Sorry I know I said this one would be up quicker but it is a longer chapter than normal so that should make up for it, and we've finally gone over the 100k mark! Woo, enjoy

Chapter Fifteen: Cold as Ice.
Series: Three.
Episode: Extras: Post - 42.

The Doctor had been off ever since they'd returned to the TARDIS from saving the crew on McDonnell's ship. Rose could see the guilt lingering in his gaze, every member of the crew they hadn't been able to save weighing on his mind. Rose could understand the feeling, she'd felt the same way when she thought Korwin had been killed. But she also knew it was more than that.

His mind had been ravaged by a telepathic presence. A lifetime ago the Doctor had explained the etiquette of telepathic species, the rules that were universally known and respected - generally. And entering another's mind without permission, especially forcing entry into another's mind, was considered the most despicable violation and awful pain a person could experience.

She couldn't imagine how that would feel exactly. But she remembered her own reaction to just knowing that the TARDIS was inside her head. Remembers how it felt to be manipulated and used by Jimmy, to have her thoughts and experiences twisted beyond reality. She still felt dirty just thinking about it.

And she could remember how the TARDIS' sweltering presence had felt in her mind. Clearly, the sun had left a similar presence in the Doctor's mind, but far more potent and malevolent.

The TARDIS had been colder ever since that encounter, the Doctor refused to go anywhere near the library fireplace, practically recoiled at the kitchen stove.

The telepathic invasion and subsequent loss of control had left its mark on the Doctor and Rose had no idea how to help. Because as always the Doctor refused to acknowledge anything.

"Right then, how do we feel about a trip Ciurtir?" The Doctor asked them, dancing around the console.

On the surface, he seemed as cheery as always. But Rose had practice looking past the veneer he presented, his stance was rigid, his movements mechanical so at odds with his usual fluid elegance.

"What's on Ciurtir?" Martha asked giddily.

She hadn't noticed the Doctor's continued peculiar mood past the giving of her TARDIS key. He was an alien and his behaviour was generally at odds with how she expected people - humans - to act. She didn't have the same experience that Rose did, and Rose wasn't about to burst her bubble and drag her down with her. Travelling was supposed to be fun and exciting after all.

"It's an ice planet, in the Safoar system. It's well known for its resorts and skiing facilities. Thought you two might like to spend a day or two there. Been a hectic couple of days with the kidnapping and mutant professors." The Doctor sniffed nonchalantly, tone blunt and forcefully free of the guilt swimming in his eyes.

"A holiday? Sign me up." Martha beamed.

The Doctor smiled at Martha's enthusiasm, before turning to look at Rose with an expectant brow raised. Martha turned to her too. She'd been unusually quiet, she knew. Because the Doctor was right, it had been a hectic couple of days and she hadn't been sleeping well.

"One question." She started instead of voicing all that was occurring with the confines of her cranium.

"What's that?'

"Are there any cultural customs that we should be aware of beforehand that could land us in prison?" Rose asked with a teasing smile, poking her tongue between her teeth for good measure to make up for her lack of enthusiasm.

Not that that was the case. Any other day Ciurtir would sound like the perfect trip. But she was worried about the Doctor, worried about the TARDIS, tired from her sleepless night and consumed by her own guilt in relation to all she wasn't saying and those they'd lost.

But she wasn't about to voice that. The Doctor had been distant ever since Canary Wharf, guilt was the most obvious conclusion. Maybe he even felt responsible for her, now that she had no family left. She wasn't sure. Emotive conversations had never been commonplace anyhow.

"Could that happen?" Martha asked wide-eyed.

"Of course not." The Doctor dismissed at the same time that Rose said, "Yes."

The two fell silent as they realised what the other said. Rose rolled her eyes, turning to face Martha.

"It has happened on the odd occasion, infrequently, but it can happen."

"There's nothing like that on Ciurtir." The Doctor told them adamantly, staring at the console as he adjusted the controls.

Rose shrugged. "If you're sure, then I don't see why not. I'm not ready for another prison break, though we can try next week." She tacked on the end to let the Doctor know she was only teasing. "How much time do I have to pack?"

"Well, I'll need to sort out reservations first so give me twenty minutes. The TARDIS will let you know when we're ready."

He was still staring intently at the console, a common avoidance tactic of his. Rose fought back the sigh that wanted to escape. It wasn't his fault. Centuries-old habits were hard to break especially when you weren't inclined to. But she wanted to help and she couldn't do that when he was like this, completely closed off and unwilling to admit that anything was wrong.

It was infuriating and a little hurtful but she'd gotten used to it with her first Doctor. She no longer thought he kept her out because he didn't trust her but rather that he thought so little of himself that he didn't want to burden her. It pained her to think about how suffocated he was by his own self-loathing. He was the most magnificent person she'd ever met and yet he'd never believe that. For all his supposed arrogance it was often as preformative as her mum's beloved soap operas.

"Come on Martha, I'll show you the winter section of the wardrobe room," Rose said, tapping the girl's arm as she left the console room.

She was loath to leave the Doctor like this but there was little else she could do.

Despite her good mood, Martha didn't speak on their way to the wardrobe room, sensing Rose's need for quiet. Martha didn't know what was wrong with the blonde but suspected it had something to do with either the Doctor, the TARDIS or even both of them. They hadn't had much chance to speak since that day that Rose had given her a tour, but Martha hoped to change that.

She'd already gathered that the Doctor was a closed book when it came to himself. But Rose wasn't. And it seemed wrong for someone as light and bubbly as Rose to be this quiet and distant. She knew the two of them could be good friends if Rose wasn't so preoccupied with everything happening to her.

When they entered the wardrobe room they found themselves on the eighth floor surrounded by thick woollen sleeves, padded clothes and furs. In the middle of the circular platform sat two duffle bags - one light pink and the other burgundy - the racks of clothes lining the circumference of the platform, reminding Martha of a forest clearing.

Rose grabbed the pink duffle - it was the one the TARDIS usually left out for her when they planned to leave for a few days - passing the burgundy one to Martha. Before quickly turning to the racks to sift through.

"So have you been to Ciurtir before?" Martha asked softly after a beat of silence.

"Hmm? Oh no. I don't believe so." Rose answered simply, not elaborating.

Martha chewed her lip in thought, doubt now clouding her previous assumptions.

"Have I done something wrong?"

Rose whipped round to face her; confusion creasing her face.

"What? No. Why would you think that?"

"You've just been quiet lately, distant. I started to think maybe it was my fault."

She'd never admit it but she had quite a few self-esteem issues. Her parents had always pushed her to be more and as a middle child, she'd found herself constantly comparing herself to her siblings, often finding herself lacking. It wasn't any fault of her family, just the way the cookie crumbled sometimes. Her parents had always wanted the best for her but sometimes it had come across as suggesting that her achievements weren't good enough. Having a twin to constantly compare to hadn't helped in that regard.

And sometimes she had taken that same attitude when trying to make friends. Seeing people through the same lens as her parents saw her and her siblings. Which resulted in her coming across as occasionally aloft and often disinterested.

She didn't want to make the same mistake here.

Rose's face dropped. She fiddled with the cream jumper in her hands as she stared at the floor, shame creasing her brow.

"I'm sorry." She dragged a hand down her face, "It's not your fault. I'm just tired, I haven't been sleeping well. I didn't think about how it'd come across, himself would never notice."

She hung the cashmere jumper back on the rail, brushing her hand over another jumper instead.

"You've not been sleeping well? My best night's sleep has been on this ship." Martha frowned.

Rose shrugged, "I know, sleep through anything normally, prison cell an' all. Just got a lot on my mind I suppose."

She said all of this with her back to Martha, hiding her face in lieu of looking through the racks of clothes. But Rose wasn't the only person on this ship that used that tactic when she was avoiding something. Martha idly wondered which of them picked up the trait from whom. Or if they'd always done it independently of the other.

"How long has it been going on?" She asked instead, grabbing a form-fitting black scoop neck jumper she spotted in the corner of her eye at the same time.

"Dunno. Since America? Maybe since Lazarus. Not sure."

Martha gaped at the blonde.

Was she being serious?

"Rose that was weeks ago. It's been at least two since America, never mind Lazarus."

Martha figured Rose could be a little nonchalant about her health at times. She remembered how she'd reacted to the broken wrist, that dismissive attitude hadn't faded for the weeks she had to wear a cast. It was a bloody good job she wasn't limited by 21st-century medicine because Martha was sure Rose would be a nightmare patient. But she at least figured she'd be more cautious with food and sleep considering the fast-paced lifestyle they lead and the advice she'd given Martha herself. But apparently not.

"I know."

She scrubbed a hand down her face again, from frustration or tiredness, Martha now wasn't sure. At least she was now facing her, her back to the jumpers she'd been flicking through. But gaze still downcast, focused on the garment she was fiddling with.

"I keep having these dreams, they're probably nothing, dreams generally are." She shrugged before going quiet, words more uncertain than before when she spoke again. "But they feel like that vision I had at the hospital. Like glimpses of another timeline. I don't know what's happening to me or what they mean but I don't want to drag you into it. I figured the sleepless nights would pass and no one would notice. But obviously not."

She let out a bitter laugh and dragged a hand through her hair.

Martha wondered how old she was. She gathered that they were about the same age but that was it. Sometimes she was certain that Rose was older when she got this particular look in her eye. Other times, like now, she seemed so much younger and so very, very lost in this strange world she'd found herself in.

"Well now that I have noticed, maybe it would help to talk about them?" Martha suggested.

Rose shook her head, tossing a cream turtleneck into her duffle.

