He couldn't find Rose. It had been hours since he'd left her with Jack on the deck of the Valiant. He'd piloted the TARDIS back down to the planet's surface while managing not to think. Then he'd sent Martha to take care of her family for a while, to allow him to see to the Master's body.

As night had fallen he'd built the fire and watched the Master's body burn for a few moments before it became too much. He'd turned and headed back to the TARDIS, the numbness that had taken him over since the Master's death starting to wear off, leaving him feeling almost himself again.

Jack and Martha were already there, waiting for him in the console room, their expressions wary. Rose was aboard too, Jack assured him. She'd said she needed a few minutes to herself and disappeared into the depths of the TARDIS.

That had been an hour ago. He'd showered and changed his clothes, all the while feeling more and more himself. He needed to find Rose. Rose, who'd magically appeared and hadn't yet been questioned. Rose, who he'd missed so much it was almost ridiculous.

Now the Doctor was standing in the corridor outside the galley, listening to Jack and Martha talking in quiet voices over cups of coffee.

'Is he going to be all right?' Martha asked.

'Yeah,' Jack responded. 'He'll be fine. He was fine when he got back. You saw him.'

'Yeah, but-'

'He's been through all this, Martha,' Jack said softly. 'Remember? He already thought he was the last. And he's the Doctor. Coupla hours and he'll be back to himself.'

'And what about Rose? Now she's back-'

'I honestly have no idea.'

'The Master seemed very… interested in her,' Martha said.

'Hmm,' Jack said noncommittally.

There was silence for a few moments, then Martha said, 'What were they like? Before? When they were… you know?'

Jack chuckled. 'I don't think they were ever you know.'

'But he… I thought they were… together.'

'Oh yeah. Completely and totally together,' Jack said. 'Just not together, together.' He sighed. 'There's no one like the Doctor for getting in his own way.'

'I'm sure he has his reasons,' Martha defended.

The Doctor decided against going into the galley and started down the corridor, unsure where he was heading. He just wanted to find Rose.

He found her, finally, asleep on one of the library sofas. She was curled up so she'd fit on the two-seater, one of her arms flung out in front of her, dangling over the edge of the cushions. He walked towards her softly, so as not to wake her, then crouched in front of her, studying her face. She frowned in her sleep, her lips parting as mumbled words spilled out.

Abruptly, the hum of the TARDIS changed, became slightly louder in tone, as the lights dimmed further. Rose seemed to relax again.

He found himself fighting the urge to stoke her hair, and was vividly reminded of the last time he'd sought her out like this.

It had been just after they'd escaped Krop Tor. Krop Tor and its Beast. He'd found himself outside her room, looking in at her through the door he'd opened without first consulting his brain. In several quick strides he'd crossed the room and found himself standing over her, gazing down at her sleeping form with his hands stuffed into his pockets, the better to prevent inappropriate Rose-stroking.

He'd been aware that he loved her for a long time. His previous self had known it on an instinctual level, and his present incarnation seemed incapable of not responding to it. Had admitted it openly in his own head. Revelled in it, in point of fact. The manic energy, the exuberance of his tenth incarnation was due in large part to the fact that he was in love with his companion, that when he'd regenerated it had been the uppermost thought in his mind. He'd died to save Rose, and that was fantastic.

Then he'd nearly told her and frightened himself beyond belief, which led to much running and Mickey on board the TARDIS and Madame de Pompadour. Anything to distance himself. To protect them both.

Then that had ended. He'd taken her home to see her mother, unable to comfort her in the aftermath of their trip to another Earth. And that night, as she slept in her bed in the room she'd grown up in, he'd sat on the edge of it and watched her sleep. Aware of his own desperate relief that she hadn't stayed in the parallel world. That she hadn't left him.

He'd wanted her, he knew. Physically wanted her. In a way that, while not totally alien to him, was at least unfamiliar enough to give him pause. There had been sound logic arguing against it. However, sitting here, in the quiet of the library, watching her sleep after being so sure he'd lost her... The logic he'd constructed didn't quite seem to stand up.

'Hi.'

He started out of his reverie to see her regarding him with sleepy hazel eyes. 'Hello,' he responded. 'I didn't mean to wake you up.'

'S'ok,' she said, stretching slightly. 'I was waiting for you to come back. Must've dozed off.' She yawned. 'I wanted to come and find you,' she said, 'when you were...' she trailed off. 'But Jack and Martha said to wait here. That you'd want to be alone.'

He shrugged, they'd have been right in reference to themselves. But a part of him would have selfishly relished Rose's presence at the Master's funeral pyre. Would have acknowledged that he needed her there. He said nothing, merely turned slightly and sat, leaning his back against the sofa and taking the hand that she'd left dangling over the edge.

He felt her shift behind him to get into a better handholding position.

'I like Martha,' she said presently, 'she's nice.'

He nodded and began stroking his thumb over her knuckles in an almost absent-minded gesture. He'd hoped not looking at her would ease his awareness of her, but instead it seemed that he could feel her outline as though she were a furnace burning behind him, imprinting herself on his awareness.

'I'm sorry,' she said softly. 'I'm sorry for what happened to him.'

'He took over your planet,' he reminded her. 'Had ten percent of the population killed. He was insane.'

Her fingers tightened around his, as though trying to offer comfort, to stop him hurting himself. 'I'm still sorry.'

He nodded again, his thumb resuming its circular stroking. 'So… Commander Tyler?'

