Disclaimer: I don't own the characters to Doctor Who.

The Doctor shifted to look around Donna, gazing down the dark, empty street, cars abandoned, doors left open, engines still running. And in the distance, stood the figure of a woman, her blond hair contrasting greatly with the leather jacket she was wearing. He froze, unable to comprehend the possibility that she had made it back to him.

It was his mind playing tricks on him. It had to be. Because he saw Rose everywhere, in everything he did. He could always see her, haunting him, reminding him of the sentence he had never gotten the chance to finish. She would always be there, he had supposed, hanging over his shoulder so that he could never forget. Never move on.

And then she smiled. Bright and beaming and all for him. She was real. In an instant, all thought of the moved Earth, the Daleks, and even Davros vanished from his vast mind, leaving room only for her. Because she was really there. His entire being sang, a joy he had never known almost overwhelming. He returned her smile with his own.

She started to jog then, the weapon she wielded awkward in her arms. He broke into a sprint to meet her, his entire face split with his grin, ecstatic laughter bubbling out from inside his chest. He had never run so hard, and his muscles, for the first time in all his centuries of life, screamed as he went faster, all to hold her in his arms sooner. He was panting, even.

And the world broke in two, collapsing around him at the all too familiar cry to exterminate!

They were so close, when he came skidding to a stop. He was close enough to see each strand of hair on her head, when a beam of blue light shot out, hitting her directly in the chest. Their eyes widened in horror as they met, so close, yet so far.

She fell.

He forgot to breathe. Why had it shot at her? It should have killed him! At least he would have been able to regenerate himself. But the Dalek had chosen to exterminate her instead. His hearts thudded painfully in his chest, and he recalled then, how it had felt to be the Oncoming Storm.

Her body lay crumpled on the road, and words failed him, instead an enraged, incoherent roar ripping from his throat. He never got the chance to lunge at the Dalek in his fury though, because in the next second, Jack had appeared to aim a gun at it and urge to pull the steaming corpse of the Dalek apart with his bare hands was quelled when he heard her croak softly.

"Doctor."

He went to her side, ignoring the joint shouts of Jack and Donna. The Doctor scooped her up into his arms, clenching his teeth in an attempt to keep the tears from falling. For a short moment, as he had ran to the woman his hearts belonged to, he had thought that perhaps, just this once, the universe had decided to be kind to him. Now, he discovered, it had every intention of being cruel.

But there was life in her cheeks. Impossible as it was, she lay in his hold, looking up at him. She should have died before she had even hit the ground. Had the Dalek's weapon been defective? It didn't matter though, because she was still fading. The Doctor wasn't sure he would be able to handle losing her a second time. Her eyes slowly slid shut, and a sob escaped from between his lips. And he then knew that he couldn't handle losing her a second time. Now he was never going be able to finish that sentence he had started, circling around a supernova to siphon its power, while she stood helplessly on a beach in Norway.

A hand came to rest on his shoulder, and he shrugged it off, desperately pulling Rose closer into his chest.

"Doctor, we need to get out of here," Jack whispered. "Bring her onto the TARDIS."

The Doctor remained mute, kneeling by the console, refusing to let Rose go. He simply stared straight ahead into nothingness, not able to make himself look down at her. Having the weight of her in his arms was more than enough to kill him; her blank face would be too much to bear. She was Rose. She had promised him forever. And he thought he had recovered from her being trapped in that damned parallel world, but this new, raw pain would never heal itself.

Because even though they had been apart, the Doctor had known she was safe, back in that parallel world. She had even had a chance at happiness, with her mother and father, and new sibling. Now she had passed, long before her time.

The TARDIS mourned with him, her breathing irregular and soft, as if she were crying. The TARDIS loved Rose almost as much as...

No. He couldn't allow himself to even finish that thought, for the sake of his own sanity. It didn't matter anymore, now that she was gone. His shins dug into the grating of the TARDIS floor, and he forced himself to focus on that, still clutching Rose tight.

Jack finally crouched down to sit beside him. "There's nothing we can do, Doctor," he murmured.

He knew Jack wanted more than anything to be a comfort. And he knew that Jack cared very dearly for Rose. But this knowledge did not subtract from the pain, nor did the fact that he was right. The Doctor was powerless to save her. He did the only thing he could do.

Lash out.

"Do you think I don't know that?" he snapped back.

