A/N Things are about to get...sticky.

Chapter 23

The Doctor smiled slowly. "Oh, Rose Tyler, you have no idea just how brilliant you are."

Rose flushed as his words were spoken, and from more than just the compliment. Something about his voice when he said her name and his eyes when he looked into hers made Rose feel electricity pulse down her spine. He really shouldn't be able to have such an effect on her. That didn't change the fact that he did. Without even fully realizing it, her body leaned ever so slightly towards him when she replied, as if drawn like the pull of a magnet.

"Somehow, when you say it, I almost believe it's really true." Her voice was a soft tone as she gazed into his deep chocolate irises.

The Doctor couldn't stop himself from reaching out to her. That magnet was pulling them both. He lifted his hand, tucking a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. His fingers lingered at the side of her face for a few seconds longer, because the option of withdrawing his hand and giving up this small bit of contact was not an appealing one. "It is true, Rose" he replied, his voice low and carrying a note of sincerity so strong it was tangible.

Maybe Rose could use the excuse of her mind not functioning clearly as justification for her next action, but the truth was she never felt more clear-minded on what she desired than in this moment. Her eyes dipped from his down to his lips as a dangerous thought entered her head and refused to be silenced. What would it feel like to have those lips upon hers, soft and exploring? With that single thought burning in her mind, Rose found herself leaning even closer. Something about this man drew her like a moth to a flame. In this moment that flame was not one she could extinguish, nor did she want to try.

That same flame burned within the Doctor and was growing hotter by the second. He needed Rose desperately. He longed for his bond mate. He craved intimacy with her again on every level. Being with her now but not being with her – not telling her and showing her his love – caused him to ache deeply inside. On the most basic level, he could feel his body already reacting to the proximity of hers. A thought briefly flashed in his mind, wondering what he looked like to her right now. Could she see the raw hunger in his dark eyes? A hunger making him want to reclaim what was his, right here, right now, in this very room.

And yet, if he were to give in to and act upon that desire right now with just a single kiss, he feared it would be too much for her. Rose had a powerful way of making him lose all control, and just a brush of their lips could cause their partially-severed bond to flare. He wanted nothing more, but he knew she wasn't ready for the intensity she would feel on every level, body and mind. Their love was all-consuming. A simple kiss between them would be anything but simple.

The Doctor knew he had to stay in control and take things slow, lest more damage be done along the way. But as the distance narrowed between them in a matter of seconds, it was becoming harder to keep a grip on control. Her fingers tentatively touched his cheek as her lips drew closer to his, and he shuddered, feeling fire in each fingertip. He would either have to end this now or sonic the lock on the door and take it all the way. For him there was no middle ground. If he gave in to this right now he honestly didn't trust himself to be able to hold back, and he couldn't take any action that had the potential to strengthen what remained of their bond until her mind was ready. It was that knowledge that caused him to turn his head when they were a mere breath apart, just as Rose closed that last millimeter, so close that his nose skimmed her cheek as he then pulled back, his eyes falling shut as his emotions battled inside him. It killed him to turn away.

Rose instantly dropped her own eyes to the floor, unable to look at him as she pressed back into her chair, torn between feeling rejected and embarrassed and angry at herself for her actions. She had almost kissed him knowing full well their relationship could not be of that nature. Unfortunately the rational part of her brain had not been the one in control a minute before.

The Doctor could still feel the lingering presence of her hot breath on his lips, burning them torturously for what he craved as he breathed out her name. "Rose..."

"No, don't...please just...don't say anything." Her eyes were still focused downward, the skin of her cheeks flushed hotly. It was one of those 'wishing for the ground to swallow you whole' moments. Oh, those were just never fun. "I wasn't thinkin'. At all. I didn't...mean anything by it."

Oh, if only she could truly know. The last thing the Doctor wanted was for her to feel the need to apologize for something that he, too, longed for intensely. The Doctor hated that he couldn't just tell her everything, that they both had to dance around each other like this. Neither one could go on like this much longer. If the dreams she was now having didn't start to become memories of reality soon, he was going to have to cautiously begin revealing the truth. But where to even begin when that moment came? I'm your husband, I'm a Time Lord, we travel through all of time and space. Oh, and you're pregnant with our half-alien Time Tot. Now there was a simple conversation not likely to cause her a moment of shock or anxiety whatsoever. Rassilon, when did his life become so insanely complicated?

Oh, who was he kidding? As far as his life went 'complicated' was the rule, not the exception.

The Doctor looked at Rose, who was still avidly avoiding his gaze as he answered, fighting the strain in his vocal chords to speak with gentleness. "Rose, there's nothing for you to be sorry for. Nothing at all. It's just that this is..." He blew out a breath of air in frustration. "Complicated."

Rose nodded her head as she quickly stood up, turning away to busy herself at the coffee pot behind them. "No, it's fine. I get it. I do. You're a doctor and I'm your patient, and that's all. Which is how it's supposed to be. And like I said, I just wasn't thinking and didn't mean anything by it." She was feeling mortified as it was, and standing here having to talk about that moment and try to explain it away was making her embarrassment grow by the second.

Rose made herself turn around to face him as he stood back up from the table. Her eyes finally met his again and were pleading with him to just let this incident drop. "My break's nearly over, and I really should be getting back to work soon."

The Doctor forced a smile to his face. He almost reached for her, craving to simply stroke her cheek with his fingers, but under the circumstances he could not, so his hand remained unmoving at his side. If her body language as she pressed herself into the counter was any indication, then right now he just needed to give her some space. "I'll see you tonight and we'll have another session, okay?"

Rose gave him a strained smile, hoping it didn't look as painfully tight as it felt. "Yeah, I'll see you then."

