Chapter Ten

After finishing their breakfast, Rose, Martha and The Doctor sat in the living room waiting for Mickey. He finally arrived and about twenty minutes later Pete and Jackie returned.

"So, I guess this is it, eh?" Jackie said putting her arms around Rose's neck.

Rose returned the hug.

"I love you, mum. I'll be careful like always."

"I know you will, love. You're my special little girl and I'm so proud of ya." She said.

"Thanks mum."

She broke off the embrace and bent down to her brother.

"I'm gonna miss ya, Tony." She said giving him a big hug.

"Wose!" Tony replied throwing his arms around her neck

Rose smiled as tears came to her eyes. She hugged her brother extra tight and gave him a huge kiss on the cheek.

"Be good and take care of mum, okay?" she said in her ear.

She gave her another tight hug before letting go. She looked over at Pete.

"I'm sorry I wasn't much of a dad to ya." He said.

"I understand. I know how awkward it must be to suddenly find yourself saddled with a daughter from another dimension." Rose replied. "I'm just grateful that you thought enough of me to cross over and save my life that day."

"As am I." the Doctor added.

"You didn't have to do that for me especially since I'm not your daughter…"

"No, you're not. But from what I can see, you're a good person and you didn't deserve to go the way of the Daleks and Cybermen. And I know now that you're gonna be alright. You have an inner strength that not too many people have. I figure you have to have it to survive traveling with him. Just like your mum said, stay safe and have fun and make the universe a better place."

"I will Pete."

"Call me dad."

Rose raised her eyebrow and a smile spread over her face. She threw her arms around Pete's neck.

"I'll miss ya, dad." She said.

"I'll miss you too, Rose. Have a great life."

"I will."

As they hugged, Jackie walked up to the Doctor.

"You keep an eye on her for me, you hear, or I'll be crossing the void myself to slap ya!"

The Doctor held up his hands.

"With that kind of a threat leveled against me, I'm not going to disobey." He said with mock fear.

Jackie chuckled. She threw her arms around the Doctor.

"Ooooh, thank you so much for coming back and gettin' her. She needs you in her life and I know you need her. Look after each other."

"We will." The Doctor said returning the hug.

Jackie broke off the embrace and cupped his face in her hands.

"And if you ever do decide to come back to this universe, make sure to drop in for a cup of tea." She said. "Just don't go changin' on me again. Seeing all these different versions of you is makin' my head spin."

She smiled when the Doctor laughed and gave him a little peck on the cheek before turning to hug Mickey.

"You behave yourself as well. And keep an eye on Rose."

"I will. Keep an eye on Gram for me. Make sure she's okay." Mickey replied.

"We will, hon." Jackie replied. "Take care."

"You too."

They broke apart.

"Well, is that everyone?" The Doctor asked.

He looked at Martha and grinned.

"You wanna give out any gushy farewells?" he asked her.

"Nah, just nice meetin' ya all." Martha replied. "Sorry the visit was so short."

Jackie smiled and hugged her.

"If the Doctor ever decides to come back, you're always welcome at our house." She said.

"Thank you. I'd be honored." Martha replied.

She finished hugging her and picked up Ariel as she stepped back to stand beside Pete.

"Well, that's it then?" the Doctor asked.

Everyone looked at each other and nodded.

"Well, what we waitin' for then? ALLONS-Y!"

Pete and Jackie turned and watched as the four of them hurried off in the direction of the TARDIS.

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(Later on that evening…)

"Finally we have the house to ourselves." Pete said as Jackie put the plates of roast and potatoes on the kitchen table.

"Well, almost to ourselves." He added, winking at Tony sitting beside him.

He mashed up some of his potatoes and fed them to Tony while Jackie sat down across from her husband. She sighed as she began to cut up her roast into bite sized pieces.

"Gonna be awfully quiet in here without Rose and Mickey around." She said wistfully.

"Yeah, but she was gonna have to leave sometime, Jacks. She's a grown woman." Pete replied.

"I know, but she'll always be my little Rose." She said. "And I'll miss her so much."

She sighed as she put her head in her hand.

"Wonder what she's doin' right now?" she mused.

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"Don't you dare, Doctor!"

She and Mickey were in the console room backing away from the Doctor and Martha who were following them. She stared at the cans of whipped cream in each of their hands.

"Don't you dare get that stuff on me and Mickey!" she said as the Doctor and Martha grinned and began to shake the contents of the can up.

