My inspiration for part of this chapter came from a wonderfully hilarious GIF I found on pinterest. Not sure who created it, but it's brilliant! pinterestdotcom/pin/262827328226723077/

One of the most annoying aspects of inhabiting a part human body, the Doctor was finding out, was the odd incongruences that resulted from a mishmash of superior Gallifreyan traits with inferior human ones. Take his kidneys for example; they still functioned as efficiently as they had in his Time Lord body by filtering his blood of toxins at a much faster rate, their efficiency undiminished. However, he now had a human's bladder capacity, by far unequal to his otherwise superior glomerular filtration system. The combination was proving to be quite an inconvenience. It was this physiological quirk that was quickly beginning to ruin the otherwise perfect night he was having.

True to his word, he had awoken a little over three hours later. There were still many more hours ahead of him before Rose woke up but the Doctor felt no need to move from his current position. She was still curled up against him sleeping soundly. Though it was still dark, the moon shone brightly through the glass wall and he could see her relaxed features clearly. A soft wisp of hair had fallen across her face and marveling at the fact that he was even in this situation to begin with, he gently brushed it back and tucked it behind her ear. Reacting to his touch, Rose snuggled closer into him. Her arm reached out for something (his hand possibly?) but smacked him instead. He chuckled quietly and rearranged her arm more comfortably.

Three more hours passed, Rose still asleep, and he still awake. Strictly speaking, it wasn't the most entertaining night of his life. He had always had his library and tinkering under the TARDIS console to keep him occupied while Rose slept. Never would he have imagined that lying here watching someone sleep would ever be a remotely acceptable way to spend his time. However, when it came to his pink and yellow girl, he realized that the Medusa Cascade itself paled in comparison. As he watched her, the Doctor thought about the events of the past couple of days and the potential their future held. His grasp on timelines was incredibly limited now, but he felt that things would turn out alright for them. This in conjunction with the TARDIS coral's warm reassuring hums every now and again helped him feel more at ease, particularly when he began to feel somewhat overwhelmed and frustrated as he had the day before.

It was while he contemplated these things that this physiological bother asserted itself. Shifting gingerly so as to not disturb Rose, the Doctor tried to get more comfortable and ignore the signals his body was sending him. It didn't help that at that precise moment, she decided to turn over, slamming her head back down on the cushion, directly above his already protesting bladder. Squeezing his eyes shut, the Doctor tried not to groan as Rose continued to squirm, unable to get comfortable.

If he tried to get up to go to the loo, he'd surely wake her up and then she'd stumble off to bed. As cozy as they were on the couch now, he doubted she would deliberately request they continue this sleeping arrangement… they weren't quite past the awkwardness enough for that. No, getting up was not an option… That just wouldn't do.

And so, for the next hour he tried futilely to occupy his mind with less urgent thoughts. Whether Rose had uncanny timing or the universe was just having a laugh at his expense, he did not know, but from that moment on she tossed and turned frequently… increasing the uncomfortable pressure. When the first streaks of pink and purple began to appear in the sky, the Doctor had reached his limit. He had to go. He would just have to be extra careful not to disturb her then. Sitting up slowly, he pushed the footrest underneath him so that he could properly plant his feet back on the floor before shifting her. This was too much movement for Rose, however. Still asleep, she must have thought her pillow was trying to make a run for it because she proceeded to stop its escape with one well-placed slam of her fist.

"Bloody hell!" cried the Doctor as he practically jumped straight up, nearly dumping Rose off the couch.

Sitting up and rubbing her eyes, Rose blinked a few times, completely confused.

"Doctor…? What-"

He never got to hear the end of her question. Sprinting off, he was already halfway back to his room.

A few minutes later, the Doctor re-emerged feeling much better though slightly sheepish. He hoped Rose had just lain back down and fallen asleep again… if she had, chances were she probably wouldn't remember what had just happened. As he passed by the kitchen however, he saw her shuffling around about to put the kettle on, hair all over the place.

No such luck, then.

He cleared his throat. "Good morning… sorry about… before. I uh… well, you see…"

Rose shook her head slightly and held up a hand. Apparently it was still too early for any sort of conversation, good. He remembered her doing this aboard the TARDIS when he would drag her out of bed early for something that just could not wait.

