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Rose had spent the better part of the year trying to get back to her Doctor, only to have him nearly leave her on that beach again with the other him, who had, in fact, decided to stay behind in Pete's World. Soon after setting off, Donna had needed an emergency mind wipe; her brain could not handle the metacrisis. This had subsequently led to her needing to be returned home without memory of the Doctor, their travels, or just how important a woman she was. And she never would, which affected the Doctor quite a bit. She couldn't blame him for closing himself off. From the short time she knew her, Donna was indeed brilliant.
It had been just over a day since the Doctor ordered her to stay inside of the Tardis when he dropped off Donna, and she had yet to see the time lord since. Rose had spent the majority of her time in her room. She gave up trying to find him after she kept getting rerouted, the Tardis was either hiding him, or he was hiding himself. And for not the first time since their reunion, Rose Tyler wondered if she made the right decision choosing the time lord. She wondered if he really just wanted to leave her behind because he had moved on. And once again, she couldn't blame him. She didn't know precisely how long it had been since she had seen him last, since that sea-tinged confession on that beach dimensions away, where she couldn't tell if the salt she tasted on her lips was the sea spray or the falling of her tears.
The Tardis hummed a comforting sort of sound as she enveloped Roses mind in what could only be called a metaphorical hug. Rose sighed, her cheeks wet with freshly fallen tears, thoughts of her mother, of Pete, Tony, who she would never be able to see again. Her family, the human Doctor who had been willing to finish that sentence she so desperately needed to hear—the three words in his voice but from the wrong mouth. Rose curled herself into a ball and allowed the tears to flow freely. "Ya know, I never imagined this. He hasn't even acknowledged me. s'like I don't even exist. I should have stayed."
The Tardis's dimmed and made a sad groan; Nothing felt right; the room didn't even feel right; she felt like a stranger invading somebody else's personal space. An echo of the person she had been, a person the Doctor-; she cut her own thoughts off. She didn't want to be here if he didn't want her to be. When the tears stopped flowing and her shoulders no longer shook, she reached for a bag and thought of packing. Preparing herself to find the Doctor, to have him leave her with Jack or Mickey, or someone. Anywhere but here, away from the person she thought would have never abandoned her. With resignation, she realized he didn't want her here. He didn't want her here. He. Didn't. Want. Her. Those four simple words repeatedly echoed through her head. She was a fool, no matter how much she changed herself, how much more she learned, how much stronger she had gotten. She would always be Rose Tyler from the estates, not someone worthy of a man like the Doctor. She was no French courtesan.
Rose Tyler knew she was overthinking, being a tad bit irrational, something that seemed to have started since she was trapped on the other side of that wall between worlds. Rose knew he had just lost a friend, and he more than likely needed time to process. She just wished he had sought her out, dragged her to the library like he used to. Where they would sit on the couch, his head in her lap, as he talked about the weight of the universe that rested on his shoulders as she ran her hands through his hair and told him everything would be alright, and he believed her.
The room shook slightly as the sound of dematerialization echoed through the ship. Rose checked her face in the mirror of her vanity, making sure no traces of her tears were left behind, noticing the discarded tie left on it for the first time. Now that she was thinking rationally, she knew the Doctor needed someone now more than ever whether he liked it or not, so with a bit of fear of rejection coursing through her veins, she made her way towards the console room.
As Rose marched her way towards the console room, she could hear the Doctor talking to someone, and she wondered if he had another companion she didn't know about.
"I didn't just lose Donna. I lost you again, you know." She heard him talk, his voice etched in sadness.
"Are you alright?" A voice asked….her voice?
Rose hid behind the closest coral strut, listening. Was that her voice?
"Oh, you know me. I'm always alright." He replied.
"You will be, 'm here."
That most definitely was her voice.
"I know you're here, Rose Tyler, you're right in front of me, but you're not here, not really." The Doctor sighed," Interface 2-2-3 dash 9-6-5-3 deactivate."
Rose stepped out of her hiding place in time to see what looked to be her twin, or something claiming to be her shoot her a wink before flickering out of existence. The Doctor stood staring at the spot where not Rose had recently disappeared. She watched him for a moment as he walked towards the Tardis doors, throwing them open, and staring into space. She took a few more steps forward, the noise finally alerting the Doctor.
The Doctor turned towards the sound, "Oi! I didn't I just deactivate you!?" He said exasperatedly.
