Sorry for the continued angst, I promise this is the last chapter of it! Better things to come! =)

The Doctor awoke to soft knocks at his office door. Glancing up at his clock, he saw that it was three in the morning. Who in the world could be down at the labs at this time of night?

"Doctor? Are you in there?"

Heart sinking, he slowly got to his feet. Although unlikely, he had hoped it would be Rose standing there, but he knew by the voice that it wouldn't be. Opening the door, he found himself face to face with his boss.

"Stella, hello… what um… can I help you?"

"I should be asking you the same thing! Weren't you just released from the infirmary last night? What are you doing here?"

The Doctor reached up to rub the back of his neck and looked down at his bare feet. "Um… well, I… that is to say, we… Rose and I…"

Stella put up her hand to stop him. "Oh I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to pry, of course that's none of my business… but… were you, I mean… if you're spending the night here, there are more comfortable places to rest than holed up in your office. The infirmary always has a few extra beds available… Surely you must still not be feeling very well… can I bring you anything?"

Feeling his face growing hotter by the minute, he turned and walked over to his desk, leaning against it and pulling on his earlobe.

"No, no I'm alright, thank you Stella."

Shifting from one foot to the other, she looked around his office for a moment and then took a few steps in. The Doctor looked up, surprised, but not wanting to be rude looked away again, impassive.

"I was just… well, I was here late finishing up a report and as I was walking out the guard mentioned seeing you come down here a few hours ago. I thought it odd so I just wanted to make sure you were alright… I don't suppose you'd like a quick cuppa?"

"Oh… well, I… sure."

"Splendid! I'll be right back then."

The Doctor offered her a small smile as she turned and headed out the door. When she was gone, he sat behind his desk and rubbed his eyes. He had just barely fallen asleep and he was certainly in no mood for a chat with anyone right now, but he didn't want to offend her, she was being so kind… and some tea really did sound good, though she was not who he wished he were sharing it with.

A few minutes later she returned with two steaming mugs as well as two pillows and a few blankets. The Doctor raised his eyebrow at the latter but said nothing.

"I took the liberty of running up to the infirmary for these… I hope you don't mind." She flashed him an awkward smile then averted her eyes.

"No of course not… thank you, really, that was very kind. Here, let me take those." He reached for his mug and after setting it down, took the pillows and blankets from her as well, setting them on the floor by his desk and then returning to his seat.

After closing the door behind her, Stella took the chair across the desk from him and said nothing, taking a sip of her tea and looking at him over her steaming mug. For a few moments they just sat there, in silence, nursing their mugs of Earl Grey.

"So… you've had an amazingly speedy recovery. I was quite surprised to hear you were being discharged yesterday, what with the severity of your injuries."

"Yes well… I'm lucky I suppose. My physiology allows me to heal quicker than most… humans."

"Right, of course… thank goodness for that! And… have you recovered you memories as well?"

"Not much, no… just a few snippets here and there, but nothing useful."

"I see… I've heard that everyone that survived the attack has also had similar amnesic side effects. It's a wonder as many of you survived, Doctor…"

Putting his tea down, he rubbed his eyes and shook his head. "Yes well, like I said, luck I suppose."

"Oh I'm sure it was more than just luck. You were with the best team, after all. Am I right in assuming that while Rose did not go in, she was in charge of the operation?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Well then, there it is. Commander Tyler is one of our best. She has always taken pride in the success of her missions and rightly so, she's had the best safety record."

"Until now, you mean."

"Well, no… no mission is completely void of danger. It would be foolish to expect that."

When he didn't reply, Stella put her tea down as well and leaned forward.

"I'm sorry Doctor, I didn't mean anything by it, really. I'm sure Rose did her very best to keep you all safe, sometimes it's just not possible though… it's the nature of the beast when you work for Torchwood… surely she isn't blaming herself for your injuries?"

"No… no, she isn't. Apparently, it was all my doing."

