Bright rays of sunlight beamed between the gaps in the dark curtains, casting their light directly into Rose's face. She groaned and rolled onto her other side, eager for darkness so she could continue her slumber. It was Thursday, and Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays were her days. The bakery was closed and she could sleep to her heart's content. She had just settled back into her pillow and felt her body drifting back into a deep sleep, when her door was unceremoniously opened, allowing the hallway light to stream in and onto her face.

Rose groaned and buried her face into her pillow. "Wha' do y'want, Mar? Whatever it is, the answer's no."

"Martha's gone. It's me."

Rose lifted her head off the pillow and squinted at the person before her. Donna was leaning against the doorframe, sipping what smelled like coffee from Rose's blue callbox mug.

"Donna…it's Thursday. Wha' have I said 'bout Thursdays…or for that matter, any day I'm off?" she said, her voice garbled from sleep.

"You said to not wake you up early. But it's after ten, so I think it's safe to say we've officially passed early."

At Donna's mentioning of the time, Rose reached over to her nightstand, fumbled for her mobile, and peered at the time through strands of blonde hair that had fallen in her face. Even though it was indeed after ten, Rose groaned and threw her face back into her pillow, taking the one next to her and putting it on top of her head, effectively sandwiching herself. Donna snorted and walked over to her, nudging the bed with her side.

"Budge over."

Rose muttered something indecipherable into the pillow, and made absolutely no effort to move. Donna nudged the bed again, and Rose swatted irritably at her.

"Just go on the other side, you bum!" Rose grumbled, this time clearly.

"Oi! Don't get all snippy with me, Blondie," Donna said, settling beside Rose on the bed, leaning against the headboard and sipping her coffee contently.

Rose poked her head through her pillows, barely allowing her face to be visible.

"How many times have you squawked at me for somethin' or another? Just lemme sleeeeep…," she whined, and wiggled herself further into the bed.

Donna took another sip of her coffee, completely unaffected by the mild tantrum. "Rose, remember what today is?"

Poking her head out again, Rose somewhat glared at Donna while still giving thought to her question. Suddenly her eyes widened as she realized to what Donna was referring, and she loudly groaned into her pillow.

On seeing that the penny had dropped, Donna snorted, "And there it is."

Rose flung the pillow that was on top of her head onto the floor, and rolled onto her back. "Craaaaap! I totally forgot about their party. And I'm makin' the bloody cake."

"That's right, so hop to it. I'll give ya a ride," Donna ordered, pushing Rose's side with her free hand. "I'm closing the restaurant probably 'round four so we can have it ready by six. Think you'll be ready by then?"

"Yeah…"

They both continued to remain in bed, neither making any move to leave.

Donna took a deep, dramatic sigh. "You do realize that that requires you gettin' out bed, yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know…," Rose said, sighing one last time before dragging herself out of her warm bed.

Rubbing her eyes, she turned around and looked Donna, motioning to the mug. "There more of that?"

Donna took another sip and nodded. "Left some in the pot. Didn't know how long it'd take to get your bum outta bed, and I didn't think you'd want it cold."

"Ta," Rose said groggily, running a hand through her tousled hair. Yawning deeply and stretching her limbs, Rose turned and trudged out of the room and towards the shower. Hopefully, that would help her not feel like the walking dead.

Roughly four hours later, Rose was in the bakery's kitchen and taking the various needed ingredients for the buttercream frosting off the shelves while waiting for the cake layers to finish. She had meant to make the preparations yesterday, but she had been too preoccupied in her own thoughts to get any real work done. Seeing Mickey and Martha's happiness, how much they loved each other, couldn't help but make Rose forlorn. It also couldn't help but make her think of Ian. Ever since that first meeting in Rendezvous, Ian had been a constant presence in her thoughts, increasing in both frequency and intensity with each passing day.

If one was to look objectively at their encounters, it wouldn't make much sense for Rose to have such intense emotions every time she thought of him. Three of their four encounters had not been ideal—there'd been rudeness, shouting, arguing….intense, blazing eyes, bashful glances, an overwhelming desire to pull him by his lapels and snog him when he smiled or laughed…or breathed. Thinking of him stirred within her this sense of belonging—something that she'd never before experienced, but something that she'd yearned for ever since she was little.

