"Oh, she knows."

Every single corner of his mind is filled with Rose. Only her. The one and only person he thinks of as he descends into this seemingly bottomless chasm, hoping to find a way to get back to her, but also very aware that he may instead meet his own demise.

Memories emerge from the shadows that surround him left and right, creating a slideshow of happiness; his happiness, their happiness, a perfect picture of the last two years. The first time he ever laid eyes upon her, his regeneration, that kiss back on New Earth, the rapid beat of his two hearts whenever he was in her presence, the sound of her laughter when he rambled about things she had next to no idea about, but always had an opinion about them. In the blink of an eye, all of those brilliant memories are replaced with regret, the one unwanted companion he couldn't seem to shake.

He never wanted to regret anything he'd done with Rose, and that, he certainly did not. What he did regret was what he didn't do.

He was falling, falling into a seemingly endless pit, and his last words were "Oh, she knows".

Only she doesn't know. She would likely never know, not now, not when the odds were against the two of them ever seeing each other again. He would try his best, do what he can if he survives the fall, but chances are that he might not make it.

And she should have known. He'd been a coward, too scared to tell her, too afraid to let go; he delayed it foolishly, unconsciously believing in that fleeting promise of forever which he knew they would never be granted.

He delayed it, because he never thought their forever would be cut so short, and now, Rose would never know how much he truly loved her, down to the very last beat of his hearts. She ruled his whole life; the ever gracious queen of a kingdom that once prospered but over the years fell into ruin; the spark of hope that made everything bearable, bringing light into the dark prison of his existence. His Rose, and she would never know that he wasn't just a friend.

It just... It didn't feel right to tell Ida Scott to pass on the message, he couldn't just say, "Tell Rose that I love her". The sentiment would lose all of its meaning, empty words with no actions to back them up, a ghostly whisper from someone she might only meet again in her own dreams, if she ever dreamt of him at all. He dreamt of her a lot, on the rare occasion that he actually went to sleep.

He should have told her. Properly, on his own.

He trapped her in a future she should never have been trapped in, and if they were together, it would all be acceptable, but now, odds were that they'd end up alone, never to see one another again.

He would have told her himself one day, given the time, he wanted to tell her, needed to, and now he-

Out of the darkness he sees the faint outline of the bottom of the pit, and seconds later, his vision fades to black.

~oOo~

Rose found herself in a dark, quiet place, seemingly suspended in a dark void, in a place that was bare of gravity, light, sound and even time. She could not see anything, nothing at all, not even her very own fingers which she hesitantly raised to her eyes, attempting to test her own vision, but no, she could not see them; not a thing, nothing but the looming darkness that surrounded her left and right.

In a state of panic she tries to walk, but she finds herself seemingly unable to move, feeling as if she was frozen in place. She tries to call out, call for her Doctor, knowing that everything was bound to end well if she'd only find him, but she cannot seem to make a sound. Her salvation appears rather quickly, though, and the darkness is pushed aside as she spots him running towards her. A surge of strength and energy fills her body and not a single second is wasted; she takes off in his direction, wanting to be with him, so badly needing the comfort of his embrace.

He stops inches away from her with a look of urgency and distress etched across his face, and he whispers,

"Rose, you must know-"

With that, he fades into the darkness, leaving her stranded in this dark, unnamed place.

Alone. So very alone.

Rose wakes up with a start, blinking in confusion. What happened? Where was she? A few seconds pass in blissful ignorance, until even that is broken by comprehension as the events of the day hit her one after another.

Krop Tor, The Bitter Pill. They weren't even meant to be there in the first place; they lost the TARDIS, and for a moment, she thought they might go down the slow path together, stranded in this unknown world, but when it came to the two of them, if there was some trouble, there was bound to be even more trouble just around the corner, and...

And the Doctor fell down the pit-no, he jumped down the pit, and she did not want to leave him, so the crew of the ship incapacitated her and now-

And now she was being taken away from her Doctor!

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere! Get me out of this thing! Get me out!"

She screamed, threatened and begged, all to no avail. The captain of the ship would not budge, he would not take her back, and it hit her that she might never see her Doctor again.

He would be stranded on that impossible planet, all by himself, without the TARDIS, never knowing that there was someone out there who loved him more than anything else in the whole wide universe, 'cause she's never worked up the guts to tell him. How silly was she, really? Just plain stupid and not merely silly, that's what she was. The Doctor was always so filled with guilt. Behind that smug exterior of his, she had found a man whose only companion were his own bad memories and his self-deprecation. Wounds that not even time could heal, wounds she hoped she could help him patch up, one day. Replace the pain with something better. Show him that there is a person in the universe, however completely insignificant she might be, who loves him more than anyone else in the world.

