Slowly Falling

Chapter One

Chapter One:

Rose awoke with a choked sob, tears running down her cheeks and dampening her pillow. It wasn't the first time she'd woken in tears, though it was getting far worse as of late. Swallowing thickly she slowly sat up, swiping the back of her hands underneath her stinging eyes and taking deep breaths in an effort to gain composure. There was hardly any point to it as more fresh, hot tears spilled over and fell soundlessly onto the duvet. She had woken like this almost every night since that day he  left her. Again. Only this time he had left her with his duplicate, as if that made the harsh sting of abandonment hurt any less. Her heart ached at the thought of him and she bit her lip, almost hard enough to draw blood. The physical pain seemed to help, though it paled in comparison to the pain she felt in her heart and mind.

Pull yourself together, Rose, she thought, retrieving a tissue from the box on her night stand and thoroughly wiping her eyes and cheeks before blowing her nose. That was easier said than done- after all she had loved him so very much- but she thought she was doing her very best considering the circumstances. He's not coming back and it's time you moved on with your life. But oh, how she longed to be on the T.A.R.D.I.S. with her  Doctor, running throughout all of time and space saving the day and having such grand adventures.

Thinking back on all they had been through just made her hurt worse.

Time to get up and get a glass of water, I think. She knew that she wasn't going to get back to sleep any time soon, and she really didn't want to. If she fell back asleep that same dream of her Doctor leaving her behind on that stupid beach would plague her again. No. It was better to get up now and tire herself out, and hopefully exhaustion would keep the dreams away. Pulling back the covers with a sigh, Rose slid out of bed and slipped on a pair of soft pink slippers. Looking down at her clock told her that it was just after two in the morning. It was a bit chilly and so she slid on a dressing gown and tied it at the waist before leaving her room and padding silently downstairs to the kitchen.

The light hum of the fridge filled her ears as she turned on the kitchen light, reminding her of the hum of the T.A.R.D.I.S., though she sounded far more beautiful. Rose gave a weak smile at the thought of the sentient old time ship, missing her almost as much as she missed the Doctor. The fridge gave a random loud pop as it settled, startling her from her thoughts. Rubbing at her sore eyes briefly, she walked over to the cupboard and pulled out a glass before filling it with water from the tap. She gulped the water down greedily, not realising how parched she was, and then refilled the glass and began to sip more slowly.

Once finished she placed the glass down and leaned back against the black marble countertop, counting the floor tiles as she wondered what she should do next. Could watch a movie or read a book, her brain supplied helpfully, but she didn't really feel like doing either of those things. She felt restless, her feet itching to run. To where? She didn't know, and supposed it didn't matter. It was a feeling she hated, wanting desperately to do something but not having the motivation for anything more than standing around moping. It was almost like how she had felt before she met the Doctor. Same meaningless existence, day in and day out. Wake up, eat breakfast, go to work, come home, eat dinner, go to bed. Rinse and repeat.

Of course, she had her job at Torchwood now as well as two loving parents and an adorable little brother who thought she was the center of the universe. She wasn't in short supply of friends either, her team at Torchwood inviting her out every weekend for drinks or a game night. Beans on toast and the Powell Estate had turned into scrumptious meals and a lavish mansion- courtesy of her father (or rather, step-father). Still, it just didn't seem like enough. Rose didn't want to be ungrateful, but this life paled in comparison to her old one among the stars.