Back again with the next installment of a fun AU story I wrote years ago. Enjoy it...at your risk.

Testing the Water

March 26, 2005

Rose was in the back room sitting next to Claire, a coworker of hers, as she helped the brunette with her fake eyelashes.

"So my ex showed up at my flat around 4 in the morning," Claire continued, rambling on about her complicated romantic life for the past ten minutes. "And Mike was still in the shower. I managed to convince him not to come up though. Said that I was sick and my ex always hated being around me when I was sick. But this afternoon I got a text from him saying he was done with me. What does that mean?"

"I thought you didn't want to be with him anymore," Rose casually answered, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. Just because she didn't have any romantic drama didn't mean she could discount everyone else's. "You went home with Mike last night…thought that meant you were done."

Claire just fixed Rose with a hard stare. They had never gotten along. Well, Rose didn't really get along with any of the fellow girls, but she and Claire were a special case. "Fine," Claire huffed, turning to face the mirror away from Rose. "I can manage my makeup on my own now."

"I didn't finish the left eye…" Rose mumbled to herself, turning to face the mirror herself. She hated putting on the stage makeup herself and always put it off until last minute. It felt like cake on her face and the fake lashes made her eyes water. However, Rose knew she had to keep those petty complaints to herself if she wanted to keep her job. She had started working here a year ago, drawn in by the fact that this was not technically a strip club. Although that was the case, it wasn't like the job was glamorous. Honestly she was doing the same thing a stripper would do, just with scanty "costumes" on.

Right as she was about to start on her makeup, her phone buzzed. She looked down, fully expecting to see the familiar number that had been present for the past few days. "Hmmm," Rose muttered to herself as she saw an unknown number. It was pathetic for Rose to admit, but she didn't really have many friends that would be calling her phone. All of the girls she knew at the café she worked at as a second job weren't interested in getting to know her and the other dancers were all in the same room as her. As for Jessica…she just tolerated Rose for helping pay rent on their apartment. She would only call if it was an absolute emergency.

"Hello?" she answered a bit, hoping her tone of voice was appropriate.

"So the phone does work!" said a strong voice, vaguely familiar to Rose. Before she had the chance to say anything, the caller continued. "That skinny strip of nothing has been complaining that you gave him a fake number."

Rose immediately froze, wondering if she should simply hang up now. "It does," she said bluntly, hoping Donna would realize she didn't want to talk.

"Oh, you must have forgotten who I am," the woman said, unbeknownst to Rose that she knew exactly who she was. "I'm Donna," she paused for a moment waiting for a response. "I work at the TARDIS diner."

Biting her lip, Rose spoke up. "I recognized your voice," she finally admitted.

"I'd hope so, we only met a few nights ago," Donna answered. "Though I thought you were so enthralled with John you may not have remembered me."

"Listen, I am really busy," Rose clipped out, hating how rude she was being to this nice, if a bit blunt, woman.

After several moments of silence where Rose thought Donna had hung up, she spoke up again. "I know this isn't my place to ask, but why won't you call John back."

"Because he made you call me as a trick," Rose finally said, glancing at the clock and seeing she wouldn't have long to get ready now.

"He wouldn't do that," Donna stated. "He just told me that he suspected you gave him a phone number so I stole your number off his phone last night," she paused. "He's really smitten with you, you know?"

Rose took a deep breath, running a hand through her wavy hair. "Yeah," Rose admitted.

"Don't believe what people say about him, okay?" Donna continued before Rose had time to say anything else. "I've known him for years and he may be rude sometimes, but he is a good man. And he isn't going to use you. I know it seems such odd circumstance that you just happened to run into each other in the middle of the night, but what's odd with odd sometimes?" she paused. "Maybe it's,"

Knowing exactly what Donna was going to say next, Rose cut her off. "I'll call him, okay?" she said in a quick rush, intending to keep the promise. "But I really have to go," she paused, wondering how to sign off. It wasn't likely that she'd ever see or hear from the redhead again, but didn't want to be rude. "Maybe I'll see you later."

After hanging up the phone, Rose remembered where she was and why she hadn't picked up the phone when John had called in the first place. She was basically a stripper with debts up to her eyeballs. She had believed in the whole fairytale thing before she messed everything up. Rose Tyler wasn't Cinderella and she never wanted to be.

However, she had a show to do in ten minutes and she had made a promise to Donna Noble. Plus if she didn't do it now she wasn't sure if she'd ever do it.

Finding the number she had begrudgingly saved onto her phone, Rose held her breath as it rung.