Now, would he ever know?

She doesn't think of the future, she can't really think of that right now; all she can think of is the Doctor, stuck on that planet, all on his own with the Beast hidden in the depths of the pit.

But the Beast wasn't just with the Doctor. The beast took control of Toby, one of the crew members, and Rose decides to do the only thing that the Doctor would do, if it's the last thing she does. She chooses to sacrifice herself and the rest of the crew for the greater good and puts an end to the Beast by shooting at the windshield of the spaceship, sending him straight into the black hole, and the ship spiraling into the very heart of it.

As they are on their way to their deaths, her own heart is shattered into a billion tiny pieces, each of those pieces filled with pain over what could have been and what never was.

~oOo~

Time stood still when they finally saw each other once again. Against all odds, against their own expectations, but fully according to their wishes, they made it, just the way they always did. The Doctor and Rose, defenders of the universe, the perfect team. Saved what they could and ended up together on the TARDIS at the end of the day, only this time, they really had no reason to expect that things would end well, because everything seemed to be against such an outcome.

They did it, they did it together; the Doctor disposed of the beast's prison, Rose destroyed its mind, the Doctor then located the spaceship she had been trapped in, stopped the spacecraft just as it was about to be pulled into the black hole, and now she was right there, standing in the door to the TARDIS, looking back at him, her eyes no doubt reflecting his own disbelief and happiness.

Just one second spent frozen in time, that was all it took for them to run to one another, finally finding comfort in each other's arms, the comfort they could hardly go on without.

He spun her around as he embraced her tightly, all the while laughing softly into her hair; she giggled in utter delight, still not quite convinced that he was, in fact, real, that their separation only lasted three hours, more or less. It certainly did not feel like several hours, no, it felt like an eternity. She thought it'd be an eternity, just as he thought that he would never see her again, yet there she was, right there with him, exactly where she belonged. He would never foolishly take that for granted, never ever let her out of his sight again. His Rose.

His breath hitches in his throat as he pulls away to look at her properly and plants a gentle, brief kiss on her forehead, beaming at her in complete disbelief. He vaguely remembers the vision he had when he lost consciousness at the bottom of the pit; finding Rose in the darkness, the urgency to tell her, tell her quickly, just in case he would never see her again.

But he did see her again, just the way he always did. And there she was, right before his eyes, with the most brilliant smile illuminating her features, looking at him as if he was her favorite sight in the whole world.

"I thought I'd never see you again," she whispers, tears of joy glistening in her eyes, threatening to spill and make their way down her cheek. His expression matches her own as he regards her with tenderness and pulls her in for another quick hug before they finally part.

"Weeell, I am rather brilliant, Rose, don't you remember? I always find my way!" the Doctor exclaims and cherishes the sound of her laughter, once again vowing to himself never to let her out of his sight again.

No chance. Not ever.

Especially not tonight.

~oOo~

The Doctor observed Rose while she was rummaging through the cupboards in search of something for them to eat, for once not trying to assist her by using his sonic screwdriver to prepare the meal within seconds, perfectly content to spend a while suspended in time, with her. He almost lost her earlier that day, and to see her running about was much more than he thought he could ever ask for.

A slow smile spreads over his face as he watches her bite down on her lower lip in a thoughtful manner, clearly at a loss as to the location of this or that ingredient. He'd help her, but he had no idea about things in his own kitchen anymore (to be fair, he hasn't had much of an idea in the first place, but when Rose joined him on his adventures, she quickly took over the whole ship. Decorations, souvenirs from all over the universe, a lost hoodie left in the middle of the library, and lastly, an utter mess in the kitchen), so he indulges and keeps on admiring the way she tucks her hair behind her ear as she keeps on searching for a moment. She then turns to him, suddenly aware of his stare.

"What're you starin' at?" she says with a smile, clearly relieved to see him still sitting at the table; such a contrast from just a couple hours earlier, when she thought she'd never see him again.

They both felt shaken in their own way, and both knew that this day would never be forgotten, yet they did not dare say how much they didn't wish to let the other one out of their sight for as much as half a second. They spent all of their time together, after all; no explanations were needed, were they?

