"Doctor," Annie asked in a wobbly voice, "what just happened?"

"My TARDIS..."

"Did he say a year on Earth?"

"My TARDIS..." It was all the Doctor could manage to say. His precious girl was gone. Lost. The Syug had said a year, but what if he never got the TARDIS back?

Annie stepped forward and took the Doctor's hand. She remained silent, knowing that no words would be able to convey the sorrow she felt for the Time Lord. They stood in the street like that for several minutes, oblivious to the people around them getting back to their busy lives after the aliens and the strange blue box disappeared. Finally, Annie wrapped her arm around the Doctor's waist, trying to guide him over to a nearby bench.

"C'mon, Doctor. Let's sit down and figure out what we're going to do."

The Doctor followed her to the bench and sat down heavily. He put his head in his hands. He was near the point of tears. Annie rubbed her small hand in gentle circles over his back.

"The good news is we have the sonic," she tried to put things in perspective. "And we're in London, not trapped somewhere unsafe or utterly foreign to both of us."

"Yeah," the Doctor muttered.

"It's late. Let's find a hotel for the night, get some rest. We can try to start figuring things out in the morning."

"Getting a hotel room on our first date? My, my, Miss Jameson" the Doctor teased. Annie gave him a gentle shove, laughing - glad to see that he was starting to come out of his dazed state.

They walked down the street holding hands, looking for a decent hotel where they could stay the night. They finally settled on one that didn't look too seedy. Annie continued to take charge, going up to the desk and handling the paperwork. The Doctor sat on a couch in the hotel lobby, still trying to process what was going on.

"Alright, room 505," Annie said as she approached the Doctor. She took his hand and pulled him up from the couch.

"I'm sorry our first date had to end in tragedy," he apologized.

"I meant what I said before, Doctor. Nothing with you is ever normal, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

They found their room and Annie led the Doctor over to the bed.

"Sit down and relax," Annie said. "Everything is going to be okay. We'll work this out. But right now we just need to get some sleep. I'm going to have a shower, okay?"

The Doctor nodded, amazed at her calmness. Annie was always full of surprises. He fully expected her to be an absolute mess, clinging to him and panicking. Instead she was doing just the opposite. Just when he thought he had her figured out, she turned around and proved him wrong. He laid back on the bed and reached for the remote. He absently flipped through channels on the television, unable to wrap his mind around what had happened that evening. He could hear Annie in the shower and thought briefly about joining her. They had agreed to take things slow, but their circumstances were vastly different than they had been earlier that afternoon. Maybe...

"No," thought the Doctor. "You can't take advantage of her like that. Calm down. Don't ruin things when they're just starting out." He sighed as he sank back against the pillows.

Annie turned on the shower and leaned against the edge of the sink for a moment, fighting back tears. She had put on a brave face for the Doctor when he needed her, but inside she was terrified. Maybe everything would work out and they would be able to get the TARDIS back in the morning, but they had no idea where or when the Syug had taken the ship. They very well could end up stuck on Earth for a year - or maybe even longer. Things could end very, very badly. Annie tried to push those thoughts out of her mind as she slipped off her sweater, shoes, and dress. She stood in front of the mirror in her underwear, really looking at herself for the first time since their ill-fated trip to Silva. She couldn't believe it had been less than three weeks ago. Most of her bruises were completely gone, though the large bruise on her back had faded into an ugly yellowy-green. Her arm and ankle were completely healed. She had lost a fair amount of weight through the whole ordeal. Most of her clothes were a pinch too big. Not that it mattered now. She had nothing but her white sundress and sweater. Tomorrow she'd have to buy a few changes of clothes. She'd have to buy everything. She was starting over, yet again.

Annie finally stepped under the stream of almost scalding hot water, willing it to wash away some of her tension. She replayed the evening over in her head, finally remembering that she and the Doctor had their first real date tonight. It had been lovely, right until the very end. He had been the perfect gentleman, but wasn't condescending towards her. The conversation had been easy and light. Their gentle touches and kisses had been tender and sweet. Surely those were all good signs.

When the water started to get uncomfortably cool, Annie finally stepped out of the shower. She wrapped up in a towel and used another to dry her hair. She had no choice but to put her sundress back on. She knew that sleeping in it would cause it to be horribly rumpled in the morning, but she could slip it off and iron it while the Doctor showered.

When she finally emerged from the bathroom, the Doctor was struck by her beauty. She looked so simple now that her hair was down and damp and her makeup had been washed away. The white shift made her look just heavenly. It was just short enough to show off her legs which had become toned due to all of the running they did, but not so short that she looked provocative. The cut of it caught her curves in just the right way. Annie watched as the Doctor looked up and down her body. His stare was so piercing and intimate. She couldn't help a shiver that coursed through her body at the thoughts it was putting into her mind. She tried to brush it off with an innocent smile.

"Feeling better?" he finally asked.

"Yes, much. How about you?"

"I'm alright," he replied. Annie saw through the façade, but chose not to say anything. "I just remembered," he said as he rose from the bed and walked towards her. "There was one thing missing from our date."

"What's that?" Annie asked, pretty certain she knew what was coming next.

"The good-night kiss," he replied as he stopped in front of her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her small body to his tall one. He cupped her cheek with one hand and leant down to capture her lips with his own. Their kiss was brief, but it was full of passion. Annie pulled away once she could go no longer without taking a breath. Still, the Doctor held her close, breathing in the scent of her clean, damp hair. Annie placed her head against his chest as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him tighter against herself. They stood like that for what seemed like ages before the Doctor finally pulled back and looked down into her eyes.

"Bed?" he asked gently.

"Doctor," Annie faltered. "I thought we agreed..."

"Oh no, not like that. Not tonight. Not that I wouldn't want to...but...oh bother, I've ruined the evening again haven't I?"

"No," Annie giggled, relieved, "not at all. Yes, bed sounds great. I'm knackered."

He pulled back the sheets as she eased down on the mattress and then he covered her up gently. He walked around to the other side of the bed and slid in behind her. Annie turned to face him. She hesitated for a moment before he extended his arm out towards her, motioning her to come closer. She gladly obliged and snuggled against his side. His arms closed around her as she rested a hand on his chest. They quickly fell asleep, suddenly much less worried about what tomorrow would bring.