Approaching, he gave her a lop-sided grin, which she half-heartedly returned, eyes still bleary. She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his waist, closing her eyes and leaning into him. The Doctor smiled and rested his chin atop her messy hair, content to just stand there rocking her gently side to side. She was still more asleep than awake, he could tell.

The kettle whistled and they disentangled themselves. Rose sat down heavily, resting her head in her hands as the Doctor poured the tea. They sat together in companionable silence, sipping their warm drink as Rose slowly began to wake up a little more. When she seemed a bit livelier, he got up and began going through the cupboards for some bread and jam. Putting in a few slices and cranking up the speed, the Doctor turned around and went in search of some butter. Rose got up with a small groan and set about retrieving some plates and knives.

She stood against the wall, mug in her hand and watched the Doctor half juggle half toss the incinerated toast as it came flying out of the toaster. What did he think he was doing, turning it up all the way?

Determined to salvage his attempt at breakfast, he slathered butter and jam onto each slice and turned back to Rose, presenting her with the plate and a grin reminiscent of Tony when he accomplished some amazing feat for the first time.

Stifling a yawn and a giggle simultaneously, Rose took the toast and returned to the table, where they both sat and ate in a rather crunchy silence for a few moments. Finally starting to feel a bit more awake, Rose smiled at the Doctor between mouthfuls.

"Sorry I fell asleep on you last night… that must have been rather uncomfortable, all those hours. "

Oh no… so she had noticed.

"No, not at all, Rose!" he lied through one of his manic grins. "I didn't want to wake you… you seemed so comfortable."

Raising an eyebrow at him over her mug, she took a sip and then set it down. "Was that before or after I punched you in the gut, Doctor?"

"Oh. Well, uh, before I suppose…" He grinned at her.

Laughing, she shook her head. "I'm so sorry about that, I didn't realize it was you... Are you ok?"

"Yes! I'm fine Rose, it's quite alright." He studied his toast as intently as if it were a never before seen alien species, demanding his utmost attention.`

Tongue peeking out, she flashed him one of her mile wide grins. "Good… So, what do you want to do today? Pete said I should take a few days off before returning to work, so really we could do anything."

Excitement outweighing his embarrassment, he looked up hopefully. "Anything?"

"Yeah, anything. Why, did you have something in mind?"

Winking, the Doctor put on his best Northern accent and said, "What would you say to some fish and chips, Rose Tyler?"

He was rewarded with another mile wide grin.

After showering and getting ready, the Doctor waited for Rose back in the front room again. He had decided to wear some of the more casual clothes they had picked out, settling on a pair of dark wash jeans, a slightly fitted gray jumper, and his black Converses. His hair was as good as he was ever going to get it and he had sonic'ed his face free of that annoyingly stubborn facial hair that seemed to grow at a much faster rate now than it ever had before.

Not too long after, Rose joined him looking as stunning as ever. Her clothing style seemed to have changed over the years they had been apart. Of course she had grown up quite a bit, it was only to be expected. Still, though different, there was something so undeniably Rose about what she wore these days, just not as pink or loud as it had been during their previous travels. Her hair was down, pulled back in the center as it had been the day they had found one another again. Her makeup was more subtle.

Rose in turn, admired her Doctor as well. Her stomach did a somersault as he stood up and grinned at her, hands in his pockets and looking a bit unsure of his new look. She wasn't sure if she'd ever get used to this new slightly shy side of him, but she had to admit, it was quite adorable.

Their day was spent showing him around this world's London, though she avoided Torchwood for the moment. After lunch at Rose's favorite chipie, they went to a few museums and generally just wandered about, hand in hand. Their conversation grew easier, both feeling a bit more confident in themselves as well as each other. By the middle of the afternoon, Rose's feet hurt. She hadn't done this much walking in… well, a long time.

As they drove back to the flat, Rose's mobile rang. It was Pete. The Doctor's ears perked up as he caught his muffled name and what sounded like "papers," and "bring him by" amongst other snippets of the conversation. Rose was looking a little tense by the time she said goodbye and hung up.

"So… that was Pete. He says all your documentation is ready at Torchwood if we want to swing by to pick it up. We don't have to though, we can always go by tomorrow… or some other time."

The Doctor sighed quietly. They had been having such a lovely day together, he didn't want anything to ruin it but he supposed he might as well get this over with. It was just some paperwork… and he'd probably get roped into a tour by Pete, but he could handle that. Rose knew he had reservations about the whole thing, surely she would keep things as painless as possible for him.

