"Before I disappear, whisper in my ear. Give me something to echo in my unknown future's ear. My dear, the end comes near. I'm here...

But not much longer."

Rose turned away from the awake Donna as she heard the TARDIS materialize outside. She still didn't feel the Doctor in her head, and she feared what she'd find as she bolted from the house and to the time ship. The TARDIS was humming a lament, which only fueled Rose's fears further.

Snapping her fingers, she ran inside, finding the Doctor leaning against the console with a weak smile.

She smiled at first, then caught the faint golden glow beneath his skin.

"I'm going to drop you off to the day of Donna's wedding." He said as he worked some controls. "One of us should be there."

"Doctor." She said, moving closer to him, hesitating as she remembered how he wanted her to stay back the last time he regenerated.

He took her hand. "I have a few places I want to go first." He told her honestly. "But I will be there to see Donna when I can. I promise."

She nodded, grabbing his head and kissing him firmly, running her fingers through his hair the way he liked, caressing his sideburns before she trailed over his face, memorizing it as he flipped the switch and sent them on their way.

She let the tears slide down her cheeks, but refused to cry over this too much.

Same man, different body.

She knew the drill.

She just knew how much she'd miss him. Just like she missed his ninth self. Just like there were times she wished she had longer in their dream reality with his eighth body.

The TARDIS landed, but she wasn't quite ready to let go.

"I'll be back," he promised, cupping her cheek before taking a step back, gesturing to the door for her to go.

She nodded, heading for the doors, stepping outside with one last look over her shoulder.

The Noble house was already teaming with activity, and she heard Donna running toward her with the giddiness of a teenager long before she saw the bride running down the walkway. And for her friend's benefit, she would plaster on a smile and pretend that these might not be the last few hours of her life.

~DWDWDW~

"This has been great, really," Tim assured Jenny for the dozenth time as they walked toward the newly materialized TARDIS, landing exactly when and where it was supposed to.

"Good," Jenny said with a nervous grin that he thought was really cute but would never admit to.

He was glad they expanded on their friendship, that their kiss in the TARDIS a year ago (for him, anyway) had never been brought up again. Though, now that they were essentially the same age, it seemed less weird to him to think about.

Jenny snapped her fingers, and the TARDIS doors opened. He waved her in first, setting down both their bags at the foot of the ramp when he stepped inside. He was raised as a gentleman, after all. And even if the lady in question was an alien with more strength than he had he wasn't about to let her carry her own backpack. It may have been light as a feather thanks to its trandimensional interior, but that didn't make a bit of difference.

"Hey, Doc. Wolf…." He stopped as he caught sight of only the Doctor standing at the console, leaning heavily against it. He swallowed, remembering what he saw a few months back. "She's not here."

"Donna's getting married." The Doctor replied. "She's one of the bride's maids, or something like that."

"Oh, yay!" Jenny said, hopping and clapping a bit. "Can we go?"

"No, Love." The Doctor said as she sent them on their way through the Vortex. "I'm afraid we can't."

The TARDIS landed with a shudder, and Jenny looked confused. "Why not?"

The Doctor glanced at Tim, then stepped up to his daughter, brushing her hair behind her ear. "I'm dying." He said.

"What?" Jenny stuttered.

"This me is dying. I'm going to … when you see me again, I won't look like this anymore. You'll know me, up here." He said, tapping Jenny's temple. "But you won't recognize me at first look."

"You're regenerating." She said, understanding.

Tim expected her to lash out, probably getting that he must of have known it was going to happen. But Jenny didn't.

"I've brought you back to school," The Doctor said. "I've a feeling River will be able to help you through this."

"You won't stay?" She asked. He shook his head. "Why not?"

"Because I need to get Tim home, and then I need to return to your mother." He explained calmly, a flash of gold dancing along his skin. "And I'm running out of time."

Jenny nodded, then threw her arms around her Dad's neck. "I love you, Dad." She said, her words muffled.

