Jackie's the first to walk back from the beach, her gait easier now that things are more settled and she can go home to the baby again. First born son and all that, she can't wait to get home where life doesn't involve watching her little girl cause all sorts of upset and Jackie can just be herself. She doesn't look for the Tardis returning because she never wants to see it again and while there's a problem hauling the phone out of her pocket, she knows that Pete'll be here soon as he can and her little boy will be able to grow up without worrying that the stars will go out.

She turns as she reaches the edge of the sand and looks back - Rose still standing with her hand clasped in His - and while He's not the first choice of boyfriend for her daughter, at least this one's a known identity. Better the devil you know and all that.

She shrugs before she sits down on one of the better covered rocks and waits. Sooner or later they'll have to get off the beach and then she'll have her say. She always does.

On the sand Rose is still shivering, her fingers clenching and flexing around his own and she can't quite believe he's here with her now. Here and also gone and she doesn't know how anyone's supposed to handle that kind of news. Her mouth tingles from the kiss she took and it was everything she wanted. It was everything she needed in that moment. Three years in the making and his lips felt so good against her own that she could scarcely breathe nor needed to do so. His taste's still in her mouth and he squeezes her fingers as she looks at nothing, at the space where He, (the other He) left her of his own accord this time.

"He just left," she says quietly and hears him inhale sharply at the comment.

"Doors were closing," he says. "Not much else he could do."

"But," she begins and it's all about 'but' right now. But he could have stayed. But he could have kissed her. But he could have said the words that he didn't. He could have said it because the man standing next to her could and did. She still can't quite believe that it's humanity that kept him standing here, that opened his mouth and said everything she'd hoped for. She isn't sure she can accept that the man she loves needed to be human before he could tell her what she's needed to know for so long.

The man next to her shrugs his shoulders but keeps her hand in his. "Well," he begins, "we could stand here a while, take in the setting sun and talk until the stars come up which, well, they will this time." He grins as he looks at her. "You did that, you know? You came all that way just to tell me that the stars were going out. Couldn't have done it without you. Not a chance."

She smiles, mostly because she can't help herself and because she did come to do just that. But it was Him she was looking for. Him she came to find because she made him a promise once, that she'd be with him forever and she thoroughly intended to make good on it.

But in the end it wasn't what He wanted because he's gone and left her with this copy who holds her hand and says all the right words. She saw his inception and knows this isn't a man borne of woman. This one sprang fully formed from the Doctor's consciousness and his right hand. In that respect he's every bit her Doctor and she feels that ownership deeply, aware that he's not the one who left for good. Aware that it was He who gave her the responsibility of making the one left behind a better man.

She glances skyward briefly before she can look back at him and nod. "Okay," she says and swallows back the sob. "I think we should go."

"Mhmm," he agrees and looks back down the beach to where Jackie's sitting. "We're going with her?"

"She's not bad, you know?" she says and then half laughs at that. "She likes you."

He hisses through his teeth briefly as he considers it. "I'm almost positive I'd be happier if she didn't. Well, if she wouldn't. I mean she's just..." He pauses and looks back at Rose again. "She's your mum. She can't be all bad. I mean she raised you."

Rose smiles. "You'll love her curry," she says. "You'll love all her cooking and you get the chance to eat it now."

"Yeah, how about that," says the Doctor and nods slowly as he walks, swinging her hand lightly as they move along the beach. "It's weird, don't you think?"

"Which part?" she asks. "The part where we saved the world or where you're Him," she says and takes a quick breath. "Except you're not, are you? Not really?"

"No," he says and frowns as he considers it. "I'm a little bit Donna too."

"What?" she laughs. "Is there anything else you're not telling me?"

"Nah," he says. "Part time lord, part human. The human part's weird."

"In what way?"

"One heart," he says and pats his chest lightly. "Feels weird."

"You'll get used to it," she says and hesitates on the beach before she turns back to him again. "You will, won't you? You won't just...I mean you're not traveling anymore. You don't have a Tardis. You don't..." She tilts her head as she watches him. "You don't have any of those things anymore. Aren't you going to miss it?"

He stops when she asks and glances toward Jackie before he can face Rose again. "Got you," he says simply enough. "Always wanted to try being human. Sort of did for a while but it wasn't quite the same cause I mostly wasn't me."