"I don't remember them, is the thing. They fade almost as soon as I wake. I'm just left with this crippling loneliness, a feeling like being left adrift at sea not a soul for miles with the knowledge that I've lost something precious. I don't know if it's some sort of echo from my bond to the TARDIS or a subconscious memory. Either way, I just want it to stop."

Martha watched Rose sadly. This was someone who had lost their family and had then been changed by a powerful time machine with no understanding of why or what had happened to her. She was left in the dark to deal with it by herself and yet was worried about burdening others with something she had no control over.

"You can't carry on without sleep. Especially not with all the running we do. Maybe a break is just what you need. But Rose." The blonde finally met her gaze, "Please tell me if it carries on. I may not be an alien or super genius but I am still a doctor. Or close enough."

Rose smiled.

"Okay, I'll try. Thank you, Martha."

"Of course." Martha returned the smile, "Though we should probably start packing now that that's out of the way."

Rose laughed, "You're probably right."

They made quick work of their duffles after that, the bags soon filled to bursting with jumpers in fabrics that Martha had never before seen, all perfectly suited for their frosty getaway.

As they were leaving, bags in hand, they noticed a blue duffle sat in the doorway - the same colour as the Doctor's suit - with a fond smile and eye roll, Rose picked up that bag too. Her pink bag dangling from her left hand and the Doctor's blue bag slung over her other shoulder.

The TARDIS lights flashed as they walked down the corridor letting them know that the Doctor was ready to go now.

"Ah, there you are, perfect timing." The Doctor told them as they entered the console room.

"TARDIS left this for ya." Rose showed him the duffle before plopping it down on the jumpseat.

"Oh brilliant, we can go straight away then. Hold on."

The TARDIS shuddered and jolted through the time vortex, throwing her occupants about in the process as her pilot danced around her console.

"Never gets easier." Martha panted as the shakes finally subsided.

"You really need seatbelts on this thing," Rose grumbled lightly from where she'd toppled off of the jumpseat.

"Nah, not as much fun otherwise." The Doctor said dusting himself off as well.

He came to collect his duffle, which had miraculously managed to stay on the jumpseat even when Rose hadn't. Rose glared at the duffle bag as if it had personally pushed her off of the seat. The Doctor seemed amused by this. With his free hand, he helped her up off of the grating.

"Well, go on. Go and take a look." He said bending down a little so they were eye level, gesturing to the door with a wide sweep of his arm.

He was showing off. Trying to hide what he was struggling with behind the mask of a jovial tour guide, the playfulness he displayed was at least partially forced as he grinned at her. Rose rolled her eyes at him, but there was no heat to it, as she made her way towards the door with duffle in hand. The TARDIS door creaked as she pulled it open slowly.

The first thing she saw was snow. Snow blanketing the world outside and falling gently from above. She pushed the door open completely taking her first step out of the TARDIS. The black snow boots she'd found in the wardrobe room crunched satisfyingly in the pristine snow. Another step followed the first and then another and another.

A soft gasp from behind her told her Martha had joined her.

"Ah brilliant. Snow. Real proper snow." The Doctor cheered.

Rose smiled, tipping her face up to the sky. Snow catching in her hair and lashes as she did so. After taking a moment to enjoy the snow, she decided to take a proper look at her surroundings.

They'd landed in a residential area by the looks of things. Squared buildings lined the street each made of the same black textured material that stood out against the white of the snow. The identical buildings each had wide windows with coloured glass, the colour combinations the only difference between them. Great big transparent tubes lined the street each filled with some kind of liquid. A variety of species passed them by as they walked down the streets, each dressed for the cold weather.

Rose saddled up next to the Doctor.

"How come the buildings are black? You'd think they'd be pale to blend in or something." She asked, slipping her gloved hand into his on instinct.

"The colour and texture of the buildings helps them better absorb heat. The coloured glass is actually solar panels, what little sunlight they do get is converted into energy. They're very conscientious here, try to use only what is found in nature. Most things here are powered by water and wind! The colours correspond to their families." The Doctor explained.

"Should introduce people back home to the concept," Martha commented.

"They do. Or they will. It's how this planet builds interstellar relations, by trading in sustainable resources and building sustainable energy alternatives. Take the street lights for example," He pointed to the towering transparent cylinders filled with bubbling liquid with his free hand, "they're filled with bioluminescent plankton. The liquid is actually filled with nutrients that they feed on."

"Isn't that a little cruel?" Rose queried, a concerned frown marring her face.

"It's a conservation attempt. The species was nearing extinction due to pollution caused by tourists so laws were put in place to crack down on pollution and to provide a solution. And this was their answer. The tubes join up under the ground and lead back to a laboratory where they're monitored."

Rose wasn't entirely convinced. Sure it was ingenious and definitely seemed more beneficial for the planet than anything in place at home. And though they were tiny it seemed cruel to have your whole world confined to such a small space in comparison.

"What did you mean about the colours corresponding to their families?" Martha asked as they continued to stroll through the snow disrupting Rose's thoughts on the plankton.

"Well, they don't use surnames to identify themselves here. Instead, the planet is divided by the three original factions; the faction that resides here uses specific colour combinations to represent them, sort of like how there are particular tartan variations for Scottish clans, as they are textile descendants. Another faction uses specific symbols, generally weapons, as they are descendants of smithies. And the last faction uses certain animals as representations as they're responsible for livestock."

"But what about when they get married? How do they decide which family's symbol to use?" Rose asked.

"The species here are highly empathic, part of the marriage ceremony includes a ritual in which their empathy is measured. Whoever is more empathic gets to share their symbol. Their family symbol - or korsa - is considered incredibly sacred so by sharing it with someone less empathic you are showing how much you personally value them regardless of their supposed intrinsic value."

"They're valued based on their inherent empathy? Isn't that a little barbaric?" Martha scowled, appalled.

"Most societies have a measurement of value that is considered barbaric to others. But they don't see it like that here, it's generally viewed as an honour that someone of higher empathy would wish to spend their life with someone of lower empathy. Sort of like finding the good in their flaws type of ideology."

Rose wasn't too convinced about that either. But she could agree that systems that measured a person's intrinsic value in any hierarchical society were generally cruel to those deemed to have less worth. Was it that different from different jobs and subsequent classes being treated as less on Earth?

"So what's the plan?" Rose asked, changing the subject. "You mentioned something about resorts."

They'd been walking for a while now and she knew the Doctor had been planning something but he hadn't specified as to what.

"Well this area is all residential, but they have more familiar log-style cabins for visitors near the resorts and that's where we're heading." He explained, not divulging further.

"And what, they don't have any transport to get there?" Martha asked pointedly.

While the two girls had dressed warmly, clothes lined with furs, fleece and all kinds of fabrics Martha couldn't name, the Doctor was only in his suit. The Doctor seemed awfully fond of great long treks and certainly saw no problem with running about everywhere. But Martha was not accustomed to traversing such distances so frequently yet.

"Of course they do. But this is much better for sightseeing and getting a lay of the land."

Rose stared at him for a moment before a teasing smile stretched across her lips.

"We parked further than you planned, didn't we?"

The Doctor scratched the back of his neck with his free hand, embarrassed.

"Well," He said, dragging the word out in the way he was want to do, "maybe a little bit. But still. Look at it! It's stunning. Why would you want to miss out on this?"

"I'm starting to think you can't control the TARDIS," Martha muttered from a few steps behind them.

"It's not my fault! The navigation system was knackered when I borrowed her. And she's got a couple more centuries of mileage on her now." The Doctor grumbled a tad petulantly.

Rose came to a sudden stop in shock, the Doctor stumbled as he was tugged back by their conjoined hands.

"You stole the TARDIS?"

"Borrowed. And well they weren't going to just let me have one as I failed my test. Besides she'd been decommissioned - apparently she was a little disobedient - no one was going to want her and she was going to be scrapped. What was I supposed to do? I wanted to leave Gallifrey and so did she." He shrugged as if it was completely reasonable to steal a sentient multi-dimensional time machine.

"Maybe they had a point in failing you." Martha pointed out when Rose continued to gape at the Doctor.

"Oi!"

Martha shrugged. "You stole a knackered time machine that you don't have the qualifications to use and was already temperamental. Seems like they saw it coming."

"We never got along." He mumbled barely audible but Rose caught it. "I was always going to return her."

"You two were made for each other." Rose finally found her voice.

The Doctor shrugged, but there was a slight twitching of his lips as he fought to suppress his smile. They started walking again, the shock had worn off and Rose's legs now working again.

From what Rose had gleaned of the Doctor's relationship with his fellow Timelords, they didn't exactly get along, him being a little too rebellious for the strict society. It made sense that the TARDIS - the Doctor's longest companion she'd wager - was equally rebellious. Though it did make Rose wonder why Bad Wolf had chosen her. All of time and space, every variable timeline that the TARDIS could choose, and she'd chosen the one that lined up with Rose.

They'd been walking for maybe ten minutes when the dark residential buildings gave way to brightly coloured cylindrical buildings. The windows of these buildings were clear allowing you to view the merchandise inside the building. People flitted in and out of the building, netted bags hanging from assorted limbs.

Shops. They'd reached the shopping district. Rose wondered if shopping was on today's agenda and part of the reason as to why they hadn't taken transport straight to their lodge.

"Ah the Ciurtirist markets. Perfect for gift shopping and everyday essentials. Best known for their carriets." The Doctor proclaimed.

"They're known for their carrots?" Rose questioned, not sure she'd heard him correctly. It was difficult to keep up with his gob sometimes.

