Yo!

TWO MORE CHAPTERS TO GO! Ok, so I'm a little behind on the sequel, But it is coming. I want to finish it first before i post. I know you are probably dying to read it (I hope :) ), but i prefer to have the plot completed before i post. It is coming though. Don't doubt that.

Fly On...

Heart of Diamond

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxox

The Time Experiment

Healing – Part 2

The Doctor stared out into the brilliance of the universe as he leant against the door of the TARDIS. He had been there a while, gazing out to the worlds beyond the little blue box floating in space. Worlds that were thriving. Worlds that were dying.

How oblivious they were to the threats around them. Nearly 24 hours ago, the Doctor, Rose and their team of time travellers were all fighting for their existence… and they had no idea. It wasn't that they didn't care, it's just that they didn't know. While the Daleks had threatened the very existence of everything, they continued on their merry ways through their merry lives.

The Doctor gave a small sigh, leaning his head against the door frame.

Rose loved him.

The simple thought made him want to smile and grit his teeth at the same time.

He didn't deserve her. She was well above him in every way. Rose, defender of the earth, traveller of time. Rose, the woman who crosses parallel worlds. Rose… the miracle who sacrifices everything to just see him again.

Rose, the human TARDIS.

The Doctor closed his eyes. If only he had never met her. If only he had never gathered up the courage and had returned that second time… No. The Doctor stopped his train of thought with a small shake of his head. He could never ever regret Rose. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

How could she fall for a man like him though? He was the man without a home. He was a man without… anything. The last of his kind... a killer of his kind. A destroyer of worlds and races.

And yet she still loved him. How?

The Doctor had been broken. Barely hanging onto life. Rose came along and fitted the pieces back together, holding him with her smile, her laugh. She gave him back his spirit with her quick comebacks and her feisty personality. She kept him on his toes with her desire of adventure and her constant need to step into danger.

He just wanted to take things back to the way they were. To when they laughed and held hands… and how the passion to take their relationship further was always there, but neither were willing to be the first to step forward. They both knew the complications of such a relationship. They both knew what it would mean if they took that step forward, which was why they never did.

That was impossible now, The Doctor knew that. There was no turning back on this. Not when Rose had taken the risk. She had taken that step.

It began right before Canary Warf. How she told him that she had promised him forever and that was what she was willing to give. The Doctor knew then that she loved him and not only that, but he knew what he felt for her was more than just friendship. He thought he would have time to think things over. He thought he would have time to talk to Rose, to think things through…

But Rose fell and Pete caught her. She confessed to him on the beach. Brilliant, incredible, amazing Rose Tyler stepped forward and poured her heart out to him. Then she was gone. She just vanished before his eyes before he had the chance to say anything.

The logic of the situation confined The Doctor to even attempt to find her. He knew that crossing parallel worlds now that the void had been closed was impossible, so The Doctor simply accepted the fate that the words he had longed to say to Rose would forever remain on the tip of his tongue. The universe, no, universes hated him and he knew that. This was their way of getting back at him and The Doctor knew he deserved it.

Now she had come back. After suffering through months of torture to the point where she wasn't human anymore, she had come back to him. Weak, dying, barely hanging on and in so so much pain… and she still came back to say goodbye.

She had sacrificed everything to find him again, to be with him. Her family, her friends, her humanity. Any chance of living a normal and happy life she had given up, because… apparently… he was worth all of that.

Rose was prepared to give her heart to him, be damned of the consequences. She didn't seem to care about the possibilities of things going wrong. She didn't seem to care about the risks that she was taking.

And he loved her for it.

The Doctor opened his eyes.

He did. He loved her. It was just that simple.

The Doctor drew in a deep breathe, raising a hand and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Blimey," He whispered to himself.

Rose stepped silently into the console room. There was silence. Only the sound of the TARDIS' steady humming could be heard.

She wrapped her arms around herself, glad that she had brought the jumper. While the TARDIS was able to maintain a decent amount of heating in the room, having the doors open to the vastness of space certainly cooled things down.

The Doctor stood at the door of the TARDIS exactly like he had in Rose's vision, only that one arm was raised, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn't turn around as Rose entered. She wasn't quite sure whether he even heard her or not, but she wasn't about to call out.

Rose moved to sit down on the captain's seat. It reminded her of the times The Doctor was tinkering with the TARDIS, fixing the swimming pool and what not, and she would just sit there on the jump seat. Sometimes she read a book, other times she just watched him, but the two of them were in complete silence, just enjoying the presence of one another.

As Rose walked closer to the seat, she noticed something already there. It was a velvet bag rested on the top of a large tattered red book. Rose frowned picking the two objects up in curiosity.

"They're for you."

Rose nearly jumped as The Doctor's voice, clearly not expecting to be noticed. When she glanced up, he closed the TARDIS doors before walking casually up the ramp, his hands in his pockets.

His eyes met hers as he walked around the TARDIS console. Rose could see the concern, the fear, the guilt and the grief all brewing. He was scared, she realised. Scared of… everything. Of opening up, of let her in, of the future they could have, of what the future could bring…

Scared of change. Both good and bad.

