A/N: This chapter is again very Rose-centric, and fairly long and so I made it into two parts, so please have patience with me. The next after will be Riddick focused and will take a good look into those times in the PB movie you don't see him much and his perspective, thoughts and actions. I hope your liking it so far J Please review, as posting your first story takes more courage than I had realized.

Chapter 2, Dinner in the Void

Referred to as the Howling by the Eternals, the Void, Hell and the Darkness. The space between the universes is called all these things; it is all and none of them.

The Doctor screamed Roses name for all he was worth, as though, through will and voice alone, he could pull back her slipped fingers back to the safety of the clamp. He thought only of the Void as the one place to which he could never go to save Rose. The moment stretched and froze as Rose caught his eye one last time on the very threshold of the Void, it etched forever in to the Timelord's considerable memory.

Her face reflected her fear, heartbreak and longing to stay, not to be forever separated from the Doctor. With the last thought he could manage before she was lost to his sight he registered the resignation on her face, as though a choice once made was remembered. The lightest touch brushed his mind, a golden caress, the last gift of the Bad Wolf, communicating indefinable pain and loss, and love. A love that would never be forgotten.

"Goodbye my Doctor"

-o-o-o-

The last echoes of the Wolf looked on as Rose disappeared into the void, turning to regard the Universe the Wolf said,

"It's up to you now; if they reach the realm of the dead the way will be opened for that which has passed to return."

I am aware, Wolf. Replied the Universe with a hint of disdain. There is much more at stake for me than you. You have done your work here, the Doctors future is secure, be at rest, I will look after what is needed now.

The Wolf continued to regard the Universe with what intensity its fading being could.

"Do not overlook the fact that the girl is still human, her human feelings will conflict with her new bestial heart for some time to come, until a balance is found." Slightly sad, as the last of its essence faded the Wolf said "Every being, in all your universes feels in some shape or form. You should remember that you do too, for what are you if not the creature that is all creatures?"

Thoughtfully the Universe moved one of her innumerable facets to the Void realm where Rose now resided. The way to come would be long and painful for the girl, because if she failed in the task the Universe had set for her all would be lost. It had been so long since the Universe had come into such close contact with a singular individual she was almost unsure as to how to continue this small humans training.

Many beings had fallen into or been banished to the Void over the time of the existence of the universes. Some universes were older than others; some had life that existed in no other. Those worlds lost before their Time were kept as flickering memories in the Void, awaiting the moment they were needed again, to finally fulfill the purpose they never had the chance to. There was no Time in the Void, no true Death, Rose could never truly die, but she would wish many times she could before she would finally pass from the walls of the space between the universes.

-o-o-o-

The sight of the Doctors stricken face faded from Roses sight as white enveloped everything, the deathly white of a wall that had ended significant chapters in the lives of both Rose Tyler and the Doctor. The beings that would emerge from this event were very different from those that had landed on Earth not so long ago with wide grins and happy hearts.

Pain so eclipsing that even thoughts ceased to exist, over took Rose. As each cell and atom separated and seemed to float in the Void, single soundless voice reached the small golden conciseness that clung together with a tenacity that was undeniably human.

Be whole again child, for there is much you have yet to do.

With a sucking, jarring sensation Rose seemed to blossom outward, becoming whole again from her center.

Reeling from the overload of the last few seconds Rose opened her eyes to get her bearings, to try and make sense of something, anything at all. Nothing changed. The darkness was so total it felt unreal. Even space had light, distant stars, coloured gasses. Nothing was this dark.

Rose looked down to her body instinctively, only to curse herself for impulse, she couldn't see her body. She flexed her fingers to see what could be felt, yes that felt like all five on that hand. Flicking her thumb over the digits on the other hand produced the same result. So far so good she thought cautiously, wrists flexed successfully, elbows bent inwards and out again. She pulled her knees up, not bothering to try her toes out, an odd distorting sensation passed as Rose realized she had not even questioned the weightless feeling that had, at some point, registered to her. She was floating.

Pelvis, legs and chest all accounted for, Rose thought with a wry humour. Best for last she thought as she reached for her head, slightly misjudging the distance to her still slightly curled body, resulting in an abrupt smack in the nose. Well the brain must work Rose thought with a wince, cause that didn't half sting.

Well, thought Rose, everything present and accounted for. The Doctor would chuckle at how she had changed since that helpless moment standing before the dummies about to lop her head off. The thought of the Doctor brought about the abrupt realisation as to where she must be. The Doctors devastated face flashed to the front of her mind's eye as a terrible sadness overtook Rose at the thought that she would never see him again. Tears gathered and dropped, great heaving sobs tore at her chest as she mourned what felt like, and at heart was, a death of a loved one.

Rose was so lost in her grief that she failed to even register the feeling of no longer floating but solidness under her and warmth covering her. She curled in and eventually sobbed herself to sleep.