Rose had grown up seeing how her parents were devoted to each other, relying on each other when there were trials, relishing when there were joys. Everything they did, they did together—as a unit. Being witness to that, Rose had been determined to settle for nothing less—even if that meant being alone. Of course, this opened her up to endless questioning, pestering, and setups by her well-intentioned friends and family. Every now and again, Rose would relent and go on some blind date; yet, almost instantly, she knew that nothing would come of it. They were nice enough, one of them—Jake Simmonds—even ended up becoming a really great mate. But they weren't what she needed, and deep down, Rose knew that she wasn't what they needed. This earned her several chastisements about her needing to give people time and being unreasonable, but Rose firmly believed that when she met him, she would instinctually know. And now, Rose couldn't help but feel that Ian….

The oven timer's shrill sound startled her, causing her to jerk both mentally and physically. Rose shook her head as she opened the oven doors and pulled out the cake layers. Maybe she was just being too fanciful. Maybe she had just imagined something more in his looks and manner than was actually present. But maybe…

"I still don't understand why we're rushin' this bleedin' dinner. The two of 'ems just got engaged yesterday."

Rose turned around to see her mum walking in and her dad carrying several grocery bags. She rolled her eyes and told her for nearly the tenth time, "Because this is the only day Martha has available before she takes her exams. And because we love them and want to do somethin' special for 'em."

Jackie huffed and began emptying the bags, mumbling indecipherably as she did so. Pete walked over to his daughter and kissed her cheek.

"I can't tell if this is just her, or if the hormones have already set in," she whispered.

They both looked over at Jackie as she continued to put away the items, this time with much more force and grumbling.

"It's a tossup."

Rose grinned and placed the cakes onto the cooling racks. "Thanks for pickin' this stuff up for me. Were ya able to find the gold paint all right?"

"It was no problem, love. Found everythin' you needed. Do ya need us to do anythin' else?"

"Nope," she shook her head, "Think I've got it from here. Are y—"

"I can't believe lil' Mickey's gettin' married," Jackie sniffled, suddenly turning to them, mascara laden tears trailing her cheeks. "He's just a baby."

Rose bit her lip to hide her smile. "Mum, he's twenty-four. S'not what ya'd exactly call a baby."

Jackie rushed over to her, pulling her into a fierce embrace, her tears flowing. "And then it'll be my baby girl…"

"Mum?" Rose asked, her voice muffled by Jackie's hair in her mouth.

"Jacks…let 'er go," Pete said, trying to pry Jackie's arms open from her death grip. "You're gonna suffocate her."

Jackie let Rose loose, turning her attention to Pete and hugging him close, mumbling, "Our baby girl," into his chest.

"Think that answers the hormone question," Rose muttered under her breath, straightening her clothes.

Jackie pulled back from Pete's chest, sniffling and wiping at her eyes before offering a small smile. Pete lowered his head and placed a kiss to her head before looking over at Rose.

"Alright, we best get going. Told Donna we'd help set up before we got changed. See ya in a bit, sweetheart. Love you."

"Love you, too."

Jackie walked back over to Rose, cupping her face in her hands and starting another round of hormonal tears.

"C'mon, Jacks," Pete said, gently tugging her towards the door.

She sniffed before looking irritably at him. "Alright, alright. I'm comin'. Don't get y'self in a bloody knot."

As they made their way to the front, Rose smiled at them as her mum grumbled and her dad listened forbearingly. With them now gone, Rose could get down to brass-tacks before she ran out of time.

Cathica watched her employer with wonder and a fair amount of worry. He had to be ill. There couldn't be another explanation. Although, most people didn't smile like he was when they were ill. She was genuinely at a loss for his sudden change in behavior. He was polite, slightly more considerate, and he seemed…happy. Cathica had never seen anything like it in the five years she'd worked for him. While Ian had never been cruel to her, he hadn't been particularly friendly. And he most certainly hadn't been happy, she would've noticed. Seeing such a marked change in his demeanor helped ease Cathica's uncertainty of giving his brother that letter. Based on Jack's reaction, the letter couldn't have contained anything good.

