& Then There Were Two

"If you love something let it go free. If it doesn't come back, you never had it. If it comes back, love it forever."

Doug Horton

[She came back]

The sound of the TARDIS dematerializing echoed in his ears. 'Him, he was born out of war. He committed genocide', those words echoed in his ears as well, but in the worst way. He held onto Roses' hand to keep her together because he knew she was breaking inside. All the worlds she crossed to be abandoned again. He promised himself to protect her until the end of their time. He felt her remove her hand and his single heart stopped, but that halt quadrupled in rhythm when he felt small arms encircle his waist. He wrapped his lanky arms around the tiny figure as she began to shake with gasps. There was not enough air in the world to help her. There was hardly enough for himself to hold in his lungs, but he knew he would have to be strong right now. For now he would be her comfort; he knew he would need her to be that later.

"I told you it lied Rose. You didn't die in battle. Here you are, living your life day by day. The one adventure I'd love to have with you Rose Tyler, defender of the Earth. An adventure with me, the lost child from space living on the slow path," he mumbled into her hair. He continued to stroke her back as she calmed down a bit. He could feel her relaxing slowly and looked over to turn to Jackie to give her thumbs up. She unraveled herself from him and he wiped the tears from her face to properly look at him. He smiled with his tongue atop the roof of his front teeth and she leaned back into him with a sigh of relief.

"I missed you," came a muffled whisper into his chest. She squeezed him tighter and he returned the sentiment. A giggle escaped her, "are you still terrible with women?"

"Oi! I was never terrible with you. It just took me a few trips and a regeneration to catch on. I mean the first time we kissed, well the second, you weren't even you! Then there was the werewolf rather than the concert. Courting a lady as a Time Lord isn't as easy as it should be missy," another giggle escaped her as she pulled back to look at him. He was rambling just like his old self, "Do you really think I'm not me? I mean…I have all the same memories. My emotions are a bit more intense because those are mostly human now considering it was a two-way metacrisis."

"I know you're you, it's just going to take a bit of getting used to yeah? I mean…Mum finally settled with dad, and she's happy. We can be happy too, whatever your intentions are with me," she smiled with her teeth between and his broad smile plastered his face. "I feel like you've always been meant for this life," she began as they trudged back towards the Jeep to go home, "I watched you in the control room after Reinette. It was like you were trying to fight for stability from your own emotions."

He let his face fall because he had loved the King's lady. They climbed into the Jeep as Jackie began to drive off. She was actually quiet which shocked the Doctor, and then he remembered Rose had just spoken, thank Gallifrey his mind was still able to keep multiple thought tracks. "I probably won't be easy to deal with because I'll be rubbish and confused with all these emotions, but if you're willing I'll try my hardest for you." His nervous habit of rubbing the back of his neck had returned and Rose just smiled a bright smile at him. She took his hands in hers and let the butterflies invade her stomach. Jackie just smiled from the front seat, nothing was more important than her daughter getting the happiness she deserved for chasing this man all over the Universe.

Rose took her hand and trailed it along his cheek as he stared at her with scared eyes. She knew he was trying to hide it, but being human would be terrifying for him. He couldn't just run now and they would have to wait a few years until the TARDIS could be all grown-up. She ran over ways to take his mind off all the overwhelming feelings and fell asleep against him in the midst of her thoughts.

He watched her eyes close and brought her to lay in his arms as he slid down a bit on the car seat. Being domestic was something he too often avoided because it reminded of his family. The TARDIS would have been overly domestic with Donna and Jenny being in there, and that had frightened him to no end. Now he really was stuck on the slow path, but he was with a lady that knew his volatile side better than most. He had some of Donna's humanistic ways built in and as he felt her breath against his neck he felt the hormones kick in, but then he looked down to her and all was forgotten. She was so innocent sleeping. No pain crossed her face and the lines of years of struggling and searching had all been erased. He wanted her to have the most peaceful sleep she'd had in forever against him, his single heart. That was when he decided it was okay to be human; Rose would be with him through it all. He had so much to tell her, to explain. He'd had pain strike him cold and he had caused some so much harm. He drifted into a dreamy state trying to imagine Rose as being his only comfort. He needn't think of Midnight or River anymore. Those were the Doctor's problems. He was a new man. The journey with Rose was just to begin. As one journey ended, another must begin. This was the way of his life and it would always be.

A/N: This is my first multi chapter story that I really do intend on finishing. I have a bit of a plot line going in my head, but I wanted to get this up first. I am writing the second chapter as you read so let me know what you feel about this one. I've always wondered what would have happened with these two so I guess this is my take on it. PM me if you would like me to include anything, and this won't be M until the third chapter. I'll always put a warning up for the M's so if you don't like them you can skip them. I'll try not to put any major plot lines in them. XOX!