When the Doctor hadn't returned to collect Martha the morning after he had left her, she was pacing up and down the floor, expecting him to do a haphazard landing in her living room again or she'd settle for him being outside. By lunchtime, she had to face it, he had gone somewhere on his own that he didn't want her to be involved with or he'd found a wormhole or whatever and gone to rescue Rose Tyler.

What was so special about his last companion? She got her things and decided to show up for work, she could always use a bit more experience and the hospital staff were still recovering from the death of Mr Stoker and the police would be wanting to question her, since she was the last person to see him.

Before she left though, she picked up last night's paper and saw an article about mysterious disappearances at an old house on the outskirts of the city. Betting that's what he'd been up to on his day off, she got the address and drove off. Parking just outside the gates that were hanging off their hinges, she sneaked through, looking for the Tardis but unknown to her, the angels had carted it into the basement and were surrounding it.

Martha wondered whether he was inside, if he'd landed the Tardis in one of the rooms and was about to go inside but the doorknob seemed stuck. Then she heard a noise behind her and turned to find a scary garden statue behind her.

"Well he can forget that, if he thinks I'm going in there," Martha huffed to herself and marched off to get back in her car.

The day after Rose and the Doctor moved into their new flat, Rose went shopping then they walked up the road to have lunch with her mother, the Doctor just wanting to keep the peace since Rose had upped the stakes last night. She had successfully got him down to just his shorts and she'd laid on him so it was difficult to sneak away but he was happy to let her stay where she was.

Rose had woken up and he had kissed her good morning and she had teased him about not bothering to wear his t-shirt that night but he'd teased her back.

"So, you want me minus my t-shirt tonight?" he'd asked.

"Well, we have to make a start somewhere don't we? It's only a t-shirt and you said you don't feel the cold."

"No, that's true. Just how far are we going to take this Rose?"

"What do ya mean?" she'd asked.

So now they were walking down the road, not holding hands or Rose with her arm in his. He knew he'd upset her by asking how far she wanted to take the whole idea of him being her boyfriend, how stupid had he been? Why couldn't he have just gone along with it? This could be why it had never happened the first time, so much for getting another chance then.

Rose was just about to put the code into the door when he stopped her. Not even a week had passed by and here they were, moving in together and having their first tiff.

"Rose, about earlier."

"What about it?" Rose sighed, thinking this maybe hadn't been one of her best ideas, having Sunday lunch with her mother and moving in with a man she'd met a week ago and already having their first domestic argument.

"Look, I'm sorry, I'm just not used to this so why don't you just teach me how to be your boyfriend?"

Rose let out a little smile. "Oh, well as long as you're willing to learn?"

"Yes Rose, I'm willing to learn. So, sleeping without a t-shirt is normal then?"

He let go of the door and she punched in the code.

"Yeah, when the bloke is fit and has just the right amount of chest hair," she smiled, licking her lips.

The Doctor smirked. "So I've got the right amount then?"

He could only guess her reply as she was up the stairs before he was but he heard her muttering something about him being 'fit'.

After escaping from Jackie Tyler, the Doctor set out to prove to Rose he could pass as her boyfriend for the next six months or so. Compared with some of the things he'd had to do, it would be easy and they would only be together at night and weekends anyway. When they got back, Rose lay down a few ground rules.

Most of them were thrown out over the coming months though. They got closer, Rose had ditched her pyjama bottoms for shorts then just her underwear and it wasn't long before she'd assured him she took precautions and since he had no lab to check he had to just hope for the best but they agreed to take extra precautions at certain times of the month.

The Doctor continued to tell her things, mostly about where he came from and what his former selves had done, which he had considered was safe enough and now, there was less than two weeks before his ninth self came back to earth, since he'd not taken a note of the date exactly. They were both getting edgy and it was showing as they went to Jackie's one Sunday lunchtime.

"What's wrong with you two then?" her mother had asked them.

They were sat on the chair, Rose playing with the Doctor's jacket button.

"Nothing Mum. He has something to tell you."

"Oh, what's that then? You're not splitting up are ya?"

"Well not exactly but, well you tell her Doctor."

"You've not got my daughter pregnant have you?" Jackie asked accusingly. "If you have, don't you think creeping off with do you any good."

"I'm not pregnant Mum, geez. John just has to go away for a while, that's all."

"Oh? What about your job?"

