Chasing Daylight

Being one of many fans who cried at "Doomsday", I couldn't resist the idea of this fanfic. I'm aware that this has probably been done many times before, but I'll hopefully be able to keep it somewhat original.

Disclaimer: The BBC owns everything; I'm just playing in their sandbox.

"Online."

Rose let go of the lever as soon as she heard the voice of the computer, racing for the clamps that had been hurriedly stuck to the wall as fast as she could. Already, the bright light was beginning to fill the area, but this time she could hear the sound of a strong wind - and, as she scrambled to loop her arms through the clamps, she realised that she could feel it too, a faint but persistent tugging at her ankles, trying to pull her in towards the Void.

But it couldn't, she reassured herself as glass smashed behind them and four shrieking Daleks hurtled through the air, helpless to stop themselves getting pulled in. The Doctor said that she would be safe. She just had to hold on.

"The breach is open!" The Doctor exalted triumphantly as loose paper whipped by them, the rising wind grabbing at anything not fixed down. "Into the Void! Ha!"

Rose grinned with him, but she could already feel beads of sweat pricking at her skin as she struggled to hold on to the clamps. Her old gymnastics that seemed to have come from a lifetime ago, all that clambering about through alien landscapes, lugging bizarre items around that she had no clue about; nothing could have prepared her for this. The pull of the Void was strong, stronger than she could have ever imagined, and hundreds of Daleks and Cybermen were already flying past them, helpless to stop themselves from being sucked in.

Suddenly, there was a shower of sparks, and the grin slipped from her face. Her lever had come unstuck, and as she watched in horror, it began to slide backwards.

"Offline."

The flow of Daleks and Cybermen began to slow, and Rose reached desperately for the lever, trying to keep one hand on the clamps at the same time. It was no use, and with a gasp, she fell forwards, wrapping her hands around the handle of the lever as she tried to tug it upwards.

"I've got to get it upright!"

She could see the Doctor's panicked expression as she struggled to shove the lever up, and that scared her far more than any of the creatures that were being yanked into the Void. But she couldn't stop now, not when there were still Daleks out there. Gritting her teeth, she gave one last push, and with a jolt, the lever clicked into place. At once, she heard the emotionless tones of the computer.

"Online and locked."

At once, Rose could feel the difference in the air as the pull of the Void increased, the last of the Daleks disappearing into the white wall with earsplitting wails. But she was still being tugged towards the Void - and this time, she only had the lever to cling to as it tried to suck her in.

"Rose, hold on!"

Rose cried out as her feet rose off the floor, her arms almost wrenching out of their sockets as she struggled to hang on. Her fingers were slippery with sweat, and already she could feel her grip weakening as the wind howled in her ears.

"HOLD ON!"

The Doctor was straining towards her now, one hand outstretched to try and grab her. But it was no use - he was too far away. She'd never be able to reach him in time.

Frantically, Rose tried to tighten her grip, knowing that she was only a few seconds away from letting go. She saw the look of terror on the Doctor's face as he watched her fight to not let go, and it sent an unexpected flare of determination through her. No, it couldn't end like this! They were going to stay together - that was what she'd promised, that she'd never leave him-

"Don't let go," she pleaded silently with herself, her fingers beginning to slip. "You can do this, you can do this, just hang on, please, please, PLEASE-"

Suddenly, she felt a rush of strength through her arms, her loose grip suddenly locking around the handle as she hung on. The roar of the Void increased, filling her ears as the light intensified, until all she could see was the glaring white, and the shriek of the wind had risen into a strange humming - no, singing, a strange, beautiful singing that seemed oddly familiar even as it burned against her ears-

And then it was over. The light abruptly dimmed, the pull of the Void ceased, and Rose unceremoniously dropped to the floor with a thud. Wincing, she rolled over, staring at the wall. Everything was silent now. It was all over.

"ROSE!"

She barely had time to look up before she was pulled into a hug that took her breath away - literally, as the Doctor's arms had her in an almost painful grip as he babbled at her. "I thought I'd lost you - that was an incredibly foolish thing to do, you came within seconds of being pulled in, you could have been trapped in the Void forever..."

Rose let him carry on, staring tiredly at the wall of the Void. All over, but that didn't stop what had happened. Dozens of people were dead, the entire world had seen the Cybermen, if not the Daleks, and her family was now gone, never to return. Her mum, Mickey, Pete...she'd never see any of them again, and the thought left her feeling strangely hollow.

But she still had the Doctor. She could feel his arms around her right now, hear his voice, and the thought kept her grounded. Together forever. They were all each other had now.

The Doctor finally released her from the hug, looking a bit apologetic as she sucked in a large breath. "Yes, sorry about that...Mind you, we should probably get going. People are going to be coming in soon, and the clean-up is going to be horrendeous. Very awkward to stick around for."

Rose nodded, but he seemed to catch something in her expression. The look in his eyes softened, and he gently touched her arm. "They're safe, Rose. The Void's sealed to both sides; no more Daleks or Cybermen for either." He paused, looking at the destruction around them. "Two worlds saved."

Rose smiled weakly at the thought. Yes, two worlds saved. Her mum had her dad back, was now in a rich family, never having to work again, while Mickey had grown into a fighter in his own right. They would be safe, and, with any luck, happy with their new life - and, as long as she was with the Doctor, Rose thought that she could be too.

"So," the Doctor began as they walked towards the exit, his arm awkwardly draped around hers, "where to next? Vega Opsis? Nice variety there - or Poosh, I've been dying to try out their swimming pools-"

"Anywhere," Rose said, snuggling into his side with a sigh of relief. "Anywhere at all."

Please review!