Siúil A Rúin

The Doctor often went to planets where humans were strictly forbidden or weren't biologically able to go, mostly to get parts for the TARDIS or pick up something timey-wimey. Whenever he did, she'd either stay hidden in the TARDIS, or the Doctor would offer to drop her off at the Powell Estate to visit her mum. Rose often chose the latter, and today was no exception, so when he announced he was going to Treluria, where humans were shot at immediately if spotted, she graciously accepted his offer to return home. Not only did she miss her mum, she also had a ton of laundry for her and an odd craving for her mother's cooking, which was strange since Jackie could barely handle shepherd's pie and — what was it the Doctor said? — even that 'tasted like Slitheen farts.'

Now that Captain Jack Harkness was travelling with them, they often had to make a detour beforehand, since Jack's request was always to go to some sort of pleasure planet because, "The UST in this ship is unbearable!" This time, though, Jack was going through with some huge plot to make the Doctor jealous so they'd 'hurry up and make out already', so he stayed behind to see her off at the door.

Hauling a transdimentional bag behind her, Rose sat on the jump seat while the goofily grinning Doctor did the usual tango around the console, pounding in the coordinates and pulling levers. The TARDIS landed with a crash that nearly gave Rose whiplash and a creaking groan.

"Here we are, then," the Doctor said jovially, leaning against the console and crossing his arms as he regarded her. "Powell Estates."

"Want to come in and say hi?" Rose said, slinging her bag over her shoulders.

"Absolutely not," he beamed at her from the floor. "I'll be back early tomorrow morning, yeah? Give you some time with your mum."

"Ta," Rose grinned, tongue in teeth.

"Bye Rosie," Jack said, scooping her into a hug and taking his time letting go, much to the Doctor's annoyance. "See you in a week."

"I'm not leavin' for a week," Rose frowned.

"I am." Jack winked and she made a face. "Going to Altuvia. The locals there are ve-e-ry exploratory — and public — with their sexuality. They even have these alleys where random people can duck into and boff— call them 'Panther Corners'."

"Yuck," said Rose happily, jumping down off the higher grating and heading towards the doors. "See you in a day, boys. Don't bring me a souvenir, Jack, I really don't want one," she added to Jack, and he went doe-eyed with a false look of innocence.

Smirking, Rose hopped out of the TARDIS and headed towards her mum's flat, ignoring her usual trickling feeling of fear when she heard the TARDIS dematerialise. It was irrational, she knew, but every time Rose was dropped off at the Powell Estates for a visit, she always wondered if this was the time the Doctor wasn't coming back for her. Ever since his extreme blunder — taking her home twelve months late instead of twelve hours — Rose would wonder if maybe one day, while on his way back, he'd accidentally miss the mark by a lot more than twelve months, say for example twelve years. Or that he'd simply not want her anymore.

Shaking those thoughts from her head, Rose headed towards Jackie's flat to surprise her.

The day went as they usually did. Jackie screamed with delight when she met her daughter at the door, accompanied by the usual ton of laundry (one shirt even still had that guck from when they had to run from the amorphous slug-like species on the slime-covered planet Plixidam); the Prentice woman updated Rose on all the goings-on in the Estates (apparently Mrs. Next Door was expecting her twelfth kid); and they went shopping and ate chips at the local chippy. Rose shared some of her anecdotes from their travels, including the more hilarious jibes from Captain Jack, and had her mother laughing on the floor when she recounted Jack's story about the Andosian Voth and the rolling pin. Then they ate dinner in front of the telly, watching a film of Jackie's choice, and headed off to bed late.

Rose woke bright and early for the Doctor's promised arrival, eating breakfast with Jackie— who, now that her time with her daughter was ending, was entertaining herself grumbling out insults about 'Big Ears and Leather'. Rose started to grow cross when the time turned from six in the morning to eleven— so much for early.

Then it was three in the afternoon, and Rose started to grow worried. Her laundered clothes were in a packed rucksack that had been on the couch for nine hours now. Jackie managed to coax her into eating a late lunch, trying to reassure her that the Doctor was probably just late.

Rose waited far into nightfall, even situating herself on the balcony to see if she could hear the beautiful sound of the TARDIS's engines over the roar of traffic, but the only thing she ever heard was the honking of horns and a shouting match going on between the upstairs neighbours. She went to bed early, torn between wanting to cry and being angry. When he got back, she was going to thump him something good.

