Rose looked up from his belly and smiled, his hand remained where it was. Then she crawled back up and kissed his chest again, his hand slid back up to her waist. She really didn't want to spoil the mood by saying that was quite enough for one night, she had to stop it gently so she crawled a bit further up to meet his lips, forcing him to move away from the back of her jeans and kissed him deeply, as if to send him a signal that she wanted more but not tonight. Both his hands were now on her hips, trying to move her jeans down and she let him move them slightly before wriggling away so his hands went back.
"Mmm, this is getting interesting Jon, maybe we should just postpone this for another night," she smiled, teasing him one more time by dipping down and kissing his belly again. This time she looked up and saw the big smirk on his face.
He had to agree, reluctantly because he knew when Rose wanted to stop, they stopped, slowly, by him retracing some of the things he had already achieved.
"Okay, for now but tomorrow night, I'd really like it if you started things off because I never know just when you're going to decide it's your turn."
Rose had to agree or he was also going to think she didn't actually know herself what she wanted. Did she? She had an imaginary line drawn that she wasn't going to cross but it was still a good distance away, maybe it would take nearly over two months to reach it, if she was devious enough to keep this at the kissing and touching stage, making sure she remained in control by making him think that he was.
"Okay, but I won't be responsible if it gets out of hand," she laughed. Then she had a serious look on her face. "Jon, can I ask you something?" Jon nodded. "These last few weeks, especially since we've been doing this every night and you've been patiently going to your own room every night afterwards, don't you get frustrated and want me to back down and let you in my room? 'Cos you've never once tried to get me to back down and I'm just surprised, that's all. Is it because if I say no if you did actually ask me, you'd take it that it meant it was never going to happen and don't want things to get awkward and ruin everything?"
Jon looked up at her, moving his hand to touch her cleavage.
"Rose, it's not that but I was just thinking you weren't ready to invite me into your room and I figured that when you were, you'd ask me so I didn't want to put you off by asking you every night and no, if I did ask and you say no, I'd keep on asking you every night after we fooled around on the sofa and hope one night you'll actually say yes to me."
The arm that was still around her waist pulled her nearer and he whispered, "I'll start asking every night if you really want me to."
Then he pulled her on top of him and they kissed some more until he finally released her.
Rose moved and reached for her top and got off the sofa, with some help in not falling onto the floor, fastening her jeans and she pulled him up when he held his arms out to her, landing at her feet and pulling her close, he had pulled up his jeans but they remained unbuttoned and leaned in to kiss her.
"So is there any chance you might give in tonight then if I give you some promises? Please Rose? I promise I'll keep my shorts on and I'll wear a t-shirt if you want and you can wear your pyjama bottoms and a top and I also promise I won't try anything else, please?"
Rose smiled at him, he was looking like a puppy asking for a treat, then he buried his face into her neck, kissing it softly and whispered, "I love you Rose," just loud enough for her to hear him.
Rose held him back, she had not expected to ever hear him say it, not while he was being Jon anyway but it was only to be expected, just not only three weeks into him being Human. There she was, trying to control her feelings and not bothering to think what it must be doing to him. Had he as The Doctor ever been in love with a Human female? Did she have the right to let him totally lose it while he wasn't himself? Or should she let him have some pleasure without doing the ultimate, passing the point of no return for either of them?
She smiled at him and saw the pleading in his gorgeous brown eyes and buried her face into his neck and whispered back,"I love you too" and hung onto him because she really did love him as Jon, he was everything she had wanted him to be and more and when he was back to his old self again, he would remember everything and maybe still love her because she already loved the Timelord part him and if he had changed the rules she had set, then just maybe he'd changed them enough to carry his emotions and feelings for her over when he was back to his old self. It was a risk she was willing to take but she would never under any circumstances cross the point of no return without him actually being The Doctor. As they held each other, she could feel the relief in him and that he'd been afraid to tell her until now because he didn't know how she truly felt about him.
They let go of each other and kissed and that changed the game completely. It was now into stage two as Rose agreed on his promises but insisted he put some other shorts on because there was no way she was sleeping in the same bed as him on their first night with him wearing those and admitted she had seen him wearing them the other Saturday morning and they both laughed. Rose went to put her pyjama bottoms on but chose the short ones and a vest top with thin straps and went into the bathroom. When she came out, Jon had tied his hair back and was wearing a white t-shirt and some fairly decent sized boxer shorts and was sitting on her bed.
As Rose lay with her head on his chest, Jon was running his fingers through her hair with one hand and the other was holding her after they had just kissed for a while and they eventually both fell asleep. Rose woke up to the alarm going off and realised he had moved her and she was alone. Had he got too tempted during the night and gone back to his own room? She needn't have worried because he came back a few minutes later as she debated whether to wait or get out of bed, he was carrying a tray with her breakfast. They smiled at each other and he set the tray down and kissed her cheek with a cheerful 'morning sunshine' and went back out only to return with a tray for himself and sat on the edge of the bed.
That afternoon, they walked happily hand in hand into the theatre, even past a few fans that were lurking around in the car park hoping to get a glimpse of Jon, who waved to them but never let go of Rose's hand. Rose was hoping there were no reporters there or she would have her mother on the phone the next day. That was something, Jon was going to want to meet her at some point and she couldn't explain why he shouldn't and the only thing she could think of was that they didn't have the time to go but the bank holiday was next Monday, they would have Sunday and Monday off as the theatre had agreed to give them all a break. She was going to have to let her mother in on her secret and hope she would understand and not spoil it by giving the game away.
So while Jon was busy going over some things with the rest of the cast, she sat in his dressing room and rang her mother.
"Well it's about time you rang me, it's been nearly two weeks Rose and I never know whether to ring you, I don't want to get an intergalactic sized phone bill for ringing you if you're halfway across the galaxy. So what have you been up to? You've not got into any trouble again have you? What have you just escaped from this time? More bog monsters?"
Rose let Jackie get that out of the way before trying to explain exactly what had been going on.
"You did what Rose? You mean his Lordship is acting like a normal Human? Oh that I have got to see!" Jackie laughed.
"No, Mum, he really is Human, he used this device to change himself and I have sort of a miniature version of this device that will restore him back to being himself after three months are up and it's been almost a month now but that isn't all of it, I could pick anything I wanted him to be and I made him a famous actor."
Jackie stopped laughing. "Oh you didn't! Rose, you didn't make him into that actor I said he looked like did you? Please say you didn't!"
"No, the Tardis gave him a completely new identity, he goes by the name of Jonathan Smyth with a 'y' and he has a whole background, a full life and he's famous and everyone knows him and he's in a play and I've got a job in the theatre looking after his hair and make-up. I take it you know nothing about him?"
"No, never heard of him, what's he been in?"
"Mum, he's not actually been in anything, his whole life is invented by the Tardis and in just over two months, he changes back and disappears, no-one will remember him. There's just one snag though and promise you won't get mad?" Jackie grunted an 'okay' which meant she may not sound mad but she would sort someone out when she saw him. "We had this bet, that he couldn't live as a human but one of the catches was that if he fell in love with me, I had to well, keep him interested so he wouldn't go out and find another girlfriend so now I'm his girlfriend and he's moved in with me."
There was a deadly silence, unusual for her mother but it meant a ticking timebomb was about to explode in Rose's ears.
"So, let me get this right, you're his girlfriend, he's no longer a Timelord and he's living with you? Have I missed anything? Wait a minute, are you sleeping together? Rose, please tell me you're not Sweetheart because when it's all over, you'll be heartbroken when he goes back to normal."
