A bit more AU than some of my other stories and here's why…

River does not become the Doctor's Wife and her life is a bit different, not sure if she's even going to appear in this…maybe…either way because of that things go a bit differently and, after picking up Rory, instead of visiting Venice they wind up on a planet in the future and, if you know the Doctor, then you know things don't exactly go as planned…

Featured Characters include, but are not limited to...

The Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory, Rose, Jackie, Tony (yes, little Tony), Pete and a few others.

"I'm so glad you agreed to let me help you pick out your dress for the party tonight," Jackie said from the other side of the closed dressing room door.

Rose rolled her eyes. Agreed to let her mum help implied that she had a choice. Her mum didn't give her a choice. Jackie knocked on her door two hours ago, hurried her through getting dressed, hardly let her run a brush through her hair, and then harassed her into a cab.

"I'm not sure about this one," Rose said, choosing to change the subject. "'S a bit too pink."

"Give us a look."

Another eye roll and then she opened the door.

"Oh, God, you're right. That's awful," her mum agreed, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "It makes your hips look twice as wide."

Rose looked down.

"Really?"

"Looks like you're flat chested too."

"Thanks mum," she said, closing the door.

"Rose, I only meant it looks that way."

She took off the pink nightmare and picked up a deep plumb dress. One the saleslady suggested. It was definitely not something she'd pick out. All plunging neckline and low back. Well, it wasn't like anyone would see her. She took it off the hanger and stepped into it.

"I've been meaning to talk to you," her mum continued. "About James."

Rose stiffened, her hand on the zipper, but not moving. She didn't like to talk about James let alone think about him. It wasn't that she was sad, well, she was a bit, but not for the same reason her mum thought. It was that James always led to subjects she didn't want to discuss and her mum would never understand because she couldn't tell her, couldn't tell anyone.

"Yeah," she replied, apprehensively as she slid the zipper up.

"I know you said you were fine before the wedding and you said you like that woman-"

"Sarah Jane," she said, reminding her mum that the woman James married had a name and wasn't the woman as Jackie always disdainfully called her.

"But you haven't really talked about it," her mum continued, obviously ignoring her comment.

"There isn't anything to talk about."

She gazed at her reflection, hardly recognizing the woman she saw, but then she hardly recognized herself anymore. Someday there'll be some strange woman walking through a market place on some distant planet. She won't be Rose Tyler. She won't even be human.

"Why won't you talk to me, sweetheart?" her mum said, drawing her out of her thoughts.

Dangerous things. Thoughts. Dangerous for her.

"I'm fine mum. I told you that. I'm happy for them. Just leave it."

"You can't be happy. No one's happy alone. You spent all that time getting back to that bloody Doctor and he goes and leaves you twice!"

She sighed. She really didn't want to have this conversation. Her mum didn't understand, but how could she? Rose couldn't tell her the truth. What would she think? She knew her mum would still love her, but she didn't want to see the look in her mum's eyes.

"He didn't leave me. I left him," she said, finally admitting a partial truth.

When James moved out her mum assumed he left and she didn't say otherwise because she knew how her mum was, meddler. Jackie wouldn't leave it otherwise. She thought James would correct her, but he didn't and she was grateful for that, especially after she asked him to leave, hurt him, but she couldn't tell him the truth either. He'd blame himself and she couldn't have that. He deserved to be happy, find someone, fall in love and he had, though she was surprised by who he found, but she really was happy for them.

"What?" Jackie gasped.

"I told him the truth," she said. "That I couldn't love him."

"Why the hell would you do something like that?"

"Because it was the right thing to do and he's happy now."

"You could've been happy, married-"

She pulled open the door and eyed her mum. She was twenty-seven years old, she didn't need to be lectured. What she did was one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do, but it was the right thing.

"I never said I wanted to be married, mum. That's what you want and I certainly don't want to be married to a man I don't love, yeah?"

She shoved past Jackie and stalked down the hall, completely forgetting that she was wearing the dress she tried on. All she wanted to do was get as far from her mum and the lecture that was coming as possible.

"Rose Marion Tyler, don't you walk away from me," Jackie yelled chasing after her.

