~oOo~

John had practically skipped with excitement as he made his way up to Rose's front door. She had called this a date. A DATE! And she had told him to take her someplace nice so he had reserved a table at the posh French restaurant near Bear Lodge. He was surprised by how easy it had been to get a table, but there had apparently been a last minute cancelation. The weather report was calling for a light snow, and some people didn't like to drive in inclement weather. John chuckled. It was mid-November in Colorado; were people expecting a temperate climate?

Things were coming up roses, no pun intended.

After the arrangements were made, he'd called Rose and told her it was black tie attire for their date, and he hoped that was alright. She had assured him that it was more than fine and had tried to pester the location out of him. He had, however, refused to clue her in on the surprise.

When he'd knocked, he suddenly had a small panic inducing thought that maybe he should have brought flowers. Women liked flowers on a first date, right? He supposed they did. Blimey, it had been so long since he'd been on a date that he had forgotten.

All of his fears had melted away when Rose had answered the door wearing that gold dress. It had a sleeveless bodice with two bands of sparkling beads ending in an empire waist. The sweeping skirt fell to her ankles. She looked like a goddess.

Somehow he stammered through hellos before regaining his composure. His hands had grazed the bare skin of her shoulder as he helped her into her jacket. Her heels were precarious so he had helped her down the front steps as they walked out to his car. She'd grinned when he finally announced their destination. So far, so good.

Honestly, he'd expected things to be a little more awkward than this. It was, officially, their first date after all. He shouldn't really have been surprised that tonight wasn't any different than any of the other times that they had gone dinner. Well, there was one notable exception so far. When he'd taken her hand, she hadn't pulled away after a few minutes. Instead she had gently rubbed circles on the back of his hand with her thumb.

This new, less than casual touching hadn't ended there either. When they made it to the restaurant, he laid a hand on the small of her back, and she'd leaned into his touch. At the table, he held out her chair for her, letting his fingers trail across her back as he pushed it in. Their knees brushed each other's under the table, and each and every time they made contact he felt that now familiar and exhilarating shiver run down his spine.

"What looks good to you?" Rose asked, picking up her menu.

His eyes skated over the words written in French. He'd spent time in France during his time as a travel writer and he knew that he should easily be able to understand the little characters on the page. However Rose's hand was gently resting on his knee and it was distracting, and all it was doing was sitting there. Her hand was completely stationary but the warmth of her palm radiating through the fabric of his trousers was enough to drive him barmy.

"John." She nudged him with her elbow, breaking contact with his knee. "Dinner?"

Shaking away the thoughts of her hand on him, he smiled at her. "Sorry, got a bit distracted. Why don't you show off your very impressive knowledge of languages and order for me? Please." He set down his menu and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. His thumb rubbed circles on the nape of neck. It was his turn to tease her with seemingly innocuous touches.

"You want me to order?" She gave him a tongue touched grin. "Is that because you want me to show off my impressive skills or because you don't have any of your own?"

"Maybe I just want to hear you curl that tongue of yours around those French words," he whispered in her ear.

"Just the words?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or would you like my tongue curled around other things too?"

His mouth went completely dry at her words and at the images that her words evoked. Before he could start the list of all the things he wanted either of their tongues to do, they were interrupted by the waiter. Rose didn't miss a beat when he asked for their order. Vaguely he recognized the names of a few of the dishes and that she ordered wine. How could she be so calm after the words she'd just said to him?

Oh, Rose Tyler was a minx, she was, and he liked it.

They fell into their normal playful banter as they waited for their food to arrive. She told him about the new project that she had just green lit for Malcolm and that Joan had filed a wrongful termination suit. Thankfully, Clara had taken care of working with the company's lawyer.

When dinner came, Rose insisted on him having a bite of her beef bourguignon. Then he let her try a bite of his cassoulet. Quickly their meal devolved into one of those overly cute things that couples did: feeding each other in public. He hated watching other people do that. With Rose though, it was just…he didn't even know how to describe it, except that it felt right.

Soon the waiter cleared their plates, and John took her hand. "Fancy a dance?"

Rose beamed. "I thought you'd never ask." He led her out to the dance floor as the music played. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped her in his arms. "This is a pretty fancy place. Not to mention expensive. How'd you swing the last minute dinner reservations?"

