After a fitful night's sleep, Ian awoke weary and with a profound sense of guilt. Ian knew instantly that this was not the same intrinsic guilt he felt on a daily basis. No, this was plaguing him in a unique way, and he knew the reason for this guilt—Rose. It was definitely disconcerting to feel such a way. He barely knew anything about her, and yet recalling the expression on her face and the emotions brimming in her eyes actually pained him.

Allowing himself a rare moment of inner honesty, Ian reflected on his past interactions with Rose. The way he had treated her in the restaurant had been cold, accusatory, and bordering on cruel. Then last night, he knew his lack of openness had hurt her. He remembered the way Rose looked at him as he attempted to deflect her inquiry, as if she was staring straight into his soul; and it unsettled him greatly. It was as if she knew him, knew him in ways no one else ever had. The thought was absurd, of course; it just couldn't be possible for her to have such insight. Ian shook his head, as if this physical action would dissipate such impossible notions.

Reaching his arm over to his bedside table, Ian picked up his mobile and checked the date and time. Once again, it was Monday. But on seeing that it was nearly nine, Ian scrambled out of bed and hurried to shower and dress. The day to day routine of his other "life" might be a mystery to him, but here in this life, Ian knew exactly what to do. And there was another thing of which he was certain—he was incredibly late.

"Well, this is completely bloody wizard!" Donna growled, a little too loudly than was publicly acceptable.

Rose bumped her arm, jolting Donna's focus to her. "Y'know, ya might wanna keep your voice down and not make a scene, what with people and cops around," she admonished as noticed a few questioning glances from passersby.

Rose and Donna had spent the last twenty minutes trying to find the right location to pay Donna's parking citation. They'd initially been directed to the sixth floor; however once there, they were directed back to the first floor. This continued until now they were back on the sixth floor.

"Does nobody in this bloody building know where anythin' is?"

"Well, it's a government building, so…no, no they don't," Rose said wearily.

Donna continued to huff and scowl as they walked down the hallway. "I don't even understand why I got this stupid thing!" she grumbled, briefly waving the small piece of paper in the air in agitation. She stopped midstride and looked around for any sign that they were in the right location.

Rose let out a soft sigh. "Let's just find the office and pay it, alright?" Rose wearily pleaded.

She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, attempting to ease the dull ache that had persisted since Saturday. Ever since the confrontation with the unnamed man, Rose had not been herself. After her silent sobs had ended, Rose had done her best to straighten her appearance so as not to arouse any questions from Donna. However, she should have known better than to think she could fool her oldest and closest friend. The moment Rose had walked out of the loo, she had been met by Donna who demanded a complete account of what had transpired, having already coerced the basics out of a fretful Lynda. Rose had initially played off the man's behavior; but the more Rose mulled over the encounter, the more she felt her anger intensify.

She had simply wanted to cheer him up. Give him something that would perhaps soften his rigid features. It was a purely selfless and sincere gesture. For crying out loud, it was only a flippin' cupcake! What was the issue? And who did he think he was traipsing into the restaurant, scaring Lynda and then yelling at her? Oh, the thought alone caused a fire to burn within her!

But then that anger began to wane as she remembered his eyes…his impossibly dark eyes. Not only were they captivating, but they held so much—so much pain, so much turmoil. While that was hurtful to witness, what really pained her was that she could see something buried beneath all of that anguish. And God help her, she wanted to know what it was.

Rose quit rubbing her forehead and opened her eyes, frowning when she realized that Donna was remaining stationary.

"What are y'doing?"

The irritated scowl remained fixed on her face as she crossed her arms and said, "I'm not taking one more step until I get the exact location."

"You're bein' ridiculous, Donna," Rose said, rolling her eyes.

"No, I'm not! I'm takin' a stand," Donna insisted stubbornly. "What I do, I do for the good of all Britain."

"Nutter," Rose muttered. She began looking around for someone who could be of real assistance. Her eyes settled on an older security official, and she headed towards him.

"What are ya doing?" Donna called after her.

Rose waved her off and finally reached the guard.

"Can I 'elp ya, miss?" he said, greeting her with a jovial smile.

She returned his smile with a warm one of her own. "Yes, have you worked here long?"

"Oh yes, miss. Twenty-three years this Thursday."