"Well, we only just sleep, nothing more, we share a room now but only so he doesn't lose interest in me because part of it was that if I wasn't interested enough in him he may look elsewhere but he won't now, I can keep him interested another two months, I just have to make him think things are progressing naturally. Anyway, I've drawn a line and it's not getting crossed. Now you have to pretend you know who he is because he's going to want to meet you and you can't let on you don't know about him so best go to the library and go on the internet and look him up because we've got this weekend off and I was going to bring him over on Sunday. Can you do that Mum, please?"
Jackie broke her silence, having more or less taken everything in but she wasn't pleased.
"Oh alright, I'll do it just for you because I know how infatuated you are with him and honestly Rose, you shouldn't have taken things so far, bet or no bet. If you have real feelings for him, you should just tell him."
"Well there's a lot more to it but yeah, I know, it will all get sorted after it's over. So when I bring him to see you, promise you won't slap his face or anything and be nice to him. He really knows nothing about it, he really thinks he is who he and everyone else says he is. I'd better go, he'll be back soon, we're at the theatre and maybe you should come down and see the play, he's amazing in it."
"Yeah, well if I could afford it I would, maybe you could get me a free ticket and send me the train fare if you've got yourself a good job and a rich boyfriend," Jackie joked.
"That can be arranged, why don't you come down Saturday night then we can take you back on Sunday? I can easily get you a ticket, I'll put some money in your bank and you come down on Saturday afternoon, we have a matinee at two but I can meet you, take you to my flat then you can come to the evening performance, get a taxi to the theatre and I'll get you backstage and you can meet Jon and the rest of the cast, your favourite actress is in it."
Before Jackie could reply, the door handle turned and Jon walked in, wearing his crown and a silly grin. Rose shushed him and mouthed 'my mother' and held up her phone and he just smiled, kissed her cheek and sat on the sofa next to her.
Jackie was babbling something down the phone which Rose pretended she had been listening to and was trying to fight off Jon who was busying himself kissing her neck and not taking no for an answer.
Rose finished her arrangements with her mother, who was going to check the train times and go to the library computer to look up Jon and couldn't believe she and Rose were the only ones on the planet who really knew who he was. Rose just had to trust she wouldn't mess things up when she met him but she had little choice than to let her in on it.
When Jon had finally finished with her neck and she had gained another mark on her fading one, she told him of her plan to get her mother a ticket for the play on Saturday and to take her back home on Sunday and stay overnight. He liked the idea but Rose knew The Doctor would have quivered at such an idea, Jackie was his nemesis. Rose wondered if her mother was the real reason his old self had shied away and hoped it wouldn't put him off when he was back if this truly did carry over.
Saturday morning, Jon had already moved his things into Rose's room or 'their' room so Rose was tidying up for the royal visit, Jackie had sent her a text to say what time she was arriving, just after twelve and Jon didn't have time to go with Rose to the railway station even though it was only a few minutes from the theatre, the matinee was a two so they were going in early to get him ready and Rose would slip out, get a taxi home, leave her mother and get the taxi to bring her back.
All went smoothly, Rose had secured a good seat for Jackie and had arranged for her to come backstage before the evening performance and they were going to get some food sent down, they would just have enough time so Rose had pre-ordered for the three of them. She kissed Jon goodbye and went to meet the train and settled her mother in, giving her the taxi number and fare and for the taxi to bring her to the stage door although Rose knew it would already be busy with waiting fans even after he had been out to sign autographs.
The matinee over, Jon went outside as usual, Rose watching from a distance then insisted he lie down until her mother arrived Rose having to escort her into the theatre, Jackie in awe that Rose had wrangled such a prestigious job even if it was all a pretence and her daughter's gall in inventing such a story because Rose had explained to her that she had given the general idea, the Tardis had filled in all the blanks.
Jackie was introduced to her favourite actress and got her autograph, she didn't know if it was going to all fade away when it was over but she knew in her own mind it had taken place if nothing else. Then Rose took her into Jon's dressing room, knocking and going in first and Jackie stood there with her mouth open, staring at who she knew was The Doctor, with long flowing hair. He got up and held his hand out to her, then took hers and kissed the back of it, which took Jackie aback to say the least and wondering if he really knew what was going on and was winding her up.
After quickly eating, Rose took her mum out to be escorted to her seat by one of the ushers with instructions for him to collect her afterwards and be brought back to Jon's dressing room. Rose gave Jon his usual good luck kiss that lasted a bit longer than it had been resulting in two knocks at the door until he answered and when the performance was finished and Jackie was brought backstage again, she was totally convinced he was who everyone else believed him to be, a famous accomplished actor and if Rose was of a mind right there and then to persuade her otherwise she would have told her not to be stupid and Rose was under the assumption that somehow, her mother had also been mesmerised into thinking it was all real and she wasn't going to be any trouble.
All the way back to their flat, Jackie was going on about the play, how this was the first time she had seen one by Shakespeare and how much she had enjoyed it and she carried on talking until gone one in morning, Rose falling asleep on Jon's shoulder as he was chatting away to Jackie about everything and nothing, something he certainly had in common with his old self, some things never change and Jackie had got into the whole thing of who he was meant to be and had either done a lot of research or was completely now under the illusion, more so than earlier.
Jon realised Rose was getting tired and said it was time to say goodnight, Rose had told him her mother knew they shared a room which for the last few nights, that was mostly all they had been doing, just more of what they had done on the sofa but since they had company Rose knew that would more than likely stay that way tonight at least and tomorrow, they would be staying in her old room at her mum's flat. Jackie would be horrified to think of Rose sharing a room in her flat with The Doctor, even if he was in Human form but if she was under the spell then she probably wouldn't object. Rose was hoping the spell wouldn't be broken. Maybe now she had seen him, seen what he could be like, it was just easier to accept that her daughter was indeed in love with him, alien or not and was just keeping up the pretence for Rose's sake.
Rose was indeed tired and got ready for bed, they were no longer hiding from each other and Rose had ditched the pyjama bottoms in favour of a clean pair of her knickers which she was still changing in the bathroom and Jon had ditched his t-shirt and he was in the process of getting her to ditch her vest top altogether though more often than not it came off at some point but he hadn't tried anything else just yet, keeping his promise to keep his shorts on although when Rose came back from the bathroom, he had sneaked on the even shorter boxers and he just winked at her and acted like there was nothing different.
They were both enjoying the feel of each other through the thin material of their underwear although Rose could feel slightly more of him than she was used to but tried not to think too much about it. After all, if he was just another boyfriend, it would have come to this stage already. As they kissed and touched, Rose thought that maybe, just maybe, if he rejected her when he changed back, she might actually be able to persuade him to give it another go because as relationships went, this was the best one she had ever been in and if he remembered everything, he might want to give a proper go as well. It was no different to falling out then making up again and she didn't think he would just go off and leave her after three months of actually being together, well not without a fight anyway.
They kept their noise down as Rose usually giggled at some point, well when he took her vest top off and kissed there, which tickled slightly and when she got her revenge by doing the same to him, they eventually fell asleep and because Rose was so tired, couldn't be bothered to put her vest back on, which pleased Jon no end as when she woke up the next morning, he was tracing his finger on where he could reach and was wide awake, smiling as he watched her sleeping.
