As is the custom with my stories usually, the original song is no longer applicable to the final chapter. "Bad Boy" has been discarded and a new one has been found more suitable.


Epilogue: Endings and Beginnings/After All

"Way back when we started
There was a part of you that knew
I was all that you wanted
But only shadows fill the room.
I was lost all right
Lost in the sleepless empty nights
Dreamin' of you.
And in those dreams you were mine."

The Doctor stood in the doorway of the Med Bay, staring at Rose's body lying on one of the examination tables. Try as hard as he might, he couldn't imagine that she was merely sleeping, as some say they picture their loved ones after they had gone.

He'd taken great care to arrange her hair and clothes to the best they could be. After she had...died, her dark blonde hair had faded back to her original bleached blonde look, and her face had de-aged until she actually looked 19 again. He couldn't explain it, just figured it was the final side effect of the artron and huon particles in her body that were now gone.

He had been standing there for three hours, any sense of happiness or responsibility completely wiped from his core. How could he ever find joy in life again, when he had a hand in destroying the one thing in the universe he loved most of all? If only he hadn't been so obsessed in getting her innocent self back, which he knew now would have been impossible, no matter how many years he tried. She still had been Rose, even if at times she hadn't acted like it. He'd only done it out of selfishness, not for her own benefit.

If he hadn't been so obsessed, he might have noticed she was dying and maybe she would have had an extra year or two. Or at the least three months if she hadn't gotten so pissed at him invading her privacy.

And finally, if he hadn't left her in that other universe, she would still be alive. Would she still be by his side? He didn't know, but she would still be alive, and that would be enough. She wouldn't be lying dead on that examination table just a few feet from him. And it was all, entirely, 100% on him. With that thought he slid to the floor and put his head in his hands. Even though he expected them to, no more tears would come. Everything, both good and bad had been drained from him, leaving him empty.

"I wish you would stop blaming yourself already." a female voice spoke behind him, laying a soft hand on his shoulder. The Doctor jumped up immediately and scrambled away. His eyes grew wide. This thing in front of him was not Rose, but it wore her face, or so he thought.

"Who are you?" he snapped, suddenly angry. This woman had a glow around her like a full body halo, her hair was a light blonde, long, wavy and fell just past her shoulder blades.

"I'm her." she pointed to the still form of Rose.

"No you're not. You're just an after-echo." No matter who or what she was, it was too painful a reminder of what could have been. The woman nodded.

"Yes, I am just an after-echo. The final presence of the artron and huon particles that were in her." She walked up to Rose, bu the Doctor stepped in front of her.

"Stay away from her." He suspected the Presence would take Rose's body with her and away from him. He was not going to lose her, not again. With a shake of her head, the Presence raised a hand and slowly the Doctor was lifted up off his feet. He sailed backwards until he lightly bumped against the back wall. He stood there motionless and unable to do anything as the Presence walked up to Rose. She reached a hand out but before she touched her, she looked at the Doctor.

"I'm sorry, but nothing will ever be the same again." She touched Rose's forehead and white light streamed out of her hand and into Rose's head. As the light continued to go into Rose, the Presence began to fade away until she was completely gone. The Doctor's feet returned to the floor and he rushed up to Rose, fearing she would disappear as the Presence had.

Instead, her body began to shimmer, and a stream of the same white light came out of her mouth. If it was possible, her body began to look even younger and more innocent, exactly as she had when he found her in the basement of Henrik's. Her thick makeup and eyeliner faded away and her leather miniskirt grew to a pair of jeans that were just a little too big, the skimpy blouse morphing into a pink t-shirt.

The Doctor watched in fascination as her eyes fluttered open, looking innocent as he had ever seen them.

"Rose?" Her eyes flicked to him, and he was startled to see fear on her face. She opened her mouth and began to scream.

"Doctor!" She shouted. The Doctor grabbed her hands, but she pulled away and hopped off the other side of the table. "Doctor!" She shouted again.

"Rose, it's me!" The Doctor implored. What had the Presence done to her, why couldn't she remember this face?

