Title: Settling In
Author: Shen
Rating: NC-17 eventually, PG this chapter
Characters: Rose, Ten, Donna, Jack, Torchwood
Setting/Spoilers: Sequel to Looking Within, in my Peril-verse (see my profile). Recap of said 'verse is at http://shengirl dot livejournal dot com/8390 dot html
Teaser: Rose has landed back in her universe in truly dramatic fashion, and it's quite a lot to deal with when it comes to settling back in! Post-reunion fic.
Author's Note: Concern for my well being made me write this faster than I may have otherwise. :-p This chapter's fluffy, so I hope you enjoy!

The [Doctor's amusement turned to alarm as she slumped against him.

"Rose?" he exclaimed again.

Jack came in the door and spoke, "Went and got my key – you guys wait out here – Rose?"

"Wait, theRose?!" Donna asked.

Chapter 1: First Meetings

The Doctor lowered Rose to the ground so he could get a look at her. Now that the golden glow had left her skin, he saw how deathly pale it had become, and the fact made his eyes water. Panic welled up in his hearts until they felt like they would burst from his chest.

"No," he said with a strangled voice, "not- not like this!" Suddenly, Jack was in front of him, on the other side of Rose, and he gripped the Doctor's shoulder roughly.

"Doctor! Snap out of it!" He was right. The Doctor hurriedly wiped the tears from his eyes and began examining Rose. Rassilon, she was cold. Too cold. Her heartbeat was thready, and she was showing signs of dehydration. He scooped her up and began running to the infirmary, Donna and Jack right behind.

"Who are you, then?" Donna demanded of the Captain.

"Captain Jack Harkness," and it was a testament to the seriousness of the situation that he wasn't even a little flirtatious. "Doctor, what's going on? How'd you do it?"

"I didn't do anything! The TARDIS just brought us here." Talking ceased as they skidded into the infirmary. Jack held Rose up as the Doctor removed her suit jacket. Under it was a shoulder holster, complete with handgun. The two men froze and stared, shocked.

"You never told me Rose liked to pack heat," Donna commented from the doorway, where she was nervously staying out of the way. At that, the Doctor shook his head and worked on removing the offending object.

"She didn't. But she told me she was working for Torchwood; I suppose they would make her," he commented as he worked. Finally, even her top was cut away, leaving Rose in a bra. The Doctor willfully ignored the mysterious bandages on her arm and didn't bother to worry about her modesty in front of Jack. He'd been like a brother to her, and it frankly wasn't the time.

"Heart monitor... damn." Alarmed at what he saw, the Doctor had Jack fetch an IV for her dehydration while Donna ran for blankets and he gave Rose medications to help her overworked heart. When there was no more left to do, he sat beside the bed and held her hand, staring raptly at the monitors. Donna laid a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, and the Doctor allotted her a brief, thankful smile before returning to his vigil. His hearts sang at each degree Rose's body temperature climbed and thrilled at every beep signaling a stabilizing heartbeat. Meanwhile, Donna was giving Jack the fifth degree.

"'Captain' Jack? Captain of what, then?" she asked cautiously, her tone at odds with the gentle grip she had on the Doctor.

"Oh, I'm an expert in quite a few things... what was your name?" Oh, Rassilon; he was using that tone. The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Donna," she responded guardedly. The Doctor heard Jack kissing what he hoped was Donna's hand. Then, he felt her jerk away.

"You can keep your paws to yourself, thanks!" she bellowed. The Doctor chuckled at the rejection. Then, he didn't stop laughing, giggles bubbling from his mouth.

"Um, Doc?" Jack queried with some concern.

"She's here! She's actually here, and I'm not even dreaming! It's preposterous; only she would be stupid enough to cross the Void unprotected and stubborn enough to live. I simply can't be dreaming this, because it's too ridiculous. And she's changed, unlike the Rose in my subconscious! Look, her hair is darker and longer. And she's even got battle damage," he raved, gesturing at her bandaged arm. "Completely here and totally alive!" He laughed again, helplessly giddy. Donna had walked around to better look at his face, and she seemed vaguely worried.

"I'll... make you some tea," she asserted, as if this would surely cure any loose connections in the Doctor's addled brain. Jack suddenly gave a loud groan.

"And I'd better go talk to my team. They'll be wondering what I've been doing inside a closet for half an hour."

"Would it help if I said hello? They'll want a peek inside, and I don't want anyone in here when I'm not-" The Doctor's eyes widened as he was pulled up short. He had been following Jack to the door, but a look back at his hand told him that it was firmly in the grasp of one Ms. Rose Tyler.

He could hear the smile in Donna's voice when she said, "I don't think she wants you to leave." Jack chuckled his agreement, but the Doctor didn't look away from Rose to glance at them. Instead, he merely smiled at his angel.

