Title: Only Move On
Author: CosmicalMadison
Summary: Rose asks the Doctor a simple question and gets more of an answer than she expected.
Rating: K
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Author's Note: Probably not cannon, but who really cares? This was one of the first Whofics I wrote, though for some reason it's taken me this long to post it.
There usually wasn't much to do as the TARDIS spun through space and time, so most of the time they just talked. The two of them discussed anything and everything from favorite foods to their previous adventures, but today Rose had a question for the Time Lord.
"Doctor," she asked, "have you ever been in love?"
"Oh, yes," he answered. "Several times, in fact."
"Several?" The girl was taken aback by this. She had always believe in fairytale love, that someone found their soul mate and the two settled down and stayed together forever.
"It's not like you read in books, Rose," the Doctor said, his voice now serious and faraway. "One shot and it's over. You fall in love for the first time and it's glorious, wonderful. You want to spend your whole life with this person, but you can't. Eventually, they die - they're killed or grow old, and you can't do anything about it. It hurts more than you could imagine, but you eventually move on. There's nothing else you can do.
"Then, years, maybe decades later, you meet someone new. They make you feel whole again, and you're happy, truly happy, for the first time in ages. But as before it can't go on forever. Sooner or later they must leave, too, and it's just as painful as before. It's a vicious cycle that gets a bit worse every time." He paused and closed his eyes for a moment to steady his now shaking voice. When he looked backup at her, his eyes were shining with tears. "But you can't close your heart, no matter hw much it hurts. No one was meant to be alone, Rose. So what can you do?"
His pleading gaze made her want to throw her arms around him and comfort him, but she held back. "Only move on," she guessed.
"Only move on." He nodded and looked away, tried to blink away his tears.
Rose reached out and took the Doctor's hand, desperate to comfort him in some small way. "I'm so sorry," she said softly. "It must be awful for you."
He turned back to her, forcing a smile onto his face. "Well, there's really nothing you can do." He drew his hand away from her and moved to a control panel to prepare for their landing. "Anyway, I hope that answers you question."
Yes, it had, but Rose now realized that there was more to the Doctor than even she had been aware of.