So many thanks to all of the following for leaving me your thoughts on the last chapter, urging me to continue ever onward. Your voices were heard, loud and strong, and here is the culmination. :) A huge thanks to the following listed below for wanting a continuation of this story; it is to you guys that I dedicate this chapter. :) Enjoy.

RGjp..123, Appello, nicki, gaiafreedom21, btvsfifi, Ramona-Theta, evita, montypython203, momijisora, Amory-chan, SoraXNamine, I've Lost My Profile Page, Neonlights, Darksaber's Naco and Lovelessheart18.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything affiliated with Doctor Who, the series creators, the studios, actors or anything or anyone else. I'm also not making any money from penning this little tale. Standard warning for language and adult situations apply. For now I'll keep this rated Teen until the plot, and character actions and reactions, deserve otherwise. But for now...enjoy the read. :)

Finding the Way Back

Chapter 2: Bittersweet Time

The Doctor lay quietly on his back, a carpet of green to cushion his form, softly stirring breezes caressing his pale skin as he contemplated the greatest loss of his long life, excluding his race. Staring at the stars blazing brightly in the sky, fascinating him, tormenting him, with their light blazing through the darkness, guiding the way for the lost, only they could never help him. They could never bring home the one he loved and lost. The one woman who'd meant the world to him, who'd helped him surpass once cold emotions to gain a better glance into humanity itself, the one who had caused him to truly feel in all of his nine hundred plus years.

It was because of Rose that he was a better person. After she'd been ripped from his life, he tried, god knows he'd tried to continue to live. Just to live. That in itself involved more effort than anyone would ever know. And, for some strange reason, at times like these...it was when he felt her presence the strongest, the most, so close to him, yet so far from his reach.

"Doctor? Doctor, where are you?"

Smiling bittersweetly at the sound of her voice, brought on by the many memories he possessed of her, echoing impatiently in his mind, he opened his eyes, certain it'd all be a dream. Shock registering on the angular planes of his face, brown eyes filling with tears, he protested at the specter before him, floating above him, haunting him, her ethereal, glowing beauty stealing his breath.

"I-It can't be! You're-...in another universe", he stated stupified. Just how could this come to pass? A horrible trick? Some alien deception?

"Not anymore", she replied. "You called for me and I'm answering. I'm coming. Give me time. After all, you are a Time Lord. You have all the time in the world, right?" Rose's transparent figure giggled at her own joke, typical Rose. Always finding the laughter in any given situation, no matter the fear she felt. Her laughter, contagious and untainted, caused his heart to swell while having a slightly relaxing effect on him as well.

Seeing her smile, however translucent, did much to buoy his heavy heart. She'd always had the type of smile that'd induce a person, specifically a man, to fight for her, to die for her, or just the make the world a better place. Rose's goodness shone through in her soul, and in her heart. And that's why he'd felt compelled to ask her to travel alongside him as his companion, to see the many worlds, the many different ranges of time, not to mention the multitudes of alien races, knowing her curiosity was as insatiable as his own. He'd been right. Many times over.

And now seeing her here, like this, was almost too much. Too much sensory overload. Too much everything: needing her, wanting her, yet knowing he couldn't have her or touch her- that was the most difficult part to bear. Why was fate so damned cruel?

A hand reached out to touch her...and passed right through. What had he expected? She wasn't really here. She was stuck, trapped in a parallel universe, with no way back, no way home. But her presence felt so real, so strong. It was unavoidable. The pain overwhelmingly intense ripped at his two hearts. Because of him, and the Time War, his race had been destroyed and he'd lost Rose, the woman he loved, and who'd salvaged his soul from the black, ruthless pit from which he'd descended.

Yes, he'd been instrumental in his race's destruction, but did he deserve this? To be eternally alone? Companions had come and gone, yet none of them had ever been capable of being his equal. They'd never questioned him, pushed him, as Rose had done. Out of all his companions Rose had been perfect for him, kept him grounded, kept him from crossing the line, from becoming a murderer once more ,when he felt vengeance's dark hold rise to grip him tightly.