It was quickly approaching five, and Cathica prepared herself for the usual cancellation of her evening plans due to some pressing assignment that Ian seemed to always saddle her with at the last minute. As she heard the door to his office open, she took a breath and waited for the inevitable. Ian stepped through the door and on seeing her, gave a small smile and opened his mouth to speak.

Here it comes…

"See you tomorrow, Cathica. Have a good night," he said with a small wave, leaving a stunned Cathica staring after him.

The day had passed surprisingly quickly for Ian, and it had nothing to do with work. Work was rather perfunctory, because his mind had been mostly preoccupied with other things. One thing…well, one person—Rose. No matter what he did that day, she'd been in his thoughts. Not only had he unable to get her out of his mind, he found he didn't want to. In fact, he welcomed thoughts of Rose and all the emotions that came with them. He also found himself entertaining the idea of seeking her out, just wanting to be near her. But he rejected it, reminding himself that the other Rose wasn't real, and the Rose here didn't have the same feelings. And anyways, it would just make things more complicated…wouldn't it?

His stomach began to tighten and growl, and Ian realized that he had gone the whole day without a bite to eat. Without giving it any real thought, he found himself heading towards Rendezvous. Upon arriving, he strode to the door and stepped into the restaurant. He immediately noticed that something about the place was off. There were no customers, just a small group of people—several of whom he knew…sort of. Of the ones he knew were Donna, Martha, Pete, Jackie, and that elderly gentleman, whose name escaped him, all busying about the room. On seeing Pete and Jackie, Ian fervently looked around, knowing that their presence most likely meant that Rose wa-…

Ian's mind came to a halt as he saw Rose coming from the direction of the kitchen. She was dressed in an elegant, formfitting light pink dress and a pair of black strappy high heels that did amazing things to her legs. Her hair was down in soft waves about her shoulders, much like it had been when he last saw her. Words failed him. All he knew was that she took his breath away. Something inside of Ian told him that he shouldn't be there, and he hurriedly turned to leave, when a voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Ian?"

He slowly turned around and saw Rose approaching him, her expression perplexed yet also somewhat pleased…dare he say, happy? He was still too enamored to formulate sentences, no matter how hard he tried.

"What are ya doin' here?" she said, smiling brightly at him.

Ian pulled on his ear. What was he doing there? He suddenly couldn't remember, and her smiling at him like that made it all the more difficult to recall his original purpose. Diverting his eyes nervously, he noticed a few people bringing food out, and finally remembered his reason for coming.

"Uh, food. I hadn't eaten and thought I'd stop off here. But I didn't realize that you all were having a party, so I'll just grab something else. Sorry to intrude," he said quickly, attempting to rush off again.

"Wait," Rose called out, grabbing his arm gently and halting his getaway. "Y'don't have to leave."

Ian's eyes widened slightly at her words, and he felt his lips part just a tad. "What?"

Rose tucked her hair behind her ear and fluttered her eyes around nervously. "Well, that is…"

"Who's this, now?" a young man said, smilingly approaching Rose and putting a good-natured arm around her shoulders.

Seeing this strange man's arm making any sort of contact with Rose, stoked a raging fire within the pit of Ian's stomach, and he locked his jaw. It surprised him how vehemently opposed he was to this unknown man touching hi-…to touching Rose.

Rose looked at the man and smiled warmly. "Mickey, this is Ian. Ian, this sorry lump is my mate Mickey."

Ian's ears perked up on hearing the name 'Mickey.' If he remembered correctly, Rose had mentioned Mickey in connection with Martha, which would mean…

"Actually, this whole thing's for 'im and my flatmate, Martha. They just got engaged yesterday," Rose informed him.

"Oh," Ian replied, unclenching his jaw and offering a smile, absurdly happy at this revelation, "Congratulations."

"Thanks, mate," Mickey beamed, turning his head back to look at Martha, who returned his smile with a blinding one of her own.

