It didn't take one, but two weeks. Rose endured them as well as she could, but the pitying glances Jackie would give her would set her off in either anger or misery. Mickey didn't help, either, by bumbling along about how he was sure the Doctor had just gotten lost. "Ain't like he's gone and picked up another Madame de Pompadour, is it?" Whether he was intentionally needling her or trying to reassure her, Rose couldn't say. She did know that she became superbly active in helping her mum about the house more, and going about to see newly acquired friends. Finally, it was too much for her and twelve days after the Doctor had gone, Rose found herself searching out Sarah Jane.

The older woman was all grace and warmth when Rose called her up. "The thing is, I'm hanging around here with my mum and Mickey, and neither really know what it's like to be with him," Rose explained to her.

"No. No one really does know him unless they've been in that mad box of his for some time." There was sympathy in the soft voice, but it settled Rose. "Why don't you come by my house this afternoon? We'll have a cup, share some stories. It's never quite as nice to reminisce as it is with someone who truly knows him, you know." Sarah Jane gave her directions to the small brick home, and that's how Rose found herself tucked away in the breakfast nook at a gateleg table, sipping jasmine tea, and eating petit fours with the woman whom she'd once deemed a contestant for the Doctor's affections. Their conversation was, at first, stilted. Sarah Jane may have grown beyond her love for the wayward Gallifreyan, but there was still that scar of pain he'd placed behind on her heart. Rose was aware and uncomfortable with causing her further pain any more than she cared to wallow in her own misery.

Instead, she asked for stories of the man she never knew. The man with the beak nose and wild, curly hair, with his lengthy scarf. "Oh, he'd make me so angry! You can't know how much..." Sarah Jane studied Rose affectionately. "Actually, I'm sure that you can. I doubt his stubborn tendencies have changed all that much."

"No, they haven't at all," Rose agreed on a laugh. "He's still so confident, so sure of himself, even when he knows he's got it wrong."

Sarah Jane joined in on the humor as she asked, "What, do you mean he admits it now?"

"We-e-ell... I wouldn't put it that way." She leaned back, cup held between her fingertips lightly. "He catches on to his mistakes for the most of it, but there are times you can call him out, and he looks at you with that look..." She grinned behind the rim of her cup. "Like he set it up just for you to figure out, and he's so proud of you for finally catching up with that small brain of yours."

"That's him, all right," Sarah Jane sighed. "He was always one for showing off his skills. He always knew what to do and what to say. It wasn't often that we were caught unaware." Rose felt that tug of doubt, then and there. It must have shown on her face, too, because Sarah Jane reached over to touch her hand. "What is it? What has he done this time?"

As much as it embarrassed her, Rose began to sniffle. "I feel stupid for it, now. Especially after he and I ..." She didn't care to finish the though, for fear it would upset Sarah Jane, but the woman was more intuitive than Rose had given her credit for. Sarah Jane finished the thought for her by stating, "You're lovers." Rose nodded, shifted in her seat, and explained, "We'd had troubles, you see. He took Madame de Pompadour out of her time to show her the galaxies. Things didn't go as planned."

Sarah Jane squeezed Rose's hand. "They never do, not with him." Rose felt herself relaxing again under the other woman's comforting touch, and so continued. "This was no different, not really," she said. "He was so busy fighting off clockwork men to save her that he forgot Mickey and me on some lost space ship." When she noticed Sarah Jane's reaction, she hurriedly stated, "He came back. Took him five hours, but he finally came back. Thing is, then he brought Reinette... er, Madame de Pompadour on board. It was excruciating. He utterly forgot about me and threw himself all over her." Her voice cracked. Bolstering herself, Rose swept at her eyes, and said, "It took him some time to come back around to me, to remember me. And it was lovely, what happened, but then he dropped me off and said he needed to see to something. He's elusive about what he's doing. It scares me. Mum keeps saying he won't come back, and I'm scared that she's right."

