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Rose woke with a start when she heard a strange noise. Taking a moment to look around her, she remembered that she was in her room back home instead of her room in the TARDIS. Noises were common enough when she was sleeping on the TARDIS, but she always had the comfort of the Doctor’s presence there with her. Always ready to rush to her defence, whether she needed it or not. Now, it was just her and her mum at home and there was a strange noise outside her room. She held her breath and strained her ears, trying to figure out what it was and where it had come from. Just as she had convinced herself that it was nothing and was settling herself back down, she heard it again. Unmistakeable, this time. Someone was trying to get in through her window. Her locked window.
Forcing down her instinctive panic, she slid out of her bed and moved silently to the window, grabbing the nearest heavy object she could reach – one of her boots – and she waited. She didn’t really know what she planned to do with her boot against an unknown intruder, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to wait in bed for them to come in.
After a few moments of breathless silence, she heard a familiar voice curse quietly, followed by a whirring noise she recognised all too well. She rolled her eyes in exasperation and flung the curtain aside, just as the Doctor was slowly opening the window, sonic screwdriver in hand. In other circumstances, she probably would have laughed at the look of shock on his face. It was so rare that she had an opportunity to surprise the Doctor, after all. But right now, she was too annoyed to really enjoy it.
“Doctor?” she whispered, wary of waking her mother.
“Oh – ah—” he said sheepishly. “Hello.”
“Hello?” she hissed incredulously. “What’re you playin’ at?”
She dropped her boot to the floor and quickly turned the light on as the Doctor climbed casually into the room.
“Well that took longer than I expected it to.”
“Keep your voice down,” she said warily. “I don’t want to have to explain what you’re doing in my bedroom to Mum.”
He grimaced at that and she smirked slightly as she closed the window and readjusted the curtains.
“She still doesn’t believe me when I say there’s nothin’ between us.”
“Nothin’?”
“Well, nothin’ for her to be concerned about anyway.”
The Doctor didn’t say anything to this but just nodded stiffly. Rose watched him curiously.
“You still haven’t told me what you’re doing here,” she reminded him after the silence started to feel awkward. “And why you thought sneakin’ into my bedroom in the middle of the night was a good idea.”
“I just thought I’d check up on you, is all. That alright?”
“Course it’s alright,” she said automatically.
“Well that’s alright, then.”
Rose watched as he started to wander around her room with an air of cheery ease. She’d never realised before just how small her bedroom was until the imposing presence of the Doctor was in there with her.
“And what do you mean, check up on me?” she said suddenly. “I thought you weren’t comin’ to get me ‘til Thursday.”
“It’s not Thursday?” he asked innocently, poking through the jumble of stuff on her dressing table. “My time sense must be off.”
“Doctor,” she said tiredly as she sat back down on her bed. “why’re you here? Really?” When he didn’t answer her immediately, she grew concerned. “When you dropped me off you told me you were going to get some parts for the TARDIS.”
“Yeah.”
“Did somethin’ happen? Are you okay?”
“Course I’m okay.”
He said it cheerfully enough, but she was still suspicious. He paced to the very edge of her room and then turned around and paced back. He bumped her dressing table as he turned to make another lap and she winced at the sound it made.
“Doctor?”
She watched him carefully, looking for any signs that something was out of the ordinary with him. This was hard to do, of course, since there wasn’t much about him that was ordinary, but she’d gotten pretty good at reading him in their travels together and her gut told her that something was wrong.
“You’ve got a lovely room here, Rose Tyler,” he said loudly, and she shushed him quickly. He sent a manic grin her way and she smiled reluctantly back at him. “Very cosy.”
“You mean small.”
“Not at all!” he exclaimed, and she shushed him again, glancing nervously at her door. “’Sides, everythin’ seems small compared to the TARDIS.”
“Guess so,” she said with a sigh, leaning back against her pillows. “If you’re not going to tell me why you’re here, I’m going back to sleep.”
“Sleep?”
“Don’t act like you’ve never heard of it, Doctor. Us humans do it quite a bit.”
“Too much,” he said sulkily.
“I can’t help it if I need my beauty sleep, Doctor,” she said teasingly.
“No point, really.”
“What do you mean?”
“Beauty sleep,” he said. “No point, not for you.”
