Penultimate. I've seen that word a lot lately so I'll use it here. Here be the penultimate chapter (translation: only one more to go after this).

ISN'T THIS EXCITING? ARE YOU EXCITED, BECAUSE I'M EXCITED, I'VE NEVER BEEN EXCITED-WELL EXCEPT FOR THE TIME I SAW YOU WALKING INTO TOWN AND I WENT *GAAAAAAASP*-BUT I MEAN REALLY, WHO CAN TOP THAT?

wait. wrong fandom.

The Doctor swore both his hearts stopped beating for a horrifying moment. He was sure she'd died. That she'd only been alive because of the TARDIS within her and now that it was gone, so was she. But then she inhaled through her nose and her chest began to rise and fall slowly with breath and he nearly wept with relief. As it was, a few tears escaped his eyes as his lips pressed against her forehead.

Around them, the TARDIS's humming had finally begun to sound like normal. The rotor glowed brighter and bobbed up and down lazily within its column.

"She'll be fine," Martha soothed from his shoulder. "I think she just needs to readjust. Come on, let's get her to her room."

He nodded. "Right. You're right. Of course you're right. You're a bloody amazing woman, haven't told you that in a long time, but you are. Everything you did, everything you've been doing—"

"Later," she said, though she was beaming at his words.

The Doctor carried Rose towards their room and Martha was right on his heels. Though she needn't have bothered, really. He could take care of her himself. But they'd been through hell together. Of course Martha would want to ensure Rose was well and truly okay. Rose's death had probably been very hard on her, after all, especially with the knowledge that the bullet had been intended for Martha.

Martha held the door open for the Doctor and stood in the doorway as he laid Rose down on the bed. He sat down next to her and brushed a few errant strands of hair away her face. She looked peaceful enough but there was something…sad about her.

"Will you be alright now?" Martha asked.

The Doctor nodded without looking up.

"Good." There was a smile in her voice. "I'll be asleep in my room if you need me."

He heard the door shut, cutting off the stream of light from the outside. The lights in the room came on dimly a moment later, just enough that he could see, but not enough to disturb her.

He thought back to a year ago and realized she'd been wearing these clothes for a while now. She didn't think he would mind if he got her into something comfier. She'd done it for him before. So he stood up from their bed and headed into the closet. He chose a loose-fitting, pale yellow summer dress, figuring she'd like something that wasn't restrictive. Martha had confessed to him some days ago that it was strange to wear a dress and sandals again after being confined to trousers, boots and thick jackets for so long, but that she enjoyed the feeling of freedom it brought.

He set the dress on the pillow next to Rose and began unzipping her blue jacket. He slid it off of her left arm, then her right, and carefully eased her back off the bed with one hand while pulling the jacket from beneath her with the other. He dropped it to the floor without ceremony. Then he removed her boots and socks, smiling at the way her toes twitched at the sudden rush of cool air. Next he removed her shirt, then her trousers, but he left her undergarments on, not sure if she'd be comfortable with him removing those. Well, while she was unconscious at least.

It took a bit of work to maneuver her limp body into the summer dress, and then under the duvet and sheets, but he finally managed. Unsure what to do next but unable to leave her, he stood over her silently for a while. Then he shucked his blue jacket and toed off his trainers. Just in a t-shirt and suit pants, he crawled onto the bed next to her. He slid under the covers and curled his body around her, pressing his face to her hair.

Oh how he'd missed her.

Rose slept for just over three hours, two full sleep cycles. He didn't leave her side once, which gave him plenty of time to think. No wonder none of their scans had been able to detect her. If she hadn't even been aware of what she was wearing, then she couldn't have been awake very long before they found her, which meant they'd gone back to the day when the paradox ended. She'd been long gone before Mr. Smith ran the first sweep.

Every so often her brow furrowed and he'd lean over and gently kiss the creases in her skin until they smoothed. He wondered what she was dreaming about. Was it just a dream or was her mind replaying all her memories?

As she began to stir, the Doctor slid his fingers up and down the skin of her arm. She sighed contently, snuggling deeper into her pillow, but he knew she waking up.

"I can feel you," she whispered through barely-moving lips. Her eyes blinked open. "You're touching me."

"I am," he confirmed. Uncertainty curled in his belly. "Is that okay?"

She lifted her arm, stilling his fingers, and touched his face. "I can touch you." Her fingers stroked back and forth gently.

"You can."

She slid her fingers through his hair a few times before pressing her palm against the back of his head and drawing him closer. He leaned his head forward obligingly, eyes slipping shut as she skimmed her lips and nose along his cheek. She inhaled deeply.