"Nice to know you gave me a real number, Rose," John's surprisingly familiar voice came through her phone. She had only known him for several hours through a chance encounter and already Rose knew his voice. Though maybe she had gone on a YouTube binge watching session of all his interviews as well…

Rose automatically jumped in surprise. She hadn't exactly expected him to pick up, and especially not later in the evening. With him being famous, she had assumed he was always at some fancy party or something. Still, here she had called him and she hadn't even spoken yet. ""Well…I mean…"

"You've been busy saving the Earth I assume," John continued, speaking a mile a minute. "Well, not literally of course. I just meant that you have been making people's lives better just by being there. I know you say you just work at a stupid little café, but I'm sure the place has more customers thanks to you. I'd certainly get my coffee from you."

Hating herself for the grin filling her face, Rose interrupted him. "I only have a minute, I'm in the middle of something and I'm sure you have things to do as well."

There was several seconds of rustling that she assumed was him moving the phone as she heard an unknown voice speak to him and his muffled response. "Sorry about that," he said. Though if he was apologizing for rambling or her being bust she wasn't sure.

"No problem," she replied with a cheeky grin that she wished he could see. What the hell was she doing? Was she honestly thinking that she had the ability to win the affections of John Smith when he could literally have anyone that he wanted? She knew this was going to blow up back in her face. When she had picked up the phone she had every intention of telling him that she was sorry for not calling him back, but that she was moving to Siberia or somewhere else far away. "You said you wanted to go eat the best cheesecake in the city?" Rose said, remembering how John had said that when he dropped her off at her flat last week from their chance meeting. He had explained how he had already exposed her to the best apple pie, so it is the least he could do. "So I'll see you Friday at 11."

John let out an exasperated sigh that she knew was overdone for her benefit. "I won't be in town then," John quickly answered. Looking around Rose saw Claire shoot her a look that meant they had less than five minutes to be on stage and her makeup still wasn't done.

"Well then it was nice to meet you, John Smith," Rose said, biting her lip and wishing she could cave and suggest another time. But in her mind she had made the ultimatum in her mind that if he really cared he would be free whenever she suggested. If he wasn't willing to do even that obviously seeing him again would be pointless for both of them.

"I will see you then," John quickly retorted before she had the chance to hang up.

"Sounds good," Rose said, hating herself for the giggle she let out afterwards. She didn't want to be one of those girls now. "I have to go."

"Molto Bene," John announced before Rose hung up and turned towards the mirror and tried to make herself look presentable.

At her facial expression, it looked as if Claire was just about to ask her who exactly she had been talking to when their boss, Kelly, walked into the dressing room.

"Okay, girls," Kelly, an overweight woman who used to be a professional dancer, shouted as she clapped her hands together to get all of their attention. "We have quite a big crowd tonight! So remember to smile and be nice."

Rose let out a sigh as they began to line up to go on stage. She knew what Kelly meant by being nice… And after the short talk she had with John she really didn't want to flirt with disgusting men. Well, a girl had to do what a girl had to do.

March 29, 2015

By the time John was set to pick her up, Rose was basically jumping out of her skin. Jessica was sitting in front of the telly eating frozen grapes and completely oblivious to Rose's presence. Not that Rose minded, she was glancing out the window every few seconds, leaping up every time a car drove by. Still, she was surprised she was as calm as she was. She had gone back and forth about her decision to see him again and on several occasions had been on the verge of calling him and canceling.

It had taken her forever to get ready, not sure what to wear at all. She just hoped she looked appropriate now. She was wearing her favorite dark green skirt that she thought made her bum look good with her best blazer and a pair of thick tights that she hoped would cover up the swelling of her ankle. Although it had been a week since she had hurt her ankle and she was icing it whenever she could, the swelling was still present. If she had time in the next few weeks she may do something about that…but not right now. Her hair was curled into loose waves and she had light makeup on. All in all, she looked like the sort of woman that you would never assume to be dancing at a club every night. If she looked like the sort of woman that would be going on a date with John Smith she wasn't sure…

While in her daydream she almost missed when John drove up outside of her flat. The moment she saw him she mumbled out that she had to go to work to Jessica, who couldn't care less anyway, and hopped down the stairs as easily as she could. Although she had been hesitant before, last night she had decided to give this her best chance and actually see if she enjoyed being around John.

"You look lovely," John announced as she bounced towards him. He had just stepped out of his car and Rose thought he looked even better than last time she had seen him. The dark bags under his eyes were less prevalent than last time, but his hair was just as disarrayed as before, a trait Rose found adorable. He wore brown trousers that fit him perfectly and an untucked light blue Oxford shirt with a tailored blazer. It was obvious to Rose that those clothes had cost quite a bit of money but not in an annoyingly 'I'm rich' sort of way.

"Thank you," Rose responded shyly, suddenly self-conscious of the run down area her flat was located in. John didn't seem to mind at all, so she just grinned even more when he opened the passenger door for her. It had been years since a guy had opened a door for her.

Settling into the seat, Rose waited until they were a block away before she spoke again. "So…you never said where you were taking me," she paused. "Well I also never really gave you a chance."

