It had been two years to the day from Bad wolf bay when the Doctor had left her and John Noble on the beach and returned to the alternate Universe. Two fantastic years full of adventure and love, stopping only for a moment a year ago to be married and bonded in the Galliferyan style at the rift in Cardiff. Then back to travelling the world receiving the odd call here and there from UNIT and Torchwood to come in and consult on things. But mostly they just found trouble all on their own laughing and running their way through it all.
For their anniversary, they had decided a trip to Manhattan was in order a picnic in Central New York, in memory of their date in New New York. A tribute to all that they had been through and all the new adventures they were going to have. It was a beautiful day not a more perfect one to be found. They had a fantastic meal as the reminisced over old adventures, when John decided needed some hot chocolate to top off the meal.
He had not been gone long when Rose heard him scream her name in her mind and picture of a stone angel. Then it snapped, the bond snapped and she screamed in agony. Just as quickly as it snapped it fell back into place but if was different he felt so much older and so lonely. Rose took of at a run following the bond needing to make sure that he was okay. It was a while before she felt she was close but finally she reached the building from which she could feel him. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath and looked up at the sign Winter Quay, there were angels on either side of the entrance similar to the ones John had shown. Needing to know what was going and that John was okay she dashed into the building, following the bond up to the tenth floor just out side room 1011.
There on the nameplate was John Noble. How she wondered before she pushed on the door making her way inside. The door at the end of the hallway was ajar just enough that she could see a corner of the bed; this was where the bond was leading her. And when she entered it was her John but not, he had gotten old without her, their forever lost to the ravages of time. Tears filled her eyes and his as they looked at each other, both of them could feel his time approaching knowing that they had minutes at most left before they lost each other again. He reaches out to her "Rose, my beautiful fantastic Rose how I have missed you!"
She quickly moves forwarding grabbing his hand and bringing to her lips kissing it gently as she sits down on the edge of the bed and leans pressing there foreheads together and in an instant all that she has missed the past 50 years of his life is shared between them. "I love you" she sobs
"Quite right too" He replies and they share smile full of love and misery at the same. "Sing for me one last time. Sing me our song."
"Of course all you have to do is ask" She kisses him softly and then sits up straight clasping his hand to her chest and starts to sing.
(Copyright Snow Patrol "Run" see Leona Lewis cover to play with this)
I'll sing it one last time for you
Then we really have to go
You've been the only thing that's right
In all I've done
And I can barely look at you
But every single time I do
I know we'll make it anywhere
Away from here
Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you dear
Louder louder
And we'll run for our lives
I can hardly speak I understand
Why you can't raise your voice to say
To think I might not see those eyes
Makes it so hard not to cry
And as we say our long goodbye
I nearly do
Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you dear
Louder louder
And we'll run for our lives
I can hardly speak I understand
Why you can't raise your voice to say
Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you dear
Louder louder
And we'll run for our lives
I can hardly speak I understand
Why you can't raise your voice to say
Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you dear
Light up, light up
And we'll run for our lives
I can hardly speak I understand
Why you can't raise your voice to say
All his love pours into her mind as she finishes " I Love you" he says his hand cupping her face. She leans into and places a kiss against his palm. And then there is an emptiness in her mind, a gapping void where the bright light of his soul used to shine. She screams out her agony and it is felt across the universe, everything halting for a moment to mourn something they never even knew they were missing.
She bows her head crying over his body, he has only been gone for seconds when she feels a presence in the hall. She whips her head around and there standing at the entrance to is a stone angel the one John had shown her, its face twisted in a snarl and reaching towards them. "You should not have taken him from me" she snarls " For with him gone I have no mercy left, you will pay, you and all of your kind with suffer my wrath"
She closed her eyes building up the power she had used once before to keep her beloved Doctor safe. She did not intend to survive this; there was no point with him gone. When she opened them again her eyes were glowing gold and the angel was inches from her face and more angels had come into the apartment behind it even more waiting in the hall. She says one word no more "Goodbye", they all disappear not a trace of them left in the entire universe, and you can be damn sure she checked.
She allowed the power to continue to build intending to let herself burn and join her beloved John so they could spend forever running and travelling. Just as she was going to allow it to take her, she hears someone begging, pleading for just this once for time to be rewritten, that he not lose his Ponds to the angels. That word was all it took, she would save them from the angels in a way that she could not save John. She places on last kiss on his forehead and his body dissolves into a golden cloud before forming a small pocket watch that she places in her pocket resting over her heart.
She stands and gathers the power with purpose tethering it to the one point in time that would allow her to save them. "Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf" She murmurs and disappears from that universe in a flash of gold light. Her arrival on the other hand is much more subtle, if not completely unnoticed by those she had come to save.
On her left she watches as a thin blonde man climbs on to the edge of the roof saying that a paradox was the only way to fix this and what could be more of a paradox than him dying in the same place twice in a day. He begs his wife to keep her eyes on the angel so he cannot be stopped. Rose looks the right and there is the Statue of Liberty its face twisted in a snarl, and just above its head is the sign for Winter Quay so far and so close at the same time to where she had lost John. Payback will be a bitch she snarls to herself. She looks left again just in time to the ginger join her husband on the ledge.
It is then that she feels him; the Doctor that she has come save comes dashing up onto the roof followed quickly by a woman in a black dress. He demands to know what they are doing. So, this must be the Ponds she thinks. "Marriage." The ginger replies " We will go together!"
