Ok, so I lied. This isn't the last chapter. It could have been, but I didn't want to cram everything into one chapter. So there's another one to go yet...
Mentions...
Laseri: Oh, don't worry. There should be a happy, reasonably fluffy ending – that's the only reason I started the story, lol. Anyway, thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter. God knows what I'm going to do when I finally finish this, though.
GinnyGin: I love the Doctor too - bless him and his leather jacket. I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you like this one too. Oh, and I don't know if you can have Jack. Only if I get visitation rights, or something. :D
Vampirehelsing: Wow, I got people begging. That's a scary thought, lol. Well, they're kind of close, but probably not as close as we'd all like...
Pharaoh Katt: It wasn't that horribly ended, was it? Although, I must admit, I do have a pretty hard time trying to think of the last line for chapters. I guess he hasn't noticed the crystal. And maybe, Ballifregan was supposed to sound kind of like Gallifreyan? But that's just a thought, you know...
earthdrago: Well the crystal is inside her tin foil hat. But not glowing, because there's no light. But that'll be explained in the next chapter - not this one, I'm afraid...
Becsy Lexi: I think they've managed to leave Fridem well and truly behind. Which I'm actually very relieved about, as well. Hope you enjoy this next – not last - part.
eeveekitty85: Well I'm glad you don't think it sucked...And I really don't think the Doctor would be the kind of guy to throw himself to the floor, sobbing. I mean, look at all the stuff he did in the series. Exactly –he did nothing, really. If you get what I mean. Which'll probably be hard, considering I'm confusing myself...
Dr Azaria: I'm really sorry you were disappointed by the last chapter. I think the idea is that the Doctor IS more than a little upset, but he's not the kind of person who would let it show. You know - he'd just go on grinning and pretending everything's normal. Because he doesn't do 'domestic' and he probably hasn't admitted to himself that he likes Rose. Also, Rose didn't tell him about the crystal straight away because Ben and Fridem were around. And for another reason I've put in this chapter. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter a little better and thanks for giving me an honest review. :D
Vision Gurl: But now Fridem's gone, which is good. :D
Jessie Wings: Yup, the Doctor's worse nightmare. You can sing loudly every time there's some Doctor/Rose stuff, if you like. Fridem is very stupid, but there's a subtle hint about why that is in here. And maybe locking them up wasn't very 'Doctorish' but I think he wouldn't have wanted them wandering around, in case they broke something. Or got lost. Well, hope you enjoy this...
Quarkz: Well, you reviewed now, so I won't glare at you. I'm just glad that you like it, and I hope you enjoy this. Man, I'm nice, lol.
LilCosette: Well, I hope I've updated soon enough for you. And I like the fact that the TADIS is conscious, so it's fun to include that stuff. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you like this. :D
Rainbow: Aw, thanks. And I hope you enjoy this chapter.
LiTtLePeRsOn: I'm glad you agree with how I made the Doctor react. I really don't think he's the kind of guy to make a big scene. And I don't think I'd ever end up writing episodes for the BBC, but thanks for the compliment, all the same, lol.
The Angel Of Hope: a) Thanks very much. b) Hopefully he will soon and c) here you go. Lol. Hope you enjoy this!
Disclaimer: If you're still unsure about whether I own this or not, I suggest you seek medical help. Because it belongs to the BBC. And probably always will, unless they go mad and sell it to Channel Four, or something.
"Rose," groaned the Doctor, staring moodily down at the table top, "There is nothing to talk about."
Suddenly the Doctor got a panicked look in his eyes. He glanced nervously at Rose, where she stood at the kettle and then back over to the table, where he was sitting.
"Hang on," he said, starting to stand up, "Rose, I told you – I don't do domestic. And a 'We Need To Talk' talk definitely falls under the domestic category. So if you'll excuse me..."
As he started to turn away, Rose lazily reached out and grabbed hold of his wrist.
