A/N: My sincerest apologies for the delay. Life has been extra rough. But I'm still here! Special thanks to those of you on tumblr who helped me with a few terms needed for this chapter ;)

Warning: Minor swearing in this chapter because Jack is Jack.

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or anything related.


"You're lucky. It's just a sprain."

"Doesn't feel lucky," Rose grumbled as John eased the ice pack off her ankle.

He smirked. "I offered you something stronger than paracetamol," he reminded her.

"Can't," she sucked in a breath as he gingerly picked up her ankle so he could begin wrapping it. "Painkillers make me sick." She bit her lip as John's hands trailed over her foot. To an outside observer she probably looked as if she was reacting from the pain, in truth, though her ankle was killing her, she was reacting to his touch. Blimey, it had been so long since she'd been this close to a man, let alone touched by one. She was curious if he knew what kind of affect he was having on her. She prayed he didn't, otherwise she would be properly mortified. Especially after they mutually agreed at the restaurant that they weren't interested in being anything more than friends. She'd meant it, at the time, but that was before they spent an evening sharing the ups and downs of their respective life experiences. And, bloody hell, he's tall, and he's strong, and very... Northern. He came off as very intense, but the more time she spent with him the more she realised how very warm and charming he was. Not to mention-

"Rose?" John's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Are you feeling okay? You're looking a little flushed. A minor fever is normal if you're in that much pain."

Feeling her face heat up even more, Rose quietly answered, "Fine. I'm fine. Actually, I think the paracetamol is starting to kick in."

He nodded. "Good. That's good."

"So, good?"

The corner of John's mouth quirked. "Mhm. Tell me, do you run?" he asked, his nimble hands trailing up her right calf.

"W-what?" she sputtered, desperately trying to ignore how wonderful delightfully dexterous his fingers felt as the massaged the muscle just over her injury.

"Run. Do you run?"

"Just after children," she giggled nervously. "I, uh, I used to be a gymnast. I mean, it's been ages, but I've tried to keep up with stretches and whatnot."

John's icey blue eyes narrowed at her. "Gymnastics, huh?"

The look he gave her, Rose couldn't even find a word to describe it. How long had it been since someone had looked at her like that? No, scratch that, had anyone ever looked at her like that? A look filled with pure lust? She had to be mistaken. He couldn't possibly want that with her. It simply couldn't be.

"I wanted to dance," she told, attempting to remain in the moment and not in her head overthinking things, "but it cost too much. Gymnastics was offered for free to the council kids. What about you? Do you... dance?" she asked with an inquisitive and uncharacteristic boldness.

"I'm more of a runner," he said, his voice taking on a whole new tone.

Rose sucked in a breath, and though it pained her both physically and intimately, she pulled her leg from his grasp and sat up on the examining table. Now that she was eye level with him, she could really appreciate the effect she was having on him. His pupils were dilated and she was almost positive that if her gaze were to fall lower, she would see another physical response. Confident that she was no longer alone in her feelings, she decided to test the waters.

"It's getting late."

"Would you like me to take you home?"

She shook her head. "No."

"What would you like, Rose?" he asked with distinct care.

"I don't know," she replied, no louder than a whisper. "But I do know that I'm not ready for this night to be over."

The corner of his mouth twitched. "Doesn't have to be." Leaning down, he brushed his lips across hers. "This okay?" She nodded, prompting him to continue. "Care to go further?" he asked, trailing kisses across her jaw.

Her eyes fluttered closed. "Fine by me," she exhaled, moving her neck so his lips could find hers yet again. Immediately she melted into the kiss, but after several moments her thoughts began running rampant. What were they doing? What was she doing? Mucking things up that's what. Pulling away suddenly, she a muttered a quiet, "Sorry," as she covered her face with her hands.

"Rose?"

"I'm just," she dropped her hands into her lap, "I'm not any good at this."

"I beg to differ," he replied with a cheeky grin.

She could tell he was trying to lighten the mood, and it worked to an extent when she felt her own smile begin to form. But quickly her anxieties returned. "I don't mean that, I mean..." She sighed. "What are we even doing?"

"Snogging?" he answered slowly.

"And is that it? I- I meant what I said at the restaurant, John, but that was before-"

He cut in. "Before we spent time together."