"Oh, I don't know," he replies casually with a grin, "You, making a mess, I s'pose."

"Doctor, you can't say that I'm making a mess, not after the last time you tried to cook," Rose says with her trademark tongue-in-cheek grin, and the Doctor gets off the chair to join her at the counter. He leans against it, slowly starting to relax under the sight of her smile, but still somewhat terrified of as much as having to say good night to her later on.

"I wouldn't have made a mess if you, Rose Tyler, did not misplace every single thing that I own! I swear, it's as if you were hiding the strawberry jam from me, Rose, and that would be a very, very evil thing to do, because you know how much I love it, and weeell, I couldn't find it, so I may have gotten a little-"

"Hasty?" she supplies the word, holding back a fit of giggles.

"Perhaps. Just a bit! Besides, spilling a few things is not making a mess, it was a... A... A controlled mess, exactly, controlled, absolutely!"

Rose shakes her head at the Doctor, her lips pressed tightly together in order to suppress laughter, still in complete disbelief at her own luck. She got him back, or he got her back, whichever; it's as if she's got a second chance at this, a chance to show him all of those things she so badly wanted to show him, and she promises herself that she will at least try, slowly. Step by step, show him that he is loved. Make him smile as much as she can so that he will have some good memories to think back to, shall they ever be separated for good.

She shivers at the thought, hoping that there will be no such separation. Just the two of them, together, for as long as she lived.

"Right. Well, I've got this idea. How 'bout I make us some toast and you can have all the strawberry jam, and then we just, I don't know, take it easy? You could show me that, err, collection of yours, collection of, what was it, robots or somethin'?"

His eyes widen for a brief moment, because she always argues with him about who would take the last of the jam, and her interest in his collection of machinery was always way down below the sea level, but he collects himself quickly enough and grins at her, about to present a much better suggestion.

He wanted to make her happy, and most of all, to keep her near him for, well, for however long she'd agree to. He already dreaded the moment when she'd have to go to sleep. Thus, the idea.

"That's all very well, but I've got an even better idea," he says with a smug smile. There was no way she'd pass up on all that, and he could worry about his irretrievably damaged reputation later.

"Yeah? What's that, then?"

"Weeell, you know how you're always moaning about watching these daft films of yours?"

"They're not daft! And I'm not moaning," she grumbles, struggling to appear offended.

"Right, 'course not, but the point remains! I thought we might, you know, watch one of those. If you like. Or two, or, weeell, anything really, I just thought, 'cause you're always fussing about it, so-"

Now it was Rose's turn to feel surprised, because although he always gave in to her requests at some point, he always moaned about it a great deal, too, saying that Time Lords do not watch daft romances, Rose, I've told you so many times, and then ridiculing every single thing during the viewing. She knew that he secretly enjoyed it, though, but she's gotten used to the routine of her trying to convince him to do this or that. Convincing him often took longer than the movie itself, although lately, he budged very quickly.

"But you're always makin' such a fuss about it, and then in the end, we always watch them, anyway. And now you're asking me, too. It's almost as if you like them," she teased.

"Weeell, no, of course I don't like them, Rose!" That wasn't entirely true, but he did have a reputation to uphold, so a little lie was completely justified. "I just thought you'd enjoy that. I... I want you to be, weeell... Happy?" his voice falters at the last few words, once again transforming a casual conversation into a much more serious one, just the way they've both done quite frequently as of late.

Rose's heart beats a little faster upon hearing that and she embraces him, resting her head against his chest, faintly hearing the quickened beat of his hearts, feeling comforted by the sound. He really was there with her. She hadn't lost him.

The Doctor freezes for a second before returning the embrace, pulling her even closer.

"What's this for?" he says softly, perfectly content with her reaction to his idea. Even a hundred daft films would be worth watching just to get as much as one hug from Rose, especially if he gets to cudd-

No, not cuddle, embrace her on the sofa as she swoons over this or that particularly romantic scene and he imagines that they kiss in that same way, with the world spinning and so on, which of course never happened, but would be nice nevertheless.

"I dunno. Just because," she responds, and for a moment, they don't say or do anything at all, both simply overjoyed to be together at the end of this long day, all the while feeling scared of having to part. Scared and unwilling. So after some additional teasing, she graciously agrees to watch a movie, and then another one, even though she is half asleep by then, having been awake for over twenty hours, but she cannot bring herself to go to bed when the alternative is spending some time with the Doctor. Every second spent with him restored a little piece of her sanity and brought her comfort, so she hardly wanted to leave.