They could hear a noise coming from the kitchen which meant Jackie was cooking breakfast so they skipped their usual messing around, Rose saying it was best not to keep her mother waiting when she was cooking so he just settled for more kissing before they got dressed and they walked hand in hand into the kitchen. Jackie didn't even seem bothered, she just dished up their breakfast and going on about if they were going to show her around the town before she left and how Rose had just dumped her in their flat for hours when she'd arrived.
So they showed Jackie around for a few hours, stopped for some lunch at a pub down by the river then set off for London to take Jackie home and stay overnight. On the long drive back, Jackie was telling Jon all about her struggling to bring Rose up on her own and Rose was silently praying she wouldn't say anything about her going off with an alien in a Police box because as far as Rose could gather, nothing had ever taken place, not a single occurrence of spaceships crashing into Big Ben, no shop window dummies coming to life, no spaceship hovering over London on Christmas day, nothing.
Then Rose had a horrifying thought, if she hadn't gone off with The Doctor and nothing had ever happened, was Mickey still there? Or another version of Mickey who also had never met The Doctor, not gone off to that parallel world and stayed there? Jon noticed she had gone quiet and asked if there was anything wrong.
"Sweetheart, you've been very quiet since we left, is everything okay? Your mother and I aren't boring you are we?" he teased. "Do you want to stop for a while, we can find a caf , if you want?"
How could she ask her mother if Mickey was still around? Was he still supposed to be her boyfriend or had she left because of him? No, the Tardis wouldn't do that, surely? The ship may have left a version of Mickey but wouldn't make it so that Rose was still involved with him. After all, she was supposed to have been working in the theatre for a while but maybe this pre-Doctor of a Mickey still had some feelings for her even though she had gone off to live elsewhere, just like the real Mickey had and she knew the real reason why Mickey had not come back with them, he was jealous of her friendship with The Doctor and couldn't take any more and who could blame him? She had literally dumped him to go travelling the stars and forgot that he had feelings and could be jealous, especially after the regeneration.
Now she was contemplating doing the same with The Doctor, although she had not exactly dumped him if it was another version of him but she would be dumping Jon when he changed back, again he was the same person, just a different side of him. Would it be fair to let him fall too deeply for her then have it taken away? Maybe not, not if he remembered everything and she was sure he would. Anyway, she still had to find out if there was indeed a Mickey waiting her return or if she was worrying over nothing, as usual and as for Jon, well, The Doctor was going to get exactly what he wanted and she was fairly certain he would have prepared for it, what was the point in experiencing being a Human male if he didn't remember it?
She was snapped out of her thoughts by Jon pulling into a lay-by and asking if she was okay, she was going to have to stop zoning out on him or he'd get worried about her. He asked her again at the same time as Jackie did, who by now had her seat belt off and was leaning over Rose.
"Rose, Sweetheart, is there something wrong. You keep doing that you know, you keep looking like you're miles away and I'm really worried about you."
Jon had his seat belt off and was leaning over her, one arm around her, Jackie's hand on her other shoulder.
"She's not been the same since " Jackie stopped.
Rose cringed, was she going to say since she first flew off in the Tardis? "Please no," she thought.
"Go on Jackie, since when? Is there something you haven't told me Rose, did something happen to you before I met you or before you moved away from London? You have to tell me Rose, it doesn't matter what it is because I love you, you know that."
Jackie was the first to speak. "You might as well tell him Rose because he'll find out sooner or later or should I tell him?"
The moment Rose had been dreading had arrived, her mother was either going to tell him who he really was or about to tell him about her going off with an alien, which would then make her certifiable and he would leave her.
Rose finally found her voice. "I'm fine really, I just sometimes phase out, it's nothing. It's like I get to thinking about something and forget I'm with someone, like I don't want to forget and then I realise someone's talking to me. I can't explain it and it's nothing to do with what you think it is Mum, really, can't you just forget about that? I have."
It was a wild stab in the dark, hoping to find out what her mother seemed intent on telling Jon but he'd want to know now anyway and it was better Jackie told him, since Rose didn't actually know what she was going to come out with.
"Sweetheart, if it's about an old boyfriend or something that happened to you, it's okay, you can tell me. I don't care about your past, all I care about is the time you've been with me since we met and the time we'll have together because I know this isn't the right time or place and you probably don't want to talk in front of your mother but it's time we started making plans Rose, you and I, together because when that play finishes, I'm not walking away from you, if that's what you're thinking, you don't have to worry about me going off and walking into a new production and forgetting about you. We'll talk when we get back but don't you go thinking you're going to get rid of me in two months time Rose Tyler, because you're very much mistaken if you think I'm ever going to leave you behind."
Jackie was taken aback with Jon's sudden declaration towards her daughter but she had probably suspected that he really did care about Rose, so she just kept quiet, letting Rose talk to Jon.
"Yeah, we really do need to talk when we get back and I really didn't think you were the type to just up and leave."
She smiled at him as Jackie chipped in and told them to just kiss and make up and could they please stop somewhere else because she needed the ladies room.
Jon gave her a kiss on the cheek and prepared to drive off, giving her hand a squeeze and they stopped half an hour later at a pub and ordered some tea and sandwiches, they were still a fair distance from London and it was late afternoon. Rose and Jackie went to the ladies room and Rose asked her mother what she had been going to say about her back in the lay-by, not daring to ask her whether she was acting or genuinely gone with the whole situation.
"What exactly were you going to tell him back there, Mum? Were you going to tell him about Mickey? It was over a long time ago with him, you know that."
Rose wasn't sure if Jackie knew the reason why Mickey had never come back with them but what if he was still around, what would happen then? They may have broken up under different circumstances but they couldn't still be together, surely?
"Rose, I don't know how you and Mickey fell out, probably because you took that job two years ago and you said you were never coming back. He's a proper misery now, has a different girlfriend every time I bump into him, no wonder they don't stay with him. Rose, this will only be the second time you've actually come back home since you left and then when you rang, inviting me to see the play and meet your new boyfriend, well it was a bit of a shock since he's not just anyone, I mean, trust you to start going out with a famous actor who just happens to be the one you've had a crush on for the past few years and if I were you, if you intend him sleeping in your old room with you, I'd take the pictures of him down first."
Rose could feel herself turning red and rushed into the nearest cubicle, her mother was fully under the illusion, it must have happened when she met him and now she truly believed everything. Now she had no ally, no-one else to confide in, no wonder The Doctor had wanted to keep her out of it. If she hadn't brought her to meet Jon, she could have at least talked on the phone about him but eventually, Jackie would have slipped up and spoilt the illusion or worse. Even if Rose had never told her, someone would have talked about him, Jackie would have said he looked like Rose's friend and would have been asked loads of questions. Just as Rose had thought, one look-a-like was more than enough for her mother to handle. Now she had to risk facing Mickey again and hope Jon would accept it and she had to trust the Tardis had done her job and protected her from coming under the illusion because if she fell under it, there was no getting The Doctor back, not unless she came across the watch and if he intended to take her with him when the play was over, the watch would be lost because it was hidden so well, she would never find it and it would be left behind.
He would remain Human and have a normal life, one he thought he could never have, with her and the Tardis would remain hidden in the bushes behind their apartment forever, until the land was redeveloped and by then, they would be living in London or somewhere, he'd never even said where he was supposed to live, maybe the address, wherever it was, was fake and there was nothing there. The flat Rose was in maybe the only thing that was real and after the three months was up, she really would have to start paying rent but if she had left him by then, she would have gone back to her old life anyway but she had a responsibility to him, to keep him safe and open the watch, no matter how much she wanted him to remain Human.
