The Doctor sat on the cushioned bench in the control room of the TARDIS. He had set the controls to random, instructing her to land in any place and at any time in the universe. He didn't want to have to think of a location, he just wanted to go, and he trusted her to take him someplace that would get his mind off it all, even for just a moment. The Doctor stood as the engines quieted and slowed to a stop. A lonely hush came in its wake. There was no laughter, no surprise, no exclamation of "Where are we?" or "When are we?" All there was was silence and he knew that was all there would be for some time to come.
The Doctor strolled slowly to the exit, stopping half way between the doors and the control console. He stood there for a moment, hands in his pockets, looking around the main hub of his ship. Having a machine that was bigger on the inside had its perks. But, every time someone left his company, those long halls and large rooms felt emptier than one could possibly imagine. Even with his exceptional mind.
"Well, it's just me then." The Doctor said to his TARDIS. "Let's see where you took me then, hmm?" He opened the TARDIS' doors onto a large beach of blue sand and recognized the place immediately. It was the planet of Hearthenfel, a planet of almost no large cities, but scattered villages among its large, black oceans. The Doctor almost smiled as he stepped onto the beach, closing the blue wooden doors behind him. The blue box was nearly invisible against the blue sands. This planet was among his favorites. It had two large suns on either side of it, keeping ninety percent of the planet lit at all times. The Doctor himself nearly said so aloud, but realized that there was no one around to hear him.
He began walking near the coastline, not headed in any direction in particular. Something about the beach was familiar, more so than just him remembering visiting before. It was like déjà vu; like he had been here at a specific time in the past. As he pondered this, a strangely familiar laugh floated in on the wind and voices seemed to be getting closer to where he stood. He was getting ready to greet the other visitors when he heard one word that caused him to dive behind a nearby rock:
"Fantastic!"
The Doctor peeked over the rock to see two wonderfully familiar faces. One belonged to himself, his old self, before his last regeneration. It was a face that it seemed like he hadn't seen in a millennium; the short hair, leather jacket, and rather large ears, everything that seemed so long ago, lifetimes ago. The second face belonged to Rose Tyler. She looked so young, so fresh faced. It took all The Doctor had not to run over and give her a hug. This moment was long before the stolen planets, before the battle of Canary Wharf, and, if his memory served him correctly, just before they would be meeting Capitan Jack Harkness for the first time during WWII. Even Bad Wolf had no meaning yet. Seeing himself and Rose holding hands and laughing, not knowing of the heartaches to come, cause his eyes to well up with tears.
He watched as they walked down the beach and his head was flooded with memories. She was his first companion after the war, she was the one that opened his wounded heart and helped make him the Timelord he was today. She was holding an ice cream cone and he remembered that this was the first time she had ever tasted Hearthenfel's specialty; Every Flavor Ice Cream. It was a specially made ice cream that tasted how ever you wanted it to. You could have chocolate at first, then go for strawberry, then maybe end with fudge ripple. From that day on, Rose insisted on stopping on Hearthenfel when ever they were able just to get some ice cream.
The Doctor re-lived every memory of how her eyes lit up every time the flavor changed, or how funny she thought it was to splash him, or even how much sand had accumulated in their shoes. They were only in sight for a few minutes and then they walked off to where the Doctor knew their version of the TARDIS stood. He waited for the sound of the engines before emerging from his hiding place and continuing his walk. But, this time, his thoughts were no longer filled with loss. They were filled with the memories of where he had taken his companions, the places they saw together and things they did. And, even though he wouldn't get to see Rose ever again, he would always have his memories, stashed away in that brilliant brain of his and waiting to be pulled out if he needed them.
Happily licking away at his ice cream, the Doctor returned to the TARDIS. He removed his coat, throwing it over to its usual spot, and then walked over to the center controls. He ran his hand along the edge, looking on his ship with love, and made his way towards the bench.
"Thank you, old friend. Thank you." The Doctor said. He sat down hard onto the bench, stretched out his legs, rested his feet on the counsel, and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of his ice cream.