Marked complete for now, but I may continue this. Tumblr prompt from valiantdefenderoftheearth: "Have you ever gotten a prompt for Ten/Rose first kiss in an AU where he actually admits he loves her?"

Rose tightened her grip on the lever, slick hands and strong pull from the void making it nearly impossible to keep hold of the thin piece of rubber and metal.

"Rose, hold on! Hold on!"

She managed to wrap both hands firmly around it, the Doctor watching her with a deafening silence. She used both arms and pulled, as hard as she could, calling on decade-old training and more recent strengthening of muscles during their frequent "bits in between," as the Doctor had called their more challenging encounters. Finally, finally she was able to hook one arm around the lever, the other hand tightened below the grip to keep her from slipping upward.

"Hold on, Rose," the Doctor repeated, tension replacing panic.

She shut her eyes, putting all of her concentration into holding on. Seconds passed, moments lasting hours, and the void closed.

Rose's feet and legs dropped to the floor. She heard the Doctor's trainers, soles slapping the hard surface, as he came to a stop next to her.

"Alright?" he asked, voice low. She took a deep breath and opened eyes she'd not realized were still shut. Her arm was tight as she unwound it. She looked up at the Doctor, his brown eyes watching her, a hand outstretched to help her up. Rose nodded, took his hand, and stood, immediately finding herself wrapped in the Doctor's embrace.

"I thought I'd lost you." He buried his face in the crook of her neck.

Her hands came up to grab his jacket, pulling him even closer. "I thought maybe he was gonna be right. The beast, when he said I was gonna die in battle. I started slipping, and I thought, 'This is it, this is the day I die.'"

His arms tightened further, and she could feel his hearts pounding. She snaked her arms around his waist.

"Said you were gonna stay with me forever."

Rose pulled back slightly, and the Doctor lifted his head to look at her.

"Why'd you try to send me away again?"

"I know what it's like to be without a family, Rose. I was…" He trailed off, jaw clenching briefly before he continued. "I didn't want to do that to you, didn't want you here when you could've… You let go of that clamp, and I was sure I was living a nightmare." He swallowed hard, eyes pleading for understanding, forgiveness.

Rose reached a hand to cup his cheek, much as he'd done for her in a church in 1987, and he leaned into her touch without breaking eye contact.

"I'm sorry," he said. He opened his mouth to speak again, then closed it, watching her instead.

The image of Jackie Tyler faded, the console room empty again save for Rose and the Doctor.

"And we can't get back to that world at all? There's no way to talk to her again?" Rose sniffed and wiped a tear from her cheek, turning toward the Doctor.

"We can't," he answered. "The walls are sealed."

She nodded, then smiled shakily. "What're we going to do? Next, I mean?"

"Same old life," he answered, mouth pulling up to one side, a hand reaching out to stroke her upper arm. "The Doctor and Rose Tyler, in the TARDIS, as it should be."

She chuckled, then stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him. He returned the embrace. His hands ran lightly along her back, and she ducked her head to press her face into his chest. She breathed in his scent, a clean spice, and took comfort in the strength they gave each other. They'd almost been separated. She'd nearly…

"I…" she mumbled into his chest. She inhaled, focusing on his strong arms around her, on the soft look she knew he was giving her. She saw his face after he'd gotten out of the pit, his expression when he tried to explain watching his companions die. She remembered the worry he'd tried to hide when she could have asked to stay with her father in the parallel universe, how many people he'd left, been left by, and she swallowed before speaking again. "I love you."

He froze, his hands ceasing their caresses, and she sought words to apologize, to make sure things would stay normal without taking back what she'd said. When he tightened his arms around her, she remained quiet instead.

"Quite right, too," he said, voice colored with something like disbelief, maybe awe. "And… I suppose I could have missed my last chance to say it." He loosened his hold on her, then pulled back far enough to allow his eyes to scan her face. "Rose Tyler…" He seemed to stop breathing, and Rose moved a hand to his chest, felt his hearts beating as hard as her own. "I love you."

The breath rushed out of her. Three words. Three words, so often unsaid, left for unfinished sentences, shared in touches and looks, and now he'd said them, they both had, and he was watching her as if terrified, as if convinced she would retract her statement. She curled her hand around his lapel and pulled him toward her, crashing her lips into his.

He remained motionless for a fraction of a second, then responded, soft, cool lips shaping to hers, touching, tasting, almost teasing in their gentleness. The kiss was brief, chaste, but somehow perfectly timed, and as they pulled apart, Rose looked up at the Doctor, his eyes just inches away.

"Hello," she said, smile growing when his stunned look gave way to his own grin.

"Hello," he responded, beaming.

"What's next for us, then?" she asked, and he looked panicked a moment before letting her go, twirling away to fiddle with the console.

"Let's set it to random, hmm? Haven't done that for a bit." He grinned at her, flipped a lever, then made his way back over to her, pressing his lips to hers once more before returning to the controls.

She moved to stand at the console, turning a memorized dial when he nodded at her. The TARDIS shuddered and groaned, and Rose laughed in delight as the Doctor continued spinning while moving around the console, coming to a stop next to her when the TARDIS bumped to a halt.

"Let's see where we are, shall we?" He held out a hand, and she took it, nodding, returning his smile.

"Together."