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It was a dark, miserable pub. Slumped at the corner of the bar, the Doctor grasped the glass tumbler and necked the remaining whiskey down his throat. It burned, but after eight glasses of the stuff the burning had become more of a numbing agent almost; although it could never mask the pain he was really feeling. Nothing strong enough for that, he thought, and shook his head. He put the glass back down and signalled to the bartender with his left hand that he wanted another; the burly man behind the bar, however, denied his request. “Sorry mate, you’re in a bad way and I can’t serve you another ‘ere. Get yourself a taxi home”, he said, and placed a business card of a taxi firm in front of the Doctor on the bar. The Doctor sighed but smiled weakly at the barman and took the card, grateful at his concern. The barman nodded and tapped the Doctor’s shoulder a couple of times to show reassurance. Whatever he was going through, thought the barman, drinking himself to death wouldn’t help. The Doctor placed a £50 note on the bar, more than enough to cover his drinks. “Thanks mate… have one on me too?” he said, and the barman nodded, taking the note and putting it in the till. The Doctor slowly began rising to his feet, grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair, swung it on, and then headed out the door.
The Doctor slowly wandered around the town he was in for what felt like hours, a light rain drizzling around him – the kind light enough to stick and get clothes sodden, but not heavy enough to warrant an umbrella. The atmosphere was almost as dreary as the pub, he thought. He had come from Leadworth earlier that day, having had to be the one to explain to Brian why Amy and Rory couldn’t return. For him, it had been a few months since they had died; for Brian, it had been three days since they all left. He had needed the time to heal before he could face Brian because he knew the level of trust he had placed on him to bring them both home safe – but he couldn’t. Despite his best efforts, the Doctor truly didn’t see a way for the pain to go away. He had waited so long from his timeline to try and cope, to better control his emotions, but it was no good. Today he felt just as heartbroken as the day he had lost them in that New York gravesite.
Eventually, the Doctor arrived back at the Tardis, only swaying slightly. What used to feel like a loving home now instead resembled a catacomb to house all his grief. Upon closing the doors, he sank to the ground and sat there, still and in silence. He had nobody now; his Ponds were dead, and River had left him. Too grief stricken herself, she had left the Tardis, and then him. They tried to remain together for the sake of each other’s pain and loss they were both experiencing, but it just got too much. For him, she was a reminder of the friends he could never see, and for her she saw him as the face of her suffering. He cared for her still, as did River for him, but the arguments got worse and soon it became clear how separation would likely be the best. The Doctor teared up, recollecting their last time together in the Tardis. Knowing that, by now, she would have already been to the library, he couldn’t help but feel remorse for the fact that he could have tried harder. Even when the Ponds were alive, he never felt like a ‘proper’ husband to her – she deserved the universe, and yet she fell in love with a man who would soon be the reason she cried herself to sleep.
Eventually, the Doctor rose to his feet and headed to the control panel. He pulled one of the levers and haphazardly typed co-ordinates in, not looking at what he was doing – partially because his vision was now becoming somewhat cloudy. He sat on the jump-seat as the Tardis sounded her take off and the final time that the Doctor would be near Leadworth.
The Tardis landed on a council estate in London, and the Doctor smiled faintly when he stepped outside. Rose’s place. It was no coincidence he had ended up here; years of losing friends and loved ones, Rose’s memory had somehow always remained a happy one for him. Maybe it was because he knew she wasn’t dead – even though he knew his Ponds had lived out their lives, together, he never saw it. He knew that running parallel to him right in this moment, Rose Tyler was still living her life with a meta-crisis version of his younger form - she was still happy, still safe. It had almost become an automated action to plug in these co-ordinates. If ever the Doctor felt low, this is where he came. And, right now, Rose Tyler was what he needed. Closing the Tardis doors behind him, the Doctor began approaching the main entrance to the flats. Double checking he had the right time, he consulted his watch; 9:23pm, April 24th, 2009 – just under a year since Rose had last walked this Earth before being permanently sealed off forever. Around him he could see the devastation the Daleks had caused; buildings were still damaged, some cars were still left abandoned, their owners never coming home to them. He sighed; what a mess it all left behind – it was a sight he was not used to seeing. Turning away, the Doctor took out his sonic and unlocked the doors to the flats, before heading upstairs. He reached the flat of Rose and Jackie Tyler and smiled before unlocking it also and stepping inside.
