Having slept fitfully, ten minutes here and there between nightmares of loss, she finally gave up. The small, warm hotel room felt suddenly oppressive and claustrophobic. Glancing to her left a fully suited doctor lay, fast asleep. Her doctor didn't do that, he always had a wakefulness about his, as though he could sense everything going on around him. But now she could take the opportunity to see him sound asleep for the first time since he regenerated that Christmas, and rather than being the romantic fantasy she had so achingly desired, she had found herself running short on breathable air, desperate to escape a cloying sense of responsibility. Rose had risen and dressed trying not to wake him. When a discarded trainer had caused her to stumble, and her curses had caused him to groggily lift his head, she had made quick excuses, though she wasn't sure why, and retreated for breakfast.

Rose couldn't reconcile the feelings welling within her. Could not weigh knowing she had what she wanted against the bitter anguish of losing the original Doctor, and Mickey. At the thought of his name a wave of guilt engulfed her, it had been Mickey who had rebuilt her, driven her to do something about the situation rather than withdraw from life on the beach that day. The chaos of the last three days had her mind twisting itself tighter than the knots in her stomach. Once downstairs she ordered a coffee and retrieved her PDA. After checking up on her torchwood emails, mostly technical reports and information updates, she ran a quick scan for rift hotspots, made notes of their locations and informed the hub in Cardiff that they may have a new breach. Feeling better for organising at least one part of her life she took her coffee outside. It was a clear crisp morning, not cold, or warm, but very, very clear, almost crystalline. Drawing in a lung full of air, she felt almost instantly better.

He found Rose gazing off into the distance, black coffee in hand. That was new, how long had it been black coffee rather than sweet tea? And why had she spent so much time trying not to wake him? Fear lanced through his chest again, what if's reverberating through his mind. He stood for a few minutes charting the way she drew long breath after long breath. Before he moved enough for her to realise he was there. She turned to face him, "I'm sorry, that i left so fast earlier." She falters through the words before continuing "I was thinking, I think I still am. But it's ok. You're ok and so am I." She turns back to the sea, and he can't help but walk to stand beside her. She draws breath and speaks, this time she's staring at the horizon, or at least something far away, possibly galaxies. "You once asked me how long I would stay with you, I told you forever, that was only my forever though. I cn' see that now." She pauses, seemingly savouring a thought, before she continues. "Now we have the chance to spend that forever together, that's more than we had before. I still lost you. In a way, so did you I 'spose." He flinches at that, he knows, can feel, that he isn't who he used to be. Not her original doctor. But she's not his either, all of the memories are still those of someone else, remembered but not lived, like being in the back ground or watching the film, but not living the moment.

She glances at him, and he can see in her eyes that there is an age that wasn't there before. Hurt does that, ages you, he should know. The tightness in his chest squeezes just a little harder. "I can't love you, not yet, I'm not saying never. But I have to..." she draws in a breath, and it's shaky "There are things that we need to re-do, stuff that we can't have any more, we have to learn again. I spose'" Those words freeze him, she hadn't repeated it, hadn't said them to him since that day he left her on the wrong side of the void. "But this," she waves a finger between the two of them "is going to take some work, some getting used to. Were not who we used to be" A crooked smile crosses her face "You ready for the domestic thing?" she turns to him and that smile, her tongue poking out at the corner of her mouth and it finishes him. His Rose, still there after all that has happened, she had waited and searched and he had left her his shadow.

He makes that silly squawking sound, the one he knows he makes when he finds it difficult to answer a question. "Well...I mean...I..." he look desperate "I guess I could sort of handle, just...could we...Oh I don't know... I mean that is if you want to." Her grin spreads, hitting her eyes for the first time, she turns to face him properly , taking one of his hands in both of hers.

And so here they are, clambering from the private jet, and he babbles, the planes occupants grinning through his stories of the blokes that built the first plane and the race that could fly, but wanted to drive instead and therefore dedicated their entire life to the perfection of the wheel. He babbles till he isn't even sure what he's talking about any more. Turns out this him gets nervous, really nervous, and still not ginger. Unfair in anyone's opinion, especially his. The journey back to the UK is a quick one, a private jet picks the trio up and flies them back to a small Torchwood owned airfield. Rose sprints across the tarmac to be greeted by her father, and a small bundle of clothes which moved roughly at the speed of light and seems to chant "RosieRosieRosie" over and over.

