A/N:Just a small note. This isn't supposed to be angsty.. this is supposed to show that Rose has moved on and realized that she can be happy without him, even if she does miss him a lot.
"Rose… Mommy said I couldn't have any cookies!!!" Kyle Tyler whined in front of his older sister, tears brimming in his eyes.
His older sister smiled with understanding and picked him up, snuggling her nose against his chest. He laughed loudly and wriggled in her grasp.
Putting on a stern face, which was totally canceled out with her mirthful eyes, Rose looked at the young boy in the eye. "If Mommy said so, she's probably right isn't she?"
The child's face dropped. "But I wanna cookie!!!" he cried, writhing in his sister's arms.
Rose just laughed at his stubbornness. "You remind me of someone I know. And he was just as stubborn as you were."
"Really? Who?"
"He was a very special friend of mine. And a hero."
Kyle's face lit up. "A hero?"
"Yep. He had a spaceship too."
"Wow!!! What was he like?"
Rose made a face like she was concentrating very hard. "Oh… he was very brave. And very very smart." She ended the sentence by poking the little boy on the nose.
"Could he do hard math?" inquired the child. "Like multi-cation?" his little mouth struggled at the word.
"Yes. And even things harder than that."
Kyle stared at her in disbelief. "But no one in my class can do multi-cation. He must have been very smart."
"Still is," his sister grinned. "He used to save my life all the time."
"Cause sis is stupid." The boy laughed and tapped his little knuckles on her temple.
"Hey. I'm smarter than you." Rose said, with a hurt look on her face. "I can do multiplication."
"Nuh uh."
Rose tickled him at his answer. "Did I mention you're rude just like him too?" The boy started laughing as he tried to get away from the attacking fingers.
The next few minutes were spent laughing as Rose lowered him to the ground, tickling him all the way. There were a few futile attempts to fight back, but soon the great warrior Kyle had lost.
The laughter faded away into silence as Rose stroked the exhausted boy's hair.
"Rose?" came boy's voice.
"Hmm?"
"What was his name?"
"Whose?"
"That hero person."
"His name was the Doctor."
"Doc-… -tor?"
"Mmhmm. The Doctor."
The boy laughed. "Doesn't he have a real name? Like Daddy's friend? Doc-tor Park?"
"Nope. Just the Doctor."
There was a silence as Kyle mused over the odd name. Rose rocked him side by side, her head on his shoulder and her eyes closed.
"Rose?"
"Yes?"
"Where's he now? How come you're not with him? Didn't you say you were friends with him?"
"That I did, Kylie."
"So where is he?"
Rose smiled wistfully at his shoulder. "Probably somewhere far away. Saving lives like he always does. Maybe with a new friend."
"Why did you leave him?"
The woman continued smiling, but paused a moment before opening her mouth.
"ROSE!!!!" Jackie's voice shrieked. "Don't you be giving that boy sweets now!!! I swear you spoil him more than anyone!!"
Rose rolled her eyes. "I won't, mum!" But just as quickly as she said it, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a cookie. "It'll be our secret." She whispered, handing it to him. Standing up, she gave him a little pat on the back to help him off.
But the boy just stood there, cookie in hand, staring at his sister with big eyes. "Rose?"
"I haven't got any more cookies." She upturned her jean pockets to prove that point. "You got them all from me."
"You never answered my question."
Rose crouched down in front of him and ruffled his hair. "We moved on."
"What's that mean?"
"You don't understand it now, kiddo, but you will when you grow up." She gave him a hug. "And maybe when you grow up you'll be just like him."
The child grinned at the prospect. "You really think so?"
"Absolutely. Now go on, before Mommy finds out that I've been sneaking you cookies again."
And the boy skipped off, biting into the chocolate chip cookie as he did so, dreaming of days when he would become as brave and smart as the man in his sister's stories.