Disclaimer: Not quite yet.

Okay, can I just point out that I never said anything sexual happened between Rose and John. It was all your own imagination. Think whatever you like. Maybe they just went out, had chips, came home, and John only had one bed. :P

NTMR:
-Glad you all like it, and sorry again about Jamie. But I have plans, so do not fear. Much.

Chapter 10: Not Quite Safe

Jackie clenched her teeth with frustration as she tapped her feet incessantly on the stone floor. She felt tears as they fell unevenly down her face, and didn't for one second worry about her make-up running. Clutching her mug of cold coffee in one hand, and the tormenting silent phone in the other, only one thought had been playing on her mind for the past thirteen hours.

Suddenly, a trill sound erupted from the phone, and she raised it to her ear without skipping a beat.

"Yeah?" she asked urgently, eyes widened with hope and fear.

"Uh, hello?" came the voice at the other end, and Jackie's heart fell.

"Oh, Rose -" Jackie broke off as a lump rose in her throat, but Rose cut in before she could continue.

"I was expecting the answer-phone. But just to say, you know the friend's house I stayed round last night? Well I'm gonna be -"

"My God, Rose, it's Jamie! He's gone!" Jackie burst out, oblivious to the fountain of tears streaming down her face.

"What?!" exclaimed Rose.

"I took him to the playground last night, and - oh, and I wasn't lookin', and he ran off, and - oh, what if he's lost? Or dead? Oh, my God, what if he's -"

"Mum!" Rose cried out. "Stop it! Um, look, just forget what I said, I'm comin' home." Rose hung the phone up and stood still for a second, fiddling with the bottom of John's long shirt that she had been using as night clothes, and breathing heavily as a million possible scenarios ran through her mind.

"Everything okay?" came John's concerned voice. Rose turned to look at him, stood in the doorway of the living room in his green striped pyjamas, with innocently raised eyebrows. She ran a hand through her untamed hair and walked forward to him with worry, slightly cautious about how much of her body was exposed by the shirt.

"I - I'm sorry, it's my brother, Jamie. He's gone missing." she told him distractedly, walking quickly past him to search for her belongings that had been strewn over the apartment the previous night. "I've got to get home - I'm so sorry."

"No, not at all!" John said immediately, joining her in the search for her left shoe. "I completely understand! Goodness, I hope he's all right."

Standing up straight with both shoes in her hand, she looked sorrowfully at John.

"I, um, I had such a great time last night." She said, moving slowly back towards the bedroom.

"Yeah." John smiled. "Me too."

"I'll just go… get changed." Rose told him, pointing to the room as she entered it, the pale blue shirt barely covering her hips as John watched her walk away.

Minutes later, Rose emerged from the bedroom wearing her work clothes from the previous day, and John looked up from his bowl of cereal, also now fully dressed.

"How are you getting home?" he asked curiously, as Rose stepped into her shoes and made for the door, running her hands through her hair in a vain attempt to neaten it.

"Oh, damn, you can't drive, can you?" She swore with realisation.

"Not since the accident, no." John admitted guiltily.

"Sorry, I forgot." Rose apologised, knowing that John's accident was a delicate subject. "Well, I'll walk then. It's only a few blocks away."

"It's fine, forget it. But let me walk with you, at least?" He offered, but Rose shook her head.

"Oh, no, don't worry." she protested. "Really, I'm fine; I wouldn't want to -"

"I insist! It's the least I can do, considering."

John dropped his bowl into the sink carelessly and walked over to Rose at the door. He slipped his coat and converse on, and opened the door for Rose, who opened her mouth as if to protest again, then thought better of it, and walked out wordlessly.

"I'm sure he's fine." John comforted Rose, as the two walked quickly down the street. "Jamie, I mean. Children run off all the time. He'll probably come home when he's bored."

Rose nodded tearfully. "He's barely even six." she told him, looking straight ahead at the pavement. There was a brief silence as John racked his brain for something comforting to tell her. "I'm sorry about all this." Rose added, looking up guiltily.

"Rose -" John began.

"No, really, I am." insisted Rose. "I had such a great time last night -"

"So did I." John told her. "And this isn't your fault." he added as she went to interrupt. "I'd be glad to help, any way I can. And it's hardly a great inconvenience to walk you home, is it? Besides, what kind of date would I be if I didn't?" he joked.

"Date?" Rose asked abruptly.

"Yeah. Well, I suppose so, anyway." John frowned. "Is that not okay?"

"No!" Rose grinned, despite the circumstances. "No, it's brilliant. I just… never thought I'd be - I mean, I never imagined I'd be 'dating' you." she said, more to herself than John, and grinned more at his confused look. "Never mind." she laughed, then immediately felt guilty. "It's a long story."

"So, have you always lived with your parents?" John asked, sensing he should change the subject.

"Yeah, pretty much." replied Rose. "I mean, I could have a flat of my own, I suppose - it's not like we don't have the money - but…" she paused for a moment, trying to phrase her words right. "I haven't lived here long. Well, it's been five or six years, but it's all still a bit… new. And kind of scary. Sorry, it's complicated."

Guessing that was the end of the conversation, John just nodded and looked straight ahead, oblivious to Rose's reminiscent smile as they walked on.

The two walked in peaceful silence for most of the short journey home, engaging in mundane conversation to keep Rose's mind off Jamie. At the door of the Tyler's mansion, they turned to face each other, neither wanting the door to open.

"Thanks then." Rose said unwillingly. "For everything - last night, this morning. I'll, um…"

"Call me." John told her. "If Jamie comes back, or if you just need someone to talk to, give me a call. You've got my number."

