"I love you."

It was exactly what she had expected, or maybe just hoped, he would say. Still, she had to think for a moment before she realized what he had just said.

He loved her.

And so she kissed him. Rose Tyler kissed the Doctor, the human Doctor, the one who could stay with her forever, at Bad Wolf Bay, the place where the worst- and best- things in her life happened.

She was kissing him, hands wrapped around his neck, his arms around her waist, when she heard the TARDIS. It was leaving. The Doctor was leaving her again, without saying good-bye. She was shocked for a moment, moving forward, watching the TARDIS disappear. Then the other Doctor came to her, took her hand in his, and stood there, a reminder that this time, she was not left alone. She had him, and she would always have him. They looked at each other, silent and unmoving, and this time he moved first. He kissed her again, still holding her hand tightly.

She was crying as she kissed him, crying for happiness and sadness all at once. He had abandoned her again, on this lonely beach, but this time she had what she wanted, what she needed. Him. The Doctor. But a Doctor who loved her, would tell her so, and would live a life with her. A proper life. A life without regenerations. A human life, but, if they were lucky, not a normal life at all. That was what she wanted, and that was what he had given her.

She was still crying and he was still holding her hand, making her sit down on the sand with him, talking into her ear, reminding of everything perfect thing they had done together, all the perfect things they had seen.

"Remember New Earth, and how we lay in the apple grass? And do you remember the Olympics, in 2012?"

"You stole the torch." She was laughing now, still wiping away tears, leaning into him.

"I was helping!" He grinned at her, squeezing her hand. "And what about Christmas Dinner with your mum? You remember that?"

"You grew another hand."

"And now I am that hand. It's a good hand." He wiggled his fingers at her and she laughed.

"What happens now? Do we go back to London?" She was watching him now, sitting up.

"Do you want to?"

"No." She spoke with surprising certainty, but he didn't question her.

"Well, Rose Tyler," he said instead, "what do you want to do?"

"I want to go to the ocean." The answer came easily to her, although she had no idea where it came from.

He nodded towards the waves hitting the shore mere feet away. "We're already there."

"Not here," she said impatiently. "Not England either. Somewhere far away."

"Then that's where we'll go. Just for a few weeks, until we're all adjusted to this, until I'm used to being"- his face screwed up comically- "human."

"Thank you." She kissed him again, quickly and lovingly.

He stood up quickly, bouncing to his feet and holding out a hand for her. She let herself be pulled to her feet, not letting go of his hand upon standing. He put her arm around her shoulders and she allowed herself to be led down the beach, back to her mum and back to being asked if she was okay (of course not), how she was feeling (confused), what she wanted to do (leave). All that time, the Doctor kept his arm on her shoulders, holding her, letting her lean into him, keeping her from crying again.

"Everything's going to be fine now, you know that, right?" he asked, looking at her with a softer look in his eyes than she was used to.

"No." She hugged him, tears coming again. "But it will be."

They left Bad Wolf Bay together, following Jackie away from the beach, still holding on to each other. It was not a perfect ending. But it could be. Someday, everything could be perfect for them.