A.N. This was written by myself (livinginmyfantasyworld - in italics) and a stranger on Omegle who I never had the fortune to find out their actual name :( their parts are in normal font. As always, I hope you like it!

Lasers flying over head, Rose dodged through the mass of bodies that they were fighting their way towards and through the wall of steel soldiers just ahead. Gun on her hip, she pushed her way past the other, probably more capable fighters, her eyes sweeping the frontline for the leader of their side. The only man she cared about. Grinning when she spotted him, her heart tightened at the sight of a Cyberman lifting its hand to strike him down. Drawing her gun quickly, Rose shot it without a second thought. Running to the Doctor's side, the blonde grinned up at him, catching her tongue between her teeth as she looked him over. "Run."

He grabbed her hand and ran. They had been fighting the war for hours, he had lost count. They reached the TARDIS and he pulled her in. He fiddled with the controls. So many years ago, when he had a different face, the Doctor promised Jackie he would protect her daughter. He glanced over to Rose.

"Rose, were you hurt?" He winced when he spoke; something was broken or damaged, but he wasn't sure just yet what it was.

"Mhm, yeah I'm ok, what about you?" Rose closed the doors of the TARDIS behind her, and came over. She looked at him with concern and grasped his upper arm with her own. "Are you ok?" The Doctor didn't answer, just whipped out his glasses and fiddled more with the controls. The TARDIS jerked and she was almost thrown off her feet, but the Doctor grabbed onto her and held her fast.

"I'm fine, Rose." He glanced down at his hand to make sure a regeneration wasn't coming on. "Let's get you home, yeah?"

She caught his glance down and followed his gaze towards his hand. She took it in her own and looked it over, checking for signs of injury. There was none and she was confused.

"Doctor, what happened to you during the battle?" She caught eye contact with him and tried to convey how concerned she was for him. "Tell me the truth."

He sighed, admitting defeat.

"I took a hit. Both my hearts are working though."

Rose's own heart nearly stopped.

"What?" She kept a hold of his hand, uncertain of where this was going. "Are you going to regenerate?" Her voice cracked at the end of her sentence, and she suddenly realised just how much she did not want to lose this Doctor too.

"I don't think so. If I were, my ribs wouldn't hurt. They would be healing." He shifted at the controls to take the weight off one side of his chest. "Beautiful thing about Time Lords: we aren't compatible with Cyber Technology."

"What can I do to help?" Rose asked, relieved but still concerned. "Give me something to do; I know you don't usually need that much sleep, but you have to rest. Let yourself heal."

"Stay with me, Rose." He gave her a soft smile. He was never good at showing emotion to her; not that he really needed to. He knew that she knew.

She smiled at him, and nodded.

"Always." She rubbed his arm and led him away from the console room, into the halls of the TARDIS. She let him take the lead, following him into his room. It was small, plain. A double bed stood in the centre, and she let him lie down before gently lying down beside him. They weren't touching, but she felt him sigh; with tiredness or pain she didn't know. She turned onto her side to face his back; she heard a gentle snore and she smiled. Just being there for him made her happy. He was her Doctor, and she was glad to know that he needed her just as much as she needed him.

He had only dozed off. He came to for just a moment. He rolled over carefully and stared at Rose.

"You can come closer, you know," was all he said before turning back over and drifting into an uneasy sleep.

Rose's heart started to beat faster and she hoped to God the Doctor couldn't hear it. She wriggled closer, draping her arm around his shoulder and arm. Her body shaped itself into the same position as the Doctor, so she was almost spooning him. She felt his breathing become slower and deeper, and she was glad. Perfectly at peace, Rose closed her eyes and let the double heartbeat of her Doctor lull her to sleep.

By morning, the pain had subsided, and he was ready to go. As he went to stretch, he felt a weight beside him. Once he was more awake, he noticed that Rose Tyler was asleep next to him. He couldn't help but smile. She looked so relaxed; so peaceful. All her innocence that had slowly been eroded by the adventures and dangers they'd experienced together came back to her face when she was sleeping. He reached over and nudged her.

"C'mon Rose, time to get up."

Rose blearily opened her eyes and yawned. Everything was fuzzy with sleep, and she rubbed her eyes.

"Doctor?" She opened her eyes again to see the Doctor up on his feet and grinning at her, his hand extended. She groaned dramatically and put the pillow over her face. "Have I ever told you I am not a morning person?"

"You miss the best part of the day then! Plus we're taking a break. There's a planet I want you to see." He walked out of his room, giving her the privacy to change and do what she needed He stood outside the door, his two hearts racing.

Rose had shoved the pillow over her face to hide her wide smile. She couldn't believe it. She spent the night with the Doctor. Despite the fact he woke her up so early (she really wasn't a morning person) she felt her heart was going to burst with the joy and love she felt.

"I'm in love with him," she whispered into the pillow still covering her face. "I love him." She wriggled with excitement, now fully awake. She got up and made her way back to her own room. There she showered quickly and dressed, then went out to the control room to see this mysterious planet.