A week passed. Rose kept her mind open about the Doctor, Henry's words constantly echoing through her head. This was Rose's first day back to work since she got the "stomach bug". She felt bad for missing, but at the same time she didn't feel like dealing Marlow. Pete was nice enough to vouch for Rose, making up the story that she was barely able to get out of bed and was constantly throwing up. Of course this caused yet another bombardment of questions from colleagues when she arrived. Was she ok, how bad was it, oh I'm so glad you're better, the list went on and on. Rose was just glad when she could finally sit down.

A few hours into paperwork, Henry came to visit Rose. He looked absolutely exhausted.

"Hey." Rose was happy for the distraction.

"Hi." Henry pulled up an extra seat to the side of Rose's desk.

"Long day?"

He rolled his eyes, placing his elbows on the edge of the desk, "You have no idea. Marlow has us working on some type of planet obliterator ray. She says it's just for if things get really bad and we have to face a big enemy, but her intentions are never that pure."

"And you guys are really going along with this?"

"I need a paycheck, don't I? Why else are any of us here?"

"Good point." If it wasn't for that fact that Rose hated asking Pete for money, and used this as an excuse to get away from everyone, she would have quit a long time ago.

"So. How are things going with you know who?" Henry asked, leaning in like a fourteen year old about to be told life changing gossip.

"It's going really well, actually. Surprisingly well. And I guess I have you to thank for that."

"Me?"

"I haven't been able to get what you told me about giving him a chance out of my head. It's actually getting kind of annoying at this point."

Henry laughed, "I think that's the first piece of good advice I've ever given. Or at least it's the first time someone has ever told me that my advice worked."

"I can't see you giving bad advice."

"Just wait, I'm sure I'll say something stupid sooner or later. Like, claiming to be sick and having my very powerful dad vouch for me."

"Hey, I was totally sick." Rose gave Henry a look that said "you know you're right but don't you dare say anything".

"More like sick of Marlow." He said under his breath.

"You've got that right." Rose mumbled, turning back to the dwindling stack of paperwork. "Like, what is this?" she gestured to the papers, "I'm not a secretary, this isn't my job."

"What is she even having you do?"

"Paperwork on weapons. I have to go through and check to make sure that everything was filed correctly. I have to say that I never realized how many guns we had that can take out entire continents."

"I swear Marlow is making us a target, not only for the UN but for other planets as well. If anyone out there realizes how big our stockpile is... I mean how do you not take that as a threat?"

Rose shook her head, "Has anyone brought this up to her?"

"They're probably too scared to. I mean, how do you argue with the second most important person in the company?"

Rose didn't reply, he had a very good point.

"Well, I should probably get back to the lab. Construction starts up again soon. But I'll see you tomorrow, if you're not sick again."

"Don't worry, I'll be here."

Henry left and Rose threw her head against the desk, her mind refusing to do any more paperwork. And so she said screw it, got up, and left. She could care less what anyone thought, but she was not going to sit around and give herself a headache over paperwork that wasn't even for her department.

She got home at five, a good hour before Jackie would pick up Tony from daycare and about two hours before Pete would leave his office. She walked into the living room, fell onto the couch, and with face buried in the cushions let out the longest groan of her life.

"Hello?" a voice called from somewhere a few rooms away, "Who's there?"

"It's me." Rose said, picking her face out of the cushion before putting it back down.

She heard the Doctor walk in the room. "I thought you weren't supposed to be home until six?"

"I left early." Rose shifted her head to the right so she could see him. "Do they seriously just leave you here by yourself all day?"

"Yeah." He sat on a cushioned foot stool a few feet away.

"Doesn't that get boring? I can't imagine you just sitting around watching TV all day."

"Nah." He pulled one of his crazy "my mouth is half the size of my face" expressions. "There's always quantum physics that need to be disproved and laws of aeronautics that need to be broken."

Rose smiled and closed her eyes, "You are something else."

The Doctor continued to stare at Rose. He couldn't get enough of her. This new body made it like he was seeing her for the first time, she made him a better person.

"What are you doing tonight?" The Doctor asked.

"Nothing as far as I know." Rose opened her eyes again, "Why?"

"There's a park not too far from here. Would you care to join me on a walk?"

"I would be delighted to."

The sun was falling to the horizon as Rose and the Doctor walked down a stone path, a canopy of trees surrounding them. They were completely alone, minus the occasional jogger who took no notice of them.

"The sky is beautiful." Rose commented, looking up as the last rays of the day passed through the pink and orange clouds above them.

"It is." The Doctor agreed, "Autumn skies always have a certain comfort to them."

"What were the seasons like on Gallifrey?" Rose could never get enough stories of the Doctor's home planet.

The Doctor reached over and brushed Rose's hand, their fingers locking together. "About every four years the season would change. Autumn was probably my second favorite season. The silver leaves would turn gold, constantly lighting the forests with their fiery radiance, even at night. The grass would turn a dark, plum purple and the mountains were completely white with snow. But the nicest thing is that for the first time in years there would be a little relief to the heat.

There wasn't much of a winter. There would be around 2 years of blistering cold, and if we were lucky, one big snow storm would blow through. No one dared to leave the dome of the city unless absolutely necessary. Spring brought the silver back to the trees, but it also brought back the heat. My favorite season had to be Geotia, which fell in between spring and summer. It rained almost constantly, but it was a gorgeous, golden rain that coated everything, making the planet shimmer. The children played outside every day. It was more than likely the only time in their childhood they would ever see rain. The only lake on the planet formed in the crater of Jarbarou, and would stay for about a year into the summer before the sun evaporated the water back into the atmosphere." The Doctor stared off into the distance, childhood memories flooding back.

Rose gazed up at the Doctor, whose mind had obviously left Earth. The way he talked about Gallifrey, with such love and despair; the images that he could form in her mind; she felt bad for bringing up the memories but his intonation was addictive. She squeezed his hand, laying her head on his shoulder.

"It sounds beautiful." Rose commented.

"I wish you would have been there to see it." He continued to stare forward.

The rest of their walk was silent but Rose didn't mind. Walking hand in hand through the grassy openings, gazing at the fading sky, it was the first comfort she had felt in a while.

As the stars came out they decided to head back to the house. Jackie and Pete were finishing dinner as Rose and the Doctor entered the kitchen laughing about when the Doctor brought Rose home a year later than he was supposed to.

"You two have fun?" Pete asked, getting up to put his plate in the sink.

"Yes." Rose said, trying to hold back her laughter.

"Well, there's some extra food in the oven for you two if you're hungry." Pete smiled.

"Thanks dad." Rose went over and kissed Pete's cheek before practically skipping into the kitchen.

Pete turned to the Doctor, "What did you do to her?"

The Doctor shook his head, grinning from ear to ear, "I have no idea."

Rose headed up to bed after eating. She still couldn't stop smiling. Every thought of the Doctor made her giddy. Rose walked into her bathroom and splashed water on her face, trying to get herself to calm down. She felt like she was falling in love all over again, and she couldn't help reveling in the sensation.