In the middle of Serendipity, Rose fell asleep with her head on his shoulder. His hearts swelled at the sight of her sleeping so close to him as his fingers traced little paths across her upper arm; words of love in Gallifreyan, but he paid it no mind, too focused on observing her sleeping face.

She looks serene, and he basks in her closeness, completely unwilling to let go of her.

The day has taught him a harsh lesson, a lesson he will make very sure to follow, and soon. Hiding may be the safer way to go, the well known road that he has walked so many times before, but no more. Rose needs to know.

Needs to know how much she puts him at ease, how she truly makes him better, how every word that comes out of her lips is like music to his torn, tired hearts. How every time she hugs him he feels as if these hearts of his might jump straight out of his chest, and how he has never felt anything remotely close to this, so he was at a complete loss as to how to go about it, other than to hope that she might one day see him the same way.

The movie comes to an end and he still does not wish to let go of her, waging a war against his own common sense, as he so often did when it came to Rose. She had to sleep, sleep in her own bed, and it just wouldn't do to prolong the inevitable. He didn't want her to feel uncomfortable, sleeping on the sofa the whole night. That was the final argument for taking her to bed, even though he remained unconvinced, unwilling to let her out of his sight, despite the fact that she was perfectly safe while on the TARDIS.

With a sigh of surrender, he takes her in his arms and picks her up with no effort. The only effort he is forced to make comes from trying to keep himself from kissing her as he carries her all the way to her bedroom and gently sets her down on the bed.

She takes his breath away, and that says a lot, considering his respiratory bypass system and all. He cannot imagine ever losing her, even if he has never had her in the first place.

He wants to be with her. Needs to be with her, against all odds.

Truly with her, not just next to her. He wants more.

Wants to be able to kiss her right at that moment and not have her find it out of place. He wants to fast-forward into his very own future and see if she will ever end up his, not just remain his friend; if she will ever allow him closer, infinitely closer than they could ever be as an unlikely pair of time-traveling companions.

His shoulders heave with a sigh once more. He does not want to leave her, feeling irrationally scared of losing her after the events of the day, but he knows better than to remain in her bedroom, staring at her sleeping form for the rest of the night, so he tucks her in and turns to leave the room.

Just as he is about to exit, he hears her quiet voice.

"Doctor?"

He freezes in his steps and gulps before he turns to face her, hoping she wouldn't mind him being around her room for this long, on the odd chance that she was awake during his (most probably rather lengthy) internal monologue. He finds her sitting up on the bed, supporting herself with one arm as her legs remain under the blanket. The looming darkness in the room, illuminated only by her star-shaped lamps, conceals her expression to some degree, leaving him guessing, and the Doctor does not like guessing, not when it comes to Rose.

"Rose! I-I did not mean-It's just, you fell asleep, you fell asleep on the sofa, Rose, and that's very unhealthy, absolutely, causes sore muscles, and I thought, weeell, I thought I might, err-" he begins his chain of explanations in a frantic tone of voice, not wanting her to be upset with him, but she interrupts him before he can even finish.

"'s alright. But... Can you stay?"

Her words hang in the air for a moment as their full meaning sinks in. She wasn't mad, and on top of that, she didn't want him to go. The tone of her voice sounds strangely vulnerable and all of his willpower crumbles, leaving him equally defenseless.

It hits the Doctor that she may have been scared, just like he was. Scared of so many things. It was so human to feel fear, so very human, not something his own race would admit to, but then again, this version of him was shaped solely by Rose, and he could relate to all these human things. Not just relate. He felt them himself.

He doesn't respond for a while, completely taken aback by her request, so she hastily adds an unnecessary clarification.

"I mean, just until I fall asleep. I... I thought I'd lost you, and... And I think it'd help if you stayed, 'cos then I know you're still here," her voice cracks at the end because she knows that her request might seem odd to him, but she so badly wants him to stay, she no longer cares what he might think.

"Right, yeah, of course. 'course I can," he finally chokes out, concealing his emotional turmoil with a casual smile that she can faintly see in the dark. With that, he leans against the door to her bedroom, not quite sure where exactly she wants him to remain.

"Oh, c'me here, you daft alien," she demands, gesturing at the other side of the relatively large bed with a hint of hesitation, effectively making his hearts stop beating for a second only to start racing like never before barely a moment later.

