"Doctor," she whispered the first thing she had said since he left. John looked down at her eyes filled with worry.
"Yes Rose?" He asked. His arm ached from holding up the umbrella but he didn't want to let go of it or let go of her. She still had her arms wrapped around him her head still pressed against his chest.
"Tell me about…about when you first met me." She said so quietly that he barely heard her.
"Well, a long time ago I was in the basement of a shop. I was just minding my business honestly when I ran into this girl," he closed his eyes and he saw it again.
She was standing there completely scared to death. No one was supposed to be here. The building was supposed to be empty. He was just supposed to go in and stop the plastic and then blow it up. But there she was this young, beautiful, terrified blonde.
"And then I took the girls hand and I told her to run, because there were these shop dummies chasing her."
She had been surrounded by the living plastic. Completely surrounded, and for some reason he couldn't leave her there, he had killed all of the time lords but yet, he could leave this one girl to die.
He walked up slowly so that they wouldn't notice him. He was next to her now. He reached out and took her hand and told her, "run," and for some reason she did.
"And then I escaped with this girl, and for some reason she was still holding onto one of their arms, still don't know why she took that with her." He glanced down at her she was still silent but she had stopped crying and was listening intently.
"And then I blew up her work and she went home and I went back to the Tardis." He had never expected to see her again. He shouldn't have, but he had and that had somehow led him here, to be holding her in the rain. "And that's the first time I met Rose Tyler."
"Thank you," she whispered, "I'm cold," she said realizing for the first time how soaked she was on this cool summer night.
"Let's go inside then. Huh?" She nodded slowly as she let him lead her into the house. He walked her to the doorway, putting down the umbrella and opening the door for her.
Martha was already prepared for them. As soon as they stepped inside she wrapped towels around both of them and had Mickey pour them cups of tea.
They sat down on the sofa. He was still holding onto her. She held her tea in-between her hands warming them.
Mickey and Martha sat down across from them. They sat in silence for several minutes and Rose was the first to break it. "Where's Jack?" She asked noticing for the first time that the captain had yet to show his face since the Doctor and the Ponds had left.
"Oh," Martha said, "he left already. He figured that you needed time alone and he had something that he needed to do for work or something, I think." Rose nodded, for a man that would live for a very, very long time he wasn't very patient.
Rose looked over at John, he was still holding onto her while trying to drink his tea. "Doctor, should we be going now then?"
He looked at her and nodded, "yeah, I suppose it's time we did."
They stood in front of their door saying goodbye. Rory shook his head somehow wondering if this was all truly happening again. "Don't forget to come and visit us again Doctor."
The Doctor grinned slightly and looked up at him, "never Rory. I'll see you two soon." He nodded and then gave the Doctor a hug. He had been through so much with this man it was hard to believe that they were separating yet again.
After letting go he turned around and walked into the house knowing that Amy needed time to be with the Doctor alone.
After Rory closed the door behind him the Doctor turned to face her. She was trying not to cry but she was doing a very bad job at it. "I'm going to miss you, you know that right?"
He nodded, "I'll miss you too Pond, but you have a life to live," he looked into the window where he could see Rory grabbing the phone and calling his dad, "and people to live it with."
"What about you, Doctor? What are you going to do?" He sighed and leaned against the Tardis.
"I went to Victorian London to brood, after we were separated. While I was there I met this girl. Do you remember Oswin?"
"Oswin? You mean the girl who was a Dalek from the Dalek asylum?"
He nodded, "yes well I met this girl when I was there and she died, but Amy it was the same girl. I didn't realize it at first because she told me her name was Clara. Her full name was Clara Oswin Oswald."
"She died twice? The same girl twice dead."
"Yes, and I have to find her again. I know she's out there. I promised I'd take her with me, I gave her a key. I have to find her again, I know she's out there."
"Are you sure?" She asked shaking her head in disbelief."
"Positive." He answered no doubt in his voice.
"Good luck then Raggedy man." She said giving him a hug goodbye.
"I'll see you soon." He kissed her on the head and turned to leave.
"Doctor," she said before he closed the door. He turned around, sticking his head out of the Tardis, "when you find her, I want to meet her."
He nodded in agreement, "Will do Pond, will do," and with that he closed the door and the Tardis started to fade away.