"Rose…we're stuck."

It had been quite easy for Rose Tyler to become reacquainted with life on Earth. Considering she'd spent her first 19 years on the planet, it came quite naturally. It had only been a few months. The TARDIS had just stopped working. Koschei had surprised her with a trip to a ballet somewhere in London. She couldn't even remember the name of the theatre now. It hadn't been around during her time.

When they'd gotten back, the blue box had let them in, the lights had come on…but nothing worked. He'd given her a look, masking any fear that may have been in him, and taken her hand. He'd promised he'd fix it. It only seemed logical that it would be something fixable. Lights, kitchen, radio…everything worked except whatever it was they needed to fly away.

It had taken nearly two weeks for the TARDIS to run out of food. Two weeks before either of them realized that whatever it was about the box that produced an endless supply of meals was broken too. Two weeks before he'd understood that he couldn't fix the damn thing. Not on his own.

Thankful for the bit of Earth currency that had been stashed away in a hidden room, the two had ventured out into the world. It was years ahead of what Rose knew and years behind what Koschei had hoped. But they had each other…his hand in hers and the two felt like they could conquor anything.

2046

The world was a different place. Not different enough that they couldn't make a temporary life out of it. Just long enough to get themselves out. Long enough to find a way to fix the TARDIS and be on their way. The world finally knew about other species and life outside of their own planet and aliens had migrated to Earth to find a life for themselves. At least there wouldn't be an issue if it came out that Koschei wasn't human. That was comforting.

Torchwood of the era had grown. It was more than just a defensive company. They handled everything from extraterrestrial immigration to marriage certificates between species to weapons plans in case something got out of hand. It was only logical that they would be the first group the two would go too.

Torchwood had understood without question what their problem was. They had put them up in a small house just on the outskirts of town to allow them to adjust to life. To allow them to get used to the new world they were in for the time they were there. They had even taken the time to set the two up with jobs to make sure they had money to eat off of and a way to learn the ways of Earth again.

The Master had easily slipped into a job at Torchwood as an explosives expert, something he'd had a soft spot for long before he'd met Rose Tyler. Of course he was now developing weapons to protect the Earth rather than destory it, but that was alright. It was something to keep him busy.

Rose had been tossed into a bookshop as a clerk, somewhere she could hear stories of other worlds and could find tales for herself. There were so many nights she'd bring home a new book of stories and pull Koschei onto the couch and tuck his head in her lap so she could read them aloud, excitement in her eyes as her mind entered a world that didn't exist. And he'd lay there, a grin on his lips as he listened to the way her voice lilted and fell over the words on the page.

It wasn't much…but it was a life.

And then he'd come in one night, his face fallen and his eyes filled with an apology he didn't dare speak at first. She'd never seen his shoulders sunken so low and his eyes look so distance.

"Rose…we're stuck."

Her brow furrowed as she looked up at him from the couch, understanding not yet touching the corners of her eyes. "What do you mean?"

He moved towards her, taking a seat beside of her, his hands shaking but not reaching for hers. He couldn't bring himself to look at her, was afraid of the disappointment that would surely be sitting in her eyes. "Torchwood. They don't know how to fix it. The TARDIS is dead. I should have known it'd go." He risked a glance out of the corner of his eye, studying her reaction, silently praying that she wouldn't yell at him. He'd already beaten himself up about it. Already he'd fought the sound of the drums as they'd grown louder on his way home. He'd already done the best he could to quiet them for her sake.

Rose reached a hand towards him and placed it against his knee, gently rubbing, comforting. "Well then…" She took a deep breath, holding it for a moment, before exhaling through her nose and looking over at the Master, her eyes kind and her lips turned into the ghost of a small smile. "I guess we have to make due."

He turned his head, then, unable to mask the surprise on his face as he looked at her. "But, all of the trips I promised. All of the worlds we said would be ours. I can't give any of that to you. So many broken promises. I'm just like him, aren't I?"

It was no secret who he was talking about, who he was comparing himself too. Despite the years she'd spent with him, she'd always known he was worried about disappointing her in all of the same ways. "You're nothing like him, Koschei. You're not leaving me here alone. We can have this world in our own way. And there are so many places we've yet to see here. We'll make due. I promise you we'll make due."

Using the hand on his knee, he pulled her into him, crushing his lips against hers as he settled her in his lap, letting his arms fall tight around her. His Rose. He whispered his thanks against her lips, holding her tightly to him and scooping her into his arms as he stood.

He made love to her, in their bed, in their home, in their new world. He moved against her, her soft cries driving him forwards with a need he hadn't realized had been so strong. They fell together in a mess of sheets, his fingers tapping out a gentle fourbeat rhythm against the skin of her bare stomach as she struggled to find her breath.

A life.

Together.

