It was late one night when Rose awoke to a voice, a voice she thought she'd never hear again.

Dry. A deep baritone, a northern accent. "Rose," it said, and she bolted upright. Beside her, the Doctor lips moved, but his eyes were closed.

"Doctor!"

"We don't have much time. Before I go, I just want to say-"

"I know," she whispered. "I'm fantastic."

"-I love you. Sorry it took me so long to say it."

"No, you daft alien, I know. I always knew. But, Doctor-how-?"

"Long story. I'm sorry it's taken me so long-the meta crisis finally let me do this. I tried, just after the regeneration, when I regretted not saying it so much. That's why the regeneration went wrong. That was me, trying to tell you, explain things."

"You would have found me, wouldn't you? You wouldn't have cared about the universes."

"Oh, Rose. Don't you see? You made me care. You made me into a man who cared about the fate of two universes. You made me into a pretty boy!"

She smiles, until it is choked off by a sob. "Doctor, don't go. He's... He's everything I want and more, but I... You are-"

"Rose. He was made for you. I made him for you. He loves you just as much as I ever have. More, maybe. Rassilon knows loving comes more easily to him."

"I love you."

"You are fantastic."

The Doctor bolted upright, his eyes wide open, and for just a split second, Rose could have sworn she saw cobalt blue, swirling away into the depths of deep brown. "Rose!" It was his own voice again, the light tenor and the London accent.

"I'm here."

"I love you," he breathed, and for a second again, his eyes shone blue. "I love you."

She pulled his lips to hers, shivered when his arms wrapped around her. "Don't leave me. Don't leave, please, don't ever, ever go-"

"I won't," he mumbled into her mouth. "Never again."