With their arms still around each other, the couple sank back against the bench.

"I'm not really much of a hugger in this body," the Doctor proclaimed ironically, even as he drew her in closer to revel in the delightful feeling of having her in his arms again. He remembered then how much they used to hug - especially in his Tenth body. He was such a glutton for punishment back then...completely unable to resist the physical contact with her that his Ninth-self had often fought so hard against allowing. That one used to limit himself to holding her hand. Idiot! the Doctor thought in a strange sort of self-deprecation as he pulled her even closer.

"Is that so?" She giggled lightly as she just burrowed deeper into his embrace.

They sat there like that, lost in each other, for an indeterminable amount of time. Finally, the Doctor leaned back slightly to look into her warm brown eyes - eyes that he thought he would never see again – except for in his dreams, perhaps. "Tell me what happened," he requested…perhaps a bit more sharply than he meant to, but he knew that his current body tended to be more impatient than some of the others had been. At the thought of his other selves, he suddenly remembered the half-human one. In the sheer joy of seeing Rose again, he had somehow managed to forget that she was not his to keep. "Where is he?" he asked as he pulled back even further and looked around as if he expected his Metacrisis to pop out of nowhere with his outrageous hair and trainers and snatch Rose away from him again.

At the question, however, she pulled out of his arms and the look of loss in her eyes at that moment told him all that he needed to know. "Oh, Rose. I'm so sorry…" he started to say, but she stopped him.

"Don't be!" she answered vehemently. "We had a good life together – over fifty years in fact." She paused and the meaning of her words sank in to his soul. He found that he did not know whether to be very sad…or very happy…or just plain guilty. "Ironically, it was his heart, his very human heart, that gave out in the end. We suspected almost from the beginning, however, about the changes that Bad Wolf had caused in me – especially since I never seemed to grow any older and I healed insanely fast - so we had plenty of time to plan. Then, not long after he slipped away from life…I slipped back into this universe…and I have been waiting for the perfect time ever since."

"How long have you been here…back in this universe?" he asked as he silently berated himself for not knowing about her changes…never even checking…not even after the Bad Wolf experience had left him with a new body…and he had held the power for a much shorter time than she had. How had such an oversight even happened? he wondered incredulously.

Rose seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. "A long time," she told him before grabbed his hands and held them tightly in her own as she added her reassurance. "However, don't blame yourself for this. You weren't supposed to know. She had planned it like this from the very beginning."

"How could you possibly know that?" he argued.

"Like I said, I've been around for a while now. Not as long as you, obviously, but a good long while…and I have learned a few things," she answered vaguely.

He was so used to being the one who gave the vague answers that a bit of irritation crept into his voice. "Why didn't I know? Why didn't you come to me immediately?" he asked almost angrily…it was as if he was afraid of her answer and what it would mean.

"I can see the timelines now, too, you know." The Doctor started in surprise at this information but she continued, "Not all of them…obviously…only the ones that are important to me. She left that little present to guide me back to you. At any rate, I could see that it wasn't our time, yet. You were busy. You had things to do…like save the world again and again," here she paused significantly, "…and get married."

"Rose, I never meant…You see, I had to save…" he started to explain that rather complex situation, but she shook her head and removed one of her hands from his in order to gently place a finger over his lips.

"No, Doctor, you don't need to explain." She paused to sigh. "I'm not going to lie and say that the knowledge did not…sting…at first – especially since you were always determined to hold me at arm's length the entire time we traveled together. However, don't forget that I have been married, too – quite happily, in fact…and I wouldn't change those years for anything now. Plus, my John told me all about the Library and River…and what that meant...once we knew for sure that I would be coming back eventually. Consequently, I was forewarned and once I arrived, I knew that I had to bide my time for a bit until that part of your story was finished. Therefore, you have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about."

"What did you do, then?" he asked. Even though he really wanted to know, he also wanted to rapidly change the subject. He was relieved that she seemed to understand, but the feelings of guilt continued to cling to him about the whole complicated situation with River…and he doubted that he would ever really be rid of them.