She nodded. "Exactly. And I like you, but that scares me because we both have a lot of baggage. I haven't done anything like this in a long time and the last time I did I was really bad at it!"

"I'm not exactly a Casanova myself over here."

Rose bit her lip. "Could've fooled me."

"You're not the only one feeling a bit frightened, ya know?" he pointed out. "But I like you too, Rose, and I don't want to lose whatever it is that's going on between us."

"Neither do I."

John smiled. "So where does that leave us?"

"I would like to be friends. And..."

"And?"

"And maybe more?"


Two Months Later...

"What's up, Doc?"

"You know, Jack, that stopped being funny years ago," John replied dryly into his mobile.

He heard the man chuckle. "Did you ever find it funny?"

"Now that you mention it, no."

"Didn't think so. So, missing me desperately?" Jack asked .

John snorted. "Me? Not so much. The girls sure do though. No account for taste I guess."

"Ha. Ha. I miss my girls too. Yan and I both do. Don't get me wrong, Cardiff is nice and all, but I'm not sure if we could stay here long term."

"Well, you'll hear no complaints from my household. The girls ask when you two coming back practically every day."

"Glad to know we haven't been forgotten," Jack commented. "Now tell me the reason for your call. I mean, no offense, Doc, but you rarely call me in the morning for a social chat."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, John heaved a heavy sigh. He'd been debating making this phone call for weeks now, chickening out every day. If there was anyone who could give him advice, or at least shed a little light on this situation he currently found himself in, it would be his old friend Jack. That being said, if there was anyone who would tease him mercilessly for being in said situation in the first place, it would be his old friend Jack. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself. "I, uh, I sort of needed your advice about something."

"You," the other man emphasized, "need my advice? Are you feeling alright?"

"Well, not really your advice. More your opinion. Thoughts maybe?" he stammered.

There was a shuffling on the other end before Jack finally said, "Sorry, I just needed to get comfortable. Go on, then. Tell me what you don't really need my advice, more my opinion or thoughts on."

John grimaced. He could practically hear Jack's cheeky grin. "Do you think you could just dial back on being so you, and just let me get through this with a bit of my dignity?"

"I'll do my best."

"Right, well, the thing is," he gave a small cough, "do you remember that date I went on a couple months ago?"

"You mean the not-date? Sure, I remember. I also remember you coming back a lot later than you said you would and you decidedly staying tightlipped about it."

"Yes, that's what I mean. That night, Rose and I-"

"Rose?"

John sighed. "Yes, her name is Rose. Rose and I got on quite well."

"Did you now?" Jack asked excitedly. "And just how well did you two crazy kids get on?"

"You know what, never mind."

"Hey, hey, hey, now! I'm sorry! I'll stop. I swear," he tacked on when John stayed stubbornly silent.

John shook his head. He couldn't do this. What was he thinking? This was a young man's game and he was hardly a young man. "I don't know what to do, Jack. I may act confident when I'm around her, but I'm in over my head!"

"Whoa I know it's been awhile since you've dated anyone, but you'll figure it out. You did with Astrid."

"I was a different man back then and Rose and I aren't exactly dating."

Jack paused before further inquiring, "What are you doing then?"

"Well, we're friends," he answered quickly.

"Just friends?"

John sucked in a breath and repeated Rose's words, "And, you know, maybe a bit more."

"Jonathan Ulysses Smith, you're in a friends-with-benefits relationship! Good for you, mate!" Jack exclaimed like a proud father. Never in his wildest imaginings did he picture John in that kind of situation.

"Friends-with-benefits? That sounds so..." John searched for the right word, "... childish."

His friend chuckled. "I really don't know if there's any better terms. I had a friend in my younger days from Delhi who called me his Chuddy buddy. I've also been called or used the terms, bed buddy, booty caller, sex friend, or my personal favourite, fuck buddy."

"Jack!"

"Oh, come on. You're a single man, John. There's nothing wrong what you and Rose are doing, you are both consenting adults, so stop feeling guilty."

He shook his head. "I don't feel guilty," he mumbled.

"You don't?" Jack inquired.