"I told you last week! To get the best cheesecake for Rose Tyler," he responded with an eyebrow raise. "How do you not remember? You were the one who remembered and mentioned it on the phone."

"But where?" she emphasized. It was so natural, falling into this teasing routine with John. And it scared her.

"This little bakery downtown," John began, excitement filling his voice. "It is next to my favorite park that we can go to afterwards if you want."

Nodding, Rose asked a question. "What were you supposed to be doing today?" she asked, remembering that he had initially not been able to meet her today, but it was the only day she suggested to him.

"Just a radio interview," John told her nonchalantly. "Jack was annoyed that we had to reschedule, but he'll get over it when he gets to know you," he said, surprising Rose by how confident he was that she would meet one of his friends. "Jack's my manager," John explained, taking Rose's expression that she was confused about who Jack was.

"You shouldn't have done that," Rose said. "What if someone was really excited to meet you or something? It is just me…"

"Just you?" John asked, turning to cock an eyebrow at her. "But you aren't just anything…"

Not knowing how to respond to that, Rose just leaned back into the seat and tried to think of how to change the topic into a lighter subject matter. "Wait a second, we are just going to a bakery, right?" Rose asked, continuing when John nodded. "Don't you have to worry about paparazzi and all of the fans? I mean, we don't want to end up in a magazine about how I am secretly carrying your child and having an affair with Mel Gibson or something."

"Mel Gibson…" John choked out as he looked at her in faux shock. "Come on, that isn't even believable! Plus, you don't want your picture everywhere?" he asked. Rose shot him a shocked look and was about to speak up when he laughed. "I was just kidding…I'm not that famous. A lot of people don't even know what I look like since they only hear my songs. I'm not as different from you as you seem to think, Rose," he paused, making sure Rose was listening. "But I have my secret disguise to make sure you have my full attention anyway."

"What is it?" Rose giggled, her mind coming up with silly scenarios. She had seen things like this on television shows, but she never thought she would be living it. Not that she was necessarily living it, just being around someone who did.

John just winked at her and refused to answer and rambled about some sciencey thing until he pulled up to the bakery he had supposedly been talking about. Leaning back into the backseat with over exaggerated motions, John finally answered. "Well…you are fine to go as you are, Rose. I, on the other hand, need to wear these," John announced as he began to put on his disguise. He shoved a baseball cap onto his head much to Rose's chagrin, as she wouldn't be able to look at his lovely hair any longer. He wasn't done though, he pulled out some plastic frame glasses and put them on. The effect was surprising. If Rose didn't think he was snog-able before, she sure did now. However, he didn't really look different and it wasn't really a disguise.

"Woah…I sorta miss your hair," Rose exclaimed as she pulled his hat down farther on his head. "But I think everyone who knows what you look like will still be able to easily recognize you."

"Way to ruin the persona," John leaned forward and whispered in her ear, the sudden closeness raising Rose's heartbeat as she was attacked by feelings she hadn't felt for years.

He didn't wait for her to respond, just got out of the car and opened her door for her again, latching onto her hand and pulling her towards the bakery. She couldn't help the heat that rose to her cheeks while John's free hand found the small of her back when she stopped, nudging her through the door.

After he ordered for both of them, assuring her he knew what the best was, they sat at a small table with the best cheesecake. True to his word, it was by far the best cheesecake Rose had ever eaten.

But it turned out that the cheesecake was Rose's least favorite part of the morning. Right as they were leaving after spending over an hour talking, John leaned forwards with a hopeful look in his eye. He just announced that she had a bit of chocolate on the side of her mouth and brought his hand up to her lips, wiping it frustratingly slowly across the edge of her lips.

After they left, John had reminded her about the park and she wasn't about to say no and shorten their date. Rose was blushing when he kept a tight hold of her hand as he pulled her down an unfamiliar path through the park, proclaiming that he knew a perfect place to be.

"Here it is!" John announced as he motioned towards the weeping willow tree in a secluded corner of the park. Most people stayed on the paths and this was a little ways off, perfect for privacy when you were used to people following you around with cameras.

Rose settled down on the surprisingly comfy and dry grass and was relieved when he sat down right next to her. There was a question that had been on the tip of her tongue the whole day and she finally had the guts to say it. "So, tell me what everyone wants to know…is John Smith sincere in his songs about love?"

"Weeeeeeell," John began, awkwardly rubbing his neck before he continued. "I would like to think so. But ever since I've been recording and all of that it seems as if that is all I have time for."

"Oh," Rose said, feeling a wave of disappointment at his response. Maybe she had read the signs wrong and he was just being nice to her. This was just her luck. To get her hopes up only to have them crushed.