Rose just bestowed that beautiful smile on him again…almost as if she knew what he was thinking…and maybe she really did. After all, he did not know exactly to what extent Bad Wolf had changed her! She gently broke into this train of thought as she continued to explain. "Well, in between bouts of saving the world to cover for you when you were busy elsewhere," here she paused to wink, "I hung out with old friends, of course." She thought for a moment. "Let's see…Mickey and Martha made me their daughter's godmother, if you can believe it. She is beautiful…and I have planned out my visits to her very carefully. Therefore, I have been able to watch her grow up. Sarah Jane and I have also had a few adventures together. She's brilliant, you know…and so are her kids." The Doctor nodded in agreement since he had seen her a few times, as well, in his previous couple of bodies.* "However, I have spent the most amount of time with Jack – especially since our circumstances are so similar now. Apparently, though, that was all part of her plan, as well – so that none of us would ever really have to be alone. I'm still sorry for what I unknowingly did to him, though, and everything that has happened to him because of it…but he has forgiven me. I am so glad, too, because it has been very nice to have a friend who understands…well…all of this!" With that, she gestured towards her younger self running around the playground.

The Doctor knew that she was referring to the strangeness of life as a time traveler, but his mind was preoccupied with the mention of the outrageously flirtatious Captain. "You were with Jack?" he asked incredulously. He remembered how close the two of them had been when they had traveled with his Ninth-self. Consequently, he felt…uneasy…and he could not help but to wonder if they were now…

His introspection was interrupted by Rose's earnest explanation, however. "Yes, I was! He desperately needed a friend – even more than I did - especially after the whole 4-5-6 situation.** He was a broken man for a long time, Doctor. He had lost so much at once: his friends, his lover, and his family. Plus, he just did not understand why you didn't intervene…not even after I explained that you couldn't because it was a fixed point in time." Here she paused and the Doctor felt another stab of guilt as he realized that he had indeed avoided the man and that particular time period…simply because he knew that there was nothing that he could do. Jack had to be the one to solve that particular problem himself…even with such heartbreaking consequences.

"At any rate," Rose continued. "He needed me then, and so we traveled together for a long while. Eventually, he was able to heal enough to cope. You know Jack. He hurts more than he lets the world see, but he is resilient. He puts on a brave handsome face and he goes on because he knows he must…just like someone else I know." She paused long enough to give the Doctor a significant look before she continued. "He eventually came around, though, and together we managed to circumvent that whole horrible Miracle Day fiasco."*** She shuddered at the thought and the Doctor nodded his understanding. In fact, since it wasn't a fixed point, he had planned to go and take care of it himself eventually…but other emergencies kept popping up and he just had not made it there, yet. "It was quite easy, too," Rose explained. "I simply slipped back and reclaimed Jack's blood before it could fall into the wrong hands. It's safe now and the New Girl has it in deep storage…just in case we ever really do need it." She smiled up at him. "Even though we will have to go pick him up eventually, our friend is now on an extended vacation on one of those tropical resort planets that he used to like so much when we all traveled together. You know his motto: So many species…so little clothing!" She then laughed at her friend's truly universal approach to dancing before she turned her attention back to the man with her.

The Doctor's head whirled as he thought about every amazing thing she had told him. His mind was so full of shock, wonder, and so many questions that he had difficulty settling on just which one to ask her. "How did you know where…and when to find me? How did you know that I would be here and now?" he finally asked.

Rose laughed at the question that she had been eagerly waiting for. "Don't you think that a mother talks to her daughter?" she asked with another of those tongue-touched grins.

"What?" he asked as the realization finally dawned on him. That explained so much more of what she had been telling him. "You don't mean that it worked and that you also have a…"

"Yep!" she answered proudly as she popped the p at the end of the word that like his Tenth-self used to do. "How else would I be able to visit everyone?" she asked with another flash of that bewitching grin. "I certainly could not rely on Jack's vortex manipulator! That thing is a bloody menace! However, Donna's tip for the baby TARDIS worked like a charm. She's also doing well by the way." As the Doctor looked up in alarm, Rose smiled before she reassured him. "Don't worry! I didn't talk to her. I understand why she had to forget, even though it was a terrible shame. However, I did have a delightful conversation with Wilfred…and it seems that they are all living quite comfortably with the help of that lottery ticket that she received as a wedding present." Her eyes twinkled as she sought out his. He just shrugged, a bit sheepishly…but she laughed knowingly.

