When the Doctor didn't come back after half an hour of waiting impatiently in the kitchen, Rose went out in search for him. She instinctively headed towards the counselors cabin, as that's where he seemed to be whenever she had trouble finding him. She quickly walked up to the door labeled 'John' and knocked out a four beat rhythm. When nobody answered, she carefully eased the door open, not wanting to wake him if he had fallen asleep. She nearly laughed out loud when she saw his room. Typical geek, really. Old movie posters scattered the walls (Star Trek, Star Wars, etc). The bed, which the Doctor was not lying on, was messy and unmade. On the bed stand was a pile of comic books that looked like they had been read too many times. The corners of the covers were bent and the words on the front page were unreadable. There were several action figures from movies that Rose couldn't name lining the dresser.

But the thing that really caught her eyes was a particular book that was laying on his desk. Frowning, she closed the door and crept forward, her eyes scanning the room. The Doctor was nowhere to be seen. Pulling out the chair of the desk, she opened the cover labeled 'Photo Album'. Immediately a smile lit up her face. There was a photo of a little boy- one who looked very much like the Doctor- holding up a boy scouts badge with a huge smile on his face. An older woman with brown hair, which was twisted up into a bun, was gazing at the boy with a grin that proudly read 'mother'. The Doctor must have been about five or six in the photo. The photo on the next page over was one of the whole family (or so she was guessing). The Doctor was sitting in front of a fireplace, a present in his hands. He looked to be trying to strike some sort of superhero pose. His mother sat to his right and the man she assumed to be his father was to his left, holding a little girl in his hands.

She turned the page and chuckled. The Doctor had a paint bucket over his head, his father standing up high on a ladder and looking down at him with a wide grin. There seemed to be a tree house in the making. The next; The Doctor, looking about seven in the photo, was teasing the girl Rose assumed to be his sister. She turned the page once more and the smell fell from her lips. There was the Doctor again, of course, except he was hiding behind a lady that looked very stern. The photo seemed to be mainly focused on the Doctor. His eyes were wide and he looked liked he'd been through hell. Frowning, her eyes lept to the next photo and her heart sunk. It was a zoomed out photo of the one on the opposite page, and she could properly see the building. In big white letters the word 'orphanage' was spelled out.

What had happened? There was no way his parents would have abandoned him. She jerked her head up as she heard someone fumbling to open the door. Quietly as she could, she closed the photo album and quickly climbed from the chair, trying not to make any loud noises. She scurried towards the bed and sat down. It was a bit tall- her feet didn't quite touch the floor. When the door was finally pushed open, the Doctor stumbled in, a bunch of boxes in his arms. His eyes met hers, blinking in surprise.

"Hello," he said, placing the boxes down onto the desk. His eyes drifted from Rose to the desk, where the photo album was. Looking uneasy, the Doctor snatched it up and stuffed it into the drawer before turning back to Rose. She figured it best not to ask what had happened- not now, anyway. He stared at her when she didn't answer, rocking back on his heels and stuffing his hands into his pockets. He looked nervous and upset. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Was just wonderin' what Steve said..." she bit down on her lip. The Doctor's face went blank and he glanced down at the floor.

"Well, he knows," the Doctor mumbled, crossing the room to sit on the bed next to her. She was a little surprised when he pulled her into his lap, tucking her head under his chin after giving her forehead a quick kiss.

"And?"

"And... he wasn't happy."

"Understandable."

"Yeah," the Doctor laughed lightly, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. She tried to read the expression on his face, but came up unsuccessful. He was painfully good at hiding his emotions. "Although," he suddenly piped up, "you know what he did say?"

"What?"

"He said he might not fire me. I think that's good. Is that a good thing?"

"That's good," she laughed. He grinned and snaked his arms around her waist. She immediately let out a small gasp and wriggled in his grip. He froze, staring at her with wide, amused eyes.

"Is someone ticklish?"

"No!" She cried out when he fingers ghosted across her waist, sending her streaking across the room. She nearly crashed into the desk, only just avoiding at it. The Doctor threw his head back and laughed, his face lit up. She couldn't help but grin. Suddenly, a thought came to mind, and the smile was quickly lost, replaced by a confused frown. The Doctor cocked his head.

"What?"

"How did he find out? Steve, I mean? Clara and Kaylee wouldn't have told him..."

"I was wondering the same thing," he admitted, his voice dying down to a whisper as someone's voice could be heard. Rose focused on the door, waiting to see if anyone would knock. No one did. Rose turned back to face the Doctor, an eyebrow raised.

"And?"

An uncomfortable look crossed his face. "I think Reinette ratted us out."

Rose couldn't help but giggle, rewarded with the Doctor's confused frown. "You make it sound top secret, 'ratted us out'." He shrugged, chuckling a little, but it gave away to a sigh. "What if he does fire me?" He groaned, falling back onto the bed. He pressed the palms of his hands to his eyes, letting out an upset whimper.

"Honestly, I don't think he will. You're a bit too good at your job for that."

"Maybe," he sighed, shrugging helplessly. Rose glanced at him sympathetically, walking back to the bedside. She patted his stomach, making him jump a little. "I don't know what to do," he admitted after a few moments of silence. His voice was low and he sounded upset. Rose sighed, sitting in his bed and fidgeting with her fingers in her lap.

"Not much you can do, really. Just see what happens. Besides, foods gonna' be ready soon, and I don't know 'bout you, but I'm starving."

The Doctor cast her an amused glance before sitting up and reached for her hand. "C'mon then!"