She laughed softly. 'Yeah. S'a Torchwood thing. Pete thought people would pay more attention if I had a rank. I don't use it much really. Although,' she added thoughtfully, 'it is good for gettin' to the front of the canteen queue.'

He snorted his amusement at that, then froze as he felt the fingers of her free hand slide into his hair, massaging his scalp. That was new. His eyes fluttered closed and he sighed. After a few moments, he managed to clear his mind enough to speak again. 'So what did you get up to? At Torchwood?'

'Wasn't there long, really,' she said. 'I spent a couple of months in the house,' she murmured. He swallowed, awareness of what she hadn't said stinging him. She continued, her tone too bright. 'Then I went to Torchwood. Started work. Was only there a couple of months before suddenly I'm standing outside the TARDIS, surrounded by blokes with guns.'

'About that…'

'No idea,' she said. 'Thought you'd be the one to answer that.'

'No idea,' he repeated cheerfully. It occurred to him that this was possibly not the best response. Not when she'd been dragged across the void. He cleared his throat. 'Could have been something to do with the TARDIS… maybe when you took on the time vortex something was left behind, or was changed or-'

'You really have no idea, do you?' Rose asked, sounding amused.

'Sorry. Are you… staying?' he asked, impressed by his ability to sound nonchalant about it.

'I thought… yeah.' She paused. 'Shouldn't I be?' she asked, suddenly fearful.

'No, no, its not… I'm not… It's just...' he turned slightly, so he could meet her eyes. The movement unfortunately dislodged her hand and once that had happened he felt he might as well go the whole hog and turned to face her completely, sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of her. 'I can't cut through the void again, Rose. Not even to send a message.'

'I know.'

'What about your family? Jackie-'

'It's ok.'

'But…' he began, unsure how he wanted to finish his questioning. Unsure why he wanted to.

'I tried to come back,' she said softly, her eyes studying his face. 'The whole time I was at Torchwood. Tried so hard to find a way to get back here.'

He blew out a breath. 'Why?'

'You know why,' she said softly. She took a deep breath. 'Look, is this about Martha?'

'Martha?' he asked, genuinely surprised. 'Why would this be about Martha?'

'You an' her...'

'No,' he said, surprising even himself with the speed of his objection. Rose's eyes were focusing on a point over his left shoulder. As though the depths of the library held something hugely interesting. Well… they did, obviously, they were the depths of his library, after all. All the same, that couldn't be why she would rather look at the shelving than at him.

'It's just…' she said, 'you never said anythin'. When I said… what I said. I don't expect-'

This was really too much, he thought. He'd thought he'd been pretty obvious. Didn't she know? How could she not know? He felt like the need for her radiated off him, like it was written all over him. Like his thoughts and feelings on the subject were exposed. Especially in this incarnation. Apparent to anyone who looked. How could she not know? 'Rose.'

'He said I mattered,' she said quietly, as though afraid to remind him of what had taken place on the Valiant.

He nodded, then realised she couldn't see it if she wasn't looking at him. 'Yes.'

'And now, Doctor?'

'Nothing's changed since I saw you on that beach,' he said, surprised at the rough quality of his own voice.

She looked up at him then, her expression the one of exasperation he'd seen her wear so many times. 'You said Rose Tyler and then you disappeared!'

'Exactly. And that wasn't my fault, by the way. The disappearing.'

She rolled her eyes. 'What does that even mean?'

'I ran out of energy to send the projection,' he said.

She narrowed her eyes this time, but at least she was smiling. 'Don't be thick. What does exactly mean?'

'Marked by strict and particular and complete accordance with fact,' he said, feeling almost giddy with the lightness the banter with her was granting him.

'Doctor!'

The sound of his name, spoken by her, in a way he'd never thought he'd hear again, caught him unawares. He stared at her for a moment, his gaze flicking from her eyes to her mouth and back up again. It was something he'd done without conscious thought several times a day at one point. Something he'd never even noticed he did; never even thought about what was going on when it happened. Until she was gone.

Just as he was sure she was going to call him on it, he stood and tugged her to her feet so she was standing in front of him. Then he leaned forwards and brushed his lips against hers. Gently. Carefully.

She remained utterly still against him for what felt like an eternity, then he felt her hands skate up his sides, pulling on the lapels of his jacket until his body was flush against hers. They broke apart after several moments, regarding one another seriously in the dim light of the library.

The Doctor leaned his forehead against hers. 'He kissed you,' he said, as though it had only just occurred to him.

'You wanna talk about this now?'

He looked at her a moment, feeling her breath mingling with his own. 'I should have done something.'

'You couldn't. You were all old, remember?'

He glared at her, aware on some level that the fact that he had one hand spanning the small of her back and the other tangled in her hair, and that this might not be the best way to be intimidating. His expression softened. 'You always find me, just when I need you. How do you do that?'

She looked up at him, dumbstruck for a moment. 'I…' she stared, then appeared to abandon whatever answer she'd had planned. 'I'm sure you had a plan.'

He smiled. 'Course I did. I'm brilliant. But… it would have taken months, maybe years. What you did-' He broke off as he realised her fingers were in his hair again, her nails scraping lightly over his scalp, rendering the discussion of his plan entirely unimportant. Rose was here. In the TARDIS. With him. And apparently the time without her had either weakened his defences against her or had made him more susceptible than previously. He'd kissed her.

He opened his eyes, briefly wondering just when he'd closed them. Rose was looking at him with an odd mixture of concern and amusement dancing in her eyes. He kissed her again, running his tongue over her lower lip until she opened her mouth under his.