A/N. I could apologize a gazillion times for this chapter being so late, but realistically I can't, so I'm just gonna have to hope you forgive me and that you haven't given up on me or this story, believe me, I haven't! I really loved writing this chappy and I really hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it! - DR.

Chapter 10: A Whole New World...?

Rose.

Living with Leanna was just what Rose had expected it to be like: Noisy, busy, girly and intrusive. Leanna had a way of walking into a spotless room and leaving it five minutes later looking like a herd of wild pigs had paraded through it. Something that irritated Rose no end! It seemed to Rose that she was forever picking up dirty mugs and wiping tea stains off surfaces. But to Leanna's credit, the girl was a gem and Rose had actually begun to enjoy spending time with her. Especially when she went off on one of her 'anti-men' rants where she would parade around the house in her underwear, dancing and singing along to girl-power songs like 'Respect' by Aretha Franklin (which Rose was delighted to discover had survived through the ages as a female anthem). It was at these times where Rose could finally let go and happily give in to her hurt emotions and join in with Leanna.

She had briefly told Leanna why she moved out and was moved when Leanna didn't pry but instead offered her a large glass of wine and a shoulder. Rose felt she had deeply mis-judged Leanna when she assumed for so long that she was simply a frilly sort of girl with no real depth. She was happy to be proved wrong this time.

Finally Rose felt she was living a life instead of going through the motions. Her new life was certainly made easier without having the distraction of the Doctor in her life. Before, Rose had little to look forward to except seeing the doctor every day. Now she found she had a whole new world to explore! Leanna very much loved letting her hair down as often as possible and she and Rose would often go out for a night dancing, drinking and socialising, or they would just stay in with a bottle of wine watching some slushy rom-coms and giggling. Rose had never anticipated that she would genuinely get to like this new life of hers, but she did.

Now, 6 weeks since she had left Zach's apartment and last seen the doctor, Rose was fitting into her role in the world and finding it comfortable and familiar. Life wasn't so very different here than back in 2006. Granted, the dishes were a little easier to tackle and hangovers could be cured within seconds with a simple pill, but past that life was as it always had been for Rose. It was in no way comparable to the life she had led with the doctor but it was a life just the same.

At first, Rose would barely speak or join Leanna when she went out, but after a drunken night on the sofa with a few large glasses of wine Rose had opened up to Leanna and told her of the 'will-we-won't-we' relationship she had had with the doctor. Since then the pair of them had become fast friends and Rose was glad to have such a good companion.

Rose wouldn't have called herself 'happy', but she felt that she could be content, given time.

The Doctor.

To say that the doctor was unhappy would be somewhat of a conundrum as he himself would have described himself as being neither happy nor unhappy. He was coping.

The doctor had fully immersed himself in his work, which drew him not a small amount of disgruntled colleagues who be-grudged his constant praise and admiration from bosses. But if the doctor cared, he didn't show it.

He, unlike Rose, did not go out with his colleagues or confide in a particular friend. What he actually did was to simply exist, go about his day and then go home. There was nothing special about his life or how he spent his time, there seemed to be nothing that entertained him or engaged him. It was almost if he didn't exist on the same plain of existence as other people. But if he was honest, the Doctor preferred this because then he could pretend that he didn't feel or hurt like other people did.

But, and there is always a but, the doctor felt broken. It was as if something inside him had simply given up and faded away. His being felt heavy and disconnected. He couldn't remember the last time that he had smiled or had looked forward to something.

But then these things can't last, for one reason or another. That night, the same night that Rose had decided she could one day be content, Zach had found the doctor sitting at the dining table in the dark, cradling a stone-cold cup of tea. He looked like he had been there for hours like that, just sitting, unmoving.

"Comon mate. You've gotta snap outta this." Zach had said, slipping into the seat opposite the doctor.

"Hmm? What?" The doctor had said, looking up and slightly surprised to see the lights now on and Zach sitting there.

