The gentle TARDIS hum was providing the background noise for the loud giggling in the console room. Two figures were moving quickly around, one, brown-haired, clad in a brown pinstriped suit, and the other blonde, wearing jeans and a plain T-shirt.
"I still can't believe edible ball bearings make you that excited!" Rose exclaimed and grinned.
"It is genius, you cannot deny that." The Doctor was pulling levers and pressing buttons seemingly at random, but Rose knew better than to think like that. "Before we go anywhere else, we'll have to make a quick stop in Cardiff to refuel, won't take much, promise. We can just wander about for a bit."
"Meet a couple of aliens maybe. Run some more," Rose teased and leaned on the console.
"Rose Tyler, I can see you are in a cheeky mood. What do we owe this to?" The Doctor raised his eyebrows, looking smug, and with a final pull of a lever, stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared at his companion.
"Oh, I don't know. Nothing in particular," she said, equally smugly.
They landed with a soft thud and Rose ran to the door. It didn't matter that it was only Cardiff outside, the person she was with mattered the most. Though she would probably never tell him the thing that mattered the most to her. Better keep it to herself.
"You okay?"
The Doctor had appeared next to her with a concerned look on his face.
"Yep. Come on, let's go." Rose opened the door and stepped outside. Cold night air immediately hit her and she shivered. She looked around and found out they had landed on the Plass, and it was covered in a few inches of untouched snow.
The Doctor emerged from the TARDIS behind her and closed the doors. He, too, looked around trying to figure out when they had landed.
"Rose, I think it's December. Actually, I'm sure," he said convincingly and sniffed. "The beginning of December, to be precise."
"Can we go see my mum when we're done here?" Rose asked, suddenly missing Jackie. The snow around reminded her of Christmas and she had always connected it with her mum.
"Yeah, 'course," he agreed, not exactly thrilled at the idea at first, but then remembered the last Christmas and actually felt grateful. Any further thoughts were interrupted by a rather loud yell.
"Doc! Doctor! Doc!" An overly eager voice filled the silence and they heard someone running. A moment later Captain Jack Harkness appeared before them.
"Jack?" the Doctor said in dismay.
"Doctor?" Jack was mirroring his expression. "You've changed," he stated.
"Yeah."
Jack waited a few seconds and then asked, "What happened?"
"Let's not talk about that right now right here," the Doctor prevaricated.
"Fine, but you'll come with me. You need to answer some questions." With that, Jack turned around and with the Doctor and Rose trailing behind him, led them to a tiny coffee shop.
The lights were off and when they went inside, Jack flicked a switch and they saw a couple of tables with chairs.
"A friend of mine holds this place, doesn't have much luck with it," the human explained, plumped himself on a chair and gestured at them to sit.
For a bit they all sat in awkward silence which was finally broken by Jack for the second time that day.
"So what happened? You owe me an explanation after you left me on that Game Station."
"It was complicated."
"Was it?"
"Yes."
"Tell me." Jack glared at the Time Lord.
The Doctor seemed to think for a few moments, then hesitated and started telling a story. A story of courage and impossible choices, of sacrifice, of destruction and creation, and of love. Jack observed both of them carefully and saw, saw the way the Doctor was leaning protectively over Rose, saw how she looked at him when he explained how she had saved him, and how she would do it again in a blink of an eye if needed and how he would do the absolute same a hundred times. Saw what they weren't admitting to each other.
After he finished talking, the Doctor fell silent. He could tell what Jack was thinking about, staring at them. Suddenly he stood up.
"I'm just gonna get some air. Two minutes." Rose nodded, a bit concerned.
The Doctor started running as soon as he walked out and stopped next to some building which seemed uninhabitable.
Why wouldn't he let himself be happy? Well, he knew why. He thought he was the last being in the Universe to deserve happiness. All he'd done, the things he'd experienced, Rose deserved someone far better, someone young and innocent, and human.
The Doctor sighed and leaned against the cold wall. The night was peaceful and quiet, the only movement being the snow falling around him, turning Cardiff white. Snowflakes were getting caught in his eyelashes, blurring his vision, but he was too lost in thought to notice.
He must've stayed there quite some time, because when he heard the familiar "Doc!" snow was covering his shoulders and when he stood up - and he didn't remember sitting down in the first place - a chunk of it fell from his hair.
"What are you doing?! You said you were going out for two minutes." Jack nearly sounded like he was accusing him. He extended his hand to help the Time Lord up, but he was already on his feet.
"Sorry, just… Come on, let's not leave Rose alone." The Doctor headed in the direction of the café, but Jack didn't move.
"It's Rose, isn't it?"
"What?"
"What you've been thinking about since you told me what happened. And probably longer than that." Jack looked somewhat determined to make the Doctor talk.
"That's none of your business, Jack." A sudden sternness creeped into his voice and his whole posture changed.
"No, it's not, but it's so obvious! One of you has to do something and make the first step. I saw the way you look at Rose. Trust me, she has the exact same look for you."
"I don't need a matchmaker."
"Yeah, you need Rose."
"Stop it! You don't understand! This can't happen. Let's just go back." For the Doctor the conversation was over, but for Jack it wasn't.
"Come on, Doctor, why don't you want to do anything about it? Why can't it happen?"
"Because in a while she might want someone else, someone normal, who she can have a normal life with," the Doctor clarified, getting fed up with the whole argument.
"But she doesn't want anyone else! Can't you see?" Jack was exasperated. "Ever since she met you for the first time. She is not going to stop traveling with you just because you think she will."
"Yeah, but tomorrow or in a month or a year, she might want to stop."
"Isn't the present moment sometimes more important than the future? Now it's not tomorrow or in a year, it's now, and even you don't know how much that now will last." The ex-Time Agent pointed at the alien, growing more desperate by every word said.
For a second the Doctor appeared as if he was going to continue arguing, but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out at first.
"I don't think I'm good for her," he admitted quietly. "I'm not… I can't do this to her."
"Why don't you let Rose decide that? Don't assume you know what's best for everyone, Doctor."
The Time Lord stared at Jack. He had always tried to protect anyone he could in any way he could, but maybe every once in a while he had to let go of the enormous responsibility he had burdened himself with. Maybe he was right. And, Rassilon, how he wanted him to be right.
"Listen, just talk to her. Or you'll continue to avoid that subject forever, both of you. Because you're what? Afraid? It's not worth it." Jack's loud arguments were now replaced with quiet persistence.
The Doctor didn't say anything and just stared unseeingly in front of him. Jack was right. And that was the thing he wanted most and didn't even dare believe it to be possible.
Jack slowly started walking towards the coffee shop and the Doctor followed him. A second after that they bumped into Rose, startling both Rose and themselves.
"Jack went to look for you and when he didn't return, too, I went out to see what was happening. Followed the footsteps," she explained with an unreadable expression on her face.
"Sorry, we were just getting back, sorry," the Time Lord gently touched her shoulder. Jack quietly walked away, giving them space.
"I heard what you were talking about," Rose said and the Doctor froze. "I am not going to stop traveling with you. I'm going to stay with you. Forever."
They looked at each other, both wide-eyed, finally realizing that the thing they have been denying themselves for so long was possible. The Doctor made a tiny step toward her and gently took her hand in his. Rose followed his movements with eyes and as if she just couldn't wait a second longer, leaned forwards and pressed her lips against his. He melted into her touch and his other hand went to cup her cheek. Rose deepened the kiss and wrapped her arms around him, wanting to feel him close to her, to know he was there. The Doctor's only thought at that perfect moment was that he never wanted to let go of her.
Miracles do tend to happen in the Universe and that was their miracle.