I've been rewatching NuWho as of late and, because I'm a sadomasochist, this wonderful little drabble popped into my head.
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. Unfortunately. I'd be an excellent showrunner.
"Rose Tyler..." And the apparition disappeared. His mouth was left open, halfway to 'I'.
Two more seconds. Two more seconds and he would have been able to tell her, with words that meant just as much as all those moments. To tell her 'I'. To tell her what he should have said so long ago.
But the apparition disappeared. 'I' vanished. All he could do was let the tear drop.
And later, when he dreams, he dreams of two more seconds. He dreams of 'I' and what comes after. He dreams of the apparition never disappearing.
He dreams of her.