The Doctor was in the console room, pondering they're next location. Perhaps somewhere warm, he muses. With palm trees. And bananas. Yes! Bananas!

While this is going on, Rose is staring at the mirror, trying so hard not to cry. She is about to leave the only man she truly loved with all her heart (not that he knows that).

She is about to say goodbye and walk out of the doors of the TARDIS and away from him. Her mind is still so mixed up, still reeling after this decision. She mustn't tell him why she's leaving, why her cheeks are red from crying. She can't.

The Doctor paces anxiously for Rose to come out. She's been in there for a while now, and the Doctor is getting a bit angsty. He has gone about six minutes without seeing Rose, which in his opinion is far too long. Finally, the door opens.

"Rose! I have a new place for us to-"

His words die on his lips. She looks... empty. Like she is free of any emotion, of any feeling. This scares him, because this doesn't feel like Rose, his Rose who is always so animated, so bubbly.

"Doctor." Her voice is scratchy. "Take me home."

The Doctor freezes. What? She can't possibly mean... No, no. If course not.

"Okay! We'll drop in for a quick mo, then take off for-"

"No."

He frowns.

"What?"

When she replies, her eyes fill with tears, but she blinks and they are gone.

"No. Just me... Take just me home. And-and I don't want to come back."

The Doctor blinks.
He isn't sure if she is being serious...

"Okaaaay."

Rose sniffs.
"I mean it. This isn't a joke. Take me home for good."

The world stops.
The Doctor can't think, can't comprehend. What? She wants to go home? Away from him? He wouldn't see Rose again. Not her smile, not her laugh. And, he realizes, he can't do it.

Rose watches the Doctor go through a mix of emotions. She sees confusion, pain, affection. She can't tell him why she is doing this. She can't tell him that she loves him, or that she is leaving because she just realized, after Reinette, that, to him, she will never be anything then a companion, a girl who is expendable. She knows that that's a horrible thought. Horrible, but true.

"But... I need you." Rose is brought back down to earth. Her face softens.

"But that's just it, Doctor. You don't."
The Doctor numbly sets the location, because he can't refuse her anything, even if it results in pain and heartbreak. He loves her, more then anything. He's in love with her.
But now their here, and she is walking through the doors.

"Rose! Please!" She looks back and smiles softly.

"Goodbye, my Doctor." And she's leaving. He runs after her, but she doesn't turn around.
Going, going, gone.

A/N

What did you think?

this is my pathetic attempt at a Master/Rose fic. I don't know a whole lot about the Master, so please tell me if he's being completely OOC in other chapters, k?

Review!

PWC