Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own anything.

A/N This is a birthday gift for the lovely aeonish. Hope you like it, Trin!

Thanks to Vampiyaa for the lightning-quick beta.

Chapter 1

There were worse days to have, but in that moment, Rose was having trouble remembering them. She glanced around at the tense faces of everyone in the room and sighed quietly. There was no way she blamed them for being so worried. The unnatural heat of the alien planet and the stifling tension in the room was making it harder to breathe, but Rose did not dare to leave the bungalow assigned to them to get some fresh air.

"Maybe we should just surrender," one of the more frightened people in the room suggested.

"No," said the Director firmly. "Surrender means that we would be entirely at their mercy. They could blow us clean out of the sky if they wanted. We will continue to negotiate for a better option."

"Perhaps there is no better option," said someone else who agreed with the first person. "Maybe we can negotiate for our families."

"And leave the rest of the billions of people on Earth to die?" asked the Director angrily.

There was silence in the room and Rose was tense, waiting to jump to her father's defense if needed. He was currently staring down anyone who suggested surrender as an option, standing tall and firm as the Director of Torchwood.

"Director Tyler," said one of the calmer negotiators. "Maybe it is time to retire for the night. We have only been here for a day. There is still time to negotiate."

The Director nodded shortly and shot a sharp look at the frightened people in the room. "Fine," he said. "Good night."

There were murmurs of good night and Rose waited until the room was empty to go up to her father who was rubbing his temple in frustration.

"Spineless cowards some of them," he muttered.

"They are scared," said Rose neutrally. "You can't really blame them. A giant planet showed up in the sky with no warning asking them to surrender or they will blow us all up."

"We are supposed to prepared for things like these," he protested. "We are Torchwood, for God's sake."

"But these are Time Lords," said Rose. "Two days ago, we had no idea that there was even such a thing in the universe. Besides, I think the negotiations are going well."

He looked at her in disbelief. "You think so?" he asked.

"They haven't killed us yet," said Rose with an optimistic smile. "They were kind enough to invite us up to their planet to negotiate. It shows that they are willing to listen, at least, which is more than we can say for most hostiles we have dealt with over the years."

He nodded reluctantly. "I left orders about what was to be done if an agreement couldn't be reached," he confessed.

Rose inhaled and nodded. "Yeah, I figured," she said. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

"We might not have a choice," said Pete, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "These people control time and space, Rose. I don't even know how to fight them."

"Don't think about it like that," said Rose, trying to be comforting and doing her best not to let it show that she had spent the last two days thinking about the exact same thing. "Go to bed, 'kay? We'll start fresh tomorrow."

He smiled at her. "Yeah, alright," he said, getting to his feet and dropping a kiss on her head. "Get some sleep, love. You've been working hard too."

"Nah," said Rose. "You've been doing most of the work, remember? I'm just security. Here to stand in the back wearing all black and looking tough."

That coaxed a laugh out of her father and Rose was pleased when some tension left him. "Good night, love," he said affectionately.

"Good night, Dad," said Rose and waited until he left to let her smile drop.

Despite everything, she was still worried and knew that there was no way that she would get any sleep. With a sigh, she left the bungalow that had been graciously provided for them by their hosts. The grass surrounding the bungalow was a beautiful, vibrant shade of red that was rippling with a surprisingly cool breeze. Had it not been for the potential doom hanging over their heads, Rose would have enjoyed Gallifrey's beauty. The planet was truly a thing of beauty and as Rose walked further down the sloped hill, she admired the silver trees and the burnt orange sky overhead. As lost as she was in her own musings, she nearly missed the fact that she was no longer alone.

"Hello," greeted the strange man who appeared to have been lying flat on the grass, a mere few feet away from Rose.

Rose was startled but composed herself rather quickly. "Hello," she said, casting a quick eye over the man.

Unlike every Time Lord that she had seen so far, he was not dressed in sweeping robes or the uncomfortable headdress. Instead, he was wearing dark trousers tucked into long brown boots, a brown waistcoat over a dirtied white shirt, a cravat knotted haphazardly around his neck and a battered dark frock coat completing the look. His brown hair was messy and unkempt but his bright blue eyes were smiling as he looked at her.

"Sorry, I'll leave you be," she said, not wanting to speak to a Time Lord, even if he did not look like the others.

She turned to go but he sat up quickly. "Oh no, please wait," he said, smiling politely at her. "I'm the Doctor. Who are you?"

