A/N: My first Doctor Who fan fiction! And my first fan fiction in a long time, so sorry if its bad, I'm really out of practice! Darn exams. Anyway, I am completely obsessed with Doctor Who, and I love the Rose/Doctor pairing, so here is my first attempt at a 10Doctor/Rose story :D Enjoy!

SO FAR FROM YOU

Chapter 1

Dreams and Nightmares

A far off world…

Running, always running…

Stars, planets, so many different creatures…

A man, smiling broadly at her, hands stuffed in his trouser pockets, long coat rippling in a foreign wind…

'Run…'

"Doctor…" Rose croaked groggily, shifting under the sheets. Slowly she sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and pushing aside the warm quilt. She looked around her room through half opened eyes, glancing at her familiar wardrobe, her pink wallpaper, the jumble of clothes strewn across the floor.

Then she looked again.

She was in her bedroom… but how? She tussled with the tangled sheets in her panic, falling out of bed and stumbling across the room to her window. Tearing open the curtains, she winced as bright light struck her in the eyes and peered out across the street. She could see people going about their daily routine like nothing in the world was wrong; the man who lived across the road was getting into his car and setting off for work, the postman was delivering unknown letters to the house opposite, the kids were running down the street playing tag with each other. She really was home. Her heart began to race as confusion and a hint of fear flooded her mind.

"Rose?" She jumped as Jackie's voice sounded from beyond her door, "Rose are you up yet?" She sounded just like she always did- or had used to- first thing in the morning, nagging her to wake up. Rose went out to meet her, footsteps hesitant as if her mother's voice would lead her out of this illusion and into a trap. But no ambush greeted her, no fierce monsters or alien technology, just the irritated expression on her mothers face.

"You're not even dressed yet?" she sighed, exasperated.

"Mum… what's going on?" Rose asked quietly, her voice trembling. The only answer she received was a raised eyebrow. "What's going on, why am I here? Where's the Doctor?"

"What are you on about?"

"The Doctor? Where is he?" She said louder, fear growing with every unanswered question.

"Oh, enough of this rubbish Rose. Now hurry up, you're gonna be late for work!" Jackie attempted to bustle her out of the room, but Rose grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks.

"Wait… where do I work?" Jackie just looked at her. "Mum, just tell me okay?"

"That bleedin' department store Henriks! Where you drinking last night or something? Now get a move on!"

"But that's… that's impossible…" Jackie turned to look at her, confusion clouding her face, "it blew up… it… it's gone…" Rose mumbled to herself. She barged past Jackie and approached the scruffy calendar hanging off the wall. "No… that can't be right…" The small dates told her it was the very day that her job had been blown up, the day her life had been turned upside down.

The day she had met him.

"Rose what's going on sweetheart?" Rose turned around, tears welling in her eyes. "oh… come here," Jackie gripped her in a tight hug as Rose began to sob into her shoulder. They clung onto each other taking in the comfort of each others warmth, both afraid and unsure of what was going on. When she couldn't stand it any longer Jackie pulled Rose off her and looked her determinedly in the eyes. "Now are you going to tell me why you're crying?" She asked firmly.

"You don't remember him? You honestly don't remember the Doctor?" Rose managed between sobs, tears streaming down her face.

"Doctor who?" Rose just stared at her mother. Where could she even begin to tell her who the Doctor was? "And what were you going on about that store blowing up?"

"This is gonna sound so crazy… but…" Rose paused, contemplating how to put it, "The Doctor, he rescued me from these monsters that invaded Earth, and he blew up the department store… and… I dunno I helped him stop them and then he asked me to come travel with him… but…" Her mother just looked at her, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Rose cringed as she continued, "He… he's an alien, and he had this… time machine… and I went with him,"

"Rose… do you not just think you were dreaming all this?" Jackie asked sympathetically. Rose looked at her incredulously.

"I know I wasn't dreaming mum! I know it sounds crazy but you've got to believe me!" Rose yelled, nerves and frustration getting the better of her.

"Rose you're going on about aliens and time machines, what do you expect?"

"So what, you think I'm just making all this up, or I'm crazy or something?"

"No I think you've got an overactive imagination and you had a vivid dream last night!" Rose sighed heavily, head in her hands. "Cause that's all it could have been love! Just a dream!"

"But it can't have been, just can't have… I've been with him for ages… I don't even know how long… must have been months…" she mumbled.

"Anything can happen in your dreams Rose," Jackie said more comfortingly, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder. This was the sort of conversation you should be having with a ten year old who'd come crying about a nightmare of monsters haunting their sleep.

"He was just too… I don't know. How would you even start to describe him?" She smiled despite herself. "Being with him, it was incredible. He was incredible. My imaginations not that good." She refused to believe it could have been a dream. It had all just been too real. Even now she could see his smiling face, could feel the emotion in his eyes- just as easily as she could see her mother standing in front of her now, her eyes shadowed with fear.

A thought suddenly struck Rose, a spark of hope like someone lighting a small fire on a frosty night. She rushed to the door, leaving her bewildered mother behind and sprinting out of the flat. Maybe there was a chance… just maybe…

She frantically tackled the stairs, ignoring the cold ground biting at her bare feet and ran out into the street.

