A/N A day off for me means an early mid-week update!

Also, I've had a few PMs (you spoiler-seekers, you ;D) asking if the Doctor's disappearance has to do with the villain angle of the story that, at the end of K&L, I mentioned was planned to be a part of the sequel. The direction, however, was changed during the drafting process to focus primarily on the development of their relationship without diverting from that with an additional sub-plot. The Muse can be a temperamental thing, and what it wants, it gets. ;)


Chapter 9

From the solitude of what should have been a honeymoon suite, Rose waited for the Doctor to arrive back in the TARDIS like he had said he was going to when they had departed in opposite directions. He had yet to show, and she was becoming more and more disconcerted with each minute that passed. If he thought delaying the inevitable by postponing further discussion between them was going to help matters, then maybe he really was a lost cause when it came to relationships.

As time ticked on with still no sign of him, Rose decided she wasn't giving the Doctor five and a half hours this time. When he didn't show after one, she finally went back out in the dark of night to return to where the TARDIS was located. This was getting absurd. She didn't want to argue with him further, but she wasn't sure it could be avoided at this point.

Rose walked back through the city, retracing the route they had taken upon arrival. She ascended the path up the grassy crest overlooking the city to the place where they had arrived earlier in the day. Along the way, she had grown more and more hurt about the fact that he was avoiding her in this way. Maybe, she considered, she should have just been glad that he had opened up a bit more with her outwardly during their time together in the pool and ignored his inner unrest that she had clearly felt. But had her request to have an open and honest discussion with him really been so unreasonable?

She knew that having frank discussions about inner issues wasn't the sort of thing he did, but some things needed saying. The Doctor didn't have to be an open book with her about every detail in his life, and she knew he probably never would be. But if he wouldn't open up to her about issues concerning them, how did he think they could ever move forward? Trying to avoid talking about things between them was a flawed approach as it was. Trying to avoid her altogether was a whole other level of dysfunction that couldn't stand if they were going to have a chance.

When Rose reached the place where the TARDIS had been and found that he was actually gone, she wondered if they were going to have any kind of a chance at all.

Rose stared, disbelieving and numb, at the empty plot of ground that the TARDIS had previously occupied. The Doctor was gone. He had left. He had left her. Rose's immediate thought process was denial. Was this really where the TARDIS had been? Maybe she had veered off the path or climbed the wrong hill in the dark. She knew that wasn't really the case, though. She was certain this was the right place. The flowering shrub the TARDIS had materialized upon still bore the mark of being the victim of the time ship's unlawful landing. Rose then tried to tell herself that maybe he had finally decided to arrive back at the suite about the same time she had stepped out to go find him. That would be just like their sort of timing, wouldn't it?

Rose hurried back the way she had come, returning to the guest village. She reached the suite and rushed in, only to have her hopes dashed upon finding the suite still empty.

The hours passed on the longest night of her life. Darkness gave way to light as the next day dawned.

One day turned into two.

Two days passed and still the Doctor had not returned or been seen. Rose had been through the full gamut of emotions during that time. From confusion to anger to fear, and finally a sense of numb that settled in, the protective mechanism a way to cope with this turn of events.

By day she made trips through the city to search for him and to question those in the neighboring suites if he had been seen. By night the ache returned as she lay awake in turmoil, thinking of all the possible scenarios that might have taken place – each equally gut-wrenching.

There was a chance that he had been taken somewhere against his will. He was the only one who could pilot the TARDIS, but maybe someone had forced him into some sort of situation. She thought of alerting this planet's authorities, but she knew relatively nothing about this place. What if there was someone or something here behind this? In which case, who could she trust? There was also the fact that the Doctor had told her that time was in flux here. Maybe in some mixed-up way that she couldn't understand, this had something to do with what had happened. He had told her the fluctuating timelines meant anything could happen. She had never bargained on this.

Despite her own dilemma, she feared for his safety. Rose could sense somewhere deep within that he was still alright, though. Alive, at least. Their bond still remained, though when she focused on it she could sense it was a little dimmer due to the separation between them – however far that distance might be. But their link had not been extinguished entirely.

