A/N: Hey everyone :D Thanks to everyone who's reading and reviewing this story, I'm glad people are liking it! It's certainly fun to write ;) Anyways, hope you like this next installment... xxx

Chapter 14

Some time later, Rose unfortunately and inexplicably found herself sat next to a very open, brazen Selena who was informing her of all her conquests, whilst the Doctor was out somewhere on the dancefloor showing everyone the conga. Rose wished desperately that she could join in, instead of listening to Selena going on and on and on and on and on...

"You've got awfully loose morals for a town like this," Rose muttered. "All those rules and all that stigma about sex before marriage and that, and you – you're having it off with a new man every week!"

"Yes, well," began Selena, leaning forward conspiratorially. "It helps that I'm so alluring. The officials have such repressed sexual desires that are just waiting to surface. And when they do...I'm there," she grinned.

Rose grinned back, feigning admiration, but really, just feeling depressed at the entire situation. "So, you know you're a slut, and you're proud of it?" she asked sweetly.

Selena nodded. "That's right. Life is for living, darling!"

"Wow," murmured Rose, raising a disbelieving eyebrow.

"And you know what else?" She leaned even closer to whisper in Rose's ear. "I always get what I want." As she pulled back, her gaze flickered over to the Doctor, and Rose visibly bristled.

"Not this time," she assured her.

Selena kept her eyes locked on the Doctor's bottom, and Rose grew increasingly unsettled. "He's a man, darling. And all men succumb to Selena's seduction."

Oh blimey, now she's referring to herself in third person! How self-absorbed can you get? "Not him," Rose said. "He's different."

"Oh, really?" was Selena's dubious reply.

"Yes. Really," she bit out through gritted teeth.

"How long have you been married? A year?"

Momentarily taken aback by the question, Rose found herself saying, "Yeah, it's our first anniversary next week." What? Where did that come from? she thought to herself.

"And you think that after just a year of marriage, you're still in the honeymoon phase, hmm?"

She shrugged non-committally, and out of the corner of her eye saw Jill sit down at their table to listen in on the conversation.

"But let me tell you, sweetheart. Even pretty young blondes like you aren't enough for a man. Sooner or later, your John will get tired of the girl-next-door look, and find himself enticed in by a woman."

Rose raised her eyebrows. "I'm sorry, but I think you're taking this too far. I know you've been drinking, but I don't appreciate you talking to me like this," she said. I am a woman, bitch.

Selena shrugged, and met Freddie's gaze. "Wanna dance?" she asked him.

His eyes lit up, and Rose inwardly cringed at the man's blatant adoration for such a vile woman. Yeah, she was beautiful, super-model style, but seriously? She was a right cow. Why couldn't this guy, or any of the others she'd been with, see that?

"Don't worry, honey," murmured a voice from next to her. Rose jumped, and realised it was Jill talking to her. She gave her a small smile. "Selena's like that all the time." She sighed. "Look at him, getting all googley-eyed whenever she shows him attention. I show him attention and I barely get a smile from the man."

Rose glanced between Freddie and Selena and Jill, seeing how sad she looked. "You like him?"

"I love him," confessed Jill. She shook her head. "It's not gonna happen, though. Never get a look in, do I, with her around. She's supposed to be my friend, but all she cares about it getting a man's – well, every man's – attention. Which leaves me as the ugly duckling, don't it?"

Rose smiled at her sympathetically. "She's a cow. You're lovely. You'll find someone who can see that. Don't waste your time on Freddie, he's an idiot if he doesn't see how beautiful you are." 'Cos she is, thought Rose. Honey-coloured hair and bright blue eyes. Sure, the nose is a bit out of proportion, but who's perfect? Well, Selena, I s'pose...but then she's horrible on the inside. Jill seems nice. Freddie's a prick if he can't see that.

"Thanks," Jill smiled graciously. She bumped her shoulder against Rose's, a wistful look on her face as she spoke of romance - "And listen, your bloke can hardly keep his eyes off you. And I dunno if you notice this, but he's always reaching his hand out to take yours, and his fingers flex a little when they're not all interlaced with yours, as if he don't know what to do. And every time you lean slightly away, he leans with you, like you're his force of gravity or something. So you have nothing to worry about with Selena. He's completely yours. It's so sweet. I can't wait 'til I have that with someone..."