"Doctor?" Rose questioned. "What was that thing?"
His brow furrowed for a moment, reaching towards her, immediately jerking it away when it made contact.
"Rose?" His voice cracked.
"Hello," she replied, and just as she got the word out of her mouth, she was pulled into a bone-crushing hug—the Doctor burrowing his head into the crook of her neck.
"Oh, Rose, you're really here."
"Of course I am you daft alien. You told me to stay in the Tardis, don't you recall?"
His grip on her loosened slightly as he pulled away just enough to see her eyes watery. He cupped her face.
'When I came back, and you weren't in the console room, I had convinced myself that I had imagined it. That I had finally gone completely mad. Why would you choose to come with me? The other me could have given you everything."
"You know why Doctor, no matter what, he wasn't you."
The silence echoed through the Tardis. Rose looked down to break the eye contact.
"Are you angry? I can go if you want me to." She said uncertainly, "I shoulda asked, I shoulda assumed when you wanted to leave me, that you'd rather-"
He cut her off, lifting her chin to meet her gaze once more. "If you think I am anything other than over the moon that you're with me right now, you're mistaken. I'm never letting you out of my sight again. You are not going anywhere unless you ask to leave me."
Rose looked into his eyes, seeing an overwhelming amount of sincerity. "Yeah?" She asks, biting her lip.
"Rose Tyler, you must know what you mean to me." He pulled her by the hand towards the open Tardis doors, pulling her down to sit, feet dangling, bathed in the starlight. Orbiting the most beautiful planet Rose had ever seen. It was pink with clouds that varied from gold to pastel yellow.
The Doctor turned towards her.
"I named it," he gestured towards the planet. "It's called Arkytior. It means Rose in High Gallifreyan."
Rose gasped in awe, "are you serious?"
"Oi," he exclaimed, "Have I ever been anything but?"
She raised her eyebrow.
"Oh, never mind, Yes I am serious. I named it after you, Rose Tyler. It's all pink and yellow, like my favorite human."
Her eyes welled up, touched by the gesture.
"Can I show you something?" The Doctor asked hesitantly, the decision to prove to Rose Tyler how much she really meant to him made.
She nodded, shakily he brought his fingers to her temples. "Just a little time lord trick, close your eyes."
Rose obeyed, suddenly overwhelmed by the feelings and images that flooded into her mind."
"Run"
"That's who I am, now forget me."
"You're alien…" "Is that alright?"
"Cheap date you are."
"I could save the world but lose you."
"You look beautiful."
"What use are emotions if you will not save the woman you love?"
"You just assume I don't dance."
"You were fantastic."
"Don't you want to come? Do you, though? I thought because I've changed… Oh, I'd love you to come."
"Oh, it's going to be fantastic."
"Tell her that I, oh, she already knows."
Emotions flooded through her mind, and then suddenly, it was a white wall, a tear streaming down his face.
"Rose Tyler I,"
"She's gone. I lost her."
"Her name was Rose."
"I spent Christmas Day with my friend over there at the Powell estate."
"Her name was Rose, and we were together."
"I wish Rose were here."
"Rose would know, right now, she'd say exactly the right thing."
"That name keeps me fighting."
"She's an invention, this character Rose, Rose, she always seems to disappear."
"She's gone Jack, she's not just living on a parallel world. She's trapped there. The walls have closed."
Running, running, and more running.
Hugs, hands clasped together, reunited, Metacrisis, a future for her with his twin, defeat, loss, hope….love.
It was not until his hands left her face, did she realize the tears that were streaming down her cheeks.
"And now you know, Nothing, no human, time lord, resident of raxicoricofalapatorious." He brushed her tears with his thumb. "Nothing that ever was ever has been, or ever will be could feel even a picogram worth of what I feel for you. Rose Tyler, I remembered you even when I forgot myself."
Rose grabbed him by the lapels and pulled him in for a kiss.
"I love you," she sobbed.
"Rose Tyler." He brought his lips to her ear and whispered, finally. "I love you."
He kissed her again, a single tear trailing down his cheek.
Rose cuddled into his side, hands clasped together, The Doctor leaving feather-light kisses onto her knuckles as they sat in comfortable silence staring at the gorgeous pink planet.
"How long are you going to stay with me?" The Doctor asked, breaking the silence.
"Forever."
And they lived.