Two Weeks Later

It had been another exhausting day, but he had good people by his side and he couldn't have been happier to have them all back home. They had all shuffled to bed, him grinning at Anna with an unspoken promise and now he waited for them to get settled.

He began his routine, seeking out Jack's room first and wasn't surprised to find him asleep; he had been awake most of this week. Donna was out as well, the dim light she had been keeping lit at night wasn't on and he smiled to the darkness.

And then it was time for his favorite part of the night, seeing Anna. He had thought she couldn't sleep that first night on the TARDIS due to the excitement but she didn't go to bed on her own accord.

He had found her in the library every night for the last two weeks, not that he was looking for her exactly, and they would talk for a while. Then he would find a book and read to her until she finally let sleep claim her.

He didn't know why she didn't want to go to bed, and it wasn't for lack of asking. He asked most nights, but she just brushed it off and he didn't push, and wouldn't until he deemed that it was too much for her to do on her own.

He opened the library door to find it dark aside from the customary flicker from the fireplace. He frowned, knowing that she was probably just in bed, which was a good thing. Even if it meant he didn't get those hours of alone time with her that he had come to love.

The Doctor wandered to her room, looking to see that it had been moved so that it was next door to his. He wasn't shocked, the TARDIS had been trying to play matchmaker since the night he made his promise to Anna that he would always come for her. She wasn't going to let him get away with not telling Anna how he was feeling for much longer he was certain.

He listened outside her door, and hearing nothing he opened it just a crack, letting a sliver of light fall upon her bed. She looked so beautiful sleeping, face relaxed and her breathing the only noise in the room. He wanted to move to the bed and pull her into his arms but he didn't. Instead he took a breath that was meant to slow his hearts but didn't and closed the door to let her get some much needed rest.

He had slept last night so he wasn't tired and he walked back to the console room to fiddle around with the timing on the TARDIS. It didn't strictly need it yet, but better to do some preventative care before they wound up somewhere too many years early or late.

He slid under the console, the sonic in his mouth, both hands filled with wires, seeking out the right one.

"Doctor," the voice was hoarse but he would know Donna's voice anywhere.

He shoved the wires back where they belonged; they could wait, and slid out to take in her pale face. Rising quickly he wiped his hands off on his shirt and moved over to her, not hesitating to lay a hand across her brow. He knew she was going to be warm even as he did it.

"What's wrong Donna?" He asked.

"Don't feel good," she mumbled, looking like she would rather not be asking him for help. She knew the rules though, after the one time she tried to hide her illness from him he told her that if she was going to stay with him she had to come to him for help.

He nodded, "Come on, med-bay," he took her hand and she followed him slowly, without protest.

Once there he scanned her, thankful to find it was just a normal human flu that she must have picked up on their recent shopping trip to Earth, and he gave her a soft smile.

"Flu?" Her hoarse whisper asked him.

"Yes, here let me give you something for the fever," he reached for a hypo and she stuck out her arm willingly. After he gave her the medicine he kissed her cheek and sent her to her room, with a promise to check on her soon.

She grunted in a very lady like fashion and shuffled out of the room. Turning around to tidy up the equipment he smiled to himself, before hearing someone enter the room. He spun around expecting Donna but Jack was standing there leaning against the door way watching him.

"Donna looks a little," he paused as if unsure of a nice way to say how bad she looked right then.

"Flu," the Doctor supplied while Jack searched for an adjective.

"Oh," Jack nodded, looking awake and a little bored. "Anna okay?"

It wasn't as if the Doctor wasn't already wondering about her, since it was a Human flu but he was trying to decide if he should take the chance of waking her to check.

"She was asleep," the Doctor told him. "I suppose though I should at least peek in and make sure."

Jack grinned. "You love her?"

The Doctor gave him a smirk, "I've known her for a little over two weeks Jack."

"Time is relative," Jack stole his line.

The Doctor sighed. Did he love her? Well sure he did, and he loved Jack and Donna and plenty of others but that wasn't what Jack was asking. Was he in love with her? Well, he wasn't prepared to answer that quite yet, even if he had an anwer.

"I'm going to go check on her," the Doctor mumbled by way of avoidance and scooted past Jack but he heard him call out to the Doctor's retreating form.

"I think she might love you too, Doc."

The Doctor smiled, despite the use of the forbidden nickname. Anna had given him no indication that he could see that she felt anything more than friendship towards him but the thought that maybe she felt even a trace of what he did made him happy to no end.

He listened again outside the door, before opening it to find an empty bed.