"Rose."
Rose awoke with a jolt. The voice had been a whisper, but it had a ring of familiarity about it. She sat up, listening hard in the dark.
"Rose."
Beside her, the Doctor stirred and half-sat, leaning his weight on his elbow.
"Rose? You okay?" he whispered. She barely heard him; she was listening for a different voice.
"Rose."
"Fine," she answered, lying back and letting him gather her in his arms. "Everything's fine."
"Go back to sleep," he murmured into her hair.
In the dark, Rose smiled. That was exactly what she had in mind.
It was a beach. A cold, windy beach. And Rose knew every inch of it, every wave that broke along the shore, every breeze. She settled on her rock and waited. It didn't take long before she heard that familiar voice.
"Rose."
"Martha."
She left her rock and embraced Martha, letting their minds flow together. Waves of emotion rocked between them, love, contentment, trust, pain, loss. They held on to each other until they could no longer distinguish whose feelings belonged to whom. Only then did they step back and sit together in the sand. Rose took Martha's hand.
"How long has it been for you?" she asked.
"A year. You said that you came back to Norway every year, and that's where I am now. I fell asleep thinking about you, and I guess it was enough. How long has it been for you?"
"Eight months. I'm asleep in the TARDIS."
"By yourself?" Martha asked, raising her eyebrows. Rose laughed.
"No. I think he's afraid to let me out of his sight. It'd annoy me, except I feel the same way about him, so I guess we're even."
"Good. All he ever did was moan about you being gone, and if he found some way to screw up you coming back..." She let the sentence trail off, shaking her head. "I'd have to telepathically kick him."
Rose snorted. "So would I. What about you? Seeing anybody?"
Martha rolled her eyes. "It's complicated. Nothing's official, but ever since I started work at Torchwood, I'm fairly sure that Mickey and Jake are actually fighting over me. Which is nice, because I never have to pay for coffee, but there's this other guy that I really like. Owen."
"Owen?" Rose asked incredulously. "He's so...cocky."
"Well, he was," Martha answered coyly. "Until he dumped his tea all over his lap trying to impress me. I think he's cute."
Rose shook her head. "As long as you're happy. I mean...are you? Happy?"
"Yeah," Martha said, suddenly fighting back tears. "Yeah, I think I am. I miss... I miss...them."
Rose knew exactly who "they" were.
"I told them. I went, just like you asked. Your mother slapped me, actually."
Martha smiled, holding her tears at bay a little longer.
"Your dad held her back so I could tell them what you'd done. Then they both just cried."
Martha pressed her hand to her mouth, and her own control slipped. Rose reached out, gently brushing a tear from her cheek.
"I talked to Tish for a long time," she said softly. "She's sweet, Tish. I told her she could call me anytime, if she needed to. She told me to tell you that she loved you, and she hoped you were taking care of yourself. She's got a job at a big company, as their PR representative."
"She'll be good at that," Martha said, wiping her face with trembling hands. "And Leo? Does Leo know?"
"Course he does. He sat with Tish for a long time. He loves you, Martha. They all do."
"Your mum cried," Martha said. "Your dad just looked shocked. I told them that you had to go, so the universe didn't split open, but it didn't help much."
She looked Rose in the eye. "I told her you loved them both, and you left so they could be safe."
Rose nodded, biting her lip. "I still love them. I miss them. How'd Mickey take it?"
"He did better, actually," she replied. "He asked me to tell you that he loved you, too, if I ever dreamed about you again. He said you were the best mate he'd ever had, and that he was going to miss you. He also said that you just wanted to one-up him, since he'd liberated seven continents from Cybermen."
"Sounds like him." Rose laughed, but her pain was evident. Without speaking, they leaned together, entwining their arms; they needed the touch of another.
"Torchwood," Rose said, trying to change the subject. "You're working at Torchwood now?"
Martha nodded. "Your dad got me fixed up straight away. I'm starting a new job in a couple of weeks, now that I'm done studying."
"Where?"
"On their medical response team. They had me looking at alien scrub brushes and stuff before, hoping I'd recognize something. It was kind of irritating, but it paid the rent while I finished school. Your dad helped with that, too. They've been great, actually. Really great. I know I can't ever take your place, but they're taking care of me like I'm their daughter. It helps, you know?"
"Yeah, I do," Rose answered sadly. Martha shifted to look at her better.
"Is he taking care of you?" she asked softly, clasping Rose's hand. "I mean, for me, your parents are doing all they can to help, and Mickey understands what it's like, so I've got people looking out for me. Are you okay?"
Rose drew a shuddering breath, trying not to cry.
"It's harder than I thought it would be," she admitted. "I wanted to go back to him for three years, and when it finally happened...well, losing them is just hard. But he understands better than anybody what it's like to lose your family. And he loves me, Martha. He really does. And that's good enough, you know? He's there whenever I need him, and he understands the bad days. I understand him better, now. But yeah, I'm okay. Having him there helps."
Martha smiled. "I'm glad."
"Martha, I never got to thank you properly. For...well, saving the universe. And sending me back to him. I never meant for you to get stuck here, I..."
"Don't, Rose. I don't regret a single thing. It's not easy, being a human Time Band-Aid, but I'm okay. Really. You would have done the same thing, and you know it."
"Yeah, I guess. I just know that it hurts, and I wish it didn't have to."
Martha shrugged. "You win some, you lose some. Rose, we did what we had to do, and we're both going to be okay."
"Yeah," Rose said, managing a smile. "I guess we are."
The crash of the waves filled the following silence, and the two of them searched for the words they knew they had to say. The link between them thrummed with consternation, and they broke into laughter.
"I don't want to say goodbye," Rose laughed, reaching for Martha's other hand.
"Neither do I. But you know how this works. If we stay too long..."
"Universal collapse, brain goes all muzzy, fall into the Void, I know. I just... I miss you, Martha. I know we didn't have that long, but..."
"I know. It's being alone in your head again. It's lonely."
"Yeah." Rose smiled at her. "And I think we count as pretty good friends. Don't we?"
"We'd better! Saving the universe together and all that. We're practically the Dynamic Duo." Martha held up her hand for a high-five, and Rose slapped her palm, laughing.
"Hey, I have an idea," she said suddenly, lying flat on the sand. "Come on, lay down."
Martha lay beside her and Rose squeezed her hand.
"It isn't goodbye. It's just good night."
Martha grinned broadly. "Good night, Rose."
"Good night, Martha."
They lay together on the beach, holding hands and giggling at inconsequential things, unwilling to let the other go. It was a long time before the dream faded.