Each of his steps - leaps, really - is accompanied by a pounding deep inside his chest; he doesn't know what to think, what to say, how to act, and the only thing on his mind is that it's odd how right this feels, when it should, in theory, feel so very wrong.

Then again, he was no regular Time Lord. He had his own set of rules, and the vast majority of them concerned Rose; only now, all these rules seemed forgotten as a feeling of urgency settled deep within his hearts, a feeling only she could soothe, or strengthen, or both.

He sat down at the edge of the bed, unsure of what it really was that she wanted him to do, but as he turns his head around to look at her, the smile on her face - a smile of joy, relief, and...

And...

Oh.

He kicked off his sneakers and took off his suit jacket, tossing it carelessly aside. He then lied down on his back, quite a distance away from her. She did the same, only she was on her side, facing him, feeling a strange mix of emotions course through her, leaving her in an anxious state. If only he'd at least look at her instead of staring at the ceiling, she'd find a way to make this a little more casual, because most of the time, that would be exactly what he wanted, and she hardly wanted him to withdraw and run away just the way he always did.

Only the Doctor cannot look at her, not just yet; he needs a moment to compose himself enough just to glance her way, let alone form a coherent sentence. This was so new and so far out of his... His... Comfort zone? Yup. Comfort zone. Miles, miles, light years out of his comfort zone.

Yet, somehow, it did not feel wrong to just lie there like that, next to her. No, the feeling wrong part came from being that far apart, not having her in his arms, having all this space in between the two of them, when in his opinion, there should be none.

He has absolutely no idea what she wants him to do and he most certainly doesn't want to trespass any borders, but her presence alone is comforting enough for him to take a deep breath that he hopes will go unnoticed and lay on his side to be able to look at her properly.

Her hair is slightly disheveled, her eyes seem to shine in the looming darkness, she bites down on her lower lip briefly, distracting him even further. She then smiles at him, still feeling nervous to a certain degree as she studies his features, forever wanting to keep this moment close to her heart, knowing that it would likely not happen again anytime soon.

Perhaps it would mean nothing in the morning and would never be mentioned again, but the feeling of having him this close could never be topped, so Rose fully intends to make the most of it. After all, they couldn't know what each new day would bring. Monsters, disasters, escape and adventure were the stuff of their daily life, creating a routine filled to the brim with danger.

What they did know, though, was that they were together, right there and right then, and that could never be taken away from them, no matter where the future would bring them the following day.

"Thank you," she whispers with a content smile. Her hand sneaks out from underneath the duvet and she closes the gap between them, resting her arm in the space that separates them, hoping that he would take the hint and understand her silent request.

He does; he takes her hand in his, and only then does she close her eyes, knowing she would likely have a hard time falling asleep with him right next to her, but also aware that if she does fall asleep, she would want nothing more than to find him still there the next morning.

And the next, and the next, and every remaining morning of her life. But he couldn't possibly know that, could he?

The look she gave him prior to closing her eyes spoke volumes. The Doctor, no expert by a long shot, recognized some of the emotions that were so clearly displayed upon her countenance, from the tone of her voice, from the way she held on to his hand as if never ever wanting to let him go. He recognized them because...

Because he felt them, too.

Fear of loss, immense relief at being together, that feeling that chokes him and renders him breathless when his mind wanders and he realizes that, if things turned out differently, he may have never seen her again.

His doubt just... Starts melting away, somehow. Layer after layer, shield after shield his defenses collapse, melt under the warmth of all these unfamiliar feelings that she had caused in him, and he doesn't even try to cling to his shell anymore, mentally discarding it as useless.

Minutes pass and he simply observes her relaxed face, only partly aware of the transition that happens within him as he fights away the urge to kiss her, comfort her, tell her that he will always keep her safe, no matter the cost.

Because he never felt this way, and she was absolutely brilliant, and being away from her for as much as two seconds was far, far too long, and he wants even more than what they've had up until now. So much more. Only with her.

Fear surrenders to hope, and hope joins forces with a strong resolve as his hesitation becomes certainty, finally giving way to his feelings.

He knew nearly everything about the future. He knew the exact date of the downfall of every civilization in the galaxy, he knew when each and every star would collapse and burn out, he knew the exact day when there would not be a single sun left in the universe and everything would turn so very cold. When there would be nothing left.

He knew all that, but nothing of his own future. Nothing of her future, either. Time was in constant flux, who would know that better than him?

