum's, but you were fine by the time I got to you, so I didn't need to wake you. Today, though…"

"Bloody hell, why didn't you tell me before I'd been screaming in my bloody sleep?" Her face started turning red with embarrassment.

"You couldn't help it. I didn't want you to think it was disturbing me or anything, and I didn't want you to be embarrassed. I still have nightmares about my home planet being destroyed - I get it." His mouth snapped shut, having revealed a bit more than he had intended to. "Today was different, you sounded like you were being physically injured, and when I couldn't get you to wake up...your heart was beating so fast, I thought it would surely fail."

The waitress came and set their food in front of them, and Rose welcomed the distraction from the recounting of her awakening. She didn't particularly want to remember the dream, but once he had mentioned it, all she could picture was what her mind had conjured up - the Doctor, surrounded by daleks, utterly defenseless, and then his body sinking to the ground, eyes hollow and no longer filled with light and laughter. She popped a chip in her mouth, chewing slowly and hoping he wouldn't persue the topic.

"Rose?" Hope shattered. She swallowed and took a deep breath, not looking at him.

"They killed you. The daleks. Right in front of me. I watched you die." Her voice was so small that, had he not been a Time Lord with superior hearing, he wouldn't have heard her at all. But he did, and his face drained of color.

His hand reached out, a finger brushed the back of her own hand. "Oh, Rose...I'm sorry." He couldn't think. Her screams filled his mind again, and he forced himself not to show how it pained him. Maybe...the thought crept unbidden and unwanted into his mind...maybe it's best if he took her home, cut ties, made certain that she would never have to go through that scene in real life…

No. His hearts nearly stopped at the thought. Then a wave of loathing coursed through him. Who was he? It was selfish of him not to do exactly that! He should take her home this instant…

He couldn't. Not unless she asked. He watched her playing with her chips, and he knew there was no way he could force her to leave. Selfish or not, he needed her the way he needed air. He couldn't breathe the same when she wasn't near.

So, sending her away wasn't an option. He did have another idea.

"I could help. I could use my super alien powers to help you sleep dreamlessly."

A small smile appeared on her face. "Did you really just say 'super alien powers'?"

"Aye, I did," He smiled, having finally coaxed a smile from her. "I just touch the base of your skull before you go to bed, and you won't have any dreams, nightmarish or otherwise. It's almost like telepathy, but not. I don't really know how else to explain it. But we could try it if you're up for it, yeah?"

"That sounds...yeah, I'll try." She popped another chip in her mouth with a bit more energy.

They ate their supper in silence, but the awkwardness had left them. It didn't take long for them to finish, and soon they were back out in the night air, fingers once again twined together.

"What's that?" Rose asked, hearing the sound of music and laugher growing louder with each step.

"Well, Rose, let's find out!" He spring into a faster step, and she laughed, falling into step beside him as the sounds got louder. "Ah, Rose, I believe we've stumbled onto a block dance party! These are quite the rage in this time period, music is pumped through the speakers in the street for one block, and everyone dances in the middle of the street, it's quite fun."

"Let's go!" Rose said. "You said you can dance, so come dance with me!" The smile on her face was infectious, and he couldn't have refused her anything in that moment. She pulled him around the corner and into the throng of people, all a mish mash of sweaty bodies pressed together and dancing to the beat.

He pulled her close to him, and she threw her hands up in the air, closing her eyes and letting her body slowly connect to the beat of the music, a bass-filled track. His hands settled above her waist, moving in time with her. Her movements became more and more assured as she got into the music, turning and shaking her hips. He pulled her closer to him, and then realized that he had made a huge mistake. She was now moving her hips into his groin, sending shockwaves throughout his body. He moved with her as best he could, trying to keep the friction at a minimal as she danced with her back against him, but she was dancing on pure instinct now.

He felt his cock stirring against his will, and all he could think about was how good it felt to have her against him again. God, she was awakening things in him, feelings that he didn't even know he possessed anymore. She spun around, her lips so close that he could feel the heat of her breath on his mouth. Her eyes were still closed, and he bit his lip as he kept moving with her, trying his best not to catch her lips with his own.

Finally, at least ten minutes later, the track ended, replaced immediately with a similar track with only a slightly slower tempo. Rose's face was flushed bright pink, and she opened her eyes. He cocked his head toward the next empty street, where the TARDIS was parked, and she nodded wearily. He lead her through the throng of sweaty bodies grinding on each other, finally breaking through and walking on the empty sidewalk with the TARDIS in sight.

"Wow…" Rose said breathlessly. "That was quite the experience!"

'You're telling me,' the Doctor thought, unlocking the TARDIS door and gesturing her in.

After he closed the doors, he cleared his throat. "I suppose you're adequately tired, eh?" Rose nodded. "Well, I will get the TARDIS parked on the beach while you change into your nightclothes, that way we're already there in the morning and you can drink your morning cuppa on the beach."

"That sounds lovely," she said. She paused, and then reached out, taking his hand. "Doctor, thank you for yet another unforgettable night."

"My pleasure, Miss Tyler," he said. she quickly kissed him on the cheek before trodding off to her room, and he had to physically shake himself to remember what he was supposed to be doing. He started pressing the correct buttons on the TARDIS' controls, but his head was still in the clouds. 'Oh, Rose, the things you do to me,' he thought. He was still adequately aware of the situation in his trousers, although he had hope that his ignoring it would at least lessen the pressure. He needed to help Rose get to bed and then get to work on a few repairs on the TARDIS, and hopefully the busy work would help his situation.

Once the TARDIS had landed, he strolled down the hall to knock on Rose's door. "Are you decent?"

"Yeah, come in!" she called, and he opened the door.

As he drunk in the sight of her, he tried to keep his jaw hinged and off of the floor. She was standing in front of him in a nightie of light pink silk, which clinged to every curve of her body.

Rose's face flushed instantly. "I accidentally got water all over my pajamas while I was washing my face, and this was all I had left clean…"

"You don't need to explain. You look lovely, as always. Are you ready?" She nodded. He reached around her neck, softly pulling her closer to him, his index finger searching for the right spot at the base of her skull. "You shouldn't feel a thing, but this will help you sleep without dreams when you go to sleep…" She nodded slightly, and he pressed down on her soft skin, directing the flow of the right chemicals through his finger…

Suddenly, her body went limp and he caught her just before she could hit the ground.

"Rose? Rose!" Her head flopped, eyes closed, ears unhearing.

"Well that wasn't supposed to happen."