Jack's voice was soft, though. He understood his grief. "I know how you feel, if anyone ever did, Doc."

"No, you don't," the Doctor responded coldly. "In no way could you ever possibly know how I feel."

That comment had the exact effect he had been looking for. He had so much anger and frustration, and it was clawing at his insides to get out. It wanted to thrash about, to attack everything in sight, until everything was torn apart, red and streaming with blood.

"You aren't the first person to lose someone you love!" Jack growled back. "Maybe I'm not nine hundred years old, but I've lived long enough to see people I care for grow old and die."

"She didn't grow old." the Doctor retorted. "She didn't have a happy life, like she was supposed to. There was no mortgage, or carpet, or potted plants, or cozy chairs to drink tea and watch telly from. I took everything from her, before she even had the chance to live!"

Jack opened his mouth to shout back at him, but it was Donna that yelled first.

"Shut it, both of you!"

The Doctor stared at her, having almost forgotten that she was even there. Jack scowled, but swallowed his reply.

"Doctor, I know you're in pain, but you can grieve her later. The Earth is still in danger, and you have a job to do."

He regretted it the moment he said it. "That doesn't matter now."

She stomped over to him from across the console room and gave him a slap that made his ears ring. It had been a long time since someone had the gall to slap him in the face. It seemed she had the same skill in face-slapping as Jackie Tyler, the Doctor noted. He made to apologize, because she was right, that was going too far. But Donna never gave him the chance.

"There are billions of people out there that need your help. There are planets, all thrown together for some reason, and you need to save them. Because that's what you do. You pull yourself together and protect the Earth."

He nodded weakly. "I know."

Donna kneeled next to him then, putting an arm around his shoulders. "Rose was a brave woman," she said at last. "She must have loved you very much. And I really don't think she would have wanted you to fall apart over her like this, not when there are still other people you can save."

"I know," he repeated softly.

He couldn't accept what had happened. Not yet. But he could press it back, for now. He could save the universe from the Daleks, and then wallow. Who was the idiot that came up with the idea that 'tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all?' Well, Alfred Lord Tennyson, he supposed.

He could do this. He could do this, because he had to. Clenching his eyes shut, he pressed his lips to Rose's forehead. What he would have given, to send her back to that parallel world, safe and sound, even if it meant spending the rest of eternity alone and yearning for her.

The Doctor pulled away, gently placing her down. The TARDIS would cradle her now. He forced himself onto his feet, looking back and forth between Jack and Donna.

"It's okay," Jack whispered.

And then, the lights went out. The Doctor froze, knowing what this meant. They were being transported, undoubtedly to the Dalek flagship, resting at the center of the twenty-seven stolen planets.

"Hold on!" he shouted, grabbing onto a bit of railing.

Jack and Donna did the same, and the TARDIS veered, exiting the Earth's atmosphere and traveling through space. He may not have been the best pilot out there (never mind that he was the only TARDIS pilot left) but the ride was more bumpy than usual. They landed roughly, and even he struggled to stay on his feet. For a moment, all was completely silent, and they all kept perfectly still, exchanging worried glances.

Then there was an ever familiar voice crying out, "Doctor, you will step forth or die!"

The Doctor's voice was quiet. "We'll have to go out, because if we don't, they'll get in."

Jack frowned. "You've got extrapolator shielding. They shouldn't be able to get through. Last time-"

The Doctor interrupted. "Last time we fought the Daleks, they were scavengers, and hybrids, and mad. But this is a fully-fledged Dalek empire, at the height of its power. Experts at fighting TARDISes. They can do anything. Now that wooden door...is just wood." He paused then, before admitting. "There's nothing we can do. All of us together."

The Doctor approached the door then, his hand resting on the handle for a moment. Here he was, about to face death once again. He would make it out, no doubt, because he always managed to scrape by. But at the cost of what? Who would he lose now? Surely the universe wasn't done with him, since it loved punishing him so much. No, this was only the beginning.

"Blimey," he laughed hoarsely. He was getting old. The Doctor turned to Jack and Donna, who were already flanking him. "You were brilliant, the both of you," he said.

He opened the TARDIS door, stepping out to be welcomed by a swarm of Daleks, all screeching out at once, elevated above their heads and flying about. Jack shut the door behind them, patting the blue exterior affectionately. Just in case this was really goodbye.

"Behold, Doctor," said their leader, up on a pedestal, "the true Dalek race."

