Chapter Twenty Eight

A/N: Thank you to bwburke94 for reviewing the last chapter. Now on to the end we go: geronimo…

In the days that followed, Reinette sat at the window of her bedroom every chance she had, watching the street beyond and waiting for the blue box to appear. Given the vagueness of her promise- that The Doctor might never find a way to return- she did not know why she thought he might do so this soon. Perhaps it was just the innocence of a hopeful child, who had met a magical man who turned her life around.

As the weeks went by, she would only sit at the window every night, then every other night, then once a week, a month, a year, until she had almost forgotten why she looked out of the window at all. She could no longer remember the sound she had once listened so intently for, and a slight nagging doubt brewed at the back of her mind, wondering if she ever would recall, should the TARDIS finally appear again.

She need not have feared. It took far longer than a few days, closer to two decades in fact, but when she heard the wheezing groan of the ship across the sharp fall breeze, she knew it in an instant.

She did not know what she had expected of The Doctor. In twenty years, her father and mother had changed so much, she must have changed beyond recognition since the end of the Silurian conflict. But to look at the Time Lord now, it would be simple to think that only a day had gone by.

The first time the man saw her, he seemed to look right through her, glancing left and right in search of a little girl. Reinette let him take his time, leaning against the doorframe with her arms folded. Eventually, she cleared her throat and smiled. It was only then that The Doctor finally seemed to see her, and he broke out in a cheerful chuckle.

"Blimey!" the man exclaimed, blinking a few times to clear the spots dancing over his eyes. "Little bit longer than a fortnight, I suppose?"

Reinette nodded in return. "Nineteen years."

The Doctor's eyes went wide, like a comical sort of owl, and he let out a low whistle. "Nineteen years. Wow. Sorry."

"It's alright." Reinette assured him, loosening the arms wrapped around her waist. "You know, you never technically gave me a timeframe, so really, you can't be late."

"Fair point, but still… probably a bit longer than you were expecting." The Doctor flushed, his shoulders hunching sheepishly. "Where are we, by the way? I never actually checked, I just tried to lock onto your genetic signal? That doesn't usually work, actually, so-"

"We're at my home." Reinette cut the man off, knowing that if she allowed him to, he might go on for hours. "It's Grandad Pete's house, really, he's had it since before Tony was born. We all live here now; Grandad and Grandma Jackie, Tony, Mum, Dad, me, Larry and Amelia."

The Doctor listened to the list with feigned interest, until she reached the last two names. "Sorry, who?"

Reinette smirked a little. "Nineteen years, remember?"

Taking the Time Lord by the hand, she led him down the corridor to a white door painted with flowers. It had been her own bedroom, once upon a time, but even she had had to grow up eventually. Pressing a finger gently to her lips, she cracked open the door, allowing The Doctor to peer inside. Even trying to be quiet, the man could not conceal a gasp.

A tiny bed rested against the wall at the corner of the room, covered by a blue patchwork quilt embroidered with stars. And underneath the quilt lay a little girl, only three or four years old, with strawberry blonde curls and the same smile as her mother, even as she slept.

"You've got a daughter." the man breathed, unable to quite believe so much had happened in the parallel universe once again before he returned. That was the curse of the time traveller, he supposed; when he spent so much time visiting the big events of history, he missed the tiny moments like these. "And you called her Amelia?"

"After Amy. I think she even looks like her a bit." Reinette confirmed with a smile. It did not last for long, the movement barely turning the corners of her mouth upwards before they fell again. "She and Rory aren't with you?"

The Doctor took a shuddering breath, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill over his eyes. "I lost them, not that long ago."

"The same way you lost my mother?" Reinette pressed, not meaning to pry, only concerned for the welfare of two people she had called friends, even in the short time they had known each other. A curt nod was her only answer.

"Is she here?" the man asked quietly, as if he was almost afraid of the answer. He had lost two companions so recently, the wound still fresh on his heart, that he did not know if he could bear to lose another. "It's just that… Reinette, if it took me nearly twenty years to get back here, I don't know if I'll be able to do it again. I'm not even sure how I managed to get through this time, if I'm honest, and whatever it was is bound to cause havoc sometime soon. This might be the last time…"

"I know." Reinette sighed, her face weighed down by a sad understanding of the way this visit would work. True enough, she had waited at her window like a little girl for her magic man to return, but that did not mean she believed he could stay forever. If anything, she was grateful just to have the chance to see him one more time. "She and Dad are still at work, at Torchwood. I work there too now, actually, I just took a little bit of time out to look after Amelia. The thing is, Doctor, she's already said her goodbyes. In twenty years, I think she's only mentioned you a handful of times. And I know that might be hard to hear, but… I think she's made her peace with you being gone, and I don't want to reopen the wound."

"I understand." The Time Lord nodded, though he did not seem completely convinced. "Just our secret then?"

"Just our secret." Reinette agreed, her eyes already beginning to swim with tears.

The unforgiving hours of Torchwood seemed to work in their favour for once, as it gave the pair hours on end to talk about all that had gone on since last they spoke. Of course, Reinette's existence as a stay-at-home mother, taking a break from the Torchwood alien admin office, was not quite as exciting as The Doctor's manic, save-the-world adventures, but even if she thought she might have felt a pang of jealousy for that life, the blonde found that she did not feel that at all. She had her perfect life, a wonderful husband, incredible daughter, family who loved her more than life itself. It was the first time she had realised that, just sometimes, Earth was absolutely big enough of an adventure.

Eventually, the time came, as they had both known it would, and The Doctor and Reinette shared one last tearful embrace. This time, there were no goodbyes, as there had been when she was a little girl; all that had been said decades ago. Instead, it was a hug, a smile, a look that proclaimed all the love they had ever borne each other, and all the love they always would. Even if they were apart, Reinette would always have a place in The Doctor's heart, and he would always be her magical mystery man.

As the sound of the TARDIS echoed once again through the hallway, Reinette only allowed a single tear to fall. She was not sad, not really, for she had known the elation of loving The Doctor. And now, at long last, she knew what it was like to let him go.

A/N: So that is it guys! I can't actually believe this story is done, but I really, really hope you enjoyed the ending! For a final time, please review!