“Oh.”
She looked down at her hands, reminding herself not to be hurt, that it was just his way.
“You’re already beautiful, Rose Tyler, no help required.”
Her head shot up and she stared at him in shock. He met her gaze for a moment before turning away, clearly embarrassed.
“Doctor—” she whispered.
“Right, I better leave you to it then.”
He glanced at the window and then back at her.
“You don’t have to go, Doctor,” she said gently. “You can stay here.”
“I can?”
“Yeah.” She scooted over and patted the bed in invitation. “You’ll just have to be nice to Mum in the morning, so she doesn’t kick you out.”
The Doctor stared at her, a look of panic on his face.
“Doctor?”
Rose watched him apprehensively as he shook his head violently.
“What?” she said. “What is it? I know my mum can be a bit—”
“It’s not your mum,” he bit out.
“Then what is it?”
He just shook his head again and she stood up slowly.
“Doctor, what is it?” she cried, starting to panic a little herself now. “What is it? Let me help you!”
The Doctor didn’t reply, he just covered his nose and mouth with both hands. She met his eyes and was shocked by what she saw in them: fear. Genuine fear.
“Doctor,” she said, injecting a calm she didn’t feel into her voice. “Whatever it is, we can work it out.”
He stared at her and she nodded reassuringly at him, holding her hands out.
“Please, just let me help you.”
He shook his head again and threw his hands up in front of him.
“Rose, stop! Don’t come any closer!”
She froze immediately, hands still raised towards him, fear eating away at her.
“Doctor,” she murmured quietly again, “what’s wrong?”
His face scrunched up as if he was in pain and he opened his mouth, but no words came out.
“Doc—”
She was interrupted as a sudden bout of sneezing hit the Doctor. He sneezed loudly five times in quick succession as Rose stared at him in disbelief.
“Are you sick?”
“No!” he cried, sniffling a little pathetically.
“I thought Time Lords didn’t get sick.”
“I am not sick. I do not get sick—”
His point was undermined slightly by the enormous sneeze that overtook him mid-sentence. Rose grinned at him and he glared.
“Are you sure you’re not—”
“I’m fine!”
He sneezed again and Rose sighed.
“I understand why you would think I’m sick,” he said, beginning his restless pacing again, “because if you were experiencing the same symptoms, you would definitely be sick.”
“Uh huh.”
“But I can assure you that I am not sick.”
“Course not,” Rose said with a smirk. “So why are you here, exactly? Just wanted to show me how not sick you are?”
“Don’t be daft.”
“Doctor, did you come here so I could take care of you?” Rose asked gently, trying not to smile at how disgruntled he looked.
“Course not,” he muttered. “I don’t need taking care of, Rose.”
She handed him a box of tissues and said, “You take care of me when I’m sick.”
“Yes, but that’s because you’re human, I’m not. Superior biology, and all that.”
“Right, how could I forget?” Rose said dryly. “You’re not looking all that superior right now.”
“Oh, very nice!”
“Doctor, you’re tremblin’!”
Rose raised a hand to his forehead, trying to feel if he was feverish.
“Stop fussin’!” he said irritably, batting her hand away. “I’m tellin’ you, I’m not sick!”
“And I’m telling you—”
“Rose?” Jackie called out from behind the closed door. “Are you alright, sweetheart?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, Mum!” she called out, signalling the Doctor to be quiet as she opened the door. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Have you got someone in there with you?” Jackie asked suspiciously. “Is that Mickey sneaking in again?”
Rose glanced nervously at the Doctor who raised his eyebrows enquiringly at her before turning her eyes back to her mother.
“No, it’s not Mickey.”
“Who is it then?”
“Only me,” the Doctor said cheerfully, squeezing his head into the small gap left by Rose. “Evening, Jackie.”
“You!” Jackie said accusingly. “You’re not supposed to be back for another two days!”
“It’s fine, Mum,” Rose said quickly. “He’s just checkin’ in.”
“Oh, is he now? And just how did he get in, then? I didn’t hear the door.”
“Well—”
“Came in through the window,” the Doctor said before Rose could come up with a more reasonable explanation.
Rose closed her eyes, anticipating the explosion. Jackie didn’t disappoint.
