His steps were slow and heavy as he walked back to where he'd parked the TARDIS. Just before rounding the corner, he stopped, turning around once more. He couldn't resist taking one last look at Powell Estates, no matter how much it broke his heart.

Rose had been gone for two days, seven hours, forty-three minutes and... twelve seconds. After he'd finally let himself hope that he wouldn't be alone... She'd been ripped away from him for good this time. So many things had been trying to tear them apart. And now she was gone forever.

He felt another tear slide down his cheek as he closed his eyes against the storm of emotions. Two days ago he had slipped out of Torchwood Tower to avoid the arriving police, who had tracked the Daleks and the Cybermen. He'd gone back to the TARDIS, curled up in Rose's old room, and stared at the ceiling without really seeing it. She'd come back to him again. She'd picked him over her family. But it was not to be.

Her smiling face, that tongue between her teeth, filled his mind. He shuddered and wrapped his arms around himself as that smile melted to horror as she was pulled away from the lever and towards the void. He'd promised Jackie he would protect her forever, and yet he hadn't been able to do anything but stand there helplessly as she was sucked into hell.

She's safe, he reminded himself for the billionth time. She's not dead, or trapped in the Void with the Daleks or the Cybermen. She's with her family again. She's safe in Pete's world.

Away from me...

When he'd finally roused himself from her bed, he'd wandered around the control room for a while, listless. The universe held nothing for him now. His Rose was gone. And she'd taken all the wonder of the universe with him.

This is why you don't get attached to humans, the voice of his ninth regeneration said in his mind. They all leave eventually, promises or not. And your left to do everything on your own... Again.

He squashed the voice as he began flipping switches on the control panel. He knew all of this. The big-eared oaf wasn't helping things in the slightest.

He'd set the coordinates to the coldest galaxy in the universe with the intent to freeze the pain out. But as usual, the TARDIS wasn't about to let him go where he wanted to but where he needed to instead. His heart had sank when he recognized the familiar coordinates, and he'd had a thorough five minutes of screaming at her in Gallifreyan. Finally, when she'd refused to budge, he stepped out of the blue doors and headed for her old apartment.

The sonic had opened the front door immediately, and he'd let himself into her flat. It was exactly as it had been when Jackie had excitedly shown them the "ghosts". The girls hadn't had time to bring anything. It was just supposed to be a quick little trip, not... forever...

He opened his eyes again, eying the Estates one last time. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat and shake the memories from his mind. He'd been in her flat for fifteen hours now. It was time to get back to the TARDIS, to try to move on with life. With one last heart-breaking look, he turned his back to the Powell Estates and turned the corner.

When he looked up as he neared the TARDIS, he froze. He blinked a few times, then shook his head. No... Wait, no... Can't be. I... Pink? He ran forward, willing the illusion to dissipate as he looked it up and down. His beloved TARDIS was not the blue police box it normally was. Police box, yes. Blue, no. Somehow, in the time he had been away from it, it had turned pink.

"What?" he said disbelievingly, before running around the outsides of it as he'd seen so many of his companions do.

"What?" he asked again, pausing in front of its doors to scratch the paint. It couldn't be real!

"Bu... What?" He was cut off as the door opened from the inside. River Song popped her head out, looking him up and down. Her hair was ratted and poofed, and her red lips creased in that challenging smile.

"Hello, sweetie."

"WHAT?"