"Sit. Down," she said, in a dangerous voice he had never heard her use before, but would probably come in useful next time they were facing an alien enemy, "This can hardly be called a 'domestic' talk," she continued, as she set tea down in front of the Doctor – made exactly how he liked it –and pushed him into a chair, "We're just having a necessary discussion."
"Necessary!" scoffed the Doctor, "I already told you, there is nothing to talk about. Especially in a domestic way."
"Um, yeah there is," said Rose, pulling up a chair and sitting opposite him, "Like why you got so upset about me kissing the Fridem guy."
"Upset?" the Doctor shook his head, but still looked slightly pained at the memory, "I was not upset. Not me. In fact, I'm very happy. I mean, it's not my fault if you enjoy going off and getting a new boyfriend on every planet we visit."
"I do not!" burst out Rose, "And would you please stop calling him my boyfriend? Or any guy I happen to so much as talk to." She rolled her eyes and drank some of her tea, "You have a serious jealousy complex."
"Right, so you just happen to kiss guys you barely know. And I do not have a jealousy complex." He forced a laugh, "I'm not jealous. Like I said, it's not my problem."
Rose buried her head in her hands and then looked up at the Doctor, "It clearly bothers you. Why do you even care?"
He looked at her steadily for a few minutes, before looking away in confusion. "I don't care. You're perfectly entitled to go around kissing whoever you want to kiss."
Rose screamed in frustration, "Look, why do you think I actually wanted to kiss him?"
"Oh, excuse me," said the Doctor sarcastically, "I didn't realise you just happened to fall into such a compromising position with your lips firmly on his. How stupid of me."
"Maybe I was trying to create a distraction," she said, watching him closely.
"Well it clearly worked," muttered the Doctor, taking a long drink of his tea.
"Yeah, it did," said Rose, defensively, "And a bloody good thing, too. That Fridem guy was seriously unhinged."
"What do you mean?" demanded the Doctor, looking up sharply.
"Well, he was just odd. And I really was trying to create a distraction. The kiss was just a way of trying to, you know, stop him finding something out and getting angry. I didn't think he'd be a particularly nice guy, angry."
"Did he hurt you?" the Doctor asked her, seriously, setting his mug down quickly. Any feelings he had about The Kiss swiftly replaced with concern.
"No," said Rose, quietly, "But, you know, he drugged me. Something in the food, I think. Or maybe the wine. And he kept asking me questions about you - which, by the way, I didn't answer. At least not correctly. Anyway, he kept trying to get me to tell him something, but eventually he spun me too hard and I was sick. Must have got some of the drugs out of my system because after that I was perfectly capable of thinking straight and finding out about hippies and crystals," she paused, out of breath.
If the Doctor was confused, he didn't show it.
"So you're ok? He didn't try anything?"
"I'm fine," smiled Rose, secretly glad that he had gone back to being concerned about her.
"I should never have let you go," said the Doctor, angrily, "And he didn't even give me the thing I needed."
"I don't know if you remember," said Rose, dryly, "But I insisted. It just turned out that he was a mentally instable git."
"Yeah, but I should have realised," said the Doctor.
"Hey, it doesn't matter," said Rose gently, "We're fine now. Back in the TARDIS. Admittedly in the company of ten hippies, but that's ok. And about him not giving you the thing you wanted -there's something else I nee-"
But Rose was cut off by a loud groan from the Doctor. "Oh God," he moaned, "I completely forgot about the hippies."
He jumped up, spilling some of the tea in his haste, "Let's go. We better go set the course and get them out of here as soon as possible."
"Wait," said Rose, trying to get through to him, "there's something I really need to sho-"
"I'm afraid it'll have to wait. I can't help feeling slightly nervous about having so many drug-influenced people inside my TARDIS. Also, I'm not sure giving Ben the key was a particularly good idea."
"You gave Ben the key?" asked Rose, momentarily surprised.
"I might have done," said the Doctor mildly.
He walked briskly over to her chair and held out two hands to help her up. "Come on, the sooner we get them out of here, the better."
