Chapter One

Rose yawned and stretched as she emerged from her TARDIS bedroom into the hallway. Shivering, she looked up at the ceiling.

"I'm freezing this morning, girl. Can you turn the heat up a bit?"

She smiled as she felt the temperature rise almost immediately.

"Thanks girl."

The TARDIS hummed in reply.

She paused a moment.

"Where's the Doctor at? Is he in the console room?"

The TARDIS let out a grunt.

Rose smiled.

"Thought so."

She walked towards the console room.

She found the Doctor in his usual place under the console doing adjustments.

"Mornin' Doctor." She said, walking up.

"Mornin', Rose. Sleep well?" the Doctor replied from under the console.

"Yup."

"Fantastic."

Reaching down she squeezed his knee. She giggled as he jerked his leg back.

"Hey, quit that."

He slid out and gave her a grin.

"You better quit bothering me while I'm working on the TARDIS if you know what's good for you."

"Well, that's the only time I can bother you since you're always working on the TARDIS."

She frowned.

"Is the TARDIS falling apart that quickly?" she asked.

"Oh, no, no. I just like tinkering with her. It's a hobby of mine. Been that way for hundreds of years. You like buying shoes, I like fiddling with the TARDIS." He said, shrugging.

"Well, I do have other hobbies than buying shoes, you know." Rose said defensively.

"Well, I have other hobbies other than tinkering with the TARDIS."

"Coulda fooled me."

"Well, be glad I take such an interest in her. As old as she is, if I didn't keep performing maintenance on her she probably wouldn't have been able to last as long as she has especially with all the abuse that happens to her on our travels."

"Well, you keep on being a little grease monkey and I'll go get some breakfast."

"Okey-dokey."

"You want me to bring something out here?"

"Nah, I'm not hungry right now. Maybe later."

Rose leaned down and kissed him on the lips.

"Okay, I'll talk to you later then."

"Have a nice breakfast." The Doctor replied smiling.

Rose nodded. Straightening up, she headed off towards the kitchen as the Doctor slid back under the console. As she reached the door she paused as she heard the Doctor whistling to herself. She frowned as she listened to the tune.

"Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"Are you whistling 'Dancing Queen'?"

"Yes."

The Doctor slid back out and looked at her.

"Why? You not a fan of ABBA?" he asked.

"Um…They're okay, I guess. I just think it's strange that you would like them."

The Doctor shrugged.

"I like the song and the beat. I'm in a good mood so I thought I'd whistle a fun tune."

Rose smiled.

"Well, have fun whistling ABBA then."

The Doctor grinned and winked at her. He slid back under the console and Rose listened for a moment as he sang 'Dancing Queen' to himself before she turned and walked back to the kitchen.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ocelus ran quickly down the hall towards his master's chambers. After months and months of searching for the TARDIS at his bidding, they had finally located it on their screens. Pausing at the chamber door, he gathered up his courage. If there was one thing he knew it was that his master was not to be trifled with. The slightest hint of displeasure and he knew he could lose his life. He knocked tentatively at the door.

"Enter."

Ocelus composed himself and opened the door. His master sat in the middle of a room studying an ancient text. It was one of his obsessions. Collecting the written works of various worlds and studying them in his leisure time. He looked up as Ocelus entered and prostrated himself on the floor.

"Yes. What is it?" He said, bored.

"Master, the TARDIS has been sighted flying through the vortex."

Ocelus hazarded a glance and saw that his master had straightened in his chair and was looking at him with interest.

"At last, after months of searching I have found the Oncoming Storm. He is the final part I need to complete my ultimate weapon."

He grinned at Ocelus.

"Ready the tractor beam. I must have him!" he said.

Ocelus touched his head to the floor and without another word went quickly out of the room and closed the door.

His master smiled to himself as he went back to the text he was reading. It was an Earth Bible and he had been reading through the section entitled Revelations. He chuckled.