"No. Well, not for the reason you think." John took a deep breath as he thought back on the past couple of months and the relationship of sorts that they had embarked on after the night of their "not a date" date and what happened between them at his clinic. After they'd recovered from their fast and heated coupling, he expected awkwardness to set in, he was pleasantly surprised to be wrong. Instead, they both burst into a fit of giggles at the absurdity of what just took place. "I'm so glad I met you," she told him sweetly through their laughter. He couldn't help but agree.

Jack cleared his throat, pulling John back to the present. "You've got to explain this to me, Doc, cause I'm kind of confused."

"After that first night, Rose and I agreed to keep our relationship as just friends, plus a little more," he added. "We both lead very busy lives. She has her boys, I have the girls, it made sense. I mean, it's not like we even meet up constantly. I've only seen her in person twice since our first meeting, but we talk on the phone constantly. And, Jack, our conversations... It's like nothing I've experienced before. She's so bright, brilliant really, and she doesn't even realise it. She has this way of just knowing exactly what to say to me if I'm being my typical grumpy self. Just talking to her over the phone makes my day better."

"You sound like a man in love. That's it, isn't it? You feel guilty because you're actually falling for this girl and you two agreed to just be friends."

He knew Jack would figure it out eventually. "What am I supposed to do? I don't want to lose the friendship we're building, but I don't want to continue ignoring what I'm feeling for her. I want more for us. I need you to tell me what to do. You have more experience with this type of thing than I do."

The other man chuckled. "I don't know what to tell ya, buddy, expect maybe be honest with her. See how she's feeling. If your conversations are as great as you're making them sound, she's probably feeling the same way."

"But what if she's not?"

"But what if she is and you don't say anything? You could miss out on the best thing to ever happen to you," Jack mused.

John snorted. "Meeting Astrid was the best thing to ever happen to me. My kids are the best thing to ever happen to me. What right do I have to more?"

"You have every right, John. Every right."


Rose took a deep cleansing breath. She could do this. It was probably nothing. That's what she thought. For the past week, she had spent every morning (and occasionally afternoon and evening) trying her hardest not to vomit every five seconds. At first she assumed it was a little stomach bug. All five of the boys had spent the last few weeks suffering from various flu bugs, and though none of them had complained of nausea, she just assumed she'd caught something from them. But now she had a feeling that wasn't the case and made an appointment to see Martha. When her friend asked her when her last menstrual cycle was, Rose felt her stomach drop. That was exactly what she had purposefully avoided thinking about. Reluctantly, Rose counted back and gave an answer that was not ideal. With pursed lips, Martha did a quick blood test, and before she knew it, was back in the examining room with the results.

"You're positive?"

"Yep. And so are you."

"Not funny," Rose groaned, covering her face with her hands. This was not was not what she was hoping to hear.

Wheeling a chair over, Martha took a seat opposite from Rose. "I wasn't trying to be. Now, do you want to tell me how this happened?" she asked.

Rose glared at her friend. "Seriously?"

"Fine, I know how it happened," she conceded, "but by who? And when? You can't blame me for being shocked that you're in this predicament."

"Remember that blind date I went on last month?"

Martha's eyes widened. "You mean the date that wasn't a date with that doctor bloke? Is that why you got home so late? I thought you told me it was because of the rain?!"

"It was because of the rain. Sort of." She gave a heavy sigh. "We got along brilliantly, and one thing lead to another and- Well, you can figure out what happened."

"Have you seen him since?"

Rose nodded. "A couple times. Our schedules are busy though. We text a bit. And sometimes after the kids are in bed we'll call each other. And just talk. It's nice," she said wistfully. "I really like him, Mar."

Her friend eyed her carefully. "You do, don't you," she said as a statement rather than a question. "So, this doesn't have to be a bad thing. The baby," she clarified.

"But we agreed that we couldn't be in a relationship! We're friends, with a bit more. How are we supposed to make this work? I have the boys. He has five daughters! Five! And now we're somehow going to add another kid to the mix when we're not even dating?"

"You don't have do this, Rose. There are options-"

"Don't," she cut her off. She couldn't let her continue. Though she was bloody terrified of what was to come from having a baby, she couldn't even contemplate not having this baby. She just couldn't. "There are no other options."

Reaching out, Martha took Rose's hands in hers. "You need to talk to him. This is something you should discuss together. If you'd like, I can be there with you. Help mediate if you think it's needed."

