A/N: Hello! Sorry about the wait. I tried getting this up earlier, but the website was down :( But it's back now, so let me just say a giant thank you to my followers, to those who have favourited, and to those who have reviewed. You guys are wonderful!

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or anything related. That all goes to the BBC.

By the time they'd left the hospital it was well past three in the morning and John wanted nothing more than to go home and collapse into bed, until he remembered that his daughter was currently over at Rose's flat. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "We still need to go pick up Jenny," he said wearily as he climbed in the driver's side of the jeep Rose had drove to the hospital. Thankfully, he had taken a cab to work the previous morning and didn't have to worry about leaving a car in the lot. Rose had tried to insist on driving them home, but John declined, stating it was a needed distraction for him.

"I already texted my mum," Rose replied. "She said Jenny's sound asleep and to not worry about her. Said for us to go on and get some rest ourselves. She'll text us when Jenny wakes."

John nodded. "You just gonna stay at my place?"

"Well, my bed at my flat is currently occupied by a four year old. Besides, my bed at your place is comfier." Her eyes widened. "But don't tell mum I said that! It'd probably offend her or something."

He gave her a weak smile. "Your secret is safe with me."

The rest of the drive was spent in silence with neither knowing exactly what to say. Instead Rose kept a firm hand on John's leg to say, without words, that she was there and she wasn't going anywhere.

"I need a shower," John grumbled as soon as they stumbled in the house through the back door. Not waiting for a reply from Rose, he made his way up the stairs and into his bedroom.

Rose closed her eyes as she heard his bedroom door click shut. She tried not to take it personally. She knew he wasn't trying to rebuff her in anyway. He needed some time alone to gather his thoughts. She could respect that. The past several hours had been very emotional for them and John had been extremely vulnerable in her presence. A state he was probably trying to come to terms with at that very moment. Mickey had done the same thing, she remembered, right after his gran had passed. He'd been mortified that Rose had seen him cry and in turn ignored her for a short while after.

'Just be strong,' she reminded herself. 'John needs you now.'

With that affirmation, Rose straightened her shoulders and went to the kitchen to put on the kettle. John would probably deny it, but he needed some substance. Who knew when the last time he ate was, and after all the adrenaline and emotions that had been raging through him, he needed to refuel.

Looking in the refrigerator, Rose found a plate of grilled chicken they had made the previous evening, and used that to make him a half of a sandwich, adding half of a banana to the plate as well. Having ate earlier with Jenny, Rose finished the other half of the banana as she prepared John's cup of tea. Setting it all on a serving tray, Rose added a small note, before tiptoeing up the stairs. She tapped lightly on his bedroom door, but heard no response. If she listened carefully, she could hear the sound of his shower still running. With that knowledge Rose opened his door, and slipped into his room, leaving the tray on his bedside table.

Time for her own shower now. She would check on him when she was finished.

John stepped out of his steamy en-suite, a towel draped casually across his hips, and was surprised to see a tray of food waiting for him. He picked up the note that was resting on the side.

I know you'd rather not, but please eat.

For me.

-Rose.

She was right, he'd rather not eat. In fact, just the thought of eating made his stomach feel as though there was a heavy weight resting in it. But, looking back on it now, the previous day was a bit hazy and he couldn't properly remember when he'd ate last. And the tea sounded lovely. He took a bite of his sandwich and was grateful that Rose had kept it simple with the dressing. The grilled chicken was just what his body needed, but he wasn't sure he could have stomached much more. The half of a banana she'd left him made him smile. She was so thoughtful, his Rose.

Guilt flooded him as John remembered the way he'd behaved when they arrived home. He wasn't purposefully trying to brush her off, but he'd needed a moment alone. One more minute in her presence and he may have broke down again and that... he just wasn't emotionally prepared to go through that again any time soon. Finishing his light meal, he changed into a pair of pajama bottoms, forgoing the shirt. His body felt hot and tight from all the crying he'd done and wearing a constricting shirt just seemed a bit too claustrophobic. After brushing his teeth, he laid back on his bed, not even bothering with the covers or turning off the light.