As desperate as she was to let him know, Rose could see that her news about the crystal would have to wait. Besides, to be completely honest, she was also slightly nervous about telling him. She had, after all, had no real indication that it was what he wanted. She glanced over surreptitiously at where the crystal lay, unobtrusively wrapped in tin foil, next to the kettle. Rose took his offered hands and got up.
As she stood facing the Doctor, waiting for him to bustle off to the Control Room, he suddenly pulled her into a tight hug. "Sorry for being so difficult, earlier," he whispered into her hair.
"Don't worry," said Rose, very surprised and slightly dazed.
All too soon, he released her and started bounding off to the Control Room.
"Come on, Rose," he called over his shoulder, "I'm going to need a hand with the controls, you know."
"Sure," answered Rose, somewhat breathlessly and started to follow.
"Right," said the Doctor, once the TARDIS was completely still, "Kent, late sixties. Now let's go and evict the tenants."
He strode briskly off while Rose was still gingerly picking herself up off the floor.
Ten minutes later the Doctor was growing increasingly frustrated. So far, he'd accidentally walked into Rose's room, a large bathroom, Rose's room again and then a swimming pool. Well, he hadn't actually walked into the swimming pool, but it had certainly been close.
"Very funny," he murmured to the corridor around him, "But surely you know that we need to get them out. I don't see how this mucking about is helping."
He tried the door on his left and barely managed to contain a shriek of frustration as he found himself looking into Rose's room, once again.
Suddenly, he heard a loud of chorus of, "Rose, hey Rose! Come on in."
Marching swiftly off towards the source of the sound, he turned a corner and found Rose standing at the entrance to the hippies' own psychedelic room.
"Uh, no thanks," she was saying, "Isn't the Doctor here?"
"No," said a rather happy looking Ben, "But he's over there. Behind you." He started laughing as if this was very funny.
Rose ignored him and looked over her shoulder to see the Doctor hurrying down the corridor towards her.
"There you are. Did you get lost, or something?" she chided.
"No," muttered the Doctor. "Alright Ben," he said, pulling the man out of the room, "We're there. You can go home, now."
"Groovy!" cried Ben, "Hey," he called over his shoulder, "We're back on earth, man!"
Rose shook her head sadly. "It's such a shame that we have to say goodbye to him while he's high."
"Yeah, well," said the Doctor, cheerfully, "Some people just can't get off the drugs, can they? Alright people," the Doctor yelled into the room, "Come on, we've found a place that's even... groovier than here. It's really... It's really far-out. So follow me."
He headed off and said to Rose in a low voice, "You take the back and make sure there are no stragglers."
"This is like a really wrong school trip," muttered Rose darkly, before walking to the back of the small and staggering crowd.
Eventually, after a few incidents with some hippies falling over, or attempting to enter other rooms, they arrived back in the Control Room.
The Doctor stood at the door, seeing people out. For once, Rose noticed, he seemed to be acting like a perfect host. He was actually thanking the people as they passed him. It was pretty bizarre, really. She idly wondered if the Doctor had ever had proper parties in the TARDIS. Rose shook her head, as she remembered that the Doctor had never really proved to be the partying type. And plus, he'd be too worried about someone inflicting damage on the TARDIS in any way.
But she didn't notice that as Ben passed, the Doctor slipped him a small, mauve coloured pill. He nodded at Ben and then turned to the next person.
As the last person filed out, the Doctor reached out for Rose's hand and then pulled her outside with him.
"Aren't you going to say goodbye?" he asked, as she stood silently, watching the people shuffle lopsidedly off down the street, "It's thanks to you that they're all back on Earth."
"No point, really," muttered Rose, "S'not like they'd remember."
But she still released the Doctor's hand and walked up to Ben, smiling warmly.
"Come to say goodbye?" he asked, cheerfully, returning her smile.
"Something like that," laughed Rose.
"Rose," began Ben seriously, "I just want to thank you for... this. I can't even begin to get my head around it all. It's like some crazy trip. But real."
