I don't own Doctor Who, but I do own several books on the matter and the dream of meeting David Tennant one day and a bit of a crush on Billie Piper.


"John!"

John jolted when he heard Martha yell his name. He looked around the room before at her. "What?" he asked, taking off his glasses. He had been trying to grade some projects while he was feeling motivated, but when he came to Hayden's project, he was reminded of how he had flirted with Rose, which reminded him of Rose, which reminded him that the timetable was coming up soon and that he needed to have ditched Martha by then. But then he felt bad about how casually he had thought of ditching Martha, because he did care for her, but he didn't love her. Which reminded him that he hadn't told Rose he loved her. Which made him wonder, did she really know if he did, or was she just hoping that he did and wasn't saying anything. He left him cold, thinking that Rose doubted his love for her.

"JOHN!"

"Yes! Sorry, what is it, Martha?"

Martha glared at him, slapping the magazine she'd been fiddling with onto the coffee table.

"Haven't you heard a word I said?" She questioned furiously.

John racked his brain, desperately trying to remember what she'd been babbling about. But then he remembered his excuse. He pointed to the un-graded projects sitting in front of him on the counter he was sitting at.

Martha groaned and marched over to him. "I told you, I'm leaving for a Medical Conference in three days."

John frowned. "Three days?"

"Yeah, we were just informed. Something about the memo not being circulated ahead of time. So a lot of use have been working hard to make sure we can take time off." she explained.

He hadn't noticed. Jack had been transferred to a new unit that had just finished their deployment, so he was off the hook until the next round, so they had gone celebrating. That was two nights ago. Then Donna's company had risen in rank thanks to all their hardwork and that was another celebration. And finally, Rose had had a birthday! She was now 25, and John had gone all out for her. They had all gone drinking until well into the morning and when he woke up, he and Rose were wrapped around each other and they were all in Jack's flat.

Did that make him a bad person, not even noticing that your girlfriend was working herself to the bone? What an odd expression, "working yourself to the bone". He wondered where that had come from, especially since it couldn't be possible to work yourself that hard. What kind of job would entail working yourself that hard?

He forced himself to focus. "So, when are you coming back?" He asked.

"In two weeks," Martha asked. "Since it's company money, we're staying in a pretty nice hotel and we're going to be taken care of. Can you look over yourself for that long?"

Nope. But Rose could.


"Why are you smiling?" Donna demanded to know. They were all at their usual cafe, enjoying a lunch before they had to get back to the real world.

"I'm finding myself in need of a flatmate." John said casually.

Rose's head shot up and she looked at him.

"Did you and Martha break up?" Jack asked, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice. He had been praying for this since the conversation he had had with the female doctor.

"Martha's got a medical conference that she's attending. So, I'm going to be all by myself. Rather lonely, don't you think?" This last bit was directed towards Rose.

"Well, I guess if you really need someone to look over you, you could stay with me for a few days." She offered casually.

John shook his head. "Two weeks."

"Two weeks? She's gone for two weeks?" Donna gasped happily. "This round's on me!" She cried out and Jack laughed.

John looked at Rose and smirked wickedly. She couldn't catch her breath. "Sure you can deal with me for two weeks?" he asked softly, with a sensual undertone that no-one at the table missed. Rose smirked right back. "I think I can handle it."


John wondered if he was a terrible person as he drove to Rose's flat, a bag of hot chips on the seat next to him. He had dropped Martha off at the airport earlier that morning and while he was going to miss her, it was two weeks he had alone with Rose. He would be staying at her flat, almost, in a way, re-learning how to live together. He knew he should feel guilty for going behind Martha's back, but he'd been in love with Rose for as long as he could remember. Just before Rose left for America, he told her that he needed two hearts to hold all his love for her. Oh, yeah, Rose definitely showed him how much she loved him that morning.

He frowned as he pulled into the parking lot. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. He and Rose had a habit of not keeping their hands to themselves. Hmm, this could present a problem, but he wasn't walking away. He got out the car and dropped his keys into his pocket and held the bag of chips closer to his chest. Rose lived on the first floor, which was good…for a lot of reasons. He opened the door (since Rose never locked it) and called out "Rose! I'm home, love."

He almost didn't hear the other voices in the kitchen over the joy of seeing Rose dash over to him, beaming brighter than the sun. He put the chips down on the end table moments before she jumped into his arms, her own wrapped over his neck and her legs secured tightly 'round his waist. She kissed him soundly and thoroughly before pulling back.

"Hello." She greeted with a smile, once she caught her breath.

"Hello." He answered before cocking his head slightly to the left.

"D'you have company?" He asked, making his way to the kitchen with her still wrapped around him firmly. She looked so panicked so suddenly he knew it wasn't going to be good.

"What th' 'ell is this then?" He froze when he heard the screeching sound of Jackie Tyler, (Rose's mum) and his least biggest fan.

"Bugger." He cursed under his breath.


"So, how are you John?" Pete Tyler asked with a smile as he handed the younger man a cup of tea.

"Oh, fantastic, Pete." John said with a smile.

"I can see that." The elder Tyler chuckled.

