Chapter One: Memories of a Rose

The Doctor sat on the console floor, legs splayed out in front of him, and his hands covering his face.
He exhaled loudly, his body shaking as he did so.

It had been exactly a year today that he had lost Rose, and there had not been a day since that he hadn't thought of her. Her beautiful face haunted him night and day, and he hated to admit it, but it was killing him how much he missed her cheeky smile and cheerful spirit.
The worst part is that he never got to tell her, how much her presence affected him and how when they hugged, it felt like his hearts were soaring. He never got to tell her that her smile was the thing that kept him going every day, and how she had fixed him, when he thought he was broken beyond repair.

Kicking the console hard, he shouted in pain and anger and regret that things had turned out this way.
Sighing again he stood up, wobbling slightly, muttering an apology to the TARDIS as he did so.
He couldn't go on like this, he had to find her, breathe in her oh so beautiful scent of pure Rose and most importantly tell her how he really felt.
It wasn't like he hadn't tried to find a way back to her, he'd wasted weeks at a time looking through TARDIS manuals, searching for anything that could help but it was all in vain.

The Doctor didn't know when he had fallen for her, maybe it was when he grabbed her hand for the first time and told her to run.
All he knew was that he was so hopelessly in love and it was causing him so much pain to keep it all bottled up inside.
Laughing bitterly at himself, he made his way down the corridor, hesitating slightly he walked into her room and his gaze fell on the pictures that lay untouched on her desk, there was one of them at Christmas, wearing pink and red paper crowns, pulling daft faces at the camera. The happiness evident in both of their faces.

It was too much for him to bear and he fell against the foot of the bed, tears cascading down his cheeks, his breathing ragged and fast. The ever growing loneliness gnawing at the pit of his stomach.

He had never thought, how could he, that this pink and yellow being could mean the universe to him, and he cursed himself for getting so attached to her and being so foolish. Maybe a part of him just wanted to believe her when she said she'd stay with him forever.

Composing himself, he stood up straight, his expression turning from pain to determination. He was The Doctor, the Oncoming Storm, last of the Time Lords, whole planets shook at the mention of his name, he had saved the Earth from death and destruction more times than he could remember. He wasn't going to stand for this. Gritting his teeth, and brushing stray tears from his cheek, he stormed out of her room, a look in his dark eyes that said 'do not mess'.
He'd find his Rose, and nothing in the universe could stop him.