Rose and Ian continued to exchange lingering, yet bashful glances with one another. She was just about to say something, when Ian beat her to it.

"Weelll, I guess I should be going," Ian said, though reluctant to leave now that Rose was near him.

"Why don't ya stay?" Mickey piped up.

Ian looked at him in surprise, his mouth once again opening in shock. "Sorry?"

"Why not?" Mickey shrugged smilingly. "We're celebrating. The more the merrier."

Ian looked from Mickey to Rose, his gaze uncertain and questioning. He saw her eyes sparkling with what appeared to be anticipation, causing a surge of excitement and warmth to spread through him.

"Ya did say you were hungry. No sense in leaving now," Rose grinned with just a touch of pink.

Please say yes…

"Um, I guess I c-could stay. That is if you're sure."

Though this last bit was directed at Mickey, Ian continued to look at Rose as he spoke. Rose beamed and enthusiastically nodded her head. Despite whatever misconceptions the two of them had about their behavior, it was not lost on Mickey how the two of them were practically in their own world.

Grinning at the pair of them, he nodded his head in affirmation.

"Like I said—why not? Ya seem like a decent enough bloke. 'Sides, with the lot here, you're in for a good show. Can't pass up that."

Rose felt her stomach drop at Mickey's words as she thought about who all was present—her parents, Donna, Gramps, Mick and Martha, Sally, Isobel, and Jake. All of these people, who were such an integral part of her life, were present and about to meet Ian—a man she had just met, but to whom she felt insanely and intensely drawn. Rose by no means wanted him to leave, but she was beginning to have serious qualms over everyone's possible reactions. Doing her best to quell her anxiety, she offered another smile and motioned for Ian to follow them, him falling into step beside her.

Mickey, his arm still around Rose's shoulder, bent down and whispered, "You're welcome."

She tilted her head up, her eyes wide with surprise, to see Mickey smirking knowingly at her. Rose pursed her lips, and elbowed him in the side, causing him to grunt and stumble slightly. Ian looked over at him curiously, but Rose just grinned sheepishly.

"He's so clumsy."

When they reached the others, Mickey released Rose and joined Martha, the two of them exchanging a few chaste kisses. Rose turned around to face Ian, when suddenly she felt a hand grab her arm and yank her away from him and towards the kitchen, almost causing her to trip in her heels.

"Whaa..."

"Rose, can I see ya for a mo'?" Donna said, more of an instruction than an actual request, and not waiting for any response.

Ian watched as Donna dragged Rose out of sight, his mouth slightly agape. Donna did not appear happy in the slightest, but all things considered, he perceived her reaction was relatively mild.

"Told ya you wouldn't wanna miss it. C'mon," Mickey said, maneuvering Ian towards the rest of the group, "I'll introduce ya to everybody."

Donna pushed open the door to the kitchen, pulling Rose behind her. Once inside, she whirled around to face Rose.

"What's goin' on?"

"S'cuse me? I should be askin' you that! Dragging me in here like ya just did," Rose snipped.

Donna angrily pointed towards the door. "What is that bloody prat doin' here? After how he treated you, what possessed you to bring 'im here?"

Though Donna's anger about his prior treatment of her was valid, Rose felt herself becoming extremely defensive of Ian and her eyes sparked with anger.

"Don't snap at me and don't call 'im a prat! Yeah, he was one when we first met, but he's not been like that since. Apologized an' everythin'. And I didn't bring him here. He stopped off to get something to eat, and Mickey's the one who invited 'im to stay."

Of course, Rose left out the little detail about her being the one who originally told him not to leave. Donna continued to focus intensely on Rose, her eyes flashing with worry and irritation.

"How long have you two been seein' each other? Why didn't ya tell me 'bout this? Y'know nothing about him!"

"Would you pipe down a lil'?" Rose grumbled at her, praying no one could hear them. "We're not together, Donna. I didn't tell ya 'bout 'this' because there wasn't anythin' to tell."

Crossing her arms, Donna pursed her lips and raised a skeptical brow. "Ya tellin' me that there's nothin' going on between you two?"

Rose tucked her hair behind her ear, and forced herself to take a silent, steadying breath. "There's nothin' goin' on."