What if he wasn't coming back? What if this time was really goodbye?

She told herself she was being stupid. The Doctor needed her. She knew that perfectly well. He was all on his own. Well, technically he had Jack, but Rose was pretty certain that he wouldn't want to be travelling with just the randy captain for company, especially a randy captain who had a tendency to flirt with him no matter how unwelcome it was.

Come morning, Rose bounded out hoping to find the TARDIS parked in the living room, and found nothing but a Coronation Street rerun on the telly and Jackie looking at her sympathetically.

"That Chinese place downtown is lookin' for people, Rose," Jackie said over tea, eggs and kippers, which Rose picked at. "How 'bout that, eh?"

"Mum, he's comin' back," Rose snapped, knowing she was taking out her anger on her mother and not particularly bothered by it. "You'll see. You know how he is. A week for us could be two minutes for him."

"Or twelve months for us, and twelve hours for him," Jackie muttered, ignoring Rose's pointed look. "You ought to have fallen in love with the charming captain bloke instead of an alien scared of commitment."

Finishing off her breakfast, Rose set her empty tea mug in the sink and grabbed her jacket off the chair. "'M goin' for a walk."

Jackie blinked. "What if Big Ears comes back?"

"Tell him I'm at the old park," Rose muttered, opening the door. "An' make him wait a bit before you tell him!"

Rose walked among the early morning London crowd, hands in her jacket pockets. She headed straight to the park from her childhood and took a sweeping look around. Everything was as she remembered it— the rusty swing set with the chains that had always bit into her hands whenever she used the swings; the cracked slide nobody used because it always scuffed their bums; the jogging path littered with chip boxes; the willow tree under which she'd had her first kiss and the graffitied bench where she and her friends from school used to hang out. She left behind her sheltered life for an unpredictable and partially broken alien who put her in danger every day. From the point of view of anybody else, that sounded terrible, but Rose wouldn't have it any other way. Huffing a sigh, Rose approached the benches and sunk into the bench next to an older-looking bloke twirling a recorder between his fingers.

Maybe her mother was right. She should have fallen in love with Jack Harkness instead of the Doctor. Less chance of getting her heart broken— although, now that she knew Jack's views on monogamy, she wasn't so sure. At least Jack would acknowledge her instead of acting like a broody, possessive arse whenever she looked at other men only to hide underneath a console and pretend to be asexual when they were alone.

She started to panic. Maybe he'd found out that she was in love with him, and got rid of her so he wouldn't have her fawning all over him. Or maybe he'd decided he didn't want a 'stupid ape' on board. Or—

Rose jumped a little when the gentle, soprano sound of a recorder started next to her. She relaxed, the tune soothing her a bit, and even smiled when she recognised the song— Siúil A Rúin. Rose turned to him, watching him play through the opening melody, and he met her gaze and waggled his eyebrows a bit, making her laugh. When he started into the first verse, Rose opened her mouth and sang along, shocking him a little.

"I wish I was on yonder hill

'Tis there I'd sit and cry my fill

Until every tear would turn a mill.

Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán

Siúil, siúil, siúil a rúin

Siúil go sochair agus siúil go ciúin

Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom

Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán."

Rose hadn't sung in nearly three years now, ever since Jimmy Stone. He had been a 'musician' and had occasionally let her sing in the band — she did have a pretty good voice, actually — and ever since Jimmy had put her in the hospital after a drunken rage, she'd vowed never to sing again. She regarded this strange old man next to her with a cocked head as she sang. Mid-forties to early sixties, Rose would guess. He had jet-black hair and a Beatles-reminiscent haircut, covered by a silly stovepipe hat, soulful blue eyes and a wrinkled old face. Nothing fantastic, really, so why did he make her throw away on a whim the promise she'd made to herself three years ago?

"I'll dye my petticoats, I'll dye them red

And round the world I'll beg my bread

Until my parents shall wish me dead.

Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán

Siúil, siúil, siúil a rúin

Siúil go sochair agus siúil go ciúin

Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom

Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán."

Whatever the reason, it was nice flexing her old singing muscles again. Just as long as the Doctor never heard her. The last thing she needed was him finding out her stupid mistakes she'd made at sixteen. He already thought she was a stupid ape— she didn't need to strengthen his opinion.