That would have been why he had changed the terms, so he wouldn't wander away from her, it would have been too much of a risk going off with someone else, then she would have had to confront him and force him to open it because on closing night, she would have to show him it and if he'd gone off with another woman, she would have to take it to the theatre and besides that, how uncomfortable would it make her feel, tending to him with his hair and make-up then seeing him walk off with someone else?
No, it was up to her to get him through this and all ideas of her not being able to give him the watch had to put out of her mind as her mother shouted if she as ready to go. Jon was waiting patiently, finishing the last of the tea and smiled at the two of them. They continued their journey, Rose making sure this time she joined in the conversation now and then even though she had plenty to think about, making plans with Jon for one, the most important one because now, they were in a committed relationship and the game had progressed to the final stage, with still two months to go. At this rate, she would be getting him to open the watch sooner rather than later. Jackie gave the final directions to the Powell Estate, Jon not too sure about leaving his rented car but Rose said it would be fine.
Thankfully, Jackie had tidied Rose's room because everything had been thrown around the last time she'd been home for a visit, which wasn't that long ago and at least now, she had some idea how long she had supposed to have been at the theatre and if it was two years, that meant she was twenty two or thereabouts, since it was still the same year. It was still a big age gap though, if he was thirty five but not as big as being twenty and nine hundred. Rose had taken their bags into her room, keeping him out and sure enough, there were pictures of him all over the walls, the Tardis was going to hear about this when she got back to the ship.
After talking for hours, Jackie making something to eat and watching some TV, Rose was ready for bed and told Jon he could stay up and watch more TV if he wanted but he said he'd seen enough, it was almost ten when the doorbell rang. Jackie didn't know who it could be at that time, she wasn't even expecting any of her male friends, or so she said and Rose told her not to open the door without the chain on and her phone nearby but Jon volunteered to answer it until Rose thought it maybe Mickey and thought she should go with him. It was Mickey, larger than life and Rose couldn't understand as she had left him not that long ago on another world. The Tardis must have added him to the illusion since really, he should have been here but then it dawned on her, all the time she had been playing at The Doctor being Human, she had never actually checked the year. Was it possible the Tardis had taken her back a year, to coincide with her life before she had met her first Doctor and that was why nothing had happened? That was the only explanation, even when she had looked at the rent book, she hadn't taken any notice of the year or had the Tardis been shielding it from her?
"Rose, I heard you were back, Shareen saw you earlier, why didn't you phone me? Who's this bloke with the long hair, you going out with a hippy now?"
Jon looked a bit put out, grabbing his ponytail and looking at Rose, who just smiled at him, reassuringly.
Jackie heard his voice and called him inside, Jon and Rose stepping to one side and closing the door. Rose was not looking forward to this but at least this Mickey was the genuine pre-Doctor one and it reminded her of why she had left and gone off with The Doctor in the first place.
"Mickey, this is Jon, play nice while me and mum go make some tea. Jon, this is Mickey Smith, my ex-boyfriend from two years ago who I left to go work at the theatre and I emphasise the ex bit so whatever you want Mickey, you'd best say and go. We had a long drive here and we're tired."
Rose went off to join Jackie in the kitchen and hoped it wouldn't get too rough out there. She hadn't reckoned on this, as far as she knew, he shouldn't have been here but she should have paid attention to when they had landed, there again, she should be used to it by now but with something this important, like living a normal life and The Doctor doing domestics, she had assumed it was in their normal timeline.
When Rose and Jackie emerged with the tea, Jon was on the sofa, Mickey was on the chair and they were ignoring each other. Whether Jon had tried talking, Rose didn't know but she sat down beside him and took his hand.
Jackie was brave enough to break the ice because there was literally a block of it surrounding the living room. Jon clearly was uncomfortable even though he had told Rose he wanted to know what was wrong and Mickey didn't look like he really wanted to be there either and Rose could only imagine he had heard she was back and wanted to make up and she was making it quite clear by being there with Jon that she wasn't about to.
"Mickey, what you doing coming here at this time of night anyway, they've been here hours, they're only staying tonight then off back again tomorrow, they just brought me back home." Jackie drank her tea, looking around at the other three, Rose with her head on Jon's shoulder and Mickey doing his usual arms crossed in a huff thing. "Been to see the play he's in, it was the best play I've ever seen and I'm not into that Shakespeare stuff either, thought it was too stuffy but it was funny, Jon was really good in it, that's why he's got long hair, it's for the play. Did you actually think Rose was going out with a hippy?"
She was laughing now and even Jon managed a smile.
Mickey was not impressed with who Jon was, "I didn't even recognise him, he looks different with long hair but I remember Rose wanted to go see him in the play just before she left but we couldn't get tickets." He was talking like Jon wasn't even in the room, probably on purpose. "Ain't that right Rose, remember, you pestered me to take you to see it and it was sold out, ha! Didn't want to go anyway."
Mickey picked up his mug of tea and decided to keep quiet as Rose threw him a look that said 'shut up' without her actually saying it.
"So, was there an actual reason for your visit Mickey because if not, I'm off to bed, Jon, are you coming?"
Rose got up and held her hand out to him and without hesitation, put his tea down and got up.
"Right, nice to meet you Mickey and yes, I don't wear my hair like this for fun, it's for the play I'm in and it doesn't come out so I'm stuck with it, for another two months. Not my first choice of hairstyles, I'll admit, think next time I might go for the spiked up look though. Nite nite then Jackie, glad you enjoyed the play, see you in the morning then." With that, he took Rose's hand and walked out of the living room.
Once in Rose's old room, she just burst out laughing.
"Ha! Your face when he said you looked like a hippy!"
She continue laughing as he walked up to her, a big smile on his face and put his arms around her, kissing her forehead.
"So, you think it's funny do you?" he asked as he went to her ribs to tickle her and she tried to wriggle way. "I'll show you what funny is," as he caught hold of her and she shrieked. "Shush! We don't want your mother knocking on the door, it was bad enough last night when she was in the next room and I didn't get to do all the things I wanted to do to you but I'll give you a taster of what's to come, if you want?"
He went for her neck as she stifled another shriek just in time as he pushed her down onto the bed. How could she resist that?
Mickey must have left at some point since Rose finally got away and went to the bathroom and her mother had gone to bed so she crept quietly around and back into her room, which seemed rather cramped with two of them just being cosy in her bed, which Jon seemed to prefer, giving him a chance to have the excuse for her sleeping even closer. He whispered to ask her when they got back to their flat if they could talk about maybe making some more permanent changes to their relationship, make plans and Rose had to agree to talk about it, how could she say otherwise? Just come out and tell him there were no long term plans that could be made? They had to at least discuss what he had planned because as far as he was concerned, he was moving on after the play finished and now apparently, he wanted to take her with him or make some other arrangements, that was what they needed to talk about.
Just as Rose was finally falling asleep, complaining he was taking all the room up in the bed, she settled draping herself half over him, although she had made him sleep in his t-shirt again since her mother was still around, he finally asked her the big question, in a round about sort of way, when were they going to actually have sex?
Rose nearly fell out of bed, which wasn't that difficult since she was clinging onto him and she asked him what had brought the subject up so suddenly.
"I really think we should talk about that when we get back, don't you? I mean, well, I suppose we'll get around to that, soon, it's just, I don't want to rush things, it's been two years since I even had a boyfriend and even then, well, nothing much really happened, we never went that far."
