Cardiff

The doctor was tinkering with his TARDIS when he heard it. A voice projected so loudly and urgently into the telepathic field that the Doctor heard it 200 light years away.

"Dean."

The Doctor stopped his tinkering surprised, turning to frown at the console.

"Dean!"

The voice called again, louder and more urgent than before. The Doctor felt an uneasy knot building in the stomach. Who was this? Projecting so strongly!

"Dean!"

This time the voice broke in panic and despair. The Doctor felt an urge to help. Whoever or whatever this thing was they needed help to communicate or find this person. The voice broadcast one last time and the Doctor's stomach dropped into his shoes.

"If you can hear me, meet me in Cardiff city centre. I used all my energy getting you topside, I can't get back through but I have to. You are going to face something I know human kind cannot face alone. There is a massive amount of energy in Cardiff, I can use it to get to you but someone needs to help me. I can't do it alone. Please Dean if you can hear me help me."

The voice started to fade. Missing words as the sender struggled to maintain the connection

The Doctor sprang into action. Locking the TARDIS into the telepathic field before it faded just in time to catch a date, before whomever it was lost the energy to keep projecting. July 21st 2012 pulsed gently on the screen. He locked in the co-ordinates and threw the TARDIS into high gear. The engines roared and the Doctor only just managed to grab onto the console in time to save himself being flung across the control room.

"Woops." He giggled to himself pulling himself into one of the chairs.

Rose came tottering around the corner just then, her hair was dripping wet, her buttons were done up wrong, her belt was unfastened and her shoes were all bent at the back where she hadn't undone them properly to put them on. She scowled at him.

"Thanks for the heads up!" she said grumpily working her way across the control room gingerly

"Good shower?" The Doctor asked innocently a faint smile tugging up the corners of his lips.

"Yeah, right up till I slipped and fell into the ceiling!"

The Doctor cracked up and after a few seconds Rose joined in. He worked he way across the room to meet her, taking her hand just as the TARDIS lurched again swinging her into the chair he had just occupied and slipping into the one beside her.

"Sorry." He said sheepishly.

Rose nudged him gently with her elbow, an affectionate gesture that told him all was forgiven. She waited a beat before speaking.

"So, where are we going in such a hurry?"

The Doctor paled. He didn't want to tell her, he knew it would hurt her. His silence was not lost on Rose, her stomach dropped as she looked up at his face. He met her eyes.

"Cardiff." He said solemnly.

Rose paled.

"But we stopped that didn't we. Gwen stopped that. She gave her life to stop that."

"It's opening again." The Doctor said heavily. "Someone intends to use the energy to get into earth, I can't tell if it's for good or bad yet but we have to stop it, the rift cant open again."

Rose nodded, her eyes were bright. The Doctor wrapped one arm around her shoulders and she turned her face to hide it in his shoulder.

"I hate it when people die for us for nothing." She mumbled against his jacket.

He squeezed her a bit tighter. Rose was such a strong person but she formed a friendship with pretty much everyone she met, she loved so many and he knew it killed her a little bit inside whenever someone died or got hurt helping them. His stomach lurched with anxiety. She showed so much compassion but he couldn't stand how much it hurt her.

The TARDIS bleeped, splitting the silence and snapping them both out of their thoughts and back to the matter at hand. Rose sniffed and raised her head.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Grab that dial by the phone and turn it 90 degrees, then when I press this knob here by the toaster turn it again 180 degrees, okay?"

Rose crossed to the dial, and they both pretended the dampness on his collar was from her hair, even though it had long since dried.

"Tell me when."

"Okay, now!"

She spun the dial; the TARDIS lurched to the right. Rose grabbed onto the console and giggled. The Doctor stabbed his finger on the knob next to the toaster and the TARDIS veered sharply to the left. Rose staggered but managed to spin the dial 180 degrees and the TARDIS settled. They looked at each other panting slightly then the grinned.

"Now, that's Teamwork!" The Doctor whooped.

Rose smiled back, settling into the chair. She busied herself clipping back her hair. The Doctor felt the panic in his stomach again. She was so young. She had so much of her life ahead of her; he knew that travelling with him could shorten it significantly. It was so dangerous, she was so strong but she didn't disserve this, the pain, the fear, the loss.

Rose felt him staring. She looked up grinning.

"What?" she asked, her face falling at the look on his face.

The Doctor didn't answer, he couldn't. Rose got to her feet, and the Doctor held out his arms, without hesitation she hugged him, feeling his strong arms wrap around her squeezing her tightly.

"Hey!" she said, pulling away so she could see his face, "What's wrong."

"Just promise me you will be safe. Promise me whatever happens you will be okay. I couldn't, I couldn't face your mother if anything happened. If I had it my way I would drop you in London and go on my own, but I know you would follow me anyway. I just couldn't bare it if anything happened to you."

"Okay, I promise, but only if you promise too. I couldn't imagine what would happen to me if anything happned to you. I guess I would just go back to working in a shop, eating chips in my spare time."

The Doctor pulled her into another hug.

"NO! No, you are far too important for that Rose Tyler."

Rose felt his breath on the top of her head. She loved the way he could make her feel needed and important. As old as he was, as many people he had seen, he still believed everyone was fantastic and important in their own little way. She locked this memory in her mind, not wanting to forget it, then the TARDIS landed. They broke apart and Rose breathed a sigh of relief. The familiar look of excitement was back on the Doctors face. He dashed to the screen showing the world outside and after making sure there were no dangers present turned to Rose.

"Ready?"

Rose grinned and squeezed his hand.

"Ready!"

They exited together stepping into the early morning air of Cardiff and they both pretended the dampness of the crown of Rose's head was from her hair, even though it had long since dried.