Rose sat by the window in the hospital cafeteria, looking absently out of the window. Mickey was suddenly taken ill and the results had shown that he had been poisoned with an unknown toxin. She chewed on her sandwich, leaving her bag of chips untouched on the table. She wondered if the Doctor was able to help, but the Doctor was away and she was left alone. She suddenly became aware of a presence at her table. She thought it was Martha, who was working at the same hospital Mickey was hospitalized in now. She looked up and started to talk, but then it drifted open at the sight of the person before her. It was the person she least expected to see, and the least welcomed.
"May I join you?" The Master enquired.
When he didn't receive a response, he slid into the seat opposite Rose and grabbed a chip from her bag.
"Get your filthy hands off the chips." Rose snarled, anger replacing the shock.
"Ah, Miss Tyler, you don't have to be so rude, do you? I'm just here for a little chat. "
"What do you want?" She snapped.
"Oh, Miss Tyler, I had this glorious plan to take over the universe, but was foiled because of you and the Doctor. Right now I'm going to do it again. At this very moment assassins are closing in on your loved ones, even the Doctor. Yes, you might think it is no big deal, as the Doctor can regenerate even after he's injured and save your loved ones. But I must tell you I recently procured a special weapon capable of killing Time Lords. Your Doctor will be gone soon, and there will be no one left to protect the universe. You might not believe me, but I am a man of my word."
"You aren't even a man." Rose spat.
"Oh I am not, but I am surely capable of doing just that. I poisoned Mickey; why do you think you are here? I got the poison from a faraway planet, where only I have the antidote."
"Leave them alone!" Rose hissed, voice trembling. "What can I do to spare their lives?"
"It is rather simple, actually. All I ask of you is for you to kill yourself. "
"Kill myself? As in commit suicide?"
"Yes, Miss Tyler."
"But…why?"
"I thought it was obvious, Miss Tyler. If you could kill yourself the universe will be spared. So will your loved ones. I only plan to destroy the Doctor emotionally, to exact revenge!"
"You're a monster!" Rose hissed, tears now streaming down her face. The Master hadn't changed one bit. He was a twisted creature. Bitterly twisted. She couldn't let her family die. She couldn't let the Doctor die.
"Yes, Miss Tyler, I am many things, a monster or a saint, depends on how you look at it. I must take my leave now. Goodbye, Miss Tyler, and I shall be keeping my eye on you."
The Master stood up and left. The tears on Rose's face weren't because of the Master's words. She had foreseen this; it was just that she didn't expect it to come so soon. She would miss the Doctor, but she had to do this to save the world. She couldn't be selfish. It was the curse of the companions.
She stood on the roof of the hospital, feeling the wind whipping through her hair and clothes. The Master was standing in front of her, a glass vial in one of his hands. He handed over the glass vial and left, appearing a few minutes later in the building opposite, his eyes glinting with mad glee. Rose had told Martha to call Captain Jack, and instructed Captain Jack to alert the Doctor. Sure enough, a few minutes later, the Doctor came rushing up the stairwell, onto the grey flat roof of the hospital.
"Rose! What are you doing? Stay away from the edge!" The Doctor cried frantically.
Rose shook her head. "I have to do this. Didn't Jack explain to you why I had to do this? The Master's watching us. Even right now. I have to die, if not you, Mum, Dad, Mickey, Jack and Martha would. And so will the whole world. He's using me to break you, Doctor. Please, take this vial, Doctor. It contains the antidote for Mickey." She tossed him the vial and he managed to catch it. "Doctor, don't be consumed by grief after my death. Hunt down the Master and keep him captive. He's the only other Time Lord left. Don't kill him. If you kill him, you will be lonely for the rest of your life. Do not devote yourself to the cause, because if you do so you might be consumed by hatred and become as twisted as the Master." Tears were streaming down both their faces now. He took a step forwards, but Rose put up a hand, stopping him.