"And now you are?" she asks and he grins, tongue pushed against the back of his teeth before he looks at her and does something she's unused to. He leans down and presses his mouth against hers, his tongue brushing her bottom lip briefly before he straightens up again.

"Yeah," he says as he smiles and watches her taste it. "Very human."

"But still you," she says and when he nods this time she leans up on her toes and wraps her arms round his neck. When she closes her eyes she's ready for it, remembers the feeling and relishes the kiss he delivers. She's been through time and space and felt every last bit a part of a couple with Him and yet they never did this. They never stopped long enough for her to say the words in the first place. The adrenaline pumped seemingly constantly and while he hugged her, while he kissed her forehead and told her how brilliant she was, he never took her in his arms. He never loved her the way he's doing now.

She breaks the kiss before he does and looks up at his eyes. She's still unsure of herself and of him but wants so very much to believe. "And you're going to grow old at the same time as me?"

"Slightly older, I think," he says and shrugs as he holds her. "Older bloke if you can handle that."

"I can handle that," she says firmly and watches him. "How much..." She shakes her head. "But you're new. How can you be older."

"Sort of new," he says. "Sort of very old too. The heart thing's new. Have I mentioned that? Yeah, of course I have and it's still really weird."

"But you're human as well," she says and licks her lip as she watches him. "We've got a place, back in England. A big house there. Well it's Pete's really. His house but I live there too." She holds her breath before she lets it out again. "You could come back there with me, if you'd like."

"Oh I'd like that, Rose Tyler," he says and smiles when she lets that breath go. "You didn't really think I wouldn't?"

"I don't know." she says. "It's all very new, like you said."

"Oh yes," he says and smiles before he looks round at the beach and up toward the place Jackie's not so patiently waiting. "So how long until Pete shows then, hmm? He likely to be days about or-"

"I don't know," she admits. "We were working on this teleporter before all this happened. He could be hours. Or just, you know, minutes."

"Well if it's just minutes she could be home soon," he says. "All the way over there and we'd...I don't know. Do we go with them or do we stay here?"

"Why are you asking me?" she says. "Don't you know what you want to do?"

He just watches her when she says it and for the first time in a long while she feels the urge to blush. She clears her throat, ready to change the subject before Jackie thankfully gets to her feet and waves.

"Well don't just stand there," she says as she gestures. "Let's go."

Rose nods and turns back to the Doctor again. "D'you want to?"

"Oh yes," he says firmly and winks at her as he squeezes her fingers. "Come on, let's go have a look at Pete then. Has he got balder? Is that the word? More bald, that's probably it but then who wouldn't if they were married to your mother, eh?"

She listens as he talks and keeps pace with him over the beach. She's every bit conscious with every step that she's no longer the girl who stood here and she told Him that she loved Him and didn't get to hear it back. She's heard the words now, felt them and felt him and the man who holds her hand has no great emergency to run after. This one seems ready to try and live her life, one day at a time until there aren't any more left.

She's quiet when Pete offers to take them all back and when he grins at seeing the Doctor again, she can't help wanting to explain that he's not the same. That this isn't the real Doctor. She wants to explain that this one is a copy, a human time lord. This one doesn't have to go anywhere else. It hurts inside, knowing that she can't have Him, but this one remembers everything, feels everything and doesn't leave her standing on the beach. It's still not right but it's more than she's had before and she keeps hold of his hand as they teleport.

The Doctor rocks back slightly on his heels as they reappear. He looks down at her, his feet firmly on the floor again and he grins some. "That was different," he says. You've improved it."

"Had the top brains in the country working on it," says Rose and frowns as she looks up at him. "All that traveling you've done and a bit of teleporting makes you wobbly?"

"Just a bit," he says and nods. "So this is the place, is it? Same as last time but it sort of looks bigger now. On the inside."

"Should be used to that," she says and clears her throat when Jackie pauses, mid reunion herself, and addresses them both.

"There's plenty of guest rooms," she says pointedly as she looks at the Doctor. "Rose can show you where the towels are."

"Mum," begins Rose and Jackie huffs.

"Don't start with me," she says and looks back at the Doctor. "If he's going to stay here we're going to have some ground rules, starting with a name." She hefts the baby higher up against her shoulder. "What kind of name's The Doctor anyway?"

"John Smith?" he offers and shrugs when she stares.