She wasn't really lying, just stretching it a bit, Mickey had been her last boyfriend and they didn't take it too far, pretty much the same as her and Jon were now only she had gone out with Mickey a lot longer and supposed now that was the reason they had supposed to have split up, one of them hadn't wanted to go the whole way and she could only guess by Mickey's mood earlier that it had been her. The real reason in the real world was of course The Doctor had come along but even then, her and the other Mickey really hadn't gone far in that department.
"Rose, it's okay, I don't mean actually now, right this minute, well it's just I need to know how you feel about it and I don't want to rush you, maybe we can just take it slowly, if it's your first time, it should be special and we should both want it to happen, I can understand that, if you're scared. Please don't take it the wrong way, but I love you Rose and I want us to be together, properly. If you want?"
It was going to happen sooner or later, Rose knew that from the start but how could she make it stretch out another two months? They had committed themselves to each other now, he would expect to up the stakes, to ask her to become more intimate and she had no valid reason to give him why they shouldn't.
"When we get back, if you like, we can, well, be a bit more intimate and I'm not saying no to the sex bit, it's just I need you to be patient with me and take it one step at a time. Is that okay?"
Jon just held her tighter and kissed her and whispered, "Yeah, of course we can take it slowly, I just need to know you want to as much as I do and I'll wait Rose, as long as it takes, I'll wait but can we agree on just one thing?" Rose said yes. "That you won't make me make all the first moves, just tell me or show me what you like and we'll go from there and when it's the right time, we'll both know, okay?"
Rose had snuggled back up to him and softly whispered an 'okay' and fell asleep, happy that he had settled for agreeing to wait for her. Now she could relax a bit and enjoy the rest of the two months left with no pressure and boy was she going to enjoy them now.
The next morning, Jackie was up cooking breakfast again, Jon could smell it and followed his nose after getting out from the tangled mess of bedclothes and Rose lying over him and when she finally joined them in the kitchen, Jackie was talking ten to the dozen to a fascinated Jon who thought he was good at talking and was considering asking Jackie if she thought of taking up acting as a career. She sat opposite Jon and smiled and when Jackie left the kitchen asked if he wanted to have a look around London before they set off back.
"Actually Rose, there's somewhere I'd like to take you first, somewhere I need you to see, before we start making our plans. I want you to see where I live when I'm not away somewhere doing a play. A lot of the ones I'm in aren't that far away, I'm only staying away now because of the travelling, getting finished late at night but most of the time, I'm only an hour or so away. I'd like you to see my apartment, see if you like it and if you don't, well, we'll look for something else, together because when this play's over, I want you to come and live with me, if you want?"
"Wow, that really is making plans," she thought. "I'd love to go and see where you live, you never talk much about it, so where do you live? I'm sure I'll like it but what about my job and my flat, I can't afford to stop working."
"We'll worry about that later because I want you to come with me Rose, I can pick and choose the plays I'm in, I can pick the ones nearer home and don't worry about a job, I'll look after you or you can work in the theatres I'm in but I want to look after you Rose, if you'll let me?"
"Well, theatre management probably don't like outsiders coming in, I only know where I work they're not keen but you could say I'm your personal assistant or something. I've never had anyone who wanted to look after me before so I don't know what to say except I kind of like the idea. We have plenty of time to talk about it, so where do you live then?"
Rose was quite keen to see if there was an actual apartment but she supposed that in the event he had decided he wasn't going back to being a Timelord and leaving the Tardis for good, he would have provided suitable accommodation and an adequate means of living for himself if the case arose so it made sense to have the best. Maybe he could live out his life as an actor, he was very good at it. It was going to be very tempting when the time came for him to change back to let him stay as he was for longer, say the next forty years? No, she couldn't do that to him but she now loved him as Jon and he returned her love so she would just have to work on getting The Doctor part of him to love her as well.
They said goodbye to Jackie and made their way to Jon's apartment, it was in a nice London suburb, near the river and Jon said during the summer, there were boat trips and regattas. It was early May and there were some boats out when they passed by the river and arrived outside a modern looking apartment building with lots of glass and Rose was really impressed there was a security desk and the man on duty said good morning to Jon and addressed him by name. Jon even chatted to the man a few minutes and Rose thought it must be a really expensive place and she hadn't even seen inside yet but it did make sense that he should have something comfortable should he choose to remain Human.
They took the lift to the second floor, Rose admiring the d cor as they stepped out, the Tardis had outdone herself, it was better than her flat, more signs of the ship being more favourable towards him but it was his Tardis, of course she would be on his side. Once he opened the door to the apartment, Rose immediately fell in love with it as she walked inside to a modern living room with a balcony which overlooked the river, as did the bedroom when she walked in and the bathroom and kitchen were on the other side overlooking the street. She turned to Jon and said she loved it.
"So, can you imagine yourself living here? At least for a while, we could look for a house together if the need arises or if you want more room. You really like it then? We could stay here tonight, if you wanted to? It will only take a few hours to get back tomorrow, we can be back in time. I need a few more things anyway to take with me, since we're here."
"This place must cost a fortune," Rose wondered out loud, to which Jon turned around and joined her on the balcony where she had wandered out, looking at the river below. "So is it expensive then, especially since you don't live here all the time, when you're not able to get back every night?"
"Actually, I bought it a while back, an investment from my early days, well with the money I made in my early days rather, better than leaving it in the bank, more money in bricks and mortar, or should I say mainly glass but I like where it is, sitting on the balcony watching the regatta and all the boats go by. You'll love it in a month or two when it starts getting busy, just in time for the end of the play. I could take a few weeks off to get you settled and we can go away somewhere, maybe Spain. Tell you what, we can go to Barcelona! Always wanted to go to Barcelona, how about you?" as he held her close and kissed her forehead then wrapping his arms around her.
Rose couldn't believe what he had just come out with, that was where The Doctor had wanted to take her just before his regeneration, not the city but the planet so somewhere deep inside him, the ideas were still there. She put her arms around his neck and said, "I'd love to go to Barcelona, with you," then she reached up to kiss him and said, "I love you Jon" and kissed him again.
He picked her up in his arms and walked into the bedroom, laid her on the bed and went to pull the blinds over, then took his shirt off and hovered above her, unbuttoning her top as she unbuttoned his jeans then dared to unzip them. If he wanted her to see his apartment, he was being serious about her moving in and the place was actually his, or was it? Was it all real? It had to be, it made perfect sense to have a place bought and paid for without having to bother with rent and things. She had to find out more but not right now, he had just unbuttoned her jeans and was pulling them down while she wasn't paying attention and they were now halfway off as she was offering no resistance which meant she was willing to participate.
He knelt over her and she put her hands on the waistband of his jeans and started pulling them down, Jon was smiling at her and moved so she could take them off, then he bent down and pulled hers off, tossing them away, then pulled off her top. He leaned down to kiss her cleavage, still covered by her bra and whispered, "I love you Rose" and unfastened her bra. The kissing got more intense as he moved to one side and run his hand down her side, hovering it on her hip and just on the waistband of her knickers. He broke the kiss and looked at her, as though he was asking her permission, Rose didn't stop him as he lowered them over her hip, just slightly and leaned down, planting a soft kiss on her hip.
He was clearly telling Rose he expected her to do almost the same so she moved over and put her hand on the waistband of his shorts and pulled them down slightly to match her own, then he moved her onto her back and pulled the other side down, so her hips were uncovered, he was playing, to see how far she would go so she pulled the other side of his down and he lay on her, kissing her as they touched, then he buried his face into her neck and asked if she was okay with it. She said she was as she kissed his neck and they just lay, their hips touching, another step taken.