Stella leaned back in her chair again and crossed her legs. Raising her eyebrow slightly she remained silent, encouraging him to continue.

Not knowing why he was even discussing this with her, he ran a hand through his hair and continued. "She wanted me to go in there armed but… I refused. I don't recall what happened exactly, but I went against her orders and well…"

"I see."

"That's why… that's why I'm here."

"So… she's angry with you."

He nodded and barely above a whisper said more to himself than her, "I've never seen her like that before… we've never… we've never really had a proper row... not like this, anyhow."

Smiling kindly at him, she reached out a hand and placed it over his forearm.
"Look, I know this is probably a lot more personal than you feel comfortable talking about with a colleague, but for what it's worth, I'm sure she didn't mean for you to be here tonight on your own. Why don't you go home, get some rest and try again in the morning, yeah? I wasn't even expecting you to be back for a few days anyhow, so you needn't be here."

Looking up at his boss, he gave her a genuine smile. "Thank you… I appreciate your concern."

Giving his arm a gentle squeeze, she pulled back her hand and returned his smile. Then she got up and took her mug. "Well… I should be going."

The Doctor stood and walked with her the few steps to the door. "Of course, it's late. I'm sorry to have kept you. But thank you, really, that was very kind."

"Not at all Doctor, I'm glad we could have this chat. Please take care of yourself, super healing or not, you look a mess… get some rest."

Rubbing his face with his hand, he let out a great big yawn, to which Stella chuckled.

"You see?"

"I will, I'll be fine. Thank you again."

Stella gave him one last smile and then turned to walk away. The Doctor was about to close his door again when she turned back around and said, "Oh and Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"Well, whatever your reasons were for refusing to go in armed… Try to be open minded when you talk to Rose about it… Safety is of the utmost importance in all we do here at Torchwood and I'm sure yours is to her for more reasons than just protocol…"

The Doctor nodded, looking down at his feet again.

"But… but if you can't come to an agreement… and missions are something you decide to forgo for a while, just know that you are extremely valuable to us here at R&D, both as a colleague and as a friend. We'll always have a need for your expertise and knowledge. I've got a few side projects in mind that I could use your help on if you're interested and have a little extra time."

The Doctor looked up surprised, an eyebrow cocked.

"Oh, there's no need to discuss that right now… but I just thought I'd mention it to you. Just think on it, yeah? We can discuss the details at some later point in time if you decide it's something you're interested in… Good night Doctor."

And with that she turned and walked away, headed for the lift. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair again, not quite knowing what to do with himself. Glancing at the pillows and blankets, he decided he needed to get some sleep before going home to face Rose again. Odds were he could probably get back to the flat before she even noticed he'd been gone. Then he'd do what Stella had suggested and try again. Carefully lowering himself back to the ground, he got himself a bit more comfortable with what she had brought him, and mercifully was asleep again within minutes.

Rose had been tossing and turning most of the night, in and out of a fitful slumber. After waking up for the fifth time she decided to get up and make herself a cup of tea, hoping that this would relax her enough to go back to sleep. As she exited her room, she could see light shining out from under the Doctor's door. She was about to knock again but decided to first make the tea and bring him some as well. Perhaps if she came with a peace offering he would let her in this time.

Ten minutes later, she padded back down the hallway towards their rooms and knocked on his door once more.

"Doctor? May I come in please? I… I made you a nice warm cuppa."

Silence.

She waited a few seconds and then tried again, knocking a little bit louder this time, in case he hadn't heard her… though she doubted that was the case. When he still did not answer, Rose closed her eyes for a moment and tried to remain calm. The fact that he wasn't even acknowledging her was hurtful and her knee-jerk reaction was to just forget it and go back to bed and deal with it in the morning… he had to come out of there eventually. But knowing that she'd never get any rest if she did that, Rose decided to push her luck. She tested the door handle and finding it unlocked, slowly opened it just a crack to peek her head in.

