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Chapter 10

Neither Rose nor the Doctor mentioned anything about the conversation that didn't take place at Christmas. They both knew that it would happen eventually, but chose to bury the thought just below the surface. Instead, they busied themselves with traveling as they used to; acting as if nothing had happened and continuing to fall back into dangerously familiar patterns. A playful swipe here, a just-too-long embrace there, always running hand-in-hand toward the next life threatening situation.

"Do me up, will you?" Rose asked, indicating the back of of the floor-length lavender chiffon gown that she was wearing.

The Doctor popped up from his spot under the time console where he was working. "What's all this?"

"I've decided that I want to go out. However, I needed to dress the part, so that means this monstrosity. It's called a corset, and it's incredibly painful but necessary, and I can't do it myself. So if you wouldn't mind…?" Of course he obliged, as she knew he would.

"It's late. Don't you ever sleep anymore?" the Doctor teased as Rose checked her makeup in a mirror.

"Don't you?" she countered.

"Where are you going, anyway?"

"I told you, I'm going out. If you'd like to come, you are welcome to. If not, well, don't wait up!" And with a final lipstick check, she walked out of the TARDIS doors.

The Doctor stared after her, unsure of what to do. Did she even know where she was going? Then again, did he know where they were? Yes, yes he most certainly did: Paris, in the early twentieth century, gauging by her dress. Well, if that was this case, his normal attire simply wouldn't do. He quickly made his way to the wardrobe to find something more suitable for an evening out in turn of the century Paris.

With a final flick to the brim of his top hat and a straightening of his gleaming white bowtie, the Doctor made his way outside to locate Rose. Fortunately it didn't take him long to find her; he heard her laugh coming from just around the corner. Smiling slightly, he plucked a flower from the garden that was running along the street and quickly rounded the corner before stopping short.

Rose was on the arm of a man.

Nothing, nothing, could have prepared the Doctor for that sight. Without knowing how it happened, he found that hands were somehow clenched in fists of rage as a stabbing pain coursed through both of his hearts. He knew that he had no claim on her, but still… He quickly ducked behind a tree hoping to avoid detection. Perhaps he could simply watch them from afar and then determine how much of a threat this stranger could actually be. Yes, that was the best plan.

He peered around the trunk to see that the pair had walked into a nearby museum. He thought it was a strange choice, but there must have been some gala-type event taking place. Now it was decision time: should he patiently wait outside for their return, or should he follow them inside and see what information he could gather?

Inside it was.

"I'm so glad that you called, Rosie," Jack said, grinning from ear to ear. "It's been years- no, centuries - and I have to say you look just as beautiful as when I found you dangling above London."

"Oh, shut-up," she replied, blushing slightly. She squeezed his arm for a moment in embarrassed thanks. "I'm just glad that you were free!"

"As if I would have missed this? Besides, I'm just as surprised that it took you so long to call again. Things haven't exactly been boring, but with you and the Doctor around they were always more interesting."

"Well, I don't know that we'll really be seeing him tonight. Things have been a bit... strained," she went on to explain as they made their way upstairs to the theatre.

"How so?"

"It's a really long story."

"You know I've got nothing but time, sweetheart."

She smiled. "Yeah, sorry about that, too. I didn't know." She looked up at him, silently imploring him to both believe and forgive her for this curse that she had so callously placed upon him.

"It wasn't your fault," he said softly. "You saved my life. Always remember that."

"I'll try," she grinned, although it quickly faded. "Well, you might not blame me for that, but I still haven't forgiven him for what he did."

Jack wisely nodded rather than voicing his opinion on the subject. If he had to admit it, he felt bad for the Doctor. The man had been faced with an impossible decision - keep the woman he loved with him and ultimately watch her wither away, or let her go and live a long, happy life with someone who could grow old with her. How was he supposed to know that he was a complete idiot? Furthermore, that he was a complete idiot who was incapable of flying incognito.

"Don't look now, but I think we may have company," Jack whispered as they took their seats. "Just around 5 o'clock."

Rose casually peered out the corner of her eye, and sure enough there the Doctor was. Trying, and failing, to look casual. She smiled slightly and shook her head before accepting the glass of champagne that Jack offered her. "Thanks."

"Cheers, beautiful!"

"Cheers!"

The Doctor ignored most of the show. There was some singing, some dancing, but really he took little to no notice. Instead, he kept his eyes trained on Rose. How her hand rested on top of his. How he turned to her and they nuzzled their foreheads together. What was she playing at with that lothario? Given the angle, the Doctor still couldn't make out the face very clearly. However, he was certain that the man was far too pretty to be any sort of real threat. Probably just some two-bit Casanova, planning to use her for whatever he could get.

In fact, he was so deep in his glaring thoughts that he failed to notice that the show had ended until the crowd was starting to disperse. In desperate need of a quick exit, the Doctor slipped through a nearby door. He carefully looked around the bend only to see that Rose and her friend had just walked past.

Heaving a sigh of relief that he wasn't spotted, he turned down the hallway that he was in. Walking through another door, he found himself in a dressing room of sorts.

"Do sit down," a heavily accented female voice called from behind the changing screens.

"Yes, right. Of course," he replied, taking a seat on a chaise lounge and examining his watch.

"Well, hello," she said, causing him to look up.

"Hel- Hello," he stammered, looking up.

The woman smiled seductively and removed her dressing gown.

He had somehow stumbled into the dressing room of Mata Hari.

Amy and Rory finally arrived home after a long day with family and friends.

"If I never see another Easter egg," Amy started as she collapsed onto the couch.

"Wine?"

"Have I told you how much I love you?" She turned her face up toward him as he walked by, pausing to bend down and kiss her.