"Oh very original," she says and shakes her head before she looks at Rose. "Dinner's at seven. We're not making concessions just because He shows up. If you're not down in time you'll go hungry. Goes for both of you."

They watch as she walks away and he tilts his head before he looks back at Rose. "And she likes me?"

"Give her time," Rose says and smiles up at him, all teeth and hope in the hall and he's still kept hold of her hand. "I can get you those towels."

"Towels, yeah. They're important," he says as he nods. "All I've been thinking about."

She laughs then, the sound unusual if only that she's the one laughing this time and he's the one grinning back at her. But it's happening and it's real and she tugs at his hand. "Come on," she says. "She'll only go spare if I forget."

"Well we wouldn't want that, would we?" he asks as he walks with her. "S'pose I'll have to get a job," he says. "What kind of job can I do? I mean obviously anything but I always thought about being a lollypop man. Do you still have those? Have they still got the little sticks?"

She shakes her head. "I thought you might want to work for Torchwood," she says as she walks up the stairs and looks back at him. "You don't have to decide now."

"Fine," he says and follows her along the hallway. "I wasn't kidding about this place. It really is bigger on the inside."

"You should feel right at home then," she says and smiles as he chuckles. He waits patiently as she opens one of the grand linen closets and only then does she drop his hand. Just long enough to fill his arms with soft fluffy towels that he presses against his face. She watches as he does it and remembers the few she found in the Tardis. None of those were washed in something soft and sweet smelling. None of those would ever be found stacked neatly but abandoned in the middle of something far more exciting. Domesticity could go hang when the world stood in the balance.

But right now she finds it fascinating that he holds them close and acts as though he's never enjoyed something as simple as linen before. She smiles when he looks up again. "You need some time alone?"

He scrunches the fabric in his hand before he reaches out for her own again. "If you like," he says. "Where am I then?"

She doesn't hesitate long before she nods down the hallway. "You can pick any one you like."

"Just like that?" he asks. "Jackie's not going to come storming down here and drag me out on my ear?"

"Well she might," says Rose. "She's not all bad, you know?"

"I know that," he says and smiles as he looks at her. "So. New room. New life. New me."

"Right," she says and walks quite innocently, intending to take him to one of the well kept and currently empty rooms along the hall. Pete's guests sometimes use them and occasionally her mum invites her friends to stay over and get drunk on cheap wine and cheaper movies.

But the door she opens is her own and for the first time she's conscious of its contents. She wonders what part of her personality it represents and more than that, what he'll make of seeing it. She steps away slightly as he stands in the doorway and looks round. It gives her a quick chance to check for stray underwear and she pushes a couple of bras under the bed before she turns back. He nods toward the clearly personal decor.

"Not an empty room," he says and she shakes her head. "Rose-"

"You don't have to, if you don't want to," she says quickly and she's not entirely sure just how much she's talking about here. "I can show you another room." She holds her breath before she tries again, conscious of the need to end all sentences now. "If you want to."

"Well," he says and then glances down before he winks at her. "I've got all these towels. Be silly to put them somewhere else."

She swallows as she walks back over to him again and reaches for them, setting them on the chair before she turns to him. Bare of everything but her heart, Rose offers up that hopeful smile again. "You can have them back if you want."

He takes a slow breath when she says it and reaches for her, sliding one arm firmly round her back to draw her in close. "There's no rush," he says, "we've got time now," and her laughter sounds shaky when she watches him.

"There's never enough," she says. "You've only been human a little while. There never seems to be enough time."

He just leans in closer when she says it, closing his eyes before she does. But she tilts her head up toward his own and relishes the way he seems to taste her, each lip in turn before his kiss deepens. His tongue touches the edge of her mouth and she hears instead of sees the door close. She's conscious of the click as it slides into place, sealing her off from the rest of the world and this time she's with him.

She slides her hand to the back of his neck, her fingers in his hair as he kisses her smile. "Why didn't you do that before?" she asks and he grins as he kisses her again.

"I'm doing it now," he points out and she nods, rubbing her nose against his own. She's conscious of that longing, of everything coming together in this one unbelievable moment. It weighs heavy with all the hours since she was last this close to him. In her head and in her heart, she's sure at least of this - they share a close past and now at last a potential future. This part right here, this journey she's taken from Bad Wolf Bay and the end of the world right back to her house belongs to the pair of them alone. He has no part of this.