Tugging her a little tighter, he replied, "I promised them a write up on my travel blog, and of course a lot of begging. And I wasn't concerned about the cost. I figured you'd pick up the bill."

She chuckled. "Wouldn't be the first time I paid for a first date with a bloke. I paid for many a date in my time with him."

"What kind of blokes did you date?" He spun her around and then pulled her back to him.

"All sorts, really. But this one bloke, he has a bit Rock-a-Billy and a bit bohemian. He lived in his transport, was downright rude at times, but he could be a lot of fun too." There was just a little bit of sadness in her voice.

They didn't talk as they danced though the next two songs. In the middle of the third, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "You are stunning, Rose," he breathed against her ear.

"Not so bad yourself," Rose murmured.

The restaurant was about to close by the time they finally left. He wondered how the hours of dancing in those incredibly sexy high heels hadn't killed her feet. No need for her to continue to walk on them. He scooped her up and carried her bridal style to his car. They giggled the entire time.

"I had a really great time tonight," Rose told him as she settled into the passenger seat.

"Me too," he agreed before moving to the driver's side.

Rose smiled as he pulled out of the car park. "We should do this again sometime."

"The dinner or the dancing?"

"Both is good, very good," Rose answered. "Although you don't have to do the big, impressive dates every night. I like just hanging around the house, too. Watching movies or stargazing."

"And running in the morning." He took her hand and placed their joined hands in his lap.

"Running in the morning and having breakfast together." Leaning her head against the headrest, she grinned contentedly. A companionable silence fell over them.

When he pulled into the driveway, for a brief moment he was afraid she was going to bolt, the same way that she had the first time that they had gone to dinner, but she didn't. Instead she waited for him to open the door for her. His hand again rested on the small of her back as he walked her to her door.

"Do you want to come in?" she asked when he stopped outside her door.

Yes, he thought immediately. Yes, he very much wanted to come in. However, he wanted to do this right, and this was their first date. First real date anyway, so he would take things slow. "I probably shouldn't. It's late, and I want to make our run in the morning."

The look of disappointment in her eyes was evident when she nodded. "I really did have a great time. Thank you, John."

"No, thank you," he replied, bringing a hand up to cup her cheek. Before he could overthink things, he leaned down and kissed her softly. At first, his lips gently moved against hers, just barely touching, but then she nipped at his bottom lip and he opened to her. His tongue plunged into her mouth, sliding against hers. A moan escaped her, and he pushed her against the door. When they had to break for air, he took a small step backwards, immediately missing the feeling of her pressed up against him.

"I'll see you in the morning." He kissed her again, almost chastely.

"Night," she said shakily before slipping inside.

He waited until he heard the lock click before heading back to his SUV. Tonight, he was lucky that his hot water wasn't always consistent. It was going to be a cold shower kind of night.

~oOo~

She snuggled deeper into his side as they sat on the sofa. His fingers slid slowly through her hair. A fire crackled in the fireplace, and Christmas music played softly in the background. It was the first weekend of December, and a light snow was falling outside.

Sighing, Rose let her eyes fall shut. In John's arms she felt completely relaxed. They had been officially dating each other for a few weeks now. The only thing that had changed really was the physical affection. They still texted each other all day long, went for a run every morning and had dinner together every night. However, now their hugs were more lingering, casual touches were more intimate, there was snogging.

Lots of snogging and that was as far as it went. Taking things to the next level before the Doctor was fully back to himself was a scary proposition. She wanted it to happen and so did John, but she was sure that he was waiting on her to make the first move.

Every day, she was more and more convinced that John was the Doctor, just without the memories and the burdens of being the last of the Time Lords. When he was fully himself, the Doctor seemed to shy away from things like kissing and shagging. At least he always had with her, and she didn't want the Time Lord to be scared off with memories of something having happened that he wouldn't want.

The ringing of her mobile pulled her out of her thoughts. "Hold on, I'll grab it," John said, reaching over and grabbing it. "Oh look, it says Mum. I wonder, Rose Tyler," he smirked, "have you told your mum about us yet?"

