Pillows

"Doctor!"

Rose saw him standing there, grinning ear to ear as if nothing had ever gone wrong. Like the past year and a half without him was just a dream and all was well again.

She ran towards him, leaping into his arms the moment he was within reach. He caught her easily, his arms wrapping around her to hold her securely to him. She smiled into his jacket and let him lead her into the nearby waiting TARDIS.

Rose woke on a bed full of pillows. That same dream again. Mumbling to herself she made her way out of bed and to her dresser, pulling out her clothes for the day and getting dressed. She stopped off in the kitchen to grab a cup of instant coffee, then headed out the door to catch the train to work.

Eight hours of paper pushing and "defending" the Earth later, she found herself at a bar with a few of her coworkers who'd insisted she get out more often. Even as she was downing her third shot of vodka she knew it was a bad idea. She didn't drink often, so when she did she didn't hold it well. To make matters worse, her friends had all left their table to dance with the guys who'd been hitting on them since they'd arrived. She passed on the dancing and instead found herself sitting at the bar alone, the bartender serving up random shots every few minutes.

It was after her friends left the bar completely without her that she noticed him. Shock of brown hair in a pinstripe suit. He was facing away from her but she was certain it was the Doctor, even if he was fading in and out of focus. Some sort of temporal disturbance? No, she was probably just drunk.

She called out his name and made her way towards him, stumbling a little. He turned towards her and her vision began to fade. She felt him hold her up. Ask her if she was okay and offer to take her home. After that it was all a blur.

Rose woke on a bed full of pillows. She stretched with a sigh and smiled as she felt a pair of lips press down on her neck, then her shoulder, finally moving down her back. Rose frowned. She couldn't say she'd had much experience with the Doctor's lips, but she was certain his bottom lip was just a bit larger than the top, and these were full all around. And the fingers running along her thigh should be thinner and longer. Suddenly concerned, she rolled around.

"Mickey!"

"What?"

"What do you think you're doing?"

"What are you talking about? You got into my bed so I thought..."

"You thought what?"

"Well, what's a guy supposed to think when a girl gets into his bed?"

Rose gathered herself up and stood, relieved to see she was still dressed at least. Her head was reeling from her oncoming hangover and it took her a moment to gather her thoughts.

"Look. I just had too much to drink last night and got confused when I got home. I must have gone through the wrong door." She gave him a weak smile and headed for the door, turning before she left to add a quick "sorry."

She made her way to her own room in the dark to sleep away the last few hours of the night before she'd have to wake for work again. She'd have to apologize to Mickey properly then.

Rose woke on a bed full of pillows, happy to find herself alone this time. It was still early and it suddenly occurred to her that it'd been far too long since she last went out for a run. Slipping out of bed she removed her clothes from the day before, replacing them with a pair of sweats and a tank top. She threw on a pair of trainers by the front door, then headed out.

She ran down streets that had since become familiar to her. The owner of her favorite chippy waved as she ran by and she smiled in return.

It was hotter than usual, heat waves radiating off the paved streets. She chided herself for not thinking to bring any water when her head began to ache. She was starting to get dizzy too so she turned to head for home. As she rounded a corner, something caught her eye and she skidded to a stop. A box. A big blue box. A big blue box with the words Police Public Call Box written across it.

She ran straight for it, nearly colliding with the doors as her feet slid on a wet patch of grass. She paused for a minute to catch her breath, wiping the sweat from her brow and trying to smooth down her hair as best as possible before looking back up.

A few months ago she would have had her key on her, but she'd been making an effort to move on. Now she just hoped he was inside. Banging on the door for a while got her nothing and she knew better than anyone that trying to force it open would do her no good. All she could do was wait, so she sat on the ground in front of the big blue doors and eventually drifted off to sleep.

Rose woke on a bed full of pillows. She groaned and shoved the nearest one out of her face, getting tired of the constant disappointment of her dreams. She felt a bit of pressure behind the pillow, accompanied by a grunt, and nearly jumped. Her mind reeling, she took in the warm low lighting, the gentle hum around her, and the foreign... alien feel of the pillows and linens around her. A quick pinch to reassure herself that she was truly awake, and she lowered herself back down to sleep on a bed full of pillows, and time lord, confident that when she woke again it would all still be there.