His mind was whirring. He couldn't seem to stop replaying the previous events of the night, from the moment the ambulance had brought his father, to his final tearful goodbye to his father's body. What could he have done differently? How had he not known his father was unwell? He was a doctor! It was his job to figure out what was medically wrong with a person, so how had he missed something in his own dad? True, he hadn't had a reason to examine his father in years, but even so. There should have been signs and he should have been the first to see them. His mother's accusations floated through his head. He couldn't blame her. Not really. He had always had a very hot and cold relationship with his mum.

A knock on the door brought John out of his thoughts. "Come in," he called out. Rose peeked her head in, her hair still slight damp from her own shower and curling around the edges, wearing her comfiest black yoga pants and an oversized t-shirt that she'd cut the collar off, exposing her right shoulder.

"Hey," she said softly. Her eyes went wide when she took in his attire. Blushing furiously she stuttered, "Y-You weren't sleeping yet, were you?"

If this were any other circumstance, he would have started flirting and teasing her for her sudden embarrassment over his lack of shirt, but he was just too tired. He did give a small smirk though."No, not yet," he confirmed.

"Okay. I was just coming to check on you... Make sure you ate a little something."

"I did. Thank you. I needed the sustenance."

She shifted awkwardly in front of the door. "Your welcome. I'll just take the tray back to the kitchen, shall I?" She moved further into the room and went to grab the tray, but John's hand on her wrist stopped her.

"Don't," he told her. "Don't worry about that right now, we can get it later. Just... Do you think you could just stay with me for a while?" He silently cursed himself for how pathetic he sounded, but he couldn't help it. If there was any hope for him to get some sleep, it would only happen with Rose by his side.

"Sure," she replied on an exhale. "Shall I," she cleared her throat, "Shall I shut off the light?"

"Please."

She gave a nod as she turned off the lamp and made her way around to the other side of the bed. As she did, she heard John slip under the covers. They'd never shared a bed. Not properly. There had been a few naps together here and there on the sofa, not to mention the night they'd fallen asleep on the floor watching The Lion King with Jenny. But it had always been strictly platonic and innocent. Then they'd started seeing each other on a more romantic level.

Per Rose's request, they had been taking things slow. They had gone no farther than snogging, not because
Rose didn't want more, she did! She just didn't want to rush things. She'd done that before and look how well that had worked out for her. But she was older now and was determined to make this relationship work. She could not mess this up. With that resolve, she laid down on the bed... on top of the covers.

She heard John sigh. "Budge up," he told her. She stood quickly, thinking perhaps he had changed his mind. Instead he drew the covers back so she climb in properly. "It's still winter, Rose," he explained.

She blinked, and gave a large swallow. "Right. Course. Yeah."

"Is this too much? Would you be more comfortable sleeping in your own bed?" The room Rose had stayed in that first weekend she had spent with John and Jenny had officially been deemed as Rose's room. The fact that she had her own space in his home, that she was comfortable in, and even kept spare clothes and toiletries in, brought a smile to his face. Though he would be even happier if eventually Rose considered his room to be hers as well.

Rose shook her head and climbed into bed with him, lying on her side so they were facing one another. After briefly pressing her lips to his forehead she said, "I want to stay with you."

He gave her a lazy grin, the first real grin he had given in hours. "Yeah?"

"Yes."

To show his gratitude, John leaned forward gently kissed her lips. He pulled back and whispered, "Thank you."

Her eyes fluttered open. "For what?"

"For being you. For everything you've done for me."

"You've been taking care of me from the moment we met. It's my turn to take care of you for a change. You don't need to thank me for that. It's my pleasure."

Without conscious thought, the pair moved wordlessly closer, legs tangling together, hips aligning, chest to chest, and lips to lips. It wasn't the sweet and gentle kiss they had shared before. It was hungry and passionate and rough. And gloriously beautiful. Rose wasn't sure how exactly it happened, but one minute they were both lying next to each other on their sides, and the next, Rose was flat on her back with John towering over her. Their kiss only breaking for quick gulps of air before they were plunging back to each other's mouths.

