A/N: I apologize for the long time you guys always have to wait between updates, but hopefully this very long chapter makes up for it!

Note that here are M rated scenes at the end of this chapter. You can safely read up to the last thousand words or so, however, if this is something you wish to avoid.

"Wh – what… Why?" he stammers, bewildered, lifting a hand to his cheek to nurse the sting of the slap.

"You know bloody well why, you wanker. You have the nerve to leave my Rose behind, to tell her you can't ever see her again, that it's impossible for you to come back here, and yet here you are. Couldn't have been too impossible then, could it? So what were you doing all these years while Rose was heartbroken, putting a fake smile on her face day after day?"

She advances towards him as she talks and he can't help but take a stumbling step back inside the doors of the TARDIS.

"And if that wasn't enough, the moment you finally come and get her you fall right back into your old habits of disappearing with her without a word! Did you even stop to think about how worried we would all be? Rose disappeared during a mission – we all thought she'd been kidnapped by the aliens, or worse! Couldn't you even spare a moment to tell us she was alright?"

When she pauses for breath, she seems to notice her surroundings for the first time, and stares at the TARDIS interior in surprise. He supposes he changes it in the future, which is quite a shame, really, because he's pretty fond of this one. Setting aside his future selves' lack of taste for the time being, he uses the woman's temporary distraction to try and get a word in edgewise.

"Well, when I found her, Rose didn't tell me… and then we got caught up in this big mess with the Drazfins… But never mind that, how did you even know we were here, anyway?"

Her head snaps back to him, and he can tell by the expression on her face that she hadn't been done, and that it had been a mistake to speak.

"Well, that's another thing, isn't it? After days of worry, we get a call from UNIT telling us about a strange man in a blue box appearing out of thin air, dropping off an unconscious man in the arms of a baffled nurse before waltzing off again without any explanation. The description didn't match the pinstripe you, but we knew it was you, and no mistake. The moment I heard, I could tell that's where Rose had disappeared to, swept away by you as usual, and that if you two were still on Earth this is where you would be. Seems like I was right. So tell me: what the hell were you thinking?"

She's backed him all the way to the console when her tirade runs to an end, glaring at him as she waits for his explanation. Despite the fact that he's in his own ship, that he's hundreds of years older and wiser, and therefore doesn't need to justify himself to anyone… despite all of that he's almost rendered speechless by the petite woman in front of him.

"Look, it's not what you think, I'm not –"

Rose walks into the console room, groggy from sleep, her hair messy and her eyes only half-open, and he freezes again.

"Doctor? I felt the TARDIS move, what's happening? Why did we – Mum!" She stops dead in her tracks as the sight in front of her finally registers into her suddenly very much awake mind.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm so glad you're okay!" Jackie exclaims, rushing off to take her into her arms. "I'm terribly mad at you too, mind you, but that can wait. For now, I'm just happy to see my daughter again!"

"I – yeah, me too, Mum," she replies as she returns the embrace, though her eyes search for the Doctor's, a puzzled frown on her face. "But how come you're here? Doctor, where are we?"

"In your flat, in London." He runs a hand through his hair, feeling rather embarrassed about the whole thing. Maybe he should have waited for her to wake up, after all. "I was wrong before, you see. It wasn't just the Drazfin homeworld wearing on the old girl. The very essence of this universe is wrong for her, and the time vortex was only making it worse. We had to land somewhere, so I decided to come here, to let you…"

Say goodbye to your family is the end of his sentence, but one look at her mother, her hands still on her daughter's shoulders as they both listen to him, makes him bite the words back. Rose seems to understand his meaning, though, a saddened look appearing in her eyes for a second before she can hide it away.

He knows it's there, though. Today, Rose has to say goodbye to her family possibly forever, and he's the cause. Truly, he deserved that slap.

"Alright, well, we were going to come home anyway, so I guess it's fine," Rose replies with a cheerfulness he knows is fake. "Next question, then – when are we?"

"A few days after we met, after the Drazfins…" he trails off and clears his throat awkwardly. He's not sure he wants to mention the fact that she was stunned and kidnapped in front of her already irate mother. "…After all of us have left for the Drazfin homeworld. Rose, I'm sorry, but we couldn't come back sooner. It would have been too dangerous."

He's relieved to see her nod in understanding, and he's reminded of the fact that she's no novice when it comes to life aboard the TARDIS. She's traveled with him before. She knows the risks of time travel, the dangers of crossing your own timeline.

"What's he talking about? What would have been too dangerous? Sweetheart, is everything alright?"

Rose turns her attention back to her mother, squeezing her shoulder in reassurance before stepping out of her embrace.

"Everything's fine, Mum, don't worry. Here, come on, why don't we go and sit down?"

She leads her towards the doors of the ship, pausing at the threshold to turn back towards him.

"Doctor, would you mind making a pot of tea?"