"I can smell you."

She pressed her lips to his and parted them almost immediately, running her tongue along his bottom lip. "I can taste you."

"Are you alright?" he murmured around her lips.

Rose drew back and searched his face. "Do you know what it's like to have no body?" she asked after a moment. "I know you can change them but have you ever experienced being without one?"

The Doctor shook his head.

"There's no touch. No smell. No sense of temperature. You could stand in the middle of a tornado and not even be buffeted. Sit in the shallows and not feel the waves moving by. You could go from the desert to the arctic in a second and not feel a thing. Fly higher than the tip of Mt. Everest and not even feel how thin the air is. You could stare at a feast and not be—" She stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening, and looked down at herself. "Hungry. I'm…hungry."

Rose laughed and lifted her head. "I'm hungry. Because I've got a body that needs food and sleep and jumpers and blankets to keep warm and hair that needs brushing and skin that needs washing—"

When he noticed she was starting to shake, the Doctor tightened his grip around her. "Shhhh," he urged gently. "It's alright."

He hadn't realized (hadn't even considered really) what a shock it would be for her to go from being a ghost to a human again. She'd been deprived of things that were an essential part of life yet hadn't felt any repercussions like she should've and now, suddenly, she needed them all once more. Of course it was overwhelming.

Rose jerked against his arms. "Please let go."

Oh and if that didn't sting. He obeyed reluctantly, scooting away from her for her good measure. She pushed herself up into a sitting position, tossed the covers aside, and swung her legs around the edge of the bed. She started to stand but then fell to her knees beside the bed. He scrambled across the mattress, ready to help her, but she was already getting to her feet.

She took a few steps away from the bed where nothing could touch her and stood there with her back to him, head ducked. He watched her shoulders rise and fall slowly. Idiot. He'd just realized she was in some sort of shock from being able to feel things again, and the first thing he did was cuddle her up so tightly she could barely move. "I'm sorry," he apologized.

Rose nodded and croaked, "It's just so much at once."

"I know. I'm so sorry."

"Can I…can I eat?"

The Doctor sat up. "Can you?"

"I need to."

"Then we'll go get you some food." He said simply.

They walked down the corridors together in silence and he was careful not to touch her except for when she stumbled over her own feet. There was…so much they needed to discuss and he wasn't sure how to even begin. More often than not she was the one who instigated the difficult talks but she was just as lost as he was. He wanted so badly to help her but he didn't even know how.

No, wait. Yes he did. He sent the idea to the TARDIS who hummed in approval. "Rose, change of plans. Follow me."

"But I'm hungry…" she protested, looking and sounding very much like a girl half her age.

"You can have food in just a bit, I promise. But I know something that can help you."

He hadn't been to this room in years. Hadn't had a need to. His regeneration from his Eighth to Ninth body had been difficult but not traumatic enough for the Zero Room. And, really, he hadn't had time. He should have spent the first day or so of this regeneration inside of it while his body recovered but Rose hadn't known. That was his fault. When he opened the door to the empty white room, he was pleased to see it hadn't changed much since he last saw it. The round things in the walls were gone—he never could quite figure out what those things were—but the basic structure remained the same. He should've brought her here first.

The Doctor motioned for her to enter. Rose glanced at him then took a step inside. Then another. And he immediately noticed the change. Her entire body relaxed and she let out a little sigh of relief.

His lips slid up into a smile and he stepped inside. "Better?"

"Much. What is this place?"

"The Zero Room. Every TARDIS had one. This room is sort of…separate from the rest of the universe. There's not really a way I can explain it that you'd understand. Not without knowledge of at least several advanced forms of physics and other sciences," he added at her affronted look. "But you your mind will have a chance to heal in here. And, if you want, I could teach you to levitate. I think you'd be able to pull it off."

"Levitate?"

He nodded and walked towards the center of the room. "Watch." And then he floated several feet off the ground.

She gasped, wide-eyed. "I think I'd like that."

He dropped back down to the floor. "Alright, then. Do as you like. Sit, walk around, or lay down—doesn't matter. I'll bring us some food. And tea. Tea will help you as well. Just make sure you don't leave."

"No worries there." Rose assured him as she settled down on the ground. The Doctor stared at her for a moment longer, drinking in her image, then turned and left the room.

The Doctor set them down on a beach on an island somewhere in the past and parked. He promised Martha she'd be home soon but she wasn't in a hurry. She knew she wouldn't be able to depart without knowing Rose and the Doctor would be okay without her. She had her own problems but she also had her own family to help her. The two of them, the moment they took off, they'd only have each other and an entire universe depending on them.

