FULL SUMMARY- Together AU: The Doctor and Rose are following the migration of a pack of Ixalin - large, wolf-like creatures from the outer edges of the galaxy - straight through eighteenth century America. The Doctor has followed the route in the past (and the future) without any trouble, so when the normally docile pack suddenly turns vicious, he knows that something is wrong. But with Rose injured and the TARDIS miles behind them, he has no choice but to continue on alone. Will Rose and the Doctor ever be reunited?

This is the first multi-chapter story I've written in... years, I think, and only my second Doctor Who fic, so I'm sorry if it takes me ages to get the chapters up. I'll do my best!

Rose was halfway asleep on Flick's back, arms wrapped loosely around William' waist and her cheek pillowed against his back. They been riding for hours, and she was exhausted. The occasional, light naps she had been able to take while riding were not enough. She had never thought just sitting on a horse's back all day could take so much out of her, and aside from the exhaustion, her entire body ached.

William shifted, and Rose murmured something unintelligible. She felt him twist around, and she pulled back to see him grinning at her.

"Tired?" he asked, his voice as rough as it ever was. The man had seemed a right terror when she first met him, bellowing and waving his gun about as he was, but she had found during their weeks on the road that he was truly a gentle soul - as long as she could keep him away from his drink whenever they stopped for the night. They'd had to wasted several precious hours a few towns back when he was too hung over to ride until the afternoon.

"Yeah."

"Don't worry, little one. The town's coming up soon; we should get there before dark."

Rose frowned at his back as he turned to face the road once again. "It's already dark," she grumbled.

"But just barely," he replied cheerfully. "The sun just set, and with the moon as bright as it is we could go on all night without a problem."

"We're not going to, are we?" she asked in alarm, sitting upright. She could feel his rumbling laugh more than hear it.

"Nay, Rose, the town is not even an hour away." She relaxed against him again with a relieved sigh.

"Good. I don't think I can last that much longer before I just fall out of the saddle."

"I wouldn't let that happen," he assured her, and she hummed softly, closing her eyes. Flick moved gently beneath them, but she felt out of sync with the movement. It always happened in the last hour or so of travel when she became too tired to keep her balance, and only her arms around the older man's waist kept her from falling off. The air felt frigid on her cheeks, and she would swear that her eyes were frozen shut.

Snow that had already been packed down by previous traveler's crunched underneath the old horse's hooves, and she didn't realize she had fallen asleep until she woke up as William tugged gently on the reins and Flick came to a halt. With a soft groan, she slid off the horse, walking back and forth in an attempt to get the stiffness out of her legs. William hung his horse's reins over a post and led her into the inn he had stopped at. It seemed relatively large and clean, especially compared to the last hovel they had stayed at, and Rose followed him in without hesitation. She was looking forward to a warm meal and a good night's sleep; her feet dragged as she walked behind William to a table. A serving girl came, and at a few words from William promised them food, drinks, and a room for the night. Rose barely listened, and when the girl brought them two bowls of stew, she barely tasted it. It wasn't just that she was tired - she was both looking forward to and dreading the moment that would come when they were done eating.

She had wolfed down her meal, but William ate more slowly. She watched him impatiently, hands folded in her lap as he picked the bowl up and drained the remains of the broth. Then, he set it down on the table with a soft clunk, swiped the back of his sleeve across his mouth, and placed both palms flat on the table.

"Shall I ask, or would you like to?"

"Can we both?" she asked anxiously, gnawing on her lower lip. "I don't want you to have to tell me if it's bad news."

"Ah, little one," he said gently, "I fear you've grown to used to bad news if that is your only concern."

She smiled wanly. "Let's just go ask the men by the fire. They seem friendly enough."

The three men nodded amiably as the two of them sat down; Rose pulled her coat a little tighter about herself. Even by the fire the night was still cold, and after all her time alone it had become instinct to cover herself as much as she could - the too-big overcoat helped with that.

"Name's Franklin. You folks new 'round here?" a grey-headed man asked them, and William nodded.

"Just passing through. We're actually looking for a friend of ours. He's a doctor, name of John Smith. Did he come through here anytime?"

"John Smith," the man said, rolling the name around for a moment. "Oh, him! He was huntin' the wolves, weren't he?"

"Nasty things, those wolves," one of his companions, a man with dark red hair, said, and the other two men nodded emphatically.

"Oh, yes," the third put it. "Slashed Thomas Rider's leg up pretty bad. But that doctor fixed it right up."

"Seemed pretty upset about it, too," the redhead commented. "Seemed worried about the time it took."

"He did say he was chasin' 'em," Franklin put in. "Might not've wanted 'em to get away."

"When was this?" Rose interrupted before they could continue.

The third man pushed his mouth to the side in thought. "Sunday last week?"

"Yeah, seems like. He left the same day. Said he was heading west, to the next town."

"Sunday," Rose breathed, grabbing at her friend's hand. "Oh, William, we're so close!" Her breath hitched in her throat. If she was right, then today was Wednesday. They were just barely a week away. They were catching up.

Franklin gave them a curious glance. "You friends of his?"

Rose nodded vaguely, staring unseeingly at the fire. "He's my fiancé."

Franklin gave the two a curious look. "You'd be that Rose of his, then?"

She turned a dazzling smile on him. "He talked about me?"

"Hardly ever stopped," the redhead snorted. "You should have seen him, settin' Thomas's leg." He mimicked the Doctor's accent as he continued, 'Make sure you keep this elevated, oh Rose is coming, change the bandages twice a day, she's really lovely, you'd love her, keep him from scratching at it no matter how much he says it itches, she's my fiancé, try not to get the bandages wet, please tell Rose I was here, he should be able to walk about with some crutches in a week or two, when Rose comes she'll check him over again to make sure he's progressing all right, but if he's hurt too badly make sure you keep him off his feet as much as possible, and would you tell Rose that I'm following the wolves west to the next town?"

Rose grinned, pulling the coat up around her so she could imagine it was actually him, not just his jacket. "That certainly sounds like him. He never stops talking."

Franklin laughed slightly. "That's true enough. Never heard a man go so long without air. Never pauses for breath, does he?"

Rose just smiled, then cocked her head to the side. "This Thomas Rider fellow, where is he? John was right; I'll gladly look after him. I have more medicine with me, and a bit of personal experience with the wolves." She pushed her sleeve back to her elbow so that the men could see the three long, twisted pink marks that marred her arm. All three faces showed sympathy.

"Got you, too?"

"Oh, yes," she said. "It was how we got separated; I was too hurt to go on with him, but he couldn't risk letting the wolves get away."

The third man raised an eyebrow. "Those three cuts hurt you too badly to continue?"

Franklin nudged him with his elbow and gave him a sharp glance. Rose smiled and said, just a trifle coolly, "Actually, the scars go down my arm and across my back to the opposite hip, but I rather thought it would be indecent to show you all of them."

The redhead grinned at the dark-haired man, who looked suitably abashed. "That Smith did warn us she was a strong little thing."

Rose yawned, and William smiled at her. "Strong, she most definitely is. And tired!"

"'M fine," Rose protested. The men shared a grin at her expense, and William just shook his head and hauled her to her feet.

"Go on up the stairs. The girl said it's the second door on the left."

She murmured a goodnight and headed up the creaking wooden stairs. She found the correct room and entered, collapsing on the bed with a sigh. So close. A week and a half away, two at the most.

"I'm coming, Doctor."

And with that whispered thought, she fell asleep.