"Carr-iets." The Doctor corrected, "They're mini snow fountains. They're like water fountains but instead of water, they spray perpetual snow. Often the scene is encased in a dome, like a snow globe. They're brilliant. I bought five the last time I was here."

"What do you need five snow fountains for?" Martha queried, looking at the Timelord confused.

"Why not?" The Doctor shot back unrepentant. "Each carriet is handcrafted so each one is slightly different and they come with different folk songs. You can't just choose one."

Martha looked to Rose for clarification.

"He's a bit of a hoarder," Rose told her with a shrug, having long come to terms with this particular quirk of the Doctor's.

"Oi! I'm not a hoarder. I prefer the term collector. And you can speak for yourself, Rose Tyler, I've seen your room."

Rose shrugged unfazed.

"Must have picked it up from you. Think your bad habits are rubbing off on me." Rose shot back, giving him one of her tongue in teeth grins.

The affronted expression on the Doctor's fell away at the sight of Rose's grin, Martha thought she might have even seen him gulp before he turned away from Rose.

My god, they were unbearable, Martha thought to herself with a smile. They were sickeningly sweet sometimes. She still wasn't entirely sure she believed that they weren't together. Except when the other wasn't looking they got these looks of painful longing like the other was all they wanted but couldn't have. She was going to have to ask Rose about that one day.

She'd always been too curious for her own good.

"So how do you pay for alien snow fountains? Do they have a cashpoint or something around here?" Martha asked a tad sarcastically.

Rose laughed, catching the other girl's eye as she did so. The Doctor glared lightly at Rose seemingly scolding her because it really wasn't that funny. Rose simply raised an eyebrow back at him in response.

"They accept universal credit here so you don't need to worry about that. I should have one in my pockets. Rose, do you have yours?" The Doctor responded.

"Yep." The blonde said, popping the 'p' as she pulled out a sleek metal strip from her coat. "Unlimited credit, it comes in handy." She told Martha.

"I'll bet."

The Doctor was still rummaging through his own pockets, that was the problem with bigger on the inside pockets, it took much longer to find anything. He was now elbow deep in one of his pockets still unable to locate the credit stick. Rose was watching him struggle with amusement, tapping her own credit stick against her chin in the process, as if rubbing in the fact that she'd already found hers.

"Aha!" He withdrew two identical metal strips, with a triumphant cry, handing one to Martha. "Don't go spending it all on sweets, have fun, meet back up in an hour." He rattled off the instructions looking sternly at Rose for the last part.

"I'm not going to wander off. You know I love a good shopping spree."

"Oh don't I ever." He said with faux pain.

Rose shoved him with a scoff. He stumbled back a few steps in the snow, no longer tethered together by their hands since he'd been rummaging in his pockets.

"One hour." He repeated.

"I heard you." Rose brushed him off, already dragging Martha towards the first shop.

Martha looked back over her shoulder at the Doctor to see him watching them with an intense expression that made her quickly look away. She briefly wondered what the comment about wandering off had been about. She'd heard the Doctor refer to Rose as jeopardy friendly plenty of times since coming aboard but surely he didn't think they were in any danger here. Right?

Then again hadn't she been thinking about Rose's seeming tendency to neglect her health only moments prior.

The first shop seemed to be selling warm apparel. They weaved their way through the aisle stopping every now and then but ultimately left without buying anything. The TARDIS wardrobe already had all this and more. But it was still nice to look at the different options for different species available.

They spent an hour flitting between the different shops that were selling mainly local delicacies, clothing, carriets and equipment for traversing and enjoying the snow. Conversation was light and idle between the two girls, focused mainly on the alien artefacts surrounding them.

Martha was quickly racking up quite a collection of souvenirs and treats, this was her first alien shopping trip after all.

Rose - who often loved a good shopping spree - was more reserved in her spending on this occasion, gaze constantly searching out the Doctor. Worried about the Doctor, she spent more time gnawing at her lip than looking at the goods on offer.

Martha was trying to ignore Rose's distracted attitude, wanting to give the girl space as well as enjoy the opportunity before her but it was getting increasingly difficult to do so.

"Okay, spit it out." Martha finally spoke up.

Rose's head whipped around to face her, confusion etched into the lines of her face.

"Wha' you talkin' bout?"

"Oh come off it. You've been distracted the whole time we've been here, and don't give me that tired excuse again, you've barely bought anything."

That was true. While Martha now had several netted bags of goods, Rose's purchases came to a grand total of two. A hot drink that she'd bought to stave off the cold and some thicker socks than what had been on offer in the wardrobe room.

"So what is it?"

Rose kicked up some of the snow at her feet as she thought, covering her boots in the process. She didn't want to give Martha further reason to worry by sharing her concerns about the Doctor, it was why she hadn't brought it up in the wardrobe room. Hadn't needed to really, there was a lot playing on her mind as of late.

"Usually I get a little souvenir for my mum at places like this. Can't exactly do that anymore. Not sure what exactly to get instead." Rose explained, staring a way off so as not to meet Martha's gaze.

She didn't want sympathy, she'd made her choice and she knew her mother was happy and healthy where she was. She wouldn't change a thing. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt. And this was all still new for Martha, she wasn't about to ruin it for her. It's why she hadn't said anything, not wanting to put a dampener on things so early on.

There was also the small fact that she'd realised the Doctor had used the excuse of shopping to be on his own. And with how things had been lately she was worried that he'd gone off to throw himself headfirst into danger to distract himself. He could be awfully self-sacrificing when he wanted to.

But Martha wasn't like Rose. She wasn't driven by emotions, she was driven by logic first and foremost. And while she was sympathetic to the blonde's plight, her focus was more on providing a solution than empty platitudes.

"Who says you can't still get her something? It might help with the grieving. Write letters about all the things you'd normally tell her, buy the things you want to give her. You're trying to confront too much at once, it's better to deal with her loss gradually." Martha picked up one of the handcrafted mugs in front of her, the TARDIS kitchen was filled with the Doctor and Rose's personal mugs and she'd quite like one herself rather than one of the generic ones she'd been using. "And you never know, with the life you live, maybe you'll see her again."

After a moment of silence, Martha turned back to face Rose, worried she'd upset her further. But instead of hurt at Martha's detached response, a small smile graced Rose's face. Rose was the first to look away.

"Maybe you're right. It might help." Martha nodded, softly. "You should get that one," Rose told her, pointing to the mug she'd first picked up, before heading to the next store.

Martha looked at the first mug again. A large burgundy mug with moon-like craters decorating its surface and a chrome handle. It was beautiful and oddly fitting. She handed the credit stick over to the store's owner to pay for the mug, before following after Rose.

She was looking at tea blends. At least they looked like tea blends to Martha, for all she knew it could be this planet's equivalent of a salad.

After that, there was a bounce in their step as they flitted from store to store, the purchases quickly racking up. They each left with one of the famous carriets the Doctor had mentioned. Martha's was a scene of two figures ice skating over a frozen lake. The snow falling from an ice sculpture of a swan-like bird in the middle of the lake, covering the twirling figures. Rose's was of a dance hall, the figures decked in sleek gowns as they spun in an unfamiliar fashion in trios rather than the usual couples. The snow fell from a golden light fixture above the dancers, covering the scene in golden flecks.

They made their way back to the spot where the Doctor had left them as their hour drew to a close. They perched on a bricked wall, nattering as they waited for the Doctor to return. Rose was the first to spot him.

"Beat you back." She told him with a teasing grin.

Martha spun around to spot whoever she was addressing to find the Doctor standing there.

"Well, I figured I had a few spare minutes knowing your penchant for getting sidetracked. Martha must be a good influence on you."

"I don't get sidetracked, talk about pot kettle."

The Doctor opened his mouth for a rebuttal that Martha was sure would spark off another round of gloriously, domestic bickering. It was cute in a pinch but after over a month with them, she knew when to nip it in the bud and when to let it be.

"So anything else planned? Or can we head inside now, I can't feel my nose and while I know how to treat pneumonia, I'd rather not." Martha stepped in.

"Of course. The lodges are just after the shopping district. We can take a tarron."

The two girls looked at each other in confusion.

"And a tarron is?" Rose asked, taking one for the team.

"Basically this planet's equivalent of a taxi service. Looks sort of like one of those bike cars you get on Earth but instead of wheels it's a sleigh."

"Right," Martha said slowly, still frowning.

That really hadn't cleared anything up but at least they knew they wouldn't have to walk in the cold for much longer.

It was a short walk to the closest tarron dock. The Doctor enquired into the two women's purchases from their spree. Rose told the Doctor of Martha's idea to buy items in remembrance of her mum as she showed him the tea blend and trinkets she'd picked out. The Doctor shot Martha a proud smile before agreeing in a soft nostalgic voice that Jackie would have loved them.

Martha hadn't been able to tell how well the Doctor had known Rose's mum from the bits and pieces she'd picked up, but in that moment Martha could tell that the woman likewise meant a lot to him. They both missed the woman that was stuck a universe away.

It made her miss her own mother. She'd spoken to her just the other day as they'd hurtled towards a sun on a doomed spaceship. She'd promised to come for dinner that night but with the TARDIS she could stretch that deadline over hours, days, weeks, months even! She wasn't ready to go home yet, not by any stretch but it did make her nostalgic for all those moments she was missing out on for now.

Maybe she should have taken her own advice and picked out some things for her family. Though how she'd ever be able to explain how she'd acquired them. If the Doctor got her back when he promised, then to them she would never have been gone at all. So how would she be able to explain away all the trinkets she'd bought them on the travels they didn't know she'd been on?