He locked the door behind him and turned on a table light upon entering the flat. It was still as it had been in 2006 when the Tylers had first gone to the parallel world. They had both returned briefly during their time back in 2008, but it had mostly gone untouched. They weren’t a big family, so there was nobody to claim any belongings. Torchwood had since then taken ownership of the flat in 2007, demanding it remain untouched to act as a memorial to all those on the estate who had died in the battle at Canary Warf. Jack Harkness knew the Doctor still came by every now and again, just to sit amongst the memories – whilst he preferred for him to not, and for it to remain untouched (as he had promised the landlord), he understood why the Doctor did it and chose to not interfere, instead turning a blind eye to his friend’s actions. The Doctor wandered around the flat before heading into Rose’s bedroom. He chuckled to himself; clothes were still strewn on the floor and makeup had been left on the vanity. His chuckle was in both amusement of Rose’s untidiness, but also in sadness, seeing for himself again how she had clearly got ready that day imagining it to be just another adventure. Neither of them had any idea.
He sighed before yawning – the alcohol from the pub earlier on had now began to make him tired, as well as the months of self-deprecation and a general lack of sleep. Rose’s flat made him feel safe, however, and he saw no reason why not to take advantage of it. Turning the little light off again, so not to attract attention through windows of neighbours, the Doctor kicked off his shoes and hung his jacket on the back of Rose’s door before lifting up the sheets and climbing inside her bed. Somehow they still had her scent in them – a light perfume with notes of sandalwood in it, a scent he had become so accustomed to and yet always felt like the first time he had noticed it whenever he found one of her possessions in the Tardis. Oh how he loved it, though, he thought, with the fragrance only adding to the calmness of how the flat made him feel. He had only slept in Rose’s flat once before, and that was after a regeneration. He had marvelled, and still did to this day, at how brave she was at that time, but also how accepting. He acknowledged the fact that he had become a seemingly younger man, but she still cared for him in the same way. He smiled recalling the times he had spent with her, before sleep finally took hold of the Timelord and lulled him into slumber.
The following morning, the Doctor awoke at about 8am. He groaned as he rolled over in Rose’s bed and placed a hand on his forehead – he never normally got hangovers, but he had clearly pushed his limit last night. Slowly, he sat himself up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He sat for a few minutes, taking in plenty of deep breaths, before standing and heading to the kitchen to search for paracetamol. Long shot, he had thought to himself, before finding a tin of medication to his surprise. Inside there were still some paracetamol and ibuprofen which were unopened and in-date, so he took two of each. He grimaced as he took them, never being a fan of medication, but knew he needed them this time. “Should do it…” he said to himself before heading back into Rose’s bedroom. He reached down to grab his boots, and was about to put them on, before a shrill ringing sound startled him, making him drop them. It was the telephone; But who the Hell is calling? he thought, before heading out into the hallway to gingerly pick up the receiver. He didn’t speak initially, and instead waited for whoever was on the other end to do so first. Soon, a voice spoke.