Donna was silent for a moment as she searchingly appraised her best friend. Even though she was consumed with protective ferocity, Donna was not blind to the change in Rose. There was something there that she'd never seen before—a spark that not only shone in her eyes, but illuminated her entirety. Coming to a sudden realization, Donna's eyes softened, and a small smile tugged at her lips.

"But ya want there to be."

Rose lips parted, almost ready to protest, but she remained silent and swallowed harshly as she averted her eyes from Donna's intense gaze. Taking another breath, she looked back at Donna, and tucked at her hair again.

"Donna, y'know that everybody is probably gonna have a field day with him bein' here, and I can't have that. So, do what ya do best an' watch my back? Please?"

Donna remained quiet as she thought about Rose's words and behavior. If this was important to Rose, then it was important to her, and Donna would do whatever she could to help her. She pulled Rose into a tight, but brief embrace.

"Always. But I swear if he starts somethin', I will personally shove a pear down his bloody throat."

As Mickey led him over to the group, Ian felt a wave of nervousness wash over him, and he desperately wished that Rose would return immediately. Without her near, he felt unsure and more than a little anxious being out of his element. Once again, discovering himself nervous and less than perfectly composed was an entirely new experience. The sensations this enigmatic woman stirred within him amazed him.

"So…"

Mickey's sudden voice pulled Ian from his ponderings and he turned his attention to the man and the individuals before him.

"This is Sally and Isobel. Sally's Rose's cousin and the two of 'em work with Rose. Spikey, there, is Jake. Over there," Mickey motioned to the far corner, "Ya got Pete and Jackie—Rose's mum and dad. And then, Wilf. He's Donna's granddad, but we all pretty much call 'im Gramps. We kinda adopted 'im as ours. Uh, Donna's the red that walked off with Rose. And this…this is Martha," he beamed, pulling her closer to him. "Everybody, this here's Ian. He's a friend of Rose's."

"Good to meet you," Ian said sincerely, something else quite unexpected for him. They all greeted him enthusiastically, and he couldn't help but notice their painfully obvious grins, all directed at him. At their persistence, Ian spoke up.

"Something wrong?"

"Oh, nothin'," Sally assured him, her grin firmly in place and widening by the second. "Nothin' at all."

"So…," Jake started, taking a slow sip of his drink, "You an' Rose. How long's that be goin' on?"

"W-we…," Ian coughed to ease his now constricted throat. He really should have anticipated that question. "We aren't together, if that's what you're getting at. Just friends. That's it. Friends."

And married. Weelll, not here…

"That's nice," Isobel chimed in, her tone clearly unbelieving. In fact, as Ian looked at the group before him, he could tell that none of them looked like they were convinced of his answer.

"Hey Ian, c'mere a tic," Mickey said, disentangling himself from Martha and motioning for Ian to follow. After they were a comfortable distance away, Mickey turned to Ian. "So listen… I thought I'd give you a heads up. We're all pretty protective of each other, but there's three ya gotta watch. Donna and Jackie, they're pretty likely to physically harm ya if ya try anythin'…believe me…I've seen it. Some bloke wouldn't let up on Sally, and Jackie went all mother wolf on 'im. So watch yourself there. And then Pete… he's Rose's dad so…'nuf said there."

Ian took a rough gulp at the warning. Even though he'd experienced a fair amount of protectiveness from all three mentioned, it still was a little unsettling.

"You don't even know me. Why would you tell me all this? I'm grateful, but just wondering why."

Mickey smiled, and gave him a knowing wink. "Y'seem like a smart bloke. Think y'know the answer to that."

Ian was about to ask for clarification, when Rose and Donna finally came out of the kitchen. There was anxiety etched onto Rose's features, and seeing it twisted at Ian's heart. The idea of her being unhappy in any way was not settling well with him. However, when her eyes met his, her countenance instantly brightened, and Ian couldn't help but mirror her expression. It didn't even dim when Donna looked appraisingly at him before joining the others.

Rose stood beside him, and for a moment, it looked like she wanted to take his hand. However, she restrained herself and instead looked up at him.

