Title: Everlasting

Rating: K+

Summery: Rose and the 10th Doctor stop off in London for Christmas just a few months after the regeneration has taken place. Both still adjust to each other has changed, as well as how they've changed themselves. Regeneration was never a straight line, it has ups and downs just as the rest of life does. (10/Rose)

Authors Note: Here is your next part. I once again thank you all so much for coming and reading this. I have enjoyed writing this and exploring the altered relationship between Ten and Rose. After this one there is sadly only one act left, but I hope you all enjoy it anyways. I read in an article from RTD that Ten won't always wear his full outfit, which I found a bit surprising, but I decided to incorporate that fact into this chapter. But enough of the babbling, read on!

Time for a chat.

That's what she had decided before she had found him musing himself in the wardrobe. Yet that thought had been lost in the confusion of the new apparel, as well as the other Christmas preparations her mother had dragged her into. But now she was finally able to catch her breath and sit down, relaxing and taking a moment just to herself. As she sat at the kitchen table, her head in her palm and her fingers swirling a spoon in hot chocolate, she had begun to think over the recent advents with her new Doctor. All their talk about how he was different had led back to one thing.

The Time Vortex.

Rose fixed her posture, staring down at the cooling hot chocolate. And that was how he had found her.

He had entered the room a few minutes prior, watching her stare thoughtfully into her mug. He noted the emotions that flickered in her eyes, hurt, confusion, trust, curiosity, and love. The last one always baffled him, as seeing how that was a subject he would rather not discuss. There were so many types of love, but they were all founded in the act of caring. He used to be able to tell which form of love people were experiencing, but that was lost somewhere in his ninth form. When he found that he couldn't love anymore.

Or at least that is what he had thought. After seeing his home, his people, his family, destroyed in a great inferno. Everything he had loved was gone in an instant, nothing left but rocks. He didn't want to love again, not after that. His eyes left the floor to meet Rose's eyes that were peering into him, both searching for an answer to an unasked question deep inside them.

"You're missing about two layers." She brought up.

He blinked as his thoughts focused on what she said and followed her eyes downward. It was true. This day he had decided that he'd just wear his shirt and tie. His body was still slightly aching from his previous spell, thus he wanted as much mobility as he could get while still being dressed. He nodded to her and gave a dashing smile as he headed over to the stove to pick up the cooled kettle she had left there. He flicked the stove on.

"Doctor," she spoke again. "I need to talk with you."

Rose's eyes followed as he seemed to freeze but found the way to turn and see her. His eyes told her he was surprised and maybe a bit scared. Nearly four months of traveling and he was still worried that she would get up and leave him. She scowled lightly at the thought, were other companions so cruel on leaving him when he needed them? He was still the Doctor, couldn't they see that? Her eyes snapped back up as he pulled a chair from the table and sat, arms resting on the wooden surface. The air became thick and electrifying, filled with worry.

"Yes?" he finally asked.

She slowly worked through the questions in her mind. Her posture straightened again, looking up at him with the sense of business and pure seriousness. His back straightened as well, perhaps involuntary. A few silent moments passed as she finished working out the reasoning in her head.

"When we were at Satellite Five," she began but paused as he glanced away and some emotion flickered in his dark eyes. "You sent me back to Mum and Mickey. Why?"

He never wanted to have this conversation. In fact he had grown to not want to talk about his previous incarnation at all. It was dark and horrid; he was so cruel and unforgiving. His anger at himself and the rest of time vented anywhere he pleased it to be at the moment, and several of those times it was Rose. It had hurt her. He hated himself for hurting her in his anger, for blaming her at times on why so many adventures had fallen through and became fatale. It was never her fault, it was his.

Her hand broke his thoughts as it placed itself on top of his arm. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows leaving his skin exposed. There was a tingle from her electrical flow that made his hair stand up slightly. Slowly his eyes found hers.

"I didn't want you to die." He said slowly and continued on before she could interrupt. "Not from the Daleks." She was confused he could tell. His eyes went to the table again as his eyebrows narrowed in anger at the memory. "I was creating the Delta Wave, Rose. Do you remember helping me with that?" even though she nodded he continued on with his explanation, his voice becoming lower and darker in his accent as he spoke. "I could have created it easily, and I did, but it wouldn't have been refined. There was no time to bend and shape it into what I needed, to have it hit just the Daleks."

His eyes slowly looked up at hers. Fear is what she was feeling. He could tell by her wide eyes and short breaths. "The Delta Wave would have hit anything in its path, no distinguishing between human and Dalek. Everyone on Satellite Five, everything on Earth, and every Dalek would have been destroyed." His eyes shot away down at the table again, distant as the memories and past feelings rushed through him.

