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Her whole life, Rose Tyler had hated hearing her name. Thankfully, her mother always included her middle name when she was in trouble. Little Rose had watched in horror as her best friend Mickey's new friend had said goodbye and climbed into the backseat of her mother's car.
Her last words to him had made his face fall, and Rose knew why.
"You're my favorite person ever."
As the car pulled away, Rose walked up and took his hand. They'd shared their words with each other and made promises to never say them to the other. Not because they didn't want to be soul mates, but because they never wanted to lose each other.
Mickey stopped calling her Rose, opting for Rosie even though her last name was also included on her upper thigh.
She stopped worrying too much about it as she grew, hearing teachers call roll or nurses call her name at the doctor's office. Until she met a man with large ears and a leather jacket who liked to say her name like it was the most inspiring phrase in the universe.
Anytime they were caught up in a dangerous circumstance and he said her name she'd do everything she could to make him say something else after. Bantering with him, flirting with him, straight up arguing. She didn't care, as long as he replied.
When he said the words, "So was I" and erupted into bright light, leaving behind a man with wild brown hair and a manic grin, she knew he wasn't gone. He hadn't said her name before disappearing, so she knew she hadn't lost him for good. Then the skinny bloke wearing his clothes tried to explain that he was the Doctor and Rose wasn't sure whether she wanted to believe him or not.
After accepting the truth and resuming their travels Rose had many heart stopping moments. This version of her Doctor seemed to enjoy saying her name even more, and almost reverently. Rose thought about telling him her name was the last thing she ever wanted to hear him say because, well, she never wanted the day to come when it would be the last thing she ever heard him say. But he might freak out if he thought she believed they were soulmates.
Sure, he was very touchy feely and flirty, but he always pulled back before she could be sure he returned her feelings. Even if she couldn't imagine loving anyone else as much, she didn't want to pressure him. It was enough for her to be with him, by his side, even as a friend. She knew from the experience of others that you didn't always get to spend your life with your soulmate, and sometimes you never got past the friend stage. She felt lucky that she was able to spend so much time with the Doctor, even as best mates. She'd take what she could get.
Then came the white wall, and a cold windy beach. No point in holding back any longer, she had to tell him how she felt. And if she could get him to say it back, there was still hope they'd find a way back to each other.
But he got cut off, only managing to say her name before his face disappeared, leaving her staring at a bleak rock face.
"Rose Tyler." The words she'd despised as a child finally fulfilling their purpose and proving what she'd known almost since. "Run!"
But it wasn't enough, to know for certain that he was meant for her. They were both alive and well. There was no reason this had to be the end. She’d heard him say her name plenty of times before, and they'd always managed to find each other again. No matter what predicament they found themselves in.
So she worked and worked, traveling through the multi-verse in search of her home. In search of him. Telling herself that if she did find him, it wouldn't disprove that he was hers. It would only prove that they were different, bigger than the words on her skin.
When she saw him again, running toward her with a huge grin covering his face, she felt her heart swell. And then he fell, hit by a Dalek, and she realized he hadn't said anything yet. He had to speak to her, say something that wasn't her name so she'd know he wouldn't leave her now. Now that she'd finally found him again.
"Rose..."
She cut him off with a "Hi."
"Long time no see."
She smiled at this. Everything was going to be fine. Just fine.
He yelled out in pain and she begged him not to die, because that would mean she was wrong about them and that would be even worse of a fate. But he didn't, and he managed to keep his face and Rose could hardly believe it. Once the day was saved, she would take the time to tell him, or with any luck, show him the words on the skin of her upper thigh.
But then came Davros and the Meta-Crisis attempting to save the day with a flourish. He failed initially, and Rose was in too much shock to register what was happening, that there were suddenly two of the man she loved.
Davros and his Daleks were sorted thanks to the fabulous Donna, the most important woman in the universe, and the group of friends towed the Earth back home. Rose was intrigued by the Doctor in blue, as he openly flirted with her and didn't shy away. He held her gaze steadily as he made comments that would have sent his counterpart sputtering away to work on some part of the TARDIS.
The three of them stood on that same cold beach, and Rose realized what was happening. She'd not had a chance to show or tell him about the words, her name inscribed on her skin. And now he was making her choose between them. It wasn't really even a choice, he wasn't exactly giving her a real option. Because if he did, she'd choose them both. A life in the TARDIS with all three of them together.
She squared her shoulders and asked what she needed, waiting for his answer and more than disappointed by his response. Then the new Doctor whispered the words she'd longed to hear into her ear with a tickling of warm breath and she responded without thinking. Crashing his lips to her own as she clutched at his lapels, she had never felt more joy.
The sound of the TARDIS disappearing into the void damped that joy, but not enough to smother it out completely. And when a perfectly fitted hand slipped into hers, she squeezed it back.
She didn't hesitate to show him the small scripted letters making up her name, shivering as he traced a finger over them. He leaned forward to kiss her lips softly before speaking.
"I'm not going to stop saying your name. I love your name." And she could only nod in understanding. "But I promise not to leave you before we've spent our lives together. Rose Tyler."
She scowled at him and pulled him into another searing kiss.
Years passed by, and they grew old together. The baby TARDIS grew too, and they traveled the new Universe together, revisiting old locations to map out the differences.
Old age finally crept up on them, leaving the Doctor on bed rest with Rose by his side. He knew he couldn't hold on any longer and tried to apologize for leaving her, but she wouldn't hear it. He wrapped his fingers around hers and used his last bit of energy to pull her hand to his lips for a kiss.
Not wanting to risk running out of time, he chose the order of his last words carefully, "I love you, Rose Tyler."