a/n: Hello my lovelies. Well, this is the final chapter. I'm happy but sad at the same time. Thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. I'll probably go through and fix things up a bit eventually to make it flow more smoothly but who knows when that happens. I do have some one-shot ideas and new story ideas as well.

I hope you've enjoyed everything. My love and thanks.

Chapter 36

The Doctor flopped back on his bed still fully clothed. He didn't have it in him to change. He'd just said goodbye to another friend and companion. Sure, it was wonderful for Tara to be reunited her childhood love again. He knew how painful it is to think, to know, that you'll never see a loved one again. But once again he was alone.

Rose's message had meant something, a sign that she was traveling in her TARDIS. So why hadn't she contacted him? Was she actively avoiding him? The knowledge that she was out there yet out of reach hurt. He'd even visited the Oodsphere to get an idea of where she was planning to go. The fact that he could land told him that she was gone. The Ood, while gracious as ever, could not help him. Rose had left with a hasty goodbye after Ood Sigma's death without telling them her future destinations.

He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them he was no longer staring at his bedroom ceiling. Gallifrey, in all its splendor, spread out before him. He felt a gentle breeze brush across his skin and heard the music coming from the silver trees. At the bottom of the hill was Rose, her bare feet standing at the edge of the placid lake.

Her braided hair was much longer than he'd ever seen, falling just below her shoulder blades. She looked much healthier than the last time he saw her. The golden aura surrounding her was warm and inviting but he didn't step forward. He felt rooted to the spot.

"Are you just going to stand there and stare or are you going to join me?" she called from over her shoulder.

Her voice brought the Doctor back to life. He walked slowly, cautiously, unsure of what would come next. She didn't speak again until he was standing by her side. A smile graced her face and for the first time the Doctor could see it reached her eyes.

"Hello, Doctor."

"Why didn't you contact me sooner?" the Doctor blurted.

Rose laughed and the sound echoed across the lake. It was infectious but the Doctor kept the scowl on his face. Rose looked at him, eyes dancing.

"It wasn't time."

"According to…?" he prompted.

"Time, of course." She turned to face him fully. She was smiling, happier than he'd seen her since he'd left her on that beach all those years ago. None of the pain he'd seen before she'd sent him away could be seen. He almost couldn't believe his eyes.

"I've missed you, Rose. How long has it been since you sent me away?"

She frowned, obviously thinking. "Uh, I think I spent around 50ish years with the Ood. I think I left them about 20ish years ago. It blurs a bit. I've been hopping back and forth to the planet so it gets confusing and keeping track doesn't seem important," she said with a shrug before turning back to face the water.

"It's been 70 years?"

"Time flies when you're having fun."

"It hasn't flown by for me," he grumbled.

Rose bumped her shoulder against him. "Don't be like that. I didn't stay away to hurt you. I needed time. And I've been busy. I'm on a mission you see."

"Oh? Doing what?"

"Well, there are many Ood out there who are still enslaved. You know humans; they don't like to give up free labor. So I've decided that I'm going to rescue them all. I saved the Ood on Krop Tor."

"Are you insane? You could have-"

Rose waved her hand airily. "I know I know. It was dangerous and difficult but we survived. I owe the Ood so much. I have to do this for them."

"Rose Tyler, you never cease to amaze me."

Rose gave a small curtsy before laughing. "Oh! I want you to meet someone." She turned and raced up the hill, leaving the Doctor running to follow her. When they reached the top, a boy of about 12 stood there, his arms crossed and frowning. "This is Caden."

"Why didn't you call me sooner?" he whined.

"It's not my fault you wouldn't fall asleep. Caden, meet the Doctor. Doctor, this is Caden."

"Hello, I'm Caden, Rose's prisoner."

Rose whacked him on the back of his head with a hand. "Brat." She turned to the Doctor. "I found this little rat while I was tracking down an Ood. He didn't have a name so I gave him one."

Caden means "fighter" or "spirit of battle" in Welsh. The Doctor sent to Rose telepathically.

And "friend" or "companion" in Arabic. I had my reasons for choosing it.

"It's nice to meet you, Caden. I'm the Doctor."

"I know all about you. Rose has told me all kinds of stories." He spun around, taking in his surroundings. "This is Gallifrey?"

"Yes," the Doctor said. "This is my home."

Caden listened with interest as the Doctor pointed out certain landmarks and explained some of the history of the Time Lords. Caden was fascinated. He was also very intelligent. He had life inside him, something that obviously drew Rose to him. Rose had chosen a perfect name for the boy.

"Okay, time to go," Rose told him.

"Why? I want to stay."

"You haven't finished your homework. You'll see the Doctor again. Run along now." She made a shooing motion. Caden scowled before disappearing.

The Doctor couldn't help but laugh. Rose joined his laughter with her own. Then she grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hill and straight into the lake. Once the shock wore off, the Doctor decided to express his feelings by sending a splash of water into Rose's face. She sputtered and wiped her eyes before sending a splash of her own in his direction.

They splashed and played like two children with no worries in the universe. When they grew tired, they simply stood, their bodies mere inches from each other. The Doctor looked into Rose's eyes and she looked into his. So much can be read from the eyes of any person. At the moment, only happiness seemed written in Rose's.

Without warning, both the Doctor and Rose lunged for each other. Rose's lips crashed against his. He wrapped his arms around her body, bringing her closer. The kiss was unlike any he'd experience in his long lifetime. This was breathing for the first time. This was finding color in a world of black and white. This was coming home. This was what had been missing for so long. They only broke when Rose needed air. She didn't come equipped with a respiratory bypass.

"I want you, Doctor," she said with ragged breath.