"Ready?"

He maintained his gaze with hers. As her warm brown eyes remained trained on his, he found himself drowning in her—in her goodness, in her sincerity, in her love, in…her. Feeling his smile widen, he silently nodded, following her lead.

Maybe he was finally ready.

The evening progressed rather smoothly and pleasantly. Mostly there was idle chatter, but it was still pleasant nonetheless. Ian found himself sitting next to Rose. He was quite pleased with this, but he hadn't wanted to appear obvious in his preference. Although, that decision was taken from him, as the five from earlier all conveniently avoided all seats near Rose, except for Donna, of course, who gave his a cautionary look as he sat down. Despite that, he found he wasn't put off. He was next to Rose, and that was more than enough for him.

"So, have you two set a date?" Jackie asked between bites.

Mickey looked at her like she'd dribbled on her shirt. "Ya mean in the less than 24 hours since we got engaged? No, can't say we have."

"Oi! Watch y'self, Mickey. Not too old for a slap."

"Can we go an evening without threat of bodily harm, Aunt Jacks?"

"That goes for you, too, lil' miss," Jackie warned, but with a smile that Sally returned.

"So Ian…"

Ian looked up and over to Pete. He'd only participated in a conversation here and there, but now Pete was calling him out directly, and he forced himself to refrain from fidgeting. Even though he'd met Pete before, this was a completely different version and he wasn't sure what to expect.

"How do y'know Rose?"

Of course Pete would ask that question. What was he supposed to tell him? 'Your daughter waited on me, and then the next day I practically screamed at her and accused her of drugging me with a banana cupcake'? Somehow, Ian didn't think that Pete would be pleased with that knowledge. Now everyone was looking at him expectantly, and yet no words were coming to him.

"Uh…"

"He came into the restaurant and I waited on him," Rose replied, saving him from further embarrassment. "Ran into each other several times after that."

Donna snorted, and Rose promptly kicked her under the table.

"Sorry. Stuck piece of meat," Donna explained, taking a sip of water.

"Try focusing on chewing," Rose 'suggested.'

"So what do ya do for work, young man?" Wilf asked, keeping his tone light and inquisitive rather than interrogative, sensing Ian's discomfort in the unfamiliar spotlight.

"I'm a prosecutor."

"Ya seein' anyone?" Isobel asked with perfect nonchalance.

"Can someone please pass me the wine?" Rose interjected quickly, eliciting several smiles from the group.

"You're single, right Rose?" Sally said as she handed her the bottle.

"I know you are. Or has that changed?" Rose retorted, flicking her gaze over to Jake. Sally flushed at Rose's hidden meaning, and she backed off.

"What's wrong, Jackie? You've not had a drop tonight," Martha piped up, trying to rein the conversation to neutral territory.

Jackie straightened her posture. "Nothin's wrong. Just haven't felt like it."

"Don't feel like it?" Mickey snorted. "Ya sick?"

"Oi! Don't go makin' me sound like a lush. I just can't have any."

Donna narrowed her eyes at Jackie's last statement. "'Can't'? What d'ya mean, 'can't'?"

"I mean I can't."

"Holy crap, you're pregnant!" Isobel shrieked in shock, quickly throwing her hand over her mouth as she realized her volume.

"What?!" several cried in unison.

"That's wonderful," Wilf cheered, clapping his hands together.

"That's kinda gross," Mickey muttered.

Jackie whipped her head towards him, glaring daggers. "What's that now?"

"Said ya kinda glow."

"Is there a reason this is now a discussion?" Pete inquired upon deaf ears.

"I can't believe you're pregnant!" Donna joined in, and turning to Rose, said, "And I can't believe you didn't tell."

"They told me to keep quiet before I could phone."

"Why is everybody actin' like this is some sorta bleedin' miracle?" Jackie demanded. "I'm a woman, I have a uterus."

There were several groans of protest and clattering forks at that statement.

"Mum, for the love of all that's holy, I beg of you to stop talking," Rose pleaded, resting her head in her hand in embarrassment.

