Rose knew that she needed to tell him how she felt, and soon, before it came out by accident. Sitting in her room she contemplated a hundred ways to ease him into the subject, but finally it was the TARDIS who gave her the inspiration she needed. Her TV had been on mute, but now the image of the sonic screwdriver flashed over it, and its sound came from the speakers. An idea struck her, and she knew it was perfect. Moving through the corridors, she put her plan into action and got everything ready.

- A few hours later.

He reached up, without looking, and felt the grating over his head for the sonic screwdriver. For several hours, he had been underneath the console and the floor gratings making repairs, and he had only set the sonic down for a second. His brow furrowed as he frowned, and lifting his head above the floor level he looked around to try and find where the screwdriver had rolled away to. But it was nowhere in sight. "Where did it go?" He mumbled to himself, and heard a quiet chuckle in response behind him. Turning around, he could see someone partly obscured by the console standing in the doorway. "Rose?"

She laughed louder, and he caught a glimpse of the sonic screwdriver in her hand, right before she darted back through the door.

It took him a rushed moment, but finally he scrambled up from under the console, and ran to follow her. He could hear her laughing somewhere ahead of him, but with all of the doors of the TARDIS, he could spend a year opening them to reveal empty rooms. "That's not fair! At least give me a chance." He called out. The sound of footsteps could be heard, before Rose suddenly came into view, but then she disappeared just as quickly again as she dashed down another hall.

He moved as fast as he could, and stayed on her heels as she tried to escape him. It was only when he came to a six-way intersection that he didn't see where she went. Looking around himself for a moment, he noticed a door as it closed in a hallway to his left. Jumping down the hall, he threw it open, a triumphant smile on his face. But the grin vanished as he found himself in a glass maze. Entering, he saw her standing off in a far corner, a surprised expression on her face. "Got you!" He proclaimed, and forgetting where he was he marched forward to trap her.

A loud thump resonated through the room as he ran head-on into an invisible piece of glass. Stumbling back, he could hear her laughing. He could see the sonic screwdriver in her hand, and he hated how it was so far and so close at the same time. She sat down on the floor, and started to play with the settings, taunting him. Her entire body shook as she laughed at the glare he gave her.

He finally pouted, and set out, working his way into the walls of glass. They went from the floor to ceiling, and seemed to move as he got deeper in. At one point, when he thought he had it, he found himself at a dead end. Turning around, he discovered that the way he'd come was already blocked, and a new path had opened to his right.

It was when he could see her ahead of him, with nothing blocking the way that she jumped up, and ginned at him. Pressing her back to the wall, she watched with wide eyes, and clutched the sonic screwdriver to her chest. But it wasn't over yet. When she'd originally jumped into the glass room, the TARDIS had opened a direct path for her to the corner, and had given her a secret escape tunnel. A slight gasp followed by a gasp escaped her lips as the wall behind her gave way, and she fell through it. "Rose!" He yelled, rushing forward with more urgency as he watched her go. An icy chill of fear crept through him at the prospect of where she could've gone.

The TARDIS had an endless number of rooms, and even he hadn't visited every one of them, but he knew that they weren't all safe. One room he'd found about a hundred years prior was filled with nothing but scolding hot steam pipes.

Before he could reach the wall to follow her, it closed, and when he finally managed to get it open he found himself stepping out from behind a bookshelf in the library. She lay on the couch, seemingly asleep, but a small smile adorned her face. She could hear the sigh of relief that he made when he found her safe, and she couldn't help but sit up to look at him. "Did I scare you?" She chuckled.

"No. I'm just relieved that I don't have to drag you off to the med bay." His face was perfectly calm, but she could see the worry that had been in his eyes start to fade. Finally he smiled, "Where's my screwdriver?"

"I don't know what you mean." She said with too much innocence in her voice, and she looked away from him. He walked over, sitting on the end of the couch, and she immediately moved her legs to accommodate him. He'd only been sitting for a second, when she moved, and before he knew what was happening she had jumped up only to snuggle into his side. Her stomach twisted in anticipation of what she was about to do, but she pushed forward, and forced herself to act before she could get too nervous. She wrapped her arms around him, and leaned her head against his chest. The lights dimmed of their own accord, and after a moment of hesitation, he placed his arm across her shoulders. "Doctor, I-." She started, but couldn't go any further. It was too much. The thought of him rejecting her made her numb with fear, so she simply clung to him, uncertain and afraid.

"What is it?" He asked, urging her to finish her sentence. He squeezed her shoulder, trying to reassure her that it was okay to say whatever she wanted to.

"Doctor, I worked this out because I need to tell you something. So here it goes. I-I-." She stopped, paused for a long time. He waited patiently, not daring to interrupt her thoughts. Finally when she found her voice, it was barely a whisper, "I love you."

She felt him freeze up beneath her, and she couldn't help but lean back and look him in the eye. "Doctor?" She said quietly as she watched the shock develop fully over his face.

His hearts stopped for a moment as a million thoughts crashed through him all at once. So many times he had imagined hearing her say this, but he'd never thought it would actually happen.

He was quiet for a long time, and it felt like an eternity to her.

Then suddenly but slowly, just as she was about to run, he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. When he pulled away, she could see the conflict burning in his eyes, but it quickly resolved to a pure and warm love. "I love you, too." He whispered, and kissed her again.

Leaning into his chest she could feel the pounding of his hearts, and her own heart beat in time with his. Reaching down, she pulled the sonic out of her pocket, and held it up. "You can have this back now." She said, smiling, and he immediately took it.

A quiet but happy humming filled the air, and the Doctor look around them. "I think the TARDIS approves."

"I know she does, especially since she helped me to get you here."

He laughed, and she laughed with him.