A/N: I am sooooooo sorry I haven't updated in so long! I can't believe it's been nearly 8 months! This chapter is unfortunately a little shorter than the others, but it's the end of the 'Amy's Choice' story arc, and the beginning of a new one. I wish I could say I'll update soon, but since I'm working on 5 other fanfics, it's going to be tough, especially since Doctor Who is on hiatus now and I don't have a new source of inspiration... I'll do my best, and I am definitely not abandoning this, I promise!

Chapter 14:

The first thing she became aware of was that she was laying on a hard surface. Blearily, she tried opening her eyes, before closing them again against the harsh light. A familiar hum filled her mind, pushing her closer to full awareness. The Tardis.

Rose blinked again, letting her eyes adjust to the light. She recognized this room: it was the medbay. She'd spent quite a few times in here, letting the Doctor mend whatever injury she'd gotten during their latest adventure. Unbidden, her hands went to her abdomen, only to find her stomach painfully flat again. She pushed the sudden stab to her heart away and focused on the present. She was back. The Torchwood dream had been just that: a dream. On one hand, she was happy that she still had the Doctor, that he'd come back for her, but on the other, she wanted to mourn the loss of her other life. Already, the details were slipping away, though Rose tried to hold on to them.

A scuffling at the door, drew her eyes, and she saw Amy standing there with a tray. "Morning sleepyhead," the redhead said cheerfully, coming over.

Rose sat up, wincing at the stiffness in her limbs. She felt like she hadn't used them in weeks, which she might have, for all she knew. Amy sat the tray down on Rose's knees, and she was embarrassed to say that her stomach rumbled loudly.

Amy grinned. "Doctor said you'd be hungry, so I took precautions. This was in the oven when I was looking for food in the kitchen."

Sure enough, the tray contained some of Rose's favourite foods, complete with chocolate-glazed donut as dessert. "Thanks, girl," she whispered to the ceiling.

Amy frowned at her as if she was crazy. Rose just smiled. "She's a sentient ship, she can understand us, and she made sure all of this was ready because she knows what I like to eat."

Amy kept looking at her as though she was crazy, but didn't contradict her. Rose ate her food while Amy recounted the events of the past few days. Apparently, it hadn't been weeks.

"So then, the Doctor just blew up the Tardis, and we woke up. We couldn't find you, so I went to check on you, and you were still asleep… I guess you know the rest."

Usually, Rose and Amy didn't get along very well, but right now, Rose appreciated the younger girl's matter-of-fact tone and brashness.

"Where is he?" she asked quietly.

Amy shrugged. "Working on the console, as usual. He's been avoiding me, and Rory's not having much more success. He was worried about you, by the way. Asked me to tell him when you woke up. It's a good thing I know I don't have to be jealous."

Rose grinned. "Give Rory a hug for me, okay? I've got a Time Lord to track down," she said, hopping off the bed, leaving the rest of her meal uneaten.

Amy raised an eyebrow. "I thought you'd avoid him as long as you possibly could."

"I can't. If there's one thing that other world taught me, it's that I've been without him for far too long. I'm not sure if I'm ready to have the whole conversation, but I just need to be with him for now."

Amy smiled lewdly. Rose had the feeling the redhead was thinking in an entirely different direction than she was.

/*/

When she stepped into the console room, Rose understood what Amy had meant about avoiding them. The room was barely accessible, and only a very determined person would have crawled over the near-barricade of cables and electronics that were all over the floor. Luckily, Rose was more than determined enough. After she got over the initial barricade, a path was visible through all the stuff. She figured she had the Tardis to thank for that.

Carefully making her way to the stairs that led underneath the console, Rose had a moment of nostalgia for the previous desktop theme. She'd really enjoyed watching the Doctor crawl under the grating, as opposed to the swing-like contraption he used now, under the glass floor.

As she descended, the Doctor pushed some kind of goggles onto his eyes. "Not now, Pond, I'm almost finished calibrating the reverse thrusters. Not sure what we'd need reverse thrusters for, but you can never be too prepared, eh?" he called out, pointing the screwdriver at some exposed wires.

