A/N. Thank you to all my new followers! :) Thank you for the review and for the favourite as well! Could I hope for more? :) Pretty please?

Stuck: Day One, Chapter Two

"First things first," the Doctor grabbed the blonde girl by the hand rather fiercely. "Let's not waste time," he whispered, sounding rather tense. It was kind of unnerving for him to know there was nothing that could be done to stop the recuperation process or to control the things happening inside the TARDIS. While the Doctor was sure the space ship knew exactly what she was doing, being a part of processes he had no control over did not feel right.

However, that was not the only, not even the main reason for his uneasiness. The Time Lord was terrified. Terrified of having openly admitted something so personal. The fact Rose could not stop smiling at him whenever she met his eyes was both assuring and frightening. The Doctor was about to let go of her hand, but Rose did that first.

"What's the matter?" The Time Lord looked at her, happy he wasn't the one having to give explanations. "Rose?"

"Just me- trying to… adjust," she breathed out. Everything was happening too soon, at least for one of them. The young woman was elated, but the Doctor did not seem to be sharing her bliss. Rose could almost physically feel his uneasiness. And she was determined to know what was upsetting him.

"Doctor… What's wrong?" the blonde gave him a worried look, the blissful smile now completely gone from her face. "Have I done something wrong? Said something?" The Doctor knew what she had in mind, especially having seen the look in her big hazel eyes.

"On the contrary. Everything's brilliant. It's me who-

The Time Lord still couldn't quite believe he had uttered the words, words so important and meaningful… for him, anyway. Rose hadn't said it openly. And he had. As if falling for a human wasn't bad enough already... The Doctor needed to know- to ask, but it was already becoming usual the girl could see what the last of his kind had in mind…

"You know, when I said I loved being stuck with you-"

The Doctor could not help but tensed visibly, deciding to keep away from pointless guesses. He was almost certain she was going to tell him these few hours with nothing to do have made her realise that he did bore her.

"I meant it," she smiled. Reaching for his hand Rose froze, seeing no reaction from his side. The alien appeared disconcerted.

The blonde met the Doctor's eyes, although his look was unreadable. But did he mean the words that escaped his mouth as if they were the most basic thing ever? Was it possible she'd misinterpreted him?

Seeing doubt in those brown eyes, the same shade as his, the Time Lord spoke nonchalantly. "Should I repeat what I said?"

The human shrugged, a mix of unpleasant emotions boiling within her. She knew every moment spent thinking about some of the possibilities was only taking her joyfulness further away.

"I said," his voice was uncharacteristically quiet, "I love you too, Rose." The Doctor did not even think he could have easily left at least one word out. His companion knew just as well the alien was taking words literally very often – even if they were his own.

Rose, feeling enormous relief overtaking her, expected to see a grin on his face, but it didn't come. Instead, the Doctor looked at her expectantly, as it was clear somewhere deep inside the doubt still lingered – which was why her following words did not surprise him.

"And did you mean it?" The Tyler girl chose to ignore the fact that he was certain she was in love with him, and rightfully so.

"Isn't it obvious?" the Doctor sounded hurt. "Assuming I am not seeing things," he switched to teasing immediately, facing a small incredulous smile. It seemed Rose was but waiting for some even more substantial assurance. "Love is a sacred word for Gallifreyans. We never use it unless we really feel that way."

Rose was feeling like a fool then. How could she ever have doubted him? The one she trusted most of all? It was, has always been more than obvious. The companion sent him her typical tongue-between-teeth grin, but could think of nothing seemingly proper to say. She'd lost the ability to think clearly ever since his first I-love-you. Rose could not see she was trembling with excitement. Her thoughts were blissfully mingled. It took some moments for the human to find her tongue. Dream-come-true or not, there were things to be done first.

"Right, I'll just go and fetch some things from my room right now," she muttered at him before springing away. The Doctor could have sworn she sounded nervous.

"I could accompany you," he suggested with a grin on his face. It appeared then his life had only one aim - to never ever let the brilliant human out of his sight again.

"Sure." YES! "Please. I'd love you to." Rose felt the Doctor's hand in hers and smirked at him. It was such an everyday gesture for them… Yet, it was somehow different. Every gesture, every word.

Rose stopped, before finding herself in front of her room. Allowing the Time Lord in her chamber was out of the question, and the alien did not seem too keen on visiting what he realised was her personal space. Not yet.

