"Y'know, you could maybe help me." Rose teased the Doctor, shoving clothes as neatly as she could into the pack.

"Oh, I'm sure you can manage." He joked back, not looking up from the Harry Potter book he was reading on her bed.

"Men." She rolled her eyes, feigning exasperation.

"Oi, I'm no man." He pointed, finally looking at her.

"You sure just act like one." She laughed. "I'm almost done anyways, so no need to trouble yourself."

She zipped up the backpack and placed it by the door. Jackie convinced them to stay one more night before getting back to the TARDIS. She almost managed to guilt them into staying till New Year's Day, but Rose was antsy to get back out there. Domestics was all good and fun, but she knew the universe couldn't wait for the Doctor and Rose forever.

"Which book is that anyway?" Rose asked as she climbed in next to the Doctor.

"Philosopher's Stone. I decided to give a go at re-reading them since the final book is set to come out in your new year."

"Ever so the time traveler, I'm sure you've read the last book already."

"Of course, but one can never read Harry Potter too many times."

"Very true." She snuggled into the crook of the Doctor's neck. "Read it to me?"

The Doctor smiled and turned the pages back to the beginning for her.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of Number Four Privet Drive were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much." He read aloud. It took four chapters until Rose was asleep. He made sure to bookmark right when he noticed her slip into her dreams.

When the Doctor woke the next morning, it was still twilight. He quietly made his way out of Rose's bed and wrote a note for her, telling her to meet him at the TARDIS when she was ready. Then, he went off to make some repairs. He'd fixed the damage the tea had done to the engine port, but there was still some tweaking he could do.

Hours flew by. The Doctor was calibrating the main frame when he heard people outside the TARDIS. Of course, he recognized the voices immediately. Rose was saying her goodbyes to her mum and Mickey. The Doctor finished the calibrations, then immediately went to programming in their next destination. He had the perfect idea of where to take her.

He was suddenly filled with excitement when he heard her enter the TARDIS. It was finally just him, Rose, and the whole of time and space. He looked up at her as she shrugged of her pack and they shared a smile. The, he flipped a switch and they were off.

"So, where we goin?" She asked as she came up next to him.

"Further than we've ever gone before." He answered mysteriously, making her smile.

It was a smooth ride, the TARDIS traveled quickly through the vortex with ease. When they landed, Rose made her way to the doors, bounding forward excitedly. The Doctor picked up his new coat from the coral by the doors and followed.

The wind was blowing hard around them, so the Doctor spoke up so she could hear him.

"It's the year five billion and twenty-three, we're in the galaxy M87, and this… is New Earth."

Hover cars whizzed above them as Rose took it in. They looked out on the futuristic city from a distance. Rose began to giggle.

"Amazing." Rose said with glee. "I'll never get used to this, never. Different ground beneath my feet, different sky. And wot's that smell?"

"Apple grass." The Doctor answered, picking a few blades of grass.

"Apple grass." Rose repeated in awe. "It's beautiful. I love it. I love this. Traveling with you, I love it." She took his hand and squeezed as she spoke.

"Me too." He smiled. "C'mon!" And he pulled her down the valley as they laughed.

They made their way to a nice spot overlooking the city. The Doctor spread his coat on the ground and they lied on it, taking in the view.

"So, the year five billion, the sun expands, the Earth gets roasted." He started explaining.

"Tha' was our first date." Rose chimed in.

"We had chips." The Doctor giggled, both ignoring and hyper focusing on the word date. "So, anyway, planet gone, all rocks and dust, but the human race lives on, spread out across the stars. Soon as the Earth burns up, oh, they get all nostalgic. Big revival movement. They find this place. Same size as the Earth, same air, same orbit. Lovely. The call goes out, the humans move in."

"So, where are we on the planet? Don't tell me it's London." She joked.

"London may be a frequent stop of mine, but this city is New New York."

"New New York." Rose giggled.

"It is!" He giggled. "It's the city of New New York. Strickly speaking, it's the fifteenth New York since the original. So, that makes it New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York."

Rose couldn't stop staring. It was like the beginning of her journey again, when she could hard believe he was real. He was saying things she already heard but it felt so unreal, so good it couldn't be happening. But here they were, on New Earth, brand new Doctor.

"Wot?" He asked, snapping her out of her trance.