Rose sat still, staring at her with wide eyes and her mouth hanging slightly open. "Um. Right. Thanks. That's very...uh, observant...of you?" she stammered uncertainly, confusion washing over her. What? Is she taking the mick, or has she really noticed that? Or is it just that she's drunk a lot of alcohol tonight? "Are you sure?" Rose asked hurriedly.

Jill grinned. "Of course I am! Whatever Selena reckons, anyone can see he adores you."

He...adores me? Rose gulped. "Oh."

"Hey, don't blush about it!" Jill laughed. "He's your husband, he's allowed to adore you!"

Rose smiled weakly, feeling like she was going to faint. "Mmm." He adores me? He adores me? He doesn't adore me. Does he adore me?

"Hey girls," said Daniel, cutting into her thoughts. He sat down next to Rose.

Rose blinked, then looked round for the Doctor, not spotting him anywhere. She turned back to Daniel. "Hi. Where's the – John? Where's John?"

"Oh, he's just nipped to the men's room," replied Daniel. "Fancy a dance?"

"What? Oh, sorry - no, thanks. Jill, you dance with him," Rose said distractedly, craning her neck to see where the toilets were. I have to talk to him. Now. Right. Now. Before I lose my nerve.

"No fear! I've had far too much to drink, I'll only fall over and embarrass myself," refused Jill.

"Well, that does it," said Daniel, yanking Rose up by the arm. "You'll have to dance with me. Come on, just one!"

Rose tried to pull away. "No, no...I can't, I've got to - "

" – nonsense! Come on, Rose. Live a little!" he chided, dragging her out onto the dancefloor. He wrapped his arms around her and started swaying her around.

Reluctant at first, Rose leaned as far away from him as she could in his firm hold. "I'm not really in the mood for this," she said apologetically.

"Sure you are!" he dismissed, pulling her closer. "Just let the music relax you!"

It is quite a nice song, pondered Rose. She allowed Daniel to swing her this way and that, getting lost in the melody and her thoughts of the Doctor.

Meanwhile, the Doctor had been intercepted on his way back from the toilet by Selena. He was rounding the corner to go back into the bar, when...

"Hello, honey," she drawled, popping up from nowhere and blocking his path.

The Doctor reeled backwards a bit, his back hitting the wall behind him, alarmed by the way she was trying to press herself up against him. "Er...hi?"

"So, it seems to me that you're in need of a bit of Selena's attention," she told him, eyes alight with desire and hands gripping his lapels.

What the hell? he thought. Talking about herself in the third person? Seriously? He cleared his throat, and tried to move past her. "Um, no thanks."

"Are you sure?" she asked, pushing him backwards into the wall. She pushed her knee in between his legs and up.

The Doctor remained unaffected by her attempts. "Selena, look. You've got to stop this." If Rose sees...oh rassilon, if Rose sees this she's going to come to the wrong conclusions... "Get off me, please. Now," he said, more firmly, his hands on her shoulders.

"Why? I know you want this really," she said, her voice slightly slurring certain words. "You're just too good at controlling yourself. You want this really. With me."

It made him feel slightly sick. "I really, really don't. I don't know what gave you that impression," he said, wincing when she leaned closer, her drunken breath washing across his neck.

"I can see it in your eyes. The repressed - " she leant in closer and whispered, "- desire."

"Yeah, not for you," he exclaimed. "Please just leave me alone." Bloody hell. Won't this woman take the hint? This is not at all a nice experience. Does she think she's good at seducing people or something? Does this work on other people? 'Cos this surely isn't the way to go about it. She needs to be Rose, for starters.

Selena scowled, letting him go a little. "What is your problem?" she asked hotly.

"What's your problem?" he retorted. "Honestly, you can't just pounce on me like that. I'm married." Sort of. "And even if I weren't, I wouldn't want, uh, that, with you. Ever. So back off, yeah?"

She took a step back away from him, highly irritated that she hadn't had her desired effect on him. "Well, you don't know what you're missing," she seethed.

"I don't really care, to be honest," he informed her seriously.

Selena rolled her eyes. "Well. If you ever get bored of Rose, then here's my number." She shoved a card in his hand and walked away.

The Doctor's eyes widened. Seriously? She's giving me her number? Does she have no dignity? He stared at the card in his hand, and then carelessly threw it over his shoulder as he pushed away from the wall.