In the tarron the Doctor and Rose sat almost cuddled up to the other mainly chatting amongst themselves, they didn't exclude Martha from the conversation by far. But she was happier to simply observe them and the alien landscape speeding past her window. Absently Martha wondered about those other people that Rose had mentioned travelling with them. Did they too feel like an outsider looking in sometimes?

Martha was not oblivious, not by a longshot. She could see that they cared deeply for each other, but there was a distance between them that confused her. And there was a distance between themselves and the universe that had become all the more apparent since their trip on McDonnell's ship. At first, Martha had passed it off as lingering trauma from the event.

But Rose had been there to comfort her after her nightmares. They'd sat in the kitchen, the library, even the stargazing room and spoke. Rose reassuring her that she'd survived, that she was safe and that the nightmares would pass. Some may linger longer than others but she'd come out the other side wiser, but not always necessarily stronger.

And Rose had reassured her that her own sleeplessness was not the result of nightmares, though Martha hadn't thought to ask about present nightmares on those nights when Rose had sat with her. Only of how she'd dealt with nightmares in the past.

No, this distance Rose projected seemed different. A distance from herself as though she didn't fully trust herself anymore now that she knew what lingered beneath her skin. A power she didn't understand, a power she couldn't confide in the Doctor about.

And perhaps that was where the Doctor's own distance was coming from. Perhaps it was more than just having his mind ravaged by a telepathic sun but a reaction to Rose's own distant self. Or perhaps - as she'd just learnt - it was distance borne out of grief for the woman they'd both lost.

Martha couldn't be certain. But it did leave her curious and wondering about those other people that had travelled with them and known them. What had they seen of the two travellers?

Martha could say though, that they both seemed more jovial outside of the TARDIS than within her confines. Whether it was out of habit, a facade to reassure the other or true joy Martha wasn't sure. But she was glad for it.

Sooner than she expected she was pulled from her thoughts by the stopping of the tarron. They'd stopped on a street lined with wooden cabins, familiar enough in style to the ones you'd find back home for Martha to momentarily forget that she wasn't stood on Earth soil.

Martha was the first to exit the tarron, staring at her surroundings with her purchases in hand. Rose and the Doctor hopped out behind her, the Doctor thanking the driver as he paid. Lost in thought as she was, she didn't notice Rose step up beside her.

The landscape reminded her of the ski trips she used to take with her family, before the turmoil, the divorce, the family fractures and the loss of her twin sister. She'd been thinking about those times more often recently, reminded of them as she was by the separation of time and space and Rose's separation from her mother. A happier, easier time. Idyllic even. A time remembered through the rose coloured glasses of childhood. The fractures in her family's foundations had always been there just unnoticed in her childhood innocence.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Rose said from where she'd been standing beside her watching her for a few moments now.

"Yeah, very fairytale Christmas though," Martha answered absently.

Rose laughed, "Yeah, I suppose it is."

"You two coming?" The Doctor called from ahead of them.

Martha startled. When had he gotten there? She looked about herself and spotted the tarron down the road, already heading back to town and the Doctor a good three cabins ahead. How long had she been lost in thought?

She turned to look at Rose, who only gave her a gentle smile before picking up her bags.

"Come on, best catch up before we lose him in the snow."

"I'm pretty sure we'd still be able to hear him, talking to himself as he does."

Rose laughed again in agreement, "Race you!" She said before charging through the snow.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Martha shouted before darting after her.

Martha would never admit to being particularly competitive but it was pretty much unavoidable as the middle child of busy parents and as a twin. And a race was the type of challenge she couldn't ignore.

The snow made it difficult to manoeuvre but through sheer determination, she managed to just pass by Rose to reach the Doctor who was already waiting for them outside of one of the log cabins.

"I win!" Martha called as she came to a stop, breathing heavily besides an amused Timelord.

Rose reached them a moment later.

"How did you do that?" Rose panted coming to a stop, hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

"We used to bet doing the dishes on whoever could win in a race, our least favourite chore. Leo usually won so he rarely did them. Me and Addie used to race each other so we could try to beat him."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Are you two done?" Asked the Doctor, trying to hide his amusement.

"Speaking of bets, you still owe me twenty quid."

"I don't know what you're talking about." The Doctor sniffed, adjusting his tie before striding to the door of the log cabin they were standing in front of.

Rose laughed, "Don't think I'll forget Mister." Rose teased following him up the path.

"Wouldn't dare." The Doctor said, matching her tone before pushing open the cabin door, likely a distraction tactic not that Rose seemed to mind if her excited gasp was anything to go by.

The Doctor indicated to the interior with a flourish of his hand. Martha found it rather amusing if a little dramatic. But the two women stepped inside nonetheless.

The room they stepped into appeared to be a living room with large clear windows that took up the majority of the opposite wall showing a snowy garden. A large black stone fireplace sat on the right wall with two doors on either side of it. There were two large plush muted sage green sofas one sat beneath the windows with the other facing it from the other side of a dark wooden oval table. A matching plush armchair sat between them next to the left wall, another wooden door in the front left corner behind it. The floors were wooden too, covered only by the furniture and the cream fur rug in front of the fireplace. A matching cream throw hung over the back of the sofa closest to them with its back to them.

The Doctor shut the door behind them as they looked around. Rose was edging towards the right side of the room where the two identical doors waited.

"Where do the doors go?" Rose asked.

"The front right one leads to the staircase that'll take you upstairs to the bedrooms. The back one leads to a downstairs bathroom and a storage room with fuel for the fireplace. The left door opens into the kitchen and dining room, the backdoor is also through there."

"How did you manage to do this in twenty minutes?" Martha questioned, confused, in truth it had probably been longer than twenty minutes that they'd been in the wardrobe room but it was difficult to keep track of time on the TARDIS.

"Time machine." The Doctor shrugged, flopping down onto the nearest sofa, putting his feet up on the coffee table.

Rose walked over and without a word, pushed his feet off of the table and sat next to him.

"You think you're so impressive," Rose said lightly, acting unimpressed as she brushed snow off of her clothes.

"I am so impressive." The Doctor told her, smugly adjusting his tie again in what Martha assumed was an old faux argument.

Rose smiled, looking at her snow-covered boots she admitted softly, "Maybe."

They sat there for a moment just smiling like idiots before the Doctor leapt up with the clearing of his throat. The moment shattered. Rose's smile faded to something nearing melancholy - but far too accepting to be characterised as so - as she too stood, with less enthusiasm.

"Should probably put your things in a room, uh, you should probably choose a room first though." He rubbed his neck. "They should be the same as each other. But a busy couple of days ahead of us so off you pop."

"Come on, Rose." Martha took Rose's sleeve, who seemed frozen in place. "Let's have a look around."

Rose nodded, though Martha wondered if she'd even heard what she'd said as the blonde followed her out of the door to upstairs. The entire cabin seemed to be wooden, at least the stairs were also carpeted. Though Martha did wonder whether or not this planet had termites or anything similar.

At the top of the stairs, there were four doors. One led to a bathroom, another led to one of the two larger bedrooms and the last to a small bedroom that Rose reckoned was for the Doctor as he didn't sleep much. Rose took the bedroom at the end of the hall with its soft lilac shades and single corner window. Martha's was decorated in shades of light yellow that seemed more spacious with its big windowed view of the garden and fewer pieces of furniture.

Martha had tried to convince Rose to take it but Rose had been insistent that she have it especially as she was unlikely to sleep much. So reluctantly she'd conceded.

x

Once they'd unpacked and made their way back downstairs sometime later the Doctor had ushered them back out of the front door, only giving them enough time to don their coats and boots again. Martha had grumbled something along the lines of 'what's the rush?' but Rose had only laughed well accustomed to this behaviour from the Doctor.

The rush - it would seem - was to get food for their stay here, while the resort hosted many restaurants for them to eat at, it was a fair trek to make every morning for breakfast. So the Doctor - ever-practical - had figured it'd be best to make use of the cabin's cooking facilities and have breakfast there.

Next stop had been the town square - though it was rather circular with its full-size snow fountain taking centre stage - to witness the lights. This planet's version of the Northern lights. While they were waiting for the streaks of colour to paint the night sky there were fireworks.

"Let me guess, they're plankton?" Rose quietly asked the Doctor, not wanting to disturb Martha who was soaking in the sights.

"No. But they use bioluminescent powders produced by the flowers here. As well as being awfully nice to look at, shooting it into the air like this means it's dispersed over more ground because once it lands it acts as a fertiliser."

Rose was a little distracted by the way the light of the fireworks cast bright colours across the plains of the Doctor's face as he spoke. One minute he was lit up in shades of orange only to be plunged into darkness the next only to be lit up again in shades of green. She'd always liked to listen to him speak but the fireworks - or rather the dried flower powder as she'd just learnt - was setting off fireworks inside of her, she almost forgot to respond.

"Hmm, that's useful."

"Isn't it?" The Doctor grinned at her.

She couldn't help returning the grin with one of her own. Absently she realised she probably looked quite smitten in that moment, but really it wasn't her fault. He shouldn't be so bloody endearing.

She turned away from him before her grin got out of hand and turned back to the firework display. She believed the Doctor referred to them as Luxettes but she really couldn't see them as anything other than fireworks.

"Did you know about the light display when you landed us here?" She asked him.

"Nope. Just got lucky, I heard one of the locals talking about it when you two were shopping. Asked them when and where but it took a little longer than expected and that's why I was late back."

"Sure you didn't just get distracted by a gizmo?" She teased, tongue between teeth.