She draws back from his kiss to look at him, licking over her lip as she does it and then offers a shaky smile. "So you're only partly human then?" He nods and she bites the edge of her lip. "Just your heart?"

He grins at that. "Well I wouldn't say just that," he says. "Would you?"

"I wouldn't know," she says and licks her lip again. "You do some things like humans but-"

He presses his mouth against her ear and smiles there. "Rose," he says. "I'm here with you, aren't I?"

"Yes, but-"

"Here in your room," he points out. "With you."

She blushes this time, overly aware of the want she feels, the need she has to know he won't be leaving this time. The very real fear that she'll be alone when she wakes up. "And you'll stay?" she asks quietly, relieved when he nods and yet it leaves her that much more desperate to believe it. She isn't really sure when she started crying, just that she's aware she has. She's grateful for the way he strokes her back as he holds her. "I thought we'd be in the Tardis," she says. "I thought we'd be saving the world."

"Is this really so much worse?" he asks and lifts his hand to her hair, stroking there slowly. "Living like this with me?"

"It's not worse," she says. "It's not what I thought I'd be doing."

"I know," he says and takes a slow breath as he looks down at her. "He wanted you safe, you know that." He strokes her hair and cups her jaw and tilts her head up toward him. "I want you safe."

"I didn't choose to be safe," she says. "I chose..." she pauses and looks at him, still searching for what she's looked for all this time. And he's right there, the same eyes, the same intensity and certainly the same mind working as he watches her. "I chose to be with the Doctor."

He half smiles. "And John Smith just isn't the same?"

She worries her lip. "I don't think it has to be," she says and takes a deep breath. "It's not just me who's different."

"I know that," he says and smiles some before he leans down and kisses the tip of her nose. "How long until dinner?"

"Don't know," she says. "I'm not hungry."

"You're mad then," he says and she raises her eyebrows just enough to make him grin again. "Something else we could be doing then?"

"Don't tease me," she says and sighs. "I waited so long to hear you say it," she points out. "I don't want to pretend any more."

"Good," he says and glances toward the bed before he looks back at her. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Rose. If you want to."

"You know I want to," she says hurriedly, but he nods when she says it and she catches her breath. "I've been waiting a long time."

"So have I," he says and picks her up, her legs wrapped round his hips as he carries her to the bed. She's conscious not just of the physical need she has for him, but of the desire for him to take charge of everything. He made her feel safe in the darkness, protected her above all others and now he's in her world. Her God is now all the more intimate for his humanity.

She's thought about a life with him and would be lying if she hadn't considered this. She dreamt of going to his bed and crawling beneath the blankets with Him. In her dreams He's more perfect than anyone could be. But she's wide awake now and the man in her bed isn't quite the one she's been dreaming of.

He does have the advantage of being here and of being real. So when he presses her against the bed, Rose can't help recording every last nuance of the act. She gasps when his body crushes hers to the mattress, her arms still round his neck as he kisses her harder. She arches her back, her hips pressed up against his own and there's such relief there in finding that in some ways he's very human indeed.

He draws back when she does it and glances down at where her belly's pressed to his own. "If you're going to say that's new," she begins, letting it trail off as he looks back at her face, grin very much evident.

"I wasn't," he says and shifts again, one hand pushed into her hair as he kisses her again. She's never been more hungry than when she offers up her mouth to him now and the clothes that tangle between them seem more irritating by the moment. She can feel the rub and roughness against her skin and pushes at his shoulders hard enough to break that kiss. He looks surprised when she does it but Rose isn't about to let this slip free and she reaches to unfasten his jacket.

He just stares when she opens those buttons, slow to react until her fingers press against his chest. Her hand lingers over his heart, just to feel the rising thump there. She doesn't know if it's the way she touches him or something else, but when she smiles it seems to trigger that release.

He strips his jacket quickly, losing it to the floor as he reaches for her own. She's no slow coach and reaches, her hand tangled in her jacket as she rids him of his shirt. Clothes land haphazardly on the floor as they're discarded, his shoe landing smack bang in the middle of her shirt. And when he's naked, Rose risks sliding her hands along his body, sensitive to the touch of his skin against her own.

He lets her do it, watching her as she takes her time reassuring herself that he's real. When she looks back up at him, he smiles and leans in to press his lips to her own. "You're not going to say something funny are you?" she asks and he grins against her mouth.

"Might," he says. "I'll try not to."