"Rose, that isn't what I meant," John said with a shy smile. "Right now I am supposed to be writing songs for my new album. Honestly, that is my favorite part, even though it ends up with quite a few late nights. After that, in a month or so, I will have to start recording the songs…Then this summer I am going on a three month tour around Europe and the Americas. Haven't planned for anything after that yet though."

Rose worried her lip before she continued. "Whoa," she whispered mostly to herself. "You always think celebrities are just lounging around at their vacation homes with just the occasional escapade in front of the cameras for publicity, but you have to work hard too."

John reached over and picked up her hand, tracing its lines as he did so. "Sometimes it is nice like that…that is something I can't say I haven't done, but if you do that forever no one will remember who you are," he appeared like he was going to say something else when his expression changed and he changed the topic. "I bet you have been listening to all of my songs on repeat for the past few days, haven't you?"

"Yeah," Rose admitted, hoping she wasn't blushing. "Though I already knew all of your songs by hear, they sound a bit different after I met you in the flesh. I mean I always thought that you were just making false promises in the words, but now I can't be sure. You seem real to me."

"Good to know I made a nice impression," John laughed as his eyes raked over her form as she rolled over onto her back. Deciding he could do a little better too, he pulled off his hat and ran his hands through his hair as it flopped back to its usual disarray and tucked his glasses back into his pocket. Apparently that was a good decision on his part because Rose's eyes considerably brightened after that. "That you didn't think I was just lurking on street corners looking for impressionable young women."

"You swept me off my feet," Rose whispered, allowing herself to flirt. Her eyes widened when she realized she had said that out loud and quickly spoke again to cover up her slip. "Literally, I was scared you were going to drop me onto the concrete."

Apparently John noticed her words because he had a huge smile now before he spoke again. "Anyway, enough about me…I don't even know where you work."

"Oh, just at some café," Rose said, not telling the other half of the truth. She was going to tell him eventually, she had to, but she didn't want to lessen his opinion of her before she was sure it was going anywhere at all. So she didn't mention her late nights at the club wearing sparkly bikinis in front of the horny crowd. She didn't tell him about how she could close her eyes and feel like she was dancing on a real stage. Her dream was always broken as she looked into the crowd and saw the faces that were wishing that she would come up to him next, give him a little lap dance that would leave him pleased and wondering if she was available to be bought for the night. She always hated when that happened, it hurt her to think of having to sell her body to men like that, but in a way she already was. Rose just shoved those thoughts away and instead told John about how calm it was at the café, how nice her coworkers were, and how even though it isn't exactly what she wanted to be doing at the moment it was what she had to do. Only the last few words were the truth.

They spent the rest of the day like that until the sun began to sink, only moving when John raced over to buy them some picnic food for dinner. It just felt so…right. Rose had her head rested against his shoulder as they both lay back on the soft grass. She was so close she could smell him and it was just fantastic and she could barely stop herself from nuzzling against his neck to breathe it in. Still, she was content with the way his hands trailed up and down her arm. Every time they met eyes she was struck by how strange the situation was. They hadn't been around each other for more than a few hours, but she felt like they knew each other so much more than that.

With a groan as she noticed how low in the sky the sun was, Rose sat up. It was definitely time to go now if she wanted to get to work on time and stay on Kelly's good term. "John, I am going to be late for work if we don't leave now."

"Fine," John huffed in mock annoyance as he sat up and hid his hair under the hat and slid on his glasses once more. He stood up and offered her a hand that she gladly accepted.

"Don't be like that now," Rose joked as they came into view of the car. "It isn't like we could've stayed like that all night."

"Couldn't we?" John asked in all seriousness with such an honest look that Rose had to look away.

Thankfully they reached the car and, after opening the door to her, began the ride back to her flat. The ride was much too short for both of them and before they knew it they were standing on the street, both grinning at each other like teenagers.

"Weeeeeeeell," John muttered, putting off saying goodbye. Taking matters into her own hands, Rose pulled him in for a hug, sure that he was going to kiss her afterwards. But she only felt his lips kiss her cheeks and the slight tickle of his eyelashes as he pulled back. "See you around."

"Definitely," Rose announced, feeling befuddled like she had just been thoroughly snogged. "Bye, John."

"Oh, and Rose," he called out to her as he was halfway back to his car and she was unlocking the front door. "We still have other best foods to try out."

Rose couldn't let go of the smile that filled her face as she limped up the stairs, hardly believing the amazing day she had experienced today. And he hadn't even kissed her yet…just the thought of his lips meeting hers was enough to make her smile. The day had been so much better than she had ever imagined it would be and she felt like singing. But when Rose opened the door to her flat she was snapped out of her fantasy and back to real life. It was time to get ready for work and try not to miss up her steps as she fantasized about John Smith.

So it is really getting started now. I really do just adore this story. Let me know you are enjoying it or not?!

Gabrielle