The empty street.

Her eyes scanned every corner, every alcove, every inch of the road but nothing and no one was to be seen. Her heart plummeted. A part of her- just a small, nagging piece of her heart- had expected to find a blue box standing tall and proud against the bland street, the Doctor standing in its doorway, hand reaching out for her own, his mischievous smile promising thrill and adventure. A memory of the whirring sound of the TARDIS departing echoed around her head- it had left her. He had left her. Or had he even been here?

"NO!" She screamed to the empty street, "He's real! I know he is…" she fell to her knees, fresh tears flooding her face, drowning her in her sorrows. "Doctor…" her voice reduced to a whisper of utter despair.

She was only distantly aware of someone approaching her, wrapping a cosy dressing gown around her shoulders and guiding her back to the flat. Before she even realised where she was she had been returned to bed with a steaming cup of tea, and was soon drifting into a troubled sleep.

xoxoxoxoxo

Rose slowly came to to the sound of the television on in the next room. After a moment of confusion and disorientation she remembered with a sinking heart where she was. She had half expected it all to have been a dream of a dream, and to wake up and find that she'd fallen asleep at the TARDIS console, with the Doctor telling them they'd arrived at some alien planet. But no such luck. Her clock told her it was 9:30pm- she must have slept through the whole day.

She had seen him in her dreams, just standing there looking at her. His eyes had been full of determination and his expression serious, almost frightened. It made her feel uneasy, especially since she was now having doubts about her sanity. The events of that morning were just a surreal blur she didn't even want to think about. All she wanted was to have him here with her, to wrap his arms around her and tell her everything would be alright and he would always be there for her. But he had never said that. He had never promised that he wouldn't leave her one day, but surely he wouldn't end it like this?

Deciding she wasn't going to be able to sleep she got up to investigate what her mother was watching. As she entered the living room she could see Jackie sitting curled up on the sofa, anxiously gripping a cup of tea and watching the news. Wait a minute… her mum watching the news? Something was not right here.

"Rose!" Jackie sat up as she noticed Rose standing in the doorway, "I didn't want to wake you but look!" she pointed desperately at the screen, "you were right! You said that was going to happen!" Rose gaped in awe at the current headline- there had been a huge explosion at the department store where she had once worked, exactly as she remembered it. Once again that spark of hope filled her, and she smiled slightly. Maybe, just maybe that meant he was here after all!

"I couldn't believe it when I saw it," Jackie's voice brought her back to reality, "Just kept thinking to myself that you'd dreamt that," She clearly couldn't think of a way around it, it was completely baffling her.

"But mum, it wasn't a dream," she replied firmly.

"Oh come on Rose, I thought with a bit of sleep you would have come around from all that. You didn't half frighten me earlier; it was like you were having a nervous breakdown in the middle of the street!" Rose let it go, at least now she might have a chance of proving herself. She tried hard to think back to when she had first met him. The next time she had seen him after the explosion was at her own flat- she could just recall seeing his bewildered face peering through the cat flap. So she would have to wait for him to come to her.

And she would. She would wait for him forever. Although a nagging voice in her head was asking her, maybe if she hadn't met him in the first place, he wouldn't come looking for her. And even then, that was the wrong Doctor, how would it all work? Would she have to travel with him again, defeat all the same enemies, see him die and regenerate all over again? She'd rather have that than the alternative but even that wouldn't work. What would be the explanation for her knowing the resolution to their mission as soon as they arrived? And then at the end of it all would she end up back here again? Trapped in a time loop forever?

She shook her head. She was thinking too hard about it. All she wanted was to see him again, to have him with her, so she would wait.

And wait she did. She sat by the door all the next day, just waiting for the telltale clatter of him attempting to look through the small cat flap, but it never came. As the sky darkened Jackie finally succeeded in persuading her to move away from the door. Now all sorts of thoughts were running through Rose's mind. Did that mean that no one would be there to stop the living plastic? Or was he out there by himself defeating them without her?

"Look Rose, I'm just gonna pop down to the store and-"

"No! You can't go out there, those plastic creatures, they're going to-" Rose began to protest, but Jackie cut her off.

"Look Rose, it's time you started accepting it! There is no Doctor, or aliens or any of that. That department store blew up from unsafe wiring or some dodgy building work, not because of an alien attack! It. Was. A. Dream." Jackie gasped for breath, glaring at Rose. "You said it yourself he was supposed to turn up here, so where is he?"

"I… I don't know…" Rose stuttered, tears welling in her eyes. Maybe… he hadn't come at all…

But a dream… was it possible? She ran to her room and threw herself onto her bed, tears streaming down her cheeks all over again. She buried her face into her pillow. Was this what the rest of her life was going to be like? Longing for the memory of someone who might not even exist?

Once more she was giving in to sleep, and before she had even lost consciousness she could see his face again, just staring as he had before.

"Doctor…" she mumbled, as her world turned black.

A/N: Well, is anyone intrigued? Reviews make me happy :D And any constructive crit is welcome, cause I know I haven't written in ages and am probably very rusty XD Thanks for reading, will try and get the next chapter up as soon as I can!