While the rest of the group continued to clamor over each other, Ian struggled to keeps his laughter internalized, placing a hand over his mouth as he attempted to do his best. Out of her periphery, Rose could see him shaking with restrained laughter, and she tilted her head towards him.

"You're enjoying my misery, aren't ya?" she grinned at him.

Unable to stop himself, Ian nodded his head and chuckled, Rose joining him. "Too bad we can't make a run for it."

Rose's eyes lit up with mischief, and Ian could see a plan formulating in her mind. She leaned in and whispered, "You slowly get up and act like you're goin' to the loo. Go through the kitchen and use the backdoor to the alleyway. I'll follow in a minute."

Ian smiled and nodded in agreement. He discretely stood and followed Rose's instructions. He was in the alleyway for a few minutes longer than expected. Just as he started to become concerned, Rose hurriedly opened the door.

Seeing him, she grinned.

"Run!"

Ian couldn't believe what he was doing. When he started his day, he did not plan to have a family dinner with Rose, let alone sneaking off to walk randomly with her. This was not like him, but he found that he was enjoying the unpredicted change. After their laughter eased off, the walked the streets in comfortable silence. The skies had darkened as night began to set in, allowing the streetlamps and city lights to lighten their path.

"Sorry they sorta put you on the spot."

Smiling, Ian shrugged. "No worries. I've had worse."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Weelll," Ian looked up in pseudo thought, "There was this one time I was trapped in a lift with an angry blonde. Terrifying," he ended with a dramatic shiver.

"Shut it," she playfully smacked his arm, and started laughing. "I was rather angry, wasn't I?"

"Oh, I think angry might be an understatement," he grinned before shrugging, "But I deserved it after how I acted."

"Yeah, ya did," Rose agreed cheekily, "but it's over…not gonna hold it over ya."

"I'm glad."

Hearing his soft tone, Rose looked up at him, seeing his eyes were just as tender as his tone had been. She swallowed before slowly turning her eyes away. They passed a shop, and she jerked to a halt.

"What's wrong?"

"Chips. God, they smell gorgeous."

He chuckled at her emphasis. "Do you want to stop?"

Rose smiled but then it faltered, and she shook her head as she remembered she had no money. "That's all right."

"Just a second ago you were practically drooling," he said, frowning in confusion.

"Yeah, but if ya haven't noticed," she gestured to herself, "I ran out of the restaurant with nothin'. And I like these heels too much to trade 'em for a basket of chips."

Rolling his eyes, he smiled, grabbed her hand, and tugged her into the shop. "C'mon."

A few minutes later, they exited the shop, each with a basket. Fortunately, Ian had a billfold in his suit pocket.

Taking a bite, she turned to him. "Thanks. I'll pay ya back."

"Oh, please, it's just chips. It's a pretty cheap date." Ian felt his ears burn as he realized that that four letter word had left his lips. Embarrassed, he kept his eyes forward, terrified to see her reaction. If he had looked, however, he would have noticed the pinked cheeks and brilliant grin Rose was wearing.

Rose picked out another chip and popped it into her mouth. As she did, Ian was nearly overpowered by the smell of vinegar.

"Do you think ya put enough vinegar on those things? I'm not sure if there's any left in London," he teased.

Rose stopped midstride, sticking her half-chewed chip out at him.

He stared at her for a moment. "That is truly disgusting."

She pulled her tongue back into her mouth and started laughing at his facial expression, occasionally snorting as she tried to control herself.

"Oh my God…your face…too good."

Her words caused Ian's breath to hitch as he remembered the events of the previous day. She was just as breathtaking then as she was now, so full of life and love. Everything about her amazed him. He forced himself to focus and take a breath that was long overdue. They continued walking, exchanging various comments about random topics. The night air became cold, and Rose began to shiver, though never complaining. However, it didn't go unnoticed and Ian took off his suit jacket, draping it over her as she smiled her thanks. As they approached St. James' Park, they deposited their empty baskets into the waste bin. Instead of continuing to walk, Rose stopped to stare at the park, a reminiscent look in her eyes.