Sarah Jane withdrew her hand in order to select a petit four, one with a rose blossom formed on top in delicate pink petals. She slid it onto Rose's plate, then selected one for herself. It pained her to see the younger woman in pain, because it echoed the same emotions she'd struggled with years before, as well. "Do you remember what I told you? Some things are worth getting your heart broken for. It may be the time has come to separate, maybe not. Only he knows that, Rose."

"But I'm not ready."

"Neither was I." With passion lighting her eyes, her voice, making her expressive suddenly, Sarah Jane told her, "I waited by my window day after day, waiting to see that box or to hear it bring him back to me. I was certain that he would come back some day. It took ages for me to accept that he wasn't truly coming back. I looked in the mirror one day to see wrinkles forming around my eyes, and do you know what I told myself? It was worth it. I still had those memories of him burning in my mind and heart for all the rest of my life. It was time for me to move on, though, and realize he was never going to come back into my life."

There was a sinking sensation in Rose's stomach. "What are you trying to say, then?"

"I'm saying that we wait for him endlessly, because of the impact he has on our lives. We wait to see if he's remembered us." There was a spark of jealousy and longing as Sarah Jane gazed at the younger woman, a wistful sigh rising out of her. "He remembered you, Rose. Even in the face of another interesting, pretty woman, he remembered you. And even if he can't return, keep that close to heart. He doesn't mean to break ours, really. It hurts him more to leave us as he does, but he continues on in his solemn way."

"I don't want him to continue without me," Rose responded hotly. "I want to be there with him as long as I can, until the end of my time."

"I'm sure you do. I know I did. I thought I could go on forever with him."

Rose sank back down into the seat, and into despair. Everyone thought he was leaving her. Did that mean he was truly gone, then? Had she been a fool to think they'd last as long as a human lifetime? Tears built up and were swept away briskly. "H-he told me that he watches us grow old, but he can't grow old with us. That's his curse. It hurts him to see us leave him. So that's why he leaves us." She twisted the edge of her shirt between her fingers as the tears continued to streak along her cheeks. "He's not coming back, is he?"

It hurt to be cruel, and it hurt to give hope. No matter what Sarah Jane did, she would be injuring Rose. "You know him, Rose, better than I do now. Once upon a time, I'd have said there's not a cruel bone in his body. I don't think that's true anymore. I think the war changed him, made him more cautious. At least, that's what I took when I talked with him. He knows he's going to lose you, and he may have already begun to let go."

The drive back from Sarah Jane's was long and miserable. A light rain had begun, turning everything grey and bleak. It fit Rose's mood wonderfully. The quiet storm had nearly abated by the time she'd returned to her Mum's flat. As soon as she'd parked the car, she linked her hands over the steering wheel, and braced herself for a good cry. It hurt deep. She'd only just established that feeling of trust, and in two weeks, her family and friends had destroyed it again completely. She swiped at her cheeks once the worst of the emotional brew was over. They'd had one incredible, unforgettable night, and a lifetime worth of memories to go along with it. She wouldn't let go of that.

But it hurt to let go of him.

Not wanting to face her mother with a tear-streaked face, she opted to walk the sidewalk, arms tucked tight against herself and the rain dampening her hair. She focused on thoughts of his face and his quick smile, his warm, brown eyes, and the way his hair would ruffle up when his fingers would comb through it. She was so concentrated in her misery that she didn't understand that the soft whirring noise barely made it through her subconscious at first. The familiar sound didn't fully register until she was almost on top of the TARDIS. It finished its materialization and the door swung open to a grinning Doctor, whose arms were wide open.

"Doctor!"

She rushed at him, grateful, heart rushing as her mouth collided with his. It was hard to say whose arms were tighter around the other. He drew her in without breaking the kiss, luxuriating in the warm smell of her, the silky softness of her damp hair along the edges of his hand, and the sweet taste of her mouth. When he did finally pull back, his smile instantly moved into a frown of concern. "You've been crying." He brushed one of the fat tears from the edges of her eyelashes. "Why have you been crying?"