The Doctor nodded to what she was holding, as he leaned against the TARDIS console. Rose didn't fail to notice how he was keeping his distance from her. "You mother left them for you."

She blinked, glancing down at the objects in her hands. The velvet bag was heavy, but the book held Rose's interest more. She opened it up, flicking through the pages as if they were sheets of gold. A small gasp escaping her lips as she realised that they were letters. Letters to her.

Rose leant against the captain's chair, closing the book and running her hands over the red leather cover. She wanted to read them, but she knew this wasn't the time. Not yet. She wasn't ready to face that pain yet.

She needed to take things step by step… starting with The Doctor.

"You can't… go back," The Doctor finally spoke, his voice hesitant.

Rose raised her eyes to look at him. "I know."

The Doctor shifted, uncomfortable. His eyes looked everywhere but at her. "I mean… even if you wanted to… You're body requires the same rift energy as the TARDIS and Pete's world doesn't have the right…"

"Doctor," Rose said softly.

He halted his words. Finally, he dropped his gaze to meet hers.

Rose gave him a genuine smile. "It's ok."

The Doctor's eyes softened slightly. His body was tense, giving Rose a clear sign that he was nervous. She waited for him patiently, her own anxiety building up inside her.

"Rose…" The Doctor began. He took a deep breathe. "I can't… I'm not." He stopped again.

Rose found it odd for a man who could ramble on about distant planets and incredible galaxies found it so difficult to talk about something so close. Here was a man who could talk non-stop for hours if he wanted to, but when it came to talking about emotions, his words became safe guarded. It was as if every word that came out of the Doctor's mouth held a hidden power that Rose didn't understand.

When it came to emotions, Rose decided, The Doctor takes it upon himself to either speak the truth or say nothing at all.

The Doctor gave a sigh, finally deciding on his words. "You saved my life."

She blinked, clearly not expecting that. Rose smiled slightly. "I think it was the other way round."

He cracked a smile. "Yes… yesterday I did, but I wasn't talking about that." He looked at her, his eyes holding honesty. "You saved my life… by stepping onto the TARDIS."

Rose felt her heart rate rise, but she remained silent. She wasn't going to hope to soon. The Doctor shifted again, dropping his gaze once more.

"I've done…" He closed his eyes to try and hide the pain, but it was still clearly evident across his face. "I'm no saint Rose. What I've done…" The Doctor cut of his words abruptly, as if something had caught in his throat.

Rose took the opportunity to step forward. "Doctor, its ok."

He snapped his eyes to her, the fear rising up through them. He took a small step back, keeping his distance from her. The Doctor didn't seem to be afraid of Rose as such, it appeared that he was more afraid of what he could do to Rose.

"No, nonono, it's not. It's not ok. Nothing's ok," The Doctor whispered hastily. He looked at her, his expression almost confused. "How… How can you…"

"How can I love you?" Rose whispered.

The Doctor throat seemed to tighten, his eyes haunted.

Rose smiled softly. "Doctor," Her voice came out pure without a trace of dishonesty. "You are the greatest man I have ever known. The most caring… selfless man I have ever met. A man who sacrifice everything to save one person. A man who gives chances to people even when they probably don't deserve it."

The Doctor still stared at her, his brilliant mind trying to grasp the concept of the situation. These sorts of emotions just seemed so… alien to him.

"But after everything I've done and-and all I've put you through…" He ran his hair. He just seemed incredibly, incredibly confused.

Rose took another step forward, but The Doctor still took a retreated step in return, still determined to keep his distance. Rose couldn't help but feel slightly hurt by it.

The Doctor shook his head. "I'm not that man."

"Yes you…"

"No Rose," He argued. "I'm not."

Silence fell.

It wasn't a rejection, Rose realised. He wasn't saying that he didn't feel anything in return, but it was almost as if he was trying to convince her not to love him. To somehow fall out of love, which in Rose's opinion was the most ridiculous thing he had ever suggested.

"I have… I have nothing to give," The Doctor said softly, his voice tired as the grief slipped through. "I don't have a home, or… or a family… Rose, I don't even have a planet…"

"That doesn't matter," Rose argued simply.

"It should matter, Rose." The Doctor's tone had dropped to the point where it almost sounded like he was pleading. "You were supposed to live a normal life, a normal human life… and just…"

His eyes fell away from hers. He didn't seem to be able to finish that sentence, but Rose knew what he was implying.

"And just forget about you," Rose finished, her tone almost angry. "You think after all we've been through, I could just watch you disappear into the TARDIS and just forget about you."

"It's the way it should've been," The Doctor whispered.

Rose caught it though. The slight crack at the edge of his voice. He didn't mean it, Rose realised. The Doctor was still trying to get her to see that he wasn't worth it. The he wasn't good enough for her and that she deserved better.

That crack though. That slight rise in octave at the end of his sentence told her that he was fighting a losing battle within himself.

"You don't mean that," Rose said, determined to stand her ground.

