Harry refused the Doctor's dinner invitation.

They had returned home to the penthouse from visiting Alba's mother nearly a week ago. The Doctor had been dead set on resolving the whole business with Harry and the vortex manipulator, but there had been no Plan B. When Harry turned down the invitation to come to dinner, the Doctor had stormed up and down the hall, muttering to himself and pulling at his hair. He didn't even seem to see her standing there in the doorway of the library, arms folded, watching his progress with uneasy eyes.

"Fucking Harry," he cursed. "Now what am I supposed to do? He must know I'm on to him."

She knew the question had been more rhetorical than anything, but she cleared her throat, finally garnering his attention. "We'll think of something else. You're clever, I'm sure there's got to be another way."

"That was my only hope, having him over for dinner and lacing it with truth sage. Barring that, I don't know how else I would dose him...unless…" he said, a lightbulb look crossing his face.

"What? What is it?" she asked.

"If I could distill the truth sage into a liquid form and extract the flavor from it, I could use it to dose his coffee at work. That might actually work!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Well then. Best get to it," she said with a smile.

"I've got to get to the lab," he said, tossing a glance back at her. "I'll call Jack. He can take you on that shopping trip."

"How long do you think it will take? To make a truth serum?" she asked.

"Hard telling. Distilling it into a liquid form will be fairly easy...but extracting the flavor so it's tasteless will be a little more difficult. I could be at it for a while," he admitted. "I hate the thought of just leaving you here to your own devices, though."

"I'll be fine," she assured him. "This business with Harry, yeah? It's important. Certainly more important than me. I can wait."

The Doctor cupped her face in his hand. "Nothing is more important than you, Rose," he said softly, stroking along the line of her jaw.

"All of time and space, the future of the universe? I think that is a bit more important than you and me. Go on, go to the lab. Jack will keep me company. And when you get home...I'll be waiting," she said.

His gaze lingered on her. "And that's the thing that makes it all worth it. Right, I'll call Jack. You go on and get ready."

"Don't you want breakfast before you go? Tea?" she questioned, not quite ready to let him go.

"Nah, too anxious to eat right now. But thank you," he replied, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth before turning to go back down the hall. He slipped into the closet, presumably to go upstairs and get dressed.

"Jamie!" she called out to him.

He poked his head back through the doorway to look at her. "Yeah?"

"Just...be careful. That's all," she said anxiously.

"I'll do my best," he replied, ducking back into the closet.

Alba watched him go, chewing on her thumbnail. Truthfully, the whole business with Harry and Rani had her rattled because it had the Doctor rattled. He was convinced that they were planning something, but had no ideas as to what. Sighing, she padded down the hall to her bedroom, which she hadn't slept in at all since they had returned. Still, all her clothes and toiletries were there-she hadn't yet begun the process of moving her things into the Doctor's bedroom, which seemed the next natural step to take now that they were routinely spending the nights with each other. Part of her enjoyed having her own space, though, especially her own bathroom. The Doctor's en suite only had a shower, no bath, and she was fond of a good soak. She covered the drain, dumped in some scented oils, and turned the tap on as hot as it would go. She took off her clothes and stepped gratefully into the steaming bath. Muscles beginning to ease, she let herself sink deeper into the tub. She'd been feeling achy and a little peaky for a few days now-she hoped she wasn't coming down with anything. Turning her attention to the task at hand, she grabbed her loofah and a bottle of shower gel and began soaping herself up. She squirmed, remembering how it had felt to let the Doctor wash her, his fingers skating over her body and…

She was never going to accomplish anything if she let her mind wander, especially in that particular direction. Estimating she'd been in the bath at least half an hour, she pulled the stop out of the drain and watched the water swirl away from her. When the tub was empty, she turned the tap back on and splashed the rest of the soap off her body. Feeling clean and a bit more relaxed, she grabbed a fluffy blue towel from the hook on the wall and began drying herself off. She barely heard the knock on her door over the sound of the hair dryer.

"Hey kiddo, you decent in there?" Jack's muffled voice asked from the other side of the door.

She clicked the hair dryer off. "I'm in my towel, but you can come in."

Jack swung the door open and stepped into the en suite. "So apparently I'm taking you shopping? How'd you manage that?"

"The Doctor owed me one after lying to me about what happened with my mother," she replied, pulling a brush through her hair. "Which he apparently did with your help."

Jack shrugged guiltily. "It was nothing personal, doll. The Doctor is my best mate, and my boss, in a manner of speaking. I had to keep his confidence."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm not really mad at you. It all wound up working out in the end. I got to see my mother, and the Doctor fixed my phone, so I can call her whenever I want. It's a bit weird, though-calling from the future to the past, speaking to someone who's technically dead. I don't know that I'll ever get quite used to this time travel business," she said, setting the brush down on the counter. "Anyway, I never did ask you-what do you do when you're not working for the Doctor?"

