I see disclaimers all the time, and while I have never seen the point in them, quite frankly I'm becoming a little jealous, so here goes:
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or its affiliates (don't you love that word? I love that word)—in fact, I own nothing except this yucky frozen yoghurt that was masquerading as ice cream (the nerve) in my freezer. I am suitably miffed, regarding both.
The Doctor sighed in relief as he walked down the corridors of the TARDIS. Rose had finally decided to spare him by, as an alternative for visiting so much, calling her mother every once in a while. Less pit stops, less running into Jackie, less chances for brusing. He smiled cheekily to himself as he thought of all the places they could go in stead of the Powell Estates. And surely Rose would be happier; she could see so much more now!
"Maybe I should just come home." Rose's voice stopped him in his tracks, and her words stopped both of his hearts. His first instinct was to run into her room, but he restrained himself with the self-discipline that had kept him surviving these nine hundred and three years. The Doctor edged closer to the open doorway, body pressed close to the wall.
He shouldn't be eavesdropping on her, he knew, but if she felt hesitation about travelling with him… he had to know why.
"But I'm so sick of this! It's like—" She paused to let her mother talk. He risked a peek inside and saw Rose curled up on her bed, back facing him. Her legs were drawn up to her chest and she hugged them with one arm, tightly clutching the phone to her ear with the other. Oh, Rose.
It took a great deal more of that self-discipline to keep him from walking up to her and holding her tightly.
"Of course it's worth it!" she insisted to her mother. "I can't imagine a life without travelling and seeing such amazing things, but I don't know if I can take it anymore. He's so—" The Doctor suddenly had a horrific feeling she was talking about him.
"I know you warned me from the start, but you had it wrong. He's not doing anything—"
What did she mean he didn't do anything? He did plenty! Taking her round the universe, saving her, giving her a hand to hold—
"I want him to see it! He's just so-so oblivious. Or maybe he does see it, but he just doesn't feel the same." Her mother spoke on the other line, and he could hear the tones of her voice.
"But why doesn't he do anything, then?"
Again with the nothing and its relationship with him. Hmm…
Rose's laugh was short and a little hurt, quickly turning to a groan as she ran her fingers through her hair.
"I thought it was nothing—just… infatuation, like it would just, I don't know, fade away, or something. But it didn't—isn't." Jackie said something on the other line—he'd give his hand (again) to find out what.
"But I can't! Not with him." She listened for a moment.
"Because he wouldn't—No, not even if I wanted to—"
"I just know, Mum. He's not like that. He's too excited by everything to settle for just… plain old me."
Oh. He finally got it. Finally… he knew exactly what she was talking about, now.
Oh, Rose.
"Of course I want to, but I can't just… because it'll change everything! I'm just someone he travels with, Mum. Just someone to save and be saved. Someone to hold his hand." She listened for a long, painful moment, and he could only just see her shoulders shake a bit.
"When did it get so complicated? It was so simple in the beginning…"
"Yeah, you're right." She sighed.
"I guess I'm… I'm just so tired of this on-again-off-again, will-we-won't-we? thing. I mean, will or won't we? I feel like it's won't, and I'll have missed out on something so…"
Right then he made up his mind, no matter what it would entail, and later he might regret, but he wasn't regretting anything then, except his own, stupid delay.
The Doctor walked into her room, knelt beside her on the bed, and turned her face towards him. He kissed her gently, strongly enough to communicate all his frustration, remorse, and under it all, what he'd wanted to tell her all those times.
Yes, we will.