Yes, yes. I know. There's like a million post-Girl in the Fireplace stories out there. I couldn't help It if this is where my muse wanted to go! It's always wandering off! XD

Anyways, LOTS of angst! Sorry.

I still don't own Doctor Who.

"I'm always alright."

Rose knew it was a lie. The Doctor was once again burying his feelings under a forced smile and placations. But she saw the pain in his eyes and knew that he was no where near alright.

Mickey must have sensed this too, and asked Rose for a tour of the TARDIS to give the Doctor some room to deal with the events of the day and because he was absolutely livid at the Time Lord.

"He promised that he would never abandon you, Rose, and what did he do the very next day? He bloody rode off on horseback to save a pretty French Aristocrat! He was Madame de Pompadour's knight in shinin' pinstripes! I saw how the Doctor looked at her. He's just like every other bloke after all. I tried to tell you, but oh no, you just wouldn't listen!" Mickey was ranting as soon as he was out of the range of the Doctor's hearing.

"But he came back!" Rose countered.

"Yeah, and he was gonna bring her with us! Face it, babe, he was gonna replace you."

"He wouldn't do that!"

"He's better than that!" They shouted in unison; Rose's voice full of conviction, Mickey's voice was dripping with sarcasm. Rose just glared at him.

"He is!" She said in a small voice, willing herself to believe her words. "He's never let me down…"

"There's a first time for everythin'."

"But he's never… he wouldn't." Rose couldn't control how choked her words came out. She trusted the Doctor till the end of the Universe, but was that trust misplaced?

"Are you blind? Look at what he did today! Saw another pretty blonde and he goes swannin' off!"

"I'm not listenin' to this!" Rose snapped as she turned on her heel and started storming back the way they came.

"What? You afraid that I'm right?" Mickey taunted, but his words fell on deaf ears.

OoO

The Doctor felt numb. If he learned anything today it was just how short and frail human lives were. Sure, he could go back in time and see Reinette in the prime of her life and she would undoubtedly be so happy to see him again. But he was already part of events. Going back would cause paradoxes on a massive scale.

Besides, even if she did come along, would she even approve of the life he leads? Would she be as willing to jump into all the fun and danger he and Rose always found themselves in? Now, Rose had no problem with that stuff. She had no problem grabbing his hand, running headlong into anything and everything.

But today… today he left her behind to go save Reinette and nearly trapped himself in Pre-Revolutionary France in the process. If the fireplace wasn't intact, he may have lost Rose forever.

He glanced at Reinette's letter again. She had called him "My love" and "My lonely angel". She had a choice. She could have never mentioned the fireplace and forced him to stay. But she didn't. She let him return to the future without any thought of following him. Then he promised her a trip in the TARDIS. Then she died waiting for him.

He stared blankly at the letter for what seemed like forever, only snapping up his head when he heard heavy footfalls approaching the console room. Rose appeared at the doorway, her face a stony mask.

"You okay?" He asked, genuinely concerned.

"About as alright as you, I suppose." She snapped back as she walked over to the jump seat and sat down. She stared into the blue light emanating from the Time Rotor, unwilling to meet his eyes.

"You want to go home? See your mum?"

"So you can what? Fly away? Abandon me again?!" She looked him sharply in the eye.

"Rose, I never meant to – "

"So you sayin' it was an accident that you climbed onto the back of a bleedin' horse and left me behind?" Rose cut in sharply. "And when you did come back you decide to bring her along! Mickey was right… you are just a typical bloke. You probably would've done the same if Sarah Jane was here instead of me!"

"Yeah, I would!" The Doctor spat back angrily. His words echoed around the cavernous walls of the console room until they died away and all Rose could hear was her own heartbeat pounding loud in her ears. She moved to stand up and leave, but in two quick strides the Doctor's hand was on her shoulder pinning her in place. She tried to move away but he kneeled down in front of her and gripped her arms in such a way it was impossible to move.

"And I would still regret every moment of it." He continued in a much softer voice looking her dead in the eyes. "Especially leaving you behind."

"Then why did you do it?"

"I couldn't let her die. But time did a better job of killing her than any clockwork droid could ever hope to."

"So if it wasn't for that, you would've replaced me." Rose made it a statement and not a question. The Doctor remained silent. "It's as plain as day that you love her."

"No Rose, I lo…" He bit off the rest of that of what he wanted to say and quickly changed the last syllable "…lost someone who was brave and smart and never deserved to die so young. But I didn't love her. I only knew her for a day. A person can't fall in love in a single day." Rose scoffed at that statement.

"That why you wanted to bring her along then? To have more time?"

"I only wanted to thank her for bringing me back here. For bringing me back to you." His grip on her arms had loosened considerably, and he trailed his hands down her arms to take her hands into his. "I would have missed you terribly if I was stuck back there with her. And she would never replace you."

Rose looked down at their entwined hands, his thumbs tracing comforting circles along the backs of hers.

"You mean that?"

"Cross my heart." He grinned despite all the grief he was feeling. "And you should count those by the way." Rose burst out laughing, and the Doctor stood, pulling her up along with him and into a warm hug. She went willingly and buried her face into the crook of his neck.

"I'm sorry you lost her. She was a good person." Rose said after a long moment of just listening to his double heartbeat. "And I'm sorry for being so stupid." She felt him shake his head, and pull her just a bit closer to him.

"You weren't. You're never stupid, Rose. Never. You have every right to be angry at me. I was an idiot today. If I keep that up, Mickey'll be out of a job…" She smacked his back.

"Rude." She giggled as she brought her hand up to the back of his head and smoothed his hair. "And still not ginger."

"Yeah, yeah…" He smiled as he pulled out of the hug slightly to look her in the eye.

"I meant what I said before: I'll never leave you behind." He said seriously.

"Yeah, try that again, and I'll just have to come after ya." She grinned at him.

"I'm gonna hold you to that."

"I bet you will."

But, for now, he just settled on holding her.

You could just stop reading here, but it would mean a lot to me if you checked out the alternate ending contained in the second chapter!