Author's Notes: I do not own Doctor Who. So, I intended to table this story for a while until I finished my others, but basically I have no self control. Consider this a sort of teaser. Spoilers for basically the whole run of Doctor Who, especially The Christmas Invasion, which I have always sort of had a problem with Rose's behavior in that episode and the Children in Need sketch that falls before that, but after The Parting of the Ways. It's pretty easy to find on YouTube if you haven't seen it and you're confused at the end of this chapter. That was a lot of preamble. Thanks for reading and if you wanted to review that would be awesome.

"You're late."

Rose Tyler looked up to see the disapproving face of the floor manager, Kenneth, as she entered the restaurant. It was already buzzing with conversations, laughter, meaning a long night for Rose. She was hating it already.

"Sorry, the bus was late-"

"Look, Rose, do you want this job or not?"

She didn't. She really didn't. Ordinary life hardly seemed like life anymore. It was just some shadow of living. She needed the job, though.

"Course I do," she said.

"Mina's been covering your tables. Last party just sat down, four kids, Dad's birthday."

Rose nodded. Just the sort of group she didn't want right now. She checked on all her other tables and made her way to the dreaded birthday party table.

There was a ginger woman who she presumed was mum. One girl, probably nine, a boy about seven with wild brown hair and another girl around five, a blonde.

"Hello, I'm Rose, I'll be your server. How are we?," she said forcing herself to smile.

"Just fine," the woman answered.

She looked to see no sign of Dad. "Are we missing someone?"

"My husband's just popped into the loo with our son."

"And now we're back!," Rose heard a familiar voice say with exuberance. She watched in complete and utter shock as the Doctor slid in next to her and put a five old boy down in the booth. He gave the boy a kiss on the top of the head. "Try to take better care of this top, Jamie." She watched slack-jawed as he slid in next to mum. He looked up at Rose expectantly. "Uh, have we ordered?"

"No, sweetheart," said the woman.

"What do you want?," he asked.

"You pick the starters. It's your birthday!"

"I want the prawns," said the older boy.

"Well, you can't. You're allergic to seafood," said the Doctor.

"Prawns aren't seafood," he said.

"Yes, they are, stupid," said the older girl.

"Oi! No name calling!," said the ginger woman. "It's your father's birthday. You're going to behave."

"Doctor?," said Rose.

The Doctor looked around. "Sorry, are you talking to me?"

"Doctor, what are you doing?" Rose was completely dumbfounded at what she was witnessing.

"Sorry, why are you calling me 'doctor'?"

"Because it's your name. It's me, Rose. Don't you recognize me? It hasn't been that long."

The ginger woman turned and narrowed her gaze at the man. "John, what's she talking about?"

"Donna, I have no idea." He looked up at Rose. "I think you must have me confused with someone else."

"No! I don't! I travelled with you! You showed me the stars!"

"What?," exclaimed Donna. She looked at the man. "What exactly does 'showed me the stars' mean, sunshine?"

"Donna, I have no idea who she is!"

"How old is she?," asked Donna. She looked at Rose. "How old are you?"

"Who are you?," asked Rose. "What have you done to him?"

"What have I done to him? He's my husband! What have you done?"

"Are you getting divorced?," asked the eldest girl.

"Are we still going to DisneyWorld?," asked the older boy.

The Doctor looked exasperated. "No one's getting divorced! Yes, we're going to DisneyWorld! Donna, I have absolutely no idea who this girl is!" He looked up at Rose. "Would you stop it? What is this? Some sort of prank? A bet with your mates? It's seriously not funny at all!"

Donna stood up and took youngest boy's hand.

"Oh, Donna," moaned the Doctor.

"Charlotte, Jack, Zoe, come on," said Donna.

"Jack?," snorted Rose.

Donna started leading the children out. The Doctor leapt up to follow.

"Doctor!," shouted Rose.

He turned back and glared at her. "I have no idea what you're on about! Leave me alone! Don't you think you've caused enough mischief?" He started running. "Donna!"

Kenneth walked over to Rose. "What the hell just happened? I just saw over a hundred pounds run out of here after you said something!"

"That customer, I used to know him."

"Well, keep your personal life out of my bloody restaurant! You can give Ellie your apron, you're sacked!"

"Fine!," said Rose tossing her pen and pad at Kenneth. "I don't need this stupid job anyway! I just found the Doctor!"

Rose marched out of the restaurant. Life was real again.

Three Months Earlier, Christmas Day, 2005

The Doctor walked away from Harriet Jones. Rose, Jackie and Mickey were only a few steps behind.

He opened the door to the TARDIS.

"We're having Christmas dinner in an hour, don't be late!," said Jackie.

The Doctor stopped and looked at Jackie. These humans. They certainly ran the spectrum, didn't they?

"Sorry, Jackie, I'm not staying."

"What?," exclaimed Rose. "Where are we going? Give me a minute-"

"It's Christmas Day!," Jackie objected.

"You only just got here," Mickey complained.

"You're not coming, Rose," said the Doctor.

The color drained from her face. "What?"

"This is the end of the line," said the Doctor.

He saw expressions of relief take over Jackie and Mickey's faces.

"What? What did I do?"

"What did you do?," growled the Doctor. "What did you do?"

Rose stood frozen, a deer caught in headlights.

"You opened up the TARDIS! You committed genocide!"

Jackie looked at her daughter. "Rose, what's he talking about?"

"Not now, Mum!" She looked back at the Doctor. "But they were going to kill you!"

"You had a choice! You had all the power of the Time Vortex inside of you, you could have done anything and you chose to kill! You cost me a regeneration, which would be alright, but then you rejected me! You rejected me because I saved your life!"

Rose shook her head. "No, you're twisting it-"

"I heard everything you said, Rose. You blamed me for not helping you! I was sick! Haven't you ever been sick before? Your mother and Mickey took better care of me than you did- thanks for the tea, by the way- you just stood there and whined about what was happening to you! To you! I was the one who almost died! Again! Because I saved your life! You're welcome!"

Rose was shaking, staring at her feet, wondering where the celebration had gone wrong.

The Doctor looked at Jackie and Mickey with a wry grin. "Jackie Tyler, Mickey Smith, you were brilliant. I mean that. I know I've mocked you before, but you always delivered. Thank you." he looked at Rose, trying to prepare the right words. "Rose Tyler, have... oh, why bother? You won't listen."

The TARDIS door shut and the engine started grinding.

The Doctor was gone.