Rose contemplated ignoring him and walking away but did not want to make things harder for her own planet, so she nodded. "I'm Rose," she said. "Nice to meet you."

"Is it really?" he asked, regarding her shrewdly. "Seems like you have every reason to hate me, Rose."

She forced a smile onto her face. "I don't hate you, or the Time Lords," she said neutrally.

He sat up straighter at that. "Strange, you really mean that, don't you?" he asked. "I mean your planet and its entire population is essentially being held hostage by the Time Lords yet you don't seem to hate them," he said. "Now, why is that?"

"There is no point hating every species that ever comes to Earth with bad intentions," said Rose. "Besides, I have every confidence that our negotiations tomorrow will prove useful."

"Oh, now you are just lying," he said, sounding utterly delighted. "You are worried, Rose, that much is clear. But you aren't one of the negotiators, are you? You are dressed in black and you seem like someone whose job is to stand around and look tough."

Rose bristled but maintained a cool facade. Or she tried, at least. "And how would you know?" she asked in a biting tone. "I don't remember seeing you in the negotiations."

"I have friends who keep me informed," he said. "Please, won't you sit down?"

Rose gritted her teeth and sat down on a boulder that was as far away from the Doctor as possible while still being within earshot. The Doctor looked amused at her choice of seating but said nothing about it.

"I have offended you," he said and it was not a question. "That wasn't my intention at all, I assure you."

"You didn't offend me," said Rose, trying not to squirm at the intense way in which his eyes were surveying her. She was also feeling distinctly warmer around the collar despite the cooling evening air and she was doing her best to ignore it. "You are right. I am security. Nothing else."

"Hmm, yes," he said, his eyes lingering on hers for a moment before drifting slowly down her body. "May I ask you something, Rose? I would appreciate an honest answer."

"Sure," said Rose, curious despite herself.

"Why wouldn't Earth just consider a surrender?" he asked. "Surely it will save us all some time."

"Have you even read the terms of the surrender?" snapped Rose before she could stop herself. She composed herself hurriedly. "I mean, a surrender is not in our best interest."

"Why not?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious. "Time Lords are offering to keep your planet safe from any other hostiles. All they ask for in return are some resources from your planet."

"It is not so much the trade that is bothering us," said Rose carefully. "But Time Lords are a strong civilisation. I mean, your lot moved their planet right in our sky to make a point. What happens when they no longer have a use for us? When we become a liability rather than a resource? There are seven billion of us on that planet and you may not think that's a lot but that's seven billion people who are all important. What happens to those seven billion lives when the Time Lords are done with us?"

The Doctor was listening to her intently. "So, you are negotiating for what, precisely?" he asked.

"To be left alone," said Rose, like it was obvious. "We are clearly not a threat to the Time Lords. Just leave us be."

He smirked slightly. "Not a threat?" he asked. "Earth just defeated a Sycorax scouting party a month ago without firing a single weapon."

"Yes," admitted Rose. "But the Sycorax are single-mindedly focused on violence and warfare. It was only a matter of proving that we had better weapons than them to send that lot packing. We didn't kill any of them."

"I know," he said. "But Earth does have an impressive cache of weapons. I mean, I assume that Torchwood's director has given orders to attack Gallifrey if the negotiations don't go well?"

"I wouldn't know," said Rose, doing her best to not give away anything. "Would be a bit silly to do that, considering that he and several of us are on Gallifrey."

The Doctor laughed airily. "Oh, but he seems like a man who understands sacrifice," he said. "He has a family on Earth, doesn't he? He wears a wedding ring so he has a wife, at least. Maybe a couple children. A man like him would do anything to keep his family safe. Even at the cost of his own life."

"Your friends keep you well informed, did you say?" asked Rose, regarding him with suspicion.

"Yes, they insist on it, no matter how much I try to avoid hearing about everything," he said with a guileless smile that did not reach his eyes.

"Hmm," said Rose disbelievingly, but didn't push it. "Anyway, I can't speak for the director. I barely know him. My job is to guard him, nothing else."

He stared at her and Rose did her best not to give anything away. After a moment, the Doctor nodded. "I suppose," he said. "But back to my point. Earth has very powerful weapons."

"Are you saying the Time Lords don't?" asked Rose shrewdly. "Your people control time. They could wipe us all out and not blink."

"It is not easy to wipe out an entire species," he said darkly.

"But not impossible, is it?" asked Rose persistently.

"No," he said. "Then I suppose we are at an impasse."

"Good thing it is not our job to figure it out," said Rose with a wan smile.

