If I Lay Here

Summary: Post Doomsday, but ignores the ending. Hehe. Rose gets to stay with The Doctor, Jackie-less and it is many, many years on…

I HAD to make this story. HAD TO, HAD TO, HAD TO! Every time I hear Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol (which is every day at work; at least), this story eats up my brain. My apologies to anyone awaiting new chapters of No Control, because I am going to go seriously mad if I don't get this out.

The Doctor and Rose staggered from the battleground. Rose had to hold The Doctor upright and help him along, even though he insisted that he was fine.

"I'm fine, really." He said for the hundredth time, trying to pull himself from Rose's firm grasp. "I can get myself back to the TARDIS and get this little flesh wound sorted out, then we can get on with our adventures." He tried for a flashy grin, but ended up cringing; losing any assuring effect that it may have had on Rose. She looked pained because of his pain.

"I wish I could get you there faster, Doctor, but my leg…" She trailed off as she stared into his eyes, watching them bobbing up and down as he limped along. "…My old limbs are not what they used to be, are they?" She joked. The joke was lost on The Doctor, though. He just frowned.

"How old are you now, anyway?" He asked, as if trying to distract Rose from her dismal thoughts. "Ninety two…? No… a hundred?" He gave a small smile, which Rose returned gratefully.

"I'm not rightly sure." She commented thoughtfully. "I can't be THAT old, though." She laughed, but then cried out as The Doctor stumbled and fell to his knees on the brilliantly aqua grass.

"Show me." She demanded, not waiting for his answer as she practically ripped his coat from around him. When she did finally see, she gasped. "You didn't get shot once." She sobbed. "It wasn't just once. You… you lied." Her eyes welled up with tears, and The Doctor held a hand to her face to caress it.

"So you're not going to believe me when I saw that I'm fine?" He asked sadly, rubbing his thumb along her jaw.

"Never." She wailed. "I'm never going to believe that from you ever again." She clutched at The Doctor's hand with both of hers. "And I'm never going to have the chance, am I?" She asked shrilly. "You're going to die here, aren't you?" The Doctor nodded solemnly.

"Seems so." He breathed. "I wanted to get to the TARDIS, though." He looked wistfully along the empty plain to where they could see the TARDIS, sitting conspicuously about a hundred metres from where they stood. It was so close to them, yet neither one had the willpower to make themselves get to it.

Rose sat down on the grass and manoeuvred The Doctor into a more comfortable position beside her. His hand immediately returned to her cheek and the two just sat on the grass, not far from an active battle, and stared at each other as if nothing else mattered.

"Aren't you going to regenerate, then?" She asked.

"Well, I'm trying to, but I can't seem to force one. Looks as though we're going to have to wait till I die." He smiled fondly at her and she smiled back, completely accepting what was going to happen. She had travelled with him for so long now that even if she had only witnessed one regeneration, she understood that it was just a part of his life.

The Doctor's hand fell away from Rose's cheek as he slid down onto his back. It was Rose's turn to caress his cheek now.

"My Doctor." She whimpered. She said nothing more as with her free hand she felt the holes in his torso. There was so much blood, and Rose's hands quickly became covered with it.

"What are you doing?" The Doctor asked weakly. "Touching a dying man's battle wounds. Is there something wrong with you?" Rose could only smile through her tears.

"There's so much blood." She stated bluntly. "Why aren't you dying, Doctor? I don't think I can stand this for much longer."

Rose lay down next to her Doctor, both of them staring at one another while Rose had one hand on The Doctor's cheek, and one hand on his chest in amongst his bloody wounds. He could finally reach her face once more, so he immediately placed it on her cheek.

"Rose. It's not safe. You should go back to the TARDIS."

"Never going to happen." Rose scoffed at him fondly. "I'm not leaving you to regenerate on your own."

"Rose." The Doctor said sternly. "There's a battle going on nearby, for a civil war that I got shot trying to stop. They could come down here at any moment."

"They'd keep killing you." Rose pointed out seriously. "Then I'd be in the TARDIS and I would never get my Doctor back. It's safer to stay here with you."

"You're mind is made up, then?" The Doctor sighed.

"Has been since the day I got into your TARDIS." Rose told him. "I'm never ever going to leave you." They lay in silence, looking up into the threateningly cloudy sky. The weather fit the day perfectly. The Doctor's painful breaths could be heard in the silence of the day.

"Rose?" He asked suddenly, surprising his companion with the steadiness in his voice.

"Yeah?" She responded.

"There's something I should tell you, since this is my last chance to."

"Yeah?" She prompted.

"And it's something I should have said a long time ago, but I never thought it was the right time."

"Get on with it already you're dying." Rose said mock-sternly.

"Well." The Doctor dragged out the one word before saying the next three almost too fast to understand. "I love you."

"All these years we've been together… never doubted it for a second." Rose commented brightly, leaning in closer to his face as her hand wrapped around to the back of his head.

"I love you, too." She whispered as her lips drew closer to his.

'Brilliant." The Doctor breathed, not even trying to pull away from his Rose. "Just before their lips brushed together, The Doctor tried for one last comment. "I can feel the energy building up inside me, Rose. My regeneration's coming on soon."

"I don't care." Rose said as she pressed her lips gently onto his. There was no point in being forceful. He was, after all, dying. He responded with an energy she never expected a dying man to have, although he was, after all, not human. When she pulled herself away from his lips, she kept her face close to his.

"What do you think your new self is going to be like?" She inquired. "Will he love me, too?"

"Rose." The Doctor stated softly but firmly. "No matter how many times I change, I will always love you." Rose smiled contentedly as she kissed him again.

"And if you don't, then we'll always have right now as our forever." She replaced her head on the grass as she lay back against him. She wanted to listen to his heartbeats, but she drew the line way before staining her hair with his blood. The Doctor didn't argue with her logic. He really had no idea how he would turn out after he regenerated.

"Thankyou." Was all he could say. "For giving me your forever."

"Anytime." She mumbled into his neck. She closed her eyes. "I stayed for two of you, at least. I wonder if the TARDIS can tell me how old I am."

"I'm sure she will when we get back." He comforted her, feeling all of her energy drain away as his peaked for regeneration. "You gave me everything you had." He breathed in barely a whisper, his eyes filling with tears. "You gave me as much of forever as was possible for a human to give."

The Doctor knew exactly how old Rose was. He hadn't wanted to alarm her with stories of her age, and he sincerely hoped that his new self would give Rose every bit of the respect she deserved for giving him her human life. He closed his eyes as the two great companions lay together under a darkening sky as the sounds of battle drew closer to their plain.

Hope you liked. :)

This was meant to be a one shot, but I can continue. There's a story in it if anyone is interested. Review your opinions. :)
Love reviews.

Mikkifavo