Rose stared up at him, "Hey," she said, in confusion, "You were high a second ago."
"You have your Doctor friend to thank for that," Ben motioned over to the alien standing silently by the TARDIS door. He was staring at them, looking not entirely unlike a bodyguard. "Hey, Doc," shouted over Ben, "Any chance of having some more of those pills? They'd come in really useful, man."
The Doctor looked thoughtful for a minute before calling out, "How about no? And not just because you called me 'Doc'. I'm afraid that they tend to have very adverse effects when taken in large quantities. So sorry, no."
"Worth a shot," shrugged Ben, "But thanks, anyway. For the taking me home."
"No problem," grinned the Doctor, before turning around and walking back into the TARDIS.
"Strange man," said Ben, shaking his head comically at Rose.
"Strange alien," laughed Rose.
"Right," frowned Ben. "But he likes you, you know. Very protective of you, too. I'm surprised he actually let me on the ship with you around."
"You should be," said Rose, seriously, "The last guy he let me bring aboard left with a hole in his head."
Ben began laughing, but quickly stopped when he saw she wasn't joking. "You mean..." he started, his mouth dry, "The Doctor shot him?"
"Oh, no," said Rose, hastily backtracking, "He didn't shoot him... It's just... Nah, it's too complicated. Let's just say that he wasn't the same again. And not at the Doctor's hands, either."
"Right," said Ben, nodding like he understood. "But I mean it, Rose. You look after that guy."
Rose blushed and then smiled up at Ben, radiantly. "I will. Anyway, you should go. Join the party. Parties."
"I'll do that," grinned Ben, before pulling her into a quick hug.
Rose hugged him back, inwardly thankful that the Doctor had gone back inside. She didn't want to think about what he would say if he saw her hugging Ben. Plus, she still wasn't sure if she'd actually managed to convince him about the whole Fridem thing.
"Alright. Thanks again," said Ben, releasing her, "You are one groovy girl."
"And you're... one groovy guy."
"Bye," Ben turned and started walking away.
"Ben?" called Rose, to his back.
"Yeah?" He turned around, looking at her curiously.
"Have a nice life," finished Rose.
"Oh, I will," said Ben, smiling again, "Thanks to you two."
And then he left. Properly, this time. Hastening after the rest of his hippy friends.
Grinning slightly to herself, Rose walked slowly back over to the door and into the TARDIS.
"Is that the last of your boyfriends we'll be seeing today?" said the Doctor sardonically, as she entered the Control Room and closed the door behind her.
"Not," said Rose, through gritted teeth, "my boyfriend. We've been through this."
"Right," grinned the Doctor. "At least that one managed to stay out of trouble."
"Look," began Rose, staring up at the Doctor, her heart beating fast, "I know what you thought you saw, but it really wasn't what it looked like. I genuinely did not want to kiss him. I was trying to create a distraction. I... did something he probably wouldn't like."
She marched over and grabbed the Doctor's hand. He simply stared down at her, a rather alarmed expression on his face.
"We had a talk, didn't we?" He asked, anxiously, "I apologised. We really don't need to go over this any more."
Rose simply set her jaw determinedly and started pulling him in the direction of the kitchen.
"I'm afraid the tea will be cold by now," said the Doctor, as Rose led him into the room and let go of his hand.
Rose looked at him slightly nervously for a few seconds, before walking over to the crystal.
"Oh, don't bother making another cup, Rose," said the Doctor tiredly, as he saw her heading towards the kettle, "Really, don't."
Rose shook her head impatiently. "Would you please," she said, dismissively, as she seized the crystal, "forget about tea for a second? There's something I need to show you. And I think – well, I really hope – that you like it."
Ok, this was for everyone who has to start contemplating going back to school/college/whatever. And we all know that 'education is good for you' is a big, fat lie. Just like we know that a day of fanfiction and a ready supply of chocolate is the only way to retain a strong – and very necessary - connection with fantasy. So by reviewing, just think of yourself as rebelling against reality. Go on, review...