He can feel it, the slow fire coursing through him, enveloping every fiber of himself in it. But he would fight it off just a little while longer, it was his time to go, yes, but not quite yet, not before one final stop.

"Come on old girl, you know where to take me."

The TARDIS hummed as she took off, trying her best to soothe her beautiful idiot, her thief, as he leaned heavily against the console, his breath coming out in ragged puffs. As the TARDIS settled and nudged at him, he couldn't help the choked laugh that bubbled from his lips. "Come on you senile old twit", he berated himself, "You're where you need to be." Slowly and labouredly he made his way to the double doors of his home, and caressing her frame one last time, he stepped out.
_

The party inside was loud and crowded, and made his outside swerve as his insides churned, but still he saw it, unmistakable pink and yellow making it's way outside into the plaza. He followed swiftly, determined to accomplish what he sought. He found her, sitting on the floor leaning against the fountains edge, head held high, gazing upon the stars as a small smile graced her face.

Rassilon, It'd been so long. The sight of her brought forth an all too familiar bittersweet ache within him, temporarily overpowering the flames that urged him to walk out of his skin. The sight of her should have been enough, but it wasn't, no amount of her ever would be. So just like the last time he braved forward to hear her once more, just to make sure that he had correctly ingrained in himself every lilt and turn of her voice.

"Your neck will get stuck like that if you keep at it." He teased her as if she knew him, and oh how he wished she did.

The seventeen year old turned, "Well, at least I'll always have a nice view won' I?" offering this strange not-so-stranger a smile. "You suppose' to be chaperonin' the party or somethin' then?"

"Me? Oh no, no. Just passing through, though I dare say somebody should be. Loud rowdy teenagers the lot of you, up to your no good shenanigans, I don't blame you for stepping out."

She giggled at his words, "Yeah, it all gets a bit too much sometimes, you know?" and he couldn't help but smile sadly at her, tripping slightly as the pain wore its toll.

"You alright mate?" She looked at him concerned, and he sobbed inside. Here was his incomparable flower worrying over him once more, and for the first time, saying the same words she hadn't said yet.

"Yes, yes I'm fine, I was just headed back home anyways. Goodnight"

She yelled a "Goodnight!" as he made his was back to the TARDIS, but he stopped in his tracks, something compelling him to turn around once more. She was staring at him, with that small lip biting smirk, her eyes full of stars and questions and he just couldn't stop himself, and he wouldn't have even if could, "Oh by the way, I just wanted to say, you look incomparably beautiful."

Despite her wide shocked eyes, and the blush now creeping onto her face, her smile grew as wide as he had ever seen it. And that was it. That was all he needed, the brightest of beacons that would guide him home. He heard a quiet and sincere "Thank you", as he continued his walk back to the TARDIS. And through the painful fire that now all but consumed him, the swelling of his hearts indicated that he had accomplished what he came for.

Whatever and whoever he became now he was content and assured in knowing that she would be the last thing to grace him, new and young and untainted and oh so fantastic. Because as much as it hurt, becoming a new man and sauntering off without her hand in his, it was nothing compared to the thought, the fear of this new-and-same sauntering man not loving her as wholly and completely as he loved her. Though he had lived on and would continue to do so, he needed to be anchored by this, by the fact that he would always indisputably and unashamedly Believe in Rose Tyler.