Author's note: Hey guys! Sorry for the short chapter today; it's going to be preceding a bunch of long chapters, so I reckon it's a fair trade-off! :D

…

She'd followed him all the way to the side of the road where he'd hailed a cab and had ushered her inside.

"This you kidnapping me?" Rose asked him with a raised eyebrow, only partly joking.

Jimmy rolled his eyes at her before leaning over to hand the cabbie in front a rolled-up wad of notes. "Tower Hamlets, Bank Street," he ordered.

"On business, are we?" the cabbie asked, casting back a doubtful eye at Jimmy and Rose's distinctly non-business t-shirt and trainers appearances.

"It's take-your-friend-to-work day," Jimmy replied, flashing Rose a smile as though he was sharing some sort of inside joke with her. She frowned back at him confusedly, at which his grin widened.

"Where are you taking me, Jimmy?" Rose asked after they'd been driving in silence for a while. Looking out of the car window, she'd noticed that the buildings around them were steadily getting taller and shinier. Not long after, they'd reached London's bustling business district.

"All in due time," he replied cryptically, eyes resting on their surroundings outside.

Rose huffed impatiently, twisting back to her own view of the outside world while absently brushing at some hairs that had slipped out of her ponytail.

Rose? She abruptly heard the Doctor's voice in her head. You've been gone for more than an hour. Are you alright? Where are you?

Oh perfect, she thought. She hadn't even realised that she'd been gone that long. The Doctor had no doubt started rallying up a search party by now if she knew him. Either that or he was sitting at home wringing his hands over her being alone with another bloke. As if that wasn't wholly hypocritical of him.

If this was how the next few hundred (or thousand, who knew?) years were going to go whenever they were apart…

The thought and the following revelation hit her like a strangely encompassing wave of vertigo, and Rose decided that it was best not to deal with thinking on that right about now. Not when she needed her senses at their sharpest. What she needed to do at the moment was get away from it all. Away from him, away from her impending eternity, away from the uncertainty of having her unrealistic fantasies made frighteningly true. Jimmy was a welcome distraction, to say the least.

Rose? The Doctor called again, her name carrying more panic this time around.

I'm fine, she told him while sending soothing thoughts his way.

Where are you? I'm coming to get you.

She could feel as he started reaching towards her through their link to track her location. She rolled her eyes.

Doctor, she said exasperatedly, I told you I'm fine, alright? I think I'm just gonna spend the day with Shareen and Keisha to wrap my head around everything for a bit. You don't have to worry.

Of course she felt bad for lying to him. She hated lying, period. But with this particular white lie, she figured that it made them at least two-for-two.

Rose, I know you're lying.

Damn Time Lord senses.

Rose gave a mental groan.

Alright, I'm lying, she admitted, knowing that trying to further her deception would only make bad matters worse.

Are you with him?

The thought came across quietly. It just oozed hurt and vulnerability. Despite her irritation with him, Rose felt her heart give a squeeze as she felt the emotions. She quickly dismissed it, though. She wasn't going to be pushed over that easily this time around.

Don't you trust me? She returned.

'Course I do, he said without hesitation, and she heard him give the mental equivalent of a sniff, I trust you more than anyone.

So then you have nothing to worry about, she concluded.

The Doctor's thoughts darkened. I think he may be dangerous, Rose.

Rose didn't know whether to be amused or outraged by that. It wasn't long, however, before outrage won out. Since when had she become someone as delicate as her namesake? Because last time she'd checked, she was Rose Tyler; born and raised estate-girl who didn't take flack from anyone. Not ex-boyfriends, not current-sort-of-boyfriend Time Lords—no one. Her irritation with the situation in general boiled over when she addressed the Doctor again:

Yeah well, you know who else is dangerous, Doctor? Me. I beat a whole fleet of Daleks AND their emperor, remember? I think I can handle one scrawny bloke who, by the way, has been nothing but gentlemanly this entire time. For all the faith you say you have in my abilities, you don't half give me the opportunity to actually USE them.

The Doctor was quiet for a moment after she'd stopped speaking.

Be careful, he finally told her.

She only had a fleeting moment of surprise before managing to return her composure.

You know I'll be, she replied.

Then he blocked off their link enough for her to focus on the present again. She knew that this newfound freedom in the face of danger would be conditional— he would no doubt be checking up on her often, space or not—but all in all this was still a huge step for him. She was proud of him.

"Good morning, Star-shine," Jimmy sing-songed to her side, startling her out of her reverie. She looked over at him inquiringly, only to see that he was gazing at her with a small, humorous smile set on his face, "What are you thinking about over there, Rosie?"

"Oh—nothing," she answered vaguely. Although she didn't necessarily see Jimmy as a threat, she wasn't going to go blabbing to him about her and the Doctor's personal matters, either. Especially not something as exploitable a target as a mental link…

Then she realised that the cab had stopped. She tried looking out of the car window in order to solve the mystery of where exactly Jimmy had taken her, but the very man was already ushering her out of the car.

"Come on, then!" he rushed her along both verbally and physically, pulling open her car door and giving her a small nudge in its direction, "Time's a-wastin'!"

She gave him a shove in return, but eventually did as he asked. Her curiosity was ever more dominant than her ability to hold grudges.

They got out on a sidewalk. Deep-city, it seemed. All around them, the world was bustling with men and woman garbed in sleek black, grey and navy clothing, talking into all manner of communication devices and/or headsets. The air practically permeated with the smell of business being undertaken left, right and centre.

"Alright, so here we are," she said, looking around her with a frown, "Now tell me why we're here."

Jimmy didn't look at her. Instead his gaze was fixed the opposite way she was facing from. Hands in his denim pockets he stood, looking up at something that apparently filled him with all the makings of wonderment.

"Turn around," he instructed.

Her brow creased even more as she looked at him with still more questions on her face, but he simply nodded towards his point of vision encouragingly.

When she did turn around, Rose still didn't know what she was looking at. No, it was only after her eyes had travelled up the large building to the very top that she realised where Jimmy had taken her.

She still didn't understand why, though.

"Canary Wharf?"