"You're just… so… different, I suppose." She finally said.

"New new Doctor." He joked, earning him a chuckle.

"I love it." She admitted.

"Really?" He asked, his voice squeaky.

"Yeah. Don't get me wrong, I loved who you were before, too. Now, though, I dunno, it's like a whole other side of you." She smiled that trade mark smile of hers.

"Never really thought of it like that." He admitted.

"Well, like you said, you're still the same man. This is just a new part of you yet to be explored."

He pondered that for a moment. She loved who he used to be, and now she loved who he'd become, but that didn't necessarily mean she was in love with him like he was her. Right? Maybe it was wishful thinking or some sick form of self-destruction, but in his gut, he had a feeling that she really did mean it that way. He wanted more than anything to love her freely, the way she deserved. He wanted to love her proper, make her feel like she was loved, but he didn't know if he could ever cross that line without killing himself in the process. He'd enjoy it for a long while, until she was inevitably taken from him. Was it truly better to love and lost than to never love at all? Which regret would he rather live with?

Rose, however, had a blissful ignorance to his inner turmoil. She was feeling braver with her expressions now more than ever. She wasn't sure he was ready for anything yet, but if she didn't at least drop hints, he'd never get it. Ultimately clever Time Lord that he was, he sure was thick at these sorts of things. After the GameStation, the only thing to worry about was Canary Warf, which was a ways away. So, for now, she would enjoy her new new Doctor and these repeat adventures.

The Doctor and Rose sat in silence for a few more moments, mulling over their individual thoughts, when suddenly they both had a feeling inside their mind. Rose was shocked, having no idea where these foreign tingles in her inner thoughts were from, but the Doctor immediately flipped over a piece of his jacket to pull out the psychic paper.

"Wot's goin' on?" Rose asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Someone wants to see us." He answered, showing her the paper. It read WARD 26, PLEASE COME.

"Ward 26, so we're lookin' for a hospital?"

"Yeah, right over there." He pointed at the building across the way. "Green moon on the side, that's the universal symbol for hospitals."

"Well, duty calls." Rose said, hopping up. The Doctor followed suit and began to put on his coat with Rose's help.

As they walked, Rose suddenly realized she remembered almost nothing about this trip. She was possessed by Cassandra majority of their time here, so it was understandable. Frustrating, but understandable.

"Hope this is worth it, I'm not a big fan of where we're going." The Doctor said as they neared the building doors.

"Bit rich, coming from you." Rose scoffed.

"I can't help it." He defended. "I don't like hospitals. They give me the creeps."

"You're literally called the Doctor." Rose rolled her eyes as they walked to the lifts. "Very smart, this is. Not exactly NHS."

"No shop." The Doctor commented. "I like the little shop."

A nurse walked past them, nodding to Rose in greeting. The fact that they were straight up humanoid cats still creeped Rose out. Of all the alien species she'd seen, she never saw an alien the weirded her out more than walking, talking cats.

"Now, don't stare." The Doctor chided Rose in her ear.

"Not like I can help it much, they're cats." She whispered back.

"Imagine how you look to them, all pink and yellow." He smirked. Rose rolled her eyes and smiled at his words.

The Doctor made his way to the lift, but Rose purposefully stood back, looking around, pretending she was distracted. Cassandra was a pain, but the Doctor needed her to figure out what was going on. Rose couldn't change time that much. So, when she heard the Doctor tell the lift where to go, she pretended to try and catch up to him as the doors slid shut.

"Oh, too late. I'm going up." The Doctor called through the doors.

"Alright, I got another lift." She called back.

"Ward 26. And watch out for the disinfectant." He warned, but he already sounded farther away.

Rose steeled herself and entered the lift. She called out for Ward 26, knowing it was useless but keeping pretense. At least this time she was prepared for the disinfectant. It was actually quite refreshing when you knew it was coming. She was flattening down her newly washed hair as the doors slid open to reveal a dingy cellar.

"The Human child is clean." Came a voice from down the hall. What was his name again? Chip?

"Ward 26?" Rose asked the man.

"This way, Rose Tyler." He answered creepily, beckoning her to follow him.

Resisting the urge to grab a pipe as a weapon, knowing it wouldn't be much good, she followed.

A/N: It has been so long! Oh my gosh, I have missed this story. Well, either way I'm glad I'm back, hope you are too.