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It’s a small flash of light that has The Doctor straightening up in her chair, the book on her lap long since been abandoned in favor of tinkering with her screwdriver. “Doctor!” The voice was unmistakable. Rose. But…that couldn’t be, right? The light frizzed in and out of existence as it fought to keep its shape. A flash of wide eyes and hair that was longer than the last time they had seen each other.
“Rose!” The Doctor called out into the open air, flying to her feet, the screwdriver already extended as she got a reading on the anomaly. A temporal rift, a weak one by the depleted levels of tardigrade energy that emitted from the rift.
She stepped forward more, already working on strengthening the signal. It was purely selfish. She should close it, tell Rose she should stay, that it was too dangerous. But at this point in her long life, The Doctor couldn’t help but wish for her more in the moment.
The rift was solid now, and a figure came tumbling through in a flurry of blonde and pink. And just as quickly the rift had appeared, it vanished.
“Rose…” The Doctor said, watching with bated breath as Rose stood up, her eyes still bright and beautiful as they had been the first time they met. Her hair was mused, and she wanted nothing more than to reach forward and run her fingers through her hair like she had done all those years ago.
And Rose smiled, looking at her and drinking her in as if she was a traveler lost on some desert world. All the things she wanted to say were long gone. She knew The Doctor would most likely have a different face, and would have changed countless times. How many years had it been since she left?
“Doctor.” Rose spoke, her voice catching in her throat. She wanted nothing more than to lift her hand up, to press it against soft skin and confirm that all her hopes, all her dreams, were finally a reality. There was so much she wanted to say to her, but all that her brain seemed to concoct was a simple “Still not ginger, eh?”
And The Doctor smiled, her lips spreading open as she laughed. Who else would say that to her? Who else would know that simple little piece of trivia, like a code word between friends. And she responded in the only way she remembered how, “Rose Tyler, how rude.” she spoke, watching in slow motion as Rose closed the distance between them. Her hands came up to wrap around her neck and pull her close.
“I didn’t give up this time.” Rose whispered before pulling her down and kissing her.