"But now my love has gone to France

To try his fortune to advance

If he e'er comes back, 'tis but a chance.

Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán

Siúil, siúil, siúil a rúin

Siúil go sochair agus siúil go ciúin

Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom

Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán."

Rose nearly snorted at the last verse as she stopped singing. Her love was gone, but not to France and not to try to make a better life for himself. But it certainly was a chance, if he ever came back for her. And if he ever did, she was going to be sure to smack him Jackie Tyler-style and not talk to him for the rest of the day.

The ending melody over, the man next to her lowered his recorder and spoke. "Well, go on."

Rose blinked at his inquisitive stare. "Sorry, what?"

"Tell me what's upsetting you."

"What makes you think anything's upsetting me?"

"You're a lovely young woman all by herself in a dodgy old park," the man smiled, "singing songs with a lonely old man."

Rose smiled back and ducked her head, biting her lip. "It's a long story."

"I can assure you, I have plenty of time."

"All right, but it's about girl stuff," she warned him.

He made a face. "Boy trouble?"

Rose shrugged. "Sor' of. See, I live with two blokes."

The man did a rather adorable double take, recorder nearly dropping into the dirt. "You live with them? Oh, my giddy aunt!"

Rose tried not to giggle at the silly exclamation. "Well yeah, we travel together."

"Where?"

Rose beamed, eyes alight as memories of all the fantastic things she'd seen over the past year and half flashed through her mind. "Oh, all sorts of places! I've seen the most beautiful things, an' it's all 'cos of him." His eyes seemed to narrow at that, but he nodded for her to continue. "So anyway. Two blokes. On one hand, ruggedly handsome, brilliant, completely charming, tosses around innuendos like they're greetings and makes it a point for me to know he's interested in me. On the other, an incredible genius, took me to see the universe, flirts up a storm, gets all possessive when I so much as talk to another bloke and then pretends to be some sort of monk when we're by ourselves."

She paused for a moment, watching the older man process this. "Their names?"

"The first bloke is Jack Harkness," Rose said. "The second's called the Doctor." She missed his sharp inhalation of breath when she added, "Odd name, I know, but that's him." Glancing at him, she saw he was gaping at her, and this time the recorder really was in the dirt. "Um, you dropped your..."

"Oh, yes!" he blustered, diving down to pick it up and making his hat fall off. Rose giggled at the adorably flustered man, who dusted off his hat and jammed it back on his head while simultaneously stuffing the recorder into his pocket. "S-so, who do you believe you'll choose?" the man said, voice sounding thick and oddly schooled.

Rose shrugged, hand flying up to play with her earring. "Dunno. Don't really think it matters anymore."

"Whyever not?"

Her old emotions over possibly being dumped back on Earth resurfaced and she hung her head. "The Doctor was s'posed to pick me up yesterday morning. He's not here yet. Either he's just late — an' I wouldn't put it past him, 'cos he's an awful driver — or he's not comin' back."

She missed the affronted look that came over the man's face. "I doubt he'd not come back. Especially for you."

She ducked her head, hiding her blush behind a curtain of bottle blonde hair. "Thank you." She ceased playing with her earring. "'M probably just bein' stupid. I mean, Jack and I are all he's got. He's lost literally everything."

"Oh?" came the confused reply.

She nodded, her face falling into sadness for her haunted alien. "He's lost his home, all his friends, his family... there was a war, yeah? An' it destroyed his people. Almost destroyed him." She huffed. "He used to be so... I dunno, gruff, an' angry. Merciless. Not to sound vain or anythin', but I think I helped him a bit. He's better now."

The man was staring at her, eyes wide and flitting between astonishment and horror. His mouth opened and closed a couple of times, before he cleared his throat and said shakily, "He sounds... like you're all he has."

Rose shrugged and bit her lip contemplatively. "Well, aside from his brilliant ship." Realising she'd just talked about the TARDIS, she hastened to correct it. "This one time, I heard him havin' a nightmare. This was before Jack joined us. When I woke him up, he—" Rose inhaled deeply, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes at the memory. "He said he'd thought I'd left him. All white an' shakin', he was. Looked like he wanted to cry."

A brief moment of silence before the man said softly, "You're in love with him."

