She opened the door softly, not wanting to make an entrance. She could usually find him these days; they had spent enough time together for her to manage that. The room was an exact copy of the TARDIS console room, but the only thing different was that there actually was no console. Where it should have been was where he was sitting, dead center. Even from behind she could tell that his knees were pressed against his chest, with his arms wrapped around them. His head turned a fraction at her entrance, and then it returned to normal.

"He sits in here with me sometimes, you know."

The voice had stopped sending chills up her spine months ago, but even now as it bounced off the walls in an echo, there was an eerie ring to it.

"The Doctor. He sits in here, just watching me. Doesn't bother coming closer than the edge of the ramp. He just sits and looks at me. Stares. Puzzles. Thinks. Remembers. Yearns."

She nodded, accepting his words but not entirely understanding them, as per usual. Advancing closer, as if to make a point, she made it past the ramp to stand beside him and look down at his slightly demented face.

He loosened the grip on his knees, arms sliding to the floor. Her ears detected the clink of metal. She couldn't see the chains, The Doctor had told her. Only Timelords could. She suspected that, even though this man was allowed anywhere in the TARDIS, The Doctor still wanted to know if he was just around the corner, or where he had been as the infinitely long chain links dragged after their owner.

"You know, I get why he does it. He can't stay away from me. I can't stay away from him, either. We like and need and feed on each other's company. Outside of this room he loves me. But here, never. That I do understand. That I accept, and cherish, and return in kind. But you, Rose Tyler…"

At this he turned up and looked right into her eyes.

"He loves you, everything that is you, wherever you are. And you love him. You love him with everything that you are and will ever be. How is it that you can find it in yourself to love me too?"

She crouches down and maneuvers so that she was directly facing him as she sat down in front of him. Her left hand reaches up and cups his cheek. He smirks and shakes it off, leering at her and daring an answer to come out of her mouth. He's trying to make her feel tiny.

She mimics his confident, somewhat cruel smile and leans in, kissing him deeply. He couldn't stop himself, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into him. A moment passes and she breaks their contact, gravitating backward. However, her eyes and smile have changed. Everything that she is radiates love and faith in him, which almost equals what she feels for the other man in the ship who was reading a book in the library right now. Then she gets up, following the ramp towards the place that she came in.

"Goodnight, Master."

And she closes the door behind her, leaving him alone with his question unanswered. And he loves that she gave no answer. He loves her so much for that.

"Goodnight, Rose."