Time passed, though he couldn't be sure how long he sat there staring into nothingness. Finally, one word passed through his head, and it made his hearts hurt worse than before.

Jackie.

Rose's mother would have to be told her daughter was never coming home. The Doctor would have to go to the Powell Estate, look Jackie Tyler in the eye, and break his promise to her. But first, he thought as he pushed himself to his feet, there's a stop I have to make.

He pushed buttons and fiddled with levers almost robotically, and the TARDIS shuddered to life. The ride was bumpy, but the Doctor didn't care as he gripped the console firmly. After a few seconds the TARDIS ground to a halt, and the Doctor opened the door.

He stepped out onto the lush green grass, looking up at the deep blue sky with a melancholic smile. His Time Lord senses told him it was well past the time when he'd have to worry about inhabitants – most of the natives had been wiped out by a plague by now, and the remainder had taken to the stars to avoid the same fate. He walked a while over the hillside, bracing himself against a brisk ocean breeze. The cliff side was just where he'd remembered it, and he silently thanked the TARDIS for landing exactly where he'd wanted to.

At the crest of the hill he fell to his knees, watching the first of two suns sink below the horizon. He had about forty minutes before the second would be gone and the world would be cast into pitch blackness. He took only a few seconds to calm his racing hearts before taking out a tool from the depth of his pants' pocket.

For twenty minutes he carved away at the soft ground until he was satisfied with the results. Wordlessly he re-entered the TARDIS and moved to the room that held Rose's body. The sight of the bed covered in blood – in her blood – make him sick to his stomach. Her face was pale from the blood loss, and her normally fiery skin was cool even to his touch. Her eyes had slipped closed somehow, and the Doctor found himself grateful for the small miracle. If he'd had to shut those beautiful eyes for good, he would have lost it right there. Instead, he forced himself to shove all emotion behind a wall in his mind as he scooped her limp form into his arms.

He laid her next to the grave he'd dug, wiping a few tears from his face as he checked the time. There were almost ten minutes left until sundown, and he quickly dashed back into the TARDIS to grab a soft, cotton sheet and a small scrap of metal. Reverently, he wrapped her body in the material, smiling in the knowledge that even here, on this distant, alien planet, Rose would have a part of her home world with her.

That small part of his mind that had protested earlier was back, demanding that he return her to her mother. She should be buried on Earth, it told him. But he shoved it away forcibly, concentrating instead on the memories of his vibrant, lovely companion. She had been so excited at each and every stop, awed by the beauty of the planets and amazed by the people she'd met. She'd stood fearless in the face of danger and inspired him to be a better person. Rose wouldn't have wanted a boring, earth burial. She would have wanted to be out here, among the stars that had captured her heart.

With only mild difficulty, he managed to lower her body into the ground. He couldn't see her face for the shroud, but he had long ago memorized every line and contour. In his mind he could see the smile that always split her face, and the adorable expression she sported whenever she was excited or eager. The simple wonder on her face always made him feel better, like his purpose had been restored once again.

But he would never again see her face alight with laughter, or have her look at him in that way that made his blood run warm. He would never hear her voice calling his name, or feel the elation that came with knowing her trust in him was absolute.

But I've failed. Rose is gone.

He wept at her graveside as he slowly shoveled dirt over the body. After several painstaking moments the task was finished and the second sun was disappearing over the ocean. The water sparkled in purples and reds, and the Doctor sat on his haunches next to the freshly turned earth. His throat was raw from crying, and his eyes burned as he wiped the last few tears from his face.

He grabbed the spare piece of metal and used the sonic screwdriver to carefully engrave it. When he was finished, he held it at arm's length and inspected his work.

Rose Tyler

Champion, Protector, Friend

Those three words were so apt and yet so inadequate to describe everything she'd been. She had come into his life just when he'd needed her most, when he'd been ready to give in and join his people forever. But she'd given him purpose again – given him a reason to keep going – and he knew that her steadfast determination and attitude would remain with him forever, pushing him to earn every day the friendship and devotion she'd shown him.

"I told you I'd bring to Barcelona," he whispered to the breeze. "You…you would have loved it." His voice broke and he sobbed for the moments that should have been, for words that should have been said. When he regained control again, he continued. "It's a binary system, you see, and the sunsets here are spectacular." He lifted his head and closed his eyes as the twilight settled over the land.

"I'm so sorry, Rose," he uttered the words like a prayer, imploring her forgiveness. "This wasn't supposed to happen, I –" His throat closed over his words and he swallowed a few times to clear it. "There were so many more adventures, so much more to see." A pause, then, as a few tears streamed down his face and fell onto her grave.

"I'm leaving for Earth now," he told her. "I have to break the news to your mum. Gah," he pressed his fingers into his eyes to stem the flow, "she's gonna hate me. I promised her Rose. I promised her I'd always keep you safe. And I failed."

Another breeze, warmer than the last, blew around him and he stood. His eyes adjusted easily to the dimming light, and he swallowed thickly against the pain in his throat.

"I'll never forget you, Rose. You were the most wonderful, brilliant, beautiful companion I could have asked for. I never meant for it to end like this – I never wanted it to end at all. You always said forever and I guess somewhere along the way I'd started to believe you. But you will be with me forever, Rose. In here." He laid his hand over the center of his chest, letting the last of his tears splash onto the ground. "Goodbye." He turned and walked back to the TARDIS without looking back, afraid if he did he would be bound to this planet for eternity.

The TARDIS shuddered in protest as he tried to leave, as if a vital component was missing. The Doctor just chuckled humorlessly and flipped a switch, grasping the rail tightly as his ship slipped away from Barcelona.