"Rose Tyler, I'll have you know that Timelords do not get distracted by gizmos like big overgrown, gangly magpies. We are far too impressive to be distracted by something so mediocre."

Rose fiddled with the ends of her scarf as she laughed at his faux offended pompous tone.

She'd managed to find the rainbow woven scarf she'd worn in Cardiff with Jack, Mickey and her last Doctor. She hadn't worn it for a while, thought it lost to the chaos of her wardrobe, but there it was tucked in the pocket of the winter coat she'd worn on her first Christmas with this Doctor. Oddly fitting that the two of them would be together, though she'd never worn them together or with the same Doctor until today.

"I don't know, I think you'd make a good magpie." She responded.

The Doctor spluttered beside her which only made her laugh again, drawing Martha's attention this time. Rose shot the other woman an apologetic smile. Martha shook her head with a smile before turning back to the light show.

"You, Rose Tyler, should be paying attention to the light show." The Doctor reprimanded in a faux serious tone, poking her side.

"Yes sir." She said in the same tone, giving a sarcastic salute before doing just that.

x

They'd gone to get food at one of the resort's restaurants after the light show. And though it had a spectacular sight to behold, part of Rose was uneasy with the thought that she'd seen something similar on a beach back home. But she knew that not to be true. She'd never seen the Northern lights on Earth.

The resort was situated in the centre of the rows of log cabins. They'd taken another tarron back to it and had settled into the first restaurant they'd stumbled upon with the Doctor exclaiming that 'the humans were famished'. Rose had gently kicked him under the table for that, knowing that his metabolism was much higher than a human's and he ate much more than they ever did.

Nonetheless, the hot food had been eagerly welcomed by all and was certainly delicious but by the end of the meal, Rose was exhausted once more and just wanted to crawl into her bed. Which she'd done immediately upon arriving after a quick goodnight to the others.

But unfortunately for Rose, it had not been a restful sleep. The dreams came once more.

Rose found herself in a bed with an unfamiliar floral spread in an unfamiliar room likewise unable to sleep. A desperate hungry loneliness that clawed at her, devouring any and all other emotions leaving only pain and suffering untouched. Rose sat on her bed staring at the wall with the impression that she'd lost something monumental that she'd never replace.

From outside of her room she could hear her mum and Pete chatting jovially. But that did nothing but make Rose feel worse. Here she was with everything anyone could wish for and all she could focus on was the life she'd lost.

What had she lost? Rose wondered to herself, but she received no answer.

God, she was so selfish.

A tear slipped down her cheek. Rose knew it wasn't the first to have fallen nor would it be the last. In her mind, she heard the desolate howl of a wolf, alone and abandoned as it called for its pack only to receive no response. It never would. Never again. Rose shook her head trying to stop the howling, god why wouldn't it leave her alone. Couldn't it see there was nothing she could do?

She was stuck here. Stuck in a fairytale that felt like a nightmare to no one but her.

Her eyes slipped closed for a second, she was so bloody tired. And from behind closed lids, she could see that same grey beach that she didn't recognise nor understand the importance of.

Then her eyes opened once more and the image dispersed.

It'd been like this for days. She couldn't sleep but when she did she was haunted by images of daleks, cybermen, white walls and grey beaches. She just wanted it to stop. Just wanted to be left alone. Just wanted to return to the life that had been cruelly stolen from her only to be given a gingerbread house life in return.

She remembered the Doctor's warning of parallel universes being akin to gingerbread houses, perfect and delectable on the outside but hiding a terrifying darkness inside. And he'd been right.

Another tear escaped. She felt like she was drowning but with no light, she couldn't tell which way to swim to break the surface. There was no one and nothing to bring her out of the darkness. Not anymore.

Rose woke with a gasp.

The dream faded from memory even as Rose sat there panting in the dark. She couldn't remember anything other than the notion of drowning and the feeling of unending pain.

With a frustrated sigh, she ran a hand through her hair.

She was cold and clammy in the wake of her dream. And was suddenly overcome by the sense of claustrophobia. Feeling trapped under her duvet, unable to see anything in the dark she could only feel her covers tighten around her as she writhed to free herself.

She eventually stumbled free from her bed unwilling to stay in her temporary bedroom a second longer. It was foreign and unfamiliar and something about it tugged at her in the way her dream had. She needed familiarity.

She padded as quietly down the stairs as she could, not wanting to wake Martha in her half-awake state.

And just as she knew he would be, there was the Doctor, sat alone in the living room area most decidedly not asleep. He seemed to be contemplating something as he stared ahead, feet on the coffee table again. Likely a dozen complex equations rattling around his head that Rose had no hope of determining the purpose of or understanding.

He turned to face her as she stepped across the threshold, a frown creasing his brow.

"I thought you went to sleep?" He asked before turning back to the windows, checking to see that it was indeed still night as he turned straight back around to her again.

"I was." She said simply, taking a seat at the other end of the sofa, turning so her back was against the arm so she could face him. "Bad dream woke me up." She admitted.

It wasn't the first time they'd had such a conversation. It had taken a while for her to admit as such to her first Doctor but when the sleepless nights had caught up with her and she'd all but passed out during a typical life and death situation, she'd had to come clean.

He'd been angry of course. Angry that she wasn't looking after herself. But more angry that he hadn't noticed. From that point, he'd made her promise that she would come to him if she needed him. Eventually, she'd managed to wrangle the same promise from him.

There were nights after Jack joined them that the three of them would sit huddled in the kitchen bleary-eyed from disturbed sleep and exhausted after a particularly hard adventure over cups of tea. Not always talking but just taking solace in the others' company.

That hadn't changed when the Doctor had regenerated thankfully. Normally, she'd trundle from her bed to find him working on the console. Once it became clear why she was up during her normal sleep phase he'd start narrating just what he was working on and why. She didn't understand, of course, could barely process what he was saying, half asleep as she was.

But it helped chase away the demons. Helped ground her in reality, reminding her she was fine, she was safe, she was on the TARDIS with the Doctor and nothing could get them here. They were safe. They'd survived.

On the rare occasion that the Doctor did sleep only to be awoken by nightmares, he'd come to Rose's room and sit on the end of her bed or in the chair beside it, and gently rouse her from sleep to hear her talk. An arrangement they'd come to during his current regeneration when Rose had realised that her last Doctor would only confide in her if she was already awake.

Sometimes he'd stay even after she'd accidentally fallen back to sleep, leaving only to make breakfast which they'd then eat in Rose's room and decide whether or not to brave leaving the TARDIS that day.

Most times though, he'd slink away at some point and the next time she'd see him would be to find him extra exuberant and bouncing around the kitchen chatting a mile a minute. On those days Rose knew to wear her best trainers because they'd be running for their lives as the Doctor tried to outrun his demons.

She didn't mind, not really. She wanted to do the same some days. Run so far and so fast that whatever had haunted her in the night seemed like nothing at all. It wasn't healthy but sometimes it was all you could do to just keep going.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Another common feature of nights like this.

Rose shook her head, picking at a thread on her pyjama trousers.

"I don't remember what it was about. I just felt lost and almost trapped." She licked her lips as she stared at the ceiling trying to remember more specifics of whatever had woken her, but she couldn't.

The Doctor nodded in understanding, even with the vague details of her dream.

"You just lost your mum, Rose. Bad dreams are almost to be expected."

She ran a hand through her hair, getting stuck in the ends, tangled from sleep. She worked on freeing her fingers as she thought about her response. Using the task as a convenient distraction from what she was feeling.

"I know, and I did in the beginning before I got to say goodbye to her. But this feels different. Like it's something else." She doesn't meet his eye as she speaks, directing far too much focus to her tangled strands.

She almost feels guilty about such an admission. She would have before. But they'd both come a long way in accepting that they were not to blame for their subconscious musings. She wasn't a bad person for not being haunted by her mum's loss anymore. Yet there was always a niggling doubt that remained.

"You're probably right. We've been through a lot in the past couple of months, anything could be the cause of bad dreams."

Rose had to agree with him on that. They had had a couple of hectic months, Martha particularly.

"And what about you?" She asked instead, still finger-combing her hair. She wasn't entirely ready to meet his eye, while she knew she wouldn't find judgement there, it was still difficult to talk about.

"Me? I'm fine."

"Oh come off it." She finally met his gaze, not letting him avoid the topic any longer. "Ever since the distress call with McDonnell's crew you've been avoiding anywhere remotely warm. I've seen more snow this week than I had in nineteen years on the estate. You once told me what a violation an intrusion like that was. Bad dreams are to be expected." She echoed his earlier words back to him.

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably on the sofa at her direct approach. But she didn't let up, pinning him with her gaze until he finally sighed.

"It's not the first time I've had my mind invaded like that, and I doubt it'll be the last either. But I can still feel its lingering presence as it torched through my memories and the most sacred parts of my mind. I haven't felt that vulnerable in a while." He admitted staring out of the window.

Rose nodded.

"Is it helping?" He turned to look at her with a confused expression painted in the furrow of his brow. "Pretending that heat doesn't exist. Is it helping erase the memory of the sun in your mind? Because if it is, I'm not going to argue. But if it isn't, then maybe it's time to admit that running from your problems isn't going to solve them this time because it's not sustainable."

His brow furrowed further as he considered his response.

"It's helping. And I know we can't stay like this. Sooner or later the universe will need us or I'll get bored of it, whichever happens first. But for now, it's helping."

"Then we'll stay. Until it stops helping, you get bored or the universe needs us. Whichever happens first."

They shared a smile then. Their respective burdens a little lighter now.

