Disclaimer: I do not own doctor who, much to my despair. In fact, I cry myself to sleep at night thinking just that. I do not own doctor who - oh, woe is me!

AN - Originally this was just going to be a reunion fic with lots of fluff and romance but ive decided that there needs to be a bit more plot to keep people interested. So im throwing in a bit of danger, just to keep the doctor on his toes. But he'll be fine, I hope. I don't know I havent finished yet. Enjoy :)

Chapter 11 - Hello Goodbye

The doctor continued up the corridor of the Tardis, heading away from the control room, for the second time that day not really knowing where he was headed. In fact, the Tardis changed its corridors around so frequently that even if the doctor had had a particular destination in mind, it would have been quite surprising if he had actually found it. So it wasn't much of a shock that after about half an hour of aimless wandering, he ended up back in the control room. He was taken aback, however, to find Rose sitting by herself on the jump-seat with silent tears running down her face.

Noticing his presence, she smiled weakly at him before dropping her gaze back to the metal grating of the Tardis floor. Sensing her obvious unhappiness, the doctor walked quickly over to Rose, crouching down in front of her so that his face was level with her knees.

"Rose," he began, not really knowing what he could say to comfort her.

She looked down at him with glistening brown eyes, and his heart simply melted. This was potentially one of the happiest moments in his living memory (being reunited with her, taht is), and here was the woman he… well, here was Rose crying her eyes out. It broke him. Without hesitation, he pulled her into a warm hug.

Rose wrapped her arms around his middle and put her head on his shoulder, letting the tears fall freely. It was harder than she had expected, saying goodbye. She had never done it properly that day at Canary Warf, she hadn't even considered it, and as it had turned out she hadn't needed to. But this was different. She felt that this, this was going to last. She was finally going to be with her doctor forever.

The doctor leant into Rose, one hand grasping her shoulder, the other splayed protectively across her lower back. Her blonde hair tickled his nose, but he didn't care. He just wanted Rose to feel safe. He had let her down too many times, he wouldn't allow himself to do so again. He made a silent vow at that moment that he would always be there for her, no matter what.

No sooner had he thought this than Rose pulled away from him, smiling into his face.

"You promise?"

"I promise, Rose Tyler, to stay with you and protect you from whatever harm we face until the day we die. There is no force in this universe, or the next," he grinned, "that will ever come between us again".

"Promise you won't try to save me by sending me to safety in the Tardis?", she raised an eyebrow cynically.

"Promise"

"Or send me to a parallel world?"

"Never again"

"Good. Now that's settled, do you mind if we get some chips before we leave? I'm starving"

"Rose Tyler, you haven't changed a bit"

"And don't you love it"

The doctors' cheeks flushed red at this comment, and Rose could very nearly guess what he was thinking but, not wanting to rush him decided to let this juicy little conversation starter slide. He would say what he needed to say in his own time. She hoped.

"Actually, we should probably hurry up. I don't want to fry this universe" said the doctor, a look of vague concern on his face.

"You're just worried we'll run into my mum and she'll think you were fibbing to her so you didn't have to stick around and chat. That's the real reason you're in such a hurry" Rose joked, laughing at the affronted look on the doctor's face.

"I'm not scared of your mum, Rose, no matter what you say"

"Oh yeah? Good, we'll meet her for chips then."

"No! I mean, err, haven't you already said goodbye? Wouldn't be fair to put her through it twice" he invented.

"Oh doctor, you really are…"

"A genius? Fantastic? Brilliant? Foxy? Charming? Super defender of the Earth?"

"Well, I was gonna say full of it, but charming defender of the earth works too. Now stop procrastinating, we haven't got all day"

The doctor just grinned.

"No, but we have got forever".