Rose stepped inside the TARDIS and immediately approached the console, setting aside her gun and the dimension cannon. She lay her hand on the controls and her eyes watered. Her disbelieving laughter rang through the air, and she clasped a hand over her mouth. The TARDIS lights brightened and Rose was surrounded by her presence, relishing in the warmth and comfort.
"I missed you," she said to the ship, trying and failing to keep hold of her emotions. "I'm back." She looked around at the empty room. It was just as she remembered. The TARDIS hummed happily in her mind, enveloping Rose in a mental embrace, and she wanted to sob with relief. She was home. So where was the Doctor?
"Who are you?"
Rose's head snapped up at the sound of the unfamiliar voice, turning toward the sound. A ginger woman stood on the other side of the room, toward the corridor, with crossed arms and narrowed eyes. She was frowning.
"The Doctor," Rose said immediately, her heart leaping in her chest. She took an eager step forward. "Is he here? Is the Doctor here?"
The TARDIS got Rose's attention and indicated the negative as her humming lowered in pitch. Rose's heart sank. She bit her lip and her head hang low. She turned back to the controls, reaching out to touch them again, seeking the comfort of the TARDIS.
"Who are you?" the stranger asked, taking a hesitant step forward. "What do you want the Doctor for?"
Making an effort to blink away the tears the blurred her vision, Rose spun around and looked across the room. She took a deep breath and spoke in a rush.
"My name's Rose Tyler. I'm looking for the Doctor," she said, choking back frustrated tears. She was so, so close. She just wanted to see him, already. Her voice quieted. "I just – I need to see the Doctor."
The woman's jaw dropped and she went still with shock. Her eyes trailed over Rose's body, a smile growing on her face.
"Oh my god. You're – you're Rose?" she exclaimed. Rose bit her lip and nodded. "Oh, this is brilliant!"
Rose hesitated.
"It is?"
"He's going to properly lose it. Do you have any idea how useless that man is without you?" the woman asked, rolling her eyes. "Walks around like a lost puppy dog and I have to sit here and pretend not to notice. I'm Donna Noble, by the way."
"He – you know who I am?" Rose asked, her voice small. Donna nodded enthusiastically, smiling softly at her.
"'Course I do," Donna said. "He talks about you all the time."
"He talks about me?"
"He misses you. Doesn't say your name all the time, but I always know. He gets this look on his face, like he's remembering something…"
Rose's heart stuttered. He hadn't forgotten about her, he hadn't moved on and never looked back. He talked about her. He missed her. Her face crumpled and she took a gasping breath as she began to cry, tears of relief and joy and frustration because she just wanted to see him already –
"Oh, sweetheart, don't cry," Donna said, approaching Rose with open arms. Rose went to her gratefully, hugging her tight. Donna rubbed her back comfortingly.
"'M sorry," Rose sobbed into her shoulder. Donna shushed her.
"Don't be sorry, don't be sorry," she said. "He misses you, really, he does. Might just spontaneously combust when he comes back."
Rose let out a wet laugh, pulling back and brushing the wetness off her cheeks with the sleeves of her jacket. She was sure she looked like a disaster, with blotchy cheeks and makeup running down her face.
"Where's he gone?" she asked.
"Popped out to the shop to get more biscuits. He ate two whole packages yesterday – two."
"Of course he did," Rose said, shaking her head. "God, I'm sorry. 'M such a mess. You must think I'm barmy."
"Well, you'd sort of have to be, wouldn't you? To be in love with Spaceman?"
"How – how'd you know?" Rose sniffed. "That I – "
"I just assumed, I suppose," Donna said, "considering that he's obviously…"
She took a closer look at Rose, the confusion and anxiety in her expression, and trailed off.
"He never told you, did he?" she asked Rose softly. "That big dumbo."
The TARDIS door creaked open and slammed shut behind them, the Doctor entering cheerfully.
"Why am I a big dumbo?" he asked, having caught the end of Donna's sentence. He looked up at the Time Rotor, addressing the TARDIS as he set down his shopping bags and shrugged off his coat. He tossed it over the railing and immediately went to the console. "You and Donna conspiring against me, now? What have I done this time?"
"Doctor," Rose said aloud, but it was only a whisper. Her throat suddenly felt tights, and her entire body shook with a nervous anticipation. She stared at Donna with wide eyes, and the woman stared right back with a wide smile on her face.
"I think you've got some catching up to do," Donna said, responding to the Doctor and taking Rose by the shoulders to spin her around.
"What?" the Doctor asked, still absentmindedly playing with the console controls. Donna urged Rose forward as he made his way around the console. He looked up just as he came into view and immediately froze. His mouth fell open. Rose stared.
"I'll just leave you two," Donna said softly, smiling as she turned around to head to her bedroom.
The Doctor and Rose stood and watched one another. The Doctor's eyes were wide with disbelief. They trailed up and down her body and he swallowed. The longer he stayed silent the more nervous Rose felt, a ball of anxiety building up in her chest and threatening to explode with every breath she took.
"H-Hello," Rose said. Her voice cracked, and she was crying again.
The sound of her voice snapped him out of his silence.
