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Rose Tyler had been 297 years, 8 months and 3 days old when she died.
Quite how she'd lasted that long had been a subject of many conversations between them throughout the three centuries, but they'd never really found an answer. He'd claimed vortex, and she'd claimed tenacity. It had been somewhere in the middle and stubbornly unsolved.
It had been so long since the Doctor had met her - that 19-year-old girl in Henrik's with that sweeping blonde hair, sparkling eyes, and a lust for adventure he'd fallen so deeply in love with. That girl who had steadily grown through the ensuing centuries, from the mascara and peroxide through her middle-age natural beauty to the first wrinkles in her beautiful smile. Her vibrant blonde hair had faded to grey, and that youthful spark in her eyes had dulled a little, but her lust for adventure always remained, even to the day she died.
Her death had been peaceful - the Doctor had made sure of it. He'd taken care of everything she needed in her final days, ensuring she wasn't in pain and was as comfortable as possible. It had been her heart in the end; having been pumping for nearly three centuries, it was finally broken in a way the Doctor couldn't heal. She'd spent her last few days in their bed, sleeping peacefully. He'd stayed by her, holding her hand and talking to her as she slept, even as her breath stilted and she stopped responding.
They'd both known this was inevitable and were comfortable enough to talk about this moment in the years before. They'd planned her funeral together. Even in the shadow of the inescapable finality of her death, she'd been laughing about it, picking out the 90's songs she'd like to be played at her funeral.
The funeral had been beautiful, and he'd played those songs precisely as she'd requested. He buried her next to Jackie on Earth in Whitby Cemetery, as they'd both requested, with a modest headstone and some fresh flowers from Kew Gardens. The kids, grandkids and great-grandkids had all arrived from across the universe; the dynasty they'd created together.
The unique family sang some songs, reminisced about the old days, and then it was over. The Doctor was on his own as he stepped back into the TARDIS, empty for the first time in nearly 300 years. As he walked in, he whipped off his coat and threw it over the support strut as he had done for so long, only now the echo of his footsteps seemed louder than ever. Three hundred years of Rose constantly making comments in his ear alongside the kids, all making noise and mess and screaming and crying, bringing noise and life into the TARDIS like never before. Now, there was only silence.
He was alone again.
'Doctor,’ Rose suddenly said.
He looked up, astonished as suddenly her hologram was standing in the console room. She looked just as he remembered her 280 years previously with her dyed blonde hair and mascara-clad eyes. He hadn't seen her like this for so long.
'This is emergency program number … okay, it's not an emergency program, really, I just asked the Tardis to record this. Sorry.'
He laughed, suddenly surprised and so entirely grateful to see her image standing in front of him, just as she had been so long ago.
'I really hate thinkin' of the day you'll see this because if you're watchin', it means it's the day I died. I dunno whether I'm old or young or somethin' in-between, but whatever happened, I'm gone, and now you've gotta go on, so here's my message to you. I've told the Tardis to play this after I die. Which knowin' us could be, like, twenty years in the future or two hundred. But we both knew when we started this that I was gonna die before you, so don't act like you're surprised by this.'
He laughed again, his eyes tearing up.
'I'm recordin' this cos I got to thinkin' recently … how much of a thing that is for you. You knew when you kissed me this wasn't gonna be forever. I was always gonna die, and you were always gonna live, and that's gonna hurt you so bad, but you still did it. So I thought I'd give you somethin' for after I died. This message. So listen.
'You're so amazin'. You're… you're the one that made everythin' matter. The one who made everythin' important. The one who made life worth livin'. Everytime I kiss you, it feels like that first time. It feels like magic. You're the love of my life. My soulmate. My best friend. I honestly think we were made for each other. I've been so lucky to find you.'
He swallowed, nodding silently.
'Do me a favour. Go see my mum when she was alive, one last time. She's probably dead by then for us but just … see her. You don't need to talk to her, just see her. One last time for me. She deserves that much.'
'I will,' he croaked.
She half-smiled. 'You've spent your whole life watchin' over me to make sure I was safe, and now it's my turn to watch over you. I'll always be watchin' over you. Just because I'm dead doesn't mean I'm not here with you, keepin' you safe.'
He cried, sniffing.
'Just promise me somethin'.'
'Anything,' he croaked.
'Get another companion.'
He hesitated, his hearts swelling at the thought.
'You need someone, Doctor. You need a friend. If you find someone else to love, I don't care. I just want you to be happy. Whatever you feel you need to do, don't for one minute think it's betrayin' me or somethin' ridiculous. Please, please just be happy. I want you to be happy. Whatever makes you happy after this, just do it. Promise me.'
He choked, unable to get any words out.
'I said promise me,' the hologram demanded.
'P-promise,' he managed.
She smiled. 'Thank you.'
She was now crying, and he was crying.
'I … I know you'll be sad. I know it'll hurt. But remember. You gave me the best life. The best.'
He nodded.
'Rose?' he suddenly heard his own voice from somewhere else.
'What?' she yelled back.
'I need you!'
She looked at him directly, smirking a little. She wiped away her tears.
'See you in a minute,' she said, then looked up. 'I'm coming!'
The hologram disappeared.