Chapter 10:

The Doctor and Rose walked, hand-in-hand, in the direction of the manor. Their date had gone perfectly, after the incident with the drunk.

"Ya know," Rose started, gently bumping The Doctor's shoulder. "I don't think I've ever seen you so jealous!"

"What? When that drunk bloke was hitting on you?" The Doctor asked with a laugh.

"No! The waitress!" Rose smarted back. "Of course him!" The Doctor looked down at her, his eyes squinted.

"I wasn't jealous," he said simply. Rose laughed.

"Please! You were ready to throw him into the void!" She remarked, with a giggle. The Doctor stopped dead in his tracks. Rose looked back at him quickly.

"I wasn't jealous," he repeated, a serious look on his face. "I was scared."

"Why?" Rose asked. The Doctor looked down and took her other hand in his.

"What if I hadn't stepped in when I did?" He asked. "What if he'd tried to hurt you?"

"We were in a crowded room, Doctor. He wasn't going to hurt me," she answered him. But The Doctor shook his head, unconvinced.

"He was drunk! He would have done anything!" The Doctor told her. Rose pulled her hands from his and placed one on each of his cheeks, forcing him to look up at her.

"Doctor, why are you so worried about a little 'what if'?" Rose asked. The Doctor sighed and broke free of her hands. He walked over to a small bridge and leaned over, looking at the water in the moonlight. Rose followed and stood beside him. "Talk to me," she pleaded.

"I don't know what I would have done if he'd hurt you," The Doctor whispered. His voice was barely audible. Rose shook her head.

"But he didn't!" She said. "Doctor, look at me!" He turned to face her reluctantly. The look in his eyes told her everything. "This is more than just that one accident. This has been bothering you for a while," Rose realized suddenly.

"Do you know how many times I've almost lost you?" He asked as he closed his eyes. "Platform One, the Gelth, the Slitheen, that Dalek, the Mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Macarodufoe, the Reapers," Rose interrupted him.

"Actually, I almost lost you with that one," she corrected. The Doctor nodded but continued his rant.

"Those gas mask zombies, the other Slitheen, the game station, when you went all noble with the time vortex, when I regenerated, the Sycorax, Cassandra and those cat nurses, that wolf in Scotland, the Krillitanes, those clockwork robots, the Cybermen here in this world, when 'The Wire' stole your face, that blasted Devil creature, the Isolus, and then at Torchwood," he finally stopped. Rose stared at him, wide-eyed.

"You've kept up with all that?" She asked, a tear on her cheek. The Doctor opened his eyes and wiped the tear away.

"But you know which one I remember most?" He asked, taking her hand. She shook her head. "When your hand slipped off that lever. And do you know why? I realized I'd never told you. All those times I held you in my arms after I nearly lost you; all those perfect moments and I never once said it," he confessed, brushing his thumb against her cheek as another tear had fallen.

"Said what, Doctor?" Rose asked, her voice thick with emotion. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Rose Tyler," he whispered, his breath warm against her skin. She reached up, placing her palm on his cheek.

"I love you too," Rose said, bursting into a wide smile. The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief and slid his arms tightly around her waist. Rose stood up on her tiptoes and kissed The Doctor lightly on the lips. He leaned in to deepen the kiss but Rose pulled back grinning.

"We need to get back to the house," The Doctor said, realizing Rose's game. She began to twirl his loosened bowtie around her finger.

"Why?" She asked, flirtatiously. The Doctor leaned down to her ear.

"Before I decide to 'dance' with you right here!" He whispered, his breath tickling her ear. Rose gasped slightly as The Doctor's hand slid further down her back. She grabbed his other hand and kissed his cheek.

"Run!" She whispered. The Doctor smiled down at her and the couple ran, hand-in-hand, back to the manor, up the stairs, and to the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

To Be Continued…

A/N: Review! Please and thank you!