He turned and left the room. Rose released the breath she felt as if she'd been holding and dropped back into the chair once he'd gone. What had she been thinking? Well, she knew exactly what she'd been thinking, and that's what had gotten her in trouble. She'd now jeopardized the friendship that had developed between them by making things highly awkward, which was the last thing she wanted to have happen.

This just confirmed what Rose was already beginning to think: she had been getting much too close to the Doctor. She'd begun to develop feelings for him that, under the circumstances, were not at all appropriate. Those feelings didn't just stem from the simple fact that he was gorgeous – a fact that was plain enough – but also from the way he made her feel when she was with him, like she was the center of his world. No one had ever made her feel quite the way he did. Realistically though, Rose knew that just meant he had a special way with people and was gifted with his patients. She was his patient, Rose had to keep reminding herself repeatedly, nothing more. Even if it wasn't for the standing issue of doctor/patient decorum, she couldn't help but feel that a doctor of his caliber – a pioneer in his field – could never be interested on a deeper level in a simple shop girl from a council estate with a currently mixed-up life. She had to get a grip on reality here.

Waking a week and a half ago to find that the memories from the past several years of her life were missing had left Rose feeling uncertain and insecure. Aside from her mum, the Doctor had been a stabilizing anchor for her; yet Rose knew the time would come when she would have to move on with her life and not depend on others for guidance. It was time to face that now and back off from becoming too attached or dependent upon having the Doctor in her life and developing unrealistic expectations of their relationship. Which was a fine plan in theory, keeping things strictly professional, the problem was she was now embarrassed to even face him – at least tonight. How could she let him into her mind, let him walk around within her thoughts without those very thoughts going to the incident that had just happened between them? How would she be able to think of anything but? If being with him a few minutes ago felt awkward, that situation would take the awkwardness to another level.

Rose breathed out a deep sigh as she leaned forward, propping her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her hands. She didn't even notice that her former friend, Paul Tanner, had come into the break room until his voice drew her out of her thoughts.

"Contemplating the issues of the world, are you?" he asked lightly.

Rose straightened up and looked towards him. "Hey Paul."

Rose had noted upon meeting Paul again that the management position he now held wasn't the only thing that had changed about him. His once shaggy dark hair was now shorter, and he was more clean-shaven and put together than his younger self had been. But he still had that spirited spark in his hazel eyes.

It was clear at one point in their past that he'd had his eye on Rose, but at the time she wasn't interested in a relationship of that sort. Paul had a reputation for having a bit of a wild streak, and after her very unpleasant relationship with Jimmy Stone, that was the last type of person Rose had wanted to be personally involved with – plus she was dating Mickey at the time, who was stable and safe. They had all been friends, though. Paul had even dated Rose's friend Shareen for a bit before she eventually broke off with him and the two had gone their separate ways.

Paul walked over to the counter behind Rose and poured a cup of coffee, then pulled out a chair at the table beside her and sat down. "You feeling alright?" He knew of Rose's memory loss, but he hadn't made an issue of it.

Rose shrugged. "Just...wondering how I woke up to such a complicated life."

He took a sip of his coffee, then lowered the hot beverage, cradling the cup between his palms. "Well, from the look on your face I'd say maybe you're making it more complicated than it has to be."

"I wish," Rose chuckled ruefully.

"No, I mean it. I think you just need to loosen up, Rose. I've seen you these past few days, and it's obvious whatever issues you're trying to deal with are always on your mind, like right now. I know you're trying to sort through some things here, but I say don't worry about the past and just focus on life here and now. Have you even gotten out and done anything fun since this happened?"

Rose hesitated in her response because she knew the answer. "Well, there really hasn't been time. I mean, it's only been a week and a half, and I've spent most of my time with the Doctor trying to–"

"You see," he interjected, "that's what I mean. You've been spending all your time with doctors, doing nothing but focus on your condition. Why don't you give it a little rest and just do something...normal."

Her lips quirked in a half smile. "And what would you suggest for normal?"

"Well, why don't you spend a guaranteed fun-filled evening with me? I'm as normal as they come." He grinned and gave her a wink. The truth was he'd been looking for a chance to ask Rose out since they'd met again, but that doctor of hers always seemed to be around, hardly letting her out of his sight and monopolizing all of her time. Didn't the bloke know Henrik's wasn't a hospital and Rose was well enough not to need monitoring around the clock?

Rose laughed at his self-label of being so normal. "Oh, I don't know about that. I seem to recall some past instances, and one in particular, where you..."

"Oi! I'm tryin' to offer support here, and in thanks I get the past indiscretions of my youth dredged up and used against me," he responded, feigning offense.

Rose smirked at that, but she did consider his offer. She was in no way looking to get involved in a relationship just yet. She was trying to get her mind off things like that and just focus on piecing her life back together. But then, maybe she was once again over-complicating things, because that's not what he was suggesting. He was just offering to take her out for the night. Simple as that and certainly no big deal. Maybe he was right and she just needed to loosen up and take her mind off everything else for a little while. This would also solve the awkward predicament of having to face the Doctor tonight, so soon after that embarrassing incident.

He spoke up, noticing her long, deliberating pause. "Look, I'm not suggesting something monumental here, Rose. We'll just grab a bite to eat together tonight, have a few laughs talking over old times, and then I'll take you home."

Rose smiled back. "Yeah, I think that sounds good."

He smiled in return. "Good. We'll meet up after work."

She nodded, then glanced at the clock. "Speaking of, I better get back to it." Rose stood, pausing to pick up the empty banana peel off the table from her earlier snack. She gazed down at it for a few seconds, her thoughts inevitably going to the Doctor, again. Rose shook herself out of her mental wanderings as she tossed it in the rubbish bin. Why was it so hard to get that man out of her thoughts?