The Doctor had no response. The Dalek continued, "The TARDIS is a weapon, and it will be destroyed."

They turned around just in time to see a slot in the floor open up, and the TARDIS fall bellow. He watched for a second, transfixed in horror, as it disappeared into the bowels of the Crucible, before shouting, "No!"

Not the TARDIS. His TARDIS. She had been his only constant, throughout all of time and space. She had been his last sliver of home, and the Daleks had taken it from him. He did not know why the universe had waited so long to punish him, for his crimes against his own people. Maybe it was only to be more cruel. Let him think he'd gotten away with it, before swiping the rug from beneath his feet, and tearing everything he cared about from him.

"What are you doing?" He yelled at the Dalek. "Bring it back!"

Because not only was the TARDIS falling, but so was Rose. The thought of them both being destroyed together was horrifying. It couldn't be allowed.

"What have you done? Where's it going?"

"The Crucible has a heart of Z-Neutrino energy. The TARDIS will be deposited into core," the Dalek answered.

"You can't! You've taken the defenses down...It'll be torn apart!"

Rose was down there. Rose and the TARDIS. The two things that mattered most to him, being burnt. He would never see her face again, never be able to return her to her family. And it killed him. The misery and anger burned up in his chest, and it was destroying him, too.

"Observe," stated the Dalek, "the last Child of Gallifrey is powerless."

A screen appeared in midair to show the TARDIS, sinking into the inferno. Already, she was beginning to come apart. The Doctor scrubbed his face, then ripped his hands through his hair. There was nothing he could possibly do. And he hated that feeling, more than anything.

"You are connected to the TARDIS. Now feel it die!"

The Doctor continued to stare up at the screen as the Dalek cried, "Total destruction of TARDIS in ten rells! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One!"

The TARDIS vanished, and the Dalek's tone could have been mistaken for pride, if the Doctor hadn't known any better. "The TARDIS has been destroyed. Now, tell me, Doctor, what do you feel? Anger? Sorrow? Despair?"

He felt hollow as he mumbled, "Yeah."

But there was so much more than that. Emotions that the Dalek could never comprehend surged through him. More than anything, he wished Rose was there to hold his hand.

"Then, if emotions are so important, surely we have enhanced you."

The Doctor struggled to find his mouth, to open it and speak intelligence, but failed. It was Donna's hand that found his. He was thankful, because it was more than he could ever deserve, but it did not soothe the agony he then felt.

"Yeah?" Jack retorted for him, pulling out a pistol and aiming for the Dalek. "Feel this!"

It had no effect, of course, the bullets bouncing off the Dalek's nearly-impenetrable outer shell. The Dalek's response was quick and predictable, as it shouted, "Exterminate!"

Jack howled out in pain, before crumbling to the ground, lifeless. Donna released his hand, quickly stumbling to where Jack lay. It didn't really matter that they had just met. He was the Doctor's friend, and he had already lost too much in one day. She felt for a pulse, already knowing she would find none.

"They killed him," she whispered, "just like that. They just killed him."

For the first time since she met the Doctor, since her ruined wedding and the Racnoss, she could see all nine hundred years of his life on his shoulders, darkening in his eyes. Pure, unadulterated fury rolled off him. He looked ancient then, even though he had the body of a young man.

"Donna, come here," he said. "Leave him."

"Escort them to the vault," the Dalek then commanded. "They are the play things of Davros now."

The Doctor let himself be led away, glancing over his shoulder for a moment to see Jack, laying still, wink up at him.

There was singing. A voice so achingly familiar, and caring, and impossible. Then came the fire of a million suns, scorching her insides with a heat she shouldn't have been able to withstand. The song continued in her head, pulling her through darkness and into golden, ethereal light. Still, she burned.

She lay there, immobile, listening to that beautiful voice as it sang to her, and memories of the last time she had heard this song snapped into place. Two words, a name she had scattered through time and space, came to mind. Bad Wolf.

The last time she had burned, the Doctor had been a different man. He had taken it from her, killing himself to do so, and removing every reminder of what she had turned into to return to him. He had never realized, as she did then, that the Bad Wolf could not be completely erased. Because it was who she was. She had become the Bad Wolf for a reason, all those years ago, and for that same reason, it had reappeared in her.

The song grew louder, becoming almost frantic, and her eyes shot open. Rose took a deep, euphoric breath of air into her lungs, before slowly exhaling. Above her head, she stared at the Time Rotor. It was utterly still, and in that instant, she understood the panic of the song. It had been the TARDIS singing to her.