"Um… Let's meet in the library afterwards, 'kay?" Rose muttered. She knew she sounded just like someone wanting to run away from him. But the Tyler girl only sent the Doctor an apologetic look. He had to understand. After all the time they spent together, she was assured he would.

The Doctor nodded understandingly, smiling at her. "Of course. Just don't be too long?"

He had to fetch some things for the night as well. While Time Lords could do without sleeping for much longer than humans could, it didn't mean he wasn't going to need a pillow or clothes to change into for the night. He could but hope the TARDIS was not going to greet them with some unpleasant surprise, such as relocating the library or throwing Rose out of her bedroom before she had the chance to grab everything she needed.

Apparently, the TARDIS did none of that. It didn't take long for the Doctor to grab everything he thought necessary, which wasn't a lot. Therefore, he was pleasantly surprised to find Rose already waiting for him in the library, sorting through the disordered pile of what seemed to be clothes.

"Hey," she greeted the Time Lord without even sparing a look his way. "I'm sorry about all the mess I'm going to cause here," she thought better and turned to face him, meeting a disbelieving glance.

"You are free to make all the mess you wish," the Doctor assured, not without a shade of simulated worry on his face. "The TARDIS will fix everything later on."

The said ship but beeped in annoyance. Rose grinned. "Look, I know you won't. The Doctor only wants to make an impression on me," she finished in a whisper. "I need no servants," she turned to face the Time Lord, who rolled her eyes at her. "I told you this friend of ours has her way of thinking," he gave his blonde companion a wink.

"Of course she does," Rose agreed with a nod. A thought hit her. "What exactly are we going to do now? Sit and wait until the remaining hours run out?"

The Doctor shook his head. "We will come up with something."

"When don't we?"

The Time Lord grinned. "Indeed. We have the control room, if everything else gets taken away from us."

"And the kitchen," Rose noted absently. "And a bathroom. I suppose not all of those will be available? Because-" The companion stopped abruptly, realising the Doctor was looking at her with a small smile playing on his lips.

She knew then that her face had most probably gone crimson, which has only made her feel more uncomfortable. "Right. Sorry. I just-"

"It's all right," the Time Lord assured her with a grin Rose loved so much. "Everything's fine."

She grimaced. Even after having spent so much time travelling with him, the human girl realised, more and more every passing moment - not without a pang of regret - that the Doctor was not someone to ever open himself to her as much as she might have wanted from anybody else. Rose was prepared to accept as much from him as the mysterious man was ready to give.

Rose shook her strangely pensive thoughts away, catching the curious look the Doctor sent her. "So… what exactly have we been doing the last few hours?"

That was a surprise. "You aren't asking me what we are going to do, but what we have done?"

"Yep," she gave him a searching look, a wide smile on her face. It was impossible for her – or for anyone travelling with the Doctor, the blonde guessed – to remain untouched by his cheerful moods. And that grin, oh.

"Too busy with getting to know things, weren't we," he teased, a knowing look in his eyes. "Why don't you sit down?" The Doctor suggested, seemingly unaware until that moment that they were both still on their feet.

"Not until I can give you a proper hug, you know," Rose grinned. Things might have changed between them, but that was one thing she knew the Doctor would not deny her.

"A hug, that's it?" The Time Lord grimaced playfully.

"We still have time for everything else, right?" Rose hoped her tension did not show.

"For everything else," he agreed. Pulling the human into a hug felt so right. "I missed this," the Doctor winked at her, making the Tyler girl roll her eyes at the unpredictable Time Lord. "The last time we did this was when, this morning?"

He smirked. "Yep. At 10.08, to be exact."

The Doctor was irredeemable.

"That is… precise," the young woman smiled, suddenly uncomfortable. The Doctor's arms were still around her.

"What else would you expect from a Time Lord?" he teased.

"Anything, actually." Rose was quick to accept the rules of the game. "Though from this particular Time Lord, who says he loves me yet does not prove it in any way-

Rose. The Doctor met her sparkling hazel eyes and was sure he had no right to back away. She was asking so much of him. And he was more than certain his companion deserved to know everything he could tell her. Show her. Even if it meant she would run away from him, terrified of what he might not be able to hide from her. But this was Rose…

"Would you prefer the human way… or my way?" The Doctor spoke nonchalantly.