"I love coming here in the spring. There's this theatre group that acts out Shakespeare's plays. They do it at night, and I just lay there in the grass, look up at the sky and listen. It's beautiful. To just lie there and listen to the words flow and for one moment, to lose yourself."

As she finished, she looked over at Ian for his response. His lips were curved into a small smile and his eyes were shining, but she could see something behind them. There was some emotion that Rose couldn't quite identify. Clearing his throat, he looked back over at the park in silent reflection.

"My brother and I…we had to study Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet, specifically. My brother was assigned to reenact Romeo's part," he chuckled as he looked over and saw Rose's questioning eyes, "If you knew him, you'd find it amusing, too. Anyway, my father loved Shakespeare. Had this huge worn volume of his works, with notations and everything. I actually still have it tucked away. Well, he made us study the play—I mean truly study it. Over and over. Said it wasn't just about two kids in love who end up killing themselves, that there was a deeper meaning, and that he'd make my brother give up the part if he was just in it for the snogging."

Rose giggled and Ian couldn't help but join her as he thought of Jack's many "rehearsals."

"So," he cleared throat, "My father kept at us till he felt that we got the point of what we were reading."

After several moments of silence, Rose looked up at him, and softly inquired, "And what was the point of it? The play, I mean."

Ian swallowed several times and kept his eyes forward. "That there are some things so precious, so beautiful in life that they're worth risking everything for…no matter what the costs. That even if it's for one fleeting moment, that one moment of happiness is worth every heartache."

The beauty and depth of Ian's words took every trace of air from her, and she silently stared at him, visibly moved. All trepidation then vanished, and she reached over and took his hand in hers, lacing her fingers with his. At the sudden contact, Ian turned his eyes to their joined hands before looking up at Rose. Her eyes shown with not only tears, but the same love that he'd seen so many times before. She smiled at him, not the same brilliant one she often wore, but one that held a different type of intensity. This was a soothing smile, gentle, and held him almost as if she had taken him into her arms.

Ian felt his body move closer to her. So many emotions began to overtake him, and he had never felt so torn. He knew that he didn't know her, not really; but at the same time, he felt that he knew no one better, and she him. Though he had just echoed his father's words, he couldn't bring himself to heed them. Stopping himself from drawing closer, he smiled softly at her.

"It's getting late. We should probably head back. I don't want your family putting my head on a plate."

Rose chuckled, though much more softly than previously. With an unspoken agreement, they turned and began the journey back. When they got within sight of the restaurant, Rose motioned towards the alleyway.

"Donna keeps a spare key hidden in the back. You're less likely to be throttled if I just go in this way," she grinned.

"Then let's go with that plan."

They reached the door and Rose quickly retrieved the key. Turning back to him, she realized that their hands were still entwined. Reluctantly, she broke her grasp and shrugged off his jacket, handing it back almost reverently. He smiled, and fitted his arms through it, straightening his appearance.

"Thank you…for saving me in there."

"My pleasure. Besides, death by embarrassment is a nasty way to go," he teased, giving her a small grin once finished.

"Yeah," she chuckled, "It was pretty painful for a bit."

Several beats passed as they stood there, silently relishing the other's presence. Hearing voices behind the door, Rose realized it was time to leave him. Just the thought of it pained her, but she knew there was no other option.

"I…I have to go."

He nodded, but didn't make to leave.

Rose was unable to hold back any longer, and she moved forward and placed a lingering kiss to his cheek. Pulling back, she saw Ian's eyes firmly closed, and heard his breath hitch. Slowly, he opened his eyes. The intensity of emotion she saw was almost overpowering, and it took every ounce of strength she had to tear herself away.

"Goodnight, Ian."

She turned away to open the door.

"Cillian."

"What?" Rose asked, facing him again.

"My name…my full name. It's Cillian."

A slow smile spread across, lighting every feature on her beautiful face. "Goodnight…Cillian."

"Goodnight, Rose."

Knowing that if she didn't leave right away, she might never be able to do so, she turned back around and entered the restaurant. Resting against the door, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She knew once everyone became aware that she was back, she would be in for it, but she didn't care in the slightest.

Some things were worth the momentary unpleasantness.