"At any rate, when we realized the changes that I had gone through, both John and the New Girl taught me how to drive. It was actually quite easy since I already had a mental and physical connection with her. Apparently, when I joined with your TARDIS to become Bad Wolf, part of her stayed behind - hence my presence here after all of these years. My TARDIS was "born" from your TARDIS, however…and therefore part of her is inside of me, as well. That is our connection. I would even venture to say that I am probably even closer to my ship than you are to yours. We understand and trust each other implicitly – even if she is a young little cheeky thing. Would you like to meet her?" She moved as if to stand up, but the Doctor pulled her back.

"Yes, I would," he answered gruffly, "in a minute, though. I want to hear more about you, first."

Rose smiled at him, knowing that minutes meant something completely different to him, the Time Lord, than to most people. "Okay, then, let's see," she paused as she thought about what else he may want to know. "Oh…I have run into Clara quite a few times, as well. She's definitely an impossible girl, but I like her – especially since she has saved you – all of you – so many times!"

"Who is Clara?" The Doctor asked in a grumpy manner again – especially since he was completely confused at this point. It was not a feeling that he enjoyed.

"Oh…I see. You don't remember her…yet. It's still too early for that. Never mind. We will discuss that later. So…are there any other burning questions that you have for me…or…"

He let her confusing-for-anyone-who-was-not-a-time-traveler statement slide for the time being as he focused on what was really important. "Just one…Why are you here now, Rose, after you have been back in this universe all of this time? Why this moment? This place? With me…" His voice trailed off uncertainly…yet hopeful at the same time.

She understood what he was trying to ask and reached up to tenderly brush a wayward silver curl off of his forehead. This body might look a bit older than the ones that she had traveled with in the past, but that did not change the fact that he was still her Doctor…and she had loved him practically from the moment he had grabbed her hand that first time and told her to run! "Because it's finally our time!" she exclaimed passionately. "I know that you tend to avoid doing it…and that you are probably out of practice, but…please check our timelines. Do it for me."

She was right. He had avoided looking at the timelines…any timelines…for a very long while – especially since he did not usually like what he saw. However, he had never been able to resist this woman when she asked for something. Hence, all of those visits back to see Jackie - the woman who had slapped him! Therefore, he closed his eyes and checked. He saw that her bright golden vibrating line - the same one which had run parallel with his bold solid blue one for such a brief time before shooting off to twist and tangle with another similar but faded blue line - was back and pressed tightly against his own. As he watched, the two lines fused together and finally became one intertwined line that stretched towards...

"Forever," she said quietly. "I promised you forever…and it is finally time for me to fulfill that promise."

With those words, she pulled him up from the bench and with just a quick glance at her younger self – still happily playing with the younger Mickey – she took him by the hand and led him to a nearby telephone booth. He had just a moment to notice that he could easily see the grass and trees on the other side through the transparent glass in the door of the red box. However, when a low chiming hum sounded and the door swung open, it revealed a very different interior that was not visible from the outside…and it was definitely bigger on the inside, as well. "Clever Girl!" he murmured and his hearts beat wildly as he followed Rose inside of the New Girl - who sent them both feelings of an excited and affectionate welcome. Rose squeezed his hand and released it gently before she immediately crossed over to the console and started flipping switches in order to warm up the ship. The sight of this particular woman, his own pink and yellow girl, piloting her own TARDIS did something to him and he found that he could not keep his eyes off of her.

"Aren't you gorgeous?" He could not help but to say, and even though his hands roamed over the hybrid coral and glass-like struts of the young ship; his eyes never left Rose. She noticed this and flashed him another one of those hearts-melting tongue-touched grins as she pulled the lever that would send the daughter to the mother and bring them all together again. Just a moment later they materialized inside the console room of the Old Girl, on the newly formed upper-level landing that had been custom made for her daughter's parking spot…and he listened to his ship's joyful welcome to her and her ship. It was then that the incredible truth finally hit him…This was for real! He made his way over to Rose and drew that amazing woman…the one who obviously did not know the meaning of the word impossible…back into his arms. As his gray head finally bent to meet her blonde one for their long overdue kiss, he realized another truth. The Doctor was in the TARDIS with Rose Tyler again - just as it should be…and this time it was going to stay that way!

Notes:

*The Sarah Jane Adventures:
The Tenth Doctor visited during "The Wedding of Sarah Jane" (Season 3: Episodes 5 & 6)
The Eleventh Doctor visited during "The Death of the Doctor" (Season 4: Episodes 5 & 6)

**Torchwood:
Season 3: "The Children of Earth"

***Torchwood:
Season 4: "Miracle Day"