Title: Encounters; The Conversation Pairing: 9 / Rose

Series: Dr Who Rating: 15 Type: AU/ Angst

Summary: Rose is dealing with the aftermath of Adams betrayal on Satellite 5… The Doctor is dealing with his own feelings in regards to his companion and her choices…

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Dr Who characters or anything from the universe of Dr Who. I am just taking the characters and playing with them a while – promising to restore them whole and unblemished! Thanks to the BBC for creating these toys for me to enjoy. Please don't take any of my playing as having any bearing on the actual franchise. Enjoy.

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Rose sank her head into the fold of her arms as she leaned down on the TARDIS console…

She felt like a prized idiot.

She had trusted Adam… begged the Doctor to bring him travelling with them and found that he wasn't what she had expected him to be.

At first she was placed with Adam as a distraction – and he did distract her; so clever and enthusiastic and full of wonder. There was someone he had reminded of. Except that Adam was clearly interested in Rose in return.

And after months on the TARDIS… months of being less interesting than a dead star or a silent planet or even a bloody tree! After months… after that bloody massage… she was happy to be noticed like that…

Adam wanted her… and she knew it.

The Doctor…

He had looked so intense on Satellite Five. They stood in the lift, preparing to go to floor 500 as he happily stated Cathica and Adam had both left and it meant it was only the two of them. And Rose hadn't even given the others a second thought as she took his hand and felt a rush of heat; she wanted him to want her but could never quite read his intentions…

I've got the best, she recalled, I've got Rose.

Rose groaned. What a mess…

She looked up from the console to see the Doctor rushing about with the widest smile he had worn since van Stattens bunker. He was yabbering away about the next place he intended to take her and how much she would love it without even looking her way… and it would usually have her excited by that point.

"And I think it's somewhere you will really appreciate, seeing as we could both do with a break…" he was saying before, finally, looking up at her…

For a brief moment he seemed to catch his breath as he looked at her… and then he frowned. "Oh… what?" He asked, leaning on the opposite side of the console. "Don't tell me you want me to go back for him?"

Rose blinked… "No," she answered; it had never crossed her mind.

The Doctor blinked, "Really?" He asked, looking more than a little surprised.

"Really," she shrugged, "I don't want him."

The Doctor paused as he processed her words, "Why not?"

It was Roses turn to seem confused. "Just don't."

What now?

And she looked at him as his wide eyes began to filter through shock and into some form of joy as he a grin appeared on his face and he shifted around to lean himself on the TARDIS console next to her..

"Who do you want?" He asked, quietly.

A familiar static clenched her chest and Rose felt her body freeze in panic.

"You."

Every part of her clenched…

The Doctor looked at her still.

"Me?"

She couldn't find any words. She couldn't find anything in that moment. So Rose did all she could and nodded.

The Doctor remained; he seemed a little shocked…but still smiling.

Ice fingers of panic started to grip her chest and she began to instantly back-track, "I mean, I don't need another friend if I've got you and the TARDIS. I don't want anyone else around because then we have to keep an eye on them…"

The Doctors smile fell into a frown, "Friends."

Rose felt her chest tighten, "Yeah, you know."

"Right," he said, giving her another sideways glance. Then he took a breath, "Right!" And he slapped his hands together and gave them a brief rub before pushing himself off the console. "As I was saying… where to next?"

Rose looked at him as he began to wind himself up into another frenzy by way to distract him from their conversation.

Did she just talk them both out of admitting to something?

She wasn't sure what was going on?

She only knew was that she was scared to loose what they had built together, even if it was confusing and frustrating. Rose knew she didn't want to risk losing that; losing him. What if they tried to make their relationship romantic and it didn't work? What if they did have sex and it made their feelings for each other change? What if that change was something neither of them could recover from?

"So why don't we take a break?"

What?! "What?"

"Have a rest," he said with big, blue eyes, "you know… we've been on the go all day – so we could do with a break to recharge."

"Oh, right," Rose breathed, "a break."

She felt a deep regret take hold… perhaps she should have forced the moment when they were talking earlier and made him acknowledge the attraction between them… and the care… and the feeling…

But she knew she couldn't have. She was afraid.

"And then I will take you anywhere you like," he was saying, not looking at her again, "Anywhere in space and time. I won't deny you anything you want..."

Rose nodded her head, absently, "Right."

"Anything you want Rose…"

She just wanted a hug.

She felt completely rejected and tired…

"Rose…"

"Yeah," she nodded, moving away from the console, "I'll go get some rest…"

She felt lonelier than ever as he watched her leave…

"And we'll make a decision from there."

"Ok," she heard him agree as she closed the door behind her, "no pressure, Rose… never any pressure, no pressure at all."

She didn't even turn to him as she left the console room and headed to her room, "Perhaps that's the problem…"