He smiled back at her. "Yes, let us leave it to the negotiators, shall we?"

"Yeah, I suppose," said Rose. Silence fell over them and Rose watched the burnt orange sky getting slowly darker as the second sun set. "I should go," she said, looking back at the Doctor, only to find him already looking at her.

He stood up and Rose followed suit. "Farewell then, Rose," he said, offering his hand to her.

Rose took it but instead of shaking it, he kissed her knuckles. Heat shot up her arm and she could feel her face flushing. "Yeah, bye," she said, extracting her hand from his grip as politely as possible and fleeing back in the direction of the bungalow.

She pretended not to see that pleased smile on his face.

The next morning, the negotiations were at a stalemate for an hour and Rose was itching for a recess so she could go scream into a pillow. The hot, stuffy council chamber was full of Time Lords on one end and the five Torchwood negotiators, including her dad sitting at a long table facing them. Rose and two other Agents were standing behind the director and Earth negotiators with their hands crossed at their backs.

Lord Borusa, who was the Time Lord's negotiator, was sitting next to an empty chair that looked grander than any other seat in the entire chamber. The empty chair was a cause for curiosity but Rose supposed that it was not the time for a fact-finding mission. She could see the tension in the back of her father's shoulders as he and Borusa locked horns over the future of their planet.

"Considering your planet's capabilities and the average lifespan of its occupants, what we are offering is more than generous," said Borusa grandly, and Rose resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"You cannot expect us to put a price on our people's heads," said Pete, trying to sound calm. "You can get the resources you want from a thousand other uninhabited planets. Earth has a population of seven billion people."

"Seven billion people who are fighting a war amongst themselves," said Borusa archly.

Pete bristled but managed to stay calm. "Yes, but those are our personal problems," he said. "I am not saying that we are perfect as a species, but we deserve to have the choice to make our own mistakes."

"Yes, well…" Borusa stopped talking as a Chancellery Guard walked up to him and whispered something. Borusa's eyes went wide and he nodded hurriedly.

"Is everything alright?" asked Pete warily and Rose tensed, ready to fight if things were about to go wrong.

"Yes, yes, quite," said Borusa quickly. "Our President has just sent notice that he will be sitting in for the negotiations."

A murmur rose among the Time Lords at this pronouncement and Rose glanced at Pete, who looked just as confused as she did. They had all assumed that Borusa was in charge; people certainly treated him like he was.

"All rise," announced the Chancellery Guard and the Time Lords got to their feet. As an afterthought, Pete did too, and the rest of the Torchwood negotiators followed suit.

Rose tried not to rise on her tiptoes to see who the President was. She saw the grand orange and gold hat before she saw the man and her gasp was lost in the noise of the chamber when she saw the Doctor emerge from the crowd and sit down at the grand seat that had previously been empty. Time Lords and humans alike sat back down but Rose was too busy staring at the Doctor to register it.

"Pay attention, Rose," hissed Jake who was to her right, and Rose managed to shake herself to stand at attention like she was expected to do, rather than gaping like an idiot. Her gaze was resolutely fixed in front of her but she avoided looking at the Doctor directly, who had beamed at her as he had taken his seat.

"My apologies, Director Tyler," said the Doctor smoothly. "I am the Lord President of Gallifrey. Usually, I leave negotiations like these to my council and Lord Borusa. But I seem to have a special interest this time."

Rose tensed when his eyes flitted to her before going back to her father. Pete, observant as he was, did not miss it. "A special interest?" asked Pete warily.

"In Earth," said the Doctor with a smile. "I understand that you are concerned about your planet's future if the Time Lords were to go back on their word or harm you. I happen to have a solution that would put your mind at ease."

Lord Borusa looked at the Doctor like he was mad but Pete got a hopeful look on his face. "I am listening," he said.

"I propose an alliance between Earth and Gallifrey," said the Doctor. "An alliance made possible by one of the oldest methods in the universe."

"Which is?" asked one of the Torchwood negotiators.

The Doctor looked at Rose again before turning to Pete. "Marriage," he said.

Pete stared at him. "I beg your pardon?" he asked.

"The Agent protecting you is your daughter, is she not?" asked the Doctor. "She must be. You have the same eyes. If Rose were to marry me, I would guarantee Earth's safety."

It was a miracle that Rose could keep standing after that pronouncement. Pete got to his feet in anger and glared at the Doctor. "My daughter is not a bargaining chip," he snarled.