Rose's shoulders relaxed hopefully with his response. "Great. My friend over there, she's trying to pay a parking fine. We've been everywhere and still can't seem to find the right place. Can ya help us out?"

"Of course," he replied. "It's a little tricky. You just go to the fourth floor a—"

"Not so fast," Donna said, suddenly appearing at Rose's side. "No more directions. This time I want an escort."

The elderly guard regarded her for a moment, taking in her agitated manner with quiet understanding.

"Follow me then," he said, his tone remaining kind despite Donna's gruffness.

Rose gave the man an apologetic, yet appreciative smile. Out of the corner of her eye, Rose spotted a loo. Deciding she needed a moment to herself, she turned to Donna.

"Go ahead. I'm just gonna pop into the loo for a mo' and I'll met ya down there. Fourth floor, ya said?" she verified with the guard.

He nodded in affirmation and then walked towards the stairs with Donna, who thankfully was already beginning to appear in a better mood. Rose entered the loo and walked over to the sink, splashing a handful of cool water to her face. Afterwards, she looked up and into the mirror, giving her reflection a once over. The water had, naturally, messed with her makeup. Rose rummaged through her purse for her compact and mascara. She quickly fixed her face, adding a little extra powder to the faint circles the lack of sleep had so graciously given her. She finished off with a touch of lippy and exited the loo, anxious to find Donna and finally leave this hellish place. As Rose stepped into the almost vacant hallway, she saw something that immediately halted her steps.

It was him.

She couldn't believe it. There he was, right in front of her, waiting for the lift. She took a few steps towards him; and then all of a sudden, his head turned in her direction and their eyes met. In that instant, Rose felt something vaguely similar to an electrical shock go through her, causing her to imperceptibly twitch. His eyes visibly widened as they remained locked with hers. Neither one of them made a move; they simply remained frozen in place, staring at each other. The sudden ding of the lift broke the stalemate, and like a shot, he dashed into the lift.

Oh no ya don't! Rose thought and ran after him, the doors closing the instant she entered the lift.

She found him beside the control panel, his thumb still pressed firmly against the Close Door button. On seeing that, Rose glared at him, causing him to slightly shift. It suddenly occurred to her that they were alone, completely alone; and very, very much in each other's personal space. Rose swallowed hard at that realization.

He snapped out of his daze and pressed one of the floor selections. Of its own volition, her hand shot forward, and she pressed the Stop Lift button, jolting them to a halt. All the mess of emotions she'd been feeling for the past three days came rushing at her, and now she was determined to get some things off her chest.

"Who do ya think you are?" Rose said sharply as she looked him squarely in the eyes.

His head jerked back a tad. "Excuse me?" he replied, a slight tremor in his voice.

Rose firmed her stance before continuing. "Ya heard me. Just who do y'think you are coming into my friend's place, treatin' Lynda the way ya did and then spewing your venom at me?"

Something almost indiscernible flashed in his eyes, something akin to regret, but was gone in an instant. He tightened his jaw and countered, "And who do you think you are cornering me in here?"

He pressed the button to resume the lift, but Rose quickly stopped them again, jolting them once more.

"I'm someone who doesn't let callous gits get away with pullin' stupid crap like that!" she growled.

"As mature and noble as that it is," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "some of us have important things to do. So, if you don't mind…"

He trailed off and started the lift again. Rose was fuming, her eyes ablaze with rage. She slammed her hand onto the button and the lift jerked to a halt. He returned her glare with a fierce look of his own, and pressed the button. Rose immediately halted them again.

"Stop it!" he snapped, and pounded on the button.

"You stop it," she bit back and slammed the button again. "We're not leavin' here till you apologize."

"Stop being a child!"

"Stop being a wanker!"

They both reached for the button, hitting it at the same time. The lift dropped suddenly, and then jerked to a complete stop, causing Rose to stumble forward and into Ian whose arms instantly moved to steady her. At the unexpected contact, their eyes slowly met, allowing something foreign and indescribable to pass between them. Realizing they were in a somewhat intimate position, they hurriedly pulled apart and diverted their eyes in opposite directions, Rose finding the floor intriguing while he seemed to be fascinated with the hand railing.

