Before I start, I have to thank TANIA - without whom this chapter would never have made sense to me (maybe not to any of you, either). She's not my beta, but she helped me along when i was pulling at my hair trying to figure out how to make this work. (Time shifts are not my thing and my vocab really sucked today.) Now I've made this about me. I should just say thank you and stop there. :) Thanks again Tania. (even if you couldn't tell me what colour Sim's eyes were)
I also have to thank my reviewers. WhisperLuna, Adelian Scout Girl, RagamuffinSundrop, agapi16, horsefly, Suppermagicgirl, zowiemagic, Rach6 and Black Sorceress. Thank you so much. I wouldn't have 39 reviews without you.
Now, on with my teasing...
HA! I'm going to make you all hate me, just with my first couple of lines. (hehe, i'm writing this listening to Doctor Who in the background because one of my brothers is watching it. The only reason I'm not is because of YOU. I hope you're happy)
"Rose Tyler, I love you."
Rose looked into Sim's eyes. He wasn't who she had wanted to hear those words from - at least, not when she first met Sim. But he was real, and her Doctor wasn't. She saw now, there could not be anything real with someone who just... wasn't there.
OIOIOIOI
The night before
Rose looked out of her apartment window at the stars. Every night before she went to bed she wished she could go out to see those stars in the TARDIS. If she had just one last chance she wouldn't take it for granted. She looked down at the street as she felt him standing behind her, watching. It was only then that she saw the unmistakable figure of Sim standing underneath the street light, holding his jacket tightly around him. He was watching the front door, but not doing anything more. The Doctor brushed up against her arm as he stood next to her. He looked up at the stars and Rose removed her gaze from the figure below them.
"I know you want to go back to the stars, Rose... and I wish I could give them to you. I'm not... qualified to take the place of the one you love..." He looked down at the street slowly and sadly. "But he's real and I'm not. Any idiotic ghost of a memory can see that you'd be better off with someone who's... there. Someone who can take care of you."
"Doctor?" Rose was no longer looking out of the window. The only thing she could see was The Doctor's pained expression as he spoke. She gently pulled him back inside and closed the window. He moved out of her grasp and sat down on her bed. Rose sat next to him and put her hand on his knee.
"Rose..." He began. He looked into her eyes, but then looked down at his hands quickly. He continued without looking at her. "Rose... I can't... be with you any more."
"No!" Rose exclaimed. Jumping up from the bed. "YOU don't get to decide when you leave me. Only I can. You're in MY mind!" The Doctor still didn't look at her.
"Yes, and I can feel what you feel... for him. You won't let yourself be with him because of me." When The Doctor spoke, it was barely a whisper. He looked as if he was about to cry for the first time in... ever. "You know I love you Rose, but you also know that my love is as fake as I am."
"No, your love means something." Rose cried to him. He finally looked up, eyebrows furrowed and an apologetic look in his eyes.
"I'm not here, Rose. I'm not here and I never will be. Why won't you just accept that you lost me over two years ago and just LET ME GO." He took long, deep breaths as he spoke the last words. "You can't keep telling me what to do just because you're the one who created me. You made me to be me, and I know when to let go. I never thought you'd fall in love with anyone other than me, so I went along with it, because that's what I'd do. But if you had another love Rose..." He gave her the smallest of sad smiles. "I wouldn't let you say no because of me."
"But-"
"No." The Doctor cut her off, placing a finger on her lips. "There's no time for anything but goodbye." He kissed her lips gently and Rose closed her eyes as she felt all the love she had for this man ebb through her.
"Don't leave me." She pleaded once more as he pulled away. She still had her eyes closed and she felt his fingers lvingly caress the side of her face once more before they... just faded away. Rose opened her eyes, the tears dripping freely but silently down her cheeks. She closed her eyes once more and dropped forward onto her bed. It was a battle for Rose's heart between Sim and The Doctor, and without even realising it, Sim had won. She wouldn't hold it against him. It was The Doctor's choice for her life, and she had been making the choices in his life for so long, she owed him his last wish.
OIOIOIOIOIO
Rose woke up late in the morning and looked out of her window. Sim seemed to be trying to decide whether he should press the buzzer for her apartment or not. She looked down at her clothes. They were crumpled because she had slept in them - simply lying on her bed and crying until she couldn't stay awake any more. She didn't care. She walked purposefully to her door and hurried downstairs. When she opened the front door, Sim was there.
"Don't you have a key?" She asked.
"I thought... what's wrong?" Sim had obviously noticed her puffy eyes and dishevelled look. His eyes pointedly displayed his concern for her.
"He left me Sim. So you don't have to worry about interrupting us by coming up."
"He left? But Rose... he was... right?"
"He can do whatever he wants." Rose said bitterly. She started to turn away, wondering why she had even come out in the first place, but Sim turned her back to face him.
"I've been meaning to say something to you for a while." He told her nervously.
"What?" Rose didn't even pretend to look interested. Sim took her hand and looked into her eyes. His deep blue eyes pierced hers, leaving her at his mercy.
"Rose Tyler, I love you." Rose looked into Sim's eyes. He wasn't who she had wanted to hear those words from - at least, not when she first met Sim. But he was real, and her Doctor wasn't. She saw now, there could not be anything real with someone who just... wasn't there. She stared into his eyes, feeling his burn into her soul, for what seemed like hours. She looked away guiltily.
"I love you, too." She told him without looking at him. "The Doctor made me see that. I love you." When she looked back, Sim was beaming at her, and she couldn't help but give her small smile back. It wasn't perfect - not yet - but she was going to try. She was going to love Sim because she couldn't be with the only one she could ever love more.
I'm not sorry, but i think that's the end. I'll change the status tomorrow unless I think that there's another chapter's worth of story to tell. You can either leave the story in peace there and let Rose have her happy ending with Sim (although judging by the reviews, no one will want that). OR you can continue reading my sequel to this story and find out what could POSSIBLY happen to these two young lovers. I'm going to call my new story... I don't know. I'll probably just make it up when i post the first chapter.
I do wonder whether anyone noticed my massively huge, reader-confusing mistake in chapter 7. I fixed it when i saw it, but i wondered why nobody pointed it out to me. Chocolate for whoever tells me what it was first. (Not you Tania. I mean a signed review.)
I hope you all enjoyed reading this because I poured my heart and soul into it. I agonised over every word ('fake' for a very, very long time) and this is your last chance to review and tell me you liked it (or hated it, it's your opinion) last chance to comment on my writing - and as a budding young writer, i would appreciate something to that effect.
Mikkifavo