"Love you too," He said, kissing her forehead.

Jenny turned away, moving quickly from the TARDIS, grabbing her bag. "Hear from you soon?" She said to Tim as she was half way out the door.

"Sure will, Goldie Locks." He smiled as best he could at her, earning a small, genuine one in return, and then she was gone. The TARDIS took off. "I'm sorry." He said without looking at the Doctor.

"Don't be." He said with a sigh. "You weren't the only one who warned me."

Tim nodded, the TARDIS landing with a shudder. He walked to the ramp, picked up his bag, turned to the Doctor. "See you later, Stormboy." He said casually, not wanting the Doctor to know how sad he really was that the face he knew, the one who saved him in numerous ways, would never be seen by his eyes again.

"Bye, Tim." The Doctor said, and Tim nodded before he stepped outside the TARDIS.

Into a foot of snow.

"Fuck," he said, laughing a bit at how he was going to explain to his Aunt who he told he'd be gone for a week why he was actually gone for, what he would guess, was four or five months.

~DWDWDW~

Rose had stood and smiled for pictures in her gold-toned dress, playing giddy and happy when needed while she knew her husband was dying. Changing. Maybe without her.

Donna would catch the odd wistful look, knowing without fully comprehending what was happening. She knew he'd have a different face when she saw him again, having learned about regeneration before the meta crisis and the knowledge not needing too much filtering. It was alien, of course, but when they discussed it it was like she equated it to a face lift. What ever worked to keep her in their lives.

When the TARDIS groaned out from around the corner of the church, Rose turned to Donna who smiled as she fiddled with one of Rose's curls in a motherly gesture. "Go to him." She said, her attention being quickly pulled away by Shawn.

She handed Nerys her bouquet, picking up the skirt of her dress as she darted away.

Rose found the Doctor leaning against the church wall, face twisted in pain as he clutched at himself.

"You need to get inside the TARDIS." She lectured.

"One last thing," He groaned, reaching into his pocket and pulling out an envelope. He moved to take a step and nearly fell over. "Might need help." He chuckled weakly.

She ducked to loop his arm over her shoulder, guiding him around the corner where they found Wilf and Sylvia coming to investigate.

"And here you are, same old face." Wilf said after the initial surprise. "Didn't I tell you you'd be alright?" He said, smile wavering as he met Rose's eye and she gave him a subtle head shake. Wilf nodded, looking back to the Doctor. "They've arrested Mister Naismith. Crime's undisclosed. And his daughter, too, the both of 'em." He paused. "But there's one thing you never told me, Doctor, and I keep wondering: That woman. Who was she?"

Rose looked up at the Doctor, curious if he would tell Wilf the truth, if he'd ever know that she visited her as well. She hoped, saw that he might say, then his muscles tensed around her.

"Can you give this to Donna?" He asked as he handed the envelope to Sylvia. "Wedding present. Thing is, Rose is the one who carries the money, and she's been here so I popped back in time and borrowed a quid off a really lovely man. Geoffry Noble. 'Have it', he said." The Doctor explained, and Sylvia's reaction made Rose's heart swell. "She can have a good life, the best one she can have on Earth. They can travel the world, and never have to work another day in their lives."

"From a quid?" Wilf asked.

The Doctor smirked. "Time Traveler can do a lot with a quid." He said just before Donna shouted about a tight schedule.

Sylvia looked to Rose expectantly.

"She knows I won't be back today." She said. "But go, we'll see her again."

Sylvia nodded, turning and pulling a still confused Wilf along with her.

The second they were gone, the Doctor tensed and his weight became nearly too much for Rose to hold up. "Come on," She said, wrapping her arm around him to better help him along back toward the TARDIS. The Doctor leaned heavily on Rose, whimpering and sweating. "Almost there," She soothed, feeling him grow warmer by the second. "Just hold on," She said as she lifted on hand, snapping her fingers, the doors opening instantly. As they stepped inside, the Old Girl whimpered in her mind, sharing the pain of her Time Lord.