Rose stood quietly, watching the Doctor work. It didn't take the Time Lord very long to realize that neither Amy nor Rory would have just kept quiet, and turned around.

She waved and offered a small grin. "Rose," he breathed. He seemed frozen in place, so Rose walked over, slowly closing the distance between them. Without pausing, she slipped her arms around him and pulled him close, burying her face in his neck.

Hesitantly, his hands came up to hold her in return. Rose could feel one hand on the back of her head, while the other circled her waist.

"I missed you," he murmured into her hair, and it meant the world to her that he'd admit that to her.

Burying her hands into his hair, she sniffed. "They keep trying to split us up," she whispered, words that she'd said under different circumstances a lifetime ago.

Pulling back, the Doctor looked into her eyes. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, looking at her with a concerned frown. "But they never will," he replied softly, cupping her cheek.

There were so many words, words that were so important to them, the Doctor and his Rose: the stuff of legends, the Bad Wolf and the Oncoming Storm, the Time Lord and his pink and yellow human, Dame Rose of the Powell Estates and Lord Doctor of Tardis, 'run'… And that's what they would always be. The Doctor and Rose.

"You know, I think the old girl's happy I'm back," she said, still whispering and smiling.

He rested his forehead against hers, one arms still around her waist as the thumb of his other hand softly traced her cheekbone.

"You have no idea," he whispered, and, for the first time since he'd regenerated, Rose felt like maybe, just maybe, they would be alright. Just maybe, they could be 'the Doctor and Rose Tyler' again…

Rose opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted when the whole Tardis shook and flung them to the floor. With practiced ease, she got to her feet and followed the Doctor up to the main console. Lights were flickering and the Tardis was still shaking, so she had to hold onto the jump seat so as not to fall over.

Rory and Amy came running into the room. "Doctor!" Amy shouted. "What's going on?"

The Doctor grinned as he danced around the console. "No idea!" he shouted back, still grinning from ear to ear. In that moment, he reminded Rose so much of her first Doctor, all ears and piercing blue eyes, that her breath left her suddenly. It was the way he was close to his regeneration, not the surly version she'd first met at Henrik's all those years ago.

His eyes caught hers. "Ready for another adventure, Rose?" he called out to her. A smile grew on her own face, then, he was still her Doctor. "Always!" she shouted. And she was still his Rose…

/*/

When they finally landed, Rose had no clue where they might be. On the last desktop of the Tardis – the coral one – she'd been able to read the monitors and even operate some of the controls, but she had yet to figure out this one.

The Doctor stared intently at the monitor, while Amy and Rory were hovering close by. Rose could tell that Amy was anxious to get back out there and see what new adventure awaited them, but Rose wasn't so certain anymore. She loved travelling with the Doctor, but she wasn't sure she was ready to fall right back into it after what happened the last time.

"Well, the air's breathable. We're on a planet not too far from yours, actually, and only about a hundred years into your future," the Doctor said, pulling a lever and turning a knob slowly.

"What's it called?" Rory asked, trying to see over the Doctor's shoulder.

"Who cares, let's go see it!" Amy called over her shoulder as she moved to the doors. Rose opened her mouth to shout at her, but she'd already opened them and stepped outside.

Rory glanced over at the Doctor. "Well, no choice now," he murmured, and followed his fiancé.

The Doctor turned to Rose then. "Are you sure you're up for this? We could always go back into the vortex…" the Doctor suggested hesitantly.

Rose smiled and took his hand. The conversation reminded her of the one she'd had with his last incarnation, back on Krop Tor. "If something happens… we can always run," she whispered, grinning at him.

He grinned right back, squeezed her hand and ran out the doors with her… Right into the hands of armed guards…

A/N: So what did you think? Did you like the reunion?

Also, tell me what you think of the art Ceruleanbluesart made for me? Please leave a review for me!