Character/Pairing: Ten/Rose
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: The BBC owns all, I am merely borrowing.
Spoilers: Through The Satan Pit.
Author's Notes: The end. At least until I decide what should happen next. This part has been edited for content and if you'd like to read the rest you can visit my livejournal. Enjoy!

Despite the length of time she'd traveled with him, Rose had never seen the Doctor's bedroom. He claimed to not require sleep, but she had found him snoring in the library on more than one occasion. She had often wondered whether he had a bedroom at all.

The room they entered was not what she expected.

"This isn't a bedroom."

"No. No, it's not," the Doctor agreed cheerfully, crossing to a wicker table. "Tea?"

"It's a...it's a..." Rose remained near the doorway, staring in disbelief at what the small room contained. "Is that apple grass?"

"It's a parlor of sorts. And, yes. I suspect the TARDIS thought you'd like that." He inspected a teapot on the table, lifting the lid and squinting at the contents before declaring, "Lovely!"

"We're having tea?" Rose frowned. "Tea?"

"Mmmhmm." He poured and offered her one of the delicate cups.

"But I thought..." She shook her head, accepting the cup despite her confusion. "Why're we having tea?"

"Why?" he asked, looking equally confused. "Very beneficial, tea. Especially with what we're about to attempt. Now, drink up!"

Rose bit her lip to hide a smile at this unpredicted eccentricity. "This usual, then? For Time Lords?"

"Don't humans do this?"

"Usually there's a bed involved," she mumbled, coughing when she sampled the dark brew. "Sooner."

"Yes, I rather suspect there is," he mused. "But it's not quite the same, you understand. For me. And the tea is traditional, I suppose. Bit of a precaution, before..."

Rose's eyes went wide. "That why you're always suggestin' tea? 'Cuz you think it might lead to..."

"But you like tea," he interrupted quickly. "It's very British to take tea. Well, until the brewing revolution of 3010 when..."

"That why the TARDIS lands in England all the time?" she continued. "So you can...mate?"

"What?" he yelped. "No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. That's ridiculous. I never planned to..." He tilted his head and glanced at the ceiling. "Ah."

"What?"

"My ship may have had the wrong idea," he admitted with a frown. "Or the right idea. Depending on how you choose to look at it."

"Oh." Rose attempted to look preoccupied with the contents of her cup. "So...tea?"

He nodded. "The success of the bonding so far suggests that our minds are compatible. But, I'd rather not take any chances. I don't want to hurt you."

"Hurt me?"

"If our thought patterns aren't compatible, your mind could be harmed when we finish...bonding. I won't let that happen."

Rose recognized the familiar glint in his eye and knew better than to argue. "You can check right? Before we do things."

"Absolutely," he agreed, but the tone of his voice was grim. "But I...I need to touch your mind. With mine. I won't muck around, I promise, and if there's anything you don't want me to see, just picture a door closing. I won't look." He studied his cup of tea, rubbing his thumb along the rim. "Just remember, once we...finish this, you won't be able to hide things quite so easily. I'll try to give you some privacy, but I can't control everything we share. I'd go mad trying."

She reached for his hand, carefully prying it from the cup. "Doctor, it's all right. I want this. Really."

The Doctor hesitated, but Rose's grip on his hand was firm. "Right. Stop me if it gets uncomfortable."

He pressed his fingertips to her temple and reality faded as she was engulfed by thoughts and feelings that were not her own. Worry, guilt and a small sensation that hinted at happiness.

"Easy," the Doctor murmured, catching her waist to steady her. "Just relax."

But it was hard not to feel uncomfortable being a voyeur among her own memories. It was surreal, catching glimpses of so many old experiences, like flipping through a book and only catching a few words. Things she'd thought forgotten were suddenly as clear in her mind as if they'd just happened. When she heard the Doctor speak again, his voice sounded very far away.

"That's odd."

"What is?" Rose asked anxiously. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Well, not nothing. Nothing wrong. Just...a bit unexpected."

She felt him readjust the position of his fingers.

"Your mind is very organized, for a human. I'm impressed. Everything's neatly compartmentalized, like..."

The Doctor released her and she took an unsteady step backwards. The sudden clarity of the present left her feeling lightheaded. "Like...?"

"Nothing. It's nothing," he insisted, sounding distracted.

"Are we...compatible?"

"Oh, yes. I should say so."

She reached to trace the crease in his forehead. "But you're still worried."

"No, I--"

"Doctor..." Rose interrupted with obvious skepticism.

"All right, a bit," he admitted, ruffling his hair. "Well, maybe more than a bit. It's to be expected, really, with circumstances as they are, and..."

"And...?"

"You're perfect. Absolutely...perfect. And that's what worries me. It shouldn't be this easy, Rose." He paused, tilting his head. "You all right? You look like you might faint."

"What? Oh!" she gasped, still reeling from his compliment. "Um, m'fine."

"You know, for my people the physical portion was superfluous." He turned away, staring at the distant horizon the TARDIS had provided. "We'd used looms for centuries anyway. The pleasure is in the joining of minds."

"Can you still...?" But before Rose could finish her question, he'd swiftly turned, capturing her lips, drawing her closer until there was no space left between them.

"Absolutely," he assured her, between kisses that left her gasping for air. "Exceedingly well, in fact."

She whispered his name, his real name, and he shivered, clutching her tight against his body.

"Minx," he teased, his voice rough. "Ready?"

Taking his hand, she guided it to her temple. He took a deep breath and then firmly pressed his fingers against the skin just above her ear.

"Forever..." he whispered, trembling as they merged.

And then she was falling, falling, falling. She heard the Doctor gasp in surprise as the bond solidified. The Bad Wolf and the Oncoming Storm. Their destiny had been engulfed in starlight from the very beginning. Before he'd changed his face, before she'd known anything could be bigger on the inside, perhaps even before he'd told her to run. This was the ending and the beginning of what they were always meant to be. Forever.