AN: I wrote this ages ago after reading The Stone Rose. It was always one of my favorites that I had written. I decided to re-post to celebrate NotThatAmanda's birthday. Happy birthday!
His Rose
The Museum was getting dark as it neared closing time, but the Doctor stood, un-moving, in front of a statue he had made 2,000 years ago. But in his reality, it had been just six months ago.
It was a statue of his Rose dressed as the Roman Goddess Furtuna.
He smiled a little as the memories came back to him. They'd both laughed a little at the absurdly of him making that statue. On reflection, The Doctor knew if they had known even a little of what was coming they wouldn't have been laughing. Because now, the only way he could see his beautiful Rose, was in the face of a old crumbling remnant of happier times.
He fought to keep his eyes from filling with tears as he gazed at the statue that had taken him months to complete. His Rose... his angel... his savior.
He let his mind wonder for a moment and thought of that kiss. She had just saved him from being a stone statue for all time and in his excitement he had gotten carried away and had acted on something he'd wanted to do but had never had the courage.
He'd kissed her. It wasn't even a real kiss; just a quick brush of the lips but it was still her sweet soft lips pressed up against his. A kiss that had lasted only a few seconds but the feel of it would remain with him to the end of his days.
Now, in his post-lost mind, he couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he had let that kiss lead them down roads he would have never dared go down. What if he had let down his stubborn Time Lord barriers and had just let himself love Rose? If he had followed his heart rather than his head, just let himself be happy.
But no, the great and mighty Time Lord hadn't even been able to tell her he loved her. She told him, though a cloud of tears and a choked voice. She'd managed to tell him "I love you" and what had he done? He'd uselessly babbled and had run out of time. He'd said her name and puff she was gone, he'd run out of time. Imagine that, a Time Lord who had run out of time.
By now he was fighting a losing a battle for composure, tears threatening to spill over, when someone behind his shoulder spoke.
"That is a beautiful statue."
The voice sounded oddly familiar, but The Doctor couldn't quite place it but he didn't turn around look at the man, instead he remained looking at the face of the woman he'd lost.
"Yes, it is." The Doctor croaked out, trying to bring his emotions back under control.
"That's the Roman goddess, Furtuna." The man said, "Said to bring good luck to men then take it away."
Neither man said anything for a few minutes before the man spoke again,
"I've always had an affinity with this statue, like I should know her. She looks at me as if she knows the secrets of my very soul."
The Time Lord felt the man move away and made no attempt to stop him. He wanted time alone. He didn't want to share these snatched precious moments with his beloved Rose.
"Oh well, I should go find Romana, she's probably gotten lost again..."
The Doctor stood rock steady for a minute before spinning on his heals to see who was standing behind him but, by the time he did, the stranger was already most of the way down the hall leaving the Doctor staring at his back. But the man was wearing a brown coat and hat, big bushy curls sticking out from underneath, and a long multi-colored scarf dragging out behind him.
The Doctor smiled as he watched his older self turn the corner. He had completely forgotten that he used to come here. He had visited here in all his incantations. He had come to visit the statue of Rose, even though he didn't even know who she was. She had captivated him then as much as she captivated him now.
With one last longing look at Rosés statue he turned and walked out of the Museum and stopped on the steps, his eyes gazing upwards at the clear starry night sky. He understood now. He knew through all of his lives she had always been, and always would be his Rose. She was his beginning, she was his end.
And that was enough to keep him going.