Set: Inside the TARDIS

Characters: Ten/Rose

Summary: Rose suddenly finds herself running for her life as the one she loves most is taken over by a hostile alien, which will stop at nothing to get what it wants, destroying both the Doctor and Rose in the process.

Rating: RATED T FOR DARK CONTENT. Violence/Mature themes. You have been warned!

Promo pic: rosebadwolftyler. deviantart (dot com slash) art/Twisted-Words-Fanfic-Preview-259588622 (without the spaces and "()", or just message me for the full link)

"Pain without love
Pain, I can't get enough
Pain, I like it rough
'Cause I'd rather feel Pain than nothing at all..."
~Three Days Grace

Rose was running, running as fast as her feet could take her. She sped through the endless corridors of the TARDIS, searching for a place to hide. Her breaths came out ragged and her heart felt like it was going to leap out of her throat. She chanced a glance behind her as the blood pounded in her ears. She couldn't see him but she knew he was fast approaching. She could hear him.

She could sense him.

As her every breath weakened more and more, she spied a familiar door. She opened it and threw herself inside her bedroom, locking it behind her. She collapsed on the floor and took deep breaths, sucking in the life-giving air. A few seconds later she heard him slam himself against the door.

"Come on, Rose Tyler, why don't you come out? Let's go have an adventure!" The voice she had grown so fond of was laced with vile and cruelty. His malicious laugh sent shivers down her spine.

Rose sobbed as she crawled away from the door. What had happened to her Doctor?

"You know, these thin walls can't keep me out." The being she refused to recognize as her Doctor paced back and forth in front of her door. She gasped as she heard the familiar hum of the sonic screwdriver.

"This is it." She thought. Suddenly she heard the screwdriver clatter to the floor. After a pause, a voice, so weak and desperate whispered.

"Rose?"

"Doctor?" She moved closer to the door, still wary.

"Rose, why are you locked up in your room?" His voice was shaking, Rose realized.

"You...you were trying to hurt me." At this she heard him gasp and take a few steps back.

"No...no, I would never..." Rose opened the door slowly. The Doctor's sorrowful brown eyes searched her face, finally landing on a large, ugly bruise on her left cheek.

"Did I...?" He asked, motioning to it. She nodded. Two tears fell from his eyes as he shook his head again.

"It wasn't me, Rose. I would never hurt you." Rose strode over and embraced him.

"I believe you. I know something's inside you Doctor." The Time Lord hugged her back, clearly in distress.

"I kn-" Suddenly he stopped and his grip on her grew tighter. As Rose looked up she saw his brown eyes flash yellow. Using a desperation she didn't know she had, she quickly pried his fingers off her flesh, picked up the fallen sonic screwdriver and sped off. The Doctor, emitting a primal growl, chased after her.

"The Library." She gasped in relief upon seeing the open doorway. She'd be able to catch her breath again, at least for a little while, hiding among the Doctor's beloved books.

The 'Doctor' slowed upon entering the library.

"Oh Rose, I don't want to hurt you, the first time was an accident. Now why don't you come out and we'll go have some fun like old times? The planet Meldroria maybe? How about seeing King Henry the V?"

"What have you done with my Doctor?" Rose shouted at him loud enough to not give away her hiding place. The Doctor walked past the first book case, his yellow eyes searching for the human girl.

"He's quite alright, believe me..."

"I'm not trusting a word you say." Rose spied on him from on top of the massive book shelf (though how she climbed up there was the real mystery). She watched him as he stumbled backwards and onto the floor, his eyes returning to brown. She hopped off the shelf and ran over to his side.

"What's causing this, Doctor?" His breath was ragged and there were creases of worry on his brow.

"I don't know. Use the sonic screwdriver, scan it on me." Rose did as she was told. After it was done she tried to give it to him but he pushed her hand away.

"No, don't let me have it, just let me see the results." She held it up in front of his face. By the look that crossed in his eyes, she knew it was something bad.

