Right, last chapter! Unless I suddenly get hit with inspriation to continue it, which I doubt. But don't worry, it has a happy ending. Or does it?
Anyway, thank you to all the lovely people who have reviewed the previous chapters, and thank you to all the lovely people who will review this chapter (hint hint).
Disclaimer: I still lack the ownership of Doctor Who, and all things to do with it, still including David Tennant.
The Doctor stopped running. Something… was wrong. It was just slight, but he'd felt it. The TARDIS had shook, just a tiny bit, but enough for him to notice. And he could hear it, in the hum that was always in the background. Something was wrong. He didn't know what though, he didn't recognise it. Whatever it was, though, he was almost certain it was Rose, and was now even more determined to find her, in case she was in trouble.
Rose was still running. "Doctor!" She shouted again, running round another corner. This time, however, she was met with a response.
"Rose!" she heard, echoing faintly down the corridors. She grinned even more, and ran even faster. Down another corridor, round another corner… then she saw him. Just round the corner. Her eyes lit up, as did his. "Rose!" he said again, his voice full of happiness and relief. She ran forward, arms out, reading to hug him. When they met she ran into him with so much force she almost knocked him over. She put her arms around his neck, and swung round him, just managing to keep the two of them upright. Putting his arms around her waist, he looked down at her. "Hello," he said, smiling.
"Hello," said Rose, before leaning up and closing the small gap between them, and placing one hell of a kiss on his lips.
She pulled away from him, and waited to see his reaction. He looked down at her, completely bewildered, mouth hanging open.
"Um," he said, swallowing. He gave a sort of nervous smile. "Rose…" he started, but didn't get very far because she planted another kiss on his lips, and this time he opened his mouth, and their tongues danced again. He kissed like the old Doctor, similar in some ways, but completely different in others. She pulled away from him again, staring into his eyes. Different to the blue ones, yes… but somehow still exactly the same. They say the eyes are the mirrors to the soul, and his soul was one thing that didn't change.
"I love you," she whispered to him, not taking her eyes off his, "so much."
The Doctor's mouth open and closed like a fish's as he tried to think of something to say. This was all happening so fast. One minute he was worried for her safety, the next she'd just said to him the three words he'd always longed for her to say. Instead of doing what he would normally do, and ask her all the questions that were burning on his mind, he just those words he'd wanted to say to her for so long now, those words she so wanted him to say right now.
"I love you too," he said, leaning down again, as she raised her head to meet him. The questions would come later. For now he just wanted to enjoy the moment with Rose, his Rose, the moment he'd wanted ever since the day he'd first met her, ever since he'd held her hand for the first time, and told her to run.
"You never did tell me," said the Doctor, playing idly with a lock of Rose's hair, "why you'd gone that far into the TARDIS in the first place." He looked down to his chest, where she was lying, one arm round his waist. He had one arm round her waist, and the other just next to her head. Their legs were intertwined with each other's, and they had been lying like that on the Doctor's bed for quite some time now, just enjoying each other's company. Before that they'd been cuddling and kissing, and were now just cuddling each other, listening to the gentle hum of the TARDIS.
"I was looking for the other side," she explained, "wondered if I could find the windows on the other side of the TARDIS. Is that possible?" she asked, looked up at him. He frowned.
"Don't think so. I've never really thought about that before. You could have just asked me, you know. You didn't have to go getting lost looking." Rose smiled to herself.
"I found something better than the back of the TARDIS."
"Oh yes," said the Doctor, shifting slightly to see her better, "what did make you decide to tell me you love me?" She stared out into the distance, still remembering.
"Him," she answered, distantly. The Doctor frowned. Again.
"Who?"
"You. Well, the old you. Before you regenerated." She looked up at him, and found it hard not to laugh. She loved it when he was confused about something, just because it happened so rarely, and he looked so cute when it did happen. And especially now that he was confused about something she knew the answer to.
"Am I missing something here?" he asked, "so what, did you just walking into a room and find him standing there?" he joked.
"Well, yea, actually, I did," said Rose, completely seriously. The Doctor was now at the height of confusion. "I walked into this room, completely black, nothing there, the door disappeared as well actually, and I was starting to get scared then he just… appeared there. Said something about the TARDIS saving all you regenerations, but it could only do this once, and because it was broken it couldn't last long. Anyway, we were talking, then the room started to melt, and I snogged him." She looked up at the Doctor, who looked down at her, just as confused before.
"You snogged him?" he asked. Rose just laughed.
"Yea. Couldn't stop myself. It just sort of… happened. Anyway, he kissed me back, so I guessed that you must love me as well." She smiled at him, and he smiled back and kissed her on the forehead. He pulled her closer to him, and she rested her head on his neck.
"I love you, Rose Tyler," he said, placing a kiss on the top of her head. She smiled.
"I love you too, Doctor."