The doctor smiled, lifting his hand to touch Rose's cheek, shining with a single tear. Swallowing back a sob with her heart pounding in her aching chest, she peered over her fingers wiping away the tears and nodded, realizing what she has just promised.

"But I don't want to lose you," she protested. "Again, I mean."

"And I don't want to go," ten nodded, lifting his head feebly, visible tears welling in his own eyes.

Giving him a watery smile, Rose stepped forward and pulled him close in a hug, leaping back as ten collapsed.

Clutching his stomach with a terrible groan, ten grasped the panel of the TARDIS, dropping to his knees.

"Goodbye old friend," he moaned to the panel, looking back up at Rose with one of his old grins he always donned once they finished another one of their little adventures, settling back into the TARDIS to find a new one. "Rose Tyler?"

Putting her hands to her mouth, she couldn't find her voice to reply, and choked out a sob instead.

"You were fantastic."

Dropping on all fours, Rose screamed and clutched the doctor's hand, only to be thrown back against the wall.

Rising into the air as he always did, Rose thought she was prepared for the regeneration, until the doctor's limbs, head and middle; his whole body glowed TARDIS blue.

Rushing forward in attempt to help him in any way, Rose was thrown back against the wall one last time, shielding her eyes just before the last of the light faded off, and the doctor disappeared.

The pain was still fresh in my mind as I forced myself awake, grabbing the glass from my bedside and splashing the last bit of my water from the night before over my cheeks. Gasping for breath, I lifted myself over the railing on my bedside I had kept for safety while thrashing in my sleep, dreaming of the doctor.

I still missed him, that doctor. Nine months passed, my mother pregnant with little Nathaniel, and in my search for a job, I nearly broke down at every mention of him. We didn't talk about him much, for my mother feared my mind would completely snap at one point, and I would lose my mind over an alien. She had grown fond of him as well over the years, but never got to the point of letting me mourn over him for all this time.

She would find me in my bedroom sometimes, staring at nothing, and would close the door after laying down a cup of steaming tea at my bedside. Not knowing how to cope with the mess I had become, nobody said anything once I got like that, leaving me alone in my bedroom to get by.

As for my dreaming, I would dream of the doctor almost every night, every one different from the other, and never the same as what had really happened. I would have visions of the new companion he might have; wanting to break down at every one I had imagined up, each one better than me in some way, wanting to scream at them to get away from my doctor.

I often wondered about his new companion. Despite his protests at the beach, Bad Wolf Beach, I knew he got a new one. He couldn't travel alone, that I knew, and nobody could resist traveling through time and space with a mad man with a box donning a pinstriped suit covered in a long trench coat.

"There you go again, dreaming on about that doctor of yours," my mother's rich accent butted in, and I found myself leaned against a corner in the dining room.

"No mum, just—" I grabbed a handful of chips from the plate on the counter, stuffing my face before I could continue. "Just thinking."

"About what, sweetheart?" she asked sweetly before turning to the window and sliding open the glass before shouting. "Pete! I'll have your head for that! Now, sweetheart, what was I saying?"

On cue, my father, Pete to everyone else, stalked in through the door; tussling my bed head a bit before wrapping my mother in a hug, who scooped up a handful of bubbles behind his back from the sink, rubbing a handful of soap in his face. Both laughing, they let go after a minute, my mother turning to me.

"Mickey's meeting us down the street for lunch, Rose, if you want to tag along," my mother shrugged her shoulders, letting a strand of her blond ponytail astray. "Maybe skip job hunting for the day."

Believing my smile for the first time in months, I nodded, shoving another chip in my mouth. "Sounds great. Oh, but mum!" I rushed down the hall after her, shuffling in my sweatpants.

"What is it?"

"I have a quick interview before," I put in, wringing my hands together in anticipation. "At that little shop downtown selling antiques and trinkets, but I should be back in time for lunch."

"Oh, at that little antique place?" her face lit up at my nod. "Oh that's lovely, sweet'eart! I'm sure you'll do just fine! And don't worry about lunch; we'll meet you for tea afterwards if it goes long."

Tearing through my closet, I pulled out a pair of jeans and a black blouse, trying to keep my mind on what I was going to say at the interview, but my mind kept going back to my dream.

You were fantastic.

The same thing nine had said just before he regenerated.

But ten hadn't regenerated, he was just gone.

"He's not gone, he's just traveling," I chided myself in order to keep back my tears from running my newly done mascara for the meeting.

A few minutes passed before I headed out the door, slipping through the streets of London.