"This slump of yours. You've gotta do something about it! Either go an' get her, or...I'm sorry 'bout this but...suck it up and get over it!" Zach said this last slightly louder than necessary and looked appropriately embarrassed.

"Yeah you're right. Course."The doctor said simply without conviction, looking down.

Zach sighed and tried again, " Look mate, Rose is gone. I'm sorry, but thats the way it is. She left so she can have a life. What are you doin'? Mopin' around with a face like a smacked arse. Now, I'm tellin' ya, either you do somethin' 'bout it or pretty soon you're gonna break down. One day you're gonna just stop and not start again." The doctor said nothing. Silently he got up from the table and paced for a few steps. His steps suddenly become quicker, his circular pacing became almost frenzied.

Suddenly, "Alright, you've got all the answers, what do YOU think I should do then!?" He demanded loudly, almost angrily. Zach was taken aback but held his ground as he stood up to face the doctor, whose face was scrunched up in an expression of pain and confusion.

"Answer me this, doctor. Do you love her?"

"What?!" The doctor asked, his face defensive

"You heard me." Zach said plainly, crossing his arms over his chest

"Shes my best friend." The doctor said, equally plainly.

"Thats not what I meant an' you know it!" Zach said accusingly.

"Thats all she ever can be! You don't understand!" The doctor cried out, his voice rising in volume as he went back to his angry strides across the room and back again.

"Oh don't give me that!" Now Zach was almost shouting as well. "You're a bloody coward you are! Maybe you're right, maybe I don't understand, but I'm not sodding blind! I've seen the way you an' her look when you're together! The way you look at each other! For all your smarts, doctor, you're a bloody idiot!" Zach was shouting now and pointing his finger at the doctor as he threw his accusations at the him. The doctor looked shocked at Zach's outburst, but he didn't give in so Zach continued, "I don't know anything about you doctor, I've noticed the way you keep things close to your chest and if this is the way you act towards Rose then no bloody wonder she got sick an' tired of trying to get close to you! But you know what else I noticed when you weren't payin' any attention, eh? I noticed the way Rose sometimes looked sad when you weren't looking, because you were too busy feeling sorry for yourself an' not busy wondering how SHE felt!"

"I DID bloody care!" The doctor suddenly shouted out, abruptly stopping to turn on Zach angrily. "I cared every single day how she felt! It's all I cared about! It's my fault, MINE, that shes trapped here! D'ya have ANY idea what thats doing to me?!" He finished loudly.

"No! I damn well don't because you never say anything! To me OR to her!" Zach said sharply, squaring up to the doctor and looking him plain in the eye.

"Tell me this doctor; did you ever stop to consider, just once, that Rose would have been happy to be here if only you would have given her a reason to be happy here?" He said plainly. The doctor looked away.

"No. I didn't think so. You say you cared what Rose felt, but what you mean is that because you weren't happy you assumed that she wasn't either. Maybe if you'd spent more time listening to her instead of guilt-tripping yourself you woulda noticed that all she wanted was you to be happy. Here. With her." Zach finished quietly. He knew he had made his point and didn't think he could get away with saying anything more to the doctor. Zach was just about to walk out of the room and leave the now silent doctor to his thoughts when suddenly he heard him say something so quietly that he couldn't make it out.

"What was that?" Zach asked.

"You're right." The doctor repeated.

"Well, yeah." Zach said uncertainly.

"No, seriously, you're right!" The doctor said, straighting up and running one hand through his hair, a dazed look on his face. He sounded almost as confused as he looked. Zach simply stared, actually quite surprised he'd managed to get through to the doctor.

"Alright," Zach said, "Now what?" He asked.

"I dunno." The doctor admitted. "But it's gonna be big." He said, a cheeky grin breaking out over his face for the first time in nearly 2 months.

And with that, the doctor sped across the room, grabbing his coat from the chair as he went, crossed to the door, wiggled his eyebrows at Zach as he opened it, and disappeared through it.