Almost experimentally, she sat up and considered her surroundings. It was just her, in the dark console room of the TARDIS. The Doctor was nowhere to be seen. A little shaky, she stood to approach the controls. She really still had no clue what the different levers and buttons and switches did, but what she could do was understand that song, still chiming in her mind.

They were in danger. Danger that the TARDIS could not defend against. And maybe it was because their minds were connected, but her hand darted forward, instinctively flipping switches and turning knobs and pulling levers she couldn't name in a sequence that had the TARDIS humming with relief as they started to disappear from the unknown threat just outside.

Davros was taunting him. The Doctor had new weakness that he had never seen in him before, and now he was entertaining himself by jabbing his open wounds with a stick. Davros knew about Rose, now utterly gone, along with the TARDIS. Apparently, Dalek Caan had seen all, after falling directly into the Time War, unprotected.

And now, Davros was amusing himself by pointing out just how alike they really were. Martha Jones, with her Osterhagen Key, and Jack, Sarah Jane, Mickey and Jackie with their warp star. But he could not deny what Davros said because it was true. He had done this. He had turned these brilliant, ordinary people into weapons, just so he didn't have to dirty his own hands.

Weapons deemed pathetic, in the eyes of Davros, because they were dealt with very easily, all of them transported into the vault, just as trapped as he was.

Helplessly, he watched as Jackie looked around the darkened room, clearly expecting her daughter to be with him. She quickly became disappointed, and made it know. "Doctor, where's my daughter? She came here to find you!"

Davros cackled away, pleased by how guilty the Doctor then looked, his shoulders sinking, his eyes drifting into nothingness. It became apparent then that she would not like whatever answer he had for her.

It was Dalek Caan that responded, writhing and exposed and mad with laughter as he said, "Rose Tyler, the human, is no more. She fell to the heart of the Crucible with the TARDIS, and burned. Burned like a sun."

Jackie's eyes widened in alarm, a shocked cry escaping as she lunged forward. Mickey caught her wrist though, holding her back. He swallowed his own tears and held Jackie as she weeped uncontrollably. It was the only thing that he could do, that anyone could do. He sunk to the floor with her, arms around her as she wailed.

"You promised you would protect her!" She accused through her tears, glaring at the Doctor. "She only came back to this universe because of you!"

"I know," he replied quietly, staring ahead. "I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry."

Mickey had to restrain her then, and almost got slapped for it. "Don't give me any of that!" She roared. "Rose loved you! She told you so! You couldn't even say it back, and you go and be a stupid, alien git, and leave her there. I had to watch her be miserable! She finally gets back to you, and you can't even protect her for one day!"

He bristled. "I know!" the Doctor repeated, finally turning his head to look at her.

Davros heaved with haughty laughter. "How far you have fallen, Doctor," he sneered. "You were once known as the Oncoming Storm, and the Destroyer of Worlds, and now you can't even keep your precious Children of Time all in line."

The Doctor ignored him, however.

"Yeah, you keep saying that, but did it really change anything, just knowing? You should 'ave done something about it years ago, back when you were in leather! But all you did was string my daughter along, and make her wait!"

"I know!" he yelled back, chest heaving, wishing he was free from the cell Davros had put around him. "Don't you think I regret every moment I didn't take advantage of? Of course I do! But she promised me forever, and I actually believed her! She made me believe that there really was nothing that could tear us apart!"

"Oh, poor you," Jackie scoffed. "You have no idea what she went through, to get back here. She found you so many times, only to realize you had died, or were a new man, or had never known her. All the while, what did you do? Fly around in that stupid box of yours, keep traveling, and forget that she ever existed!"

"Jackie, that's enough," Mickey finally said. "You know the Doctor would have done anything in his power to get her back."

"And he never forgot about her," Martha informed her softly. "It was impossible to move out from under her shadow."

The Doctor was silent. He didn't have the energy to give anymore apologies. As it was, he was utterly incapable of stopping Davros' plot-the Reality Bomb. Everything was about to end, and here he was, arguing with Jackie Tyler. If the actuality of the situation hadn't weighed so much on his shoulders, he would almost have been amused. Because despite everything, at least Jackie always stayed the same. He loathed to admit it, but the Doctor actually liked that about her.