"Don't give up hope, Doctor. One day we will meet again. This, I swear." A glittery gold hand stretched forth to caress his cheek softly.

Even her touch felt real, though his had not. A tear dripped from his eye and she sadly smiled before kissing it away, her lips, cool to the touch, pressing gently against his flesh, leaving him astounded in their wake.

"But- how?"

"I can't explain it. Not yet." She shrugged her shoulders slightly, her eyes never leaving his. "All I know is that it just is. I won't question it for fear it, and you, will disappear from me forever. Maybe it's magic. Maybe it's fate. I don't know, but one thing I do know...you'll soon figure out this mystery."

With those last words her form shimmered and began to fade.

"Wait!" The Doctor cried out, stretching, reaching for her; it didn't matter that he couldn't touch her, he just didn't want her to go. "Where are you going? Are you still there?"

They both knew the question he was really asking. He wanted to know if she was still on the world in the universe in which Pete had taken her to.

"I'm neither here nor there", she replied. Her ghost-like apparition floating with ease.

"What's that mean? You're neither here nor there?" Eyes wild in confusion, struggling to understand, his hearts beating wildly. Then, suddenly, it dawned on him. And he completely understood her answer.

Flashing him her most brilliant smile, Rose giggled and said, "There's the light bulb...I hate to say it seemed to have dimmed, but I'm pleased to say that there's hope for you yet, and that its still there." Slowly, as if remembering something very sad, and painful, her smile vanished leaving behind a heaviness, an unexpected riddle, unspoken, a mystery.

Leaning down she placed a brief, tender kiss before saying, "I must go. It is time. I'm burning up a star just to speak to you and time is short. Don't give up, my Doctor. Have faith. Have hope."

With that her form shimmered one final time and disappeared, her last words echoing around his surroundings.

He smiled slightly, remembering her words about burning up a star just to speak to him. Those words, not quite verbatim, had fallen from his lips not so long ago, as he bid her farewell, both of them in tears, feeling distraught at losing the other, the thought rising that they might never to see them again.

"Rose, will we ever truly meet again?"

A gentle breeze stirred, ruffling his disheveled hair and clothing, carrying multitudes of sounds on its invisible currents.

"We will. Just have faith...hope, Doctor. We will meet...faith...hope..."

Just as soon as it had reappeared the voice was gone again. This time, however, he knew it was gone for the night. He just had that feeling in his chest. A sort of finality. He couldn't quite explain it, but in all his nine hundred plus years he'd learned from his instincts, and they told him her voice was gone, for now.

Seeing her again tonight reminded him how strongly he'd felt for her, loved her. And it brought everything back again. From the moment he'd first met her to the moment he'd lost her, every precious memory replayed, both happy, tenuous and sad. Their joys, their triumphs, their losses. They all hit him at once, yet he was glad that at least he could feel. The moment he ceased to feel would be the moment of his death, whether it be corporeal or emotional.

Exhausted from all the overwhelming emotions and feelings, his lids closed over his eyes and soon he was asleep. But it seemed he couldn't escape his pain, even in sleep, for a tear streamed down from his left eye. Yet it didn't linger, as the wind lifted it from his skin and kissed it away, a voice in the distance whispering.

"Have faith...Doctor...don't give up hope..."

The whisper continued on, its dulcet, low tones dancing through the night, entering his dreams, reigniting the ember that lay there, dying, ready to spark and burn.

--

Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. He'd had no further contact from Rose, and he was worried. What had she done? What had she sacrificed now? More importantly...where was she and was she alright? The wait alone was making him daft. Silence was golden to some, but to him, it was tormenting.

He continued as he had, traveling from place to place, never staying to long, never involving himself in anyone's affairs lest it meant certain annihilative destruction, or the obliteration of an entire race or species.

