One Year Later (More or less)
He returns a year later, even though he knows there will be so much pain. He loves her too much to stay away. He just wants to visit her; he just wants to talk to her. Even though she can't respond, it helps, just a little bit.
He goes to the cemetery, dropping his newest companion at the mall so he can have a little time to himself.
Martha, her name is. She's brilliant, but she's not her. He knows Martha has feelings for him, but he fears he can never return those feelings. Not when she's always lingering in his hearts.
He smiles sadly as his hand runs over the memorial. His eyes linger far too long on her name before he sits cross legged in front of the memorial.
"Hi, Rose," he says. "It's been more than a year for me. What with all the traveling and whatnot. I've got a new companion. You'd love her. Her name's Martha Jones. She's brilliant. Always keeping me in place. She knows about you. All she knows is that you're gone. I never went into any detail. But, sometimes she finds me in the back room, my knees up to my chest, crying." He laughs. "Yeah, I still cry over the whole thing. I hope that doesn't make me any less strong in your eyes." He looks up to the sky, sensing that Rose was looking down at him right at that moment. "Why'd you have to leave me? I wanted to spend forever with you."
The Doctor sighs, quickly wiping the tears that were forming in his eyes.
"Still crying see? So… where was I? Oh, yeah! I'm still traveling! Actually… after you, I met a woman named Donna Noble. Loud and abrasive, she was, but she was brilliant. I had offered to take her, but she refused. I hope I run into her again."
He runs his fingers through his hair, trying to think of more to say. But, it's so hard. It would be so much easier if she was in his arms. It would be so much easier if this whole damn thing never happened in the first place.
"If I hadn't been so careless," he growls at himself. "My lovely Rose, how I love you so…" He bows his head as he feels more tears coming. He gulps thickly, rising to his feet. "I'll be back, I promise."
He meets Martha at the mall, and she realizes at once he had been crying. He had tried to make it less obvious, but all the wiping with his sleeve had made his eyes red and puffy.
"You've been crying again, haven't you?" She asks.
"Oh, it's nothing," he tells her. He has his secrets, and he's not ready to share them with Martha just yet.
"Still thinking about her, huh?" And he can hear the jealousy in her voice. He should tell her that it goes so much further than an ex-girlfriend. He loves Rose, and she is never coming back, no matter how much he pleads. Because she can't. Because she's gone. Forever.
"Let's go. Where do you wanna go?" He asks Martha, trying to sway the focus away from his broken hearts.
She purses her lips and shrugs. "Anywhere is fine."
"Oh, we can go visit Picasso and see him paint!" He yells excitedly.
They head back to the TARDIS, and they're off, the Doctor still thinking of the love he had left behind in that cemetery.
Author's note: sorry for such a short chapter. _