With those words, the misery built up to release yet again. She clung to him as she fought back the tide of tears, her words choked as he held her firmly. In stutters and in between gulps for air, she admitted all those fears that had brewed up while he'd been away. Now that he was here, though, they all seemed silly. But they affected him strongly, and had he not already been resolute in his plans, her words would have finalized his intent. "I feel stupid for listening to them," she said with a watery laugh, her hands now tucked into his. He drew her back against the railing, one arm sliding around her waist as she tucked her head against his shoulder. "I should have trusted my heart."

"Well, your heart's bruised, and after having all that doubt crushing against it, it's no wonder that you gave into it," he reasoned. "I don't mind working to build your trust up again, Rose. I shouldn't have lost it to begin with, but I did." He ran his hand along her arm gently, his attention fixed on the console as his mind flickered through his painful past. "I've stopped trusting in a lot of things in all my years. It hurts, really, letting go. But it hurts more to keep holding on. I've learned to let go with more ease than I have to hold on. And it's a rare instance that I'd let my hearts get bruised by doing so."

This wasn't the way he wanted to do it. Not here, not in this room, surrounded by memories of so many others. He wanted this to be their moment, his and Rose's alone. No bad thoughts or troubles. His fingers found their way beneath her chin, lifting her mouth to his. "Come with me?" When he smiled at her, his eyes warmed, and her heart felt as though it would never stop tumbling about. She nodded her agreement. Instead of his brisk pace, he strolled with her along the corridors, leading her down to one room that only he'd entered as long as he'd had the TARDIS. It had been his own private sanctity through out the centuries, and it felt right that only Rose be allowed to enter now. He stuffed his hands into his pockets as she moved around the room. There were pictures of family, memories that he'd had created in 4-d form. His wife and children, grandchildren. There was Susan set apart with her dark hair and vivid eyes. Rose roamed around each of them before turning to gaze at him questioningly. He explained, "This is my life, Rose. These are the people I left behind in one way or another. You think it's just humans that I've left, but it's not. I ran away from my home world and only returned when there was a war. I avoided everything in my life. It's all I've ever done is run."

He reached out for her hand, his thumb stroking into her palm. "And I dragged you along with me," he continued wearily. "Led you into my life and now ... now I can't seem to run anywhere without wanting you there. You are my life." His throat worked heavily as he struggled with the three words. Rose shook her head, trying to cut him off by stoppering his mouth with a kiss. He was adamant, though. He'd have his say. Taking her shoulders, he drew her back enough to gaze down into her damp eyes. "I love you." There was a sense of relief as soon as they came out. Smiling down at her, he drew her in so his chin could nestle atop her head. "I love you, Rose Tyler, and if I'm going to run, I want you running at my side for as long as possible"

Everything tumbled inside of her. Her heart swelled and her stomach heaved. She wrapped her arms tight around his waist as her head buried itself into his chest. Her Doctor. He loved her. He had finally said the words that she'd convinced herself she'd never need to hear. He held her close, brushing his fingers through her hair tenderly until she'd gone quiet again. Then, and only then, he drew her away to brush the tears from her cheeks. "I don't want to make you doubt me again. I never want to break your trust. There's only one way I know to do that. Marry me, Rose."

Jackie gazed down at the TARDIS with a mingled sense of relief and sorrow. She knew his return would mean losing Rose again. She always wanted her daughter's happiness, no matter what. A part of her wanted to believe that the Doctor would move along, but she knew at the same time that he couldn't stay away, try as he might. She sipped at her tea as tears glistened. "You should be here for this, Pete," she told the empty room. "You'd have liked him. As crafty as you are, head in the clouds." She watched her grown daughter pull at the rangy man in his brown overcoat, both grinning in elation. And knew what was to come. "You should be here so we can tell our Rose goodbye together. Who knows where that stupid man of hers is going to take her next?"


I'm sorry that this took so long to finish. Life has been an utter bear. This isn't fully how I wanted to end it, but I wanted it to have a happy ending... Maybe someday I will actually write the ceremony, but when and if I do, I want it elaborate! They deserve elaborate. I hope y'all enjoyed reading this. I have enjoyed revisiting their romance.