Rose gazed happily around the group of people that were filling up the TARDIS's usually nearly empty console rom. Sarah-Jane, Jack, Mickey, Martha, Donna, and the Doctor's clone, as well as the Doctor himself, were standing around in little groups, having smaller celebrations. This was not the first time that they'd saved the Earth, far from it, but this time it felt more special. Rose had barely left the Doctor's side, and even now they stood, slightly off to the side, hands holding hands almost too tight. Rose's hand was beginning to cramp from squeezing so hard, but she didn't care. It would take a lot to make her let go of the Doctor now.
"Hey," Martha said softly, as she walked up to them. The Doctor, for once in his life, seemed to be in-tune with the human's social needs, so decided that now would be a good time to go and make sure that Mickey, who seemed to be fiddling with the console absent minded-ly while he talked to Sarah-Jane, wasn't fiddling with something that would blow them all up. He explained this to the two girls as he walked off, holding Rose's hand for as long as practically possible. Rose watched as he went over to Mickey, and Martha watched Rose.
"I'm glad he found you again," she said, still soft. Rose turned to her, a slightly sad smile on her face. "He was... I dunno. Not right without you." She smiled at Rose, then looked down guiltily. "I used to hate you," she whispered quietly, not meeting Rose's eyes. "I don't any more!" She added hurriedly, looking back up to Rose's face, "but, before... I fell for him, you see. I'm over it now - took a year back on Earth for me to realise that I didn't love him. Not really. Besides," she added, smiling now, "he had you." Rose frowned.
"I wasn't there," she said, "he didn't-"
"Yes, he did. Always." She paused, thinking. "Never looked twice at me." She looked away, to the TARDIS wall. "I knew about you from the very beginning. The TARDIS seemed so empty, so I asked if he was by himself. Told me that you used to travel with him," she chuckled, "and that I was absolutely not replacing you, and that I was getting one trip. Just one. But, he didn't want to be alone again, and I ended up staying. That very first trip - Shakespeare and aliens, would you believe?" Rose smiled.
"Yeah, I would." She said, and Martha turned back and smiled.
"That night, he was trying to figure out what the aliens were up to. And he was staring at me, really deeply, but I could tell it wasn't me he was looking at. And he said, right to my face, 'Rose would know. My friend Rose, she'd know exactly what to say right now'. Never really got it, did he?" Rose looked at her, shocked.
"I'm sorry," she began, feeling terrible, "I feel so-"
"Don't apologise," Martha interrupted, "it's not your fault he's got terrible social skills," she said.
"They are terrible, aren't they?" Rose murmured, almost to herself.
"Almost like he's an alien!" Martha joked, and they both giggled, Rose's eyes wandering back across the room to find the Doctor. "You should talk to Donna, too. I think she was the only one who really got what he was like without you. Even before she was all half-Timelord, she really got him. Like an older sister." Martha said. "He didn't even consider falling in love again, because he already had you." Rose's head whipped around to stare at Martha.
"Love?" She asked, honestly bewildered.
"What, you think you're just a friend to him? Everyone can see it. The way he looks at you - well, I used to wish he'd look at me like that." She admitted, and smiled sadly at her. "See ya 'round, Rose Tyler." Martha said, as she got up and walked over next to Mickey. As soon as she'd begun to leave, the Doctor sneaked up behind Rose, and was by her side in an instant.

"Thanks for that," she told him, squeezing his hand happily.
"Well, I thought she might have something to say." The Doctor said, grinning.
"You're getting better at this," Rose observed with a nod, "finally starting to show some social skills."
"Oi, my social skills are fine, thank you very much!" He said, turning his whole body to face her properly. There was a lovely moment where the pair just grinned happily at each other, before Rose turned away slightly.
"She said you love me," Rose said quietly, not daring to meet his eyes. Here it comes, she thought, sure that he would reject her, push her away.
"Rose?" He said, even softer than she had. Rose slowly looked up to meet his eyes. They were so deep, so dark, so sad. Rose saw him swallow thickly, before he leaned in even closer, not breaking eye contact. "I do." He said, barely a whisper, and his voice broke slightly as he said it.
"Do what?" She asked dumbly, her head reeling. He loves me? He loves me, he LOVES me!
"You know," he said, still unwilling to say those three words.
"Yeah," Rose said, beginning to smile, "I suppose I do."

And the best part? I'm sure it can slip nicely into cannon somewhere. I'm considering making this an alternate-ending Journey's End story, but I'm not sure I have the... guts to see it through, and mine'll just end up being exactly the same as all the other Ten/Rose alternate JE stories out there.

But, if you do want me to figure out a way of getting rid of the meta-crisis and having Rose stay, review and say so!

(Okay, I may have just had an idea about a way to save Donna, despose of the meta-crisis and have Rose stay in a friendly way. Be on the lookout for another chapter, maybe.)