Rose glared out at the view of the ocean waves. Her emotions roiled inside her as violently as the water churned against the sand. The corners of her mouth and her spirits spiked upwards as she turned to see the almost translucent image of the Doctor appeared. He held James to his chest and at the sight of the baby a keening whine escaped Rose's throat. He was wrapped in his favorite red blanket and slept quietly in the arms of his father. Rose jogged forward with her arms out-strectched, but skidded to a stop when the Doctor shook his head. His eyes were so, so sad. His eyes held the kind of pain he hadn't worn since his previous face.

"Where are you?" she asked. She shivered and waited desperately for his image to harden and become solid, but it wasn't.

"Inside the Tardis," the Doctor said as he shifted James. He rocked him gently as the baby began to wake. He had blue eyes. Blue eyes just the Doctor had before. "There's one tiny little gap in the universe left. Just about to close and it takes a lot of power to send this projection. I'm in orbit around a supernova," he said with a mournful smile. "I'm burning up a sun just to say goodbye."

Rose bit her lip and held back the sob that nearly escaped at his last world. She gestured at him and reality really came crashing down on her. They weren't going to be together. She was never going to see her lover or her child again. "You look like ghosts." They were ghosts and growing fainter.

The Doctor reached into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out the sonic screwdriver. "Hold on." He adeptly used one hand to switch the settings on the screwdriver. He pointed it towards where Rose knew the control console would be and his image instantly becoming solid.

"Can I touch-" Rose gasped and stepped closer with her hand hovering over her babies pale cheek.

The Doctor shook his head. "We're still just an image," he swallowed and looked down at James with those sad, sad eyes. "No touch."

"Can't you come through properly? Send James at least?" she pleaded with frustration bleeding through her tone. She couldn't help it.

"The whole thing would fracture. Two universes would collapse."

"So?" she asked. The Doctor turned away from her for a moment, just a moment, he had to look away from the fierce longing filing her eyes as she looked at her family.

He chuckled when he returned his gaze to hers. He chuckled even though they both knew it was no joke. It was her that had to look away first. She swiped her flying hair out of her face as she took a calming breath. She hadn't meant that, but he would already know that.

"Where are we? Where did the gap come out?" the Doctor asked. Filling the silence. Rose enjoyed his chatter. Always. This would be the last time she'd hear it.

"We're in Norway," she said with her voice cracking and her lower lip trembling as she looked down at her baby, maybe for the last time. Rose's eyes traveled over the contours of James's face and she promised herself she would not forgot any inch of him. She'd memorize him now.

The Doctor nodded absently. "Norway, right."

They fell quiet. Only the sounds of lonely birds and the surf in the air. The Doctor studied Rose as Rose desperately memorized every inch of her baby.

"I've missed you so much," Rose whispered and sniffled as James blinked his eyes open again. "Both of you. So, so much."

"I know, I know," the Doctor said and those sad, sad eyes had tears now.

"How long have we got?"

"Two minutes."

"I don't know what to say," she sobbed. "I love you both so much. Make sure he knows how much I love him, please, Doctor, promise me!"

"I do, I promise, I'll tell him every day," the Doctor whispered.

"And you, oh darling. I miss you, I want to hold you. I love you," she told the baby, staring into the babies open blue eyes. James, sensing his mothers distress through the void began to wail tragically, fat wet tears running down his cheeks. "No, no, sh, please don't cry, I love you, I love you more than anything!" Rose looked up at the Doctor tears streaming down her face. "I love you," she told him.

He smiled sadly. "Quite right too," he said, but the cocky attitude fell away instantly. "I love you too, Rose Tyler, I love you." He looked down at the screaming baby in his arms. "I'll tell him all about you, how wonderful you are. How brilliant. Do you hear me?" He looked up at her, "I love you-"

And his image went away, leaving Rose on the beach. Leaving her to collapse on the wet sand and sob.