She wonders at that but then he's kissing her again, his hands on her skin and she's so very conscious of being wanted. She feels it right to her very bones and when his fingers slide against her thigh, Rose can't help the shiver that echoes through her skin. His mouth is warm when he kisses her neck and he rolls on the mattress, drawing her above him.

Her hair hangs down against his face and she marvels at the way he grins, at how he seems worked up over the way the strands brush his skin. "It's just hair," she says and he nods and lifts his fingers to touch.

"Brilliant," he murmurs and she laughs at him then, loud enough that he joins in. And when he leans up for her she kisses him back as hard as she can, her eyes closed and everyting poured into this connection. His arms slide round her and she can feel the heat of his skin everywhere, so thoroughly human in his loving.

And when he's inside her, she rocks with him, clinging to his body everywhere she can. His breath is hot on her flesh, but it's the closeness that burns, that makes her pant as they move together. She feels the power between them shift and goes with it willingly, even as he comes with a gasp and groan and crushes her to the bed.

He looked vulnerable in that moment and she blinks as she holds him, caught up in what she has here. But she's still on the edge, her skin sensitive all the way down to her toes and even as he seems to recover himself some, she's unwilling to let him go. But he does move all the same, sensitive to the moment and she catches her breath when his fingers press purposefully against her. She didn't quite believe he thought about that, that his mating rituals were as much a mystery to him as they are to her. But there's a dizziness that comes as she does and she catches her lip with her teeth as it washes over her. There's a happiness that comes with the act that surpasses everything that's gone before in the bedroom. Because this time it's him and he's the one making love to her.

And when it's over the sun seems to sleek its way through the room, and she feels she just can't help herself. She lies against him, half sprawled over his body as he eases with back against the pillow. He settles hand behind his head and the other stroking her hair and shoulder. She kisses his chest when he presses his lips to her hair and listens to the reassuring beat of his heart.

"What's it like?" she asks quietly, unaware of the dreamy quality of her voice.

"What's what like?" he asks and draws a few long strands through his fingers before he leans in again to kiss her hair and grins. "That?"

"No," she says and lifts her head to look at him, her fingers still pressed to his chest. "Well sort of," she says. "Was that the same for you?"

"Same as what?" he asks and she shrugs gently.

"Like before," she says. "Like...time lord...stuff."

He raises his eyebrows at that before he draws her up closer so he can kiss her mouth again. He sucks on her bottom lip before he draws back to look at her and offers a wry smile. "It was us," he says. "And you're special, Rose. You've always been special."

"But was it different?" she asks and he nods his head before he seems to consider.

"What time is it?"

"What?" she asks and turns her head toward the clock. "Nearly seven, why?"

"I'm just not feeling all that hungry right now," he says and she stares at him as he grins and draws her neatly under the covers. "And I think we better work out just how different it all is, don't you, Rose?"

--

Her skin tingles, she's sure of that. The sun's long since set but her skin still seems to burn and she can't and won't lose the smile she's finally found. Getting dressed was such sweet discomfort and even her clothes seem to touch her in intimate places. Everywhere he's touched feels as all the more sensitive and when she walks, it's a physical memory of what they've done.

She likes the way he holds her hand tightly, as though their connection's unbreakable now. And though she doesn't think she's quite taken in the reality of him being here not just now but forever, she's unwilling to let go of his hand either.

"I feel like we're sneaking around," she says as he pushes open the door and looks down the long and empty hallway.

"Sneaking from who?" he asks. "Your mother? Surprised everyone doesn't sneak away from her. That mouth..."

"Oi," she says. "That's my mum you're talking about."

"Exactly," he says and then shakes his head. "One thing I didn't bank on in coming here. The rest of my life with your mother."

She grins at him and leans up to kiss his cheek.

"What's that for?"

"The rest of your life," she says and shrugs. "It's good to hear it."

He grins and squeezes her hand. "Good to say it too. Come on, let's hit the kitchen. I'm starving."

She shows him the way, amused and thankful that while they've missed dinner Jackie's been good enough to plate up their portion. She watches him as he looks suspiciously at the cling film, but once it's off and they've set up at the table, she's surprised how familiar all this feels. He grins at her as he eats and when she giggles he offers up his share. "What?" he asks and she shrugs.

"This," she says. "Feels sort of right, doesn't it?"