Rose become very aware of one fact though. When John finally broke away from her mouth and moved on to that spot just where her neck and shoulder met... She remembered that she was not, in fact, wearing a bra. Which under the right circumstances would be lovely... brilliant... But this? This was wrong. 'Very... very... perfect,' her traitorous thoughts injected. No! She couldn't let this continue. His father just died and he wasn't thinking clearly. She didn't want him to regret their actions in the morning... Or should she say in a few hours.

Finding herself unable to form a coherent sentence aloud, Rose ran her hands through his hair and gave a gentle tug. 'Oh.' Her eyes rolled back as the action had just spurred him on, causing him to continue focus on that spot on her neck. 'That's going to leave a mark,' she thought lustfully as his teeth grazed her skin. It wasn't until she felt his hands find their way under her shirt to skim up her ribs that she realised that they had to stop now. Or they never would.

"J-John?" she said breathlessly and he moved his attentions to the spot just behind her ear.

"Hm?" he answered distractedly.

"S- St..." She took a deep breath. "Stop."

John immediately paused his actions. Pulling his head up, he looked at her, eyes having gone almost completely black. "What is it? What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

"No! No, nothing like that," she reassured as she tried to catch her breath. "I just, uh, think we should stop now before things get to far."

"And you don't want that," he said, stating not asking.

"Of course I do! Just not... not at this exact moment when we are both emotional and exhausted and-"

"You don't want it to be a pity shag?"

"That's not what I'm saying!"

He growled in frustration and rolled off her, willing the part of his anatomy that was seeking relief, to calm itself. "I want this with you. If things had gone farther it wouldn't have been because I'm sad and looking for comfort. It would be because I l-" He stopped himself. Now was not the time to say those words. Starting again, he said, "I'm willing to wait for you, Rose. Always. And I never ever want you to feel like I'm pressuring you. I just wish you trusted me."

She sat up and looked down on him. "How did we even get to this? I do trust you, John. How could you say that?"

"You may trust me, but do you trust me with your heart?"

"I can't have this conversation with you right now."

"When then?"

"John, your-"

"My dad just died? Yes, I'm very aware of that fact, Rose. Thanks," he snapped, before realising how harsh he sounded and how the woman sitting in his bed, tears in her eyes, did not deserve that kind of treatment. "Oh, god, Rose. I'm sorry!" He sat up and pulled her into his arms.

She rested her head on his shoulder, taking his hand and placing it over her heart. "I do trust you, John. With all of me. It probably sounds crazy, but it's me I don't trust. Not you. Never you."

He leaned away and looked at her with a furrowed brow. "I don't understand."

"I've made a lot of mistakes, a lot of poor choices in my life. I need to trust myself before we can take that next step. And, I'm working on it, I swear, because I want you, John. God, I want you so much." Tears began leaking out of her eyes.

"Shhh." He lightly kissed the tears off her cheeks. "It's okay, love. I'm right here and I will wait for you. Always."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Now come on. I think we are both in desperate need of sleep."

"Should I... Should I go ahead and go back to my room?" she asked nervously.

"I would love it if you stayed," he told her honestly. "But if you would feel better and sleep better in your room than I completely understand."

She took a moment to think about it. "I think I'd like to stay."

Another smile bloomed on his face. "Good. Great. Brilliant!"

After they both got settled under the covers, Rose kissed his cheek and whispered, "Sleep tight," before rolling to lay on her side, facing away from him. She suddenly felt him pressed up against her, his arm draping over her waist, as he spooned her from behind.

"I promise to behave. I just want to be near you," John admitted quietly.

Rose clutched the hand he had resting on her stomach, and held it tightly to her chest. "Mmmm. I could get used to this."

Jenny Noble was a wee bit confused upon waking and finding herself, not in her bed at home, but in Rose's bed at her flat. Within moments of waking though, she remembered exactly what had happened the night before and jumped out of bed to find out if her dad or Rose had returned for her yet. She tried not to feel too disappointed when the only person she found was Rose's mum in the kitchen.

"Good morning, sweetheart," the older woman greeted.

"Good morning," Jenny replied dutifully.

"I just spoke with Rose and she said that she and your dad would be here in about an hour. Until then, would you like to help me make breakfast?"

"Okay." She shrugged and allowed Jackie to lift her onto the counter top. "Whatcha making?"

"Well, Rose told me that you really loved banana pancakes, so I thought I would make that along with some bacon and eggs."