What their life would bring, he didn't know. But he vowed to himself that he would tell her one day, and...

And just like that, he didn't want to wait any longer. He couldn't wait any longer. Not after seeing that look in her eyes; a mirror of his own, and he just-

He abandoned his fear, if only for a while, and stood strong against the odds, following this strange road with absolutely no way back.

There was never a way back, was there? Not since he met Rose Tyler, no, there was not.

"Rose," he murmurs in a voice barely above a whisper, knowing that she was not yet asleep. He can tell by the shallow sound of her breaths or the quickened beat of her heart. His voice is hoarse, but free of doubt and hesitation, filled with longing.

"Mmm?" she mumbles in return, still awake, slightly groggy and blissful.

He is aware that from this point on, there will be no going back, and everything they've built during the past two years would change, fall apart only to be rebuilt again from its very foundations, no matter the outcome.

Strange part is, he really wasn't afraid. Not anymore.

He will never be afraid again, not of that, not like that.

She doesn't know, and she needs to know, because he-

He thinks. Or hopes.

That she might want to know.

And if she does, then they could-

"Can I kiss you?"

Her eyes snap open with a start as her heartbeat immediately starts racing. She scans his face in the dim light of her star-shaped lamps, quite breathless, looks deep into his eyes; his expression is serious, but not grave, no, it's...

It's filled with longing, the kind of longing she thought she'd seen in his eyes so many times before, but she always wrote it off as her own wishful thinking. Only this time, there was absolutely no doubt.

He looked at her, so defenseless, seemingly unsure of her response, yet without a shade of hesitation on his face.

His eyes search hers, trying to find confirmation, something to hold on to on this strange new land, and soon enough, he gets exactly that.

Or more. Much more.

"Yeah."

With that, she moves closer to him, putting their faces mere inches away from one another as they share a wordless conversation.

An explanation as to why it took so long, and why it couldn't wait any longer.

And then, just like that, their eyes close and their lips meet.

The kiss is soft and slow and tentative at first; it serves as both the question and the answer, the answer to every question, the start of something brand new. They taste each other's lips, slowly savoring the moment, pouring all of their feelings into that one dream that at long last came true. Rose's hands are pressed against his chest as they slowly venture further; he props himself up on his elbow, easily losing himself in the moment just as she rolls over to her back at the same time, leaving him somewhat above her, and he leans down to keep kissing her now slightly parted lips, deepening the kiss, meeting her tongue with his own, relishing the taste that he had been dreaming of for so long, even before that non-kiss back on New Earth.

She reaches out and pulls him closer by wrapping her arms around his neck, running her fingers through that gorgeous hair of his, kissing him back with all of the love she has had for him for the past two years, never wanting to stop, momentarily forgetting how unexpected this was, focused on simply not wanting it to ever end.

Their lips part only very briefly when one of them needs to pause for air, up until the Doctor follows another dream of his and traces a path across her cheek with brief kisses, tasting her skin with each and every caress, moving his lips to her jaw line and then past it, all the way down to the crook of her neck. He does not stay long, however, and quickly makes his way back up to her mouth, impatiently locking his lips with hers once again.

He wasn't thinking. For once in his life, he ran entirely on instinct, and he didn't want to go back.

The way she kissed him eased his doubt, because what he could not read in her eyes, he could feel in the way she touched him and pulled him back if he moved away to catch his breath. Perhaps she might...

She might be...

Oh, he cannot wait any longer. Not a second. Not a tenth of it.

So just like that, he doesn't.

"Rose-" he begins, but she doesn't let him finish, pulling him back, crashing her lips onto his with an urgency that accompanied her long-repressed passion. She wasn't going to let this end, not after all those months she's spent daydreaming about this very moment, night and day, wishing for even just one of those kisses, just one of those looks.

He indulges, of course, willingly kissing her back, sometimes slowly and gently, other times passionately, but he wants to, needs to say it, because-

Because she needs to know.

"I love you," he breathes in between those intoxicating kisses in a husky voice that is barely audible, almost drawn out by the sound of their shallow breaths, and it feels as if a huge weight has been lifted off his chest.

Has he really just said that? At long last, after nearly two years?

His secret was a secret no longer, but what would she say? Would she regret kissing him, or would she-

At hearing this, Rose stops trying to seize his lips for another kiss and looks straight into his eyes, a look of shock etched all over her face.

"Did you..." she stammers, "Did you just... Say somethin'?"

She must have heard wrong. He couldn't-

Only, he did.