“Doctor, is that you?” a mans voice asked. The Doctor chuckled, instantly recognising who it was – he knew it was safe now. “Yes, Jack, hello. Care to explain why you’re calling Rose Tyler’s house phone?” he responded and heard a scoff on the other end of the line. He furrowed his brow. “Jack?” he asked, now pressing the ex-Time Agent. “Never mind why I’m calling; why have you spent the night at her apartment? And you sound different…how many things do I need to know about here, Doc?”. The Doctor could tell Jack sounded uncomfortable, but also realised he needed to word this as best he could so not to give away too much future insight. Fortunately, Jack had already had to get his head around the concept of regeneration, so that was one less job to do. As he thought how best to word his situation, he glanced up at the ceiling to see a small camera embedded into the wall. It appeared to have the Torchwood logo on it, and the Doctor chuckled under his breath. “Of course, you’re monitoring this place… Look, Jack, I can’t explain too much. The Doctor you know right now is a mere 910 years old. I am almost 1,500. I’ve lost a lot in that time, Jack. This place gives me comfort; always has. I didn’t intend to stay over, and I’m sorry because I’m sure I shouldn’t have, but I was so tired and…” he began, but Jack soon cut him off, clearly only interested in finding out which incarnation he was speaking with: “Doctor, have you regenerated, yes or no?” he asked. The Doctor replied “Yes, once. Why?”. Jack sighed. “Okay…this might be odd then, I’d hoped that wasn’t the case…but come to Torchwood, now. I have something to show you.” Before the Doctor could even respond, Jack had put the phone down. He shrugged and placed the receiver back on hold before putting his jacket and boots back on and headed to the door. He turned to look over his shoulder and smiled faintly at the flat, then headed out the door and locked it behind him.
The Tardis landed in Torchwood’s hub a mere minute, for Jack, after he had ended the call. When the Doctor stepped out, he was busy typing at a computer and staring intently at the screen. “You called?” said the Doctor, his voice filling the large room. Jack looked up, before doing a double-take and smirking. “Wow, younger bod…suits you, Doc. Give us a twirl!” he said, only partially joking. The Doctor felt himself blush a little but laughed nonetheless and did a quick spin to humour Jack. “What are you like, Harkness?” he said, and the two men briefly exchanged a hug. “So, if this if how you look now, and you’re almost 1,500..how long since you were last here? For you, that is?” asked Jack. The Doctor shrugged. “About 350 years…I’m unsure. Believe me when I say you’ll understand. Watch out for events in 2010 and 2011… you’ll quickly soon see how I ended up so busy.” Jack’s eyes widened in their childish way that he somehow managed to perfect still; a look which meant ‘tell me more’. “No more can be said, you know that. And no word to my younger self you met me, either. From memory you’ll still see me in my previous form again, before I change. You can’t let on you’ve seen a future me.” Jack nods, understanding the severity of what that could cause. “Now then, why did you want me here?” asked the Doctor, and Jack smiled. “We found her, Doc. We found Rose…she’s coming home”.
The Doctor stood still, stunned. “What do you mean? Jack, she’s trapped in a parallel universe, she cannot possibly come back home!”. Sensing his confusion and frustration as to the situation, Jack lead the Doctor through to another room with a large, white pod in it with glass panes covering the outside. He sat him down. “Let me explain”, he began, before showing the Doctor a small disc. It was silver and teal, with the Torchwood logo imprinted on it. The Doctor took it and felt it in the palm of his hand – it was small, about the size of a watch battery, and small enough to easily lose it, but big enough so that he could read an inscription. “T/W T/D?” he said, then looked up at Jack. “What is it?” he asked. Jack smiled faintly; “It’s a transportation disc. Picks up the location of any living being when on them for a prolonged period of time. Basically an advanced form of GPS tracking, but with a much bigger range”. The Doctor, sensing where Jack was headed, rubbed his forehead – his hangover certainly wasn’t helping with the situation either. “Jack…even if you could track her, you couldn’t bring her back. You know that…”. Jack chuckled. “That, my friend is where you’re wrong” he said as he got to his feet and took the Doctor to an array of monitors near the white pod. He opened up some files and began scrolling through whilst beginning to explain what it all meant. “Okay, so, we kept this a secret from you. We knew how hard it was the first time you had to say goodbye to her, and no doubt it was harder the second?” he turned to see the Doctor nodding, slightly biting his lip. Jack continued; “However…we all saw how happy Rose made you that day she came back. I can see it now that she still does – you use her memory to get by in hard times and I get that; we all do. So, between the few of us here at Torchwood, and the Tylers, we devised a plan”. The Doctor began looking at some of the data on the screen, trying to understand it. Jack’s attempt at explanation was going far too slow for his liking and was trying to ‘skip ahead’ – this didn’t work, however. He turned his attention back to the Captain, raising his eyebrow. “What plan?”.
