The Doctor quickly moved to hug Rose holding her close following the explosion. She was alive after all the signs pointed to him once again losing her, but she was impossibly here. Rose buried her face in his shoulder thinking the same thing.

As they pulled away Rose asked with a little bit of trepidation, "How's Martha?"

"We… we lost contact with Martha a little while back. She's the one that saved us all. Look below at the planet."

Rose couldn't believe her eyes as she stared out the window at the planet Sirius below. A huge, newly formed, crater sat right where the canyon containing the citadel had been. Martha had been down there inside that citadel and Rose fought tears for her friend. "She can't. Not after all this. No. Please, Doctor. Not her…"

The Doctor forced a smile despite the emotional baggage. "Martha obliterated the strongest instrument of time that the universe has ever seen. The Hand of Omega is gone never to be seen or heard from again, but there's still one beacon that breaks the hold of time is this great big beautiful world. My TARDIS!"

Rose's sadness suddenly exploded into enthusiasm. "You mean…"

"Oh, yes! We're going to go back and save our hero Martha Jones! You were right, Rose! No more deaths anymore!"

Rose frowned suddenly as she looked out on the ship around her and the Daleks she had given life. "Only I was wrong."

"Sorry?"

"The Daleks, Doctor. Once we leave they'll sit here and the lack of orders or direction will drive them crazy. I know what drives me to live and if I didn't have that… well, I'm sorry but I won't let them live in this hell any longer."

"Rose, don't."

"I'm sorry, but I need to give them something better than life. I need to give them peace."

The Doctor wanted to fight her, but knew that in a twisted way she was right. Rose had changed from the young nineteen year old he once knew and it was more apparent now than it had ever been. He watched her leave him to walk up to the motionless Daleks with regret mixed in with a heroic step. Rose was becoming him in the best way possible.

"Daleks. Thank you. I have one more order for you. Will you follow?"

"We-o-bey."

Rose dropped a tear across her cheek. "It's time for you to get what you've always wanted. Time for you to be at peace. Time to die."

"Thank-you-hu-man."

"Call me Bad Wolf." She grinned a little at the thought. Rose turned around back towards her companion fighting the fact that she had just dammed a life. "Doctor, I think we can leave now."

The Doctor moved to leave as Rose walked by the still Daleks before leaning and planting a kiss on one of them. The kiss of death seemed appropriate.

The Dalek answered, "Why?"

She fought to smile finding its question a little humorous. "Thank you."

Rose left the Daleks behind and walked into the TARDIS to join the Doctor, closing the doors behind her.

The Dalek she had kissed voiced its last command, "Good-bye-cruel-world."

The TARDIS engines ground than faded as it dematerialized when the Daleks and the S.S. Bad Wolf exploded spectacularly above the planet Sirius below…

In a completely blinding white light filled citadel containing the last artifact that survived the Time War, Martha and Abel stood. Martha fired the gun she was holding, smashing the Hand of Omega into a huge burst of power, as Abel dematerialized holding a regretful face. Engines began to faze into existence along with a blue box with a door open as Martha was blasted backwards. Everything than went black as the citadel exploded.

Martha awoke much later blinking open to see a very concerned Rose hovering over her in the TARDIS. As soon as her companion noticed she was greeted with a wide grin and enthusiastic relief. "Doctor, she's alright!" As her vision began to clear its haziness Martha noticed the Doctor join them by crouching down next to her. His smile held a weight of proudness and relief for her. Martha couldn't help, but grin back.

"How long was I out?"

"56 minutes, 23 seconds, 12 milliseconds, and some change." Martha laughed at the Doctor's absurd pin-point accuracy. "You asked, didn't you?"

"What happened?" Martha had blacked out after shooting the Hand and then found herself waking up in the TARDIS. It all really didn't make any sense. "How did you…"

Rose answered, "You saved us, Martha Jones. You saved the whole universe. Saved me too I should add."

Martha laughed a little. "I really am quite brilliant aren't I?"

The Doctor playfully interjected, "Well, I wouldn't venture to say you're the most brilliant one in the room, but all the same… thank you! Course it's time for you to return to that vibrant life of yours, Martha. Got a great job, a loving family, a husband, and oh what was that blokes name again… It's Klom, right?"

"Tom."

"Exactly, Klom."

Rose jabbed the Doctor playfully. "Don't mind him. Always doing that you are, Doctor. Can't bear to see a woman in your life have another man."

Martha rose up slightly exclaiming, "Come here you big lug!" She embraced the Doctor in a hug before releasing him and adding, "And it's Tom." She turned her attention to her blonde friend. "Rose." The two embraced before Martha released her and everyone got up to stand.

"So I guess you two will be staying here. Living that life of yours. Danger around every corner and yet beauty between every crack?"

The Doctor grinned. "That'd be the one."

"Don't forget me then in between those cracks. Both of you, because I know I never will."

"Never forget a companion, me." The Doctor pointed to his head. "I got years and years of brilliant people giving me strength every day and you'll always be one of them."

"And you, Rose. Ever going to leave and get started with your life after this bloke?"

Rose looked over at the Doctor as if he knew the answer, smiling a little at him and laughed. "Can't get rid of me. Believe me, he's tried." A loving smile began to penetrate. "But I always find my way back home."

Martha nodded in agreement. "Good. I'm glad he's got you."

Rose moved to wrap herself around Martha hugging her one more time as the Doctor stood idly by watching. As they once again parted Martha moved to walk out and leave the TARDIS for the last time. "Goodbye you two!"

The ship's doors closed behind her leaving its two occupants, the Doctor and Rose behind. It was now time for them to continue their life, and as complicated as it was Rose knew that she'd made the right decisions to get her to this point. She really was home even if her mother, father, Mickey, and younger brother Tony were a whole universe away.

"Suppose I should begin teaching you to fly her. After all, you're going to be here a long time sounds like."

"As many lessons as it takes."

The Doctor made his way to the console's controls beginning to flip levers and turn dials. "Oh there will be quite a few just so you know, but lesson number one is that you have to do everything I say. Don't want you blowing up any galaxies by mistake, and B the time vortex is your friend, and trece… why are you looking at me like that?"

Rose laughed as she shook her head. "I love you."

The Doctor grinned back then grumbled like his ninth incarnation might have, "And I do suppose, well, that I may, well, I… love you too. Oi, stop glowing at me like that! I don't like to be glowed at!" The TARDIS engines began to pulse louder and louder as it drowned out the Doctor's attempt at a lesson and Rose attempting to follow impossible orders. "Now spin that turquoise dinosaur egg to the right and press that magenta button way over there, and always, always remember to check the…"

Coming Soon: "The Christmas Myth" and Series 5 featuring the addition of new companion, Andrew! Favorite me as an author to stay up to date when all is posted!