Dropped in a parallel universe a few months back, it was easier than I thought to cope with all the changes. Almost everything was the opposite of the life I had known back in the real London. But at the same time, I figured the doctor couldn't have had any other options. Finding myself in front of the antique store, I took a breath and pushed open the door.

SCREEEECH

My hand dropped, my heart aching in realization.

SCREEEECH

I squeezed my eyes shut; willing myself to believe it was just another dream.

SCREEEEEEEEEECH

"Doctor?!" I felt as if I were drowning. It became hard for me to take in breaths as I rushed around the corner, walking faster as I glanced over my shoulder.

He told me it would be okay. He told me I would be safe here.

SCREEEEEECH

I broke into a run.

"Pick up, pick up," I muttered into my cell, glancing up at the sky every few minutes.

"You have reached Jackie Tyler. I am not able to come to the phone right now, but leave a message and I will surely be happy to help you." Beep.

"Oh mother, why?" shoving the phone back into my pocket, I peered around the corner before slipping down an alley just a few blocks down from the antique shop. Waiting for something to jump out of the corner and grab me, pulling back to the voids of the galaxy, I could hardly breathe as I remembered the doctor's words.

I'm burning up a sun just to say goodbye. The TARDIS will never be able to return to this same place.

Shoving away the thoughts before I lost it, I headed back to the apartment.

"Oh you're home early," came a voice from the kitchen as the front door slammed. "So what did they say? Did you get the job?" Coming around the corner, my mother's smile dropped as she saw my face and rushed forward to put her hand on my cheek, leading me to the living room, shoving a cup of tea in my hands. "Oh, sweetheart, what happened?"

"H-have you seen the doctor, or any trace of him at all lately?"

"Not since…" she stopped herself. "No, I haven't. What's all the fuss about?"

"Just to make sure this is clear, mum, I am perfectly safe out there," I began, completely out of breath from my sprint home. "There's nothing that can hurt me. And if, let's say there was, well then the doctor will come back. Just like he always did, right?"

Her jaw dropped a bit, her eyes couldn't meet my face.

"Rose, look at me. That man promised that you would be safe here, and if there is any sense of danger out there, I won't have it. You must tell me if there are any threats out there so we can fix it."

"But mother, we can't," my voice broke a little. "The doctor's the only one who can fix this, he always was."

"'This'? What's 'this'?" she demanded. "Rose, what's out there?!"

I swallowed back a cry. "I think the daleks are back."

CHAPTER ONE

"Dressed a little fancy for a quick lunch, eh Rose?"

"Shut up, Mickey," my face broke into a grin at my ex-boyfriend's smirk, shaking his hand. Adjusting my blouse, I tried to avoid my mother's sour gaze, our previous conversation on my mind.

The waitress at the door led us to a ketchup stained booth in the far corner of the small shop, handing us all menus and rushing off at the bells at the door announcing the next customer. There weren't many people in for a Saturday afternoon, but I was more comfortable with that, realizing that if there was any trouble coming after me, the people around me would be in danger as well.

"So, Rose," Mickey broke in through the uncomfortable stillness, tossing a smile my way. "Job hunting going well?"

"Just lost another opportunity this morning," I moaned, recalling the antique shop. "Never even showed up to the interview on time."

"Well that doesn't sound like you," he raised his eyebrows, leaning forward. "You okay?"

"Just fine," changing the subject before he could ask anything else, I turned to my mum, ignoring his worried stare. "Where's dad?"

"Oh, he'll be here in a minute," she replied, tilting her head as she turned over the oily menu.

"Better be."

"What's that, Rose?"

The walls caving in, I held back a shriek as I had learned traveling with the doctor. An explosion came from the kitchen behind me as I stood feet apart, hands clenched at the gap in the wall just across from our booth. The dust cleared and in emerged the one thing the doctor couldn't defeat. The one thing stronger than the whole human race combined.

"EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE."

"Mum, get back!"

The entire building erupted with screams as I grabbed the first thing I saw; a chair, lobbing it at the monster. Missing by a few feet, I could've sworn I saw a hint of pleased victory in the eye of the first dalek, if it hadn't been for their cold expressionless nature.

"Rose, please," my mother called. "You have to run!"

Without a word, I rebelled, snatching up another chair and preparing to toss it. Just as the first dalek began to twist around its gun, a hand swiped me back, shoving me to the floor as the shot just blazed my shoulder. Rolling to the side, I took my mother's hand as the dark figure lead us away, Mickey close on our heels as he battled the fires.

Leaving behind the screams and shrieks of the restaurant, my heart ached, knowing the doctor wouldn't have left all those people alone to die, I knew there was nothing I could do besides follow our rescuer.