"Know what? I don't want to go. Keep your people out of my ship, would you? There'll be time for that later." He clasped her hand in earnest as he spoke, using his free one to untie his trainers. Those discarded, he crawled into the cramped, hard infirmary bed. His arm, he made into her pillow, and their entwined hands came to rest on her chest, where he could feel her breathing. Perched precariously on the edge of the bed, shoulder already nurturing a dull ache, the only worry on his mind was whether he should nuzzle up to her neck and breath her in or stay where he was and re-memorize every detail of her countenance.

Rose was hot. Uncomfortably hot. She also seemed to be under a pile of very scratchy blankets. Worse, attempting to remove them seemed futile because one hand was attached to what felt suspiciously like a needle, and the other one was just plain trapped. Feeling weak and overheated, she wrinkled her nose and made a little squeak of discomfort.

"Oh, that's adorable. I missed that," came a voice that wasn't far away at all. Rose opened her eyes and turned her head to look into wide saucers of molten chocolate.

"Hello," said their owner. His voice had something approaching reverence. Rose began to beam.

"Doctor?" she croaked, "I did it?"

His voice remained hushed but exuberant as he spoke, "You mean the impossible? Rose Tyler, I once told the Devil himself that if I believed in anything, it was you. And now I'm ashamed, because I stopped. But you! Oh, I needn't have stopped believing in you, because look what you've done!"

"Gimme my hand back," Rose said abruptly as her eyes began to tear up. The Doctor looked hurt, then bemused. Rose plucked the IV from her arm and tossed off her oppressive blankets. "Phew!" Then, without another word, she turned to face him and tugged him into a kiss. And all the trashy romance novels she used to read, the ones she'd lost the stomach for since being marooned in the other universe, couldn't compare to this. A nibble requested entry to his mouth, and as he opened to her there she prodded his mind with her own. Magnetized, he flew right to that aching hole in her spirit and filled it as she did the same for him, each overflowing with love and disbelief and joy. She wanted to weep for the completeness of it. The only thing keeping her from being lost in the slow exploration was a rather fast beeping sound. It was quite annoying. Sensing the thought the Doctor broke away and laughed.

"Heart monitor," he said by way of explanation, swiftly unhooking it and pulling her back into a thorough snog.

"Whoops! I'll call again!" came an unfamiliar and very embarrassed voice. Rose looked up to see a retreating redhead and blushed crimson, extremely aware of her lack of a top. However, the Doctor just laughed and pulled a blanket over her.

"Wait! Donna, come here. I want you to meet Rose Tyler." Rose gingerly pulled herself to a sitting position, blanket held in place over her chest, and extended a shaky hand.

"Nice to meet you." Rose smiled hopefully, and the other woman relaxed. She walked over and shook Rose's hand.

"I'm Donna, and it's nice to meet you too. I've heard a lot about you."

"Really?" Rose asked, delighted at this change in Doctorly habits. "How did you meet the Doctor?"

Without particular ire, Donna responded, "I got accidentally teleported into the TARDIS in the middle of my wedding. On Christmas." Rose blinked.

"Wow, that might actually be worse than blowing up my job."

"Isn't that just like him! No care for the need to do things like pay your bills. Luckily, my office building survived, but he did drain the Thames."

"He didn't!" Rose shot a half-serious glare at the Doctor. He had been wearing a dreamy gaze, apparently content to see his companions getting along, but it was quickly changing to one of dawning horror at that same fact.

"It was an accident!" he protested, but the women had already turned their attentions back to each other.

Donna, seemingly encouraged by Rose's manner, volunteered, "And he wonders why I slapped him the day I met him!"

Rose laughed for several seconds before enthusiastically saying, "The second time he met my mother, she gave him such a slap! Kept me away from home for a whole year by accident. It took him months before he could look at her without flinching."

Sounding desperate, the Doctor erupted, "Now that's just not true! And... and I hate to interrupt, but Rose needs her rest." Taking in his triumphant expression, Rose looked down to see that her limbs were still shaking. The giddy adrenaline was wearing off, and bone-deep weariness had started to set in again.

"Trans-dimensional travel takes it out of you; just ask the TARDIS. But don't worry about the fabric of the universe; she says you did an expert job of it." Lost in the proud smile he was giving her, Rose yelped in surprise when he scooped her into his arms. "Come on, let's get you to a real bed. And you can tell me how you did it in the morning."

"Um, bye, Donna!" she called out as she was carted out the door. The Doctor didn't ask where she wanted to go, and she didn't protest when they wound up in his room. Their room, used to be. He solicitously fetched an old set of her pajamas.

"You still have those?" she asked, mildly surprised.

"I have your whole room back there still. You didn't think I would throw it out, would you?" he answered with similar bewilderment. Now that she thought about it, Rose realized she wouldn't have jettisoned her best reminders of the Doctor given the chance. She hugged him tightly to apologize for asking and changed her clothes.

He stripped down to a set of his own jim-jam trousers, and curled up with her in the soft blue sheets. Warm and cherished, listening to the sound of his twin hearts, Rose dropped off in a state of deep satisfaction in a job well-done.