Morning brought with it a feeling of surrealism for both Rose and the Doctor. The latter of course had not slept long, but when he awoke and found himself serving once more as a pillow for his Rose, he couldn't help but wonder what he had done to deserve the universe's kindness. Her arm was wrapped around his waist and her head rested on his chest. Though awake, he kept his eyes closed for a few minutes and just enjoyed the sensation of having her this close. He lightly ran his hand through her hair and though she stirred slightly, Rose just snuggled closer into him and continued sleeping.

Somewhere out there, amongst the galaxies traveled a lonely man who deserved this just as much, perhaps even more than he did, yet it was he that got to keep her instead. A tightness in his chest reminded him to take a deep breath and try to focus on happier thoughts. His anxiety for his other self's fate seemed to get worse as his own personal happiness increased. Not wanting to have another episode like he had had the previous day at Torchwood, the Doctor tried to banish those thoughts from his mind. He did however make a mental vow to himself to never take a single moment of this new life with Rose for granted. He knew the trust that had been placed in him and he owed it to his other self to live a fantastic life with her and make sure that she was as happy as possible.

He wondered if he would be equal to the task. The past few days had certainly been taking a turn for the better, and that was comforting but he still felt unsure at times that he would be enough. Perhaps it was that little bit of Donna in him, or perhaps it was the absence of his TARDIS and their usual way of life. Either way, he hated not feeling in control of the future, unable to more clearly see the ebb and flow of their timelines, how they intertwined and how they ended… together or separate. The limited grasp he still had on that Time Lord ability should have at least allayed his fears but at the moment all it did was frustrate and remind him of the things he had lost… he felt inadequate and once again wondered if Rose might not come to that conclusion herself one day.

He had always been prone to dark thoughts, particularly after the Time War when he was all black leather and big ears. However, back then he had his TARDIS and all of space and time to run to in an effort to get away from his fears and regrets. The Doctor in brown had said that he was now like that again, dark and brooding, the way Rose had first encountered. It was true, back then she had saved him from himself and all his anger and self-loathing. With her he had begun to enjoy his existence again and had learned to open his hearts to things he had sworn to lock away and never experience again because it was just too painful when they were lost. She had helped him thaw out in a matter of speaking, and he would always be better for it, regardless of the pain it sometimes brought. Looking down at her, he was greeted with a messy crown of golden hair which he kissed softly. He turned slightly so that they were facing each other a bit more and he could pull her closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his face against her head, taking another deep breath and smiling at the fruity scent of her shampoo. If anyone could pull him out of his self-inflicted dark thoughts, it was his Rose. He knew things would get better when he had a fully functioning TARDIS to tinker with and whisk them away on, but for now she would be his lifeline much like she had been when they first met… and probably much like she would continue to be for the rest of his life.

When Rose finally opened her eyes, she felt a pair of arms squeeze her gently. She didn't remember falling asleep and certainly hadn't planned it that way, but waking up snuggled into the Doctor, their legs tangled together, and his heartbeat in her ear was quite possibly the best feeling in the world. She made a happy noise in the back of her throat and buried her face deeper into him, not wanting to move. Not now, not ever. She half expected him to bounce off the bed-like couch and drag her up with him now that she was awake, but much to her surprise, he just held her tight and began to run his hand up and down her back in a soothing motion.

Given the way she had lost control with him up here a few days ago and that horrifying conversation that followed, Rose couldn't help but feel somewhat embarrassed and a bit fearful of the mixed signals he might think she was sending him at the moment. The truth was that she was nowhere near being ready for more intimacy than what they currently shared and hoped that this was ok for now. They were no strangers to unspoken boundaries so she knew that patience was not necessarily the problem. Though she had to admit, knowing that something shouldn't or couldn't be made respecting those boundaries a lot easier. Now that all the rules had been thrown out the TARDIS doors, so to speak, she wondered how long they could keep this up. Feeling the need to give them some space, she rubbed her eyes and stretched, withdrawing her legs and flopping onto her back. The Doctor made no move to stop her but kept one arm casually draped over her abdomen as the other pulled back and propped up his head as he lay facing her.

"Morning, sleepyhead."

She could hear the smile in his voice, even though her eyes were scrunched closed as she arched her back and wiggled her toes. When she was done rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she turned her head and smiled at him a bit shyly.

"Hi… sorry I fell asleep on you, I didn't mean to. That's twice now. You know can just wake me up, right? I don't mind."