This, he realises, must be Tony. And then it hits him, Jackie had been pregnant that awful day at Bad Wolf Bay, but this child was at least three, three years old, four years since Bad Wolf Bay. She had been four years without him. It had been many more than this for the doctor, but he had hoped that Rose had not had to spend too much time alone. She turns to him, holds out a hand, smiles with that small boy in her arms who is reaching for his mother now, gurgling his glee at her return. Jackie, Pete and Tony share a hug as the Doctor reaches them, taking the offered hand, lacing his fingers with Roses.

"Doctor." Pete smiles as he holds out a hand which the Doctor shakes, returning the friendly smile with a grin.

Introduction and hand shaking over, they all retreat to the waiting cars. Rose kisses her Mum and Dad goodbye, then roars and bundles Tony up into a bear hug, snuffling into his neck. The small boy squeals his delight and wriggles free. The Doctor is puzzled at the farewells, until he realises that they are not getting in the same car. Getting in the driver's seat of the second car, Rose waits until the Doctor is buckled into the passenger side, before staring up the big black Range Rover, Torchwood standard issue.

"Rose Tyler...can you drive?" The Doctor quirks an eyebrow at this she simply smiles, puts the car in gear and pulls away from the tarmac smoothly. "I lived with mum and dad for a while, but when Tony was born I didn't want to disturb them. Torchwood hours can be pretty antisocial. I still live on their estate; dad had them build me my own place to live." She sees the frown pass over his features at the mention of Torchwood, she knew she had some work to do there, to allay his fears and show him what she had done to rectify the situation. "So now I have my own space, somewhere to call my own...ours I guess now." She realises this may be too much, and her stomach muscles clench as the presumption slips from her lips. "I...I mean...well I," He makes her jump when he puts calming hand on her knee and smiles at her. He doesn't say anything else, neither of them do until they pull off the main road, following her dads car until it pulled off at the main entrance to the mansion, they carry on until they came to what looks like the service entrance, the high wrought iron gates open when Rose hits a button on the dashboard of the car, and the Doctor notices an intercom system and cameras around the entrance. "Mum had them installed, she didn't like me being on my own out here, were not far from the house but she kept on until I relented." The Doctor chuckles at this, no one says no to Jackie Tyler. They crunch up the gravel drive for a few seconds until the trees lining the drive curve away to reveal a single story sandstone structure. It looks like a hybrid, the stone is in keeping with the walls encircling the estate but the wood frame seems almost Scandinavian. The Doctor smiles approvingly, 21st Century architecture meets the past, very Rose. She pulls up in front of the large sheltered entrance way, the door is flanked by two floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Pressing another button on her key ring the Doctor hears the car beep locked behind him as she bounces up the steps to unlock the door.

"Come on, I'll put the kettle on." She motions him through the door, as he meanders into her home. The floors are wooden, but warm, some sort of under floor heating, so that the warm wood appears to be actually radiating heat. He notices that she has kicked her shoes off at the door, and wonders if he is supposed to follow suit. "Come through," she calls from beyond the large open hallway with skylights which seem tinted to again fill the room with warm light. He follows the sound of her voice into a huge open plan area, defined into sections by the furniture within it. A colossal L shaped settee, deep enough that he knew your feet were never meant to touch the floor and strewn with plush cushions dominated the area in front of a large open fireplace. Above the fireplace was a large thin TV mounted on the wall, and a thick brown rug complimented the cream settee. Further into the room a was a dining table large enough to seat 6 people and a wall entirely filled with down lit bookshelves, crammed to bursting point with all kinds of books. He smiles, he likes this space very much.

Turning the Doctor finds himself facing a part of the room hidden around a corner. A large kitchen is sectioned off by a change in flooring from wood to slate tiles. A large, long breakfast bar also serves to separate the space. Within the square shaped space is a large island on which the gas hob is located. Around all the walls are more work surface and cupboards, as well as a large fridge and the sink. "Don't get excited, my cooking still sucks." She smiles at him, her tongue making yet another appearance.