Rose wished they could stay in moments like this where it was just them and they could be brutally honest with each other without the masks. She had felt like she couldn't be like that lately. Everything going on with the TARDIS had consumed her, she knew the Doctor had likely put it down to her missing her mum and she hadn't been able to correct him. Had used Martha's presence onboard to distract and distance him.

Martha was a far better-suited companion after all. She could actually keep up with him more often than not, and she was a doctor too. What did Rose have? Obviously, she knew the answer to that, she'd grown a lot since she was nineteen years old. But it was difficult to remember that sometimes.

Especially with newer niggling doubts involving the TARDIS and Martha. She tried to push past all of them. She'd made her choice and she wouldn't change it for the world but she worried one day he would.

Rose shifted on the sofa trying to physically remove the unpleasant thoughts. She shifted until her head was resting on the Doctor's shoulder as she spotted a discarded book on the sofa arm.

"Read to me?" She asked tentatively, eyes heavier than they were moments before even while the fear from her dreams still lingered.

"Of course." He said picking up the book, clearing his throat he began to read to her.

Rose didn't quite catch what the story was, just content to let the Doctor's voice wash over her. They weren't better but their burdens were lighter and they still had each other and really what mattered more than that?

x

Eventually, the Doctor became aware of the little panted breaths escaping through parting lips signalling Rose had fallen back asleep while he'd been reading. He pressed a kiss to her hair as he considered her words from before, trying to ignore the guilt churning away in his gut.

She'd reassured him multiple times about her decision to come back, that she didn't regret it but that didn't stop his own doubts. He knew what it was to lose your family, had known long before the time war had ever loomed over him. And Rose was so young in comparison she couldn't know that she wouldn't feel differently in a decade or more.

So while he believed her when she said her nightmare hadn't been due to the loss of her mother that didn't mean his guilt on the matter had lessened. Especially with all the subsequent guilt that came with all the trouble, they'd been getting into lately.

Rose hadn't been herself - not entirely - since Canary Wharf and while there had been moments where everything slotted back into place like tonight, he still worried about where she went when she wasn't present. Was she already regretting her decision but didn't want to upset him? Was she considering leaving? Would she stay with Shareen when they went for dinner? Or maybe Sarah-Jane? Was that why she'd invited Martha? As a barrier or a replacement?

These questions had been haunting him on repeat for months now but he hadn't said anything. Just as she hadn't said anything in turn about her distance. So perhaps that was the issue. He'd responded to her distance with his own, neither addressing the issue. He briefly wondered which of them had picked the trait up from whom. After all this body was built for Rose, he could deny it all he wanted but it had been obvious to him from the start. He wondered if she knew that? Saw the reflections of herself in aspects of this him.

That thought sent his mind down another path as he looked down at her asleep on his shoulder. Probably not. After all, she had wanted the old him back, to begin with, and he'd never been any good about saying what was in his hearts, relying on his actions to get the message across. But the cultural differences between himself and his companions often led to misunderstandings both intentional and unintentional on his part.

But Rose had been different from the start. Had known when to push, when to distract, when to ask questions and when to just be there. It had been evident to him from their first trip when they'd argued about the TARDIS getting in her head and who he was. When it had all kicked off Rose had offered an olive branch and a distraction in the form of her mobile.

Afterwards, he recalled her doing the same when he'd forgotten about Mickey. Trying to calm his anger by asking about his accent and when that hadn't worked asking about the TARDIS' appearance.

But there were limitations even to Rose's insight. And the same could be said for him. While this body was built for Rose he still found himself at a loss sometimes, like right now.

Logically he knew if he wanted her to open up and close the distance between them he'd have to do the same. But the other part of him feared he'd drive her even further away if he did so. And he couldn't lose her. Knew it would destroy him. It always hurt when a companion left whether willingly or taken from him, but somehow he knew it'd be worse with Rose.

Not somehow, you know why it'll hurt more with her. His mind whispered vindictively in the background to his train of thoughts, he swatted at the voice refusing to listen. It had gotten harder to ignore that line of thinking ever since Kroptor, the beast's words lingering even after he verbally dismissed them.

While he may not lose Rose today or even tomorrow, he would one day. And the storm he sensed had still not passed as he'd first assumed, it had abated for the moment but it was still there on the horizon taunting him.

Pressing another kiss to her hair as the arm around her waist pulled her tighter to him as his fears got the better of him, he feebly hoped the universe would be kind for once and let him keep Rose Tyler a little while longer.

x

Rose woke the next morning in her bed, the smell of food cooking rousing her further from sleep. It wasn't unusual for Rose to find herself tucked back up in bed after she'd fallen asleep somewhere she wasn't supposed to, part of her mind hissed maliciously that she shouldn't get used to it, it would only hurt all the more when he inevitably tired of her.

Rose glared into the empty room at the thought. Old insecurities die hard, the rot of Jimmy's abuse had deep roots in her mind that she couldn't entirely free herself. But she wouldn't let that bastard ruin her friendship with the Doctor. Especially when she noted the book that the Doctor had been reading to her was now on her bedside table and the chair that had been beneath her window now besides that.

Pulling back the covers with greater ease than she had last night when she'd stumbled free from them in the wake of her dream, she walked to the kitchen with bleary eyes and a grumbling stomach.

The kitchen was made of large segmented windows that showcased the winter wonderland they'd found themselves in beautifully, the dining table sitting just below the windows.

The door at the far end that led to the back garden was kept shut because of the cold but there were snowy shoe prints that led to the Doctor - who was currently standing at what constituted as a stove on the wall perpendicular to her - that suggested he'd been out there previously.

Martha was already sitting at the dining table, mug in hand as she gazed out the window, chatting absently with the Doctor.

Rose hadn't thought she was making that much noise but as soon as she stepped through the doorway the Doctor spun towards her dropping his spatula into the frying pan.

"Rose! There you are. Thought I was going to have to pull you out of bed." He told her at his usual million miles an hour tempo as he walked over to her, a mug now in hand rather than a spatula. "Here's your tea, brought the tea bags from the TARDIS, should still be warm." He stuck a finger into the tea. "Yep, still warm."

She tried not to grimace as he dipped a finger into her morning beverage. Said finger having already disappeared into his mouth to lick the tea clean from it. It was unfortunately fairly common for the food onboard the TARDIS to have the Doctor's fingerprints in it. Nonetheless, she took the mug gratefully when he pressed it into her hands and began ushering her towards the table.

"I was just telling Martha about our plans for the day. Hopefully, the TARDIS showed you the ski clothes because those will definitely come in handy today." He returned to the stove as soon as he made sure she was sitting.

Rose turned to Martha expectantly with a question in her eyes, but the young doctor just shrugged looking just as perplexed. Though the Doctor had been talking it apparently hadn't been entirely clear and Martha didn't know the extent of today's plans either. That wasn't unusual either. Well, they'd find out sooner or later.

Rose sipped at her tea as the Doctor brought over plates of food. One of the dishes looked vaguely like scrambled eggs minus the green and salmon splotches of colour. She knew better than to question the dishes presented to her by now and just started scooping stuff onto her plate, the Doctor doing the same with gusto between her and Martha. Martha joined a moment later with slight reluctance.

The Doctor started to speak again a second later through a mouthful, but the words were unintelligible.

"Don't speak with your mouth full." Rose reminded him absently when she noticed Martha's disgusted expression.

"Sorry." He mumbled, still chewing.

Rose rolled her eyes exasperatedly, trying to ignore the fond tug of her heart. God, she had it bad.

x

Rose was rubbish at skiing she'd learnt.

They'd gone back to the resort after breakfast to begin the day's activities. Which they'd quickly realised was skiing upon sitting through the brief instructional seminar. Martha had taken to it like a duck to water. Apparently, her family used to go on skiing trips before everything had fallen apart. And of course, the Doctor also had experience, not that that was all that surprising considering he had been around for centuries.

But Rose had quickly realised it was not the sport for her. There were too many things to keep in mind. The skis themselves, then her ski poles, the landscape and her posture and body. And honestly, it was all a bit much.

She may have looked the part in her pink ski pants, white turtleneck, matching white snow boots and winter coat, pink bobble hat, pink snow gloves and hired out ski equipment but appearances did not equal ability.

She'd given it a valiant effort, not liking to be beaten. But after several tumbles and slips, she was pretty sure her shins and bum were thoroughly bruised by her attempts. She kept hitting herself with the ski poles, forgetting they were there, and had eventually decided to call it quits, content to just watch the other two exceed where she was most certainly not.

She'd stick to skating, thank you very much.

Martha was easy to spot amongst the other skiers in her purple ski suit, white snow boots and matching purple snow gloves. The Doctor was similarly easy to spot in his usual brown suit and long coat. The instructors had tried to convince him to change into something more appropriate, perhaps one of the outfits available in the resort's store? But if there was one thing the Doctor could do in any regeneration, it was argue.

He'd predictably won that argument. As was evident by the long coat billowing in the breeze as he hurtled over the course on his skis, Martha often not far behind him. And after their conversation last night she'd known he wouldn't be swayed into wearing something warmer.

Half an hour or so later, Martha rejoined her with a beaming grin, cheeks flushed from the cold and the skiing.

"You not joining us?" She asked, a little breathless.

"Can't seem to keep my skis under me." Rose teased at her own expense.

She didn't mind honestly. Time travel did not grant you every skill, unfortunately. And it would probably be pretty boring if it did, where was the fun in excelling at everything?

"We'll teach you." The Doctor suddenly spoke up from behind her.

Rose jumped at the unexpected voice, she swung around to face him.

"I was quite enjoying just watching, honestly." She tucked a strand of hair that had blown free back into her bobble hat as she spoke.