"I did," he confirms and their rapid heartbeats mix together as they look at one another, closer than ever, each completely overwhelmed by the intensity of the moment.

"Did I- Did you say-" her breath trembles inside her chest, "Did you just say what I think you said?"

Rose searches his eyes for answers as she had done so many times before, never finding the slightest clue, but this time, all she sees is resolve mixed with a hint of fear.

This was a big step into the complete unknown for him. He dove right in at the deepest end of the pool, barely knowing how to swim in these treacherous waters, yet when he responds, his voice is free of all doubt.

"Yes."

The word hangs in the air for a moment. Each passing millisecond brings the Doctor nearer to a state of panic, he doesn't know what he will do if she won't acknowledge his... His... His confession in some way; suddenly, the fear of loss comes right back and strikes him with full force, thinking that he may have been mistaken, perhaps she did not want this, all the... The snogging and those three words that he could hardly keep in anymore, perhaps she-

He feels her heart race, they are just that close. She must feel his hearts, too, if not even hear them.

Please, Rose. Say something.

Anything.

Plea-

"Can you..." she bites down on her lip briefly, desperately hoping that he wouldn't back out. "D'you think you could you just... Say it again?"

The Doctor raises his eyebrows, puzzled, confused and once again, hopeful.

She wouldn't ask if she didn't want to hear it, right?

No, she wouldn't, and she-

She looks so... So vulnerable, as if his words could touch her very soul, if one believed in that sort of thing. So he takes a deep breath and gathers what courage he has left, knowing that it has to be said.

"I said that I... Well, I... I love you, Rose. I've... I've-" he trips over words, finding it so much harder to say these things with her observing him so very intently, "I was... I couldn't tell you- It's all- It's all new to me, Rose, and I- Time Lords, we, well, we never really did-"

She always had a tendency to interrupt him mid-sentence, his Rose. Only this time, she interrupts him in a far, far better way; not with a mocking remark but with a passionate kiss that he happily returns, letting go of his fear of rejection for an instant.

This time, it is she who pulls away, just barely, and she whispers against his lips,

"I love you, my Doctor," she watches as his expression changes into a look of complete wonder, "God, you have no idea, do you?"

She-

She-

SHE.

SAID.

IT.

ROSE SAID THAT SHE-

Oh, he is just stunned in a thousand different ways. Stunned, shocked, delighted, overwhelmed. Words were one of his favorite weapons, but he was never one to be affected by them, but she said-

She said-

She laughs. Out of joy, out of love, and a little because it's impossible how dense this brilliant man can be at times if he still hadn't noticed that she's been hung up on him for almost as long as she's known him.

"Really?" he finally manages to choke out, an unbelieving smile spreading over his face.

"Really. For so long..."

The most brilliant of smiles lights up his face.

"Oh, Rose Tyler," he says, "All of time and space, and I've never met anybody like you, and that's- weeell, that's amazing, brilliant, and you- you are-"

At this, she does what she always does best and interrupts him again, pulling him closer and kissing him impatiently, and they keep on interrupting each other for the rest of the night, both blissfully unaware of time.

It was a whole new experience, like nothing he has ever done before, but by the end of the night, the Doctor knew that it was something they would experience together.

It was absolutely exhilarating. Terrifying. Amazing. It was-

It was the two of them, a Time Lord and a human, and for once, the Doctor only thought of the future as a point in time in which they would be together, still. Him and his Rose.

From now on, truly his.

Over nine hundred years and he never felt like he belonged anywhere. Always on the run, always escaping, but now, he knew that he did belong somewhere.

He belonged with her. All of space and time, everything may change, but that, that's the one thing that never will.

Never.

He strokes her cheek and kisses her again, thinking that out of all of his many adventures, this one will certainly be his ultimate favorite. No contest.

A/N: I know what you're thinking. AT LAST! I know it took some time, but let's face it, it would never be fast and easy with the Doctor. The chapter takes place during and after Satan's Pit, which I believe was a huge moment for the Doctor and Rose, and this was just itching to be written for... For a long time, really, I loved finally getting to write this chapter! Forgive me if it's over the top (or too long...), as I mentioned earlier, I'm a huge sucker for fluff and I cannot help myself. :(

Still plenty of chapters to go, so please let me know if you liked this - I'm so excited to hear your thoughts! Thank you to everyone that reviews and reads my story, you're amazing! See you soon with the next chapter ^_^