"No, that's fine Rose, we should just go."

Not expecting him to actually agree to it, she looked over at him to see if he really meant it. "Are you sure Doctor? We really don't have to, it can wait a few more days."

He shrugged. "Really Rose, it's fine. Besides, I'm sure your co-workers will be happy to see you back."

Taking a deep breath, Rose nodded. She realized this moment had come a bit sooner than even she was ready for and kind of wished he had been against going. It would have given her more time to… prepare him.

"Listen Doctor, about that… there's something I need to tell you."

His stomach dropped. This is the part she would tell him about the bloke in her life. The one that was the comforting best mate at first but then slowly turned into more. Of course she had met someone… how could she not have? No wonder she had been so hesitant. It wasn't just that he wasn't "him" it was also that her heart had taken refuge in someone else in his absence and now she would have to choose. He clenched his jaw and tried his hardest to keep a neutral look on his face, waiting for it.

"I was hoping to have this conversation with you at home… I thought we'd have a bit more time before you'd have to deal with this.

Keeping his gaze fixed straight ahead, he gave a quick shake of the head. "Rose, you don't have to… its fine. You don't owe me any explanations."

"But I do, Doctor… I don't think you understand. When I-"

Not wanting to do this, the Doctor opened and closed his fists a few times, feeling trapped and wishing desperately he had just refused to go. "Please, Rose. Let's just not, ok?"

Starting to get a little frustrated, she let out an exasperated sigh. "What are you- listen, I just need to explain-"

"I said I would go, alright? What else do you want from me?! Unless you would rather I change my mind? Would that make this easier for you? Put it off until you're ready?" The sharp, mocking sarcasm in his voice was hard to miss, especially with that last part.

Rose felt like she had just been punched in the gut. The Doctor was rude, yes, but he was never cruel. She glanced at him and found his face set in that cold glare she absolutely hated. Fuming, she stayed silent and continued to drive. When things hit the fan, he better not dare complain that she didn't tell him.

The rest of the ride was spent in stony silence. Thankfully, they had been relatively close to Torchwood when Pete had called, so it didn't last long. Once they arrived, Rose got out of the car, slammed the door and started walking towards the lift at the end of the parking garage. Knowing that he was being unreasonable but not caring enough to stop, the Doctor slammed his door even harder and stalked off after her.

They refused to look at one another in the lift.

With a soft ding, the doors opened into a modern looking building. It was not the Torchwood at Canary Warf, but still quite magnificent in its size and architectural design. The Torchwood logo was still the same and prominent throughout. As Rose strode up to the main reception area, she got many waves and smiles, as well as a few hushed whispers and curious looks. It was obvious that news of her return had spread, and with it probably a degree of curiosity regarding the handsome, lanky fellow trailing grudgingly behind her. Rose's face clearly let everyone know she was not up for conversation, so no one tried to approach her or the mysterious new man.

"Hello Phyllis, will you please let Mr. Tyler know that we're on our way up to see him?"

"Ms. Tyler, hello! Actually, he just let me know that he would be waiting for you in your office."

"Oh. Ok, thank you Phyllis."

"You're welcome Ms. Tyler… and it's nice to see you again, we're all very glad you're back!"

Smiling genuinely, Rose thanked the receptionist and turned again without a word to the Doctor. She headed towards another set of lifts on the opposite side of the lobby. Again they rode in silence, neither ready nor willing to be the first to break it. Once more the doors dinged softly and opened up to another lobby, though this one was much smaller and not nearly as busy as the one below. There were two corridors on either side of the reception desk. Rose set off immediately without looking back. Approaching the desk, she took a deep breath and smiled at the receptionist who had looked up just then and stood up to greet her.

"Rose! It's good to see you! Blimey, didn't think I'd ever see you again…so, this must be him then! Your Doctor?"

Rose nodded, crossing her arms and pivoting a little, as she glanced over her shoulder.

The Doctor just stood there, eyes wide, completely gobsmacked. He just continued gawking at her and growing tired of it quickly, the receptionist folded her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes.

"Oi! What? Have I suddenly sprouted a second head, alien boy?"

The Doctor spluttered. Before him stood Donna Noble, fiery as ever.