"And none of those weird alien blends, too," Jackie demands, the glare firmly back on her face as she looks at him over her shoulder. "I want some nice old-fashioned Earl Grey. Do you think you can manage to drink something that normal?"

He nods in wary agreement, knowing better than replying that he is able to enjoy a cup of Earl Grey as much as the next Englishmen, thank you very much, and that the blend he has aboard the TARDIS is probably better than any she's ever tried.

Rose giggles, no doubt amused by his reaction to her mother, and as they are passing out into her living room he hears her whisper: "Mum! You're scaring him half to death!"

Her mother's reply is too low for him to hear, but it makes Rose laugh again, and he shakes his head with a mix of exasperation and fondness. He turns towards the galley, running his hand nervously through his hair even as a small smile forms on his lips.

What has he gotten himself into?

"So he's back, uh?"

They've been sitting on the couch in silence for a few moments, Rose mulling over what she should or shouldn't reveal to her Mum when the words, spoken in an uncharacteristically low and almost expressionless voice, bring her out of her thoughts. She looks at the woman sitting next to her, her hands folded in her lap and her eyes firmly fixed on the floor, and she feels her heart clench painfully.

"Yeah," she agrees quietly.

"And you're leaving with him?"

"Yeah."

Jackie nods, blinking rapidly to stop herself from crying. Rose's mouth twists down at the sight, her eyes prickly unshed tears.

"Eh now, none of that," her mother says with a shaky smile. "This is not a sad moment, alright? I'm happy for you, love."

"Oh, Mum."

She throws her arms around her mother as a few tears begin to spill out of her eyes.

"I want you to be happy, Rose, and I know you haven't been, not since you got stuck here. So if he can make you happy, then of course you have to go. Do you think he can, though?"

"Yeah. He definitely can. He already has."

"Good."

She gives her a kiss on the forehead before pulling back from the hug.

"So, looks like it wasn't that impossible for him to find a way back after all!" she exclaims in a cheerful voice, deliberately ignoring the tear tracks on both of their cheeks. "The thing I want to know, though, is what's taken him so long?"

Rose leans back on the couch, letting out a small chuckle as she wipes her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Well, Mum, you'll never believe me when I tell you this, but he hasn't really found a way back."

"What do you mean?"

"This isn't the Doctor we knew. He's a past incarnation, before even the first leather-jacketed version of him we knew."

"No, really?" She pauses to consider this, her eyes wide. "Blimey, that's really something. It's never simple with him, is it? But wait, how does he know who you are, then?"

"He didn't, when we first met. He saw my TARDIS key and realized that I was a future companion, but that was all. We… got to know each other a bit since then, though. It's been a few weeks for me since that Torchwood mission. We were busy helping the Drazfins find a cure for the disease that was killing off their entire population."

Jackie nods distractedly along, the details of her adventures not as interesting to her as the complicated relationship of her daughter and the Time Lord.

"He'll bring you back to the future him, then? The gangly one in pinstripes?"

"Um… yeah, he will," Rose answers after a moment of hesitation. It's not a lie, not really. He will have to bring her back at some point. And she's not sure that the extent of her relationship with this Doctor is something she really wants to discuss with her mother.

"That's a shame," she deadpans. "He's rather dapper, that one. Has more meat on him than the previous one, I can tell, even under all those clothes. Are you sure you wouldn't rather have him instead?"

"Mum!"

"He'd like that too, I'm telling you. He may have only known you for a few weeks, but he's already head over heels for you, just like the other two were. I saw the way he was looking at you."

"Mum, stop it!" she laughs, embarrassed.

"And you were looking at him the same way, don't try to deny it! I'd have to be blind to have missed it!"

Rose lowers her head to hide her face into her hands, before mumbling something into her palms.

"What was that, love?"

"I said, I'm not denying it, alright?" she repeats as she lowers her hands, her cheeks flushed a deep crimson. Jackie smiles triumphantly at her.

The Doctor steps out of the TARDIS carrying a tray with three mugs, a saucer of milk and a cup of sugar, and Rose groans as her mother's smirk settles on him.

"I wasn't sure how you took your tea, so I brought milk and sugar – don't worry, both of entirely earthly origin," he says as he deposits the tray on the table in front of them, his last remark clearly directed at Jackie. When he straightens up his eyes flit to Rose, and he finally notices the tear tracks on her cheeks.

"Are you alright?" he asks, concerned. A glance at Jackie reveals that she has been crying, as well, and a pained look of understanding crosses his face.

"She's fine," Jackie replies before Rose has the time to answer. "Actually, I was just telling Rose that – "

"Come on, Mum, the Doctor doesn't want to hear about that," Rose cuts off quickly. "It's nothing, just a little chat between mother and daughter. And that reminds me, I haven't officially introduced you yet – Doctor, this is my mum, Jackie Tyler."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he nods politely before raising a hand to his wounded cheek. "Although the pleasure would have been greater had it not been for that slap."

"I'm sure you deserved it, one way or another," Jackie retorts. "If not now, then in the future, and I won't be there to give you one then, will I?"

He gives a sad smile in response, and Rose sighs inwardly as she sees the guilt in his eyes, the expression familiar to her by now. She knows he thinks he is to blame for taking her away from her family, and she knows it's useless to try and convince him otherwise. This isn't his fault, though. If anyone should feel guilty, it should be her.

A chime breaks the sudden tension in the room, and she watches her mother fish out her cell phone from her coat pocket.

"Oh, that must be Pete!" she exclaims. "I promised I'd call to let him know whether or not you were here. Hang on – Hello?"

As her mother answers the phone the Doctor fixes himself a cup of tea and settles down on the armchair in the corner of the living room. Rose tries to catch his eyes but he evades her, pretending to be engrossed in the examination of the books scattered on the table next to him. She's not fooled, though. She's had enough experience with his future selves avoiding something they don't want to discuss to know he's doing the same.

"Well, I don't know, I didn't ask." Her mother's voice snaps her attention back to her. "You should just talk to her yourself. Wait a second, I'll put her on – Pete wants a word, darling," she says, handing her the phone.

She grabs it and brings it up to her ear reluctantly. She'd known she'd have to deal with Torchwood sooner or later, but in all honesty, she could do without this responsibility at the moment. They're going to have a lot of questions, and she's not sure she knows how to answer them all.

"Ok, tell everyone I'll be there soon – Yes – OK, I'll ask – Sure, I'll tell Mum – Bye."

Rose hangs up the phone with a sigh. While Pete is happy to know that she is safe and healthy, it is very clear to her that he is not so pleased with the crisis he's had to deal with in the past few days. A Torchwood team engaging the enemy in broad daylight during what was only supposed to be a recon mission, public sightings of an alien ship in the sky outside London, a missing hostage and a vanished agent… Then to top it all off, said hostage reappears at UNIT, of all places, carried by a strange man out of a blue box that materialized out of thin air, and which looks barely large enough to contain the both of them…

Really, Rose has no choice but to go to Torchwood and help him sort things out. It's the least she can do, considering she'll be leaving him in the lurch very soon afterwards.

"Mum, I have to get to the office," she declares, turning towards her mother and handing the phone back to her. "There are a lot of things that need to be dealt with. Pete said not to wait for him tonight. He'll most likely work until very late, too."

"But – I thought… I thought we'd all have dinner," Jackie answers, a disappointed frown on her face. "A family meal would be nice, since you probably won't be here for much longer… Do you know when…?"

"No, we haven't discussed it yet… Doctor?"

"Oh, we're in no hurry. We can easily manage a few days, at least." He smiles easily as he answers, but she can see the tension in his shoulders and the way his eyes flit quickly towards the ship.

"Are you sure?" she asks uneasily. "Will the TARDIS be alright? Didn't you say – "

"She'll be just fine for a few days. We just have to spare her any more jumps, that's all."

"Alright then," she relents after a moment of hesitation. She's still not convinced, but it's clear to her that she's not going to get more out of him for now. "Well, Mum, here's your answer. We have some time still. I'll come and spend the day tomorrow with you and Tony, but first I need to settle everything else. I'll see you in the morning, OK?"

Jackie nods, satisfied, and rises from the couch.

"Fine, but I'd better see you fresh and early for breakfast. And you, you're coming for dinner tomorrow evening, and no excuses" she orders, pointing a threatening finger at the Doctor. He raises his hands in surrender, and after narrowing her eyes at him she turns back to hug her daughter goodbye. "See you later, then, love. And good luck at work. Give Pete a kiss for me, alright?"

"Will do, Mum. Love you."

Jackie walks out of the flat, and silence descends upon the room for a moment before Rose turns back to look at the Doctor. His face is a neutral mask as he watches her from his seat, but she knows what's on his mind as plainly as if he had shouted it to her.

"Stop it. I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong. You're blaming yourself for taking me away from my family, but Doctor, that's my choice to make. I wouldn't be happy here, without you – I haven't been happy here without you. If anyone should feel guilty for anything, it's me."

She closes her eyes, feeling drained at the thought of having this argument again. She's only been awake for a short time, and the day is already wearing on her. There has been this dull pain in her head ever since she woke up, and the prospect of everything that's awaiting her at Torchwood is not helping her feel better in the least.

His hand on her cheek startles her from her unpleasant thoughts. She hadn't heard him approach.

"How is your head?" he asks in a gentle voice, lightly stroking her temple with his thumb. She wants to scowl at him for avoiding answering her, but finds herself unable to resist the gentleness of his touch as she leans into his hand.

"It's been hurting ever since I woke up. But how did you know…?"

"What you did yesterday, it was bound to put some strain on your mind. It's only natural for it to be a tad sensitive this morning. It should improve within a few hours, but I would advise against any use of telepathy for the time being, to avoid putting additional stress on your mind."

"Okay."

He removes his fingers from her temple to wrap his arms around her, and she buries her head in his chest with a sigh. This past day hasn't been anything like she'd thought their reunion would go, once he returned from his mission with Czif. She had thought there would be less clothes involved, for one. Instead the moment they were alone he became concerned about her newly improved telepathy, which led to the discovery that the energy was still actively changing her, resulting in him teaching her how to get reacquainted with her transformed mind, during which training she had apparently lost consciousness. And now she wakes up to this…

She wishes they could send the TARDIS back inside the vortex and blissfully ignore the world for a while, but obviously that's not possible, not with the TARDIS in that state. Therefore there is nothing left to do but face the music.

"I have to go," she says reluctantly, pulling back from his embrace. "They'll be waiting for me."

"Yes, you said you had to go to the office. What office is this, exactly?"

"Torchwood, of course – Oh, right," she interrupts herself when she sees the lack of understanding in his eyes. "I never told you about Torchwood, did I? It's where I work."

"And your boss is mad because you disappeared for a few days?"

"Well, that's not entirely wrong," she answers with a small laugh. At his confused look, she adds, "My boss is Pete, my parallel-universe dad. And while he's happy that I'm alive and well, I did cause quite a bit of trouble by vanishing during a mission."

"A mission?"

"Yeah. Torchwood is an organization that makes it its goal to protect the Earth from any unusual threat – which very often means alien in origin. It was created after the Cybermen invasion that future you and I helped stop. I told you about that, remember?" He nods thoughtfully, and she continues. "Anyway, when I got stuck here, I joined them. My team and I were investigating reports of strange disturbances when we met in that warehouse."

"That sounds… like a very dangerous way to earn a living," he states, frowning. Rose can't help but giggle at his words, earning her a puzzled look.

"What, and your lifestyle is so much safer?" He shakes his head with a wry smile, conceding her point, and she grins at him teasingly. "What can I say, traveling with you got me hooked on the adrenaline. Anything else just sounds incredibly dull to me, now."

"I'll have to keep an eye out for you then, young lady. You might get us into all kinds of trouble."

"Like you don't go looking for it on your own," she retorts, and he chuckles in response.

Rose beams at him, her heart feeling much lighter than it was a few minutes ago. Us, he's said. She knows it's not accidental – it's an admission that he's heard her words earlier and that he's accepted them. He won't leave her behind.

She bounces up to him and leans forward to give him a quick kiss, but he catches her by the elbow before she can retreat, lowering his head to capture her lips with an intensity that has her melting against him in an instant. She's breathless when she finally forces herself to break away.

"I really do have to go," she pleads, feeling a mounting frustration at having to restrain herself once more from just pinning him against a wall and having her way with him. "Pete called a meeting with all the higher-ups to give me a chance to clear up what happened with the Drazfins and to announce my resignation at the same time."

She is surprised by the twinge of sadness she feels at the thought. For a long time, Torchwood had simply been a means to an end, a way to help her find her way home and occupy her time, but if she's honest with herself she's grown to quite like the place.

"Anyway," she continues, shaking off the unhappy thought, "Pete asked if you could come too, to have a look at the man we rescued from the Drazfins. UNIT just transferred him over to Torchwood's infirmary ward. He seems to be doing okay, but they'd like you to make sure, just in case. Do you mind?"

He glances towards the TARDIS for a moment, seeming to hesitate before giving in with a small shrug.

"Very well. There's not much else for me to do in the meantime, anyway."

"Great!" She fishes her keys out of a small bowl by the front door, holding them up for him to see. "Let's go! I'll show you how much better I am at driving than you are!"

He lets out an exaggerated gasp, advancing towards her with a falsely menacing air, and she laughs as she dashes out of the door.

The moment they arrive at Torchwood they are surrounded by a crowd. The entire office is buzzing with the news of her reappearance, rumors flying high about what has happened to her in the last few days and how it is linked to the strange man besides her, the same man, according to anonymous sources, who had walked out of that box inside UNIT.

"Ah, Rose, there you are!"

Pete's voice cuts through the buzz of voices in the hall, and the throng parts to let him pass. He does a double-take when he first sees the Doctor.

"Blimey, is that him?" he asks her. At Rose's nod he drops his voice, conscious of all the curious ears around them. "Jackie did say he'd changed, but… seeing is believing, I guess. Doctor, it's a pleasure to meet you," he adds in a louder voice, extending his hand for a handshake. "I'm Pete Tyler, Torchwood's director and Rose's dad. Thank you for agreeing to come here and assist us."

"Not a problem at all. I'm happy to be of help."

"Good, good. Clarkson!" he calls out, and a small man steps out from behind him. "Clarkson here will take care of you until we're done with our meeting. It might take quite a while."

"Hello, Doctor. Nice to meet you, I'm sure," Clarkson drones out in a monotone voice. "After me if you please, I will take you to the infirmary."

He starts heading off without further ado, and the Doctor barely has time to cast Rose a parting glance before he has to follow, or risk losing sight of the diminutive man in such a large crowd. She watches his retreating back for a moment longer before forcing herself to turn back to Pete, waiting beside her.

"Right, let's go and get this over with."

He nods and leads the way back towards the elevators, a path opening again in front of him. He looks at the workers loitering around with a frown.

"Show's over, people. Don't you have something better to do? Lang, Rita, we're meeting in five minutes, don't let me catch you being late."

The crowd disperses in a hurry at his words, and Rose steps into the elevator after him.

The floor numbers light up in quick succession as they rise through the tall building, the silence between them growing steadily more uncomfortable.

"Look, Pete, I'm sorry about –"

"Not now, Rose. We'll talk after the meeting," he cuts her off. She hangs her head down with a nod, and a second later the doors open with a ding.

There are already a few people milling about the hallway in front of the conference room, and they all turn to look as Pete and Rose step out into the corridor. She forces herself not to fidget as all eyes seem to focus on her, keeping her back straight and walking directly into the room instead. She scans the crowd as people begin to trickle in and take their seats around the table, looking for the members of her own team.

"Where are Mickey, Jake and Ben?" she whispers to Pete once every place at the table has been filled.

"Out of town. They left yesterday, following a lead that they thought could point us in your direction. We've contacted them, they're on their way back. They should be there by tomorrow."

She nods, feeling a pang of guilt at the thought of her teammates worrying about her while she was off having a good time with the Doctor – or, well, as close to it as it gets, with him.

"Alright, if everyone is here, let's get started." Pete's voice rings out in the room, quieting the low buzz of conversations. "As you all know, we are here regarding the situation that began a few days ago, when the team led by Rose Tyler and comprised of herself, Mickey Smith, Jake Simmonds and Ben Evans, went to investigate reports of disturbances in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city…"

Rose shares goodbyes with the people starting to trickle out of the room, trying to keep the smile on her face despite the headache that has been slowly worsening as the day went on, instead of improving as the Doctor had assured her it would. The crowd slowly trickles down to only a few stragglers staying behind for a quick word with Pete, others reconvening for islands of conversation in the hallway.

This had been a long meeting.

"Please, we'll finalize the details of the transition tomorrow. For now, go home – the rest will do every one of us here some good," Pete says.

The agents to whom this is directed nod respectfully at the director and gather their belongings before walking away. One of them stops next to Rose on her way out.

"Rose, it was an honour working with you. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we're all sad to see you go, although we wish you well in your new life. You'll have time for one last pub night this Friday before you leave? "

"I'll see what I can do. Thanks, Althea. I'll miss you."

Althea, the leader of Torchwood Operative Team Two and the one nominated to take over Rose's position, leans over for a quick hug before stepping out of the room, leaving her alone with Pete.

As the door clicks shut he lets out a drawn-out sigh, and when she turns towards him he is sitting with his elbows on the table, his head resting in his palms.

"Well, that could have gone worse," she says after a few seconds. He lowers his hands and nods without meeting her eyes, busying himself in gathering the papers in front of him. She watches him for a moment, uncertain of what to say, before clearing her throat uneasily.

"Will you need anything else from me tomorrow? It's just that I told Mum I'd spend the day with her…"

"You're really leaving, then."

It's not a question but an affirmation, spoken in a low, carefully even voice. Rose swallows the sudden lump in her throat.

"I am."

He rises from his seat and walks to the window. It's well past midnight, and beyond the tense line of his back she can see the glow of the sleeping city fading into the darkness of the sky, broken here and there by the wandering light of a few zeppelins.

"Your mum and I, we always knew you were trying to get back to him. And we wanted you to be happy, so of course we were wishing you'd succeed, but at the same time… We'll miss you so much, Rose. And I can't even begin to think how we'll tell Tony that his big sister, his hero, is leaving for good. "

Rose looks down, tears prickling at the corner of her eyes. She knows that. Of course she does. If only there was a way…

"I want you to know, though, that I'm so proud of you. I probably have no right to be, because I know I didn't have a part in making you… you, but I am. I'm sure you're aware that when Torchwood hired you, and later when you were promoted, a lot of people thought it was because you were my daughter, but I hope you know, Rose, how wrong they are. You deserved all of it. You're clever, you're warm and you're compassionate, and yet you have resolve, you have strength. Even though all that time had passed, and you had to live with a broken heart, day after day, you didn't lose faith. There were darker moments, of course, but you didn't give up. You gave some of that drive to everyone around you, even though you never realized it. I'm glad your confidence was rewarded. You deserve everything, Rose. You deserve to be happy."

A sob escapes her as she raises her head again. Pete has turned around and is facing her, his eyes red and a sad smile on his face. Rose feels something crumbling down inside of her at the sight, and she rushes forward to throw her arms around him.

"I love you, Dad," she whispers, her head on his shoulder while he gently pats her back. "You've done so much, for me and Mum. You took us in, you gave us a home –"

"And you two gave me a family, when I'd given up on ever having one again," he cuts her off, his voice thick with emotion. "And you'll always be a part of it, no matter how far away you are."

He pulls back, and she can see tears glistening on his cheeks. Her own tears finally spill over, her voice too strangled to reply.

He takes a deep breath and gives her a tight smile, his hand squeezing her shoulder gently.

"Now, go and find your Doctor. I told Clarkson to take him to the Archives when they were done in the infirmary – I thought that might help occupy him for a while. Go be with him. I'll see you tomorrow at dinner."

She wipes her cheeks and nods, leaning forward to kiss his cheek before walking softly out of the office. The hallway is empty once more, a fact for which she is thankful – no matter how much she tries to stop the tears keep on coming, and she doesn't want to have to explain them to anyone.

She gets into the elevator and presses the button for the lowest floor, resting her head on the wall as the doors close. There's a heaviness in her chest, a weight that's making her want to curl into a ball on the floor. This whole day has been one giant heartbreak, and it's not that she's regretting her decision, of course not, but saying goodbye to everyone she loves is, without a doubt, the hardest thing she's had to do so far in her life.

The Doctor turns the communicator from Trezhin around in his hands, examining it idly. Still in good condition, although without the radioactive energy source only found on that particular planet, it's pretty much useless as it is now.

He sets it back on the shelf and strolls further down the aisle. Despite their limited amount of resources, he's quite impressed by the quantity of alien articles Torchwood has managed to collect. Of course, from what he's been able to gather, the people here don't know what the good majority of the items in their possession actually do, much less how to use them, but still… impressive nonetheless.

He sighs, pausing in his survey to look back towards the Archives door, guarded by two agents. He's been here for hours now, and still no sign of Rose ever since they parted in the lobby. He's been itching to go look for her himself, but something tells him the guards wouldn't take so kindly to a stranger roaming the halls despite their kind, welcoming attitude. Clarkson wasn't assigned to him simply to guide him through the facility – he is also keeping an eye on him. Doesn't Pete trust him, then?

A Szashan flash bomb on a lower shelf catches his attention, and he crouches down to examine it. With just a quick look he can tell that it's unstable, ready to burst at any time. He throws a furtive glance around to make sure no one is watching him before taking out his sonic to disarm and disable the device for good.

…Impressive and dangerous. It's a wonder this place hasn't blown up yet. He can't help but be glad that he's taking Rose away from here – though of course traveling with him isn't the safest way of life, either, as she had so judiciously pointed out earlier.

He sighs softly before standing up, looking around at the shelves filling the Archives warehouse. There are a few people scattered around the room, some examining various items while others sit poring over documents at the large table in the middle of the room. That man Clarkson is there at the moment, furiously scribbling down on a piece of paper, no doubt writing down the information he's given him earlier about an alien piece of equipment that Torchwood just couldn't figure out and which is apparently crucial to one of their cases.

Their visit to the infirmary had been a remarkably quick one. The man he had rescued from the Drazfins was recovering perfectly well, apart from a slight fever from the effects of his body's withdrawal to the alien drugs in his system. He had given the nurse a few recommendations, and that had been it. After a quick call Clarkson had taken him to the Archives – just for a quick look around while you wait for Agent Tyler to be done with her meeting, he'd said.

How long can a meeting be, he wonders.

He sighs again as he runs a hand through his curls. Hopefully everything's alright with Rose. He knows she was already feeling blue before leaving her flat earlier, and the rest of the day can't have helped her mood. It's easy to imagine how difficult it must be for her, leaving her whole life behind – and for what?

Can he really make up for that much loss?

The doors opening on the far side of the room catches his attention, and he looks up to see Rose coming through, stopping to greet the guards there. A few people hurry over to her side, and he observes her exchange a few words with them, giving a hug or a handshake here and there. She smiles and laughs, seemingly perfectly cheerful, but…

She's not. He can tell. Something's wrong with her – her smile is not wide enough, her laughter too subdued, her stance too rigid. It's all wrong.

He takes a step forward, and she finally turns her eyes in his direction. She politely excuses herself from the people still surrounding her and crosses the room towards him, her stride meant to look relaxed but he can see the tension in her body as she walks. All the eyes in the room are on them as she stops in front of him.

"Doctor, President Tyler has asked me to thank you for your help today. I am charged with the task of bringing you home."

Her voice is loud and clear, her tone formal, no doubt for the sake of everyone else in hearing range, but as he looks into her eyes he can tell – she's been crying. It's obvious she has tried to cover it up, however, so he refrains from comment, simply nodding in acknowledgement before following her out of the room.

He speaks the moment the doors close on them.

"Rose, are you – "

"Not here, please. Later."

"Alright."

She leads him outside to the parking lot where they left her car earlier in the day. It's the middle of the night already, but the city is still teeming with life, making the silence around them feel heavy.

It's starting to make him nervous, to tell the truth. Has she changed her mind? Of course he knows what she told him earlier, when she insisted she couldn't be happy without him, but maybe this has proved too much after all. Is this why she's been crying, why she wants to wait until they're in her apartment to talk? Is she going to tell him that she can't leave her family behind, and that she's staying here, after all?

That would probably be better for her. To live a normal, human life with her family. But somewhere along the way he must have turned selfish, because he doesn't want her to.

He can't leave her behind anymore.

He fidgets all the way back to her flat, swallowing nervously as he closes the door behind him and sees her standing still, her back silhouetted by the faint light coming through the curtains.

"Rose, what – "

He stops when she abruptly turns and surges towards him, making him back against the door as her arms lock around his neck. She buries her face into his chest and his arms wrap around her automatically, his breath catching at the feel of her clutching to him.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she whispers, her voice shaky. "It's just… today's been tough. Saying goodbye to so many people, and talking to my mum and – and dad… I always knew it was going to be hard, but… Can you – can you just hold me, for a while?"

He lets out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding as relief floods inside him. He presses his nose into her hair and closes his eyes. She hasn't changed her mind. He gets to keep her.

"Yes, of course. Whatever you want."

She's tense in his arms but he runs his hands in soothing patterns up and down her back, and eventually he feels her relax under his touch. Her breathing softens, synchronizes with the back and forth of his hands. She raises her head by a fraction, her lips ghosting against the skin of his neck, and his fingers dig into her back uncontrollably when he feels her breath over his pulse point. She gasps, pressing herself closer to him, her lips more firm against his skin and suddenly he feels very warm, his hearts pounding in his chest.

She begins trailing kisses up his neck, her fingers unlocking from their hold to sink into his hair. He slips his hands down to grip her hips, barely able to restrain himself from dipping his hands just a bit lower and…

He pulls a fraction of a centimeter away, the most distance he is able to withstand.

"Rose, are you sure? It's just – you're sad, maybe it's better if –"

"I'm sure," she interrupts him, leaning forward to bite gently on the skin of his throat. He can feel her grin against his neck as he groans. "I want you to remind me of what's on the other side of these goodbyes. Can you think of any way to do that?"

He answers by lowering his head to capture her lips and she opens up for him immediately, his groan echoing hers when their tongues meet. Her breath comes out in pants as their mouths part and meet again, and it's wet and inelegant and just right.

He wants her. He's wanted her ever since he woke up with her naked in his bed, after their first night together. Back then he never would have thought they'd have to wait that long to be together again. If he had, he probably wouldn't have left the room, or at least not for a good few hours more.

She backs away to what he assumes is her bedroom, her fingers fumbling blindly at his coat buttons as he refuses to release her mouth. Her back thumps against a closed door and it is his turn to press himself against her, both of them moaning as she shifts her hips against him.

He feels around for the door handle and manages to find it just as she is pushing his coat off his shoulders. He lowers his arms to let it drop to the floor, and she uses that moment to twirl away from him, stepping inside the room and stripping off her shirt in one fluid movement.

He pauses, momentarily stunned by the vision of her breasts enclosed in purple lace, and she grins, visibly pleased with his reaction. He takes a step towards her and she takes a step back, her smile turning teasing.

"You have too many clothes on. I remember how long it took to get all those layers off before. So take your shirt, first."

His hands immediately fly up to his neck and make short work of his cravat before starting on the buttons of his vest. She isright, he does wear too many clothes. He is seriously starting to consider a toga as his future outfit. Much quicker access, and there's even no real need for underwear. He wonders if he could pull off the look.

He finally manages to unbutton both his shirt and his vest, and she eyes him appreciatively as he pushes them off his shoulders. He stands transfixed as she reaches behind her back and unhooks her bra before letting it drop to the floor. He wants to protest – he should be the one to undress her – but he can't find it in himself to complain against a course of action that lets him see the wonder that are her breasts free of any restraints.

His hands twitch with the need to touch her but she is still giving him that teasing smile and he knows he's not allowed to, not yet. She nods towards his trousers and he wastes no time in popping open the button and lowering his zipper, sighing at the relief from the pressure that was quickly becoming painful. He stares at her, waiting for her to mimic him like before, but she only shakes her head playfully.

"Your shoes, first."

He hops on one foot, then the other, the laces giving him more trouble than they ever have before. He should probably start going barefoot, as well. It would match the toga, anyway.

When his trousers finally hit the floor Rose is sitting on the bed, her shoes gone, and he looks at her, entranced, as she shimmies out of her jeans. Matching purple lace underwear, no doubt chosen with him in mind, and suddenly he can't wait any longer.

He reaches her in two quick strides, burying his fingers in her hair and his tongue in her mouth before she has even time to react. She gasps and then moans as he kisses her relentlessly, like a man that's been starved for the longest time – and he has. The past few minutes without her lips might well have been an eternity.

One of his hands slide down from her hair to her neck and then her chest, stopping to palm her breast and flick at her nipple before continuing its journey downwards. His fingers skim the edge of her underwear, and she wrenches her mouth from his to take a gasping breath when one digit strokes over her center through the fabric.

His other hand joins the first to peel her underwear away, and he gently pushes her down on the bed before pulling back to look at her. There's something he wants to try, something he read a long time ago and that he remembered when she used her tongue on him, the last time. He sinks to his knees and shuffles forward between her legs, putting a hand on her thigh to stop her when she tries to close them reflexively.

"What – what are you doing?"

Her voice is thick with lust and it shoots straight to his groin, but he forces himself to ignore the surge of desire that rushes through him. He wants to investigate this thoroughly first.

"Reminding you," he replies before leaning forward, his nose grazing her center.

He's had a taste of her before, when he'd licked his fingers after pleasuring her, but this… this doesn't compare. All of his senses are filled with her – he can smell her desire, see her glistening wetness, feel the slight tremble of her muscles in anticipation, hear her shuddering breaths. The only thing missing is –

He lays the flat of his tongue against her folds, and his groan mixes with her keening cry. The taste of her. It outshines all of his other senses. She bucks against him and he grabs her hips to steady her before delving in again.

He listens to her responsive moans as he licks and sucks, focusing on what she seems to enjoy the most. Her hand clenches compulsively in his hair and he can tell that she is getting close, but still not close enough. He lets go of one of her hips to stroke two fingers against her folds before slipping them inside her, and he is rewarded by a litany of incoherent praise, urging him on. He pumps a few times, flicking his tongue at her bundle of nerves in rhythm with his fingers. Her whole body tenses, almost there but not quite, until he sucks her clit into his mouth, hooking his fingers inside her at the same time, and she comes crashing apart with a shout.

He slows his movements to let her come down gently before pulling away almost reluctantly. He stands up to see her flushed and panting hard, an arm thrown over her eyes, her hair a tousled halo around her, and he doesn't think she's ever been more gorgeous than this.

She removes her arm from her face to look at him, her eyes travelling down to the noticeable bulge straining against his pants. He obeys her unspoken order as he pushes them down and kicks them away.

"I'd return the favor," she says, staring at him with raw hunger, "but I'm selfish. I want you inside me."

"No arguments from me."

She shuffles backwards on the bed and he climbs on after her, his knees on either side of her thighs. He crawls up her body with lips and hands, stopping to suck a rosy nipple into his mouth. She tugs on his hair, impatient, and after a last twirl of his tongue he complies, smirking down at her as he does so. She growls and reaches up to seal her mouth over his, kissing him with an urgency that wipes the smug look off his face.

She snakes a leg around his knee and pulls, bringing his lower body down. He groans as his hardness hits her center, so wet and so ready for him, as he can tell from first-hand experience. He slows down their kiss, trying to stop himself from just plunging inside her like he wants to, but then she's trailing her hands down his back and squeezing his bum in encouragement, and he doesn't know how he can resist much longer.

"Doctor, please," she whimpers, and his control slips completely.

He positions himself at her entrance and pushes forward just as she raises her hips. He slides inside her incredibly easily, and even though they've done this before he's blown away by just how perfect she feels around him.

He leans down to catch her lips in a messy kiss as he begins to move, the way her hips shift under him denying him the slow rhythm he wants to establish. Instead she bites his lower lip as she meets him thrust for thrust, panting his name amidst breathless moans, and he can't help but lose himself completely in her. He thinks he might be babbling, in any number of languages, and maybe he's swearing, or maybe he's praising her, or it's possible he's just saying her name, over and over again. He has no idea, and it's not important anyway. The only thing of importance is that she's tensing under him again, her rhythm becoming wild and erratic, and he steadies her with his hands on her hips to allow himself to thrust even harder, to bury himself inside her as deep as he can. She arches her back under him, her lips opening in a silent cry, and then she is falling apart around him and taking him with her, helpless.

Minutes, or maybe hours later, he slips out of her and rolls over to her side. His mind is blissfully blank as she turns to wrap herself around him, clutching him to her as though scared he is going to disappear.

She shouldn't be, he thinks, hazily – he'd be more than happy to stay exactly where he is for the rest of his life.