Rose Tyler stood in silence staring at an empty stretch of sand. There was nothing there but a footprint now. Just a square silhouette, left behind when her home disappeared. He'd left her. This time it wasn't a force of nature or a hole in the universe that ripped them apart. There was no black hole. He didn't send her away to keep her safe. He just left. He had a choice, and he chose to leave her standing there, without him.

Then someone approached from behind her, and she felt a warm hand reach down to clasp hers, reminding her that she was not alone. She looked down at the hand holding hers so tightly, and then slowly up until she reached his face. His face, so familiar and yet so foreign. And when their eyes met, she realized he was just as lost as she was. Two displaced souls in the wind and sand. What was she supposed to do? How could she help to fix this broken man when she was so broken herself?

"Are you alright?" He asked softly.

Was she? She wasn't sure of anything anymore. She had fought so long and hard to get back to him. She just didn't know what to think. This wasn't how things were supposed to be. "I- I think so... I'm sorry. I just- I don't know-" And then she broke. All the strength left her body. She slumped onto her knees and wept. Incoherent words and phrases were ripped from her throat as she dug her nails into the sand. She asked the Universe how this could happen again. She begged him to come back for her, though she knew it was impossible. She screamed her rage at him for leaving her. She released all the pain of the last four years, spent without him by her side. Four years of trying to be strong and brave and hiding how afraid she actually was.

All the Doctor could do was wrap himself around her and whisper, "Shh... It's alright. I'm so sorry, Rose. Oh Rose. I'm so sorry." Inwardly he cursed his other self for hurting her so much. He cursed the fully Time Lord Doctor for leaving him here to clean up the mess. Then he cursed himself because he knew he would have done the same. He rocked the woman he loved and silently grieved with her.

Jackie approached and began to reach for Rose, but the Doctor gave her a pleading look asking for her to let him handle this. She backed away (against her better judgment he could tell) and he was grateful.

They stayed like that for minutes that felt like hours, the Doctor cradling his Rose with his own silent tears falling into her hair, and Jackie standing several feet away, feeling helpless.

Finally, Rose looked up pleadingly into his eyes as she tried to compose herself. She sniffed and choked out one word, "Why?" She was imploring and almost begging for him to give her an answer she could understand. She needed a reason and it broke his heart because there was no simple explanation.

He said the only thing that he could think of, "Because he had to." It sounded so lame after he said it that he almost wished he could take it back, but to his surprise and utter relief, she began to calm and her tears began to subside.

He could almost see the acceptance in her demeanor as she sat back on her heels and began wiping at her blotched face. He watched as her protective walls came back up in her mind, and though she was obviously still very upset, she was doing her best to hide behind a disposition of strength. Wow, he thought to himself bitterly, I've taught her well. His own words, "I'm always alright." were echoing in his head,

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

Now she was apologizing to him? "No Rose, none of this is your fault. We've been heading for this for a long time... probably since we first met-"

"No, I mean for freaking out like this... I'm sorry. I- I'm just really confused..."

"Oh, Rose." He ran his hand over the back of her head, smoothing her hair. "Don't ever apologize for feeling anything."

Rose searched his eyes for several moments before whispering "Thank you."

He gave her a brief smile and brought her hand he was still holding up to his cheek. It was then, as they gazed at each other, even through the pain and the doubt and confusion, she saw her Doctor. He was still there behind this man's eyes and though she was still more uncertain than she had been in her life, she knew one thing; they would always be okay in the end. They would somehow work this out and find happiness. She just didn't know how. They shared one last look, and he helped her to her feet, brushing the sand off and wondering where to go from here.

Jackie had apparently decided that she had given them their moment and now it was her turn. She walked up to Rose and squeezed her into a bone-crushing hug. Then she pulled back and looked into her daughter's sad eyes, "You're alright then, sweetheart?" Rose nodded, so her mother kissed her on the forehead and embraced her again for a long moment. When Jackie had satisfied herself that her daughter was well and truly fine, she slowly pulled away, and reached for her phone."Right then, I'm going to go up the beach and try to find a signal." She shot the Doctor a slightly dirty look and mumbled "Bloody Norway again..." as she gave Rose's shoulder a squeeze and made her way up the beach.

Rose and the Doctor both hated how awkward this felt. They were alone and had no idea what to say to each other. In the years they had known each other, they had never felt awkward before.

"I guess-"

"Should we-"

They laughed slightly and the Doctor said "You go ahead." Indicating that she speak first.

"I was just going to suggest we go over to those rocks and sit for a minute... My head's still sorta spinnin'"

"Okay." He lead the way over to the rocks and they sat down on the flattest one they could find. The Doctor stared out at the sea while Rose stared at him thinking.

When he turned to look at her she asked, much as she had done when her other Doctor had almost regenerated, "You're still you?"

He cleared his throat and nodded, "Yes Rose, I'm still me. I know it's hard to understand. Everything about me is still the Doctor. Anything I've- Well anything HE'S ever done, or said or thought... that was me, right up to the point I was created..." He trailed off slightly and turned more to face her. "There are subtle differences of course, some of which I haven't discovered yet, but-"

"So, a bit like a regeneration then?" She asked trying to make sense of things in her head.

His megawatt smile slowly spread across his face. "Yes, Rose. Exactly like a regeneration." He had missed her so much. "Only this time my face didn't change, and I have one heart..."

"Yeah." Rose looked down quickly trying not to show her disappointment at his last statement. She knew that in the scheme of things, having one heart was a minor change. It actually meant that they could be together forever this time, but the memories of when she used to hug her Doctor, and feel the steady thump-thump thump-thump behind his ribs were so precious. She would miss him, and he was here, and she was so so confused.

The Doctor noticed the shift in her emotions and gently reached for her chin to bring her eyes back up to his. "When I regenerated into this body, you weren't sure that I was still me. And I reminded you by telling you the story of how we first met. Down in the cellar of Hendricks, I took your hand." He took her left hand in his right. "And I said one word. Just one word. 'Run'" She gave him a small smile and a single tear ran down her cheek. "I'm so glad I met you, Rose. And I can tell you now, even though I couldn't before, how much I need you. I've always needed you, since the day I met you. I love you, and it feels so good to be able to say it." He let out a small nervous laugh as his free hand found the back of his neck, and Rose leaned forward to pull him into a hug. A real Rose-and-the-Doctor hug. Another reassurance that though it would take time and effort, they'd be okay.

Jackie approached the two of them and smiled, "Well I see you two are getting on, then." They pulled apart and looked at her, both with small smiles on their faces. "I've called a taxi and they're going to pick us up about a half mile down the road, so we'd better start walking." She put her phone back into her pocket and motioned for them to follow her. "We'll go to Bergen and stay in a hotel tonight. Our flight back home leaves at 11:45 tomorrow."

The Doctor was rather impressed with how well she handled everything. He and Rose stood and he grabbed her hand once again. Both Rose and the Doctor gave one last glance to the spot where the TARDIS had stood thirty minutes before. Then they turned to follow Jackie who had already started towards the road. As they started walking, he leaned down to whisper in Rose's ear "Allons-y" and she smiled.