Disclaimer: Alas, I do not own Doctor Who, or the characters. Not the Doctor or Rose. Or even Mickey.

oOoOoOoOo

"System offline," the automated voice announced.

What? No! They were so close.

She reached out for the lever but it was too far away for her to reach comfortably.

Straining, she glanced across the room and saw her own terror reflected on his face.

"Be careful!" he yelled to her, even though the directive was not necessary. The caution in his eyes had already alerted her long before he had chosen to verbalise it.

They were running out of time. The Daleks were passing by more slowly now. Any second they would hear one cry out "Exterminate!" and it would all be over.

She attempted, once more in vain to reach the handle but it was no use. Seeing as there was only centimetres between her and it, there was only one thing to do. It was the only solution they had time to consider.

Centimetres, right. Easy.

Closing her eyes she hurled herself at the lever.

Despite the screech of the wind, she was sure she heard his breathing stop as she took her blind leap of faith. He would definitely disapprove of this latest jeopardy friendly manoeuvre.

Seconds later she felt the crook of her elbow connect with the solid metal pole of the lever, holding her securely in place. Sighing with relief, she used all her strength and started to push it upwards, back into place.

"I've got to get it upright," she called out to him without looking directly at him, aware that he was already watching her every move. The danger wasn't over yet. Her heavy boots started to lift from the ground as she struggled to regain her footing against the intense, deafening wind that surrounded them.

"Online and locked," the system finally informed her.

She'd done it. They had done it! Saved the stinking planet from the Daleks and the Cyberman, once again! She let the adrenaline wash over her as she realised the magnitude of what they had just done. She couldn't resist laughing out loud.

"Hold on!" he screamed.

Her eyes met his. She smiled confidently at him, trying to reassure him but his face remained tense. He always worried about her. He'd see, it would all turn out fine, it always did.

Just a few more seconds, she told herself. She could already sense the breach was beginning to close. Just a few seconds longer.

The program unexpectedly shifted into it's final phase, going up a gear. The wind suddenly got much stronger and both her feet were ripped completely from the ground beneath her.

It was harder to hold on from this angle. With the rest of her body pulling away mid-air, she was left with nothing to support but dead weight. Her fingers began to grow slack against the lever handle as a result. If she could just readjust her grip on one hand for a microsecond surely she could regain some strength. She allowed her numb fingers to stretch minutely.

And instead found herself falling.

His tortured scream entangled with the fierce wind that howled around her as she tore through the air.

The reality of the situation started to sink in. She was being sucked into the Void, without him.

She cried out to him desperately. His face was both helpless and horrified as he reached out for her. She didn't think she had ever seen him look so afraid. The terrifying truth dawned on her. For once he couldn't get to her. He wouldn't be able to save her this time. It was too late, this was it. The storm they had both known was coming had finally arrived. Hell.

She braced herself as she watched him get further and further away and the bright light that was the Void drew closer.

oooooo

Rose Tyler's eyes snapped open as she jerked awake. She couldn't quite seem to shake the sensation of falling. She rolled over, attempting to clear her head. That dream again. If she closed her eyes, she could still hear him screaming her name.

"Rose," whispered through the darkness.

Rose frowned, she must still be disorientated from sleep. He hadn't whispered her name. He had called out for her, louder than the wind that had sucked the Daleks and Cybermen back into the Void. Louder, even, than her own scream as she plummeted to her certain death.

"Rose," she heard again.

Rose shot up in bed, vaguely aware that her hair was falling over her eyes. She was fully awake now, that much she knew for certain. Brushing the matted hair back, she scanned her surroundings to check she was alone. A quick look confirmed that she was.

Had she just imagined that voice? His voice? Was she imagining things now? She didn't think her imagination was quite that good. Was she losing her mind and, if she was then why was she not more concerned about that prospect?

Rose rubbed her eyes in sheer exhaustion. She almost felt as if she was being punished for something. It was bad enough she was forced to relive the nightmare every other night. Did she now have to put up with this, too? Was she not stronger than that?

"Rose," the voice called again.

Nope, she decided then. She was most definitely not imagining it. That was his voice. The Doctor's voice. Her Doctor. He had come for her at last.

She flung back her duvet and leapt from the bed, awaiting further instructions from an otherwise empty room.

"Rose," she heard for a fourth time.

"Doctor?" she called back, all but jumping for joy, a disbelieving grin breaking across her face. That man. That insane, brilliant man. "I'm here. Oh my- Can you hear me? I'm right here, Doctor!"

Silence was the only thing that greeted her.

"Doctor, please!" she cried out in a frustrated tone.

"Rose?" she heard from outside her bedroom door. She whirled round. This wasn't the voice she had just been listening for. Although this voice, too, was unmistakeable in it's own right.

It belonged to Jackie Tyler.

Without warning her mother threw the door open, entering as normal without so much as a knock.

"It's 3 A.M, sweetheart. What you shoutin' for? Mickey's convinced there's a bleedin' fire! Wanted to barge in here and save you, he did! I mean, what if you weren't dressed? I told him, I said 'you might have seen it all before but you won't be seein' it again in this universe, sunshine!'"

Only then did Jackie pause to look at her daughter properly. She hadn't seen her smile like that in weeks. At least not since before...Jackie pushed the unpleasant memories back and gently took Rose by the shoulders.

"What is it, darlin'?" she asked, shaking her slightly when her daughter didn't immediately answer.

Her daughter beamed at her and Jackie suddenly knew what was coming. Or rather, who Rose thought was coming.

"It's him, Mum. It's really him."

oOoOoOo

Thanks so much for reading!

If you have feedback then please offer it. I'm new at this so I'd love to know what you all think. I'll try to keep everyone in character and make the story believable but let me know if I'm messing anything up!

DoctorRoseLove