"No, you're not the Doctor, you don't even look like him." The Doctor gasped. She didn't know of regeneration? That could only mean one thing. Her body and her mind had been reverted back to before she absorbed the Bad Wolf, before she had seen him regenerate into the Doctor with the great hair.

The significance of that impacted him so hard he stumbled back and had to grip the counter behind to keep from falling. Rose continued to shout his name, and the Doctor knew he had a daunting task ahead of him. That's what the Presence meant when she said nothing would be the same again.

He walked up to her, she tried to back away but he wouldn't let her.

"Rose, it really is me, I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier but when I'm dying, I change every cell in my body; everything changes: body, face, likes and dislikes."

"I don't believe you." she replied, but at least she wasn't running away.

"What's the last thing you remember?" He watched as her young eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"Me, Mickey and my Mum were trying to get the TARDIS console open, just like what happened with Margaret the Slitheen. It...it worked, I saw the console pop open...and that's it." The Doctor nodded. He thought so. With that in mind, the Doctor made a daring move and placed his fingers on her forehead. He mentally showed her everything that happened the moment she woke up on the floor of the TARDIS after the Game Station. Rose's eyes flew open as she saw a man in a pinstripe suit, Cassandra, werewolves, Cybermen, a black hole, talking televisions, Davros and a clone of the "new new" Doctor, as he had once put it.

The Doctor hesitated at this point, unsure of what to show her. So he just stopped with the three of them on Bad Wolf Bay. Her eyes were still wide as he released her.

"All that really happened." It was a statement, not a question. The Doctor nodded. "But...how did we get here, how did you, what was it called? Regenerate, again?" The Doctor had a lie ready on the tip of his tongue as he was prone to do in this body, but he realised just in time that this was a new start, for both of them. He couldn't, wouldn't mess this up again.

So he hung his head and told her everything he had been too afraid to show her. It was for the best really, what he did let her see was overwhelming enough without seeing a few hundred more years, torture scenes and losing her family on top of it. She closed her eyes in pain as he told her how her 'father' most likely sacrificed himself to get her safely away. After he was finished she took a few minutes to process.

"And I was really dead?" He nodded. She came up and hugged him. The Doctor was surprised before seizing the opportunity and embracing her back.

"I'm sorry," he said to her, remembering those had been her last words before she died in his arms that morning.

"I-I don't know what to do. I don't even know you," she mentioned with a sniffle. The Doctor pulled back and looked at her earnestly.

"Would you like to start now?" She nodded eagerly through her tears, and the Doctor's hearts unclenched in relief. On instinct, they both reached out and grabbed the other's hand. They fit perfectly, just like always. The Doctor squeezed her hand reassuringly and they walked out of the Med Bay together.

This was his chance to do everything right by her. He made a promise, both to her and himself, that he would never lie to her, never intentionally hurt her, and never, ever leave her behind, even if it was for her own safety.

And as for the issue of getting her to fall in love with him again, the Doctor had no doubt in his mind that that wouldn't be a problem. After all, he had done it twice before.

They may not have his definition of forever, but she had hers, and if he found that her time was up, he would try his hardest, harder than he ever had before to change that, even tearing universes apart for her.

Who knows, fate had brought them back together more than once, maybe this time she was here, by his side, to stay.

"Oh, by the way," the Doctor mentioned as they walked. "keep an eye out for a woman who goes by the name of Clara Oswin Oswald, that's a mystery that still needs solving." Because the mystery of why he loved his Bad Wolf had already been solved, and together they could do anything.

"After all I'm excited that you're in my life again.
After all I'm delighted
To be back where we began.
I believe that you can fall in love with me again.
'Cause I love you. I'll catch you when you fall
We're united
And we've made it after all
And we'll both be standing tall
After all."

~Michael Buble with Bryan Adams

*The End*

And there you have it! I'm so sorry if you weren't expecting that, I had that ending planned for forever! And it was made very clear that the damaged Rose could never love the Doctor like she could before, and now they have a second chance. Please, tell me what you think! (Hint, I love long reviews! ;D) Oh btw I did write up that 'deleted scene' that takes place after this, I'll upload it on this story in a few days hopefully, I'm still not happy with how it flows, but that's what happens when I write something really quick. :P