Rose ignored the saleswoman and opened the door, stepping out onto the sidewalk in her bare feet, but she paid no notice. She glanced back and saw her mum waylaid by the sales staff. She couldn't help grinning at that. If she was quick…she made to dash across the street, but the blare of a horn to her left startled her. Before she could react someone grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back. The truck rumbled past, inches from her.

"Are you okay?" a bloke asked and she turned around to find a strange man in a dark green jacket and red bowtie standing behind her.

He just stared at her. He hadn't even thought when he noticed the danger she was in, the truck's horn alerting him to it. He wasn't entirely sure how he reached her so fast, it was as if thought and action combined and he was there, pulling her out of the way. He didn't know what she looked like until she turned around and then…well, he heard himself utter the question while his mind tried to figure out how she could possibly be real. She was a story. A character from his dreams. A drawing, but there she was, standing in front of him.

"Um…" she stammered staring into his startling green eyes. Emerald. "Fine. I'm…um…fine."

God, what the hell was wrong with her? Must be the adrenaline from nearly getting hit. He was cute though, more than cute and he had great hair, but no, no she couldn't get involved with anyone. It wouldn't be fair, to them.

"Have we met before?" he asked.

She laughed, she couldn't help it.

Her laugh was…like home. That's the feeling he got. Like a home he left a long time ago and never thought he'd see again. It was beautiful. She was beautiful.

"No, I, uh, I don't think so. I'm safe though, so you can…um…let me go," she said and he realized his arms were still around her waist.

"Right. Um. Sorry," he stammered, releasing her.

"Oh, my God, sweetheart, are you all right?" a woman exclaimed behind them.

He turned around and caught sight of a woman who had to be the other's mum. There were too many similarities for her to be anyone else.

"'M fine, mum," she replied. Her mum glanced at the bloke and she could see the wheels turning, definitely not a good sign, but instead of chatting him up on behalf of her daughter Jackie turned her gaze back to Rose.

"Come on then, we should go," her mum said.

That was odd. She usually asked for the bloke's number, not that Rose ran into a lot of blokes while she was out with her mum…okay, maybe a few.

"Guess I should go then," Rose said, glancing at him and giving him a smile. "Thanks for, you know, saving my life and all."

"Anytime," he replied, returning her smile.

She started to walk away and that's when he realized he might never see her again. Without thinking his hand darted out and grabbed hers. She turned back, glancing from their hands to him.

"What's your name?" he asked.

She smiled, THAT smile, the one from his dream. The one that was a bit cheeky and he found himself smiling in return.

Jackie glanced between the two. She didn't like that bloke…there was something off about him and she definitely didn't like the way Rose smiled at him. Her daughter didn't even know him.

"'S Rose Tyler," she said and then her mum pulled them apart and she vanished into the crowed.

"Rose Tyler," he breathed, unable to move.

She had the same name as the woman from his dream. It couldn't be a coincidence that he dreamed about her and then saved her life. He didn't believe in coincidence, at least, not on that level.

"That was rude, mum," Rose chastised as Jackie pulled her down the street.

"You'll thank me later," her mum replied.

"I thought you wanted me to find someone," she said, not that she would actually date the bloke.

He was nice and attractive, but it wouldn't be fair to him. Her mum didn't know that though. So, why was Jackie acting so weird?

"Not that one."

"What do mean? He saved my life. What's wrong with that?"

"There's something off about him. He seemed…odd."

"Odd?"

"His pants are too short, he's wearing boots and did you get a load of that bowtie?"

"I thought the bowtie was cute."

Jackie rolled her eyes.

"You would," her mum huffed. "Anyway, I've got a party to plan. I hope you like that dress by the way. I had to pay for it after you went running out the door."

Rose glanced down and realized she was still wearing the plumb dress with the plunging neckline. Oh, God. Was she wearing that when…her cheeks flushed.

"What's wrong? You're not sick are you?" Jackie asked, pausing to feel her daughter's forehead.

"No, I'm fine, mum," she replied, batting the woman's hand away.

"Good. Can't have you not showing up for your own birthday party."

"If it's my party then why do I have to wear a dress?" she asked.

"Because I'm your mum and I said so."

She rolled her eyes, but didn't argue. There really was no arguing with her mum. She thought back to the bloke who saved her life and wondered if it she'd see him again, not that it mattered because it didn't. At least, that's what she told herself.

Standard Disclaimer.

Thank you to all my brilliant readers!

Reviews are always welcome. :)