He went up to the bar and ordered a bottle of beer. Ha. Look at this, he thought to himself. Me, in a pub, drinking beer, fighting off women. I can safely say this has never happened before. He took his drink and swigged it slowly, turning around and leaning against the bar, facing the dancefloor. Now all I need to do is find Rose and tell her that it's her I –

Oh.

His stomach dropped.

He watched her as she danced with It. Her hair flinging from side to side as she laughed giddily. It span her around and she stumbled into his arms.

"You alright, mate?" said Alan, coming to said next to him. He ordered himself a whiskey and looked at the Doctor strangely. "You're holding that bottle awfully tight."

The Doctor blinked, and glanced down at his hand; saw that his knuckles had turned white. "Oh," he mumbled. He put the bottle on the bar and folded his arms.

"What's up?" Alan pressed, following the Doctor's gaze. "Oh, are you a bit tetchy about that?"

"About what?" he replied absently.

"About your missus dancing with Dan."

The Doctor looked at him sharply. "No, why would I be?" Yes. Of course I am. Are you an idiot?

"You've got nothing to worry about, mate. He dragged her up there while you were in the loo."

"Yes. Well, she seems to be enjoying herself," the Doctor replied tightly.

"God, Joe was right," Alan said, shaking his head in amusement.

"What?"

"He said that you two were way too possessive of each other."

"I'm not possessive over her," he denied vehemently. Hang on. Is she possessive over me?

"Yeah, you are. Look how jealous you're getting just over some other bloke dancing with her for a bit. No one would think you'd been married for a year, the way you two are. You'd think you don't know where you stand with her or something."

The Doctor sighed. Oh how so very true. "Well. I just...I suppose...I...weeelll, I just..."

Alan rolled his eyes. "She looks at you like...well, I don't even know what like, but I'd love for a girl to look at me that way."

"You think?" the Doctor asked curiously, trying and failing to sound casual. Really? Really? Really?

"Yep. You ought to know that, you're her husband!" Alan laughed.

"Mmm," he replied, his pulse racing.

"So, has Selena tried it on, yet?" Alan asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Yeah, she did. Is she insane?"

"Nah, just presumptuous. She bet me and Jill twenty quid each that she'd get at least a snog out of you before the end of the night. But we reckoned you'd be saving your snogging 'til you and wifey got home."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Right." Hopefully...

"What did you say to her?"

"Who?"

"Selena."

"Oh. Just that whatever she was trying to do wasn't and would never work."

"Good on ya, mate. She needed taking down a peg or two. Bless Freddie, he's completely besotted with her. But I dunno...it's never worked on me. She's a bitch, really."

The Doctor smiled, relieved that Alan wasn't a complete idiot like Freddie seemed to be. "So, have you got someone?" he asked. Ha. Look at me. In a pub, drinking beer and talking about women with a bloke. How very strange. It's quite enjoyable, really.

"Nah," he dismissed, shaking his head. "I..."

"What?" the Doctor prompted. He looked up to follow Alan's line of sight. "Oh. You like Jill, huh?"

Alan coughed awkwardly. "Um. Well. A bit, I s'pose. Yeah." He sighed wistfully. "But I think she prefers that prick," he said ruefully, nodding towards Freddie.

"Ah, you never know. Maybe things'll work out and everyone'll get who they deserve. Isn't that what normally happens?"

"Not really, no. We don't all get our fairytale ending like you and Rose," Alan murmured sadly.

The Doctor cleared his throat, briefly embarrassed. "Well. I'm sure in time she'll see sense and go for the one who really likes her." Ha! Me, giving girl advice! Look at this! Weird...

"Thanks," he replied warmly. "I hope so."

"What about Joe? What's his story?"

"Joe's...well, he's a bit of a loner. Don't seem to be interested in that sort of thing. Doesn't see the point. Can't be bothered with it."

"Ah, well he's just not met her yet. Or him; whichever," he shrugged.

"Who?" asked Alan curiously.

"Whoever it is that's going to change his mind. 'Cos I used to be like him, 'til I met..." he trailed off, realising what he was saying.

"Rose," Alan finished knowingly. "Well, I'll tell him that, then. Might cheer him up a bit," he laughed.

"Mmm."

"Go get her," Alan said then, tilting his glass in the direction of Rose and Daniel, before walking away.

The Doctor stood up straight and cleared his throat. Right then. I will.