AN: Okay, I found the Youtube video of this that I saw. watch?v=uuUYCW7mPUU if you put this into the browser, it takes you right to the video. Or Rose is Still Around, if it doesn't show up. I can't decide if I want it to end like that, though. I'm still playing around with ideas in my head. I have to agree that John is acting like a jealous third-grader, but let's take a moment to sympathize, shall we? He still has all the Doctor's memories, so he knows how heartbreaking it is to lose Rose, and he doesn't want that. He's clinging to Rose, because he loves her. He also has human to him, so he gets overly jealous, angry, and things that the Doctor would usually keep under control. John still has some fight to him! It won't be that easy for the Doctor.
Chapter 7- Distance Between You That Makes You Want to Scream
Well, I've really messed up, haven't I? the Doctor thought. He sighed and took a break from the TARDIS work. He still couldn't get her to turn on, which meant he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. His TARDIS was keeping him here indefinitely, and he wanted to scream. He was going the slow way through life, and that wasn't much fun at all.
It wouldn't be so bad if I could see Rose, the Doctor told himself. He hadn't noticed almost a week had passed since his regeneration until John forbade him from entering their house. As soon as that had sunken in, all of the minutes, hours, and days had come crashing down on him as a sudden realization.
He kicked the console, frustrated, and yelled, "Why won't you work!?" The TARDIS only hummed consolingly. The doors opened and Rose and John walked in.
"Don't you go anywhere without her?" he muttered, irritated.
"Not since I knew I couldn't trust you."
"I used to trust myself more than anyone in the world," the Doctor said sadly. "Now I'm not so sure."
Rose walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, yeah?"
"No, it's not alright!" he yelled angrily, and Rose jumped, her eyes fearful. "I'm sorry," he murmured to her. "But it's not, because I am normally so controlled, and now one woman has made me forget all of that."
John looked at him, his expression soft. "I know. But you can't have her."
Rose looked appalled. "How dare you!"
His eyes grew wide. "What?"
"Both of you are fightin' over me like teenage boys! Shouldn't I make my own mind up, yeah?"
They both nodded, ashamed. She walked up to the console and stroked it. "Why are you leavin' me with them, hmmm? No other womanly reinforcement?"
John joined her at the console, and asked, "Can I take a look at it?"
"Go ahead," the Doctor agreed. "But there's nothing wrong."
He climbed under the console, tinkering with the wires, while Rose and the Doctor stood across the room from each other. Why is she so close but so far? his mind screamed. After that kiss, he just wanted to hold her all the time. He wanted to hold her hand like old times.
"There's somethin' you should know," she spoke up. His hearts plummeted to his stomach.
"What?"
"I-" But then John came up with a frown on his face.
"I don't understand," he said. "Why won't she turn on?"
"That's what I've been trying to figure out!" the Doctor exclaimed.
"Right, weeeell, we have to be going now." He motioned for Rose to follow.
"Wait! Rose, what were you going to say?" he asked.
"Ah, doesn't matter. Tell you some other day," she smiled, and turned to follow John.
"Hold on!" he called, and the pair turned to look at him. "The least I can do is offer lunch? What'dya say?"
"In the TARDIS kitchen?" Rose breathed.
"Yeah." He grinned.
"Alright," John agreed. They walked into the kitchen.
"I want to cook!" Rose announced. She pulled a pan and some spices out of the cabinets and set about preparing lunch.
"What are you making?" the Doctor asked confusedly.
"Chips!" she said grandly, and looked for the potatoes. She was slicing them into wedges and placed them on the pan. She sprinkled them with salt and vinegar. He watched the precise way that she did things, and decided that he liked it. He liked it a lot.
John sat at the table, drumming his fingers, but the Doctor wouldn't sit until Rose did. He leaned against the counter and watched while she worked. She placed the pan into the oven and they both walked to sit down at the table while they waited.
"Smells good already," John said. Rose smiled at him, and it was a smile the Doctor had never seen before. It was a reassuring smile, one that seemed to say everything you needed to know. His brows furrowed as he wondered why he had never seen that smile before. He had seen every smile Rose Tyler ever had, except for this one, it seemed.
"What was that?" he demanded. She looked at him, confusion swimming in her eyes.
"What's what?" she asked.
"Don't play dumb with me! You smiled at him!" He realized how stupid that sounded after he said it.
"I...smiled at him?" she teased. "Am I not supposed to do that?"
"Well, no, I-" he spluttered. John smirked at his embarrassment. "It was just a different smile. I'd never seen it before. I was just wondering what it meant."
"I didn't notice," she said vaguely, and went to take the chips out of the oven. The chips were hot and steaming and smelled so nicely. Yeah, Rose Tyler could really cook he decided.
She served them all and they ate in silence. The chips were gobbled up in minutes, and then his metacrisis played a cheap trick. The Doctor knew, because he did it himself when he wanted Rose to cuddle him or pity him.
John wiped up some of the vinegar with his fingers and waited until Rose was looking. He slowly sucked his finger into his mouth, running his tongue along it. "Mmm," he said, locking eyes with her. "So good."
Rose's face flushed, and she mumbled something about being late for tea with her mother. She dragged John out of the kitchen with her, calling goodbye absentmindedly over her shoulder.
"Bye," the Doctor mumbled to the room. So much for that. John had won this round. Actually, he supposed John had won all of these rounds. It was time for the Doctor to step it up a notch, because it was decided that he definitely wanted the girl.
