The Doctor often left the TARDIS while she slept. Of course Martha didn't realise this straight away, what with her being asleep and all, but one night she very accidentally stumbled upon the fact. She had gotten up for some reason she could no longer remember and he was nowhere to be seen. She had searched around for a bit but it was no use. She was heading back to her room when she heard the TARDIS doors open and close marking his return. She didn't mention it.

However, Martha was fairly curious and the thought of him leaving the TARDIS while she slept began to gnaw away at her. As she expected, it was not a one off occurrence. In fact, he appeared to do it every night.

Naturally she had to investigate. She waited until she was sure he had left before she crept through the TARDIS, feeling like a proper secret agent. Using all the stealth she could muster, she made her way in to the console room, checking once more that he wasn't still inside the ship. She slowly opened the door just a crack and peered out. Whatever she expected, this was not it. It appeared to be night-time on a fairly Earth-like planet. Actually, she wouldn't be surprised if it was Earth.

A few meters away she caught sight of the Doctor lying in the grass looking up at the stars. She had to admit, she was somewhat disappointed, having expected him to be going on whirlwind adventures of some kind without her. That was when she heard him murmuring to himself. She couldn't make out his words and wouldn't be able to without the risk of revealing herself. She decided to pack it in and returned to her bedroom somewhat deflated by the anticlimax of her investigation. Once again, she didn't mention it.
-

Rose left the house at a brisk pace. She wasn't really one for brisk paces, viewing them as a horrible walk-run hybrid, but it was cold out at this time of night and she'd do anything to keep even the slightest bit of warmth.

She had walked this route so many times that she was on autopilot. She'd had a run in with Mickey on her way out and he had not been happy. It appeared that he'd caught on to her late night excursions and he was "concerned" for her. She had shrugged him off. This was a personal thing and frankly, she didn't want Mickey involved.

She reached her destination and lay down at her usual spot in the grass. It was a somewhat secluded hill, one of the only places she could find peace and quiet in the city.

She focussed on the sky now. It was a particularly clear night with no zeppelins overhead. The stars shone down on her with that private perfection that only stars could pull off.

"And there, that there is the planet Oseidon, used to be inhabited by one of your run-of-the-mill 'take over the Earth' races but then radiation levels started to rise and..."

Rose smiled as she turned on her side to get a better view of him. He looked exactly the way she remembered him and that in itself was almost enough to make her smile for eternity.

He apparently noticed because he stopped mid-ramble to face her. "What is it?"

She just smiled back at him. All this, him, it was just... It was almost perfect. The cold caught up with her and she shivered. He noticed immediately and gestured for her to move closer which she did. He pulled her in to his arms and they just lay there in silence beneath the star-filled sky.

If she focussed hard enough it was like he was really there, holding her. She lay in his imaginary company for hours and it was almost enough.
-

The Doctor shook himself out of his reverie. It was almost first light and he really ought to be getting back to the TARDIS and Martha. He slowly picked himself up sparing one last look at the fading night sky.

Every night the Doctor returned to this same spot and watched the stars shine down on him, thinking of the one he had lost.

And although he didn't know it, across the Void, through the locked gates of the parallel universe, Rose Tyler was doing the exact same thing.