The Doctor glanced around the dingy estate, mired in trash and graffiti, and wondered yet again, how such a dismal place had ever managed to produce the brilliant creature whose hand he held so tightly. She chattered brightly beside him, about everything and nothing, and he let the music of her voice wash over him. He was still amazed by how quickly she'd managed to worm her way into his hearts; how she always seemed to know when a smile or touch of her hand was most needed to calm his demons.
Some people (his people) might call a shop girl from South London common, but to him, she was rare and precious. In all the universe, he'd managed to find someone fearless, and compassionate, and nearly as curious as he was. She made him…happy for the first time in a long time, and he was greedy enough to want to keep that feeling - keep her - all to himself.
Still, deep down inside, he knew that Rose was more a product of Jackie Tyler's upbringing than her environment. He was beginning to feel a grudging admiration for the old bat. Not too many here on Earth could face down a Slitheen and live to tell the tale, after all. He was pretty sure he'd seen the curtains twitch in the flat above them, and knew that she was watching. He really couldn't blame her. He'd only just met Rose, and he couldn't fathom how he'd go on without her. He could only imagine what Jackie had gone through in the last Earth year, mourning her beloved child, only to get her back, followed bang on by an alien invasion. Stern stuff, indeed.
Still, the choice to stay or to go was Rose's. He cradled her face in his hands and gently kissed her forehead. Her skin was exquisitely warm and soft beneath his palms, and her hair felt like silk as he tucked a few errant strands behind her ear. He sent her back to her mother, hoping desperately that this was not farewell.