Surprisingly still is that no one has noticed her yet for all that she was standing between them. "There is no other choice" the man at exclaims and at these words her simmering rage swelled to new heights.
She would allow these angels to ruin no more lives. The sound of howling wolves drowns out anything else they might have said. This finally draws all their attention to her now when her is focusing with raging intensity onto the angels. Hunting for them throughout the entire universe, using the one in front of her as a link to all the others. Her fist clenched tight, shaking as blood starts to drip from her hands.
Her focus cause her to miss the look of confusion that settles on the couple on the ledge as they step down and shield their eyes from the glow. The woman next to the Doctor steps back slightly afraid and in awe of the figure in front not quite believing that the legend had been true. But the face she would have loved to have seen was that of Doctor as he jaw drops in amazement and his eyes fill with hope, for if there is one person who could rewrite time it would be her.
"You should not have taken him from me" Rose's voice is full menace growls echoing behind each word. "Who is afraid of the big bad wolf?"
A quick blink is all it takes and the Liberty angel as back away its face contorted in fear an arm partially shielding its face as it would somehow save it. Below in the building she can feel the other angels have retreated trying to escape her wrath. She raise her hands coated with blood, "Enjoy the Howling!" and with a snap of her fingers, they are gone.
She collapses to one knee panting for breath. The Doctor runs to her terrified, dropping to his knees in front of her reaching for her but afraid to touch in case she disappears. The others approach much slower not quite sure what to make of her.
Silence hangs thick in the air broken only by her panting. Rose looks up at him and a heartbreaking smile crosses her face. She reaches up and brushes the hair of his face. " Still not ginger I see and compensating for it with your companion"
Her hand trails gently down his face and her other lifts up to join and straighten his bowtie. "Bowties are cool" a cheeking grin crosses her faces and she falls down laughing.
His face splits into a wide grin to match hers and he too collapses to the ground laughing. This goes on for a few minutes until they both calm down, and he stand up reaching his hand down to her. " So do you want to see the old girl?"
"Always" She replies grinning in return hauling her self up.
They head towards the fire escape, the others following somewhat puzzled behind them. Not sure quite what to make of this new arrival and a little scared to ask after watching her wipe out the angels with a snap of her fingers.
They take off at a run once they reach the street not even bothering to grab the car, the others racing to keep up. They stop only when they reach to Tardis. He gently drops her hand and snaps his fingers to open the door and gestures grandly for her to precede him. She smiles, his favourite smile, her tongue caught in her teeth. " You think you're so impressive!" She shakes her head and saunters into the Tardis.
He quickly follows her in not wanting to miss a moment of her reaction. Rose moves up on to the main platform and spins to take it all in. "Well hello gorgeous, and just whom were you trying to impress?" At that moment the Ponds enter the Tardis "Ah, I see! Well done darling, well done." She caresses the Tardis a soft sad smile on her face. The Tardis croons out a welcome in return.
The smile that comes across the Doctor's face is one none of the have ever seen before. He walks up to her and crouches in front, clasping both her hands a looks up at her. "Thank you, Thank you so much!"
"Some days, not every day, but some days, everybody lives!" She replies a tear slipping down her cheek
"You said, they should not have taken him from, who did they take Rose?"
"The took John, Doctor they took John." The Doctor watches her, waiting knowing this would have to come out at her pace or not at all.
A few minutes pass before she continues, the whole group wanting to know what had cause so much grief, rage and destruction.
"It was two years to the day from Bad Wolf Bay. One year to the day that we married and bonded on the rift in Cardiff. We were in New York Central Park to celebrate our anniversary, what better place to celebrate than the original version of our second first date. The New new new doctor in old New York with Rose. The stuff of legends. He had just gone to get some hot chocolate, when the bond snapped and he sent the image of the stone angel to me. Seconds later the bond came back but he felt older and so lonely. When I finally fond him he was in the same building that I found all of year the angels had been holding him hostage. He died there in my arms, they took him from me forever Doctor so I ripped them from the Universe and destroyed every atom of their existence. I was just going to let myself burn and join him when I heard you." At this, Rose kneels down on the floor with him.
"You were begging and pleading, and if there is one thing I will ensure above all else when I can is that you are safe and happy. So I pulled myself here and the rest you know." He pulls her into a fierce hug, his head tucked into her neck.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, you impossible thing" Rose holds him onto and lets him settle with the fact that this is real and that everyone is safe.
She watches the others, knowing she had chosen well when she had nudge the Tardis in their direction after she had been left in the other world with John. She regretted nothing she had done to see her Doctor safe.
River attracts most of her attention, such a strong partner for her Doctor. Rose knew she loved her already. When River notices her watching a flirty smile that would have made Jack proud crosses her face. "Hello" River mouths to her not willing to break the silence just yet.
Finally, he stands, not quite willing to let go of Rose just yet and gestures to the rest with his free. "Rose this is…"
" I know." She interrupts cheekily, "Amelia and Rory Pond, and Doctor River Song your wife." She then steps away from the Doctor and moves to the console, River moving to join her.
They start process to send the Tardis in then in concert to each turn and smile at the Doctor and say
"Geronimo"
The Storm, the Wolf, and the River song in the Tardis next stop everywhere.