She found him in the wardrobe. His brown eyes were red, but otherwise, he was casually flicking through clothes and looked up, surprised to see her.
"You off, then?" he asked gruffly.
"What do you mean 'I hope the rest of your life is better than all we`ve seen', I mean, what`s that supposed to mean?"
"Well, we`ve seen so much...I don`t know if it`s enough. I want you to be happy without this life. I don`t want you to spend the rest of your life missing it."
Rose looked at him thoughtfully. "What happened?"
"Sorry?"
"Well, one minute I`m breaking into the TARDIS and then...well, I remember lots of light and someone singing...and my head was splitting. The next thing I know he was making this speech lamenting the places he wanted to take me, then he lit up and that was it."
"Pretty much it..."
"But why did he? What happened?"
He looked at her, considering. If he lied she would know. If he told her the truth... ""Does it really matter now?" Always the easy option.
"Of course it matters! It was me, wasn`t it?" This was one of the things he liked about Rose, she was so intuitive.
"You took in the heart of the TARDIS, Rose, no one should do that." He sighed.
"And..."
"I...he took it back out."
"He kissed me!" she exclaimed, touching her lips.
"He always wanted to do that...a good way to go."
"`S not funny!"
"No, sorry, bad taste." He lowered his head.
"What about Jack?"
"What about him?"
"Did the Daleks kill him?" She said this very slowly and clearly, her patience wearing thin.
"Yes." It wasn`t a lie.
"There`s more. I know there`s more. I have to know."
"Rose, it won`t do any good."
"You can`t pick and choose what I should or shouldn`t know! If it involves me, then I have a right to know!" He looked at her hard, but knew he had no choice.
"You took in the heart of the TARDIS and became the Bad Wolf."
"Bad Wolf?"
"Yes...it was you all along, leaving yourself messages to bring yourself back to me. You and the TARDIS in cahoots. You destroyed the Daleks and the Dalek Emperor and you resurrected Jack..." He stopped to gauge her reactions.
"Where is he then?"
"Well, very likely on his way back to Earth."
"You just left him?"
"He was all wrong, Rose." The Doctor visably winced.
"What? You abandoned him!"
"I`m a Time Lord, Rose. He was a fixed point in time. That doesn`t make sense to me or the TARDIS. Time should, does, move."
"That`s no explanation! He died for us! And you repay him like this!" She was shaking with anger.
"I`m going back for him. I already worked out that much. I`ll take him anywhere he wants to go. I think I can be excused a mistake, my body was undergoing all sorts of things at the time."
She calmed a bit. "You really will?"
"Yes, I promise."
She met his eyes, looked deeply into them and nodded. "Mum`s cooking us Christmas dinner, what should I say?"
"Yes...tell her...oh, I don`t know, tell her I`m sorry for taking you away and changing your life. Entirely selfish of me."
"You could...come...have some food...tell her yourself?"
"Is that wise?"
"Well, you seem to like her better now."
"Yes, strange that." They stood for a while as if words had run out.
"I`ll get my stuff," she said quietly. He nodded and watched her leave, hesitating for a moment in the doorway.
He watched the space for a while, then he went after her.
"You off, then?" he asked gruffly.
"What do you mean 'I hope the rest of your life is better than all we`ve seen', I mean, what`s that supposed to mean?"
"Well, we`ve seen so much...I don`t know if it`s enough. I want you to be happy without this life. I don`t want you to spend the rest of your life missing it."
Rose looked at him thoughtfully. "What happened?"
"Sorry?"
"Well, one minute I`m breaking into the TARDIS and then...well, I remember lots of light and someone singing...and my head was splitting. The next thing I know he was making this speech lamenting the places he wanted to take me, then he lit up and that was it."
"Pretty much it..."
"But why did he? What happened?"
He looked at her, considering. If he lied she would know. If he told her the truth... ""Does it really matter now?" Always the easy option.
"Of course it matters! It was me, wasn`t it?" This was one of the things he liked about Rose, she was so intuitive.
"You took in the heart of the TARDIS, Rose, no one should do that." He sighed.
"And..."
"I...he took it back out."
"He kissed me!" she exclaimed, touching her lips.
"He always wanted to do that...a good way to go."
"`S not funny!"
"No, sorry, bad taste." He lowered his head.
"What about Jack?"
"What about him?"
"Did the Daleks kill him?" She said this very slowly and clearly, her patience wearing thin.
"Yes." It wasn`t a lie.
"There`s more. I know there`s more. I have to know."
"Rose, it won`t do any good."
"You can`t pick and choose what I should or shouldn`t know! If it involves me, then I have a right to know!" He looked at her hard, but knew he had no choice.
"You took in the heart of the TARDIS and became the Bad Wolf."
"Bad Wolf?"
"Yes...it was you all along, leaving yourself messages to bring yourself back to me. You and the TARDIS in cahoots. You destroyed the Daleks and the Dalek Emperor and you resurrected Jack..." He stopped to gauge her reactions.
"Where is he then?"
"Well, very likely on his way back to Earth."
"You just left him?"
"He was all wrong, Rose." The Doctor visably winced.
"What? You abandoned him!"
"I`m a Time Lord, Rose. He was a fixed point in time. That doesn`t make sense to me or the TARDIS. Time should, does, move."
"That`s no explanation! He died for us! And you repay him like this!" She was shaking with anger.
"I`m going back for him. I already worked out that much. I`ll take him anywhere he wants to go. I think I can be excused a mistake, my body was undergoing all sorts of things at the time."
She calmed a bit. "You really will?"
"Yes, I promise."
She met his eyes, looked deeply into them and nodded. "Mum`s cooking us Christmas dinner, what should I say?"
"Yes...tell her...oh, I don`t know, tell her I`m sorry for taking you away and changing your life. Entirely selfish of me."
"You could...come...have some food...tell her yourself?"
"Is that wise?"
"Well, you seem to like her better now."
"Yes, strange that." They stood for a while as if words had run out.
"I`ll get my stuff," she said quietly. He nodded and watched her leave, hesitating for a moment in the doorway.
He watched the space for a while, then he went after her.