The TARDIS tried daily to comfort him, to no avail. It knew everything inside his head, but it'd never know what was inside his hearts, both of them. The ship tried and tried but could come up with nothing to ease the Doctor's pain. One night it tried the unthinkable, and caused the Doctor's temper to flare white-hot.

Sitting in his chair, thinking and nothing but, the Doctor flinched and then smiled as Rose's image appeared before him. Question after question flowed from his lips, much as the scientific babble he often spouted, that many couldn't understand. He paused only as a sad smile crossed her face.

"Rose, what is it? What's wrong?"

But she only stood there, morose and silent, tears streaming. Sorrow evident in her brown eyes, pain emanating from their once warm depths. Evidence that she, herself, was tortured just as much as he by their forced separation. Not once did her lips move. It was as if she couldn't remember how.

"Rose? Why won't you speak to me? Is something wrong? Are you alright?" He was perplexed. Standing to his feet, he rushed towards her. "Talk to me, Rose? What's going on?" Fists clenched tightly, his jaw set as if made of stone, hard and unyielding.

She wasn't moving, wasn't speaking. Had something happened to her? Suddenly, her right hand stretched out, reaching for him, her eyes begging, pleading for him to understand.

He mirrored her action, confused when his hand passed through hers, no hint of solidarity in her form at all. Why me? He asked. What have I done? He repeatedly tried to reach her, hoping her physical being wasn't far behind, but there was nothing. Her presence didn't quite feel as it had upon her first appearance months ago. Something was wrong. Wrong indeed.

Her form flickered, her transparent figure began fading, her eyes still a testament of pain, tears still flowing freely. Her hand retracted and fell to her side. Abruptly, her eyes closed tightly, in pain, seemingly exhausted from the effort expended, along with repercussions of seeing him again. Turning her head, and her eyes from him, she forced herself to begin fading, her figure bright and shimmering, now vanishing, being pulled back within the confines of the darkness. The ghostly apparition winked out of sight, leaving behind a strange emptiness that he couldn't explain.

He stood there for the longest trying to digest just what had occurred, but no explanation, or justification came. For once, his greatest ally eluded him. His intelligence failed him. Just as he'd failed her.

Then as if unable to endure the Doctor's pain, the TARDIS confessed its sin. Livid, the doctor locked in a unspoken battle with his ship, his friend. Reprimanding it for its intervention, which was unneeded, he harshly dressed down his one remaining friend who'd seen him through hundreds of years, numerous battles, and a string of companions.

The TARDIS apologized and justified its actions. Confiding in the Doctor, it told him just how much he'd needed to see her, no matter that her image was forged, it was still her image, taken from her last visit, every moment recorded for a time such as this. It also told him that this was how she'd acted after she'd disappeared from his presence the first time, returning only to say a more private, tearful goodbye. One he wouldn't witness, or be privy to, as she hadn't wanted to compile any further guilt and pain upon him.

The Doctor, shocked that his friend would go through such lengths to make him happy, he smiled and quickly forgave it, as it had only thought of him. At least it had revived an image he didn't mind seeing, regardless of the agony it dredged up. He would willingly suffer any torture, any pain, just to see her again. Just one look, one touch. Anything.

His ship seemed to know numerous secrets, unwilling to share them all at this time, but he was sure there was a time and reason for them all. A positive feeling radiated from the TARDIS to the Doctor, allowing him to know that in time everything would be fine. There'd always be a time and a place. For everyone. For everything.

"We'll meet again, my doctor. One day. Another time, another place..." Her words echoed within the confines of the TARDIS, prompting the Doctor to action as he leaped around, a ball of unstoppable energy, unable to be contained.

Feeling up to another journey, the Doctor adjusted knobs, changing his course entirely, a spark of hope building in his eyes.

A/N: This is it for now. Unless something changes, mainly the plot, next chapter will be the last. I can only hope I can do it justice. I'll try not to take as long to update next time. :)