"Come on, Rose!" The Doctor was trying to bounce on his heels now as he dragged her name out, unable to do so with the skis on though. "It'll be fun."

Rose deliberated for a moment but it was very hard to focus when the Doctor was smiling at her like that. How could she ever say no to anything he asked when he looked like that?

"Go on, then. But ten quid says even you are going to have to admit defeat on this one."

The Doctor just grinned back.

x

An hour later and she was no better.

"Okay, I'm done." She laughed as she pulled herself up off of the snow again. "It is too cold and I think I'm getting worse. I'm gonna take respite in the cafe. You two have fun but I want you home by midnight." She joked.

"Yes ma'am." The Doctor mock saluted in return.

Rose waved them off as she headed back up to the resort and off of the slopes. Once she was a distance away she heard Martha turn to the Doctor.

"You do realise that means you owe her a tenner, right?"

"I've lost more than a tenner in bets to Rose Tyler recently." The Doctor responded sheepishly.

Rose grinned to herself, she didn't need to turn around to know he was probably rubbing the back of his neck, familiar as she was with his body language by now.

x

The cafe was lovely and the spiced hot drinks on offer even more so. She didn't feel like she was missing out and it was nice to have a break from falling over constantly. Instead, she'd taken to people watching. The Doctor had been right about Cuitir being a tourist spot. Beings of all kinds and shapes were making use of the resort.

About twenty minutes into her people-watching, she pulled out the small sketchpad she'd stowed in her coat pocket, switching it from yesterday's black one to today's. Her white coat didn't have the bigger inside pockets like her other one so it took some manoeuvring to free it and her pencils for some quick sketches.

She'd managed to draw ten or so rough figures when the Doctor and Martha joined her about two hours ago. She had no real way of telling how much time had passed, she didn't have the Doctor's time sense.

The Doctor flopped down in the chair next to her looking over her shoulder as she finished up the last figure.

"A Tenfoal." The Doctor told her. "And a good likeness too."

Rose hummed her thanks. The Doctor was fairly nosey, not entirely understanding the concept of boundaries it would seem sometimes, so it wasn't the first time he'd seen a drawing or something of hers. But it still left her feeling a little vulnerable when people caught her unfinished sketches.

While she didn't have to worry about criticism from the Doctor she couldn't shake the feeling that it was like baring part of her soul to someone, each sketch containing a little piece of her.

She went to close the sketchpad and press it down onto the table but the Doctor instead scooped it out of her hands to flick through. She threw him a mock glare in response.

"Did you have fun? I expected you guys to be longer, honestly."

Martha chuckled from where she was reclining opposite Rose. It was then that Rose realised that the chair that had been a third of a way around the table had now been slid up beside her own.

"It's been three and a half hours. We've been here five hours." Martha told her.

Rose had not been expecting that. She knew she'd been caught up in her sketches and people watching but she didn't think it could have been that long.

"I like this one best." The Doctor shoved her sketchpad under her nose to show her which one he was referring to.

"Get it out of my face." She laughed, shoving his arm out from under her nose.

"Sorry, could you not see it that close up?" The Doctor questioned cluelessly.

Rose shook her head in fond exasperation.

God, it was really hard to forget why she couldn't just kiss him sometimes, why they were just friends.

"No, you plum. Some of us don't have 'superior timelord senses'." She mocked in an intentionally awful attempt at his voice.

"I don't sound like that, and I should know I have superior hearing too." He told her primly as he straightened his tie.

Rose shoved his arm again causing the tie he was straightening to lie crooked instead.

"What a scoundrel you are, Miss Tyler." The Doctor exclaimed in an even more exaggerated tone.

"Scoundrel, am I? Suppose that's an improvement on stupid ape." She couldn't help but tease back.

The Doctor flopped back in his chair. "You were never a stupid ape."

"No?" She laughed.

"No. Just the rest of them. Minus a few like Martha."

"Ah, gotcha," Rose exclaimed in faux understanding. "Just the few you choose, right?"

"Exactly." He sniffed.

"You're impossible." He only seemed to preen at her words. "It looked like they had something resembling banana cake up there, did you see?" She told him, because she just had to get him to stop looking at her like that before she did something stupid. It was all very well and good when he kissed her in Rome or pressed a kiss to her hair, but she knew if she pushed it further than the usual kiss to his cheek he'd clam up indefinitely.

Taking the bait like she knew he would, the Doctor all but leapt from his chair as he headed to the cafe counter and their display of cakes.

Rose chuckled as she watched him go, the sound fading to something bittersweet until she noticed Martha watching her.

"What?"

"Nothing," Martha said unconvincingly.

"No, it's something. Come on."

"I'm just trying to understand this whole 'only friends' thing."

Rose scowled at the air quotes as she shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"What's there to understand we're friends and that's it."

"But you wish it was more than just that?" Martha pointed out leaning forward in her chair.

Rose sighed, settling back against her seat, she picked up the sketchpad the Doctor had left on his seat to fiddle with.

"It's complicated."

"Oh yeah, it must be so complicated. You care about him and he cares about you. Wow, definitely complicated." Martha retorted sarcastically, stirring her drink.

Rose gave a wry smile at that, "He's an alien and 900 odd years old he doesn't see me like that. We're just friends. Doesn't really matter how I feel about it because he'd never allow anything else to happen. I'll keep ageing and one day he'll have to watch me die if I don't go before that."

She tore the corner off of a new page needing an outlet for the bubbling emotions at the topic of conversation. Rose had made her peace with it honestly. The Doctor had her whole heart but she knew nothing would come of it, couldn't come of it because he wouldn't allow it to, haunted by the ever-looming countdown to her last breath.

It was sort of morbid to think about, she tried not to really, but the realisation had been lingering in the background of her thoughts ever since that conversation outside a cafe after the fateful meeting with Sarah-Jane.

She loved the Doctor and she'd rather have him in her life as a friend and nothing more than to not have him at all.

"Okay, but you've at least got to admit he feels something for you. He doesn't treat you like 'just a friend', not entirely. Case in point." Martha gestured to the distance between Rose and the Doctor's chairs and then the distance to her own.

Rose gnawed at her lip as she tried to ignore the points Martha was making.

"We've always been like that. It doesn't mean anything, not to him at any rate."

Martha scoffed, she cocked her head to the side as she regarded Rose with what she could only describe as an 'are you kidding me' look.

Rose just looked away. She didn't want Martha to make her question everything she knew. She knew where her and the Doctor stood, where they would always stand, where they could always only stand.

It didn't matter that she knew there was a difference between her own relationship with the Doctor and others. Previously she'd put it down to her being the only female on the TARDIS, but with Martha on board she could no longer continue with that weak attempt at delusion. Could only remind herself of the reasons why they couldn't.

Martha opened her mouth as if prepared to say more when they were interrupted by another voice.

"You were right, Rose. They had strooden cake, it's not quite banana but it tastes almost the same." The Doctor was staring at his cake as he spoke, which Rose was thankful for as her head whipped round to face him.

The Doctor looked up with a smile that quickly fell as he noticed the tension between the two women. Rose forced a smile onto her face in an attempt to remedy the situation but it was a little too late.

"What happened?"

"Nothing." Rose quickly covered. "Martha was just trying to explain some of her studies to me. Safe to say I'm a little too slow on the uptake."

"Nonsense, you're brilliant." The Doctor retorted with ease as he flopped back down into his seat, coat fanning out at the action.

Rose's smile faltered at the common compliment. The Doctor missed the 'told you so' look Martha shot her as he started eating his cake but Rose saw it, had to fight down the urge to retort in kind to dispute it.

"You want some?" The Doctor asked, lifting a forkful to her lips nonchalantly.

But Rose was now hyper-aware of their actions as well as their observer in the form of one Martha Jones. She didn't want to second guess herself around the Doctor, but it seemed to be a running theme when someone else joined them on the TARDIS. Martha, Mickey, Jack, Adam, even Adam had made comments about her and the Doctor's relationship!

She knew it was just how the Doctor was. While he may care for her it would never go beyond friendship and if it ever seemed like it did it was usually just his obliviousness to human culture to blame.

Like right now.

"I'm good." She brushed off, with a smile patting his arm.

He shrugged it off, popping the forkful in his mouth but Rose couldn't ignore the feeling of Martha's eyes on them.

Needing a distraction she decided on the tried and true method of getting the Doctor to talk.

"So what's the plan?"

"Well…"

x

The next day - after an evening of food and hot spiced drinks - they found themselves on their way to one of the other factions the Doctor had mentioned. The first stop was to the farming region. The Doctor spent the morning leading them between paddocks telling them about the animals that resided there and their purposes. They grabbed lunch in one of the cafes which consisted of fresh produce from the region.

Afterwards, they headed to the metalwork region for the afternoon.

There were no immediate differences in architecture between factions, Rose noted. The buildings and streets looked exactly the same right down to the plankton lighting. But on closer inspection, she noticed that instead of different combinations of coloured windows, the residents' windows were decorated with a white animal silhouette in the farming region or a black symbol related to the specific trade in the metalwork region. One such symbol looked like the planet's equivalent of an axe? Or maybe a scythe? She wasn't entirely sure.

The Doctor assumed his usual role of tour guide during all of this as he led them through the streets to the markets. They stopped at different stalls occasionally, with the Doctor explaining the different objects on offer quietly enough that the seller wouldn't get upset.

Rose was struggling not to laugh as the Doctor explained the uselessness of a particular vendor's wares. She pressed a finger to her lips as she tried to shush him between giggles. Eventually, she gave up on that endeavour as her attempts to stifle her laughter just seemed to be provoking the Doctor, she put the object that had started it all down and pulled him away.

