A/N: there is a bit of a time gap between this chapter and the one before and it is entirely intentional in case anyone was wondering.

Still don't own it.

Sorry it's been a bit longer updating, I'm not on half term anymore and I'm doing an obscene amount of coursework. Will try to keep going though! Reviews help!!

20/11

My cold is pretty much cleared up now. I got a bit feverish for a couple of days and the Doctor completely freaked out. I would have reassured him except I wasn't making much sense, I wouldn't stop talking about gophers and I was eating peanut butter from the jar the whole time.

I also seemed to be hearing things. In my head. Sometimes it sounded like a cool, deeply calm female voice and sometimes it sounded like the Doctor. And he was quite often singing. It better just have been my fever.

My recovery was aided by the fact that I hadn't left the TARDIS and that she was back to normal temperature – with no input from the Doctor. He got electrocuted a couple of days ago and they seem to both be in a bit of a strop.

I'm still taking the weird medicine but it isn't having such a strong effect anymore, thank heaven, being calm the whole entire time was scary.

As a reward for my hideous suffering and because it was all his fault anyway and he had made it worse in so many ways – we went to stay the night with some friends of mine. Jess had phoned me up to ask if I was going to be around because a bunch of the old lot were going to get together for a night. The Doctor had no idea what he was letting himself in for.

When we were standing on Jess's doorstep I was a bit scared as I hadn't seen them in a while and I thought we might not be as close anymore. Jess's mum answered the door and gave me a massive hug and asked how her second daughter was and I wasn't worried anymore. We'd always got on pretty well. I introduced the Doctor as the Doctor – it was my decision to do this rather than think up a fake name for him, however fun that might be, I wanted my friends to know him as I did. Apart for the whole 900-year-old-two-hearted-alien-thing, that could wait.

When I went downstairs to the kitchen I could see the table was laid for dinner, very civilised. I was holding the Doctor's hand, as was custom for us, so when Jess grabbed me in a big hug he was jerked forward a bit. He threw me a bit of a disgruntled look but I poked my tongue out at him to get him to smile – I didn't want him to turn into grumpy Doctor. Something he is more than capable of doing on the slightest provocation.

After introductions, more hugs and a large amount of manly shaking of hands we could sit down. My guy friends were all shooting the Doctor furtive looks. No matter his real age he looked about mid 30s roughly 15 years older than us lot, not your average dinner party combination.

The girls didn't seem to mind though. I liked to think it was due to the fact that the females of my species matured faster. I'm not sure that's true though because Jenny and Nicki were both blatantly flirting with him. They could be a bit full on, especially together, and the Doctor shot me at least one scared, trapped look.

With several glasses of wine and a lot of good food down us, we all managed to relax a bit more and conversation flowed freely. I'd even managed to manoeuvre it so I was sitting on one side of the Doctor and Jess was on the other, a much less fearsome prospect, particularly as Ben, her boyfriend, was sitting opposite.

A couple of hours later we'd broken into the shots and the music was really loud. Me and Tom, my old dance buddy and partner in crime, were dancing and singing at the top of our lungs to The Killers' "Glamorous Indie Rock and Roll" an old favourite. The Doctor wasn't dancing but sitting in the corner racing Ben on who could drink five shots fastest.

The rest of the evening is a bit hazy after that about until the time Ben kissed me. That shocked me into awareness.

Not to sound conceited but I'd always had an inkling that he had a thing for me when we were at college but then he started going out with Jess so I assumed I was wrong, as you do.

Anyway, I was trying to explain something about gophers (being drunk is just like having a fever) when he leaned in and kissed me. Right on the lips. Properly.

At least no one can think I wanted him to. I shoved him hard in the chest so hard he fell over on his back pouring my drink over him in the process and yelled at him some very unladylike things, basically telling him to jump.

Everything went completely quiet, even the music stopped which I don't quite understand. I looked up and met Jess's eyes and began to apologise even though I hadn't done anything. I felt awful. I felt worse a minute later when she shouted bitch at me and ran from the room. Closely followed by Jenny, stirrer extraordinaire.

Everyone else sort of stood there, staring. They knew I hadn't wanted that to happen, I'm pretty sure of it. Ben fled the room like the cowardly, philandering bastard that he is. Never liked him. Still no one moved. I started crying, silently thank god, but still tears streaming down my face. I noticed a couple of the other girls crying too but none of them came forward or said anything.

Finally a remarkably sober looking Doctor stood up and took me by the hand, leading me out of the room and out of the house. He walked with me silently down the road where the TARDIS had landed. About half way there the amount of alcohol I had drunk set in and my knees stopped working. They kept bending when they weren't supposed to and I found it very difficult to walk. The Doctor gave up after a couple of metres and just picked me up.

When we got in he placed me carefully on the sofa and moved so he was looking in my eyes. I was still shocked by what had happened and looked up hoping I wouldn't see anger or disappointment in his face. I didn't. I saw sympathy. That was all that was needed to completely open the floodgates.

I flung myself into his arms, sobbing and apologising over and over again. He put his arms around me and said, very seriously "Ella, you have nothing to apologise for. Do you understand?" I nodded and he seemed satisfied as he pulled me closer and stroked my back to try and make me calm down a bit.

I hope he didn't hear my incoherent words through the sobs about this always happening, only unavailable men and those I didn't like liking me and how Jess would never forgive me. I have a feeling he did though because he replied that Jess would come round in time and only a madman wouldn't like me and do everything to be with me. I think I might have started crying harder at that. I'm such a girl.

It took a fair while for me to run out tears. When I did I was completely exhausted and emphatically disagreed with him when he suggested it might be a good idea for me to go to bed, I didn't want to move. In the end I didn't have much of a choice. He got up depriving me of warmth and my comfy support. I was about to complain when he picked me up. Again.

If I had been less hammered or more awake or both I might have protested. As it was I had both the support and the warmth back so it didn't seem too bad. He carried me to my room, took off my shoes and coat and got me under the covers.

Considering I was really drunk I remember distinctly that it was at this point that I refused to let go of his hand and made him stay with me. He had had a few drinks himself and obviously didn't feel like arguing, so he kicked off his converse, took off his jacket and tie and lay down beside me. He was even going to lie on top of the covers (such a gentleman) but I made him come in next to me – I'm very forward when I'm drunk.

So this is the story behind the fact that I woke up this morning with a splitting headache, a bit of a relapse on the cold front and in the arms of a completely adorable Time Lord.

A/N: I also don't own The Killers or Converse – I think that's all I have to say.

Please R&R for me darlings, xxxxxx