"Doctor please… can we just…?"

She never finished her sentence. The room was empty. Opening the door wider, she let herself in and quickly looked over at his ensuite, finding that the lights were off and it too was empty. She quickly put the mugs on his dresser, a feeling of panic suddenly washing over her. Where was he?

She went towards the front room calling out for him. She'd just been in the kitchen so she knew he wasn't there, but still she searched. No one out on the balcony either. Next she tried the loft. Empty as well.

Running back to his room, she threw open his closet and was relieved to see his clothes all still there. Suddenly she felt a gentle wave of pressure in her mind and looked down at the TARDIS coral, still in her tank. Kneeling down by her, she closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands, letting out a sigh of relief. He couldn't have gone far then… and wherever he was, he was planning on coming back. The mild hum of the TARDIS in her mind was comforting and for a few minutes Rose just stayed there, one hand on the Fenito glass, the other pinching the bridge of her nose, as she tried to steady her breathing and decide what to do next.

Getting back up, she checked his desk for his Torchwood ID badge and found that it was missing, as were his keys and wallet. The only other place he would think to go was her mum's house but that seemed unlikely as he would not want to face Jackie… not to mention that she would have rung her up straight away to let her know he was there. No, he had to be at Torchwood then.

She returned to her room and quickly started pulling out some clothes. Looking at her watch she saw that it was two thirty. Knowing that she had some reports to work on that had been sitting on her desk for days, she decided to just throw on some work clothes instead since she would more than likely go back up to her office for a while after they hashed things out.

A short while later she was on her way to Torchwood. While she drove she tried to keep her anger in check. Part of her wanted to throttle him for just leaving like that, especially after just barely being discharged from the infirmary. Surely he knew how worried she'd be. But at the same time, the other part of her just wanted to gather him up in her arms and never let go. Either way, she knew she would probably lose her composure but was determined to stay as levelheaded as possible… she wasn't driving all the way to Torchwood just to keep yelling and make things worse.

As she was walking past the security guard, he smiled and waved.

"Busy night down in the labs then, Ms. Tyler?"

Rose stopped.

"Have you seen the Doctor tonight Collin? Has he been by?"

"Yes, he came in a few hours ago. I just saw Ms. Evans as well, she was going down there to see him as a matter of fact."

Rose's stomach dropped.

"I see… thank you Collin."

Pace quickening, she marched towards the staircase instead of taking the lift. As she took the stairs down two levels, her heart began to pound. She stopped on the last landing, before opening the door, and took a few calming breaths. She wasn't going to let her mind get ahead of itself. No jumping to conclusions, she repeated in her mind over and over. The Doctor would never…

Quietly, she opened the door that would lead her to a hallway just around the corner from his office. As she approached and just before she turned onto the main hallway, Rose heard the voice of the woman she was hoping so desperately wouldn't be there. Heart pounding in her ears, she cautiously peeked around the corner, being careful to stay well hidden.

It was as if a bucket of ice cold water had been dumped on her. There, standing outside the Doctor's office was Stella Evans… holding blankets and pillows under her arms, and a pair of mugs in her hands. Although she could not see him, Rose was able to make out his hands reaching out to take the bedding before she walked in and shut the door behind her.

For a moment, Rose just stood there, dumbfounded. Then her anger flared back to life and she began to make her way towards his office. But she didn't make it more than a few steps before her vision blurred and she lost her battle against the heartache that was also bubbling up, stronger than the anger. Holding back a sob, she placed a hand over her mouth and quickly went back to the stairwell. Once inside she made it up the first landing then collapsed onto the next step, letting her head drop down onto her arms and knees, and wept.

She just couldn't wrap her mind around what was going on. The Doctor could never… he loved her, she was sure of it. This version of himself had been demonstrative of that in so many ways over the last couple of months, she just couldn't believe that he would… but then why had he been calling out for her in his sleep? And why had he turned to her now, instead of staying home and trying to work through things? She realized that she had no idea when he had even left the flat and the thought of her knocking on his door both times, and not knowing that he wasn't even there to hear her… it made her anger rekindle. And to think, she had foolishly brought him tea when he was here the whole time, enjoying a cuppa with her. Rose felt sick.