"Yep," she sighed. "An' there's no doubt it's strictly one-sided."

"However did you get that impression?" the man said, sounding almost indignant.

"Compared to him, I'm just a stupid council estates girl who didn't even get her A-levels," Rose muttered, her own words making her slump. "An' like I said, he pretty much pretends to be asexual unless I'm talkin' to another bloke." Rose heaved a sigh, now feeling terrible again. "Maybe I should just go with Jack."

"You're going to pick the pretty one?!" he all but yelped, face blanched.

Rose's bad mood vanished with his outburst; at once she collapsed into giggles. "You sound just like him!" She wiped her eyes. "Trust me, looks have nothing to do with anything. 'Sides, I think the Doctor's handsome," she added, flushing and looking away.

He grinned like an idiot. "Really?"

"Yeah. I've a picture of him on my mobile, hold on."

Rose slipped her hand into her pocket before pulling out her old superphone. She scrolled through the pictures and found the candid one of her and the Doctor on Celmisia, a planet whose flowers bloomed only once every summer. Handing it to the man, she watched him narrow his eyes at it. She and the Doctor had been in mid-flirty banter when Jack had taken the photo, so she was all but beaming at him with her hand on his arm, and the Doctor was looking at her like she was something fantastic.

The man cocked his head. "Not bad. Could have been worse. Oh dear, look at the ears!"

Rose giggled— there he went again, sounding just like her Doctor poking fun at his ears. "I'll have you know I love those ears."

He beamed at her comment, handing her back her mobile. "You ought to spring a snog on him."

She snorted. "What?"

"When he returns," the man elaborated, looking almost excited. "You should surprise him with an impromptu snog."

Rose opened her mouth to tell him that there have been hundred upon hundreds of instances where she'd thought of doing that, by her own encouragement and even Jack's, but the terror of him hating her and booting her out of the TARDIS for it always stopped her. Instead, she slumped a bit and said quietly, "I can't. What if he hates me an' kicks me out of the TAR— I mean, leaves me behind for it?"

"Listen to me, young lady," he said almost sternly. "The way you've spoken of him — and from that photo — there's no doubt he loves you as well. Besides, he shan't leave you behind for a silly thing as an unwanted kiss. Not that it will be unwanted," he snorted, glancing at the mobile and smirking. "And what is life without risk?"

Rose glanced between her mobile and the almost anticipating look on the man's face, feeling hope bubble in her chest the more she thought about it. She had said herself— the Doctor wasn't merciless. If he got angry, at least he wouldn't make her leave, like Adam. It wouldn't be as though she'd used futuristic knowledge to make her position in the world better. Besides, it was just a snog. If he really didn't want to, he'd probably just pretend it didn't happen.

Jumping up, she nodded firmly. "You're right. I'm gonna do it."

"Excellent!" the man burst out, looking utterly thrilled and positively beaming up at her. "I promise you he'll more than welcome it."

"Thanks," she grinned, before leaning down and kissing his cheek. His beam slid off his face and turned to shocked slackness; when she pulled back he tried not to look like a gaping idiot. "Find someone for yourself, yeah?"

He smiled kindly, eyes twinkling. "I promise you, I most certainly will."

Rose waved goodbye before inhaling to steel herself and walking away from the park with her head held high. She had a Time Lord to snog.

The Second Doctor watched the lovely blonde woman walk off, and he regarded her with a warm smile. This brilliant little golden human was going to be a future companion, and she was going to fall in love with him. He wasn't exactly a looker in whatever regeneration she'd showed him, and yet the beautiful human would actually love him. And thought he was handsome! He really was quite impressive!

Then he sobered, quickly. Apparently there would be a great war, and he would lose everything in it. His hearts panged when he tried to imagine a world without Susan or any of his friends and family on Gallifrey (hell, he'd even mourn his brother Brax, and he was a stuck up git). Ah well, he thought, at least he'd have this charming girl to hold his hand, heal him and fall in love with him. And from what she'd told him (and his face in that bloody photo... dear Rassilon) it was clearly not one-sided. He couldn't wait, but for now, he'd have to forget to maintain the timeliness. He'd do it when he got back to the TARDIS— for now, he wanted to see his future self's face when the lovely girl sprung a snog on him.