Donna seemed to be the only one with a clear head. "Doctor," she said at last, "there has to be something we can do. You jump in and save people, yeah? There's gotta be something."

"It is as Dalek Caan has foretold. The Doctor will be defenseless against the Reality Bomb!" Davros interjected, reclined and looking rather smug.

"Oi!" Donna snapped, "You can shut it now! You don't know anything."

The Doctor smiled despite himself. Donna could always be trusted to say the right things. Not very many people had the guts to tell Davros to shut up, besides him. There she was, fixing the world by yelling at it. It was admirable, to know that this human woman, who must have been just as afraid, if not more so, as he was, and she could muster enough courage to do what she always did.

He was so pathetic.

The Doctor straightened his back then, pulling his shoulders back. Because Donna was right-there had to be something they could do. He always figured out a way to save the Earth, and his track record wasn't about to be beat now.

"There is nothing you can do, Doctor," Dalek Caan cackled wildly, his limbs flailing. "You will wait! You will wait for the end, with the rest of humanity!"

The Doctor ran a hand through his throughly abused hair, grunting. There was always a solution. Nothing was ever truly impossible. He had learned that, ever since meeting Rose. He swallowed dryly at the thought, shaking it from his head. He couldn't afford to be thinking about her right now. Donna was right, as always. He could grieve her later.

"No," the Doctor stated with a tone of finality.

Davros looked amused. "And what do you think you can do, stuck here?" he asked, "There is nothing you can do to stop the Reality Bomb."

"No," he repeated forcefully.

"It is coming, it is coming!" Dalek Caan crowed, "It is coming!"

"No!" he shouted. "I'm going to put a stop to this. I'm going to figure out a way to stop your plans, and I'm going to save the Earth, and then, just for the hell of it, I'm going to eliminate every, single, last Dalek from existence!"

"But you have no resources, no other allies, no plan," Davros stated.

The Doctor gave him a wolfish grin. "And doesn't that just scare you to death?"

He could remember having a similar conversation once, and he had been in a helpless situation then, too. He had gotten through it, and he would do the same now.

And then he heard the most beautiful sound in the universe. His hearts stopped.

He slowly turned his head to see the TARDIS stuttering into existence. His first instinct was to feel joy-he had thought he had lost his glorious ship to the Daleks-but it quickly turned to terror. The TARDIS shouldn't have been able to do that on her own. She had been drained of all her power. So that begged the question, how could the TARDIS be appearing in the Crucible vault? It was impossible. Really, very impossible.

The blue doors flew open then, and he sucked in sharply, completely stunned by what he saw. Golden light poured out, blinding everyone in the room, but he continued to stare. Out stepped Rose, bathed in light. And he could do nothing but remember the last time he had seen her like that. There had been a fleet of Daleks then, too.

He looked into her eyes, shining bright, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Rose," he whispered, "oh, Rose."

There was the cry of several Daleks, beams of blue light being shot at her, but she only had to lift a hand, and their deadly shots were reversed. The Doctor swallowed. This was The Game-station all over again, and just as last time, he was absolutely terrified. Because of him, this perfectly beautiful, human girl had become something else.

"I told you a long time ago," Rose spoke with a voice that was not completely her own, "I want you safe, my Doctor."

There was a chill in the air as each of his friends and allies turned to stare at him. They all knew that this was not natural, even for traveling with the Doctor. Jackie's glare was hardened, tears still flowing down her cheeks. This was not her daughter who stood before them, a fiery power over time and space surging through her veins. He then recognized what Dalek Caan had meant, when he had said that Rose Tyler, the human, was no more. That didn't stand to say that Rose Tyler was no more.

"What is this abomination, Doctor?" Davros yelled, "What have you done?"

Rose then turned to him, her golden glower enough to even make him cower. Her rage was powerful enough to be palpable, burning bright and hot.

"You are tiny, compared the the whole of reality. I have seen all that you are, have been, and ever could be, and you are so small. A shriek in the dark, nothing more. And like your Reality Bomb, I can break you down to dust."

"Rose, I can't let you do this again," the Doctor said, hands pressed flat against his cell wall. "You've committed genocide for me once, and I can't let you do that a second time."

"You already know I have no choice, Doctor," she replied, her tone softer, her gaze warm and gentle for him. "If I let the Daleks survive, the entire universe is at risk. Neither of us can allow that."

"You can't do this," he whispered.