Rose was having difficulties recovering from the sudden influx of memories and having a body again. Though her body didn't know any different, her mind did and that was enough to make normal human behaviors strange. It was a good thing her body blinked and breathed on its own, and let her know when it was time for other banal tasks like using the loo, eating, and sleeping. She had trouble remembering other ordinary things like walking. More than once she'd leaned forward, expecting to float in the direction she wanted, only to remember too late that she couldn't do that anymore, and she ended up on the floor.

The worst part was on the first day when she forgot she couldn't pass through objects anymore and walked face-first into a wall.

The poor Doctor about had a hearts attack.

They spent a few hours on the beach each day to help her get used to different sensations in a safe environment. The different textures and densities of sand under her feet, the change in temperature between the wind, sun, and water. The heat of the sun beating down on her back. She sat on the edge of the water and let it ebb and flow around her, then went further in and let the waves push against her, rocking her body back and forth and occasionally knocking her over. Every time she took a deep breath of the salty air, she smiled, even when one of those big breaths ended up in her swallowing some saltwater and throwing up.

When they weren't actively doing something, Rose spent her time in the Zero Room, which the Doctor promised was perfectly fine. The pair of them slept in there too, on a mattress the TARDIS provided. Martha initially expressed concerns over the Doctor's lack of sleep but when Rose settled down to sleep the first night, he did too, and he was still out the next morning when she awoke. He was considerate enough to not immediately try to spoon her when they lay down to sleep, and even when she invited him to, he didn't make himself into a protective cocoon around her. Instead she opted to be the big spoon. It let her offer him comfort, and if she felt the need to move, she'd be able to.

Rose particularly enjoyed being in the Zero Room. It soothed her mind. Made the stress of everything…less.

They spent a lot of their time alone talking about things. Not the real, deep stuff like their traumas and emotions. No, that would take time. But other things, like people she'd met during her travels. The people who'd known him in the past, people he'd saved. Elliot. She told him about the people in Oregon and why she'd decided they were worth it. How she'd learned to make herself seen and heard.

He talked about his friendship with the Joneses, and how K9 had thought to entertain him one day by racing around the console room with the Doctor's sonic as hostage. When she asked about her necklace on his hand, he told her how it had come to be there before returning it. Her TARDIS key, however, seemed to have vanished.

The Doctor told her early on that she'd given back the part of the TARDIS that been within her, though he needn't have bothered. She'd known the moment she'd awoken. The place where the TARDIS had been was gone, and the link had returned to what it had been. She was much more aware of it than before, able to see the bindings that held them together as well as the area in between that glowed. Bad Wolf. It was comforting knowing She was still there.

But without the TARDIS in her mind, her abilities were gone. Or so she'd believed until she cut herself on a sharp seashell and watched the cut close over the span of about a minute.

Many of her memories of being Bad Wolf were repressed, her mind's way of coping and handling them, but every so often something would trigger a memory and she could recall it in perfect detail. The sudden healing of her skin brought back several memories.

The energy was still within her, had been in her since the inception of Bad Wolf, but it hadn't become active until the Huon remnants inside her had been triggered and stirred things up in her systems. It flowed from the golden place where Bad Wolf slept, and now that she was aware of it, she could feel it humming though her if she focused hard enough. But she could no longer channel the energy to project it outwards and she tried for hours. The light never appeared in her palms and, try as she might, she couldn't get a tiny little cut on Martha's arm to heal. It was disheartening.

While she was testing herself, another of her memories awoke, bringing with it knowledge that left her uneasy now as it had then. This energy was an integral part of her body, healing any damage and regenerating her body, and it would continue to do its job for as long as Bad Wolf existed.

Which meant she was going to live for a long time.

She wasn't sure how to tell him. She knew he wanted her to stay with him but…he'd said that when he was expecting her to live maybe eighty or ninety years. How would he react when she told him eighty had suddenly become…eight hundred or more? She wanted to believe he'd be ecstatic, but there was always the chance he wouldn't. So she put it off.

They also worked on her telepathy. It, like her other abilities, had been curbed substantially. She could no longer stretch and flex it like it were simply another limb, nor could she enter Martha's mind, but with a little practice she was easily able to slot it into place next to the Doctor's so they could speak. It made her hopeful that they could one day share a telepathic bond like the one she'd discussed with him in her room in the Hub. She knew she would very much enjoy having his mind as a constant presence in the back of hers. She was feeling very empty without the TARDIS actively there every second of the day. Once upon a time she had abhorred the thought of another being anywhere near her mind, including the sentient ship.

How far she'd come.