They had decided it would be easier to explain his absence if he'd been offered a posting in the USA for an undetermined period of time, to explain he could come back sooner rather than later but they'd not discussed yet how Rose would explain his former self's presence.

"He's had this great offer, haven't you Doctor?"

"Yes, I have actually and Rose and I have discussed this, I should be back around Christmas. Rose, ask her."

"Ask me what?"

"Can I move back, while he's away? I don't wanna be on my own and we've given notice yesterday."

"Well, I suppose I'll have to say yes then, haven't got much choice but what about when he comes back?"

"Ah, well, Jackie, I think we may just have something else to tell you when I do get back, though while I'm away, a few things might come to light, eh Rose?"

"What are you two on about? Look Doctor, I know I agreed to you two living together but you said nothing about going away, did ya? How come you're only telling me now?"

"Well nothing was certain Mum, now it is. Don't fuss, it'll pass in no time and he could be back sooner. Would you rather I went with him?"

They still had no idea how this was going to work and Jackie would hate being lied to but the Doctor had convinced Rose that coming out and telling her mother he was going to change to look differently then change back and he wouldn't be Rose's boyfriend any more would be a bit much for her to take in.

Rose had agreed to break it to her gently though he had argued it would be a bit hard on her so when they got home, she tried to assure him she could handle it but he wasn't so sure.

"Rose, I can try and explain it to her next Sunday, if you want love?"

"No, I can do it. When I go off with the other you, she'll think I'm cheating on you?"

"Yeah, knowing her then? Rose, I know there's not much time left so let's make the most of it eh? You have to watch out for any signs I might be hanging around the store or if any of the staff say they've seen the dummies walking on their own. You have to be ready."

"I know that Doctor. I've known all along just how much time we had but now, it's nearly here."

He went to put his arms around her and kissed her forehead.

They both had known what they were getting into but Rose had a chance of picking up where they had left off, if she could convince him of what they had shared but that all depended on if she could time everything right and meet his ninth self. He had noticed the last few nights she wasn't sleeping properly though she had been trying to hide it from him.

"Rose, if you can't sleep, I can help you with that."

"What makes you think I'm not sleeping?"

"You can't fool me, remember? Let me help you love? I can help you relax."

"Yeah, ok, it's just, you know, you going away soon and it won't be five minutes for you."

"Yes it will. I have to go back, you know that, for things to be the way they should be."

"You're a Timelord, the only Timelord so why do you have to stick to the rules?"

"There are consequences Rose, if I don't go back, there can't be two of us in the same time period. It's just six months but maybe you can get the other me to cheat a bit? He can keep you occupied so it will seem like no time has passed at all but the one thing you can't do is get him to take you forward six months when you meet him."

"You don't have to explain that to me, I know what it means. It means I'm missing out of things you want me to experience."

"Yes and they are so important Rose, in more ways than you can imagine. I've told you everything I can these last few months but there's one thing I can't tell you, one thing you'll have to discover for yourself."

She leaned into his arms, a hint of tears on her cheeks.

"I love you Doctor. I don't want you to go away but I know you have to."

"Rose, I love you too, my precious girl but there's no other way. There is so much waiting for you out there and I can't wait to show it to you."

"I can't wait to see it Doctor, you know that though. So, when are ya gonna tell me what I have to do when I meet you?"

"You'll know love but there's something else I need you to do."

"Anything."

"Make friends with Mickey while I'm gone."

"Don't be daft, I've not seen him for almost six months. Why?"

"Because he was with you, when I first met you, he's part of the events. Everything has to be the way it was, I'm sorry Rose but just be friends with him."

"To make you jealous?" she smiled.

"That's better love and yes, I admit, I was jealous. Why should you choose a 900 year old Timelord over Mickey?"

Rose nudged him. "I would have chosen you, you daft alien, if you'd given me the choice."

"Well, your chance will come along in a few days time but when the other me asks you the first time?"

"Yeah, I get it, tell him I have to look after Mickey but what if he doesn't come back? What if...?"

The Doctor put his finger over her mouth and went to kiss her neck.

"Shush, don't worry so much, I'll come back for you."

"I have to trust you, don't I? You still can't tell me why I'm not with you in the future. I know you said I don't go without a fight."

"No, you put up one hell of a fight Rose, I can tell you that. Why don't you choose something to watch and I'll make some tea and toast?"