"What can I do?"

Jackie smiled and brought over a bowl of chopped bananas and a fork. "You can smash these for me."

Helping make breakfast made Jenny realise just how much she liked Rose's mummy. She was a lot like Rose, just older. She sang songs like Rose did when she cooked, and when it was time to add the chocolate drops to the pancake batter, she let Jenny have a small handful to munch on. She even let the little girl make her very own pancake. And when Jenny accidentally knocked over the container of flour, Jackie just smiled and told her, "It's about fun. Not perfection."

Setting aside two plates for her dad and Rose, Jenny sat down at the kitchen table to have her brekkie with Rose's mum. After taking a few bites, she turned to the older woman and asked, "Do you think my dad and Rose are going to get married?"

Jackie, who was sipping her tea at the time, began choking. "W-What?! I, uh, I don't know, sweetheart. Why do you ask?"

"Well, if they get married, then Rose can be my mum and you could by nan."

"Jenny, love, you know Rose loves you very, very much. And so do I," Jackie told her, unsure of exactly what to say. The truth was, she was had fallen for this little girl and would love nothing more than to be her 'nan' as she'd put it, but, like her daughter, she was afraid things wouldn't work out between Rose and John and then she would have to let go of this precious girl. She started again, "You know, your dad and Rose are still getting to know one another and-"

"But they slog!" Jenny exclaimed. "When Auntie Donna and Uncle Jack started slogging, they got married!"

Jackie let out a hearty laugh. "That they did, but I think you mean snog, dear. Not that your should go around saying it either way. And if I recall correctly, your aunt and uncle had known each other a lot longer than your dad and Rose."

"I guess," she responded just as they heard a knock at the door. "Daddy's here!"

Having to explain to his four year old that her grandfather had died was not something John had ever considered before. But here was, walking down the hallway to Rose's flat, on his way to do just that. His fingers twitched nervously at his side until he felt Rose's cool hand slip into his.

"You alright?" she asked quietly as they stood just outside her front door.

"I have to be, don't I?" he countered.

"You really don't."

"How am I supposed to tell her?"

"Just be honest with her. Jenny's a smart girl."

With a nod, he knocked on the door. Within seconds, it flew open to reveal a smiling Jenny Noble waiting on the other side. "Daddy!" she cried, throwing herself in her father's arms.

"Oof!" He let go of Rose's hand to hold her properly. "Hello, poppet. Oh, I missed you so." He kissed the top of her head.

The little girl buried her head in her father's neck. "I missed you too, Daddy!" She looked up at her nanny. "You too!"

Rose giggled and a tucked a stray hair behind Jenny's ear. "Well, are we going to stand in the hall all day or are you going to let us inside."

She squirmed out of her dad's hold. "Inside! And guess what!? I helped make brekkie and I made some for you too."

"Did you?" John replied dutifully. "What did you make?"

"Banana pancakes with chocolate drops and bacon and eggs."

"Sounds delicious. Good morning, Jackie," he greeted as they entered the dining area.

The older woman came forward and wrapped her arms around him. "Good morning." She pulled back and looked him in the eye. "How are you doing?" she asked quietly. "And don't give me any, 'I'm always fine' nonsense that people give when their grieving. I don't buy it."

He gave a watery chuckle. "It's been rough, but your daughter has taken good care of me."

"Good. You know if you need anything, I'm here. And I mean that."

"I do. Thank you, Jackie."

"Anytime. Now then," she said a bit more loudly, "Rose, why don't you and I go to make some more tea and get your food warmed up. Give these two a chance to talk, hmm?"

Rose looked to John. "Are you okay with that?"

"Sure, go ahead. We'll be okay."

She nodded and pecked his lips. "See," Jenny whispered to Jackie, "they slog."

Jackie rolled her eyes. "Snog, sweetheart. You mean snog."

Once the ladies had made their way to the kitchen, John scooped Jenny into his arms and carried her over to the sofa. Taking a moment to enjoy the snuggle, John finally said, "Jenny, Daddy has something very important to tell you."

Hearing the seriousness in her father's tone she looked up at him with wide eyes. "What is it?"

