"Okay, speak," Rose ordered, sitting on a more or less clear space on the TARDIS console. The Doctor looked up, trying to feign ignorance, but not being quite able to dispel the faraway look in his gaze.
"What about?" he asked.
"Anything that has kept you this quiet up until now," Rose answered, staring straight into the Doctor's eyes. She saw the barriers there falling with a deep sigh from the man.
"It's nothing really… only… I was…" he began, choking on every other syllable.
"Yes?" she probed, gently placing a hand on his cheek. That did it.
"I was scared, Rose," he admitted silently but quickly, the words blurring together into a rushed whisper that grew louder as his speech progressed. "Terrified. I really didn't know if I was going to be able to bring you back. I was this close to blowing up half a galaxy and bring death to two civilizations because I was so desperately trying to fix my mistake. If I had intervened in the first place, then nothing would've happened. Well, maybe it would've, but you wouldn't have been in danger. No, actually, you would've," he corrected himself, now talking mostly in soliloquy, forgetting for a minute that Rose was there with him. "You will always be in danger by my side, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you. It took a visit and the beginning of a war at a planet where flowers are so rare that a rose is worth ten thousand diamonds for me to realize just how important you are to me. And I hate myself for it. I hate myself for putting you in danger…"
He probably had more words brewing on the tip of his tongue, but they were snuffed out by Rose's lips on his. The man went speechless, this time out of shock rather than self-loathing. The gesture was very short, but it spoke volumes. It was a clear order for him to just shut up for a while. And boy was he eager to comply!
Rose drew back, her hand still on his cheek, her gaze fixed on his.
"I don't know if you remember, but I was the one who got unto this bloody ship. Nobody forced me to. And I've had countless opportunities to go home. In fact, I know that if I told you right now to land me in Cardiff and never return for me, you would. But you know what? I haven't and I won't," she said. "Because you're a marvellously brilliant man and I'm glad to be travelling with you."
"I'm an indifferent coward who would just as well let two civilizations kill each other because it wasn't my battle," he mumbled.
"No, you're a man who doesn't want to fight anymore. You're just; that's why you didn't want to take sides. You're kind. You're clever."
"Don't tell me those things, I might end up believing them," he joked.
"You should," she answered honestly. "You are."
They remained motionless for a long moment, letting the weight of their words sink into their bodies and cleanse the weight of their near-catastrophic adventure. The Doctor suddenly sprung back into action, checking his wristwatch with a flick of his hand.
"I can still get you home for a couple of hours of Valentine's Day. What do you say if we go get some coffee? You know, no battles, no prophecies, just you and me."
Rose smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that."