So, during one of their telepathy sessions, she mentioned the bond idea and his face blossomed into that same awe-struck grin she remembered from a year before. "You still want that?" he asked.

Rose nodded. "Yes. My head's…empty without her there. I can't imagine what it's like for you. And, plus, well, I want to be bonded to you like that."

His smile was bright enough to outshine the sun.

She was getting back into the swing of things fairly quickly and she was quite pleased with herself. Having a body wasn't new to her so, really, all she needed was some readjusting. Flying though…that she missed. Levitating in the Zero Room or floating around in the antigravity room weren't the same.

At first she found it awkward being around Martha. They'd spent a lot of time together both before and…after. Near the end, Bad Wolf had said some things. Rather, snarled some things. She thought Martha had learned the difference between her and Bad Wolf, but she wasn't sure. So she apologized.

"What for?" Martha asked incredulously. "It wasn't you."

"No but it—it was me."

"But not just you. And it was stupid of me to forget that. I mean it wasn't like you made it easy in the first place. That night, though, I was an idiot. You could see the bigger picture and I only saw what was in front of me."

"But you had every right to be upset," Rose insisted. "And I lashed out."

"Don't worry. I forgave you. Though, I didn't get a chance to ask. What'd you think of the CIA cover story I gave Tom and Docherty?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "'The Ghost.' I still can't believe you did that."

After that, things weren't so awkward anymore. She was upset when Martha told her she'd be staying behind when they went back to Earth, but not really surprised. Martha had wanted to visit home before all this, and she didn't blame her for being tired of traveling after what she'd been through. And she promised to get the Doctor to take them back to Earth before the week was out. In the meantime, she wouldn't have to worry about them landing anywhere dangerous. The TARDIS wouldn't allow it.

They spent the third day packing her room up. Everything she'd gathered during her travels, all the clothes and items she wanted to take with her were loaded into a large suitcase and a duffle bag. It gave them plenty of time to talk, and Rose was interested to hear what happened during the two weeks she'd missed. Martha told her about Sarah Jane and K9, which made Rose smile, and that they needed to let her know she was alive. She told her that she'd found Tom Milligan.

"Really?" Rose raised her eyebrows in interest. "You're going to give it a go with him?"

"Hey, come on now, I just said I found him. It's a bit early for that. He doesn't even know I exist."

"Yet," Rose added, setting the shirt she was holding into the suitcase. "Just so you know, I was in the back seat of his truck almost the whole time."

Martha's eyes widened and she blushed. "Um…"

"Uh huh," said Rose as Martha smirked. "I don't think he'll be that different. I expect a call after the first date."

Martha had also apparently paid a visit to Professor Docherty as well. She gave her flowers and told her she was forgiven. Of course she didn't remember anything either but, still, the gesture made Rose smile. Martha hadn't let the year ruin her.

That night Rose and the Doctor moved out of the Zero Room and back into theirs. As they were lying down to go to sleep, Rose snuggled up close to his front and pressed her face into his chest. For a moment he was utterly silent and still. Then he hummed quietly and slid his arms around her. She exhaled in relief. She'd missed this, but she would be forever grateful to him for not pushing her into anything until she was ready.

That was when she finally told him, in the dark of their room as they snuggled together under the sheets. "What if I told you that I could stay with you forever?"

"Then I'd believe you," he murmured into her hair.

"And what if I told you that I meant your forever and not just mine."

The Doctor slowly raised his head and she rolled over to face him. She could see the shock on his face through the gloom in the room. But she wouldn't be the one to break the silence.

"How?" he finally whispered.

"My healing is…regenerative." He gaped at her and she went on quickly. "I can't regenerate like you can but the energy in me it's…keeping my body from withering."

"But you…when did you realize?"

"The other day. Healing myself triggered a few memories. Stuff Bad Wolf saved for me. I think it started when we met Donna but it wasn't stopping aging, just slowing it. But now? I don't think I've aged since my last December with Torchwood when all this really showed up."

"B-but you died…"

"I used up my energy on other people. Can't do that anymore. So it all focuses on me now. I'm not immortal so I can die, but it's just…not gonna be as easy as it was before. So it looks like I'm gonna be with you for a long time."

The Doctor was absolutely still. He wasn't even breathing. She swallowed back the fear rising within and propped herself up on her arm. "Is that…is that alright?"

Instead of answering, he leaned down and kissed her, running his tongue along her lips. She opened her mouth to let him in and groaned softly. They made love in the dark for the first time since the Hub. In those furtive moments she was able to see just how much the last year had broken him. How her death had nearly shattered him. She saw it in his eyes, felt it in the desperate way he clutched her to him, and devoured her. He'd been so concerned for her that he'd barely had time to heal himself. So she kissed and touched him everywhere, letting her hands and lips soothe him in a way she hadn't been able to before, every kiss and touch reassuring him that she was with him again.

