Confessions

They spent the night at the mansion, in the same bed. That last fact surprised Joshua more than anything. She'd been furious with him earlier in the day. Well, not him. But him. The alien who shared his face. But when she came to him, he welcomed her back immediately. He whispered words of apology and affirmation, even though he wasn't technically in the wrong. But one of them had to apologize and it certainly would be his other self. Blimey, this was confusing. It was easy enough to distinguish between different Regenerations because the face changes but this...he is literally the same man. It would have helped things, he thinks, if he had worn a different face. Even his past face would have been better. He tells Rose this, whispering in the dark. He expects her to contradict him. To tell him that no, she liked this face just fine, but she doesn't. Instead, she goes silent. It seems like an eternity before she speaks again.

"It would've been easier, in some ways had you had a different face. Even that one, honestly. He didn't leave me behind. He sent me away once or twice. But his thoughts seemed to always be of me first, the Universe second. When you regenerated, I was heart-broken. I'd been in love with you for ages, even though you didn't seem to feel the same. And then, you continually left me behind. Made me feel like second best. I trudged on, because I promised you forever. But-" She chokes back a sob and he finally realizes that she's been crying, silently. He cradles her gently to his chest, rubbing her back gently to calm her.

"You're right, you know. After I regenerated, I tried to put a wedge between us. I'd realized just how much I loved you, needed you, and I was terrified. So I purposefully, and sometimes not so purposefully, put distance between us. I tried to distance myself from you for the inevitable event that you would leave me. I was so stupid. It hurt just as much, worse really, when you were ripped from me."

"We both made mistakes."

"I never meant to make you feel like second best. I told you once that I only take the best and that still holds true. Held true even then. You bring out the best of me, Rose."

"You bring out the best of me, too."

They lay in silence as their bodies finally started to relax from the day. As they became more comfortable, the walls they had erected between their minds fell. The hurt that Joshua had felt at Rose's anger hit her like a train. Rose's fear hit him, and they both gasped. After a few moments, the unleashed emotions tapered until all they could feel was the love each had for the other.

'No use beating ourselves up over it now, love.'

A contented hum passed between the two as their bodies relaxed and they fell asleep.

~DW~~DW~~DW~

Downstairs, Jackie was pacing while Pete sat in an armchair, trying to placate his worrying wife.

"What if they don't work this out, Pete? I can't bare the thought of Rose going back to the woman she was when we first got here."

Pete sighed heavily as he pulled Jackie down to sit in his lap. He ran the fingers of one hand through her hair as the other held her tightly to him. She struggled for a moment, but finally settled into his lap.

"Now, before you start worrying unnecessarily, remember who you are talking about. This is the Doctor and Rose Tyler. Nothing will get between them. You know that. This is no different than when you first came here. We had some amazing rows in the beginning, remember?"

"Yeah. We were both too caught up in the versions we'd lost."

"Took us a while before we finally settled. Then what did we do?"

"You took me on an amazing date. And then another. And finally, we just...were."

"Exactly. We still fought, but it was as a couple instead of two separate, damaged people. What they are going through isn't much different than our own story. And we got through it. They'll be just fine."

"But-"

"No. Neither are running down, upset or anything. You have to let them live their lives. We both saw them go into the same room together. We've not heard any doors open or shut since then went up there. Trust them to be able to work out their own problems."

Jackie breathed deeply before settling more securely into her husband's arms.

"Alright. But if things aren't better in the morning, we'll all be having a little talk."

"I'd expect nothing less."