He heard her quietly sobbing after they had made love that night, she thought he wouldn't notice as she lay in his arms, since he only closed his eyes for a short time, mainly to concentrate on listening to her breathing, thinking about how much he loved her. He knew this was now breaking her single heart that was so full of love for him and both his own hearts loved her back.

"Rose, sweetheart. Don't cry love," he whispered.

"Easy for you to say Doctor. Sorry, it's just I've only realised the last few days that all this is coming to an end and I knew it would. I thought I'd be ok with it."

"I never expected you to be ok with it," he sighed.

He knew he shouldn't have let all this happen but he was being selfish again so he'd have something to remember when he got back to 2007 but he'd convinced himself after that first night, it would also give Rose something to remember when she was sent to the other universe. After his first internal debate, he had concluded the other Rose, the future one was maybe a lot happier knowing they'd had this time together but what if by being intimate, things had changed?

He had to get over this doubt that she wouldn't meet him or she refused to go with his former self when he'd gone back which meant he'd still regenerate at some point but she wouldn't be responsible. He might miss this one out and regenerate into a babbling idiot with a tendency to wear bowties and a fez or even worse, a grey haired Scot with a sour disposition and he thought his sixth had been bad enough but he'd mellowed somewhat before changing only to get shot by a street gang in 1999 San Francisco.

Rose went to sleep, finally but the next morning was trying to come up with excuses over breakfast why she should stay off work.

"Rose, you can't stay off love, you know that? It could be any day now, I can't remember the exact date. Oh, hang on a second. What day do you collect the lottery money?"

"What? Oh, you mean the syndicate? Did I tell you about that?"

"No, not when we met but when you and Jack were talking once, you told him how we'd met and he said trust me to blow the shop up just so you didn't have to share the winnings."

Rose smiled, the Doctor thinking it lit up the whole room.

"Yeah, I remember that. Thursday, oh my! That's so Wilson can put the money on for it on Friday. Do ya think that's it?"

"I'm not sure, it could be next Thursday?" he offered hopefully.

"Then on Wednesday, my day off, let's do something special? Can you get the day off?"

"I can ask love, if it's important to you? I could be right, it could be next week, I'll have to try and remember what I did before I began roaming the store's basement looking for the best place to plant the explosives. See, you changed me Rose, in more ways than you imagine. I was fresh from the timewar, I had so much anger, I had to stay away from everything, I thought I was too dangerous to be let loose anywhere, let alone earth."

"So, great then, I get to meet a very angry version of you?"

"Don't be like that love," he told her, clearing the breakfast table. "Come on, I'll give you a ride to work eh? You can be a bit early, it'll be a change from you getting the bus though why you never let me take you is a puzzle to me. Anyone would think you had to pay to get into the city centre though it will come to that, one day."

He couldn't say too much but he knew a later mayor of London would introduce such a penalty, despite him trying to persuade the said mayor it was a big mistake and that if they did that, then parking should be free.

"Yeah, I can see that going down well? Even buses might have to pay?"

"Nah, it's a plot to get people to leave their cars at home but it'll never work, they'll pay rather than lower their standards by using public transport. Can you imagine the city gent from somewhere posh sitting on the tube with a pair of headphones stuck on his head?"

Rose giggled as she got her jacket and her shoulder bag, checking she had her phone and her keys.

"Yeah or some actor with a funny cap trying to disguise himself and fiddling with his music on his phone on his way back from rehearsals?"

"Well the poor bloke might get recognised and someone may take a photo and stick it on a certain website? Perish the thought!" the Doctor grinned.

All that week, including Rose's day off, they were a little off with each other except in bed, since Rose was determined if Thursday was the day before he left, she was going to give him all she had. Now they knew what day but not what week, the Doctor himself was getting nervous that his former self would not take too kindly to being used as a taxi driver to take his future self back to where he'd come from, especially to the time before he'd entered the deserted house and got caught because he was thinking of Rose, the woman his former self had only just met.

Things were extremely tense on the Thursday morning, Rose got a call before she left from her mother, asking her to put money on the lottery and she'd pay her back.

"Rose, why don't you both come for tea tonight? I'll make shepherd's pie."

"I'll ask him and I'll text you back, yeah?"

She didn't want to say that she might be back anyway, if the store got blown up tonight.