Months went by and they fell into a routine. He'd leave for work with some sort of lunch she'd prepared the night before and she'd follow out the door to walk the few blocks to the bus stop to get to the city and her bookshop. He'd taken to coming by on nights she worked late and sitting in a corner with whatever book he could get his hands on about the stars. She'd taken quite well to holding his hand as they walked through the streets of London while he talked about whatever new idea he'd had about how to turn bombs species sensitive or whatever else he had going on at work.

Koschei never got down on one knee. But, he'd proposed after a late night in the bookstore, standing in the middle of the Business section with a diamond that reminded her of the stars. Rose had said yes with tears streaming down her face and the cheers of customers filling her ears.

The entirety of Torchwood had attended the wedding. The two had intended for it to be a small affair with just a few friends but the RSVP's had grown to needing the entirety of the building's largest meeting room. Their hands had been bound in true Gallifreyan tradition and he'd whispered his name in her ear and she'd kissed him like she'd never kissed him before.

It had taken another five years, but Rose came to be with child. Another miracle of Torchwood that the two were more thankful for than they'd thought they could be. It was a long nine months and there were days that Rose wasn't sure she could handle it. Between the morning sickness and the mood swings, it almost didn't seem worth it. And there were days that the drums beat so loud inside of Koschei's head that he wasn't sure if he should stay at the risk of everyone involved. He had never liked kids to begin with.

But it had been worth it in the end. Rose gave birth to a baby girl, the impossible child of a human and a Time Lord. Áine. Her name meant radiance and, in their eyes, there couldn't have been a name more fitting. The world seemed to stop and revolve around her, she became their everything.

It amazed Rose just how much Koschei doted on the child. For a man who had claimed to have never had a heart, one of his seemed to beat for his daughter. Several times a week he would walk through the door with a new toy or new outfit and would steal her out of Rose's arms to spin her around, his eyes lighting up. If he had any reason to keep the drums from beating, this was it.

Eighteen years.

Koschei had tried his best to hide the tears as Rose hugged Áine and watched the girl pull away to start a life of her own. He had pulled Rose into his arms, his face buried in her hair as he let his own tears fall. The drums grew and he held her tighter, trying his best not to let on that there was anything wrong.

She turned in his arms and pulled him down so that his face was buried against the crook of her neck. She let his fingers tap out the rhythm against her waist as he held her and let the tears take him. He wasn't used to goodbyes that he hadn't asked for. He didn't like them.

He didn't like the emptiness of the house, didn't like the way Rose's eyes seemed so empty. He didn't like the way she stood in the door of Áine's bedroom as if she could still see the girl sleeping. He didn't like the way the drums flared without her there, didn't like the way that Rose fell asleep most nights to the rhythm he tapped against her skin and left him awake.

It took time.

But, eventually they fell back into their routine. His never changed, but Rose grew older by the day. Laugh lines formed at the corner of her eyes and soft wrinkles tugged at the corner of her lips, but Koschei never saw anything other than his Rose. His beautiful Rose in bloom.

He did his best to ignore the petals as they fell. Her hair faded from blonde to a grey so light it was almost white. She wasn't as fast as she used to be and her body couldn't handle their walks nearly as well but she tried. With everything in her she tried. She didn't want to face aging. She wasn't ready.

He didn't want to believe that she was getting older while his face remained the same. It had been such a short time. Such a short life in comparison with the years he'd already known. He could have spent hundreds of years in her arms if time had allowed.

He slowed down with her, took his time. And when the drums were at their worst he stayed longer at work regretting the precious moments he was losing with her.

She was 87. A long life by any human standard but such a small blip in the life of a Time Lord. Koschei sat beside her after tucking her under the covers for the last time. He knew it wouldn't be long, had known for a while. He held her hand in his, the other stroking her cheek and her forehead and anywhere else he could ever so gently. He wouldn't let her see him cry. She needed strength, his strength. And he wasn't going to abandon her now.

He stayed true to a joke he'd made not long after they'd met. Koschei made sure she was buried far enough from the city so that the light of the stars shined down on her grave stone. He visited often, leaned against the cool marble slab and told her stories of his day. Told her how empty the house felt without her laughter and how many times he'd come in the door to sweep her off her feet for a kiss only to remember that she wasn't there.

He let himself cry. In the middle of a clearing with no one around, he let himself cry for a love lost. A love that he never felt he deserved and for a life that he wished would have gone on forever.

It took two years before he went to Torchwood, begging for a way to leave. He wanted to be with her again even if it meant letting go. So long he had spent wishing for more time, but now that it was gone he didn't have a world anymore. His daughter had moved on, lost touch, and his wife was gone. They had obliged.

Just a simple injection and the will to not regenerate. It amazed him just how easy it all was. No regrets, no second thoughts. He would see his Rose again. Somehow.

His eyes slid shut and the four beats slipped to two slipped to none. His breathing halted and in the moment before everything left him, the drums went silent.