"No, no. I, uh, I can do it on my own. It's just... What if after I tell him, he wants nothing to do with me?"

"Listen, I don't know this guy from Adam, but you do. He was good enough for Doris and Alistair to set you up with him. You liked him enough to have sex with him, and that's just something you don't do, Rose. He's seems like a devoted father to his girls. That all has to count for something, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Rose agreed softly.

Martha gave a small smile. "Talk to him. Soon."


John frowned, gripping his steering wheel tightly. After seeing the girls off to school that morning he'd had a somewhat successful conversation with Jack. He at least felt more comfortable with the idea of broaching the subject of turning their relationship into something more with Rose. He'd even texted her and asked when and if she had any time to meet up. As far as he was aware, she had responded yet, but he wasn't worried. He knew mornings were just as busy for her as they were for him. After that he headed to his surgery and had just finished with his first patient of the day when he got a phone call from the school. Apparently he was needed in the office as soon as possible. Come to find out his sweet Jenny had, in the school's opinion, attacked another student. In his opinion the term attack seemed a bit harsh for a simple punch to a boy's nose. When questioned why she hit the lad, his daughter shrugged and claimed he deserved it, but not to worry, it won't happen again. In lieu of her refusal to apologise or explain why exactly she "attacked" the boy in the first place, Jenny had been suspended for the next two days. Now John was in a race to drop Jenny off and get back to the clinic before his next patient arrived.

"Why are we headed home?" his daughter asked from the passenger seat as they turned onto a familiar street. "I thought you had to get bad to work."

"I do and we're not. Headed home, that is. I'm dropping you off at Harriet's," he informed her, already prepared for her protests. Harriet Jones was their next door neighbour. Nice woman, former MP, who now stays home and takes care of her elderly, ailing mother. She had babysat for the family in a pinch on the rare occasion no one else was available.

As expected, Jenny groaned and immediately began complaining. "Why, Da? Can't I just go to the clinic with you?"

John rolled his eyes. "And sit there all day for two days? I think not."

"Then let me stay home! I'm old enough to be home alone, ya know."

"You are old enough, but I'm not comfortable with you being all by yourself for the entire day. Not to mention," he added before she could protest, "that you're technically in trouble. Your reward for going after another student should not be to get to spend two days home alone watching telly and vegging out."

Jenny crossed her arms and gave him a glare that rivaled her mother's any day. "I shouldn't be punished in the first place! The git deserved a lot worse than a broken nose."

"Well, if you would tell me why, I might be inclined to agree with you.

"He was making fun of Clara and Nina for holding hands during assembly, calling them all sorts of horrid things. But it wasn't like that! They're just friends. Friends can hold hands and it not mean anything romantic."

He nodded. "Yes, I'm aware."

"Well, I told him if he didn't stop I was going to punch him. He didn't believe me apparently. After it was all said and done I told him if he said another word to Clara or Nina again he would end up with a lot worse than a bloody nose. He swore he would leave them alone. End of story. It would have been fine if some stupid tattlers hadn't gone and told on me." She turned to smile at him. "You can't be mad at me for defending my sister, can you?"

John clenched his eyes shut as he pulled up in front of their neighbour's house. It was moments like this that he missed Astrid the most. She would know precisely what to say to make this right. Turning the radio off, he turned to his daughter. "Jenny," he sighed. "Listen, I can appreciate the fact that you were defending your sister and her friend, but that does't mean I'm pleased about your choice to use violence. You should have gone to find a teacher and reported just what that boy was saying about Clara and Nina. What he was doing is harassment and he deserves to be rightly punished for it. And not by you breaking his nose," he added.

"But, Da-"

"No buts! I'll call the school later to discuss the harassment. From now on you let me handle it, understood?"

She sighed heavily. "Yes, Da." A ding echoed through the car. "Who keeps texting you?"

John blinked. He had an idea of who was probably texting him, but he wasn't inclined to share with his nosy daughter. He gave her a shrug. "Dunno. Probably Jack."

"I don't think so," Jenny denied. "Uncle Jack knows how much you hate him texting you nonsense and your phone has gone off two times since we've been in the car."

"Has it? Probably Joan telling me to get back to the clinic."