"Oh, a bit of this, a bit of that. I'm what you'd call a freelancer, I suppose. People hire me to do the jobs they don't want to do themselves," he answered vaguely.

"Such as?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Don't worry about it," he answered, his tone indicating the conversation was closed. "Anyway, I'll let you get dressed. I'll be in the kitchen."

She sighed. No one ever told her anything, it seemed. The Doctor was being more open, while Jack was being more closed. It was strange, for the shoe to switch feet, so to speak. Jack had been the one she relied on to tell her things, at least she had before. As she looked through her wardrobe for something to wear, she wondered what kind of work he was in that he was reluctant to reveal to her. Picking out a simple blue dress, she resolved that one of the first things she would buy on today's shopping trip was a pair of jeans. And maybe a nice, comfy, slouchy hoodie. She finished dressing, and went to meet Jack in the kitchen.

"Coffee?" he asked, holding up the half-full French press.

"Yes, thanks," she said, sliding onto the stool next to him. He poured her a cup and passed her the cream and sugar. She fixed her coffee, then turned to look at him. "So where are we going today?"

"Just right downtown, here in Arcadia," Jack answered.

Arcadia. So that was the city they were in. It had never been mentioned before. She nodded, and took a sip of her coffee. "Right. Well, at least we won't have far to go. Suppose that's good. Are we walking or driving?"

"I thought we'd walk. It's not far to the shops from here, and it's a nice day. That fine with you?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course," she replied. She finished her coffee, and got up to put her mug in the dishwasher. Jack handed his own empty mug across the counter to her.

"Off we go then," Jack said cheerily, offering Alba his arm. She linked her own through his and let him lead her out of the penthouse. It was the first time she was actually seeing the outside of it. Directly outside the front door was the lift. Jack pressed the button, and after a few moments the doors slid open and they stepped inside. She took note of the numbers on the keypad-they were on the 100th floor, evidently. The lift started going down, rather quickly, and she felt her stomach roil in brief protest. She was thankful when they reached the lobby. Still holding Jack's arm, she let him guide them out of the building and onto the sidewalk. Again, she was struck by how like New Earth the city seemed-so far in the future, she almost figured it would be different. It was comforting in a way, that on a planet that was millions of miles and a thousand years from her home world, the cities still looked mostly the same.

"It's the Doctor's birthday tomorrow," Alba commented as they made their way down a busy street towards the Arcadia Gallery, which according to Jack was the largest shopping mall in the city.

"So it is. Thirty years old. God, it feels like only yesterday that we were both teenagers. How's that old Earth song go? What a drag it is getting old," Jack replied.

"I'll have to get him something. Mind you, I have no idea what. What do you get for the man who has everything?" Alba pondered.

"That is a very good question. I mean, I'm sure he'll appreciate any gift that comes from you, you'll just have to think of what to get him," Jack replied.

"It feels kind of silly, buying him a birthday gift with his own money. You know, I wonder if he would let me get a job. Part-time or something, just to help contribute a little. Not that that helps me right now, but still," she said.

"There's no reason for you to work, honestly. The Doctor has more than enough money to support you both, assuming he retains control of the business," Jack answered. "And if he does lose control, he should still be able to get a good enough job where you wouldn't necessarily have to work."

"Yeah, but I want to work. I don't want to spend all day sitting around the house. I live here now. I want to be a part of this world," Alba confessed.

"I somehow doubt the Doctor will be wild about the idea of letting you work, given how over protective he is. Still, I suppose you could always run it by him, see what he says," Jack said.

They passed by a chemist, and Alba came to a stop. "Do you mind if I pop in there for a moment? I just need to pick something up."

"Yeah, sure. Are you feeling okay?" Jack asked, suddenly concerned.

"Oh, I'm fine. I just need to pick up some...female things," she said, waving her hand dismissively.

Jack flushed. "Ah, okay. Well, here's the credit card. I'll just wait for you out here."

Alba had been relying on the fact that most men became uncomfortable at the mere mention of a woman's period. "Okay, I'll be right back," she said, ducking into the storefront. The chemist's was pretty small, and she located the aisle she needed easily. She scanned over the items. There were seemingly dozens of choices. She picked one at random, and brought it up to the counter to pay. The clerk handed her her receipt and her purchase in a small plastic bag, and she went back out to the street to meet Jack.

"You get what you needed?" he asked uncomfortably.

"Yeah," she replied, taking his hand in the one not occupied by the plastic bag.

They walked the rest of the way to the Gallery. When they got there, Jack held the door open and ushered her inside. It was a weekday, and the mall didn't seem terribly crowded. There was a directory posted not far from the door, and they went over to examine it.

"Where would you like to go first?" Jack asked, hands in his pockets.

"I haven't the faintest idea. I've never heard of any of these shops before. What I'd really like to get though is a nice pair of jeans and a comfortable hoodie, a couple of tshirts. Maybe some pyjamas, too, something that's not lingerie. I have absolutely no casual clothing," she said.