The Doctor pulled his recorder out of his pocket and raised it to lips, only to yank it away and make a face as he spat out dirt. Oh, right, he'd accidentally dropped it on the ground earlier. Wiping away the dirt, the Doctor tried to rid himself of the taste of park sand.

Yuck.

Rose turned the corner, and her heart nearly flew out of her mouth when she spotted the TARDIS parked a few metres away from Jackie's flat. It nearly stopped altogether when she spotted an irritated-looking Doctor stomping away from the flat in her direction, hands stuffed in his pockets and a scowl on his face. It vanished when he spotted her, and his whole face lit up at the sight of her.

"Rose!" he called after her, jogging up to her as she'd stopped walking completely. "I know I'm a day late, I'm so sorry, your bloomin' mother took forever to—"

Before she could chicken out, Rose grabbed him by his ridiculous ears and dragged him down to her level, crashing her mouth to his. He gasped, allowing Rose to slip her tongue between his lips and run it over the roof of his mouth. She wasn't entirely sure what his arms had been doing the whole time, whether they were flailing about like he was trying to take flight or were stilled at his sides; all she knew now was that they were ravelling around her body and clamping to him so desperately it made her love him even more, if that were possible. At once his lips became complacent and eager, a groan rumbling in his chest when his tongue flicked over hers and a thrill shot through her— he was kissing her back. One hand fisted in her hair, the other pressing her lower back so hard she was all but crushed to him. Her own hands travelled as well, one going upwards to scrape her nails over his scalp (and judging from the shuddery moan, he liked that a lot) and the other slipping into his back pocket so she had an excuse to touch his fantastic arse. The kiss was both precisely and not at all as she'd imagined— it was desperate, not at all like a first kiss should be but brilliant all the same, it was intense and it had her knees trembling.

He eventually (and obviously reluctantly) pulled away, but staying close enough so that his mouth still hovered over hers less than an inch away. "What—" He swallowed before trying again, sounding breathless, "What prompted that?"

"L-loads of things," she stammered, just about as levelheaded as him. "Siúil A Rúin, for one."

Still not pulling back, he frowned, but when he opened his mouth to ask, she shut him up by giving his bum a squeeze and the only thing that came out of his mouth was a not so attractive, "Guh."

"And I love you," she added, trying not to smirk at the noise.

His face split into the happiest smile she'd ever seen from him. "Oh Rose," he whispered, sounding close to tears even though he was grinning like a lunatic. "I love you, too." He dove forward and captured her beaming mouth again, snogging her breathless. "If this is my 'punishment' for being a day late, I ought to do it more often," he added, smirking.

"You get off this time, Mister, but next time I'll let Mum slap you somethin' good," Rose warned him, giving his bum another squeeze.

He shuddered and dipped his head down again, this time kissing her slowly and taking his time to explore every crevice of her mouth. Rose was starting to tremble again when the far away high sound of a familiar melody met her ears. She pulled away from him, giggling at his pout, and craned her neck to look for the source. She beamed when she spotted the older man from before, walking adjacent to them, playing Siúil A Rúin on his recorder and wagging his eyebrows again. Rose giggled, slipped her hand out of the Doctor's pocket and waved to him, mouthing a 'thank you' to him as he waved back and walked away from them. The Doctor followed her gaze, gawking with shock at the man in the distance.

"C'mon," Rose said, slipping her hand into his and tugging him towards the TARDIS.

"But Rose, that man, that was—" the Doctor started to say urgently.

"Have you picked up Jack yet?" Rose asked, interrupting him. When he shook his head, she grinned, tongue poking out at the corner of her mouth. "Good. Let's not go an' fetch him for another couple of hours, yeah?"

Now completely distracted by the gorgeous blonde practically offering herself to him on a silver platter, he grinned back at her. "Fantastic."

A/N: End of the second installent of the Forever and More series. For those of you expecting a Two/Rose romance... not quite. I may do that in the future, but for now, be happy with this :3

Now a little lesson (learning is fun!): the song Siúil A Rúin is a traditional Irish folk song, and one of the most widely sung songs in the Irish repertoire (so I've heard it a bajillion times, because I'm of Irish descent, even though I was born in Canada and have never once seen Ireland). The original version is probably lost to time, and its writer unknown, but this version and all verses used in this fic is © Clannad, from the album Dúlamán.