A/N: I just wanted to send a quick thank you to those of you who have been commenting and following so far. It's still early, but there is plenty more to come.

Rose was trying to get a read on this James Noble. Her father had always told her to follow her heart and right now it was telling her this is someone she could trust.

Not that she had much choice in the matter. With her wounded arm and her legs being as useless as they were, she probably wouldn't have made it out of this forest alive.

She struggled to stand, and her knees wobbled. "I don't know if I can walk."

"Can you try?" He reached for her and Rose hesitated. A voice from within told her go on and she listened.

She placed her hand in his and it was a feeling like nothing she had ever felt before. She reveled in the sensation as it danced up and down her arm and she knew she had made the right choice. She couldn't have held back her smile, even if she tried.

He took his time as they walked, finding the easiest path for her. However, as hard as she tried to continue, her legs eventually gave up on her and she began to stumble. The next thing she knew, he was lifting her into his arms and carrying her the remainder of the way.

They finally emerged from the forest and Rose stared out at the structure they were approaching. "This is your home?"

"Nah," he replied. "I've got a flat back in London. I'm just taking a break from the busy city, so I can reconnect with nature."

"You were disconnected before?"

He chuckled. "Sorta, yeah. With all the cars whizzing by and people rushing about on their cell phones, you tend to forget about everything else."

She wasn't exactly sure what he meant and the idea of not being fully connected with nature was foreign to Rose. Maybe that's why the trees here wouldn't speak to her.

"Mostly I just needed a break from work," James added.

"What do you do?"

"I'm a Professor of Meteorology," he said. "You know, atmospheric changes, weather, stuff like that."

Rose cocked her head curiously. "You need teachers for that?"

"Well, yeah. Who else is going to foretell whether it's going to rain soon or not?"

"So, you're a seer? You see things before they happen?"

He chuckled, "I suppose, but it's really just science."

They reached the door and he set her down. Her legs still wobbled, but James' arm remained firm around her waist to keep her from falling.

He unlocked the door and helped her inside. Rose stared around the large space noting that things were a bit different, but not too different than she was used to. The wooden floors had an unusual sheen she had never seen before and above the fireplace there was a piece of black glass surrounded by a black frame that made Rose curious. Aside from that, everything else resembled a normal home back in her world.

He brought her into the kitchen and that's where Rose noticed the biggest differences. From the large white chest in the corner to the smaller white box with glowing numbers on the counter, everything seemed to glisten and shine. Rose had no idea what these various items did, but she decided it was best not to let on that she didn't know.

He pulled out a chair at the table and helped her to sit. "Do you want some water? Or maybe some juice? I've got food if you're hungry."

"Water's fine." She watched him open the door to the white chest and a light shined on him from within, but from her angle she couldn't see what was inside. He shut the door and came back to her, holding two bottles and handing her one.

"It's cold," Rose commented as she took the bottle.

"I hope so," James said as he sat in a chair beside her. "If it wasn't, that would mean my fridge was broken."

Rose laughed along nervously while watching him unscrew the cap of his bottle before taking a drink. She did the same, noting to herself how different the water tasted here.

After a short period of silence, James excused himself and left the room.

He returned, carrying a tin box and some sort of wet cloth. He sat back down and pointed at her arm. "Can I take a look?"

Rose nodded and began unwrapping the sleeve. Biting her lip, Rose peeled the material away from the wound it was sticking to.

He examined it closely. "You said you fell? Did you hit a branch?"

"A rock I think." She watched as he began to gently clean off the blood around the cut. "Everything happened so fast, I really didn't see."

"Must've been quite a long fall," he commented. His hand cradled her arm gently as he moved closer to the cut.

"It really was." She hissed in pain when the cloth brushed the wound.

He drew back and gazed up at her apologetically. "Sorry, I'll try to be easier on you."

"It's fine, go on." She sucked in a breath and let him continue.

This time she ignored the sting and instead took this opportunity to study the man in front of her. The shape of his nose, his ears, the creases in his forehead, and his long fingers that still made her skin tingle as he touched her. That's when she noticed the ring he was wearing.

"Do you have a wife," she asked suddenly.

"Me? No." He chuckled. "If you ask my sister, she'll tell you that I'll never get married. Calls me a free spirit."

"But your ring," she pointed.

He paused and turned his hand over to look down at the ring in question. "It was my dad's. He gave it to me on my eighteenth birthday just as his dad gave it to him when he turned eighteen. It's a Noble family heirloom, passed down from father to son for many, many generations."

"Do you know how old it is," she wondered.

He returned his hand to its original position and resumed cleaning the wound. "Not really. The story gets a bit unusual the further back you go."

"What do you mean?"

"When he gave it to me, he told me there was a tale to go with it. Dating back hundreds of years."

"Hundreds?" Rose found that intriguing.

He looked up at her and smirked, "That's what I said. I doubt it could be that old."

"What's the tale? If you don't mind me asking."

"Well, he said it first belonged to my great, great, great, great, great, great… I don't know how far back, grandfather. As the story goes, he lived alone in the forest and while out for a walk one afternoon, he found a sick and injured traveler. Being the good man that he was, he took the man home and nursed him back to health."

"Sounds familiar," Rose joked.

"Yeah," James laughed. "Anyway, once the stranger was better, he was very grateful for his kindness but didn't have any money, so he gave him this ring. He said the ring would guide him to his true love and he would forever find happiness. A year later he was married."

"To his true love," Rose added.

"I suppose." James shrugged. "And three years after that, his first son was born. The stranger returned to congratulate him and told him to pass the ring down to his son when he became of age and he would also find his true love, which I am told he did."

"And when he had his son he passed it on to him," Rose asked.

