A/N I'm extremely sorry this has taken so long but for some reason I kept changing my mind about what to put in and I kept thinking it wasn't good enough. Anyway, hope you all like it anyway. Happy reading!

IMPORTANT: I just want everyone to know that there is a bit near the end where I'm talking about traditions and stuff on Gallifrey. I have no idea if its true or anything but if its not and I got it completely wrong please don't say so in your reviews because I thought of it myself and I'm not trying to go by the show, it's purely my own idea. Its fiction, doesn't have to be accurate ;)

UN-BETAed but I hope it isn't too bad. Point out any really big mistakes in it in your reviews and I'll go through and change them. Thanks :D

Disclaimer: I hold no rights to Doctor Who or any of its spin offs and highly doubt that I ever will, no matter how much I wish.

Chapter 9: the Way it Should be

The Doctor, Rose and Donna all stood around the time rotor as the Doctor guided them back into the time vortex. Donna looked over at the blonde who she already felt as if she'd known for years and smiled, stepping over to her.

'We still haven't been properly introduced. I'm Donna Noble, been travelling with this paper cut of a Martian for 'round about a year now.' They both smiled as they heard his indignant shout of "I'm not from Mars" and Donna was surprised as she felt herself being pulled into a gentle hug.

Rose responded as she pulled away again. 'Rose Tyler, two years and hoping to make it much more.' She broke eye-contact with the woman for a moment to look over at the Doctor to see a grin on his face that could melt her into a swooning pile of Rose-goo.

When her gaze didn't return to her Donna watched the two with a smile, restraining herself from bouncing on her feet and squealing at finally seeing them back together again, in the TARDIS, as it should be. She watched as after a few seconds the gaze went from light, teasing and joyful to a more intense and desiring, but unbelievably serious look.

She cleared her throat slightly and spoke up, backing towards the door that led to the many other rooms of the TARDIS. 'Alright, I think I'm gonna go and have a bit of a nap… Saving the world and all that wore me out a bit.' She made the effort to stretch her arms out in a fake yawn even though their eyes hadn't moved from each other and they were now approaching each other at a quickly increasing pace.

'Right, I can tell when I'm not wanted,' she said speaking with fake indignation and stepping out of the room. She shut the door behind her just as she heard them smash into each other in another bone-crushing hug and laughed slightly. She couldn't wait to see what the real Doctor was like now that he had his Rose back with him.

Neither of them knew how long they stood there for before they pulled gently away; seconds, minutes, hours, days. But it didn't matter because it wasn't long enough.

They knew the others thought that once they were left alone they'd be at each other with a passion but they both knew there was a lot they had to talk about and it was better get it over with.

Without a word the Doctor led Rose by the hand out of the console room and down a few corridors until they reached the familiar infirmary and he urged her to sit on the cot in the corner, pulling out his stethoscope and gently monitoring her heart for a moment.

After he was convinced it was there and beating like it should he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and did a medical scan, finding nothing wrong with her help. He frowned lightly and went to start again, just to be sure when he felt her hand cover his.

He looked up into her eyes to see her grinning lightly at him.

'I'm fine Doctor, I swear.' He got up from his position crouched in front of her to standing.

'I know but I feel like I should be doing something to help you or make you feel better after everything that happened.' He ran an irritated hand through his hair, he hated not being able to do anything.

She giggled slightly at the gesture. 'I already feel wonderful Doctor, stop worrying so much.' He frowned comically down at her as if considering something.

His face lit up and he again pointed his screwdriver in her face, concentrating before a huge grin covered his face and he let out a delighted giggle. He looked at her with barely contained glee.

'Why Rose you silly human. Your potassium is a little low.' With that said he reached far down into his pocket and pulled out a perfect, yellow banana.

He handed it to her and looked at her seriously. 'From the grove of Villengard itself… Eat up.' He stood with his arms crossed in front of her, waiting.

