"Well, if it's my last chance to say it…" the Doctor started. Rose's lower lip quivered as she tried not to sob, though there was little to be done about the tears spilling down her face. Her flushed cheeks and wet eyes made her all the more lovely, though. The Doctor's mouth went dry, and he tried to speak around the lump in his throat. "Rose Tyler…"

The signal dropped. His time was up.

The Doctor stared at nothing in particular for a few minutes, wishing with every iota of his being that he had just a few more seconds to say what really mattered for once in his life. Why would the universe do such an awful thing to him? He whispered the words that should've reached Rose's ears and heart.

"I love you…"

And for the first time in more centuries than he'd care to admit, the Doctor wept.

The Doctor sat on the floor of the TARDIS, trying to motivate himself to get up and do something. He didn't know how long he had been sitting. Minutes? Hours? Days? Weeks? Time itself seemed to have stopped to allow the Doctor's mourning. He sat for a while longer.

Suddenly, there came a knock at the door. He raised his head to look at the door in confusion. Who could possibly be knocking? He was out in the middle of space. He forced himself to stand, wipe his eyes on his sleeve, and approach the console.

Whatever was outside knocked again. The Doctor's eyebrow raised incredulously as he pulled up the live video of right outside the door. The thing outside…

Was a young girl, only about 14 or 15. She looked somewhat familiar, though the Doctor knew he'd never seen her before. The girl looked up and straight into the hidden camera. The Doctor was fairly sure she didn't know what she was looking at until she said,

"Doctor, are you going to open the door or do I have to let myself in?"

The Doctor stepped back from the monitor and said quietly,

"Nobody can get in." His voice was projected through a microphone and speaker to the outside. "Not even-"

"Atilla the Hun." The girl finished his sentence. He just stared at the screen, at her large blue orbs. She smiled, full and bright and happy. "I know." Then, she opened the door and walked in.

"Honestly, that you should leave me out standing in the middle of space, Doctor!" She put her hands on her hips. "Where are your manners?"

"Who are you?" The Doctor got straight to the point.

"You know me." He had to admit she was right. He knew this girl, although he'd never met her before. "I understand that you might not recognize me…" The girl walked towards him until she was directly in front of him. "But you definitely know me. As I know you." She smiled.

The Doctor leaned forward slightly to examine her face. It was so childlike and perfect, so young and yet, there was a timeless wisdom to her eyes. Her hair was cropped short and a deep, russet brown. He could tell from her features that she was not as young as she appeared. Seemingly human, although something in the pit of his stomach told him she was not. She just looked steadily back into his probing eyes. Her eyes were so large and full and deep.

"Who are you?" he repeated in a whisper. Her smile broadened and she stepped back and turned around to look at the interior of the TARDIS. She walked around the console and the Doctor stood up.

"I love what you've done with the place." She giggled to herself, as if she'd just made an inside joke. She sighed wistfully. The Doctor just watched her curiously and a bit reproachfully. Then, she gasped and turned to face him. "I almost forgot! Oh, Doctor… You…" Her expression turned soft and sympathetic. "You've just…" As soon as the Doctor understood, he looked away.

"Yeah."

She sighed. "I'm so sorry."

"How did you know?" She ignored his question.

"You see her again, you know." His eyes widened.

"What?" She giggled and nodded.

"Yes, she tears a hole in the fabric of time and space to come save you, as she always does." The Doctor took large, fast steps to the young girl and took her shoulders tightly.

"When? How do you know this? You aren't supposed to tell me these— When?" The young girl smiled at the fire behind his eyes, but the smile was apologetic. His grip loosened and the light dimmed in his eyes as he whispered, "You can't tell me."

The girl sighed as the Doctor's hands slid from her shoulders. He turned and took a few steps, processing all the information.

"She spends the rest of her life with you." She said softly. The Doctor stills.

"But I don't spend the rest of my life with her." She approached him slowly and put a hand on his shoulder, and gently turned him to face her. "Who are you?" he asked wearily. She smiled.

"Do you really want to know?"

The Doctor gazed as deep into her eyes as he could, and found that they somehow went deeper than any human's eyes. He could see for miles into her eyes…

"Yes." He whispered. She nodded and faced him directly. She lifted his hands to both sides of her head and gently placed them against it.

Thousands of images flew through the Doctor's mind, and he gasped and stumbled backwards.

"You're…" He stared at the girl, completely in shock. She just smiled patiently as he came to grips with the truth. "You're…" She raised her eyebrows expectantly. "Not… Possible. You can't… You're not possible." She rolled her eyes.

"Doctor…"

"You're…" Her eyes were sorry. "…the TARDIS."

…To be continued!