"There was a girl right there!" Rose protested, as the Doctor let go of her. She took a few steps down the pavement as though expecting the girl to reappear.
"Rose, there's no one there," the Doctor said, following her as she began to walk more purposefully towards the corner.
Rose ignored the Doctor breaking into a run to reach the corner and looking all around for the girl she'd seen. She paused scanning the roads. The girl must be around somewhere Rose just knew it.
"Rose, where are you going?" Asked the Doctor. "Look maybe we should go visit your mum?"
"You go visit her," Rose called behind her scowling, annoyed because she couldn't find the girl. Rose had been so sure the girl was still around somewhere.
"Rose, there's no one here, let's go," the Doctor said quietly, taking her hand. Rose turned to look at him frowning.
"I saw a little girl, ok?" She said. The Doctor just shrugged. "You don't believe me do you?"
"Well, maybe you did see someone but they're not here now, so let's go shall we?" The Doctor said trying to lead her back towards the Powell Estate. Rose pulled her hand out of the Doctor's.
"I'm not going anywhere," Rose said angrily. "Not with you, not with someone who doesn't believe me."
"Rose, I do believe you," the Doctor tried again, but Rose was too wound up.
"No forget it Doctor!" Rose said. "I'm not going with you until I find that girl, and I can prove to you I'm not going mad."
Rose crossed the street and the Doctor sighed before following her. He couldn't let her go off in this state by herself.
"I don't think you're mad!" The Doctor said carefully. Rose didn't answer, walking quickly down the road, arms folded. "I just didn't see anything ok? That doesn't mean I don't believe you or you're going mad, you could've seen anything Rose!"
"But I didn't see anything," Rose shot back. "I saw a girl."
The Doctor rolled his eyes stuffing his hands into his pockets. He followed in silence after that deciding that if Rose was going to get narked at everything he said he was probably better off not talking.
Rose had no idea where she was going. To be honest she wasn't really looking for the girl anymore she was trying to sort things out in her head. Things about the Doctor, whether she had really seen a girl and whether she was going to be able to continue travelling if they kept fighting like this.
She paused as they reached a busy road and took a deep shuddering breath as she tried to clear her thoughts. The Doctor stood beside her watching her quietly.
"You don't have to follow me," Rose said in a hushed tone as she looked for a gap in the traffic.
"I'll go if you want to be alone," the Doctor replied, not taking his eyes off her.
"I didn't say that," Rose looked left and right and darted across, the Doctor following. "I just meant, if you've got better tings to do I'd understand if you go back to the TARDIS."
"Nothing is more important than you Rose," the Doctor said keeping in step with her. She looked up at him for a moment and nodded. Ordinarily she would've been over the moon that the Doctor thought she was the most important thing in his life, but right then she hated him for saying it. It only made her heart flutter and her love for him increase, causing the pain to increase with it.
They continued in silence, walking all the way to town before Rose stopped and flopped down on a bench over looking another, much bigger park. The Doctor sat next to her, still not talking, waiting for her to make the first move.
"I did see a girl," Rose said quietly, her hands clasped together in her lap.
"Ok," the Doctor replied. She turned to look at him.
"I need to know that you believe me," she said sadly. "I can't travel with you anymore if you don't trust me."
The Doctor looked at her astounded that she could think he didn't trust her. He knew she'd seen someone on the corner, he just didn't think it was necessarily a little girl, or that important. He too her hands in his, looking straight into her dark brown eyes.
"I believe you," he said, not a flicker of doubt showing. Rose blinked and looked away, feeling slightly better at having convinced him. She looked over at the park and there, stood right in the middle of the grass staring directly at her was the little girl.
"Doctor," she said pointing. "Look."
The Doctor looked across the grass and saw nothing but a few birds here and there. He stood up slightly craning his neck.
"What?" He asked.
"She's right there, in the middle, how can you not see her?" Rose asked desperately not daring to take her eyes off the girl.
"Rose whatever you can see, I can't," the Doctor replied watching her carefully. "Take me to her."
"What?" Rose asked, sill watching the girl who was standing completely still, her long hair blowing in the wind.
"Don't look away," he said watching her. "Just take me to the girl."
Rose stood up, leading the Doctor by the hand until they were stood directly in front of the girl. The Doctor took the Sonic Screwdriver out and the girl's eyes flicked to him.
"She's just here?" The Doctor asked, stretching out a hand and almost touching the girl. Rose nodded, still staring at the pale form in front of her. He turned the setting up on the Screwdriver and began scanning the area.
"You really can't see her?" Asked Rose looking up at him. The Doctor shook his head.
"The readings are off the scales though," the Doctor muttered. "Oh wait…"
"What?" Rose asked looking back at the girl… only she'd disappeared.
"They stopped. The readings just stopped." The Doctor said frowning.
"The girl, she's gone," Rose muttered, slightly disconcerted.
"I think this is more serious than we though," the Doctor whispered. He linked his fingers through Rose's. "C'mon, let's go back to your mum where I can run some tests."