They got dressed and Jon suggested a pub he knew further down the river, so they walked down and on the way back, Rose stopped to take some photos of some baby ducks on the river and some photos of Jon, she wanted to remember him like this, with his hair in a ponytail, his tight jeans, his green striped shirt and his grey jacket, she wanted him to see he didn't have to wear that stuffy brown suit with a tie every single day, it wasn't like he didn't have any other clothes, she had now seen most of them, well the ones in the flat anyway and was about to see the rest of them. Jon took some photos of Rose and they managed to get on a boat for a short ride further down the river and then they walked back to Jon's apartment, stopping to get a few things on the way back.
All in all, they had a pleasant afternoon and it was nearly six when they got back, Rose wanted to get a shower since they were setting off back early in the morning and said they could watch a movie afterwards and make cheese toasties just like at home since they had stopped at a convenience store. Jon laughed and said this could be her home as well once the play finished. Rose just wished it was true, she would do anything to have an apartment like this but maybe they could, if it was really his, The Doctor's, if it was really paid for they could use it instead of going to her mum's flat. There was only going to be one way to find out.
So Rose had her shower, turning down Jon's offer to help, she had enough trouble coping as it was now they were in the final stage and someone was going to give in soon and they would be down to one of them losing the last of their underwear, then both of them but she couldn't back out now, it was a natural progression since they had talked about it. It could have been worse, he could have said he didn't want to wait but that was his nature, Human or not, he wasn't pushy or dominant, he was as far as she had observed, a very shy and sensitive person, unless someone or something got on his wrong side and even then, he would seek a peaceful solution before resorting to other methods and Jon had inherited his shy and peaceful side thank goodness and hadn't changed to being dominant.
She didn't know what she would have done if he had turned out to be dominant and wanted to have sex in the first few days, she would have surely lost him then and she had done quite well making it last a month and they hadn't got there yet but something was going to happen soon, very soon if earlier was any indication. She kept telling herself it was no different to any other man or woman getting to know each other and it wasn't as though he had said before this all started that he didn't even want to go there.
All he had said was he wanted to prove he could be a Human male, and that's what Human males did, got interested enough with a woman to want to go there and if she wasn't careful, it would get to that, very soon so she was going to have to be very insistent she was really shy about it and get him to wait for her a bit longer but that didn't mean they couldn't get intimate as long as nothing really happened. He would probably be satisfied with being more intimate, it would let him know she wanted to eventually go the whole way, while keeping the event off long enough for him to change back. It was sort of a plan, one she was going to have to settle for.
Refreshed from her shower, she put the pyjama bottoms on and borrowed one of Jon's many t-shirts, he apparently had loads more and she went to join him in the living room and found him sat on balcony looking out over the river, seemingly miles away he didn't see her approach as she put her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.
He got up and said, "Just think Rose, during the warm weather, we can sit out here, have lunch and when there are no performances, we can sit out in the evening and watch all the boats go past, all lit up, you'll love it Sweetheart, I know you will."
He was making it all sound so real and Rose just hoped it would all come true, well she had always wanted him to be Human and that had come true, sort of, maybe they could have a life like this, when they weren't wasn't that impossible now, maybe this was just the beginning but they would have to go back to their own time, they couldn't stay in this time unless he remained human and Rose knew now of the dangers that were to come and in The Doctor's words, it would create a paradox if she remained with him she'd never meet him next year and the Earth would be in grave danger. Just maybe though, if he remained Human, the aliens that kept landing here might just stay away though, maybe he was the one they were all attracted to? Well the Sycorax certainly were, he said so himself but maybe not, in theory, if she never met him he wouldn't have been forced to regenerate and he wouldn't be here now, an endless paradox that she couldn't escape. The Earth used to be such a peaceful place in the time she was in now with no alien invasions.
Rose was just holding onto him as he was kissing her neck, then they walked inside and he closed the patio door and picked up the film they had chosen to watch and curled up in the chair with her. Rose was getting sleepy towards the end of the film, Jon had managed to get his hand up the back of the t-shirt which was working its way around the front, then when the film finished, he got up to make the cheese toasties and tea and they sat on the sofa until he asked her if she wanted to go to bed.
Rose didn't hesitate as she let him help her up off the sofa, they had definitely started something earlier that was going to get finished one way or another. So Jon went to take the dishes to the kitchen, Rose noticed he even had a dishwasher and he knew how to use it and Rose went to the bathroom and he was waiting for her when she entered the bedroom, his shirt was off along with his jeans and he was sat on the bed. He got up and pulled the t-shirt off she had borrowed and laid her on the bed, both of them down to one item of clothing and Rose knew one of them was about to lose theirs, maybe it was safer it was her.
He kissed her top half and reached the waistband of her pyjama bottoms, pulling them down over her hips until they were only just covering her, then he stopped and looked at her, then he moved away onto his back, wanting her to do the same to him. Managing somehow to keep the pyjama bottoms over her hips, she worked her way down Jon's chest, down to his belly button and gently thumbed the waistband of his shorts, pulling them slightly over his hips. They kissed again as he moved her onto her back then asked if she would let him touch her. She whispered a 'yeah' and he pulled the pyjama bottoms lower and began to kiss her hips, then lower down as she gasped. He stopped again and asked if he could go further but she took his hand and placed it where she wanted it, well he had said for her to show him what she wanted and so he just let his hand be guided, then he leaned down and gently kissed where his hand had been and whispered, "I love you Rose."
He gently pulled his shorts down until he was just touching her as she let out another gasp as she felt him, this was going to result in them both losing the last of their clothing at this rate but he didn't try to take his shorts off, he just pressed against her, making her feel his closeness to her as he resumed kissing her top half and since he seemed quite content, Rose took the first move and put her hands down his shorts and pulled him closer. He looked up and smiled at her, she was giving him a reward and he knew it and went back to what he was doing. He looked up at her again, grinning like the cat that had got the cream and started to move off her, forcing her to remove her hands and he whispered to move over with him and lay on him and as he did, he pulled at her PJ shorts and took them off as he fumbled to pull his own shorts all the way down but she stopped him.
"Let's just leave it at this for now, can we?" gasped Rose. "This is just right for now, let's not get tot carried away for one night."
"Aw, alright, if it's what you want, it was just, well, you let me pull your PJ shorts off but you're probably right, let's not spoil things by getting too carried away, we should build up to it. There are lots of things we can do without actually going the whole way and we'll just do them until you're ready, I just want to get close to you, I wasn't going to try to go too far tonight Rose, I'd never do that without you wanting it, I just wanted you to lay on me so we could touch each other, find out what we both like, is that okay?"
Rose thought she had panicked too quickly, she should have known he wouldn't go back on his word to wait. She just had to trust him a bit longer and let it build up but there was no reason why she had to worry, she had gone this far with other boyfriends and it hadn't bothered her and she really wanted to be with Jon.
"Yeah, okay, this is just nice, we could definitely do more of this," she said as rested on him.
They kissed some more, Jon wrapped his arms around her and asked her if she was tired and when she said she was, he reached for her PJ bottoms and helped her on with them, pulling his own shorts back up and Rose settled on him and fell asleep after he had kissed her some more.
Week 4
They were up early the next morning, setting off early, Jon taking a few more things with him now he wasn't in the hotel and they arrived back in plenty of time to go to the theatre. They had decided on the following Saturday night they were going back to the other apartment and come back on the Monday morning and Jon suggested Rose found out about giving notice on her flat and make arrangements to move. Rose just wished she was doing it for real instead of going through the pretence of making plans to move, the only place she might be moving to would be her mum's flat if The Doctor rejected her after it was all over but she didn't think he would do that to her but she might decide herself, if she fell really deeply for him and it was getting that way. He might want to go back to being friends but she wasn't too sure she could, not now, it would be just like going out with someone and splitting up which she used to be able to do but not with him.