The Doctor panted heavily as she half lugged him to the jumpseat, sitting him down before running about the console and getting them into the Vortex.

"Rose," He said, his voice hoarse with pain, and she went to move to him. "No, stay there." He warned suddenly, wincing. "It's not going to be like last time, it's going to be much bigger. Held off too long."

"Why?" She asked, tears coming to her eyes.

He smiled, "Had things to do, people to warn." He said. "I just wish I could have included you in those final goodbyes. Give you a proper one. One suited for the life we've shared."

"You can make up for it in the next one." She tried to joke, her voice catching.

"Quite right, too." He chuckled, wincing. "Oh this is not how I wanted to go. Not at all." He panted. "And I suppose, if it's the last chance for you to hear it from this body, in this voice. Rose Tyler," He grunted. Bending over, he clutched the edge of the console and pulled him self to his feet. It looked like it took monumental effort, his face twisted in agony. "Rose Tyler," He tried again, looking up at her just as his skin began to take on the hot, golden glow. "I love you." He got out just before the energy exploded around him.

It was so intense, Rose felt it lick her skin, the burn of energy causing her to hiss. The TARDIS whimpered, then cried, and Rose noticed the coral struts catching fire. After seeing the destruction taking hold of their beloved ship, Rose turned to the Doctor.

And couldn't help but smile.

Because she knew the man that started to come through.

~DWDWDW~

The hot pain of regeneration ended abruptly, and the Doctor emerged from the heat feeling new. Well, that would make sense, wouldn't it? Everything about him was changed. Wait, he was still a him, yes? He wasn't about to make his wonderful wife turn teams, was he? Yes, still a he, still definitely a he. And if the Adam's apple in his neck wasn't tip-off enough, the familiar twitch in his trousers as he caught sight of Rose in that dress a few feet away did the trick.

"Two arms, two legs, and still a man!" He exclaimed, arms out to the side as he showed her him. "So, Rose Tyler, what do you think? Am I fit? Dashing? An upgrade over the previous model?"

She smiled that wonderful smile, with her tongue sticking out between her teeth. It made him grin. Different this grin, not quite as manic, didn't pull as wide. And the teeth, his teeth were different again.

"Well, Sweetheart?" He asked taking a couple steps toward her. She met his eye, but something was different there. "Rose?" he asked, worry coming through and he started wringing his hands.

Her eyes rolled back, and while he fell on his arse in the process he managed to dive down and catch her before she hit the grating.

"Rose!" He screamed out in panic.

He died. He technically died, and she was over a hundred years old. She didn't age, she didn't change, but what if … what if he held the body of his wife who died at a hundred twenty-seven because the man she bonded with had died as well.

Hands shaking, he checked for a pulse, but when he couldn't steady himself enough he remembered he'd raised his shields to stop her from feeling his pain. Lowering them quickly, the Doctor felt his wife's mental signature still humming strongly.

"Good, good, that's good." He said, just noting the TARDIS's panic and pain now that his mate was no longer his greatest concern. "Not so good if I don't get us landed properly. Crashing, yes, let's not do this. Not today. Alright, hang on there, Sweetheart. Gonna be a bumpy ride." He said as he grabbed hold of a lever. "Geronimo!"

A/N: And here we are at the end of the second fic. Thank you all those who read, favorited, followed, and reviewed.

Maria EduardaB, Infinities Lover, bluezinthos, Bad Wolf Jen, hotsasukefan, Wumertil (century), QueenTatoonie, CupcakeFlake, annabethfan15, misstylersmith (thanks for the catch), Ryann Bennett, EmmaKathy, Darkelvoriplorellion, and tscheby. Thank you all for leaving word.

And thank you if you've left word again after this. If there are questions I can answer without giving much away I will get back to you through PM.

Yes, cliffhanger. I know. One month all, just have to hold off one month. And I'm also posting a very tiny teaser short called "Spoilers".

See you in Decemeber ... I hope.