XXX

Dinner was delicious. Clara had gone shopping in a nearby town (nearby being a couple hours away), so there's was lots to eat. The Doctor had cheerfully stocked Rose's plate with whatever he pleased, despite her playful protests and smacks to his arm. They were sitting side by side on Rose's porch, eating from the same plate. He had stocked the plate with a bunch of chocolate chip cookies. He stuffed one after another into his mouth, ignoring all the other food on the plate.

"Don't come crying to me when you get a stomach ache," Rose sighed, popping a spoonful of jello into her mouth.

"I don't get stomach aches," he argued, biting into a cookie.

Rose scoffed, rolling her eyes and glanced over at the campfire area. Steve hadn't shown up to tell any stories, like usual. That had worried the Doctor and Rose had spent ten minutes trying to calm him down. Wrinkling her nose, she pushed the plate towards the Doctor.

"You're not gonna' eat that?" He asked, staring hungrily at what was left on the plate.

"No." Immediately, the Doctor snatched a chicken leg from the plate and bit into a chicken leg. When he was finished with everything, he leaned back, turning to look at her.

"You know, I don't know much about you," he said suddenly, raising an eyebrow. "Like, I dunno', siblings? Your parents?"

"No siblings. My mum would scare the hell out of you," she laughed at the thought, imagining the Doctor backed up against the wall, wide-eyed, with Jackie standing in front of him, telling him off.

He grinned in amusement. "And your dad?"

Rose sniffed, looking away. "I never knew my dad. He died was I was just a baby."

The Doctor descended into silence, looking both embarrassed and sympathetic. "Sorry...mine too."

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. The Doctor shrugged, suddenly looking uncomfortable. The Doctor chewed on his lower lip, looking out towards the fire.

"You saw the photo album, didn't you." It wasn't really a question.

"Yeah," she admitted rather sheepishly. The Doctor let out a long sigh, causing Rose to wince. She expected him to be angry with her. She honestly deserved it, invading his privacy like that.

"Do you want to know what happened?"

"A little..."

He arched an eyebrow at her. Rose sighed, "Alright, yes, a lot." A look of uncertainty passed through his eyes and he looked away, running a hand through his hair.

"My family... they're gone... but you already guessed that." Rose didn't reply. She reached for his hand, entwining their fingers. He seemed to appreciate the little comfort she offered. He squeezed her hand with a sigh. "I used to live in Scotland- I grew up there. The town I lived in..." he took a deep breath, wincing, and started again.

"The town- it was peaceful. I mean, nothing ever happens there really. But it was safe... usually. My parents, they left my sister and I home. I can't remember why, but they were going out the eat," his voiced hitched, but he continued on quickly. "And there was a shooting. They weren't even robbing the place- they just liked threatening people, making them cry, killing them." He'd drawn his legs up to his chest, shaking a little. "They- the people, they brought my parents back to the house. I don't know why- to torture us, maybe? They shot my parents several times each. Alice, my sister, she was screaming, alerting the neighbors. I had hidden under the table. I watched them, without saying a word, as they murdered both my parents and my sister."

Rose could only stare. She didn't think she'd ever heard somebody hate themselves as much as the Doctor did. Her heart ached. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like.

"There was blood everywhere," he added, shaking his head slowly. "I should have realized that they were late coming home, I should have... I should...I should have died with them."

"No!" Rose gasped, wincing. "No, you shouldn't have. It isn't your fault. Remember that, yeah? Not your fault." The Doctor didn't responded. Rose knew she hadn't convinced him otherwise, and she probably wasn't going to either. She scooted closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and breathing in his scent. "Doctor, there wasn't anything you could have done, you were a kid," she sighed, burying her face into his chest. He pulled her close to him, into his lap. Rose closed her eyes, listening to the soothing beating of his heart. It was quicker than usual.

The Doctor tucked her head under his chin and sighed, rocking her gently in his arms. "I know," he mumbled, but he still didn't sound very convinced.

XXX

When Rose woke up, she was tucked into her bed, feeling hot and sticky. Someone was knocking on her door. "Er, come in!" She said, running a hand through her hair. The door opened, revealing a very tired look Kaylee. She had a frustrated expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" Rose mumbled, slowly sitting upright. Kaylee shut the door, shrugged, and slumped to the floor, sighing.

"Nothing really. Besides the fact that Steve won't talk to the Doctor, the Doctor's panicking because he believes he's going to be fired, Steve won't make up his mind, and a lot of the campers are getting frustrated with having to stay here at camp because the Doctor's not allowed to leave. Oh- and Reinette's the one who told Steve about you two, but you guys probably already guessed that."

"Bad day?" Rose guessed, climbing awkwardly from the bed and stumbling towards her duffel bag, quickly changing into day clothes. "Well, what do you think?" Rose asked.

"What do I think about what?"

"Do you think he's going to be fired?"

"I'm not sure. It's all a bit frustrated. Wibbly wobbly as the Doctor would say."

Rose laughed sleepily, straightening up. "Why don't we go talk to Steve?"

"Already tried, and I don't think it would end well if you attempted."

"Fair enough."

Kaylee nodded and went silent for a few seconds, her head bent. "Rose," she sighed, "I'm honestly not sure if the Doctor can get his way out of this... he could very well be fired, and I don't think anyone can do anything about it..."

A/N: Gah, this was rushed, I'm sorry! The next chapter won't really have much to do with the plot (unless I change my mind) but after that there should only be one chapter. :c