A/N: As an avid Doctor/Rose fan who loves Clara and has come to terms with River, this thought brings me happiness and maybe even a bit of closure.

The Bad Wolf stared down at the form of the Doctor sprawled at her feet. The golden glow of the Time Vortex encompassed her form as if in worship of her. Her gaze was strong and her voice was steady, despite the tear tracks on her face.

"I want you safe, my Doctor."

Time lines stretched out before her in uncountable directions, and the Bad Wolf could follow them all. Possibilities became realities, impossibilities became fixed points. In that instant, on the planet below 198,119 years before, a leaf was torn from the safety of its branch by a fit of wind. A fixed point, to create a girl whose very existence was impossible. A woman who was born to live and to die all to save the Doctor when the Bad Wolf could not be there.

"I bring life."

Another time line, another life solidified. The Bad Wolf wove of a tapestry of paradoxes into creation. A life lived backwards. A baby stolen away and yet still raised by her parents. A girl destined to love a man who would know her less each time they met. A woman born to love the Doctor when the Bad Wolf could not be there.

"I can see everything...
All that is...
all that was...
all the ever could be."

The Doctor lowered his lips to Rose's. The Bad Wolf closed her eyes, allowing her powers to escape. Her vow had already been made, her will set into motion. No matter how far or how fast the Doctor ran, no matter how hard his life might seem, he would always be loved and protected.

When one is loved by Time, no matter how briefly, it is forever.