“I don’t just travel with you because I’m somebody with you but because I feel like somebody to you.  If I’m trying to prove anything it’s to prove that I’m good enough to be here with you, that you made the right choice.  I don’t ever want to disappoint you or make you regret that you asked me into your life.”

“No matter what you do, you never could,” a wistful, sad smile graced his lips.

“I know who you are.  I may never know your hundreds of years of history but I see your pain when you come across people who are oppressed and struggling, your compassion when you look on worlds that have torn themselves apart and instead of just giving up on them, you help and hope that they will change and learn.  Your love and passion for life and beauty and discovery is so tangible, it’s like it fizzles in the air around you like some invisible current that you can’t help but be sucked into.  Your respect and morality when you risk your life for even one other lost soul.  You give anyone worth and importance no matter whether they’re a stupid ape or a genius scientist.  You give all of yourself, don’t protect anything or hold anything back; every situation has your 100% attention and commitment.  You don’t do anything by halves.

But it’s not just great deeds that makes somebody love someone.  It’s the little things.  The way you hum show tunes absentmindedly while you’re frittering about underneath the console, the way you hold my hand gently, as if it’s something precious even when we’re running for our lives.  You’re so attentive and make me feel like the only other person in existence.  The way you get so enthusiastic about the smallest of things and your whole face lights up and the mile-a-minute babble reflex takes over,” she smiled, tongue in cheek, and challenged him to disagree.

“I’ve loved you for a very long time but I released that I would be lucky and happy even just to be near you.”

Such a complex myriad of emotion flickered through the Doctor’s expressive eyes, running from shock, to awe, to amusement, confusion, hope, excitement but always hidden beneath, was love.

“I’ve been childish.  Hiding from the boogie man in the dark and hoping he’d go away.  Thinking that when I lose you it will somehow hurt less if I never admit to myself that I love you when in reality it will hurt more knowing you never knew.  I may look like a human but I think, feel and live a long, long life, like a Time Lord.  My time with you will be so short and I’m so scared.”

His voice broke and fresh tears welled up in his eyes as Rose pulled him to her, his head smothered in her lap and her loving hands caressing his dishevelled hair.

“But your worth it,” he suddenly looked up.  “And you either have to leave, I go crazy trying to deny how you make me feel or I do everything in my power to show you how amazing and wonderful you are and spend the rest of your life making you feel happy and so loved, ‘cause I’m too tired to fight this anymore.”

“Well I’m not going anywhere.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” looking at the lost boy so vulnerable and exposed in her arms Rose could only think of one course of action so she kissed him, wet and breathy with joined tears and heavy, constricted lungs and warm lips, already reddened from biting and worrying.

To be continued…