A/N – I now understand all those authors pleading for reviews! Now that I've posted my first piece and gotten some responses, I feel like a junkie craving another fix of feedback! But I won't beg. I just hope you enjoy reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it.

I'm not quite done with "It Just Slipped Out." I know the Doctor and Rose have a lot to talk about, and I'm planning to go back to that. In fact, this chapter refers to thosestill unwritten conversations.But this story just demanded to be written first; the idea's been bouncing around in my head for a while and finally gelled today.

In case you didn't already know, I don't own Doctor Who or any of its characters.

Hold On To Life

By

Lariel Romeniel

Chapter One: A Perfect Moment

"So where are we going today?"

The Doctor pondered the question for a moment. All of time and space at his disposal, but he couldn't think of a destination. His sense of impending doom hadn't gone away despite their long talks over the past few nights. It was just pushed to the back of his mind, where it was doing its best to distract him.

And it seemed to be succeeding; he couldn't think of a thing except to keep them locked up safe in the TARDIS. Although…even that wasn't safe. We were in theTARDIS when we were snatched away to the Gamestation…

No. Not going there. So where would they go? He hadn't the foggiest. So he decided to cover his indecision by challenging Rose. "Why do I always have to come up with all the ideas?" he asked petulantly.

"Oh, don't pout! You're the Time Lord!" she shot back. "I thought you always had lots of great ideas!"

"I'm a Time Lord, not a tour guide, Rose!" he complained. "Even a Time Lord can draw a blank every once in a while."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Not feeling so superior today, then?" she asked in a slightly smug voice.

He blew out a long sigh. "Tired, more like. I'm getting too old for these all-night gabfests. I sometimes forget that human curiosity is exhausting." All right. Enough with the cranky act. He took in a deep breath and made a decision at last. "I know! We'll let the TARDIS choose this time."

He turned to the console and gave it a fond pat. "How about it, old girl? Someplace peaceful, if you don't mind. I'm not up to running for my life today." Please, help me hold off the approaching storm.

He smiled as the rotor began to move. Rose sidled up to him and slipped her hand into his.

Clear skies, just for today.

When the rotor stopped, he was surprised. "Well, now, what's this, old girl?"

Rose furrowed her brow in concern. "Something wrong?"

"No, not really. Something unexpected."

"You did just leave it up to the TARDIS," she pointed out. He nodded in reply.

"I know. I just…was expecting that she'd take us to my favorite peaceful spot. The Eye of Orion. But she chose Metulla Orionsis. Traken."

"Traken's not peaceful?"

One side of his mouth quirked up in a lopsided smile. "Actually, it is. Very peaceful. A whole union of peaceful people who are just…terribly nice to each other."

Echoes of the past, memories of another young companion, now lost to the centuries. Ah, Adric…

Rose's voice broke through his reverie. "It sounds nice, Doctor. So why do you sound troubled?"

"I've been here before, Rose. Or…I will be here in my past, this planet's future."

Rose looked at him strangely. "That's never been a problem before. Unless…are we about to cross your timeline and meet an earlier you?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You've been paying attention, Rose Tyler!" he exclaimed delightedly, rewarding her for it with one of his sudden hugs. She was smiling as he pulled away and continued, "No, the TARDIS wouldn't allow that for just a pleasure trip. We've met earlier me's before, and not all of my past selves have gotten on too well. It always ends up giving both of us…all of us...an awful headache," he told her with a chuckle. "No, we're years before that other me gets here." Then, another one of his lightning mood changes. His tone became more serious. "I'm troubled because in your time Traken is gone, Rose. Destroyed by entropy thanks to an old enemy of mine. I never really expected to see the place again." His voice dropped, and he murmured, "I guess there's no escaping old memories."

He shook the past away and smiled brightly at her. "That's going to be a topic for another all-nighter, I think. At the moment…Traken's future will be then. This is now. Let's go take a look 'round!"

They walked out the TARDIS doors. He took a deep breath and smiled. So many memories triggered by scent. Traken was such a green world. He'd noticed that the last time, even when he was busy escaping the Fosters.

The TARDIS had landed in a wood. A footpath meandered past, and they took it through the trees, hand in hand.

"So what's there to do here?" Rose asked.

He cocked his head with a puzzled look. "You know, I'm not really sure. Last time, Adric and I got swept into things as soon as we arrived. We didn't get to do any sightseeing. Except for the dungeons, of course."

She smiled knowingly. "Dungeons. I should have figured. You got in trouble, eh?"

He grinned widely. "Always!"

"Adric?" Still smiling as she asked. Apparently their talks had made her more secure about other companions.

"You've probably guessed. He was one of my companions, once. Stowaway, actually."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "The TARDIS allowed a stowaway?"

Another grin, with a shrug. "More than once. But always people who really belonged on board. Adric was a good lad. Ah!"

The trees were ending. The footpath had led them to the edge of a cliff. A wooden railing lined the cliff's edge. Beyond it was a stunning vista, blue and green, blue and green. A crystal clear azure sky above verdant hills. A waterfall splashing down a rocky slope into a lake of impossibly turquoise water. The lake was surrounded by a lawn of deep emerald. They could see people relaxing on blankets, children playing.

Rose was beaming as she leaned against the railing and gazed out. "Oh, it's lovely, Doctor!"

His hearts felt lighter than they had in days. As always, his ship had known just what he needed. He laughed from pure joy. "It is, isn't it? Remind me to thank the TARDIS when we get back."

"I will. Shall we go down?"

A staircase was cut into the side of the cliff, descending to the lawn. He let Rose lead him along down to the grass, where she selected a likely spot. He took off his trench coat, laid it down with a flourish and they settled down onto it. Rose leaned against his right side and laid her head on his shoulder as he put his arm around her. He sighed happily. "A loaf of bread, a jug of wine and thou."

"Except we don't have bread or wine," Rose replied. He just smiled and gave her a little squeeze.

"One out of three's not bad. Especially when the one is thou."

Now it was her turn to sigh happily as he rested his cheek against the top of her head. With his right hand he absently stroked the top of her arm. Their left hands joined on top of his thigh. The heart hand for a human, he mused. She'd worked herself into both of his hearts, a connection woven so intricately that he didn't know how he'd bear the approaching storm if it ripped her away.

No! He firmly shoved the prescience away to the back of his mind again. That's where it belonged for this day. He took another deep breath of the green-scented air and closed his eyes, willing this perfect moment to last. For himself. More importantly, for her.

Just a perfect moment. The two of them nestled against each other, breathing in harmony.

So it was a complete and utter shock when the moment was broken by something hitting him on the head. His eyes flew open, and he saw a bright red ball bouncing away from them on the lawn. A tiny girl brushed past him, chasing after it. The toddler caught her foot on a fold of his outlaid coat and fell, then picked herself up with a bright laugh and continued to follow her toy.

The sound of hard breathing behind them, then. "I'm so sorry about that," said a male voice, sounding winded. A figure in dark clothes passed them by quickly, chasing after the little girl and sweeping her up along with her ball. The man turned back to them. "You have to be more careful, Nyssa."