"Doctor, remember. I love you. And always will." As Rose turned to jump, she quietly added, "If you go now, Doctor, you might be able to catch me before I hit the ground." She heard footsteps on the concrete and the door to the staircase slamming shut. The Doctor had run. Rose timed it exactly right so that she would hit the tarmac when the Doctor reached the ground level. The Doctor was running. Running to catch a person he wouldn't have been able to catch.
The Doctor pushed through the crowd of people in the hospital, all of which who stared daggers at him. The Doctor didn't really care; all he cared about was reaching the ground floor before Rose.
Meanwhile, on the roof, Rose leaned backwards and tumbled through the air.
The Doctor burst out of the hospital on the ground floor, just as he saw Rose's body plummeting towards the ground, her golden hair glinting in the weak sunlight. His legs tried to move, but they were stiff, rooted to the spot. A part of him knew it was too late. Rose hit the tarmac with a soft thud. Almost immediately, a group of people gathered around her. The breath was knocked out of him; his hearts had seemingly followed Rose's progress down the building, as they had plummeted and shattered. His legs carried him forward automatically, so he moved, dreamlike, through the crowd. Rose was lying on the ground, her eyes wide open and blood oozing out from her head wound. Her golden hair was splayed across the ground, forming a halo around her head, with the blood dying it red. He sank to his knees and fumbled for her pulse.
There was none.
He placed his forehead against Rose's, shaking silently, but no tears would come. He was numb inside. He knew that Rose was gone. All that was left for him to do was to carry her back into the hospital. A little boy around the age of 10 came up and closed Rose's eyes. The Doctor looked up and smiled at him sadly, silently thanking the little boy. He scooped Rose up into his arms and carried her bridal-style into the hospital, his face expressionless. He still couldn't understand why he felt so numb inside when he had cried on the roof. The babble around him was muted, but he was aware of the people behind him rushing to get a doctor. Martha suddenly burst out of a door beside him, flanked by two nurses.
"Oh no!" she gasped, her eyes widening in horror at the sight of Rose's body. The two nurses went into action, taking Rose's limp body from the Doctor and wheeled it into the operation room, Martha following after. The Doctor sank into a nearby chair and put his head into his trembling hands. Rose was gone. So had the others who cared about him. There was no one left. The curse of the Time Lords. Just as things couldn't get worse, Jackie and Pete Tyler came barreling into the hallway. "What happened?" Jackie shrieked, grabbing the Doctor by the shoulders. "What have you done to Rose?" She yelled. "You were supposed to keep her safe!" She slapped the Doctor and he stumbled backwards, not attempting to make a move. He was supposed to keep Rose safe, but needless to say, he failed. So he just stood there and let Jackie hit him, as part of his punishment. He had caused so many deaths, and now Rose's too. He took out the vial of antidote from his coat and managed to explain in a low voice that it was for Mickey. Peter took the vial and left, gingerly half-leading Jackie away.
Martha came out of the operation room a short while later, shaking her head. Jackie burst into fresh tears and they entered the morgue some time later, Rose's corpse placed on the table. Jackie just continue to cry, while Peter stood with his head bowed. They left soon after, leaving the Doctor alone in the room with Rose's corpse. The Doctor sat beside Rose for a long time, then quite suddenly rose from his seat, kissed Rose briefly and left.
That night, the door to the morgue quietly slid open. A figure walked in and stopped beside the table Rose was lain on. He carefully lifted Rose's head a few inches and tilted it gently side to side and felt for her pulse. Satisfied, the anonymous visitor left the morgue.
The funeral was a small one. Only a few people were present: Jackie and Peter, Martha, Jack and the Doctor. Tears were finally streaming down the Doctor's face; the same thing mirrored on both Jack's and Martha's faces. After the funeral, everybody went back, Martha and Jack helping the Doctor back to the TARDIS.
A week later, the Doctor returned to Rose's grave. He knelt in front of it for a long time, then left after leaving a single rose and a bag of chips. As Rose watched the Doctor walk out of her life in the shadows, tears rolled down her cheeks. After she had made sure that the Doctor was out of sight, she walked over and picked up the items the Doctor had left.
