The Doctor paced back and forth in the TARDIS console room, deep in thought. He wasn't sure what to do, for once in his long life. You see, it was an important, yet sad day.

In the other universe, Rose was dying.

She'd lived a long, full life with his metacrisis creation, but now it was time for her to move on. He knew he wanted to say goodbye to her, but since he let her go the second time, he'd regenerated multiple times. He looked completely different, and was so much older.

But on the bright side, he was finally a ginger!

There was an old, dying sun nearby, and he planned on using it to his advantage again. He knew she would remember his gesture from the last time, so he planned on using it to push a larger hole through. (Another huge problem had occurred, causing a tear in the fabric of reality. Basically, it was another day for the Doctor.) He'd have just enough time to say a final goodbye to her before she was gone forever.

He harnessed the power of the dying sun and pushed his way through with the TARDIS. He knew this was something he needed to actually be there for, and he knew he'd have enough time with the size of the sun. Besides, even after all these years, this was important enough that for once, he didn't care.

He landed in a small group of trees behind a house. He didn't have many clues, but he just had this feeling it was this house. Rose was here.

He stepped out of the doors into the sunlight and chewed his lip. It was too bright for a day like this, according to him. But he couldn't think about that. It was now or never. After a split second of hesitation, he started towards the door.

He didn't need to reach the door before it opened, probably having already heard the sound of the TARDIS landing. An old man stood there, and the Doctor froze in place. He didn't need to say a single word. the Doctor already knew who he was.

"You really are human. You've grown old," the Time Lord said to the older version of his previous regeneration.

"And you're finally a ginger," the metacrisis-him attempted to joke, but neither laughed at their comments. They both knew what was coming. "Are you here to-," he then began, but was cut off by the Doctor.

"Yes," he said softly. "Can I?"

"Of course. She even said it was her dying wish, to see the real you one more time." He stepped aside to let him enter the small house.

As the two of them walked down the hall towards the room Rose resided in, the Doctor looked at the pictures hanging on the walls. There were plenty of pictures there. The first one that stood out was a photo of Rose in a white dress, metacrisis-him standing beside her in a tuxedo. After that were pictures of the two of them with children. He counted three, two girls and a boy, by the end. Pictures of their children's weddings were after all of the photos of the young children, with plenty of other family memories thrown in.

The Doctor felt both of his hearts start to break. He wished he had been able to be the one to live his life with her, but both he and Rose knew the day they parted ways that it could never happen. At least Rose was happy, he reminded himself, which helped.

They arrived at the doorway, and the other him poked his head in the door. "Rose, there's someone here to see you," he said softly.

A soft, feminine voice came through the door and hit the Doctor's ears. "Send them in," the voice said. It was older, much older, but it still sounded like Rose.

The Doctor entered the room and he felt his hearts beat faster and faster. It really was her. Sure, she was older, with white hair instead of blonde, and both smile and frown lines on her face, but her eyes and smile were still just the same as always.

"Rose," the Doctor was able to say, standing in the doorway.

Rose looked up into his eyes and hers widened. "Is...is it really you?"

The Doctor nodded and made his way to her beside. "It's really me," he tools her softly.

"You've regenerated again," she pointed out.

He nodded. "A few times. I've lost count," he said honestly. "Too much time between them."

"How old are you now?" She asked with the curiosity he remembered from when she was only nineteen.

"Now? A couple thousand," he said.

"You got old," she teased with a small smile on her lips.

The Doctor couldn't help laughing. "I guess I have," he said. "But how have you been Rose?"

"Alright. My older daughter just had her third kid," she said, her smile growing at the thought.

"That's great. Congratulations," the Doctor said with a smile. "What are your kids names?"

"Jack Mickey, Donna Martha, and Sarah Jane Jackie," Rose replied.

The Doctor smiled when he heard this. His companions and friends, and then Jackie, of course, were the namesakes of her kids. It was a lovely thought.

Oh Rose, why do you have to die? Why do you have to be human? Why must humans grow old and die?

"Why'd you come?" Rose asked softly. "You can't stay for long, and I know that. You said it to me multiple times."

The Doctor sighed. He had to tell her, didn't he? "I had to see you one more time," he said, "to say goodbye."

"Are you out of regenerations then? Is it your time?" She asked. When he shook her head, she frowned. "So it's my turn now?"

He sighed and nodded. "I wish I could say no, but it is."

She looked at her hands, which were resting in her lap as she spoke. "I've missed you," she said.

"I missed you too," he said, a small smile on his lips as he spoke to her.

Rose hesitated for a second, and then said the words she said back on the beach the first time. "I love you."

The Doctor chewed on his lip. "Well if it really is my last chance to say it, I'd better say it," he said, and then looked in her eyes. "Rose Tyler, I love you. I always have and always will."

Rose smiled when she heard this. "If I have to die now, at least I was able to hear this." She closed her eyes and took another breath.

She didn't take another.

The Doctor felt his hearts break as he saw her chest rise and fall for the last time. His gaze fell to his hands. It was over. She was truly gone, with no chance to see her again.

Well, he was a Time Lord, so he could go back, but it wouldn't be the same now that he'd seen her die. He stood and pressed a gentle kiss to Rose's forehead. "Goodbye Rose." He then started towards the door, unable to be in the room any longer. He glanced at the human version of him and said, "I'm sorry for your loss."

"And for yours," the other responded. "She talked about you, the real you, all the time."

"And I thought of her all the time," the Doctor answered. He then left the small house, refusing to let himself cry until he was safely in the TARDIS and out of this universe.

A raindrop fell on his head as he walked. This was the right weather after what had happened. The sky was dark and cloudy and it was raining. It was sad, like he felt.

When he was inside, he walked over to the console and quickly started it up, flying out if the universe and letting the hole seal itself back up behind him. When he could see the Earth from his universe, he went to the nearest staircase and sat down on the bottom stair.

This was when he chose to weep. He wept for what felt like hours and hours. He remembered the time he first saw her, or a vision of her at least, when he was on Gallifrey on the last day of the Time War. He remembered the first time he actually met her after his regeneration, and saved her from the plasticmen. He remembered showing her the universe and the way her eyes lit up in awe at what she saw. He remembered the times he had to say goodbye, the first time when he didn't finish talking, and the second when he left her with the other him.

After a while, he finally forced himself to stop. He had to. He needed to, otherwise he wouldn't have the chance to do anything more with his life. He stood and went back to the console. He silently, the last of the tears rolling down his cheeks, picked out his next destination and flew off.

Even if both of his hearts were broken, he had to go on. While time and life stop for the Doctor's friends, it never stops for the last of the Time Lords.