"I told ya, Rose. After we crossed the void safely, Martha and I were gonna have to re-initiate you and Mickey into our TARDIS brotherhood. Well, we just crossed the void and you and Mickey must undergo the initiation."

Rose raised her fist.

"You feel like regeneratin' again, then you just spray that in my face!" she said.

The Doctor paused and looked at Martha.

"Feelin' lucky, Jones?" he asked.

"Extremely." She replied.

The Doctor stared at Rose with a pointed look as he advanced towards her and Mickey.

"Damn it, Doctor, you and Martha are gonna pay for this, I swear!" Rose said.

"Ready, Martha?"

"Ready!"

"I mean it, Doctor!" Rose said as menacingly as she could.

"1…"

"Doctor!"

"2…"

"I will kill you, I swear!"

"3!"

Rose and Mickey let out a string of curses as the Doctor and Martha howled with laughter and chased them around the console room. They both made for the back door and gasped when it suddenly disappeared.

DAMMIT, TARDIS! QUIT HELPING THEM!" Rose yelled as she and Mickey ran the other way.

"ON THE CONTRARY GIRL, HELP US ANY WAY YOU CAN!" the Doctor yelled as Martha and he closed the distance between them.

As they neared Rose and Mickey, the Doctor and Martha glanced at each other and with a grin put on a burst of speed and leapt onto their backs. They roared with laughter as they spray the whipped cream onto their head and in their faces. Wrestling them to the ground, they continued to spray as the TARDIS rumbled with laughter.

"DOCTOR! STOP! THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" Rose yelled at him as she tried not to laugh.

The Doctor grinned and threw the can away as he stuck his fingers in her armpits. He tickled her while Mickey tried to squirm out of Martha's grasp.

'Oh yeah, feels like old times!" the Doctor said gleefully as he continued to assault Rose's armpits with his fingertips.

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"Rose."

Rose stirred when she heard the Doctor's voice. After cleaning herself up, she had retired to the Doctor's and now her bedroom and had fallen asleep. With bleary eyes, she looked up at the Doctor standing above her.

"Huh?" she said half asleep.

"I'm sorry to wake you, Rose, but Mickey and Martha are asleep and I wanted to show you that one thing I promised to show you."

"Oh…okay…"

Rose yawned and the Doctor helped her to her feet.

"Do I need to change?" she asked sleepily.

"No, it's alright. It's in the console room. We're not going outside." He replied.

Taking her hand, he led her to the console room while Rose finished waking up. When they had reached the console, he lowered her gently into captain's chair.

"I think you'll probably want to sit for this." He said going to the console. "I don't know how you're gonna take it."

Rose frowned, but said nothing.

The Doctor turned to her.

"Rassilon knows why I made this." He said sheepishly. "It was long before I met Martha when I was alone in the TARDIS."

He paused.

"And contrary to popular belief, I was alone. There's no hidden harem in here somewhere." He added.

He grinned when Rose let out a little giggle.

"Anyway, it was one of those nights when I was missing you and needed to get my feelings out and I guess that's why I did it." He said running his hand along the back of his curly hair. "I thought you might like to see it especially since…"

He sighed.

"I'm rambling again." He muttered. "Sorry, I'll just let you see for yourself."

He turned to push a button on the console and looked back at her.

"If this becomes too upsetting, let me know and I'll turn it off." He said.

Rose nodded her head, wondering what it was he wanted to show her.

He looked at her one more time and then pushed the button and stepped back. Rose watched as a light shot out of the side of the TARDIS and formed into a 3D holographic projection. She gasped and felt tears come to her eyes when she saw the Doctor's tenth incarnation standing before her.

"I was right about having you sit down for this, I guess." The Doctor muttered as he sat down on the captain's chair beside her.

Rose ignored him focusing all her attention instead on the hologram in front of her. She bit her lip when she could see that he had been crying.

"Rassilon, why am I doing this? I must be out of my mind." The hologram Doctor muttered to himself.

He let out a sigh and shoved his hands in his pockets as he faced what Rose figured was the camera.

"Um…I've been traveling alone now about twenty four years by my estimation." The Doctor began.

Rose put her hand over her mouth and fought back the tears as her Doctor began to stoke her back.

The hologram Doctor let out a ragged sigh.

"Twenty four years and it still feels like only yesterday that I lost her." He said in a shaky voice.

He ran his hand along the back of his hair and paced back and forth for a moment.