That only left one other possibility. The one she didn't even want to consider. He had left of his own volition. The prospect left her feeling sucker-punched. How could he possibly do that? And yet, here she was. The only thing that made it worse was having no clue as to when he would even return. A dark thought in her mind briefly questioned whether or not he would. She had to squelch that thought before it cut too deep and further damaged what she feared was already beginning to fragment in this relationship.

Everything else aside, Rose loved the Doctor and knew that he loved her as well, dysfunctional as his approach to relationships might be. Could that alone be enough to sustain the two of them, though? She had never dreamed she would reach the place of questioning that. But then, she never dreamed she would have found herself in this situation, either. What if he had decided that she was better off without him and made the decision for her, yet again? Instead of tricking her into the TARDIS to send her away, he was the one who left. But even if that unthinkable possibility were the case, he wouldn't just leave her stranded here. Yet he had. And the unanswered question of why was eating away at her from the inside out with each minute and hour and day that passed.

Rose would have tried to call him or call home or call someone, but her mobile had been left in the TARDIS. She was well and truly stranded.

Aside from the emotional upheaval she was facing, Rose had to start thinking of practical matters, too. They had been registered to stay on this planet one week. Once that time was up, she was going to have to somehow pay for a longer stay if she was going to continue to have a roof over her head. This brought up another significant problem. The Doctor was the one who had the credit chip that had secured their first week's stay. All Rose currently had on her person was a small amount of Earth currency – a £5 note and 20 pence – hardly enough to live on. She had already checked in to converting what she had to this planet's legal tender when the suite's meal service was gone, along with the suite itself, but her small amount wouldn't provide for much at all. A single meal, maybe two if she ate cheaply.

Rose finally decided the only thing to do was to find someone in charge and be honest about her situation. Maybe she could find someone to help.

-:-:-:-

Rose didn't want to wait until the last minute to seek help at the very end of the week once her paid time was already up. On the morning of the third day, Rose made her way to the district's registration office.

It was located within the Guest Services complex, centrally situated within the city. The building, bustling with guests checking in and out, was tall but occupied a single floor, the massive ceiling stretching several stories high. The design of the building consisted mostly of glass, and light streamed in unobstructed, filling the open space and creating a bright, welcoming atmosphere. In the center of the posh complex was a large ornamental fountain, and in the ceiling above, an etched glass design refracted the light, producing a prism effect that glistened upon the cascading water. She might have appreciated the aesthetic aspects if not for the reason that had brought her here in the first place.

Rose approached the main information desk and asked to speak to someone in charge of registration. She was then directed to Jaise Daax, the supervisor of Guest Services and the man who had registered them the first day.

Rose was guided to the arrival port's monitoring station further within the facility where she found him, busy at work. She hesitated for just a minute about going to him in particular for assistance. It was clear that the Doctor had not made the best of impressions on the man from the get-go with his unauthorized parking job, et cetera. She didn't really have another option, though.

She approached the bronze-toned Rajaran man with a bit of apprehension. Rose hoped her honesty about the situation would be respected, but if he decided to toss her out of the suite once she reached the end of the week and was no longer able to pay, she really didn't know what she would do.

Rose reached him and cleared her throat. "Um, hello," she addressed him, coming up to the side of his computer station.

He glanced up, eyes settling more directly on her once he recognized who it was. "Oh, hello. Rose Tyler from suite 73 in the Serenity District, wasn't it? What can I do for you?" He tried to sound pleasant despite a wary feeling. He hoped that she didn't need an emergency recovery team to pull the protocol-breaking man she was traveling with out of the sand pits near the Northern coast, an area that was clearly marked No Trespassing.

Rose hesitated before answering the simple question which did not have a simple answer. Where to even begin? Reluctance to admit this wasn't due to pride but pain. "Well, this…isn't something I'd hoped to have to…that is I…I'm…"

"Here, why don't you have a seat?" he interjected thoughtfully, offering a second chair next to his.

Rose nodded gratefully, taking a breath before giving it another try. "Thanks."

"Is there something about your accommodation that is unsatisfactory?" he queried. "We have a few more openings in the Tranquility District if you would like to upgrade to a Supreme Tier suite."

