Regarding timing: The beginning of the story takes place in November or December of 2003. At this point in the story, it's later in 2004, so it's been almost a year. Getting closer to Rose's first meeting with the Doctor.
Disclaimer: Do not own. BBC owns. Blah blah blah.
The Jimmy affair died down quickly enough. Rose was in debt £800. Against the Doctor's protests, she didn't go back to school, instead getting a job in a shop to pay off her debt.
Of course it was the shop.
Rose's departure was less than a year away.
They'd started meeting up on her lunch break. He brought TARDIS-made chips, she brought everything else.
"Where do you get these?" Rose asked.
"Home made," he said.
"You have to give me the recipe... or whatever you do different to them. How are they so different from regular chip?"
"Well, actually, I change the molecular structure of them. Just a little bit of change in texture. And then I sprinkle this bit of crushed Zucta plant from Adipose 3. Adds a ridiculous amount of fat to it, but it makes it taste fantastic."
Rose giggled. "What?"
"I have no idea," he lied easily.
Rose nodded. "I should be getting back to work."
"Already?"
"Yeah."
"Maybe—" Rose's smile remained inviting and warm as ever, so he finished, "Maybe you could come to dinner with me tonight."
Her smile widened, tongue poking between her teeth in a Rose-ish manner. "Sure. Why not?"
"Really?"
"It's a date," Rose nodded. "Um... see you then?"
"Yeah. I'll pick you up."
"Good," Rose smiled and pranced off to the bus stop across the street.
It took him a minute to realize what had just happened.
Over the past few weeks, he'd found himself calling Jack for the stupidest of reasons. Rose had smiled at him. Rose most likely lost a board game on purpose for his sake. Rose had bought him a watch for his "birthday." Rose had laughed at his bad joke. Rose had kissed his cheek. The list went on to ridiculous lengths that annoyed Jack.
However, Jack was a better friend than anyone gave him credit for, and he listened to the Doctor's puppy-love-like squeals of joy over every "victory" in getting Rose to fall for him.
It was because of that reason that he called Jack immediately after Rose's acceptance to his date proposition, "Jack?"
"Kinda busy, Doc."
"Doing what?"
"Using a weevil as target practice."
"You're killing them? What did I tell you about killing things, Jack?"
"It killed me first!"
"Are you alright? Where are you?"
"Cardiff. Don't bother coming over."
"Aw. Why not? Just a quick hop in the TARDIS—"
"It's not for my sake. You're the one who's trying to be human and beneath suspicion. I gotta go, Doc."
"Wait!"
"What?" Jack sounded annoyed.
"I just asked Rose Tyler out on a date."
"And she said yes. Congratulations. I got a weevil to kill," Jack hung up.
The Doctor would've normally been bothered by Jack's lack of interest, but at the moment he was too happy. She said yes!
After he finished up work in the mechanic shop, he spent the rest of evening getting ready for his date.
It dawned on him then what he'd been reduced to. Giddy over a girl. Even if it was Rose, he felt very human. And teenager-y.
He showed up at Rose's flat at 6.
She wore a bright red dress, her hair swept out of the way in a bun, "Should we be going now?"
"Yeah," he gazed at her.
"Well, then," Rose smiled.
He held out his arm and the pair of them walked to his car. They drove to a restaurant in town that he'd been wanting to try for ages.
"Don't you need a reservation?" Rose asked.
He nodded. "I got one."
"How? I thought the waiting list was weeks out."
"I... have connections." Connections meaning psychic paper. This would be first time he'd used it in nearly a year.
They walked into the restaurant. Despite their fancy attire, both of them immediately felt under-dressed.
"Reservation?" the man asked.
"Yeah," he flashed the psychic paper the man's way.
"Right this way, Mr. Smith," the man gestured to a waiter.
The waiter led them to a quiet table in the back. Rose slid into her seat, gawking at the finery of the place.
"It's pretty here, isn't it?"
"Yeah," he wasn't looking at the atmosphere of the restaurant, however.
Rose noticed and blushed. She quickly turned her attention to the menu. "So... what do you think I sh— blimey, this stuff is expensive."
The Doctor looked down at the menu. Rose had it right. Ah, well. A little psychic paper goes a long way.
"Order what you like."
All in all, the date wasn't a disaster. He walked Rose to the door, a stupid grin on his face.
"That was nice," Rose said, her expression nearly as stupid as his.
"Yes."
"Thank you," Rose said.
"Yeah."
"Well... I'll see you tomorrow at lunch."
"Mhmm."
And quite suddenly the two of them were kissing.
When he arrived back in his flat, the Doctor had to admit a real kiss was a fresh change of pace. This time, there was no ulterior reasoning behind it, no possession, genetic transfer, poisoning, or being assaulted by a fiery ginger on the night before her wedding. It was simply because.
Like it had always been with River...
He forced that thought out of his mind. For the past however-long-it-had-been, River Song had been a topic of taboo. The last night at Darrilium had been the worst night of his life, second only to the end of the Time War.
River and Rose would have gotten on well. Probably ganging up on him and teasing him into oblivion.
"Have you caught him stroking the TARDIS console?"
"All the time. You should hear what he calls her."
"What?"
"'Sexy.'"
"But... It's a machine! Living or not."
"I know! I feel like I should be jealous sometimes."
He smiled at the thought. It would've been an absolute nightmare and yet he'd give anything for it.
There had been many times he'd thought about going to the library, to hack into the system and tell her how sorry he was for everything. But he'd never got up the nerve. A completely sorted-out-River frightened him more than spoiler-River.
Now that the taboo had been broken, he figured he might as well go all out. He went down the street to the TARDIS. She whirred happily as he entered.
"Hey, girl," he said, patting the console.
"This is non-emergency program one."
He spun around, startled at hearing the voice. Her voice.
"River."
Her image stood beside him, a smile on her face. She wore that green dress he'd always loved.
"Sweetie, this is my own program on the TARDIS. I'm assuming our story has ended now. I want to tell you, I wouldn't have missed it for anything. I know you, so I don't feel at all proud when I say that I know you're having problems adjusting to never seeing me again. Our lives are back to front, my love. My beginning is the beginning of your fall. And my last meeting with you is your beginning, or so the TARDIS tells me.
"If you're hearing this, you've met someone new. Or old, if her life is anything like mine. I want you to move on, my love. I want you to be happy. You have a very, very long life ahead of you. I'm just one of the people you'll love. Whoever she is, if she makes you happy, then be happy. I love you, sweetie."
River blew him a kiss and vanished.
"Oh, River..."
Jackie had spread the gossip around, and by the following week, all of Rose's friends new that she was going out with Mickey Smith, the mechanic.
Mickey Smith, the mechanic.
The Doctor, Last of the Time Lords, the Lonely God, Destroyer of Worlds.
…
It was a bit of a drop in titles.