She looked between him and the banana a few times, face blank before peels of hysterical laughter filled the room and she fell into a lying position on the cot, clutching her stomach and gasping for air.

Seeing her beautiful face lit up with such happiness, silliness and relief he couldn't help but join her and sat on the side of the small bed, watching her intently while he laughing right along with her, just slightly more controlled.

After a few minutes they both settled back down and looked at each other reverently, disbelieving but beyond happy that they could still joke like they used to, that they still knew every inch of each other.

The Doctor lent over her slightly, his left hand bracing himself on the other side of her body near her hip, trapping her between where he was sitting and his arm. As he looked down at her he lifted his other hand and stroked her hair and cheek, letting his thumb graze her bottom lip and smiling soft as her breath became shakier and she leaned into his caress.

He leant down a pressed his lips softly to hers in a tender kiss that only lasted a few seconds. He pulled back again, amazed at how easy the transition of their relationship had been for both of them and knew that had Canary Wharf never happened this would have within a few adventures, it was inevitable and they were always heading towards it.

She kept her eyes closed calmly as he pulled back and licked her lips slightly to savor his taste, feeling his presence all around him though she could not see him; she wondered if that was something new, some new ability; because while she had always been able to feel him in some way it had never been as solid and distinctive before, like she would always know no matter how far away they were from each other. Her eyes popped open as he asked her a question, hand still absentmindedly stoking her cheek in a way that made her want to grab his face and smother him with kisses, never letting go and forsaking her need for oxygen. But for now she curbed that impulse and tried to follow the conversation.

He watched her for a minute, simply wondering what she was thinking and then spoke, wanting to get the conversation out of the way.

'Rose,' he gulped, not particularly wanting to bring up the events of the past day but knowing he had to, 'what happened today?'

She stared up at him, still completely relaxed despite the topic and answered as best she could. 'I'm not entirely sure to be honest. When I was in the TARDIS everything started burning and I was so scared but then everything just… stopped.' She paused for a second, thinking she could probably have put it a better way.

'What do you mean stopped?' He frowned again, confused.

'More like paused I suppose. Time stopped, everything was still there but nothing was moving and a man appeared in the TARDIS, strange man.' She thought for a second about what she was supposed to tell him and found it was a lot easier to remember than she thought, the exact words popping into her head almost immediately. 'He spoke to me, told me that he could send me back to you but I'd be different… he said we'd have to figure out exactly how different because there wasn't any time. He told me to tell you…'

'What Rose?' the Doctor was beyond curious know. This seemed to be happening a lot; people telling other people to tell him things. He shook his head slightly at the odd sentence he had just thought and awaited her answer.

'He said to tell the Doctor that the White Guardian assembled the key and returned the loyalty he was shown. Doctor, who's the White Guardian?' She saw how shocked he was and knew the man had been right, he understood whatever the message was.

'He's an old… well, I don't really know what you'd call him. Long time ago now, a handful of regenerations, the White Guardian called on me for help, though it wasn't exactly a choice. If an immortal wants you to do something there really isn't a way to get out of it.' He watched her to make sure she was following and continued when there was no sign of confusion of her face. 'The balance of the universe was in trouble and basically he needed me to assemble the Key to Time to fix it, had to travel all around the universe to do so of course because the pieces were scattered in random places, a statue, one was even a planet, imagine that, a whole planet.' Realizing he was drifting off a bit he continued. 'They were afraid of it falling into the wrong hands, which eventually, of course it did. I ended up re-scattering the pieces I found because of the damage it was about to do… I've got no idea how he found them all again, but I doubt I'll ever have the chance to ask.' He looked down, frowning a bit in question.

'It's strange, if there's one thing I know about Guardians and the Eternals it's that they don't care all that much about "lesser beings", at least not the individuals… I wonder why he chose to save you.' He meant it as a rhetorical question but he got one anyway.

