Doctor Who | songs from the vortex [Songfic Collection]

Sleep Alone

Summary: "Lonely woman gets so cold with no lover boy to hold. One more night she's on her own. Nobody meant to sleep alone . . ."

Note: Post-Doomsday. Angst.

Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler

Song: "Sleep Alone" by Heart

Originally Published: 18 August 2013

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Say so long, baby.
Turn around.
Loneliness hits you.
Emptiness closes you down.

"Rose Tyler—"

Before the Doctor could finish his sentence, the hologram of him cut out and faded away. Rose, tears streaking down her cheeks, buried her face in her hands. Sobs racked her body. She was dimly aware of Jackie and Mickey coming up behind her to offer reassurance and lead her back to he car, but she didn't care. That was the last time she was ever going to see the Doctor. If he'd only had ten more seconds . . .

Rose couldn't help playing back the scene in her head.

"I love you," she'd said, voice breaking as she tried not to cry.

He'd smiled sadly. "Quite right, too. And I suppose this is my last chance to say it. Rose Tyler—"

God, what was she going to do without him? Suddenly, despite the fact her family was right there with her, Rose felt so lonely and empty.

At least now she knew what the Doctor had probably felt like after the Time War.

"Come on, luv," Jackie said softly, resting a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Let's get you home."

But it isn't home, Rose wanted to shout. Not to me. To her, home was with the Doctor and his TARDIS. She didn't say anything, though, and let her mother lead her back to where the parallel Pete Tyler was waiting by the car.

The whole drive back from Bad Wolf Bay to the parallel Powell Estate, Rose was lost in memories of the Doctor.

Alone in his car
You think of his name.
Took part of you with him.
It won't be the same.

She'd first met him back in the shop where she'd worked in downtown London. Rose had been cornered by living plastic mannequins that were trying to kill her when a hand had grabbed hers. Brilliant blue eyes bored into her own brown ones and a rough voice had said, "Run." OF course, he'd ended up blowing up the store—which was perfectly fine with Rose, since she'd hated working there anyway.

After she'd helped him defeat the Nestene Consciousness, she had decided to accompany him in the TARDIS. Since then she'd seen the end of the world, fought Gelth in Victorian Cardiff with Charles Dickens, stopped World War Three against the Slitheen with Harriet Jones (Prime Minister), faced gas mask zombies from the Blitz, seen more Daleks than she wanted to, destroyed the Dalek Emperor, and seen the Doctor regenerate. After that she'd seen Sycorax, a werewolf, met Sarah Jane Smith, been to the Olympics, battled Cybermen, and more. So much more—and along the way she'd fallen in love with him in both his forms. It had been a better life with the Doctor—she'd explained as much to her mum.

Who was going to hold his hand now? He was all alone, and she was stuck here with no way back. The gap between the universes had closed completely.

Before Rose knew it, they were pulling into the driveway of the Powell Estate. The drive had taken hours; but to her, lost in memories, it seemed to be no time at all.