Hello dear readers. Hope everyone is enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it. Once again I want to say thank you for the great response I've had to this story. You guys rock!  After the last chapter I feel we need more of a laugh now, so the atmosphere is decidedly lighter in this chapter. Hope you enjoy xx

Ten Days Quarantine

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. But I call dibs!

Chapter Ten

Rose sat at the table in the kitchen early the next morning (or what she considered to be early next morning), nursing a cup of coffee. Not her drink of choice, usually, but she needed something to clear her head. Last night (again, she was assuming it was 'night') he had told her more than he had planned to, she knew. And yet, she felt his revelation was restrained, like he was still holding something back.

Her thoughts were shattered as the Doctor entered the room, yawning and trying in vain to get his hair under control. She smiled as he sat down, not yet in the land of the living, and reached for a mug that wasn't there. He frowned in surprise and mumbled to himself.

"Oh, right, I didn't make one yet."

He stood up to turn the kettle on, and, in his half-awake state, blurted out:

"I have to say this is the most domestic week I have ever experienced."

Rose smiled, and wipes the sleep from her eyes. "Must have been a nightmare for you."

He shook his head emphatically. "The virus has been a nightmare, but the week… s'been okay."

He sat back down and smiled awkwardly at her. They sat together in silence for a while. Rose felt the atmosphere start to cloud up around them, til the Doctor broke it with a surprising apology.

"I want to… I just… sorry, for… shouting last night. I was embarrassed."

Rose nodded gracefully. "I know. And it's okay. I can… kind of understand why you did it. You wanted to keep it a secret."

If Rose didn't know better, she'd say the Doctor was squirming in his seat.

"Not exactly." He sighed. "I don't know what it was, I just… it seems silly now. I suppose I would have shown you, eventually…"

Rose smiled. She knew what he was trying to say. Or at least she thought she did.

She stood up, washed her mug, and touched his shoulder consolingly.

"Don't worry, Doctor. I just didn't know. But I do now." She left the kitchen with a smile.

The Doctor frowned. "What does that mean?"

--

"I just didn't know. But I do now." Those words tortured the Doctor all day. What did she mean? She didn't know about the music? She didn't know she makes me happy? No, that can't be it.

The TARDIS trickled into his head, almost laughing at him as he pondered these thoughts over and over again. She suggested that he ask Rose what she meant, but he dismissed that idea as ridiculous. The TARDIS banged a door closed in his face in response to his mean words.

Eventually he found himself in the library, and not looking for anything in particular, began browsing the shelves. His eye wandered over to the couch in front of the fireplace where he and Rose had spent the other evening, shivering and huddled up together in front of the fire. He smiled fondly at the thought, but it brought him full circle in his mind to the fact that Rose had made that bizarre statement in the kitchen.

"I just didn't know. But I do now."

He groaned. He would never understand that woman. That's probably what made her so intriguing. He glanced over at the wall behind the fireplace and frowned. He couldn't remember putting a dartboard up there…

--

Rose lay on her bed, reading a magazine she had picked up last time they were on earth. Apparently, in the year 2160, moon boots were back in and silver straw hats were all the rage. She shuddered at the thought, and looked down at her own, rather ordinary attire. Much more appropriate for world-saving. Not that we've been doing much of that lately…

She frowned. And squealed. There was a bee on her leg! How did a bee get in the TARDIS? She shooed it away, and stood up off her bed. There was another one! And another one. Freaked out, she left her room to find the Doctor.

She walked quickly down the corridor, hoping the TARDIS was leading her in the right direction. She heard another buzz next to her ear, and flicked her head to the side. Even though she knew no one was watching her, she blushed. Good thing no one's watching, they'd have me committed.

But now she was sure she wasn't hearing things. There was a definite buzzing noise behind her head. It was getting louder.

The turned around slowly, and came face to face with a creature of nightmares: a giant bumblebee the size of a spaniel was hovering next to her, stinger at the ready.

She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, but reason told her this thing could not possibly be here. However, reason had kind of gone out of the window since she came aboard the TARDIS. She had to settle for an unladylike "Gah!" and fled down the corridor.

--

Rose burst through the door of the library to find something flying at her from inside the room. This time she managed to scream, as it missed her head by a few inches and hit the doorframe.

She glared at the Doctor, who was poised, another dart in hand, ready to throw.

"Out of the way, Rose," he said impatiently. He was obviously distracted by something.

Rose remembered the monster bee, and slammed the door shut, running to hide behind the Doctor, panting. The latter lowered his dart, and turned to look at her like she was out of her mind.

"Rose, whatever's the matter?"

Rose blinked hard, and looked up at him. "A giant bee was following me, it came from my room I think, and…" realisation hit her. "You threw a dart at me!"

The Doctor looked at her, genuinely shocked. "I would never throw a dart at you, Rose. As for the bee…"

He went over to the door and opened it wide. Rose winced in expectation, but there was nothing there. She blushed.

"Okay?" the Doctor asked, just a little too patronisingly.

Rose frowned at him.

"Well, okay, that's great. M'seeing things now!" Her mind wandered back to when she had been guessing about he secret room. "Are you sure you don't keep bees?" She glanced at the Doctor, who was ready to throw another dart, this time at the bookshelves. "Doctor, what the hell are you doing?"

"That bloody dartboard keeps moving. I can't quite-"

Rose lowered his arm, adopting a tone she would use with a small child. "Doctor, there's no dartboard. It's not playing tricks on you. I promise."

He looked at her with wide eyes. "You sure?"

She nodded, her blonde hair falling over her face slightly. The Doctor put down his darts and sighed.

"Hallucinations," he sighed in frustration.

Rose sighed. "Damn smog bug."

--

Woohoo ten chapters! Please review, don't make me beg… xx