Here we are, as promised lol. Hope you like! xx

The Doctor watched Rose snuggle into his suit jacket, using it as a makeshift pillow. It was the chivalrous thing to do after all, even if it did mean that he was a bit cold now. Everyone slept soundly apart from him and Zach who was piloting the shuttle. Behind them, the planet was now nothing more than a tiny speck in the expanse of ethereal space. His double hearts thumped hard against his chest as he watched it disappear completely, leaving his TARDIS far behind.

The Doctor was unsure of how to feel. On the one hand everyone…nearly everyone, had gotten out of there alive. And he would be lying if he said that the beasts foreboding prophecy about Rose's death worried him more than he had let on. The relief pulsed through his veins when they left the planet and she was safe. But it still felt like he was leaving one of his hearts behind, stored in the blue box in the centre of the planet.

"What's the plan then, Doctor?" Zach turned from his pilot station to glance at him. The Doctor tore his gaze away from the window.

"What do you mean?"

"For you and Rose? What are you going to do when we get to Earth?" The question threw him. He hadn't thought of it really. Of course he knew that they would have to have a…normal life. But how they would go about starting one up was unclear to him.

"I…don't know. We'll need money. I'll have to provide for her…" The Doctor looked to Rose in horror. How on Earth was he supposed to do that? They'd need a home…jobs…cutlery.

"Well, I suppose that we could pull in a few favours from the ISE. I'm sure after we report what you did for us then they'll be more than happy to give you both a grant."

"ISE?"

"International Space Exploration. We work for them, that's why we were on that planet in the first place." The Doctor's eyes widened in interest.

"They'd give us a grant?" Zach laughed at the curiosity scrawled across his face and set the shuttle on automated pilot.

"Yeah, especially in your circumstances. So, you given any thoughts to a job?" Zach turned fully in his chair now to face the Doctor.

"Well, jack of all trades me. I could go after anything really." Rose murmured in her sleep, shifting to place her legs upon the Doctor's lap. Zach eyed them both.

"What about Rose? What qualifications has she got then?" The Doctor looked down at her sleeping form.

"She uh…well, we both don't have anything official. But we're more than capable." Zach raised an eyebrow.

"Doctor, no one is going to hire you unless you get qualifications under your belt."

"And how do I get those?"

"I suppose that the ISE could examine you both and get you some degrees or something, I don't know." Great, the Doctor mentally sighed. More complications.

"How long until we land?" Zach turned and typed something into the computer.

"Two hours. You should probably get some sleep." He turned back to the control panel and switched the automated pilot off.

"Yeah." The Doctor said, before turning to stare out of the window for the rest of the journey.

Rose sat up and stretched, a yawn escaping form her. Her neck hurt and she was bleary eyed, yet she felt better than she had done for a while. Sunlight filtered through the shuttle, making her flinch away. She took a glance out of the window and saw a grey landing strip. With a gasp, she realised that they had arrived.

"Rose Tyler, this is Earth. Granted, a while after you were last here." She turned to the Doctor and frowned. He was speaking in a rather monotone voice, all the joy it usually possessed had vanished. "You alright, Doctor?" Placing a hand upon his, Rose shifted closer to him. As he turned to look at her, she bit her lip. He looked tired and bedraggled.

"I'm fine, Rose. Just tired." He offered her a reassuring smile. Silence followed, and then Rose realised that it was just the two of them in the shuttle.

"Where's everyone else?" The Doctor turned to face her fully.

"We're at the ISE headquarters. Zach and everyone else has gone to do a press conference about the expedition. Dunno what they're gonna say to everyone. But I told them I'd wait here until you woke up." Rose sighed and fluffed her hair.

"So…what's gonna happen to us?"

"The ISE are prepared to give you each a grant of 50,000 cowels." The Doctor and Rose sat opposite two official looking men in suits. Zach and Ida were standing behind them, watching the events with interest and offering small reassuring smiles now and again. The room was small, white and clinical. It was almost claustrophobic to sit in.

"What's a cowel?" Rose quickly whispered to the Doctor.

"It's the equivalent of the pound. Remember, we are in the future, Rose." She nodded bashfully and sat back again.

"We can also offer you some accommodation. It won't be anything too fancy, just two basic apartments in London. Of course it's nothing too derelict either." The Doctor looked to Rose who nodded quickly.

"Well….we'll take it." He smiled, and the two officials pushed some paperwork towards them.

"The apartments are paid for, courtesy of the ISE, so you only have to focus on utility bills etc. Unfortunately they don't come with too much furniture, only the essentials such as bathroom fixtures, cookers, and a couch."

"Yeah, that's…that's fine, thank you." Rose took the pen offered to her, and looked to the piece of paper in front of her. The Doctor finished reading his in a minute flat, and was now scrawling an overly fancy signature at the bottom. A moment later, Rose followed suit. They handed their papers back and one of the men nodded in approval.

"You two are now the proud owners of apartments 17 and 18 in the Wittaker building. Congratulations." Two keys were slid across the table towards them, and they both took them dutifully. Rose's mind was beginning to spin, everything was happening so fast.

"Uh…sorry, but we were gonna discuss the issue of qualifications…?" Zach piped up from behind the two men. Rose panicked. She barely had any recognisable qualifications in her own time, she very much doubted the future would recognise her few GCSEs.

"Ah, yes. We are prepared to examine you and provide you with some official degrees. We could examine you today, if you wish?"

"Yes, excellent." The Doctor grinned, relieved to get it out of the way. Rose started and looked at him with a frown.

"Sorry, could we have a minute alone?" She said to the other four in the room.

"Of course, just press the buzzer when you're ready for us to come back in." Rose waited until the door shut before turning on the Doctor.

"What the hell, Doctor?" His eyebrows raised in surprise at her sudden hostility.

"What?"

"How am I supposed to be examined when I don't know anything? You're fine, you have the world and his wife stored up in that brain of yours. I barely have a continent." The Doctor looked down, slightly shame faced.

"Sorry, Rose, I didn't think…well, you could just get the basics. You know, first aid training? A human relations degree? You're good with people." She looked at him before resting her head against his shoulder.

"Everything's going so fast, Doctor." He stroked her hair behind her ears.

"I know. But the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get on with our lives."

"Yeah…the sooner, the better." Rose agreed.

After four hours of tenuous examinations, Rose had a first aid and human relations degree, just as the Doctor had suggested. It wasn't the best you could get. But what else could you expect from only four hours? However, the ISE had written her an official letter of recommendation that was sure to take her somewhere. Unlike Rose, the Doctor had finished in two hours. He walked away from the building with more science degrees than Rose could count. It only took him a little while to complete each test, and unlike her he had no need to study. He knew everything.

So there they were, each standing outside their apartment doors. It was nicer than the ISE had made it out to be. They even had someone to open up the doors to the building for them. Why they needed that was beyond them. But the walls of the corridors were a polished cream, and the doors to their apartments a dark oak. The numbers 17 and 18 stood out to them, shining silver in the low lighting.

"So…" The Doctor said, looking the door to apartment number 17.

"So…." Rose repeated as she stared at her door with the number 18 upon it.

"I think…we should order in some food and sleep." The Doctor sighed, and Rose smiled softly.

"I think that's the best idea you've ever had."

Well, I suppose this marks the start to a whole new chapter for the Doctor and Rose. So, tell me what you thought! xx