"It's a Quist, a gaseous, parasitic creature. Supposedly their race died off thousands of years ago." He sighed. "It must have slipped in when we were on Atronia 5." He looked at Rose, as if seeing her for the first time. "What happened, when it first started?" Rose began to relate the terrible story to him...

"Atronia 5, check."

"Doctor, are you making a list of all the places we've been to?"

"Yes. I just started doing it recently. A bit tired of running into myself."

"Aw, that's no fun, I'd love to see some of your past selves!" Rose tried to hold back a grin at his disgusted expression.

"No, believe me, you wouldn't. Especially..." He paused. Rose looked at him, waiting for him to finish his sentence, but he stayed silent.

"Doctor?" Rose came up next to him beside the console. "Doctor, what were you gonna say?" She jerked back in shock as the Doctor suddenly turned towards her, his eyes yellow like a serpent's. Without warning he hit the side of her head, causing her to fall. Her cheek bone viciously hit the console, leaving a large mark.

"What are you...Doctor, you're hurting me!" She cried as he roughly hauled her up. Her eyes were wide with fear and pain as his nails dug into her bare arms, causing the skin to break. Suddenly the creature cried out, releasing Rose and clutching his head, as his eyes flashed between brown and yellow.

The Doctor was fighting back. Seeing her moment, Rose fled down the TARDIS corridors.

"That's pretty much it." Rose said quietly, still shaking from the ordeal.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered, trying not to look at her still-bleeding arms.

"It's not your fault!" She cried, but the Doctor ignored her. "How do we kill it?" She said, helping him stand up, clearly still upset.

"I don't know. We have to get to the TARDIS database–" He suddenly screamed and collapsed to the floor, clutching his stomach. "Run Rose," He gasped, beads of sweat falling from his brow. "Run! It's getting stronger!"

Rose, remembering the Doctor's words, headed towards the console room. She shut the door behind her and ran for the console screen. She knew from experience that not even the TARDIS could hold back the Quist creature for very long. Spinning the screen around, she asked the TARDIS for information on Quists, praying it would work.

But to her dismay, it was all in Gallifreyan. She swore as she heard the creature inside the Doctor slam itself against the door. Throwing open one of the grates below her, she ducked under the console and hid.

Nervous beads of sweat dripped down her face, mingling with tears of fright as she saw his white trainers walk slowly past her face.

"Come out, come out Rose Tyler." He sniffed, as if trying to catch her scent. As he neared the open screen on the console, he chuckled evilly.

"Trying to find out how to kill me? You naughty girl. You'll have to pay for that. Too bad only your Doctor can read it–" He stopped. "Electricity." He whispered. "Rose, I know how to stop it!" She came out from her hiding place. She found him hunched over, his face a mask of agony.

"I can feel it Rose, moving inside me." He cried out as he collapsed in her arms. "I'm so scared." he convulsed, battling the monster within. He turned his eyes to her. "The last thing I want to do in the universe is to hurt you."

"But why does the Quist want to hurt me?"

"It's the last of its kind...it wants to...procreate." Rose gasped.

"Through me?"

"The creature's desperate, it would even kill us to get what it wants. It..." He cried out again, this time clutching his stomach. "I don't want this to happen. He looked at Rose, knowing full well he could be the cause of her death, or something worse. "I love you." He whispered desperately. Rose took a quick intake of breath in surprise. Suddenly he threw his lips on hers. She returned his kiss passionately and desperately, wishing she could tell him that everything would be okay.

And then his kiss changed, and Rose's stomach knotted in sheer terror.

The Doctor shuddered and stepped back, seeing Rose huddled on the floor, a trail of blood running down the side of her face.

"Did it..." She shook her head. "No, I can't do this!" He took off into the depths of the TARDIS corridors. Once he was gone, Rose stood up with a sick feeling in her stomach. She re-buttoned her jeans and ran after him.

When Rose finally caught up to the Doctor, she found him in an empty, dark room. He was chained to the wall, with metal manacles around his wrists, ankles and neck.

