Disclaimer: if I owned Doctor Who then the last few series would not have gone the way they did (though they were enjoyable nonetheless).

"Hold on!"

Fingers that had been wound firmly around a handle were now scrambling for traction, a hold, anything. But alas, the pull was far too strong, and from the lever they slipped. And with that, his sanity slipped as he watched her fall to the abyss of white, only for a figure that looked all too similar to catch her before disappearing again.

Rose was screaming pleas to return, "Take me back!" as she pounded against the wall. Nearly causing whiplash, she turned suddenly to her alternate father, the one who brought her there.

She snatched the dimension cannon off his neck, glaring at him as he tried to tell her it wouldn't work. Then Rose ran to stand by the wall a few meters away, clutching the hopper in her hand.

Looking up at the man who'd caught her, she whispered, "Thanks."

And with that, she disappeared, as her mother broke down in tears once again.

The Doctor was devastated, so much that he nearly let go in pursuit of her. The force the Void emitted lessened, but his position, staring at the wall, face downcast, didn't falter.

Her name fell from her lips as the pull became almost non-existent.

She was gone.

"Doctor! I'm 'ere!"

The voice that he'd come to know, to love, rang out across the room. His head snapped towards it, and there, fingers and arms wrapping through the clamp, smile growing on the tear-stained face, there she was.

Rose. Rose. "Rose!" He called as the Void closed in on itself, and when it did, she collapsed into a heap on the ground. The Doctor nearly followed suit, overwhelmed.

She came back. Just as she's always done.

But he ran to her, no matter his exhaustion, and knelt down next to her, cupping the back of her head.

Rose laughed, a dry, tired laugh. "Miss me?"

He tried searching her eyes, but all he found mirrored his own.

"Yeah." He grinned oh, so wide. Elation filled both of their faces, pure giddiness. "Oh, Rose."

"Can ya help me up? Dead tired, I am."

He didn't pick her up, carrying her like a bride. No, he grasped underneath her arm, then on her waist, pulling her up with him. As soon as she was on her feet, both parties flew into a hug, arms wrapping around the other accordingly. His arms went under hers as he lifted her up, spinning the both of them around, for what could have been hours.

It didn't matter. Right now, they were both alive, in each others' arms, just as they should be. Rose and the Doctor, soon to be in the TARDIS, just as it should be.

Rose asked to go to the estate, to get a few things before it was all taken away. Her mother was assumed dead, and she had no reason to come back now, just as Jackie had told her would happen.

Next to her stood the Doctor, she herself was sober, sullen as she looked around the place at one time she called home.

She couldn't take anything, no it was too soon. It might always be too soon.

Rubbing her irritated eyes, she sighed, before plastering a small smile, one that wasn't entirely genuine, and taking the Doctor's hand.

"Chips, yeah?"

If he hadn't been there to see earlier that day, the Doctor would've never thought that anything had happened. Well, that and the fact that her heavily applied mascara and eyeliner was completely smeared.

Her disheveled appearance gained a few stares from those they passed, including the dinner lady at the chips shop who asked of Rose's well being. Rose piped that she was fine, in that false-cheery voice that fooled. It was when they were sitting in the booth that the Doctor brought it up.

"I'm fine, Doctor. Just–," she popped a chip in her mouth. "–hungry. Where do you think we'll go? Barcelona, maybe? Ooh, you still haven' taken me there, always went on about it 'fore. Do the dogs really have no–"

"Rose." He was concerned now, that was evident in his voice.

Rose looked up at him, chip stuck in mid-taste. "Wha?"

She wasn't like this, no, not with something like this. After she'd seen her father die, she moved on, but took her time grieving. She now had lost her mum, never to see her again. The Doctor leant forward, reminding her that it's alright to be sad.

"I told ya that, 'm fine. Jus tired s'all."

The Doctor frowned, "Then it's time to get back to the TARDIS, isn't it?"

Rose looked as though she was about to argue, but then the brown-haired man in front of her took her hand in his, stroking it with his thumb softly. Giving in, she allowed him to pull her up, leaving the chips, and led her to the TARDIS. Her head buried in his shoulder as she wept, so much like a child in his sleep; they sat together in the Captain's chair, for hours it seemed–not that either of them were paying much attention.

It was only disrupted by a ginger bride and a sharp "Oi!", and the Doctor and Rose were off again.

A/N: Yes, so this is series 3 (and beyond) with Rose added into the mix, but no, I'm (probably) not doing every episode. I know for a certain that the next chapter will not be "The Runaway Bride", because I'm starting off with "Smith and Jones" (which should be posted soon, I just need to finish writing the ending and revise). Just as a heads up, each episode will be a chapter, so prepare for them to be long. Will Rose always be there? Well, we'll see.

Review if you like, and "Smith and Jones" should be up soon.