Only the Best
Mcraider
Summary: "I only take the best, I have Rose," Doctor # 9/Rose/10
Author's Note: It's been awhile since I've written a cute little ficlet of Rose and the doctor, and this kinda came to me awhile back so I thought why not submit it instead of allowing it to collect dust in the outer rims of my junk email!
After the end of the Time war, after he'd regenerated into the ninth form, the Doctor had sworn off any further companions. He'd promised himself and the Tardis that he wouldn't get attached anymore. He cut himself off from the rest of the universe, he ran in, saved someone, blew something up, and left before the mess was cleaned up; before questions could be asked. He was on a self destructive path and he knew it. He'd taken risks that were so dangerous he'd barely made it out of regenerating more than once.
Then he'd returned to earth, to save the stupid little human planet from being over run by plastic. All the dumb apes and not one of them was smart enough to notice they were being attacked and possibly destroyed. He'd been sneaking around the shop, when he'd heard someone calling out, that's when he'd happened upon her, without a second thought he grabbed the girl's hand, "RUN!" he yanked her and was stunned when she more than willingly came.
She was a bright girl, more than bright he'd known from the moment she started asking questions, she was brilliant. Unlike many of his pervious companions she didn't care about herself, she cared about others; she would jump into a situation, even a deadly one if it meant keeping others out of harm. She didn't even need to know the other people, as long as they were safe she'd risk it all.
He'd brushed her off at first, he had no intentions of ever seeing her again, ever meeting up with her a second time. Then he'd met her at her house; again with the questions, only this time she asked the right ones, who was he, what was going on and how she could help. He was amazed at her curiosity, so many humans went through the world not caring about the answers only caring where they were going and how they would get there. This girl cared about the big picture, what amazed him even further was she was only nineteen years old. She defied all that seemed right to him.
He'd saved her that night, and that in his book was something worth keeping around. So against his better judgment he'd asked the silly child to join him, if she had any interest in traveling the universe with him, seeing things she'd never see her on earth. He saw her consider it, even for just a moment. He watched as she wanted to say yes, and with that he'd disappeared when she said no. He'd gone forward in time to see if he'd ever take another companion, and was even further surprised when he found her by his side.
He never asked anyone twice, no second chances if you didn't get it right the first time than that was too bad. But for whatever reason this child, this Rose showed him that sometimes people were worth a second chance, worth that risk. So he'd gone back and asked her again. This time she'd thanked the boy named Mickey, and run to the Tardis, ready to go where ever he would take her.
And he'd taken her just about everywhere he could think of, forward in time, back in time to foreign planets most people only dreamt about. He gave her everything, and before he knew it he began to need her, to want her with him. Becoming jealous when she was around other boys, he began to become over protective even though she appeared to be able to protect herself. She defied him, yelled at him and fought him, sometimes she even won. She questioned him constantly, something no other person had ever even considered. But she had the guts to do it, to make him question his own sanity at times.
He lied when he told Adam that he only took the best, he always settled for those who appeared to be the best, but the first year he spent with Rose, he realized that she was the best, she soon became his everything and as time went on he was aware that he was her's as well.
Then he regenerated, he hated himself for not telling her soon, for not warning her of what could happen or might happen one day. That's when she proved to be the best, she cared for him, coddled him, and in the end like she had the first time they'd met she grabbed his hand and followed him anywhere, as long as it meant they were together.
He loved her, and he was capable of at least admitting that to himself, he'd never truly said the words out loud, but he'd shown her that he adored her. After nearly another year spent with her, he realized that he needed her, as he finally disappeared he felt his hearts break when he couldn't say good bye to the woman who had ruined it for everyone else in the Doctor's life.
Now he traveled with Martha, but even she couldn't rival his Rose, his beautiful sweet Rose that made him rise to a level of compassion he never thought himself capable of. She'd changed him, for good and he knew it. He'd said he only took the best, but Rose was the only best he could do, he'd just settled for everyone else. His hearts, mind and soul belonged to the nineteen year old shop girl who lived an everyday life, and held the one thing he always said he didn't want.
The End