"Yep," James nodded. "And as each son grew, married, and had his own son, the man would return and remind him to continue passing on the ring. Only, he made these visits over the next 300 years or so."

"Then he stopped coming," Rose asked.

"I suppose," James told her. "I was never told what happened to him."

Rose wondered what could have happened to the man. Perhaps he was still alive and didn't feel the need to make these visits as they were now tradition.

She looked at the ring again, trying to get a better look at it. "It's moonstone?"

"That's what my dad said, but from what I've read moonstone isn't very strong. It shouldn't have lasted for as long as I'm told this ring supposedly did."

"Maybe it's enchanted," she suggested.

With a laugh, he shook his head. "No."

"Do you believe the tale is true?"

James began bandaging her arm. "An impossibly old man gifting a magical ring that helps you find love? Nah. It's probably something my grandfather made up. He liked telling stories."

Rose watched James finish wrapping her arm and she began to wonder why he would think the story wasn't true. Maybe it was because he didn't understand the stone itself. "Moonstone has many uses I'm told. One of them is to set you on your path to find your true love. It also strengthens that bond and reunites lovers, which is why my clan uses them in wedding bands."

James gave her a curious look. "Your clan?"

"My family," Rose replied just as curiously, and she remembered she was in a different world now. "What about your father? Did he believe it was true?"

"Every word of it," James replied. "Probably because he coincidentally found the love of his life."

Rose smiled. "So, your parents were happy?"

"Completely," he smiled back. "They had their rows, but they never let anything come between them."

"And your grandparents," Rose asked. "How were they?"

James pondered this. "I suppose they were happy too. I don't think I ever saw them not holding hands."

"And yet you continue to think the story is false," Rose enquired.

"Well, I'm 35 and will be turning 36 in a few days. I haven't been in a relationship since uni and even that lasted only a couple of weeks."

"Probably because it wasn't your true love," Rose insisted.

"Or because I found out she was using me to get to my flatmate," James countered. "Honestly, I just don't find anyone interesting enough to waste my time on."

"I wouldn't say finding someone to love is a waste of time," Rose snapped. "And if you don't at least try, you may never have a son to pass the tradition on to."

"Then I suppose the tradition dies with me," James snapped back.

Rose had never met someone so stubborn in her life and his words hurt. If he thought that story was ridiculous, how would he react to learning where she came from. "Thank you for helping me and bandaging me up, but I think it's time I got going…" She stood up and tried walking before nearly collapsing onto the floor.

Luckily James was quick and caught her in his arms. Looking down at her he said, "I don't think you're strong enough."

"You obviously don't know who I am or what I'm capable of," Rose argued and attempted to stand on her own.

James kept a secure grip on her to keep her from falling. "I'm not underestimating you. I'm just suggesting you may want to rest up for a bit. Besides, it's gonna rain."

"Oh, did your science tell you that," Rose snarked. Why wasn't he letting go?

"No, the clouds in the sky did." He nodded his head toward the window.

Rose looked outside and realized he was right.

He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry for snapping at you. It's just a touchy subject for me. I normally don't talk about it with anyone."

Rose relaxed at his words. "I'm sorry too. With everything I've been through today, I'm a bit edgy."

Finally giving her a smile, Rose felt the tension lift between them and she rested her head on his chest.

Surprisingly, he tightened his arms around her and hugged her close.

The hug lasted only for a few seconds before Rose felt James stiffen and he took a step back, holding her by the shoulders. "Sorry," he muttered, not meeting her eye.

Upon clearing his throat, his tone changed. "I know it's early, but after the day you've had, I'm sure you're exhausted. I can make up my sister's bed for you. If you want to lay down for a bit."

Rose wasn't sure if it was the best idea, but she didn't know where else to go. And the thought of laying down suddenly appealed to her. "Ok."

He stepped away and Rose followed, clinging onto his arm for support. Halfway down the hall, he stopped at a door and pointed inside. "Do you want to wash up or anything? Bathroom's in there."

Rose peeked inside the room and felt relieved to see the toilet. Thankfully, it was one thing between their worlds that wasn't different.

"Yes," she sighed happily and let go of his arm to take a few experimental steps on her own.

"Can you…" he began to ask while taking a step closer, and his cheeks reddened.

"Yeah," Rose laughed. "I think I've got it from here." She grabbed onto the countertop for balance. Once he saw she was able to support herself, he backed out of the room and closed the door behind himself.

The door clicked shut and James paused, waiting for any sign of distress or a thud if she fell. When he was confident she wouldn't be needing him, he hurried to Donna's room.

Quickly, he made the bed and as he smoothed down the sheets, James realized she didn't have any bags with her. He looked around his sister's room for any leftover clothing and found nothing she could use. He decided to go to his room and grab a t-shirt and a pair of shorts that seemed suitable enough.

Upon hearing the door open, James went back to help her into the bedroom.

"I didn't know if you wanted to change into something a bit more comfortable, so I left you a couple of things," he said as she sat down on the mattress.

Glancing back at the bed, she tested the firmness of the pillow and smiled back at him. "Thank you."

"My pleasure," he told her.

Now he was just standing there, not knowing what to do next. Obviously, he should leave. He just wasn't ready to and he wasn't sure why.

"Do you need some more water," he offered, stalling for time.

"I'm fine," she giggled. "I really would like to sleep. Just for a bit."

"Ok." He walked to the door and turned back to her. "If you need me, just yell."

"I will." And she sat there as she waited for her privacy.

"I won't be far," he added.

Rose laughed, "Ok."

He began to shut the door and he realized he missed an important bit of information and pulled the door back open. "I'm sorry. What's your name?"

"It's Rose."

He smiled, "Nice to meet you, Rose," and closed the door.