The Doctor grinned. "Now why would I want to do that?"

"I don't know… I just… I mean, you can if you want, that's all… I can't imagine watching me sleep is all that exciting."

"Rose Tyler, there is nothing in this universe I'd rather be doing."

Something in his eyes and the tone of his voice made her believe him. She scooted back over and rested her head on his chest again, fingers idly playing with the collar of his t-shirt. She smiled and looked up at him, her eyes shining with mischief.

"At least until you have the TARDIS to tinker with again, yeah?"

"Weeeeell, perhaps even then."

He chuckled softly and dropped a quick kiss on her forehead. Before he could pull away, however, Rose lifted her hand from his collar to his face and held him there as she tilted her face up some more and wiggled her way up to reach his lips with her own. They kissed slowly and lazily, content to take their time with one another. Rose toyed with the idea of telling herself where she could shove those boundaries she'd just been fretting over. She indulged in those thoughts for a few seconds but reason finally won over and the Doctor helped by pulling away carefully. He wore a sort of shocked expression on his face and an almost knowing smile.

Grinning up at him, she traced his lips with her finger. "What?"

"Rose… I… you remember how I can use a form of telepathy, right?"

"Yeah…"

"You've seen me use it before. And you know I would never, ever invade someone's mind without their permission?"

"Of course, Doctor. You used it on me after that whole mess with the acolytes of Lagnos and asked my permission about fifty times!" Where was he going with this? Did he want to show her something?

"Right… well, the thing is… this new body of mine, well my mind is still mostly the same of course, though some of my Time Lord capabilities are a bit altered. Strictly speaking, my telepathy seems to still be intact, but the mechanics behind it… well, you see, most Gallifreyans tended to be touch-telepaths, meaning we almost always need some sort of physical contact to establish the mind link. Not that it can't be done without it in some cases, but I suppose it's just easier to get the synaptic relay-"

Rose sighed. He was rambling the way he did when he was nervous. What in the world was he trying to tell her? Perhaps he'd been contemplating those annoying boundaries as well? Maybe he wanted to show her some of his memories to help her feel more comfortable with him. Was she really ready for this? Was he? Feeling a bit giddy and nervously optimistic, she cut him off with a finger over his lips and a reassuring smile

"Doctor, yes I get it. Now what is it you're trying to tell me? Just spit it out, yeah?"

Clearing his throat and looking away, he reached up and tugged on his ear.

"Well, you see… I… well, I sort of… I mean, you were practically screaming at me with your mind, I couldn't help…"

Realization washed over Rose and her stomach clenched in horror.

"Oh my – Doctor! You were inside my head just now?!" She quickly sat up, pulling away and snatching up the blanket to cover herself though she was fully dressed and not exposed in any sort of way… not physically, anyway.

The Doctor sat up as well, remorse clearly written all over his face.

"Rose, I'm sorry! You have to believe me, it was an accident! I didn't just barge in there on purpose, it was a complete surprise to me as well when it happened. That's why I pulled away. I'm so sorry!"

And to think she thought he was just trying to… oh this was bad. Just when they seemed to be getting past most of the awkwardness, something like this just had to happen. Rose wanted to die. Her thoughts he'd apparently seen just then had been quite… bold.

The Doctor ran his hands through his hair, clenching at it with his fists. Now he'd done it.

Rose couldn't even look at him. She just sat there, knees drawn to her chest, clutching the blanket to her. This was the very scenario she had always feared back on the TARDIS when her thoughts often ran rampant and it's why she had never wanted to allow him access to her mind in the first place. Not that he had ever asked… well, except for that one time after the Lagnos ordeal, but it was more to reassure her of what had been real and what had not than anything else. He had only shown her things, he'd not taken any information, though he had instructed her on how to place barriers up over things she did not want seen, just in case.

They sat there in stunned silence for a few more seconds. Then he spoke, quietly, haltingly.

"Rose… please, believe me. I would never purposely invade your privacy like that, never ever."

Rose scrubbed her eyes with her palms, trying to grind the thought of him seeing what she was thinking out of her mind with shear force.

She sighed. "I know..."

"And… just so you know, you're not alone in… in how you feel… about… about that."

She chanced a quick glance up at him, and found him sitting cross-legged and fiddling with a corner of the blanket, staring down at his lap, face red.

"Yeah?"