She's been watching him move through the room, drinking everything in. Now she hands him the cup of hot tea and motions for them to sit on the settee. As she does she pulls her feet up underneath her, she loves having the deep settee to curl up on. "This...This is very you" he grins at her, "And the books...ooh, i like the books Rose Tyler." She smiles then puts her tea down on the floor, taking him by the hand she pulls him up. "Come with me, I have something you're gunna love." She leads him back through the entrance hall in the opposite direction. He gets glimpses of the bathroom, bedrooms and finally they come to a room which is in darkness. She flicks in the lights as they enter, and he just grins. He's stood in a home library; the higher part of the roof must accommodate this room because the ceiling is far higher, books go all the way to the top, and ladders provide access to the top shelves. In the corner is a desk with a computer and a reading lamp. There is also a large comfy looking chair, obviously well used. "I couldn't stop reading when I got back, at first it was because I wouldn't believe there was no way back to you. I just didn't know what it was yet. Then I read because it was an escape, and now I read for the love of it." Glancing around the room she took in the spines of so many books, some she bought, some she took from the library of the big house, others she had collected through work. The Doctors face held the most peculiar expression, unreadable and complex. Rose circled in front of him, standing close enough to see the weave of the fabric of his jacket. Looking down at her he sighed.

A smile graces her own face, before the blush creeps up her cheeks. The moment is broken by the ring of an electronic phone, oddly it seemed to come from all around them, Rose frowned before asking no one in particular "Caller ID?" a soft female computerised voice replied "Pete is calling". The Doctor realised the house must have multidirectional microphones and speakers all over it. "Answer" Rose's expression lightens as she says hello to nothing but air.

"Hey,"

"Hi, rose, listen, your mother has pointed out that the Doctor is going to need some clothes and stuff, isn't he?" it seemed more like a rhetorical question, but the Doctor responded anyway.

"um, yeah, hello.." he smiled, more out of habit than anything else "well, yes, I don't seem to have anything with me"

"Yeah well I'm going to take you to town and we can pick up some essentials there." Pete replied "I'm in the car now on my way round."

"Ok dad, see you soon." Rose replied, before the bleep supposedly pronouncing the call over sounded. "Very kind of your dad, but I don't have any money...though I do have the psychic paper, oh and a spare sonic screwdriver." A cheeky smile crosses his face at that, Rose realises he must have swiped them knowing that the Doctor would leave him here.

"Oh, don't worry, dad wouldn't let you pay any way." She seems to think for a moment, turning on her heel to meander aimlessly around the room. "Um, if you don't mind I think I'm gunna have a shower, or a bath, so...you could go with dad while I do that. Yeah?" she looks back at him, and for the first time since they left Norway he feels doubt and rejection creep into his mind, the tightness in his chest returns. "Well, yeah...of course...I mean...that is, yes" he stutters, and she sees the problem.

"I'm cold and tired, and you'll only be gone an hour or so" she has craved a bath since she woke in Bad Wolf Bay, and though she doesn't want him to leave her sight, like a precious object you are convinced will disappear if you turn your back on it, she needs some time to gather her thoughts in her own space. She knows that her dad will be planning on sorting out issues other than a change of clothes for the Doctor, and she's not sure she can handle that kind of organisation yet. He seems placated by her explanation. Relief floods him, he can see the dark circles under her eyes and he realises despite the cosy atmosphere of the house she is still wearing her blue jacket. Satisfied that she is not rejecting him he leaves with her father when he pulls up outside, but not before wondering at what point he became so needy. Probably around the time he was created from a long severed hand and a crazy human woman's slightly gobby DNA. She smiles at him before waving at her dad and disappearing back into the house. The Doctor climbs into the passenger seat again, and resolves to pick up the keys next time, he prefers to drive.

As Rose retreated into the bathroom she sighs, so much to take in the last week has been nothing short of heaven and hell rolled into a rollercoaster ride. Firstly four days of jumping back and forth in time and dimensional space, hopping across universes to find him, then watching him die and live again. Too much, she thinks as the beginnings of a crushing headache begin to throb behind her eyes. Turning the dimmer switch down in the bathroom, she thanks the architect again for the warm cream stone tiles on the floor and wall, and sets the large square tub to fill. The bathroom is her favourite space, her room connects to it through a wardrobe come dressing room, in which her makeup and clothes are strewn across the floor and dresser, in the bathroom itself is a huge bath in one corner, so big it has two steps up to it, running around the exposed sides of the bath. The floor in this room is also heated and when she kicks off her socks she sighs at the pleasant warmth. The opposite corner to the bath is filled by a huge shower, two meters across with two monsoon shower heads, showering in it is like standing under a warm cloudburst. Rose smiles at the number of mornings that shower has made getting out of bed worth it. A bleep sounds as the bath stops filling itself, Rose tips in some scented bath oil, breathing in the relaxing aroma of lavender, before lightning a few candles and retrieving two fluffy towels, placing them on the steps. She strips the rest of her clothes tossing them on the pile of dirty laundry now accumulating, before she slips into the wonderfully warm water and sighs her relief.