"Oh, Rose," he gasped into her neck. "Rose."
"God, I've missed you," she whispered, her hands sliding into his hair.
He clutched the back of her knee and urged her leg higher around his waist. "Rose, are you…" His pace faltered slightly, but he continued to kiss and nibble at her neck as he mumbled, "Close…sorry, it's – I'm going to -"
"Right there with you," she assured him. "Don't you worry. Just…yes…"
"Rose." He slipped his hand between them.
"Yes, yes…oh my god…"
"Rose."
"Doctor."
Then, so softly, he whispered, "I love you." A kiss to her temple. "I love you."
He rolled off her and stared up at the ceiling. Turning her head as she caught her breath back, she was startled to see tears running down the side of his face onto the pillow. He pretended not to notice. "Hey," she murmured, wrapping one arm around his chest and sliding her opposite hand into his hair, drawing him against her. He instantly curled into her embrace, burying his head in her neck, his arm flinging over her waist, his leg shifting to rest between hers. She felt his tears wet her skin and bit her lip, stopping herself from crying too. "It's okay, it's alright," she whispered, stroking his hair tenderly. He made no sound, but shivered slightly. "I've got you. I love you."
::
"I wish you didn't have to go," he whispered sometime later, drawing his fingertip up and down her chest.
"I know, me too. But we have our jobs to do, eh? At least this way we won't neglect the universe by staying in bed all day," she joked.
"Oh, if only," he said, sighing wistfully at the thought. "Do you think you're able to step outside the TARDIS? Could you go outside, do you think?"
Rose shrugged a shoulder. "I expect so. Why, think you'll get bored just shagging for two hours every day?" she giggled.
He rolled back onto her with a growl. "Never. But I do miss doing everything with you, not just the sex. Besides," he added, winking at her cheekily. "We did like to be at one with nature now and then."
Rose laughed, sliding her fingers through his hair, glad that he'd cheered up. "Do you remember that time we were doing something...well, very inappropriate, in that forest on – what was it called? Denber?"
"Denbar Seven," he corrected with a grin. "And yes, I remember that very, very vividly. The sloth-people paid us a visit." She continued laughing brightly underneath him, and he watched her with his own beaming grin on his face. "You're so beautiful," he whispered. "I've missed your laugh. That's something else I couldn't get used to, on my own; the quiet. After having you singing and laughing and god knows what else on this ship, it seemed too eerie and silent without you."
"It's not quiet now, though," Rose smiled. "Donna's a match for you, right? And Martha and her, I bet they gang up on you."
"They do, yes," he nodded.
"Are you going to tell them about my nightly visits?" she grinned suggestively, trailing her hand down his chest.
"I'll try to explain, yeah, but I won't, well, I won't specify what we do when they aren't awake," he replied, nudging her legs apart with his knees as he settled there properly again. "Rose, do you fancy having another go before you...go?"
She glanced at the clock. "I wonder what would happen if it struck four just as we were mid-dance?"
"Let's not try it, we could end up very frustrated," he suggested. "Rose?"
"Alright, but we'd best be quick."
"Not a problem," he assured her, giving her a kiss before burying his face in her neck just as he buried himself inside her again. Rose groaned in pleasure and he grabbed hold of her hands, intertwining their fingers and pinning them above her head.
::
"How does it work then?" he asked quietly. "Do you just...fade away?"
"Yeah," she smiled sadly. "Do you want me to go into another room?"
"No, I want to see your face for as long as possible."
"I'll be back tomorrow."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I'm sure."
"What if..."
"Doctor. You're going to see me again tomorrow. Meet you in the kitchen at two?"
"Why the kitchen again?"
"Because travelling across dimensions makes me really hungry," she explained.
"Oh, okay," he chuckled. "Yes. It's a date."
"Good. Have a chat with Martha and Donna about it, yeah? Don't want to end up giving them a heart attack if they see me materialise."
"Okay," he promised. "I'll talk to them. Rose?"
"Yeah?"
"I'll miss you."
"I won't be gone long, don't you worry."
He reached out and pulled her into a last minute hug, squeezing her tight. His face buried in her hair, he murmured reverently, "I love you."
"I love you too," she whispered, pressing one last kiss to his lips. She then backed out of his embrace. "See you later," she told him, as she felt herself being pulled away.
"Not if I see you first," he whispered back, his eyes full of tears as she disappeared right in front of him. He leant against the bedpost and sighed heavily, hoping that he would indeed see her again.