who_contest | The Veil Between Us ("Veil" entry)

Title: The Veil Between Us

Rating: G

Word Count: 498 words

Characters: The 10th Doctor and Rose

Spoilers: Big Spoilers for Doomsday and Season 2

Warnings: N/A

Episode Setting: Doomsday

Summary: He’d lost the most important thing dear to him. He had lost his Rose.

“Rose Tyler ...”

And then she was gone. The Doctor had missed his chance. His one and only chance. The familiar scent of the Tardis’ engine engulfed his senses and the salty scent of the sea from Dårlig bay faded away. The sight of the Tardis walls left his hearts in two pieces, torn between the two universes. From now on, his life would never be the same.

All this time he meant to say those words, those three measly words, but his eyes were too focused on the universe than to tell her his feelings for her. The Doctor knew she wanted to hear them.

But he was too scared. The Doctor didn’t share his hearts with just anyone. The last time he did that, she ended up leaving a massive scar in them. But Rose was different. Rose loved him with all of her human heart and he ignored it. All this time the Doctor though she didn’t care for him that strongly, but on that bay, he saw her tears. In her tears were all her hopes of a life with him. In her tears, her love shown proudly for the whole world to see. Her love of him.

His eyes began to swell up uncontrollably. It was true he had won the battle against the Dalek but lost the most important thing dear to him. He lost Rose.

No … No!!

Suddenly, an unexplained rage came over the Doctor and his fists slammed against the Tardis’ main control panel. Rose was gone and he’d never see her. Again and again, he struck the Tardis with such fury that she began to spark. Rose was the first human he had met that he felt a real connection with. Rose made him forget all about the Time War. She made him forget what he had done. She made him forget that they were any different from each other. She made her feel alive again. But now she was gone.

The Doctor’s breath caught in his throat and he slid to the ground, powerless to do anything. He looked up at the ceiling through his tear glazed eyes. In his head, he ran through every conceivable way to see her again but none of them would work. At first, only one wall stood between them, but when looked at closer, a whole universe separated them instead. It was a mighty veil that hid Rose from him, a veil that he could never remove.

The Doctor ran his fingers through his coarse hair and wiped away his tears. He pulled himself off the floor and shoved his hands into his pant pockets. His eyes trailed to Rose’s purple shirt that she laid on the Tardis railing. He slowly glided over and fingered the thin fabric. Even it smelled of roses as if it was just to spite him.

“I’m so sorry,” He choked as he pressed her shirt to his lips and kissed it. “Rose Tyler… I love you.”