Jack grinned now, getting excited at the prospect their work might finally pay off. “The Torchwood Transportation Disc was implanted into the base of Rose’s skull, close enough to the spinal cord to be able to pick up on any remaining Tardis energy within her which acts like a synaptic relay in the body. We did this not long before you all had to leave to go back to Pete’s world. Once she had arrived back last year, for us anyway, we did scans. You removed the majority of the time vortex from her, the energy that damned me to live forever, but your own body could only absorb so much of it – about 98% - because of your age. It was enough to cause you to change and to prevent Rose from dying. In fact, the remaining 2% would have been harmless and unnoticeable to her. Might have boosted her immunity a little, aided in repairing muscle damage, all that. By now, she should still have about 1% remaining in her body. The disc inserted began storing what energy still passed by and, if our calculations are correct, a little boost from the Tardis should be enough…” the Doctor interrupted, “…to bring her back across!” he said, almost leaping in joy as he finally understood the science behind it. He was happy, of course, but also a little annoyed that he didn’t think of a plan similar sooner. Jack nodded. “Yes…now, you have to understand, Doctor, it might not work…and if it does then you can’t come back to this time, not with Rose. You’ll have to be confined to visiting Earth only from the year 2030, just so enough time has passed that nobody who knew Rose at age 19 will either be living here anymore, or alive. Obviously, you can visit wherever though…she’d just have to stay onboard whilst you were gone.” Jack finished, sensing how the Doctor’s excitement was likely to begin clouding anybody else speaking. He looked like a child in a toy store, eager to get going. Jack smiled and stood up before fiddling with the machine.
The Doctor, now having lost his tweed jacket and rolled up his sleeves, had rigged up a long cable from the machine in the Torchwood facility to a port on the Tardis console. It would momentarily drain the Tardis, the transfer from one world to another still requiring massive amounts of energy. Being on-top of the rift, however, the Tardis would begin refuelling almost instantaneously, and would be able to set off again in two days. Jack continued to work away at the computer, establishing a secure link with the disc in Rose’s skull and the pod in the room. He had told her, before they left, that when it buzzed it meant they were about to try and bring her back. He sent that signal, and told the Doctor they would need to wait at least thirty minutes so to ensure she had definitely got the signal. Before the time passed, however, a signal was received back by the computers. Jack went to have a look. “Link established!” he said, gleaming. “Alright, Doctor, you ready?” he said, his hand on a lever. The Doctor, staring now intently at the pod in which Rose would materialise, didn’t even turn around to look at Jack. He was transfixed, not wanting to miss the second she arrived. He nodded frantically, though, smiling and tearing up as he waited. “Yes…bring her over…” he answered, and Jack pulled the lever down.
A loud crashing sound from the surge of energy leaving the console came from the Tardis as the pod was filled with energy from the rift. The link was established with the chip and the two were ‘talking’ to one another. The Doctor stared into the pod, a bright light now emitting from it as the link intensified. The sound of the machinery supporting the system grew louder as the passage over from one world to another began, but yet the Doctor would not move from the spot. Jack was squinting and covering his ears just to cope with being there, but not him. The Doctor stood tall, neither shielding his eyes nor covering his ears. He had waited so long for a miracle to make his life better – and here she was. Slowly, the light began to take the form of a human. Five foot, four inches tall, slim build. Hair began to be defined – shoulder length and a dash of yellow light now emerged, signifying her blonde locks. Soon, the light completely resembled the form of Rose Tyler who was now stood there, before the two men, in the pod of noise and light – she was screaming, the journey obviously being painful. The Doctor clasped a hand over his mouth in shock, still not quite convinced this wasn’t a mirage, or that this was an extremely vivid dream fuelled by last night’s drinking. He let tears fall down his cheeks as the light and noise began to fade, leaving in their wake Rose Tyler, in the flesh, every cell in her body having been transported across the two worlds. Once it was all over, and Jack had turned off the machinery, the Doctor rushed to the door of the pod. He opened it quickly, and just in time, before Rose passed out and landed in his arms. Overcome with emotion, he held her to his chest and knelt on the floor. He tightly clasped her body, as if he would never let go. He cried, and so did Jack. She had come home; she was safe again.
