R O S E

Rose's first sleep on the TARDIS didn't happen until she'd been running with the Doctor for nearly 48 hours nonstop. She couldn't help but keep going – the adrenaline kicked into overdrive the second he held out his hand to her and it didn't let up. It wasn't until the Doctor was lecturing about the birth and death of the star cluster they were observing outside of the open doors that Rose suddenly let loose with a yawn big enough to almost split her head apart, and the Doctor noticed that she was staggering on her feet.

"Rose," he said, "I think it's time you sleep. More adventures tomorrow."

"Don' wanna," Rose mumbled groggily, as he took her arm and led her across the console room and down the hallway until he found what he knewto be an empty room. With a pause and a silent word to the TARDIS, he asked the ship to set Rose up for the night, and was rewarded with a well-appointed (although somewhat fluffier than he expected) guest suite when he opened the door.

He saw her settled in, then gave her another brilliant smile from the doorway. "G'night, Rose. Let me know if you need anything. Don't sleep much, me."

She smiled back, flopping down on the bed. "G'night, Doctor.

Rose wanted to sleep. She was utterly knackered. And the room was lovely, all fluffy pink and white eiderdown and soft light. It was, undoubtedly, the most soothing and sleep-inducing room she had ever had the prospect of sleeping in.

So she was doubly surprised to find herself tossing and turning, for hours, before she finally swung the covers back out of frustration and sat up on the edge of the bed.

"Lights," she called out, just to see if it worked here like it did on Star Trek. Sure enough, the lights came on at a considerate low level. She was more impressed by that than she cared to admit.

.

He looked quite surprised when he found her in the kitchen somewhat later that night.

"Rose?" he asked. "Everything ok?"

She nodded sleepily, cradling a cup of tea in both hands. "Couldn't sleep."

"Still thinking about the end of the Earth?"

She shook her head adamantly. "No, no, it's not that at all. It's just…" She paused, unsure how to go on.

"What?" he said, a little more gruffly than he intended.

She blushed a little. "Just feeling a little adrift. I mean, where are we right now?"

The Doctor pulled out a chair and sat next to her, trying to understand. "We're nowhere, really. We're in the Vortex, both in and out of time."

"I know. It's just…" she frowned a little, trying hard not to sound too ignorant. "How does it work again? I'm here, with you, now. But I'm also in 2006. And I'm several billion years in the future watching the Earth burn up on a day when the real me had been dead for ages." She bit her lip. "It kind of makes my head spin."

He thought for a minute, concerned that perhaps he'd misjudged her and she wasn't up to this. How to explain?

"It's the way you're looking at time, I s'pose," he said. "You're used to looking at things in a straight line, forward and backwards, no jumping around." He looked up at her to see if she was with him. Her eyes were on his and she appeared to be paying rapt attention. "When really, time is more of a hopscotch. You can jump from one square to another, if your tech is right – forward three, back five, even hop over to the side and stand outside the board completely, just observing. Your life, as it were, has come unbound a little bit from the time you're used to looking at. But you're alive, and you're right here with me. Safe."

Rose thought for a moment and then grinned up at him. "It's like learning to ride my first bike. I feel a little wobbly."

He grinned back. "Might skin your knee a little."

"S'ok," she said lightly. "I'm tough."

"A scrapper."

"Yep. Just have to get my space legs."

He laughed. "Ok, enough deep philosophical questions. Think you can maybe sleep now? Because tomorrow – oh wow, do I have something good planned tomorrow."

He was heartened by the way her eyes lit up. "What? What? Tell me?"

"Nope. No hints. All I'll say is that there will be dressing up." He stood and held out a hand to her. "Now please, get some sleep so you can maybe appreciate my brilliance more fully in the morning, ok?"

He was pleased to note, when he checked in on her an hour later, that she was sprawled out and fast asleep. He stood for a moment, watching her, trying to puzzle out his reaction to this girl. He was surprised at how much he already wanted her to stay. There was something about her he couldn't put his finger on – for being so young and inexperienced, she had a spark that moved him, reached something in him. He felt something he hadn't felt in a long time – like he needed someone.

It made no sense. He was the Doctor. He didn't need anyone. Not anymore.

Shaking his head in frustration, he walked away and let her sleep.