"Do you ever need to give me such questions?" She was unsure if the handsome Time Lord wanted to protect her from something in giving her two alternatives… as if she could make herself choose something other than his way. That was out of the question, and the Doctor could read it in her eyes.

"My way, then."

It was impossible to mistake the emotions on his face. Rose was assured she saw dread in the Doctor's eyes. Dread and determination. It was then that he backed away from her. "We still have time for everything else," he quoted her. "Human way is actually a lot simpler." Plainer.

"What is it like? The human way?" The Doctor said nothing to this, wrapping his arms around her again. "Like this," he whispered, before placing his cool lips on hers. Rose could do nothing but reply to the urgent and wildly passionate outbreak. It was much more than that, she realised. Months of supressed feelings that they both felt the need and finally took the chance to express.

As the two finally backed away from each other, there were not many words left to say. "Look what you've done to my hair," The Doctor glared at her. "Although, seeing yours... We're even," he grinned, seeing the puzzled look on her face for a second, before a playful expression enlightened her features. Just for a short while.

There were things Rose needed to know, especially since she had willingly accepted it without even fully knowing what exactly the Doctor had in mind when he spoke about "his way." Something saved exclusively for Time Lords, the Tyler girl guessed.

"The other, what is it?" Rose inquired, after her uneven breathing seemed to have finally returned to normal. She could see the alien knew exactly what she had in mind.

The Doctor froze, careful to pick the right words. His answer turned out quiet. "It would make you a part of me, for all eternity." He was not sure if he had ever explained the Time Lord rules to her. Rose was but a human. Time Lords were never supposed to fall in love, let alone with humans. But it was too late now, too late to back away. Yes, he knew she was going to keep aging – what did they have, some decades together?" Then one day, she'd leave him. And his life would be broken again.

The companion looked at him searchingly. "Doctor."

The way she uttered his name was more than enough. He forced himself to push the dark thoughts away, for her sake. "Sometimes I forget I'm not alone anymore. I'm sorry." The Doctor grimaced, making the girl smile assuredly at him. She knew it was time she changed the subject, at least for the time being.

"I think Mum would lock me up in the Powell Estate for eternity if she knew," Rose smirked.

"Would she?" he grinned, allowing her to eagerly wrap her arms around him again. No such thing would have happened if they weren't stuck in the TARDIS… I owe you so much, you old lady...

The Doctor was glad this time the two were barely hugging each other – there were too many unrelated thoughts in his alien mind. He came back to the idea of Rose's mother being against their relationship… Although the Time Lord believed Jackie knew or rightfully imagined more things than she'd openly show. He had to admit it frightened him.

"Honest? I don't want to know. But she's not a huge fan of yours, that I can say."

The Doctor grimaced, backing away. "Neither am I of hers."

Rose grinned, shrugging. She needed to give Jackie a call as soon as possible, not wanting to face more problems than were already waiting for her at home. "With the genius you are, Doctor, could you make sure the conversation could be heard by both of us?" She was sure this was a great idea… Even if her mother was not to know it.

"Hands-free, you mean?" This required no alien techniques. But if she wanted it… The Doctor pressed some buttons and set something up just to make sure he hadn't made some stupid mistakes, which was an easy thing to do not knowing just how incredibly plain human technology was.

"There you are, Rose. Everything should be working now. Although I still don't understand why-"

Rose was glad he stopped there. She was afraid of what the Doctor's reaction would be if she gave him the actual reason. Even if the Doctor did not want to admit it openly, the girl believed she could see that the feeling of belonging was something he was secretly wishing for. The feeling of having a family, be it but the most annoying mother-in-law the Time Lord could ever think of.

Fine, this concept was completely wrong for the companion to even consider, ever, and she knew it. Shaking her head dismissively, Rose turned to the Doctor once again, seeing confusion written all over his face.

The girl had become exceptionally perceptive during her travels with the Time Lord, able to sense every smallest emotional change in the alien. Still, she had long learned to dismiss the idea of something more being possible between them… until today.

"You can call her," he encouraged. "I'll just-"

Amused, the Doctor remembered the strange state they found themselves in. Wherever he went, he was under the risk to be thrown out… Or not being able to find the room at all.