Pete was the Director of a security company with ties to both Britain and America (where his mother was from), very wealthy, very down to Earth, humble. Quite the opposite of his wife. Jackie was loud, nosy, bossy, and crazy. John didn't know how Pete did it, but they loved each other. Jackie grew up in the rough part of South London, before meeting Pete, who had pulled himself up by the bootstraps and was building a company. He ran into her whilst visiting, looking for a good location for his London office. It was love at first sight and got married immediately. They moved to America, and after Rose was born, they stayed for a while before moving back to London. Though she was born in America, Rose always considered herself English, since she had learned to talk when they moved to London. When she was fourteen, they moved to South London, where both the Tylers, Harkness' and John were located.

"How's the company doing?" John asked.

"Very well. We had a bit of a rough spot, those Americans," they shared a laugh, "but we made it through."

"Brilliant. Knew you could do it, Pete."

"And you, John?" Pete questioned, sipping his tea

"Teaching's going well. So many bright minds always wanting to know more!" John praised with a wide grin.

Pete smiled before casting a look around. "And Rose?"

John also looked around. "My feelings haven't changed, Pete. I would do anything and everything to be by her side."

"But?"

"But, I am….in a relationship right now." He admitted.

"And where is she?" Pete wanted to know.

"Business trip." John told him.

"Have you crossed the line?" Pete asked, frowning slightly.

"No. Rose and I agreed we wouldn't." John assured him.

Pete nodded; he was glad to see that John hadn't changed his morals, no matter how in love he was with Rose.

"So, then, what are you doing here?" Pete asked casually.

John chose his words carefully.

"Seeing if we still want each other. We've seen that we don't need the other to survive, but there's a difference between need and want, wouldn't you say? I mean, to need someone implies that you can't live without that person, indicating a dependency or co-dependency if she needs you just as much, mind you. To want, conveys wanting something else. To want someone means you love them, that they make you happy, they understand you, they choose to be with her, not because they need you, because they can live without you, but they want you in their lives, because they just do. Rose and I, we don't need each other as much as we did when we were younger, but we do want each other. We want to see if it really is love, or merely leftover feelings."

Pete forgot how much John Smith could talk when he got started. "And if it really is love?"

"Then I will pledge my love and forever to her. I will not make her the other woman."


"What are you doin', Rose?" Jackie questioned her daughter, concerned. "You told me he was seeing someone else."

"He is," Rose answered absentmindedly, not wanting to have this particular conversation with her mum, but knowing she had to.

"So why is he 'ere?"

"He can't visit?" Rose asked.

"Is it a visit?" Jackie asked, looking at her.

"He loves me, mum." Rose said confidently. "He-"

"Is sneaking 'round his girlfriend's back! Is this th' kind of bloke you want, sweetheart?"

"We're not doin' anythin' bad." Rose defended.

"He's told you he loves you, has he?" Jackie wanted to know.

"He doesn't need to, mum! I can feel it! The way he holds me, supports me, takes care of me! He loves me, I know he does. If he didn't, he wouldn't bother." Rose said passionately.

"Rose, how'd'ya know he isn't like those other blokes, only wanting one thing?"

"We already talked about this, mum. We agreed not to go there."

Jackie always thought that her daughter loved too much, especially when it came to John, or The Doctor, as he had been years ago. She felt like he had taken Rose away from her, changing her. He had her on the side as the other woman! She told Rose, who shook her head.

"No! We made a promise. A promise to always love each other and always be together. He's my soul mate, mum."

Jackie sighed. She knew from history that she could talk until she was blue in the face, no matter, because it wouldn't change a thing. They had been so desperately in love when they were younger, never apart for long, making all these plans and whatnot; much like her and Pete were when they first met. And as much as it killed her to admit, John treated Rose like she was the only thing in the universe. He didn't shower her with fancy gifts, but with love and affection. He was always there for her, even if she felt like she didn't need him. Rose never felt alone, even when they were apart (which was rare in and of itself). They had the kind of close bond people married for thirty years had. They had been closer than close, and Jackie didn't wonder every now and again if they weren't one person sometimes. They seemed to read each other's minds, finishing the other's sentence and coming up with some crazy theories (the Royal family all being werewolves was one).

"I just don't want to see you hurt, love." Jackie said.

"He would never hurt me, mum, cause when I hurt, he hurts, too." Rose tapped her chest, over her heart.

Not for the first time, Jackie prayed that Rose would somehow survived if things went south.


"So, on a scale of one through ten, how insulting was your mother tonight?" John asked as he changed into his jim-jams.

"She must have been ill, only about a five." Rose answered around her toothbrush.

"Wow, she was really off her game." John said.

Rose spat the toothpaste into the sink, rinsing off her toothbrush and placing it back into the holder before rinsing out her mouth.

"And dad?"

"Can never spend enough time with your dad. Always has these fantastic ideas." John gushed. "Should I be jealous?" She teased, spitting into the sink, turning off the water and wiping her face with a small towel. She smiled and closed her eyes when she felt his arms come round her waist.

"I don't feel and think about your dad the way I do about you." John growled.

"Hmm, hope not." she purred, turning in his arms.

He trailed several wet kisses up and down the length of her neck. She titled her head for better access, tangling her fingers in his hair. He snuck his hands under her top and caressed her warm skin. She moaned and tugged at the hem of his night shirt, slowly pulling it over his head. He gathered her in his arms, carrying her to their bed, hitting the light switch with his elbow. They might not join together, but there were other ways to feel close.


Naughty naughty ;)