A/N: Ah! I'm updating this crazy fast. I was a bit bored, so I just wrote some more. This is kind of short. The next and final installment of this story should be longer.

Chapter 2: Facts

Rose may not have finished her A-levels, but she was a smart girl. And yet, sitting on her bed within a makeshift nighttime, arranged by hitting all the lights in her room and the hallway where her room sat, she felt she only knew a few things with absolute certainty.

The first of those things is that the Earth was not alone, that she had seen the edges of the Universe and the fringes of Time, and she did it in the comfort of a very special Police Call Box.

That was more than one thing, but she wasn't splitting hairs.

The second of those things was that not long ago, the Doctor had changed. Where he was once big-eared and dopey he was now lean and dark…and sexy. She liked how he looked before, but the old him had grown on her; the new him was instantly compelling and magnetic.

He was different, and it scared the hell out of her. How does someone just change shape all of sudden? And not just change shape, but walk and talk and act differently? He was a new and different man, but he was the same. She knew he was the same because of the way he looked at her. It was the same way he used to look at her.

All around her the lights were off and the air reasonably still, considering they were rolling about in the Time Vortex. She wore her pyjamas but she had not yet peeled back the covers even though the hour was quite late. He probably thought she was sleeping soundly. The darkness was a good place to think, if only the thoughts she needed to think would come.

She was very certain about one more thing, and she felt it to her core, but she had never actually put it into words, not even in her mind. She pursed her lips in frustration, willing herself just to think what ought to be thought. Even knowing all the facts she knew, she was still a coward to admit it to herself.

You're afraid you'll be rejected, that's all. She thought.

No, it's more than that. You're worried about the life you'll have to live if he rejects you. You're worried about living life without him. It terrifies you.

But I'm not dependent on him. That's ridiculous. I don't need a man.

You need him.

But he doesn't need me.

And that's what hurts the most.

Tragedy surged through her as she realized the truth of her words. He'd been alive for over 900 years, and he'd gotten along just fine without her. As much as she would always need him, he would never need her. He knew she would leave him someday, even if she swore she would never, and he would move on to the next eager traveler. She was no different from anyone else.

She sighed loudly in an attempt to choke back a sob. It didn't work. Silent tears erupted from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Hallways away from the console room, the Doctor would never have to see her cry. She would pull herself together and tomorrow they would go on another adventure. The only difference would be that this time, she would go on that adventure knowing that she loved him, and that she would stay with him as long as he wanted her there.

This thought made her sit up straighter. Rose Tyler loves the Doctor. Saying it made her feel liberated and strong.

Rose Tyler loves the Doctor.

It also made her feel small and insignificant. Who was she when compared to the last living Time Lord? But some things cannot be helped. Some things are stupid and rash and perfect and whole and also massively inconvenient.

She was sure. Every time she repeated it she was surer. Rose Tyler loves the Doctor.

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