Title: Phantom

Genre: Angst, Romance, Drama

Rating: PG-13

Couple: Ten/Rose

Spoilers: Spoilers for season 2 through Doomsday

Summary: Hope. Simultaniously Humanity's greatest strength and greatest weakness. He might have said it was impossible, but he had also taught Rose not to believe in that word. Not even if it destroyed her. Post Doomsday.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7


Disclaimer: I've said it seven times now. I don't own DW.

AN: *peeks head out from entrenchments*

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Phantom

Chapter 8: Requiem




She closed her eyes a moment, pretending that when she opened her eyes again, he would be there, really there. She pretended when she opened her eyes, he would pull her into a smothering hug like back in the 50s, and tell her everything was okay, that he had found a way after all.

Oh, how she pretended that everything would be okay. Of course, when she opened them again, she was still alone. A cold wind blew across the Norwegian beach, and the Bad Wolf was all alone in a world of her own creation.

And oh how she hated it.

It had been a week since he had gone. Everyone had gathered around her, telling her everything would be okay, faces so understanding, so sympathetic. They had told her she was sick, they had told her they would help, to make the pain go away. They told her a great many things.

But none of them understood. And oh how she hated them for it.

Her head rested against the soft, padded wall behind her. They mostly left her alone for now, with only the odd orderly coming in for her check-ups, telling her she would pull through this one day. Her knees were pulled up to her chest, and she closed her eyes, willing for him to reappear, willing not to be so hopelessly alone anymore.

After all, if he had only been a projection of her imagination, where was he now? If he had only existed to help her through her greatest trauma, why wasn't he helping her now?

Because he really had been there. Torchwood wasn't as infallible as it thought. And he really was dead. Gone. Lost to the Void.

And it was her fault. And...oh...God...she killed him!

She gave a broken sob, and buried her face in her knees once again.

The was a soft click of a door, and the gentle padding of slippered feet on the floor. Apparently, her acting out had attracted attention. Oh well..it just meant another hour of memories. Another hour with him.

"Rose...." They never used her first name...and...and the voice was so impossibly familiar...and...

And he was dead, so he really was just her imagination.

She shook her head violently, fighting another wave of tears. "You're not real..."

There was an unintelligible sound, and strong arms wrapped around her form, sweeping her off of her feet. "Rose...please..."

She swallowed softly, and looked up at his blurry form through tears. He looked so sad, it only made her want to cry more. "Can hallucinations pick me up?"

He chuckled softly. "No...well...there is on this one little moon--"

Her heart lurched in her chest in an entirely more pleasant way than the week before, and she flung her arms around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder. "I thought you were dead! I thought...I...I..."

The arms around her tightened, and the voice that spoke sounded strained. "Rose...I'm so sorry...I don't know how, but the instability of the rift ended up shooting me out a week late in Okinawa."

"Why didn't you just go back?"

"You know I can't, Rose. Not once I'm already there." He said softly.

She nodded softly, not looking up at him. "Bastard."

He made an amused sound. "Lets get you out of here. Never liked clinics like these, anyway."

She looked up at him, then. "Where?"

He smiled. "Home."

--

He frowned slightly as he walked down the sidewalk, bag of lunch in hand. They'd had no choice after Torchwood caught up. It was either Cardiff's Clinic for the Chronically Grieving, or one of those cells Rose used to shiver while talking about, that Torchwood kept the ones they were not-so-happy with.,

Not even Pete's money would have been able to protect her then. Besides...maybe this would help her after all. Maybe she could finally move on with their help, be the Rose he used to know--or at least the Rose he knew in the battle of Canary Wharf.

The sound of familiar laughter drifted through the air, and caused Mickey to look up with a start. No one seemed to be laughing that was passing by...but there was the sound again. A laugh that was distinctly Rose-like, drifting from a nearby alleyway.

Without thinking, he raced forward into it, even though it simply couldn't be possible. And skidded abruptly to a halt when he saw the old impossibly familiar box. And Rose. And the Doctor. Standing in front of it, and laughing about something.

"Rose...?"

She turned in surprise. "Mickey!"

He walked up closer, pointing in between her and the man who couldn't have been there. "He...you...The..."

Her eyes widened suddenly. "You mean you can see him?!"

"Of course I--"

He was cut off as she suddenly lunged forward to place a firm kiss on his lips. He was half-tempted to turn around and back again to see if she would repeat herself.

"So...you believe me now?" The Doctor was grinning like the cat who'd caught the mouse. Or was it the mouse who'd caught the cheese? Didn't matter.

"So...that's it then..." He sighed, not as disappointed as he made himself look. After all...she would be happy now. And happy was something she had never truly been for all of a year. "You're just going swanning off again without a word?"

"You can come if you like." The Doctor offered, like he had once long ago. "There's a whole universe just waiting to be explored! And its a universe I haven't seen yet--not this one."

He chuckled, and shook his head. He'd tried that path before, and it had lead him here. This time he would stay where he was needed. "Think I'll stay here this time."

Rose frowned. "You'll tell Mum, won't you?"

He nodded. Once he found a big enough sheild to hide behind, anyway.

--

She couldn't stop grinning. How could she? She thought she'd lost everything, and now she had it all back with more to spare. How could she be any happier than now, as he smiled down at her, eyes shining with warmth and love--and really, physically there?

"Well..guess I'll be going then." He shrugged.

She frowned at his wording. "Wait...on your own?"

"I was hoping you'd wanna go..." His smile faded, and an unspoken question was written clearly in his dark eyes.

She took the hand that hung at his waist in both of hers, and grinned up at him. "I was hoping that, too."

His grin returned full force then. "Fantastic."

"But..." She said quickly, as he turned to open the TARDIS doors. "There's something I wanna do first."

He turned around curiously. "What?"

One of her hands released his and grabbed ahold of his collar. "This."

And that was when she pulled him down for a kiss she should have given him years ago. A wonderful, beautiful kiss she wouldn't have traded for a thousand universes to explore.

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AN: Wheee. See? I'm not entirely evil, am I? Huh? Huh? 1 lil epilogue to go.