Perfectly Imperfect Chapter 10

Cold reality slams into Rose and she stumbles out of the Time Lord's reach. "You're gonna try an' send me away again, aren't you? Course you are, because that's what you do when you start with all your self loathin' and the rest of that rubbish." She fixes her hands into a mocking steeple, "Oh, poor little Time Lord, I've got thousands of people throughout time and space who love me and would do anything for me, but I have to travel alone because I'm a BIG FAT IDIOT!"

Shocked, her target takes an uncertain step backwards, nearly crashing into a support beam in the process, "Now Rose, there is absolutely no need to get all shouty. I just want you safe, like I always have. You-"

"You want me SAFE?" the woman explodes and charges forward to nullify his retreat, "I spent years trying to prove that I was strong enough and yet the first bleedin' thing either of you do when things go pear shaped is try to send me away! I'm tired of bein' carted off all the time because you are too stupid to believe that I can take care of myself," she dejectedly slumps against the railing and glares at the floor a while before continuing, "I've lost you twice and now Sean is gone forever. I can't-I just can't...I've survived a living hell three times so far and I honestly don't think I can do it again. So if you don't want me here, just say so, then have some mercy and drop me into the nearest sun. You can even keep my TARDIS as a consolation prize."

"What have I done to you?" his mournful tone forces Rose to look back to him, "I never-I didn't-I'm not...when did you become so broken?"

"Oh, I don't know Doctor. Maybe right 'round the time my parents an' little brother disappeared and everyone but me and Sean forgot they ever existed. Perhaps it was when the universe YOU stranded us in started collapsin' an' there was nothing we could do about it but come lookin' for you. Or maybe it was when my husband died tryin' to get to you, only to find out that as much as you claim to love me, you still don't want me around and are makin' plans to dump me off god knows where under the pretense of it bein' safer for me. The nerve, saying it's for my wellbein' right after admitting that you want to be on your lonesome because it's safer for you."