He never left her side whilst she rested. After she had collapsed, Jack had helped carry her into what was her old bedroom in the Tardis – despite the remodelling, ‘she’ had always kept it for her, and the Doctor always liked that. Jack had checked for any major damage with a portable scanner as she lay sleeping, the Doctor holding her hand. Surprisingly, there was none. Only a few migraines would likely occur, and a minor operation would be needed to remove the disc – all in good time, though. Jack left, understanding how the Doctor would want to be alone with her for a while. He would have his time to see Rose, he had said, seeing as the Tardis was stranded in the Torchwood base for at least two days whilst she recharged. The Doctor had agreed and let him go, locking the door with his sonic as he left the bedroom. Five hours later, he was still by Rose’s side, watching her breathe gently. He smiled and admired how beautiful she was and suddenly was overcome with the urge to kiss her. He chuckled to himself and instead squeezed her hand gently. Growing tired himself now, he considered how inappropriate and rude it would be to nod off to sleep in the chair. Imagine if she woke up, he thought, then couldn’t help but let out a little laugh. As he did, a little sign of life began stirring in Rose – she sharply inhaled as if she was being disturbed in her sleep, then her body twitched a little. Now, any thoughts of tiredness were quickly out of the Doctor’s mind, and he turned all his attention back on her. “Rose? Rose, it’s me! It’s the Doctor, YOUR Doctor…can you hear me?” he said, and she stirred more. She was waking up. He moved onto the edge of the bed from his chair and stroked her cheek to calm her as she began to rouse from her sleep. “Take it easy, I think you were knocked out pretty hard by the journey..” he said, as her eyes gently fluttered open. She moaned softly as light entered her eyes, a light too bright for someone who had been unconscious for almost six hours.
The Doctor gleamed down at her. “Hello Rose…welcome back” he said, and she tried to smile back. “Am…am I dreaming?” a weary Rose Tyler asked. The Doctor chuckled and planted a soft kiss on the back of her hand. “No…your plan with Jack worked. You’re back in the other universe now…and it’s me, Rose. I’m the Doctor, can you see? I changed again…sorry, I keep doing that…” he replied, blushing a little. Slowly, Rose sat up in bed, the Doctor helping her by leaning forward to reach around and support her back. Although she was alright, physically, he couldn’t help but worry. Once she was sat up, he soon realised just how close they now were – their faces were a mere few inches apart, and his hands were still on her. In this regeneration, he knew how obviously flustered he would look, but Rose was used to him. And not his physical form, she KNEW him, and she didn’t stop to move him off her. She squinted as she examined his face, getting a good look at the man whom claimed to be her Doctor, before staring into his eyes. Eyes that, to her, reflected the years of love and loss she knew all too well that he experienced. The same eyes she first gazed into, for her, four years ago, were the same eyes staring back at her now. A small, mischievous, smile placed itself onto her face as she recognised him, and the Doctor raised an eyebrow. Before he could question her, a hand cupped his cheek and he found himself reaching up to cover it almost instantly. He closed his eyes and leant into her soft touch, smiling. When he opened his eyes, he just caught a brief glimpse of her own eyes closing as she leant in. No longer wanting to waste time, he closed the gap between them by planting a tender kiss on Rose’s lips. For him, it had been 600 years since he last kissed Rose Tyler, and oh how he planned to make up for that lost time. But not now, now was the time for tenderness. The kiss was soft, yet firm, neither one of them wanting to break it. He deepened it slightly, her mouth allowing his tongue access. He entered and held her tighter by the waist, pulling her body to his. She let out a sigh of contentment and now wrapped both her arms around the Doctor’s neck. She felt a few tears brush against her cheeks and she was unsure who was the one who produced them. Not that either of them cared.