"You know that last night, something happened at the hospital. That's why Rose had to drop you off here, because she needed to go there to be with me." Jenny nodded. "Well, last night something happened to your granddad and he had to be taken to the hospital."

"Was he sick?" she asked innocently. "Did you make him better?"

"Well, I wasn't allowed to treat him because he's my family. That's the hospital's rules."

"But you take care of me and I'm family!"

"I know, poppet, but your my daughter so there's special rules for that," he explained, wanting to get back to the subject. "The thing is, poppet, they think there was something wrong with your granddad's heart and since he didn't know there had been anything wrong, he hadn't been taking medicine for it."

"That's bad," she agreed. "Medicine makes us better!"

"Sometimes. But, like I was saying, he hadn't been taking anything and unfortunately, by the time he got to the hospital, there was nothing that the doctors could do to help him. He was already gone."

"Gone where, Daddy?"

John took a deep breath. How did he answer that? Sure, as a little boy he had gone to church with his grandmother occasionally, but he honestly wasn't sure what he believed anymore. His father had been raised Catholic, he knew that, but still... He went for giving an indirect answer. "He passed away, baby. He died."

Jenny looked at him silently before simply saying, "Oh."

"Do you have any questions?"

"I don't think so."

"Okay. Uh, that's fine. I just want you to know that it's okay to be sad and to cry if you need to. Daddy did."

Jenny laid her hand on his cheek. "You cried?"

"I did," he confirmed.

"You know what would make you feel better then?"

"What?"

"Banana pancakes."

John laughed. "I think you may be right." It wasn't the reaction he had been expecting from her, but then again, he wasn't sure what exactly he was expecting. Death didn't always register with children the way it did with adults. He would just make sure to keep an extra eye on her in the days to come to make sure that she was handling everything properly.

"Alright, then?" Jackie asked her daughter as they waited for the kettle to boil.

"Suppose so," Rose answered. "I feel so out of my depth here, Mum. I mean, his dad just died and I'm trying to be supportive, but what if I'm not what he needs."

"Sweetheart, just keep doin' what you're doin'. That man is crazy about you. Besides, looks like you're giving him plenty."

Rose blushed when she realised that her mum was staring at her neck. Oh, god. She had completely forgot about that and had dressed without paying much mind. She zipped the hoodie she was wearing up higher to cover the mark John had left her with. "Nothing happened!"

Jackie smirked. "Okay."

"It didn't! We've never... not yet..."

"You mean you haven't shagged him already? After all those nights you've gone ahead and stayed at his place?"

"I have my own room there, mum. We're taking things slow."

"I'll say."

"Mum!"

"So what happened then? Burnt yourself with a curling iron?" Jackie snorted.

Rose groaned. "Oh my god. No, for your information I did not. Last night, or this morning I guess, things got a little heated. We stopped before we went too far."

"Huh."

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"No, go on. You're dying to say something, so say it."

Her mum cleared her throat. "Did you stop it or did he?"

"I did. Why?"

"Just curious. Rose, sweetheart, he's not like Jimmy."

"I know that. I do!" she insisted when Jackie gave her a look. "I panicked, alright?" she finally admitted. "It was happening so fast and the timing just felt off. I mean, his dad had just died, Mum."

"I understand," Jackie assured. "And you're right, it was poor timing."

"Things were going so good for us, you know. It's like, after Christmas we took two steps forward, yeah? But now? Now we've taken one giant step backwards."

Jackie pulled her daughter in for a hug. "That's life, sweetheart, and if you're waiting for the perfect time, there will never be one."

"I love you mum," Rose said. "I don't tell you enough."

"Oh, you tell me plenty. And I love you too." She pulled back and set about pouring the tea that had come to a boil. "Now, I think I hear John and Jenny at the table. Let's go rejoin them, yeah?"

Rose picked up the two mugs her mum had prepared. "Yeah."

As she set down to eat, Rose felt John's hand find hers under the table. It never ceased to amaze her how perfectly their hands fit. Drawing from that strength, she was determined to let go and let herself be with John completely. She was tired of being afraid of the maybes and what-ifs. No more.

"Everything alright?" John asked quietly.

"It will be."

Coming Soon: Five and a Half Hours

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