But he never answered her question and she didn't see him until the next morning when he strolled into the kitchen while she and Martha were having breakfast. He informed them that there was no reason to put it off any longer and they would be taking Martha home, assuming she still wanted to go. She did.

After breakfast, he landed them in Martha's mother's back garden. Martha went out first, pulling her suitcase with one hand and holding her duffle bag over her other shoulder. Rose heard her greet her mum and dad. The Doctor went next, poking his head out comically before bounding out of the TARDIS.

Rose had never really known Francine Jones and their first meeting hadn't exactly been under the best circumstances, nor had first impressions been very good on either side. So when Rose stepped out of the TARDIS behind the Doctor, she was quite surprised to see the other woman start crying and then throw her arms around Rose. Rose glanced at the Doctor and Martha and shock. The Doctor shrugged but Martha smiled and nodded encouragingly.

She hugged Francine back. "Uh, hi."

Francine sniffed, squeezing her tightly, then took a step back. "You don't know how happy I am to see you alive."

Martha's dad, Clive, shook her hand. "Clive Jones. Nice to finally meet you…and see you're alive."

Tish hugged her as well, face full of relief and delight, and murmured just two words, "Thank you."

And, then, just like that…it was time for them to go. They really had no reason to stay and Rose was due to report back to Torchwood. Temporarily, of course, but she had to pack up her life there and make sure it was okay for her to go. She never planned on staying forever, only until the Doctor came back, and Jack had been well aware of that when he'd officially hired her. But she knew she couldn't just leave loose ends lying around and she suspected he'd like to keep her on the payroll as a 'consultant' or something. The Doctor wanted to get everything done and get off world ASAP.

The three of them stood outside the TARDIS, Rose and the Doctor with their backs to the ship and Martha with her back to her home—and family waiting inside. Much like when they'd first invited her to come with him. Martha wore her red leather jacket, the Doctor had on his brown suit and coat, and Rose's shirt was even green, darker green but green nonetheless.

"So I guess this is it, then," the Doctor said. He had on a brave face but Rose could tell he was upset. Usually when he said goodbye it was for good. Well, not this time.

Martha laughed, shaking her head. "I don't even know what to say. I always knew I wasn't going to travel forever, but now that it's actually time I can't—"

"I know." Rose smiled. "We'll miss you."

"I'll miss both of you, too. But it's time. It really is. It's been amazing and I wouldn't have missed it for anything—though that last year I could've done without. But the universe was worth everything. And I will never be able to thank you enough for showing it to me."

"It was my pleasure," the Doctor assured her. "Besides, after everything, you don't need to thank me. If you ever need anything, give us a call."

"Or just give us a call whenever you want." Rose said. "Either way, we'll come."

"I will," Martha said. She stepped forward, arms wide, and hugged them both. Rose squeezed her as tightly as she could and felt the Doctor doing the same. "Oh, God, I'm gonna miss you two," she grunted. "But I can't breathe!"

They let her go quickly. Rose laughed apologetically.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Martha held up her finger, reaching into her pocket with her other hand, and pulled out her TARDIS key.

"No, keep it," the Doctor told her. "That's yours. If it ever gets hot and starts glowing, that means we're here in this time. Well, versions of us that coincide with you anyway."

Martha smiled, tucking the key back into her pocket. "I'll remember that." She looked between them both and laughed again. "Alright, both of you, get out of here before I start crying."

"Oh, now, we can't have that." The Doctor backed towards his ship, pushing the door open, and stepped inside.

Rose gripped Martha's hand tightly for a moment and grinned at her. "We'll see you later, Martha. And don't forget, I expect that phone call." She squeezed her hand then let go and backed into the ship.

Martha stood there alone in the back garden of her mum's house, watching as the door to the place she'd once called home shut in front of her. There was something very final about it. A chapter of her life was ending and though she would see the people from it and repeat some activities from it, things would never be the same. And she was okay with that. For a time, Martha Jones had been a traveller and now she was finally ready to stop and put her feet up. She had her career as a doctor in front of her, med school to finish, and a family that, for all its faults, she loved dearly and she needed. Just as they needed her.

So when the wheezing and groaning filled the air and the TARDIS began to fade in and out of existence, she smiled and watched it go. Only once the sound of the universe had faded away did she turn around and walk inside. She didn't look back.

*sniffs and snuggles all of them* mah babies. We'll, we've come full circle now. All that's left is the end.