"Very," he agrees and licks her fingers when she offers to feed him. "You remember that picnic we had on...ooh, where was it?"

"Reja Magnum," she says and he nods at her. "Would have been great if we weren't being hunted down."

"Mm," he says and grins at her. "It was good, though. Before the running. Well, even the running was pretty good. They didn't catch us and you remembered the cream cakes."

"Well of course," she says. "Couldn't leave those behind, could we?"

He leans in and kisses her and she relishes the freedom he has to do that now. He draws back slowly and she presses her hand against his cheek. "I still can't believe you're here."

He turns his head and kisses her palm, his lips soft against her skin. "I could pinch you," he offers and and she shakes her head. "You want me to convince you I'm really here?"

"How're you gonna do that?" she asks, relishing the kiss that comes in answer and food is forgotten in the promise of his embrace. She wraps her arms round his neck as he stands and draws her in close. Her toes press against the floor as she holds on tight and when the door opens they turn to look as one, unwilling to let go at all.

Jackie stands framed in the doorway and folds her arms at the spectacle, her very presence enough to make Rose blush. "We were just getting something to eat."

"Is that what you're calling it now?" she asks and stares at him. "If you think I'm going to give you another set of pajamas, you're very much wrong, Doctor."

"He doesn't need pajamas, mum," says Rose and looks up at him. "It's okay, we can go."

"No, it's all right," he says and keeps Rose's hand in his. "Your mum's just looking out for you."

"That's right," says Jackie. "And how long until he leaves again, that's what I want to know." She nods to him. "You weren't here to pick up the pieces last time. No, that was my job to hold her when she cried night after night. You went swanning off round the Universe while she was stuck here ."

"Mum-"

"You weren't there when her heart was breaking," she continues as he stands there and lets her vent. "How do I know whether you'll be here next week? Tomorrow?"

"Mum," says Rose again and shakes her head. "It doesn't matter. It wasn't him who did that."

"Yes it was," he says and keeps his gaze on Jackie. "I did all that. But I never meant to hurt her."

"Oh no," says Jackie. "You never mean to do anything wrong, but you do. People get hurt around you. They die because of you and now I'm supposed to just accept that you're living here in my house and I'm not supposed to say anything about it?" She shakes her head. "Not likely."

"Oh absolutely not," he says. "Because you need to have a say in everything, don't you, Jackie?"

"You're bloody right when it comes to my daughter," she says. "I was here for her and you, you went off with other girls and made their parents worry-"

"Mum," snaps Rose and looks between them. "I've made my choice, all right? This isn't helping."

Jackie stops staring at the Doctor and turns to her daughter. "I just don't want to see you hurt again. And he's trouble, Rose. He can't help it." She glances back at the tall man still holding her daughter's hand. "It follows him, like a rash."

He raises an eyebrow at that and looks down at Rose. "She's right, you know. I am."

"I know," she says and sighs as she looks up at him. "I didn't say yes without thinking about it. I'm not stupid. I'm not just some...ape."

"I know that," he says and watches her carefully. "But I can't promise it won't be dangerous."

"See?" asks Jackie and points a finger at him. "You promised me you'd keep my daughter safe and sound."

"And he has," says Rose as she grips his hand tighter still. "I'm here, mum. And I'm all right." She glances up at him and smiles. "I'm more than all right. I'm happy."

"Really?" he asks and she nods.

"Course I am," she says and he grins.

"Cause of me?" he asks and when she nods he leans down to kiss her again. She smiles against his mouth but Jackie clears her throat again and they look at her.

"I give up," she says and points at Rose. "You just think on what happened last time and you," she says and turns to him. "Don't you dare hurt my little girl."

"I won't," he says firmly and Rose does believe him even if she knows her mother has doubts. She believes he means it, even if she also knows no one can truly make that promise. But she believes him and that's enough right now. And when her mother walks out and leaves them alone Rose leans up on her tiptoes to press her mouth to his.

"She didn't mean all of it," she says and he frowns.

"Yes she did," he says. "And she was right. I took you away from her and I took you places that put you in danger. I didn't keep you safe, Rose. I couldn't keep you safe all the time. You got stuck here because of me." He frowns. "You nearly died because of me. More than once."

"I wanted to go with you," she insists. "I needed to. I wanted to see the world and you showed me everything."

"In the Tardis," he says and when she nods he smiles wistfully.

