"Where are you?" Rose asks a little too quickly as soon as the ghostly image of the Doctor makes his way into the world (into her world, she notes. Its just them two now, no-one else, always has been). She knows exactly where he is, the TARDIS, she can sense the warm feeling of the ship even universes apart but she doesn't think to question it. She forgets to open her mouth to take back the question but when she hears his voice she supposes she's glad she didn't.
"Inside the TARDIS," the Doctor says matter-of-factly, he avoids Rose's gaze before he can't anymore. His pink and yellow human, right there in front of him. And yet, not there at all.
"There's one tiny little gap in the Universe left," he continues, and Rose's breath hitches (this is it, she thinks, I'm going home), "just about to close, and it takes a lot of power to send this projection. I'm in orbit around a super nova."
She smiles at this, and he smiles back. Going to absolute lengths for Rose Tyler, who else would dare?
"I'm burning up a sun just to say goodbye".
And suddenly everything crumbles around her, and the worlds a lot smaller than she's used to seeing it. The world hasn't felt this small since she was 19, since before she met the Doctor - all leather and ears, and hopeful grins.
"You look like a ghost," she says and the Doctor feels winded. Deep down he knows she's putting it off, burying what she needs to say for later like they have all the time in the world.
They don't.
"Hold on," he replies and Rose is patient. For him, she always has been.
He takes a gander at his screwdriver, adjusting the setting before focusing it, seemingly, towards her. It takes a moment before it's right and the image solidifies before her. She's tempted now to run forward and hold him like the worlds ending, like they did once long ago, and for her it already has. Rose holds a hand in front of herself, for him to grab and run away with or for her to caress his cheek and reach up on her tiptoes to kiss him she doesn't really know. She'll figure it out later, Rose decides.
"Can I?"
His hearts breaks. For her. For him. For the both of them and the world they'd made together that they have to leave behind.
"I'm still just an image," he reminds regretfully, "no touch."
"Can't you come through properly?"
"The whole thing would fracture. Two universes would collapse."
"So?"
It was ever so Rose, her universe had collapsed in front of her so what was the point? What was a world but the person in front of her? The hollow laugh they share is ever so mindful of the predicament, how they would do anything for each other but not this. Never this. They stare into each other for just a little too long, and Rose could stay like that forever, but the Doctor knows times running out.
"Where are we? Where did the gap come out?" He asks, an attempt at small talk as he finally takes in the view.
"We're in Norway," she replies. She smiles too, tongue between teeth. It maybe doesn't size up to the Doctor burning a sun to say goodbye, but travelling all the way to Norway on a hunch for the Doctor would have to do. She could do better, she thinks. She has done better, she thinks again to Bad Wolf. But separated by universes there's nothing more she could do, and Rose supposes that it's okay - for now. She won't settle for it, of course, she's already started training with Torchwood.
"Norway, right."
"About fifty miles out of Burgen," she says, composing herself, "It's called Därlig Ulv Stranden."
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Stuff of Legends
Fanfiction- There's no words spoken between them, just memories of good days and bad days, and yearning for the should-be days. Except now there's no more yearning. She's there, hand in hand, every step of the way. Every change of his face, watching companion...