"The last Time Lord and he is now in my possession." He said. "And after a few "adjustments" he will become my willing soldier and help me conquer the universe."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rose spluttered as the TARDIS suddenly jerked and milk from her cereal splashed all over her face.

"Hey, Doctor! Watch it!" she said, grabbing a napkin. "I'm trying to eat back here!"

She screamed as the TARDIS jerked violently, throwing her to the floor.

"Doctor?" she yelled. "What's going on?"

"We're caught in a tractor beam, I think!" she heard the Doctor yell back.

"Oh wonderful." Rose muttered, picking herself up the floor. "If it's not one bloody thing, it's another."

Sighing, she hurried out of the kitchen towards the console room.

As she entered, she saw the Doctor scrambling around the console pushing buttons and muttering under his breath. As she walked onto the metal walkway the Doctor spied her and rolled his eyes as an angry puff of air escaped his lips.

"Damn these sods and their tractor beams," he said to her. "It causes that much more wear and tear on the TARDIS."

"Can you get us out of it?" Rose asked worriedly.

"Working on it." The Doctor muttered, distracted, as he flicked buttons and switches and levers at lightning speed.

Rose bit her lip and stood by helpless as the Doctor moved around the console, cursing. It was times like this that she wished he had taught her how to fly it so she could at least help him. Wringing her hands, she stepped back as the Doctor moved past her.

"Doctor?" she said, frightened.

The Doctor looked at her and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry. Whatever it is, we can handle it." He said, smiling at her.

They both gasped as something hit the TARDIS and they were thrown to the walkway. Rose gasped and winced as she landed hard on her side. The Doctor crawled to her and helped her sit up.

"You okay?" he asked, putting his hand on her back.

Rose nodded. The Doctor rubbed her side as he helped her to her feet.

Suddenly, the TARDIS descended into darkness as all the lights went out.

"Oh bollocks!"

"Doctor?"

"Power cells must have been damaged by whatever hit us." She heard him say. "Nice. That'll be an hour and a half getting them back online. Whoever is doing this is gonna get a piece of my mind, that's for bloody sure!"

Rose felt him wrap his arms around her and pull her close to him. She felt him slightly urging her over to the console and she walked with him.

"Don't wanna lose you in the darkness." He explained. "Especially since we don't know what is doing this to us."

He let go and kept his hand on her back as she heard him hitting more switches and buttons in the darkness.

"Come on, girl. Give us some residual power at least." He pleaded.

As Rose stood and held onto the console she suddenly felt funny. It seemed like it was getting harder to breath.

"Doctor?"

"Oh crap!"

"Doctor!"

She gasped as the Doctor seized her from behind and started pushing her towards the back door.

"Doctor? What's going on?"

"They're draining the oxygen!" he shouted. "I have to get you back to the supply room. Get an oxygen tank!"

"What about you?"

"I can use my respiratory bypass system to survive! It's you I'm worried about! Now move!"

Rose allowed the Doctor to guide her in the dark. She had been living with him for two years but he had been on the TARDIS 900 years so she let him move her body and guide her back to the supply room.

Except…it was getting harder to move now. Her lungs were burning and her legs felt like lead. She gasped as she began to slow down.

"Come on, Rose. You can do it." The Doctor urged behind her. "Come on, it's not far now."

Rose shook her head. Gasping and wheezing, she felt herself sink to the floor as the Doctor held onto her.

"No, Rose."

He was choking up, she could tell. She could almost see a tear running down his face as she sank to the floor. As her eyes stared into the Dark, she heard the Doctor hovering over her cursing himself for being too slow.

"It's not your…fault…Doctor." She gasped out. "It's…me."

She felt his hand run tentatively up her body in the dark. Finding her face, he stroked her cheek.

"Don't be afraid." He whispered. "I'm not going far. I'm going to get the oxygen pack. Just please hold on for me. Please."

As her world faded into darkness, she felt the Doctor kiss her cheek and whisper "Have faith in me, Rose. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise." Then she lost consciousness.