They spent their nights getting closer after Rose started letting him take his shorts off and they discovered what each of them liked after a few failed attempts by Jon to get Rose to start letting him and they finally both started sleeping with just Jon wearing his after Rose said she couldn't sleep without anything on but she went back to wearing some skimpy knickers but she usually lost them when she woke up.
On the Saturday morning, Rose had packed them an overnight bag each so they could set off directly after the evening performance but they got delayed after it was announced in the afternoon that there was going to be a photo call which had been brought forward. Rose was annoyed to say the least as it meant they wouldn't get away until late and she was going round asking everyone if despite who was called first if they would let Jon as everyone knew by this point that they were together and said they were going off afterwards. Most of them said it was fine except a few who said they were also going home and she should have known Mark would object but when Rose pointed out to the others they had a fair way to travel, some of them said okay.
It was almost twelve when they got away, Rose thought Jon was too tired to drive and she couldn't so Rose suggested they just went home and got a few hours sleep and set off early, they wouldn't loose any time so Jon set an early alarm and they got there in time for breakfast and Jon showed her around the small town. He treated Rose to a new dress to take her out that evening, a nice restaurant that Rose thought was far too posh for her but they had a lovely time and Jon didn't get stared at too much as people looked at his hair but a few recognised him and Rose was sure they were going to get in the papers now but since her mother was no longer the only other person who knew the truth it didn't matter now, let them put her name all over the papers with him, a few more weeks and it would all be gone, the spell would be lifted and no-one knew Jonathan Smyth had existed.
Rose was going to talk to him about that, to tell him not to shield her in the press, she wanted everyone to know she was going out with him. Before they had begun their relationship, she had read he had a girlfriend but Rose didn't know what had happened to her and Jon didn't volunteer any information so she had left it so when they got back to the apartment, they had opted to get a taxi so they could have a drink and Rose had bought some new underwear when she had been getting her dress, Jon was teasing her on the sofa and she asked him if he planned on revealing her name to the world if he did any interviews.
"Well I wasn't planning on doing any interviews but yeah, if the subject comes up, I'm not going to hide you but you might get some stick from my fans though," he joked.
This was Rose's chance to find out if there were any supposed ex's in the picture.
"So, you met my ex last weekend, is there anyone I should be worried about, should my name end up in the papers with you?"
"Na, haven't had a girlfriend for over a year, she left me, went to the USA, said she wasn't coming back. She said I spent too much time in the theatre. There's no jealous ex Rose, you don't have to worry about that. So was it two years since you broke up with Mickey?" Rose nodded. Well in this timeline it was anyway. "He seemed to have some sort of grudge against me, was he thinking you had gone back to see him by any chance?"
Rose didn't actually know why Mickey would have a grudge against her new boyfriend but his reaction to The Doctor had given her a pretty good idea he didn't handle rejection well.
"When I left two years ago, I told him it was over and I wasn't coming back and in that time, I've only been back twice to see my mum and not him. He was just a boyfriend, it was nothing serious, I was young, too young to be serious but he wanted more and I didn't so I left and because I would have seen him all the time, I got that job and moved."
Well it was sort of true, she had gone off and left him, just not for a job.
"We grew up together, he's older than me and I wasn't ready. When we started going out I was only seventeen, it was just for fun, to say I had a boyfriend. I never intended to make anything else of it."
Looking back though, it was true, she never expected herself to go out with Mickey for so long but would she have stayed with him if she hadn't gone off with The Doctor? She would never know now but she was grateful that the Tardis hadn't provided The Doctor with a love rival for her affections.
"So what about us Rose, about me? I want to be serious with you, you now that and you haven't run away. I hope I'm more than just a boyfriend, am I? We've moved in together, I want you to come and live with me, here, when the play's over and you said you would. I want to take care of you, look after you, not just financially but in every way. Is that what you want Rose? I want you to be my partner, not just my girlfriend, will you? Will you be my partner, my other half?"
Rose didn't know what to say. It was a big step in their relationship, a sign he wanted to make a commitment and yes, she knew he wanted to be serious but so did she now, at least for two more months or thereabouts and making a commitment to him would let him know she was serious and if he knew she was serious, he would wait, if she gave him a time frame.
She looked at him, he had already unbuttoned his shirt and Rose put her hand on his chest and went to kiss his neck, crawling on him and said, "Yes, I want you to look after me, no-one else has ever wanted to do that for me and you are more than just a boyfriend, a lot more and I want you to be my other half, my partner because I love you, I love you so much because you the kindest most considerate man I have ever met."
She started kissing his neck, then his chest as he unzipped her dress, slipping it off and seeing her new sexy underwear to which he smiled and said, "I love you Rose, you've just made me really happy."
He moved from under her, taking a real good look at her new underwear and letting out a whistle before laying on top of her, kissing her cleavage that was still covered, hovering over her as she unzipped his trousers and pulled them down and he wriggled out of them, then said, "I want you Rose, if only part of you, just tell me when to stop but I want you, tonight, now."
He then laid on her, just like they had been doing for the last week but this time, Rose could feel him and it felt like she was going to burst with the sensation, it was just for a few moments, the initial touch but as he moved further, she whispered it was okay for him to do so until she felt him move further and the sensation increased, it was pure pleasure, she had never felt anything like it. He asked if she was okay as she moaned and she dug her fingers into him to say she was okay but he never moved any further, he just stayed where he was and Rose could feel he was experiencing the same pleasure as she was as he whispered her name.
Rose knew she had never experienced anything like this before but Jon was older, he had been fashioned to behave like a male of his age who would have been experienced and he had needs too and by the sound of it, they were being satisfied as they both moved and Rose let out a cry.
He thought she was uncomfortable but she said she wasn't, she wanted him to stay where he was so he did for a while before moving away and she felt a rush as he did, she felt excited and relieved that they had reached this far in their relationship. She was sure Jon was feeling exactly the same.
Week 5
Now they had got almost to the final stage of their relationship, Jon never pressed her to go the whole way, they were comfortable with each other, Rose was letting Jon do more, he would let her have more pleasure out of their intimacy and never asked her to do any more than she wanted and they were both happy. It showed outwardly in both of them and caught the attention of people who saw them out together and finally, it hit a gossip column of the local newspaper and of course it was picked up by the nationals but it was inevitable, they didn't mind, Jon was quite relieved it had finally come out in the open and they didn't try to squash the rumours. He was a bit annoyed when a local reporter asked them for an interview but Rose said they should, she wasn't bothered about it and said they would be best getting it over with.
Jackie of course saw the papers, she was on the phone the same morning, telling her she had left herself wide open for jealous fans but Rose knew deep down it wasn't going to last much longer, she could put up with it for a few weeks and they were in the theatre most of the time anyway, they just had to get used to it although Jon was supposed to have been through it all before and wasn't keen on the whole experience but after the week was up, most of it had died down and after Jackie insisting to speak to him and gave him one of her lectures, he got away with a warning that if he broke her heart, he would answer to her.
Jon had assured Jackie he was most certainly not going to break Rose's heart and told Jackie of their plans to move to London after the play was over and Rose would go either touring with him or he would take parts in plays nearer home. Jackie said he should consider going into TV work, get a regular part in a TV programme but he wasn't keen on that idea. After promising he would take great care of her daughter, Jackie was reasonably satisfied and wanted them to visit the next bank holiday but Jon had other plans for that weekend that he wasn't even telling Rose.