Eventually, the Doctor pulled away gently and wiped away their tears. “My Rose… you have no idea how much I missed you…” he said, trying to hold back more crying. She smiled, also trying to do the same. “I’ve missed you too…and I do mean YOU, Doctor. The meta-crisis you, human you, just wasn’t the same. He didn’t change, like you had. He stayed angry, a man born in war. I couldn’t change him…” she said. The Doctor frowned; “What happened? How come you had this back-up plan to possibly come back?” he asked. Rose shrugged. “I always had an inkling it wouldn’t work out, him and I. Of course, we tried. He looked, talked, and had knowledge like you. But he wasn’t you. The form of a man which you can change is not what I fell in love with. I fell in love with the idea of you, and your enthusiasm for travelling and saving the universe, not just your physical appearance. He had none of that… three months after you left us, he joined the army to fight in a war that was going on over in Nigeria. He died five weeks later. Blinded by rage, he forgot he was human…stormed right into the conflict. Shot instantly”. Rose’s words left a cold feeling in the room, yet the Doctor somehow didn’t feel upset. She was right; they weren’t the same person. And now she was here, although for as selfish as it was…she could truly be his again. “Rose, I… I’m so sorry…” he managed to muster, still actually a bit shocked by the revelation. “Save it. I never loved him like I love you. It was never right…his eyes never told me the same stories that yours do. Even now, I can see you’ve suffered so much since you last saw me.” she said, briefly looking away. “Can I…try and fix that?” she asked, and the Doctor smiled before nodding. She launched herself back at him to kiss the Doctor again. Not even hesitating, he kissed her back, allowing her to push him onto the bed. Now on-top of him, Rose giggled. “Looks like I have a new body to check out…again. You’re even younger this time; I wonder what surprises you have for me” she said, smirking as she went in to kiss his neck. The Doctor sighed in pleasure but held himself back. “Rose… wait…” he managed, still aware that she may still be feeling rough from the travel. “What?” she asked. “We can have all the time in the Universe for that… I think now would be a much better time to…” the Doctor began, but he was cut off. Rose, never the patient one, had kissed him anew, more passionately this time. After a while, the Doctor sensed that neither of them really wanted to stop, and so gave in. He pulled away briefly so to take control of the situation and rolled them over so that he was now on-top of her. He smirked and bit her neck gently, causing her to gasp. “Fine then, Rose Tyler. I’ll give you the welcome back you desire…get ready for those surprises you’re so very eager to find” the Doctor said, raising an eyebrow and smirking in a lustful manner. She giggled, but the two were soon interrupted. Jack began frantically knocking on the door; “Doctor! Doc, let me in!” he said, and so the Doctor complied, sighing as he rose to his feet to unlock the door. “What?”.
“It’s the disc, Doc. The one in her neck; we need to get it out now! The readings are going wild – I think it’s trying to send her back home!” Jack said, bursting into the room the second the Doctor had let him in. Rose sat up in bed, eyes wide. “What? Jack, is that even possible?!” she asked, slowly getting up, and Jack flapped his hands in response. “I didn’t think so, but it seems as if it’s trying to re-establish a link with Pete’s world. Like the connection to that world is too strong or it knows she ‘shouldn’t’ be here. Doc, get her to the med-bay immediately. I’m getting help.” And with that, he dashed off again. Concerned, the Doctor grabbed Rose by the hand and pulled her into the med-bay, the two running down the corridors. It was just like old times, he thought. But he needed to focus so to create some future times with her. He had already lost her twice, and he wasn’t going to let that happen again. Once they were inside, the Doctor got Rose to lay down on her front on a bed that had a head-hole cut-tout. She turned her head to the side to look at him whilst Jack was preparing a needle; “Doctor, I’m so scared…I don’t want to go back!” she said with tears beginning to form in her eyes, and he smiled sympathetically, cupping her cheeks. He turned his attention to Jack. “What do we do? How long do we have?” he asked urgently, and Jack came over to them, needle in hand. “Okay, Martha is on her way. The disc was easy to implant but harder to remove. She is the only one outside of Torchwood who know about this, she had to put it in in the first place. She’s nearby though. From what we understand, which isn’t a lot I will admit, it should be harder for the disc to try and make Rose go back if she’s unconscious – it loses the mental link and, as her systems slow down, as does the passage of the remaining time energy. Rose, if we put you to sleep now with anaesthetic, it should be enough to keep you that way until the operation will be over. It should block the link”. The Doctor and Rose look at each other, aghast. Rose turned her head to face Jack now; “And is this our best option?” she asked. He nodded. “Only thing I can think that would delay it. But we can’t keep stalling – Martha will be here within the next thirty minutes but until then we need to make sure we prevent any stronger links being made between here and Pete’s world. We need to do this now, Rose”.