'Wait, he told me that. He said something about bonding?' She saw his eyes widen in understanding but decided to finish before letting him butt in with information, she thought she mostly understood the concept anyway. He said "the world needs the Doctor and the Doctor needs you – it is no longer a want, since the first connection you shared, what you refer to as a kiss, you were bonded, and with your death comes the destruction of the Doctor.' He saw her shiver slightly at this and reached for her hand. Squeezing gently to tell her to continue, noticing something was strange. How was she remembering all this word for word?

She continued after his reassurance. '"Not by outside influences but by his own doing. He may continue to live on but even when Gallifrey still existed a true bonding was very rarely witnessed and interspecies-bondings up till now have been impossible, or have been assumed to be. Usually the living party would live on, eventually move on but would never share the same connection with anyone else. But by the losses he has already suffered this is the one that would lead to his final obliteration. Because of all this we can not allow you to remain as… mortal as you are now. You must live alongside the Doctor until his time runs out, then and only then may you leave this world."' She heard the hitch in his breathing as he took in the words and his eyes glimmered with great hope and excitement.

She wanted to reach out and hug and kiss him to reaffirm that she would be there, for a real forever now but she realized something and needed to say something.

Since she had woken up on the TARDIS and all through his explanation she had noticed that the way she had been processing information had been different. It was like she was faster, at least mentally. From her time in the TARDIS with the Guardian she could remember everything people had said and while some of it confused her, like some of the Doctors and TARDIS' scientific babble, she found herself understanding much more than she would have before.

'Doctor I think I know one of the changes.' He looked down at her, snapping out of the daze that he fell into after the mention of bonding and her living alongside of him… forever. His eyes burned into her intently, hoping whatever it was it was nothing bad or harmful. The thought that anyone had done anything to harm her sent him into a fury momentarily before he let reason return and listened to her hunch.

'It's just that every thing since I was stuck in the TARDIS is… I don't know. It's like I can recall everything perfectly and the more I think about it the more I understand. I mean before, no matter how much I thought through it I'd never be able to decipher half the things you say and eventually I wouldn't even be able to remember most of it but now… dunno, almost like… oh I know, it's like I have a photographic memory or something. '

The Doctor nodded his head and quickly ran through the possibilities in his head. That didn't seem like a bad thing. He looked at her and held up his hands, hesitating before touching his fingers to her temples and looking at her with question in his eyes.

She nodded once, complete trust in her eyes and closed her lids as his cool fingertips brushed the sides of her head. It only took a few seconds before he pulled back again and he looked rather happy.

'Your brain is using more of its capacity. Not so much that it'll make you a genius like me,' he winked lightheartedly at her, seeing her smile and knowing it safe to continue, 'but comprehension and retaining of information should be easier from now on… which I guess you already said,' he said sheepishly.

She giggled lightly, happy that she was right and that so far nothing bad or wrong seemed to be happening to her. 'Has anything else changed Doctor?'

He scratched his head and nodded. 'Your cellular growth has slowed, which I imagine how he's made sure you are going to live longer. So still human, no regeneration or anything. Although I suppose you suppose you've got to be more than human now… it's almost like you've evolved in a day,' he spoke delightedly just like he did ever time some amazingly scientific happened.

She grinned back, never taking her eyes off his face and subconsciously noticing he had never looked away either. Suddenly his whole expression changed, like something terrible had just occurred to him as his face turned downcast and solemn.

'Doctor, what is it?' She leaned up from her lying down position to lean just up on her elbows, a hand stroking the arm at was still on the cot next to her hip, trying to calm him.

'Rose, if you retain things better…' he paused, not sure how to put it. 'You said you remember everything with great detail since you were in the TARDIS.' She nodded in confirmation. 'Rose, what do you remember?' he asked, suddenly afraid of her answer. Especially after what Jackie had said, he didn't want his actions to change anything between them but at the same time he know whatever reaction she gave, he had earned. Looking back he was disappointed in himself, even though some small part of him was saying it was justified.