He attempted to start the lift again, but it would no longer budge. A look of panic came over him, and he began frantically pressing the button. He finally slammed his fist against it in frustration.

"Well that's just bloody brilliant!" he shouted, running an angry hand through his hair and beginning to pace. "Are you happy now?"

Rose's eyes were practically sparking. "Me?" she questioned angrily.

"Yes, you," he snapped. "We're stuck in this bloody lift all because you couldn't act like an adult and get over yourself."

She rounded on him, the ferocity in her eyes causing him to step back. "Get over myself? You insufferable prat!" she spat, "All ya had to do was apologize, but you're too caught up on your own self-importance to think of others. You were rude, arrogant, irrational, and a complete and utter wanker!" She paused for a millisecond to take a breath, before charging forward. "All I did was give ya a bloody cupcake. A cupcake! And you flip out like a bleedin' nutter and accuse me of…I don't know what, but it sounded like ya thought I drugged you! Seriously? Just how thick is your skull? Is it so hard to believe that someone just wanted to do somethin' nice for you? Because that's all it was… I. WAS. BEING. NICE!" she hollered, panting ever so slightly as she tried to recover from her tirade.

He stood there staring at her, his mouth slightly agape. Rose wasn't sure how long they remained that way, but as his dark chocolate orbs continued to bore into her, she felt her insides begin to flutter at an alarming rate. She was suddenly very glad that she had touched up her makeup. That spontaneous thought elicited a heated blush to creep up her neck, and she hastily turned her gaze from him.

Rose pulled out her mobile from its customary place in her back pocket and began fiddling with it nervously, anything to divert her thoughts from the man next to her. Remembering they were stuck, she checked her signal status. Though there was only one bar, she attempted to call Donna. Unfortunately, the call would not connect. She tried texting, but it wouldn't got through, either. Rose tried phoning three more times before giving a low growl in frustration. She walked to the back wall and slid down to the floor, her mobile still in hand. He continued to lean against the left wall, his head now down as if in thought.

The tension in the air was palpable and both of them continued to avoid eye contact. After a few minutes, Rose caught something out of the side of her eye, and turned to see him now sitting. He was practically flush with the wall, careful to keep at a distance. He pulled out his mobile as well, and after a quick glance, gave a frustrated sigh.

"S-so you…you can't get a signal either?" Rose asked awkwardly, continuing to avoid eye contact.

"Nope," he said, popping his "p" as did so.

The corner of Rose's mouth quirked upward at the sound. She sighed resignedly. "So…"

"So…"

"How long do ya think we'll be in here?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "No idea. I'd venture to guess a couple of hours."

"Wonderful," she groaned, thumping her head softly against the wall.

A beat passed.

He cleared his throat nervously. "So…"

When he didn't speak further, Rose finally looked his way. "So...?" she prodded.

"The, um…what you said…about me and my, uh, behavior…weelll, it…," he trailed off again.

She arched her brow, questioning yet hopeful. "It what?"

"It may not have been entirely off base. In fact, it might have been…completely accurate," he said quietly.

Once again, the corners of her mouth quirked upward in the slightest of smiles. "Is that your way of apologizing?" she asked, her voice lacking its previous piercing nature.

"I guess so," he replied sheepishly, tugging on his ear lobe. His gaze flickered over and met hers.

She chuckled softly. "A bit rubbish at it, aren't ya?"

A small grin emerged, and he turned his eyes away as he realized its appearance. "Haven't really had much experience with them. Is it…is it not good enough?" he asked, worry present in his voice.

Rose allowed a wider smile to spread across face. "I'll take it."

Silence descended once again, although this time it was less strained.

He spoke again. "So…"

Rose giggled harder. "Oh, we're not gonna keep doing that the whole time are we?"

Another grin made its way up his cheek. "Fine… let me try it again. So Rose, wha-"

"You remembered my name?" she interrupted, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Weell," he drawled, tugging again on his ear, "yes…I mean it's not a hugely popular name. At least I don't know many. I think I've only met two 'Roses' in my life, and one was my housekeeper. Actually…now that I think of it, her name wasn't really 'Rose'…it was something like Rosa or Rosita, not quite sure anymore. Either way, it's…it's not a forgettable name."