"No," said the Doctor calmly. "But you need assurance that the Time Lords will not harm your planet. Well, I would not want to harm my bride's home planet." He sat back in his chair. "Besides, we are running out of options on fixing our little quandary."

"We will find another way," said Pete firmly. "Rose is not a part of this negotiation."

"Maybe not," said the Doctor. "But Earth has enough weaponry to try and attempt an attack on us. Needless to say, it will fail. And I cannot promise that Earth will survive if they were to declare a war on us. So, really, Director Tyler, I don't see you having much of a choice, do you?"

Rose saw the look on Pete's face and knew that he would order a full scale attack if need be, and decided to intervene. "I think," she said and the chamber fell silent. "I think we need time to discuss this."

"Rose," said Pete warningly.

"Sorry, Dad, looks like I'm a part of it now," she said. She looked back at the Doctor with a cool gaze. "We shall discuss your offer."

He inclined his head. "Take your time," he said. "We shall resume negotiations tomorrow." He got to his feet and the whole chamber rose again. "For what it's worth," he said, looking at Rose. "I do hope you accept." He nodded again and swept out of the chamber. Borusa and his council followed after him and the Time Lords began to disperse one by one, but not before looking at Rose in bewilderment.

Rose looked at her dad who was staring at her in disbelief but he stayed silent until they were all back inside the bungalow.

"Explain," was all he said.

Rose saw the rest of the Torchwood people looking on with varying degrees of interest and curiosity and sighed. "I saw him last night when I went for a walk. I didn't know he was their President," she confessed.

"What did you tell him?" asked Pete.

"Nothing," said Rose. "I didn't tell him who I was and I certainly didn't tell him about Earth's attack plan."

"You must have said something," piped up one of the snottier negotiators. "Why else would he propose marriage of all things?"

Rose resisted the urge to glare but Pete had no such restraint. "I want to speak to my daughter alone," he said pointedly.

"This affects us all. Not just you," protested the negotiator, at once.

"Now," said Pete, his voice holding a note of finality. One by one, the Torchwood members left, until only he and Rose were left.

Rose sat down in a chair and rubbed her eyes. "Do you believe me?" she asked her father hesitatingly.

Pete sat down in front of her and nodded. "Yeah," he said. "But you are not marrying him, Rose. We will find another way."

"There isn't another way," said Rose calmly. "We can't take on the Time Lords, Dad. You know it, I know it and hell, they know it."

"Won't stop me from trying," said Pete and Rose knew that he meant it.

"Think of Mum and Tony," said Rose. "And others like them down on Earth. We can't put them at risk of a war that we are sure to lose."

"So you are ready to marry an alien?" asked Pete sceptically.

"Of course I'm not ready," said Rose at once. "I hate that I am being traded like a cow to secure an alliance. But considering the alternative, I am willing to swallow my pride, grit my teeth and get it done."

"Rose," said Pete, shaking his head.

"I'm not saying I like it," said Rose. "In fact, the mere thought is making my skin crawl. But this isn't about me. It's about seven billion people and many more who will come into our world, generation after generation. If there is something, anything, that I can do to save them, then I am going to do it." She stopped and smiled at him. "You know you would do the same."

Pete sighed deeply. "Sometimes, I wish you would have succumbed to your mother's quest to make you into the perfect heiress instead of following me to Torchwood," he said.

"You don't mean that," said Rose with confidence. "And mum doesn't mind, either. Doesn't matter how much she claims it does."

"Speaking of whom, Jackie is going to be livid about this," said Pete.

"Yeah, I know," said Rose. "But she will understand. Just like you."

"I haven't said I understand," protested Pete.

"No, but I know you do," said Rose with a smile. "I know you want to keep me safe and marrying me off to an alien is the last thing you want to do, but I'm making my choice to save the Earth."

Pete sighed again and looked at her imploringly. "Rose, are you sure? We could still fight," he said.

"There will not be a fight," said Rose firmly. "Not if it can be avoided. Dad, I am sure about my decision."

Pete stared at her for a moment before nodding shortly. "Alright," he said. "But let us draw up some conditions before we agree to it."

Inside the Doctor's sprawling office in the Presidential Palace, Lord Borusa was pacing angrily. "What in the name of Rassilon were you thinking?" he demanded of the Doctor who was sitting calmly at his desk. "A marriage to an alien? An ape, of all things?"

"Lord Borusa," said the Doctor. "You are my adviser and I have the utmost respect for you. But I am the President and my mind's made up. Besides, you have been imploring me to get married from the day I took office."