'From the Crucible?' He finished explaining his words, even though he was sure she already knew what he meant. He clutched her hand – as she had run it down his arm to sit comfortingly in his once again - tighter in fear she would pull away from him and looking down at the white sheet they sat on, not able to face her with his shame.

He saw her move in his peripherals as she lent up further on her elbows before sitting up completely, bringing her body very close to his. He felt her thumb stroke the back of his hand soothingly and brought her other palm to his neck, urging him to look at her.

When he had looked away from her for the first time since entering the room, or even the TARDIS, she felt an irrational fear of being taken before seeing his deep pools of captivating brown again. She knew what he was thinking and his pain made tears come to her eyes.

She made him look back up and immediately kissed him deeply, keeping her lips soft, he face scrunching slightly in her effort to convey every feeling and emotion through the meeting. She felt him quiver over her and his hand moving to her waist, clutching tightly to ground them bot. The kiss stayed physically shallow but the emotions rushing through them left both gasping as they pulled away.

As she caught her breath Rose finally responded to his silent plea.

'Do you have any idea how much I love you?' The Doctor kept his face blank and said nothing, not sure which direction she would take. She gripped both sides of his face in a firm grip to keep him from looking away. 'I don't know feelings or thoughts but I remember every word spoken, every action made and everything the TARDIS saw.' She tightened her grip as he flinched away and stooped her head to keep eye contact.

'Doctor; I know everyone will think I should be angry or disappointed but I know you better than anyone. I've seen you at your best and at some of your worst and I know that even after the Time War you never stopped. You never broke down. You are always the strong one; the one who fixes everything, who takes car of people. But for once I think it's time you give yourself a break. I'm not angry because I understand and if I lost you again I think I'd do nothing different.' She lowered her voice to a whisper, running one hand soothingly through his hair as she saw his face start to crumble. 'My Doctor, for once, stop worrying about everyone around you and let yourself be… let someone else be the one to take care of you.'

With that she saw the last of his emotional barriers fade and an immense pain and uncertainly filled his features. As she saw the first, heartbreaking tears fall on his lightly freckled skin she kissed them away and pulled him into a tight embrace, not making noises or saying anything knowing the only thing he needed was for her to be there with him.

Thank-you Rose, the TARDIS whispered in her head.

She simply smiled a watery smile up at the ceiling. She angled her head towards his ear from where it lay on his shoulder and breathed out the last thing she had to say.

'But if you ever touch a gun with the intention of using it again I will personally make your life a living hell mister.'

She heard him burst out in a watery, tear drenched chuckle against her shoulder and press a kiss to her neck and let a small smile stay on her face.

********************************** (A/N Was going to leave it there but wanted this in this chapter)

Some time later they lay together, having moved to the Doctor's room. His bed was large but they lay in the middle, facing each other on their sides, noses almost touching as they simply looked at each other, occasionally stealing a kiss. One of the Doctor's arms lay thrown over Roses waist, stroking her lower back lightly, the other laid unmoving over her steady heart, travelling up to caress her face or tuck back her hair every few minutes. Rose had her left lying across the one of his at her waist, stroking his arm once again, her right resting on his other, moving with his movements, only leaving to tangle in his hair every once in a while. Neither of them registering the fascination they each held with each others hair.

Rose had watched the Doctors expression change from completely calm – after his tears stopped over an hour ago – to an expression of deep thought twenty minutes prior and now she was patiently waiting for him to express whatever it was he was trying to.

After he didn't even know ho long the Doctor had finally made up his mind. He was going to do it… Rose deserved it and he wanted her to know everything and for once, he wasn't afraid. Finally he took a deep breath and the intensity of his gaze only increased ten fold.

'Rose, I want to tell you something but first I have to explain why it's so hard and I want you to know and understand everything about me.' She simply nodded, giving him silent encouragement, all the way suddenly very curious about what was to come.

