Character/Pairing: Ten/Rose
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: The BBC owns all, I am merely borrowing.
Spoilers: Through Season Three.

Torchwood. What had Rose said before? Some things don't change. In this universe it hadn't been founded because of his meddling, but that didn't mean it was any different. He had simply assumed it was all right. Rose worked there. Nothing suspicious in the office. Well, he'd only really seen a tiny bit of the building. Could be lots of dubious things going on in the other thirty-eight floors. And the basement. Bound to be a basement in a building like that. Or tunnels. Yes, definitely tunnels. Probably would have ended up in one of them, if Rose or Mickey had let on about his origins. He could pass as a human easily enough without a thorough examination. Hope would be an even closer match with her singular heart. Hope...

"Chocolate?" He shook himself as his thoughts returned to the present. "Yes! Yes, you can. Mugs are--Ah. You've located them."

Hope had taken his silence as an affirmative answer and there were now four mismatched mugs on the counter. She had located a stepping stool and positioned it beside him. Standing on top, she was just tall enough to reach the counter.

"So, what kind of alien are you?"

"Time Lord. From Gallifrey."

She wrinkled her nose in exactly the same way that Rose did. "That sounds..."

"Pompous? Overbearing? Pretentious? Can't deny that. Still true, though." He poured milk into a pan and handed her a spoon to stir the chocolate in. "My ship can travel in time as well as space."

Her eyes lit up at that.

"There are...lots and lots and lots of things I need to tell you. Teach you. But we have plenty of time for that." He added, softly, "You've been having nightmares."

Hope was suddenly shy, ducking her head and staring at the chocolate. "Only once or twice."

"Mental barriers, that's what you need. Good safety precaution in general, really. I'll help you build some. The nightmares...well, there will be less of them."

He finished the batter for the pancakes while Hope poured the chocolate into the mugs.

"I'll get Herbert and you wake Mum," Hope said, before bounding into the hallway.

The Doctor picked up the two remaining mugs and walked to his--no, their bedroom. He set the mugs on the nightstand and leaned over the bed. He couldn't possibly express how relieved he was to have her back. How fortunate he was that just this once the universe had been kind. If not for the nagging feeling that he might find some semblance of an answer in the TARDIS archives, he wouldn't have been able to leave her at all. He placed a kiss against her forehead and then her lips. "Rose..." he whispered and she stirred.

"Five more minutes," she mumbled, burrowing under the covers.

He hopped up onto the bed, crossing his legs and resting his back against the headboard. "I thought I was the tired one. Not you. You've had plenty of sleep for a human. More sleep than you could possibly need." He tapped her bundled form with his trainer. "Come on. There's chocolate. Venusian chocolate."

Rose lowered the blanket just enough to see him. "That the one that tastes a bit like oranges and lavender?"

"That's the one." He offered her a mug. "And pancakes. In the kitchen, when you're ready."

She sat up slowly, brushing sleep tousled hair away from her face. Taking the mug, she leaned back against his chest as she savored the hot drink. He circled her waist with his arm and pulled her more snugly against him.

"She knows." He murmured into her hair. "Hope. I told her. Took it well, considering. Made the chocolate even."

"I think she suspected somethin' like this would happen." She grinned and nudged his shoulder. "Maybe not quite so flash..." When he failed to reply, Rose noticed the furrow in his brow. "What is it?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing."

"Doctor..."

"It's just something Hope said about Torchwood. Little detail." The Doctor fixed his eyes on her as he rediscovered a salient point. "We followed a signal to the Guardians."

Rose shifted and looked away. "It's just...just this little implant. Not a big deal."

"Implant? A tracking implant?!"

The Doctor jolted upright and Rose just managed to prevent the chocolate from sloshing over the rim of the mug.

"Torchwood could pinpoint her location at any time! Not to mention anyone who is passably clever."

"Torchwood doesn't know about her."

"And if they found out?" he pressed.

"'Course I thought of that. There are always risks." She took a deep breath. "But we wouldn't have found her without it, yeah?"

"I could have found her, Rose. If I knew..." he trailed off, not wanting to bring up their previous argument.

