"Of course, River thinks I'm going to muck it up spectacularly, so she said to tell you that she's going to come and patch up whatever I've done when you and I have finished, so there you are."

Rose can't help the giggle that escapes her at his nervous pronouncement, and he grins in obvious relief.

"Oh, lovely, you aren't angry with me. I was a bit afraid, let me tell you; I remember your temper, and your mum's temper, and I thought there was a very good chance you might be furious, and I really wouldn't blame you, only I'm so glad you aren't…furious, I mean."

"To be honest, furious never really crossed my mind," Rose admits. She moves to the side and pats the empty seat next to her. If possible, the Doctor's grin widens even more as he gracefully flops down next to her.

"Shocked, definitely, but not angry. I know you meant to tell me; you said so yourself before River's package arrived. We just didn't have the best timing is all. The thing is, though, I feel a little stupid as well."

"What?! Why? Never! You are one of the absolute cleverest people I know, and I used to brag on you to nearly anyone I could!"

Her cheeks heat at his comment, and Rose once again wonders how this man can reduce her to a giggling teenager again with the well-placed application of a few spur-of-the-moment words.

"I really should have known what River was going to say as soon as you introduced her. My Doctor, he told me all about the library while we were putting the book together, and he told me what she whispered to you then. And," she adds, glancing over at him to gauge his reaction, "he told me there's only one time you'd ever be able to tell anyone your true name. So…It's only logical, and I should have realized."

The Doctor is quiet, staring at the floor, his smile very much faded now. She can just make out the distant look he tends to get in every face she's known him in that says he's lost in a rather painful memory or two.

"Rose…do you know…did you and your Doctor ever…"

"No," she says softly, trying very hard to become lost in her own memories. "We never did, and I don't honestly regret it. I understand that it's a very sacred thing to tell someone your true name, and my Doctor wasn't quite as…resilient as you. I didn't want to do anything that would make him more vulnerable than he already was, being half-human and all."

The Doctor nods, though he seems a tad disappointed.

"How hard is it for you?" Rose asks suddenly. "Not telling her, I mean. Having to keep that secret from River? I can see you both care a great deal for each other, love each other even, and I understand why you can't tell her. I'm so sorry that you have to lie to her every time you see her."

It's difficult for Rose to get the words out, but she sincerely means every single one of them. Though she is deep in her core a jealous person, her own lifetime spent with her Doctor showed her that sometimes making sure someone else is happy is much more important than being the star of that person's attention.

"I'll be honest, it's definitely on the top list for hardest things I've ever had to do. Destroy my home and everyone and everything I've known, let you go to…well, another me, and lie to my wife every time I see her about the fact that not only do I know exactly when she dies but that I was bloody well there when it happened and couldn't do a thing to stop it."

"You did what you could to save her, though. And she didn't completely die, not exactly," Rose says, doing her best to comfort him in a nearly impossible situation.

"Not the same," he says quietly, eyes still on the floor. "Can we talk about something else, please?"

Though they aren't looking at each other and neither says a word, their hands reach out at the same time and lock together.

"Well, I suppose we could talk about what the TARDIS did before you came back in."

The Doctor glances at her, eyebrows raised. "She didn't take human form again, did she?"

"What?" Rose is thoroughly confused. "No, not even remotely. Has she done that before?"

"Yes, but there were some very special circumstances. What happened?"

Rose purses her lips, regarding him for a moment before speaking again. "She showed me midnight on January first of 2005. I…I had no idea. You came back just to see me one more time." She stops then, her tightening throat making speech impossible for a moment.

"It was my last round of farewells to my friends of that life, and you will always be the first and last person I think of, the first and last thought that crosses my mind." Both of them fall quiet again, lost in old memories. It's Rose that breaks the silence at last.

"Since I've met you, Doctor, my entire life has shaped itself around you. Everything in my life is a result of either looking for you or being with you, and I have to say I definitely prefer the latter option. But my whole reason for finding you this time…well, you didn't even need me to warn you, much less actually help you, did you? And now I find out you're married. I can't think what to make of all this."

The Doctor silently examines their linked hands while Rose speaks, studying her hand as if he wants to memorize it.

"Doctor, aside from the obvious wanting be with you for the rest of time and such, all I've ever wanted was to erase that loneliness you carry around with you everywhere. The whole situation with Madame Pompadour was one thing, and I'll freely admit now that I was jealous to the point of turning chartreuse. But I can't break up a marriage, and I won't come between you and River. If she's what makes you happy, if she is the one you're supposed to be with, then I will force myself to be happy for you and to move on."

Getting that last bit to actually come out of her mouth is one of the hardest things Rose thinks she's ever done, but she knows that deep down inside it's all very much true. If the Doctor is happy, then that's that, and she refuses to stand in his way.

She studiously ignores the tiny voice in the back of her mind that makes a point to remind her of just how overjoyed this Doctor was when he realized she was real and she was really here.

"What if I said that things between River and me aren't quite as conventional as all that?"

The corner of Rose's mouth quirks. "I'd have to admit that I'm not terribly surprised, but I don't see how that changes anything."

He frowns, leaning forward and clasping her hand between both of his. "We don't ever get to stay together, River and I. Everything happens out of order; we almost never meet up properly. We even got married in a reality that no longer exists and shouldn't have existed in the first place, although I really don't recommend actually thinking about it for too long at a time. Tends to cause a rather nasty headache after a while. I'll give you the whole story later."

Rose gazes at him, restrained and amused expressions warring on her face. The Doctor glances at her.

"I've gone and done exactly what River said I would, haven't I?"

"Close enough, really."

He stands, pacing away from her then turning so suddenly she wonders how he doesn't fall over. "Rose Tyler, don't you dare tell her she was right. She's right often enough without my help, and I'll never hear the end of it." He groans, scrubbing his hands over his face before glancing back at her and cracking a small grin.

"Alright, I'll go get her, but you've got to understand one thing today, you've got to take one thing from everything that River and I tell you, even if you understand nothing else." He strides forward until he's standing right in front of Rose and abruptly pulls her to her feet. Never breaking eye contact, he gently places both his hands on either side of her face and looks right into her eyes.

"From the moment I took your hand and we ran together for that first time, my life has been better—No. That's not right, is it? I have been better than any other time in my existence. You were the last face I saw in one life and the first I saw in my next. With my dying breath, I sought you out to talk to you one last time, timelines and fixed points be damned. The very last thoughts and words of that life were of you."

He takes a slow, steadying breath and continues. "You make me better, you make everything better, and I have absolutely no intentions of losing you a third time. Rose Tyler, if you never understand a single thing I tell you again, you must understand that."

With his words still hanging in the air around them, the Doctor places a warm and lingering kiss on Rose's forehead then turns and steps outside, swinging the door shut behind him.

For the second time that day, Rose is left alone on the TARDIS with her thoughts.

Author's Note: A HUGE thank you to everyone who's read, reviewed, favorited, and followed. You are all absolutely awesome, and I truly appreciate all your encouragement. As per usual, if you've made it this far, thanks so much for reading. Please take the time to leave a little something in the box by the door on your way out.