Seeing his eyes were still brown, Rose ventured forward.

"No!" He cried, holding a hand up. "I can't hurt you any more!" He paused, lowering his head. "These chains are laced with electricity. One press on the sonic will sent volts of it through my entire body."

"But won't that kill you?"

"I don't know. I've never done this before, not even someone else has to me. I might regenerate, but I might not. I might die permanently." Rose placed a hand over her mouth, beginning to sob uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry." She said through her tears.

"Don't be. I'm the one that hurt you."

"You never hurt me. It was that... thing! Everything you ever did for me... I could never repay you." The Doctor nodded gravely.

"The sonic... do it!" Rose pulled it out of her pocket. Raising it towards the manacles, she hesitated.

"I can't!" She cried, becoming hysterical.

"You have to! You can't let this thing breed off of you. If it gets inside you... if their race rises up again... they're evil, malicious creatures, caring only for themselves. It will grow in strength and power as it takes over your body, before killing you and whoever else it comes in contact with. I can't lose you, not again!"

"But I can't kill you! It's beyond my power. I love you!"

"Then do it!" The Doctor shouted at her. With a heart-shattering cry, she pressed the button.

Inhuman screams of pure agony issued from his throat as electricity laced his body. Even the air around him seemed electrified. Rose fell to the ground with her hands over her face, shielding her eyes from the bright light. It was too unbearable to watch.

As soon as it had started, it was done. Rose slowly opened her eyes to see him collapsed on the floor, appearing lifeless, but shivering with the after-effects of his ordeal. Weakly she half-crawled, half-limped over to him and dropped to his side, making sure she wasn't going to be electrocuted as well.

"Doctor." Teardrops fell from her eyes and onto his face. Finally his shuddering stopped, but his eyes remained closed. "No!" She cried, shaking him. "Wake up! Please don't die... I need you!" But he remained motionless, unable to hear her tearful pleas. "I love you." She gasped.

With heart-broken sobs, she collapsed by his side and cried until she fell asleep from complete exhaustion and grief, wrapped in his cold embrace.

It was his stirring that awoke her sometime later. When the Doctor sat up, she threw herself in his embrace, causing them to fall over backwards, laughing in delight. The Doctor grunted under her weight but he didn't complain. As they got back up, Rose spoke quietly.

"That thing ...is it...?"

"Gone." He answered her question, grinning. "Quite glad I didn't regenerate aren't you?" Rose nodded, running her fingers down his sideburns. He shivered at her warm touch.

"I'm quite fond of this body." She smiled mischievously, but the Doctor didn't seem to notice.

"Me too. Handsome aren't I–" Rose cut him off by pulling him in for a very passionate kiss. The Doctor ran his hands through her flowing hair, trying to deepen her to himself. When they pulled apart, the Doctor wiped his thumb just above her upper lip, trying to remove smeared lipstick. He grinned.

"Everything's gonna be alright Rose Tyler."

~Two Months Later~

Rose tried not to cry as she laid the little white stick down on the bathroom counter.

Positive.

She had lied to the Doctor. What were the chances that she'd become pregnant from the Quist's attack on her just a little over two months ago? Very high apparently. The Doctor's words echoed in her head, sending waves of fear through her body.

"If that thing gets inside you..." She gave a shriek of fright when she saw in the mirror the Doctor standing in her doorway.

"Everything alright?" His face showed slight concern.

"Yes, of course." She slipped the test off of the sink and into the trash.

"Good." The Doctor said. He then embraced her, completely clueless. He kissed her forehead and ruffled her hair fondly. "Figured we should go to the planet Feloña soon, the gardens they have there are brilliant! You would not believe it, there's this one flower, that when you blow on it, it releases a vapor that heals all minor aches and pains..." He looked up, seeing images in his mind while still monologuing about the gardens.

Rose ignored him and turned away from his sight slowly.

And her eyes flashed yellow.

~To Be Continued~