She snorted. "Not likely. Joan 'abhors such an informal form of communication,'" Jenny said in a mock posh accent, sounding strikingly similar to the prim and proper nurse who worked in John's clinic.

"I don't know who it is, Jenny, but I really do need to get back to work," he said, not unkindly.

"Is it a woman?"

"Sorry?"

"A woman," she repeated. "We've noticed, you know. Not all of us, obviously, but Clara and I, we've noticed. You get lots of texts, and when you read them you smile. Like really smile. And you've just seemed happier lately. Are you dating someone, Da? You can tell me."

John took a deep breath. He really wasn't prepared to answer that question. Especially since he hadn't spoken to Rose yet about furthering their relationship. "Jenny, love, I promise, the moment I have news to share about dating someone, I'll tell you."

"Kay," she responded quietly. "Just promise it won't be Joan."

"Joan?" Why would it be Joan? She's just my nurse."

"Because she fancies you. Everybody can tell."

He scowled. Joan fancied him? How did he not know this? It wasn't like he didn't care about the woman who had worked for him for the past three years, he did, he just didn't feel that way about her. If Jenny was correct, he would need to tread carefully with how he acted towards her. "Joan is a nice woman, but I have no intention of dating her, yeah? No go on. I can see Harriet peeking her head through the curtains waiting for you to come up." He nodded to their neighbour's front window.

Jenny once again groaned. "Da, all she wants to do all day is watch politics and talk about how she could have been Prime Minister if she really wanted."

John smiled. "You don't know. In another universe she might have been. Now go on, I'm late for my next patient."

"Ugh. Fine." With a kiss to his cheek, Jenny exited the car and stomped her way up the drive to Harriet Jones. In his rush to get back to work, John completely forgot to check the texts on his mobile.


Rose chewed on her bottom lip nervously as she made her way to John's clinic. When she finished her appointment with Martha, Rose left the hospital and saw that John had texted, asking when she was free to meet up and have a talk. It both pleased and terrified her. Pleased because it gave her an excuse to see him, terrified because he said he wanted to talk. In her experience that never meant anything good. What if he wanted to call off their... she struggled for the right term... arrangement? What if he decided she was far too young and not good enough for him? What would she do then? If he told her that, could she still tell him about the baby? Would he even want anything to do with the baby? She wasn't sure. She went ahead and texted him that she would love to meet up and was today good for him? She quickly sent a second text informing him that she had something to discuss with him as well, that way she wouldn't be completely springing her news on him. After several minutes and no response, Rose texted him a third time letting him know she would swing by his clinic around the time he normally takes his lunch. She realised that she probably sounded needy with how many texts she sent him with no response given from him, but she was so anxious about his reaction to her pregnancy, she couldn't wait for him to respond.

She took a deep breath as she finally arrived at the clinic. The last time she had been here had been that fateful first night together and she hadn't taken the time to observe her surroundings. Now that she could see the surgery in the late of day, she took in how pleasant and welcoming it seemed. Trying to embrace the feeling, she opened the door and made her way inside to the front desk where a stern looking, but pretty, woman sat.

"May I help you?" the woman, whose name plate read Joan Redfern, asked.

"Uh, yeah, I'm here to see Joh- I mean, Dr. Smith," Rose replied.

"And do you have an appointment?"

"N-no, but I-"

"Unfortunately Dr. Smith is unable to accept any walk-in appointments today as he is completely booked. If you can wait until another time I would be more than happy to schedule you an appointment for another day, or recommend another surgery that could perhaps fit you in. If you have a medical emergency I would be more than happy to dial 999 for you or direct you to the nearest A&E," Joan finished with a small, somewhat generic smile.

Rose shook her head. "No, no. I'm fine, really. I'm not here for an appointment, I'm a friend of Dr. Smith's. He should be taking his lunch break soon, yeah?"

Joan's eyes narrowed the slightest bit. "Dr. Smith took a break earlier this morning so today he will be working through his normal lunch hour. Would you like me to take a message?"

"Um..." Rose looked around the waiting area. For apparently being booked for the whole day, there was only one other elderly woman in the waiting room. "Actually. I think I'll just stick around and wait for a bit. Just in case John has a spare moment."