"Yes… yes I do."

There was the crack in his voice again.

Rose crossed her arms. "Say that to me… Look into my eyes and say that to me. Tell me that you wanted me to leave you. To go off, live a human life, get married, have 2.5 kids. Say it."

The Doctor looked up at her. Rose could see the pain in his eyes. The unbelievable conflict that he was fighting. Why he was fighting it, Rose had no idea. To her, The Doctor deserved to be happy. He deserved to love. He didn't deserve to be alone, which is why Rose vowed that even if they weren't together-together, she wasn't going to leave his side for a minute.

He suddenly turned away, running his hands over his face as if trying to find a way to release the stress. Rose could see his hands were shaking slightly, but she didn't know whether it was from grief or from the emotional confliction.

The Doctor sighed. "It's all my fa…"

"No," Rose said sharply cutting him off and taking a daring step forward. "Don't you dare blame this on yourself. I chose to come with you. I chose this life and I don't regret one minute of it… good or bad."

The Doctor didn't look at her. Rose hesitated, unsure about how to take his reaction. "Do you… regret me?"

He turned to her instantly, surprising her by gripping her shoulders. "No, not for a second." The Doctor looked her straight in the eye. "Rose… You're the best thing that has ever happened to me. You saved me, from myself. You-you helped me see straight again and…"

Suddenly he was no longer talking.

Rose had taken his face in her hands and pressed her mouth on his… taking The Doctor completely by surprise. His eyes widened at the unexpected contact, his thoughts wiping completely from his mind. The Doctor remained almost frozen, unsure how to react to the situation.

His memory hadn't faltered. Her lips were still soft as they pressed against his. They didn't move, merely holding themselves there. She didn't seem to expect him to respond.

Rose pulled back, her eyes opening slowly. The Doctor could only stare at this brilliant… incredible… unbelievable woman before him wondering why on earth he had been resisting this in the first place.

All of a sudden, everything became clear. All the worries, the frustration, the fear, the caution had washed away. He finally understood why Rose had taken the leap and screwed the consequences. Suddenly it didn't matter to him what the universe planned to do with him. Suddenly the future didn't sound all that bad if he had Rose to stand beside him.

The facts were simple. Rose was here. Rose had come back. Everything seemed to come to one straightforward thought in his head.

"I love you," The Doctor whispered. For a moment he was shocked at the words that just seemed to tumble out of his mouth, but it was the truth.

A grin slipped across Rose's expression, her eyes brightening.

I do, The Doctor thought. He loved her. By all the gods in the universe, real or fake… he loved her.

She barely had time to take another breathe before it was The Doctor's turn to take Rose completely by surprise. His lips met hers in a blinding need, a passion that was withheld for so, so long. He cradled her face in his hand feeling her rapid pulse beneath his fingers. It didn't take long for Rose to catch up as her mouth parted to let him in. She was offering herself to him, for she was his if he was ready to take her.

The last thread that held him back from this just seemed to snap in his mind. He just wanted Rose, all of Rose. He wanted to forget the future and the past and just live in the present with her.

The Doctor's shoulders dropped and the tension released. His passion for this woman was let loose as he pulled Rose closer to him. He drunk her in, intoxicated by her as he captured her lips in his. He ran his tongue over the inside of her mouth, his trembling hands knotting in her hair.

Rose let him explore her mouth, opening herself to him completely and angling her head slightly to give him better access. Her hands snaked across his torso and around his back to hook around his shoulders.

Finally, Rose pulled away. While the main reason was the need to breathe, she didn't want to push forward further than what they both were ready for. The Doctor rested his forehead on hers, his breathing slightly staggered. His hands didn't even attempt to free themselves from the knots in her hair, just as Rose kept her arms wrapped around his shoulder. Neither of them to want to let go.

When the Doctor opened his eyes, he pulled back in surprise. Rose sensed it, opening her eyes also and frowned slightly at his reaction. The Doctor felt her tense slightly, uncertainty filling her. "Doctor?"

"You're… glowing," The Doctor said, completely stunned.

She was. Her whole body seemed to be surrounded by this golden mist. It floated around her, lifting strands of her hair to give an illusion that Rose was standing in zero gravity. Rose lifted her hands from around his shoulders, gazing at them in wonder.

"What… How?" Rose asked quietly.

A grin slowly rose on The Doctor face. "It seems our activities have instigated a growth of Serotonin and Oxytocin within your body which have reacted the Space-Time Vortex to generate a physical expression of your emotions."

Rose looked up at him, with a raised eyebrow.

"You're happy," The Doctor clarified, his grin sustaining.

Rose matched his expression with her own grin. "Yes… yes, I'm very happy."

That was the bridge. The moment when the two of them stepped from being the best of friends to something more. They became no longer The Doctor and his companion, but rather The Oncoming Storm and The Bad Wolf, ready to take on the world and all that is thrown at them.

Their legend had once more reformed, but it still had only just begun.

xoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxox

I am such a sap. Finally, there is the Rose/Doctor you have all been waiting for. REVIEW!