He glanced over at her again. Rose was highly amused with his nervous rambling, and smiled brightly at him. She saw the tips of his ears pink and her smile broadened, causing him to look away and around the lift.

"What's yours?"

His eyes flickered back to her. "Sorry?"

"Your name. S'not really fair for you to hold out when you already know mine."

"It's Ian," he replied, a stronger smile appearing on his features.

"Nice to meet you, Ian," Rose said, extending her hand.

Ian looked from her to the hand, before hesitantly taking it. Rose was taken aback by the feel of his hand in hers—the strength in it, the slightly cooler temperature, and the way her own hand fit perfectly within his grasp. She felt her heart begin to flutter rapidly, and she ended the handshake, turning her eyes forward nervously.

"You were tryin' to ask me a question earlier," Rose prompted.

"I-I…," Ian cleared his throat, attempting to hide the tremor in his voice, "I was just asking what brought you down here."

"My friend, Donna, had to take care of a fine. I just came along for the ride."

Ian nodded in acknowledgement.

Rose turned to look at him. "What about you?"

"Me? I work here."

"Oh yeah? What do ya do?"

"I'm a prosecutor."

"Ya any good?" Rose asked with a smile on her lips.

Ian sat up straight. "Oh, I'm better than good," he answered proudly, a slight teasing undertone to his voice

Rose's laugh sounded throughout the lift. "Well with modesty like that, you must be," she teased, continuing to giggle.

A soft chuckle came from Ian, and Rose couldn't help but take immense pleasure in the sound. Her smile broadened and slight bit of pink poked through her teeth. She saw his eyes flicker to her mouth for one infinitesimal moment before quickly diverting away. Rose felt her cheeks flush, and she turned her head away, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Sorry we're stuck in here…weelll, that you're stuck with me," Ian said, breaking the silence.

"Eh," Rose shrugged her shoulders, "Stuck with you…s'not so bad."

He timidly turned his head to look at her. "Really?" he questioned uncertainly.

"Yeah," Rose affirmed, grinning at him. "And guess what?" she said, scooting closer to him.

Ian swallowed hard. "Wh-what?"

She bumped his arm playfully with her elbow. "You just said 'sorry.'"

"Yeah," he chuckled awkwardly. "I guess I did."

"Was it as painful as ya thought it'd be?" Rose teased, this time knowingly poking her tongue through her teeth.

A slow smile crept onto his face. "I think I'll live."

Their eyes locked again, and Rose felt the air in her lungs catch. Neither of them moved; neither of them spoke. Rose felt a charge in the air and couldn't fathom what it was or why it was there. All she knew was that she found it exhilarating and didn't want it to end.

The lights flickered and the lift began to move again. With the moment shattered, Rose and Ian broke their gazes. Disappointed, Rose scooted back to her original spot just as the doors parted. Standing there were a couple of maintenance workers, the guard from earlier, and…

"You scared the bloody crap outta me!" Donna screeched, rushing forward and pulling Rose up and onto her feet, wrapping her in a tight hug.

"Sorry," was Rose's muffled reply.

Donna pulled back, her eyes narrowed but clearly worried. Finally realizing that there was another person in the lift, she turned and her eyes blazed when she saw Ian.

Ian remained seated, fearful to make any sudden movements.

Donna attempted to move towards him, but Rose kept her in place. "C'mon, Donna," she said, steering her towards the hallway. "After all that's happened this morning, ya at least owe me some chips."

With one more heated glance at Ian, Donna exited the lift. Rose looked over her shoulder and smiled at Ian, before finally walking out of sight.

Ian suddenly remembered he was still sitting on the lift floor. As he began to stand, he noticed a pink iPhone where Rose had been sitting. He quickly reached over, picked it up, and scrambled to his feet. He barged through and into the hallway, looking around for Rose. There was no sign of her anywhere. Ian couldn't help the feeling of disappointment that came over him upon realizing that. It was then that Ian remembered the name of the shop he passed on Sunday—Bad Wolf Bakery.

Of course, if she wasn't there, he could always try Rendezvous. He could go there and give the phone back to her; he should go back. But he needed a little more time to prepare himself for another encounter with her. With that decided, Ian pocketed the phone. He was fairly certain he'd be back in the other "life" tomorrow, a thought which caused another smile to tug at his lips as he went about the rest of his day.