"Doctor, I know how you feel about things like this," Rose interrupted patiently. "But you weren't here. It was just me. Not your fault but I was on my own. You're the only livin' expert and I couldn't ask you anythin'."

She sighed and the Doctor got the impression that she had practiced this particular explanation more than once.

"Even new, Torchwood, they had resources. Not enough, but it was somethin'. After I had Hope, I kept workin' there so I could keep an eye on things. Make sure they didn't notice her and do my best to keep 'em in line. I had to be prepared in case somethin' happened. And somethin' did happen." Her expression was grave. "Coulda been a lot worse. If you hadn't been here, what options would we have had? Knowing where she was would have been a start."

"I'm disabling it immediately."

He shifted to leave, but Rose grabbed his sleeve. "Doctor! Stop. Just...stop." She moved so she sat beside him at the edge of the bed. Placing the mug on the floor, she took his hands in hers. "You can disable it. But I need you to listen to me. Not just brush me off."

"I wasn't..." But then he realized he had. Several times already. Why did he have to be so rude this time around? "Sorry," he apologized with sincerity.

"S'alright." She drifted her fingers along the back of his hands. "Doctor, it's been five years and I'm not the same teenage girl you whisked away." He started to interrupt, but she firmly continued. "I'm not. But you keep patronizing me. An' I know you'll always be smarter than me, but I finished my A-levels. I have a successful career. I raised a daughter...our daughter. An' you make it back and just assume I'll go along with whatever you say. That you know what's best." In a softer tone, she added, "That I'll just go back with you."

With that one statement, several of his own nightmares collided into a reality he never ever wanted to face. For a moment, he couldn't breathe. It was very possible he wouldn't survive this. He might even cease to exist right on the spot. "Right. Of course. I understand," he stuttered, standing up and nodding rapidly. "You've moved on, just like I told you. Good. That's...good." He looked away and ran a hand through his hair. "Hope it will be...well, you know." He took a deep breath and held it for a moment, before briskly continuing, "Right. I'll just..."

A sudden burst of pain flared in his cheek and he stumbled backwards, impacting with an inconveniently placed bureau. Entirely perplexed, he tentatively lifted a hand to the throbbing area. He briefly wondered if this meant he was disappearing already. Then he noticed Rose. She was standing now, in front of the bed, looking more than a little annoyed. A slap. That's what it was. He'd been slapped. Again. By Rose. Rose had slapped him.

"What was that for?"

"For? For everything!"

"You've never slapped me!" In a low voice he repeated, "Never."

Paradoxes be damned, she thought, blurting out, "For telling me which dress to wear!"

"What? I didn't..."

"You did! Or you will." Rose continued, sounding entirely exasperated, "You think you're so clever, but you're a complete git when it comes to relationships. Of course I'm comin' with you."

That snapped the Doctor out of his immobile state. "What? But you just said..."

"You're gettin' forgetful in your old age. I promised you forever and I meant it. Still mean it. And whose gonna teach Hope all that complicated Time Lord stuff?" She sighed. "Just...ask me."

"Oh." The Doctor's face brightened as he realized what she was telling him. "Ohhhh." He cocked his head and adopted a deadpan expression. "Why, don't you want to come?"

"Well, yeah."

"Do you?"

"Yeah." She studied him from beneath her eyelashes. "Unless you..."

He gave her a small teasing smile. "Oh, I'd love you to come."

The Doctor held out his hand, wriggling his fingers, urging her to take it and cement their new relationship. Suddenly bashful, Rose tentatively traced the outline of his palm before threading her fingers through his. The second they were joined, he pulled her into a tight hug and lifted her off the ground. They both laughed happily at the familiar rush. Setting her down, he kissed her briefly and pulled back just enough to see her face.

"Rose Tyler, I love you."

"I know," she replied, suffused with happiness.

"I liked that red dress, by the way," he added. "Very...fitting."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well you can forget about it until I've had a proper goodbye with my family."

"How long is that going to take?" he whined.

She glared at him and he leaned back just in case this slapping thing wasn't a one-off. Could be genetic after all.

"Right. Doesn't matter. Tyler residence it is." He let go of one of her hands to reach inside the bureau. He pulled out a familiar navy blue robe and gestured for her to put it on. "After pancakes."