"Stay here, for me?" Her voice was pleading. "I wouldn't have asked of you to help me with setting the phone otherwise, you know…"

The Doctor imagined she was afraid to tell Jackie she was not going to be back for the celebration. He would have found a way to stay with her anyway, but this fact seemed to have doubled the necessity for him to stand beside her. Angry Jackie could be terrifying. The Time Lord nodded with a shrug, hearing the familiar voice immediately.

"Rose! Where are you? The guests are all here already!" her voice was close to shrieking. "I suppose you're on your way?!"

"No… Mum, I'm not coming." The daughter's serious voice was enough to make Jackie worry.

"Are you all right?"

"S'posse so," Rose felt the Doctor press her hand in encouragement.

"So get your things and rush here," Jackie snapped.

"I… can't."

"And why, may I ask?" The mockery in her mom's voice was strangely familiar. Rose could not help but felt guilty to have unintentionally deceived her mother. "I didn't-

"Has the Doctor decided to break his promise?"

"No! I… we…"

"What is it, then?!" the mother was running out of patience. She guessed the Doctor was somewhere nearby.

Rose threw a desperate glance at the alien, coming up with an idea at once. "We're lost!"

This made the Doctor grin at her almost wildly. She truly was brilliant, his Rose.

Jackie was dumbfounded. It was very unlikely for Rose to ever lose her way – except with that Jimmy bloke – but her daughter sounded desperate. "Do you want me to send someone to fetch you up?" she suggested, not losing hope to actually have her daughter present in the feast. "The two of you?"

Rose knew then that her mother was really determined to get her into the ball. Otherwise, the Doctor wouldn't have been considered. Thunderstruck, he wanted to say something, but was hushed by the human immediately.

"But I really can't. It's impossible. I'm so sorry…"

That was more than enough for Jackie. "I have been planning this for months! Made sure every person I've invited could attend! Do you think it was an easy thing to organise?!"

The two were listening silently, unwilling to interrupt the outbreak. "Is this what I get? My own daughter abandoning me over some- some-

"Some alien," the Doctor finished in a whisper, receiving a worried glance from Rose. She could see the Time Lord, however untouched he might have pretended to be, was uncomfortable hearing her words, albeit those weren't uttered. The hazel-eyed girl sent him an apologetic look, while having to reassure her mother of the obvious. Over-dramatising was something Jackie was very good at.

"I am not abandoning you! I can't come, that's all," she finished with her words barely audible. Rose was very thankful to the one accompanying her, his hand still firmly holding hers.

"Fine, fine." Both Rose and the Doctor could tell it was far from fine to her mother, but this was a start. "So, tell me. How comes you can't find your way back?"

"It's not that-

"It doesn't matter," the mum snapped. "You two might be involved in whatever you please, but I need to know!" She was afraid some of the ideas she had were actually right.

The Doctor wanted to leave Rose to deal with these personal matters on her own, but the pleading look in her eyes was impossible to fight. It felt as if his dazzling companion had some inexplicable impact on him. Why wouldn't she, when I have just told her… Having shaken the thoughts away, he sent her a look of encouragement.

Jackie Tyler seemed to have forgotten the question about her daughter getting lost. After all, Rose was the most important person for her in the entire universe. As long as her Rosie was happy, Jackie was ready to put up with a lot of otherwise unacceptable things. "Are you two at least having fun?"

The pink and yellow human was positively surprised. "As for me, I am," she tried to keep her voice neutral. "But I wish I was there with you!" Rose assured her.

The Doctor was trying his best in not making his presence known, which was becoming twice as hard now that he had to fight the wish to burst out laughing at the absurdity of the situation. He could recall her unwillingness to go to the event – what was it again?

The Time Lord was forced to stop in his amusing contemplations, as he heard his beautiful companion lower her voice. "Do you want to talk to him?"

"Yes please." The terrified look on his face made Rose suppress a giggle.

"Just keep it civil," she warned both of them, handing the phone to the Doctor, who could think of no way to keep away from the conversation.

"Jacqueline Tyler."

"I know what my name is," Jackie sounded anything but pleased. "I demand explanations, Doctor. Where on earth are you keeping my Rose?"

He muttered something incoherent. Hoped it was, at least.

"What do you mean, not on Earth?!"

A/N. I hope you enjoyed this! Please let me know what you think!