Flashbacks galore in this one. Didn't really mean for that to happen, it just sorta…did. xD Um, still a relatively short one (sorry 'bout that) but I'm not really sure if they're ever really going to get longer than this. Um…enjoy?

When the door had opened, the Doctor thought his hearts were going to stop right then and there. She was so much younger, yet so similar to the nineteen year old Rose he had traveled with back with his old daft face. I do miss that face... He took a moment to gaze at her and take in all her features, even though he remembered every last detail as if she had been alongside him yesterday.

He paused for a moment, trying to think of something that would convince her to let him in. Then, he remembered how she never took her A-levels and that she had always been rubbish in school. That gave him an idea.

"Hello! I'm John Smith, your new tutor. You must be Rose Tyler," the lie rolled off the Doctor's tongue easily as he flashed the psychic paper and reached out his hand to shake hers. When her smaller hand grasped his, he felt a small jolt at the connection that he hadn't felt in years, but still remembered perfectly.

After convincing her that he was to be her 'tutor', he followed her into the flat.

"I'll be just a mo'; let me go get my work," Rose said before heading back to her room. The Doctor gazed around, old memories from his past two lives flooding back. He hadn't spent to much time at the Powell Estate, preferring to stay in the TARDIS to avoid Jackie, but he still had a few fond memories of this place.

He had chased the signal throughout London before finally ending up at a slightly run down estate. When the door opened, he had been so surprised to see the human for the store. Rose, that was her name. He followed her in, and looked around. Though it was no time to rest, he took the opportunity to examine himself.

He hadn't been able to convince himself to look in a mirror since the war; he didn't care anymore. But he did now anyway, before getting all the information he needed from this 'Rose Tyler' and headed out the door. Of course, the stubborn ape just followed him...

He still couldn't believe he landed a year off, but there was much more important matters now. Staring at the telly, he began to loose patience with all the stupid apes in the room. It was bad enough having to deal with Jackie, but this was taking it a bit to far. He was going to get out of there as soon as he could...

Christmas evening, he just regenerated that morning. New teeth, new hair, new everything. He looked around the small table at the humans he was starting to consider his family. Well, not everything changed. He hoped that Rose would see that, and would stay with him, he was so scared she would leave...

He walked into the flat with a strange sense of familiarity. It struck him as odd; yes, he and Rose had stopped off here relatively often, but he was beginning to see the Powell Estate as a second home, almost as much as he thought of these mismatched humans as his family. He shook himself out of these thought; they had some ghosts to deal with...

He felt his throat tightening at that last memory. He remembered that day perfectly- the day he lost Rose. That day, he had almost given up. Rose had become the only thing he was living for, and he didn't have anything left afterwards. After the transmission had ended, he had almost drove the TARDIS straight into that supernova.

"Er, Mr. Sm-um, John?" the Doctor jumped slightly when he was ripped away from his memories by the subject of them, who was currently looking up at his hesitantly, papers gripped in her hands. Funny, she almost seemed a bit afraid of him. His Rose had never shown fear at something as insignificantly appearing as a man in bow tie. Though, he supposed, she could grow a lot in the next couple of years.

"Right, Ms. Tyler, let's get started."

"Now, what does that make 'x' equal?" Rose worried her lip for a moment before it hit her.

"Erm...7.4?" she answered hesitantly, not feeling confident about her answer at all.

"Correct!" There it was again. That huge grin, filled with both happiness and sadness at the same time. It was such a strange sight, as were his eyes- so old, in such a young body. She had seen eyes like that before, but only old war veterans and something about John's were worse, yet so much better.

She smiled back at him, surprised that she was actually enjoying this. John explained the problems so much better than her teachers, and he made sure she understood every step as he explained. And now that he had, the problems seemed so much clearer. Everything made so much more sense, and she couldn't understand why she didn't see the simplicity early. Well, that was probably because she didn't have John before.

"Well, it seems like that was that was the last problem, Ms. Tyler. Anything else you need help on?" John asked, helping her fit the algebra worksheet back into her stuffed backpack. She took a moment to think.

"Um, no sir. That was all I had today," she replied after a moment.

"Right then. I'll...be off then, I suppose," he stood up and headed to the door, stopping before opening it when Rose followed him.

"So...you'll be back later this week, yeah? Twice a week?" she gave him a small smile. He seemed to pause for a moment, his hand hovering over the doorknob.

"Of course I will, Rose. How could I forget?" he reached out to shake her hand once more before heading out the door.

Rose returned to her room, bag in tow. Well, that certainly was...interesting, she thought to herself. John had been incredibly nice and patient, which was something she had never really experienced from a teacher before. All her other teachers either thought she was an idiot or wasn't really trying, but John had listened to her and helped her. It was...nice. She smiled fondly and laid back on her bed, letting out a small sigh.

The Doctor walked into the TARDIS quietly and then stepped up to the console, absentmindedly stroking the TARDIS, causing her to hum softly. After a moment he slammed his head into the console.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," each word was punctuated with another slam, causing the TARDIS' happy hums to change to ones of concern. "How could I have promised her that?" He heard a sigh from the other side of the console.

"Really, Doctor, was that necessary? I'm sure whatever you've done it couldn't have been too bad," Dorium's muffled voice came from the overturned box.

"Trust me, it was," the Doctor muttered with a sigh. "We'll be taking a few more detours." Eleven more, to be precise. He wasn't going to break his promise to Rose, he was going to each and everyone of their tutoring sessions.

He began to flip switched around the console, setting the destination. But, first, to deal with Jackie...

I really really really love writing Doctor/TARDIS interaction. Seriously, it's the best thing ever. It doesn't even matter what Doctor. xD So you might be seeing quite a bit of that in this story, but it will primarly be Doctor/Rose, I promise. xD

Til next time,

Silver