"I couldn't let you die, Rose," his voice softened as he stared at the table, the images flashing before his eyes. "I didn't want to be the cause of your death; I…can't see you die." Her grip tightened on his arm as he spoke for not only his past self but his present. "I wanted to run away, bring you with me, but I could never do it myself, only if you asked….and even though I asked you to, I knew you wouldn't. If I couldn't leave with you, then I had to send you home and die the glorious death that the rest of my kind had."

Rose felt her mouth dry up, but she tried to moisten it as he slowly looked up. His dark eyes were so dangerous, filled with anger and hate for himself and the Daleks, but also sadness for hurting her. She looked down for a moment but returned her gaze to him.

"I know you have more questions, ask them." He said but his voice left his logical side and joined the emotional side, bringing out a form of demanding anger.

She hesitated but looked at him. In one explanation he had answered all her other questions but one. Knowing what she did, she wasn't sure if she wanted to ask or if she had the courage. Her eyes went to her hand as he entwined his fingers into hers. Rose closed her eyes, gathering her courage before her eyes darted to his with determination.

"Why did you kiss me?" the question came out harsher than she expected it too, but it took him off guard leaving him blinking. "When you took the Time Vortex from me, why did you kiss me?" his eyes darted to the other side of the room, shifting slightly as he searched for an answer. "Was that the only way to…"

"No." he cut into her next question but his eyes did not meet hers. "I could have just stood there and extracted the Time Vortex from your body, but it would have been even more painful than it was for you at the time, it could have sped up your death." His eyes stopped shifting and slowly looked at her as she stared, her eyes staring into his very being as if she was trying to pry the answer from him.

"So…then…you kissed me because…?"

He was closer to her in a split second, just inches away from her, looking into her eyes. She caught her breath, staring back into his intense but caring gaze. His hand guided hers closer to him, angling it closer to his lips.

"Why did you kiss me the other day?" he asked as she sucked her breath in again. "Some how I doubt it was the chocolate, even though it was rather sweet." He flashed her a smirk.

Rose looked away, feeling her cheeks become warm. Her head titled down as she tried to hide her gaze with her hair. Why was she so embarrassed? Or was she scared? She felt his fingers and hand cup around her cheek and bring her head back up so their eyes met again. His thumb drew small circles on her cheek to comfort her, communicating to her that it would be alright as long as she answered truthfully. Somehow that little motion gave her the courage to answer.

"Because," she started, swallowing a bit. "I wanted to." His dark eyes flickered with a light she hadn't seen before. "I wanted to, to kiss my Doctor."

He smiled again, putting her hand he had in his grasp to his lips and kissed it, looking up at her through his bangs. "Your Doctor?" he mused lightly, putting a bit more of his newly acquired accent into his words. "Now what makes you say I'm yours?"

She smiled, tilting her head slightly so her head rested in his hand. Her other hand placed itself against his, her eyes returning up to him.

"You will always be my Doctor." Rose answered. "No matter what you look like or how you talk, you'll always be the daft man that took me somewhere better; the man that showed me a better way of living." His eyes softened. "You are always going to be my Doctor."

It was silent for a moment; all that could be heard was the gentle hum of the TARDIS and the slowly boiling water on the stove. He sat there, studying her for the silent moment as she continued to smile lightly at him and water glittering in her eyes. He blinked, sitting up straighter and resting his chin on their entwined hands. He finally understood what she was saying without saying it.

I accept you.

Her smile widened as he slowly grinned, that unknown light sparking into his eyes again but it glowed. Rose closed her eyes as he leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers. Their moment ended and he pulled away, moving the tears she had off her face gently with his thumb. Her question returned to her mind, but he had already answered before she could ask it again.

"I wanted too, Rose Tyler." He answered, kissing her hand again before he leapt up and pulled the kettle off the stove just as it began to whistle. She watched as he turned back to her, placing two mugs of hot chocolate down between them. He leaned over to the fridge, and pulled out the whip cream and set it down with the chocolate. Rose pulled the bag of marshmallows over as well as he sat down, grinning. He looked back up at her.

"Let's experiment." He said, rubbing his hands together. She looked at the ingredients on the table, then up at him with slightly playful narrowed eyes. His grin widened. "This isn't normal hot chocolate, Rose Tyler; this is the kind that's in that ice cream."

The Doctor reached over to the marshmallows and dipped them into the chocolate, pouring whip cream over them. He handed the cup to her which she took in her delicate hands and sipped at. She gave a slight cough at how hot it was and set the mug down. He leaned over and scooped the whip cream off her nose, placing it in his mouth as he thought.

"Needs a bit more sugar." He reasoned. Rose smirked and leaned over, taking the can of whip cream and pouring it into her hand. His eyes widened in slight horror as she ate the cream from her hand with a sheepish grin.

"Mum always yelled at me for doing that." She regretted lightly, drying her hands on the towel that hung off the oven door. "But now I guess she can't yell at me," however she tilted her head and ran her tongue over her lips to gather the rest of the flavor that had been there previously.

"You're right. It does need more sugar."