Panic welled inside her. The truth was she hadn't told her mum about John yet. The only people who knew that the Doctor was hiding here were Liam and Jack. The less people who knew, the safer it would be for everyone. "John, give me the phone." She made a grab for the phone but he jumped up and held it above his head.

"Oh, that means you haven't told her yet, have you?" he replied cheekily. "Now's as good as time as any to introduce myself to a future in-law."

"John, stop!" But it was too late. He had already answered the phone and was holding it to his ear.

"Rose Tyler's phone," he chirped. "How can I help you?"

Luckily, he'd lowered the phone enough that she could grab it. She heard her mother yelling something about the Doctor as Rose hastily said that she'd call her back in a moment. She took a deep breath, trying to stop herself from yelling.

His bottom lip protruded in a pout. "Did I do something wrong?" If it wasn't for the fact that pout turned into smug smile, she would have believed that he truly didn't know.

"You numpty," she cried, punching him in the arm. "I just ended a five-year relationship with a man my mum really likes, and she is like a grandmother to his daughter. Now is not the time to spring the new boyfriend on her. Especially not like that."

Amazingly the grin on his face grew. "So that's what we are?" He rocked slightly on his heels. "Are you my girlfriend, Rose Tyler?"

Her mobile began buzzing once again. "Of course I'm your girlfriend, you tosser." She gave him a quick peck on the lips before walking out of the room to deal with the fallout of those ten seconds he was on the phone.

She punched the speed dial, and her mum picked up on the first ring. "Hello, Mum," Rose said, walking up the stairs. "Sorry about that early. I'm having a bit of an issue with my service."

"Rose Marion Tyler," Jackie snapped. "Was that who I think it was answering your phone? Took his skinny arse long enough to come see you, bloody alien git."

"What are you talking about?" Confused, Rose entered her bedroom and shut the door behind her. "What do you mean?"

Jackie sighed. "He comes for a visit every few months. Always asking about you. Wanting to make sure you're alright. We'd have tea, sometimes I'd let him tinker with the washing machine or the microwave. The first time, though, I slapped him. "

"Of course," Rose agreed absentmindedly, still shocked by what she was hearing. The Doctor had visited her mother.

"Well, I asked him, I did, if he was gonna try and make things right with you, and he told me he couldn't see you. Something about already landing in the future and knowing he wasn't allowed to see yet. Or it might bring on the reapers, I think. I never know what that man is talking about half the time. So that was really him on the phone, wasn't it?"

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Rose had to make a split second decision, tell her mum the truth or come up with some story on the fly. She hated lying to her mum. The truth it was then. "Yes, that was the Doctor, sorta anyway."

Her mum laughed. "Well, that's good, innit? Looks like the timelines finally match up or whatever. At least that's what himself told me for why he couldn't see you. At least he waited until you and Liam separated before coming back."

"That's sorta what the message said." Rose chewed her lip. Her mum had been getting regular visits from the Doctor and hadn't said anything. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about that.

"Well, I'm just glad you're giving him another chance. I know he was a twat and took you for granted, but nothing happened with the French bint," Jackie assured her. "Slapped him twice for that." She paused for a moment. "What'd ya mean, that's what the message said?"

With a sigh, Rose answered. "Something happened to the Doctor and he has this..." How was she going to explain this? "He has this sort of amnesia. His memories will come back; it's just gonna take time, so there were these messages that he left for whoever the TARDIS picked to take care of him. How come you never told me he was visiting you?"

"Like I said, sweetheart, the reapers. It's a shame that the first time he sees you after all these years, he can't even remember you. I know he missed you terribly."

John's voice rang out from downstairs, and Rose was glad to have an excuse to ring off with her mum. "Yeah, it's a shame. Look, I've got to run. I'll call you in a few days."

"Alright, love you."

"Love you, too," Rose replied before hanging up. Her mind was racing. He'd visited her mum multiple times, sent her flowers and even tried, in his own overbearing way, to ensure that Liam wasn't going to hurt her. Normally when he left or was left, he didn't go back.

All of these little things that he had done while they were separated, more than anything in the Doctor's messages, made her feel like she was different, special. They might have a lot to talk about when he finally opened the watch, but this was the first time that she really, truly knew that they would find a way to work things out.