Reaching up to rub the back of his neck, the Doctor nodded and gave a quick chuckle.

"Yeah."

Rose found herself blushing as well but she couldn't help but smile a little.

"Right… well then…"

"But Rose… I know I've said this already but I'll say it again. You don't owe me anything and we've got plenty of time for… well, you know. Weeeell, when I say plenty of time I suppose that's more finite now, isn't it? Not to say that you should feel pressured because in no way did I mean-"

Maybe it was how sweet he was being, or perhaps it was how mortified he sounded, but right then and there Rose Tyler lost all shame and wanted nothing more than to shut him up and show him once more what she had been thinking, only not with her mind this time. Thankfully, she still possessed a shred of self-control and began to laugh instead.

The Doctor, having been stopped mid ramble again, just stared. He almost looked a little hurt. Rose wanted to assure him that she wasn't laughing at him but found herself unable to form an intelligible word. She couldn't stop laughing and eventually fell back onto her side, curled up and clutching her stomach, tears rolling down her face.

"Rose?"

But to no avail, every time she tried to say something, her words just came out garbled which made her laugh even harder. The Doctor was starting to look a bit indignant, which only made Rose's fit worse because the mixture of embarrassment and annoyance on his face was so endearing.

"Rose Tyler, will you please tell me what you find so incredibly hilarious? I'm trying to be serious here."

But the sight of Rose rolling around, clutching her side, and cackling like a mad woman was too much, even for the cross half Time Lord. Quite by accident and very much against his will, laughter began to bubble up out of him and soon he too was on his back laughing and carrying on just as bad.

When they could hardly breathe any longer, they lay on their sides panting and facing one another. Rose reached for his hand as the other wiped away the last of her tears.

"I'm sorry Doctor, I wasn't laughing at you, I promise."

Smiling, he nodded, believing her. "So what was it then?"

"It's just all a bit ridiculous, isn't it? We're adults, and there we were tip-toeing around this big elephant in the room like a pair of teenagers! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have overreacted like that."

"Well, it's uncharted territory though, isn't it?"

"Well, sure… for us. But it's not like we've not danced before, right? I mean, with… others."

The Doctor grinned. "Right."

"And you did promise to show me your moves, oh ages ago, didn't you?"

Recalling that particular conversation, the Doctor beamed. "That I did… Though I never actually thought I ever could."

"Well, you can now… I mean, not now now!" Against her will and despite the pretty little speech about being an adult about this, Rose began to feel her face grow hot again.

The Doctor laughed. "I know what you meant, Rose. And I really did mean what I said about not wanting you to feel pressured. When my mind took that unexpected detour into yours, I also felt your reservations, and I share those as well, you know."

"You do?"

"Blimey, do I ever! Nevermind the dancing bit, though it's been an eternity since I last… well anyway, what I mean to say is that it's been even longer since I allowed myself to care about anyone the way I have for you, Rose. This is scarier than an army of Cybermen. I've always been a bit rubbish at this. I just… I don't want to do anything to jeopardize things, does that make sense?"

Rose smiled tenderly and nodded.

"Yes, it does… I don't want to be too hasty either. And you're not rubbish at this now. I'm getting there, Doctor, being ok with this… with how everything turned out, but you're right, I'm not all the way there yet. You… you understand, don't you? I'm sorry, I don't mean to hurt you by saying that but I need to be honest with you."

A sad smile spread across his face, and it pained Rose to see it, but he nodded his head and squeezed her hand before she could say something else.

"Of course, Rose, and thank you for your honesty. I want you to always feel comfortable telling me the truth, no matter what it is." He leaned over and holding her face in both his hands, gave her a kiss on the forehead.

Rose smiled and gave a contented sigh. "So we're alright then?"

"Better than alright."

"Good, because I like how things are going. Now… how about some breakfast, eh? Then we need to go pick up your suits and stop by the grocer's. We've got dinner with Donna tonight, remember?"

Rose had said the magic words. In an instant, the Doctor had sprung up and was dragging Rose up off the couch as well.

"My suits! And Donna, Rose, Donna! Molto bene! Allons-y!" And with that he turned and practically jumped off the loft banister in his excitement to get downstairs and started on their day. Rose could hear him searching for the keys and rolled her eyes. She heard the door open.

"Doctor, you have to get dressed first!" Shaking her head, she laughed and went after him, afraid he would already be to the lift before she could stop him.