Week 6
Jon still hadn't told Rose what he had planned for the bank holiday so Rose thought they were just going to the other apartment as usual but she was in for a surprise because somehow or another, Jon had wrangled the Saturday off although he knew it was extremely rare for them to cover him for two performances unless he was taken ill but he had managed to persuade the director to let them both take the time off since others had taken time off even though he knew there might be a lot of disappointed fans.
They had been together for almost five weeks and Rose knew it was nearly halfway through the three months and nothing major had changed between them, except their love for each other had grown and they weren't afraid to show it either in the theatre or when they were out and Rose was even standing at the door while he was signing autographs and they left together being escorted through the crowds. Their names were being linked together everywhere and they never denied anything but mostly the press left them alone. Jon was invited to a radio interview which would be recorded at a local radio station instead of going to London and Rose went with him. Crowds were gathered outside as the two of them went in hand in hand, questions coming from the fans about their relationship which Jon politely but firmly refused to answer and no doubt the fans were now starting to get just a little jealous of Rose but since neither of them took to the social networking sites, they weren't bothered about what was being said. Rose knew it would all fade away soon anyway.
On Friday afternoon, Kay had asked Rose and Jon to dinner over the bank holiday but when Rose said they were going away and they had made plans, Kay got a bit annoyed with Rose, saying she hardly knew her any more and she spent all her time with Jon in the theatre instead of with the others but Rose pointed out she had lots of work to do and he required a lot of attention which was the reason she wasn't looking after anyone else but Kay wouldn't accept it and Rose was upset especially when Kay was catty about her getting the Saturday off when she found out and some of the others weren't happy. When they got back on the Friday night, Rose was in tears even though she didn't really know Kay, it was the way she had turned against her that hurt and Jon tried to console her.
"Rose, Sweetheart, don't get upset, it's not worth it, why don't you let me cheer you up? Tell me what I can do to make you feel better? Shall I make you some tea and you can tell me all about it or do you just want to go to bed?"
Rose was feeling everyone but Jon was turning against her, she didn't even have her mother now, well she did but not to confide in, only to talk about her romance with Jon, not what was really going on. Rose still couldn't believe she was the only one left who knew the truth and was sorely tempted to leave things as they were other than the knowledge she had of what was really to come, alien invasions and live killer shop window dummies being amongst them. If only she hadn't invited her mother to see the play, Jackie might still have been on her side of things.
"I just want to go to bed, I just want you to hold me, I feel like everyone is turning against me and on top of that, my mother is giving you a lecture, I feel she's going to drive you away on top of everything else. I couldn't bare it if she put you off and you left me."
She buried her face in his chest and held on to him.
His arms were wrapped around her, holding her as tight as he could so not to crush her and just let her sob, rubbing her back and kissing her cheek.
Then he said, "Come on, let me take you to bed and tomorrow, we'll get up early and you'll see where I'm taking you, why I got us the time off because I've got something I want to ask you, something really special and I want things to be just right, I don't want you to be upset for when we set off."
So they just lay together as Jon comforted her and the following morning, Rose was feeling better and showed him it when he woke her up even though he said it would make them late setting off, he figured she needed it. She hadn't taken much notice when he'd said he had something to ask her but it suddenly struck her, surely he wasn't going to propose to her yet? It was barely six weeks, far too soon. No, it had to be something else about their relationship, he'd already asked her to become his partner, asked her to give up her job and go live with him in London, she had to give her notice that she was leaving soon plus he'd already promised he wouldn't take things beyond her being comfortable with so she didn't know what was left.
If he asked her to marry him she was going to have to stall but how? Ask him to wait for her answer? He was already waiting for her to say she was ready to go the whole way, he wouldn't take waiting for her answer very well on top of it. She was asking too much of him to do that. Maybe if that was it, she could somehow combine the two, tell him she would give him her answer and when she did, she would finally go the whole way but would he wait six weeks? She didn't think so, he might wait for one but not for both, a few days maybe but not six weeks.
As they set off, she had no idea where they were going, he was giving nothing away except he had insisted on doing his own packing for 3 days and was very secretive about it. They talked and sang along to the radio, they both loved all the old songs so the radio station was always the same. She was trying to find out where they were going and passing different signs gave her no clues as to their intended destination, they could have been going anywhere. She was getting fidgety and started asking questions like how far it was and how long it would take but he was keeping her guessing.
He'd not said to bring her passport which was just as well, she didn't have it with her but it had taken quite a while to even get that out of him and so she just had to enjoy the ride. Not that driving with him was a bad thing, she had got used to the way he drove, he was quite good, although they travelled mostly at night to their other apartment and by the time they left on the Monday morning the traffic had eased so driving mid morning was a novelty to him but he didn't seem bothered.
At one point, Rose thought they were driving towards the channel port of Dover, seeing frequent signs for it but after around two hours, he pulled off the main road and drove down a country road until just coming into view was a castle. Rose had heard of this castle and had always wanted to visit but it was a bit far for a day trip for her and her mum plus it was expensive but she also knew there was a rather equally expensive hotel attached to it and couldn't believe he was actually taking her there. This was it, he was going to propose to her, he wouldn't have brought her here for something other than asking her the big question. What was she going to do? Six weeks of being engaged to him then nothing, going back to maybe being just friends if he didn't get mad at her for saying yes when he'd told her not to let him get married. There again, he'd not told her not to let him at least ask to get engaged.
As they drove up to the hotel it was everything she had imagined and she knew they were going to get some looks from the other guests, he had long tied back hair that couldn't be hidden even if her mother had tried but hopefully he'd get recognised for who he was and he'd get away with it without too many stares and the odd few looking down their noses at them and the 'how can you allow that sort in this hotel?' but she supposed the hotel were used to famous people staying there.
It was the first time they have been away properly as a couple, going to her mother's hardly counted and apart from going to what Jon now referred to when they were setting off was their other apartment and spending a day out, this was their chance to let the world see them together in public. Jon checked them in but their room wasn't available until after lunch so they had to wait in the garden sipping ice-cold real home made lemonade then went in for lunch. They were shown to their room, well it was more like a suite with a four poster bed and must have cost a fortune for three nights so Rose knew now that he was going to propose, there was no other reason for all these elaborate surroundings. Anything else he could have asked on an afternoon out on the river or at home but this was going to extremes. On the other end of the scale, he wouldn't bring her here to dump her, to say thanks for the last few weeks but it's over between us and don't bother making plans and I'll get someone else to do my hair and make up, at least now after making a show of solidarity to the press.
Maybe that was it though, bring her here to split up in public and get the press off his back, maybe it had all been too much. He had kept his past relationships quiet compared with this, this had become very public, at his insistence though, she had tried her best to keep quiet. If they split up, she would have to leave the theatre immediately, people were becoming hostile enough and it would make it very difficult to get him to open the watch so if this was the end, she had to go back and get him to open the watch and end it, there was no way she could be intimate with him then let him go off with someone else. It would just be a failed exercise in being a Human, it would have to finish early.
If this was the time he was going to propose though, should she get engaged to him for six weeks or still end the entire charade? No, if she was going to lose him afterwards, she was going to give him the full works and enjoy showing off an engagement ring even if it was only for six weeks. It would give him an extra insight into being a Human male and give him an incentive to maybe carry it over when this was done.