Okay, so Twylyte unlocked the secret, Easter egg epilogue. It's inspired by a combination of Twylyte's Chapter 13 review and Bonnie5572's "Because I Wanted To" review (from... seven years ago?!). Here goes!

Epilogue - 02.00 - Born Again

"Time Lords have this little trick," the Doctor told Rose, understatement being his go-to response in this unbelievably mind-boggling situation. How was she even alive? "It's sorta a way of cheatin' death," he explained, relieved to see her get a hold on her urge to run to him and somehow help. "Except," he went on, debating whether it might just be worth it to feel her arms around him one last time... "it means I'm gonna change."

As much as it tore at his hearts to have to do this to her, and as clear as the companions that hadn't dealt well with it were in his mind's eye; he couldn't help but be amazed and thrilled that regeneration seemed to still be within his reach after his bout with the Time Vortex. Still, he fought to hold off the change long enough to give Rose something of an explanation.

"An' I'm not gonna see you again," he admitted. "Not like this." It felt like dying, every time. Even though he had the memories of walking away from regenerations as a new man, he also remembered that terrible pull, the tearing away of his previous selves. "An' before I go -"

"Don't say that," she told him emphatically, her restraint slipping enough to take half a step towards him.

"Rose," he said gently but firmly, "before I go, I just wannna tell you: you were fantastic." He had to grin, lest he give in and mirror her own, welling tears. Each breath took him palpably closer to his very last as this him. "Absolutely fantastic!" he insisted, feeling his time slipping away, needing to let the process take its course, and soon.

But Rose's expression morphed before his eyes, slipping from worried and hurt into something dangerously close to resolution. "Stop talkin' like that!" she insisted. "I jus' got back to you... somehow, I dunno how," and she took a full step closer as she spoke, "but I know it's right where I need to be." Her hands fisted at her sides. "With you."

"Rose, No!" the Doctor shouted, terrified as she closed the distance between them. "Stay away!" he warned, despite her firmly wrapping her arms behind his neck. "Get -"

Her lips met his forcefully, as his hold on the regeneration energy slipped completely free of his grasp. For a moment, to his golden-tinged vision, she looked just like Bad Wolf again. But as the regeneration overtook him, all of his senses deserted him. He was left cut off from her and the rest of the universe, as his consciousness struggled through the change.

Images from nowhere in his actual, linear experience presented themselves to his mind, all bathed in the same, golden energy of the Time Vortex. His lips on Rose's, time and again, where he could have sworn he'd always been too much of a coward. Right in front of Jackie, Charles Dickens; beneath the moons of Delta Magna; on and on it went, the might-have-been's, the should-have-been's...

"The could be's," Rose's - no, Bad Wolf's - voice echoed.

She hurt. Oh, Rose hurt. Her head, her chest, her fingers... Even her left small toe hurt, and she couldn't imagine why or how she was bothering to be so exact when her whole world seemed to be made of pain.

She'd known it was a bad idea to ignore the Doctor explaining the Time Lord stuff. She'd known, but something had kept her from listening. Something... Emergency Program One, that was it. He'd looked at her just the same way his hologram had, like he expected her to somehow have a fantastic life without him.

Awareness beyond the pain returned, with her heels coming back down to rest on the TARDIS' grating. The pain faded so suddenly, she was surprised to remember how much there had just been. She was somehow not collapsing, and realized there were arms around her waist, supporting her even more than her own arms now loosely draped over the Doctor's shoulders.

The Doctor!

Why couldn't she see him? Her hands moved to his shoulders, and she gasped her first, deep breath since he'd exploded in golden light. The comforting feel of his leather jacket met her palms, and she slid her hands up to his neck, cupping the back of his head -

Her surprise forced her eyes open, and Rose was simultaneously relieved to discover her eyesight had only been impeded by her own, closed eyelids; and shocked to find a different man's face looking back at her, her fingers buried in the thick hair that had taken the place of her Doctor's buzz cut.

She had half a mind to pull away, but somehow only half. As her gaze settled on his eyes, a darker brown than even her own, she recognized them... somehow. "Hello?" she breathed, just barely holding back from actually calling him "Doctor", even though her hearts ached to, begged her to, even.

There was a look of pure amazement on his face, but Rose had only a moment to study it. One of his hands slid up her back, drawing her closer as his head angled down to kiss her lips.

Rose, she heard, although his mouth was thoroughly occupied.

When they parted, Rose found herself nearly as unsteady as she had been a minute ago. Thankful for the anchor of their embrace, she let her eyes drift open, taking in the Doctor's (there was absolutely no doubt in her mind that he was, indeed, her Doctor) beaming smile.

"Hello," he answered her, at last.

There. That's better.

The end.

I've spent ten years in this fandom without ever really writing Nine. THIS WAS SO FUN! Thanks, all, for joining me on this ride.