Alright, finally this chapter is DONE! This one was kind of hard. I wanted this story to be light and fun, but with Jimmy in it, it took an unexpectedly dark twist. Okay, so I was going to make this darker than I did, but like I said, this is a fun story so the darker Jimmy will have to be reserved for a different story. Anyway, there is a bit of bad language, actually, I think it is just one word, I figured I should put a warning in anyway. It's not even a really bad word, so don't worry. Hope you like the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

P.S. Thanks for the reviews/favorites/follows. I really appreciate it!

Rose was very quiet as she and the Doctor entered their motel room. As soon as the door shut, she relinquished the Doctor's very squished hand, then fell on the bed with an exasperated sigh. She lay very still, one arm covering her eyes, so the Doctor just shuffled his feet and messed his hair, unsure exactly what to do. Good thing the TARDIS wasn't around, because the Doctor's natural instinct made him want to go right back to Jimmy Stone, through him in the TARDIS, then right back out again, somewhere light-years from Earth. He was interrupted from his dark musings when Rose quietly sat up and smiled sweetly at him.

"Thank you Doctor," she said, standing up and throwing her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

The Doctor smiled, as he always did when Rose hugged him, and returned her embrace. "What for?" He asked, "I didn't exactly save the day, I actually didn't really do anything." He scowled slightly at that.

"Yeah you did," Rose pulled back, just far enough to look him in the face, arms still around his neck, "You were my support. I needed to do that, needed to stand up to Jimmy. I am so different from the girl he knew, and facing him was long overdue." Rose actually reached up on tippy toes and kissed his cheek, "Thank you for letting me take the lead on this one."

"Well," the Doctor said, giving Rose a cheeky grin, hoping to Rassilon that his superior biology was hiding the pink color that wanted to cover his face, "you were quite brilliant you know, though," he added with a grumble, "I still think we should through him into a black hole or something, maybe leave him in a locked room with some Slitheen. He could choke on their gas!"

Rose laughed, "he really isn't even worth the trouble, though that is quite an evil plan you hatched Doctor!"

The Doctor furrowed his brow, "Rose," he seemed hesitant, very un-Doctor like, very serious, "what did he really do to you? You only mentioned him a couple of times, but I sense there is more to this story than you have told me."

Rose stepped back from the Doctor to sit back down on the bed, cheeks turning pink, "I am almost ashamed to say…please, if I tell you, do you promise you won't do something terrible to him?"

The Doctor's eyes darkened. He had really hoped it wasn't this bad, guess he was wrong. "What did he do?" The question sounded more like a demand.

"First promise."

"Rose I…"

"Promise."

The Doctor sighed, forcing down his anger. He really couldn't deny this woman anything, especially when she looked up at him through her eyelashes.

"I promise…cross my hearts."

Rose took a deep breath…

"Mum was furious when I started going out with Jimmy. She saw the change in me almost immediately, I was blind to it." Rose hung her head slightly.

"Go on," the Doctor encouraged, sitting next to her on the bed.

Rose sighed, this had to be one of the hardest things she had ever done. She always tried to be strong, make the Doctor proud. This was like showing him her failures, how weak she used to be. She had hated herself then, hated who she was with Jimmy, but she stayed with him, and she was ashamed of that.

"Jimmy wasn't nice, he was always negative, demanding, and tried to make me feel like shit whenever he could. I dropped out of school because of him, started living with him, got a job in a shop to support us, cause he wasn't gonna get off his bum and make any money!" Unwanted tears started to form in Rose's eyes; her voice had gone hard as the anger came out. "He didn't appreciate anything; all he did was drink and play video games, and then he…" Rose swallowed then looked up at the Doctor, straight into his eyes, "he started to physically hurt me."

The Doctor's jaw was set tight, anger filling him again. No, he thought, let her finish. So he smiled tightly and took her hand, helping her continue, and to reassure himself of her safety.

"Everyone started to notice the bruises," Rose continued shakily, "and Mum and I had some major rows during that time, but I was young and stupid. Jimmy said he loved me and my naïve mind said I loved him too. I didn't really have great examples of love after all. Dad died young and Mum only seemed to date losers, everyone in our Estate seemed to date or live with losers…I guess it made me think I had to settle for what I had, and that was Jimmy." Rose hung her head again, staring at the floor.

"What made you change?" the Doctor asked softly, it took all his strength not to get up, leave the room, and go kick Jimmy Stone's butt.

"One night, Jimmy, he…he went too far, even for me. I ended up in the hospital for a number of days after." Tears threatened to fall again, but Rose still wouldn't let them. "While I was there, stuck in that hospital bed, I started to think about what I really wanted in life." She paused then actually laughed. "I always thought those cheesy romantic movies girls gush about where completely unrealistic. That's why they are movies, right? Give us something to dream about since reality sucks so much. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it wasn't a dream. Those movies are made to inspire us to search for romance, to find that distant true love, to never settle for less. Mum found that with Dad. The reason the guys she dates now seem like losers to me, and even to Mum, is cause none of them measure up to Dad. I realized that there was such a thing as true love, a love that brings happiness and joy, not misery. I decided then and there that I would never settle again, and I put Jimmy Stone far behind me, at least I thought."

Rose looked up at the Doctor then, resolve showing bright in her eyes. This was a heartfelt confession that she was going to see through to the end. "Doctor, for a long time I was so ashamed for putting up with his crap for so long, and I still feel a bit of that shame, but after standing up to him, I realized something else. Jimmy Stone not only made me believe in love, but also, if it hadn't been for Jimmy, I probably would never have met you. So as much as I hate him, I think I can forgive him. Every choice we make in our lives leads us somewhere. I was as low as I could get when I was with Jimmy, but I started working at Hendriks because of him. When we split, I still worked there, still struggling with life, but then a wonderful man took my hand, told me to run, then showed me how to live a better life, showed me how to love life. 'Better with two' right?" Rose smiled her wide, tongue between her teeth, smile. "I still don't have any A levels, but I love my life, I love being with you. So I think I can forgive Jimmy Stone."

This time, it was the Doctor who leaned in and gave Rose a kiss. Just a light touch to her forehead, but when he pulled back, he had a huge grin on his face. "Rose Tyler," he said, smile never leaving his face, "I don't think I tell you this enough, but you are fantastic."