He was still going even as the laughter finally bubbled free. He looked particularly pleased with himself about that, for which she shoved him.

"You're gonna get us kicked out." She managed to get out once she calmed down.

"We can add it to our list." He shot back with a grin.

Rose rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress her own smile.

They had a list of places they'd been kicked out of, banned or exiled from. It was frightfully long if she was being honest with herself. But it was rather impressive. Especially the fact that Rose had managed to get banished from her country of birth centuries before she'd even been born. That was time travel for you.

"Let's catch up with Martha." She said rather than encourage his own jeopardy friendly streak.

Martha was already watching them when they joined her. Rose tried to squash the part of her that wondered how long Martha had been watching them, their conversation from yesterday's still lingering in her mind.

"You two having fun?" Martha asked with a knowing smile.

Rose dropped her gaze to the ground as she kicked up snow with her boots. God she didn't want to think about their conversation when she was right next to the Doctor.

"Oh, yes. Though I think that vendor might quite like to throw us out." The Doctor delighted in telling her.

Rose rolled her eyes, giving him another little shove.

"And you call me jeopardy friendly while you go looking for trouble."

"You've set records with your penchant for being kidnapped and held hostage. As well as your ability to escape from said kidnappings and hostage situations." The Doctor retorted.

"It doesn't happen that often." Rose shot back petulantly, staring at the buildings rather than meeting the other two's gazes.

"No? Well, I think if we look back at the evidence-" The Doctor started teasingly before being cut off with a splutter at the snowball that hit him square in the face. "Well I never, Rose Tyler."

"You were saying?" She asked with faux innocence.

"Minx." The Doctor grumbled as he brushed the snow off with the sleeve of his long coat.

Rose simply hummed in response. She knew it wasn't over, he'd get her back for it later but she'd take the temporary victory. As well as the distraction from a recount of her jeopardy friendly tendencies.

"What exactly was wrong with that vendor's wares?" Martha asked.

While still discomfited by yesterday's conversation she was thankful to Martha for the distraction it provided as the Doctor launched into his explanation while Rose slipped away to another stall.

"Well…"

x

Martha hadn't meant any harm when she'd brought up the obvious connection between the two travellers to Rose yesterday. But it was apparent that she'd made the other woman uncomfortable, wary about her behaviour in regards to the Doctor now.

Martha thought it was a little ridiculous. Anyone who'd ever met the Doctor and Rose would assume the same, hell even Queen Elizabeth the first had referred to Rose as the Doctor's wife. There'd been plenty of incidences since she started travelling with them that the duo had been confused for a couple and they didn't always correct them. Well, they didn't bother correcting the assumption if the other wasn't around, just quickly moving on so they wouldn't have to address it.

In fact, they seemed to do that a lot. Avoid talking about things they didn't want to address, that is.

So of course she had noted the way Rose had scurried away at the first opportunity while the Doctor prattled on. The blonde disappeared with ease even with the finite crowd. Martha also noted the way the Doctor's head darted about searching for the third person in their trio, he never faltered in his speech but it was obvious he wasn't just looking at the stalls.

Briefly, Martha wondered what it would have been like if Rose didn't travel with them. Would the Doctor still be consumed by Rose even in her absence? Martha thought so. Which is why it seemed so insane to her that they both denied the obvious.

But she was quickly coming to realise that they functioned best when not addressing the elephants in the room, and there were quite a few of them. Martha was struggling not to constantly trip over them at this point, had clearly failed in that pursuit yesterday.

Martha didn't regret bringing it up, curiosity would always be her downfall, and quite frankly she thought the two of them could use a good shove.

Martha was broken free from her thoughts by the Doctor's change in tone. From his lecturer tone to what Martha had secretly dubbed his 'Rose' tone.

"Ah, there you are! What did you get?"

Martha turned to find that Rose had rejoined them, trinket now in hand. Martha doubted that the Doctor had ever not known where Rose was, not that he'd admit to such.

Rose held up an oval metal cut pendant on a leather cord. The Doctor gently took the pendant to inspect closer, allowing Martha to peer around his shoulder at it too. The pendant had a forest scene decorating its surface out of different metals. The different colours depicted the scene beautifully.

The Doctor started talking about the different metals and methods used in the production of the pendant. Martha thought it was a little overkill, but when she looked over at Rose and the fond expression on her face, she realised that perhaps that was just what Rose liked.

"It's beautiful," Martha commented, cutting the Doctor off as he handed it back.

"Uh yes. Yes, that's what I meant to say."

Martha rolled her eyes at the Doctor's attempt to salvage the conversation but Rose merely chuckled.

"Well, thank you, both of you. But the person who sold it to me said we better head over to the tarrong station if we don't want to be stranded here as the last tarrong is arriving soon."

"Right, you are Rose Tyler." The Doctor quickly recovered.

Martha fought back a smile as he scooped up Rose's hand, already pulling her along in the direction of the tarrong station, slowly swinging their hands. God, they were sappy.

She kept pace with them easily as the Doctor babbled about the different restaurants at the resort and what food they served. She mainly tuned out the actual words being exchanged as she just observed them.

x

They didn't have to wait long for the last tarrong to show up, just like the vendor had told them they wouldn't have to. The tarrong looked like a stretched out tarron in appearance but functioned like a train based on the tracks it resided on and the speed of it. Or perhaps it was closer to a tram?

Either way, it was a bloody convenient way of getting around the three factions.

Rose absently chatted with the Doctor on the journey back. Martha had pulled a book out of her burgundy coat at some point and was blissfully ignoring them despite the Doctor's attempts at engaging with her.

He was in a decidedly better mood today. Whether it was due to their trip or he had slipped into his usual exuberant persona he wore when he was trying to avoid something, Rose wasn't entirely sure. Perhaps a bit of both, it had definitely seemed like the latter yesterday but seemed to be shifting towards the former today.

They went to another of the resort's restaurants when they returned just as the Doctor had suggested on the walk to the tarrong station. The constant stream of talking didn't stop even when they were eating. Which led to Rose reminding him about speaking with his mouth full again.

Perhaps it was less to do with his own feelings but compensating for the tension between the women he'd picked up on. Rose hoped, to whatever deity may exist, that he hadn't picked up on it. She really didn't want to have to explain herself on that one.

But despite the lingering tension, the meal passed with relative ease. The human duo relaxing after a long day of sightseeing and now filled with warm food. They decided to walk back to the cabin, enjoying their last night there rather than take a tarron, spirits significantly lifted.

Martha was telling Rose about the plot of the book she'd borrowed from the library as they trudged through the snow when Rose felt something cold hit her back. She turned slowly to face the Doctor mouth agape as she registered the sensation.

The Doctor was rocking back and forth on his heels, hands behind his back, as he grinned at her.

"You didn't."

"I definitely did."

"Oh, you're so dead." Rose declared as she quickly scooped together a snowball to launch back at the smug prick.

Very quickly things devolved as they flung snow back and forth between them whilst simultaneously trying to hit their target and avoid getting hit. Martha shrieked as she got caught in their flurry of hastily made snowballs.

"My book! Oh, it's on." Was the only warning they got, as Martha joined the fray and began pelting the pair of them with snowballs.

They quickly changed tactics as they switched to throwing snow at both Martha and the other.

Rose was absently admiring the way the flying snow glinted in the light of the bioluminescent plankton when a snowball caught her hair.

"Hey!" She spluttered at the grinning med student.

"Shouldn't have let yourself get distracted."

"She's right, Rose. This is serious business." The Doctor nodded sagely.

"Is that so?"

The duo nodded before the three of them descended into another round of snow throwing, it wasn't much of a snowball fight, none of them having enough time to create a perfect snowball before they were pelted by one of the others.

Things weren't perfect but under the light of a million glowing plankton and flurries of snowflakes, it seemed pretty close to perfect.

A/N: Sorry about the wait guys moving out of uni and back home and everything else took up more of my time than I expected. And I got a little sidetracked by other stories, some of which I haven't started posting yet. But here it is! Was a little irritated with how the last episode turned out so this was a fun change of pace. Next few chapters will also be side adventures with a story adaptation thrown in the mix too, all of which I'm pretty excited about. Anyway, let me know your thoughts in the comments. See ya next chapter :)

Next chapter - Frost fair shenanigans! That's literally my notes for next chapter….. See ya then

Comments:

Ace of Spies: Disservice?! Nonsense. Any chapter we get is an absolute treasure. 42 is such a good story, and I loved this chapter so much. It really throws us in there with Rose and Martha. I'm honestly a bit speechless, this might've been my favorite chapter. Hard to know when I enjoy them all as much as I do. I look forward to the next time! Waiting for the updates is the hardest thing, but trust me I understand lol. Honestly I wouldn't mind if you went off script and took them on a little side-story where they just have fun for a bit before returning them to the next life-or-death peril

Gonna be honest was in a bit of grump with the last episode it didn't go the way I wanted it to, but I'm glad you enjoyed it. I just through the entirety of this story before editing this chapter so I could remember where I was 😂 so I appreciate that. Sorry about the waits, 😂it irritates me too I've been working on this story for so long now I wish it was done. But I've been a little distracted by other projects. I'm glad you said that because there's quite a few side stories a head of us before we jump back into things.

Kylaia78: Love it! Hope Uni going well take care and looking forward to more

Thank you! First year was crazy I can't believe it's already done and that I passed onto next year, thank god 😂. Hopefully I get chapter 16 done before I return in september 😬