Chapter Text
Though I'm past one hundred thousand miles
I'm feeling very still
And I think my spaceship knows which way to go
Tell my wife I love her very much, she knows
Ground Control to Major Tom, your circuit's dead, there's something wrong
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
-Space Oddity, David Bowie
Rose Tyler was woken up by her phone ringing on her nightstand, the little screen glowing. She sighed.
"Who could be calling me this late at night?" She muttered groggily as she lazily flopped a hand over to grab her phone, squinting her eyes as she looked at the screen.
The TARDIS.
The TARDIS was calling?
The Doctor?
She sat up suddenly, flipping open her phone so hard she was somewhat worried it'd break. It didn't, luckily. She answered quickly.
"Oh, Doctor!" Rose cried.
"Hello, Rose." The Doctor said quietly. "How're things?"
"It's going alright." Rose was nervous. He sounded like there was something wrong.
"And Jackie? She okay?"
"Yeah. She's doing just fine, Doctor. Is there something wrong?" Rose's brow furrowed as she propped herself up against her pillows, turning on her lamp for a bit of light.
"Um… Sort of. I've gotten myself into a real doozy now. I'm dying again." He said this almost like a guilty toddler caught fingerpainting the walls. Rose clutched her phone with her other hand.
"Are you… " Rose trailed off, biting the corner of her lip.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll be okay. Just another new face. Well, new everything. But of course I'll still be the Doctor… Um… I was just calling, Rose, to say goodbye.
Properly this time, I guess. Maybe we'll see eachother again, but I'll be a different guy, and I don't know how much you'll like him. Or her, or them, I don't know. Oh! Come to think of it, I've never been a woman before! Maybe I'll be a ginger woman? Wouldn't that be fantastic…"
The old Doctor emerged for a moment. Despite sounding pained, this brief epiphany took over his voice and Rose couldn't help but giggle. He said fantastic, too.
"Would you still like me if I was a woman?" The Doctor's voice dropped to that low, questioning tone. She could see the raise of his eyebrow.
"Yeah, of course I would, Doctor. I like you cause you're you, you know."
"Okay. Just checking! Anyway, um… Of course you know it, Rose, but you were brilliant, and I miss you every single day. I don't have anyone around to witness me regenerate this time, so I suppose it won't be as hot a mess as it was last time… I just hope whoever comes next doesn't crash the TARDIS like I did. But, you know. I've never had anything go right for me ever."
Rose silently fidgeted with a strand of her hair.
"Okay, um… I do have slightly limited time, and I wish, I really, really do wish I could see you properly one last time, and hug you, and… All of that sappy human stuff… But I have 2 other people who I need to say goodbye to as well. But you know, Rose. You are one of the most brilliant humans I have ever met.
I, um… I…
I love you, Rose.
I love you so much.
Until we meet… again, again. Goodbye."
Beep.
"Doctor." Rose practically whimpered out, gently cupping her hand over her mouth.
A little later, Rose Tyler entered her mum's bedroom (slightly to her mum's disdain) and cried into her arms for the better part of an hour, before eventually falling into troubled sleep.
The Doctor's gone, her old words echoed in her head. The Doctor's gone, the Doctor's gone…
"I love you Rose. I love you so much."