Everything was still surreal. It wasn't if she hadn't been living in this universe for some time now. The world around her was still the same place as it had been.
Except for one thing.
She snuck a glance at the man seated next to her on the stairs. Oh. He was talking, rapid-fire as usual, and she had accidentally zoned out.
"...don't want to go about this the wrong way, I mean, I'm not him. Except I am. I've got the memories, the feelings, the thought processes even. And I really don't want to shove everything on you if you're not-"
"D... Doctor?" Suddenly the name felt very strange in her mouth. His gaze flicked to her, eyes full of questions as to why she interrupted his ramble. She gave him a bracing smile. "If my mum could do it, then I can too."
He grinned brilliantly, his chocolate eyes filling with excitement. "Yes. Well, hello. My name is John Smith. I'm a day-and-a-half old. I used to be a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, but now I'm a human. And I'm in love with a girl named Rose Marion Tyler."
"Hello. My name is Rose Marion Tyler. I'm twenty-three years old. I'm a human from London, but I became a time traveller. I got seperated from the love of my life two years ago, and now I think I'll be able to fall in love with John Smith without a hitch."
Grabbing her hand, a gesture so familiar, he kissed it. "Rose, you are amazing." The look in his eyes was practically melting her, and she quickly wrapped in a tight hug, happy tears spilling onto his shoulder.
xXx
It wasn't until later that he found it. The metallic disk was so small and light that he almost hadn't felt it. He had been undressing slowly (and god it felt weird to take off the suit, despite the fact he'd come into existence naked) in the guest bedroom. The synapses in his brain had taken priority to any other action, and he was thinking about how he could woo Rose again. Normally. Perhaps like Mickey had before he'd stolen her away. Sleep in a separate bedroom, for starters. No indecency.
But then his hand passed over it. As he dug it out of his pocket, he knew exactly what it was. A message. From his other self. He didn't remember how it had gotten into his trousers, but if it were him (what a coincidence) he would've carefully backtracked on his own timeline and slipped it into the suit he knew the duplicate of himself was going to pick up. Clever old him. He hoped this didn't complicate timelines any further than they already were. He brushed the orange button with his thumb and set it on the floor. The hologram of the proper Doctor sprang up, wavering slightly.
"This is... Oh, hell. I've lost her again. I've lost everyone. And yet I still couldn't say it to her. Why couldn't I say it to her? I'm an old coward. You know that. But you got Donna's bravery out of the Metacrisis. I hope you're not as pigheaded as her, for the sake of Rose and your children."
A smile flitted over the hologram's face, and briefly lit up John's as well.
"Tell your children everything about everything. The mad adventures, the running, the monsters, the rescues, how their mother never ceased to astound me. And pray that they're ginger. God, I hope they're ginger. I don't need to tell you much because you're me- you already know how I feel.
"But Rose. I'm talking to Rose for this."
John lurched forward and slammed his hand on the device, hitting the yellow "pause" button. Chucking it on the bed maybe a bit carelessly, he ran down the hall (wearing nothing but his shirt and boxers) to knock on Rose's door enthusiastically. When she blearily opened the door, he snatched her wrist without warning and dashed back to his room.
"I thought the runnin' bit would've been through," she mumbled, making him laugh. He seated her on the bed, set the disk back on the floor and played it, then clambered back onto the bed behind her. The hologram flickered back on with the Doctor in the middle of a word.
"Wha-"
He held a single finger to her lips as the hologram began where it had left off.
"Rose... You have no idea how much I love you. When we first met I was a lonely old man, bitter about the fate of my people. But then I met you. A nineteen-year-old shopgirl who got in the way of my brilliantly planned plan and saved my life. Not many people do that, Rose. You blossomed into something gorgeous, and I fell in love with you the moment you ran through the doors of my TARDIS only to run right back out. It surprised me, because I'd been alone for so long and angry at humanity for never experiencing the depth of lonliness and pain that I had watching my planet burn. I never expected to fall in love with a blonde girl with a over-fondness of mascara." He smirked. "But I did. It was a really long time since I'd loved someone. A really long time since I had the possibility of a family staring me in the face. So Rose Tyler... I love you!" He laughed and a tear streaked down his face, almost imperceptibly. "You've got me crying. That's how much I love you. Me. Last of the Time Lords. Crying... Have a fantastic life, Rose. Fantastic. Allons-y, my love."
There was a VWERP and the hologram shut itself off. Rose gasped.
"Was that real?"
He smiled. "Of course it was. Every word he said was true. For both of us."
"But he didn't say goodbye."
"We hate endings. Besides, this isn't an ending. This is a beginning. A beautiful beginning." He took her face between his hands and kissed her softly. "Allons-y, my love."