"So," I began, struggling to keep alongside the dark figure clothed in a trench coat. "You seem like a lovely…fellow." Glancing away as he cleared his throat, I whipped back around, catching a glimpse of brilliant TARDIS blue.

Stopping to turn to me, he held out his hand, blue eyes glittering like nothing else. Everyone else backed away as I took his hand, trying to keep my dignity at I stared at his dark disheveled hair, spiked up in all directions framing his dirty face.

"Castiel"

Choking on my own saliva, I held my breath at his confident gruff voice, and it took a moment to regain my composure.

"What?"

"My name is Castiel," he repeated, his piercing electric blue eyes still trained on me, pulling his hand away from mine.

I felt my face break into a dreamy smile, wishing I could pull myself together. "Rose. My name is Rose."

An explosion saving me from blurting out anything, he grabbed my hand, pulling me along.

"I know."

Glancing back, I realized my mother and Mickey were still there, donning a look of terror as they ran after us. Even further back was a group of metal monsters emerging through a dust cloud.

"Excuse me?!" Tripping over a curb, Castiel dragged me down the street opposite of my home.

"Yes?" His face was as solemn and calm as ever.

"Where are we going!?"

Stopping at a shining black 1967 Chevrolet Impala, Castiel let go of my hand just long enough to pull a set of keys from his pocket, hoping over the open top as he slipped the keys in the ignition, beckoning me.

"You'll see"

I wrung my hands, looking back at the approaching daleks. "So you just expect me to hop in a car with a man I've never seen in a car I've never seen with license plates for…" I peered over the car's hood. "Kansas."

"Can't tell me you haven't done that before," he chided, scratching at his stubble with the second most beautiful smile I'd ever seen. Nothing would ever beat the doctor's crazy, adventurous grin, but this man's was pretty darn close.

Still, I narrowed my eyes, leaping over into the shotgun seat.

"Rose, you're not going anywhere!"

Shaking my head at my mother's worried calls, I gave her the strongest smile I could take at that moment as the engine roared and dragged me down the busy streets. Passing a row of ambulances and fire trucks headed for the restaurant, I looked down at my trembling hands, thinking of all the people we had left behind.

"They're going to be okay, right?"

Sighing, he shrugged. "I can send out help for your mom and your friend back there, but the rest of them." He paused. "All those paramedics can do is much more help than I'd be out there. As far as I know, they're all in danger and many will be murdered."

"And you're okay with that?"

Hesitating, he took his time with his reply. "I'm used to it, but it still hurts, if you know what I mean. I'm used to losing people, but that doesn't mean I'm okay with it. You get that?"

I nodded.

A sudden eruption shook the alley, triggering a memory from back before all the adventures, when he had first appeared. Gingerly taking my hand, he had explained to me how he felt the turn of the earth, and the ever spinning ground beneath. How he could feel us all always falling, always moving, always changing. I hardly understood back then, but catching myself grasping onto my own hand as he had, feeling the turn beneath the car's wavering motor as the ground trembled under the war cry of the daleks, I finally understood.

Castiel's concerned gaze brought me back to reality as I took a hold of the door handle, giving it a turn and taking a step out onto the asphalt. I could see the familiar outline of the daleks from far off hiding in a cloud of dust and debris in place of the previous parking lot; their guns pointed out threateningly before a group of terrorized citizens.

"Rose, are you coming?" Cas' husky voice broke in.

My fists clenched. "The doctor wouldn't have stood for this."

Jumping out of the impala, his eyes sparked with fear as jogged around the back of the car, grabbing my shoulders. "What?!"

"The doctor wouldn't have let all those people die at the dalek's hand, and I'm not about to stray from what he taught me." I wriggled from his grip. "You have any weapons?"
Cas shook his head. "Rose this is too dangerous-"

"I killed a whole army of daleks before, not to mention their emperor, I've traveled through time and space, and survived more than one world invasions at the doctor's side, I'm sure I could at least try to take on a few daleks."

"I'm sure you're real amazing," he said. "But tell me, if you could do all that, where's your doctor?"

A spike of pain twisted my gut as I resisted the urge to tackle the stranger. I was at no advantage to him, anyway. Eyeing a shotgun lying under the front row of seats in the impala, I leapt over Cas' sudden dive for me, lunging for the door.

My legs flailing, I wriggled out of the man's grip, clinging to the door handle and finally dropping to the ground, gasping for breath.

"You know that gun wouldn't do you any good against those daleks anyway."

"I'm willing to take my chances."