"Not just there," she says. "You showed me when we were just...just us."

He licks his lip before he grins. "We had some really good times, didn't we?"

"Yeah," she says and bites her lip. "We're going to have more, aren't we?"

"Rose," he says and tuts at her before he hugs her in close. "You really doubt that?"

"Not for a single second," she tells him and when the kissing stops he reaches for the nearest flat surface before he seems to recover himself. "What?" she asks. "You chicken?"

"Just don't want your mum to walk in," he says and she grins at that but there are more immediate needs than just kissing here now. She giggles when he opts to bring her back up the stairs again, sure that some of her happiest moments have been running with him and this is no exception.

This is the first time she's felt happiness is within reach and when he draws her inside the bedroom, she's quick to kick off her shoes and abandon herself to the moment. His hands slide in her hair as he presses her back against the wall and she doesn't care about anything but him. Sometimes in the past she believed He knew that, just as she hoped that He felt the same way. And buried beneath that was the knowledge that it couldn't really be true but now she's with John Smith and she's suddenly sure that she doesn't just have to hope any more.

He's never done anything half heartedly and it occurs to her that he probably doesn't know how. He isn't a man to do anything without wanting to and there's a reassurance in that which makes her heart pound in her chest. Her fingers slide against his skin when he kisses her and she can feel the tension rising between them. And since she knows that she has gone beyond the edge of the universe for Him, she thinks she's entirely entitled to indulge herself with him now.

Her hair tumbles against her back as he kisses her throat and Rose trembles at the sensation. It seems to make her shake and shiver right down to her toes and when he takes her to bed she doesn't hold back. She's loved him with all her heart since she realized how she felt but she was scared to say it. All that time with Him and she was scared to say it.

But time ran out, an irony she still doesn't appreciate, and she lost Him for more than two years. She lost Him from her whole world and when she found him again He died in front of her. She thought she was going to lose Him forever - He'd still be the Doctor but He wouldn't be her Doctor. And when it didn't happen, when something strange and wonderful took place her Doctor was split in two.

This side of Him, the human side, the one capable of living one day at a time, now belongs with her. And almost because she knows that the Earth can really shake, that it doesn't, that this remains personal for them makes it all the more real.

Her skin's soaked with sweat as she falls back against the covers and she listens to him breathing hard next to her. His hand finds hers under the tangle of sheets and she swears she feels his grin as he gets his breath back.

"We could have done that before," he says and she turns to look at him.

"We did."

"Nah, I mean way before," he says. "When we were traveling. We could have spent some time off duty," he says and chuckles when she leans over and kisses his mouth. "Or maybe you didn't want to then."

"You know I did," she says and worries her lip briefly before she stares at him. "You did know, didn't you?"

"Know what?" he asks and she swallows back the tears that still want to come. It's unfair that this still makes her so sensitive, but it's still so very tender to her and she can still hear Him ask if it needed to be said.

"That I love you," she says as she struggles to get past the lump in her throat. "You knew I did?"

He nods when she says that and strokes his fingers over her hair. "I knew," he says quietly and closes his eyes briefly before he looks at her again. "You knew how I felt."

"I wasn't sure," she admits. "You'd never say. And then you didn't say."

He sighs when she says it and reaches to pull her in close for a hug. She still clings tight when he holds her and he buries his face against her hair. There's such comfort in his embrace and she tries to find the strength to talk.

"I thought I'd die," she says as she presses her face to his skin. "Without you. I thought I'd die."

"But you didn't," he says as he strokes her arm. "You wouldn't do something like that, Rose. You're stronger than that and look what you did? You worked on that teleporter and you worked out how to save the world. Look at you, doing all that." He kisses her forehead when she looks up and grins again. "You're brilliant, every last bit of you."

"I just wanted to find you," she says. "I felt so lost without you."

"But you weren't," he says and settles back against the pillows. "You're never lost, Rose."

She sighs when he says it and then leans up to kiss his mouth. "I want you to stay with me."

"Here?" he asks and she bites her lip.

"Wherever," she says. "We could go traveling," she says. "There's places still need the Doctor, even here."

"We could do that," he says. "Could do anything, if you're with me."

"I will be," she promises and kisses him until she can feel sleep washing over her body. It's been a long day and a long life and if she knows she'll wake up early to make sure he's still here, she doesn't think it's too unreasonable.