'When children were born on Gallifrey some events and… ceremonies were very different to what people do on Earth, or anywhere else for that matter.' He made sure to keep constant eye contact, especially for the next thing he was going to say so that she would understand straight away what was going to happen. 'One of the things that are different is that one week after birth all children and their parents are taken to Rassilon, our President, the one who made the Time Lords,' he took another breath, 'and he performs a naming ceremony.' He stopped, watching her reaction.

Her breathing stopped and her eyes widened. Her eyes searched his face frantically and she took a deep shaky breath, gripping his arm at her waist tightly, urging him to go on, even though she seemed to be in some sort of shock.

'A Time Lord's name is sacred. It is chosen for the child. It isn't a meaningless label to indentify with but it is bestowed upon you by Gallifrey itself and even though it is before memories or thought, it is one of the greatest honors a Time Lord, or Lady, will ever be given.' He paused and swallowed, trying to think of how to explain the rest. 'Rose, I don't use it because it seems like a dishonor, a betrayal. How could I use something that I so pure, that came from Gallifrey herself as a gift, when I am responsible for her and her peoples destruction. It is a shame that will live with me and I've never thought any of the humans I have travelled with would understand like you can.'

When he stopped for a minute, she still didn't speak, knowing how fragile his resolve might be and not wanting to break the moment. The reveal of something so intimate soon she would be one of the only beings in the universe to know of it.

'Rose, you can't ever mention it in front of Donna, she can never know, no one must ever know. The TARDIS is the only one left who knows and even she only uses it to help me in the worst of situations when I need to be reminded of who I am. Most of the time, my name must still be the Doctor. Promise me Rose.'

She leaned forwards and pressed her lips to his forehead before moving back again. 'I promise my Doctor.'

Her using his title settled any fears that had been rising within him, along with any lingering doubts. He knew, first and foremost, he would always be her Doctor.

'Tell me,' she prompted with no demand in her voice, only encouragement.

'My name… Is Theta Sigma.' He said the words quietly, barely a whisper or mumble passing from his lips and yet they sounded beautiful to her ears.

She quietly, reverently, let the name roll off her tongue. 'Theta,' watching contently as his eyes closed as something akin to bliss washed over his face. The way she said it made it sound more like a prayer than a curse and he liked it more than he ever had before, a falsh of desire for his beautiful, perfect Rose running through him. Never had he been accepted so easily before.

She let a small contented smile wash over her, whispering his true name again in her mind, knowing somehow that he could hear her while saying "my Doctor" aloud once again, moving forward to catch his mouth in a passionate, consuming kiss and tight embrace.

A/N I know, its technically only his nickname, but pretend otherwise 'cause I couldn't come up with anything really creative that sounded good. Plus, it's a really good name.

So, what do you think? Again, sorry for the long wait – I'll try to get the last one (possibly two) chapter/s much faster. Please review, I really want to know what you think and if there is anything you'd like me to include before the end of the story. I am very open to suggestions and if there is anything specific you would like to see in this story before the end please tell me and I'll see if I can work it in (if I agree XD) Can't wait to hear from you. ALSO - there is eventually going to be more changes in Rose but they will be in the sequel.

I'd like to extensively thank Twin Kats for agreeing to do my video and I cannot wait to see the finished product.

I also have another video request (Twin Kats if you're up to it you are welcome to do this one as well :D) I'd love someone to do a video of the Doctor and Rose using "Ever Dream" by Nightwish. Please PM or put into a review if you're interested.

Also if anyone is interested in doing the first one I'd welcome that as well, it'd be awesome to have more than one made for some variety, see what different things people come up with.

Thanks for bearing with me through this stupidly long authors note. MORE DONNA/DOCTOR/ROSE INTERACTION NEXT CHAPTER. STAY TUNED!

Reviews = love… so please do XD

Thanks,
Metal.