It was all he needed to hear. He picked her up and carried her from the water. As soon as his feet touched grass, their clothes dried. He set her down gently on the grass. She laid back with her arms spread; an obvious invitation. Uncontrollable need filled him and so he took her up on her offer.

They were kissing again. They couldn't get enough. Hands explored bodies, touching sensitive places, teasing. The Doctor didn't know how their clothes disappeared but he didn't care. All he cared about was the feel of Rose beneath him. She was a light in the darkness. The sun in the night sky. There were no more leashes. He couldn't contain himself anymore. He wouldn't contain himself anymore. This was everything he had dreamed of and more.

A brush against his mind made him pause. She was asking him to open up, to let her in. Could he do it? Could he show her his vulnerability? But oh how he wanted that contact. He wanted the connection he no longer had. He wanted to feel whole again. When he opened his mind, she opened hers to him. More feelings flowed through him but the one he felt most was her love. She loved him with all that she was. Even during her imprisonment, during the most excruciating period of her life, she'd still loved him. Oh, she'd hated him but it was the hate that comes from loving someone so much.

Now her heart, with it's painful scars, was no longer filled with hate. There was no longer blame for what happened. She'd forgiven him. It was something he couldn't seem to comprehend. Her immortal body was nothing compared to her human heart. And he loved that heart.

The Doctor had been with a woman before. He knew what sex was. He knew what it felt like, though not in this body. But he'd never truly understood what it could be. This was not just sex. This was love. This was surrender. This was a connection that couldn't be broken.

Their bodies joined together, moving in rhythm. Her warmth touched him and in that moment, the moment when they soared higher than anything and two bodies became one, he felt something fall back into place. The broken piece of his hearts, the one that had splintered away when Rose had gone, had returned. It was whole again. He was whole again.

"I love you," Rose said when their bodies finally separated. Her words were backed by the feelings that flowed through their mental bond.

"And I love you, Rose."

Rose sat up and looked down on him. Her braid had come undone causing her hair to spill around her face. The glow that never seemed to disappear made her look even more radiant. She was simply beautiful.

She leaned down and placed a kiss to his forehead. He felt a flash of warmth before it faded. He frowned.

"What are you doing?"

"I am removing my mark." Then she moved to press her lips to the handprint still branded on his chest but he stopped her.

"I don't want to lose this one," he told her. It was a mark that connected him to her. He didn't want to lose that connection.

"This mark was given out of anger and cruelty. I don't want that on your body."

She pressed her lips to the mark. The Doctor watched at the handprint and the gold slashes that radiated from it disappear. Once more his chest was smooth and uninterrupted. He was surprised by how much he'd wanted to keep that symbol on his chest. It was a reminder of what could happen through careless decisions.

"It was not a careless decision. You did what you thought was best. I no longer blame you. I have forgiven you. I hope that you have forgiven me," Rose said, obviously reading his thoughts.

"There was nothing to forgive. I wasn't angry at what you did. I just wish I could have spared you that time."

"If I were to go back, I don't think I would change it. Yes, it was terrible. There are truly no words to describe the horror of it all. But it has also shaped me. I was broken but look at me now. I am whole once more and I am stronger than I have ever been. And now I am happy. I am happier than I've ever been."

"You are one amazing woman, Rose Tyler."

"Of course I am," she laughed. Then she sobered and looked down at him. "I want to give you a gift, a different reminder."

"Oh?"

She pressed her lips over one of his hearts. "This heart belongs to me," she whispered. Then she moved to his other heart. "And this heart belongs to me."

Warmth spread through him, a heat that filled his body. There was no pain in this heat. It was the power of love that flowed through him. When he sat up, he looked at the two places Rose had kissed. Each one had a small blooming rose etched in gold. It was delicate and beautiful, nothing like the mark that had been there before. This was a sign of love, not anger.

"You're right. These hearts do belong to you."

And then there were no more words. No words were needed in their passion. Once more they made love under the suns of his planet, the wind dancing around them.

A while later, the Doctor sighed. "I don't want this to end. I don't want to wake up and it all be a dream."

"This isn't a dream, Doctor," Rose said, then she paused. "Well, it's kind of a dream but not really."

"I want to wake with you in my arms."

"I know. But it's time to wake up. We will see each other again."

The Doctor grabbed Rose and pulled her close, "Please don't go," he whispered into her hair.

"I'll always be with you. I love you, Doctor," she pulled back to look at him and winked. "See you around."

The Doctor opened his eyes and found himself staring at his bedroom ceiling. Sadness grabbed his hearts and seemed to squeeze. That's when he noticed that the TARDIS was flying. It wasn't supposed to be flying seeing as he wasn't in the console room. Slightly panicked, he ran to the room just as his ship landed. He frowned, wondering what was going on.

The doors opened of their own accord, inviting the Doctor to step outside. Curious but cautious, the Doctor stepped outside into brilliant sunlight. Sand crunched under his feet and he looked out at a frozen wave of water. He was on Woman Wept. Standing ten feet away from him was a woman with golden hair and a brilliant smile.

The Doctor ran with everything he had and scooped Rose up into his arms. He couldn't believe that this was real. It couldn't possibly be real. But his hearts were telling him it was. She smelled of strawberries, vanilla, and Time.

"I told you I'd see you around," she said, placing a firm kiss on his lips.

"That you did, you ridiculous girl." The Doctor let Rose's feet touch the ground but he didn't release her. It wasn't a dream.

Rose beamed up at him, sending her love through their newly formed mental connection.

"Show me the stars, Doctor."

The Doctor grabbed Rose Tyler's hand and together they ran.