A/N: Here's the new one! This is a sequel to Nature of the Wolf, set sometime before Shades of Blue. I'll be updating a chapter a day.

Chapter 1

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The heavy synth of "Mr. Roboto" woke Rose from a rare nap, the tinny sound piercing in the quiet hum of their bedroom. She reached for her mobile, flipping it open as the Doctor groaned and pulled a pillow over his face. She shoved her hair away from her face, scowling as the lights slowly shifted on. "What the hell did you do to my phone, Mickey?"

She could almost hear his grin as he replied. "I don't know what you're talkin' about."

"Right, so when I saw you fiddlin' with my mobile last week when we popped by, that had nothin' to do with waking up to bad 80's music."

"What, you don't like that song?"

"Bein' woken by a one-hit wonder hair band isn't my idea of a good mornin', no."

"One hit wonder? They've got plenty of hits, Rose! Styx is classic!"

The Doctor tossed the pillow away from his face, sitting up to rest his chin on Rose's bare shoulder. "Questionable taste in music aside, Mickey, why are you calling?"

There was a snort from the other end. "Somebody's cranky. Good morning to you, too, Doctor."

Rose clenched her eyes shut as she and the Doctor spoke in unison. "Mickey."

"Fine, fine." The humor faded from his voice as he continued. "UNIT's been picking up some readings from Cardiff that've got them worried, an' I don't blame 'em. It looks like the Rift's been goin' nuts."

The Doctor frowned. "Don't they have somebody monitoring it there?"

"The Brigadier General says to leave it to Torchwood Three, but, well, I remembered what happened last time we were out there. Thought it might be better if you checked it out."

Rose bit her lip, remembering charming smiles and blue eyes that always sparkled with mischief. The Doctor, on the other hand, groaned. "Of course it would be Torchwood. The blighters probably bollocksed it up themselves."

Rose scowled and smacked his chest, and he yelped. Mickey chuckled. "That'd better have been because of you, Rose."

She tightened her lips, glaring at the Doctor. "'Course it was."

"Good. Listen, I've got to go back to work—my boss doesn't know that I've called you guys in, but I figured it'd be up your alley. Let me know if I can do anything, yeah?"

"We will, Mickey. Thanks for calling—say hi to Martha for me, will you?"

"Will do. Talk to you later, babe."

"Later." She rang off and got out of bed, ignoring the Doctor's pout.

He winced and rubbed his temples, watching her as she fixed her mobile. "Blimey, I forgot what it was like around unshielded Time Lords. Are you really that mad, Rose?"

Rose straightened, facing the wall. Her mental walls slammed up, and the Doctor gave a soft cry and stumbled out of bed, reaching out to grasp her shoulder with a long-fingered hand. "Rose, don't. Be angry if you want, but let me feel you again—please."

She looked over her shoulder at him, meeting his anguished brown eyes. His skin had paled, and tension pulled the angles of his face tight. She relented, sliding down her barriers, and bit her lip as relief flooded his features. He closed his eyes gratefully, pulling her into him. "I'm sorry, Rose. My mouth runs ahead of me sometimes."

She sighed and leaned against his bare chest, tracing meandering patterns across the cool musculature of his ribs. "If it weren't for Torchwood, I wouldn't be here right now." He opened his mouth, and she laid a finger across his lips. "I worked for them for four years, Doctor, and I did my job well. You seemed so proud of me when I told you I was working for them, back on Bad Wolf Bay. Was that just a lie?"

He let out his breath in a quiet exhale and leaned down to rest his forehead against her own. "No, of course it wasn't. What you've done, Rose... " He chuckled softly. "Well, you've pretty much eradicated the word 'impossible' from my vocabulary, for a start."

She snorted. "Good. You're way too fond of it, anyway."

"Some of my past incarnations would be so disappointed in me." He sobered. "I just... because of them, I lost you."

She reached up and cupped his cheek, guiding his gaze down to hers. "An' also because of them, you've got me again—an' this time, I really can stay with you forever."

He smiled suddenly, his eyes dark and bright. "You know, I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing that."

"Good, 'cause I can't imagine I'll get tired of saying it." She leaned into him for a moment, relishing the comfort of his arms and his mind wrapped around hers. Being telepathic had taken some getting used to, but she found she loved it—no matter where she was, she could feel the Doctor with her, could sense his emotions as clearly as if she were watching his face. She smiled into his chest. "Fancy a trip to Cardiff?" The Doctor tightened his grip and rested his cheek against her hair, nuzzling the golden strands. A ripple of soft warmth spread over her, the now-familiar mental touch of the Doctor's desire. She leaned back to catch his eye, grinning mischievously. "Or did you have another suggestion?"

He waggled his eyebrows at her, sweeping her off her feet and depositing her on their bed, following her onto the still bouncing mattress as he braced himself above her. His grin was positively wicked. "Now, what gives you that idea?"

She fought for a thoughtful expression, arching her hips just so to brush up against him. He gasped, and she grinned. "Might've had a small hint."

His head reared up from where he'd been nuzzling her throat, his eyes wide and offended. "Small?"

Rose used his distraction to her advantage, rolling them with a sudden twist of her hips. He blinked up at her, looking adorably ruffled against the ivory sheets. She leaned down and dropped a kiss at the end of his long nose. "All right, a very impressive, manly-sized hint."

He huffed, but his attempt at looking offended was rather ruined by the eagerness with which he found her lips with his own.

Cardiff, she decided as the Doctor slid his hand down her stomach, could wait.

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