Title: letting go
Author: Mary (
stillxmyxheart)
Rating: G
Genre: Angst, Romance
Word Count: 710
Characters: Rose/Ten II
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize? Ain't mine.
Summary: She follows the song one last time.
A/N: From my
icon fic meme post, icon chosen is the one used on this post :D And a Merry Christmas to everyone as well!
She's standing alone in a field, waiting and watching. A flock of birds fly restlessly overhead, their cries flat against the frozen ground. She watches them until they disappear over the trees and crosses her arms tightly over her chest, searching the area around her.
It's probably foolish for her to be out here, she knows what her mother would say if she knew, but the pull had been irresistible.
A strong wind blows across the field and Rose turns her back to it, tightening her arms and ducking her head against the frigid air buffeting her body. She wonders if it'll snow while she's out here and this just furthers the idea that she's daft for coming out here.
The wind dies down and she straightens, casting a glance towards the sky. She doesn't know if what she's waiting for will actually show up, but the idea that it might is what brought her out here and what's keeping her feet rooted to this spot.
It's the song in her head that drew her out here, the one that began in her dreams one night and soon took over her waking thoughts until she had to follow it, find where it wanted her to go.
The trail ended at this field and she can still hear it, growing louder and louder until it seems to swirl around her and she looks back at the sky, chewing on her lower lip.
The light is starting to fade when she hears footsteps crunching on the grass and she looks up to see him walking towards her, but for the first time in a long time it's not the man she's hoping to see. His face is the same, if a little older now, but he's wearing jeans and a sweater and not the brown suit from her memories.
His hands are in his pockets and the gesture is so familiar and her heart hurts so much that tears fill her eyes as she stares at him.
He comes to a stop in front of her, his eyes full of sympathy and concern.
"He's not coming," he says softly and she sighs, looking down at the ground for a moment before raising her eyes to his face. Tears roll down her cheeks as she nods.
"I know," she murmurs and takes a shuddering breath.
He puts his hands on her arms and she closes her eyes for a moment. The silence settles over them and she hears the song swell to its final crescendo before it slowly fades away and a sob escapes her lips.
"I think he's gone," she whispers, opening her eyes and staring up at him, feeling a pain in her chest that she hasn't felt in so long and thought she'd never feel again.
She feels herself beginning to crumble and he pulls her into his arms, holding her close and kissing the top of her head as she sobs into his sweater, gripping him tightly.
As he strokes her hair and rubs her back she realizes that while the Doctor may be gone now, she still has her Doctor, the one who's holding her and letting her leak all over his sweater. The one who has been there for her for the past however many years, who has held her hand tightly in his as they ran, laughing like fools, from rift-hopping aliens, who slipped a ring onto her finger and asked her if she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him and smiled as he wiped away her tears, and who kissed her gently on their wedding night as he showed her just how much he loved her.
She smiles now, still feeling the dull ache in her heart but knowing it will eventually fade, just like it did the last time.
She sniffles and looks up at him. He smiles softly at her, using his fingers to wipe away her tears and she smiles at the memory this brings forth.
"Ready to go home?" he asks and she nods, allowing him to take her hand and pull her away from this cold and lonely field. She glances back, just once, and knows that now she can finally let go of her past.