Knowing that she would drive herself insane at home with nothing to do but stew, she decided to go upstairs to her office instead. In the years she'd spent trying to get back to him Rose had discovered that losing herself in her work, be it out in the field or behind a desk working on endless reports, was the only way to shut her mind off and keep it from going to darker places. This instinct was kicking in at the moment, so after drying her tears and taking a few deep breaths, she made her way back upstairs. On the way past Donna's desk, she stopped and left her a quick note, asking her to come see her as soon as she got in.

A few hours later the Doctor woke up with a stiff body, but feeling a bit better. Getting up off the floor, he stretched and put his suit jacket back on, straightened his tie and laced up his trainers. A quick glance at his clock (his time senses weren't quite back yet, it was really starting to get annoying) told him it was well past the beginning of the work day and for a moment he panicked. Rose would surely have woken by now and noticed his absence. She might even already be on her way here, though strictly speaking neither of them was expected in today.

Running a hand through his hair, he paced for a few minutes considering his options. He could go upstairs and see if she was in her office… though that didn't sound too appealing as Donna would be up there as well as Pete and knowing that Rose was more than likely going to kill him, he rather not. He could try giving her a ring on her mobile, perhaps she was still at the flat… but somehow this didn't seem like the kind of thing that ought to be dealt with over the phone. His third option was to just stay in his office and wait for her to come to him. It was much quieter down here and they would have a bit more privacy if it came to a shouting match, though he doubted it would, Rose was nothing if not calm and collected around her colleagues.

Right about now he was pretty sure he would rather face a fleet of Daleks than any of those scenarios. When it came to domestics he was still ever the coward. Sighing, he decided to go up to the cafeteria and get some breakfast, perhaps a solution would come to him then.

Rose had spent a few hours working mindlessly on reports until Donna came in. Within seconds of seeing her friend, Rose's carefully constructed walls had come tumbling down and she found herself a mess again. She told Donna about their fight and her suspicions about Stella, to which Donna reacted in true Donna Noble fashion… offering to rough them both up. Rose laughed through her tears and Donna hugged her, assuring her that the offer still stood.

Feeling a bit better after getting all that off her chest, Rose decided she needed to get a quick bite to eat. She didn't really feel all that hungry but knew from experience that this was just her body's way of reacting to stress, nevertheless, if she was going to go confront him, the last thing she needed was low blood sugar making her mood even more volatile.

Not really caring what she ate, Rose went through the buffet grabbing things at random. As she was making her way to one of the empty tables in a corner, she saw him. The Doctor was just entering the cafeteria and though the place was quite busy their eyes somehow managed to meet almost instantly. He looked mildly surprised but recovered quickly and began purposefully making his way towards her, his hands in his pockets and a look of anxious remorse on his face. Rose stood rooted to the spot momentarily, her heart beginning to race. Suddenly she felt the desperate need to get away, she wasn't ready for this yet, and the cafeteria was certainly not the place for it either. Before she even knew what she was doing, she found herself hurrying through the crowd and exiting through the back doors, trying to quickly put as much distance between them as possible. She could hear him calling after her once, twice, three times, but without turning back she just kept on running.

Frustrated, the Doctor watched her go. He could have caught up with her, even with his injuries he was a much faster runner than Rose, but she obviously didn't want to do this right now so why even bother? Slamming his hand down on a nearby table, he closed his eyes and tried to stomp down the anger that was starting to rise in him again. Had she not come to Torchwood for him? Why run away now when it was obvious that he was willing to talk? Angrily shoving both hands through his hair he wondered at how this woman who he loved so much could infuriate him so. Perhaps he wasn't cut out for the domestic life after all…