-o-o-o-

The dream like state that Rose drifted through evoked hazy memories of a timeless conversation between powerful entities. One she had hardly been able to understand, though eventually enough comprehension had filtered through her mostly dormant mind to see she faced a choice. In her dream like remembering Rose recalled this choice, a choice between the man that was never meant to be hers for the forever she had promised him and the end of not only one universe but all of them. In the dream state Rose railed at the unfairness of the choice she was forced to make. Stay and end up heart broken, rejected by the clone of a man who she had loved unreservedly because he could no longer understand her, feared by her family, without a place in a universe that was never her own. Or this new destiny, full of blood and pain, fear and hardship. Though there on the horizon, after an untold time in a timeless place of brutality, was someone, an unknown someone, who was the only person in all of the multi-verse who would understand her.

With a regretful sigh and more tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes a sleeping Rose accepted there really hadn't been much of a choice. She would still rail and yell, scream and cry at what she felt was the injustice of it all, she would use her anger against those to come, but eventually she would accept this new destiny. Be damned though, if she was going to go along with it quietly.

Light filtered through Roses eyelids to penetrate the fog of sleep surrounding her. Scrunching her nose in annoyance Rose blinked her eyes open to try and pinpoint the intrusion. Blinking a few more times to focus her gritty and tired feeling eyes Rose looked around what seemed to be a small room. Bare, brown stone walls surrounded her, a single round table and an uninspiring wooden chair sat in the center on what seemed to be a wood floor. A lamp with no cord sat in the middle of the table, casting the muted yellow light that had woken her.

As Rose noted the lack of door she was left wondering if this was any better that the dark nothingness. Though her body still felt slightly light, as though the room floated as well, not sitting with miles of ground under it as most planets did, or the reassuring real gravity feeling the TARDIS simulated.

"I seem to be shut in." she muttered to herself, only to twitch a little in shock at the sound of her own voice. As if she had been in the quiet for a long time.

There is no Time in this place. Though if it were to be measured by your perceptions standards, then yes you were asleep for a rather long time.

Rose managed to surprise herself with how fast she de-tangled from the blanket covering her to jump up from a bed she hadn't even registered she had been laying on. The barest glance around the tiny room reaffirmed to Rose she was indeed alone. Had she heard the voice? Imagined it?

"Who are you? Where are you?" Said Rose with an attempt at a strong voice, in her experience invisibility was rarely used by any one with good intentions.

You would think of me more as a what than a who.

Ugh better and better

Sarcasm hardly becomes you child.

Rose blinked in shock at the apparent answer to her thought. Rose's brain scrambled to keep up. Shit, telepathy and invisibility, can't be good, she considered what she needed to know most.

"Alrigh' then, what do you want?"

Life to continue as it is meant to.

Rose rolled her eyes; she was beginning to feel less scared and more annoyed. "Yea, most people want to get on with their lives."

Again with the sarcasm.

"Ok then, let's start with one even you must be able to answer straight," Rose said with heating anger, "where am I?"

In what you call the Void.

Rose tilted her head slightly smacking her face slightly harder than necessary into the palm of her hand, hoping the sensation might centre her a little. Nope, face palming didn't help. This was getting nowhere fast.

You're not asking the right questions. Said the voice with what Rose thought to be a smug sort of laughter tingeing its voice.

"Jeez what do you want from me?!" Rose nearly yelled with frustration.

Now that is the right question.

Rose tried counting backwards from ten.

Patience is apparently not a virtue of yours either. Alright child, you'll get your answers but you won't like them.

Rose lost a good deal of her frustration at that point to have fear come flooding back.

"What is it that you want from me? I am stuck in a room, I assume of your making, with nothing."

All you need is within you. You remember your choice; this is where you will begin to prepare for what will be required of you in the new universe.

Rose was caught up briefly in the remembered conversation of two forces so much bigger than her small self. Remembrance of the choice made. Damn it all, I don't want to be here she thought frantically, eyes flicking over the walls and roof, instinctively looking for an out.

You'll be able to leave this room soon enough. Then training begins. I suggest you eat and rest however, as the coming time will be a great trial for you, rest and sustenance will be hard to find.

Well that was really reassuring, Rose thought sarcastically, glancing over at the table where a plate with sandwiches, salad and a pot of tea now sat. Then cringed slightly at the feeling that something, somewhere was raising an eyebrow at her.

Well at least her imagination hadn't been impaired.

After concluding that the entity that had future use of her wasn't likely to poison her Rose ate everything given to her and drank a good portion of the tea. Feeling full and sleepy Rose went back to the plain wood framed bed and curled up under the blanket. She knew now, who the two entities were that had conversed in her mind that day, so long ago now. Bad Wolf and something so big and old that she couldn't even try to comprehend it, able only to call it the essence of the Universe itself. The Wolf was gone now, leaving her here with this immeasurable being, alone.

And that's how Rose Tyler felt. So much more alone than she had ever thought one person could feel. There was a burning ache in her chest as Rose curled further into herself, a bundle of flames burning with all the feelings she just couldn't cope with. Loneliness, loss and fear. Closing her eyes and drifting, the thought of what 'training' would entail surfaced, she scooted her mind over to avoid it. Moving towards sleep Rose could see the flames in her mind's eye Rose imagined she saw a pair of golden eyes looking through the flames back at her, narrowed and waiting to leap through the fire.

-o-o-o-