"No, it's not that. The suite is fine. It's perfect. I just…need to stay there for a bit longer once this week is up. But I don't…have the ability to pay for it just yet."

He regarded Rose for a moment and then pulled up the couple's registration account to refresh his memory. "I see that the two of you paid for a week in advance. How much longer are you both wishing to stay?"

"We…that is I…don't know. I just don't have anywhere else to go right now. I'm waiting for the Doctor, the man I came here with, to get back. But I'm not sure how long he'll be gone. Something…unexpected came up." The last words were spoken quietly, her eyes sliding off to the side.

Jaise frowned. He had seen more than a few lover's rows while working at this place that was supposed to bring people closer together. Rose was exhibiting a few clear signs. He also harbored a bit of cynicism toward relationships in general due to his own personal experience. Unfortunately, nothing that someone would put another through – someone who was supposed to love the other – could surprise him anymore.

"Unexpected?" he probed.

Rose nodded, keeping her eyes down.

"Has he left you here?" he ventured, starting to feel a little angry at the thought. He knew there had been something about that pompous Doctor person that he didn't like.

Rose was confronted for the first time with having to admit this. She wasn't ready to do that just yet, to herself or anyone else. "It's…not like that. He's gonna be back. I know he will. I'm just not sure how long it will be."

Jaise wasn't going to press her further in regards to whatever personal issues she might have going on. She needed assistance. Not prying questions. Rose's situation also struck a nerve with him. To a certain extent, he could relate to what she was undoubtedly feeling. If he could help in some way then he was willing to do so.

"I can let you have the suite for another week in advance," he assured her. "After that, we'll see what can be worked out if you need any additional time."

Rose sagged in relief. At least she would have a place to stay for a bit longer. "Thank you," she responded with genuine gratitude. "But I'm not looking to get something for nothing. I want to pay my way here. If there's something I could do in the meantime to help cover the cost. Anything…"

"You'd like a temporary job?"

"Yeah. Like I said, I'm willing to take anything you might have." Rose thought about her past work experience. A shop girl, a dinner lady – it was honest work that she wasn't ashamed of, but it didn't exactly make for the most impressive CV. She supposed she could add 'traveling throughout all of time and space.' Although, that was a tough one to translate into applicable work experience. It had been awhile since Rose had thought about her personal qualifications. It had been awhile since she'd had to think about that sort of thing. If nothing else, this situation was forcing her to do some self-reflecting. She wasn't necessarily comfortable with what she found. Who was Rose Tyler apart from the Doctor? She suddenly felt inadequate.

Jaise thought about her job inquiry for a minute. "Actually, we're a little short-handed within registration right now, and we could use additional personnel. Do you have any experience with inter-species relations? Are you familiar with any cultures outside of your own?"

Rose realized that yes, she did have experience in this area. She knew a thing or two about aliens. "I do, actually. I've done a lot of traveling over the past few years and I've had contact with species from, well, all over the universe, really." She began to name off some of the places she'd been and species and cultures she'd encountered, but then realized it was far too numerous a list to give briefly. Her confidence grew just a bit. Maybe she had more qualifications than she'd given herself credit for.

"Excellent," Jaise remarked. "Inter-species familiarity and cultural sensitivity is a must for welcoming new arrivals. What about technical training?"

Rose thought about it. Though she wasn't widely experienced with alien technology, she'd helped the Doctor with repairs to the TARDIS on more than one occasion, and even assisted in piloting the ship a few times. She was somewhat adept with the sonic when need be, too, and she'd handled numerous other articles of alien tech here and there as well.

She was honest about her abilities when answering. "I haven't had a lot of experience with technology from worlds other than my own, but I've had some. And I'll work hard to learn quickly."

"I'm sure you will. You're clever, I can tell," he affirmed. "If you'd like, you can begin training today."

"Oh, that would be brilliant!" she exclaimed. "Thank you."

For the first time in days, at least something had a positive outcome. She was still completely at a loss as to knowing when the Doctor would return. But for the time being, maybe Rose Tyler could make it on her own.