"But I can!" she insisted. She approached his cage then, and with a short wave, it dissipated. He stood still however, uncertain of what he even could do. Her hand came up to cup his cheek, understanding and unbearable adoration pouring out. The heat of her touch was searing, but he couldn't move away.

He wanted so badly to tell her exactly how he felt for her, to finish that statement he had started at Bad Wolf Bay. But he held it back, words failing him.

Davros had already turned to a snickering Dalek Caan. "How could you not have foreseen this?" he asked, his tone enraged.

"Oh," the Doctor said weakly, "I think he did."

The Doctor hesitantly took her hand, almost too hot to bear. Her fingers still fit perfectly with his, he was astonished to discover. He squeezed it lightly, as if experimenting with the idea that, despite how much they both may have changed, they still belonged in a set together.

"You betrayed us, Dalek Caan!" Davros accused, pointing a clawed finger.

"I saw what the Daleks were," Dalek Caan retorted, "and they must be destroyed."

Rose took that as her cue. "I'm sorry," she breathed, tearing her hand away from the Doctor and holding her palms out.

He silently watched as the Daleks within the vault were disintegrated into a copper powder, and then disappeared entirely. Her eyes squeezed shut in concentration, and the Doctor knew this was happening all over the Crucible, where the Daleks had returned to from Earth to prepare for the Reality Bomb. Dalek Caan was still flailing and cackling away as he started to dematerialize.

"Go to sleep," Rose murmured mercifully.

"You did this!" Roared Davros, pointing to the Doctor in accusation. "You created this, Doctor! You created a monster!"

The Crucible vault was then silent as even Davros vanished out of existence.

Rose's shoulders slumped then, her head dropping forward to hide her face. That blazing, consuming fire that had possessed her streamed from her fingertips and mouth and eyes, leaving her body entirely to fly back into the TARDIS. She staggered, and the Doctor lurched forward to just barely catch her.

They sunk to the floor together. Faint, brown eyes stared up him, and he struggled to pull her into his arms, lifting her up. He would have time to figure out what had happened to her later, but in the meantime, the Crucible was falling apart, and there were twenty-seven planets that needed returning to their rightful places.

"Jack," he yelled, "get everyone into the TARDIS, now!"

He handed him Rose, comforted by the fact that at least she was breathing. He approached the controls, cracking his knuckles and smirking.

Rose found herself slumped in the captain's seat of the console room in the TARDIS when she opened her eyes again. She groaned, clutching her head, blinking blearily as she realized they were in flight again. The song of the TARDIS was not as loud as it had been before, but she could still hear it, tingling in the very back of her mind. She sounded so joyous. Smiling, she watched as a large group of familiar faces, and some not-so-familiar faces, working the controls.

No wonder the TARDIS was so pleased...she was being flown properly for the first time in centuries. She strained her muscles, forcing herself to stand. Her grin fell when she met her mother's terrified gaze. She crossed over to where Jackie was awkwardly standing.

"Hi, mum," Rose mumbled, not sure how to explain herself.

Jackie's expression was livid. "Hi, mum?" she repeated. "Hi, mum? Are you bloody insane? What in the hell is going through your head, Rose?" she asked, grabbing her and pulling her forward into a bear-hug.

"I'm sorry," Rose said quietly. "I must have scared you."

"Yeah, you did!" Jackie snapped back. "I thought you were dead. I was gonna murder the Doctor, for that, the stupid alien."

Rose bit back a smile as they started to land. "I know," she said. "But I'm okay now, I promise."

"If you weren't a grown woman, I'd 'ave you give me a full explanation."

The Doctor approached then, his hands stuffed into his pockets. "Actually, I wouldn't mind an explanation, myself."

She turned, an infectious smile spreading across her face. "Fat lot of good you were, Doctor," she whispered. "You gave up on me."

"That's who I am now," he breathed. "Rude and not ginger."

She laughed then, reaching for him. It felt so long ago, when he had first told her that. He was then scooping her up into his arms, taking in her entire being.

"You're doing impossible things again," he said into her sweet scented hair.

He could feel her wet, teary smile against the crook of his neck as she replied, "I don't think that word means what you think it means, Doctor."

He laughed in response, because his only other option in this situation was to cry. In all honesty, he was terrified. He did not know how it was even possible that Rose was alive, when she had died in his arms, and he did not know how long it would take for the Bad Wolf to completely destroy her. He did not know what sort of effects this would have on her, negative or otherwise. He hated not having all the answers, almost as much he hated the fact that Rose had become something...not human, because he couldn't protect her. She deserved so much more from him.