Jack contemplated this. "Well, there's always Nyssa of Traken's. They specialize in women's clothing, and most of it's high quality while still being casual," he suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Let's start there," she said, her fingers hovering over the directory until she found the listing for Nyssa of Traken's. They set off for the store, which was on the far end of the first floor. True to Jack's word, most of the clothing was casual. She sifted through racks of jeans until she found the perfect pair-low rise with slightly flared legs in a dark shade of blue. They went into the shopping basket, and she continued her quest. When she got to the tshirts, she wasn't entirely surprised to see that most of them sported the names of bands she'd never heard of, places she'd never been, pop culture references she wasn't familiar with. She finally picked up a plain turquoise blue v-neck, and added that to her basket. Jack trailed along behind her to the dressing room, waiting outside while she changed.

"What do you think?" she asked when she came out, modeling the outfit for him.

"I think those jeans make your ass look fantastic. Almost like they were tailor made. And that top is perfect. Just enough cleavage without being too revealing," he said.

Alba beamed at him. "Thank you. I'll have to pick up a couple pairs of these jeans. I really like the cut and fit."

She ended up grabbing a second pair of jeans in black denim, and a few more plain tshirts in varying colors. She also picked out a tight fitting zipper up hoodie in a deep wine-colored shade of purple. They took her things up to the register and Jack paid for them with the Doctor's credit card. They exited the store and made their way back out into the mall. Both of them were a little hungry, so they stopped by a soft pretzel stand and got a snack-almond covered for Alba, cinnamon sugar for Jack. They munched on their pretzels as they continued walking around.

"Alright Rosie, where to next?" Jack asked, licking sugar from his fingers.

"Well, I'm supposing me and the Doctor will do something for his birthday. Maybe I should buy a new dress to wear."

"I know just the place," Jack said, tugging her towards a large store called Chameleon Clothiers. The shop was filled with dresses in varying colors and styles, some formal, some casual. Alba was drawn immediately to a powder blue halter dress with a black lace overlay that cut off right above the knee. After trying it on and seeing that it fit perfectly off the rack, she purchased it and they returned to the mall. She decided she wanted to find matching lingerie to go with it, so Jack took her over to a store called Curves that literally only sold bras, knickers, and other underthings. She picked out a matching set in black lace. At this point, they were fairly loaded down with bags. As they were leaving the mall, they passed a kiosk that was selling hand-carved wooden watches.

"Oh Jack, look at these," she said, picking up a watch that was carved out of shiny black wood. "This would be perfect for the Doctor."

"What about this one?" Jack asked, holding up another watch. "This one is carved from rosewood."

"Perfect," she agreed, taking the watch from him. She handed the watch and the credit card to the man staffing the kiosk. He put the time piece in a small black box and handed her both the package and the receipt. Juggling the bags, they left the mall and walked back to the penthouse to deposit Alba's purchases before going back out to the grocery store so she could get the ingredients to make dinner for that night and a cake for tomorrow. By the time all was said and done and they returned home, it was nearly dinner time.

"Thanks for taking me out," Alba said as they were unloading the groceries in the kitchen.

"Any time, doll. It was my pleasure," he said, smiling at her warmly. "Anyway, I'll leave you to it. I've got to get home to Alonso."

"Alright, guess I'll see you around," she said. She waited until Jack had left to go and get the bag from the chemist's. She took the bag into her en suite, and removed the package inside of it. She read the instructions on the box before tearing it open and removing the test inside. It wasn't all that different from the sort of pregnancy tests they sold on New Earth. She did her business, and waited anxiously for the results. After twiddling her thumbs on the toilet for a few minutes, she picked up the test and looked at the little window.

"Rose, I'm home," she heard the Doctor call from the hallway. Hurriedly, she shoved the test back into its box and stashed it behind the toilet before going to meet him outside of her room.

He planted a kiss square on her lips and wrapped her in his arms. "How was shopping?"

"It was good, good. Got some jeans and tshirts, a new dress, a couple of other things. But what about you? Did you have any luck with that truth serum?" she asked, pulling back to look at him.

He smiled. "I did indeed. It's ready and waiting. Now all I have to do is slip some in Harry's coffee and wait for the chaos to unfold."

"When do you think you'll do that?" she asked.

"Probably on Friday. Tomorrow's my birthday, I don't want to have to deal with the inevitable shit show," he replied.

"So what did you want to do for your birthday?" she questioned, trying to hide how anxious she was.

"I thought we'd go out to dinner. I haven't really taken you out anywhere, I thought it might be nice to do that. There's this little seafood restaurant I love called Nautilus, it's right here in Arcadia. I was going to call and make a reservation for tomorrow night at seven. How's that sound?"

"Whatever you like, it's your birthday," she replied.

He smiled at her. "Yeah, and I've already got the best gift of all."

"What's that then?" she asked.

"You," he replied, sweeping her into his arms.