"I…I don't know what to do anymore." He said as he finally stopped and faced the camera. "I've tried everything I can think of to forget about her. But I just can't. Every little thing reminds me of Rose. I can't go back to the planets I visited with her because the memories are just too painful but…everywhere I go in the TARDIS, I have memories of her as well. I can't escape no matter what I do and…"

Rose gulped when she saw fresh tears fall from the hologram Doctor's eyes.

"I fear I might be losing my sanity." He said.

He began to pace again and Rose felt her Doctor wrap his arms around her.

"Are you okay?" he whispered to her. "I can turn this off if you want."

"No, please don't stop it. I want to see it." Rose replied.

The Doctor nodded and kissed her cheek.

The hologram Doctor ran his fingers through his hair as he let out a frustrated sigh.

"How long. How long till this torment stops?" he asked himself.

He put his head in his hands for a moment and then with a sigh faced the camera.

"It's impossible. There's no way to get back to her. I'll never see her again." He said.

"Heh, never say never, I guess." The Doctor whispered in her ear.

Rose smiled. It quickly fell off her face when she heard a ragged sob escape the hologram Doctor's throat.

"Oh Rassilon, Rose, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I took your hand that day and got you into this mess." He moaned.

The tears fell down Rose's cheeks as the Doctor held her tighter.

"It's all my fault you're stuck in another universe now."

"No, Doctor, don't blame yourself." Rose blurted out.

She felt her Doctor kiss her cheek and nuzzle it with his nose.

The hologram Doctor paused for a moment with his back to the camera. Rose wiped the tears from her cheeks as she waited for him to continue.

"Rose." He finally said as he turned back to the camera. "I don't know if you'll ever see this but please know that I love you with all my hearts and this is not the end, not by a long shot! I will find you again even if I have to waste the rest of my lives to do it! You are one of the best things to ever happen to me and I know even though we are not the same species, we belong together. I haven't felt this way about anyone before, not even my first wife made me feel like this, and I loved her dearly. Rose, if you can somehow hear me, please don't give up on me. Don't forget about me, Rose, because I'll never forget about you, and Rassilon willing, we will be in each other's arms again even if I have to tear apart a gap with my bare hands. I have seen many things I thought impossible in my lives and if those impossible things can happen, this can too. I just have to believe and have faith because faith is the only thing giving me a grip on reality right now."

He paused and let out a long breath.

"Now I've made myself look like a fool." He muttered. "I'm talking to a camera instead of talking to the air. I guess that's a step up in my recovery."

Rose laughed in spite of herself.

The hologram Doctor let out a sigh.

"Well, I guess I'll go to bed and try to sleep now since I haven't slept in over three weeks."

Rose felt the tears returning.

The hologram Doctor shook his head.

"Although…I know I won't get to sleep because every time I close my eyes, she's right there standing on the beach crying her eyes out."

The Doctor kissed Rose's cheek as she let out a sob.

"I…I did the same thing." She said to him.

"I figured as much." The Doctor replied softly.

He gave her a lingering kiss on the temple as Rose watched the hologram.

"Goodnight, Rose. Sleep well wherever you are." The hologram said.

He sighed.

"Hopefully one of us is getting a decent night's sleep." He muttered.

He gave the camera a sad smile.

"Goodnight, my angel. Know that I'm watching over you in your dreams and I'll be thinking of you constantly until the day we are reunited. Sweet dreams, my love."

Rose wept as she watched the hologram hit a button out of camera range and the hologram vanished. The Doctor held her from behind.

"I love you, Rose." He whispered to her. "Even when it looked hopeless, I never gave up hope that someday we might be reunited."

He kissed her.

"And I also wanted you to see it since I was addressing you during that last bit. I'm sorry if it upset you. I debated whether or not to show it to you because I knew you would cry but…"

"No, I'm glad you showed it to me. Especially since it was good to see the old you again one last time."

She smiled at him.

"I had a proper goodbye in a way and now I'm ready to move on with you in this body." She said.

The Doctor smiled.

"Ready for more adventures then?"

"Always, but first…I'm ready for more sleep."

The Doctor laughed.

"Well, that can be arranged. Want me to lay with you?"

"You have to ask?"

The Doctor chuckled and kissed her cheek.

"Get some sleep, because tomorrow morning we start our adventures back up again." he said.

Rising with her, he put his hand on her back and led her out of the console room and back to her bedroom.

THE END.