"I was a father once."
Rose's eyes darted up from the TARDIS controls and saw the Doctor pull a small picture frame out of his coat pocket. He tenderly reached out to touch the photograph, and Rose could see the nostalgia on his face.
"Really? What is that a photograph of?"
"My children."
Rose peeked at the photograph and saw two happy looking children smiling out at her. One was a handsome young boy with scruffy auburn hair and granny smith eyes, appearing to be about ten. The other was a beautiful girl with brown wavy hair and piercing gold eyes, appearing to be no younger than twelve. Both children had some freckles and red lips. Rose could see the slight resemblance, because even though the Doctor had regenerated several times, there was always something about him that persisted that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
"They're beautiful"
The Doctor looked down at the photo and gave a distant smile. He looked up and began to speak, as if he was having a flashback.
"This picture was taken a while ago. They both were adults and had children of their own when the Time War began. They died. I lived on. I tried my best to save them. I really did. It just… It's all my fault that they died. I told her I'd be back for her. He got worried and came to find her. When I got back, they were dead. No time to regenerate. Both hearts just… stopped. It's always my fault!"
By this time, the Doctor was crying. Rose hadn't seen the Doctor cry before, so she didn't know what to do. She wrapped her arms around him and wiped the tears from his eyes.
"It isn't your fault. You did what you had to. Please don't cry." Rose whispered to him.
The Doctor, still red-eyed, jumped up and ran to his bathroom to wash his face. Rose just sat there, staring at the floor of the TARDIS, thinking.
After about five minutes, the Doctor raced back out, looking good as new.
"Yeah, um, Rose, about what just happened, it's between us two. I'm sorry you had to see me like that. It was pretty ridiculous anyway. Don't tell anyone. I have a bit of a reputation."
Rose bit her lip and smiled. "Reputation, huh? What reputation? It wasn't ridiculous by the way. Only real men cry. I don't know many guys that would even dare to cry. I just want you to know that you're not alone. Somebody out there loves you."
The Doctor raised his eyebrow and looked amused. "Sure. Whatever. People think they love me, but they don't. Those kids… when they died, a part of me died with them. I haven't known love for a long time, Rose. I don't know anyone who truly loves me, either. Now, let's get going."
The Doctor began flipping switches and turning dials and pressing buttons. "Come here and help me."
Rose turned a red dial and switched on a tiny metal switch. She glanced up at the Doctor, wearing his glasses he didn't even need. Her eyes remained there, just staring, until the TARDIS stopped. She slowly began to make her way over to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around on his heels to face her, waiting for her to say something.
"You say nobody loves you. There is someone though. I love you."
Rose stood on her tiptoes and kissed the Doctor for a good ten seconds. When she pulled away, he looked at her, astonished. That was when he realized that he loved Rose Tyler.