400 years later on the planet Makling.

Rose looked about desperately. The Doctor had disappeared again and now she was having to fight off a group of Walkies with the Sonic Screwdriver and a cup of water. The Walkies were usually a peaceful race that looked like a cross between a wolf and a giraffe that stood on their hind legs. For some reason they were morbidly afraid of water.

The Doctor had managed to pick the one time when the Walkies were distrusting any humans or human looking creatures since they had discovered that humans had been hunting them.

"Stay back!" Rose warned, holding the cup of water out in front of her and trying to sound menacing.

The Walkies hissed and scratched her from behind. Rose turned and threatened the other side with water, once more leaving her back unguarded.

Just as she was about to get really mad, the Doctor ran past shouting and wearing only a pair of knickers, armed with a hose.

Rose wanted to laugh, but somehow it only made her heart sink. He was trying to cheer her up again. Ever since he'd regenerated the Doctor had come up with weirder and weirder ways to try and help her move on from his previous incarnation. But Rose needed to do it in her own time and she knew she'd have to explain this to the Doctor eventually.

"Leave the girl alone," the Doctor warned holding up the hose. The Walkies shrank back and Rose walked towards the Doctor. He looked at her carefully. "Alright?"

"Yeah," she replied looking at the Walkies sadly. "Where'd you leave your clothes?"

"TARDIS," the Doctor replied deflating slightly. Rose seemed sadder than ever despite his best efforts to make her laugh, make her smile. "C'mon, lets go back…"

He held out his hand for her and she took it, though she didn't feel the same. Ever since his regeneration Rose had acted different towards him. The Doctor was beginning to think he'd never be able to talk to her properly again.

When they got back to the TARDIS the Doctor closed the doors slowly, making a point of locking them before he turned and headed up the ramp. Rose was stood next to the console watching him carefully.

"Where we off to next?" She asked trying to sound enthusiastic and failing.

The Doctor didn't look at her for a moment as he pulled on his pinstriped suit and long brown trench coat.

"Rose?" he said quietly.

"Yeah?" She asked frowning slightly.

"What's wrong?" He looked her straight in the eye, his dark brown eyes melting into her own chocolate ones.

"Nothing," Rose said mentally kicking herself for letting her feelings show so obviously.

"You miss him don't you?" He asked seriously. "You resent me for being me because it meant you had to loose him."

"No… I don't… honestly…" Rose looked around hopelessly.

"Then what's wrong? Ever since I regenerated you've been acting like you don't know me. Like I'm some random friend of Mickey's who you don't really want to know," the Doctor looked at her the pain evident in his eyes.

Rose looked away unable to take much more. She sank into the chair in the console room, biting her lip.

"It's not that I don't lo- like you…" Rose started knowing it sounded awful. "You're still my Doctor and you always will be-"

"You're not acting like it," the Doctor replied. He didn't say it nastily, just with a note of hurt in his voice.

"I just need time to adjust to the fact that I'm never gonna see the other you again… it's silly because you're still stood in front of me… but…" Rose trailed off.

"It's one of those silly human emotions isn't it?" The Doctor asked slightly downhearted.

"No, Doctor-" Rose began again but he cut across her.

"Rose, I'm sorry that I didn't give you fore-warning about regeneration, but you knew the dangers of travelling me. Now I don't care if you don't want to be as close to me anymore, but please don't act like I killed your best friend," The Doctor said turning to the console so she couldn't see the tear that were threatening. He was really starting to hate his new self. Not only did Rose seem to detest him, but his emotions were much more prominent.

"Doctor…" Rose took several deep breath as her voice wobbled precariously. "I still see you as my best friend. You are and always will be my Doctor. But I never got to say goodbye to the old you, that's why it feels so weird. You gave me the chance to say goodbye to my Dad, but I never got that chance with you."

The Doctor turned back, looking at her as something in his memory sparked. A while back in his previous incarnation he remembered meeting himself, Rose had come to say goodbye. If he took her he'd only be fulfilling the Time Stream, he wouldn't be breaking any laws. Plus if it made Rose happy then they might be able to move back to normality. Or as close to normality as you could get in the TARDIS.

"Rose, would it make things better if you could say goodbye?" He asked.

Rose studied him carefully.

"I suppose, yeah," she replied chewing her lip. "I'd be able to move on properly…"

"I remember you coming back to say goodbye," the Doctor admitted. "The other me, I took you to him and you said goodbye…"

He still had mixed feelings about that goodbye; though it was him she was saying all that stuff to he still felt jealous of himself. Which was totally ridiculous.

"Wouldn't it be breaking about a million time laws?" Rose asked looking at him and not daring to believe what he was saying.

"No, because I remember it happening so we'd only be following the time stream…" the Doctor sighed.

"It's that time when you took me home to shop wasn't it?" She said quietly. "That's why you acted funny when we first set off again…"

The Doctor nodded.

"If you don't want to then don't, but I can't live with knowing that you still want the old me back," The Doctor said seriously. Rose took a few tentative steps forward and squeezed his hand.

"I promise I will move on as soon as I've said goodbye," she said just as seriously looking him straight in the eye.

"Ok, let's go," the Doctor said, his hearts fluttering at the firm touch. This was the first time in months that Rose had properly held his hand.

As the TARDIS took off he hoped she'd keep her promise and return to normal afterwards. He wasn't sure how much more he could take of this… awkwardness.