"Yes, but she is an alien," repeats Borusa. "Think of what this could do to your popularity numbers. You ought to marry a suitable Time Lady from the proper Chapter. Not some ape who has barely learned to stand."

"You shall refrain from referring to Miss Tyler as an ape, Lord Borusa," said the Doctor coolly. "And don't think that I don't see the negotiation with Earth for what it is."

Borusa stared at the Doctor blankly. "I do not understand, Lord President," he said.

The Doctor got to his feet and looked Borusa in the eye. "Do not play me for a fool, Borusa, you know better," he said, his voice calm but eyes blazing in anger. "We don't need Earth's resources. There is nothing that they have that we cannot acquire by more convenient means. Except sunflowers, perhaps, but I doubt you have any use for them." He shook his head before continuing. "What you truly wanted was a way to monitor the humans. And I cannot blame you for it. They are the only species, apart from us, who will touch every star in the sky one day. And they are getting stronger every day."

Borusa's nostrils flared but he did not deny it. "It is wise to keep one's enemies close," he said.

"I agree," said the Doctor. "Which is why I proposed marriage to Miss Tyler. She is the daughter of Torchwood's Director and Torchwood is Earth's strongest organisation dealing with extraterrestrial affairs. It would do well to have a strong alliance with them."

"I understand that, Lord President," said Borusa. "But marriage?"

"Like I said, it's the oldest method of creating an alliance," said the Doctor, sitting back down in his seat. "Stronger than a treaty or even a trade agreement. Besides, I know you don't want us going to war with Earth. It would disrupt the web of time catastrophically. Wouldn't it be better if this was all resolved peacefully?"

"We would be having a spy in our midst," said Borusa.

"That cannot be helped," shrugged the Doctor. "Besides, I think she might just surprise you."

Borusa sighed and nodded slowly. "I understand," he said finally. "If you will excuse me, Lord President, I believe I will have to smooth a lot of ruffled feathers about your decision."

"I know," said the Doctor. "I appreciate it, Lord Borusa."

Lord Borusa went to leave but turned back around. "Are you certain they shall accept?" he asked.

"Yes," said the Doctor and Borusa bowed as he left. The Doctor waited until the door had closed to glance at the only other person in his office. "That went well, don't you think?" he asked.

Romanadvoratrelundar shook her head at him. "You are a terrible liar," she said.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked.

"Is that really why you proposed marriage? To ally with the humans and keep the enemy close as Lord Borusa said? Or the fact that you are infatuated with the human girl," said Romana with a smirk.

"I am not infatuated," said the Doctor with an eye-roll. "I barely spoke to her."

"Yet you walked into the negotiations with a proposal for her," Romana pointed out. "I can't help but wonder."

"Wonder what, precisely?" asked the Doctor. "I am doing what's best for Gallifrey. Earth may not be able to win a war against us but it does not mean that they will not be able to cause substantial damage to us. I merely want to avoid a war."

"Right," said Romana with a superior look on her face that told him that she was not buying it for a moment.

He sighed and dropped his head onto his desk. "You should see her, Romana. She is something else entirely," he muttered.

To her credit, Romana was only a little bit smug at that pronouncement. "She looks like an ordinary human to me," she said honestly.

"Yes, in some ways," said the Doctor, looking up at Romana. "But there is something else about her. She is wise in ways beyond her years but she still has that hope of something better in her, Romana. And hope is something that Gallifrey lost a long time ago. Maybe she will bring it back."

"You are placing an awful lot of expectation on her and this union, Doctor," warned Romana seriously. "You are forcing her to marry an alien and leave her planet and family behind in doing it. She will be surrounded with nothing but hostility on Gallifrey. No one will oppose the marriage openly but the Time Lords will never accept her. And she will make an easy target for your enemies. Are you prepared to put her through all that?"

The Doctor fell silent as he contemplated Romana's words. "I don't know," he said finally.

"I thought so," said Romana. "But it is too late to go back on your word now. So, I hope you are right when you say that she is something else. Because she is going to have to be extraordinary to survive on Gallifrey."

"Thank you, Romana," said the Doctor.

Romana nodded and patted his shoulder as she got up to leave. "For what it's worth, I trust your judgment about her," she said. "And I hope that Rose Tyler makes an excellent First Lady of Gallifrey."

The Doctor smiled tiredly and nodded at Romana as she left.

"Time will tell," he murmured to himself, once he was completely alone. "It always does."

A/N Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought.