Rose lay awake listening to the Doctor potter about in the control room. It was awful knowing he was only in the next room, when he felt so much further away. They'd had another argument that day. It'd been about the usual stuff. Her stupidity, his stubbornness, Jack sticking his nose in to help and as a result having his head bitten off. She rolled on to her side and thought deeply. It had all started a week ago.

"Jack!" Rose cried out as she caught the captain reading a small purple notebook that she kept all her private inner most feelings in.

"I'm sorry!" He said startled, giving her the book. "I didn't know what it was and I got curious and then I saw the Doctors name and I'm so sorry!"

"How much did you read?" Rose asked looking him straight in the eye.

"Up to where you said you thought you were falling in love with the Doctor." Jack bit his lip. "I promise I won't say anything. Sorry, Rose."

"S'ok." Rose sighed and sat on her bed next to Jack. "But what am I going to do?"

"About the Doctor?" Jack frowned. "Well that's easy silly, just tell him."

Rose bit her own lip.

"I could, but what if he doesn't feel the same. I'll ruin our friendship." Rose looked downcast. "Why would he feel that way about a stupid human?"

"Rose, he thinks the world of you. Haven't you heard his thoughts at night?" Jack stared at her in disbelief. "You mean everything to him."

"Ok," Rose stood up and Jack followed.

"You can do it." He whispered to her as they stood in the doorway of the control room.

"Doctor?" Rose called out as she walked up the ramp to the central column.

"Yes?" He poked his head out through the floor.

"I… I have to tell you something…" Rose walked up to the control panel and started fingering the switches. The Doctor hoisted himself out of the floor and stood next to her, his deep blue, intense eyes staring at her.

"What?" His tone was warm and kind. It made her melt.

"I… well… ummm the past couple of weeks… I've been…" Rose bit her lip and swallowed.

"Go on, Rose." Murmured Jack.

"Come on, Rose. Whatever it is, you can tell me." The Doctor took her hands in his and she stared straight into his eyes. That's where she found her courage.

"I think… I'm kind of falling… in love… with you." Rose whispered.

The Doctor didn't say anything for a moment but he didn't let go of Rose's hands either, which Rose took to be a good sign.

"Ok…" The Doctor thought for a moment. "I… ummm… I don't know what to say… Rose…I…"

Jack wandered into the room and shot the Doctor warning signals. 'Let her down gently!'

"Rose, I love you dearly as a friend, but… it could never be as more than that." The Doctor murmured. "I'm sorry, but…"

"No… it's fine…" Rose took her hands out of the Doctor's. "I knew that'd be your answer, I just thought you should know."

That's when it had all started. The strong bond the two of them had begun to fade. Rose found herself spending more time with Jack simply because the Doctor took himself off into the depths of the TARDIS for hours at a time.

Then the arguments had started as well. The tension meant the tiniest of things set them off. Rose felt so depressed. In fact the past two days she'd been so low she hadn't even spoken.

The Doctor was her whole world and now she had to watch it crash and burn in front of her. It was like she was on the outside, looking in on where she used to belong.

Tears started rolling down her cheeks and Rose got up and out of bed. She wandered into the TARDIS control room in her teddy bear pyjamas.

The Doctor looked up as she entered but then returned to his tinkering. Rose couldn't bear it; she wanted them to go back to how they'd been before.

The Doctor heard her coming from a way off. He could hear her thoughts, her pain, bouncing off the walls of the TARDIS. He knew what he was doing to her was destroying her inside, but he daren't get close to her.

When Rose had first admitted her feelings the Doctor hadn't been sure, but now he knew, he felt the same way. This was a big problem. The last time he'd felt this much for someone they'd died. He didn't want that to happen to Rose.

She stood in the doorway and he glanced up at her, but didn't say anything. He continued to patch up the extrapolator. She walked up the ramp and sat on the seat watching him closely. The Doctor could feel her eyes boring into the back of his head.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered. He looked up and saw she was crying.

"Oh, Rose, love," the Doctor wandered over and held out his arms to her. She gratefully accepted the hug. "It was my fault. I'm just taking a little time to adjust, but I promise you I won't ever leave, ok?"

"Ok," Rose shut her eyes as more tears rolled down her cheeks. They broke their embrace and Rose sat back on the chair. The dim green light that was cast over the TARDIS walls gave it an eerie but comforting glow.

"I know what you've been thinking, and things will be back to normal soon, I promise."

They looked deep into each other's eyes and both knew that they'd never get back to normal, however hard they tried.