A year is a long time by anybody's standards.

A lot can happen in a year. You can finish a year of school. You can find a missing poster of someone you know and be riddled with guilt whenever you see it.

You can spend a year looking for a blue box.

Sam wasn't worried at first.

The Doctor wouldn't come right away because he was a time traveller, wasn't he? They got dates mixed up like she got times tables mixed up. The first time she had met him he was in twenty first century London when he was looking for Sixteenth century Paris.

So no, she wasn't worried.

But she would be.

It was the second month and Sam saw her aunt flipping through a dieting magazine. HOW TO GET A FLAT STOMACH the title declared, in bold important letters. "Step One: Remove all your organs. Step Two: Moisturize." Sam muttered, thinking of Cassandra.

"What was that Sam?" Her aunt asked, using the `I really hope you didn't just say what I thought you did` tone of voice. Sam supposed there was some weirdness that couldn't go unheard. "Uh…" A good start to the lie. "Just, you know, saying what a beautiful day it is. Birds tweeting, sun shining…" The sky outside was a dull grey, foreshadowing rain. It was about as far away from sun as it was possible to be.

"Hmm." Her aunt replied, already fully re-focused on the article.

Sam sighed and hoped she would hear the TARDIS any second now.

When Sam first saw the missing poster she was waiting after school in the playground.

It was the third month after leaving the Doctor. She was hanging around, waiting for her aunt to take her home and she saw it.

The poster was a missing persons one. ROSE TYLER has been missing from her home on the Powell Estate since 6th March 2005.

Sam stared. And stared. There was a number under the text and Sam thought about calling but what could she say? Oh, hi, I know your daughter. She's with a man with a police box and travelling the universe. Don't worry, I'm sure she's fine. Oh, did I mention she was with an alien time traveller?

It wouldn't work.

And that was the worst part.

In the fourth month Sam thought about the last time she had seen the Doctor.

They had had chips. Which was the main thing Sam remembered, that and the Doctor saying he didn't carry money. They had been good chips.

Sam had decided to leave. To go home, just to get some stuff and let her aunt know where she was going. It had seemed like the responsible thing to do.

"…You're coming back, right? Please?" Sam asked nervously. "Course I am! Don't worry." The Doctor said reassuringly. "Fifteen minutes, yeah?" Sam said worriedly. "I'm coming back Sam. Promise."

But four months later? At first Sam thought he had forgotten. But now she thought maybe he didn't want to come back.