"There's a message, by the way."

Amy groaned as she stretched to reach the button on the answerphone.

"Hello, Ponds! It's the Doctor-"

"And Rose!"

"Yes, and Rose! Just checking in. How are you? Not much to to report here... We did surf the fire falls of Florinall Nine though."

"Not deliberately, it was just the easiest way out after a nasty run in with the Potato Heads."

"Rose, you know they're called Sontarans!"

"Whatever, they look like talking potatoes."

"Be that as it may... Oh, Ponds! Yes. What else? Yes, met Mata Hari in her Paris dressing room." They could hear Rose laughing in the background. "What an interesting woman."

"And while he was recovering from that trauma, I made it into the music studio and laid down some backing vocals!"

"They really are quite good, we'll bring you a copy. Anyhow, we should be with you any day now. Literally any day. Helmic regulator's playing up. Can't get the temporal steering right."

"Was that the Parthenon?"

"Oh, dear. We seem to have collided with ancient Greece. Ugh!"

Rory handed Amy a glass of wine and sat down next to her as the machine clicked off.

"To the Doctor."

He nodded. "The Doctor."

Amy and Rory continued about their lives, relishing in the domestics that the Doctor fought so hard against. They enjoyed the day to day of married life, their friends, and their jobs.

Rory was most pleased with the new arrangement. He began working regular nursing shifts at the local hospital, and felt as though he was making a difference in the world by helping people. He was happy to settle down into a normal routine.

Amy was happy that Rory was happy, but she couldn't shake the feeling of restlessness that hit her every so often. She craved adventure, and while she found solace in her budding writing career, she still longed for the unknown that life with the Doctor had provided. Sadly, it had been nearly a month since they last received any word from him.

And then it happened. Their bedroom door came crashing open and the Doctor burst in, screaming.

"Argh! Stop everything!"

Rory shot up in bed. "Whasgoingon?"

"Doctor!" Rose shouted, coming up behind him.

"Bedroom!" Amy admonished him.

The Doctor immediately covered his eyes as Rose rolled hers.

"We have a rule about the bedroom," Rory reminded him.

"No one on this planet is safe right now. We have to solve this before it's too late. Get your clothes on. If we move fast we at least stand a chance and-"

"You have no idea what he's talking about, do you?"

"No," Amy and Rory answered.

The Doctor turned to Rose who shook her head. "No. Helmic regulator again. Too early. Wrong point. As you were."

"So sorry," Rose added, pulling the Doctor from the room.

"Doctor," Amy shouted. "You can't just go like that. What's happening? Don't we need to know?"

The Doctor turned back into the room and sat next to Amy on the bed as Rose leaned against the door frame. "Popped up in the wrong order. Easy mistake to make. Nothing to alarm you. Forget I was ever here. I'll be back soon enough, I would have thought. Everything's fine, pretty much. Don't worry about the future. The future is really safe. Really, really, safe. Sleep well." He smiled down to the Ponds before jumping up, grabbing Rose's hand, and returning to the TARDIS.

Rory sighed and turned onto his side. "I really hate it when he does that..."

"Have you seen him?" Rose asked, walking into the library.

"Who?" The Doctor didn't even bother looking up from his book, which annoyed Rose, so she walked over to him and pinched the volume shut. "What?"

"Don't you 'what' me," she warned. "You've been sulking ever since Paris."

"I have not," he retorted, knowing full well that she was right. Although they presented a united front to the outside world, he had been avoiding her when it was just the two of them in the TARDIS. Fortunately the helmic regulator was still acting up, so that provided a convenient cover allowing him to ignore the fact that he was unable to reconcile his feelings on what he saw in Paris.

"If you want to act like a child-"

"Phone!" the Doctor yelled, relieved to literally be saved by the bell. He jumped up and ran to the control room.

"So, yeah," Rory said. "Were you here last week? I only ask because we woke up the other day to discover an Ood on the loo."

"An Ood?" The Doctor set down the phone and turned to yell down the hall, "Rose! I found him!" He picked the phone back up and continued. "We were wondering where he'd got to. I thought he'd just gone for a walk in the TARDIS, but he must have wandered off when we popped in the other night. If it was the other night. Rose actually rescued him from the middle of the Androvax conflict, which was very thoughtful given her history with the Ood. I was taking him back to the Ood Sphere. Anyway, he's not being a nuisance, is he?"

"Well, actually... He seems to think that he's our butler."

"Rory, come and finish breakfast," Amy called in the background.

"He's conditioned to serve. The best thing is, let him do just that. I'll come and pick him up tonight. Whenever tonight is. Oh no, got to go. Power drain's threatening to cause the Tardis to implode." An alarm bell started blaring. "Oh no, that's bad."

Rose ran into the control room, her hands covering her ears. "Why's it doing that?"

"No, no, no, no, no, don't do that! Listen, Rory, I've got to go..."

"You can fix it, yeah?" Rose shouted above the din. She could feel another headache coming on, and was less than pleased.

"Of course I can!" He promptly began banging around, pulling levers, flipping switches, and hammering various components.

"Careful," Rose yelled just before the TARDIS jerked, sending her tumbling across the room.

"Rose!" He could only watch in horror as she fell in what felt like slow motion, her head hitting the metal stairs before she finally landed on the floor. The Doctor practically flew to her side.

Being as gentle as he could, the Doctor cradled her head in his hands and checked for lacerations. His fingers trembled when he discovered a warm, wet patch at the base of her skull.

"My Doctor..." Rose whispered, her eyes rolling back into her head before closing completely, her hands limp at her side.

A/N: As always, thanks to everyone for your support and encouragement for this story! I hope that you all continue to enjoy it, and please remember that reviews are always appreciated!