Rose Tyler stared into the space recently inhabited by the man she loved. It was now vacant. She wiped the tears from her eyes, replacing them with freshly fallen ones. This was the end, the real end; she'd never see him again. The final hole in their two universes had just been sealed for eternity.
She turned to her family and they looked at her with sad eyes, attempting to console and empathize with her. They couldn't though. They may have loved the Doctor, but not like how she loved the Doctor. No one could love him more than that. She walked back to her family continuing her attempts at cleaning her face from tears. She'd have to go back to England now and continue with her life in this new world. She wouldn't hear the Doctor's voice anymore; he would move on with his life just like he did after leaving all his previous companions. She was just the end of a long line soon to be trampled by an even longer line. She'd have to do the same for him, she'd have to place him and their wonderful adventures together in the back of her mind or she'd never be able to move on.
"Come, Rose," said her mother after a long moment of apologetic hugs. "We'll take you out. A time like this deserves some comfort food."
She couldn't cheer up though, she felt like she'd never be happy again. She tried to eat but couldn't. I love you, she heard herself saying over and over again accompanied by the silence of his face dissolving into nothing. She decided to take a step outside, a break to release a few more tears she'd been storing inside for the past hour. She sat under on a small bench under a tree silently weeping into her palms. A figure sat down beside her. Oh great, she thought, Just what I need, a person trying to comfort me.
She sat up straight a saw a tissue in the stranger's hand being offered to her. "Thank you," she managed to say as she grasped the tissue and dabbed her wet eyes.
The man beside her nodded his head and smiled, he looked as if he were sad as well. There was something about him that seemed remarkably familiar but she could've sworn she'd never seen him before in her life.
"I'm Rose Tyler," she said eagerly, with a peculiar urge to speak with him. "I've just lost a friend." She found it especially difficult to say that last sentence and more tears began to flow from her eyes.
The man put his arm around her and she nuzzled her head into his shoulder feeling an odd connection with him.
"You seem so familiar," she said as his grip on her tightened. "Do I-" she took a deep breath. "Do I know you?"
He let his arm fall and faced her with a nostalgic mix of joy and sadness. "Rose Tyler, you know me so well."
Her sad eyes turned to elation; she did know him. He was back. "You've changed. It was only an hour ago that I saw you for that last time." She chuckled a bit examining his new appearance. "I like the new look. It's very Doctor."
"Bowtie," he said and the pair laughed through their held back tears.
"How did you come back?"
"I crashed and thought you deserved to be paid a visit. Or need a little extra comforting."
"And there's no one else? Have there been more companions?"
"Oh plenty more," he said gazing off remembering all those who had come and gone. "None like you."
"Can you stay?" she said, again on the verge of tears.
"No, you don't need me. Not yet."
"I need you more than anything. It's so hard to live without you."
"You just said it yourself, it's only been an hour," he tried to comfort her; he was really the only one capable of doing it. "And besides, you'll find me again. One day."
"I see you again?" she beamed, smiling widely from ear to ear. "As you are now or like before?"
"Just like before, good old number ten. But I can't give away anymore. All in good time. But never stop searching for me, Rose, never give up," he stood up, getting ready to leave.
"No, wait!" she called grasping his hands, halting his movement. "You can't leave me twice in one day."
"The TARDIS is almost finished repairing itself. I need to get back to my universe."
"Take me with you, let me go back there. I need to be with you, Doctor!" she stood up still holding onto his hands.
"There's so much more you have to do here, Rose, so many you have to save. Your reward will come," he smiled reassuringly and kissed her on the forehead.
She swallowed back more tears, "What was it you were saying before you disappeared? What were your last words to me supposed to be?" She wanted to hear him say it so bad.
"He loved you," he said referring to his past self. "Just know that. He loved you and never stopped."
"But you did, you've stopped loving me haven't you?"
"If I'd stopped loving you, I wouldn't have come back to see you."
She wrapped her arms around him and he held her tight in return. When their hug was finally broken and the pair looked at each other with tear stained cheeks, Rose spoke, "I can't wait to see you again. I love you so much, Doctor."
The Doctor smiled and kissed her on the forehead again. He turned his back to her and headed to the TARDIS. "I love you, too, Rose," he said soft enough so she couldn't hear. "I love you so much."