Rose turned to face the Doctor. “Kiss me, just in-case” she said, smiling faintly and with tears now rolling onto her cheeks. He complied, leaning down to kiss her softly. She kisses him back and holds his hand as he takes a seat next to the bed. “I’m not going anywhere…” he said and Rose nodded weakly, before turning back to Jack. “Do it.” She commanded, and so he did, administering the anaesthetic. Soon, Rose was asleep again, her hand still holding the Doctor’s.
Just over twenty minutes later, Martha arrived in the med-bay. She used her Tardis key to gain access and had come already equipped. She smiled at the Doctor. “New face? Don’t worry, Jack explained I’d need to prepare myself for a shock”. He managed a small chuckle and hugged Martha as she placed her medical equipment to one side for now. “Good to see you, Jones”. Martha hugged him tight. “You too, Doctor. Such a shame the circumstances couldn’t have been better…” she said, now trailing off to return her attention to Rose. Jack had been right – the link had weakened since Rose had been asleep; she would be safe for a while longer. Martha marvelled at the blonde woman lay before them, never really having the time to talk with her before. Daleks got in the way and the disc insertion was so quick she hardly remembered it, she thought. “God, Doctor…she’s gorgeous. No wonder you fell in love with her!” she said, and the Doctor blushed, but smiled. Martha was right – always was to be fair – Rose was one of the most stunning people he had ever met. Her appearance, but also her character. He always felt sorry for Martha; she never stood a chance after Rose. “I know…” he managed to conjure up rather coyly. Martha smiled sympathetically, her too being able to read the Doctor quite well. She could see he had suffered a lot recently, and it was up to her to fix it. “Right,” she began, “let’s get to work. Step aside, please”.
Both the men did as Martha said, never daring to interfere in any other circumstance, today was certainly not a day to start doing so. Once checking Rose’s condition was stable, then checking over the readings from the disc she had familiarised herself with, she got to work. The operation, fortunately, wouldn’t take long.
Rose was asleep in the Tardis bedroom. It had been two days since the operation. Having misjudged the amount of anaesthetic she would need, she had slept through the operation, and then another 9 hours. Since waking up the first time, she had been sure to not do anything too strenuous for a few hours and advised that additional rest would do her good. The operation was simple, and not incredibly invasive. No damage had been done to the surrounding nerves or tissue and only a small scar would be left. It had taken just one hour to do with such precision, and Martha could have sworn the Doctor was going to kiss her when it was done. To her surprise, Jack actually did. “Stop flirting with everybody I know!” the Doctor had said with such a childish demeanour. Jack merely laughed, especially when he noticed Martha actually blushing. “Honestly, what will Mickey Smith think?” he’d asked, and Martha’s mouth gaped open. “How…how do you know?” she asked. The Doctor chuckled. By this point, from Martha’s timeline, her and Mickey had not yet since his tenth incarnation save them from a Sontaran. He realised this cheeky move of his could have been catastrophic but having his Rose back had momentarily thrown all rules of time travel in the air. He smiled sweetly; “Spoilers”, he said. A bittersweet moment, he thought. River would be proud.
Rose awoke slowly to the sound of a shuffling feet on the ground. She opened her eyes slowly to see the Doctor changing clothes at the other side of the room and tidying as he did. She was lay in her bed on-board the Tardis, fluffy pillows arranged around her upper body to support her as she slept. She was still in the clothes she arrived to this world in – jeans and a long-sleeved black top with a zipper from her bust to her neck. Not exactly comfortable nightwear, she thought. She smiled and wondered if she should speak, then smirked. Not yet.