The other woman blinked several times before responding. "Well, that's your choice. Just know I can't make any guarantees." With a sharp nod, Rose made her way to the chair farthest from the front desk and across from the old woman. Taking a seat, she granted the woman a small, distracted smile.

"It must be important," she said suddenly.

Rose frowned. "I'm sorry?"

The old woman laughed, causing the wrinkles on her face to grow deeper. "Whatever news you're dying to get off your chest. It must be very important."

"H-How do you...?" Rose trailed off, utterly confused.

"I've lived a long time, I know the signs of a woman carrying great burdens. And important news."

Unexpected tears prickled in Rose's eyes. "It is. Important news, I mean."

She nodded. "I had a feeling. Tell you what, take my appointment."

"What? No, no, I couldn't do that."

The woman waved her off. "Oh, please! I'm perfectly fine. Healthy as an old oak. This is just a normal checkup. No reason I can't come back another day."

Rose's hands moved to rest on her still flat stomach. She hated the thought of taking this woman's appointment time, but she seemed healthy and spry, and Rose really was desperate to talk to John as soon as possible. "If you're sure."

"Oh, I'm sure. There's just one condition."

"What's that?" Rose questioned carefully.

The elderly woman leaned forward and in a loud whisper asked, "Is he as good in bed as I imagine he is?"

Rose squeaked in surprise, her cheeks instantly flaming bright red. "I-I-"

"Cause I've always pictured him being very domineering. But in a good way." She winked. "I'll take your blush as a yes!" she added as she pulled herself up and out of her seat.

Joan Redfern stood from her desk. "Mrs. Cheem? Where are you going? The doctor is ready to see you!"

"Oh, my dear. I forgot how terribly busy I am today. Why don't you give me a call tomorrow and we can set up another time, hm? Let this young woman have my time. Have a nice day, Nurse Redfern!" she called out as she hustled out of the building.

Rose cleared her throat. "So, the doctor can see me now?"

The nurse exhaled slowly. "It would seem so. Examining Room One. Right down the hall and-"

"To the right," she finished for her. "Yeah. I've been there before."

"So it would seem," Joan said with unconvincing brightness.

Moving around the nurse's front desk, Rose made her way towards the examining room. With her heart beating wildly, she raised her hand and gave a knock in greeting before opening the door to Room One. There John stood on the other side of the room, his back to her. From the angle she was at, she could see he was studying a small file.

"Ah, Mrs. Cheem. Lovely to see you ag- Rose?!" John exclaimed when he turned and realised it was not his next patient who had entered the room. Bounding towards her, he pulled her inside and shut the door behind her. "Are you okay? What are you doing here? Where's Mrs. Cheem."

Rose blinked in surprise as the sudden onset of questions. "I'm- I'm okay, I'm here to talk to you, and Mrs. Cheem offered to reschedule her appointment after your nurse said you would be working through lunch today."

John pulled a chair over for Rose before pulling his own to sit beside her. "Ah, Jabe Cheem. Cheeky old woman. I think she fancies me," he told her with a wide grin.

"I gathered." She felt her cheeks redden as she recalled the woman's earlier question. "You texted me this morning, but never responded to mine. Is, is everything okay? Is it okay that I'm here?"

His face fell. "Oh, Rose. Oh, I'm so sorry! Something happened with one of my girls this morning and I was distracted and got behind at work. I'm sorry!"

"Oh, it's okay. I understand," she assured.

"I am glad you're here though. I've been thinking about something a lot lately. And I know what I have to say, might be unwelcome, but I have to get this out. I care about you, Rose. A lot. I think what we have is something really special and I don't want to lose that. But I also don't want to stay as we are now. I, I know it might be difficult with out hectic lives and whatnot, but I would love nothing more than to see if perhaps we can turn this arrangement we have into something more than what we are now. I want nothing more than for us to be able to pursue a real relationship together," John finished.

Rose stared silently in shock. That was honestly the last thing she expected him to say.

"Rose?" he inquired. She could see the fear on his fear from her silence on his face, but she didn't know how she could possibly respond. "Okay then. Obviously I was wrong and I-"

"I'm pregnant," she blurted out. Surprised by her sudden exclamation, Rose clapped a hand over her own mouth.

John's face blanched. "W-what?!"