"Rose," the Doctor whispered hoarsely. He stepped toward her, reaching out an arm. His hand touched her face, wiping away her warm tears, and he sucked in a harsh breath. "Rose Tyler. You're real. You're really here. How – "
"Doctor," she breathed. He stopped his rambling and suddenly tugged her to his chest, crushing her to his body. She trembled beneath his touch and he knew his own hands were shaking as they stroked through her hair.
"Rose," he said again, still shocked. But he pressed his lips to her forehead and tightened his arms around her, his hearts pounding.
"I missed you," she said, the words muffled as she cried into his chest. She clutched at the lapels of his jacket, trying to pull him closer still. The Doctor closed his eyes and breathed deep, his mind racing. They stayed that way, clutching at one another, relishing in each other's presence. The only sound in the room was the gentle, soothing hum of the TARDIS and Rose's sniffles as her tears began to slow. The Doctor's neck was wet with her tears, his cheeks were wet with his own.
His hearts lifted. She was here, in his arms – this wonderful, lovely human that he never thought he'd see again.
He released his hold on her just enough to pull away and look at her face, flushed from crying, but beautiful as ever.
"How?" he asked, and she knew what he meant.
"You," she said simply, and the onslaught of repressed memories hit him all at once. His eyes closed and he nearly staggered back. Rose appearing in the TARDIS, telling her story, slapping him, kissing him –
His eyes opened and he blinked at her, a tiny smile gracing his face.
"You impossible, precious girl," he said quietly. His smile widened into a grin. Her returning smile was tentative, nervous.
"Yeah?" she asked hesitantly. He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing.
"Oh, yes," he said, his fingers coming up to trace her jaw, leaving her skin tingling. His eyes met hers.
"I missed you," she repeated.
"I – " the Doctor stopped, choking on his own words. "I love you."
Silence fell again after his whispered confession, and Rose's heart raced as she scanned his face. His entire body had relaxed with relief. His expression was open and honest, and her smile widened.
Then she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his, gently. The Doctor sighed into her mouth and responded immediately. She gasped as his tongue ran over the seam of her lips and she opened her mouth to him. She returned his enthusiasm, urged on by a need she'd been repressing for the last year.
Her hands ghosted over his chest until her arms winded around his neck. He pulled her closer, shifting them to the side and pressing forward until her back hit the edge of the console. She groaned.
"I love you," she gasped into his mouth. His mouth trailed down to press kisses to her neck as she pulled back to breathe, leaving her fingers running through his hair. He murmured the words in his own language against her skin.
She tugged him by the hair, dragging his lips back to hers in a frantic movement. His tongue delved into her mouth once more, and he knew that he would drop to his knees at the mercy of his enemies in an instant if it meant he could taste her like this, make her gasp like this, for the rest of their forever.
The frantic clashing of their lips slowed to a gentle caress, and then they pulled back from one another, their foreheads resting together as they breathed the same air.
Then Rose leaned back and yawned, suddenly tired as the fire in her veins calmed into a weary relief. The Doctor looked her over, concerned.
"You must be exhausted," he said, brushing away the strands of hair that fell over her face.
"Crossing dimensions really takes it out of ya," she mumbled, but she was still smiling as she looked up at him.
"Come on, then," the Doctor said. He pulled her away from the console and shifted to pick her up. She started to protest, but he hushed her.
"Humour me," he said, lifting her bridal style. She relented and relaxed into his embrace, tucking her head against his shoulders and winding her arms around his neck. He walked them down the corridor, past the library and Donna's room. His hearts stuttered when he saw that the TARDIS had moved Rose's bedroom back to its original location. No longer was the room tucked safely away where Martha or Donna would never stumble upon it.
The TARDIS let the door click open and he entered the room, stepping over piles of dirty clothes left behind on the floor. The Doctor placed Rose down on the bed, the sheets still crumpled from the last sleepless night he had spent burying his face in her pillow and remembering – the scent of her flowery perfume, the soft texture of her hair, the gentle grasp of her hand in his. The curve of her lips, that now pressed against his jaw as he set her down.
He helped Rose unzip her jacket slowly and pulled her worn trainers off her feet. She scrambled under the covers, curling up in the warmth. The Doctor stood and she panicked as he moved toward the door. She tensed and looked up at him.
"Will you – will you stay?" she asked quickly, her hand reaching toward him and catching empty air.
"I'm not going anywhere," the Doctor said, and she relaxed. He went to the door and closed it with a quiet click, then slowly undressed, kicking off his shoes and removing his jacket and tie. Rose held the sheets up as he slid into the bed beside her. He tugged her close to him, guiding her head to his chest and entwining their legs.
"Go to sleep," he told Rose softly. She snuggled closer to him.
"I love you," she said softly. The Doctor's hearts seized at the words – he would never cease to be amazed by her, this impossible human that saw his good and his bad and loved him for all of it. His arm tightened around her.
"I love you, too," he said. "Forever."
/
Hours later, when Donna finally deemed it safe to leave the confines of her bedroom, she was surprised to notice the new door just across from hers in the corridor. Curious, she opened it slowly, her eyes adjusting to the dim light, and smiled when she saw the Doctor and Rose cuddled beneath covers, asleep on a bed.
"Daft," she said, shaking her head. "The both of them."
She smiled and closed the door.