He leaned in to press his lips to her forehead, sighing, "I forgot. You're always doing impossible things, my Rose Tyler."

It was impulsive of her. She still had no idea what his feelings for her were, and he had never finished that sentence. But it didn't matter so much, when she tugged him down by the lapels of his pinstriped, brown jacket, and crushed his lips with her own. He inhaled sharply, stunned by her sudden actions, his eyes widening. He watched as her own eyes slid shut though, and returned her kiss with equal fervor.

Unbelievable happiness screamed through her, and in the end, it wasn't her mother that broke the kiss with some snarky comment, or Jack with a wolf-whistle. What finally split them apart was her own giggling, which was quickly joined by his own peals of laughter, loud and rambunctious. She was so euphoric that it ached, deep in her chest. She hoped this exhilaration never faded.

The Doctor had lifted her completely off the ground then, spinning her about, before stippling her face with kisses.

"This is your fault, Rose," he happily accused, "you've turned me into a complete and utter sap."

She snickered, "I'm not giving you an apology, if that's what you're looking for."

Jack then clapped the Doctor on the back, before handing them each a celebratory shot of hyper-vodka he must have stowed on the TARDIS back when he had traveled with them. "You two are so sweet," he teased, "most people notice when they have an audience."

Goodbyes were not so bittersweet, the Doctor noted this time around. Mostly because he knew that they wouldn't be forever, this time. He would see Mickey and Martha again (since he could see how their timelines had intertwined together since their meeting on the Crucible), and Sarah Jane always seemed to find herself in some adventure that involved their paths crossing. Jack was sticking in Cardiff with his team, of course, and he would still be stopping by the rift every once in awhile to refuel the TARDIS. And Donna seemed determined to continue traveling with him, even if Rose would undoubtedly be sucking up much of his attention.

Well, most of the goodbyes wouldn't be forever.

Jackie had made a life for herself in that parallel world. She had a son and a husband, and she was happy there. She wanted for nothing. And he had to close up the cracks again. So he crossed the void, and stood on a wind-swept beach in Norway, where Jackie Tyler would stay for good.

He held Rose's hand, comfortably warm in his. Because all was as it should be. The Doctor and Rose, in the TARDIS. And after running a few tests to be sure, he had worked out that it would stay that way for quite a long time. It had made sense, Rose had declared. When Blon-Fel Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen had torn apart the TARDIS, revealing its heart, she had reverted to an egg, because her deepest wish had been to be given a second chance.

When Rose had looked into the heart of the TARDIS, she had been given her wish as well. Not only to return to the Doctor's side, but to stay there forever. He had been afraid that the power of the Time Vortex would eventually kill her, but this time, it had been the TARDIS to take that ungodly power from her, simply leaving her altered. The Doctor like to think that maybe, the TARDIS thought he deserved a break for once, a chance to be happy. That giving Rose a lifespan that matched his own was the wish of the TARDIS as well. Because when people left, and he was on his own, it was the TARDIS that had to watch him suffer. Now that wouldn't have to happen.

But Jackie could not stay. She didn't want to, either. She knew that she belonged with Pete and Tony, living in a parallel universe, even if her daughter wasn't there to share it with her. Rose and her mother accepted this fact. Jackie even managed to be happy for them, even though she knew she was losing Rose to an alien that would never give her a house with carpets and doors and picket fences and little gardens.

Even the Doctor was sorry to see Jackie leave, after promising that he would do everything in his power to make Rose happy. But they couldn't linger on that beach.

"Tell Rose what you were going to say last time we were here, yeah?" Jackie said as her ride approached, giving him a pointed look. She turned, leaving to go home.

And so he leaned in and told her.

AN: Can I just say, this was loads of fun to write. Loads. I loved every minute of it. So, hopefully it wasn't too cheesy. I tried to keep everyone in character best I could. Gah. I'm so happy whenever I finish writing a fic. I'm sure it was pretty obvious, but certain parts of this I took directly out of the episode, others I clearly altered to fit my story.

No promises, but I might post a few stories set after this one, with the Doctor, Rose, and Donna traveling together. Because I think that would just be hilarious. But it really depends on the sort of feedback I get on this.

As always, feedback is greatly appreciated. :) Thank you for reading!