He continued to take off his clothes, only now being in his shirt and trousers. He undid the belt first before letting it drop to the floor, then slid his trousers down. Rose could feel herself blushing and began to stir. Then, he moved his attention to his shirt – slowly undoing each of the buttons and letting the shirt drop to the floor. Now, just in his boxers, Rose could have a proper look at him. His slim figure, but firm legs. He was strong, but lean – she loved it. Overcome, she let out a small whimper as she so badly wanted him to be with her. The Doctor jumped at the noise and whipped his head around, then tried to cover himself. “How long have you been awake?” he asked, clearly startled. Rose giggled. “Long enough that I want you here…now.” The Doctor blushed and could feel himself harden almost instantly at her sultry voice. He began walking over to the bed. “Rose…you had surgery less than two days ago, you need to rest” he said, her health still in his best intentions. She sighed, weakly. “Doctor…I’m tired of, well, resting! And besides, both Jack AND Martha gave me the all clear. As long as I don’t start head-banging, I’m fine!” she said, and the Doctor could see the pain in her face now. She was, essentially, alone and had been since his meta-crisis self had died. Of course, she had her family, but in a loving sense she had been alone for almost a year. She needed this and that was becoming painfully obvious to him now. Gingerly, he kept getting closer to the bed. Rose smiled faintly. “You look gorgeous, by the way. The new body suits you…how long have you been rocking that?” she asked, pulling the covers back on the other side of the bed to signal where she wanted the Doctor to be. Taking the hint, he gently got into bed next to her and pulled the covers over himself. “About 600 years, give or take a century. I lose track of time…but thank you, Rose. However, I am nothing in comparison to your beauty” he said, smiling. He leant over and kissed her cheek tenderly, his hand now reaching for hers. She smiled and held it tight, never wanting to let go.
“Doctor…” Rose began, “…can you at least get me into some more comfortable clothes?” she said, giving him a seductive wink. The Doctor smiled before moving himself so that he was leaning over Rose, on his knees, and smiled. “Glad you asked…” he said, leaning down slowly to kiss her. As they kissed, his hands got to work on her trousers, unbuttoning her jeans. Never leaving each other’s hold, Rose slipped her own hands down to pull her trousers off. As she did, the Doctor’s hands worked their way up to her bust, feeling their way up past every curve. He sighed in pleasure at the touch of his hands on her body as they kissed, before he eventually reached the zipper on her top. He undid it, almost exposing her breasts, but it would not go any further. Rose briefly pulled away and sat them both up, allowing the Doctor to take off her top. As it dropped to the floor, he paused, taking a moment to marvel at Rose’s figure. It had been so long for him since he had seen Rose like this and he didn’t want to waste another moment he had with her. Suddenly all worries about the operation seemed to melt away as he caught her smiling up at him, her cheeks blushing a crimson red. He leant down and caught her smile in a passionate kiss, pushing them both back onto the bed anew. She giggled under him, putting her hands into his hair and messing it up. He smiled as they continued to kiss and caressed her body as they did. She sighed in content and now reached down to his boxers. He pulled back briefly to smirk at her; “Really…that’s where you want this to go?” he said and she smiled wickedly and blushed. He kissed her neck before reaching down himself. He slid Rose’s underwear to one side and then slid his boxers down a little further. He planted a kiss on Rose’s cheek as he slowly slid into her.
Soon, all that could be heard onboard the Tardis was the rejoicing sound of two long-lost sweethearts making love. How many times? They lost track. After a few hours, the Doctor lay next to Rose in their bed and cuddled into her. Tears had already been shared this evening, and now was the time for that to end, he thought. They were going to start over. Kissing her again, they both smiled sweetly. Neither of them wanted to sleep that night, so instead they talked. The most spectacular ‘catch up’ in history, they joked. Rose now knew about River Song, and still somehow seemed jealous at the concept he had been with another woman. Nevertheless, she was sympathetic to his loss. She talked about stories of her family, and how they had all supported her choice to come back. They had all known she missed THE Doctor; but now, finally, she had him. And he had her.
“How long are you going to stay with me?” he asked.
“Forever.”