"Right." Rose nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, I will. Thanks, again." Reluctantly, she pushed her key into the lock and edged open the door. "Bye then." she said, and leaned forwards nervously, kissing John gently on the lips before dashing into her house.

"Bye!" John called out with a grin, and Rose flashed him a quick smile before closing the door.

For a minute, she just leaned back against the door, smiling happily as she waited for John to walk away from the house. Then, hearing footsteps in the living room, her smile instantly faded and she rushed into the room.

"Mum?" she called as she walked. Jackie stopped pacing the living room and stared at Rose as she entered.

"Oh, my God!" she exclaimed breathlessly, and placed her mug of coffee carelessly on the coffee table as she ran forward to her daughter's arms, though still clutching the phone with all her strength.

"He's gone!" she said into Rose's shoulder. "I lost him! I've got the police out lookin' for him, and Pete's gone out too, but what if they don't find him? What if he's gone? What if he's-"

"Mum, I'm sure he's fine." Rose interrupted, pulling away, though she didn't believe it herself. "Look, just stay in here, I'll go put the kettle on."

She nodded weakly, wiping away the tears on her mascara-streaked face, and Rose picked up the discarded mug and took it into the kitchen.

Breathing out slowly to calm herself, Rose threw the cold coffee in the bottom of the mug into the sink and flicked the kettle on distractedly.

As the kettle boiled, Rose heard the phone ring briefly, and could only assume that Jackie had picked it up immediately.

"I've got it!" her mother yelled, though the ringing had already ceased. Making her a cup of tea, as Rose sensed Jackie had drunk quite enough coffee today, she strained her ears to listen in on the conversation happening in the next room.

"Yeah, yeah." her mother's muffled voice could be made out. "No, it's - yeah. Oh, my God, yes! Yes, that's him! Oh, thank-you! Is he -? Oh, thank God. Thank-you, thank-you so much!" Rose heard a clatter - presumably the phone had been thrown on the table - and Jackie ran in ecstatically.

"Oh, Rose, they found him!" Jackie cried, smiling with glee. "He's fine, they said; just a bit of a cold! They said he's a bit dazed, and he's been sniffin' a lot, but he okay!"

Pulling Rose into a hug, she bounded out of the room again before she could reply.

Rose smiled with relief and continued making the tea, then remembered John. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she dialled his number and held the phone up to her ear.

"Hey, John Smith here! Well, not here, actually. I mean, I am here, but not when - well, not right now, for you. Anyway, leave a message, and I'll try to get back to you! Bye!"

Smiling at the message, Rose stirred the tea subconsciously as she waited for the beep of the answer phone. "Hi, John? It's me - um, Rose. You're probably still walking back right now, but just to say - Jamie's fine. You're probably right, I expect he just ran off. So, just to let you know everything's okay. Uh, thanks again, for yesterday. And… I'll see you Monday, I suppose. Um, bye then, love you!"

Hanging up the phone, she replaced it in her pocket, and added milk to her mother's tea, and it was only when she was halfway to the lounge that she realised how she'd ended the call. Her eyes widened with worry. Why had she said that? They hadn't even said it to each other yet! Hell, they'd only been on one date! Panicking, she considered pulling out her phone and calling him back to say it was a joke, but then thought better of it. Why should she? It was true, wasn't it? If he couldn't handle it - well, she think about that if she found out it was true.

She carried the cup of tea into the living room, where Jackie was calling Pete, and placed it on the table before walking out again. Leaning against the wall, she considered the situation, and smiled.

- - - - - - -

Inside the TARDIS, Martha walked into the console room with a yawn.

"Sorry about last night." she said sheepishly to the room, which whirred quietly in reply. "I didn't mean to flip out, I was just… upset. With the Doctor." She paused thoughtfully. "He had to go and kiss her, didn't her? And now what?" Walking around the consol, she stroked it fondly. "Still, at least you're working better now."

"I never did get to ask him about the watch yesterday." she continued, walking over to the consol's small screen, where blue and mauve foreign symbols flashed up at her angrily.

"Well, that's no use, I can't read Gallifreyan. Can't you translate it?" She received no answer, and sighed. "Fine."

Pressing a few buttons on the consol next to the screen, she managed to get the Doctor's instruction video to show.

After fast-forwarding the tape a little, the Doctor began talking.

"- know what humans are like. Two, don't worry about the TARDIS, I'll put it on emergency power so they can't detect it, just let it hide away. Four- no, wait a minute, three. No getting involved in big historical events. Four- you. Don't let me abandon you." he told her, and she paused it angrily.

"That's no good." she yelled at the image of the Doctor. "What about the stuff you didn't tell me, what about women? Oh no, you didn't think of that. What in hell am I supposed to do then?" She fast-forwarded the tape again, this time to the very end.

"Thank-you." the Doctor said, and the tape froze at the end, with the Doctor's face smiling stupidly up at her.

"You had to, didn't you?" she asked the image bitterly. "Had to go and fall in love with a human. And it wasn't me."

- - - - - - -

On Sunday morning, Kate Turner sat on the edge of her bed, stroking the intricate patterns of a fob watch she believed to be Mickey Smith's. Once more, she reached up to the top of the watch, eager to open it. But a sense of foreboding came over her suddenly, and she knew she shouldn't. Then, the voices came again.

"The darkness is coming…" it whispered to her. "Keep me away from the force and empty man...the last of the Time Lords, the last of a wise and ancient race…" Confused and afraid, she threw the watch to the floor with a frown.

And, whether metres or miles away, the Family glanced up to the sky simultaneously, and sniffed. The Doctor was near.

Hope you enjoyed it! Review please!