“Through the window?” she cried. “Just who do you think you are? Sneaking into my daughter’s bedroom in the middle of the night like some kind of pervert—”
“Who you callin’ a pervert?”
“I always knew you were trouble—”
“Hang on a minute—”
“Taking advantage of a young girl—”
“I would never take advantage of Rose!”
“I’ve half a mind to slap you again—”
“I’d like to see you try!”
“Stop it!” Rose cried, finally running out of patience. “Just stop it, both of you!”
The Doctor and Jackie glared at each other in silence and Rose rolled her eyes.
“Look, it’s my bedroom and it’s my decision, alright? Mum, I promise he’s not here to take advantage of me or anythin’ like that. He just needs my help, that’s all.”
“But Rose—”
“Mum, just trust me, alright? I’m not gonna disappear.”
There was a moment of tense silence before Jackie nodded slowly.
“He’s not feelin’ well, Mum.”
“I’m fine!” the Doctor interjected indignantly.
“He shouldn’t be alone when he’s sick, Mum, please.”
The expression on Jackie’s face softened slightly as she glanced at the Doctor.
“Alright, sweetheart,” she said eventually. “I’ll expect you both for breakfast, shall I?”
“I won’t be—” the Doctor started to say.
“If you’re going to be here at this time of night, you’ll be here for breakfast as well,” Jackie insisted. “We do have standards, Doctor, and I expect you to stick to them.”
“Right.”
“Tea and toast, Doctor, just what you need to feel better.”
Rose grinned at him in triumph.
“But first, bed. Both of you, now.” Jackie leaned forward to press a kiss to Rose’s cheek. “Fully clothed, mind you.”
“Mum!”
“And I’ll see you both in the morning.”
With that, she flounced off to her bedroom and closed the door. Rose slowly closed her own door and turned to look at the Doctor as he sat down on her bed and put his head in his hands.
“Domestics,” he muttered without looking up at her.
“It’s domestic to have people look out for you?” Rose said tiredly. “Come on then, we can argue more about it tomorrow.”
“Over breakfast,” he said sullenly. “With your mother.”
“Yes, that would be the best time.”
“Will Rickey the idiot be joining us as well?”
“Doubt it,” Rose replied with a yawn. “Boots off, Doctor.”
“What?”
“No boots in my bed.”
He stared down at his boots as if he’d never noticed them there before.
“Boots and coat off, everythin’ else is up to you.”
“Right.”
Rose flicked the light off and climbed back into bed, listening to the sound of boots hitting the floor and his leather coat being dropped on her dressing table. He hesitated then and Rose suppressed a giggle.
“Don’t worry, Doctor, I’ll not be takin’ advantage of you either.”
“Domestics,” he growled in disgust.
“Come to bed, Doctor. You’ll feel better after a bit of sleep.”
Rose held her breath as he slipped into the bed next to her and tried not to be too obvious as she let it out. She’d never shared a bed with the Doctor before. It certainly wasn’t how she’d pictured it.
Not that she’d pictured it.
Not much, anyway.
She tried to force herself to relax and listened to the comforting sound of his breathing. After a few minutes of peaceful silence, a thought occurred to her.
“You still haven’t told me why you came here,” Rose said sleepily. “If it’s not because you’re sick, why did you come?”
“I couldn’t focus on what I was doin’, the TARDIS kept shockin’ me,” he said simply. “Figured I’d be better off checkin’ in on you then staying by myself getting shocked by my ship.”
“Is this your roundabout way of sayin’ you missed me?”
“I’m sayin’ my TARDIS has started to meddle.”
“It’s okay, Doctor,” Rose murmured, patting him on the shoulder comfortingly. “I missed you, too.”
She settled herself more comfortably against his side, grateful he was there.
“I’m not sick,” he insisted quietly.
“Of course not, Doctor,” Rose agreed.
“I just didn’t want to be alone.”
Rose looked at him in surprise, trying to make out his expression in the dark.
“I don’t want you to be alone either.” She reached down and threaded her fingers through his. “I’m so glad you came here.”
He turned his face towards her, and she could see his wide grin even in the darkness of the room.
“Me too.”
Rose squeezed his hand and then closed her eyes again.
“Good night, Doctor.”
“Good night, Rose.”